Heaven & Hell Online Premiere Of "Bible Black"

Heaven & Hell - 2009 photo by Chapman Baehler / Rhino Entertainment.

"Bible Black" is the first single from the new Heaven & Hell album 'The Devil You Know'. The track was made available for online streaming today. There are a couple places where this is possible, including the Heaven & Hell MySpace player and also at Noise Creep.

Capitals Vs Maple Leafs 03/24/2009 Review

Curtis Joseph celebrates shootout win over the Capitals.
Photo by Chris Young - AP Photo / Canadian Press.

Capitals 2 - Maple Leafs 3 SO

All hail goaltender Curtis Joseph. He stole the show last night, after replacing his Toronto Maple Leafs teammate Martin Gerber in net with 57 seconds of regulation left on the clock. The Washington Capitals showed no mercy, bombarding Joseph with shots, but CuJo was impenetrable.

Capitals goalie Jose Theodore was sharp in net too, but the team overall were not the overpowering force they should've been, while facing a team that hasn't been very good this season. Most of the first 59 minutes of play were not awe inspiring. Neither team brought their fans more than a few moments of excitement until the very end.

The game tying goal by Washington's forward Brooks Laich came at 19:03 in the third period. The crease in front of Toronto's net was very crowded when Laich jammed the puck through Gerber, or maybe i should say with Gerber, across the goal line and into the net. Gerber thought he had the puck stopped, and there should've been a whistle. He was so mad about the goal being ruled good, that he started shoving his way though everybody. While he was flipping out, he earned himself a game misconduct, for making contact with a referee and a linesman. That's when he was replaced by Joseph.

CuJo only played a total of 5:57 including overtime, before the game went to a shootout. He stopped nine quality shots during that time. Five of those shots came in immediate succession, from the area just in front of the goal. I can't lie, my daughter Chelsea and I found that sequence rather thrilling. We are both fans of Joseph. He was her favorite goalie when he played for Detroit. The Red Wings used to be her favorite team as well. Still, it's a shame his heroics came against our beloved Capitals. The shootout that followed also proved fruitless for Washington.

With another chance to move closer to the top of the conference thwarted, it's a good thing the Caps have a bit of a cushion within their division. The team has until Friday to make adjustments, when they'll face the Tampa Bay Lightning at home.

Annual Washington Capitals Winter Classic

2009 NHL Winter Classic.
Photo from Army.mil .

There's an idea that's been rolling around in my relatively empty head for a while now. How about having an annual 'Washington Capitals Winter Classic'? I don't mean an NHL controlled event, but one overseen by the Capitals team organization itself.

I'm talking about doing something that includes a visual experience quite different from the fine outdoor spectacle the league has given us over the last couple hockey seasons. What I'm suggesting will be very different for the players as well. As a matter of fact, what I'm suggesting doesn't even involve any NHL players at all. Well, at least they wouldn't be playing in the game. Not current players anyway. So this would also not be similar to the annual outdoor practice at the Chevy Chase Country Club.

No, what I'd like to see involves some serious role reversal. The plan is to have Chairman and majority owner Ted Leonsis, joined by hockey operations and communications personnel, trading in the suits for hockey uniforms. That's right Mike Vogel (senior writer) and Brett Leonhardt (web site producer), this includes you too. Don't worry guys, skating ability won't matter that much. This is for fun, right? Your team roster would look something like the following.


"Washington Capitals Suits":

Ted Leonsis (C) - Center
Mike Vogel (A) - Left Wing
Sean "Spike" Parker - Right Wing
George "The Undertaker" McPhee (A) - Defense
Nate Ewell - Defense
Brett "Stretch" Leonhardt - Goaltender


Of course, there would have to be an opposing team to play against, which could be different from year to year. A similar group from the Hershey Bears organization would be the obvious choice, but there are others. Why not enlist the local sports news media?


"Washington Media Mob" or maybe "Washington PapaRusty":

Corey Masisak - Center
Lisa Hillary (A) - Left Wing
Craig "Locker" Laughlin (C) - Right Wing
"Smokin" Al Koken - Defense
Tarik El-Bashir (A) - Defense or Goaltender
Joe Beninati - Goaltender


Oh yeah, remember when I said "... skating ability won't matter that much." Turns out, it won't matter at all, because you won't be skating on ice. Instead, you'll be driving small cars on a surface of mostly snow like the guys at "Top Gear" (BBC TV car show) have done in honor of the Winter Olympics. They didn't use goaltenders, so I suppose that position would be optional.

