The Hollywood Vampires – Joe Perry, Alice Cooper and actor Johnny Depp – return with new music from their explosive second album, Rise, available June 21st via earMUSIC on CD and 2 LP + download card. The trio has released “Who’s Laughing Now” as the lead single from the sophomore project.
Seconds into the opening track “I Want My Now,” it’s clear this supergroup has created something special – the chemistry between the individuals is unmistakeable when they come together on stage or in the recording studio. Forget the star-studded lineup’s individual reputations, “Rise” is some of the purest, unapologetic and most enjoyable rock and 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 consists mainly of original material, written by the band. There are however, in the spirit of the Vampires’ original mission, 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 Thunder’s “You Can’t Put Your Arms Around A Memory,” sung by Joe Perry. Raucous rock anthems like “The Boogieman Surprise” and “Who’s Laughing Now,” capture the natural, raw, celebratory attitude of Hollywood Vampires displayed in their rowdy shows around the world. But the album shows off their range as well with tracks like “We Gotta Rise” – a tongue-in-cheek politics song in the the tradition of Alice’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. 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,” Cooper says in a press release. “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.”
“Rise came from pure creative energy, which is just like playing live with the Vampires,” cites Perry. “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.”
earMUSIC, the global independent rock label of Edel Germany GmbH, is proud to announce the worldwide signing of Hollywood Vampires. Following the release of Alice Cooper’s 2017 studio album Paranormal on earMUSIC, his best chart-performing work in decades, the label is proud to welcome the band to their family.
CD | 2 LP
- 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 & 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
The Hollywood Vampires who previously performed at the Montreux Jazz Festival, Rock In Rio and the 2016 Grammy Awards in addition to hugely successful U.S. and EU/UK tours last year, will embark on a seven-date U.S. West Coast tour in May.
The Hollywood Vampires 2019 Tour Dates:
5/10 – The Joint – Las Vegas, NV
5/11 – Greek Theatre – Los Angeles, CA
5/12 – Warfield Theatre – San Francisco, CA
5/14 – The Fillmore – Denver, CO
5/16 – Sandia Resort – Albuquerque, NM
5/17 – Talking Stick Casino – Scottsdale, AZ
5/18 – Fantasy Springs Resort Casino – Indio, CA
