Rock News

METALLICA 'Museum' To Return At This Year's 'Orion Music + More' Festival

METALLICA recently unveiled the lineup for the second annual Orion Music + More festival, which will take place this year at Belle Isle in Detroit on June 8-9. METALLICA will once again headline both days, while the more than 30 other acts appearing on the weekend will include theRED HOT CHILI PEPPERS, RISE AGAINST, DEFTONES, SILVERSUN PICKUPS, BASSNECTAR, GOGOL BORDELLO, FOALS, TOMAHAWK, THE JOY FORMIDABLE, THE BRONX, DROPKICK MURPHYS and more.

Commented the band: "We're bringing back the Metallica Museum in 2013, so stay tuned for more details and information about all of the awesome memorabilia we'll have on hand in Detroit! Classic METALLICAguitars (including the last bass that Cliff Burton ever played), amps, lyrics, merchandise, stage props and more...except this time it will be BIGGER and BADDER! 

"Last year, festival-goers basked in the glory of 30 years worth of band history and memorabilia in one single spot at the Metallica Museum. They strolled down METALLICA memory lane and snapped shots of the band’s rare guitars, like the originals James and Kirk used to record 'Kill 'Em All','Ride The Lightning', and 'Master Of Puppets', 'Justice' stage props, and vintage tour posters and t-shirts. For the Pushead fans in the crowd, the museum will display pieces of his original METALLICA artwork."

Drummer Lars Ulrich said in a statement, "Last year's Orion Music + More festival was hands down the highlight of the METALLICA calendar. A great time was had by all, especially the band members. 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."

METALLICA based last year's first Orion show on the European festivals, which bring a large number of diverse musical acts together. Ulrich toldThe Pulse Of Radio the festivals themselves are now bigger than any individual band. "You know, the interesting thing about these festivals in Europe is they basically, they sell out every year without any of the bands being announced," he said. "People just go 'cause it's like a vibe. So I think if you can get to a point where people know that whatever's gonna happen is gonna be super-cool, and there's gonna be lots of great bands, lots of different bands, lots of cool, fun non-musical things — that's kind of what we're going for."

This year's Orion show will also see the return from last year of James Hetfield's Custom Car & Motorcycle Show, Kirk Hammett's Crypt, Lars Ulrich's Hit the Lights Film Tent and Robert Trujillo's Vans Vert Ramp alongside the Metallica Museum and other attractions.

The inaugural Orion Music + More was held last June in Atlantic City, New Jersey and featured acts like ARCTIC MONKEYS, AVENGED SEVENFOLD, MODEST MOUSE, THE GASLIGHT ANTHEM, CAGE THE ELEPHANT and others.

METALLICA headlined both nights, playing 1991's self-titled "black album" in its entirety one night and 1984's "Ride The Lightning" the other.




SLASH: Limited-Edition Bust Sculpture Available

When legendary guitarist Slash (VELVET REVOLVER, GUNS N' ROSES) embarked on a solo career with his self-titled album, featuring collaborations with some of his favorite classic and up-and-coming singers, he asked artist Ron English to collaborate with him on the cover. Roninterpreted Slash's iconic skull with a top hat using Ron's unique glowing color technique in a boudoir atmosphere complete with guitar/derriere crossbones. 

In response to the popularity of the album artwork, Ron English andSlash have worked together to create a limited edition fiberglass bust of the now iconic image. In collaboration with Garage Works, the prestigious sculpture house in Hong Kong, the English Slash bust is being released in a limited edition of 10, each signed and numbered by Ron English and Slash.

For more information, visit Popaganda.com.




SEVENDUST's 'Black Out The Sun' Projected To Sell 30K-35K First Week 

SEVENDUST's ninth studio album, "Black Out The Sun", is likely to sell between 30,000 and 35,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release, according to industry web site Hits Daily Double. The estimate was based on one-day sales reports compiled after the record arrived in stores on March 26 via the band's 7Bros. Records in conjunction withADA Label Services. The CD was recorded at Architekt Music studios in Butler, New Jersey with engineer Mike Ferretti.

SEVENDUST's previous CD, 2010's "Cold Day Memory", sold around 27,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 12 on the Billboard 200 chart.

The band's 2008 effort, "Chapter VII: Hope and Sorrow", opened with 25,000 units to land at No. 19.

"Black Out The Sun" track listing:

01. Memory
02. Faithless
03. 'Till Death
04. Mountain
05. Cold As War
06. Black Out The Sun
07. Nobody Wants It
08. Dead Roses
09. Decay
10. Dark AM
11. Picture Perfect
12. Got A Feeling
13. Murder Bar

SEVENDUST drummer Morgan Rose told Billboard.com that the song"Decay" actually came from a riff left over from the "Cold Ray Memory"sessions.

"We were starting to get burnt and we didn't want to push it," Roserecalled. "So we had this riff, and we said, 'Let's jam it and see if anything comes of it.' And before you know it, it became a song that ends up on the record, and everybody listens to it and they end up picking that as the single, which was pretty cool."

The song "Murder Bar" was reportedly inspired by a Butler, New Jersey bar across from the hotel where SEVENDUST was staying while recording the new CD. Rumor had it the place was popular with many of New Jersey's murderers. 

"It's a basic SEVENDUST record," guitarist Clint Lowery recently told"Source Of The Sound With Wendy Campbell". "There's nothing, like, too completely different than anything we've done before. It's got a darker vibe to it. We've got a good amount of the programming element in there. It's a lot of what we do — it's heavy and it's got its melodic element in it. So if you're a SEVENDUST fan, it's more along the lines of the second and third records we did — it's kind of like that. It's got a couple of throwback vibes to it. 'Animosity' and 'Home' [1999], if I can put those two records together, it would [sound similar to the new CD]."
 

