Month: November 2021

VANILLA FUDGE has shared another reworked LED ZEPPELIN classic, “Ramble On”. The track, along with the recently issued “Immigrant Song” and “Rock And Roll”, will be included on the soon-to-be-released album “Vanilla Zeppelin”.

This is LED ZEPPELIN done “FUDGE” style — a great ode to one of the most respected and best bands of all time by one of the most respected and best bands of all time. VANILLA FUDGE adds its own slant to “Ramble On”, including some amazing organ interludes. This version definitely has a life and identity of its own.

This remastered version of “Ramble On” is available now on all digital platforms via Golden Robot Records.

VANILLA FUDGE was one of the first American groups to infuse psychedelia into heavy rock sound to create “psychedelic symphonic rock,” an eclectic genre which would, among its many offshoots, eventually morph into heavy metal.

Although, at first, the band did not record original material, they were best known for their dramatic heavy, slowed-down arrangements of contemporary pop songs which they developed into works of epic proportion.

Originally, VANILLA FUDGE was a blue-eyed soul cover band called THE PIGEONS, formed in New Jersey in 1965 with organist Mark Stein, bassist Tim Bogert, drummer Joey Brennan and guitarist, vocalist and U.S. Navy veteran Vince Martell. They built a following by gigging extensively up and down the East Coast and earned extra money by providing freelance in-concert backing for hit-record girl groups. In early 1966, the group recorded a set of eight demos that were released several years later as “While the World Was Eating Vanilla Fudge”.

The East Coast, in particular New York and New Jersey, created a sound all its own. Inspired by groups such as THE RASCALS and THE VAGRANTS (fronted by guitarist Leslie West of MOUNTAIN fame), THE PIGEONS reworked many of their own existing arrangements of covers to reflect their unique interpretation of this “East Coast Sound.”

In late 1966, drummer Joey Brennan moved out to the West Coast. THE PIGEONS immediately drafted drummer and vocalist Carmine Appice, a disciple of the renowned Joe Morello (DAVE BRUBECK BAND) and a seasoned veteran of the club scene. In early 1967, THE PIGEONS manager Phil Basile convinced producer George “Shadow” Morton (producer for THE SHANGRI-LAS and Janis Ian), to catch their live act. Impressed by their heavy-rocking, trippy and psychedelic version of THE SUPREMES’ “You Keep Me Hangin’ On”, Morton offered to record the song as a single. This resulted in a deal with the Atlantic subsidiary Atco, which requested a name change. The band settled on VANILLA FUDGE.

VANILLA FUDGE celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2017 and is still rocking the world as hard as ever.

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The third episode of “Psycho Schizo Espresso”, a brand new podcast from IRON MAIDEN’s Bruce Dickinson and Oxford University psychologist and best-selling author Dr. Kevin Dutton, has just been launched across all podcast platforms. Check it out below.

In this episode, Dutton analyzes where Bruce sits on the psychopathic spectrum. Is he higher or lower than Freddie Mercury? Kevin and Bruce also look at the Top 10 most psychopathic professions and discuss why some of the world’s top surgeons, CEOs and special forces soldiers might have more in common with Hannibal Lecter and Patrick Bateman than you might think. Plus…a little quiz to see how psychopathic you are! Are you fearless enough to go up in a plane with Bruce?

You can listen to “Psycho Schizo Espresso” wherever you get your podcasts, and the show is also available in Vodcast form on YouTube. Head to this location to find the podcast on your favorite platform.

Official podcast description: “If psychology was a country, then it would be the world’s top tourist destination bar none. It’s an enchanted territory with something for everyone: from aliens to drug lords, from serial killers to conspiracy theories. Join intellectual explorers Bruce Dickinson and Dr. Kevin Dutton for an Indiana Jones style adventure through some of its most far-flung corners as they delve into the psyches of rock icons, sporting superstars, and special forces soldiers and get the latest tips and insights from some of the most respected thought leaders and brain scientists on the planet. If you’ve ever wondered whether psychopaths like Hannibal Lecter and Patrick Bateman really exist outside the imaginations of Hollywood screenwriters and film directors, why ghosts only seem to appear at night, and about the true meaning of the Book of Revelation’s most enduring and enigmatic mystery — 666, the number of the beast — then welcome aboard Flight Psycho Schizo Espresso and observe the ‘fasten seatbelt’ sign!”

