Detritus
Mini-Issue #278.5 - July 16, 2004
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/detritus/

To subscribe to the e-mail version do one of the following:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/detritus/
detritus-subscribe@yahoogroups.com (send a blank e-mail here)

To unsubscribe from the e-mail version:
detritus-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com (send a blank e-mail here)

*
*** LET IT BE KNOWN ***
*
-Here are a couple press releases I just happened upon, plus Neal's
report on his interview with legendary axe-master George Lynch. - Tim

*
*** PRESS RELEASE #1 ***
*
-Scabeba Entertainment Acquires The Film And Television Rights To Neil
Peart's Biography, Ghost Rider

Neil Peart internationally best-selling author, lyricist and Hall of
Fame drummer for the legendary band RUSH gives rights to his bio Ghost
Rider to Buddy Rich's daughter Cathy.

Las Vegas, NV (PRWEB) July 12, 2004 -- Cathy Rich, daughter of
legendary jazz drummer Buddy Rich has acquired the film and television
rights to produce the Neil Peart bio Ghost Rider through her
production company Scabeba Entertainment. The Drainie-Taylor biography
prize finalist was also chosen as one of the five most exceptional
biographies of the year.

Neil Peart, internationally best-selling author, lyricist and Hall of
Fame drummer for the renowned rock band Rush, is the most successful
band in Canadian rock music. Rush has recently made history by
becoming the first band to celebrate 30 years together with the
original members and they are currently on the Rush 30th Anniversary
World Tour.

Ghost Rider is a bold, brilliantly written, intense, exciting, and
ultimately triumphant narrative memoir from a gifted writer and
musician, who started out as a man reduced to trying to stay alive by
staying on the move. Within a ten-month period, Neil Peart suffered
family losses so devastating that they left him a ghost, physically a
man, but with nothing.

Rich states that she is "thrilled and honored to have the opportunity
to collaborate on such an inspiring story of personal triumph". Rich
and Peart became friends in 1992 when Neil appeared on the Buddy Rich
Memorial Scholarship concert, in his first foray outside of Rush. They
also collaborated on the Grammy-nominated CD's Burning for Buddy,
parts 1 and 2.

Scabeba Entertainment is currently in pre-production on the life story
of Buddy Rich, produced by Steven Soderbergh and Miramax Films.

*
*** PRESS RELEASE #2 ***
*
-New Megadeth CD, The System Has Failed, Set For September 14 Release
On Sanctuary Records

First Single Is "Die Dead Enough"; Band To Tour In The Fall

In early 2002, Dave Mustaine suffered a debilitating nerve injury to
his arm (literally after sleeping on it the wrong way), bringing his
career -- and the nearly 20-year history of his band, Megadeth -- to a
crashing halt. His prospects for playing guitar again uncertain,
Mustaine retreated into seclusion, effectively ending the band and
leaving behind a ten-album legacy as one of metal's most important,
innovative, and intelligent acts. But the story did not end there, and
it seemed undeniable that the long, colorful, and dynamic history of
such a relentless and groundbreaking act could be curtailed so
abruptly.

Now in 2004, The System Has Failed, the tenth studio album released
under the Megadeth banner, is set for release September 14 on
Sanctuary Records. The forthcoming first single "Die Dead Enough" --
set to arrive at radio on June 26 -- features a stalking rhythm and
urgent riff alongside an infectious chorus and a taste of strings
adding texture and depth. Look for Megadeth -- with returning drummer
Nick Menza -- to tour this fall in support of the album (dates TBA) as
well as their soon-to-be-reissued catalog of platinum and gold albums
(due July 27 on Capitol Records), which has been impressively remixed,
remastered, restored -- and in some cases reconstructed -- by founder,
singer, guitarist and primary songwriter Dave Mustaine to bring it as
close to his original vision as possible.

The System Has Failed is pure, unfiltered, uncompromising Megadeth.
The album is a virtual compendium of everything that made and
continues to make Megadeth one of the most unique entities ever in the
history of heavy rock. From opener "Blackmail The Universe," with its
classic, chugging riff, to the politically charged, turbulent "Kick
The Chair," to the painfully personal "Truth Be Told," this is a
record that could only be written by one person, with one singular
worldview.

Mustaine selected nearly a dozen songs from some 150 that he had
compiled over the years, keeping them under wraps for the ideal
opportunity. With members of Megadeth's best-known lineup (which
lasted from 1990's Rust In Peace to '97's Cryptic Writings) either
unable to appear due to scheduling issues, or unwilling to meet the
demands of Mustaine's vision for the record, the singer and guitarist
cast away all preconceptions and recruited bassist Jimmie Sloas and
drummer Vinnie Colaiuta.