Top Gear - Suzuki Swift Car Ice Hockey

For referees and announcers, you might call on youth league refs, the Caps' radio guys Steve Kolbe and Ken Sabourin or some of the more knowledgeable hockey bloggers. Hopefully, the whole thing could raise money for a deserving charitable cause such as AIDS, Alzheimer's, Autism or Cancer. Cars that are still road worthy could be donated after the event if they aren't kept for the next year. It would be great if this could really happen starting next winter. What do you think?

'The Devil You Know' Update Press Release

The album cover art comes from a painting called "Satan", which is
apparently by an artist named "Per Øyvind Haagensen" from Norway.
The version used on album cover is slightly modified from the original.

Latest album update Press Release for North America, from Rhino (included cover art shown above):

HEAVEN & HELL INTRODUCES THE DEVIL YOU KNOW

Highly Anticipated New Album from Dio, Iommi, Butler, and Appice,
Their First in 17 Years, Features Epic First Single "Bible Black"

Available from Rhino April 28

LOS ANGELES -- After finishing several heralded world tours as Heaven & Hell last summer, Ronnie James Dio, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Vinny Appice were tighter than ever before, both musically and personally. Agreeing that it would be a shame to stop making music together at tour's end, the quartet began writing, first in England at Iommi's home studio and later in Los Angeles at Dio's studio. "The band had gotten too good to just walk away", Dio says. "We wanted to show people that we were still capable of giving them new music that measured up to what we'd done in the past."

With that goal in mind, the band once again converged on Rockfield Studios in Wales last winter, the same place they used 17 years earlier to record their last album, Dehumanizer. The result is the long awaited new album THE DEVIL YOU KNOW, featuring 10 soon-to-be-classic tracks from the Dio-fronted version of Black Sabbath. The highly anticipated set arrives on April 28 from Rhino for a suggested list price of $18.98 (physical) and $9.99 (digital).

It took less than three weeks to finish the album, with most of the songs only needing a couple of takes. "It was good to play them live in the studio. It keeps you on edge", Iommi says. "I mean, somewhere along the line we were gonna have to play them live; might as well start in the studio." Butler adds: "We've learned from the past that you can kill a song doing it over and over. The first Sabbath albums were done in two or three days. Technically they weren't great, but vibe-wise they were great. If you capture that feeling, that's all you need."

"Bible Black", the epic first single, begins with Iommi on acoustic guitar behind Dio's plaintive wail before the rhythm shifts to a menacing stomp for the rest of this dark tale about a book of sinister scriptures. One of the first songs written for the album, Dio says it established a tone for the rest of the album. "When you start off with a blockbuster like that, it makes the rest of the album so much easier because it gives you a benchmark to measure the other songs against."

Iommi proves he hasn't lost the ability to inspire six-string envy, unleashing riffs like a pack of rabid hellhounds on "Atom And Evil", "Fear", "Neverwhere", and "Eating The Cannibals", a tune about doing more than biting the hand that feeds. Butler and Appice slow the pace while ramping up the intensity on "Follow The Tears" and "Double The Pain" and "Breaking Into Heaven", the latter diverging from its glacial procession for Dio's majestic chorus about fallen angels planning an attack on paradise.


THE DEVIL YOU KNOW
Track Listing

1. "Atom And Evil"
2. "Fear"
3. "Bible Black"
4. "Double The Pain"
5. "Rock And Roll Angel"
6. "The Turn Of The Screw"
7. "Eating The Cannibals"
8. "Follow The Tears"
9. "Neverwhere"
10. "Breaking Into Heaven"

Capitals Vs Hurricanes 03/21/2009 Review

Nicklas Backstrom & John Erskine close off Erik Cole during the 1st Period.
March 21, 2009 photo by Karl B. DeBlaker / AP Photo.

Capitals 1 - Hurricanes 4

After a pair of convincing wins in their two previous games, the Washington Capitals lost to the Carolina Hurricanes Saturday night due to a lot of mistakes and the help of some questionable officiating.

Down the stretch now, games are definitely bringing that playoff atmosphere and intensity. The hit total reaching 50 in this game alone is good evidence of that fact. Carolina (24 hits) are desperate to make sure they make the post season, and Washington (26 hits) would like to end the regular season with the conference lead. The hunger for the win was obvious from both teams.

One thing that seemed to be hampering everybody in the first period at least, was the forever bouncing puck. Either the ice was in bad shape or they forgot to freeze the pucks, because they were uncontrollable in the first 20 minutes.