Dutton explained how the idea for the podcast came about: “Not long after meeting Bruce, it became instantly clear to me that we shared a number of wide-reaching interests and that we should channel that into a podcast. ‘Psycho Schizo Espresso’ is certainly a journey of exploration for the both of us, and we are sure our listeners are going to learn a lot from our guests. Whether from the music industry, academia or elsewhere — you may, for instance, share our interest in psychopaths, both good and bad — this is certainly a podcast that we feel everyone will enjoy and should go and subscribe to straight away.”

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U2’s The Edge and producer Bob Ezrin, co-founders of Music Rising, have announced “Guitar Icons: A Musical Instrument Auction To Benefit Music Rising”, to take place December 11, 2021, starting at 10:00 a.m. PST. Hosted by Van Eaton Galleries in Los Angeles, the live and online auction will offer a significant collection of guitars and other music memorabilia by some of the world’s most prominent musicians and friends of Music Rising. The auction will take the charity back to its roots and help support the musicians of the NOLA region after a long period being without income.

An exclusive media preview has been scheduled for Thursday, December 2, 2021 and Friday, December 3, 2021 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. PT each day. Media will have the exclusive opportunity to view all of the instruments on exhibit and find out the story behind each one.

Music Rising was co-founded by The Edge and Ezrin, along with a host of music industry partners in 2005 after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. Since its inception, Music Rising has provided millions of dollars in aid to musicians and recipients of music education across the country.

“Guitar Icons: A Musical Instrument Auction To Benefit Music Rising” includes an exclusive collection of important instruments donated by friends of the charity. All of the instruments have a unique and special story and provenance and together make up an extraordinary example of some of the greatest moments in music history.

Highlights include The Edge’s 2005 limited edition Gibson Les Paul Music Rising guitar, often referred to as the “One” guitar given its use on “The Joshua Tree” tours of 2017 and 2019 during performances of the hit “One”. The Edge also played this guitar on “One” and “American Soul” during U2’s 2018 “Song Of Experience” shows along with their famous “360°” tour back in 2010, and serves as a significant iconic symbol for Music Rising, being one of the first guitars produced to benefit the charity at its inception. Of further significance to the “One” guitar, The Edge also played this guitar at the first reopening of New Orleans Jazz Fest post Katrina in 2006 alongside Dave Matthews and during a performance at the Grammy Awards 2006 alongside Bruce Springsteen and Elvis Costello; The Edge “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” custom signature Fender Stratocaster. Edge took this guitar on the road with him during the period of 2017-2019 and used it for performances of “Bad” and the beloved chart-topping hit single from “The Joshua Tree”, “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”; Paul McCartney’s tour and studio played left-handed WINGS Yamaha BB-1200 electric bass guitar. The Cherry Burst BB-1200 was a principal instrument used during his performances with WINGS in the late 1970s. He was frequently photographed playing it on stage, during live performances and in the studio; Lou Reed’s Danny Gatton Fender Stratocaster nicknamed “Goldie”. Reed’s love of this guitar can be seen in the patina and wear throughout and can be seen in videos of Reed playing his rendition of “Jealous Guy” at Radio City Music Hall, as well as on tour during 2005-2006; Bono’s U2 tour-played custom Gibson ES-175 electric guitar used extensively on tour. Bono played this guitar on the 1992-1993 “Zoo TV” tour during performances of the songs “The Fly” and “Angel Of Harlem”. The guitar was painted to Bono’s precise specifications and Bono also added a decal to the body of the guitar reading “I Feel Good”; Slash’s signed Gibson Custom Shop “Victoria” Les Paul Goldtop model electric guitar created to Slash’s specifications and includes an original drawing by Slash of “Skully” on the top of the guitar; Noel Gallagher’s tour-played Nash Telemaster guitar which was played on tour with NOEL GALLAGHER’S HIGH FLYING BIRDS; Ezrin’s artist’s proof custom Frank Brothers Ezrin model electric guitar. This is a handmade instrument designed to capture the studio sounds of several of the iconic guitar players he has worked with over the years. Numbered “00” this guitar is one-of-a-kind; and a Lenny Kravitz tour played custom Gibson Flying V guitar played during his most recent world tour.