Source: Blabbermouth.net


Kings of Leon to Release “Youthful” New Album in September

 

Shortly after Shinedown wraps up their current tour with Three Days Grace and P.O.D., the guys will be hitting the road with Bush and Airbourne.  That outing kicks off on April 30 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania and will make stops in Springfield, MA; Uncasville, CT and Milwaukee, WI, among other cities.
In addition, the band has just released a new video for "I'll Follow You," a cut from their latest release, Amaryllis.  In the clip, the band performs the song live at Henson Recording Studios in Hollywood, California.
Here are the tour dates:
4/30 -- Wilkes-Barre, PA, Mohegan Sun Arena
5/1 -- Springfield, MA, Mass Mutual Center
5/3 -- Uncasville, CT, Mohegan Sun
5/4 -- Atlantic City, NJ, House of Blues
5/7 -- Springfield, IL, Prairie Capital Convention Center
5/8 -- Milwaukee, WI, Eagles Ballroom
 

STONE SOUR: Audio Samples Of Two New Songs

30-second audio snippets of the songs "Red City" and "Black John" from"House Of Gold & Bones - Part 2", the second part of STONE SOUR's two-album series, "House of Gold & Bones", can be streamed below. Also available is of STONE SOUR lead singer Corey Taylor's video commentary on the two tracks (courtesy of Australia's Music Feeds).

"House Of Gold & Bones - Part 2" will be released on April 9 viaRoadrunner Records. The albums were recorded at Sound Farm Studios just outside of the band's native Des Moines, Iowa with producer David Bottrill (TOOL, MUSE) at the helm.

"House Of Gold & Bones - Part 2" track listing:

01. Red City
02. Black John
03. Sadist
04. Peckinpah
05. Stalemate
06. Gravesend
07. '82
08. The Uncanny Valley
09. Blue Smoke
10. Do Me A Favor
11. The Conflagration
12. The House Of Gold & Bones

"Do Me A Favor", was made available digitally on February 12. Taylorgave The Pulse Of Radio a preview of what to expect from the song. "It's quite aggressive, and actually the label asked me if I would go in and tame stuff down and I was like, 'No.' I'm not doing that," he said. "This is going out the way it is and I'm not gonna touch it up. I'm not gonna have people looking for a song that doesn't exist. This is the way it is on the album, that's the way it's going to be when we put it out to radio."

When asked by ThisIsNotAScene what fans can expect from the second part of "House Of Gold & Bones", Taylor said: "Part 2 is much darker [than the first part], if I'm honest. Aside from it being a completely different album, it feels more like a soundtrack to a movie in a lot of ways, man. It's really thematic. There are themes from part 1 that reveal themselves and that come again, musically. There's actually stuff from part 2 that you'll hear that's on part 1 and you'll be like, 'Fucking hell!'"

He continued: "We essentially recorded these, and this is where technology is now, so you could have these in a playlist on your iTunesand play them top to fucking bottom and really get that experience while you read both parts. So it's some of our darkest music, our most intricate and complex music, some of the best fucking lyrics I've ever written, to be honest. Even writing from a narrative like that, it was so challenging. Plus, it's got some of our best songs on it."

The "Do Me A Favor" video was directed by Phil Mucci, whose clip forHIGH ON FIRE's "Fertile Green" was named best video of 2012 byRevolver.

"House Of Gold & Bones - Part 1" came out last fall.

Music is just one of the mediums used to tell the "House of Gold & Bones" story, and Taylor recently revealed details of the new project with Dark Horse Comics of the same name, which follows, and expands on, the story contained within the albums. With stunning covers fromJason Shawn Alexander (Empty Zone, Batman, Abe Sapien), this four-issue limited series marks Taylor's debut in the comics genre. The first issue of the series will be out on April 17.

Taylor recently told Billboard.com recently that the group is planning a world tour in 2014 during which they will spend two nights in each city and perform both halves of its "House Of Gold & Bones" double album in their entirety.





SLASH: Pro-Shot Footage Of Entire Sydney Concert

On August 25, 2012, legendary guitarist Slash (VELVET REVOLVER,GUNS N' ROSES) ripped the roof off the Sydney Entertainment Centre in Sydney, Australia, and Moshcam was there to film every second of it. 

The Sydney show, filmed exclusively by Moshcam, premiered online last September and can now be seen in its entirety at this location.

The setlist for the concert was as follows:

01. Halo 
02. Nightrain (GUNS N' ROSES song)
03. Ghost 
04. Standing in the Sun 
05. Back From Cali 
06. My Michelle (GUNS N' ROSES song)
07. Beggars & Hangers-On (SLASH'S SNAKEPIT song)
08. Not for Me 
09. Rocket Queen (GUNS N' ROSES song)
10. Doctor Alibi (Todd Kerns on lead vocals)
11. Out Ta Get Me (GUNS N' ROSES song) (Todd Kerns on lead vocals)
12. Crazy Life 
13. No More Heroes 
14. Starlight 
15. Blues Jam 
16. Guitar Solo / Godfather Theme 
17. Anastasia 
18. Sweet Child O' Mine (GUNS N' ROSES song)
19. You're a Lie 
20. Slither (VELVET REVOLVER song)

Encore:

21. Fall to Pieces (VELVET REVOLVER song)
22. Paradise City (GUNS N' ROSES song)

For more information, go to this location.

Slash's second solo album, "Apocalyptic Love", came out in May 2012 and was certified gold in Australia by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) for sales in excess of 35,000 copies. 

"[The album has] been really well received and I was really pleased with the record in the first place; it's great," Slash said. "You never know what exactly is going to happen and I never have any what you'd call expectations, but once it's out there and people sort of dig it for the right reasons, it's always a good feeling."

Slash recently revealed that he and singer Myles Kennedy have already begun working on music for the guitarist's next album, to be recorded sometime this year. 

Kennedy divides his time between ALTER BRIDGE, who are working on their fourth studio set, and Slash, for whom he fronts Slash's touring and recording group MYLES KENNEDY & THE CONSPIRATORS.

Slash, Kennedy and THE CONSPIRATORS have recently completed nearly a year's worth of touring behind "Apocalyptic Love".
 

