The VHND has an update for all of our readers who are keeping up with ex-Van Halen singer, Gary Cherone, and Extreme.
1) Extreme released a live DVD last week, on May 4th. Below is a trailer for the DVD, along with one of the 4 bonus music videos on the DVD.
Extreme ‘Take Us Alive’ DVD Trailer:
Extreme – King of the Ladies (Official Video)
2) From BackstageAxxess.com:
Gary Cherone of Extreme Interview
One of the more pleasant reunions of any band that has happened in recent memory has to be that of the band Extreme. I attended one of their first shows back at the 2008 NAMM Expo. They were amazing and haven’t looked back since. They are now releasing a new live record called ‘Take us Alive’ that was recorded in 2009 in their hometown of Boston. We recently spoke with frontman Gary Cherone about the decision to do a live record now. We also chatted about his side projects, Slipkid and Hurtsmile. I even squeezed in a question about his former band Van Halen. Let’s “Get the Funk Out” and see what Gary has to say…
[Here’s the only Van Halen content]:
Gus: It’s been 13 years since Van Halen released a studio record and you were the last vocalist to lend his voice to them doing one. Do you still have a relationship with the Van Halens?
Gary: The only one I really keep in touch with is Michael. Not for any other reason, I kept in touch with Eddie right after that. Then we just kinda moved on. It’s fine, I’m sure he can call me and I can call him, we just haven’t talked. It was great… that period. It’s surreal to me that it has been 10 years. Michael is great. I was hanging out with him at the Chickenfoot gig in Boston. I got to hang out with Sammy and Mike and the rest of the guys. Sammy has always been real good to me.
3) From Roadrunnerrecords.com:
EXTREME Frontman Interviewed On ‘Hard Rock Nights’ – May 10, 2010
Gary Cherone, vocalist for reunited Massachusetts hard rockers EXTREME, was the special guest on the April 30-May 6 edition of “Hard Rock Nights”. Cherone joined host JT to discuss the band’s new DVD, “Take Us Alive”, as well as its last studio effort, “Saudades de Rock”, which was released in 2008. Cherone also talked about his brief time with VAN HALEN and another project he is working on called HURTSMILE.
You can now listen to the chat in two parts: Part 1 & Part 2 (Part 2 includes the VH stuff).
“King Of The Ladies”, a never-before-seen video from EXTREME, can be viewed below (courtesy of AOL‘s Noisecreep). The clip is one of four bonus videos that are included on the band’s “Take Us Alive” live CD and DVD, which was released on May 4 in the U.S. via Frontiers Records.
In 2008, following a 13-year hiatus, EXTREME returned to the stage for its “Take Us Alive” world tour, which encompassed 75 cities and multiple continents in support of the band’s new record, “Saudades de Rock”.
This recording captures EXTREME at the peak of its game with a renewed enthusiasm led by Gary Cherone‘s spellbinding stage performance and powerful vocals, Nuno Bettencourt‘s ferocious guitar, Pat Badger‘s flawless bass and Kevin Figueiredo‘s pounding drums and spot-on back-up vocals.
This brilliant performance was recorded on the last night of their tour at the House of Blues on August 8, 2009 in EXTREME‘s hometown of Boston.
“We wanted to do something really special for our hometown fans that were there for us since the beginning… the club days,” states Nuno. “It was the last night of the tour and we couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate than by bringing it back to where it all started… Boston.”
The concert showcases material from all five EXTREME albums and exhibits the band’s broad stylistic abilities. Features include a blistering rendition of the LED ZEPPELIN-minded “Comfortably Dumb”, the scorching “Play With Me”, the funked-up “Cupid’s Dead” as well as the anthemic “Get The Funk Out”. Songs like EXTREME‘s #1 hit “More Than Words” and the Top 5 single “Hole Hearted” highlight the crowds enthusiasm and loyal support their fan base has had for this beloved foursome.
“As much as we enjoy recording, for me, I’ve always loved playing live for the fans,” Cherone says. “We couldn’t wait to get out there and play for our fans.”
The DVD will contain four unreleased bonus videos from “Saudades de Rock” — “King of the Ladies”, “Interface”, “Run” and “Ghost”. The clips were produced by Nuno Bettencourt.
“This DVD/CD is a culmination of all the years we played together and the chemistry the four of us put out live,” explains Bettencourt.
“Take Us Alive” concert track listing:
01. Decadence Dance
02. Comfortably Dumb
03. Rest In Peace
04. It’s A Monster
05. Star
06. Tell me Something I Don’t Know
07. Medley – Kid Ego / Little Girls / Teacher’s Pet
08. Play With Me
09. Midnight Express
10. More Than Words
11. Ghost
12. Cupid’s Dead
13. Take Us Alive
14. Flight Of The Wounded Bumblebee
15. Get the Funk Out
16. Am I Ever Gonna Change
17. Hole Hearted
18. King Of The Ladies
19. Interface
20. Run
21. Ghost