Friday, December 30, 2011

The man who killed Jon Bon Jovi

Jeff Goho from Pennsylvanian metal band Minutia has claimed responsibility for the Jon Bon Jovi death hoax earlier this month. He also says he's getting a lot of angry messages about it. Can't imagine why...

From SheKnows:
"I never thought the rumors would spread so rapidly," Goho said. "I am truly sorry for any and all damage that I may have caused Jon and his family. Furthermore, I can only hope that he continues to bring prosperity to the Philadelphia region and surrounding areas."

And from the Asbury Park Press:
“I’m in a band as well, and I was going into the recording studio, and we had talked about how the music industry just started taking a turn into crazy new worlds that no one, really, can assess,” said Goho, 30, in a telephone interview Monday. “Long story short, I was talking to my band members on their down time, and we got so worked up in the conversation, I just kind of took the liberty and started (the rumor), because I was so irritated.

“All I heard was ‘Bon Jovi this,’ ‘Bon Jovi’s starting a restaurant.’ What was the latest one? The Advil commercial (featuring Bon Jovi)? It was like, ‘Jeez, (Bon Jovi) was a household name due to the music, not the business.’ So I’m not proud of it. I’m getting a lot of backlash from it, but as stupid as it sounds, that’s how it started. I just had a blurb and went with it.”

In all honesty, Mr Goho wouldn't be the first person to feel that Bon Jovi has become more about "the business" than the music over the years but taking a crack at the Soul Kitchen -- not to mention stirring the wrath of the Jovi fandom -- was all kinds of silly. On second thoughts, maybe not, given I'm sure a lot of people who had never heard of Minutia now have. Jeff posted this on Minutia's Facebook page on Christmas day:
THIS IS A PERSONAL RESPONSE FROM JEFF GOHO ALONE - MY BAND IS NOT INVOLVED! - I'm getting a shit load of backlash from my most recent stunt. So, just to make it official, I'm sorry for the entire Bon Jovi thing. I will repeat the same exact thing that I told the Philadelphia Soul and everybody else spamming the fuck out of my email account. I am truly sorry for any and all damage that I caused Mr. Bon Jovi, his band members, and his family. And as I've told you blood-sucking press mongrels... I endorse all of his business endeavors and hope that he continues to bring prosperity to the Philadelphia region and tri-state area. And please stop sending attached hate mail to my fellow band members. They are in no way involved. I did it on my own. - Goho

Meh... This guy's not worth the fuss. ;)

APPENDIX #1: Hopefully this is the last bit of attention we give Goho on this blog, but Minutia has recorded a song/whiny rant in response to this saga called No Regrets. You can listen to it here.

Conversely, Bon Jovi's No Regrets (the Bounce outtake) can be heard here.

APPENDIX #2: Bon Jovi tour photographer David Bergman, who also took the photo proving Jon was still alive, wrote a blog about the whole death hoax incident... check it out at this link.

Sunday, December 25, 2011

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to all Bon Jovi fans and their families and friends, wherever they may be today.

Since I showcased Jon's Star Wars Christmas song this time last year, I figured a little Richie Sambora action might be in order for Christmas 2011. Here's O Come All Ye Faithful by the King of Swing.



Have a happy festive season and please be safe. :)

Saturday, December 24, 2011

JBJ Hope Concert videos

Let's celebrate Christmas Eve with some videos of Jon Bon Jovi & Friends at Hope Concert V, which took place on December 19. Earlier that day, Jon had been the victim of an internet death hoax which he joked about throughout the night.

The Letter - originally by The Box Tops, also covered by Joe Cocker


(Ain't Nothin' But A) House Party - originally by The Showstoppers, also covered by J. Geils Band


Blue Christmas - popularized by Elvis Presley

"He ain't dead, he just smells that way!" - Southside Johnny

Run, Run Rudolph
- popularized by Chuck Berry


Jon mimes fielding calls about his "death":


Bobby Bandiera gets a kiss from Jon as he tries to get all the musicians back on stage:


Set list was reportedly as follows (corrections welcome):

JBJ & Friends - Hope Concert V - Count Basie Theatre - Red Bank, New Jersey, USA - December 19, 2011
  1. The Letter [The Box Tops cover] - ft Southside Johnny
  2. (Ain't Nothin' But A) House Party [J. Geils Band cover] - ft Southside Johnny
  3. Wanted Dead or Alive
  4. Who Says You Can't Go Home
  5. We Weren't Born To Follow
  6. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town - ft Southside Johnny
  7. Blue Christmas - ft Southside Johnny, Gary "U.S." Bonds, Nicole Atkins
  8. Run, Run Rudolph - ft Southside Johnny, Gary "U.S." Bonds, Nicole Atkins

Richie Sambora album in 2012?

