Yep, after many weeks locked in our own sweatshop of aural delights we are proud to announce our new arrival...

 

The brand spanking new Midlands Rocks website.

 

Faster, easier to use, and packed full of good times.

 

Its the new home of MIDLANDS ROCKS - keeping it LOUD & PROUD in the Midlands, UK.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Melodic Rock Festival Z Rock 2012 is only a short time away so I thought I’d catch up with Z Records label boss & Z Rock promoter Mark Alger to discuss the upcoming show!

Hi Mark, we are only a few months away from Z Rock how are ticket sales and interest in the festival at the moment? Last year had a particularly low turnout, is this year looking more positive?

It was slow on the uptake but moving now Paul, strange thing is we have a lot of people travelling from Europe and as far away as South Korea, Japan and the US. I think 2011 was due to the recession and where we decided to stage the show.

This year sees the Festival take place at The Robin in Wolverhampton for the first time. What inspired you to move to this venue and what do you think of The Robin?

It was Vince who first put me onto it and Michael Voss had some good things to say too. Its clean yes I said clean lol. Major attraction was that they have good facilities and it’s not mega expensive drinks /food wise. I know it’s a pain when people have to decide what band to miss so that they can grab some food in the past. There is also a large outdoor area which is secure so people have little reason to leave the venue and miss anything

Z Rock has moved around various venues and areas over the years and has been going since 1999 if I’ve got my history right? In recent years the festival has moved to the Midlands, happening twice at The Birmingham Asylum and twice at JB’s Dudley. Do you think it’s important to have an established venue or City as the Festival's home or are there advantages to moving the festival around? Taking that into account, will future Z Rock’s happen at The Robin?

Personally and being frankly honest I’m under pressure from some old friends to move it to my home city of Liverpool, however Liverpool is full of Japanese and American tourists and obviously having 2 premiership football teams doesn’t help on the hotel front, that’s the only reason it’s not there.

I had known Sam at JB’s for many years, great guy and he said “Oi get your arse down here with that show of yours” so I did. It was so easy to stage it there and when Sam fell ill I knew we wouldn’t be there in 2010 hence no show. He’s a great bloke and hope he is enjoying his retirement now, Sue and he helped me a lot since the 80’s he’s a true legend. This year has to at least break even, if it doesn’t there won’t be another Z Rock, I think it will though as there is a very positive vibe about his year’s event and tickets sales are up on those expected at this time.

What do you think of the strength of this year’s line-up, did you get the bands you wanted? Personally I think it’s a very strong line-up and the combination of Prophet and Paul Sabu on the Saturday should have most Melodic Rock fans going nuts!

Well part of Paul's deal was to play at Z Rock, that was sealed early 2011 when he signed to us, he is really buzzing about coming over. Prophet was quite funny; we have the rights to all three albums and had never re-released or recycled. I called Scott during September and told him that at long last I was going to reissue it, he said why not re-master all three, good idea I thought. During the conversation I mentioned Z Rock and I was told to get them over so I have. It’s been so easy to arrange this year, no egos. I won’t work with any act that thinks they are Led Zeppelin and play the Diva. I’ve suffered too much because of people like that in the past who try to change things on the day etc etc.and hold us to ransom.

Which bands are you yourself particularly looking forward to seeing perform and which songs are you hoping are played?

Know what Saturday for me is a purely selfish act, I like them all lol. Despite last year’s turn out it was the first one I’ve enjoyed in years and I want it to stay that way.

This year sees the festival expand to two days over the May bank holiday weekend. Correct me if I’m wrong but this is the first time Z has done two full day line-up’s? Although you have done Friday night shows in the past.

Two full days, yes it is.

I was shocked when a second day was announced as given the current worldwide financial situation and a well noted decline in attendances across the live scene regardless of genre, made it a very risky move. When and why did you make the decision to make it a two day event?

It doesn’t help when Mike Shotton calls and says Markie as he does “get me over bro it’s been 3 years since we had a beer together”, seriously 10 min after that Michael Bormann mailed “Mark get me over to England”. Steve Newman and I had a 5 min conversation and he was happy to return to Z Rock it’s the same story with the others so it felt like it was meant to be. So I went with my gut feeling.

It is bad out there, but I have to say having Wig Wam on in 2009 on the Friday stopped a total financial disaster on the Saturday, errrrr what happened to all the John Waite fans?? He cost us a lot and I won’t do that again.

I know the continuation of the festival is dependent on the success of each one and you’ll not commit to another festival until the dust has settled on this one. Having said that in years past you have made announcements on the day for the following year’s line-up, is there any chance of that happening again this year?  

