Tag: Kip Winger
0 KIP WINGER LAUNCHES KICKSTARTER CAMPAIGN TO RECORD NEW ORCHESTRAL WORK CONVERSATIONS WITH NIJINSKY
Funds raised will pay a 60-student orchestra at Oberlin Conservatory in Ohio
Pledging begins: Thursday, November 3, 10AM EST
Kip Winger has kicked off a 45-day on-line fundraising drive to record an orchestral piece intended for ballet using Kickstarter, the crowdfunding platform website.
The $33,000 donation goal will be used to pay the Conservatory orchestra, conductor, and engineer to rehearse and record Conversations With Nijinsky, Winger’s follow-up to his composition Ghosts for Christopher Wheeldon at the San Francisco Ballet. Taking place over a two-day period in January 2012, the rehearsals and recording will also be shot for a future documentary film.
The work was inspired by the life and diary of famed Russian ballet dancer and choreographer Vaslav Nijinsky. Winger says: “I conceived the piece as the accompaniment to the unseen dances of Nijinsky, whose career was cut short by schizophrenia.”
Scott Yoo, one of the most buzzed about figures working in classical music today, will conduct the student orchestra. “I’m extremely excited to work with Scott Yoo, he is one of the best musicians in the world,” said Winger.
Rewards for supporters include thanks on the project’s website, Co-producer credit and the opportunity to visit Oberlin, meet the principals, and sit in on rehearsals and recording.
The Oberlin Conservatory of Music, located on the campus of Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio, was founded in 1865 and is the oldest continuously operating conservatory in the United States. The Conservatory is the only professional music school to be honored by President Obama with the National Medal of Arts, the highest award given by the United States.
See the campaign page and video here: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2055747091/c-f-kip-winger-to-record-new-ballet-at-oberlin-col
###
Musician/composer C.F. Kip Winger discovered his passion for music at the age of six. The multi-platinum recording artist may be known best for his success with Winger and his early days as a bass player with Alice Cooper. However the range and scope of his musical journey can be more fully experienced in his solo albums, This Conversation Seems Like a Dream, Songs from the Ocean Floor, From the Moon to the Sun and his most recent composition Ghosts, for string orchestra, piano and harp. Tucson Symphony Premiered the piece in 2010 followed by two successful seasons of Ghosts the ballet choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon for the San Francisco Ballet, earning Mr. Winger a nomination for the Isadora Duncan Dance Award for Outstanding Achievement in Music.
Scott Yoo began his musical studies at the age of three and performed the Mendelssohn Concerto with the Boston Symphony at age twelve. After winning first prize in the 1988 Josef Gingold International Violin Competition, he won the Young Concert Artists International Auditions and the Avery Fisher Career Grant. He is the founder of the Metamorphosen Chamber Orchestra and Music Director of Festival Mozaic in California. He has conducted the Colorado, Dallas, Indianapolis, San Francisco and Utah Symphonies, and recently led the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra at Carnegie Hall. Mr. Yoo received his B.A. from Harvard.
For more information please contact mail@kipwinger.com
12 Alice Cooper – Welcome 2 My Nightmare (2011)
Some things get better with age. With Vincent Furnier aka Alice Cooper (who turned 63 in February) this is truly the case. With Alice Cooper’s latest effort, Welcome 2 My Nightmare, Alice has turned in one of his most creative pieces of work yet.
Producer Bob Ezrin came up with the idea for Alice to do the sequel to Welcome to My Nightmare. I don’t know if anyone could have guessed what Alice would come up with after that. Alice Cooper brought in several of his old bandmates including Michael Bruce, Dennis Dunaway, Neal Smith, Steve Hunter, and Dick Wagner, as well as a cast of many others to help create a brand new nightmare, which to my ears is one Alice Cooper’s finest works to date.
Welcome 2 My Nightmare somehow manages to recapture that classic 70′s sound of the original, without sounding dated. Welcome 2 My Nightmare incorporates the sounds of classic and hard rock, and little bit of disco. It is hard to compare it to the monsterous album Welcome to My Nightmare, which spawned such great songs like “Cold Ethyl”, “Only Women Bleed” and “Welcome to My Nightmare”. You won’t find Vincent Price (God rest his soul) narratives on Welcome 2 My Nightmare either, but you are going to find a whole bunch of new tunes that you will be sure to love.
There are several songs on Welcome 2 My Nightmare which could easily be worked in to Alice’s live set for years to come. This album is so strong that he could probably do a tour playing the entire album live. The album isn’t perfect, but it is pretty close to it. I could have lived without the auto tune effect on Alice’s vocals on the opening cut “I Am Made of You”. Luckily, this is the only song plagued by that ill-used effect. (Note: To all artists and producers of rock music, Auto Tune is NEVER ok to use in rock music; No one wants to hear that crap.) “I Am Made To You” is a pretty strong opener, and a really good song. Bob Ezrin should have known better than to use those effects in my opinion.
While Alice Cooper’s previous effort Along Came a Spider was an outstanding effort, it pales in comparison to the creative and enthusiastic offering Welcome 2 My Nightmare from the Alice Cooper and company. There are many classic moments, and too many cool tunes to mention on this CD. Some of my favorites are the catchy “Caffeine”, to the Vaudeville fun of “Last Man on Earth”, and the cool rocker “I’ll Bit Your Face Off”. I will be playing this one a ton for years to come.
Voting is now closed, throw away your unused ballots, Welcome 2 My Nightmare will be the easy choice for album of the year in 2011. Highly Recommended!
