Let's Talk Van Halen!

How cool is it that one of Eddie Van Halen's guitars is going to the Smithsonian?! First, let me say that I love the Smithsonian complex. I try to visit at least one museum every time I visit Washington, D.C. - and D.C. is my favorite city in America.

The National Museum of American History will be displaying the "Frank 2" - that's Eddie's red, black and white guitar with all the stripes. The name Frank 2 is from Frankenstein of course. You know, Eddie's brilliant guitar that came out of constant work and modifications. Frank 2 was used in Van Halen's most recent tour. It will be displayed at the museum's Division of Culture and the Arts. Apparently it won't be immediately on public display - but I'm sure it will be someday.

And on the heels of the awesome Smithsonian news, there's word the guys in Van Halen are planning an Australian tour. And we all know Eddie didn't want to tour again until there was new material, so I guess a new album is imminent. Apparently the tour starts down under in August. To me this means VH will swing around to the states not long after...woo hoo! This would more than make up for a probable abysmal tour season that we're looking at this summer.

Oh Ozzy, You Scamp

Did you see the Super Bowl ad with Ozzy Osbourne and Justin Bieber? The musical stars are hocking the Best Buy "buy it back" program. The ad itself isn't that great, but Ozzy does a good job playing himself.

I firmly believe the constant use of 80s rockers in modern commercials says something about the popularity of the music we love. Plus, classic rock and metal is just about all that is played at sporting events these days - it's just inescapable. All that exposure only means good things for Glam and metal bands.

How much do you suspect Ozzy (and Sharon) made for appearing in this ad? A few million? Not bad for what was probably one day of work.

I wish I was going to Sweden Rock Fest - I've never seen Ozzy live and he's playing there this year. He's also playing Wacken Open Air...not that I am going to that event either.

Farewell Gary Moore

Gary Moore, formerly of Thin Lizzy, has died. His body was found in Spain where he was on vacation. A cause of death is not yet known. BBC interviewed Thin Lizzy guitarist Eric Bell after news of Moore's death broke. According to the BBC report, Bell said he was "in shock..." because "Moore was so robust."

While most people immediately recognize Moore from his work with Thin Lizzy, he did have a prolific solo career and worked with a slew of other musicians including Ozzy Osbourne and Jackson Browne. Moore had great blues feel and instantly provided groove to any track he touched. BBG! writer Christian fancies himself a blues guitarist and he weighed in on Moore's passing. Christian says:

"Gary Moore was always one of "those guys." You know, great guitar player, but somehow not on the A-list. He had some great songs, like "Out In the Fields" and "After the War," but, for me, he was more the guy who added some color to a compilations, than someone you followed rabidly. That changed overnight with the release of Still Got the Blues. See, I love the blues as much as I love rock and metal, and overnight, with a sappy ballad that was nine parts "Parissiene Walkways" and perhaps one part pseudo-blues riding high on the charts, he sold a whole generation of guitar players a CD full of incendiary blues playing, and brought players like Albert Collins and Albert King in to the limelight where they belonged. His next CD included a collaboration with BB King, and from there, he played blues for the rest of his life, with great skill and emotion. It was through loving his blues stuff that I went back and really came to appreciate his rock output more, too. As a guitar player, I can say I spent a year learning how to play that first album, and I learned a lot from it. Because Peter Green was being obtuse, the tab book didn't contain my favorite song, "Stop Messin' Round," which forced me to learn how to work out songs by ear. I don't know if I play at all like Gary Moore, but I know I try very hard to. As a lover of guitar music, I can only say I'm shocked and saddened to hear that we've lost a guy who was perhaps never huge in the mainstream eye, apart from a few minutes back in 1990, but who still made a real impact on the genres and on the instrument."

And now, some video requests from our very own Metalboy!

Slash and Fergie at Super Bowl XLV

Slash and Fergie perform a bit of "Sweet Child O' Mine" during the Super Bowl halftime show. I was not impressed - Fergie sounds off key. But here it is in case you missed it live:

Super Bowl Sunday: Slash Will Perform at Halftime

It's Super Bowl Sunday - finally! Packers vs. Steelers. I loathe the Steelers so for this game, I'll be a Green Bay fan all the way! During the halftime show, Slash, Usher and the Black Eyed Peas will perform. I wonder if some random Guns n' Roses songs will be thrown in the mix? Don't forget to watch!

I Wonder Who Will Tour with Def Leppard?

Months ago, guitarist Phil Collen confirmed that Def Leppard would hit the road again in the summer of 2011. While we don't have any dates yet, I'm fairly confident the band will be swinging through North America. When Phil confirmed the tour, he also said the dates would likely begin in May.

So, I'll ask again - who will tour with the Leps? The last time I saw them live, Billy Idol was on the package. Def Leppard has toured with just about everyone at this point. All indications are pointing that this will be a "light" summer for our bands on the road. If Motley and Poison really do tour together, that's two bands that can't travel with Def Leppard. Apparently Ann Wilson said Heart would be touring with the band. If it does happen, I think Def Leppard/Heart is a good package - but one more band would be needed to round it all out. 

At any rate, I suspect the tour will be announced within the next few weeks. Oh, and if you're ever looking for an awesome database of Def Leppard history I stumbled across a cool website that you should check out!

Major Tom Releases New Single, 'Rebound Girl.'

My friends Major Tom have a new single out this month called "Rebound Girl."The song is another slice of retro-glam. If you didn't get the album A Night on the Lash when I first mentioned it, maybe you should. 

Major Tom is an American/UK hybrid and I swear singer Stephen Kilkenny sounds like he could fit in classic Girl (you know, Phil Lewis and Phil Collen before L.A. Guns and Def Leppard, respectively).

Support independent music and check them out! The music is available at iTunes.