Exclusive Interview With Nigel Glockler

We've managed to secure another quick word with Saxon's drummer Nigel Glockler. Don't forget that the new album Call to Arms is out in the UK on 6 June 2011. You can read our review here.

Could you talk Rockgig.co.uk through the tracks on the Call to Arms album and how they came about?


NG. The writing of the album was a while back so I think the best way to describe how we get material together is as follows - We either get ideas at home and bring them to the writing sessions or send them to each other or ideas may come about with us all in the rehearsal room - someone has to have some basic idea, say a riff or melody or song title - we cant just go 1 2 3 play! - there has to be a starting point - we jam a lot too. And, in Osnabruck, during our sound check, I was playing a drum pattern which Paul put a great riff to and we recorded it for future reference - there are no hard and fast rules about composing - something can happen at any time.


Why was Toby Jepson used for the production of the album and what was he like to work with?


NG. Toby is trying to make a name for himself as a producer and we'd already decided to go back to recording the way we used to and be less reliant on the technology - to actually play together in the studio to get a great vibe down on tape - we wanted to move away from a more overblown production - and away from the Euro-metal type production - no fast double kick drum tracks for example - we met up with Toby, heard what he had to say, liked his ideas, and decided to give him a go - I personally enjoyed having him in the control room while I was laying down the drum tracks - I found him able to get the best out of me - I guess he spurred me on in a kind of way and made me push myself hard.


How did the band end writing songs for the forthcoming movie Hybrid?


NG. This was initially through Toby meeting Neil Marshall the director of said film and it went from there - Doomsday was already written and No Rest For the Wicked came about later on during recording.


The recent UK tour seemed to be really well supported were the band surprised at how well the tour went?

NG. Yep, we were absolutely over the moon with the UK attendances!

At the Bristol show Biff mention that Saxon were coming back to play more UK shows after the summer. Are there any more details yet?

NG. as for more UK dates, we're looking at setting up some shows in the autumn but, as of yet, that's still at the planning stage - as soon as anything is finalised the dates will be up on our site -
http://www.saxon747.com/en/itl/

We'd like to thank Nigel for his time in answering the questions, and we'd like to thank Sharon at The Publicity Connection for all of her help in arranging it, http://www.rockgig.co.uk/ really do appreciate it.

NH

Rush LG Arena Birmingham 22nd May 2011

With a 2 hour 45 minute set (in 2 halves)stunning sound (great geetar crunch), light rig ,back screens, explosions, fireworks what more could you want?

Stunning musicianship from the greatest trio on earth that's what.

Set 1

The Spirit Of Radio

Time Stand Still

Presto

Stick It Out

Workin' Them Angels

Leave That Thing Alone

Faithless

BU2B

Freewill

Marathon

Subdivisions

Set 2

Tom Sawyer

Red Barchetta

YYZ 

Limelight

The Camera Eye

Witch Hunt

Vital Signs

Caravan

Drum Solo

Closer To The Heart

2112 Part 1 Overture

2112 Part 2 The Temples Of Syrinx

Far Cry

Encores of

La Villa Strangiato

Working Man

I could go on for months I am now lucky enough to have seen Rush 6 times and come away each time just amazed at the show they put on.

Just buy the live cd/dvd from the Time Machine Tour when it comes out later in the year recorded recently in Cleveland.

Nuff said.

ME

Glenn Hughes joins Planet Rock to launch weekly radio series

GLENN HUGHES, the former singer and bass guitarist with Trapeze and Deep Purple, and currently the front man of the critically acclaimed rock supergroup Black Country Communion, will launch an exclusive weekly radio show on Planet Rock from Sunday June 5th at 6pm GMT.

Every week, Glenn will choose his favourite rock songs, and seminal tracks that have influenced him over the years, plus songs that continue to inspire him today.  As one of the true rock’n’roll icons, Hughes will reveal controversial tales and anecdotes from his long and glittering career, during which he's played with some of the biggest and best bands and artists of all time.  Get ready for stories about his experiences with Black Sabbath, Ronnie James Dio, David Coverdale, Led Zeppelin, David Bowie, Deep Purple and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, to name but a few.

