Hollywood Vampires announce springtime release of ‘Rise,’ share new song

The Hollywood Vampires are about to come out of hiding to give us all a brand new album. On Thursday (April 18), the Alice Cooper/Joe Perry/Johnny Depp supergroup announced plans to unleash their sophomore album later this spring. Titled Rise, the new record is due out June 21 through earMUSIC.

Unlike their debut album, this record will mostly feature original material written by the act. Sticking to their “original mission,” Hollywood Vampires’ upcoming release will feature three covers; David Bowie’s “Heroes,” Jim Carroll Band’s “People Who Died,” and Johnny Thunder’s “You Can’t Put Your Arms Around A Memory.”

The 16-track album was produced by longtime live Hollywood Vampires guitarist Tommy Henriksen.

“Rise is not only a totally different animal than the first Vampires album, it is unique to anything I’ve ever been a part of,” explains Alice Cooper.

“I approached it very differently than I usually do when working on an album. Each of us; Joe, Johnny, Tommy and myself have written songs on this album. What is different though is that I didn’t try to change any songs to be more ‘Alice-like.’ Because each of us has different influences, the sound of this album is very cool. I think that with this album, we are establishing what the Vampires’ sound really is, whereas with the first album we were more tipping our hats to our fallen rock n roll brothers.”

Joe Perry adds: “Rise came from pure creative energy, which is just like playing live with the Vampires. The record showcases everyone doing what they do best without anyone looking over our shoulders. There was no pressure or deadlines, allowing us to write and record an album that is one of the freest and most honest sounding records I’ve been part of. I can’t wait to perform some of these tunes live for our fans.”

Pre-orders for Rise are currently available on the band’s website where they are offering several bundles.

In addition to the new album announcement, Hollywood Vampires also released the record’s first single, “Who’s Laughing Now.” Watch the lyrics video for the new song above.

Before the album’s June release, the group will hit the touring circuit for a couple of shows in May. The springtime outing begins on May 10 at the Joint in Las Vegas and concludes a week later on May 18 at the Fantasy Springs Casino in Indio, California. Those dates can be found here.

Watch I Prevail overrun an arcade in ‘Rise’

I Prevail are back to close the book on their Lifelines era with one last music video. On Tuesday (May 15), the Michigan-founded band unleashed the music video for their fan-favorite track, “Rise.” The three-and-a-half minute clip begins with a zoomed out shot of a white van parked in the middle of a deserted parking lot. The shot switches to the four guys sitting inside of the van as they are about to put on some ultra-cheesy clown masks. Even though someone decides they don’t want to participate, they go forward with their still-unknown plan.

At first, it appears like they are about to rob a bank or some sort of store, but it turns out that they are making their way towards a grimy, desolate building. Once they enter the building, they hand over some cash and make their way into an old-school arcade.

Surrounded by children, the guys don’t care as they start to wreak havoc. They take the kids’ tickets, push them out of games, try to steal the prizes, and even cheat at Skeetball (in their defense, it is a hard game). That’s about the time when the kids decide to join forces for a full mutiny.

“We knew we wanted to create a video for ‘Rise’ very early on in the making of Lifelines,” lead/guitarist Steve Menoian explains.

“The song is an anthem about the competition and dedication that comes with overcoming obstacles and achieving goals. During our first year of touring, we spent almost every day off at Dave & Busters. This was partly because we couldn’t afford hotels or fancy restaurants, but mostly because we found ourselves having to compete with each other at every turn, no matter how petty or small the stakes.

It’s just part of who we are. This video will give you a front row seat to our over competitiveness and a window into our darker sense of humor. The entire process of making this video allowed us to travel back in time and remember how much we love what we do and how we wouldn’t want to be doing this without each other and our fans.”

Watch the music video for “Rise” above.

“Rise” is featured on I Prevail’s debut album Lifelines. The record was released back in 2016. In support of the album’s release, the band has been touring nonstop for the past two years. Currently, they are in the middle of wrapping up a mid-western tour which will find them performing at select venues and several music festivals including WIXO Spring Fling in Illinois, Rock on the Range in Ohio, and Rocklahoma in Oklahoma. I Prevail’s current tour schedule can be seen below.

I PREVAIL TOUR DATES:

May 18 – WIXO Spring Fling – Peoria, IL
May 19 – Lafayette Theater – Lafayette, IN
May 20 – Rock On The Range– Columbus, OH
May 25 – Rocklahoma – Pryor, OK
May 26 – Dos Equis Pavillion – Dallas, TX
June 01 – The Apollo Theatre – Genoa, IL
June 02 – Rockfest –Kansas City, KS
June 03 –Pop’s – Sauget, IL

Katy Perry releases surprise new single for 2016 Rio Olympics

It’s been a while since Katy Perry released any new music, though it can be argued that last November’s “Every Day is a Holiday” does count as a new song. Now, things have slightly changed with the singer unveiling a brand new, surprise track. On Friday (July 15), Perry debuted a brand new song titled “Rise.” In a press release, the singer explains how NBC Olympics chose the song to be the official anthem for the 2016 Rio Olympics and how instead of waiting for her new album to come out, she decided to release the song now, when there is a “need for our world to unite.”

