It's just calendar year, but 2/3 of ELP now gone. Had you told me that a year ago, I would have thought you were crazy.
I saw him just a couple of years ago at The Varsity Theater. Very intimate, lots of crowd interaction, etc. He seemed well.
I had no clue he had cancer.
I also will never forget seeing ELP with Deep Purple and Dream Theater and Grand Casino Hinckley the summer of 1998 (August?).
Man o man..this 1 hurts. I plan to post a list of celeb deaths for 2016, to remember but also illustrate while it seems like a ton, it's not been all that different than other Christian Calendar years.
How much mention this will get with the hipsters? oddly enough, p4k ran something and The Needle Drop retweeted the BBC link above. Jon Bream, Chris Riemenschneider, etc..probably couldn't care less.
Granted, the hipsters like Crimson for some reason. ELP tho? why when (hopefully a LONG TIME FROM NOW) Carl Palmer goes, I question how much mention it'll get.
Hearing the RandR HOF inductees for 2016 are Chicago, @cheaptrick , Deep Purple, NWA, Steve Miller. Officially announced tonight/tomorrow
this is not official of course, but Future Rock Legends just included http://www.futurerocklegends.com/2016_Inductees.php
Additional Inductees still to come...
but that more than likely is referring to stuff like "Early Influence" and "Musical Excellence" instead of the "Performer" category which the 5 listed are included for (and voted on).
Yes did not make it, as I actually predicted back in back in October
although I did not guess the Chicago interest, especially ahead of Yes.
I am quite happy to see Deep Purple finally get in, as I am a fan, and I've seen them live twice. And they have been LONG OVERDUE, but that speaks as much about the Rock Hall process, as much as whether they would merit being inducted (Metallica even mentioned them not being in, in their induction speech in 2009).
See 55 seconds-in
Now who theyinduct from Deep Purple (and Chicago as well), is a whole other can of worms and could turn into a huge drama-fest. Steve Morse is unlikely, so might be Joe Lynn Turner, David Coverdale, Glenn Hughes and Tommy Bolin possibly as well.
This new interview with drummer Ian Paice kind of dramatizes it up somewhat, but may at least still raise some valid concerns. The Kiss thing from a couple of years ago might seem tame. DP may not agree, like Kiss, to actually perform, which would suck, but we'll see in April.
But at least Deep Purple now are finally in thank freaking gawd. But Yes? I'd be lying if them getting in wouldn't mean a ton more to me, than even Deep Purple. And as evidenced below, they finished 2nd in the Fans vote (narrowly ahead of 3rd-5th) , which while the top vote-getter since the Fans Vote began has I guess always got in, usually most of the top 5 get in, but both Yes and The Cars didn't get in. Deep Purple and Steve Miller did though,
Chris Squire's death, like Jon Lord's for Purple a few years back, didn't mean enough to the voters I guess to vote for Yes ahead of some like Cheap Trick, Steve Miller, Chicago, and N.W.A.
And N.W.A. of course finished way down on that poll, but must have done considerably better with the 800+ other individual voters. Which I think their induction seems almost entirely based on that Biopic that just came out earlier this year.
And I'll confess, N.W.A. I did like back in the day when I was a youth. But they have no business getting in ahead of many of the names on the ballot this year, including Yes.
But whatevah..I'll be curious to see what some of the press releases say tomorrow and I suppose those "Musical Excellence" and "Early Influence" inductees happen to be.
But as I said in that entry I wrote back in October, their whole voting and nomination process and system really needs to change. 30 nominees, 15 inductees + a veterans committee; and the fans get 1/3 of the vote and 1/3 or more of a say on who gets nominated.
Otherwise the likes of Yes, Jethro Tull, The Moody Blues, ELP, Kansas, and King Crimson will never end up getting in (among many other 70's bands alone...I'd add Iron Maiden and Judas Priest as well), for what it actually is worth (which it shouldn't be much, but the ranting itself I suppose is worth something I suppose, lol).
Chicago 23.41%
Yes 16.20%
The Cars 16.14%
Deep Purple 15.87%
Steve Miller 15.85%
Janet Jackson 5.88%
Cheap Trick 1.45%
The Spinners 1.28%
Chaka Khan 1.16%
Chic 0.84%
The J.B.'s 0.59%
N.W.A. 0.42%
Nine Inch Nails 0.35%
The Smiths 0.30%
Los Lobos 0.25%
Here's a clip of 1 of the people involved with the Hall talking about the nominees and the voting process. He says "pioneered" the fan vote 2 years ago. 60 million fan-votes were made last year, and they want to top that this year.
