Bassist Jared Followill Says Kings of Leon Is “Still Getting Songs Together” for Next Album
Good news for Kings of Leon fans: the band has begun working on their follow-up to 2010’s Come Around Sundown. Bassist Jared Followill says that the guys have been meeting regularly and are now in the beginning stages of the songwriting process.
"Kings of Leon are in a stage where we are, like, there are 10 steps to making an album -- we're in like stage two right now,” Followill tells Spinner. “Like, writing songs still, still getting our songs together. We put a lot of emphasis on getting our songs together and having them finished before we go into the studio.” Followill adds that the band tends to work quickly once they begin the recording process, claiming that they’ve “never spent more than six weeks in the studio.”
As for Smoke & Jackal, Followill’s side project with Mona frontman Nick Brown, fans shouldn’t expect the guys to hit the road just yet for a tour to support their recently-released EP, EP1.
"As far as touring goes, if there was a great demand for Smoke & Jackal, and the people were, like, 'You have to play live' and 'Everybody's asking for it,' we could definitely pull something together,” says Followill. “It would just never be a 60-date tour or anything like that."
Green Day Cancels Remaining 2012 Tour Dates; ¡Tré! to Be Released in December
It appears that Billie Joe Armstrong isn’t ready to return to the stage. Green Day has canceled all of their remaining 2012 tour dates.
"Obviously the timing for this isn't ideal, but Billie Joe's well-being is our main concern," says bassist Mike Dirnt in a statement. "We are happy to say that Billie Joe is doing well, and we want to thank you all for the outpouring of support and well wishes that we have received, and we can't wait to see you all again soon.”
The band has also postponed all of their upcoming 2013 tour dates in January and February. New dates for the rescheduled shows will be announced shortly and previously purchased tickets will be honored on the new dates.
In addition, Green Day is pushing up the release date of the third album in their trilogy,¡Tré!, to December 11. "We feel bad we have to delay our tour, so to make up for it we want to give our fans the music earlier than we had planned," said drummer Tré Cool in a statement. "If we couldn't be there to play it for you live, the least we could do was give you the next best thing."
Armstrong is reportedly still in rehab for treatment for substance abuse. Ticket holders for the canceled shows are advised to contact the venue’s box offices for refunds.
Guitarist Munky Shaffer Predicts No “Dubstep Style” Songs on Next Korn Album
Korn fans shouldn’t expect the band to experiment with dupstep again on their next album. Guitarist James "Munky" Shaffer says that while the guys enjoyed mixing things up with producers of the genre for The Path to Totality, they’ll be trying something new for their eleventh studio album.
“We've been working on it for a while, just recording ideas,” Shaffer tells the Phoenix New Times. “I wouldn't say it's a 180[-degree turn] from the last album, but we're definitely taking a different approach. We're not going with the dubstep style, but we are using a lot of interesting recording techniques.”
Shaffer adds that the forthcoming release will be “more melodic” and that his guitar parts will be “more aggressive and much more in your face.”
“I want to feature more guitar on this [upcoming] album, on the one were writing right now, we still have one foot in the electronic [style], not necessarily the dubstep [sound], and we still have a fresh approach on the guitar riffs with some melodic vocals,” he explains.
Pearl Jam Bassist Says Tracks for RNDM’s Acts Created from 15-Year Stash of “200 Unfinished Songs”
Jeff Ament has revealed that he went through a unique songwriting process for Acts, the debut album of his side project, RNDM. The Pearl Jam bassist says that he culled the songs from a horde of material he’d been working on for the last 15 years.
“Five or six years ago I started looking at my cupboards and realized I had, like, 200 unfinished songs,” Ament tells the Toronto Sun. “So I took it upon myself to finish things. My cupboards are a little lighter and that feels somehow better.”
Ament adds that while Acts arrives in stores on Tuesday, fans will need to wait a while longer to get their hands on Pearl Jam’s next album. “There's nothing really scheduled [for Pearl Jam] right now,” he explains. “I'm sure once we get through the holidays, we'll get on the phone with each other and figure out what we're doing next.”