“This is a song that’s been brewing inside me for years, that has finally come to the surface. I was inspired to finish it now, rather than save it for my next album, because now more than ever, there is a need for our world to unite,” Perry explains in a press release about how the song came to be completed.

“I know that together we can rise above the fear – in our country, and around the world. I can’t think of a better example than the Olympic athletes, as they gather in Rio with their strength and fearlessness, to remind us how we ALL can come together, with the resolve to be the best we can be. I hope this song can inspire us to heal, unite, and rise together. I am honored that NBC Olympics has chosen to use it as an anthem before and during the Rio Games.”

The music video for “Rise” can be seen below. The clip begins with video of locations in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (where the games will take place) before switching over to clips of a slew of athletes training and competing in the medley of events set to take place during the month-long games which kicks off on Aug. 5.

“Rise” is currently available on iTunes and Apple Music. While rumors of a new album/new music has been circulating since she wrapped up the final leg of her “Prismatic World Tour,” Perry has never come forth and confirmed that a new album was in the works. Considering the reference to a new album she made in her press release about “Rise,” it’s probably only a matter of time before she announces her long-awaited follow-up to 2013’s Prism.

Stream the Multi Record Label Sampler, ‘From the Get Go’

Fearless, Hopeless, No Sleep, Rise, Pure Noise, Epitaph, Bad Timing, Artery, and Blue Swan Records have all joined forces to release one massive music sampler. From The Get Go is a 20-song sampler which showcases some of the new artists the labels have signed to their expanding rosters. Some of the record label heads like Ian Harrison from Hopeless, Zack Zarrillo from Bad Timing (and formerly of Property of Zack), Will Swan from Blue Swan, and more spoke about the joint effort to Alternative Press.

“There are so many great new bands in our community that deserve to be discovered by fans and this sampler put them all in one spot,” explains Harrison. “From The Get Go is the future of our scene.”

“From The Get Go is a great way for multiple record labels to come together to showcase just a few parts of what makes our individual rosters so exciting. This is hopefully the start of an annual tradition where we can share and bolster our bands and catalogs,” added Zarrillo.

Fearless Sal Torres added, “We wanted to do something that was fun and showed community through all the great bands and people that we work with. These songs are some of the artist’s introduction to the world, and we just wanted to help people discover them great way.”

“All of the labels involved have stellar fan bases, all slightly different. One may be primarily teenage male driven, while another may be older and international. All in all, this is an amazing opportunity to expose bands to a vast amount of new demographics. Artery Recordings was proud to contribute,” said Artery president Shan Dan.

While Blue Swan’s Will Swan added, “I think this sampler is an awesome opportunity for people to discover the best up and coming acts from the top labels in the scene. We’re ushering in a new era of bands that are going to take over and you can say you heard it here first.”

The sampler can be streamed below while the track list featuring the artist, song, and the record label can also be viewed below.

FROM THE GET GO TRACK LIST:

1. Conquer Divide – “Nightmares” (Artery Recordings)
2. Phinehas – “Truth Be Told” (Artery Recordings)
3. Bonfires – “Bury Me” (Bad Timing Records)
4. Head North – “The Planet” (Bad Timing Records)
5. Eidola – “To Know What’s Real” (Blue Swan Records)
6. Hail The Sun – “Human Target Practice” (Blue Swan Records)
7. Beautiful Bodies – “Capture & Release” (Epitaph Records)
8. This Wild Life – “Stay Up Late” (Epitaph Records)
9. Crooks UK – “A Few Peaceful Days” (Equal Vision Records)
10. Gatherers – “God Deluxe” (Equal Vision Records)
11. As It Is – “Cheap Shots & Setbacks” (Fearless Records)
12. Movements – “Protection (Demo)” (Fearless Records)
13. Trash Boat – “Perspective” (Hopeless Records)
14. Trophy Eyes – “In Return” (Hopeless Records)
15. Ghost Key – “Judgement” (No Sleep Records)
16. WSTR – “Graveyard Shift” (No Sleep Records)
17. Brigades – “Knife Dance” (Pure Noise Records)
18. Jule Vera – “Scarlet Letter” (Pure Noise Records)
19. Light Up The Sky – “I Will Never” (Rise Records)
20. Rarity – “Anne Hathaway” (Rise Records)