 

 

 

Source: Blabbermouth.net


John Fogerty, Jackson Browne, Chris Cornell Join List of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Presenters & Performers

 

The Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan took to his Twitter account on Monday morning to let fans know that he’s back in the studio working on tracks for the band’s next album.
Corgan tweeted, “Excited to announce today's our 1st official day of writing for new SP album. Wish us luck!”
The Pumpkins' latest album, 2012’s Oceania, debuted at #4 on Billboard 200 albums chart, selling 54,000 copies its first week out, according to Nielsen Soundscan.
The band will have about a month to work on cuts for the new album before they hit the road in April for a number of North American tour dates and festival appearances.

METALLICA: 'The Complete Illustrated History' Book Due In November 

Voyageur Press has set a November 15 release date for Martin Popoff's"Metallica: The Complete Illustrated History" book.

Official book description: "Formed in Los Angeles in 1981, METALLICA has become the single bestselling heavy metal act in music history, with more than 100 million album sales to its credit. Now based in the San Francisco Bay Area, the band remains hugely popular worldwide: in 2009,METALLICA's 1991 self-titled LP became the best-selling album of theSoundScan era.

"In this book, the first complete illustrated treatment of the band, acclaimed heavy metal journalist Martin Popoff leads a roster of respected heavy metal writers to take on METALLICA's entire history, analyzing each of the group's ten studio albums (including 2011's 'Lulu'collaboration with Lou Reed) and providing a complete discography. More than 300 images complement extensive band stories: their formative years spent woodshedding in the clubs of Los Angeles, tragedies like the death of founding bassist Cliff Burton, the triumphs of multiple platinum recordings, personnel changes like the departures of Dave Mustaine andJason Newsted, and tours covering the world over. Live-performance and candid off-stage photographs are accompanied by a stunning selection of memorabilia, including gig posters, concert tees, picture sleeves, backstage passes, buttons, ticket stubs, and more.

"By following the same critically acclaimed, high-quality format asVoyageur Press' previous books on LED ZEPPELIN, AEROSMITH,QUEEN, IRON MAIDEN, and others, 'Metallica: The Complete Illustrated History' is the authoritative tribute to one of history's most successful and admired heavy metal bands."





SHINEDOWN Bassist Sprains Ankle 



SHINEDOWN bassist Eric Bass suffered a second-degree ankle sprain during the band's performance last night (Friday, March 22) in Lubbock, Texas. After the concert, Bass was taken to the hospital and later tweeted a photo of him waiting in the ER room to be checked out (see below). In a separate Twitter update, the band posted a split photo ofBass performing onstage and a close-up of his swollen right ankle with a message asking fans to send their best wishes. 

SHINEDOWN is in the process of wrapping up a tour with THREE DAYS GRACE and P.O.D.

SHINEDOWN's fourth album, "Amaryllis", came out last year. The CD debuted atop Billboard's "Rock Albums" chart and at #4 overall on The Billboard 200 — SHINEDOWN's biggest chart debut thus far — with over 105,000 units sold its first week out.

In a 2012 interview with SoundSpike, Bass stated about SHINEDOWN's return to the road after spending a year writing and recording the new CD: "It's been a lot of fun to start back off in some small rooms. We made a conscious decision to do that to get our legs back underneath us and kind of remember how to do this thing, since we spent so much time writing the record. But it's been really, really great to get out and see the fans again, see a lot of familiar faces and see a lot of faces we've never seen before, which is always nice. We have a moment in the night during the show where Brent [Smith, vocals] asks, 'Raise your hands if this is your first time seeing us.' Everywhere we go, half the room raises their hands. That's really gratifying to us … The demographic is definitely shifted for the band, too. When I started with the band, it was 18 to 30 year old males. Now it's kids and parents and males and females. It seems to be exploding, which is really great."


POP EVIL: Video Footage From The Studio

Grand Rapids, Michigan hard rockers POP EVIL will release their new full-length album, "Onyx", on May 14. The CD's first single, "Trenches", is available for streaming on the band's Facebook page.

A two-minute video clip of POP EVIL recording "Trenches" atGroovemaster Studios in Chicago with producer Johnny K can be seen below.

The message of "Trenches" applies to the world of art as well as the world of sports, the military, or anyone struggling with the economic downturn, like POP EVIL's home state of Michigan.

"It's about our battles," vocalist Leigh Kakaty says. "Not focusing on the things we can't control, if we really want to be a band that stands the test of time we have to write the music that connects. We have to dig our way out of the trenches."

During a slump in the music industry, POP EVIL is living proof that you can still make a living following your dreams. "It's a matter of time before rock and roll is in the forefront again and we want to be part of that,"Kakaty says.

After three Top 5 songs at rock radio, a fourth in the Top 10, a half million digital singles sold and over 1,000 shows a few short years into their impressive career, POP EVIL's return with "Onyx" is a swaggering, fist­pumping, ball­busting ride through American rock. The grandiose melody of the '70s, the danger of the '80s, the emotion of the '90s and the loudest of modern riffs all have a home in POP EVIL, who fashion a fresh sound that looks to the future through the prism of rock's past.
 

ANTHRAX Honored With Jerseys At Yankee Stadium

Big dreams came true for the members of thrash-metal band ANTHRAX in September 2011 when they returned to their hometown of New York and stepped on the stage at Yankee Stadium with the other three acts that are part of the so-called "Big Four" of 1980s thrash metal — METALLICA,SLAYER and MEGADETH. As the only one of the "Big Four" bands whose members are from New York, a number of the band have many childhood memories of attending Yankees games, making the concert especially significant.

Specialized ANTHRAX Yankees jerseys have since been made for the occasion are currently hanging in the historic baseball stadium for all to see. Check out a photo below.

For ANTHRAX drummer Charlie Benante playing Yankee Stadium was extremely personal; his father, also named Charlie, was a huge baseball fan and onetime budding ballplayer, who died when Charlie Jr. was 5.

"I would give all this up just to have my father around," Benante toldESPN.com, "but to have him be there and see me playing Yankee Stadium, I know for him it would probably be the greatest thing ever."

Benante's father, who was scouted by the majors, would regale a four-year-old Charlie with all the stats and facts about the Yankees players while the two played catch in the backyard. "My dad was a huge Yankeesfan," Charlie recalled. "I remember he always had the TV or radio on, listening to every Yankees game he could. He died when I was five, so he never knew about my success as a musician, but I know he would have been so proud of me playing Yankee Stadium. I know that in some way, he'll be there, giving me the power I'll need to knock it out of the park."