The guy interviewing him failed to ask or point out how those 60 million votes made online from fans only factor in as 1 BALLOT, out of the 800+ ballots that are comprised of a lot of past inductees as he explains.
That's .00125% or 1/800th of the vote approximately.
60,000,000 submissions vs the other 799+ people who are inductees whose 1-ballot vote gets the same amount of say as the 60 million submissions, get the same .00125%.
60 million fans = 1 1 inductee = 1
Really fair and accurate, lol.
I suppose 1 argument against a larger percentage being given to the fans vote is, I'm sure thousands if not 10's of thousands of those "Fan-votes" factored into that 1 ballot result are done by the same fans multiple times, if not 100's (how much time do many of them have? some may get up every day and put in a vote at the same time for the 2 months the Voting remains open until December 9th).
Maybe if the Fans Ballot factored into a larger percentage, in order to prevent a fair amount of FLOODING, by the same fan/fanbase, perhaps a smaller voting period of time could be limited to say 1 or 2 weeks instead of 2-months. And they'd require the fans to sign up to an email list, and that email could only be used to vote once. However, I'm sure there would still be flooding and people voting plenty more times. But it would at least likely reduce the flooding.
But, that still doesn't address the lack of the percentage the FAN VOTE is given. I saw something earlier about Deep Purple received the 2nd most votes in the FAN VOTE in 2013, yet obviously 4 others got in ahead of them, despite the tens of millions of FANS who felt they were the 2nd most deserving act on the ballot.
The other thing that should be addressed is the NOMINATION PROCESS.
that link shows the list of people who have been on the committee, and for 2015, it shows 41 names. That's good to know, but like the VOTING PROCESS, the NOMINATING PROCESS is still highly arbitrary and not fully representative of everyone's taste. Beyond the voting, the FANS should have some involvement in whose actually nominated each year.
Either that, or some involvement on whose on that Committee. It almost could be done like a political election. Take 40 or 50, or fuck that, let's say 100 People to this committee, and have at least half or more of them turned over every year. Have some kind of Term Limit on how long someone can be on the committee. And once their term is over, they can't return to run for the committee for at least a couple of years.
Yes, Deep Purple and Chicago among the 15 nominees for the 2016 Rock Hall Class.
5 of which I recall, get in.
My prediction: Deep Purple will finally get in. Unfortunately Yes and Chicago may not with the likes of NWA and their biopic, Janet Jackson and Nine Inch Nails on the ballot. But I'd love to be wrong.
Steve Miller Band may get in, The Cars and Cheap Trick. I dunno if both Chaka Khan and Janet Jackson will both get in, even though I would not argue, they both belong in. And of course Chic again gets nominated, 1 of these years they may finally get in. It would be nice, just so their annual nomination slot can go to someone else.
The Smiths may get in, for the College Rock hipsters vote.
But I also want to share a comment I tried to make a little over a week ago on a blog which has some people that almost do Rock Hall annual predictions like Fantasy Football or Oscar Pools.
I tried to post this comment, but it has yet to actual be published and allowed there (not sure if the blog owner never saw it, or just doesn't feel it should be allowed to be public at this point).
But as I have said a handful of times from memory in here and on social media and message boards in recent years. The Rock Hall and its voting + inducting process, while it seems to be changing a little bit with some prog and metal finally showing up, really could use a more dramatic change in the process of who decides and HOW MANY artists get in every year.
have you and the others ever done some research into how/when and what it could take to dramatically change the process? I've come to conclude, the Rock Hall process could really do for a format change. instead of 10-15 nominees every year, double that and have 20-30. And induct at least 10-15 every year. And a percentage of that is designated as a "veterans committee" thing like The Baseball HOF does. Have 5 nominations every year that have to have been eligible for at least say 20 years, and at least 2 get in every year. The Fans vote is worth a lot more than the 1 out of 800 or whatever it is now. Have the voting process both for the Nominations and the Inductees be decided -1/3 Fans -1/3 Recording Artists/Music Industry People -1/3 Music Media. Like the Baseball HOF, the MLB Allstar Game (Starting Lineup) Ballot is setup this way, and at least on the surface it does seem to be a more accurate representation, than it was long before when it was just decided only by the Media. While all of this may seem dramatically different, and it may also come across as "letting everyone in" and lowering some kind of standards for whose in and whose not in; the fact is, with so many newly eligible artists each year along with so many artists passed over so many years/decades and then dying, not then possibly able to be present for a recognition of their life's work. A larger roster being included at least could help those causes, along with possibly even the joke-perception the Rock Hall gets (and Jan Wenner and Friends exclusive club mentality). I suppose it's baby steps, with a few years ago adding the 1 online Fan vote, a bit like the long desired NCAA Football Division I playoff system, but I hope the changes can continue to be changed and modified.
