MACHINE HEAD Frontman On Firing Of Bassist ADAM DUCE: 'I Just Couldn't Take It Anymore'
Guitarist/vocalist Robb Flynn of San Francisco Bay Area metallers MACHINE HEAD has posted the following message in the latest installment of his online blog, "The General Journals: Diary Of A Frontman... And Other Ramblings - Life Affirming":
"2-11-13. That is the date we fired [MACHINE HEAD bassist] Adam Duce. That is the day that I had to tell Adam that after 21 years of being in a band together, I just couldn't take it anymore.
"That is the day I said, 'My hope is that this can be amicable.'
"The words sounded like someone else had spoken them.
"It was like being outside of my body watching someone else deliver these painful words.
"But it was me saying it.
"And we all said it.
"We had our say sitting in our jam room in Oakland. Dave [McClain, drums] said it. Joseph (our manager) said it. Phil [Demmel, guitar] said it. We all said that we couldn't take being in a band with him anymore. That if this didn't happen, we were going to break up the band.
"It was hard. One of the hardest moments of my life.
"It was also a long time coming.
"We may have fired Adam on 2-11-13, but Adam quit MACHINE HEADwell over a decade ago. He just never bothered to tell anyone… but we all knew it.
"Contrary to popular belief, being in a band is tough. Really fucking tough. It's the toughest sonofabitch you'll ever come across in your life and it will beat the living shit out of you 80% of the time. Many times it feels like one big rollercoaster, the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. There are wins and losses seemingly every single day. Being in a band is one of life’s strangest gambles.
"But when you do win, when you win that 20%, well... it truly is salvation. It's what makes eating the other 80% of that shit sandwich bearable. It's where 'those' stories come from. It can be the best job you'll ever have and unquestionably one of the hardest you'll ever have. But until you've done it for 20+ years, you have no clue. Until you've held a band together for 20+ years, you really don't know jack shit about it.
"You think you do.
"You don't.
"A band is a dysfunctional family. A brotherhood, a family business, and a renaissance-era-court. You're roommates in studio-apartment-on-wheels for years at a time, 24 hours a day. Plus you're in the pressure cooker of the spotlight, every move analyzed, read into, or attacked. Everybody wants something from you, everybody wants to be your friend, everybody loves you, everybody can do so much better for you than the people you have now. Some people try and turn you against each other, and everyone wants to take credit for your success.
"Often time you're enemies. At odds and fighting about something, but 'pretending' everything is 'fine' onstage.
"But it isn't...
"You just wear a mask that looks like it's fine, and after 20 years, we know that mask so well, it slides on way too fuckin' easy.
"Adam hasn't been happy in this band for a long time. But how do you leave? To a guy like Adam, everything is either winning or losing. A stunning victory or the ultimate failure. There was no in between. And while that sounds great for a TV show or an interview soundbite, or even a John Wayne movie that wraps up in 90 minutes... life just isn't like that.
"And life certainly isn't like that for a band like MACHINE HEAD. A band who operate in the upper-middle-tier. For us, there are no stunning victories, only respectable wins. No ultimate failures, just better-luck-next-times. We carved a niche, we OWN that niche, but it's still just a niche. Nothing wrong with that.
"No matter how unhappy or fed up he got, quitting the band would be seen as 'losing' or a 'failure.' Truth be told, he was sick of it. Sick of touring, sick of recording, sick of practicing, sick of looking at album artwork, sick of being on a team but never getting the ball, sick of yearning for the honeymoon to resume when 20 years deep it never does. Sick of never quite hitting the big time, sick of carving the niche... sick of caring.
"I don't blame him. It's hard to keep the passion.
"But he just wouldn't quit.
"We wanted him to quit. We were hoping he would quit, 'Guys, my heart isn't in this anymore, it was a good run, later dayz.' We didn't want it to come to this...
"But he wouldn't.
"I didn't feel anything as I drove away from the jam room that night. When I awoke the next morning I didn't feel anything either. I wasn't 'numb,' I still 'felt,' was just kinda blank. But three days after the meeting, an argument broke out in the jam room about how conflicted I felt about it. Then I cried.
"I cried and cried.
