March 10, 2008 - L.A.-Germany-L.A.-Germany-L.A...........
Well, I am getting ready to jet on over to Germany for the annual Musikmesse Frankfurt in a few days. I'll be performing on three successive days, March 13-15, at the Paiste booth (A.25 in Hall 3.0) so I've been preparing a bunch of material for what will likely be about a 50-minute set. I'm playing both 'Peppered Cancer' and 'School' from my 'Performance & Technique' DVD (why did I have to make these tunes so damn complicated?! LOL) as well as a few other pieces; I also plan on doing some free form soloing and will be signing autographs along with Tommy Aldridge, Mikkey Dee, and Nick Barker, among others.
Speaking of massive music conventions - NAMM 2008 down in Anaheim, CA is in the books for another year. I did a signing for Vic Virth and stopped by all my other endorsers (thanks for the continued support, y'all!). My bro Ron and his wife made it out, too - always good to see family. It was a crazy marathon per usual but a welcome opportunity to hang out and do some drinkin' and feastin' (the Paiste people always do it right - best cymbals AND best food.... and some good jazz to boot! Cheers, guys!) with friends and hearing some great music. Check out a couple of pix taken at the Vic Firth and Paiste booths, respectively. Also look for the DW NAMM 2008 Wrap-Up on the DW website under 'video' and watch yours truly being interviewed along with a bunch of other drummers.
Right after NAMM I was in Germany for a short week to lay down drum tracks for a friend of mine, René Thomsen, and his all-star project RUTHLESS. Very Teutonic sounding stuff with lots of double bass! None other than Herman Frank of Accept fame was producing and playing guitar. Neil Murray (Whitesnake, Black Sabbath) and Nibbs Carter (Saxon) are on bass, and Stefan Schwarzmann (Krokus, Helloween) also played drums on a couple tracks. I have no idea when and where the album will surface but check their MySpace for the latest.
Got a bunch more stuff in the works and summer looks to be pretty busy but nothing I can talk about just yet. As they say: Stay tuned.
Bobby
December 5, 2007
Back in the U.S.of A.!
Thought I'd do a quick update being that a few things have happened since my last entry. Got back into town last week from the European FATES WARNING tour. I had an awesome time with the guys and we seem to vibe rather nicely on a musical level as well. The gigs went great and the traveling and off-stage hanging out was fun and........ entertaining.
We started off in Holland and Germany with Pagan's Mind in tow before flying down to Greece, which is a strong market for Fates (Jim Matheos being of Greek origin might have something to do with that, too). The Athens 'homecoming' had to be celebrated accordingly into the morning hours, of course. Nice one! Then it was on to the UK for a one-off at the Underworld in London where the band hadn't played live in a long time; other than the gig itself we definitely won't forget the 'unusual Fish & Chips' anytime soon. Same goes for the 'unreal tour bus' in Spain, which was our last tour stop. (Almost) never a dull moment! You can read Joey Vera's tour recap HERE and check out the photos Frank Aresti took at THIS location (MySpace log-in required). We also talked a bit about working together more in the future - I'm looking forward to that.
Also, I just did another sample session for 'Platinum Samples - Engineered Drums for BFD'. This time I worked with legendary Grammy winning producer Jim Scott (Sting, Tom Petty, Johnny Cash). For the session we sampled drums and cymbals from Jim's own collection, which were used on many of the classic recordings that he produced. Pretty mindblowing to be around so much vintage gear and hear about all the history connected to it. For you drum/studio fiends - check out the last Platinum session I was involved in: the 'Joe Barresi - Evil Drums' 6-DVD package is now available. Click HERE for more information and download the demos (full bandwidth 44.1kHz/24 bit WAV files).
On the live front, I'm back East with SEBASTIAN BACH this weekend as we are doing a private concert for the winner of WDHA-FM/105.5's 'WDHA Rocks Your House' promotion. On Saturday, December 8, we'll be invading the home of some lucky New Jersey-area listener, set up in his or her living room, and rock the house exclusively for the winner's friends, family, and neighbors. Should be a ball! The 'Angel Down' CD, which I have a co-write on ('Stabbing Daggers'), is in stores now and getting great reviews. Click HERE to listen to short samples of all the tunes!
