First, I have to acknowledge the passing of Bruce Springsteen's E-Street band organist and keyboard player, Danny Federici. I've seen Bruce play a dozen or so times since 1978, and this band is a unit, a family, a musical band that shows deep passion for life and living and heartfelt desires.
But nothing says it better than his lifelong friend and musical cohort, Bruce himself. He posted the eulogy he gave at Danny's funeral on his official site, www.brucespringsteen.net, which says it all and more.
"So today, making another one of his mysterious exits, we say farewell to Danny, “Phantom” Dan, Federici. Father, husband, my brother, my friend, my mystery, my thorn, my rose, my keyboard player, my miracle man and lifelong member in good standing of the house rockin’, pants droppin’, earth shockin’, hard rockin’, booty shakin’, love makin’, heart breakin’, soul cryin’… and, yes, death defyin’ legendary E Street Band." RIP Danny, from all the friends who you made feel like part of the Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band family.
Okay, regrouping! As reported in World Entertainment News Network, when asked by The New York Times of the best thing about their divorce, she said, "There's a long list of things." Von Teese went on to say, "I am happy to have the drugs out of my life." In true rock and roll revenge, she summed up her divorce from Manson by saying to the Times, "I took my engagement diamond and had it transformed at Christian Dior in Paris into a beautiful ring. It's nice; it's big. I feel like I suffered greatly for that diamond, and it needed to be reborn into something better. One of my big extravagances when I moved out of my former husband's house was a matching pink stove and refrigerator in '50s style."
By the way, for all of you 80's hair metal fans like myself, former Shotgun Messiah band member at the time known as "Tim Tim" is now playing bass with Marilyn Manson's musical ensemble. An old and dear friend of Tim Tim's, it is hard to recognize the now "super punk looking musician when I checked out the Manson website. Tim, OMG! What are you thinking dude?!?!? You have certainly come a long way from back in the day in 1989 when you came to my apartment-warming party when I moved out to Hollywood with the 4-cop-car celebration rose to rock and roll proportion. Oh the good old days! lol...
Speaking of hair metal, catching up with a rocker who has re-surfaced in what is now, as he told me recently, "the biggest surge in my career," Bret Michaels is enjoying the 5+million ratings he scored with his "Rock of Love 2" Reunion show capturing the #1 spot in cable.
Michaels is currently touring nationwide with his solo band, selling out venues with ravenous rock fans. In fact Bret is playing his solo shows, which average 6 nights a week now since February, up until the day before the Poison tour kicks off for the summer! Bret Michaels solo band will be featured at the largest rock and roll festival of the summer, Rocklahoma, on July 10, and then hits the road with Poison on July 11! How do you do it Bret???
To get a full list of the tour dates and all the rest of the information on rock and rolls hottest frontman, go to his website at www.bretmichaels.com, or check out his MySpace page at www.myspace.com/bretmichaelsofpoison. Press can head over to his official Media site at www.myspace.com/cas11099.
3 Doors Down is releasing its much anticipated new self-titled album on May 6. After a nearly one year lapse since their last release, when I spoke with the band's singer Brad Arnold recently he told me "The time that we had to spend on this record was a blessing, and it shows in the songs, the time we put into them. And I’m really proud of them. They really express where we are right now and we’re really excited about them." I heard a sneak peak of the tunes, and believe me you won't be disappointed!
Speaking of May 6, guitar virtuoso Richie Kotzen is releasing his 17th solo album “LIVE IN SAO PAULO" recorded during his 2007 South American tour.
Eagle Rock Entertainment has been busy as a rock beaver lately with a bunch of new material. They'll be releasi Sweden Rocks by Ted Nugent on CD May 13, with a DVD of the show will be released June 10. I've interviewed Ted a bunch of times, and let me tell you he truly is a madman! When I flown out by the band LA in Damn Yankees hey-day, Ted did our entire interview while sharpening his hunting knife. That was definitely the best way for a rocker to get the cover of a magazine, lol.
Okay, enough out of this ancient rock journalist for now. If you have anything you'd like me to consider for next month's column, please contact me at cas11099@aol.com
Ciao
