Not exactly the best-kept secret in metal, Judas Priest has a big summer planned, what with the impending release of Nostradamus and extensive touring afoot.

In talking with lead singer Rob Halford on Friday, there is still no release date scheduled for the new record, which Halford calls "a massive endeavor." He did say, though, that the album should be out before the band starts its summer tour, and that begins June 3 in Finland.

As far as a setlist goes, Halford did give leak some details.

"There'll be a handful of songs that we always play for the fans, but there will be a lot of material that we've not played much before or put in our show for awhile," says Halford.

And where do things stand with Nostradamus?

"We're in the final mixing, and then we'll rush off to do masters," he says.

Watch for a podcast of my interview with Halford at www.goldminemag.com, and read Goldmine's metal issue, dated May 9, for a story on Halford.

Below are tour dates. For more information on what's happening with Priest or Halford's projects outside the band, check out judaspriest.com/ or visit www.RobHalford.com, www.HalfordMerchandise.com, www.HalfordMusic.com, or www.myspace.com/robhalford

JUNE 2008          
 3rd     ICEHALL, HELSINKI, FINLAND     
 5th     SWEDEN ROCK FESTIVAL/SOLVESBORG, SWEDEN     
 7th     TRONDHEIM ROCK FESTIVAL/TRONDHEIM, NORWAY     
 8th     BERGENSHALL, BERGEN, NORWAY     
 11th     ROCKHAL, LUXEMBOURG     
 13th     DOWNLOAD FESTIVAL, U.K.     
 15th     NOVA ROCK FESTIVAL/ VIENNA, AUSTRIA     
 16th     INCHEBA/BRATISLAVIA, SLOVAKIA     
 17th     CEZ ARENA, OSTRAVA, CZECH REPUBLIC     
 20th     KOBETASONIK FESTIVAL/BILBAO, SPAIN     
 22nd     TBA     
 23rd     PHILIPSHALLE, DUSSELDORF, GERMANY     
 24th     ZENITH, MUNICH, GERMANY      
 25th     NATIONAL SPORTZENTRUM,/HUTTWIL, SWITZERLAND     
 27th     GRASPOP METAL FESTIVAL, BELGIUM     
 28th     BANG YOUR HEAD FESTIVAL, STUTTGART, GERMANY     
 29th     GODS OF METAL FESTIVAL, BOLOGNA, ITALY     
 JULY 2008          
 1st     CASTLE FESTIVAL/BELGRADE, SERBIA     
 2nd     DOM SPORTOVA, ZAGREB, CROATIA     
 3rd     LIBEREC ARENA, PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC     
 5th     ROSKILDE FESTIVAL, DENMARK     
 9th     ROCKWAVE FESTIVAL/ATHENS, GREECE     
 11th     B'ESTFest AFTERSHOCK/ROMANIA, BUCHAREST     
 13th     TURKCELL KURUCEME ARENA/ISTANBUL, TURKEY

The inevitable backlash against Vampire Weekend has begun in earnest, and once again, another indie-rock hopeful is trashed on message boards across the Internet after some good, initial word-of-mouth.

Want to see the "flaming" — and by that, I mean 'Internet flaming," get it? — wreckage? Go to obner.org and read the post called F**k VAMPIRE WEEKEND. It's a message board I generally read on occasion to get a good laugh and find out what people of my ilk are digging these days, now that I'm a little out of the indie-rock loop.

Anyway, if you're not hip to Vampire Weekend, they're a hot little Brooklyn-spawned, Afrobeat-indie rock combo that sounds a little like The Talking Heads doing island music. Not sure why some have taken such an intense dislike of the band. Perhaps it's the fey beachwear they wore on a Saturday Night Live performance a few weeks ago. Perhaps it's the tricky little melodies they chase and how their music lacks the balls of full-throated rock, or how the Caribbean rhythms that give Vampire Weekend's energetic, wistful pop soda an unexpected, citrus-flavored twist.

Whatever the case, I just find it so interesting how the indie community eats its young. An interesting new band comes along. Word spreads like wildfire across the Internet and then, after the world discovers them, out come the wolves. Okay, so maybe the hype with Vampire Weekend was a little over the top at first. And if you don't like them, fine. But man, this happens so often, you can predict exactly what's going to come to a band like Vampire Weekend before anybody gets a taste of what flavor of the month is to come.

I say, give 'em a break, enjoy what they do and give 'em some time to develop. Remember how record companies and fans actually used to do that?