Rating: 
Out of 10
Track Listing:
1. I Am Made of You
2. Caffeine
3. The Nightmare Returns
4. A Runaway Train
5. Last Man on Earth
6. The Congregation
7. I’ll Bite Your Face Off
8. Disco Bloodbath Boogie Fever
9. Ghouls Gone Wild
10. Something To Remember
11. When Hell Comes Home
12. What Baby Wants
13. I Gotta Get Outta Here
14. The Underture
Alice Cooper – Vocals, Harmonica
Michael Bruce – Guitars, keyboards, backing vocals on “A Runaway Train”, “I’ll Bite Your Face Off” and “When Hell Comes Home”
Dennis Dunaway – Bass, backing vocals on “A Runaway Train”, “I’ll Bite Your Face Off” and “When Hell Comes Home”
Neal Smith – Drums, percussion, backing vocals on “A Runaway Train”, “I’ll Bite Your Face Off” and “When Hell Comes Home”
Damon Johnson – guitar on “We Gotta Get Out of This Place”
Keri Kelli – guitar on “We Gotta Get Out of This Place”
Jimmy DeGrasso – drums on “We Gotta Get Out of This Place”
Steve Hunter – guitars on “Something To Remember Me By”, “When Hell Comes Home” and “What Baby Wants”
Keith Nelson – Guitars, backing vocals on “Caffeine”
Desmond Child – Co-songwriter
Dick Wagner – Co-songwriter / Lead guitar on “The Underture”
Rob Zombie – Backing vocals on “The Congregation”
John 5 – guitar on “Disco Bloodbath Boogie Fever”
Tommy Denander – Guitars on “I Am Made of You”
Vince Gill – Lead guitar on “A Runaway Train” and “Gotta Get Outta Here”
Chuck Garric – Bass
Jeremy Rubolino – Co-songwriter
Ke$ha – Guest vocals on “What Baby Wants”
Piggy D – Co-songwriter, and bass on “Last Man On Earth”
David Spreng – Co-songwriter and drums on “Last Man On Earth”
Kip Winger – backing vocals on “Ghouls Gone Wild” & “The Congregation”
Patterson Hood – guitar on “Gotta Get Outta Here”
0 Winger at the M3 Rock Festival
I wasn’t quite sure what to expect with Winger at the M3 Rock Festival. The last time I saw Winger perform a few years ago, it was in support of their album IV. I don’t know if it was the small crowd at my local venue, the blazing set that was done by Frank Hannon beforehand, or just an off night, but Winger was just OK that night. I was hoping for more at M3 and I got it! I don’t know if it was the unspoken competition between bands, but Kip Winger and company were great at M3. They put on a great set, and were much more lively than the last time I saw them.
I have seen Reb Beach play several times in the past, not only with Winger, but also with Dokken & Whitesnake. He never disappoints, and was quite fun to watch. Winger’s second guitar player John Roth got his chance to strut his stuff too, and he proved to be a very good player as well. Kip Winger’s voice is still in fine form after all of these years, and he still sounds great on all of those classic Winger tunes. Winger’s set included the songs, “Seventeen”, “You are the Saint, I am the Sinner”, “Headed for a Heartbreak”, “Down Incognito”, “Deal With the Devil”, “Can’t Get Enough” and more. I truly enjoyed Winger’s set, and I hope they return to another M3 Rock Festival in the future! Check out the video clip and pictures from the show below.
0 Winger’s Karma Promo Video
In 2009, Winger released one of their strongest albums to date with Karma. I am excited to see Winger perform some of the new songs at the M3 Rock Festival this weekend. “Deal with the Devil” and “Stone Cold Killer” are two of the new songs off of Karma that the band has performing in their live sets. Both songs are some of the hardest songs that Winger has done in recent years.
0 Winger European Tour Dates Annouced
WINGER announced the second leg of the European tour dates :
19/03/10 Leknes, Norway – Lekneshallen (small sports arena)
20/03/10 Norway/Denmark – Rock the Boat
22/03/10 Bristol, England – Academy 2
23/03/10 Portmouth, England – Wedgewood Rooms
24/03/10 Manchester, England – Academy 3
26/03/10 Dudley, England – JB’s
27/03/10 Belfast, Northern Ireland – Spring & Airbrake
28/03/10 Glasgow, Scotland – Cathouse
30/03/10 Newcastle, England – Academy 2
31/03/10 Leeds, England – Rio’s
02/04/10 Sheffield, England – Corporation
03/04/10 Nottingham, England – Rock City
04/04/10 London, England – Islington Academy
06/04/10 Bochum, Germany – Matrix
07/04/10 Berlin, Germany – Columbia Club
08/04/10 Munich, Germany – Backstage
10/04/10 Achaffenburg, Germany – Colos Saal
In related news Kip Winger and Reb Beach have recently recorded their participation to THAT METAL SHOW on VH1. The show will be aired on April 3rd 2010 at 11.00 PM.
1 Hard Rock Hideout Interviews Kip Winger
2009 was a pretty good year for Kip Winger. He released not one, but two great CDs with Blackwood Creek and Winger’s Karma, he was honored by the U.S. Government, and recently had one of his compositions performed by the Tucson Symphony. Kip took a few minutes to talk with Hard Rock Hideout about his current projects, as well as little of the history of his music career. Enjoy!
HRH: I recently listened to the Blackwood Creek CD, and thought it had a very cool 70′s kind of vibe to it.. What you can you tell us about your band Blackwood Creek.
Kip Winger: That is exactly it. We were together in the 70′s. When we got back together to jam, it sounds like the 70′s basically. My oldest brother Paul was in and out of the band. The main guitar player was Peter Fletcher. He was my first song writing partner. We just got back together. We were really just going to jam, but some of the stuff came out really cool, so I decided to finish making the album. It has an updated feel, but it sounds a lot like what we used to sound like when we were playing Grand Funk and stuff. We worked on it on for a while in the off time of Winger. I thought it sounded unique enough and the chemistry was still there to do the record.
HRH: Are you going to play live with Blackwood Creek?
Kip Winger: We don’t know what our touring schedule is. We have to work around Winger. We are trying to figure that out right now. We will probably play at some point.