"I've cried every day since. I've been an emotional wreck. I cried writing this. I was sick the day that we announced it (11 days and 2 General Journals after actually doing it), walking around about to vomit for hours.
"I met with him for a couple hours last Wednesday, met with him yesterday. It's civil.
"I don't know what else to say.
"I don't have some inspirational quote to end with here. I'm not gonna sit here and tell you everything is gonna be all right, or that's it gonna be the same. At this moment I can’t even bring myself to say that it's going to be better.
"Why?
"Because it sucks.
"It fucking sucks.
"It sucks for everyone who tried to save this.
"It sucks more than you can imagine...
"It's a horrible relief."
BRIAN 'HEAD' WELCH On Reunion With KORN: 'It's So Cool To Feel So Welcome'
KORN will reunite with founding guitarist Brian "Head" Welch for several festival shows this summer, including two dates in Germany, one concert in the United Kingdom and at the upcoming Rock On The Range festival in Columbus, Ohio.
Welch, who has just released an album with his new band LOVE & DEATH, doesn't rule out the possibility of a full U.S. tour with KORN or a collaboration on the band's next studio album.
"We're not trying to tease; it's really a sensitive thing," he tells Loudwirein a new video interview which can be seen below. "And it's seriously, like, we're taking it slow. We're getting together and we're hanging out and we're talking about playing shows and I'm just saying anything is possible right now. But at the same time, I haven't been on the road with them. I think [KORN guitarist] Munky did an interview not too long ago where he was, like, 'We've gotta be around each other every day.' As far as right now, it's all good — it's all good — and I've never seen my family so positive and healthy and happy. There's no drama, there's no fighting, from what I've seen, the little I've been around them. And so I'd say anything is possible. We're talking and we'll see what happens."
He continues: "I'd love to do LOVE & DEATH, even if [I rejoin] KORN [as a permanent member]. LOVE & DEATH is, like, my whole project to just get what's in my soul out into words and stuff, so I'd love to do always do that, but the KORN thing, man, it's just… I love those guys and just connecting with the fans again, it's just like… It's so cool to feel so welcome, you know?!
"We're talking about a lot of stuff right now. It's just like friends back together — that's the main thing right now. I think it would be something that we would know, like maybe in the fall or something like that. But, again, we're not trying to pull any tricks, we're just going slow because it's been so long and I've been busy, so we've just gotta get together more."
Welch joined KORN onstage for the song "Blind" last May at theCarolina Rebellion festival in Rockingham, North Carolina, marking the first time in eight years that KORN played with Welch.
According to Welch, the feedback he has received from KORN fans thus far has been overwhelmingly positive. "Everyone is broken in this world. There's so much divorce, hate and unforgiveness. For people to see this, I think it's just really uplifting," he told Rolling Stone magazine. "I never thought it would happen, and I'm not sure they did either. The fans just love it, because a lot of the fans back in the day were like, suicidal, and from broken homes and abuse. They looked up to us like their family. And to see their family split up was hard on them. To get it put back together, there is a joy around the people who care about it."
Welch left KORN in 2005 to become a born-again Christian. The band never officially replaced him and stayed a four-piece, although they've used several touring guitarists for live work.
KORN has been touring for much of the past year behind its 10th studio album, "The Path Of Totality", but has also begun work on a new set of material.
BUCKCHERRY's 'Confessions' Cracks U.S. Top 20
"Confessions", the sixth studio album from Californian rockers BUCKCHERRY, sold 18,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 20 on The Billboard 200 chart.
BUCKCHERRY's previous CD, "All Night Long", opened with around 28,000 units in August 2010 to debut at No. 10.
The band's fourth studio effort, titled "Black Butterfly", premiered with around 47,000 copies back in September 2008 to enter the chart at No. 8.
To celebrate the release of "Confessions", the Los Angeles rock band —Josh Todd (vocals), Keith Nelson (guitar), Stevie D. (guitar), Jimmy Ashhurst (bass), Xavier Muriel (drums) — will headline three intimate hometown shows at The Viper Room in West Hollywood on March 7, 8 and 9.