When Bend Sinister guitarist Joseph Blood got cast as an extra in an adult film, the Vancouver musician slipped a copy of his band's album Small Fame
to the film's star, celebrity performer James Deen. Won over by the
band's combination of classic metal beats, proggy organ melodies and
singer Dan Moxon's live-wire tenor, Deen
agreed to drive to the Mojave Desert with the film's director Lee Roy
Myers to shoot a video for closing track "Quest for Love." In the video, Deen mugs in a Rob Halford-style leather vest and spiked bracelets as electricity flows through his body.
Not that I'm a huge fan of Bigelf or anything, but they were okay I guess on Progressive Nation 2009.
And Mike Portnoy posted on Twitter nearly 1 year ago
Off to LA (again!) to spend the week recording drums/guesting on one
of my favorite new band's new album...should be fun! More info soon...
And the thing was, when I read that, I was not really thinking of Bigelf when he posted that (maybe The Dear Hunter, although TDH didn't/don't need a drummer), because Bigelf, while newer, are still not really all that NEW given they began over 20 years ago. But they are, for some odd reason, *new* TO MIKE.
They were written up and talked about in the Progression magazine and the Prog festivals in the Mid 90's, even playing ProgFest 97 I recall as I have a live cd with them on that festival.
But at any case, Bigelf are THAT "new" band based in California Mike was referring to it appears. And with his involvement, to hear their sort of brand of Deep Purple/Uriah Heap-inspired classic hard/prog rock could be interesting.
Ironic too I suppose given some of that style, Mike's new project, The Winery Dogs have supposedly. Maybe the 2 bands could tour together? (and Portnoy playing with both?)
Damon Fox has insisted he didn’t fire the rest of Bigelf – and he’s
confirmed a new record deal for an album featuring Mike Portnoy. The mainman says drummer Portnoy’s voice was instrumental in keeping the band going after the previous lineup caved in.
Announcing the deal with InsideOut, Fox says: “‘Finally! Bigelf lands
on a planet whose atmosphere is synonymous with progressive rock. One of
my all-time favourite quotes is, ‘Be bold and mighty forces will come
to your aid.’ I’m ecstatic that InsideOut and Mike Portnoy have joined
forces with Bigelf.”
“Since 2010, there have been numerous rumours on the Internet that I fired everyone. This is completely untrue.
“After the juggernaut of Cheat The Gallows came
to a halt, the business and personal infrastructure imploded. A myriad
of personal, financial and domestic matters had enveloped myself as well
as certain members of the group.
“There also comes a
time when, deep down inside, it just doesn’t feel right any more. This
was a mutual feeling, and I believe it was obvious amongst the band.
Subsequently, Ace Mark decided to move on in 2011, and a request by the
remaining members for a dissolution of business followed. To put it
simply, we went our separate ways without malice.”
In the aftermath Fox considered laying the band to rest for good – but Portnoy talked him out of it.
“I had been keeping in close touch with Mike after his very public and
difficult departure from Dream Theater,” he explains. “My musical
future seemed quite bleak and I was very vocal to Mike about not being
able to sustain the band any longer on my own.
“He
implored me to carry on. His encouragement and enthusiasm meant the
world to me. Recognising that I needed some new allies, I asked him if
he would help fight the good fight – and he readily agreed.
“Also, sharing a passion for all things rock’n'roll, my good friend
Duffy Snowhill climbed aboard for another round of thundering bass
guitar; and for that, too, I am grateful.”
But Fox
emphasises he couldn’t have come back without the support of his
“amazing and dedicated” fans. “They send emails all the time saying how
they feel about Bigelf. These emails inspire me greatly and they’re the
reason that I continue to play this kind of music. Thank you from the
bottom of my heart.”
Touching on the new album, he says:
“I can’t wait for everyone to hear the new wondrous landscapes we’ve
been sculpting. There are lots of surprises around the corner – stay
tuned.”