Very much so Paul, we have acts that have returned to us but are yet unannounced. As I said to you years ago Paul, karma has a way of putting things right and its happening. We do have a date and 5 acts ready if we decide to move on it

Over the years you’ve received a lot of criticism for having singers perform with an English backing band. Is this purely a money saving exercise as your accused of or is there more to it and many believe using back up bands is cheating the fans how do you respond to this?

Why is it cheating, when other members can’t come or are not part of band anymore? Band line ups change did people feel ripped off when Brian Johnson replaced Bon Scott, when Ozzy was replaced by Dio, Roth by Hagar etc I think people have short memories. There were no complaints re VG in 2009 in fact people where made up as you know Paul, in addition John is Arabia and the old line up ceased in 2002 in fact even then it changed twice, once for Z Rock in England and again in Germany

In some cases the backing band has turned out to be really exceptional as was the case last year with Arabia.

That is the Arabia line up 2011 to present day.

This year’s line-up features Z label bands heavily including the headliners, was this something you wanted to do? And do you think not featuring bands from different labels across the genre affects the interest in the festival?

Let’s see Prophet and Paul Sabu errrr who wouldn’t have them headlining. They’ve never played here and any AOR melodic rock fan will be there I think the show more than stands up. Yes I am more interested in pushing our own bands because sadly a lot of other labels won’t push their acts we do and I don’t see why Z should finance their promo.

In previous years you’ve pulled in a few headline acts to attract bigger audiences with varying degrees of success. Will you return to this next year or will there be some more big name additions to the Z records roster over the next year?

As I said there are people resigned whom are not disclosed yet :-)

Festivals in general take a lot of criticism for repeating bands year after year, so with Legion and Arabia appearing again this year should we make the most of their performances as it may be a while before we see them at Z Rock again?

One of them may appear, it depends if their new albums do really well, it makes sense to bring them if that happens because the fans obviously want to see them also.

One thing that has constantly caused negativity for Z Rock, and from a fans perspective understandably so, are late changes and cancellations to the festival. This year has seen minimal changes amongst some bands at the foot of the bill, but as of yet no major names or indeed the three you announced last year have changed or pulled out. I hope I haven’t tempted fate with that statement! Do you feel announcing a full line-up all in one go, once all contracts are in place, is the way forward to combat this negativity, or will you continue to announce over time the bands set to perform?

Changes? VG didn’t play because Mike's mother was seriously ill, Firehouse where paid and simply didn’t get on the plane!!! Yes we pulled BnB in 2008 to save the show that’s when the recession hit. The Storm let’s say people and politics did that and we won’t entertain them now. It’s not just Z Rock, Firefest have had just as many problems if not more than us since they started. I chat with Bruce on a regular basis and he totally understands my frustrations at times because he has the same.

Z Rock always notoriously runs late can we expect an early night this year or should we be prepared for us rocking into the early hours?

I’m surprised you remember Paul ;-) we can stay open until 2am

Is there anything else you would like to add to Midlands Rocks readers or indeed anyone attending or thinking of attending Z Rock?

Yes buy your tickets now and get down to a great show, if you want to see these bands you simply need to buy upfront. I’ve already sorted Paul Sabu’s, Prophets and other flights and the remaining will be done next week. We have a lot already coming from the US, Far East and Europe so if you can’t get it in, don’t say we didn’t warn you.

Hope to see you all there Mark.

Z Rock 2012 takes place at The Robin 2 in Bilston, Wolverhampton on the 5th and 6th of May.

 

You can get tickets at http://www.z-records.com/

 

 

 

Harry 'H' Paterson chats with JSS...

 

Surely one of the top five very finest rock vocalists working anywhere in the world today, Jeff Scott Soto is an artist not just of towering ability but with a versatility that would make lesser men weep.

Over the course of a decades-long career, the man has released nearly a dozen studio and live solo releases, eleven albums with Talisman and has appeared on somewhere in the region of a hundred albums as a guest or lead vocalist for others including Ygnwie Malmsteen, Axel Rudi Pell and Soul Sirkus to name just three.

Given the runaway success of the W.E.T. album and the unqualified success of that band’s first and, to date, only live show, at last year’s Firefest, since their eponymous release in 2009, might one have expected a follow-up to that, perhaps, rather than a new Jeff Scott Soto solo album?

“It’s been three years since a Beautiful Mess, which was my last one and so it’s certainly overdue. I’m trying to do a solo album no more than two years apart and the W.E.T. album was a sort of unexpected studio project and as well as that I think I’ve been on six or seven other albums as well that had nothing to do with my personal solo career. W.E.T. happened to be one of them that caught on well and as it got a lot of attention, I think a lot of people assumed I’d only be doing that. My solo career, though, is something that’s become very important to me especially since, with this album, I’ve gone back to hitting things harder, so to speak”

Quite. Damage Control (out in mid-March) is much heavier and harder-sounding than previous JSS albums.