CLUTCH Frontman Says 'Self-Editing' And 'Recalculation' During Songwriting Is Never Good

Denise Falzon of Exclaim.ca recently conducted an interview with frontman Neil Fallon of Maryland rockers CLUTCH. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Exclaim.ca: Your previous record, "Strange Cousins From The West", came out in 2009. Why such a long gap before releasing "Earth Rocker"?

Fallon: Well, we just didn't stop touring. We would plan on stopping and then some opportunity would present itself, like THIN LIZZY orMOTÖRHEAD or VOLBEAT, and it just kept going and going. Finally we decided to put our foot down and say, "Enough, let's just make this record."

Exclaim.ca: Was there a specific idea of where the band wanted to go with this record, musically?

Fallon: I think the one thing that we talked about was we just wanted to make a faster record and a more efficient record and I think that's really the only guidelines that we had.

Exclaim.ca: This record is definitely faster and also heavier than some of the more recent albums.

Fallon: We had written a couple fast songs and we realized we were having fun playing those songs, and it kind of threw a bit of cold water on our face because when you're a band for 20 years, it's easy to get into a comfort zone. We usually play between 95 and 100 beats-per-minute and that's all well and good, but sometimes you've just got to push yourself a little bit. I know Tim [Sult, guitarist] had mentioned that he felt like his guitar tone was getting too clean and he wanted to gain it up.

Exclaim.ca: What is the writing process like for CLUTCH these days?

Fallon: It's pretty much the same as it's been for the past 20 years. One of us will write a riff at home or we just get together and start jamming and then when somebody does something cool, we all kind of look at that guy and we say, "Do it again." Or Jean-Paul [Gaster, drummer] will come up with a beat and we'll try to write a riff around it. It's pretty organic and democratic, so when all is said and done, we can't say who wrote what exactly. And then those guys patiently wait for me to write lyrics, because I'm terribly slow at doing that, and then we keep at it until we feel satisfied.

Exclaim.ca: Is there a formula that you stick to when writing a CLUTCH song, or is it more just what comes naturally?

Fallon: I think the best formula is just kind of going in and seeing what comes out, almost like automatic writing, you can call it automatic riffing. You get into a room and just play what comes out of your hands and trust your heart and your gut and not try to over-think it too much because that's usually when self-editing happens and recalculation occurs and I don't think that's ever good music.

Read the entire interview from Exclaim.ca.
 

Source: Blabbermouth.net



Alice in Chains Reveals Release Date, Artwork for The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here

 

Ex-Screaming Trees/Mad Season drummer Barrett Martin recently revealed that he’s part of a new band which includes Pearl Jam/Mad Season guitarist Mike McCready and former Guns N’ Roses bassist Duff McKagan. Martin says collaborating with McCready on a few tracks for the 2012 self-titled debut album of his side project with McKagan,Walking Papers, got their creative juices flowing.
“Mike and I realized how much we loved playing together again and so…we wrote a bunch of new songs and we’ve been sending them around to singers that we love,” he tells ABC News Radio. “So far we’ve done a couple songs with Jaz Coleman from Killing Joke. We did a couple new songs with [Walking Papers frontman] Jeff Angell and there are other singers that are working on songs right now, but I probably shouldn’t say who they are because it’s not finished yet.”
He adds that the guys have yet to come up with an official name for the new project. “We’ve just been calling it The Triple M for, you know, McCready, McKagan and Martin…but it’s all in the works right now. I would definitely say that the spirit of Mad Season has got us all playing together again.”
While a release date for the group’s new music has yet to be revealed, the drummer expects that the tracks won’t be released as a full album. “These songs are going to be coming out on Mike’s new independent label, which is distributed by Pearl Jam’s label,” he explains. “I think the plan is that we’re going to release ten-inch [vinyl] singles of just two songs with each of these different singers.”

Former PANTERA Bassist On Writing His Memoir: 'I Gave Everyone The F**king Truth'

Adam Lawton of MediaMikes.com recently conducted an interview with former PANTERA and current KILL DEVIL HILL bassist Rex Brown. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

MediaMikes.com: What made now the right time to release this book?

Rex Brown: A friend of mine who runs Bass Player magazine in the U.K. mentioned that he was friends with a guy who writes books and that I should get in to it. At the time it was something I was not interested in at all. I figured I wasn't dead yet, so why write a book now? After thinking about it for awhile, I figured it really did make sense to put this out now and then move on down the line. The thing that happened to Dime [latePANTERA guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott] really fucked me up. I mean, he was murdered. This was my best friend who was the best man at my wedding. I lived out of a brown bottle for a long time and doing crazy shit not knowing at the very that that's not the way to go. I got in touch with my author and started talking about how we wanted to do this thing. I read all of the rock and roll books that come out, as it's my passion. That's what I want to be doing. One thing just led to another and he started writing things down and then submitting them to me. He really had to develop my slang when he put it to print, as I don't line up in ques. I wanted to tell my side of the story, my experiences, and my truths of what went on and it is all true. My author also brought me the idea of have friends and family write various passages to help fill in some gaps. I have short term memory but my memory of the past is pretty fucking vivid. There's collaboration and corroborating. It's all true and that's what I wanted the book to be about. My author really wanted me to dig and that's what I did.

MediaMikes.com: What was it difficult looking back on some of these stories and hearing perspectives from other people involved?

Rex Brown: When I first read them, yes. When I got to know a little more about what they were trying to say, no. So it's a yes-and-no-type answer. My sister is in this book a lot, so I called her the other day to tell her that when this thing comes out, it's not a cookbook or a kid's book. I told her she probably wouldn't want to put this out to all her friends. She is 17 years older than me and didn't lead the hippy lifestyle like I have. The book is different than most books, but it's real. As real as it is, it's the truth. That was something I had to explain to my 13-year-old twins. I told them they may get a little flack over this, but not to worry about it, because everything is going to be all right. This is just dad's previous life. What I did then is definitely not what I am doing now. I have come full circle and we all grow and mature.

