DEF LEPPARD guitarist Vivian Campbell, who had an acrimonious split with Ronnie James Dio in the mid-1980s when the two worked together in the first incarnation of Dio’s solo band, has once again claimed that he and his DIO bandmates were earning “less than the crew.”

Ronnie, Vivian, drummer Vinny Appice and bassist Jimmy Bain collaborated on the first three DIO albums — 1983’s “Holy Diver”, 1984’s “The Last In Line” and 1985’s “Sacred Heart” — before Irishman Campbell left to join WHITESNAKE in 1987. Vivian later publicly took issue with Ronnie’s need for total control of the band, claiming that finances played a major part in the bad blood that preceded his exit. Specifically, Campbell said that “it had become increasingly clear” to him that Ronnie’s wife and manager Wendy “was determined to separate Ronnie from the band. She didn’t see DIO as one creative unit. Ronnie knew better, but I suspect that in an effort to win back Wendy’s love” after the couple split, “he was willing to bend to her whims. Thus began the beginning of the end for the original DIO band.”

Asked in a new interview with the “Let There Be Talk” podcast with rock and roll comedian Dean Delray about the DIO financial situation while he was a member of the band, Vivian said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “The money was pretty grim. That was the whole reason why I got fired from DIO — because I was a squeaky wheel. That night in London in that rehearsal room [after the DIO band was formed] when Ronnie sat us down and said, ‘Here’s the plan. This is what we’re gonna do,’ he had promised us all that by the third record, it would be an equity situation, because, basically, we had to work for next to nothing for the earlier records. And the only reason I bought a Ferrari was three reasons: number one, it was a garden-variety [production Ferrari], the cheapest one; number two, the exchange rate when I bought it… I was getting paid in dollars, and the exchange rate was very, very favorable to buy sterling at that time. And number three, I ate crew meal for years; I didn’t spend a penny. Anything I earned, my per diems or whatever, went right into a bank account and [I said], ‘I’m gonna buy a car.’ ‘Cause at the time, I was still living with my parents in Ireland, so when I wasn’t working with DIO, I’d fly home. I’d be, like, ‘Hey, mom. Hey, dad. I’m back.’ So I didn’t have any overhead; I had no bills. So I kept everything. It was the same [as] years earlier when I was saving up to buy a Gibson Les Paul; I just focused on it. I wanted a 308 GTB Ferrari, so I saved up for a few years and got it.

“But the money situation in DIO was really bleak,” Campbell reiterated. “We earned less than the crew. So we didn’t get any of those records — we got none of the t-shirts, we got none of the ticket sales, we got none of the record sales. But we were working towards that promise which was by the third album it would be an equity situation. And when we started working on the third record, that’s when I started going, ‘Hey, Ronnie, you got a moment?’ And he kept pushing it off and pushing it off. And then eventually they fired me. But I was a squeaky wheel. And it was less a matter of the money. I mean, yeah, it would have been nice to get paid for that, but it’s more principle. I’m big on principle. When somebody looks me in the eye and shakes my hand and we have a gentlemen’s agreement, I uphold my end of the deal and I expect the same of people. Maybe I’m an idealist or an idiot for expecting that of human beings, but that’s what I put out and that’s what I give and that’s what I expect from people. And so it was a question of principle much, much more so than it was a question of dollars. With me, the promise was made, and the rest of us toiled for several years in the belief that that contract would be fulfilled, and it never was. ‘Cause ultimately Ronnie never told Wendy, and Wendy was his estranged wife but his manager, and therefore, by default, the band’s manager. But she never saw it as being a band; he never kind of explained that aspect to her. She always saw Ronnie Dio kind of like Ozzy Osbourne; it didn’t matter who was behind him. But Ronnie should have known better. The magic of that original band, that’s where I really had a beef with Ronnie. He knew how good that band was, and for him to be so fearful of Wendy that he wouldn’t even have the balls to tell her that, ‘This is what I want. This is what I promised the guys. This is what we’re gonna do.’ She just kind of went, ‘No, no. You’re the star. You don’t need them. Get somebody else to play guitar.'”