Other exceptional highlights include Elton John’s signed and concert played Yamaha Motif-8 Keyboard which was used by Elton John during live performances and on the road for nearly a decade. He also signed the instrument with black felt pen; RUSH’s Alex Lifeson’s tour-used signature Hughes & Kettner RUSH amp and cabinet half stack used extensively on the 40th-anniversary tour “Vapor Trails” and the “Snakes & Arrows” tour, as well as the “Time Machine” tour.

Adam Clayton’s tour-played Fender Standard Precision Bass. The U2 bassist played this guitar for performances of the song “A Sort Of Homecoming” on “The Joshua Tree” tour from May to July 2017. During the tour, the bass was also used for the songs “Bullet The Blue Sky”, “Running To Stand Still”, “One Tree Hill” and others; Alice Cooper’s tournament used “Big Bertha” golf clubs is the music icon’s personal set of golf clubs in a customized “Alice Cooper” bag; Chris Martin’s tour-played painted Fender Telecaster deluxe guitar; PEARL JAM’s Eddie Vedder’s concert smashed Fender Stratocaster. The Lake Placid Blue Fender American special Telecaster was decorated by Vedder with an embroidered red/white Chicago Cubs “C” sticker as a tribute to legendary Chicago Bears running back Walter Payton and used by Vedder during PEARL JAM’s August 20, 2018 tour at Wrigley Field and was smashed by Vedder at the conclusion of a cover of THE WHO’s “Baba O’Riley”; a collection of extraordinary silkscreened PEARL JAM concert posters signed by the band members and KISS’s Paul Stanley’s one-of-a-kind tour-played Ibanez custom shop guitar.

The collection will also boast additional instruments for auction including Bruce Springsteen’s signed Americana original ’50s Fender Telecaster; Joe Wash’s “Bono” Irish Falcon Gretsch guitar; THE EAGLES’ Don Felder’s signed Epiphone G-1275 double neck electric guitar and signed art print; Vince Gill’s THE EAGLES concert-played Duesenberg Bonneville guitar; THE ROLLING STONES’ Ronnie Wood’s signed American original 50’s Fender Stratocaster; The KINGS OF LEON band-signed Epiphone dot studio guitar; Steve Miller’s signed original and hand painted Maccaferri guitar; HALESTORM’s Lzzy Hale’s signed tour-played prototype signature Epiphone Explorer guitar; a Julian Lennon signed Martin & Co. acoustic guitar; a GREEN DAY band-signed Epiphone Les Paul special guitar; Ed O’Brien’s RADIOHEAD tour-played signature Fender Stratocaster; Flea’s RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS band signed signature Fender Jazz Bass; Joan Jett’s signature Gibson worn white Melody Maker; Johnny Marr’s signed studio-played limited Fender Jaguar guitar; a Dave Grohl signed Gibson Explorer guitar; Tom Morello’s signature “Soul Power” Stratocaster; Win Butler’s signed prop bass guitar from the ARCADE FIRE music video “Everything Now”; Zac Brown’s personally played signed natural Gibson ES-335 guitar and three additional guitars which were played and used by the late Lou Reed.

The Edge and Ezrin have also partnered with ohyay, an immersive virtual space partnered with the auction catalog, showcasing over 30 guitars donated by Bono, Lenny Kravitz, Tom Morello, Paul McCartney, Slash and Elton John, among many more of the world’s most prominent musicians and friends of Music Rising. The virtual environment pays homage to Music Rising’s founding mission by allowing visitors to explore virtual New Orleans landmarks, such as Bourbon Street, Preservation Hall, and the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation. Fans can step inside Edge’s living room as he talks about his Fender Stratocaster or see Paul McCartney on a London Street or Chris Martin on stage and many more.

The auction will take place at Van Eaton Galleries located at 13613 Ventura Blvd in Sherman Oaks, California beginning at 10:00 a.m. PDT on Saturday, December 11, 2021. The auction will also stream live and be online via various auction platforms all available through vegalleries.com/musicrising. Proceeds from the auction will be administered by the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation on behalf of Music Rising.