"The Viper Room is where it all began for us," says Todd. "At one point when we would hit the stage in that small club, the crowd sounded like an arena. It was so explosive that we landed a record deal and now 15 years later we're coming back to do it all again."
"Confessions" was produced by Keith Nelson and Marti Frederiksen(AEROSMITH, OZZY OSBOURNE) and features eclectic CD artwork by graffiti artist Ewok. The songs on "Confessions" merge punk grit, gutter attitude, honest storytelling, and razor sharp hooks, while the lyrics are tied together by the underlying theme of the Seven Deadly Sins.
In a recent interview with Loudwire.com, Todd elaborated on the album's subject matter. Josh explained, "There was a point in my life when I was a youth when I lost a family member and I acted out in my grieving process through the deadly sins, so that's kind of what the story's about on the record. I think the seven sins are timeless and that everybody struggles with them in their daily lives all the time."
The album's first single, "Gluttony", is impacting Active Rock in the U.S. and Top 5 at Active Rock in Canada. The provocative video for"Gluttony" — directed by Billy Jayne and filmed in a North Hollywood church — can be seen below.
A two-disc deluxe version of the "Confessions" CD is also available and features the bonus tracks "Give 'Em What They Want" and "When The Fire Starts". In addition, a bonus DVD includes the "Gluttony" music video and lyric video, behind-the-scenes footage and band interviews from the set of the "Gluttony" video shoot, and "The Story Behind Confessions" featurette. "Confessions" will also be released on vinyl in April.
Source: Blabbermouth.net
Jack White Reveals He Recorded New Music with Raconteurs; Talks Next Solo Album
It appears that there may be some new music from The Raconteurs headed our way. Singer Jack White says that he recently got together with the band in the studio to create some new material.
“All The Raconteurs and all The Dead Weather live in Nashville now, so we often go on trips together, because we're all just good pals,” he tells Rolling Stone. “We've recorded some things, too. And [guitarist and co-frontman] Brendan [Benson] and The Raconteurs just built a new studio right in town, so it's a lot of great inspiration going around.”
White adds that he’s also working on “20 to 25 tracks” for his second solo album, and that the new songs will feature “many different styles” of music. “I don't pick my style and then write a song,” he explains. “I just write whatever comes out of me, and whatever style it is is what it is, and it becomes something later. Someone else can label it if they want to, but as it's being written and recorded I'm just trying to service the song as best as possible.”
Scott Weiland Reveals Reasons for Launching Purple at the Core Tour Without STP; Talks New Solo Album
On Friday, Stone Temple Pilots frontman Scott Weiland will be launching a new solo tour where he’ll be performing tracks from the band's first two albums: 1992’s Core and 1994’s Purple. The singer says that he's wanted for quite some time to do a special tour to honor the albums.
"Originally, it was an idea I came up with for STP for the anniversary of Core to do theCore album in its entirety," Weiland tells MLive.com. "The rest of the guys didn't want to do it. I talked to the guys in my solo band, The Wildabouts, and they were totally into it, as were the promoters. It worked out."
Weiland adds that he’s also about halfway done making a new solo album with The Wildabouts. "This is something where the new album is more of a rock 'n' roll album, as opposed to more of the sort of outside-the-box artistic sonic adventures that we've gone on in the past,” he explains. "The record that we're making, hopefully will attract more of the STP and Velvet Revolver fans. I think it will also help that we're doing this tour this way."
A title and release date for the album has yet to be revealed.
Metallica Announces Lineup for 2nd Annual Orion Music + More Festival
Metallica has revealed the lineup for the second edition of their Orion Music + More Festival, which takes place June 8-9 at Belle Isle Park in Detroit, MI.
More than 30 bands will take the stage at the fest, including headlining sets by Metallica,Red Hot Chili Peppers, Rise Against, Deftones and Bassnectar. Other bands set to perform include Silversun Pickups, Dropkick Murphys, Gogol Bordello, and Foals.
"Last year's Orion Music + More Festival was hands down the highlight of the Metallica calendar,” said drummer Lars Ulrich in a statement. "The fact that it also resonated with enough of our fans and friends that it warrants another go-around in '13 is beyond exciting. I can think of no better place than the Motor City, with its rich and diverse history of music, for the second ride on our Orion festival train.”
