RUSHONROCK.COM

Former Fables Last Stand axe slinger Twiggy has quit Tyneside for Los Angeles after realising a lifelong dream to pursue his music career in the USA.

Following Fables’ shock split earlier this year, the Newcastle-based guitarist has been writing songs with artists the world over.

And now Twiggy (pictured back, middle) is hooking up with famed hitmaker Holly Knight within spitting distance of the notorious Sunset Strip. Read the rest of this entry »

Aerosmith’s Joe Perry will open for Bad Company when the blues rock legends return to live action in the UK next spring.

Paul Rodgers and co. have announced eight arena dates for next April – including a stop off at Newcastle’s Metro Radio Arena on April 7.

And the Joe Perry Project will open up as special guests on what is expected to be one of the hottest tickets of 2010. Read the rest of this entry »

As a rock fan there’s very little to get excited about in the world of reality television.

When Donny Tourette’s appearance on Big Brother is the closest we get to any semblance of a rock profile within a genre dying on its feet it’s no surprise most of us would rather be watching, playing or listening to real music. Read the rest of this entry »

He’s shifted millions of rock albums worldwide, provided the six-string hooks to complement the vocals of Heart‘s Wilson sisters and Teesside’s Paul Rodgers and now Howard Leese has released one of the hottest records of the year.

In our latest look at life behind the scenes in the wacky world of rock we quiz the veteran muso on what makes him tick. Enjoy. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s been a long time coming but in-your-face Brit rockers Dear Superstar are finally planning the follow-up to slow burning hit Heartless after six months of serious progress on the road. We’ve got an exclusive behind-the-scenes studio report coming up this week - plus an interview with frontman Micky.

We’re also catching up with another singer called Michael – Michael Sweet of Stryper after the Christian hair metal legends crashed the Billboard charts with their fantastic new record Murder By Pride. And after a three-week hiatus we can confirm uber columnist Self Made Man will be back on Friday! We promise.

Elsewhere we’ll be in Newcastle on Wednesday watching the progress of Dirty Rock And Roll as they continue to etch their Feeder/Stereophonics/Subways-style rock into the hearts and minds of North East audiences everywhere. It should be good. Read the rest of this entry »

Howard Leese was one fifth of late 80s hair metal heroes Heart before hooking up with former Free frontman Paul Rodgers and this summer he’s sitting on one of the hottest melodic records of the year in the shape of debut solo offering Secret Weapon.

In the second part of a cracking interview with one of the world’s leading guitarists he talks Heart’s commercial success, his hook up with The Voice and an unexpected alliance with one of America’s fastest-rising stars. Read the rest of this entry »

Taking centre stage in the next seven days is the man who transformed Heart into one of the biggest hitting bands of the late 80s – a true rushonrock hero in the shape of Howard Leese.

Now a fully fledged member of Bad Company and a long-time touring partner of Paul Rodgers, the multi-talented instrumentalist has just released one of the records of the year in the shape of his aptly titled solo debut Secret Weapon. And we’ve got a two-part exclusive interview coming right up.

But if you’re looking for a truly emotional trip down memory lane then we focus on the long lost Mayfair in the week that Tygers Of Pan Tang play the latest reunion show at Newcastle’s o2 Academy. Expect a few tears and plenty of cheers. Read the rest of this entry »

Bad Company guitarist Howard Leese has let slip the band are putting together plans for a UK tour this November – following the huge success of their recent run of US shows.

Leese is riding high on the back of stunning solo record Secret Weapon but the former Heart man is so busy touring with old pal Paul Rodgers it looks like he won’t be taking his own music on the road anytime soon. And he said: “I’ve heard rumours we’ll be hitting the UK this autumn. I hope the rumours are true. I’m a real Anglophile and always have been. Read the rest of this entry »

Vixen – Cryin’ (Tripp/Paris) b/w Desperate (Miku/Santos/Kuehnemund) 1988

The all-girl hair metal band’s biggest hit on both sides of the Atlantic, pop rocker Cryin’ crashed the Top 40 in the US and the UK.

At a time when the men looked more like women it was only the obviously feminine band name and flashes of bronzed cleavage which gave the game away as far as these four ladies from  Minnesota were concerned. Even so, certain critics suggested the pretty boys of Poison were still sexier than these four foxes at the forefront of the LA glam scene. Read the rest of this entry »

Welcome to our weekly look at the hottest new releases and you don’t get much hotter than Howard Leese’s sensational solo album. Howard who? He’s the bloke who spent 22 years in Heart before stints with Paul Rodgers and Bad Company and he’s come up with a cracking record which deserves to be huge.

Elsewhere we focus on three more Frontiers releases as Crash The System roll out a melodic rock special, Mind Key celebrate a decade delivering progressive metal with a meaty new effort and Constancia prove keyboards and hard rock can be comfortable bedfellows. As if we didn’t know. Read the rest of this entry »