Last summer, Wendy said that it was important for her to detail Ronnie’s falling out with Vivian in the singer’s memoir, “Rainbow In The Dark: The Autobiography”, which she, along with writer Mick Wall, completed after Ronnie’s death. “I wanted to, because I am so sick to death of hearing Vivian saying things like, ‘Ronnie paid me a hundred dollars a week.’ Well, how did he buy a Ferrari with a hundred dollars a week?” she told Ultimate Classic Rock. “Ronnie was always fair to his people. It costs a lot of money to put that show on. All of the time, we paid for everything — buses, trucks, hotels, per diems, lighting, sound and everything else. I think he treated the band very fairly. The problem is Vivian, for some reason, decided he wanted to be Ronnie. Well, you know, the band was called DIO. But the fact was that Ronnie had already been in RAINBOW and paid his dues and then in BLACK SABBATH and paid his dues. He wasn’t just off the street and a nobody. I got really upset. I get really upset when I hear him saying all of the things about Ronnie. Ronnie isn’t here to defend himself. I will. I have all of the paperwork to prove that. How much he did get paid. That just kind of upsets me that people will say, ‘Oh, Ronnie was cheap.’ Well, Ronnie was never ever cheap at all.”

Asked if she thought there would have been a chance to build any sort of bridge between Ronnie and Vivian, Wendy said: “No. I don’t think so, because there was too many nasty things by both of them said in the press, and I think you can’t undo those things.”

Campbell, Appice and Bain reunited in 2012 alongside singer Andrew Freeman to form LAST IN LINE. The band’s initial intent was to celebrate Ronnie James Dio’s early work by reuniting the members of the original DIO lineup. After playing shows that featured a setlist composed exclusively of material from the first three DIO albums, the band decided to move forward and create new music in a similar vein.

In a 2019 interview with Ultimate Guitar, Vivian said that getting fired from DIO left a bad taste in his mouth “for so, so many years. I was so hurt by the whole process that after that, I did make a mistake of saying very hurtful things about Ronnie in the press, as indeed he said the same about me,” he said. “I think that was a mistake for both of us to do that. But it was a very painful thing for me because I never wanted to leave that band. I was fully invested in it, I enjoyed it immensely, I believed in it, and I gave blood, sweat, and tears on everything over the course of three albums to build that band. And then to be unceremoniously dumped like that was very, very painful for me. So it took me a long time to come full circle. To be honest, I think it also took Ronnie’s passing [in 2010] to be able to look at that in a different light and realize that it was as much Jimmy Bain’s heritage and Vinny Appice’s heritage and my heritage as it was Ronnie’s — we all owned those records and that history. So now I’ve come to fully embrace it, whereas for many, many years it was too painful for me to listen to it. If it came on the radio, I would turn the radio off. I didn’t own any of the records, I wanted nothing to do with it. And now I see it in an entirely different light. I realize that we owned it as much as Ronnie and that it’s a joyous thing to embrace. It makes me incredibly happy to be on the stage with Vinny, and with Jimmy while he was alive, and to play that music again. It’s something I’m very proud of. But it took me a long time to get here, and that’s the reason why.”

In a May 2011 interview with Brazil’s Roadie Crew magazine, Wendy stated about the controversy surrounding Ronnie’s relationship with Campbell (in 2003, Vivian called Ronnie “an awful businessman and, way more importantly, one of the vilest people in the industry.”): “[Vivian] always said that he hated all the albums that he played on with Ronnie, and that was very hurtful to Ronnie. Very hurtful. Would you like someone who said something like that about your albums? He said a lot of things in the press that I don’t wanna get into, because it really wasn’t Ronnie’s feud at all. Ronnie didn’t fire him. I fired [Vivian]. He wanted as much money as Ronnie wanted. He thought he was as important as Ronnie was, and that was just wrong. But I don’t wanna get into that. It’s water under the bridge. It doesn’t matter.”

A video clip of Ronnie James Dio calling Campbell “a fucking asshole” and saying that “I hope he fucking dies” in reference to his former bandmate was posted on YouTube in October 2007. The two-minute clip was shot on March 30, 2007 while Ronnie was signing autographs for fans after HEAVEN & HELL’s show at the Radio City Music Hall in New York City. “He’s a piece of shit,” Dio said. “You ever heard the things he ever said about me? He called me the most despicable human being that ever lived. I went, ‘I thought I gave you a chance and made you somebody. And now you’re playing with who? DEF fucking who?’ There’s a fucking rock band for you to fucking have diarrhea with.”