MediaMikes.com: Being that the book is so truthful, are you worried in any way about the backlash it may receive from fans or those mentioned in the book?

Rex Brown: I don't give a fuck! Go write your own fucking book. This is my truth and my experience. This is the best way I knew how to tell things. I wanted to come honest and clean. I am tight with both Philip[Anselmo, former PANTERA singer] and Rita [Haney, Dimebag's longtime girlfriend], but I don't talk to Vinnie [Paul Abbott, formerPANTERA drummer and Dimebag's brother]. You have to read this book as a whole not just take a chapter here or there. You have to go from the very beginning to the very end. The ending tells its own story and there are some really fun parts to this book. I am proud of this book and I wouldn't have put it out if I wasn't. Of course, somewhere in my mind there is maybe 10% of me that is concerned about some dickhead behind a computer that's going to blast on me. I am certainly not worried about it, though. I was put in the middle of so many situations during the band's career and I never said a word to the press about it. I just did what I had to do to keep things going. It's now time for me to tell me story. There is always the good, the bad and the ugly, and this book is not about ribbing one person more than another. It's about making a band work and making it go through what we went through. That's why the book is called"Official Truth". I could have given you some bullshit book, but I didn't. I gave everyone the fucking truth.

Read the entire interview from MediaMikes.com.




DAVE GROHL Considered Playing NIRVANA Songs With P.J. HARVEY Singing

Although Dave Grohl says he's been reluctant to play any music from NIRVANA live in the past, performing recently at SOUND CITY PLAYERSgigs with former NIRVANA members Krist Novoselic and Pat Smear has made it more of a possibility. According to The Pulse Of Radio, Grohlrevealed to NME that the three of them had discussed doing it — and asking British alternative diva P.J. Harvey to sing. Grohl explained, "Every once in a while we talk about it. For the SOUND CITY gig here in London (last month), we were thinking about musicians that we could invite because Stevie Nicks and John Fogerty couldn't make it. Someone came up with the idea of doing a NIRVANA song with P.J. Harvey."

Grohl added, "Kurt (Cobain) loved her and we love her and we thought, 'Yeah, what would we do?' I said, 'God, what if we were to do 'Milk It'from 'In Utero' with Polly (P.J. Harvey) singing?' We all looked at each other like, 'Whoa, that would be amazing,' and then she couldn't do it."

Grohl reiterated his reluctance to play NIRVANA material, saying, "The thing is, it's sacred ground. If we were ever to do something like that it would have be right because you want to pay tribute. There's a reasonFOO FIGHTERS don't do NIRVANA songs, and it's a good reason."

The SOUND CITY PLAYERS, a collection of musicians that Grohlinterviewed for his documentary "Sound City", played what might have been their last show at the South By Southwest festival in Austin, Texas last week.

The Pulse Of Radio asked Grohl about the possibility of taking thePLAYERS on the road. "You know, so many people have said like, 'Oh, you've got to go on tour' and 'You've got to do more shows' and I swear to God, I would give my left arm to do it," he said. "Logistically, you could imagine, it's like taking 'Hollywood Squares' on the road. It's nuts."

"Sound City: Real To Reel", the soundtrack album companion to the movie, debuted at No. 8 on the Billboard album chart on Wednesday (March 20), selling 37,000 copies in its first week of release. The set includes new songs featuring Grohl, Paul McCartney, Trent Reznor,Corey Taylor, Stevie Nicks and others.





SCOTT WEILAND Doesn't Feel Like Playing 'Greatest Hits' Set With STONE TEMPLE PILOTS

In a brand new interview with Cleveland, Ohio's Scene magazine, singer Scott Weiland maintains that he is still a member of STONE TEMPLE PILOTS and can't legally be fired from the group, despite his bandmates' claim to the contrary. "I think it was a reaction to the fact that [my current solo] tour had sold out within a week," he says with regard to the rest of STONE TEMPLE PILOTS' statement that Weiland was "terminated" from the band. "It was probably not the smartest thing for them to do since I founded the band and there are certain legal terms within the contract which don't make sense as to that decision, or that threat."

Weiland and his solo band THE WILDABOUTS recently kicked off the 20-city trek, dubbed the "Purple At The Core Tour", where they are performing songs from the first two STONE TEMPLE PILOTS albums, 1992's "Core" and 1994's "Purple".

The singer, who is currently working on a new solo album, tells Scene that the last few tours with STP haven't been particularly inspiring.

"My philosophy is that I don't feel like going on the road and playing a greatest-hits set that we've been playing for five years," he says. "We've been doing that and in the midst of doing that, we made an album that took us a year and a half. That's not the way STP makes records. We make records in two weeks. If we're going to do something, we need to get back in the studio with [producer] Brendan O'Brien who has a track record with us and get re-inspired artistically again. We need to do it that way and get out there on the road and get out there with some excitement and not just turn our legacy into what JOURNEY orFOREIGNER is. That's not what we're about. That's not why we got into this. That's not at all what I'm about."

He continues: "More than anything, we've been a great live band. The reason why critics didn't like us because they thought we were one thing that we weren't. They thought we sounded like a Seattle band. We proved those critics wrong over our career and changed from album to album. We didn't sound like THE BEATLES, but we took that blueprint and the idea of being a band. Sure, there are some bands that have one sound and do it really well. But we looked at the idea of THE BEATLES and thought to really do it right, we had to evolve. We had to go into a cocoon every once in a while and come out as a butterfly and not an ugly moth."




ROB ZOMBIE Guitarist JOHN 5 Talks 'Rock Against MS' Benefit Concert, 'Rockstar Energy Mayhem'

Argentinean rock journalist Lucas H. Gordon, who currently resides in Hollywood, California, conducted an interview with guitarist John 5 (ROB ZOMBIE, MARILYN MANSON) this past Monday (March 18) following a press conference at the Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California to announce the sixth-year lineup for Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival. You can watch the chat below.

