In celebration of their 60th anniversary, the Doors have partnered with Apple Maps to create a new guide highlighting pivotal locations in the band’s history.
Spanning from their roots in California to their European tours, the guide features 20 key sites — including venues like the Fillmore in San Francisco and the Whisky a Go Go in Los Angeles — where the band led by the late Jim Morrison…
To read the full article – please visit the San Francisco Chronicle website.
Sure, Hats off Gentlemen It’s Adequate is a rather long name for a band, but I think they’re worth our memory effort. Malcolm Galloway and Mark Gatland’s brain child is an eclectic and intriguing musical creature, like this title song taken from their 2023 album will show to the few that never listened to HOGIA’s music. Galloway, Gatland and their guest musicians provide a varied prog rock with a strong electronic taste, well balanced between the classic era masters and the contemporary trends.
Galloway himself created this AI assisted evocative image.
This track – like many other ones in the band’s catalogue – pays its tribute to beloved science fiction books (in this case, Ian M. Banks’s Look to Windward novel) and also – musically – to space rock and to the atmospheric side of Pink Floyd or Porcupine Tree. That said, this London based musicians have their own signature sound, sharp and arcane. Yes, it is adeguate and pretty more than so.
In this interview, Rick Beato has the privilege of sitting down with Robby Krieger and John Densmore, the two remaining members of the massively influential band The Doors. They cover everything from the band’s formation, their time in the studio, many of their hit songs, to the highs and lows of working with Jim Morrison.
Valcata, known today as a symphonic metal collective that thrives on remote collaborations, began as a traditional six-member band based in Dublin, Ireland, from 2008 to 2010. The original lineup featured:
• Lorelle Brownlee – lead vocals (2008-2009)
• Joanne King – lead vocals (2009-2010)
• S. Hanan – lead guitar, harsh vocals
• Diarmuid Coughlan – rhythm guitar, backing vocals
• Darragh O’Connor – bass
• David McGuinness – drums
• Oha Cade – keyboards, backing vocals
In 2009, the band recorded a six-track demo EP called Nightmares & Promises. Shortly after, Lorelle left to focus on her studies, and Joanne stepped in as lead vocalist. After about a year of live shows, the group eventually disbanded. Valcata later re-emerged as a remote project led by Oha Cade in 2019, continuing to create music today.
Now, for the first time in years, Nightmares & Promises is coming back. This lost EP will be re-released digitally, letting Valcata’s current listeners experience these hidden treasures.
As a special bonus, the EP will feature two versions: one with Lorelle’s original vocals and another with Joanne’s newly recorded vocals, giving fans two different yet equally stunning takes on these classic tracks.
Two promo singles will be released this Friday Feb 14th:
1. Memory (Lorelle Version)
2. Tuatha Dé Danann (Joanne Version)
Listeners who pre-order the EP on Bandcamp will also get immediate access to Joanne’s version of Memory and Lorelle’s version of Tuatha Dé Danann.
The full double-EP will be released on Bandcamp and streaming platforms on February 21st.
With its old-school symphonic metal charm, catchy melodies, and driving instrumentals, Nightmares & Promises captures the passion and creativity of a young band making music they truly love.
Some original members have pursued other paths, while others continue to make music. Darragh co-founded the experimental extreme metal band Horrenda. Joanne frequently performs with her various rock cover bands such as Wildheart (Heart tribute) and Lady Riot (celebrating women in music).
~ Tracklist ~
1. Memory (4:25)
2. Tuatha Dé Danann (5:19)
3. The Illusionist (3:33)
4. Live No More (6:12)
5. Weeping Pool (4:41)
6. Forgotten (7:22)
Mixed and mastered by Shannon Bowman (Studio23).
It’s very rare that Cambridge, England, based Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats make it to this side of the pond for a proper tour so we’re excited here at DCHM for the band to play the Fillmore Silver Spring on Wednesday, February 5th! That’s why we’re giving away a pair of seated tickets to this sure to be epic show. To enter just leave a comment on this post telling me what your favorite movie soundtrack or score is. Then on Monday, February 3rd, 2025 at 5pm Eastern the contest will close and a winner will be selected from all valid entries using Random.org! Be sure to use a valid email you check regularly when you enter so I can contact you if you win. When you leave a comment you must click the little email icon and enter your email in (only I can see the email address you enter) otherwise I won’t be able to contact you if you win. If the selected winner hasn’t written me back within 24 hours then another winner will be selected. If you can’t wait to see if you win or the contest is already over when you read this, then you can purchase tickets here.
This isn’t your normal Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats tour. For starters it will be seated and the band will be performing their 2024 concept album Nell’ ora blu (Italian for “the blue hour”) from start to finish. Why does a band from England have an album title in Italian you may ask? That’s because this album is a love letter to Italian horror and crime cinema and sounds like a movie soundtrack to a film that was never actually shot, but with that distinct creepy stoner metal vibe that Uncle Acid has perfected. The story revolves around vigilante justice of a corrupt businessman and fits perfectly thematically with Uncle Acid’s throwback sound. You may have seen Uncle Acid perform before but you’ve never seen a set from them like this! Support on this show comes from Jonathan Hultén, a Swedish folk musician most people will probably know for his time in the band Tribulation before going solo. Now check out these releases by the bands below and tell me your favorite movie soundtrack or score in the comments (and be sure to include your email address)!
Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats – La vipera
Jonathan Hultén – Riverflame
Seven Steps to The Green Door are an interesting band from Germany active since 2006 and producing an innovative musical mix ranging from neo-prog to hard rock and from melodic ballads to intricate long tracks. This song comes from their 2019 album titled “The ? Lie”, a concept work dealing with religious fanaticism and its tragic outcomes. “Hear My Voice Tonight” is a ten minutes track with strong melodic roots and including unpredictable, strategically placed mood changes.
Jazzy passages, dreamy landscapes, intense progressions grace this track and made it a treat for the prog ears. I especially like the wind instruments that enrich this track providing a warm and rippled finale. The instrumental skills of the band members and their guest musicians are the final touch to this beautiful piece of music.
John Densmore and Robby Krieger speak exclusively to MOJO about the stories behind some of the photographs in new book, Night Divides The Day: The Doors Anthology. Read the full article at Mojo4Music.com.
In the summer of 1965, a chance meeting on Venice Beach between a young poet, Jim Morrison, and keyboardist Ray Manzarek sparked the creation of a band that would forever change music and culture. With Robby Krieger on guitar and John Densmore on drums, The Doors were born.
This one might be a controversial one, but I think a new perspective is needed…
In case you haven’t seen it, Marty Friedman recently made headlines all over heavy metal news sites because we are now getting excerpts from his upcoming book, Dreaming Japanese. While some of these excerpts didn’t generate much conversation because they were rather innocuous, one about Megadeth’s failed reunion in 2015 did.
In one particular segment, Marty discusses how he was dissatisfied with the financial offer he received. Well, according to his words, he felt “angry” and then “sad” about it.
Here is what Marty is alleging, according to multiple outlets:
Before I go any further, let me address one thing. As much as I enjoy Megadeth, I also enjoy Marty’s music. I’m a big fan of his solo career. I’ve seen him live with his solo band and followed his career since he left Megadeth. I have nothing against him. Furthermore, he’s entitled to his opinion about how the reunion talks turned out. But there is something that bothers me deeply. People online, in an extremely predictable fashion, called Dave Mustaine all kinds of names because Marty didn’t get the offer he hoped for. I have a problem with that. It’s not because Mustaine can’t be criticized. Everyone can and should be criticized when warranted! And I’ve done exactly that on this site. But the RIP era reunion attempt goes deeper. There’s a reason Marty was given an offer he didn’t like. Calling Dave Mustaine “cheap” over this is entirely missing the point! I don’t blame Dave or the Megadeth camp for not being able to match Marty’s expectations. When you know more, you won’t blame them either.
Back in 2015, Megadeth tried to reunite with Marty Friedman and Nick Menza. It was shortly after Chris Broderick and Shawn Drover left, leaving the band in search of new members. I will tell you honestly, this attempt was dead on arrival anyway. I thought then, as I think now, that a reunion with these guys, as much as I would have loved to see them in the band, was not going to happen! Nick, sadly, had some issues that David Ellefson discusses at length in his book, More Life with Deth. I won’t go into much detail, but suffice it to say he wasn’t physically fit enough to play Megadeth music, according to Ellefson. Marty also was never going to be satisfied. I don’t even know why he entertained the meeting. He left Megadeth because he didn’t wish to play riff-based heavy metal music. He enjoyed his musical freedom way too much. What made Megadeth think he would give that up is beyond me. I think, sadly, some fans contributed to this. The band faced the pressure. I remember the online comments. We forgot that Marty wasn’t fired in early 2000. He left! He didn’t want to be there. I love the guy, and I respect his decision. However, why would I want someone back in the band who didn’t desire to be there in the first place? Why would any fan want it?
But let’s move on from that and focus on Marty’s comments. So, he wasn’t happy with the financial offer. What exactly was that offer? And why couldn’t Megadeth meet him where he wanted to be?
I don’t claim to know all the details. But, we do have one source who was there and who has written about these topics. No, it’s not Mustaine. But we have David Ellefson’s book, More Life with Deth, to shed some light on what went on. I will now give you four excerpts from Ellefson’s book and then I’ll comment on them. Remember, the following are David’s words, not mine! And he was there at the negotiations!
Let’s break this down, okay? Number one, Dave Mustaine was very protective of Ellefson at the time. They had a fallout a few years ago over Ellefson’s own actions, but back then, they were on good terms. Mustaine made sure that Ellefson’s status in the band was not affected. He’d already lost Broderick and Drover and didn’t need to lose his bass player. It would have been horrible news for Megadeth at the time. So, he made him a promise that he’d be the highest paid second member of the group. And David appreciated this. He was on board being that person. And that makes sense. Nick hadn’t been in the band since 1998. Marty hadn’t been in the band since early 2000. So, why would they get more than Ellefson? Not to mention Ellefson also speaks of salary caps in the band which indicates the band already knew what they would be able to pull off financially.