Potentiometers are used for most of the controls on pedals and a lot of other electronic equipment as well. A potentiometer (also known as a pot) is defined as a 3-terminal variable resistor in which the resistance is manually varied to control the flow of electrical current. A potentiometer acts as an adjustable voltage divider. Any control on a guitar pedal that has a knob will typically be controlling a potentiometer, or sometimes a rotary switch.There is a type of potentiometer called a trimmer (also known as a trimpot) that lives inside of some stompboxes. It typically doesn’t have a shaft that sticks up like a regular potentiometer. Trimmers usually have a slot on top for making adjustments with a small screwdriver. They are meant to be set correctly when installed in a device, and mostly never seen or adjusted by the device’s user. Trimmers can be variable resistors, variable capacitors, or trimmable inductors, and they can perform many different types of functions within a circuit.“I know what an epiphany it can be to unlock that little extra bit of magic out of an already beloved pedal.”I get a fair amount of questions about trimmers—often: “Is it okay to mess with that?” There are many pedals on the market that have internal trimmers that can be adjusted by users, to tweak to personal taste. It is handy to be able to dial a sound in all the way, almost like fine-tuners on a guitar. Typical user-tweakable micro controls are for modulation speed and/or width, gain, and sensitivity.Conversely, there are trimmers built into circuits that I would not consider easily user-adjustable. These include things like bias for time-based effects and setting proper voltages so circuits can function as they should. I’ve repaired quite a few analog delays and flangers, for example, that were perfectly functional! The bias had simply drifted out of its sweet spot. Perhaps the user had gotten too curious and decided to tweak those irresistible little trimmers? Or, more often than not, the trimmers had simply drifted a bit away from their set positions over many years of use, not to mention jostling from being transported to and from gigs. A qualified pedal tech has the right meters and test equipment to get those effects dialed right back in. However, bias can be a nightmare to get back to where it needs to be without some expertise. I understand why these folks thought their pedals were broken. A modulation effect that isn’t properly biased can sound absolutely horrible!It’s only natural to be curious about the guts inside pedals. Trimmers can add so much extra versatility to a device. If you’re ever unsure which ones are okay to tweak, a good rule of thumb is to ask the builder or the company that makes a particular unit which of its trimmers are okay to fiddle with before you twiddle. In some cases, your warranty could be voided if you do adjustments, so it’s always a good idea to check first.I know from my own playing what an epiphany it can be to unlock that little extra bit of magic from an already beloved pedal, and I enjoy sharing any knowledge that can help guitarists get the sounds that are most pleasing out of their effects. Perhaps that pedal you planned to trade could be transformed into something you really love with a little twist of a trimmer.A Deeper DiveI mentioned resistors several times in this column. A resistor is a passive, 2-terminal electrical component that controls electrical resistance as a circuit element. In electronic circuits, resistors are used to reduce current flow, adjust signal levels, to divide voltages, bias active elements, and terminate transmission lines, among other uses.Does your favorite stomp have an adjustable trimmer? You can find a list of popular guitar pedals that have adjustable trimmers here.To read more about voltage dividers, and how a potentiometer works, check this article out.And here’s some great information about trimmers, for further exploration.

Alex Lifeson says that it was “difficult to accept” that he would never play with RUSH again after the completion of the “R40” tour, which commemorated the 40th anniversary of drummer Neil Peart joining the band.

The 68-year-old Canadian guitarist touched upon the legendary band’s legacy while talking to “The Rockman Power Hour” about ENVY OF NONE, his new project in which Alex is joined by Andy Curran (CONEY HATCH), Alfio Annibalini and singer Maiah Wynne.

Speaking about the inspiration for his new music, Lifeson said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “It was difficult to accept that [RUSH] was over, even though it was 41 years. And there’s no shame in ending after that period of time. And Neil didn’t feel he could play a hundred percent — it was just getting too difficult to play this kind of music for three hours a night. So it is what it is. That was the end. And then within a year we found out he was sick. So it was quite a turbulent period. But I have all this music in me. I think I’m more a songwriter than a guitarist, and I always thought of myself as a guitarist first. But realizing that I have so many ideas, and they’re all over the place, and they’re more about melody and about harmony and about space and mood and color and tone rather than just playing.”

Peart died in January 2020 after a three-year battle with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer. He was 67 years old.

Lifeson previously reflected on RUSH’s final tour, which concluded on August 1, 2015 at the Forum in Los Angeles, during a June 2021 appearance on SiriuxXM’s “Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk”. Peart indicated at the time that he wanted to retire while he was still able to play well, along with a desire to spend more time at home with his young daughter.

