Long Live Rock

Tom Sharpe is taking the road less traveled with his new album.The veteran musician is well-known to audiences worldwide for his annual tours as the drummer in Mannheim Steamroller, as well as playing with former Styx maestro Dennis DeYoung. But he's much more than that. Sharpe is also a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and composer in his own right. Sharpe's latest album is Lifting the World, which sees him turning his attention to a full-blown symphony. The album features Sharpe on multiple instruments, blending percussion elements, piano, strings, a choir and more for an ambitious, challenging piece of work that is an amalgam of classical and world music. Sharpe draws on a very broad palette, but has also created a work that is accessible to the average listener by focusing on structure and strong, clean melodies.Tom Sharpe talks to Long Live Rock about his stint in Mannheim, his recent departure from DeYoung's group, the process behind Lifting the World and more!

You've heard Ricky Byrd's iconic guitar intro to the Joan Jett and the Blackhearts hit "I Love Rock 'N' Roll" a million times. You've also heard his work with artists like Ian Hunter, Roger Daltrey and Southside Johnny. And you've probably heard his songs as cut by other artists, too. But you've never heard Byrd like this before. After a long career he's recently released his first-ever solo album, the appropriately-titled Lifer, on which he not only played guitar, he wrote and sang the songs, too. The result is a pure slice of good-time rock and roll, shot through with blues and R&B that harkens back to Byrd's own childhood idols. Byrd joins us on Long Live Rock to discuss his new album -- and the state of rock and roll in general.

Perhaps it was inevitable that Dave Fields would become involved in music. The son of famed Broadway and film composer/arranger/producer Sammy Fields, he started playing piano at an early age before taking up guitar at 13. It wasn't long before he was alternating playing sessions with his father and doing his own gigs. Fields attended Berklee College of Music and has gone on to a career that encompasses film, TV and jingle work, as well as his own albums and live performances. He has worked with artists as diverse as U2, Aretha Franklin, Hubert Sumlin and many more. Fields recently released his third solo album, Detonation. Unlike his previous efforts, the record is a step away from pure blues and into blues rock. Fields spoke to Long Live Rock about his new album, touring the world, and shared highlights from his long career in the following exclusive interview.Dave Fields' Official WebsiteDave Fields on Facebook Dave Fields on Twitter

Fred Turner is best known as the singer and bass player from Bachman-Turner Overdrive. In 2009 he reunited with his former band mate Randy Bachman for a new album titled Bachman & Turner, followed by a world tour. The pair is releasing a new CD and DVD titled Live at the Roseland Ballroom, NYC, and Fred Turner talked to Long Live Rock about the new album, why he came out of retirement, how he keeps his voice in shape, what the future holds for Bachman & Turner, and more!

Ned Evett has been hailed by USA Today as "the master of the fretless glass-necked guitar," and is widely acknowledged as the foremost fretless guitarist in the world today. In January 2012 Evett released his sixth studio album Treehouse, produced by the legendary Adrian Belew. Evett has been touring non-stop the last few years, often on a bill with Joe Satriani, one of his staunchest supporters. He joins us on Long Live Rock to discuss the writing and recording of Treehouse, touring, how the world economy has impacted the music business, and much more. Special thanks to Carol Kaye at Kayos Productions for arranging this interview.