THE ICE ROAD SOUNDTRACK DEBUTS ROCK SUPERGROUP L.A. RATS  

THE ICE ROAD SOUNDTRACK DEBUTS ROCK SUPERGROUP L.A. RATS  

THE ICE ROAD SOUNDTRACK DEBUTS ROCK SUPERGROUP L.A. RATS  

Nikki Sixx, Rob Zombie, John 5 and Tommy Clufetos Team for a Wild Ride on the
Iconic “I’ve Been Everywhere”

Legendary Track Executively Produced by Sixx

When Scott Borchetta called his friend Nikki Sixx, he knew he needed something with velocity, power, and speed. Charged with helming the soundtrack for Liam Neeson’s upcoming June 25 Netflix thriller The Ice Road, the visionary label founder wanted a rocking ‘psycho-billy’ track to anchor an eclectic collection of songs sampling the American roots music tableau. Talking to the full-tilt bass player and songwriter about a dream collaboration between Sixx, Rob Zombie and Zombie guitarist John 5 possibly writing and executive producing a song for the film, Sixx asked Borchetta to send him an example of the kind of song he envisioned for the soundtrack. Johnny Cash’s thumping “I’ve Been Everywhere” was already earmarked as a hopeful to be included in the film as it really synthesized everything the film was about. Nikki listened and then sent it to Zombie. Both rockers felt the iconic Cash track was the perfect song for them to record.

Sixx called Borchetta back and said, “Why don’t we just cut this?”

The guys were all in on the song that name-checks cities across the nation – and Zombie had the vocal gnarl to bring that weathered, long-haul tone to the song that spent 22 weeks at No. 1 for Hank Snow in 1962. Opening with an ominous audible cloud and industrial noise, a hellish train beat emerges from the lumbering aural wave. Zombie’s voice slices through the ballast, authoritative and churlish. Commanding the ride that begins “”I was totin’ my pack along the dusty Winnemucca road,” his guttural delivery morphs Cash’s intensity with drummer Tommy Clufetos’ crashing attack.

Laughing, Sixx says of the L.A. Rats and their affinity for this song of hard traveling, “Isn’t it ironic? This song that’s so Rock & Roll, that’s so Country, that’s so all of it – it’s the traveling circus, city to city, riff to riff, greasy cheeseburger, rinse and repeat. It’s poetry based on reality – and it’s something every one of us has lived.”

“We wanted to bring that fire that’s Johnny Cash, but it’s also how do we flip it? So John 5 and I brought in this Zeppeliny half-time thing from the beginning with Rob talking on the outro. But I also did some stuff (that suggested the original) like those big walks through the guitar parts upright player style, which is something I don’t do in Mötley or Sixx:A.M. We all had that freedom to go other places, and we did.”

Collaborating for the track, the union of Zombie, Sixx, Zombie guitarist John 5, who was raised on “Hee Haw” and Black Sabbath/Ted Nugent/Alice Cooper ringer Clufetos created a chemistry that was more than the sum of their parts. With a frisson that comes from equal parts rebellion, aggression, fierce musicianship and deep respect for the song, “I’ve Been Everywhere” embodies the intensity of The Ice Road and Neeson’s performance.

“We all grew up thinking great bands don’t follow the rules or drive the speed limit,” Sixx explains. “When I called Rob up, he said, ‘I’ve always loved Johnny Cash, and I’ve always loved this song.’ I think that’s what we all share: we all play live and know there’s this magic (that comes from that); there’s the swagger you can feel, that energy you can smell. This song has all that, and that’s what we went after.”

“I’ve Been Everywhere” is now available via Big Machine Records.

Space Ace gets set to release ‘Origins Vol 2’ with new video

Space Ace gets set to release ‘Origins Vol 2’ with new video

***CONSUMMATE NEW ‘ORIGINS VOL. 2’ COVERS ALBUM RELEASED SEPTEMBER 18TH ON STEAMHAMMER / SPV ***

Ace Frehley, KISS co-founder and 2014 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, continues his reflections on a lifetime in music with the release of ‘Origins Vol. 2’, a thoughtful and exciting collection of new covers, on September 18th on Steamhammer / SPV as a DigiPak CD (plus bonus track), double gatefold 180 gram blue vinyl LP (with printed inner sleeves), download and stream.

No stranger to cover versions throughout his entire history – having recorded, rebranded and repossessed such notable nuggets as ‘New York Groove’, ‘Do Ya’, and ‘I Wanna Go Back’ over the course of his 8 studio albums – this new compendium contains songs that have all inspired and shaped the legendry guitarist’s life jukebox. Ace comments, “I just thought about the songs that I used to play in clubs when I was doing other people’s material. I went through my album collection and thought about the songs that influenced me the most. It’s a pretty well-rounded record and I think the fans will enjoy it.”

 

‘Origins Vol. 2’, featuring guest appearances by Robin Zander (Cheap Trick), John 5, Lita Ford and Bruce Kulick, is a well thought out, but not over-thought, album. For Ace, keeping things organic is an important part of crafting an album’s atmosphere: “I just let it happen. Things evolve when I start doing these records and I try not to plan too much ahead. I like spontaneity. It’s the same way I write guitar solos.”

As the second volume focusing on his musical origins, Ace has grown since the release of  ‘Origins Vol.1’, which hit #23 on the Billboard Top 200 album charts in April 2016, becoming his 4th Top 40 and second highest charting solo album. Ace chuckles, “Since I had one covers album under my belt, the process of doing ‘Origins, Vol. 2’ was easier because I had put together a formula, picking guest stars and so-on.” The challenge for him was to put a suitable personal stamp on the material, and ‘Origins, Vol. 2’ is replete with special touches that both honour and embellish the songs.