ALICE COOPER On Forthcoming New Album - "We've Already Done Four Songs, All Detroit Players"

April 25, 2019, 4 years ago

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ALICE COOPER On Forthcoming New Album - "We've Already Done Four Songs, All Detroit Players"

In an exclusive new interview with Ultimate Classic Rock, Alice Cooper discusses his next album, his revamped stage show, and his side-project, supergroup Hollywood Vampires.

Alice is going back to his roots on the upcoming new album. Specifically, he’s heading to the Motor City.

“We’ve already done four songs, all [recorded with] Detroit players. You know, because I was born in Detroit and I think that Detroit is the home of hard rock,” Cooper tells Ultimate Classic Rock. “When the actual album starts coming out, I want it to have the flavor of that. The Detroit sound is Alice Cooper. That’s where we wrote Killer, Love It To Death, School’s Out and Billion Dollar Babies."

Cooper actually felt that way from the first, despite his original group's Arizona roots. "I’ve always looked at Alice Cooper as sort of a Detroit band, really - because we never ever, very rarely, do you ever let a keyboard take over," he adds. "We’re a guitar band. We’re a guitar rock band. That’s what we’ll always be. ‘Under My Wheels’ is probably what an Alice Cooper Detroit band sounds like.”

There will be a bit of a wait for the new music that Cooper’s working on with producer Bob Ezrin. Up first is a live album from the Hollywood Vampires, which was recorded in Switzerland, followed by a new studio album from the Vampires, titled Rise.

Read more at Ultimate Classic Rock.

Hollywood Vampires return with new music in the form of their explosive second album Rise. Rock 'n' roll royalty Joe Perry, Hollywood superstar Johnny Depp, and shock rock icon Alice Cooper join forces once again for the unmissable rock album of 2019. Rise will be released June 21st via earMUSIC. Find pre-orders here.

Seconds into the opening track "I Want My Now," it's clear this supergroup has created something special. The chemistry between the individuals is unmistakable when they come together on stage or in the recording studio. Forget the individual reputations of the star-studded lineup. Rise features some of the purest, most unapologetic, and most enjoyable rock 'n' roll of the year — made by masters of the craft and true fans of the form.

Unlike their 2015 debut record, the new album Rise, produced by Tommy Henriksen and the band, consists mainly of original material written by the band. However, in the spirit of the Vampires' original mission, there are three covers of songs originally written and recorded by some fellow rockers who died far too young: an intimate and intense version of David Bowie's "Heroes," beautifully performed by Johnny Depp; the late Jim Carroll Band's "People Who Died"; and Johnny Thunders' "You Can't Put Your Arms Around A Memory," sung by Joe Perry.

Raucous rock anthems like "The Boogieman Surprise" and first single "Who's Laughing Now" capture the natural, raw, and celebratory attitude that The Hollywood Vampires displayed in their rowdy shows around the world. However, the album shows off their range as well with tracks like "We Gotta Rise" — a tongue-in-cheek politics song in the tradition of Cooper's "Elected" — to the psychedelic gothic epic of "Mr. Spider."

"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," says 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."

Perry says, "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."

Tracklisting:

“I Want My Now”
“Good People Are Hard To Find”
“Who’s Laughing Now”
“How The Glass Fell”
“The Boogieman Surprise”
“Welcome To Bushwackers” (feat. Jeff Beck and John Waters)
“The Wrong Bandage”
“You Can’t Put Your Arms Around A Memory”
“Git From Round Me”
“Heroes”
“A Pitiful Beauty”
“New Threat”
“Mr. Spider”
“We Gotta Rise”
“People Who Died”
“Congratulations”

“Who’s Laughing Now”:

The band is also embarking on a short tour this May.

Tour dates:

May
10 - The Joint - Las Vegas, NV
11 - The Greek - Los Angeles, CA
12 - Warfield Theatre - San Francisco, CA
14 - The Fillmore - Denver, CO
16 - Sandia Casino - Albuquerque, NM
17 - Talking Stick Casino - Scottsdale, AZ
18 - Fantasy Springs Casino - Indio, CA

Alice Cooper recently announced a handful of July tour dates, marking the premiere of his all-new Ol' Black Eyes Is Back show, which will have a very different look than recent tours. These dates will precede his summer 2019, month-long co-headline run with Halestorm.

The premiere of the tour will take place at Foxwoods on July 4th in Mashantucket, Connecticut and run through July 11th in Wabash, Indiana before joining forces with Halestorm on July 17th in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Ticket info here.

All Alice Cooper tour dates are below, including the previously announced shows with Halestorm, which are presented by Live Nation.

New music from Alice Cooper is expected in time for the summer 2019 tour - once again produced by Alice's longtime collaborator Bob Ezrin, who most recently produced 2017's acclaimed Paranormal album, featuring friends like ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons, U2's Larry Mullen Jr, and Deep Purple's Roger Glover, as well as original Alice Cooper band members Neal Smith, Dennis Dunaway and Michael Bruce. Cooper's most recent release, the live album A Paranormal Evening At The Olympia Paris, was released by earMUSIC in 2018.

In addition to recording and touring both on his own and with The Hollywood Vampires (with pals Joe Perry and Johnny Depp, doing a recently announced short western US tour in May), Alice Cooper continues his long-running nightly syndicated radio show Nights With Alice Cooper, heard worldwide on over 100 radio stations.

Alice Cooper headline dates:

July
4 - Mashantucket, CT - Grant Theater @ Foxwoods Resort Casino
6 - Columbus, OH - Express Live! (Outdoors)
7 - Peoria, IL - Peoria Civic Center Theatre
9 - Dubuque, IA - Five Flags Center
10 - Madison, WI - The Sylvee
11 - Wabash, IN - Honeywell Center
13 -  Stayner, ON -  Roxodus Festival *

* festival date

Dates with Halestorm:

July
17 - Allentown, PA - PPL Center
19 - Pittsburgh, PA - KeyBank Pavilion
20 - Detroit, MI - DTE Energy Music Theatre
21 - Chicago, IL - Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
23 - Cincinnati, OH - Riverbend Music Center
25 - St Louis, MO - Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
26 - Kansas City, MO - Starlight Theatre
28 - Oklahoma City, OK - Zoo Amphitheatre*
29 - Cedar Park, TX - H-E-B Center*
31 - Irving, TX - The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory

August
1 - Houston, TX - The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion presented by Huntsman
4 - Nashville, TN - The Opry House*
7 - Canandaigua, NY - Constellation Brands–Marvin Sands Performing Arts Center: CMAC
8 - Bethel, NY - Bethel Woods Center for the Arts
10 - Portland, ME - Maine Savings Pavilion at Rock Row
11 - Gilford, NH - Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion
13 - Bristow, VA - Jiffy Lube Live
15 - Holmdel, NJ - PNC Bank Arts Center
16 - Camden, NJ - BB&T Pavilion

* not a Live Nation date



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