HRH: Let me ask you a couple of questions about your new CD Karma. This record seems much heavier than the previous Winger albums. Was it your intention to record a heavier record?
Kip Winger: It is actually the same as all of our other records. I just turned the guitars up basically. Honestly, Reb and I take the same approach on everything we do. We write riff oriented tunes. If you listen to any of them, you will hear a guitar riff, we will write the melody over them. I recorded the guitars a little bit different this time. I really wanted to crank them in the mix and give them more of an edge. I think this is what is working in our favor for the heavier kind of vibe. It seems like a moot point, but I used a different microphone on my voice that I nomally use. It has a much grittier sound to it. I really was happy with the way it came out. This album and Pull is really what the band sounds like. If you go see us live, it really sounds a lot like Karma. I was really wanting to do an up tempo heavy record for us to play live. A lot of our songs are in the mid tempo range, and doesn’t rock the house as much as I would have liked. Now we can do four of five tunes from the new record. It is a much more up set, and it really is more representative of who we are as a live band.
HRH: I noticed that PJ had some song writing credits on both the Karma and Blackwood Creek albums. What was the song writing process like for the records?
Kip Winger: It is really simple. If I am stuck for lyrics, I will hand it to my wife and ask her to finish the songs from me. She is an amazing song writer. She knows the exact elements I need to finish a song. She wrote “Supernova”. I will handle her the lyrics when I am stumped. I passed out the lyrics to a few guys on this. Donnie Purnell from Kix, and Bobby Huff is a song writer here in Nashville, and is really talented. I think the result is really good. I think it is the best elements of the band combined. I think in many ways it is our best album just in terms of who we really are. We have had a lot of songs that I am really proud of. I think people forget that we have written a lot of decent songs.
HRH: How did Reb Beach have time to do this album with all of the time he spent in Whitesnake in 2008 – 2009?
Kip Winger: We wrote the ten songs in ten days. Reb came back to do rhythms, and then came back to do solos. Reb spent about a month on it. It took me about eight months to finish it.
HRH: What are your touring plans for the album?
Kip Winger: Yeah, we just got back from Europe. We are going back in March. We are hoping to get some summer stuff happening in the States soon.
HRH: I noticed on your touring schedule that your music”Ghosts” is going to be performed by the San Francisco Ballet in February. What can you tell me about that?
Kip Winger: I have been working on classical music my whole life and finally wrote a big piece of music. It was performed by the Tucson Symphony last month and now. The premiere will be in February, and their will be seven performances of that. You can see it on the website at SanFrancisco Ballet.org.
HRH: You have to be pretty excited about that.
Kip Winger: This is the hugest thing in my life. I have been working on that for years. I am really excited about it.
HRH: I watched the trailer for the movie Four Months, and I immediately recognized your voice in the song they are playing on the trailer.
Kip Winger: Yeah, I don’t really have anything to do with that movie. They are using “Nothing” (from Kip’s solo album, From The Moon To the Sun) on the trailer. They bought the rights to use the song in the movie. It looks cool.
HRH: Back in February you were honored by the U.S. Government with a plaque and a flag for your song “Blue Suede Shoes”. What is your feeling about that? That had to be a pretty incredible experience.
Kip Winger: It was absolutely amazing. I was initially writing it from the idea of a soldiers perspective. Blue Suede Shoes is a song why someone would enlist. Not the stupid version, the real heartfelt version of why. Certain people who I have talked to applying it on a military basis over the years have talked to me about their experience. I did a TV show called Legends & Lyrics, and they presented that to me on that show. It was a great honor and very humbling.
HRH: Do you feel like this was a little vindication against all of the people that were targeting Winger in the 90′s? It seems like Winger was the butt of a bunch of bad jokes., from the Beavis & Butthead show etc. This seems to have taken you full circle.
Kip Winger: Music was always the thing that I was concentrating doing the best job I could do. The Beavis & Butthead show & Metallica, they all took the first punch. Whatever. I have never met any of them. My whole world has been to write better music. Having a ballet done by the San Francisco ballet, or getting an award by the U.S. Government, I guess yes it is vindicating. It is all a by product of me trying to do what I do best, which is write music. I am not writing music to sell a t-shirt, I am writing music to write the best music I can write. What I do for myself is to try do the highest art I can do. I don’t dig the name slagging and cutting other bands down. That happened to us for whatever reason. You just deal with it. People have asked me that for twenty years. Someone should call Mike Judge and ask him why (laughs).
HRH: I have to ask you about your time with Alice Cooper. What was that experience like to go out with Alice on tour and to play on his records so early in your career?
Kip Winger: That was a dream come true as a kid. I was a big Alice Cooper fan, huge actually. I was really lucky to get that gig. That was really special. I learned a lot from him. He is an amazing celebrity. He is more than a rockstar. He has this whole world un to himself. For me I was 24, I was a waiter before that. I was very lucky. Right place at the right time. You have to give credit where credit is due. Kane Roberts was very influential in me getting that gig. I still talk to Kane a lot. I haven’t talked to Alice in a while.
HRH: What has Kane Roberts been up to? He has been out the music business for a while.
Kip Winger: He does a lot of different stuff. He is a computer artist. He has written a couple of screen plays. He is an incredibly talented dude. He is one of the smartest people I have ever met.
HRH: A few years ago you produced the album for The Mob that Reb Beach played on.
Kip Winger: Yeah, that was a fun project. They brought me in to help finish the album for them. There is some great music on that album. Dug Pinnick, he is a great singer, I love him.
HRH: Is The Mob something that you and Reb would like to revisit sometime?
Kip Winger: The record company is begging us to do another one, but I don’t think it will happen any time soon.
HRH: Where is the best place for your fans to find your new Winger and Blackwood Creek albums?
Kip Winger: 400 Best Buys just picked it up, you can also download it off of iTunes.
HRH: Thank you for taking the time out to do this interview.
Kip Winger: Thank You!