"We are honored to be among the nominees for this year's Rock 'N Roll Hall of Fame. We are especially thrilled for the many, many dedicated RUSH fans to whom this nomination is so very important." – Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, Neil Peart
Not a ton to say other than the fact the stories about how Rush (and others) are not in, or should have been in eons ago, should be funny to read leading up to knowing the results. I suppose even if they don't get in this year, they may get nominated again due to the fact they are finally nominated this year.
The whole opening up the Flood Gates for progressive rock bands to finally get in (as I posted here December of 2009) when thinking about when Genesis finally got in a few years ago, still may be far-fetched. But if Rush and Deep Purple do get in, Jethro Tull, Yes, ELP and even King Crimson may find their way on to the ballot soon after. The members of those groups being alive to attend if they got in may be an entirely different story (see Jon Lord).
I might vote for both Public Enemy and NWA, but I suppose by voting for them, it is like a vote against Purple and Rush.
I had the fortunate experience to see him with Deep Purple when they played at Grand Casino Hinckley along with Emerson Lake and Palmer and Dream Theater in 1998. Nearly 14 years ago to this day.
That show, I caught a pick from Roger Glover that I still have. But as far as Jon Lord, it was a big deal for some, mainly my generation, given he would soon after depart from Deep Purple in 2002.
What also makes me sad, is some friends of mine many years ago, went together and bought some used Vinyl (long before I ever really cared to collect Vinyl), and one of the items we got was an alternate cover Promo of Gemini Suite his 1st solo record. And to this day, I have yet to hear much of it. However, it appears to be on Youtube, which now has finally enabled me to.
(I still am in the market for a turn-table)
another favorite of mine and others, is the title track to 1984's Perfect Strangers (which I'll admit, I 1st heard of via Dream Theater's live cover on the A Change of Seasons EP).
Here's another classic, "Child in Time" performed live in front of a studio audience in 1970.
This is the long mentioned project Mike and Eddie Trunk among many others talked about going back to early in 2011. Yesterday it was posted by melodicrock.com's twitter that John Sykes was out of the longtime referred to "Portnoy/Sykes" project, which I guess was going to be rather influenced by Classic Hard Rock ala Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Rainbow, etc.
But as that post Eddie made a little while ago explains, it didn't work out. And then Mike just earlier today posted on twitter
“@JeremyBednarski: @EddieTrunk Can you say who the bassist was?” Billy Sheehan...we're moving on & now working w another guitarist/singer...
24-Jan-12 Sykes/Portnoy band ends, the story
1/24/12: Recent reports have made the rounds on my social media and online about the status of the John Sykes/Mike Portnoy band that was first announced when the guys appeared together on That Metal Show last season. There has been much speculation on the status of the band and this project since we first revealed it, and as a friend and fan of both musicians I was very much at the center of it helping where I could and serving as a sounding board with all involved. Sadly I can confirm that as of now this project is no longer moving forward.
When I first talked about Portnoy and Sykes working together I joked with them that I had never met two guys with such different work ethics. Mike wants to do everything yesterday and John really takes his time and is much more conservative. That truly is the only reason why what could have been a killer band has dissolved.
Obviously bands are like any relationship, some click, some do not. This was simply a case of two different people not only getting to know each other musically but also personally, and the schedule and timing for making this work just fell apart. Mike and the bands bass player were ready to go, and John simply was not on the same timetable. There is truly no bigger story or any drama to report. It just didn't work and everyone is moving on.
Mike has several amazing projects in the works including the killer Adrenaline Mob album coming in March, and John may very well do a solo album or something else. He has some great material written and was singing and playing in top form when this dissolved. They both remain friends and I wish them both nothing but the best going forward and who knows what the future holds?
Eddie Trunk
I'm a little bummed by this, but the fact he's still working with Billy Sheehan, I'm still curious. The new guitarist? a lot of names being thrown out on Portnoy's forum. Tony McCalpine might make sense since Portnoy just played some shows with him; although stylistically, I'm not sure I picture Tony playing the same kind of music the Portnoy/Sykes project Mike described it as.
But I'm sure more information will come soon about this.
Steve Morse is interviewed and talks about it at 7:16 into this video.
just saw this and another interview that mentions it. Not a bad alternative for Mike. As long as it's not Christian, I'm pretty intrigued. Also a good change for Steve Morse since Deep Purple has been more or less a cash-call for him for how long?
