guns and roses, short bio

guns n roses, november 88 on the cover of rolling stone magazine   

The Early Days

It all begun in Los Angeles in 1985 when William Bailey (Axl Rose - vocals) formed a rock band with Jeffrey Isbell (Izzy Stradlin - guitar), Tracii Guns (guitar) and Rob Gardner (drums) called in turn Rose, Hollywood Rose and L.A Guns. Soon Guns and Gardner were replaced by Saul Hudson (Slash - guitar) and Steven Adler (drums) and with the addition of bass player Duff McKagan the band was renamed to Guns N' Roses. Playing a unique sound incorporating punk, blues and metal, the band released a self-produced live album called "Live ?!*@ Like A Suicide" in 1986. Having received some interest from the music industry the band signed to Geffen Records.

The Appetite For Destruction Masterpiece

The following year the band released their debut album "Appetite For Destruction" which, despite being the best selling debut album of all time, it only started selling a year latter when MTV started playing "Sweet Child O' Mine"! The album shoot to number 1 and Guns N' Roses became overnight one the biggest bands in the world. During their performance at the legendary 1988 Monsters Of Rock Festival in Donnington that also featured the likes of Iron Maiden and Kiss two fans died during crowd disturbances.

At the end of 1988 the band released "Lies" which featured four new acoustic songs and tracks from "Live ?!*@ Like A Suicide". The album hit number 2 of the charts but controversially the song "One In A Million" sparked intense controversy for its violent and racist lyrics. Also when in 1989 Guns N' Roses were awarded at the annual award show for best heavy metal album and best heavy metal song for "Appetite For Destruction" and "Paradise City", McKagan and Slash used strong language on live television. As a result all subsequent award shows were broadcasted with a five second delay!

Use Your Illusion Global Domination
Shortly after the release of "Lies" drummer Steve Adler was fired and replaced by Matt Sorum from the Cult and during the recording of their long-awaited second studio album the band added keyboardist Dizzy Reed. Under the new lineup Guns N' Roses released "Use Your Illusion I" and "Use Your Illusion II" which simultaneously shoot at the two top spots of the charts.

The band then went on a colossal 28-month long world tour which was hugely successful but also very eventful. The most famous incident took place in the summer of 1991 when during a show in Missouri Rose jumped into the crowd injuring a fan and then left the stage. The angry crowd begun a riot in which many people were injured. During this period Stradlin quit the band due to differences with Rose and was replaced by Gilby Clarke.

Spaghetti Decline
In 1993 the new lineup released a collection of punk covers named "The Spaghetti Incident?" which received some good reviews, however, it did not match the brilliance of their previous three studio albums. In conjunction with a number of other events, including the release of the "Nevermind" album that shifted musical interest to Nirvana and internal disputes between Rose and the rest of the band, Guns N' Roses gradually declined. By 1997 the band disintegrated leaving Rose the sole original member of the band.



In the years that followed Guns N' Roses remained relatively unnoticed, occasionally making the headlines for the wrong reasons including riots in their gigs, cancelled shows and the long delayed fifth studio album "Chinese Democracy". The only releases from the band since 1993 were the two compilation albums "Live Era '87-'93" (1999) and "Greatest Hits" (2004).

A notable attempt from previous Guns N' Roses members came in 2003 when Slash, Duff McKagan and Matt Sorum formed the band Velvet Revolver with Scott Weiland formerly with the Stone Temple Pilots. Their debut album "Contraband" released in June 2004 received good reviews and went straight to the top of US charts.

Legacy
When it comes to living dangerously, few bands can claim they have done more so than Guns N' Roses. From creating musical masterpieces to causing riots in their gigs, no other band managed to cement such an untouchable legendary status with just four studio albums. The absolute encapsulation of "Sex, Drugs And Rock N' Roll" was to rise and fall in less than a decade.