Interested in what Vampire Weekend is all about? Go to www.vampireweekend.com, and give the album a listen. Then, tell me what you think. That's how this blog thing is supposed to work after all. And watch for a review in a future issue of Goldmine.

Autumn leavings
Switching gears, I wanted to talk about an album from the fall of 2007 that I loved at the time and wanted to review for Goldmine, but just didn't have the time. It's by indie stalwarts Pinback and it's called Autumn Of The Seraphs.

Love the dynamic, stop-on-a-dime-and-change-directions musicianship. Love the unexpectedly melodic turns Rob Crow and company take on "From Nothing To Nowhere" and "Barnes." Love the smart hooks, wistful (there's that word again) tones and interwoven vocals of "Good To Sea." And speaking of tone, the rich guitar lines and piano of "How We Breathe" are evidence of the really smart, tasteful production found here. And yeah, I know I'm going through the first four songs of the record, but I don't care. From top to bottom, you can't find a clunker.

The guitars of "Walters" are heavy and dramatic, as simple piano figures wind around your ears like ivy. The agile guitar gymnastics of "Devil You Know" flip and tumble about like a series of acrobats, each one executing his routine as perfectly as the one before him. The intricate vocal movements are similarly executed.

Hope it's not too late to put in a good word for Pinback and Autumn Of The Seraphs. Consistently interesting and compelling from start to finish, it's an album that won't go stale after a couple of listens. Log on to www.pinback.com to learn more.

All glammed-up with plenty of places to go, Goldfrapp's sexy, glitter-splattered, electro-dance cabaret is wonderfully salacious entertainment. Their burlesque stage show has a Weimer vibe, and the synth-driven music goes from James Bond-theme, widescreen drama to robotic, carnal pleasure principle to majestic, emotional floods in the span of a few songs.

Suffice it to say, I'm a fan, and that may not be very, ahem ... Goldmine of me, considering our classic-rock orientation, but Goldfrapp rules, okay?

Goldfrapp's fourth album, Seventh Tree, is another stunner, though quieter and more acoustic than past efforts. On the heels of its release, the duo of Allison Goldfrapp, she of the pristine, breathy voice, and Will Gregory will perform at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, an event I've never been to but need to see before I die. Goldfrapp's performance at the Indio, Calif., festival takes place April 25.
 
The band will then play the Warfield Theatre in San Francisco on April 26 and the Beacon Theatre in New York City on April 29. Please see complete show information below.
 
Goldfrapp Spring U.S. Tour Dates:
April 25 Coachella Festival (Empire Polo Grounds) - Indio, CA
April 26 Warfield Theatre - San Francisco, CA
April 29 Beacon Theatre - New York, NY

In other Goldfrapp news, the group will also appear on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” on April 22 and KCRW’s “Morning Becomes Eclectic” on April 23.
 
Seventh Tree is available now on Mute Records. The followup to the million-selling, Grammy-nominated Supernature debuted at #2 on the U.K. album charts. It was recorded deep in the English countryside and serves as a more organic sister to the glitter-rock throb of Supernature. Seventh Tree’s first single “A&E” is available now for download and purchase in stores.
 
For more on Goldfrapp, visit www.goldfrapp.co.uk, www.mute.com or  
www.myspace.com/goldfrapp.

Take it from Kiss memorabilia expert Jacques van Gool of Backstage Auctions: If you think you're going to someday collect anything and everything related to the "Hottest Band in the World" – that, of course, being Kiss — it's never going to happen, chief.

So, if you're just getting started in the Kiss collecting game, do what Jacques says and stick to what floats your boat.

"I think Kiss is too big to have it all, and I would almost say that if you are a starting collector, and this really is the most important thing, is to try to figure out early on in your collecting career what type of item you like and focus on that. If you're a vinyl person, then focus on that. If you're a poster person, then focus on that. If you're a paper person, then go after books and the magazines. Whatever your vice might be, try to figure that out and stick to that because trying to do it all, trying to have it all — and I'm an expert — it'll seriously drive you crazy, because there is simply too much to have it all, and I think you'll enjoy your collection a lot more."

In the April 11 issue of Goldmine, which features Kiss on the cover and a story about the band's earliest performances, van Gool provides a look at Kiss collectibles. We'll tell you what items are the holy grails for Kiss collectors, give you a rundown on what Kiss conventions to hit, and provide photos of Kiss items Backstage Auctions has sold over the years and a little bit of pricing information. So, watch out for that.