Looks like that long-awaited solo album might finally see the light of day, according to producer Luke Ebbin:
“Richie and I have worked on and off together for years,” explained Ebbin. “Richie came off the Bon Jovi tour energized and we got together to write a couple of songs. The results were very good, so we kept writing more and decided to go in and record them. The recordings came out great, so Richie decided why not make this a solo record? There are eight songs in the can now, including a co-write with Bernie Taupin. We’ve started round two of sessions and hope to have a full album done by early spring.”
We've been teased about this solo album for a decade or so, but is this the first time we've had a timeframe for release (albeit a very tentative one)? Either way, I'm keen to hear the results so fingers crossed!

Here are some videos of him at the Bikers Bash earlier this month (including this interview where he claims to have written 35 songs in the last couple of months):


I'll Be There For You:


Livin' on a Prayer:


Blowin' in the Wind (partial):


At the meet and greet:


He did play Fallen From Graceland but I haven't found a video of it. :(

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Heaven looks a lot like New Jersey: JBJ

"Heaven looks a lot like New Jersey." So says Jon Bon Jovi, and he should know, given he supposedly died December 19, 2011...

I actually completely missed all this drama as it was unfolding, but apparently this badly written fake press release was posted on Twitter and widely retweeted:
Rockstar Jon Bon Jovi (John Francis Bongiovi, Jr) was pronounced dead today after paramedics found him in a coma at his Empress Hotel, city and law enforcement of Asbury Park, NJ sources told The Times after World Christmas Tour concert on
The Bamboozle Festival,North Beach Asbury Park.

New Jersey Fire Department-First Aid Captain Douglas Gray told The Times that paramedics responded to a 911 call from the home. When they arrived, Bon Jovi was not breathing.

The paramedics performed CPR and took Bon Jovi to Jersey Shore Medical Center, Ruda said. Hundreds of reporters gathered at the hospital awaiting word on his condition. The sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said Bon Jovi team rushed to Bon Jovi’s bedside, where he suffered Cardiac arrest.

The detectives plan to interview relatives, friends and Bon Jovis’s doctors to try to figure out what happened. The N.J. County coroner’s office will determine a cause of death. A New Jersey Fire Department source told The Times that Bon Jovi was in full cardiac arrest when rescue units arrived.
And before long, news of Jon's "death" was trending on Twitter.

Confirming it was all a hoax, this photo was posted on Bon Jovi's Facebook and Twitter pages, as well as tour photographer David Bergman's Twitter.


(I've been known to bag Bon Jovi's use of social media in the past and will probably do so in the future, but that was a pretty cool response to the situation.)

Here's Jon joking about his demise at the Hope Concert, where he performed that very night.


I'll put more Hope Concert videos up soon but in the meantime you can check out this review from the Star-Ledger.

And according to Richie Sambora, he and the still-livin' Jon are working on the next Bon Jovi record. Richie also says he's recording his long-awaited solo album simultaneously. Because, you know, they'll sleep when they're dead. (Hey, everyone else has been spewing out the puns like crazy... I couldn't end this post without at least one! :P)

Friday, December 16, 2011

I Wish Everyday Could Be Like Christmas

Bon Jovi's Christmas song "I Wish Everyday Could Be Like Christmas" is being re-released in the US iTunes Store and Amazon MP3 Store with proceeds going to benefit the Special Olympics.



I believe this was originally recorded in 1992 and released as a B-side to the "Keep the Faith" single in the US, but also replaced Back Door Santa on later pressings of A Very Special Christmas (which had originally been released in 1987). Can someone confirm or deny this?

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Bon Jovi's Hidden Gems

This is a guest post by Daniel Ross... Enjoy!

Bon Jovi plays the hits. Thatʼs what the crowd wants and Jon, especially, gives the crowd what they want. As a die-hard fan who follows the tours, downloads bootlegs and occasionally engages the crowd over at the JoviTalk message board, this is not the Bon Jovi we love. Donʼt get me wrong, I LIKE the shows and I LIKE “Prayer,” “Wanted,” etc. but the Bon Jovi I LOVE is found in deeper album cuts that rarely, if ever, will see the light of day at their live shows.

Taking at look at each album the band has released (minus two greatest hits collections and the abomination that was “This Left Feels Right”) and four solo albums, one can find hidden gems. Below are my favorites. These arenʼt necessarily the best songs on the album (for instance “These Days” is definitely the best song from the “These Days” album, but itʼs not all that hidden to many fans). These are songs that arenʼt played live all that much (if at all) either these days.

Bon Jovi
None. “Runaway” is the only song from this album that I ever listen to. The rest is pretty Velveeta. This isnʼt a proper Bon Jovi album, in my opinion, as the band had not found its footing yet.