“We were in our early 60s when that tour ended,” Alex said. “After the number of dates that we did do, which was about half of what we would normally do, we were all starting to feel the fatigue, as you normally would. And had it been a normal tour, we have gone out for probably another month and then taken a month off, or maybe a couple of months off, and then picked it up for another three or four months.

“I think personally, and I think the same for Ged [RUSH bassist/vocalist Geddy Lee], we were really excited about the show, the presentation of the show, the whole concept of going back through our history,” he continued. “I thought we were all playing really, really well, and I probably could have continued to do another 30 shows, and I think Geddy felt the same way. But it was becoming really difficult for Neil to play at that level, and unless he could play a hundred percent at that level, he really didn’t wanna do any more shows, and he didn’t wanna be that person that should have taken it. And it was hard for him — a three-hour show playing the way he played. It’s a miracle that he was even able to play. And he had some issues through that tour — he had an infection on his feet and he could barely walk, never mind playing the bass drum the way he did. And he never complained or anything like that. So, it was time. And in retrospect, it couldn’t have been better, because we were playing great, and we finished on such a high note. The fans were so happy — I mean, with the performance. All things were right. That was the great way to ensure our legacy and be remembered for those guys, for being that band that played that way. I honestly would hate to be working now, for example, and not being able to play a song because my fingers are just killing me and not playing as well and making all these mistakes. I made enough mistakes — way too many. So, all in all, it really turned out to be the opportune time for us to end a long career. Not a lot of bands lasted 40 years of that regular touring and many, many, many albums and all of that stuff.”

RUSH waited three days to announce Peart’s passing, setting off shockwaves and an outpouring of grief from fans and musicians all over the world.

Peart joined RUSH in 1974. He was considered one of the best rock drummers of all time, alongside John Bonham of LED ZEPPELIN; Keith Moon of THE WHO; and Ginger Baker of CREAM. Peart was also RUSH’s primary lyricist, drawing inspiration from everything from sci-fi to Ayn Rand.

Photo credit: Richard Sibbald

Ex-DREAM THEATER drummer Mike Portnoy has congratulated his former bandmates on their first-ever Grammy Award.

DREAM THEATER was honored with a Grammy in the “Best Metal Performance” category in the pre-telecast ceremony at the 64th annual Grammy Awards, which was held last night (Sunday, April 3) at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. DREAM THEATER was nominated for “The Alien”, a track from its 2021 album “A View From The Top Of The World”.

Not long after news broke of DREAM THEATER’s win, Portnoy shared an Instagram screenshot of Loudwire’s coverage of the honor and wrote in a caption: “Congrats to my friends…Very happy for you guys!”

Keyboardist Jordan Rudess, who joined DREAM THEATER in 1999, replied to Portnoy’s post: “Thanks buddy!! Thanks for hiring me many years ago!!!!”

This was DREAM THEATER’s third Grammy nomination. The band’s previous Grammy nominations were for the song “On The Backs Of Angels”, from 2011’s “A Dramatic Turn Of Events” album, and the single “The Enemy Inside” from 2013’s “Dream Theater”.

Portnoy, who co-founded DREAM THEATER 37 years ago, abruptly quit the band in September 2010 while on tour with AVENGED SEVENFOLD. He has since been replaced by Mike Mangini (ANNIHILATOR, EXTREME, STEVE VAI).

Back in 2012, shortly after DREAM THEATER was nominated for a Grammy Award a year after Portnoy’s departure from the band, he told the Babylon, New York rock radio station WBAB about the nod: “It was a tough thing for me to see because I worked so hard for all those years to always fight to get the band mainstream acceptance and acknowledgement. We always did so well on our own for all those years — we kind of climbed the ladder on our own terms. We’d sell out Radio City Music Hall [in New York City] on our own terms. So we were doing things on our own terms and always hoping for, kind of, mainstream, commercial acceptance or acknowledgement. So to see it finally come a year after I left, it was heartbreaking for me on a personal level. On a professional level, I’m happy that it finally happened for the band. It was a long time coming; it should have happened many, many years ago. So, on one hand, it was, like, exciting that the band finally got recognized, but it was just kind of strange that it finally happened… the timing of it all — after all the hard work and blood, sweat and tears that I put in. But you know what?! Better late than never.”