3 Blackwood Creek – S/T (2010)
Starting out over 40 years ago when they were just kids, Blackwood Creek could hold the record for longest amount of years passed before a reunion. Theirs was longer than even the Eagles. However, it’s a good thing for the fans that the band waited so long to get back together, because it gave one of their members a chance to become famous and form a great hard rock band in Winger. Now known (unofficially) as Kip Winger’s side band, Blackwood Creek is releasing their debut album here in the states on January 12th.
After coming off a great record in Winger’s Karma, it’s questionable whether Kip could put together two great albums in a 6 month span. Well, after listening to the record there’s no doubt that he can. Blackwood Creek rocks! The disc has a little of the new Winger sound, blended with some southern rock (ala Lynyrd Skynyrd). Blackwood Creek combines the high power charges of party rock and roll and mixes them with simple free style guitar riffs, easy steady drum beats, and a lot of fun.
Blackwood Creek opens with Out In Outer Space, which sets the tone immediately and makes you sit up and take notice. After the first spin of this song, you just know there are good things coming. The opening guitar chords and drum beats throw a warning punch, the first verse announces their presence, but the chorus has you hooked. If you’re not singing along to this song by the third listen, you may not be a rock music fan.
Nothing But The Sun continues where Out In Outer Space left off. Kip’s voice sounding bold and clear and the musical melody holding steady with foot tapping, enjoyable rhythms. Love Inspector is a good time party song about babes and beer, something that any healthy male can enjoy and sing along too.
The great songs continue with “Your Revolution”, “Dead Stung”, and “Albatross”, just to name a few.
Kip’s voice continues to have that blend of former Kip Winger and David Coverdale that stood out on Winger’s last CD, Karma, but just as then, he makes it work to his advantage. While he may not be able to hit the high notes of Madeline anymore, he doesn’t need to, because he has great current songs that are well within his range. His grainy, grungy vocals give his new music a rougher age that is very appealing to older music fans. The squeaky clean high vocals of the glam era are gone and the grittier, throaty vocals are fronting the songs now.
Blackwood Creek is amazing in its simplicity. The guitar playing is straight forward, three chord rock. The drums are simple 1-2-3-4 beats, with not a lot of rolls or changes. There are few guitar solos, there are no crazy bass lines, and there’s no screaming or wailing glam metal vocals. And that’s why this record is so amazing. A stripped down, easy feeling, good time, bar band rock and roll. Kip Winger and the band focused on the product (in this case the music as a whole) more than the packaging (glitzy guitar solos or musical tricks). This is down to earth rock for fans that have been musically starved for too long.
Rating: 
Out of 10
Track Listing:
- Out In Outer Space
- Nothing But The Sun
- Your Revolution
- Dead Stung
- After Your Heart
- Albatross
- Jimmy and Georgia
- Rack of Greed
- Love Inspector
- Joy Ride
- Wooden Shoe
Blackwood Creek Is:
Kip Winger – Lead Vocals and Bass Guitar
Nate Winger – Drums
Peter Fletcher – Guitars
2 Introducing Blackwood Creek
Frontiers Records is pleased to announce the release of BLACKWOOD CREEK self titled debut album on December 4th 2009 in Europe and January 12th 2010 in the USA.
BLACKWOOD CREEK is a Kip Winger side project put together with his brother Nate on drums and childhood friend Peter Fletcher on guitar. It all actually started in 1969 in Littleton, Colorado when a 7 year old Kip Winger walked up to Peter Fletcher and said: “Hey, you got big lips, you wanna fight?”. Fletcher then stood up and towered over Winger at which point they started a band instead! They reconvened in the basement of the Wingers house where Kip’s older brother Nate was pounding on the drums. Blackwood Creek was born.
They went on to play every Jr. High and High school and eventually
night clubs in their path, performing songs by their favorite bands like Grand Funk, Black Sabbath, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Led Zeppelin and their original songs which they were particularly passionate about, to the point of getting fired from jobs for not playing enough popular material.
In 1980 they went their separate ways. Nate and Fletcher went to Los Angeles, Kip went to New York, where he landed a gig with Alice Cooper and then went on to form Winger. Nate recorded with many bands in L.A. including Ratt, Kix, Europe. Fletcher formed the Pigmy Love Circus, including drummer Danny Carey from Tool.
Blackwood Creek reformed in 2007 to record 11 new songs. It’s obvious that the chemistry is still rock solid. These 11 tracks embody 40 years of blood, sweat and tears of 3 musicians who started out together, went their separate ways and reform on common ground.
“Blackwood Creek” includes:
Out In Outer Space; Nothing But The Sun; Your Revolution; Dead Stung; After Your Heart; Albatross; Jimmy And Georgia; Rack Of Greed; Love Inspector; Joy Ride; Wooden Shoe.
17 Winger – Karma (2009)
Winger is back with a brand new album, Karma and they are ready to kick your ass. While they may have been the butt of some heavy metal jokes back in the day (thanks Beavis & Butthead), Karma is no laughing matter. I don’t know what Kip and the band have been doing over the last couple of years, but I know this, they’ve worked hard to put out an incredible new record.
Karma opens with the hard hitting “Deal With The Devil”. The drums and guitars kick in immediately, and then Kip launches into the vocals. The first thing noticeable about Kip’s voice is that it sounds eerily like David Coverdale’s. This happens throughout most of the record. Kip is older now, so his voice probably changed over the years, but the high notes are no longer his friend.
“Big World Away” is a heavy rock song with a touch of grunge and a lot of grit. Beach’s stand out guitar is felt immediately, and Kip’s “David Coverdale” voice really gives this song a Whitesnake feel with a Winger chorus. It’s a song that gets your feet tapping and will have you listening over and over again. “Big World Away” will definitely hook you on Karma and have you proclaiming what an excellent record this is.
