Rick Allen ..the THUNDERGOD

 What would you do if you were the drummer for one of the most popular metal bands of the ‘80s? If you were Def Leppard’s Rick Allen, you’d go the rock-star headbanging route, abusing substances, driving fast and taking chances. Now, what would you do if, two years after recording a masterful and historic heavy metal album that sold over 10 million copies worldwide, you were road-raging down a rural English road on New Year’s Eve and lost your arm in a horrible car accident?

Richard John Cyril "Rick" Allen (born 1 November 1963) is the drummer for the English hard rock band Def Leppard. He is famous for overcoming the complete amputation of his left arm and continuing to play with the band, which subsequently went on to its greatest popular success worldwide. His fans now call him the "Thunder God".

At the age of 21 Allen meet with an accident which resulted in him losing his left arm .Allen thought that he could not continue drumming for Def Leppard and became very depressed, so Def Leppard's lead singer, Joe Elliott, stopped by to see Allen in an attempt to cheer him up. Soon after, Elliot and Allen sat down with some engineers and started to design a drum set to assist Allen's drumming. After only six weeks in hospital he rejoined the band and by August 1986 was back drumming on stage on his own,with one hand, using his left foot (typically for hi-hat pedals in common drumsets), to play the snare drum. Former Status Quo drummer Jeff Rich was a source of help and encouragement during Allen's convalescence, and they designed an electronic kit Allen could play using only one arm. Electronic drum manufacturer Simmons created a kit to their specifications, and Allen made his post-accident debut in 1986 with a well-received set at the "Monsters of Rock" festival at Castle Donington. In August 1987, the band released their fourth album, Hysteria, which, after a relatively slow start in the U.S., ultimately became another huge success, selling over 20 million copies worldwide.

"If I couldn't play drums it would have destroyed me. If you're thrown in the deep end you swim, and that's basically what I did. I had to do it and with the rest of the band behind me and the encouragement I got from people from all over the world, I knew that I was going to play" Rick Allen


 
Here is a video showing how Rick the thundergod,goes about doing what he loves the most .(.inspite of ....)

 

source: wikipedia.angelfire.com,youtube.metal-army.com

Prodigy 'Invasion' set to hit Bengaluru

It’s official: The Prodigy is scheduled to perform in India in January 2011. The Prodigy will perform in namma Bengaluru on January 13, 2011, and in New Delhi on January 15, 2011, as part of the ‘Invasion’ festival. Organized by Motherswear (Only Much Louder’s festivals division) in association with UKNY Music, ‘Invasion’ is set to be an annual music festival that will aim to showcase some of the best contemporary live acts from around the world.

The Prodigy are an English electronic dance music group established by Liam Howlett in 1990 in Braintree, Essex. Along with Fatboy Slim, The Chemical Brothers and The Crystal Method, as well as other acts, members of the Prodigy have been credited as pioneers of the big beat genre which achieved mainstream popularity in the 1990s and 2000s. They have sold over 25 million records worldwide.

The group's brand of big beat music makes use of various styles ranging from rave, hardcore techno, industrial and breakbeat in the early 1990s to electronic rock with punk vocal elements in later times. The current band members include Liam Howlett (composer/keyboards), Keith Flint (dancer/vocalist) and Maxim (MC/vocalist). The Prodigy first emerged on the underground rave scene in the early 1990s, and have since then achieved immense popularity and worldwide renown. Some of their most popular songs include "Charly", "Out of Space", "No Good (Start the Dance)", "Voodoo People", "Poison", "Firestarter","Breathe", "Smack My Bitch Up", "Omen", "Spitfire", "Invaders Must Die" and "Warrior's Dance.Their music has been featured in several major Hollywood films including Charlie’s Angels, The Matrix and, most recently, Kick-Ass.