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British heavy metal band IRON MAIDEN and entertainment powerhouse Marvel have collaborated to create a unique collection of merchandise. Fans of both will be dealt a wide assortment of apparel and accessories that highlight iconic Marvel characters and the notorious other worldly character Eddie.

This collaboration interweaves the universes of both brands, with designs that pay tribute to Wolverine, Venom, Thanos and Deadpool in unique variations of iconic album and single artwork such as “Fear Of The Dark”, “The Trooper” and “Killers”.

IRON MAIDEN manager Rod Smallwood comments: “Eddie has long stood shoulder to shoulder with the greatest super heroes and we’re also pretty proud of the worlds we created for his many incarnations — from battlefields to Egyptian tombs to frozen icescapes or futuristic cities. Juxtaposing some of the most recognizable characters in pop art and comic book culture into planet MAIDEN has been an ambition of ours for years, and working with Marvel and their unparalleled character-based IP is the perfect fit in this day and age. To see such iconic characters alongside Eddie is something our fans have discussed for years and we think that the twist of placing Venom, Thanos, Thor or Deadpool in our MAIDEN worlds will excite fans of both cultures.”

IRON MAIDEN is recognized as having one of the most iconic figures in music, in the shape of Eddie whose image appeared on the band’s debut single, “Running Free”, and has evolved to adorn every piece of artwork, including albums, tour posters, beer labels, graphic novels and merchandise, even featuring in computer games and award-winning mobile RPG game “Legacy Of The Beast”.

“Marvel is cool and aspirational, and has inspired the greatest artists, musicians and creators for more than 80 years,” said Paul Gitter, SVP, Marvel Licensing. “This collaboration offers another exciting example of how the Marvel brand continues to push into lifestyle areas, with music being a top priority, and the collection allows fans to pay tribute to our iconic characters, while celebrating the legendary IRON MAIDEN.”

The collaboration will launch in time for the holidays, with exclusive collections through IRON MAIDEN’s online store, speciality retailer Hot Topic and German e-tailer EMP.

Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world’s most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of more than 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media for over eighty years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing, publishing, games, and digital media.

Photo by: John McMurtrie

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According to Rolling Stone, Marilyn Manson’s West Hollywood home was raided by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department on Monday.

Special Victims Unit investigators searched the shock rocker’s home for belongings in connection to the sexual assault allegations against him.

“What I can confirm is there was a search warrant that was served this morning,” an L.A. County Sheriff’s source told the magazine. “It’s confirmed it was [Manson’s] address, his location. It was a search warrant for his belongings.”

Among the possessions reportedly seized were hard drives and other media storage units.

At least 15 women — including “Westworld” actress Evan Rachel Wood — have publicly accused Manson of sexual assault. He is currently facing three lawsuits from women who claim to have been sexually abused by him in the past, including his ex-girlfriend Ashley Morgan Smithline and “Game Of Thrones” actress Esme Bianco.

After Wood shared her accusations, several other women posted their own allegations against the singer. The women claimed to have endured “sexual assault, psychological abuse, and/or various forms of coercion, violence, and intimidation” at the hands of Manson.

The 52-year-old rocker, whose real name is Brian Warner, later released a statement denying the abuse allegations leveled against him, writing on Instagram: “Obviously, my art and my life have long been magnets for controversy, but these recent claims about me are horrible distortions of reality. My intimate relationships have always been entirely consensual with like-minded partners. Regardless of how — and why — others are now choosing to misrepresent the past, that is the truth.”

In the months since Wood came forward with her allegations, Manson has also been dropped by his label, Loma Vista Recordings, longtime manager Tony Ciulla, as well as the talent agency CAA, which provides representation for individuals across various mediums.

Manson’s attorney Howard King said in a statement: “Mr. Warner vehemently denies any and all claims of sexual assault or abuse of anyone. These lurid claims against my client have three things in common — they are all false, alleged to have taken place more than a decade ago and part of a coordinated attack by former partners and associates of Mr. Warner who have weaponized the otherwise mundane details of his personal life and their consensual relationships into fabricated horror stories.”

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FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH singer Ivan Moody has shared a snippet of music from the band’s upcoming ninth studio album.