Bobby
November 6, 2007
FATES WARNING European tour dates; recording with GEORGE LYNCH; (w)rapping (up) with SEBASTIAN BACH & 'Angel Down' countdown!
Hey everyone:
Just a quick update before I head out on the road for a bit. We had our final FATES WARNING rehearsal in L.A. over the weekend and are getting ready to jet over to Europe for a couple of weeks. The line-up is the same that did the Evolution Fest earlier this summer in Italy, i.e. Ray Alder, Jim Matheos, Frank Aresti, Joey Vera and myself. I've been learning a whole bunch of extra material going back to the 'No Exit' album so get ready for a varied set of Alder-era Fates! The tour itinerary is as follows:
Nov. 10 - Boerderij - Zoetermeer, Netherlands
Nov. 11 - Batschkapp - Frankfurt, Germany
Nov. 12 - Markthalle - Hamburg, Germany
Nov. 14 - Rockfabrik - Ludwigsburg, Germany
Nov. 15 - Live Music Hall - Cologne, Germany
Nov. 16 - De Bosuil - Weert, Netherlands
Nov. 17 - De Lantaarn - Hellendoorn, Netherlands
Nov. 19 - Gagarin 205 - Athens, Greece
Nov. 21 - Underworld - London, England
Nov. 22 - Copernico - Madrid, Spain
Nov. 23 - KGB - Barcelona, Spain
On another note, a while back I was introduced to guitarist GEORGE LYNCH and he asked me if I was interested in playing on some new stuff he was working on. I liked what I heard so a couple of weeks ago I spent two days tracking at Henson Studios in Hollywood, formerly A&M Studios (once owned by screen icon Charlie Chaplin who built it in 1917), one of the best places to record around town. Not quite sure who else will be on the album or when/where this thing will see the light of day so keep checking GeorgeLynch.com for the latest on that front.
I also taped the last 2 episodes, including the series grand finale, of MTV's 'Celebrity Rap Superstar' with SEBASTIAN BACH; if you don't blink you can see me with Baz performing 'Slam' by Onyx. Don't forget to mark your calendars - the worldwide release of 'Angel Down' is set for November 20th via EMI! Click HERE to listen to short samples of all the tunes!
See you guys on the road!
Bobby
September 5, 2007
Hey all!
First off - good news for all you HALFORD maniacs stateside! If you haven't picked up the import version already, 'Metal God Essentials Vol. 1' will finally be in stores via Metal God Entertainment/Super D Independent Distribution on September 11; copies are also available directly from Rob's webstore at RobHalford.com. I just got mine the other day and the digipak version looks awesome - very nice packaging! In addition to the audio CD, which includes two new studio tracks, 'Forgotten Generation' and 'Drop Out', there is also a DVD with all the Halford promo videos and other visuals so you definitely get your money's worth.
On the livefront, I'll be back with SEBASTIAN BACH for the Edge Fest 2007, set to take place Saturday, September 22 on the Altamont Fairgrounds, Altamont, New York. '(Love Is) A Bitchslap', the first single off 'Angel Down', featuring co-lead vocals by Axl Rose of Guns 'N' Roses, has an official radio impact date of September 4 - yesterday! Axl is contributing vocals on three of the album's songs- 'Bitchslap', our cover of Aerosmith's 'Back In the Saddle', and 'Stuck Inside.' The album is set for release on November 20 through a joint venture between Merovingian Music, Ltd. (MRV) and Sebastian's Get Off My Bach Productions, distributed worldwide through the Caroline/EMI Music Group. For a brand new, comprehensive interview with Sebastian about 'Angel Down' click here.