“Yeah, definitely. A beautiful Mess was something very near and dear to me and something I’d wanted to do for the longest time, and when I was touring it I had a great time, but I really felt I was missing that heavy hitting hard rock sound I’d had with Talisman for so many years. And as it wasn’t really an entity any more in my life so I wanted to get back to it on the solo front”

A hand-picked team of writers were selected and it’s clear the man is delighted with the finished product.

“I collaborated with someone on every song that’s on the album. I started with the guys that are in my solo band and then I asked others to contribute ideas and some things so we could get the whole ball rolling and with that I knew I wanted to have some other, outside, contributors. So that, stylistically, I could form and create the vision I had for Damage Control. I made a short list of people I wanted to work with and, luckily, they were available to do it”

With Jeff living here, in London, it seems UK fans will have ample opportunity to catch live dates in support of Damage Control.

“I’m not a resident here but my girlfriend is here so I do spend quite a bit of time here, when I’m not on the road, which sometimes feels like all the time! But with that I’m actually planning on doing an extensive UK run as well as getting into Europe and South America a and hopefully North America”

For someone with the talent that Jeff Scott Soto possesses, the relative lack of commercial success seems somewhat mystifying. Perhaps the sheer volume of work is the problem? The lack of a single, unifying band or project that could be sustained over a period of time, building up the Jeff Scott Soto name, might be a reason? Jeff takes this in his stride and replies frankly and thoughtfully. 

“I honestly don’t think that has anything to do with it at all. I mean, if you go back to when I was starting out, I was in one particular band and things weren’t going well and so you do another album and you hope there’ll be a tour and you end up sitting around, not really doing anything, and just hoping everyone else is doing their job.

You get bored, you get antsy and you wanna do something and then you get asked to do something else, which helps fill in the time, and that’s kinda where me doing multiple projects and so many other things started out. You know, even to the point of leaving bands because it got so boring and nothing was happening.

Maybe it was the managerial side of things or some other sort of personal reason but I have to try and tap into some kina source that leaves me musically satisfied but also maybe that I’d want to just stick with and do just the one thing. Unfortunately I haven’t had that in my career and in my history.

Of course the obvious one would’ve been Journey and I was ready to leave everything else behind and stop doing anything else and commit to one band because with that band I could make a living, earn my keep and concentrate on contributing to the one thing. Even Talisman, which lasted for many years but unfortunately didn’t work out because we didn’t have proper management. We didn’t tour extensively, we didn’t even tour every year and we didn’t do all the things other bands do and that bands are supposed to. And that was why I was able and had to tap into a lot of other things in my career and in my life.

As far as I’m concerned I’m glad I got the chance to do so many other things because it channelled me into so many things I wouldn’t normally have done but it’s also given me the opportunity to do a lot things I wanted to do but might not otherwise have been able to. I guess that makes me a jack of all trades but I’m always trying to be a master of all those trades as well.

I understand your question and I can understand why you might think it’s offensive to me because I’m not a household name and it’s something I’ve always dreamed of; being a household name and just being able to channel everything into one band, the right band, so I don’t have to keep bouncing around and spreading myself so thinly. But on the other hand I enjoy doing different things and it adds variety and interest. And that’s maybe another reason why I’ve done so many things because I’ve always said once it stops being interesting, that’s when it’s time to move on”

It’s fair to say, millions of rock fans around the world were shocked at his sudden departure from Journey and it appeared as though he’d been very badly served and treated by the US megastars. Jeff, though, is philosophical about what must have been a particularly painful period in his life. With the honesty and charm that makes the man a delight to talk to, he was happy to set the record straight.

“Well, it started out we were doing this little dance together everything seemed it couldn’t be better, even down to some of the interviews I heard about my involvement with the band and all the praise and adulation that was coming my way with being with these guys. It was phenomenal; it was a dream come true in so many different ways. To be honest with you, Harry, I still don’t really know, even today, the true answer of why it all kinda dissolved. It seemed to happen overnight, it seemed to happen without me even getting a chance to figure it out, or defend myself or find out what the reasons were. But, as you said, It all went down so badly and so quickly it was actually more of a nightmare for me than it was reality and I still have to deal with the non-closure of the hows and whys of the way it went down. But I also have to look at the reality of the situation and the fact that I was singing someone else’s songs and stepping into someone else’s career and had they not gotten rid of me, I think I might even have walked away from it myself. They let me go before I was able to let them go, so to speak” he laughs.