One thing you'll find out that might surprise you is that Kiss signatures don't fetch a whole lot of cash. But, you'll have to read Goldmine to see why.

For information on Kiss, visit www.kissonline.com/

Sparks are flying
For those L7 fans out there, my interview with co-founder Donita Sparks has been posted in the podcast room at www.goldminemag.com. She talks about her new solo album, Transmiticate, why L7 was not part of the "riot grrl" movement it was often linked with and her new music licensing experiment with Throwing Muses frontwoman Kristin Hersh.

When somebody tells Frank Cavanagh "hey man, nice shot" these days, he's probably firing rounds at an inanimate target. At least, hopefully, in the future, that's all he's going to be shooting at ... for his sake.

Now an Army officer, Sgt. Cavanagh used to play bass for the band Filter, which had a huge hit in the '90s with the dark electronic nihilism and raging industrial guitars of "Hey Man Nice Shot," off the album Short Bus. Recently, Cavanagh flew to Kuwait to perform "Hey Man Nice Shot" with his former band for the Operation MySpace concert on the evening of March 10 that was arranged for the troops.

The U.S. Army gave its blessing for the reunion, as Cavanagh is due to begin his tour of duty later this month. Whatever your feelings about the War in Iraq, this is kind of a touching story, the kind you don't get much in rock.

"I love the Army and I love Filter," Cavanagh said.  "To be able to join (Filter frontman) Richard (Patrick) and my former band for the first time in nearly six years is a huge honor. To perform this song with the band in Kuwait holds a truly special meaning for me, as I am able to share the musical part of my life with my brothers and sisters who are serving our country."
 
Patrick said, "It was an honor for us to perform for the troops in Kuwait at the Operation MySpace concert. Having my former bandmate and current enlisted Army Sergeant Frank Cavanagh on stage next to me made this a show that I will remember for the rest of my life."
 
Nowadays, Filter includes Patrick, vocals; Charles Lee (Loser), bass; Mika Fineo (Red Skeleton), drums; and Mitchell Marlow (He Is Legend), guitar. Filter performed Filter classics, plus tracks from Anthems For The Damned, a new Filter album due out May 13 on Pulse Recordings.

For more information on Filter and the Operation MySpace concert, visit www.officialfilter.com/, http://www.myspace.com/filter1  and http://myspace.com/operationmyspace.
 

Is a new golden age of British blues about to dawn? Is Davey Knowles the next Rory Gallagher? Is Brittany Spears ready for love?

The answer to those first two questions is ... well, a definite maybe, but if a young, hot-shit blues-rock trio out of the Isle Of Man called Back Door Slam has its way, that day is already here. As for Knowles, he appreciates the comparisons between he and Gallagher, but it's a little early for that, seeing as how he's only 20 years old.

"Well, it's so flattering, but it's strange isn't it to be compared to those people who defined the genre when really I'm just playing music that I enjoyed listening to and trying to do to the best of my abilities," says Knowles. Humbly, he continues, "But, it's never t going to touch what a John Mayall, or a Rory Gallagher or an Eric Clapton or a Jimi Hendrix has done."

Knowles may not be ready for deification as the next guitar god, but Back Door Slam is causing quite a stir in blues circles, and beyond. When Knowles and I chatted, Back Door Slam was in New York City wrapping up an appearance on the CBS Morning Show. The band is out promoting its debut CD, Roll Away, out now on the indie imprint Bix Street Records.

Flashes of Stevie Ray Vaughan can be found in the smoldering fires of "Come Home," the first single, and "Heavy On My Mind," but while there's certainly a contemporary feel to Roll Away, Back Door Slam — rounded out by bassist Adam Jones and drummer Ross Doyle — display a reverence and deep appreciation for not only the British blues-rock icons of the past, but also the American originators like Robert Johnson and others.

Expect bigger and better things from Knowles in the future, as the upstart guitar hero incorporates more English folk and American soul and R&B into the band's work.

To hear my interview with the fleet-fingered Knowles, also the band's main songwriter, go to www.goldmine.com and click on podcasts.

Nik Freitas

A sparkling new release that's caught my ear recently is Nik Freitas' Sun Down, a piece of warm, wistful Beatlesque pop – think 1967-69, not 64-65 — that envelopes your ears like a fuzzy blanket and puts you in a psychedelic reverie.