"I would like to thank Planet Rock for giving me the opportunity to share with listeners the songs that have shaped my life,” says Hughes.  “Every song is chosen by me, and there will rock 'n’roll stories along the away. I am a messenger..."

“Hughes continues Planet Rock’s tradition of bringing rock’s biggest names to the airwaves,” says Planet Rock’s Programme Director, Trevor White.  “After a career spanning 40 years, he brings a wealth of stories from his life on the road, in the studio, his friendships with the likes of Keith Moon and Bonzo, the highs, the lows, and of course, the excesses.  His choice of music will make the show a must listen.”


The series will run on Planet Rock on Sunday evenings at 6pm – 7pm beginning on 5th June.  For further info click here – www.planetrock.com

The news of Glenn’s Planet Rock radio series dovetails the June 13th release of Black Country Communion’s highly anticipated second album “2”, plus BCC’s  upcoming UK July tour that includes the following dates - Llandudno Cymru Arena (July 23), High Voltage Festival, London (July 24), Leeds o2 Academy (July 26), Newcastle o2 Academy (July 27), Glasgow o2 Academy (July 29) and Manchester Academy (July 30)
 Photo Credits: © Dave Musson(right) and Mike Prior (top)

Rival Sons playing US and UK shows.

Classic Rock magazine's latest CD stars: Californian blues-rockers RIVAL SONS, are on the road for a number of Southern US shows before coming to the UK supporting Judas priest and Queensryche.

RIVAL SONS are kicking off their string of Southern shows with a performance at Hangout Music Festival in Gulf Shores, Alabama, this Saturday, May 21st.  RIVAL SONS will be performing on the main stage along with such artists as FOO FIGHTERS, THE FLAMING LIPS, MOTORHEAD, PRIMUS and more.

RIVAL SONS drummer MICHAEL MILEY comments:

"Ya!  We are on our way to Gulf Shores, Alabama, as we speak, for the Hangout Fest.  It's been an adventure already, having locked our keys in the van (um, Scott) with a friendly young, able and willing Texan gentleman devising his own slim jim to "unlock" our vehicle after about 2 gallons of water spilling on our bed and electrical inverter, shorting it out.

"Last night we rolled up to the Mule in Fort Worth where Josh Weathers was playing (with whom we're playing next Thursday at Wild Rooster in Fort Worth) and had a beer or three.  This run of southern dates is great cuz it allows us to obviously connect with our southern fans but also to prepare for the crazy European summer we have ahead of us.  With the new album coming out as well and the single/video for 'Pressure and Time', we have a lot on our plates but we're so pumped for European invasion and loving the loads of support we're getting from Earache and our team at home.  We can't do this alone!"

Don't miss RIVAL SONS live on tour at the following shows:

RIVAL SONS
May 21 - Gulf Shores, AL - Hangout Music Festival
May 24 - Houston, TX - House of Blues
May 25 - Dallas, TX - Double Wide Bar
May 26 - Fort Worth, TX - The Wild Rooster Bar
May 28 - Austin, TX - Lambert's Downtown BBQ
June 24 - Bilbao, Spain - Azkena Rock Festival
June 26 - Imola, Italy - Sonisphere Festival
July 02 - Werchter, Belgium - Rock Werchter Festival
July 03 - Arras, France - Main Square Festival
July 05 - Oslo, Norway - John Dee
July 06 - Kalskoga, Sweden - Putte Parken Festival
July 08 - Weert, Netherlands - Bospop Festival
July 09 - Knebworth, UK - Sonisphere Festival

RIVAL SONS w/ JUDAS PRIEST, QUEENSRYCHE
July 15 - Newport, UK - Newport Centre
July 16 - Manchester, UK - O2 Apollo
July 17 - Doncaster, UK - The Dome
July 19 - Glasgow, UK - SECC
July 20 - Newcastle, UK - Metro Arena
July 21 - Wolverhampton, UK - Civic Hall
July 23 - London, UK - High Voltage Festival
July 24 - Bournemouth, UK - BIC


RIVAL SONS have just released a new music video for the track "Pressure and Time", which premiered on the front page of VEVO and is already proving to be a huge hit online.  Watch the incredible new video now at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MA0m1K2jW4

RIVAL SONS new album, PRESSURE & TIME, is due to be released on June 20th in Europe and July 26th in North America.  The album is available to pre-order now from the Earache Webstore on CD and limited edition audiophile vinyl LP with a free, exclusive A2 poster.