John 5's latest full-length solo CD/DVD, "God Told Me To", was released on May 8, 2012 via Rocket Science Ventures. The effort was recorded and produced by John 5, Chris Baseford (ROB ZOMBIE, TOMMY LEE) and Bob Marlette (SEBASTIAN BACH, BLACK SABBATH) in 2011. The cover art for the album was illustrated by none other than Rob Zombie, who also tapped John 5 to score the entirety of his upcoming film, "The Lords Of Salem".

ROB ZOMBIE's new album, "Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor", will be released on April 23 on Zodiac Swan/T-Boy/Ume. The CD was produced by Bob Marlette, who has previously worked with everyone from BLACK SABBATH and ALICE COOPER to WILSON PHILLIPS and LYNYRD SKYNYRD.




SYSTEM OF A DOWN Drummer: 'We Are Going To Make A New Album At A Certain Point' 

During a brand new interview with the Los Angeles radio station KROQ,SYSTEM OF A DOWN's John Dolmayan (drums) and Shavo Odadjian(bass) were asked about the possibility of the band releasing a new studio album in the not-too-distant future.

"We are going to make a new album at a certain point, it's just a matter of when the four of us decide it's the right time to make it," said Dolmayan. "We don't want anyone to go in there and do it because the rest of us want to do it. We all want to do it because it's the right thing to do for everybody. I wouldn't want to go in and make an album that doesn't represent the best that we have to offer. If you force someone in the studio ahead of when they're ready for it, then you're probably going to make something mediocre."

SYSTEM OF A DOWN last released new music in 2005 on the"Mezmerize" and "Hypnotize" albums, going on hiatus the following year.

The band reunited in 2011 for touring purposes and will spend the summer on a European festival circuit, while performing only one North American show in 2013 at California's famed Hollywood Bowl.

SYSTEM OF A DOWN singer Serj Tankian told Loudwire that the band's recent tours have been a "blast," adding, "I think we've played better because of it. There was new excitement in playing together and all of the shows have been really great. Everyone's told us that we sound better than we did in 2006 when we left off, so I think it's great."

Interview clip #1 (audio):



Interview clip #2 (audio):






ALICE IN CHAINS: 'The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here' Cover Artwork, Release Date Revealed

ALICE IN CHAINS has set a May 14 release date for its new album, which is officially titled "The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here". The group's fifth studio effort is its second with William DuVall on vocals and follows up 2009's"Black Gives Way To Blue", the group's first all-new collection of material in 14 years and first since the 2002 death of original singer Layne Staley.

Songtiltes set to appear on the CD:

* Voices
* Low Ceiling
* Stone
* The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here
* Hollow
* Lab Monkey
* Hung On A Hook
* Pretty Done
* Breath On A Window
* Choke
* Phantom Limb

The album's cover artwork can be seen below.

"We made a unique record that's completely different from anything we ever did," ALICE IN CHAINS guitarist Jerry Cantrell tells RollingStone.com. "It encapsulates a period of time, like all records do. You see growth and that the band is moving ahead in new territory that we haven't been to before, but we haven't lost our identity."

He added: "There's some real filth in there. That's intentional, and that's also just how we sound together. We're trying to make a record that we dig and we're trying to keep the bar high for ourselves and see if we can get past it, and I think that we did again. And of course you want people to dig it too and to respond to it, and to have that start happening is satisfying."

ALICE IN CHAINS released a first single called "Hollow" earlier this year from the new disc, along with an accompanying video.

"The initial response to 'Hollow' has been fucking incredible, totally not what we intended, and that's fucking awesome," Cantrell tellsRollingStone.com. "We just put that song out there for the fans and then it ended up turning into a number one single, a six-minute sludgy metal tune. That's always fun, to see something like that happen."

ALICE IN CHAINS began working on new material in 2011, but the sessions for the album were delayed when Cantrell had to undergo shoulder surgery.

The band has announced a spring trek that starts on April 25 in Miami Beach and will include headlining slots at the Rocklahoma, Carolina Rebellion, Welcome To Rockville and Rock On The Range festivals.



Source: Blabbermouth.net



Dave Grohl Wanted PJ Harvey to Sing Nirvana Tracks with Sound City Players

 

Courtney Love took some time out from working on her new solo material to collaborate with Fall Out Boy on their upcoming album, Save Rock and Roll.
On Thursday morning, Fall Out Boy tweeted out a link to video on YouTube, along with the message “It's @Courtney, bitch #SaveRockAndRoll.”  The five-second clip features a song snippet with Love saying, “It’s Courtney bitch,” against a fast-paced montage of a variety of photos of Love by herself, with her band Hole, and a few pics of the singer with her husband, late Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain.
You’ll be able to check out Love’s collaboration with Fall Out Boy when Save Rock and Rollarrives in stores on April 16.
 

Muse Reveals Winner of "Animals" Video Contest

 

The Offspring, Marilyn Manson and Rise Against are part of a stellar lineup of artists who will perform at the 2013 edition of Canada's annual Amnesia Rockfest.  The event is scheduled to take place June 14-15 in Montebello Marina in Montebello, Quebec.
Other acts set to take the stage at the fest include Deftones, Social Distortion, Rancid,Lamb of God, Anthrax, Dropkick Murphys, Killswitch Engage and Blink-182 drummerTravis Barker’s side project with Rancid’s Tim Armstrong,Transplants.
Tickets for the musical extravaganza are on sale now, with three-day passes starting at $79.  To get your tickets and see the full lineup and schedule for the event, head over to PNRockfest.com.