Due out April 6 on Team Love Records, echoes of Paul McCartney's light-hearted personality and Simon and Garfunkel's folky nostalgia can be heard in the title track, "It Ain't Like That" and the sly "See Me There," and the record is full of gentle hooks, breezy vocal harmonies, golden acoustic guitar and rich piano textures. A storyteller of no mean ability, as the protest tome "All The Way Down" and the cautionary tale "Sophie" attest, Freitas played every instrument on Sun Down, and the care that comes with that sort of ownership is felt in every note. A magnificent achievement.

To learn more about Mr. Freitas, visit www.nikfreitas.com or www.myspace.com/nikfreitas

L7 was not for the faint of heart. A female four-piece from Los Angeles that was swept up in the grunge frenzy of the early '90s, L7 pounded ears with a bludgeoning, heavy mix of metal and attack-dog punk that culminated with 1992's Butch Vig-produced Bricks Are Heavy and the MTV hit "Let's Pretend We're Dead." And if I'm not mistaken, there may have been an onstage incident with a tampon.

One of the founding members, Donita Sparks, is back in the news these days, teaming up with indie pixie Kristin Hersh in a project called CASH Music (www.cashmusic.com). It's an experiment that aims to change music licensing for the better. Sparks is getting the ball rolling by offering profit participation on the sync licensing for her hot-shit single "He's Got The Honey," from Sparks' new solo album, Transmiticate.

Sparks explains the philosophy behind CASH Music. "We're just going to go for it along with the public," she says. "You see, one of the things that a traditional record label does is invest in the artist by putting up money on the front end for recording, promotion, etc. in the hopes of making it all back (and then some) on the back end. Well, there is nothing traditional about me or CASH Music, but we do know that music licensing is one of the remaining lucrative aspects of the music business for artists (and stakeholders). I'm curious to see how this will pan out ... "

Okay, so the details are a little vague on how this is going to work. Suffice it to say, it's all about making a buck for musicians and trying to pay the bills. But, the real news out of all this is Sparks' solo record, said to dabble in the dark arts of dance-rock and the blackest shades of pop music. A little bit of reverb here, some dense guitar riffs, avant-garde punk sensibilities, girl-group harmonies and slick synths make up the chemical compound known as Transmiticate. Sparks also has a backing band these days called The Stellar Moments and they all toured with The Donnas last fall.

God, I really am getting old. I was a couple of years out of college when I was seduced by the jangly indie-pop sweetness of The Lemonheads' It's A Shame About Ray, the album that served notice that Evan Dando was way more than just a pretty face. Released in 1992, it's one of the albums I keep going back to every couple of years or so to get a taste of its wistful romanticism, lithe acoustic sway and good-natured, sun-baked vibes.

On March 25, Rhino will put out a special CD/DVD Collector's Edition of It's A Shame About Ray. A promo copy of it landed on my desk this week, and, in typical Rhino fashion, it's a remarkable package. Along with a remastered version of the original album, it includes a slew of rough, skeletal demos that provide fascinating insight into the evolution of gems like "Rockin' Stroll," "My Drug Buddy" and "Kitchen" and create an intimate relationship with these songs you don't get from the album versions. The DVD, titled "Two Weeks In Australia," sprinkles in live footage and videos in a tour diary conducted by Dando.

One of the landmark albums of the '90s, It's A Shame About Ray signaled a change in direction for The Lemonheads. No longer the noisy little brother of American underground giants Dinosaur Jr. and The Replacements, The Lemonheads had matured into a brightly colored pop three-piece, capable of producing melancholic beauty (the sublime title track, plus the hopeful "Rudderless"), jaunty power-pop with barbed hooks ("Confetti," "Rockin' Stroll," and "Alison's Starting to Happen"), bittersweet acoustic strum ("My Drug Buddy") and a punked-up, whip-smart cover of Simon & Garfunkel's "Mrs. Robinson." And, as a bonus, you got Juliana Hatfield backing up Dando on "My Drug Buddy" with vocals that were pretty and biting — see her yelling "I just want a bit part in your life!" at the beginning of "Bit Part."

Though it didn't completely erase their punk past, It's A Shame About Ray was more about sunny, laid-back melodies that also tugged at your heartstrings, Gram Parsons-influenced country ("Hannah & Gabi") and lyrics that took a light-hearted, but sometimes painful, look at relationships and dysfunctional adulthood.

For more information on this release, visit www.rhino.com. Two years ago, The Lemonheads came back strong with a self-released effort on Vagrant Records. To learn more about it and to see what else the band's been up to lately, visit www.thelemonheads.net/