Pre-order PRESSURE & TIME now in Europe at http://j.mp/jucwYJ or in North America at http://j.mp/mtaFfm

European fans can also pre-order the album now from Play.com with a free limited edition band photo signed by the members of RIVAL SONS themselves.  Reserve a copy while stocks last athttp://bit.ly/gxitPm

PRESSURE & TIME is also available to pre-order now on iTunes, featuring two exclusive bonus tracks not available anywhere else.  The album will be released on iTunes in North America on June 21st.

Pre-order the exclusive iTunes edition now in Europe at http://j.mp/l09Sji or in North America at http://j.mp/jnpcLp

Stop Press - Saxon - Call To Arms - Album Release - Now 6th June

The Release of the new Saxon album CALL TO ARMS has gone back to 6th June 2011. The album will be released on Militia Guard Music, the bands' new label through UDR/EMI Records.It is produced by Biff Byford and Toby Jepson (Little Angels) and has been reviewed by rockgig.co.uk below.

NH

Saxon - Call to Arms Album Review

Saxon release their 19^th studio album on the 6th June. It’s entitled Call to Arms and front man Biff Byford says “it’s right on the money.” A bold statement, is he right? My eager hands put the CD into the machine and I pressed play, could this album live up to the promise?

Four of the tracks have already had some exposure via the recent tour and clips that have made their way onto YouTube. The opening track Hammer of the Gods has also been available via saxon747 site for fans to listen to. This is a great opener both to the album and the recent shows I attended. The second track that was aired in the live setting was Back in 79. Due to the fans sing along on this song comparisons to Denim and Leather are inevitable and this song lives up that comparison. I sense that this might be a live set regular for a while. There are two versions of the title track and to be honest I prefer the bonus orchestral version of Call to Arms which has a fuller sound. The lyrics paint a vivid picture and at the end of the song when Biff says “the telegram came today” I thought I’d received it myself. The final track that was aired on the tour was When Doomsday Come, which features Don Airy on the CD, this and No Rest for the Wicked feature in the forthcoming film Hybrid Theory. Both of these tracks along with Afterburner are at the heavier end of this CD.

On the opposite side of scale is the more melodic track Mists of Avalon which weaves a great tale of Arthurian myth and legend to the listener. 

Surviving Against the Odds could so easily be a signature tune for the band as they now enjoy this renaissance of their fortunes. This song screams defiance to everyone around them. Chasing the Bullet is my favorite track on the CD a really great riff runs through the song and I really hope this makes it onto the live set; air guitars ready for the solo, just a great no nonsense rock song. The same could also be said for Ballad of the Working Man, this is no ballad, it’s simply another catchy heavy rock song.

Throughout the CD Biffs vocals are on top form and this is surrounded by great guitar work provided by Paul Quinn and Doug Scarratt with every song driven on by the rhythm section of Nibbs Carter and Nigel Glocker.

So I agree with Mr. Byford this album is right on the money, and for me it is one the most consistent albums Saxon have released in recent years. It has a great mix of tunes so Answer the Call to Arms, get yourself a copy of this fine CD and get saving your money for a ticket to the live shows.

NH

Foreigner - UK & Ireland Tour June 2011

Journey, Foreigner & Styx Announce First Ever UK Tour

After wowing crowds at last year’s High Voltage Festival, Foreigner, one of the most popular rock acts in the world, return to the UK and Ireland to play 7 arena shows in June 2011 as the Very Special Guests on the Journey headline tour which also features Styx.

Led by founding songwriter/lead guitarist Mick Jones, with the electrifying Kelly Hansen on vocals, Foreigner will join Journey and Styx, to bring an incredible must-see live show to the UK and Ireland. This is a rare opportunity to see three of the biggest names in Classic Rock in the same place at the same time!