Apart from being headlined by The Prodigy, the festival will also feature performances by some national live acts including Mumbai electro-rock pioneers 'Pentagram'. Pentagram frontman Vishal Dadlani said “It’s The Prodigy -- what’s not to be excited about! This is the band that redefined electro rock. They have been an inspiration and are true pioneers.

The music festival Invasion is being organised by Motherswear, Only Much Louder’s festivals division in collaboration with UKNY Music, the UK-based music and events company,what we can expect is one of the biggest live music experience India has ever seen…Invasion is going to be awesome.

Here is one of their video "Voodoo People"

source:wikipedia,theprodigy.com,youtube

Jingle All The Way !!!

Jingle Bells  is one of the best-known and commonly sung christmas songs in the world. It was written by James Lord Pierpont (1822–1893) and published under the title "One Horse Open Sleigh" in 1857. Even though it is commonly referred to as a Christmas song, it was actually written and sung for Thanksgiving.It was mistakenly branded as a Christmas song because being extremely popular at Thanksgiving,it was sung again around Christmas.

But not many know that "Jingle Bells" was the first song broadcasted from space, in a Christmas-themed prank by Gemini 6 astronauts Tom Stafford and Wally Schirra.

While in space on December 16, 1965, they sent this report to Mission Control: "We have an object, looks like a satellite going from north to south, probably in polar orbit... I see a command module and eight smaller modules in front. The pilot of the command module is wearing a red suit....".Before Mission Control had time to digest the "UFO sighting," they heard an extraterrestrial rendition of "Jingle Bells" coming from Gemini 6. Schirra and Stafford had smuggled a harmonica and miniature sleigh bells onto the spacecraft especially for this moment.

The song has become so popular and synonymous with christmas, that christmas almost seems incomplete without singing this song,hence we have attached a video with the lyrics for you to hum along this christmas season... 

Wishing you all a ROCKING CHRISTMAS

  

 

 source: wikipedia and youtube

The world's biggest music magazine "Rolling Stones" comes to live television for the first time.

The world's biggest music magazine comes to live television for the first time in the world, find out who's rocking the charts, who's making the news and who's on the verge of creating history. This is your quintessential guide to whatever that makes it in the world of music. Live the greatest rock and roll magazine of all time on The Rolling Stone Show.

Telecast : Thurs: 11:30 am
Channel  : NDTV Goodtimes.

Rolling Stone is a U.S.-based magazine devoted to music, politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner (who is still editor and publisher) and music critic Ralph J. Gleason.

The magazine was named for the 1948 Muddy Waters song of the same name.The magazine was known for its political coverage beginning in the 1970s, with the enigmatic and controversial gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson. Rolling Stone magazine changed its format in the 1990s to appeal to younger readers,often focusing on young television or film actors and pop music. This led to criticism that the magazine was emphasizing style over substance.In recent years, the magazine has resumed its traditional mix of content, including in-depth political stories, and has seen its circulation increase.

Source & Read more at : http://goodtimes.ndtv.com/GoodTimesShowPage.aspx?ShowID=76&cp and Wikipedia

New Michael Jackson Song Is Ping Only

Struggling to keep Ping even vaguely in the public conscious, Apple has managed to snag a major exclusive: the new Michael Jackson song will only be available over the musical social network. You can check out the song on the deceased artist’s Ping page, and it’s claimed that the song was written during the Thriller era.

Here’s the statement about the song, via the official website:

    A third song from the new Michael Jackson album MICHAEL is now being streamed free exclusively for one week in iTunes Ping, Apple’s new music-focused social network. The song “Much Too Soon” was written at the time of Thriller. Michael always liked the song and would pull it back out of the vaults for each subsequent album project but never found the right home for it; on the new album it finds its place as the bittersweet closing to the stellar collection. The song was written by Michael Jackson and produced by Michael Jackson and John McClain. David Campbell is featured on the strings. MICHAEL will be released December 14, 2010.

The song will be available in full on Ping for the entire week, yet is not currently up on Jackson’s own site. It’s an interesting move, considering Apple’s social network really has yet to fully take off among musicians and fans.