Then, you get into the salary requirements. Look, Marty deserves whatever money he’s made and continues to make. I have no problem. I want him to make as much as he can make! But as successful as Megadeth has been, I don’t know how they would afford such salaries when they didn’t even know how the chemistry would work. Nick asked for $7,500 per week, according to Ellefson. David then says Marty asked for twice as much as that, which makes $15,000. For each week. How are you affording this? We don’t know Megadeth’s finances. And they don’t owe us any info; I know it’s private. But can you at least see how they wouldn’t be able to meet this demand? If you engage in a 10 week tour and you make this requirement, you’re talking about $150,000. And that’s for one person! You have other members in the band and you have a whole crew to pay for. I don’t know about you, but I don’t think Megadeth is that big. I wish they were – I love this band! But the reality just doesn’t align with this. If you were one of those people who blamed Mustaine over the failed reunion, can you maybe now understand why this didn’t work?
I will reiterate (and I have to do this since this is the Internet) that I respect Marty’s decision to leave Megadeth back in the day and I also don’t blame him for negotiating. You are free to ask for whatever in any negotiation. But I don’t know why he was “angry”. The band certainly didn’t mean to insult him. They just couldn’t meet him where he was. It happens. It’s called a negotiation! But my issue isn’t even with Marty. It’s with everyone who jumped on the bandwagon to blame Mustaine for what they believe was a “cheap” response. Well, I guess they can now get their answer from another person – David Ellefson – who was there during these talks and who fully agreed with Mustaine that these demands couldn’t be met. They weren’t being cheap, they were protecting the entire Megadeth camp. Hopefully it’s now clear.
The truth is, these kinds of financial disagreements among our favorite musicians become intensely debated simply because we generally pick a side and we don’t allow ourselves to even consider there’s another side. We always see our favorite person who didn’t get what they asked for as the “victim” and the other side is the “abuser”. The details don’t even matter. I know that sometimes there are people who get insulting offers. I get it. But that doesn’t mean that’s true in every disagreement. Sometimes, it’s just a business negotiation that just didn’t work out. This is exactly one of those situations. If you don’t want to take my word for it, take it with David Ellefson who pretty clearly lays out what occurred. Megadeth was in no position to meet Marty’s demands. There was no insult intended and no one was some kind of victim in the end. Think what you like about Dave and David. That’s up to you. But in this particular case, I don’t blame them. I don’t understand what people suggest they should have done. If Dave had bet on Marty and met his demands, Ellefson was going to ask for the same amount of money or else he was going to quit. But even if the band was able to do this, which is doubtful, do you really want to put all your eggs in one reunion basket? You raise everyone’s salary, increase costs for the band, but if the reunion tour doesn’t work out and you still have to go your separate ways, now you have to pay someone else to join your band. It is a huge risk. Some bands take it (think of the first reunion Anthrax attempted and how that failed). But that’s a risk not every band is willing to take.
One thing I’ll also add here is that Marty claims Megadeth needed him more than he needed them. Sorry, but as fans who were already fans back then and who paid attention, that statement is not true. This is evidenced by the fact that Chris Adler and Kiko Loureiro brought a lot of great energy and Dystopia became the highest charting Megadeth album since Countdown to Extinction. This doesn’t exactly seem like the band was desperate to get him back now, does it? I respect Marty, and I will also acknowledge that his book might give me more context and I may not be getting his whole point of view. But from these excerpts, I can’t ever agree with that claim.
In the end, I think the Rust in Peace era reunion was a bad idea to begin with. My one criticism of Megadeth is them even attempting this in the first place. My opinion is that Marty was never going to join this reunion anyway. He was way too happy with his musical freedom to ever want to give that up. I’m also a little critical of some Megadeth fans who just couldn’t let go of this idea and kept pressuring the band to give it a try. Marty left for a reason. He didn’t want to play Megadeth music. I say this as someone who is a fan of both sides. But I’m glad Megadeth found Kiko Loureiro at the end of all this. I’m not a fan of trying to recreate past magic. I’m super glad Marty was in Megadeth throughout the ‘90s. But when he didn’t want to be there anymore, the band moved on and released some great records and Marty also released some great music. Megadeth didn’t need this reunion. It’s always better to look into the future. The past is the past for a reason…
The post Megadeth Reunion Attempt: The financial side of reunions appeared first on Mega-Depth.
During the years, the Polish neo-prog band Collage (see elsewhere in this blog) produced a large family of side projects, including this Believe, the brain child of bassist Mirek Gil. The melodic style of his former band is preserved in the atmospheric passages of this track taken from the album “The Wyrding Way”, but you’ll also find in it harder edges and even a vaguely folk side. There are some many things I like in “Wicked Flame” and maybe Satomi’s way to merge his violin into the band’s sound hit me first.
It’s somewhere between a classical orchestra instrument and a bohemian fiddle. And what about Jinian Wilde’s voice? Both sweet and harsh and always hearty, a good new addiction to the band. Of course all the players are top notch and they know how to change the song’s mood with simple and effective switches. Last but not least, the musical themes are very, very good and even catchy, a perfect base for variations, weavings and solos. Believe me: more than 11 minutes of pleasure.