The guitar work on this record is nothing short of fantastic. Even the songs that aren’t spectacular (fortunately that’s just a couple) are saved by the guitar solos. It’s amazing the amount of work that went into the guitar playing for this record. Reb Beach should be celebrated for the amazing work he has done. His guitar licks are all over this record and every one of them sounds incredible. Beach really makes this disc shine.
“After All This Time” is a great power ballad, part of the 1-2 set of ballads to close the album. This is a slow, melodic rocker with balls. The heavy blues influence can be felt in this song about still being in love after many years have passed. Once again, Beach’s guitar solo is fantastic and inspiring. If I was a teenager hearing this for the first time, it would force me to get a guitar and learn how to play.
Karma closes with the absolutely stunning “Witness”, an amazing power ballad with the emphasis on power. Witness is a closer that leaves you wanting to hear more. This is one of the few songs on Karma where Kip Winger’s voice shines through. The feature guitar solo to close the track is one of the greatest I’ve heard in a long time. Simply breath taking and it totally fueled my desire to hear this song live.
With incredible guitars, solid lyrics, and well written, beautifully crafted songs, Karma is poised to thrust Winger back into the spotlight and the center of the mainstream. If they team up with another 80s hair metal act for a summer tour, expect sellout crowds at most stops along the way. Winger is back, let the party resume!
Karma will be released on October 27th in the United States.
Rating: Out of 10
Track Listing:
- Deal With The Devil
- Stone Cold Killer
- Big World Away
- Come A Little Closer
- Pull Me Under
- Supernova
- Always Within Me
- Feeding Frenzy
- After All This Time
- Witness
Winger is:
Kip Winger (bass and vocals)
Reb Beach (lead guitars)
Rod Morgenstein (drums)
Cenk Eroglu (keyboards, rhythm guitar)
John Roth (rhythm guitar)
0 New Winger Album in October?!
Kip Winger posted an update on the Winger blog yesterday:
Sorry for all the confusion about Winger news. As for touring i have not received confirmed dates and until I do i wont post anything. Yes I’m almost done mixing the new Winger Record. And it will come out in Oct. I still have not heard from the label about the exact release date for Blackwood Creek. As soon as i confirm the actual information I will post it.
0 KIP WINGER Honored by United States Government and Military
Multi-platinum recording artist, producer, songwriter Kip Winger was recently presented with an honorary plaque and a historic United States of America flag by The Government of the United States.
In a surprise presentation ceremony during the taping of “Legends & Lyrics” General Harold Cross honored and praised Kip for his work on Winger lV. The inscription on the plaque reads:
Department of Defense Seal
IN APPRECIATION OF RECORDING ARTIST
KIP WINGER
AND HIS MUSICAL COMPOSITION
“BLUE SUEDE SHOES”
HONORING THE SERVICE AND SACRIFICE
OF OUR UNITED STATES ARMED FORCES
AND THEIR FAMILIES.
OUR SINCERE THANKS,
GENERAL HAROLD CROSS
(FOUR STAR GENERAL)
The flag has historic significance as it was the last United States of America flag to fly over Forward Operating Base ,Kalso, located in Iskandaria, Iraq, 20 miles south of Baghdad. Before it was turned over to the Iraqis, FOB Kalso was the U.S. Army soldier’s broadband internet services facility in Iraq as well as a base to stop enemy activity in the Sunni Triangle.
WINGER IV’s [Shrapnel Records] concept and emphasis was on our Military and what it was like to be solider, form a soldiers perspective, leaving politics at the door. Kip had a vision to support the American troops that are standing ground in Iraq and elsewhere. “I had been doing solo shows at Military bases and in speaking with many of the soldiers, their stories touched me” explains Kip. “It was amazing to hear how far reaching our music was and how many soldiers have been moved by it, I was truly humbled by the stories”. Capturing the spirit, mood and reality from the perspective of the soldier. Songs like Right Up Ahead, M16 and Blue Suede Shoes were inspired songs seen though the eyes of a soldier at war.
The album artwork was handled by Ethan Van Sciver who wanted to put in his part for our Military – Sciver is a renowned DC Comic book artist and penciler who has contributed (among others) to Cyberfrog, New X-Men, The Flash: Iron Heights and Impulse. The “Guardian Of Freedom” album art depicts our Militaries finest protecting with guardian angels that are representative of our prayers we send.
Currently Kip is promoting his latest solo CD “FROM THE MOON TO THE SUN” on MVD Audio and the soon to be release Blackwood Creek record. He recently completed his first Orchestral piece for Ballet Choreographer Christopher Wheeldon Director of Morphoses Ballet Co. http://www.morphoses.org that will be used for San Francisco Ballet. The Musical world premier of Ghosts will be with The Tucson Symphony November 14thth 2009. Kip and Reb Beach have also just began writing for a new WINGER release.
7 Twisted Sister – Love is For Suckers (Release Year – 1987)
I started off the new year wanting to hear some Twisted Sister. After playing “Stay Hungry” for the umpteen millionth time, I broke out my reissued copy of Twisted Sister’s “Love is For Suckers” from 1987.
I remember this album getting a lot of bad reviews when it first came out, and I can understand why some Twisted Sister fans hated this disc. “Love is For Suckers” was supposed to be released as a Dee Snider solo album. Atlantic suggested this be out under the Twisted Sister moniker and as they say, the rest is history.
“Love is For Suckers” was not supposed to sound like a Twisted Sister album, and for the most part it doesn’t. This is more of a pop metal album, than the hard rock and metal sounds of previous Twisted Sister albums.
The first track “Wake Up (The Sleeping Giant)” is the heaviest song on this disc, and the most Twisted Sister like. For the rest of the album, producer Beau Hill managed to make Twisted Sister sound like Winger with Dee Snider on vocals. With no surprise, Reb Beach does play guitar on this album, and Kip Winger sings back up vocals. The songs aren’t bad, but most of them just aren’t very memorable.