He continued: “I don’t wanna sound bitter, but the reality of it is even all the years when I was in the band, I never really cared about the Grammys anyway; it was always like, ‘F the Grammys.’ To me, it was always a bit of a joke, and I never put that much weight or value in it to begin with. So I don’t wanna come out and say that now and it’s gonna look like I’m bitter because they got nominated, but the reality is, it’s nice to get the tip of the hat, but realistically, that was never an important thing for me. I was always more concerned about how we did things on our own terms. . . I think, honestly, that the tip of the cap with that nomination was more of a career nod and the fact that DREAM THEATER existed and made such a splash on our own terms. I honestly don’t think it had anything to do with just the new album [‘A Dramatic Turn Of Events’] and that particular song [‘On The Backs Of Angels’]. I mean, of course, it’s easy for me to say that, and I’ll probably get [slammed] for saying that, but I think the reality is it was more of a career nod, and if so, if that’s the case, then I think it’s well deserved. Whether or not I’m there, I think the band really made its mark for what we did, so I think it deserves to be recognized.”

Portnoy was a guest on DREAM THEATER guitarist John Petrucci’s second solo album, “Terminal Velocity”, which was released in August 2020 via Sound Mind Music/The Orchard. The effort marked the first time Petrucci and Portnoy recorded together in over a decade, as well as their first time playing together since Portnoy departed DREAM THEATER.

In a 2017 interview with Rockhok, Portnoy insisted that had “no longing to reunite” with DREAM THEATER but said that he would return to his former band “for the fans.”

A couple of years ago, Portnoy told Loud that he left DREAM THEATER because he wanted to expand his musical horizons. “[I didn’t] want to go to my grave and just be the drummer from DREAM THEATER,” he said. “I knew there was way more to what I had to offer.”

Since the 2010 departure of Portnoy, Petrucci, along with Rudess, has taken on much of the songwriting load for DREAM THEATER, including 2016’s controversial double concept album, “The Astonishing”, 2019’s “Distance Over Time” and “A View From The Top Of The World”.

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Former VAN HALEN bassist and current MAMMOTH WVH frontman Wolfgang Van Halen says that he is “feeling pretty damn grateful” after failing to win “Best Rock Song” at the 2022 Grammy Awards on Sunday night (April 3).

Wolfgang, the 31-year-old son of legendary VAN HALEN guitarist Eddie Van Halen, was nominated for his song “Distance” which he wrote about his late father. The award instead went to FOO FIGHTERS’ “Waiting On A War”.

“We came, we saw, but we did NOT conquer and that’s ok!” Wolfgang wrote on Twitter after the awards ceremony. “I got to have a wonderful night with the two most important women in my world,” referencing his girlfriend, Andraia Allsop, and his mom, TV actress and Food Network personality Valerie Bertinelli.

“Such an honor to be nominated for the first song I ever released on my own, in a category with artists I’ve looked up to my entire life. I don’t know if that’ll ever fully set in.

“Pop didn’t win the first time he was nominated too, so it looks like I’m following in his footsteps quite nicely,” he continued.

“Who knows what the future holds. All I know is I’m feeling pretty damn grateful. What a wild experience this was.

“Thank you to @recordingacademy for the recognition, and thank YOU for the support. Y’all mean the world to me.”

Bertinelli told Entertainment Tonight on the red carpet that she was proud of her son.

“It is really emotional,” she said. “I mean, the song that Wofie wrote is absolutely stunning, gorgeous and it’s really beautiful that he was honored for it, and for songwriting.”

Wolfgang said that his dad would also be proud, but clarified: “He would be losing his mind, but also, at the same time, he would be, like, ‘duh,’ because that’s how much he believed in me.”

In a separate interview with People, Wolfgang said: “I just try to respect my father’s memory in everything that I do. Everything that I do in music is for him. So, I just do the best I can and I make sure I try to make him proud in everything I do.”

MAMMOTH WVH’s debut album was released in June 2021 via Explorer1 Music Group/EX1 Records.

Wolfgang wrote all the songs and performed all the instrumentation and vocals on the LP.

This past February, MAMMOTH WVH and DIRTY HONEY launched their “Young Guns” co-headlining tour.

MAMMOTH WVH’s current touring lineup features Wolfgang on guitar and lead vocals, Jon Jourdan on guitar and vocals, Garrett Whitlock (TREMONTI) on drums, and Ronnie Ficarro on bass.

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— Wolf Van Halen ? ? ? (@WolfVanHalen) April 4, 2022