Fan-filmed video footage of SID, the new solo project of SLIPKNOT DJ Sid Wilson (a.k.a. DJ Starscream), performing the song "Nervous Central" on August 26, 2010 at the Val Air Ballroom in Des Moines, Iowa can be viewed. (Note: The track doesn't properly kick in until around the 1:50 mark.) Wilson fronts the group, which also features guitarist 9 Ballz, drummer Big Mike, DJ "A-Roc Impossible" and back-up vocalist, Omaha rapper Jamazz.

Guitarist Jim Root said in a recent interview that a "healing process" needs to take place before "we even think about whether or not SLIPKNOT will continue" following the passing of bassist Paul Gray.

Root and singer Corey Taylor are on the road now with STONE SOUR, whose new album, "Audio Secrecy", arrives on September 7.

Gray's body was found on May 24 in a suburban hotel room outside Des Moines, Iowa. A medical examiner ruled that the 38-year-old died of an accidental overdose of morphine and a synthetic form of morphine.

September 25, 2010, marks the 30th anniversary of the passing of LED ZEPPELIN drummer John Bonham. His groove and sound is considered to be the most influential of all rock-n-roll drummers; John "Bonzo" Bonham is the undisputed king. Bonzo will once again be honored in a special concert featuring rock's biggest names behind the kit at the Key Club in Hollywood, California.

On stage and for one night only, a rotating cast of guest drummers perform their favorite LED ZEPPELIN songs.

Confirmed drummers include:

* Steven Adler (GUNS N' ROSES, ADLER'S APPETITE)
* Vinny Appice (BLACK SABBATH, HEAVEN & HELL, DIO)
* Kenny Aronoff (JOHN COUGAR, JOHN FOGERTY)
* Frankie Banali (QUIET RIOT)
* Jason Bonham (LED ZEPPELIN, FOREIGNER)
* Fred Coury (CINDERELLA)
* Jimmy D'Anda (BULLETBOYS)
* James Kottak (SCORPIONS)
* Khurt Maier (SALTY DOG)
* Chris Slade (THE FIRM, AC/DC)
* Chad Smith (RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS, CHICKENFOOT)
* Brian Tichy (WHITESNAKE, FOREIGNER, BILLY IDOL)
* Joe Travers (ZAPPA PLAYS ZAPPA, DURAN DURAN)
* Simon Wright (AC/DC, DIO)

Carmine Appice (VANILLA FUDGE, ROD STEWART) will perform via video.

Joining the drummers on stage will be musicians Brent Woods (guitar), Michael "Denim" Devin (bass), Keith St. John (vocals), Stephen LeBlanc (keys) and Brian Tichy (guitar).

"Not a day goes by where I don't think of John Bonham's snare sound, and it hit me — 'Why isn't there a Bonzo tribute where every drummer gets up on a Vistalite kit, with gong and timpanis, and plays their favorite ZEPPELIN song?" co-organizer Brian Tichy, said. "I thought of all the drummers I know that worship at the alter of John Bonham and being in L.A., there are so many here."

Promoter Joe Sutton took care of the rest and has helped organize this striking tribute. His moxie for the all-mighty Bonzo and LED ZEPPELIN has never wavered.

"First and foremost, LED ZEPPELIN is the greatest band in the world and it is not a coincidence that John Bonham was the drummer," Sutton said. "Bonham's drumming is one of the main reasons that they were able to sound so huge."

Sutton continued, "I remember the day that John Bonham died; it broke my heart. Not only to lose a great man and the best drummer in the world, but to lose LED ZEPPELIN as a band was just devastating to myself and everyone I knew. So to have a chance to put together a tribute 30 years later for the almighty Bonzo I will use all of my efforts and experience to put together a very special night."

Tickets for "Bonzo: The Groove Remains The Same" can be purchased at Keyclub.com.

The Key Club is located at 9039 Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood.