"Nothing lasts forever, even cold November Rain"

source The Rock Radio.com

Rock camp in Los Angeles

Rock 'N' Roll Fantasy Camp kicked off on Wednesday (April 29th) in Hollywood with a list of guest instructors that includes Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler, Velvet Revolver bassist Duff McKagan, Foo Fighters touring keyboardist Rami Jaffee, Todd Rundgren, former Kiss guitarist Bruce Kulick and others.

The camp allows fans to perform with and learn from some of their favorite rock stars. Tyler told us that he "positively" will be able to tell if any of his students have true talent:

"I can listen to the melody line they've got, and I can tell them right then and there that it's not about hitting that note, it's about how you approach it. It's about (scats for a few seconds). It's about that as opposed to trying to hit the note, trying to get the vibrato just right, trying and trying and trying. It's about making something work for you."

The camp launches Wednesday night with a kick-off party and all-star jam at the Gibson Showroom in Beverly Hills, and concludes with the campers and their counselors performing live at the Whisky-A-Go-Go on May 3rd.

Counselor Bruce Kulick will maintain a daily blog from the camp beginning on Thursday (April 30th).

An auction of autographed memorabilia from all the participating rock stars will also be held at the closing show. Proceeds will benefit the MusiCares Foundation, which provides assistance to musicians in need.

Rock 'N' Roll Fantasy Camp has been held since 1997, with upcoming editions scheduled for New York, London and Milwaukee.

Previous guest counselors have included Velvet Revolver's Slash, Roger Daltrey of the Who and Brian Wilson from the Beach Boys.

Metallica drummer talks torture

Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich appeared as a guest on MSNBC's The Rachel Maddow Show on Monday night (April 27th), where the liberal news commentator and the Danish drummer discussed living in San Francisco, Guitar Hero: Metallica, and politics.

With the debate over the military and CIA's use of torture front and center in the news lately, Maddow also asked Ulrich how he felt about Metallica's music being used to psychologically torture prisoners of war:

"There is a lot of Metallica music that's helping a lot of scared 18, 19 and 20-year-old kids out there who are out on the front lines and who are doing a hell of a job on behalf of you and me and the rest of us. But obviously when you hear stories like the one you're telling, it all seems so bizarre and so strange that Metallica's music, which generally sort of facilitates bringing people together, is used in these bizarre circumstances. It's certainly not something that we in any way advocate or condone."

Ulrich also told Maddow that if someone really wanted to use music to torture others, there are groups out there that are way more extreme than Metallica:

"If there are people that are dumb enough to use Metallica to interrogate prisoners, you're forgetting about all the music that's to the left of us. I can name, you know, 30 Norwegian death metal bands that would make Metallica sound like Simon and Garfunkel."

Metallica will be on tour in Europe throughout the rest of the spring and summer, but will begin a new North American trek on September 14th in Nashville.

The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on April 4th, along with Jeff Beck, Run-DMC and others.

A digital "box set" of every song Metallica has ever recorded, called The Complete Metallica, became available online last month at iTunes and other outlets.
source the rockradio.com

aerosmith the bad boys from Boston

Aerosmith - Current members
Steven Tyler - lead vocals, piano, harmonica, percussion and drums (1970-present)
Joe Perry - lead and rhythm guitar, backing vocals (1970-1979; 1984-present)
Brad Whitford - rhythm and lead guitar (1971-1981; 1984-present)
Tom Hamilton - bass guitar, backing vocals (1970-present)
Joey Kramer - drums, percussion (1970-present)

Aerosmith is an American hard rock band, sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boys from Boston" and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band". Their style, rooted in blues-based hard rock, has come to also incorporate elements of pop, heavy metal, glam, and rhythm and blues, which has inspired many subsequent rock artists. The band was formed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1970.

Guitarist Joe Perry and bassist Tom Hamilton, originally in a band together called the Jam Band, met up with singer Steven Tyler, drummer Joey Kramer, and guitarist Ray Tabano, and formed Aerosmith. By 1971, Tabano was replaced by Brad Whitford, and the band began developing a following in Boston.

