ROCK NEWSLETTER © Kevin Julie

February 1999 !

UNIVERSAL WHEELS : FEBRUARY 1999

Greetings, and welcome to another installment of Universal Wheels. If you're getting this in print, be sure to drop us a note to see what you may have missed on-line. Other band web sites and fans can feel free to drop me a line of news or info on your band provided you give Universal Wheels a mention on your site. Record companies are always welcome to submit Classic Rock stuff for review, as well as news, and inquire about interviews. Drop me a line at lunytune@vaxxine.com New Vinyl Classix here ! New Reviews here ! THE V-ROYS UNDER THE SUN THE SECRET SESSIONS NANCY WILSON - Live At McCabes Guitar Shop NAZARETH - Boogaloo BTO - Trial By Fire [The Latest & The Greatest] AN INTERVIEW WITH BTO'S C.F. TURNER The Basement Tapes with APRIL WINE'S MYLES GOODWYN! HEEP TOUR ROLLING IN '99 After a lengthy break over Christmas and New Years' Uriah Heep hit the road again in February, visiting such countries as Finland, Sweden, Norway, and Denmark before returning to the UK for a few gigs including another show at The Forum in London, this time with Nazareth on March 13. A May 28 Festival gig in Belgium with Golden Earring means the Heep may be set to come to North America in June. HEY JOE! Joe Konas, former member of the late '60s British band THE GODS (w/ Ken Hensley & Lee Kerslake, pre- Uriah Heep), has written a book about his adventures in the '60s in England. The book, 180 pages, will contain a ton of never-before seen black & white photos of Joe with The Gods, and various other musical legends that he hung with and/or jammed with at some time back then. The book (titled "Hey Joe", and featuring a Union Jack with a guitar on the cover) can be ordered through Joe, and cost is $20 (Canadian) plus $5 postage - from anywherez! Send orders (money order or certified cheque) to Joe Konas : 674 Vimy, Windsor, Ontario, M8W 1M7, CANADA. OR to Joe's partner Dan Lomonaco : 136 Hyde Park, RR 3 , Amherstburg, Ontario, N9V 3R3. Please allow 4 > 5 weeks for delivery. A Live CD of the Gods recorded on the BBC in October of 1968, where they did 5 songs (including "You Keep Me Hangin' On"!), as well as a few other live Gods tracks that Joe still has ...The CD costs are the same as the book, and more info can be found at > http://www.mnsi.net/~knash/konas.html < Joe Konas moved to Ontario in 1970, where he opened a few music schools, teaches guitar and got into real estate. GUESS WHO RECORD LIVE Canadian legends The Guess Who, who added new lead singer Carl Dixon to the line-up last year recorded a shows last year in Elgin, Illinois and at the Iowa State Fair with their new singer with the intention of releasing a live album in the near future, possibly March or April. The CD will likely be sold via mail-order and at the band's gigs. For more info on The Guess Who check out /www.theguesswho.com

APRIL WINE www.eburg.com/~cellar/ In The Studio! Latest word from guitarist Brian Greenway on the band's forthcoming album was posted to the April Wine discussion group recently - Two new songs were recently written by Myles Goodwyn & guitar tech Barry Stock and recorded (along with another) new song. "They sound great. This brings the total number of songs done so far to 14. Which ones will make to the CD is up in the air right now, but they all are interesting tunes! Could be that they all will. When the final mixing in done, we'll know which ones sound the best. The band will be on the road all of March so the CD will be finished in April. We are taking the entire month off to finish the recording and mixing. So....As you can see the project release date is delayed again... but..I can say that the music is very interesting. We are all very excited about this CD." Greenway also added that the album's proposed title "Deal With It" will also be changed : "What the new title will be is not known at this time, but we want it to be an "up" feeling." The band is now being represented in the US by SL Feldman & Associates, NY (same as Canada). April Wine will be in Texas in Mid March. In late May the band will be doing Western Canada, Alaska, and back through the Northern States, and possibly onto Eastern Canada. Dates can be found at > www.jlphoto.net/concert/aw/aw.htm < or the April Wine Web Site > www.eburg.com/~cellar/ < Drummer Jerry Mercer will be out of the line-up for the shows in March, April, and May for health reasons, with Neil Busby sitting in. The forthcoming King Biscuit Flower Hour of April was recorded on Nov. 21, 1982 and is scheduled for release on Feb. 16, 1999. Tracks include: Anything You Want / Future Tense / Crash & Burn / Before The Dawn / Waiting On A Miracle / Enough Is Enough / If You See Kay / Just Between You And Me / Sign Of The Gypsy Queen / 21st Century Schizoid Man / I Like To Rock / Oowatanite / All Over Town / Roller (from 1985) / You Could've Been A Lady (1985). In related April Wine stuff, former guitarist Gary Moffett who resides in Montreal, has kept busy producing a number of new bands including one called 'A is A' - who's album ("Thinking Chair") also includes Moffett guesting on guitars on a few songs. The band are currently playing dates while finishing off work on the new album. Founding guitarist David Henman meanwhile is busy with a number of things such as occasional work with Toronto based bands "Cats & Dogs" (which also features former Dudes member Bob Segarini) - who are working on a new CD, as well Henman's writing songs with Glenn Reid for their band called "The Business", and working in a Melissa Ethridge tribute band. JOHN WETTON'S NEW SOLO ALBUM IN THE WORKS & POSSIBLE ASIA REUNION. Ex-Heep/King Crimson/Asia man - John Wetton is busy is working on his next solo album to be titled : "No Man's Land". There is also a John Wetton box set in the works called "Raised in Captivity". It will be a retrospective of John's career including "Caught In The Crossfire", possibly "Jack-Knife" and other material. John Wetton is also involved in ASIA reunion talks. A guitarist has not been confirmed but a search is underway. For now, Steve Howe would most likely not join the original line-up. As for a merging of the John Payne version of ASIA with the John Wetton lead version - that is something Wetton and Carl Palmer have no interest in doing. NEW QUO The new album from Status Quo will be titled "Under The Influence", and will include a cover of Buddy Holly's "Not fade Away".

Copyright - Kevin J. Julie 1999