I’ve always enjoyed listening to UFO! They have a classic and timeless hard rock sound with a distinctive edge that can’t be missed. I for one can’t wait to see these guys on the road again in 2011.
NEW STUDIO ALBUM DUE IN JUNE 2011 ON SPV/STEAMHAMMER
The initial dates for UFO‘s 2011 North American tour have just been revealed. The band will be touring North America in support of their latest studio effort which is slated to be released in June 2011 via SPV/Steamhammer. The East Coast leg of the tour will kick off May 11, 2011 at Bourbon Street in Baltimore, MD. The following are a list of all confirmed dates as of now:
May 11, 2011 – Baltimore, MD @ Bourbon Street
May 13, 2011 – New York, NY @ BB Kings
May 14, 2011 – Foxboro, MA (Boston) @ The Showcase Live
May 20, 2011 – Chicago, IL @ The Arcada Theater
May 21, 2011 – Chicago, IL @ The Aracada Theater
Expect more dates for the East Coast leg of the tour to be announced in the coming days and an announcement will be coming soon about the West Coast leg of the tour slated to kick off in September. UFO‘s latest two releases 2009’s “The Visitor – UFO” and 2010’s “The Best of a Decade – UFO” are available now.
True rock legends such as UFO are characterized not only by the fact that they have added several classic anthems to the annals of rock history, but that their musical output, after many years, still remains at such a consistently high level and they always have something new and fresh coming up. With classic albums such as “Phenomenon (Bonus Track Version) – UFO“, “Force it” and “No Heavy Pettin” Phil Mogg, Vinnie Moore, Andy Parker and Paul Raymond still sound vital and imaginative to this day.
UFO’s global breakthrough came when German guitarist, Michael Schenker, joined the fold in 1973, having left his band the Scorpions to accept an offer from Phil Mogg and Pete Way. UFO released three consecutive rock classics with Schenker (“Phenomenon” (1974), “Force It” (1975) and “No Heavy Pettin'” (1976)), featuring classics such as: ‘Doctor Doctor’, ‘Shoot, Shoot’, and ‘Rock Bottom’. Following the arrival of keyboardist/rhythm guitarist Paul Raymond, UFO released the albums “Lights Out (Bonus Track Version) – UFO” (1977) and “Obsession” (1978), which included the hit singles ‘Too Hot To Handle’, ‘Lights Out’ and ‘Only You Can Rock Me’. Their live release “Strangers In The Night” came out in 1979 and is still considered to be one of the best live releases of all time, unfortunately, this also brought about the end of the Mogg, Way, Schenker, Parker & Raymond line-up.
The reorganized band underwent fifteen years marked by various eras and numerous line-up changes. To everyone’s surprise, autumn 1993 saw the return of the former UFO line-up consisting of Mogg, Way, Schenker, Parker and Raymond. This new edition of the classic team released the album “Walk On Water”, their first joint effort after in over fifteen years and they embarked on a world tour. However, Schenker left UFO again during the “Walk On Water” tour to continue working with his own group, MSG, while Mogg & Way went on to release their second album, Chocolate Box. The UFO album “Covenant and Sharks”, recorded by Mogg, Way and Schenker, arrived at the stores in 2000 and 2002. Vinnie Moore soon joined the band and recorded songs for the new album “You Are Here”which also featured Jason Bonham taking over the drumming duties. During the subsequent world tour, UFO recorded a show in Germany, which was later released as the live album, “Showtime”, as well as a DVD featuring additional bonus material. In 2006 left UFO to join Foreigner and was replaced by UFO’s original drummer, Andy Parker for their release “The Monkey Puzzle” In 2009 UFO released the critically acclaimed album “The Visitor”.
VISIT UFO AND SPV ON THE WEB
http://www.ufo-music.info
http://www.myspace.com/spvmusic
courtesy of Freeman PR