The Hurricanes were the first to score, thanks to one of many Capitals turnovers during the second period. In this case, Mike Green was stripped of the puck behind Washington's net while trying to dole out a counter hit, which backfired in this case. Seconds later Rod Brind'Amour put the puck past netminder Jose Theodore. With 33.7 seconds left in the period however, it was Green who got the only Capitals' goal of the game, giving him a four game goal scoring streak. Mike continues to lead all defenseman in the NHL, now with 28 goals.

Washington was unable to score in the third period, as Carolina's goalie Cam Ward was absolutely brilliant. Theodore might not have been at his best for the Caps, but he wasn't getting the help he should have been getting either. The Capitals seemed to use up all their defensive abilities keeping the Hurricanes forwards at bay. Meanwhile, Carolina's defensemen got through the Caps at will. All three third period goals came from the opposition's defenseman.

The Capitals have every right to be upset with the referees, especially for their apparent total incompetence during the third period. However, it was turnovers, breakdowns and missed assignments that really did the Caps in. Mike Green was the only Capital to score a goal. While he may have also committed several mistakes, he wasn't alone in his less than perfect play. One thing you can't complain about was effort. Washington as a whole, put all their energy into every shift. Guys like defensman Tom Poti and John Erskine played well. Alex Ovechkin put his all into the game as usual. Even when Brind'Amour blatantly and dangerously boarded him face first, to the delight of a lot of asshole Carolina fans. The Caps will have a couple days rest when they hit the ice in Toronto to face the Maple Leafs on Tuesday.

Chicago With Earth, Wind & Fire Tickets On Sale

Tickets went on sale to the general public today (Internet pre-sale yesterday) for the June 10, 2009 Chicago with Earth, Wind & Fire concert at Merriweather Post Pavilion. Both Chicago (Web Site) and Earth, Wind And Fire (Tour Page) are on tour this Spring. They will join forces starting June 5th with a tour that includes the stop at Merriweather in Columbia, MD (7:30 PM EDT). Tickets for most dates scheduled are available via TicketMaster, while some are sold via Live Nation.

Chicago - "Saturday In The Park" 2004 in Chicago, IL.

M3 Rock Festival At Merriweather May 30th

This May 30, 2009 event at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, MD includes some great hard rock and metal bands. The gates open at 11:00 AM EDT and the music starts at 12:00 PM EDT. Scheduled artists (subject to change) currently include Twisted Sister, Ratt, Extreme, Kix, Dokken, Slaughter, Y&T, Gilby Clarke, Keel, L.A. Guns, Jani Lane of Warrant, Jetboy, XYZ, Bullet Boys and SLAMM.

Tickets are available through TicketMaster. Updates on the festival are also available at the M3 MySpace Music page.

No Doubt Reunited And On Tour This Summer

The band No Doubt, hugely popular up until their hiatus (2004–2008) a few years back, are back together and set to tour starting in May 2009. Tickets started going on sale March 7th for the concerts that were on the schedule at that time. New shows are still being added.

Members of the band worked on other projects during their break from No Doubt, with lead singer Gwen Stefani enjoying multi-platinum success with her November 2004 release of Love. Angel. Music. Baby. . The album started as a side project while No Doubt were still together. She followed that with The Sweet Escape in December 2006, which was basically the leftovers from LAMB. After receiving mixed reviews and lower sales numbers for this album and subsequent singles, thoughts of a No Doubt reunion no doubt crept into her mind.

I'm glad they decided to get back together, and I'm sure my daughter is too. Many of their hits have special meaning for me and my Chelsea. She was a big fan of their music before the split of the band, and the split of her mother and I. I was able to tolerate the stuff she was listening to at the time, unlike much of the refuse that's gotten into the rotation since.

Purchasing the expensive tickets for the best seats qualifies you to receive the entire No Doubt catalogue of digitally downloadable music, and yes that's for each ticket purchased. For more information on the download, tour and ticket sales, check out the widget below.

REO Speedwagon, Styx And 38 Special At Merriweather Post Pavilion In June 2009

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REO Speedwagon (Tour Page), Styx (Tour Page) and 38 Special (Tour Page) are scheduled to play at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, MD on June 23, 2009. The show starts at 7:00 PM EDT. Tickets go on sale through TicketMaster Friday morning March 13, 2009.

'Hippiefest Tour 2009' Includes Stop In Baltimore

The Hippies are coming to town this summer. 'Hippiefest Tour 2009' runs from July 17 to August 22, 2009. Artists include The Turtles featuring Flo & Eddie, Mountain featuring Leslie West & Corky Laing and Badfinger featuring Joey Molland. Tour dates are still being added. For the latest information check the tour pages of the artists listed above.