Earlier today, Moody took to his Instagram to post a short video filmed at the Hideout Recording Studio, the Las Vegas, Nevada facility owned and operated by Kevin Churko, the Canadian record producer/engineer and songwriter who has worked on all of FIVE FINGER’s albums beginning with the band’s sophomore release, 2009’s “War Is The Answer”. Ivan included a series of emojis along with the hashtags “#feelinjustF9” and
“#andhellscomingwithme”.

In addition to recording an all-new album, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH recently commenced re-recording its debut LP, 2007’s “The Way Of The Fist”, for its 15th anniversary.

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH’s upcoming album will be the group’s first with its latest addition, renowned British virtuoso Andy James, who replaced Jason Hook last year. James was previously featured on “Broken World”, a song that was included on the second installment of FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH’s greatest-hits collection, “A Decade Of Destruction – Volume 2”, which came out in the fall of 2020.

Each of FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH’s first six albums — “The Way of the Fist”, 2009’s “War Is The Answer”, 2011’s “American Capitalist”, 2013’s “The Wrong Side Of Heaven And The Righteous Side of Hell, Volume 1” and “Volume 2”, and 2015’s “Got Your Six” — has gone either gold or platinum in the U.S.

The band has had two dozen songs hit the Top 10 on the Mainstream Rock or Hard Rock Digital charts, starting with “The Bleeding”. FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH’s 2010 cover of BAD COMPANY’s “Bad Company” was certified platinum for accumulating a million certified units.

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH’s No. 1 hits include “Coming Down”, “Lift Me Up”, “Battle Born”, “Wash It All Away”, “Sham Pain”, “When The Seasons Change” and “Blue On Black”.

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH’s most recent album, 2020’s “F8”, debuted at No. 1 on rock charts around the world, with Top 10 mainstream chart debuts in the U.S., Austria, Australia, Canada, Finland, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, the U.K. and more. “F8” features No. 1 hit singles “Inside Out”, “A Little Bit Off” and “Living The Dream”.

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A post shared by Ivan L. Moody (@ivanmoody)

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“The past four years changed me in some profound ways,” says Eight Bells founder Melynda Jackson.  Jackson probably speaks for all of us. No one escapes from a period of rampant illness and death, uncertainty, and political and social upheaval unscathed. Jackson capitalized on that ennui in writing the new Eight Bells album Legacy Of…
The post Q&A and Track Premiere: Eight Bells – ‘Nadir’ appeared first on Decibel Magazine.

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Behind-the-scenes footage from the making of the “Better Days” video from Adrian Smith and Richie Kotzen’s project SMITH/KOTZEN can be seen below. The clip was filmed at Mates studio in Los Angeles and was directed by Jeff Wolfe, who successfully combined an action career onscreen with an award-winning director’s role behind camera.

BMG released a limited-edition 12-inch black vinyl of four previously unreleased tracks by SMITH/KOTZEN on November 26 in conjunction with international Record Store Day’s Black Friday event. The “Better Days” EP reflects the ongoing strength of the dynamic writing and recording partnership between these two world-class musicians, following their eponymous debut album released in March 2021 to media and fan acclaim, charting in the Top 20 in markets such as U.K., Germany, U.S. and Canada, a tremendous accomplishment for an inaugural collaboration project.

“Better Days” continues this trajectory with its huge hooks and driving riffs, coupled with the pair’s now-traditional vocal trade-offs building to crescendo with its soaring, unforgettable chorus.

The full track listing is:

01. Better Days
02. Got A Hold On Me
03. Hate And Love
04. Rise Again

The final two songs on the EP were recorded at Windermere on Turks & Caicos Islands in March 2020. “Better Days” and “Got A Hold On Me” followed at The House recording studio in Los Angeles in April 2021 when SMITH/KOTZEN were finally able to reconvene after lockdown and to shoot an accompanying video for the title track. As with the “Smith/Kotzen” album, the EP was produced by Richie and Adrian, and mixed by Kevin Shirley.

Richie comments: “When Adrian came over to L.A. earlier this year, we got together and started throwing ideas around and we very quickly came up with the new songs. ‘Better Days’ almost seemed to write itself. It’s got a nice groove to it. Adrian came in with the riff and we came up with a melody for the chorus together, pretty much working to the same formula we used when writing the ‘Smith/Kotzen’ album, bouncing ideas off each other.”