They were signed to Columbia Records in 1972 and released a string of multi-platinum albums, beginning with their 1973 eponymous debut album. In 1975, the band broke into the mainstream with the album Toys in the Attic, and their 1976 follow-up Rocks cemented their status as hard rock superstars. By the end of the 1970s, they were among the most popular hard rock bands in the world and developed a loyal following of fans, often referred to as the "Blue Army".

However, drug addiction and internal conflict took their toll on the band, which resulted in the departures of Perry and Whitford, in 1979 and 1981 respectively. They were replaced by Jimmy Crespo and Rick Dufay. The band did not fare well between 1980 and 1984, releasing a lone album, Rock in a Hard Place, which went gold but failed to match their previous successes.

Although Perry and Whitford returned in 1984 and the band signed a new deal with Geffen Records, it wasn't until the band sobered up and released 1987's Permanent Vacation that they regained the level of popularity they had experienced in the 1970s. Throughout the late 1980s and 1990s, the band scored several hits and won numerous awards for music from the multi-platinum albums Pump (1989), Get a Grip (1993), and Nine Lives (1997).

Their comeback has been described as one of the most remarkable and spectacular in rock 'n' roll history. After 39 years of performing, the band continues to tour and record music.

Aerosmith is the best-selling American hard rock band of all time, having sold 150 million albums worldwide, including 66.5 million albums in the United States alone. They also hold the record for the most gold and multi-platinum albums by an American group. The band has scored 21 Top 40 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, nine #1 Mainstream Rock hits, four Grammy Awards, and ten MTV Video Music Awards. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001, and in 2005 they were ranked #57 in Rolling Stone magazine's 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.

aerosmith guitar hero contest

AEROSMITH® OFFER FANS THE CHANCE TO BE THE OPENING ACT ON SUMMER TOUR.

WINNERS TO PERFORM ON STAGE BEFORE AEROSMITH AND THEIR SPECIAL GUESTS

In groundbreaking fashion, America’s Greatest Rock ‘N Roll Band and the mega-popular video game franchise are giving fans the chance to be the OPENING ACT for the massive Guitar Hero: Aerosmith Presents Aerosmith tour with special guests ZZ Top.

In each city the tour hits, two victorious fret-burners will perform before ZZ Top (or the support acts for the dates where ZZ Top aren’t performing), playing Guitar Hero: Aerosmith on stage in front of massive audiences.

One grand prize winner will be chosen from AEROSMITH’s YouTube channel online and others will be chosen from participating radio stations. However, AEROSMITH are offering the victors way more than just rock immortality for a night.

The contest will be showcased on social media sites including MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, iLike and official websites such as Aerosmith.com and Aeroforceone.com; and Guitar Hero web sites including GuitarHero.com and Guitar Hero’s Facebook group.

AEROSMITH--STEVEN TYLER (vocals), JOE PERRY (guitar), BRAD WHITFORD (guitar), TOM HAMILTON (bass) and JOEY KRAMER (drums)--made history last year when Activision released Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, marking the first music-based game built around the legendary music of Aerosmith. The groundbreaking partnership united “America's greatest hard rock act” (as described by Mojo editor Phil Alexander in a May '07 cover story) with the massively successful videogame franchise; sales exploded and broke records, with AEROSMITH reaching another generation of fans.

Click here for official contest terms & conditions http://www.aeroforceone.com

Guitar Hero: Aerosmith brings these quintessential rock legends to the interactive realm to create the ultimate gaming experience. As fans progress through their careers in the game, they can rock out to scores of Aerosmith’s greatest hits including various tracks re-mastered by the legendary band for Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, as well as songs from celebrated artists that the band has either performed with or has been inspired by in some way.
Highlighting the list of celebrated artists is an in-game guest appearance from one of the pioneers of hip-hop and kings of rock, Darryl “DMC” McDaniels. Venues from historical moments during the band’s illustrious career offer the experience of “sweet emotion” and further capture the essence of the band’s rise to fame. For more information visit www.guitarhero.com.