Newsbites: Crane quits Lynch Mob

Man down: Lynch Mob

Robbie Crane has quit Lynch Mob just months after he left Ratt in order to concentrate on George Lynch’s outfit. The bassist says: “With much thought and regret, I am resigning. Thank you to all the fans for your support of the band and Sound Mountain Sessions. It has been a wild two-year ride that I wouldn’t change for anything.” Earlier this year he said: “I’d been with Ratt for 15 years and it was time to move on. I love being in Lynch Mob – this is where my heart’s at.”

Rumours are circulating that former Rainbow singer Joe Lynn Turner has formed a new supergroup. Members are thought to include Chickenfoot and ex Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony and drummer Carmine Appice. Melodic Rock suggests the band will write 70s-era rock music in the spirit of Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin and Bad Company. Turner has previously fronted the supergroups Mother’s Army, Over the Rainbow and Voices of Rainbow.

Meanwhile, current Van Halen bassist Wolfgang Van Halen says he’s loving life on the road as a last-minute addition to Mark Tremonti’s solo band – the first time he’s played with anyone other than his family outfit. Wolfgang says: “It all feels incredible. It’s so much fun to be able to do something different, and to do with with three of my best friends. I’m having a great time.” [Artisan]

Stefan Kaufmann has retired from UDO for health reasons. The guitarist will continue to work on production tasks in his studio. Kaufmann was forced to leave his role as Accept drummer in 1989, also for health reasons. UDO say: “The band has begun preparations for the forthcoming studio album and is looking for a guitar player with immediate effect.”

Geoff Tate has released the tracklisting for solo album Kings and Thieves, due out at the end of October: She Slipped Away; Take a Bullet; In the Dirt; Say U Luv It; The Way I Roll; Tomorrow; Evil; Dark Money; These Glory Days; Change; Waiting.

Paul McCartney‘s Live and Let Die has been named the greatest James Bond theme in a BBC poll. The 1973 track drew more than a quarter of all votes and was followed by Nobody Does It Better by Carly Simon, from The Spy Who Loved Me, and Shirley Bassey’s Goldfinger.

An award-winning radio play about the murder of Sophie Lancaster in 2007 is to be performed on stage in Manchester starting tonight. The 20-year-old was brutally killed by a gang of thugs simply because she chose to wear goth-style clothes. Author Simon Armitage wrote Black Roses: The Killing of Sophie Lancaster from the victim’s point of view with the approval and support of her family. He says: “The reaction to the radio play was greater than for any other project I’ve been involved with. It was immediate – people were phoning, writing, emailing about how much they’d been affected. If ever there’s a signifier of whether something on radio has caught people’s attention, it’s when people say, ‘I was driving the car but I had to pull over.’” [BBC]

Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett will appear in bookshops across the US during October and November to promote his title Too Much Horror Business: the Kirk Hammett Collection, a 228-page production dedicated to his passion for horror-movie memorabilia. He says: “My love for this stuff is insane and totally obsessive-compulsive. I’m still waiting to outgrow it but it doesn’t happen.”

Brian Wilson has undergone back surgery for the second time. The Beach Boys founder says: “I was having some lower back issues right around the time we performed on the Grammys in February. This is the same type of problem that Carl used to suffer from – it’s hereditary. But being able to tour with the Boys again meant so much to me that I wouldn’t have missed it for the world. I was able to get this new cutting edge procedure that totally worked. But after this last run in Australia it came back and I had the procedure redone this week. I feel so much better already.”

Stooges bassist Mike Watt says the band are in the process of writing new material. He explains: “James Williamson had me put bass on nine songs and Iggy is writing up words. In November he wants me to do some more. I don’t know about some album or what the plan is, but – very interesting.” [Rolling Stone]

Joe Bonamassa will release a double live album on September 24. The 20-track Beacon Theatre: Live From New York will be available on double-CD and double-vinyl.

Banger Films are running a crowdfunding campaign to pay for the production of a “lost episode” of their Metal Evolution series. The award-winning producers say: “Hundreds of fans have emailed us demanding, pleading, that we do an extreme metal episode. So in response we’re launching a campaign to finance it. The goal is to raise £175,000 in 90 days.” Find out more.

Tom Morello marked the first anniversary of the Occupy Wall Street movement in New York at the weekend, and says the political activity has more to achieve. He explains: “The one thing that Occupy has been very successful at is forever changing the dialogue around the unspoken five-letter word in American politics: class. The people who were in the streets haven’t gone away. Their ideas haven’t gone away. The mistrust and resentment toward the status quo hasn’t gone away. How it manifests itself in the months and years to come will determine the ultimate success or failure of the movement.” [Rolling Stone]

Ex Aerosmith guitarist Jimmy Crespo will perform the band’s album Rock in a Hard Place backed by the Sin City Sinners to mark its 30th anniversary. The show takes place on November 3 in Las Vegas and entry will be free.