Adrian adds: “‘Better Days’ is a song I’m really excited about. I think its slightly different to the songs on the ‘Smith/Kotzen’ album — it’s kind of heavy but melodic. I’d played Richie the riff and I was looking for a reaction, and I got one. Kind of like the old grey whistle test scenario — there was a spark and we started building the song from there. I’d have an idea, then Richie would have an idea and we’d go back and forth, like building blocks.”

“Better Days” is available from all good independent record stores and available as a download.

Smith is best known as one of IRON MAIDEN’s principal guitarists, having also enjoyed success as a solo artist. Kotzen is the frontman for THE WINERY DOGS as well as having been the guitarist for both MR. BIG and POISON during his long and acclaimed career, which has to date seen him release more than 20 solo albums. Both artists are also prolific songwriters.

Photo credit: Nino Rakichevich

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GREAT WHITE guitarist Mark Kendall has confirmed that singer Terry Ilous was fired from the band via e-mail.

Ilous, formerly of ’80s L.A. hard rockers XYZ, joined GREAT WHITE in 2010 after replacing touring vocalist Jani Lane (WARRANT).

The Ilous-led GREAT WHITE released two albums, 2012’s “Elation” and 2017’s “Full Circle”, before Terry was shown the door in July 2018 and replaced with Mitch Malloy.

Kendall discussed Ilous’s exit from GREAT WHITE in a new interview with with Shawn Ratches of Laughingmonkeymusic. Asked if it’s true that Terry was told via e-mail that he was out of the band, Mark said: “Well, it was kind of that way. But I saw him [later on] at NAMM show and he was all good with it.

“The whole thing for me was his [solo] band was just kind of waiting around for him; they weren’t doing anything. And I felt like he glued in to that band perfect — their style. It just seemed like his voice fit with the ‘Inside Out’ stuff [from XYZ]; it just glued in to that music.

“Our fans kind of looked confused a little bit when they’d watch our shows, but then he’d sing really good and they’d go, ‘Oh, okay. This guy’s cool.’

“I just don’t really have a lot to say that’s bad about Terry. He’s a very nice guy.”

Kendall went on to say that Ilous initially found out online that he no longer had a job with GREAT WHITE. “It got released on the Internet before we could tell him,” Mark said. “It wasn’t our publicist’s fault. She released this information. So we hadn’t told him yet, and she didn’t know that. So he heard the information, and he’s going, ‘This is a hell of a way to tell [somebody he is out of the band].’ And we were just [made out to look like] the bad guys all the way around. And so what do we do now? Go, ‘Meet us somewhere, and we’ll talk about it.’ It was, like, ‘He already knows.’ So that was a tough situation. We’re not bad people. We don’t wanna hurt anyone.”

Mark also defended GREAT WHITE’s decision to part ways with Terry and hire Mitch, saying: “We had to look out for our music and make sure it’s delivered the best it can be. We felt like with Mitch we could do it a little bit better. It’s not that Terry is not awesome; nothing against him.”

This past April, Ilous told Waste Some Time With Jason Green that he always made it a point to tell people that his primary focus was GREAT WHITE and not his solo career. “I was doing a lot of interviews, and I always said one thing, I said, ‘I am the lead singer of GREAT WHITE. My priority is GREAT WHITE,'” he said. “I always made sure to say that, ’cause sometimes people can misinterpret what you wanna say. So I said, ‘No. I am the lead singer of the band GREAT WHITE. My priority is GREAT WHITE. I’ll be touring with GREAT WHITE. And if the band is not touring, then I will be doing that on my own. And that’s it.’ And that is the truth. But apparently someone got upset. I was touring, and eventually one day, I received an e-mail saying, ‘Thank for for a great service. You’re a great singer. Have a good life.’ And that was it.”