The best cuts on Love is For Suckers are “Wake Up” and “Me And The Boys”. The reissued copy of this CD has four bonus tracks: “Feel Appeal”, “Statutory Date”, “If That’s What You Want” and “I Will Win”. If you don’t have this CD, this is the version to pick up. The song “Statutory Date” is probably the best song out of the four bonus tracks. If you listen close enough, you can hear Kix frontman Steve Whiteman singing back up vocals on this song.
As a whole, I didn’t care for this poppy version of Twisted Sister. The band was best when playing their heavier edged material, and although I am a fan of hair/pop metal, this disc didn’t cut it for me. “Love is For Suckers” is a disc for hair metal fans and Twisted Sister completests only.
Rating:
Out of 10
Track Listing:
1. Wake Up (The Sleeping Giant)
2. Hot Love
3. Love Is For Suckers
4. I’m So Hot For You
5. Tonight
6. Me And The Boys
7. One Bad Habit
8. I Want This Night (To Last Forever)
9. You Are All That I Need
10. Yeah Right!
11.Feel Appeal*
12.Statutory Date*
13.If That’s What You Want*
14.I Will Win*
*Bonus Tracks
Twisted Sister is:
Dee Snider – lead vocals
Eddie “Fingers” Ojeda – lead guitar
Jay Jay French – rhythm guitar, backing vocals
Mark “The Animal” Mendoza – bass, backing vocals
A. J. Pero – drums, percussion
Additional Musicians:
Reb Beach – guitars
Kip Winger – backing vocals
Jimmy Chalfant – backing vocals
Steve Whiteman – backing vocals
Beau Hill – keyboards, backing vocals
The New West Horns – horns
0 Kip Winger Fires Back At Joe Elliott and Lars Ulrich
As reported by Classic Rock:
In a bizarre interview conducted by a man dressed as a banana, Kip Winger has taken aim and fired at Metallica’s Lars Ulrich and Def Leppard frontman Joe Elliot.
In a rather outspoken interview with C.C. Banana (that’s our man in a banana suit), Winger commented thus:
C.C. Banana: Have you ever thrown darts at a photo of Lars Ulrich?
Kip Winger: I’ve never done that. I really never had anything against the guy. In fact, when I first heard Metallica’s “black” album, I thought it was a really cool record… and then they just started taking shots at me, for whatever reason. But it’s okay, Lars is not really that talented. He’s got a lot of fucking money, though, so I’m sure he’s happy. I actually felt sorry for him when I saw that “Some Kind of Monster” documentary. He was sitting there next to his dad, just seething with unmoved emotion over things that were still unresolved. It was really kind of sad to watch. But I do like Metallica, they’re a good band.
C.C. Banana: Do you have any other topics you’d care to address, Kip?
Kip Winger: Yeah, I just want to say that I read what Joe Elliott said, slagging off bands like POISON and WINGER. I’ve gotten used to being the punching bag, I take it all! But Poison is really good live and Bret Michaels’ own response to Joe was awesome. I also love Def Leppard and I think they’re a great band. But if Joe Elliott wants to meet me at an L.A. club of his choice with an acoustic guitar, leave the Pro Tools at home and I’ll open up a can of whoop-ass on him!
The message is clear then: don’t mess with the Wing’ man!
2 Guns N’ Roses, Whitesnake Members Featured On Northern Light Orchestra Christmas Album
Northern Light Orchestra highlights majestic, orchestrated rock music featuring soaring vocals, incredible guitar solos worthy of true ‘guitar hero’ status, and pounding rhythms sure to impress and invigorate the baby boomer generation that grew up on what is today classic rock!
Combined with the talents of executive producer and longtime record mogul Russ Regan, (responsible for over 800 million record sales with such artists as Neil Diamond, Elton John, and Barry White as well as soundtracks such as Flashdance and Jesus Christ Superstar), NLO is slated to become a seasonal live performance and recording entity that provides the very best in entertainment!
The brainchild of re-mix keyboardist/writer Brian Stewart (Backstreet Boys, Robert Plant, Hall & Oates, POE) and produced by industry veteran Ken Mary (House Of Lords, Trik Turner, Alice Cooper, Beach Boys), NLO is designed to create a total musical experience combining the powerful drama of Webber and Rice’s Jesus Christ Superstar with the emotionally moving musical styles of Electric Light Orchestra, Yes, and Kansas. Vocalists and musicians appearing on NLO have been responsible for the sale of over 200 million albums worldwide and include members and former members of household names such as the Beach Boys, Sly And The Family Stone, Alice Cooper, Survivor, Steely Dan, Firehouse, Megadeth, Sister Sledge, Quiet Riot, Vanilla Fudge, Winger, Bob Carlisle, Guns N’ Roses, Grand Funk Railroad, Kiss, House Of Lords, and Whitesnake, just to name a few. Live performances will highlight a spectacular light and video presentation, theatrical movements, as well as incredible musicianship all assembled to tell the story of the birth of Jesus Christ over two thousand years ago.
The new nine-track release of Northern Light Orchestra, The Spirit Of Christmas, provides merely a hint of what is to come, with nine additional tracks already in production for next year
Vocals:
Phil Bardowell (Beach Boys, Magdalen)
Bob Carlisle (‘Butterfly Kisses’)
Eddie James (gospel singer)
Jon Gibson (Jon Gibson)
Robin McAuley (Survivor)
Debbie Sledge (Sister Sledge)
Rose Stone (Sly And The Family Stone)
Guitars:
Doug Aldrich (Whitesnake)
Kendall Bechtel (Fifth Angel)
Lanny Cordola (House Of Lords)
Jason Hook (Alice Cooper, Mandy Moore)
Bruce Kulick (Kiss, Grand Funk Railroad)
Bill Leverty (Firehouse)
George Lynch (Dokken, Lynchmob)
Elliot Randell (Steely Dan)
Bass:
David Ellefson (Megadeth, F5)
Chuck Wright (Quiet Riot, Vanilla Fudge)
Drums:
Ken Mary (Alice Cooper, House Of Lords)
Strings:
Kip Winger (Winger, Alice Cooper)
Keys:
Dizzy Reed (Guns N’ Roses)
Brian Stewart (Backstreet Boys, Poe)
For more info visit www.myspace.com/northernlightorchestra.