Rob Zombie and Five Finger Death Punch are among the artists who will be hitting the road for this year's Rockstar Mayhem Festival, which will roll through 26 cities in the U.S. and Canada between late June and early August.
Other acts set to take the stage as part of the event include Mastodon, Amon Amarth,Machine Head, and Children of Bodom.
Tickets for all the newly-announced dates will go on sale on Friday at 12 p.m. local venue time. To see the full lineup for the event, head over to RockstarMayhemFest.com.
Here are the dates:
6/29 -- San Bernardino, CA, San Manuel Amphitheater
6/30 -- Mountain View, CA, Shoreline Amphitheatre
7/2 -- Boise, ID, Idaho Center Amphitheatre
7/3 -- Auburn, WA, White River Amphitheater
7/5 -- Phoenix, AZ, Desert Sky Pavilion
7/6 -- Albuquerque, NM, Isleta Amphitheatre
7/7 -- Denver, CO, Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre
7/10 -- Toronto, ON, Molson Canadian Amphitheatre
7/12 -- Burgettstown, PA, First Niagara Pavilion
7/13 -- Scranton, PA, Toyota Pavilion at Montage Mountain
7/14 -- Darien Center, NY, Darien Lake PAC
7/16 -- Mansfield, MA, Comcast Center
7/17 -- Bangor, ME, Bangor Waterfront
7/19 -- Camden, NJ, Susquehanna Bank Center
7/20 -- Saratoga Springs, NY, SPAC
7/21 -- Hartford, CT, The Comcast Theatre
7/23 -- Holmdel, NJ, PNC Bank Arts Center
7/24 -- Bristow, VA, Jiffy Lube Live
7/26 -- Noblesville, IN, Klipsch Music Center
7/27 -- Tinley Park, IL, First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
7/28 -- Clarkston, MI, DTE Energy Music Theatre
7/30 -- Atlanta, GA, Aaron’s Amphitheatre at Lakewood
7/31 -- Tampa, FL, Live Nation Amphitheatre at the Florida State Fairgrounds
8/2 -- Austin, TX, Austin360 Amphitheater
8/3 -- The Woodlands, TX, Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
8/4 -- Dallas, TX, Gexa Energy Pavilion

Ex-KORN Guitarist BRIAN 'HEAD' WELCH: Pornography 'Sucks You In Like A Drug'

On the latest episode of IchthusTV, former KORN guitarist and current LOVE AND DEATH frontman Brian "Head" Welch talks about his former struggle with pornography and how it is a drug that sucks you in and gives you a false interpretation of what sex really is. Check it out below.

Welch exited KORN in February 2005 after announcing that he had been saved by Jesus Christ and was devoting his life and music to Christianity. He subsequently issued two books, a solo album and the debut LOVE AND DEATH CD.

Welch told Launch in 2007 that he was in especially bad shape the last two years before he left KORN. "2003 is when I started using speed every day," he said. "Meth. I got hooked on meth and in order to get up and function, even play the show, I had to snort lines, you know. And I told myself, 'I'll do this tour, I'll do this Ozzfest, and I'll do meth the whole time and I'll go home and check into a rehab.'And it scared me, you know, 'cause I was like coming — every month I would tell myself, 'I'm gonna stop this tour,'and I wouldn't be able to do it. Like a fear would come over me. I was just trapped."

KORN will reunite with 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.
 

ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRINK MAYHEM FESTIVAL: 2013 Lineup Officially Revealed

Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival, the world's biggest hard and heavy music touring festival, has announced its electrifying sixth-year lineup. It is as follows:

Main stage:

ROB ZOMBIE
FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH
MASTODON
AMON AMARTH

Jägermeister Stage:

MACHINE HEAD
JOB FOR A COWBOY
BUTCHER BABIES
BATTLECROSS
HUNTRESS

Musicians Institute Stage:

CHILDREN OF BODOM
BEHEMOTH
EMMURE
BORN OF OSIRIS
MOTIONLESS IN WHITE
THROWN INTO EXILE

Sumerian Records / Headbang For The Highway Concourse Stage:

CITY IN THE SEA
+ local acts

All tickets go on sale March 22 at 12:00 noon local venue time. The tour will stop in 26 cities across the United States and Canada as it makes its way to the Gexa Energy Pavilion in Dallas, Texas on August 4, 2013. 

In addition to catching their favorite bands live, fans can take part in a number of festival activities, including playing the newest video games, perusing vendors, attending autograph-signing sessions and a slew of various interactive activities that will only add to the festival experience. 

Rockstar Energy Drink will be sampling their products and providing awesome surprises for all attendees. Rockstar will also present the VIP/Contest winner area designated as The Rockstar Lounge and the festival area Party Like A Rockstar Tent where fans can sample ice-coldRockstar and get autographs from their favorite bands.

As an addition to the festival's music and arts, Musicians Institute and the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival have partnered to create the Rockstar Mayhem Independent Artist Scholarship! This scholarship fully covers tuition and material fees for a two quarter IAP certificate (Room, Boarding and Travel are not included.) The application period runs from March 18 until June 1, 2013. Applicants must visit this location to enter.

Tour dates are as follows:

Jun. 29 - San Bernardino, CA @ San Manuel Amphitheater
Jun. 30 - Mountain View, CA @ Shoreline Amphitheatre
Jul. 02 - Boise, ID @ Idaho Center Amphitheatre
Jul. 03 - Auburn, WA @ White River Amphitheater
Jul. 05 - Phoenix, AZ @ Desert Sky Pavilion
Jul. 06 - Albuquerque, NM @ Isleta Amphitheatre
Jul. 07 - Denver, CO @ Fiddler's Green Amphitheatre
Jul. 10 - Toronto, ON @ Molson Canadian Amphitheatre
Jul. 12 - Burgettstown, PA @ First Niagara Pavilion
Jul. 13 - Scranton, PA @ Toyota Pavilion at Montage Mountain
Jul. 14 - Darien Center, NY @ Darien Lake PAC
Jul. 16 - Mansfield, MA @ Comcast Center
Jul. 17 - Bangor, ME @ Bangor Waterfront
Jul. 19 - Camden, NJ @ Susquehanna Bank Center
Jul. 20 - Saratoga Springs, NY @ SPAC
Jul. 21 - Hartford, CT @ The Comcast Theatre
Jul. 23 - Holmdel, NJ @ PNC Bank Arts Center
Jul. 24 - Bristow, VA @ Jiffy Lube Live
Jul. 26 - Noblesville, IN @ Klipsch Music Center
Jul. 27 - Tinley Park, IL @ First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
Jul. 28 - Clarkston, MI @ DTE Energy Music Theatre
Jul. 30 - Atlanta, GA @ Aaron's Amphitheatre at Lakewood
Jul. 31 - Tampa, FL @ Live Nation Amphitheatre at the Florida State Fairgrounds
Aug. 02 - Austin, TX @ Austin360 Amphitheater
Aug. 03 - The Woodlands, TX @ Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
Aug. 04 - Dallas, TX @ Gexa Energy Pavilion
 

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH: Audio Snippet Of New Song 'Here To Die'

An audio snippet of a new FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH song, "Here To Die", taken from the band's forthcoming fourth album, can be streamed in the YouTube clip below.