Co-producing with Jeff Balding, who had engineered Cryptic Writings
and 1999's Risk, Mustaine took an approach to recording that he found
liberating. "I took a real casual pace with this album. We started out
working about three hours a night, four days a week. I know this is
such a cliché, but it was like being reborn. I don't have three other
guys that I'm gonna disappoint if I don't listen to their stuff. I was
in there calling the shots and it was a lot like when (the band's
first two albums) Killing Is My Business...And Business Is Good! and
Peace Sells...But Who's Buying? first came out. It was me making my
music, I had guys in the band listening to me, and I was the boss."

One amazing surprise for longtime Megadeth fans would have to be the
presence of original guitarist Chris Poland, who played on those first
two albums and contributed lead work to nearly every cut on The System
Has Failed. "It was so much fun having Chris come down and play," says
Mustaine. "He's a great person and there's a reason why we took a fork
in the road back then. When he came in and listened to this record, I
didn't know what to expect from him. I didn't know if he was gonna
listen and say, 'I'm not digging this,' or whatever, because he's all
into his jazz-fusion stuff. But he gave me a really great compliment,
because he said somewhere, 'some of you guys are gonna have to break
out your slide rulers, because this is definitely Rust In Peace-type
music.'"

1990's Rust In Peace, Megadeth's fourth album and possibly most
successful after '92's Countdown To Extinction (which charted at
Number Two on Billboard's Top 200 Album Chart), is held by many fans
as the gold standard against which all Megadeth releases are judged,
for its heaviness, intricacy, and tunefulness. "Everybody's wanted me
to make Rust In Peace 2, and I don't think I did," says Mustaine with
his usual candor. "But I think what I did was make an album that was a
natural progression from Rust In Peace."

That progression is evident on The System Has Failed. "Back In The
Day" delves into one of Mustaine's many influences, the New Wave Of
British Heavy Metal, with its galloping guitar work and frenetic
tempo. Album closer "My Kingdom Come," meanwhile, sounds like no other
band out there. Its doom-laden, sinister beginning gives way to
another vintage, crunchy Megadeth riff, before descending into a
haunting, almost Eastern finale. Lyrically, Mustaine is back with some
of his sharpest political and social commentary yet, cooking up a
nightmare nuclear crisis in "Blackmail The Universe," tackling
criminal justice in "Kick The Chair," and painting a picture of
ticking international tensions in "The Scorpion." It's Mustaine at his
songwriting best, making electrifying, incisive new metal while
refusing to stick to any single formula.

"I think that I've been able to transcend some of the pigeonholing
that takes place with a hard rock band," agrees the maestro. "The head
of my record company said something to me that really lit a fire under
my butt. He said, 'Back when you wrote Rust In Peace, you owned heavy
metal. That flag was yours. It's time for you to go back and claim
that flag.' I'm excited that there really isn't anything out there
that I believe can compete with this record. I think I really have a
chance of making a statement."

That statement will be heard around the world on September 14, when
The System Has Failed arrives in stores, and after that, when Mustaine
takes Megadeth out on the road for the first time in three years. Fans
can expect some surprises as well in the touring lineup. "I can't wait
to play again and have it be about fun," says Musaine. "Towards the
end, the music became a lot about formula. It became so predictable.
I'm looking forward to things being unpredictable, and things being
fun and just going for it." The system may have indeed failed, but
Dave Mustaine and Megadeth is alive and well and firing on all
cylinders.

Check out http://www.megadeth.com/ for the latest news and stay tuned
for tour dates.

*
*** SPECIAL REPORT ***
*
by Neal Woodall (mysticx10@...)

-The Latest On George Lynch

I suppose most musicians and fans alike recognize a certain period in
their life when they remember music having a dramatic impact never to
be felt in quite the same way again; the era seeming to solidify in
the mind as a representation of quality, prototypical and
quintessential. Adolescence was when this solidification occured for
me and I suspect that many of us would identify that time as the
genesis of our passion for music. Where I'm going with these
ruminations should be clear when one considers the recent spate of
tribute albums dedicated to musicians whose first emergence on the
scene dates back to the '60s and '70s: The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix,
Cream, The Who, Mountain, The Yardbirds, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple,
Blue Cheer, Robin Trower, Traffic, Montrose and ZZ Top are just some
of the artists who have been covered by the likes of Uli Roth, Michael
Schenker, Rush and now...George Lynch! These consummate musicians are
going back to pay tribute to some of the bands who influenced them in
youth to begin playing and inspired them to persevere and progress,
bands who I'm sure they feel are in part responsible for the often
monumental contributions they would later make. I recently spoke with
George about his latest tribute release FURIOUS GEORGE and caught up
on some of his current projects.

