Subscribe | UPI Odd Newsletter Subscribe SKID ROW HAS THICK SKIN Multimillion-selling hard rock band Skid Row is set to release a new studio project, "Thickskin," a documentary DVD about the making of the album, and a summer tour schedule with Poison and Vince Neil. Vocalist Johnny Solinger, guitarist Snake Sabo, guitarist Scotti Hill, bass guitarist Rachel Bolan and drummer Phil Varone are eager to play songs from the new album, which will be released independently in the United States on Skid Row Records this summer in either July or August. Advertisement "'Thickskin' has been two years in the making. We're very excited about this, especially since it's the first Skid Row record for Johnny and Phil," Bolan said. "It took a long time to record due to the fact that we had to do it in short bursts because we were touring a lot the past several years. We were on the road with Kiss and then we did the 'Rock Never Stops' tour last summer. We were writing while we were on the road, and then when there was a tour break we'd write some more and then record. It required a lot of hard work. It was kind of like learning to drive in the middle of a demolition derby!" Advertisement The 12 songs on 'Thickskin' include: "New Generation," "Ghost," "Swallow Me (The Real You)," "Born a Beggar," "Thick is the Skin," "See You Around," "Mouth of Voodoo," "One Light," "I Remember You Two," "Lamb," "Down from Underground" and "Hittin' a Wall." "We didn't consciously strive for a modern sound, nor did we intentionally try to copy what we've done in the past," Bolan said. "'Thickskin' turned out naturally. We still listen to everything just like we always have -- whatever's new out there and the old albums by our favorite bands that influenced us in the first place." FISHING MUSIC "You don't have to be a fisherman to enjoy this fantastic CD," said NBC News Anchor Tom Brokaw. Brokaw was talking about the timely and eccentric new release, "Fishing Music," an extraordinary CD that features various artists like Tim O'Brien, Mollie O'Brien, Rob Ickes, Ben Winship, David Thompson and others performing songs about fishing written by the likes of Hoagy Carmichel, Django Reinhardt and Duke Ellington, among others. It also is timely, because anglers are reaching for their tackle boxes after a determined winter. Our national psyche, battered by an very un-American season of rage, naked revenge and hubris, could really use a nice afternoon at the business end of a fishing pole, letting our thoughts wander to consider the raw pleasures of simply being alive on this wonderful, and very, very, fragile planet. Fishing reminds us of the personal relationship we all have with nature, and the individual responsibility that comes with it. Listening to this this soothing album is the next best thing to hiking up the hip boots and heading out to a country stream in search of supper. Advertisement SWEDISH RECREATION Swedish rockers Evergrey have a new album, "Recreation Day," due out on InsideOut Music America. The musically ambitious but lyrically bleak fantasy landscape evoked by "Recreation Day" redefines the conceptual boundaries of Swedish Metal. Like the band's last album, "In Search of Truth," "Recreation Day" was produced by King Diamond guitarist Andy LaRocque and mixed by Fredrik Nordström. "The music is representative of what Evergrey is about, the diversity we have in most of our songs," said vocalist/guitarist Tom S. Englund. "My idea was to make it really beautiful and hard-hitting." The band plans to promote the album in America with a number of live appearances, including the BWBK 6-Pack Weekend Festival at The Odeon in Cleveland June 13-14 -- alongside Candlemass, Trouble and Nevermore -- as well as a return to the increasingly acclaimed Prog Power Festival at Earthlink Live in Atlanta Sept. 5-6 -- with Nightwish, Rage, Symphony X and others. Plans also are in the works for an extensive fall tour, the band's first-ever for North America. DEALING WITH LOVE Liz Phair, Skye Sweetnam, the Donnas, the Flaming Lips, the Music and Beth Orton all contributed tracks to the original motion picture soundtrack to the forthcoming New Line Cinema romantic drama "How To Deal," due out July 8 on Capitol Records. The contemporary music compilation introduces newly signed Capitol recording artist Sweetnam performing the soundtrack's lead single, "Billy S." The music on "How To Deal" is an ambitious collection that spans genres and generations, with five new songs exclusive to the soundtrack, and two recorded specifically for the film itself. Skye Sweetnam is a 14-year-old singer/songwriter from a small Canadian town -- the Toronto sub-suburb Boulton, pop. 15,000 -- with a knack for writing pop anthems celebrating teen rebellion. Advertisement "How To Deal" stars Mandy Moore as Halley, a high school student who is disillusioned with love after seeing the many dysfunctional relationships around her. Her divorced parents have no clue. Her sister is obsessed with planning the perfect marriage but nothing is more lame than the shallow cheerleaders at her school and their jock boyfriends. Convinced all relationships are doomed, Halley has given up even seeking it when a tragic event in her life leads to a romantic encounter with a young man (Trent Ford). Halley then realizes true love sometimes can be found in the most unexpected places. The film opens nationwide on July 18. WHAT'S NEW IN BALTIMORE A major void in Charm City's live music scene will be filled this summer with the grand opening of the Funk Box in the heart of Baltimore's top nightlife district, historic Federal Hill. Mothers Federal Hill Grille and Walther Productions have joined forces to create this new, upscale home for local, regional and national touring acts on the site of one of Baltimore's most historic live music venues, the 8 x 10 Club. In the year since the old club's closing, the new owners have leveled the old Cross Street structure to completely rebuild and renovate the venue as the region's premier destination for adult fans of all musical flavors. Targeted for an August debut, the Funk Box will cater to a broad array of music genres by building and expanding upon the location's legacy. The commitment to presenting live music seven nights a week best presents the opportunity to experience blues, funk, jazz, R&B, rock, pop, bluegrass, reggae, alternative, Latin, salsa, fusion, alt-country, dance, world, zydeco, reggae, ska, progressive, world beat, hip-hop or singer-songwriter on any given night in an upscale, intimate venue. Advertisement "We are very excited about our involvement with the Funk Box," said Tim Walther of Walther Productions. "It's an ideal situation to custom build a venue from the ground up for the sole purpose of presenting live club show. The Funk Box will offer a Baltimore stop on the touring circuit for many bands that currently bypass this market."
