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 Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Alice Cooper's old tricks
Posted by peter
 Along Came A Spider is the new album by Alice Cooper, and it's got an interesting story to tell. The shock-rock hero is up to his old tricks, spooling out the horrific story of a serial killer preoccupied with spiders who winds up falling in love with one of his victims and adding a special twist that will surprise and confound you. More than that, Along Came A Spider represents a return to form for Cooper, who, with the assistance of co-producers Danny Saber (Black Grape, Rolling Stones, Ozzy Osbourne and David Bowie) and Greg Hampton (Bootsy Collins, Buckethead), has resurrected the garage-rock grit of the Alice Cooper band's glory days, while not abandoning the metallic grind of his latest work. And it's just about impossible to avoid getting caught in its sticky web of strong hooks, slithering vocals and slash-and-burn guitars. Getting the audience to feel something for the main character is another part of its charm. "A lot of the trick on these things is to write songs that are psychotic and, at the same time, make them appealing," says Cooper. "When you can make a song that's really catchy, as catchy as a Rolling Stones or a Led Zeppelin song, and then you realize it's part of a story about a psychotic serial killer, that's the trick right there." To learn more about how Cooper created Along Came A Spider and get his thoughts on Billion Dollar Babies, the landmark Alice Cooper Band work that has its 35th anniversary this year, read the Aug. 15 edition of Goldmine, or visit www.goldminemag.com to listen to a podcast of our interview with Alice. To find out more about the new record and tour dates, visit www.alicecooper.com
7/23/2008 9:35:42 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00) 
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Thursday, July 17, 2008
New podcast: Artful Dodger
Posted by peter
 To all you Artful Dodger fans out there who are waiting with bated breath for Goldmine's feature on the band, we have posted a podcast of my interview with the band's guitarist Gary Herrewig in the multi-media section of www.goldminemag.com. It's pretty revealing stuff, as he talks about some of the roadblocks to stardom that derailed the '70s power-pop band. And if you haven't heard of Artful Dodger and want to know what they sounded like, get thee to the Artful Dodger Web site, www.artfuldodgersite.com, to see what you've been missing. Oh, and keep an eye, or an ear, out for another cool podcast coming soon. This one's with none other than Alice Cooper. I'll have more on that tomorrow.
7/17/2008 5:22:06 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
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Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Ray Manzarek, Roy Rogers team up on 'Ballads...' and more
Posted by peter
 It's late at night in a downtown piano bar, the kind where romantic liaisons take place in darkened booths and lonesome drunks dressed in rumpled suits at the rail prefer martinis to boilermakers. Through the air wafts the familiar refrain of a song you can't quite place. It sounds like ... no, it couldn't be. Yeah, that's "Crystal Ship" by The Doors! And who is that tinkling the ivories? Why, it's none other than Ray Manzarek. But, what is he doing here? Is this all a fever dream brought on by eating food so spicy it burns a hole in your esophagus? Probably so, but there's still the matter of that lilting piano music. Where is it coming from? The source would the classy, sophisticated Ballads Before The Rain, the new all-instrumental album from Manzarek and slide-blues guitarist Roy Rogers. For his part, Rogers, interviewed today by Goldmine, says Manzarek's sparkling new version of "Crystal Ship," clocking in at over 8 minutes, is "worth the price of admission" if you're so inclined to buy the record — and you really should. On it, Manzarek goes solo, performing the whole thing on a 9-foot grand acoustic piano, instead of the electric keyboard that made him famous. Among the eight tracks on the record, released by Friday Music (see www.fridaymusic.com for ordering information), is another Doors favorite "Riders On The Storm." Again, it ranges far afield from the original, only this time Rogers joins in the fun, adding some subtle, yet enticing, electric guitar flourishes to flesh out Manzarek's vision. We'll have more on the album in a future issue of Goldmine, and we're still trying to track down Ray for an interview. Unfortunately, technical difficulties plagued the recording of my interview with Rogers, so there will be no podcast of that unless I can reschedule. Rogers did, however, give us a bit of news. It seems there will be more recordings from Manzarek and Rogers down the line. "We kept saying that the easy thing to do would be a more straight-ahead rock record," says Rogers. "Ballads... is not that. It's more lyrical, more melodic. The next record will probably be the opposite, more of a blues, blues-oriented or rock 'n' roll record." It also may include vocals, and, unlike the sessions for Ballads Before The Rain — which features only Rogers and Manzarek playing guitar and piano, respectively — the duo may invite a few musician pals to join in on the fun. Stay tuned for more information.