0 Tonight on Rockline – Kip Winger
Twenty-seven years into this interactive experiment we call ROCKLINE we continue to learn something almost every day and redefine what we once thought to be true, but now realize may no longer be. We were interactive long before computers and were at the forefront of the satellite technology we now take for granted to deliver information, light up our GPS’s and i-Phones and zap television signals and technological wonders right to our fingertips. Our current stance on booking guests can be better understood by taking a quick peek into the past. Originally, ROCKLINE was broadcast one night a week as we made rockstars interactively available to their fans. Simple enough. This continued until 1997 when, because of the changing face of radio, we splintered into two nights a week featuring Active (newer) artists and Classic (established) guests. This worked extremely well until recently when we realized that guests whom we eagerly welcomed to the show in the 1980’s no longer fit neatly into our two categories. Bands that were once mainstays of the program were inadvertently being excluded. Something had to change and it had to be our mindset. Looking back at our guest list for this year tells the story succinctly. We opened the parameters and welcomed both Billy Joel and Iron Maiden, two artists about as different as one could imagine. REM joined us for the first time in years. We opened the door to guests who were regulars twenty-five years ago, but hadn’t joined us in over a decade. We felt we needed a selling point to justify our repositioning, so we began asking for more live performances…long ones…electric ones…good ones. This opened the door for Queensryche, RATT, Warrant, Great White, Dokken, Tesla and Kip Winger to join us to mention a few. The response has been far beyond expectations. Zero complaints and amazingly positive feedback. We also decided that occasionally, rather than not welcome a guest at all, that we would include a show or two without phone calls, but only when necessary. The result has been a year of wonderful diversity, far more live performances and the best line up in our history. ROCKLINE has evolved by remembering our past.
Our next show employs two of the aforementioned elements. Kip Winger, solo artist and leader of the band bearing his name, joins us for our next show. This wouldn’t have happened last year, because the night this show will be broadcast, Kip will be performing in England. Check out his itinerary at MySpace.com/KipWingerMusic We invited him to join us a few weeks ago in the middle of a beautiful Southern California afternoon to discuss his brilliant new album “From the Moon to the Sun” and to perform a live acoustic set to share with you. The result is a sometimes haunting and personal musical foray that is also at times explosive and jaw-dropping. Winger’s prowess, his breadth and scope is on full display as he takes on brand new songs and blends in stirring renditions of Winger songs such as an incendiary reading of “Blind Revolution Mad”. An album title has never been more apropos either as he serves up music from the moon to the sun…and back again. Kip also took on all of our questions without restriction or limitation. You won’t believe how Beavis and Butthead’s absolutely disrespectful trashing of him served as a powerful motivational tool and helped him reach a level previously unimagined and surprising recognition from a whole new audience. He’s moved from New York to LA to Santa Fe and now Nashville and his music reflects the diversity of his chosen hometowns.
Nothing was off limits, everything was on display and are we ever glad we reexamined our stance on who we invite to join us. Trust us; you do not want to miss this special evening with Kip Winger, candid in conversation and explosive in concert, only on the next ROCKLINE!
6 2008 New Rock Releases and Reissues (Updated)
I started compiling the following list of New releases for 2008. This may not be a complete list, but so much great new music has arrived in 2008, so far, I though it would be a good idea to keep a running tab of what has come out, and what is on the way. The releases through August have been confirmed. Releases with a question mark have not been confirmed yet. This list will be updated as more news arrives.
Updated July 9, 2008
January
Drive By Truckers – Brigher Than Creation’s Dark
Airbourne – Running Wild (U.S. Release)
Bullet For My Valentine – Scream Aim Fire
Gamma Ray – Land of the Free, Part 2
Ayreon – 01011001
American Speedway – Ship of Fools
Lillian Axe – Love and War (Reissue)
Lillian Axe – S/T (Reissue)
Sleeze Beez – Screwed Blued & Tattooed (Reissue)
Sleeze Beez – Powertool (Reissue)
Stonerider – Three Legs of Trouble
Thieves & Liars – When Dreams Become Reality
Tiles – Fly Paper
Saint Daemon – In Shadows Lost From the Brave
Pagan’s Mind – God’s Equation
February
DVD – Iron Maiden – Live After Death
DVD – Scorpions – Live at Wacken Open Air 2006
DVD – Overkill – Live at Wacken Open Air 2007
DVD – Thin Lizzy – Live and Dangerous
Three – End is Begun
Pillar – For the Love of the Game
Avantasia – The Scarecrow
UFO – Phenomenon (Reissue)
UFO – No Heavy Pettin (Reissue)
UFO – Force It (Reissue)
Type O Negative – Dead Again (Red Version)
Hurricane – Over the Edge (Reissue)
Hurricane – Take What You Want (Reissue)
Hurricane – Slave To the Thrill (Reissue)
Hericane Alice – Tear the House Down (Reissue)
Baton Rouge – Shake Your Soul (Reissue)
Baton Rouge – Lights Out on The Playground (Reissue)