“I’m kinda over it for the most part and for all the many people who were excited about it, there were many people who were naysayers. There were a lot people very unhappy about it and that’s something that’s difficult to deal with and something that can be difficult to live with, especially when you’re doing your best and trying to please everyone and fulfilling what your position demands.

And to then get the naysayers saying you don’t belong there, that you’ve never belonged there, it’s a hurtful thing especially for someone like me who is a peaceful person and I just want to make people happy. I mean I’m so grateful and humbled that I actually get to do this for a living and so to be sneered at just because I didn’t sound like the person they had before, well, that’s difficult for anyone to live down. Thankfully, Arnel has been able to step in and make the gig his own so he hasn’t had to deal with too much of that backlash and so for them, and certainly for me, it’s all worked out for the best”

But that was then and this is now. Damage Control is not only the heaviest album from Jeff Scott Soto for many a year, it’s also one of the most consistent and cohesive, with a running-order and musical logic that seems almost inevitable.

“Well, the first thing I want to say about that is there’s actually a fourteen-song deluxe edition coming out and when I was putting the album together I think we had something like twenty, twenty one songs and Frontiers asked for eleven. So I whittled them down and came to fourteen that I was absolutely married to and I honestly couldn’t think of cutting a single one. So I went to the label and explained my dilemma and asked, ‘how can we do this? Can we release a twelve-song album with two bonus tracks or free downloads or whatever?’ So to appease the situation we arrived are releasing the fourteen-track deluxe version and an eleven song standard version.

You’ve got the eleven song version so in terms of what you just said; you’re actually missing a few pieces of that puzzle so I think your point is even more valid when applied to the fourteen-song edition. Even if it costs me a quid or two per album that’s the version I’m really pushing as it’s much more complete, it’s the ‘director’s cut’ you might say. Also, I really wanted to rock again. There’s been a bit of a void in my life which is now filled and that’s why you’re hearing harder edge on this new one”

The opportunity to talk about W.E.T.’s blistering and show-stealing appearance at last year’s Firefest couldn’t be missed and considering the band had never played live previously, one assumes a seriously intensive rehearsal schedule was undertaken to deliver such an incendiary set. Jeff openly laughs at this…

“You ready for this? Two days. That’s all we had. I was in the middle of a bunch of other things and I could only get to Sweden two days before the actual event. The guys did some stuff before I got there but there’s only so much they could do without vocals. We rehearsed in this tiny little room that’s basically the size of my bathroom and we squeezed in there and bashed it out for two days straight. We flew to England and then we did the gig”

And what a gig it was. As those who were there will testify, W.E.T. was band of the festival for many and the ecstatic reaction of the crowd was no less than the band deserved.

“There are two things about that, actually; one, we wanted to prove that this wasn’t just an album, wasn’t just a studio thing but also that we could do it live but also, when the organisers of Firefest contacted us, with Warrant pulling out and all that, I said, ‘look we’re already looking like heroes for stepping in at late notice so we need to really push this, we cannot have people walking away going, ‘yeah, well it was alright’, we can’t look like chumps. We have to really deliver.

While I certainly wouldn’t say it was flawless and I’ll tell you it was one of the first gigs in a long, long time where I was nervous from top to bottom. Sure, you get that anticipation, that kind of nervous feeling but this was, from the first note to the last, well, I was just incredibly nervous! I’d never played a gig with these guys! The only chemistry and history we had was the two days of rehearsal in Stockholm. So imagining how this was actually gonna come across, are we gonna remember the cues? Are we gonna remember the segues? It was a truly nerve-wracking experience for all of us but we said, ‘we got it keep it together, guys’ and I think we pulled it off”

And then some. So, the obvious question must be, with such a response to the first album, surely there will be a second W.E.T. album?

“We are currently, as I’m speaking to you, on the promotional trail for Damage Control, actually writing the new W.E.T. album! You talk about me never standing still, well, when Damage Control comes out in two months; we’ll actually be in the studio working on the new W.E.T. album. We want to get it in the can so I can get on the road and promote Damage Control for as long and as well as I can”

So when might the UK be seeing Jeff Scott Soto live then?

“Latter part of the year. Originally we were gonna put the band on the road, literally, just a couple of weeks after the album comes out but I think it’d be a mistake to go that soon. That was one of the reasons I think W.E.T. went down so well, because the album had been out for a while and people had really gotten to know it and every song we did at Firefest was well-received because they were all well known. It was almost as though we were playing a greatest hits show, even though we only had one album to draw from. It was amazing to get the response we did at the beginning of each song, as though they were all from different albums and we’d been around for years! That was one of the really cool things I loved about that show and one of the things I’m hoping to get for Damage Control, by starting out a little later. By going out later, have the album kind of build its own legs and have people know the words and know the songs, because they’ve lived with it and they know the material.