7800 Fahrenheit
7800 Fahrenheit isnʼt much better than the debut album but “King Of The Mountain,” though VERY 80s, is a fun song with a great chanting chorus. This one sounds better on vinyl so you can take the way-back machine to 1985.

Slippery When Wet
Wild In The Streets.” This one used to be played live quite often but then dropped. I fell in love with this one through the live version found on a “These Days” import single (recorded live at Wembley, 1995). Specifically, I love the intros to the solos Jon shouts out on the live cut. “Slippery” is so pervasive that there arenʼt many true deep cuts on this one.

New Jersey
Stick To Your Guns.” I have a theory that this was their attempt to recreate the success of “Wanted Dead Or Alive.” For a bunch of guys from New Jersey, they can pull off the cowboy motif very well. I prefer the studio version to any (rare) version Iʼve ever heard. I also get the impression that, were Richie in charge, this one would get more play. The line “And when you pray for independence” with Jonʼs impassioned vocal and Richieʼs harmony is the best part of the song.

Keep The Faith
Little Bit Of Soul.” A buddy of mine in high school lent me his VHS copy of “Keep The Faith: An Evening With Bon Jovi.” This is the song I latched onto immediately. Itʼs so hopeful and has always been a great pick-me-up. Pure rock nʼ roll. Love Richieʼs playing on this one.

These Days
My Guitar Lies Bleeding In My Arms.” The “These Days” album is my favorite. Much of it has to do with where I was in life when it came out (entering college and liking a very uncool band). However, I also think the band took more chances and stretched more as songwriters on this album than any other and the results showed. So much of me wishes theyʼd revisit this attitude. “Guitar” is a prime example of this. Dark and brooding with a huge chorus that addresses the listener with honesty. I also really dig Richieʼs fat Les Paul sound on this song (specifically the lick at 4:16).

Crush
Next 100 Years.” Very Beatle-esque and a absolutely killer outro. Remnants of “These Days” songwriting are apparent.

Bounce
None. Maybe “The Distance” but, otherwise, itʼs not a very good album. They chased the success of “Itʼs My Life” with a whole album of misfires.

Have A Nice Day

“Novocaine.” Itʼs kind of bitter and not all that happy but it has a sweet sound. Iʼve always wondered if Richieʼs marriage troubles were starting around this time. Production could be better though.

Lost Highway
None. See “Bounce” but swap out “Whole Lotta Leavinʼ” and “Who Says...” as reasons this album isnʼt better.

The Circle
Thorn In My Side.” They really killed it live with this one (via the YouTube videos I saw) with the extended guitar-mony jam at the end. The stops make this song.

SOLO ALBUMS
Santa Fe” and “Itʼs Just Me” for Jon and “Father Time” and “Harlem Rain” for Richieʼs solo albums.

What are your favorite hidden gems on each album?

About the Blogger:
Daniel is the Music and Communications Minister at the Christian Church of Jasper in Jasper,
Indiana. He is the father of two girls and husband to a beautiful woman. He has been a Bon Jovi
fan since 1987 when his older sister dubbed a copy of Slippery When Wet from her friend and he would sneak into her room to listen to it. He was also a rock star in the garage of his Tennessee home playing the tennis racquet (along with his friend Jeremy) and singing “Bad Medicine” (which had been recorded by holding a tape recorder up to the radio speaker. Heʼs seen Bon Jovi live four times (3 times in Nashville - 1995, 2008 and 2010 and once in Louisville, Ky. - 2010). Daniel writes and records his own music with the band Narrow Path (www.narrowpath.us) and blogs (very occasionally) at Alien Soil (www.aliensoil.blogspot.com). You can follow him on Twitter (@jdanielross).

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Bon Jovi headlining Bamboozle


Bon Jovi will headline the Bamboozle Festival in New Jersey next year:
ASBURY PARK — The Bamboozle Festival, which has grown into a music institution since its inception in 2003, will return to its birth city here in May with rocker Jon Bon Jovi headlining the three-day event.

John D’Esposito, Live Nation talent buyer and founder of the Bamboozle Festival, said Monday that it was time to return here, and the City Council last Friday agreed to sign an agreement for the 10th annual festival to be held on the city’s waterfront May 18, 19 and 20.

The event began in Asbury Park, but by 2006 moved to the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford.

So far, Bon Jovi, one of the top-touring acts in the music business, and the festival’s other headliners, California pop-punkers Blink-182 and the Foo Fighters, a top-selling rock band formed in 1994 by former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl, have been announced as performing.
Read the full Asbury Park Press article here.

Pre-sale tickets also go on sale today, check out BonJovi.com for details.

FYI the rumours about Bon Jovi playing a show in Russia next year are NOT true. There have been scammers about trying to sell tickets to this non-existent show so be very wary.