I lost count of the number of concerts I have attended since the 1980’s but the number is much higher than my feeble intelligence quotient (“IQ”). Even with my troglodytic disposition I can spot a polished professional band before the first verse of the set opener. Foreigner is undeniably such a band. Foreigner is more like champagne than malt liquor, more like the opera than open mike night at a dive bar, more like steak than Spam, more like … well you get the point. On May 25, 2010 Foreigner played the Concord Pavilion. Foreigner played a 12 song, 80 minute set from 9:37 to 10:57.

Mick Jones 1. Double Vision (Double Vision record, 1978) is a mid tempo song that began with Mick Jones’s (“MJ’s,” lead guitarist) catchy guitar chord progression and run. MJ wore black Converse sneakers, black jean pants, long sleeve white cotton shirt with vertical satin stripes, black scarf with an intermittent white pattern, and black vest with very fine white polka dots minimally spaced from one another that gave the vest a grey appearance from afar. [As I stood in the photo pit three feet from MJ I was impressed by his dapper state. MJ had a golden tan George Hamilton (American film and television actor) would envy. MJ’s fingernails were finely manicured as if he was about to attend a knighting ceremony by Queen Elizabeth II, and his moustache and goatee were so neatly trimmed his stylist must have used a diamond measuring magnifier.] Immediately before Kelly Hansen (“KH,” lead vocalist) sang the first verse, at approximately the 0:15 mark (approximations presumed throughout), Brian Sutter (“BS,” drummer) played a series of drum fills. The first and second verses featured MJ and Thom Gimbel’s (“TG’s,” rhythm guitarist, saxophonist) chugging guitar chord progressions and Jeff Pilson’s (“JP’s,” bassist) trudging bass lines. During the first and second choruses the tempo slightly slowed down and prominently featured Michael Bluestein’s (“MB’s,” keyboardist) keyboard notes. The tempo escalated and resumed a mid tempo pace when KH sang the last line of the choruses, “My double vision gets the best of me.” During the last 60 seconds of the song the band sang the third chorus.

Foreigner

2. Head Games (Head Games, 1979) is a mid tempo ballad that began with MJ’s guitar chord progression augmented by JP’s solid bass lines and MB’s high keyboard notes. In addition to KH’s powerful voice the first and second verses prominently displayed MB’s keyboard chord progression and JP’s punchy bass lines. JP wore grey sneakers with hot pink trim, black jean pants, and long sleeve black cotton shirt. JP mainly played a natural wood Fender Precision bass with a pearl colored pick guard. [JP is the rocker in the band. JP did not look much different than the first time I saw him perform as Dokken’s bass player opening the show for the mighty Judas Priest in Oakland, California on May 15, 1986, just less hairspray and makeup, somewhat like a girl who goes from being on a first date to becoming a housewife. JP headbanged through most of the set, even during power ballads. Foreigner could have performed the nursery rhyme Mary Had A Little Lamb and JP would still have headbanged as if his head contains a metronome compelling him to do so.] During the first chorus the tempo slightly escalated for 15 seconds, and MJ’s guitar chord progression came to the forefront as KH sang, “Head games … it’s you and me baby. Head games … and I can’t take it anymore. Head games … I don’t wanna play … the head games.” KH then sang the second chorus after which the band engaged in a 30 second jam during which MJ played a memorable guitar solo and KH a tambourine center stage atop the metal ramp next to MB. KH then sang the third verse and chorus.

Jeff Pilson 3. Cold As Ice (Foreigner, 1977) began with MJ playing a very recognizable keyboard chord progression atop a keyboard riser positioned stage right. Ten seconds into the song MJ’s keyboard notes were augmented by BS’s snare and tom tom drums and continued into the first verse as KH sang, “You’re as cold as ice. You’re willing to sacrifice our love. You never take advice. Someday you’ll pay the price … I know.” KH then sang the first chorus that included a 15 second segment during which the tempo slightly slowed down and the tone became more commercial as KH sang, “I’ve seen it before, it happens all the time (ooh-ooh). You’re closing the door, you leave the world behind. You’re digging for gold, you’re throwing away (aah-aah). A fortune in feelings, but someday you’ll pay.” The commercial tone was largely attributed to MB’s “ooh-ooh” and “aah-aah” contributions. KH then sang the second verse that contained slightly varied lyrics from the first verse and was followed by TG’s 10 second guitar solo. The band then exchanged a melodic series of vocal lines, “Cold as ice. You know that you are. Cold as ice. As cold as ice to me. Cold as ice.” MB, TG, and JP sang the phrase, “Cold as ice” while KH sang the remainder. The tempo slightly escalated as the band repeated the phrase, “Cold as ice. You’re as cold as ice, cold as ice, I know.”