One thing you pick up on about the man quickly -- he is a
perfectionist. When asked about his satisfaction with his playing on
FURIOUS GEORGE, George indicates he is happy with "about two-thirds"
of the album. I mention I feel it is some of his best playing since
the early '90s. "Really?" he asks incredulously. "Thanks." As stated
above, George's goal was to honor those he felt a musical connection
to as a teenager, and in my opinion he has done a damn good job,
FURIOUS GEORGE containing 12 tracks of classic hard rock played with a
combination of authenticity to preserve the atmosphere of the original
versions, along with Lynch's renowned creativity, melodic sensibility
and feeling. There is an energy in his playing on this disc, a fire
and enthusiasm I don't think his fans have heard reflected as much
since around the time of his SACRED GROOVE release.

I tell George one of my favorites on the new CD is his version of "All
Along The Watchtower," originally written by Bob Dylan with a
definitive cover by none other than Jimi Hendrix himself, probably
Lynch's biggest influence. George tells me he did his best on it but
that there is no way to measure up to the genius of the originals; as
for his favorite performances on the CD, he mentions Robin Trower's
"Bridge Of Sighs" and Deep Purple's "Stormbringer."

I bring up the outstanding vocal performance by Kelly Keeling (Baton
Rouge, MSG, John Norum) and George is quick to agree, calling him
"probably the best live singer I have played with." Interestingly
enough, Keeling has reportedly joined Foreigner as vocalist on their
current tour, along with former Dokken mate Jeff Pilson. Will Keeling
continue with the Lynch solo band? "Most likely," George says but is
not sure what the future make-up of the band will be. Right now the
plan is to use the same people who were on the last tour for the
upcoming Lynch studio album, which will feature all original material.
I hope so, as the level of musicianship is outstanding.

As for more involvement with the Lynch Mob, L/P or even Dokken, George
is keeping the door open but says juggling several different projects
makes it "too hard to maintain focus," preferring to keep everything
under the umbrella of Lynch for now. What else is on the horizon for
diehard Lynch fans? Plenty. In addition to the new Lynch album, George
will be releasing recordings by his pre-Dokken band Xciter as well as
his side project Microdot, a Lynch retrospective containing rare and
unreleased tracks and a Lynch Mob live DVD. He has been helping Peavey
design what promises to be the ultimate amplifier for tone
enthusiasts, the "Brahma" and you can look for George to continue
doing guitar clinics, endorsements and eventually, more touring. Idle
this man is not.

I had to ask what he feels are his definitive solos. "Mr. Scary," "In
My Dreams" and "When Darkness Calls" make the cut. "There are so many,
it's hard to remember them all off the top of my head," George says. I
tell him "Heaven Sent" is one of my favorites. "Yeah, that would
probably be a definitive George Lynch solo," he agrees.

Regarding the current music scene, he feels it is getting better,
noting that phenomenal players are more prevalent than ever,
especially in Japan where he says there are some "truly amazing
guitarists who pick up where we ['80s shredders] left off." We may
also have a new generation Lynch to contend with, as George's son Sean
is attending GIT and will certainly be unleashing his own brand of
guitar genius soon.

George spent nearly 30 minutes talking with me and graciously allowed
me to ask more questions, even though he was already running quite
late. I had to ask him about the new Dokken CD HELL TO PAY, which was
released on the day of the interview. Would he have any interest in
hearing it? "Sure," says George, "there are probably some good things
on there." There are definitely some good things on FURIOUS GEORGE,
essential for fans of Lynch and the classic bands who influenced him.
I highly recommend you get yourself a copy, crank it up full volume
and get ready for a whole lot more action from this genuine guitar
hero!

-Thanks to George Lynch and Nancy B. Sayle for the interview!

Relevant links:

George Lynch
http://www.georgelynch.com/

*
*** OUT ***
*

=====
Detritus Rock/Metal e-zine
"Rock Hard With A Purpose"
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/detritus/




__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
New and Improved Yahoo! Mail - 100MB free storage!
http://promotions.yahoo.com/new_mail