7/15/2008 3:18:47 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
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Wednesday, July 09, 2008
Along came ... Alice Cooper
Posted by peter
Mark July 29 on your calendars you fans of doom-laden hard rock, boa constrictors, mock executions and serial killers. That's the day Alice Cooper's new album, Along Came A Spider, drops like the blade of guillotine. As genuinely creepy as anything Alice has done, Along Came A Spider, if you don't already know, is a chilling concept album that explores the mind of what Cooper describes as "an arachnophobic phobic psychopath," telling the story in his own inimitable fashion. Without giving away too much, what you have here is a tale of a serial killer named Spider, whose calling card is wrapping his victims in silk. Then, he ends up falling in love with the woman who could be his last victim. Early word is that this is a return to the Alice of old, and that's not too far from the mark. It's got a heavier, more contemporary metallic sound than say Billion Dollar Babies and is far more menacing, but like that album, Along Came A Spider has sure hooks, a theatrical atmosphere and interesting sonic diversity. And, in the tradition of Welcome To My Nightmare, it features captivating storytelling, with Alice's voice slithering over shock-horror lyrics like the meanest of snakes. The album is co-produced by Cooper, along with Danny Saber and Greg Hampton. This time out, his band includes veteran Alice drummer Eric Singer, twin guitarists Keri Kelli and Jason Hook, and bassist Chuck Garric. It also features a guest guitar spot from Slash on "Vengeance Is Mine." At the moment, Goldmine is attempting to set up an interview with Alice Cooper that will, hopefully, end up being a podcast, so stay tuned for that. And watch for a possible story on Alice Cooper in a future issue of Goldmine. For more information on what's going on with Alice Cooper, visit www.alicecooper.comHere's a track listing for Along Came A Spider: 1. Prologue/I Know Where You Live 2. Vengeance Is Mine 3. Wake The Dead 4. Catch Me If You Can 5. (In Touch With) Your Feminine Side 6. Wrapped In Silk 7. Killed By Love 8. I'm Hungry 9. The One That Got Away 10. Salvation 11. I Am The Spider/Epilogue Alice Cooper has a number of North American tour dates confirmed. Here's a listing: July 31 — Redmond, Ore. — Deschutes County Fair Aug. 1 — Kalispell, Mont. — Raceway Park Aug. 2 — Great Falls, Mont. — State Fair Aug. 3 — Sturgis, S.D. — Buffalo Chip Aug. 5 — Bismarck, N.D. — Civic Center Arena Aug. 9 — Sparta, Wis. — Fort McCory Army Base Aug. 10 — Sioux City, Iowa — Orpheum Theatre Aug. 12 — Casper, Wyo. — Events Center Aug. 15 — Imperial, Neb. — Chase County Fair Aug. 16 — Council Bluffs, Iowa — Harrah's Stir Cover Aug. 17 — Tower, Minn. — Fortune Bay Resort Casino Aug. 19 — Hammond, Ind. — The Venue at Horseshoe Casino Aug. 21 — Bloomington, Ill. — The Theatre at US Cellular Coliseum Aug. 23 — Florence, Ind. — Belterra Resort & Casino Aug. 24 — Columbus, Ohio — LC Pavilion Aug. 27 — Detroit, Mich. — State Fair Aug. 28 — Oshkosh, Wis. — Waterfest Concert Series Sept. 5, 6, & 7 — Las Vegas, Nev. — Orleans Hotel & Casino Sept. 12 — Hutchinson, Kan. — State Fair Oct. 26 — Schenectady, N.Y. — Proctor's Theater Oct. 31 — Mashantucket, Conn. — MGM Grand at Foxwoods
7/9/2008 2:52:59 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
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Tuesday, July 01, 2008
Everclear's Art Alexakis a filmmaker? New record on the way?
Posted by peter
 While music is still very much on Art Alexakis' mind, given Everclear's latest album of supercharged, punk-ish cover songs, The Vegas Years, and the heavy-duty touring the band is doing to support it, he has other ambitions. In an interview that will be posted very soon on www.goldminemag.com, Alexakis talked about his interests in filmmaking. Is he ready for his close-up? "I'm in the midst of doing what I've been working on for years, and that is going to film school," relates Alexakis. "I'm writing and directing and producing films, and I've got this one film that I'm funding, and I just actually got commitment from two different people, letters of intent to actually fund this thing. I've been trying to get it funded for a year, and it's like everybody is going, 'Well, Art, if you want money to do music stuff ... absolutely. But that's what you do. You're not a filmmaker.'" Alexakis would beg to differ, and those who are telling him he can't do it could be in a for a big shock. "I go, 'Well, people have been telling me I'm not a singer either," says Alexakis. "Years ago, they told me I had no star power, and I couldn't write a song, and then, you know, a year later, after we had success, all those same people were saying they always knew I was going to be a big deal." Albums of covers aren't always cause for celebration, either, but in Everclear's case, make an exception. A throwback to the band's more raucous early stuff, only with way better production and musicianship, The Vegas Years sees Everclear trying its hand at a handful of '80s pop hits, like The Go-Gos' "Our Lips Are Sealed," and classics like "Brown-eyed Girl" and "The Boys Are Back in Town," but it also includes a hyperactive, metallic hellbilly remake of Little Jimmy Dickens' country classic "Night Train To Memphis" that's full of piss and vinegar. "... [It's] an old country song that I grew up listening to with my mom," says Alexakis. "And we do a really punky version of it. And I just love it. I played that for some hardcore country people in Nashville, and they're like, 'Ah, boy, you got it.' And my mom thought I screwed up. She goes, 'Aww, you screwed that one up (laughs).' I love my mother, but I told her, 'I think you're wrong. I think it rocks.'" Stay tuned for more news on Everclear. Alexakis said he is working on new songs and later this year, the band hopes to head into the studio to record them. At some point in the near future, Everclear will post a new single up for download called "Jesus Was A Liberal." "That's going to make us some friends," jokes Alexakis. Check www.everclearonline.com for more information.
7/1/2008 6:04:37 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
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