Sat 4th June London Wembley Arena 0844 815 0815
Sun 5th June Birmingham LG Arena 0844 388 8000
Tue 7th June Newcastle Metro Radio Arena 0844 493 6666
Wed 8th June Manchester MEN Arena 0844 847 8000
Thurs 9th June Glasgow SECC 0844 395 4000
Sat 11th June Dublin O2 Arena 0818 719 300 *
Sun 12th June Belfast Odyssey Arena 02890 739 074

Tickets priced at £42.50 in advance London & £40.00 regionally all subject to booking fee. Available from: www.livenation.co.uk

Tickets for Dublin are priced at €49.20 and for Belfast £44 including booking fee and are available via Telephone (24 Hour): ROI - * 0818 719 300, Northern Ireland - 0844 277 44 55
Book On Line: www.ticketmaster.ie

Nightranger - Somewhere in California

NIGHT RANGER’S “SOMEWHERE IN CALIFORNIA” CONFIRMED FOR RELEASE VIA FRONTIERS RECORDS - ALBUM CELEBRATES BAND’S 30TH ANNIVERSARY

VIDEO FOR FIRST SINGLE AND TRACK LISTING REVEALED; SUMMER TOUR SUPPORTING JOURNEY AND FOREIGNER WITH DATES IN EUROPE AND US

Night Ranger’s brand new album SOMEWHERE IN CALIFORNIA has just been confirmed for release on June 17th in Europe and June 21st in North America on Frontiers Records. The offering is the culmination of the band’s work to date and celebrates the 30th anniversary of Night Ranger. SOMEWHERE IN CALIFORNIA finds Night Ranger returning to their classic sound with updated production. Frontman/bassist Jack Blades commented, “Night Ranger is back with a vengeance! We are so proud of our new album… classic NR in every sense...can’t wait to see all the fans on tour this summer. Rock n’ roll!”

The first single, “Growin’ Up In California,” will soon impact at radio. The sun-drenched new video has just been released and can be viewed here. An EPK for the album can be viewed here. Please see below for a complete track listing for SOMEWHERE IN CALIFORNIA. Night Ranger will play a headling show in London, at o2 Academy Islington on 23rd June. They also hit the road this summer on a massive tour in Europe and USA as special guests supporting Journey and Foreigner.

Night Ranger’s legendary hits "Sister Christian," "(You Can Still) Rock in America," and "Don't Tell Me You Love Me" are songs that have each significantly impacted popular culture and expanded their ever-growing fanbase since the band’s inception thirty years ago. Night Ranger’s contributions are featured in multiple entertainment realms, including the hit Broadway musical Rock of Ages and the wildly successful videogame series "Rock Band" and "Guitar Hero". The band has also been recognized in such significant films and television shows as Boogie Nights and “American Dad” to name a few. To date, Night Ranger has sold 17 million units worldwide and boasts several platinum- and gold-certified albums. Night Ranger is Jack Blades (bass & lead vocals), Kelly Keagy (drums & lead vocals), Brad Gillis (guitar & backing vocals), Joel Hoekstra (guitar & backing vocals) and Eric Levy (keyboards).


Night Ranger SOMEWHERE IN CALIFORNIA track listing:


Growin’ Up In California
Lay It On Me
Bye Bye Baby (Not Tonight)
Follow Your Heart
Time Of Our Lives
No Time To Lose Ya
Live For Today
It’s Not Over
End Of The Day
Rock N’ Roll Tonite
Say It With Love

Coming of Age (featuring Ted Nugent) – Bonus track for AmazonMP3
Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap – Bonus track for iTunes

Night Ranger on tour supporting Journey and Foreigner:


