Linkin Park Scores Fifth #1 Album on Billboard 200 with Living Things
Linkin Park has achieved another milestone. The band’s new album, Living Things, has debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 album chart, making it the fifth chart-topping disc of their career. Living Things dominated the Billboard 200 chart this week with 223,000 units sold, according to Nielsen Soundscan.
Thanks to the success of Living Things, LP also now holds the record for the most #1 albums on the Billboard 200 chart since 2000. All of their albums -- except for their 2000 debut Hybrid Theory -- have debuted at #1 on the chart.
Jack White Says He Didn't Make Any New Music with Radiohead
It appears that there won’t be a new musical collaboration between Radiohead and Jack White for us to enjoy. The ex-White Stripes frontman says that while Radiohead stopped by his Third Man Records studio in Nashville to record, he didn’t work on any music with the band.
"I don’t know how much to tell about it except I didn't play with them or produce,” White tells BBC 6 Music. “But they came in and recorded at Third Man. I don't know what else to be said about that, so that’s all I can probably say.”
Rumors were swirling about a collaboration between the two artists after Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke gave a special shout-out to White during the band’s headlining set at Bonnaroo. "This song is for Jack White," Yorke told the crowd before launching into “Supercollider.” “We saw him yesterday. A big thank you to him, but we can't tell you why. You'll find out."
AWOLNATION Frontman Bruno Discusses Evolution of Spaceman Character
Fans of AWOLNATION may have noticed that a character in a space suit helmet known as Spaceman occasionally appears in the band’s promotional photos and videos. Frontman Aaron Bruno says that the Spaceman character has evolved to become an important part of the band.
“He’s become sort of the mascot of the band without us even trying,” Bruno tells ABC News Radio. “He’s sort of his own deal and there’s kind of a mystery behind him. He has a lot of futuristic capabilities but he’s still kind of a dumbass in a lot of ways. He’s kind of become his own thing and we never quite understand or know when he’s going to show up next and that’s the beauty of the Spaceman.”
Bruno added that while he’s thrilled that fans are enjoying the character, he’s noticed that some are taking their love of the Spaceman to the next level. “Some people take him very seriously, I’ve seen a couple fans that have him tattooed, huge tattoos on chests and stuff like that,” reveals the singer. “Sometimes you get lucky and things take a life of their own and he certainly has, but it’s not the focal point or anything like that, it’s just another element to this project. He’s never gonna be in one of the actual music videos.”
In other AWOLNATION news, the band is giving away a free six-track EP on their website. By submitting your email address, you can get a free download of the EP, which includes three bonus tracks from their recently-released album, Megalithic Symphony, as well as live versions of “People,” “Not Your Fault” and “Kill Your Heroes” recorded in Toronto.
Coldplay, Mumford & Sons, Red Hot Chili Peppers Donate Songs to Rhythms Del Mundo: Africa Charity CD
Coldplay, Mumford & Sons, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Fleet Foxes and R.E.M. are among the artists featured on a new charity compilation album in support of Artists Project Earth, which funds projects that combat climate change and offers relief to those affected by natural disasters.
Titled Rhythms Del Mundo: Africa, the album features 14 songs that have been remixed to include African rhythms. By pledging eight British pounds, which is around $13 U.S. dollars, you can get a download of the album. For a pledge of 40 British pounds, or about $62 U.S. dollars, you can get a “special thanks” credit in the album’s booklet. The incentives become greater the more you pledge, right on up to sitting in an exclusive remix session with album’s producer and getting an executive producer credit on the album.
If you want to help fund the project, go to PledgeMusic.com to make a donation.
Here's the track list:
Coldplay -- “Viva la Vida”
Beyoncé -- “I Miss You”
Eminem and TS1 -- “I’m Not Afraid”
Bruno Mars -- “Grenade”
Plan B -- “She Said”
Cee Lo Green -- “Crazy”
Red Hot Chili Peppers -- “Under the Bridge”
Mumford & Sons --“Timshel”
Shanade -- “I Am Because”
Aloe Blacc -- “I Need a Dollar”
R.E.M. w. Ali Farka Touré Band -- “Losing My Religion”
Fleet Foxes -- “Mykonos”
Rokia Traoré -- “Is This Love”
Lamb of God Manager: “Randy Blythe Should Be Released Immediately"
Lamb of God manager Larry Mazer isn’t happy. While frontman Randy Blythe posted four million Czech koruna in bail on Tuesday -- which is about $200,000 -- he’s still locked away in a Prague jail.
"Randy should be released immediately,” Mazer tells Czech website Blesk.cz. “His lawyer told us so. In the U.S. he would have been -- you post the bail and you're free. It's absurd. Randy did nothing wrong. He is innocent."
The singer was arrested in the Czech Republic last week in connection with an incident that took place during the band's 2010 concert at Club Abaton in Prague. According toreports out of the Czech Republic, at the 2010 concert a fan identified as Daniel N.climbed on stage and had a confrontation with Blythe, during which Daniel sustained injuries that reportedly caused his death 14 days later. The singer could serve as many as 10 years in prison if he's convicted of manslaughter.
Mazer added that he was blindsided by Blythe’s arrest and that he hadn’t heard anything about the incident before the band arrived in the Czech Republic for a scheduled performance in Prague last week.
"Nobody contacted us in the last two years,” explains Mazer. “My contact information is publicly available but I never heard from the family. We didn't even hear from the concert organizer. Nobody called us."
Blythe, who has yet to be officially charged, will likely be released sometime this week, according to reports.
Puddle of Mudd Frontman Pleads Guilty to Cocaine Possession Charge
Wes Scantlin is getting the chance to avoid jail. The Puddle of Mudd frontman pleaded guilty to felony cocaine possession on Tuesday in Los Angeles, E! News reports. In exchange, two misdemeanor charges have been dropped, and Scantlin can avoid jail time by enrolling in a drug counseling program. The felony charge also could be dropped if he completes the program.
As previously reported, Scantlin was arrested on January 12 after a traffic stop in which police said they found a "controlled substance" in Scantlin's possession. He was charged with driving without a license and being under the influence of a controlled substance -- the two misdemeanors -- as well as felony drug possession.
Scantlin is now under 18 months' deferred judgment. The singer must show proof of enrollment in the drug program by August 8.
Back in April, Shinedown’s Amaryllis claimed the #4 spot on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 106,000 copies, according to Nielsen Soundscan. The album marked the band’s best sales week to date; their previous album, 2008’s The Sound of Madness, sold only 50,000 copies its first week out.
“I was a little nervous about matching the success of our previous record and [bassist]Eric [Bass] was as well,” Shinedown guitarist Zach Myers tells NewHampshire.com. “It's in the back of your mind to match up to the last one. It's crazy that when it came out it did double what [2008’s The Sound of Madness] did. People aren't even really buying records anymore, so it was pretty cool.”
Myers added that the band is looking forward to having members of their family join them on their upcoming Rockstar Uproar Festival dates. “With touring so much you don't have real friends -- you have a millions acquaintances, but no real friends,” reveals the guitarist. “We…all need that surrounding support system. And now with this upcoming tour, there's going to be a family bus, too. So that will help.”
In addition to Shinedown, Godsmack, Staind and P.O.D. will also perform as part of the annual event. The Rockstar Uproar Festival will kick off on August 17 at Capitol Federal Park at Sandstone in Kansas City, MO.