In addition to the performances, the festival will once again offer up attractions curated by members of Metallica. Fans will get the chance to check out frontman James Hetfield's custom car and motorcycle show, watch movies in the Hit the Lights film tent with Ulrich, and experience guitarist Kirk Hammett’s extensive horror memorabilia collection in Kirk’s Crypt. A Metallica museum will also be featured on the festival grounds.
Fan club pre-sales for the festival begin Tuesday at 10 a.m. ET and will run through Thursday, with two-day passes starting at $150. The public will get access to the tickets on Friday at 10 a.m. ET. Visit OrionMusicandMore.com to buy tickets.
Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong Discusses Vegas Meltdown in Rolling Stone
Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong doesn't remember much about his meltdown at a Las Vegas music festival last September, which prompted him to enter rehab for substance abuse treatment.
In an interview with Rolling Stone, Armstrong says he remembers "tiny things" about his band's performance that night, during which he profanely claimed that the group's set was being cut short and he smashed his guitar into the stage floor.
Armstrong recalls, "The next morning, I woke up. I asked [my wife] Adrienne, 'How bad was it?' She said, 'It's bad.' I called my manager. He said, 'You're getting on a plane, going back to Oakland and going into rehab immediately.'"
Armstrong says his struggles with alcohol and prescription drugs were so great leading up to the incident that he "couldn't predict" where he was going to end up on any given night. He says, "I'd wake up in a strange house on a couch. I wouldn't remember how. It was a complete blackout."
The interview is featured in the issue of Rolling Stone hitting newsstands this Friday, with Armstrong on the cover.
The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach to Appear on ABC's Nashville on Wednesday
The Black Keys guitarist Dan Auerbach is set to play himself on ABC's Nashville on Wednesday night. He'll join country stars Kip Moore, Vince Gill and Pam Tillis in the episode, titled “Dear Brother,” which features the Nashville-based musicians hanging out at a surprise birthday party for Deacon, played by actor Charles Esten, at The Bluebird Café.
Auerbach’s appearance, which can be viewed at RollingStone.com, shows the guitarist offering some kind words to actress Connie Britton’s character Rayna, who is going through a tough divorce.
This isn’t the first time that Auerbach has appeared on a TV show to do something other than play or talk about music. Last year, he and Keys drummer Patrick Carneyappeared on an episode of celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain's Travel Channel show, No Reservations. In addition, the Keys briefly appeared as guys with long ponytails in an episode of Comedy Central’s Workaholics. Nashville airs Wednesday nights at 10 p.m. ET on ABC.
Kings of Leon to Headline UK’s V Festival
Kings of Leon have added another summer music festival to their calendar. The band will headline this year’s V Festival in the U.K., set to take place on August 17-18 in both Hylands Park in Essex and Weston Park in Staffordshire. The band is currently in the studio working on its sixth studio album and is expected to play some new songs from the forthcoming release at the festival.
Other artists appearing at the 18th edition of the V Festival include fun., Two Door Cinema Club and Of Monsters and Men, plus more. To see the complete artist roster, head over to VFestival.com.
Green Day Schedule Three Live Club Dates Ahead of 2013 Tour
Want to see Green Day, up close and personal? If you're lucky enough to live in Pomona, California; Tempe, Arizona or El Paso, Texas, you'll get the chance next month.
The band has scheduled three live club dates ahead of their official 2013 tour, which starts March 28 in Rosemont, Illinois. The three dates are March 10 at the Fox Theater in Pomona, March 11th at The Marquee in Tempe, and March 13 at Tricky Falls in El Paso. Tickets for these three shows go on sale this Friday, March 1 at 10 a.m. local time.
Green Day's documentary film ¡Cuatro! will be featured at the 20th Anniversary edition of the South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Conference and Festival, which runs from March 8 - 16, 2013 in Austin, Texas. In addition, a second Green Day film, Broadway Idiot -- a backstage look at the creation of the American Idiot Broadway musical -- will world premiere at SXSW. The band will perform at Austin's Moody Theater on March 15 as part of the festivities.