After doing the Evolution Fest with FATES WARNING last July, I'm going back out with Jim Matheos and the guys in November for a short European tour. Confirmed dates so far are as follows (more shows are in the works - stay tuned for venues and dates):
Nov. 10 - Zoetermeer, Netherlands
Nov. 11 - Frankfurt, Germany
Nov. 12 - Hamburg, Germany
Nov. 14 - Ludwigsburg, Germany
Nov. 15 - Cologne, Germany
Nov. 16 - Weert, Netherlands
Nov. 17 - Helendoorn, Netherlands
Last but not least, check out the new ROB ROCK disc, 'Garden of Chaos', which came out in Japan on August 22 via Victor Entertainment/JVC Music; the import version, which comes with different artwork, is available from CD Japan for fairly low dough. It will be issued in Europe on September 23 through AFM Records and in North America on October 23 through Candlelight Records. I played on all but one song on Rob's last album, 'Holy Hell', and I'm on two tracks, 'This Time is the Last Time' and 'Ride the Wind', this time around. Once again my good friend and Halford band mate Roy Z, who also helmed the Sebastian Bach album, co-produced and wrote most of the songs.
Bobby
August 2, 2007
Hey everyone:
Just wanted to give you a quick update on what's been going on as of late. Got back from Italy a couple of weeks ago where I played the Evolution Fest with FATES WARNING. We pulled it off pretty well considering I only had one rehearsal with Joey (Vera) in L.A. and then another day with the full band just prior to the show. Frank (Aresti) took a bunch of photos which are posted over on his personal MySpace. Click HERE to view them.
Speaking of MySpace, I got my page up and running so feel free to stop by and add yourselves to my Friends so you can receive regular updates. You can find me at MySpace.com/BobbyJarzombek
Also, HALFORD fans take note that the 'Metal God Essentials Vol. 1', previously available as a digital download only, is now out as a European import on Frontiers Records who put together a killer looking deluxe digi-pak and a standard jewel case version. The album features two new studio tracks, 'Forgotten Generation' and 'Drop Out', along with 13 other great tracks spanning Rob's solo career, plus you get a bonus DVD with live performances, videos, and more good stuff. The import version(s) can be purchased directly from RobHalford.com. Rob has also signed deals with Fusion 3 (Canada) and Riot! Entertainment (Australia/New Zealand) and will announce U.S. and Japan outlets shortly so all the main markets will be pretty much covered.
More news soon.
Bobby
June 5, 2007
FINALLY!
My cast came off my wrist last Wednesday, May 30th, and although I'm still feeling a little pain I'm feeling like a normal human being once again. I played a couple gigs over the weekend using both hands and I am surprised at how quickly everything seems to be healing.
Thank God I wasn't completely laid up and useless during those 6 weeks and was able to do a few things to keep busy. I worked at a couple of studios with the awesome 'Evil' Joe Barresi (TOOL, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE) and drum tech extraordinaire, Mike Fasano, for several days on a drum samples library for 'Platinum Samples - Engineered Drums for BFD'. Joe got some of the sickest drum sounds in the universe - check them out at https://www.platinumsamples.com//JoeBarresi.html. I even got into Rick Allen mode playing local weekend gigs with one hand. It was pretty interesting and not as difficult as I thought it might be. Obviously, my right hand had to work twice as hard to try and cover all the parts; I think it must've been pretty amusing to watch! I also did a bit of left foot triggering - thanks to Mike Snyder and Tim Root at Roland Electronics for hooking me up with the trigger pedal.
Last but not least, I am happy to announce that I'll be sitting behind the kit with FATES WARNING for their European one-off at the Evolution Fest www.evolutionfest.it/ in Italy where I played with SEBASTIAN BACH in 2005; this year's edition is scheduled for July 7 at the Ippodromo Le Mulina in Firenze. I had actually worked with the Fates guys a couple of years ago when they were sorting out their drummer situation and demoed a couple songs for their last studio album, plus I've known Ray (Alder) for years being that we both grew up in San Antonio. So when they called me to inquire if I was interested in playing this show with them I didn't have to think hard as long as my wrist was good to go. I'm really looking forward to playing with Fates and I'm leaving the door open for future collaborations should our schedules line up.
Speaking of the future, I'm working on setting up a drum clinic tour for later in the year; any drum/music stores that are interested in having me for a demonstration - please feel free to get in touch with me through my website at www.bobbyjarzombek.com
Bobby
April 23, 2007
"Just one of them days...............