JUNE
17 Hannover, GER Parkbuehne
18 Esslingen (Stuttgart), GER Richard-Hirschmann Eisstadion
19 Winterthur,SWI Eishalle Deutweg
21 Milan, ITL Fiera Arena
22 Augsburg (Nuremburg, GER) Schwabenhalle
23 London, UK o2 Academy Islington (headlining show)
25 St. Goarshausen, GER Loreley Freilchtbuhne
JULY
21 Salt Lake City, UT Rio Tinto Stadium
23 Irvine, CA Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
24 Phoenix, AZ Desert Sky Pavilion
27 Maryland Heights, MO Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
30 Tinley Park, IL First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
31 Clarkston, MI DTE Energy Music Theatre
AUGUST
2 Cuyahoga Falls, OH Blossom Music Center
3 Cincinnati, OH Riverbend Music Center
5 Columbus, OH Crew Stadium/Ohio State Fair
6 Noblesville, IN Verizon Wireless Music Center
10 Darien Center, NY Darien Lake Performing Arts Center
13 Camden, NJ Susquehanna Bank Center
16 Hartford, CT Comcast Theatre
17 Wantagh, NY Nikon At Jones Beach Theater
19 Virginia Beach, VA Virginia Beach Amphitheater
20 Raleigh, NC Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion At Walnut Creek
21 Charlotte, NC Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre Charlotte
24 Holmdel, NJ PNC Bank Arts Center
27 Burgettstown, PA First Niagara Pavilion
30 Syracuse, NY New York State Fair
31 Allentown, PA The Great Allentown Fair
SEPTEMBER
2 Saratoga Springs, NY Saratoga Performing Arts Center
10 New Orleans, LA New Orleans Arena
16 Atlanta, GA Aaron’s Ampitheatre At Lakewood
17 Tampa, FL 1-800-Ask Gary Amphitheatre
18 West Palm Beach, FL Cruzan Amphitheatre
24 Dallas, TX Gexa Energy Pavilion
25 The Woodlands, TX Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
28 Kansas City, MO Starlight Theatre
OCTOBER
1 Englewood, CO Comfort Dental Amphitheatre
7 Chula Vista, CA Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre
14 Wheatland, CA Sleep Train Amphitheatre
15 Mountain View, CA Shoreline Amphitheatre
19 Portland, OR Rose Garden Arena
21 Seattle, WA KeyArena

TOTO announce one-off UK concert at London Hammersmith Apollo

Celebrated rock band ‘TOTO’ will perform a rare concert at London’s HMV Hammersmith Apollo on Sunday 26th June, 2011. This will be TOTO’s only UK concert this year.

Tickets are available from the 24 Hour Ticket Hotline 0844 888 9991 or 0844 847 1642, or book online from www.ticketline.co.uk or www.ticketmaster.co.uk.
TOTO will perform all their classic hits from a career that spans 34 years. Fans can expect to hear all the greatest hits including Hold The Line, Rosanna and Africa. The current line-up features Joseph Williams (lead vocals), David Paich (keyboards), Steve Lukather (guitar, vocals), Steve Porcaro (keyboards), Simon Phillips (drums), and Nathan East (bass guitar).
The band will also perform songs from their 12 studio albums including their eponymous debut Toto (1978), followed by Hydra (1979), Turn Back (1981), Toto IV (1982), Isolation (1984), Fahrenheit (1986), The Seventh One (1988), Kingdom of Desire (1992), Tambu (1995), Mindfields (1999), Through The Looking Glass (2002) and Falling In Between (2006)
TOTO are featured on the front cover of the new issue of “AOR” magazine. The new issue features an 11-page retrospective that chronicles the history of TOTO written by Derek Oliver, plus a free cover mount CD, “AOR Anthems,” that includes a live recording of TOTO’s “Pamela” exclusively mixed for AOR by TOTO drummer, Simon Phillips.
Read the official full colour TOTO UK announcement here.

Saxon - Call To Arms - Album Release

The steel-coated riff.

The power of the steel-coated riff, in all its forged metallic, shake-your-body, fist-pumping, air-guitar glory.

The songs.
The power of great songwriting, numbers which at once energize, enthral, engage and entertain.
The power of great delivery, the platinum-plated quality of honest, honed, aggressively-crafted pure heavy metal music.

This is Saxon.
This is a Call To Arms… and this is the resurgent rallying cry that generations of denim & leather clad supporters have been waiting to hear.

