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His mentor is Joe Satriani, he’s played alongside David Lee Roth, David Coverdale, Frank Zappa and Ozzy Osbourne and he’s one of the fastest fret burners on the planet.

We can only be talking about the man himself – Steve Vai. And as the multi-talented axeman prepares to turn 50 next year (!) he took time out to talk to rushonrock about his fantastic new live CD/DVD package Where The Wild Things Are, his buddy Satch’s new band Chickenfoot and a whole load of other stuff. Enjoy.  Read the rest of this entry »

Kip Winger has confirmed his band will play as many as nine live dates across the UK in March after admitting reaction to new record Karma has stunned the hair metal heroes. 

Winger release their latest album in October before embarking on a full European tour in November. That leg of the Karma tour takes the band up to Christmas but Kip told rushonrock tonight: “We’re coming to the UK in the spring.

“There’s at least seven dates and I think there could be as many as nine. We’re going to cover as much of the country as we can and it looks like the whole thing could be in conjunction with Classic Rock Magazine.” Read the rest of this entry »

House Of Lords’ frontman James Christian has revealed he could see no way back for hair metal and melodic rock once grunge took a stranglehold on the music business.

And the talented vocalist admitted he was prepared to call time on his singing career rather than change his style to suit the mid 90s trend.

“Back then I just didn’t see melodic rock making a comeback,” said the husband of 80s pop rock pin-up Robin Beck.

“Once grunge came on the scene you couldn’t even get arrested as someone who played melodic rock – let alone get a new record deal. But stepping away from it proved to be a god thing for me.” Read the rest of this entry »

Legendary Guns N Roses hero Duff McKagan has taken a leaf out of big mate Spike’s book and thrown his weight behind Newcastle United’s promotion push.

The Velvet Revolver and Loaded man is a mad keen sports fan and follows all of the sides in his home city of Seattle. But McKagan chose to follow Arsenal in the Premier League after catching the Gunners on ESPN. Read the rest of this entry »

Finland might not seem like the most natural destination for the North East’s finest new rock and roll band but a trip across the North Sea could be the making of Fables Last Stand. rushonrock editor Simon Rushworth reports.
They’ve recorded some of their most anthemic tunes at the Vancouver home of Bryan Adams, opened up for blues rock legends UFO and fellow Geordies the Quireboys and last month they finally completed the mix for debut album Love & Exile. But Fables Last Stand want more. Read the rest of this entry »

@ Newcastle o2 Academy, September 28 2009

Monday night madness in the O2 Academy with The Black Spiders and The Wildhearts playing some absolute mind blowing rock anthems.  The night began with some big metal riffs and a pounding rhythm section.

The Black Spiders stated on their MySpace page ‘if you like the first three albums that Black Sabbath did then you will like The Black Spiders’. Comparing themselves to Black Sabbath was possibly a bit optimistic but although they do not quite fill the whole boot, they are a few sizes of it  – a very entertaining band. During a thrilling 30-minute set the highlight was The Force. Read the rest of this entry »

Indie rock maestros The Sound Ex have been spotted laying down the tracks which will eventually form the follow-up to the classy yet criminally overlooked Palomino.

The Tyneside crew took up residence in Newcastle’s Blast! studios last week to demo a series of stonking hook-laden tracks. And mixing is slated for mid-October. Quite why the career of these former major label darlings hasn’t come full circle is anyone’s guess but the guys are still producing music many a bigger band would kill for. Read the rest of this entry »

Another rocktastic week kicks off in some style tonight when Geordie boy Ginger brings his Wildhearts home for what’s sure to be an adrenaline-fuelled night of metal mayhem at Newcastle’s o2 Academy.

And if guitar gods are your cup of tea then look no further than one of the greatest of them all as we bring you an exclusive interview with Steve Vai prior to Monday’s release of the new live CD/DVD Where The Wild Things Are. Plus those rock and roll heroes The Georgia Satellites finally hit The Vinyl Countdown with a classic from 20 years ago.

We’ll be catching up with Danger Danger, Winger and House Of Lords for what promises to be a veritable feast of hair metal mayhem. And the mighty Cronos gives us a glimpse into what goes on behind the scenes in the life of a fully fledged Satanist… Read the rest of this entry »

Veteran gothic metal crew Paradise Lost head the quartet of bands vying for your financial favours this week as we check out the best of tomorrow’s new releases.

Label mates Arch Enemy and Despised Icon add to the ear-bleeding feel of this week’s Rock Solid but if classic rock’s more your thing then you must check out emerging US band Surefire. Read the rest of this entry »

Pearl Jam – Backspacer Gatefold Vinyl Edition (Universal)

We’ve had a week to judge whether this might well be the best Pearl Jam record we’ve ever heard and the verdict? It is.

Incredibly it sounds like the record Eddie Vedder and co. might have been expected to deliver at a time when hair metal dominated and grunge was in its infancy.

Influenced more by classic rock than the Seattle scene, it’s polished, often upbeat and always challenging. In fact, if you’ve always been put off Pearl Jam because of their roots then it’s time to give the band their due – and your time – in 2009. Read the rest of this entry »