"So I'm in the process of re-arranging my rehearsal studio in Hollywood the other day when my shoelace gets caught in the 'U' part of a guitar stand (the part that the neck sits into) that was laying on the floor. I couldn't get loose, stumbled, and instinctively stuck my hands out to break my fall. When I got back up it started to hurt but at first I didn't think it was anything more than a strain. I had a doctor take a look at it anyway and X-rays confirmed that I had broken my left wrist. The doc tells me that it's a clean break and will heal nicely but I need to have a cast on for about 6 weeks. I've never had a broken bone in my life so this is a bit strange for me. By the way, in addition to the standard white, casts come in all colors these days - red, blue, yellow, you name it. I went for the black, of course. Gotta keep it METAL!
"I had a couple of local recording sessions booked in the coming weeks that I was looking forward to; those are out the window. Another bummer is that I'll have to let go the May 4th PAINMUSEUM show at the SOS Festival at Expo Feria in Torreon, Mexico although the gig isn't cancelled altogether. Metal Mike has been making a few calls and already has a replacement ready to go - I'm sure he'll make the announcement shortly. As far as the June gigs with Sebastian in Japan and Australia/New Zealand are concerned - some of that seems to be up in the air right now but I'm sure an official announcement will be made in the coming days.
"In the meantime, I think I'll be working on my double bass drumming and look forward to having this contraption removed as soon as the doctors feel I'm good to go and can start rehab exercises."
Bobby
4/13/07
Hey everyone!
Welcome to my brand new website!
Sorry it's taken me this long to launch this re-vamp but hopefully it was worth it and you'll find this website to be an even more complete resource for what you're looking for than the old site. First and foremost, I've added quite an extensive FAQ section that should answer a lot of questions with regard to my drumming and history you might have been curious about so knock yourselves out!
Anyway, first things first: A few weeks ago I spent some time visiting with family and friends back in my hometown of San Antonio, TX. I ended up doing an interview with Robb Chavez who's the host of 'Robb's Metal Works', a local metal TV show that's become a real institution over the years. We talked about everything from my early days in the SA metal scene with JUGGERNAUT, to my drum DVD, 'Performance & Technique', and all things SEBASTIAN BACH, HALFORD, PAINMUSEUM, and SPASTIC INK. The segment is set to air on Sunday, April 15 at 10pm; 'Metal Works' can be seen on Time Warner Cable Channel 50 locally. Check www.robbsmetalworks.com for more details.
Lots has happened since I last posted an update back in June of '06. For one, I accumulated a hell of a lot of frequent flyer miles traveling all around the world with SEBASTIAN BACH. After crisscrossing Europe opening up for GUNS N' ROSES all summer long and flying out to Japan for the UDO Music Festival, we also made it to China, which is still pretty much virgin rock'n'roll territory, and the land down under, Australia. What an experience! After chilling for a bit in L.A., we headed back out with Guns and several different opening acts for a solid two months around the US and Canada winding things down just before Christmas with 3 kick ass shows at the Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, CA. Home, sweet adopted home!
We've been idle ever since but summer dates are being booked as we speak: We are kicking things off with 4 shows in Japan in early June, just got confirmed as direct support to GUNS N' ROSES on their tour of Australia and New Zealand, and will be trekking over to Europe in July for a return engagement at the Evolution Festival in the beautiful Tuscany region of Italy before heading North to Norway where we'll play the Kvinesdal Rockfestival. Exact dates and places are as follows:
Jun. 01 - Shimin-kaikan Chu Hall - Nagoya, Japan
Jun. 02 - IMP Hall - Osaka, Japan
Jun. 04 - C.C. Lemon Hall (Shibuya Kokaido) - Tokyo, Japan
Jun. 05 - Koseinenkin Kaikan - Tokyo, Japan
Jun. 10 - Burswood Dome - Perth, Australia
Jun. 13 - Entertainment Centre - Adelaide, Australia
Jun. 15 - Rod Laver Arena - Melbourne, Australia
Jun. 20 - Entertainment Centre - Brisbane, Australia
Jun. 23 - Acer Arena - Sydney, Australia
Jun. 29 - Vector Arena - Auckland, New Zealand
Jul. 07 - Evolution Festival - Firenze, Italy
Jul. 13 - Kvinesdal Rockfestival - Kvinesdal, Norway
As for the long awaited release of the 'Angel Down' album - I don't know where exactly things stand at the moment. I tracked all my drums last summer and pretty much everything is recorded. Sebastian tweaked some of his vocals last time he was in town for a 'Gilmore Girls' shoot so I'd imagine we're getting close to wrapping things up. Obviously, part of the delay has to do with record company stuff and Sebastian switching labels. In any case, I'm positive people will dig the album when it does come out - the reaction we've been getting to some of the 'Angel Down' songs, like 'Love Is A Bitch Slap', 'By My Side' or 'American Metalhead', which some of you might recognize from the PAINMUSEUM record I did with my HALFORD and now Bach band mate Metal Mike, has been very encouraging.
