Monday, May 30, 2016

Hey man, I'm alive... (and updates from Bon Jovi land)

It's been a long, long, LONG time since my last post. I hadn't intended to be off the grid for so long, but you know how it is... You decide to take an extended break between legs of a tour and in the blink of an eye, you've been out of the band for three years and they've made two records without you. Oh wait, that's someone else's story. :P

All jokes aside, I am still alive. I started studying again this year, which has taken a bit of getting used to, and I'm working on my first novel. (I also have a writing/everything else blog, on which I average about a post a month -- not that impressive, but better than what I've been doing here.)

As proof of life, here I am getting pulled up on stage at a Bon Jovi tribute show in Perth. (The video's actually 10 months old, which makes it even older than my last post, but I don't think I ever shared it here. I feel a bit silly but it was fun.)


As far as Bon Jovi goes, I've been sharing bits and pieces on Blame It On The Love's Facebook page so come over and like us if you haven't already.

The biggest news on the Bon Jovi front is that the band has completed its latest album, This House Is Not For Sale. And after spectacularly parting ways with Mercury Records when they released Burning Bridges last year, they are now back with Mercury/Island/Universal Music Group. Go figure!

Hugh McDonald, David Bryan, Tico Torres, John Shanks (producer), Jon Bon Jovi, Phil X.
Photo by David Bergman.

I must say, I do like the fact that Phil X is in this photo because it implies that he recorded on the new album -- as he should, given he works as a session guitarist and is likely to be playing these songs on tour. I was worried that they would just use John Shanks as the guitarist in the studio like they did on Burning Bridges.

Speaking of guitarists... At the opening of the B.E.A.T. Center (Bringing Everyone All Together) in Ocean County, New Jersey, Jon was interviewed by CBS This Morning. He said this about Richie Sambora:
"I haven't seen him in over three years. He just didn't show up for work anymore. And that's the truth of the matter."

Which is pretty sad really. I don't mean that in a judgmental way; simply that many of us know first hand how quickly someone can go from being a massive part of your life to being virtually nothing.

Meanwhile, Orianthi spoke to Rolling Stone about her long-awaited album with Richie. And apparently (cue everyone with an opinion about Lost Highway) it'll have a country feel:
"The great thing about country songs is the storytelling. They're really moving and well-crafted, and that's something Richie and I wanted to explore. 
"There are songs where I'm just singing and he's backing me up, and vice versa, and songs where we're singing together... It really takes you on a journey, and there's a great blend to our voices."
Read the full article at Rolling Stone.

So, what do you think? Looking forward to the new album(s)? Filled with dread? Somewhere in between? Let me know.

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