Tickets for the Thursday July 23, 2009 show (starts at 7:00 PM EDT) at Pier Six Pavilion in Baltimore, MD go on sale today - Saturday March 7, 2009 at 12:00 PM EST.

Joe Cocker, Dave Mason At Pier Six July 14th

Bluesy rock singing legend Joe Cocker will perform, along with guitarist and singer Dave Mason, at Pier Six Pavilion in Baltimore, MD on Tuesday - July 14, 2009. The show will start at 7:30 PM EDT. Tickets go on sale today - Saturday March 7, 2009 at 12:00 PM EST.

Joe Cocker - "Hymn For My Soul" in Basel 2007.

George Benson In Baltimore This June

Guitarist, singer George Benson will play at the Pier Six Pavilion in Baltimore, MD on Thursday June 25, 2009. Also appearing that night will be Kenny 'Babyface' Edmonds & special guest Ledisi. The starting time for the concert is 7:00 PM EDT. Tickets go on sale today - Saturday March 7, 2009 at 12:00 PM EST.

George Benson - "On Broadway"

Maple Leafs Vs Capitals 03/05/2009 Review

Martin Gerber poke checks Michael Nylander on wrap around attempt.
March 5, 2009 photo by Nick Wass / AP Photo.

Maple Leafs 2 - Capitals 1

The Washington Capitals suffered their third straight loss at home last night. This time, it was at the hands of the Toronto Maple Leafs. As the score indicates, it was much closer than the two previous losses.

On Sunday, the Capitals lost to the Florida Panthers 6-2. Then on Tuesday, they fell to the Carolina Hurricanes with a score of 5-2. Losing by a score of 2-1 makes it seem like they must have played at least a little bit better, and they did. They also did it without their best offensive player and best defensive player.

Forward Alex Ovechkin suffered a minor injury (bruised heel) during practice on Wednesday and did not play. Defenseman Tom Poti only lasted one very short shift in last night's game before he was out with a reoccurring groin injury.

Even without the services of Ovechkin and Poti, you would think Washington had enough offensive fire power to overcome the Leafs. The only one to get the puck into the net for the Caps was Alexander Semin, who has now scored a goal in five straight games. There were plenty of other chances, but trade deadline acquisition goalie Martin Gerber was sharper than he's been in a long time during his first game playing for Toronto. The Leafs' defensive core also did their job well.

Sergei Fedorov played very well again. Both forwards Fedorov and Eric Fehr spent some time playing defense in this game to help make up for the missing Tom Poti. The Capitals sure could have used Fedorov more in the face off circle, but you have to play the cards you're dealt. Perhaps the mixed up lines led to communication problems. After the game, Mike Vogel said they looked out of sync and asked Fedorov if the problem was that they weren't used to playing together on those jumbled lines. Sergei's response was "Don't you think it's too late in the season to think that way?". With all the different line combinations that head coach Bruce Boudreau has used throughout the season, that's mighty hard to argue with.

It's just a slump, and the Caps' play will improve. Let's hope it improves before Sunday, when the Pittsburgh Penguins waddle into town.

Def Leppard, Poison & Cheap Trick In Bristow, VA July 2009

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Def Leppard, Poison and Cheap Trick
tickets go on sale tomorrow at Live Nation.

Todd Rundgren At Rams Head Live! In April 2009

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Todd Rundgren tickets on sale at Rams Head Live! March 4, 2009.

Odd Weekend For The Caps, Indeed

It was an "odd weekend" indeed for the Washington Capitals, as majority owner Ted Leonsis put it in his blog review today. Washington faced the Boston Bruins early on Saturday afternoon, and performed incredibly well against the only team above them in the Eastern Conference at the time. Then on Sunday, the Capitals gave us a "total stinker" as Mark of Mark's Musings put it, while facing the Florida Panthers. Florida being the next team behind Washington in the Southeast Division of the NHL.

The intense level of focus the Caps showed against the Bruins in Boston had disappeared by the time they went up against the Panthers at home yesterday. Maybe they used up all of their adrenaline in the first game, coming home with an empty tank. Who knows?

The deflating feeling that comes following such a let down has Caps fans and bloggers turning their attention to other things. CapsChick of A View From The Cheap Seats and Dave Nichols of Capitals News Network take aim at a fun hating old clown. Meanwhile, Mike Vogel looks back at past trade deadline deals at Dump 'N Chase, and pucksandbooks wonders about dealing players within the present countdown over at On Frozen Blog. Let's all just move along, shall we?