Packing an armoury of steel-coated riffs and songwriting swagger, British hard rock legends Saxon will release their 19th studio album titled Call To Arms in May 2011. Recorded at Chapel Studios in Lincolnshire, UK and Brighton Electric Studios in Brighton, UK, the 11-track album was co-produced by singer/songwriter Biff Byford and Toby Jepson (Little Angels). Featuring Biff Byford on lead vocals, Paul Quinn and Doug Scarratt on guitars, Nibs Carter on bass and Nigel Glockler on drums, Call To Arms is bang on-the-money brilliant Saxon music, a confident embrace of the aura and writing values from their early years married perfectly to a modern Saxon crunch.

“This is probably the best album we’ve written and recorded in the last 20 years,” states Biff Byford unapologetically, “I know a lot of bands say that, but ‘Call To Arms’ really does feel like that to me. It’s the perfect embrace of our past with a great modern edge.”

Between the furious riffage of ‘Hammer Of The Gods’ all the way through to ‘Ballad Of The Working Man’, Saxon also found time to invite fans to sing on the nostalgic stomp of ‘Back In ‘79’ thanks to a Byford brainwave the night before recording.

“We put something up on our website 24 hours before recording the track in Brighton, and funnily enough we had exactly 79 people show up on time to sing on the song. It was a fantastic result which is a direct tribute to ‘Denim & Leather’ where we did the same exact thing.”

There is also a guest appearance from Rainbow/ELO/Ozzy Osbourne and Deep Purple keyboard legend Don Airy on ‘When Doomsday Comes,’

“We were at the American embassy in different lines queuing for our visas and by the time we’d got them, Don had agreed to come and play on the song,” chuckles Byford.

It will also feature alongside the track ‘No Rest For The Wicked’ in the forthcoming movie ‘Hybrid Theory’, a sci-fi thriller which follows a group of British soldiers who find themselves in a life or death battle with an enemy far beyond their wildest nightmares. The film is directed by James Erskin who made ‘One Night In Turin’ about England at the World Cup in 1990.

“We’ve done our darker albums, our full-on metal albums, we’ve been to those spaces and experimented with them and people came on the journey with us,” says Byford, “and with Call To Arms you have the culmination of those 10 years and the 20 years before it. I love this album. I love the songs. I love the sounds. It’s right on the money.”

Don’t dare argue. Because Biff Byford doesn’t bother dealing in hyperbole, only truths…

CALL TO ARMS

1. Hammer of the Gods
2. Back in 79
3. Surviving Against the Odds
4. Mists of Avalon
5. Call To Arms
6. Chasing the Bullet
7. Afterburner
8. When Doomsday Comes (Hybrid Theory)
9. No Rest for the Wicked
10. Ballad of the Working Man
11. Call To Arms – orchestral version

BRAND NEW STUDIO ALBUM: Release: 23rd May 2011
NH

Free download from Black Country Communion

Our favourite band Black Country Communion are giving away a track from their forthcoming album. To get the track "Outsider" just go here. If you want a teaser then just click below....


In other BCC news; their official website states that  in a recent interview Jason Bonham has revealed details of a track on the new Black Country Communion album that was formerly started with Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones in 2008.
Speaking to the Toronto Sun he revealed “There’s a song that started off as an idea that I worked on with (them), so I was happy to finish it off with this band and have it come out, It’s called Save Me. You’ll notice it in the riff. You’ll hear a slight Zepesque riff … it’s got a definite feel to it.”

A few years ago Jason Bonham, the son of late Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham, was working with the band for several months after the band’s reunion concert in London, however things didn’t happen after singer Robert Plant decided not to join them. “I was very much under the illusion that we were going to write an album and we were going to put together a new project,” he said about working with his father’s band, “It was winter, like early December of 2008 when it kind of came to a halt, which was a hard thing for me to get over for a while. I had just played the concert of my life.”
His Black Country Communion bandmate, Glenn Hughes, has also distanced himself from the rumours and possibilities of a Deep Purple MK III reunion with David Coverdale, Richie Blackmore, Jon Lord and Ian Paice stating on his Facebook page, “I get asked the same question about Deep Purple in every interview. But I’m all about the present, not the past. Black Country Communion is now – and David is the only member of MkIII who has remained a true brother all through the years and stood by me.”