I definitely want to do an extended run here because it’s been a few years since I’ve done that in the UK and I miss it. A full UK run is absolutely what I want to do because I’m tired of doing one-offs in London or just certain parts of the country where people who can’t travel miss out”

One can only wish Jeff all the very best with damage control and, certainly, the prospect of a new W.E.T. album is something to savour.

In a business crammed with fakes, shysters and chancers, the man has a natural warmth, charm and sincerity that is a pleasure to encounter. Coupled with that astonishing talent, there are few who would begrudge him the major league success he undoubtedly deserves. Let’s hope 2012 is the year that sees Jeff Scott Soto setting the world on fire.

 

 

 

 

So this month sees the final line-up of Z Rock 2012 confirmed and the Festival takes place at The Robin 2 in Bilston on May 5th & 6th. The past few months have seen the festival expand from a one day event to two and also a few cancellations most notably Tony Mills, who I’m gutted to hear, is no longer playing. So with three months till the event the finalised line-up is

Saturday 5th May – Paul Sabu, Prophet, Arabia, Legion, Vanden Plas, Shakra & Aftermath

Sunday 6th May – Von Groove, Michael Bormann, Newman, Hush, D’ercole, Summers & Scream Arena

I have to admit last year’s Z Rock line-up didn’t exactly have me excited but this year I’m really looking forward to seeing Cult AOR legends Paul Sabu, Prophet & Von Groove amongst many others, hopefully this year’s festival is more successful and has found a home at the rather nifty Robin.

2012 is going to be an explosive year for melodic rockers VEGA. The band has finished recording their hotly anticipated second album, which may be entitled What The Hell and are currently mixing and mastering. The album is set to drop this year and should see the band increase their fan base and popularity. The band also plan to film a video to help promote the new album, although they haven’t decided on a single, the hot tip is a song called ‘Bless My Soul’. Other song titles include ‘Skin Deep’ & ‘Cry’ and the album will be 14 tracks long! This year should also see VEGA hit the live circuit hard! I just want everyone to remember I said from day one these guys were going to be massive.......screw it.....I told you so!!!!

The extremely popular Jeff Scott Soto will release his fifth studio album on March 25th in the UK. The album entitled Damage Control will be released on Frontiers Records. JSS is well known for his experimental and all genre encompassing solo works, but it seems his latest opus will see him in a more commercial melodic hard rock vein which is set to see fans of his other work with Talisman & W.E.T go totally bananas!

A band you’ll need to keep your ears open for this year are Skin & Bone. The band features Johnny Trowbridge and Richie Beardsley, who used to be in an old favourite of mine - Tara’s Secret. The band will see a radically departure in sound from their previous outfit and will have heavier and darker stance and will lean more towards bands like Dokken. Although I haven’t heard a single note I have been assured I’m going to love it!

Paul Sabu’s new album is to be called Bangkok Rules and is set to see Sabu return to his glory days. The album is set to be released in March on Z Records just in time for his headline performance at Z Rock 2012.

January 25th saw the sad passing of Mark Reale a founder member of iconic melodic metallers Riot. R.I.P Mark

Bonfire will release an EP for charity featuring the song ‘Cry For Help’. The EP will come out in March with 1 euro from every purchase going directly to animal protection charity, PETA.

 

A few years after calling it a day English melodic rockers Lost Weekend are set to return with a reignited passion and drive. The band are hard at work rehearsing and writing new material for an upcoming album later in the year with Martin Kronlund on board to produce, Kronlund produced the bands last album Fear & Innocence. Hey guys, it’s good to have you back!

Little Angels have surprised and excited fans by announcing they have reformed to perform a special one off show at Download 2012. I for one am over the moon at the bands impending return to world of Rock. Here’s hoping the band is back for a bit more....

Popular American melodic rockers Trixter have been signed up by Frontiers Records. The album is due in the spring and a European tour is currently on the cards to support their third yet untitled album.

Tango Down, now featuring vocalist David Reece (Bangalore Choir), will release their second album Identity Crisis in March via Kivel Records. I’m looking forward to hearing their version of ‘Corners Of My Mind’ written by Jace Pawlak and my favourite song from his band’s Chasing Magic’s recent album.

Z Records have signed cult Norwegian Melodic Rockers Hush in a multi album deal. Z has also lined the band up for an appearance at the upcoming Z Rock 2012.