Which brings me to another topic: Given my quite busy schedule with Sebastian I've had to step down from my ICED EARTH duties. I would've liked to be part of the new album but, unfortunately, I couldn't give Jon Schaffer a touring commitment when he asked me a few months ago. So he decided to bring back Brent Smedley who was available to do both the album and the corresponding tour. I really enjoyed my time in ICED EARTH but regrettably the timing of my involvement wasn't the best. Ultimately, the only touring we were able to do behind 'The Glorious Burden' was a short run in the US and a couple of European festivals before things came to a halt. Soon after that I was approached about doing some shows with Sebastian, which turned into a full-time situation pretty quickly. Good luck to Jon, Tim and the rest of the guys - I'm sure they'll make a kick ass record.
On the HALFORD front, I hope you all dig the new tunes, 'Forgotten Generation' (watch the video here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmmEGtHDjUg ) and 'Drop Out', that are part of the 'Metal God Essentials Vol. 1' package available for downloading at www.HalfordMusic.com and iTunes. Rob has re-acquired the rights to his back catalog and re-issued various titles and configurations through his new company, Metal God Entertainment (MGE), including a re-worked version of 'Crucible', mixed and mastered by the very capable Tue Madsen (MNEMIC, THE HAUNTED, HIMSA) over in Denmark. Part of the expanded 'Crucible' package is this version of 'Never Satisfied' www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilkg_vEm9bo with a killer 'behind the back' Hendrix-style guitar solo by Roy Z; the footage is from the very last HALFORD show at The Grove in Anaheim, CA in early 2003. You can also look forward to a 'Halford - Live at Rock In Rio 2001' DVD which will be accompanied by an audio soundtrack, 'Halford - Live at Rock In Rio III.' Watch the promotional trailer at www.RobHalford.com/trailers. As for 'Halford IV' - I'm confident that we will have product in stores sometime in the near future. Keep checking Rob's website for the latest news.
Before I go, I wanted to pass along the links to few shots of yours truly at NAMM Show 2007, courtesy of my stick company, Vic Virth. NAMM is a grueling 4-day marathon (if you can stand it for that long.....) and parking down in Anaheim sucks worse every year but it's always great to run into all sorts of friends and colleagues you don't usually see much - or not at all - all year long. This year I ran into everyone from Thomas Lang and Derek Roddy to Gene Hoglan and Mike Portnoy, a virtual who's who, including the following gentlemen:
www.vicfirth.com/features/NAMM2007/images/04.jpg
Gregg Bissonette, me, Jason McGerr (Death Cab for Cutie), Simon Wright (Dio)
www.vicfirth.com/features/NAMM2007/images/09.jpg
Me, Adrian Erlandsson (ex-Cradle of Filth), Daniel Erlandsson (Arch Enemy), Jason Rullo (Symphony X)
www.vicfirth.com/features/NAMM2007/images/26.jpg
Me, Corky Lang (Mountain), Jason McGerr (Death Cab for Cutie), Jason Rullo (Symphony X), Simon Wright (Dio)
Hope to see you guys somewhere along the way this summer.
"Go Spurs!"
Bobby
