Mother Of Ailing DEFTONES Bassist Gives Update On His Condition
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According to The Pulse Of Radio, the mother of DEFTONES bassist Chi Cheng has posted a lengthy message online giving an update on Cheng's condition and the possibility of new treatments for him. Cheng has been in a semi-comatose state for more than four years after being seriously injured in a car accident in November 2008. In addition to not recovering full consciousness, Cheng has been in and out of hospitals for various infections as his family has struggled with the mounting costs of care since he lost his health insurance a few months after the accident.
According to Cheng's mother, Cheng is currently living in a rented house and attended by family members and various medical assistants. He is unable to speak, yet can move his legs on command. His family recently had to sell Cheng's childhood home due to legal complications after his father died in April, although they've managed to buy a new one and are waiting for it to be repainted before moving in.
The family is considering stem cell therapy as one possible treatment forCheng. His brother Ming recently told Revolver, "They don't even do it (stem cell therapy) in the U.S. yet. It's a miracle he's still with us. He's alive and kicking and he's fighting, and I think there's a reason for it. I'm hoping there's a light at the end of the tunnel for Chi."
Despite his several battles with pneumonia, breathing problems and other setbacks, Cheng's mother wrote that her son "seems intent on staying around a while longer. Since you all have been such a huge part of making that possible, we have so much gratitude for your support and prayers . . . The love and compassion that you give Chi and us makes our world such a better place."
DEFTONES have held several benefit concerts and continue to donate money from the band's tours. Singer Chino Moreno said that the group's fans have continued to help as well. "Whatever people can do, it's all appreciated, and it's all just in the hopes that there will be one day where he can talk back and have a conversation and see his kids and, you know, continue on living, you know," he said. "That's what we pray and hope for, you know what I mean, that's all we can do."
DEFTONES issued their seventh studio album, titled "Koi No Yokan", on November 13. The CD entered the Billboard album chart at No. 11 with sales of 65,000 copies.
The disc follows up 2010's "Diamond Eyes" and is the second recorded with bassist Sergio Vega filling in for Cheng.
HINDER: New Song Available For Streaming
"Anyone But You", a brand new song from HINDER, can be streamed using the audio player below (courtesy of AOL's Noisecreep). The track comes off the band's fourth album, "Welcome To The Freakshow", which will be released on December 4 via Republic Records.
According to The Pulse Of Radio, HINDER frontman Austin Winkler toldBillboard on that a "really dark drug binge" fueled much of his songwriting on "Welcome To The Freakshow". Winkler explained to The Pulse Of Radio what his state of mind was during this tough period. "I was in a very, very, very dark addiction, and you can kind of hear the turmoil in my voice and stuff like that," he said. "And, you know, as soon as we got the record done I went into treatment to get help, and it's interesting to go back and listen to it now."
Winkler told Billboard that he entered rehab as soon as the record was finished. The album follows 2010's "All American Nightmare".
The first single, "Save Me", touches on Winkler's struggle, with him saying, "I had a really nasty attitude in that song, but I had a blast singing and recording it. I think it's our heaviest single yet, and we're getting a pretty good response."
The vocalist called the new disc "really diverse," adding that "it's going to surprise a lot of people."
HINDER plans to mount a full tour once 2013 rolls around.
"Anyone But You" audio stream (courtesy of AOL's Noisecreep):
Source: Blabbermouth.com
Andrew WK, a Cultural Ambassador? State Dept. Says Not So Fast
Andrew WK has been appointed as a cultural ambassador to Bahrain. At least, that's according to Andrew WK. The U.S. State Department, however, says not so fast.
In a message posted on Andrew WK's website Friday, the notoriously hard-partying singer declares that he's accepted a State Department invitation to travel to the Middle Eastern country of Bahrain in December to “promote partying and positive power.” He goes on to say he'll visit “elementary schools, the University of Bahrain, music venues, and more, all while promoting partying and world peace.” He concludes, "I feel very privileged and humbled by the chance to represent the United States of America and show the good people of Bahrain the power of positive partying. I can hardly wait for this adventure!”
If the idea of Andrew WK acting as an official cultural ambassador sounds odd to you, you're apparently not alone. A State Department spokesperson tells ABC News Radio, “While Andrew WK was invited to participate in a cultural speakers program in Bahrain, the embassy says that the program was a mistake and didn’t meet our standards, so it was canceled."
Further confirmation came at Monday's State Department press briefing, when spokesperson Victoria Nuland said an entity in Bahrain approached the embassy about co-sponsoring an event with Andrew WK, which was initially approved. However, it was canceled upon further review by senior embassy staff, who decided it wouldn't be an appropriate use of U.S. funds.
Kid Rock to Re-Record Devil Without a Cause in 2013
Kid Rock is planning to re-record his best-selling album, Devil Without a Cause, in honor of the 15th anniversary of its release. Rock says that he plans on dropping his re-imagined version of the 1998 album in August.
"Some of [the songs] will be exactly like they were and some of them will have the sensibilities of what we've learned playing those songs live for 15 years," Rock tellsBillboard.com. "I'm not going to say they're going to be better than the originals; that's tough to top. But I think…we've twisted them up so much to where it's very interesting, very cool."
Rock added that he also hopes to schedule a concert dedicated to Devil Without a Causesometime next year. "That seems like a fun thing that fans seem to like with other bands doing it," he explains. "Even though it's not the most original idea at this point, I think it would be something cool for the fans to see."
Preview Rage Against the Machine's XX Album Online Now
If you can’t wait to check out the 20th anniversary special edition of Rage Against the Machine’s self-titled debut album, XX, you’re in luck. Revolver is currently streaming every song from the double-disc set on its website. XX will be available in CD, digital and vinyl formats on Tuesday. Special and deluxe editions of the album will be released as well. The 20th Anniversary Special Edition features the remastered debut album and B-sides from the album’s original recording sessions on one CD; a second CD contains the band's original demos. The package will also contain a DVD featuring videos and previously unreleased performances of “Take the Power Back,” “Bombtrack,” and “Wake Up.”
The 20th Anniversary Deluxe Box Set will include everything listed above as well as an additional DVD of previously unreleased concert footage from 1991, 1994, 1996, and 2010. That package also includes a 12" vinyl LP and a two-sided poster. In addition, a vinyl edition of the remastered album will be released.
Members of Metallica to Be Featured in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater Video Game
Metallica fans will get to perform some skateboarding tricks as frontman James Hetfieldand bassist Rob Trujillio in the latest version of long-running video game series, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater.
According to a post on the game's Facebook page, the heavy metal icons will be featured in an upcoming download pack for XBox 360 and Playstation 3, titled Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 HD Revert Pack, which will be released on December 4.
Musical guest characters are nothing new for the game, as previous installments have included late Beastie Boys rapper Adam "MCA" Yauch, Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker and Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong.
Stone Sour, Slash, Tool, Deftones Added to Ozzfest Japan
The lineup for the inaugural Ozzfest Japan just keeps getting bigger. Event producers have just announced they've added Stone Sour, Slash, Tool and Deftones to a roster that already includes headliners Black Sabbath and Slipknot.
“We’ve assembled an amazing lineup for the first-ever Ozzfest Japan,” said Ozzfest founder Sharon Osbourne in a statement. “Black Sabbath, Slipknot, Tool, Slash, what more could you ask for? And we still have plenty of surprises to come. The Ozzfest Japan line-up will rival any of our previous festivals.”
Ozzfest Japan runs May 11-12, 2013 at the Makuhari Messe arena, just outside of Tokyo.
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