4. Can’t Slow Down (Can’t Slow Down, 2009) is the up tempo first single from the band’s most recent record that featured MJ’s groovy guitar chord progression during the first verse. MJ’s catchy guitar riff introduced the first chorus that featured a memorable melody augmented by MB’s keyboard notes and back up vocals. KH then sang the second chorus after which the tempo slightly slowed down, and JP provided a solid foundation for MJ to play a guitar solo on his black Gibson Les Paul.

Kelly Hansen 5. Dirty White Boy (Head Games, 1979). Before Dirty White Boy KH said, “How many naughty girls do we have out there? (screams from female audience members) That’s perfect because I am a Dirty White Boy.” KH wore white sneakers, tight navy blue jean pants, navy blue t shirt with Union Jack logo, black scarf with brown and black vertical stripes on its ends, and powder blue leather jacket. [KH comes from the Mick Jagger school of rock, not only in terms of some stage moves, but also his lanky frame and prominent mouth.] Dirty White Boy is an up tempo song that began with a catchy, bluesy MJ guitar riff reminiscent of B.B. King (black American blues guitarist, singer) that he continued to play into the first verse. When KH transitioned from the first verse to the first chorus the tempo slightly escalated. The first chorus began and ended with BS’s rapid drum fills and also featured JP’s punchy bass lines as KH sang, “’Cause I’m a dirty white boy. Yeah a dirty white boy. A dirty white boy.” The phrase “Dirty White Boy” repeatedly flashed in white letters against a black background on the video screen that stretched to the ends of the large stage. The video screen was comprised of 44 rectangular shaped panels mounted in two rows, each containing 22 panels. During the second verse the tempo slightly slowed down and prominently featured MB’s keyboard chords. MJ then played a fiery, fluid 20 second guitar solo on his black Gibson Les Paul that concluded with harmonic notes. The band then sang the third chorus followed by the third verse that featured two memorable MJ guitar runs. During the last 60 seconds of the song the band thrice repeated the chorus. Dirty White Boy and another song to be performed received the strongest audience reaction.

Read more...

Former SKID ROW frontman Sebastian Bach will support GUNS N' ROSES on a U.K. tour in October. The dates are as follows:

Oct. 13 - London, UK - O2 Arena
Oct. 14 - London, UK - O2 Arena
Oct. 15 - Warwickshire, UK - Leamington Assembly Hall *
Oct. 17 - Birmingham, UK - LG Arena
Oct. 18 - Manchester, UK - MEN Arena

* Sebastian Bach headlining show (no GUNS N' ROSES)

Bach recently posted 100 new photographs, including shots from the set of JOHN RICH's video shoot for his new single, "Country Done Come To Town", and pictures from Bach's recent trip to Norway to perform at the Norway Rock festival.

Bach is currently working on material for his next solo album, which he expects to release sometime in 2011.

Although nothing has been confirmed yet, Sebastian's new CD will likely be made available through Sony Music in Japan.

Bach's current solo band includes guitarists Nick Sterling and Johnny Chromatic, drummer Bobby Jarzombek and bassist Rob DeLuca.

Sebastian last year collaborated with HATEBREED frontman Jamey Jasta on several tracks for Bach's new solo album, with Nick and Charlie Bellmore of the Connecticut band PHANTOMS assisting during the pre-production process. The singer has also written material with John 5 (ROB ZOMBIE, MARILYN MANSON).

Bach supported GUNS N' ROSES on the band's recently completed South American and Canadian tours.