The first official single from MICHAEL is available for streaming now. The song entitled “Hold My Hand”, a duet with Akon, is a song they recorded in 2007. A handwritten note from Michael belonging to his Estate indicated his desire that “Hold My Hand” be the first single on his next project. However, in its unfinished state, the song leaked out in 2008. Akon recently completed the new and final production of “Hold My Hand.”, below is that song for you.

Source: everythingicafe.com and Youtube

Soundgarden is Back!!!!!

Soundgarden performing at Lollapalooza in Chicago, 2010.

L - R: Kim Thayil, Chris Cornell and Ben Shepherd.(Matt Cameron hidden in this view)

If you unwind the clock a little bit and if you've stumbled across a song called "Black hole sun" on MTV back in the day, then that's the men behind the song we're talking about. 

Soundgarden was one of  prominent and influential bands of the early 90's alongwith Seattle contemporaries Nirvana, Alice in Chains and Pearl Jam. They contributed immensly to a distinct style of music which was later to be labeled as Grunge by the media and the recording industry. They created records which were the most daring and experimental at that time not bowing down to the pressures of Album sales.

Their music is timeless and the songs are structured and constructed like exquisite pieces of art - if you're willing to explore and savor the music. Chris Cornell's mesmerising voice, Kim Thayill's ethereal playing, Ben shepherd's throbbing bass and Matt Cameron's brilliant drumming is a sight to behold for any music enthusiast.

Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain was a fan of Soundgarden's early music. After 12 long years they've come together and released a new Album.

Soundgarden is:

Chris Cornell

Kim Thayil
Matt Cameron
Ben Shepherd

Kindly click on the following video to watch their new single "Black Rain"and please do let us know what you think of it:

Have a Great Day!!!!

Photo courtesy:

Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/david_silverman/4877736422/

Author: David Silverman

This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.

Video Courtesy: Youtube(Vevo)

SLAIN, one of Bangalore’s upcoming bands, have unleashed their debut album "Here and Beyond".



After sharing the stage with the likes of Iron Maiden and Mr Big, namma city rockers are set to release their first album  "Here and Beyond."
Slain, one of Bangalore’s hottest and upcoming bands, have unleashed their debut album "Here and Beyond" on November 19. Going by the buzz, the launch seems to be a unique musical event with this progressive rock band being backed by a 14-member choir.

The album was in the works ever since the band was formed in 2007. The whole band — Judah Sandhy (lead vocals), Bryden Lewis (lead guitar, backing vocals), Manek D’Silva (rhythm guitar, backing vocals), Naresh Nathan (bass guitar, backing vocals), Jonathan Wesley (keyboard, backing vocals), Jared Sandhy (drums and percussion) — contributed in the songwriting process. Bryden and Judah came up with initial ideas, and then the rest of the guys chipped in to complete the songs. The 10-track album — termed “a stellar full-length album” by Rolling Stone magazine — was recorded in Judah’s studio Xanderian in the city. The band relished the freedom of working without the pressure of deadlines. The first few tracks took months. Once they got a hang of it, the rest was done quickly. Manek says the album is a mix of pop, rock and melodic metal.

Designed by Manek, the album’s cover shows a “dreamer” jumping from a rooftop. Naresh explains, “The cover’s message is: Take a leap of faith and God will hold up you. We don’t know for sure if this album will sell. But we believe that unless we take a leap of faith we won’t know. The title Here and Beyond means though we are content here in the present we believe there are greater things for us in the future.”
   
How does the band define success? Naresh says, “My dream was to play in a rock band and I’ve realised it. That’s success to me. Success is also realising we have God’s grace to do all that we are doing.” Manek adds, “Success is when someone listens to our songs, takes them to heart and sings along.” We wish you all the success guys!
Source: Bangalore Mirror.

And a preview of that musical masterpiece was released some time before in this promotional video. Chk it out.