Terry said that he “had no idea at all” that he was going to be replaced. “Last time [I played with GREAT WHITE], we did a string of sold-out shows,” he recalled. “In fact, one of the last shows we did was actually on a Thursday in Wisconsin. We did a summer fest, and there were 10 thousand people [there]. The crowd went crazy — 10 thousand people going nuts. And that day I sang so well. You know, sometimes you sing better than other days — that’s the way it is as a singer — but that day I was really good. Not to be pretentious, but I was happy. I was, like, ‘Ah, man. Great performance.’ Friday and Saturday, we did two other shows — one in Las Vegas. We did a show with SLAUGHTER, and everybody gave me a big hug. ‘Hey, brother, see you next week.’ That’s the last time I talked to anyone in the band. On Monday morning, I get an e-mail… The leader of the band, Mark, sent me the e-mail, but it [was] on behalf of everybody in the band. ‘We think that you should be replaced by somebody else. And we wish you the best.’ The e-mail was polite. ‘Good luck to you. You will have no problem finding another band. Please don’t say bad things about us. We will never say bad things about you.’ And that was it.”

Regarding his initial reaction to the e-mail, Ilous said: “I was surprised — I was a little surprised — because I said, wait a minute, I did three albums. I helped rebuild the brand. I gave my best for nine years. When I joined the band, I was not getting paid very well, and I said, ‘I’m gonna do it anyway, because I wanna prove to myself, and I wanna prove to those guys I can do it.’ So I did what I could do. I would have loved to get a phone call, at least, or maybe a meeting with the band, and said, ‘Hey, it’s not working out. Can you work on this? And maybe we’ll give you another chance.’ ‘Okay.’ I think it’s fair — when you’re a dedicated worker, and you do all that stuff, I think it’s fair. You need a second chance. But second chance for what? I didn’t do anything wrong. It’s not like I had sex with any one of their wives. I’m not that type of person.”

Terry went on to say that there were some personal differences within GREAT WHITE, but not enough to create a major issue when he and his then-bandmates were living in close proximity to one another on the road.

“For me, I was always in GREAT WHITE,” he said. “I would say to myself, ‘GREAT WHITE is GREAT WHITE. I love the band. I love the music, and I’m happy to be in the band.’ I didn’t expect anything. I knew I had an issue with one guy in the band, like a lot of people have issues with the same guy in that band. But I knew that. And I didn’t think the guys would decide to say, ‘Screw Terry, and let’s get somebody else.’ I didn’t expect that at all. I was completely taken by surprise, to say the least. I was beside myself. But I didn’t post anything negative. I didn’t make stupid comments online; I didn’t do anything like it. I said, ‘Well, it is what it is. They have somebody else. I don’t wish him anything bad,’ which I would never do anyway.”

Ironically, the first time Malloy performed with GREAT WHITE was on the Monsters Of Rock cruise in 2018, just a few short months before Terry was fired from the band. At Terry’s invitation, Mitch got up on stage and joined GREAT WHITE for a rendition of their cover of Ian Hunter’s “Once Bitten, Twice Shy”.

“I’m the one who introduced Mitch to the band,” Ilous recalled. “And I will never forget that day. I introduced Mitch to the band, and Mitch tried to upstage me on stage. I’m a stage performer, but I don’t need to overdo things. It’s like sex. Music is sex — the same thing. You don’t need to try all different positions to please your partner. You do what you do, and that’s it. But I realized that Mitch was trying to go crazy on stage, one side to the other, to prove that he was a great performer. And I have nothing against Mitch, by the way; I wish him the very best. But I said, ‘Okay. Good for him.’ I didn’t expect that… It’s okay. They did what they had to do. And honestly, to this day, I don’t wish them anything bad at all. Even Mitch — I’m happy he’s got the gig. It’s not his fault. He just got hired.”

Ilous relocated to Hollywood, California from Lyon, France in 1986, forming the metal band XYZ along with friend and bassist Pat Fontaine. Ilous quickly became a favorite on Sunset Strip scene in the late ’80s before getting signed to Enigma/Capitol. After selling over 1.5 million records worldwide and touring with artists such as FOREIGNER and ALICE COOPER, Ilous continued to release albums well into the 2000s, along with film, songwriting and television work.

In 2009, Terry was contacted to play a handful of dates with GREAT WHITE, and within a couple of years, the lineup was made official. GREAT WHITE immediately headed out on an extensive year-long tour, followed by a new album, “Elation”, in 2012 that was highly praised by the media and fans alike. “Full Circle” arrived five years later.

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