Wrathchild America – Climbing the Walls (Reissue)
Tangier – Four Winds (Reissue)
Tangier – Stranded (Reissue)
Danko Jones – Never Too Loud
King’s Call – No Alibi
March
Benedictum – Seasons of Tragedy
Inflikted – Cavalera Conspiracy
Saving Abel – S/T
Steve Stevens – Memory Crash
Firewind – The Premonition
DVD – Zebra
King Kobra – Ready to Strike (Reissue)
King Kobra – Thrill of a Lifetime (Reissue)
Icon – Right Between the Eyes (Reissue)
Black Tide – Light From Above
House of Lords – Come To My Kingdom
Warrior – Fighting For The Earth (Reissue)
Shannon – Angel in Disguise
Whitecross – 1987
Black Crowes – Warpaint
Diamond Head – Borrowed Time (Reissue)
Diamond Head – Canterbury (Reissue)
April
Fatal Smile – World Domination
Saints of the Underground – Love the Sin, Hate the Sinner
Theory of a Deadman – Scars & Souvenirs
Whitesnake – Good To Be Bad
Dominici – 03 A Trilogy Part 3
Asia – Phoenix
Testament – The Formation of Damnation
The Sword – Gods of The Earth
Dream Theater – Greatest Hit (And 21 other pretty cool songs)
P.O.D. – When Angels and Serpents Dance
Sevendust – Chapter VII: Hope and Sorrow
In Flames – Sense of Purpose
Kamelot – Ghost Opera: The Second Coming
Ministry – Cover Up
DVD – Axel Rudi Pell – Live Over Europe
Keel – Lay Down the Law (Reissue)
White Lion – Return of the Pride
Circle II Circle – Delusions of Grandeur
Crimson Glory – S/T (Reissue)
Crimson Glory – Transcendence (Reissue)
Tantric – The End Begins
Nine Inch Nails – Ghosts I – IV
May
Iron Maiden – Somewhere Back In Time: The Best Of 1980-1989
MSG – In the Midst of Beauty
3 Doors Down – S/T
Bombay Black – Psycho Magnet
Def Leppard – Songs From The Sparkle Lounge
Kip Winger – From the Moon To the Sun
Eden – Oblivion
King’s X – XV
M.ILL.ION – Thrill Of The Chase
Dokken – Lightning Strikes Again
10 Years – Division
Jon Oliva’s Pain – Global Warning
Flotsam and Jetsam – Cuatro (Reissue)
Gun Barrel – Outlaw invasion
Brother Firetribe – Heart Full of Fire
Circle II Circle – Delusions of Grandeur
Southern Gentleman – Valley of Fire
10 Years – Division
Glenn Hughes – First Underground Nuclear Kitchen
Souls of We – Let The Truth Be Known (Featuring George Lynch and London LeGrand)
June
Disturbed – Indestructible
Bret Michaels – Rock My World
Man Raze – Surreal
Motley Crue – Saints of Los Angeles
Judas Priest – Nostradamus (2 CD Set)
JORN – Lonely Are the Brave
Flotsam & Jetsam – When The Storm Comes Down (Reissue)
Clusterhead – Times of No Trust
Shinedown – The Sound of Madness
Harem Scarem – Hope
Valient Thorr – Immortalizer
July
The Dogs Divine – Way of Life
Stephen Pearcy – Under My Skin
Tesla – Comin Atcha Live – DVD
Hydrogyn – Deadly Passions
Gypsy Rose – S/T (Featuring David Reece)
Harem Scarem – Hope
Ritchie Kotzen – Live in San Paolo
Silent Rage – Four Letter World
Night Ranger – Hole in the Sun
Jet Black Stare - In This Life
Jesse James Dupree and Dixie Inc – Rev It Up and Go Go
Alice Cooper – Along Came a Spider
Black Sabbath – The Rules of Hell CD Boxset
August
Black Stone Cherry – Folklore & Superstition
Slipknot – All Hope is Gone
Trapt – Only Through The Pain (Aug 5th)
The Showdown – Back Breaker
Dragonforce – Ultra Beatdown
Extreme – Saudades De Rock (Aug 15th)
Asphalt Valentine?
September
Tesla?
Papa Roach – Metamorphisis
Evergrey – Torn
Bullet – Bite the Bullet
Buckcherry – Black Butterfly
Metallica – Death Magnetic
Iced Earth – The Crucible Of Man (Something Wicked Part II)
October
Anthrax?
November
Starbreaker – Love’s Dying Wish
December
AC/DC?
Aerosmith?
0 New Kip Winger Album coming May 9th!
Frontiers Records is proud to announce the European release of the brand new KIP WINGER album entitled “From the Moon To The Sun” on May 9th 2008.
Eight years after the release of the acclaimed “Songs From the Ocean Floor”, a record which was labelled as “Masterpiece” by several music critics around the work and a successful reunion of the band Winger, Kip Winger returns with a true career defining statement and, once again, another cd which witnesses the creative evolution of the American composer.
“I am an artist that will continue to push the envelope into the direction that my ear and abilities are taking me, with no compromise”, says Kip, adding “I worked hard to make this record my best yet. For sure it is musically very diverse… Hence the title , “From the Moon to the Sun“.
The music offered on the record is truly a flow that has no boundaries, from the fresh rock approach of songs like “Every Story Told”, “Nothing” or “Reason To Believe”, to the Pop sensibilities of “Where Will You Go” and “California”, to the acoustic mood of “Pages and Pages” and “In Your Eyes Another Life”, down to the unbelievable instrumental piece “Ghosts”, “From the Moon to the Sun” brings the listener to a journey in a kaleidoscope of different moods.
The album sees also musical contributions from Rod Morgenstein and Ken Mary on drums, Andy Timmons and Rob Eberhard Young on guitar, Alan Pasqua on piano, Cenk Eroglu on songwriting, keyboards and guitars.
Tracklisting of the European edition of “From the Moon To The Sun” will include:
Every Story Told; Nothing; Where Will You Go; Pages and Pages; Ghosts; In Your Eyes Another Life; Runaway; California; What We Are; One Big Game; Why; Reason To Believe; Monster (exclusive Bonus Track for Europe, a newly recorded version of the song originally included on “Thisconversationseemslikeadream”).
Click the highlighted tracks above to preview the songs!
Don’t miss the meeting with this true modern art masterpiece on May 9th 2008.