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH's new CD was recorded at Las Vegas' The Hideout Recording Studio and is due this summer. Helming the sessions once again is The Hideout's owner, Kevin Churko, the Canadian musician, sound engineer, songwriter and record producer, who has also previously worked with OZZY OSBOURNE and IN THIS MOMENT, among other acts.

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH is scheduled to make a number of festival appearances this summer, including the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival in the U.S.

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH's third album, "American Capitalist", was certified gold last year for sales of 500,000 copies. Not only is it the band's third album, but it is the third consecutive release from the group to reach the gold mark, with previous efforts "The Way Of The Fist" and"War Is The Answer" also selling more than half a million copies each."American Capitalist" debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard album chart when it came out in October 2011.

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH's most recent tour was last summer'sTrespass America trek, also featuring KILLSWITCH ENGAGE, POP EVIL and others. 
 

CLUTCH Drummer: 'We Realized There Was A Lack Of Straight-Up Rock And Roll Records Coming Out'

Matt Hinch of Hellbound.ca recently conducted an interview with drummerJean-Paul Gaster of Maryland rockers CLUTCH. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Hellbound.ca: It's been said that "Earth Rocker" is your fastest and heaviest album to date. What was the impetus to move in that direction a little bit?

Gaster: There's definitely a few things. One of those things was going on tour with MOTÖRHEAD. Watching those guys play every night was very inspiring on a number of levels. I think we toured with THIN LIZZY not too long after that and it was on that tour that we realized there was really a lack of just straight-up rock and roll records coming out these days. So I think we wanted to make something that was, front to back, a very focused kind of a recording. A very efficient kind of recording. One that had good energy from the very beginning to the end.

Hellbound.ca: Going into the studio with that mindset, was your preparation any different?

Gaster: I think we were more selective of the kinds of parts that we wanted to have in the songs. I think we were more selective of how the tempos were. We were definitely a lot more focused on this record in the writing process. We actually talked about the kind of record we wanted to make. And that hadn't really happened before. Generally, we just get together and just jam and our favourite things are the ones that end up being on the record. This time, I think we wrote the same way but I think we really edited ourselves more and I think we had a real vision of what kind of record we wanted to make much sooner than we had with other albums.

Hellbound.ca: For a long time you bounced around on labels almost every album. Was that part of the reason behind starting Weathermaker Music?

Gaster: Yes. Over the years, the labels have always been a source of great frustration for us. And that holds true for when we were on little tiny independent labels all the way through to when we were on the major labels. That struggle was always the same and it was basically that the label was never satisfied with the amount of records that we sold.

Hellbound.ca: They couldn't grasp the intangibles.

Gaster: Correct! I think they would see the band touring and we had a very solid touring fanbase and we would sell a consistent amount of records album to album. And I think the label saw that and they'd get excited about that and they thought to themselves, "Well, surely this band can sell this many tickets and can sell 100,000 records. With any kind of help at all we can make this a gold band or even a platinum band." It didn't take them long to realize that it's tough work to sell real music. Radio stations are skeptical about playing new things. I think that had a lot to do with our battles with the labels, because back then, it was just all about getting your song on the radio. If you could do that, the sky was the limit. So it's really nice not to have to deal with that part of the business. We still talk about business and spend time on that part of what we do, but it's a lot more fun. It's easier and not nearly as stressful. And none of the fights that we used to have. It allows us to think about music and not about what some guy at the label is gonna say.

You can read the entire interview at www.hellbound.ca.
 

 

 

KILLSWITCH ENGAGE: 'The New Awakening' Song Available For Streaming

"The New Awakening", a brand new song from Massachusetts metallers KILLSWITCH ENGAGE — singer Jesse Leach, guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz, bassist Mike D'Antonio, guitarist Joel Stroetzel and drummer Justin Foley — can be streamed below. The song comes off the band's forthcoming album, "Disarm The Descent", which will be released on April 2 via Roadrunner Records. The follow-up to KILLSWITCH ENGAGE's 2009's self-titled release is the band's first album with original singer Leach at the vocal helm since 2002's now-classic, genre-defining"Alive or Just Breathing". Leach returned to the band in January 2012 after a decade-long absence. The artwork for the new CD was created byD'Antonio. 

"Disarm The Descent" was selected by Alternative Press magazine for its "Most Anticipated Albums of 2013" issue, and the band was profiled inGuitar World as one to watch in 2013. Clearly, buzz from fans and the metal and hard rock community regarding new KILLSWITCH ENGAGEremains deafening.

"It is with a grateful spirit that we prepare for this record's release,"Leach said. "From the music, to the lyrics, to the artwork, we are all proud of what we have accomplished. To me, this is by far my best vocal performance, much thanks to Adam's guidance and faith in my abilities. I am very grateful to be where I am in life, back in an amazing band with a record we are all excited for the world to hear. Thanks to all the fans for their warm welcome back and their undying love for KILLSWITCH ENGAGE."

"Disarm The Descent" track listing:

01. The Hell In Me
02. Beyond The Flames
03. The New Awakening
04. In Due Time
05. A Tribute To The Fallen
06. The Turning Point
07. All That We Have
08. You Don't Bleed For Me
09. The Call
10. No End In Sight
11. Always
12. Time Will Not Remain

"Disarm The Descent" was mixed by veteran British producer Andy Sneap, who has previously worked with MEGADETH, TESTAMENT,EXODUS, ACCEPT, ARCH ENEMY and NEVERMORE.
 

ROB ZOMBIE Says Playing 'Rockstar Energy Mayhem Festival' This Year Will Be 'Amazing'

ROB ZOMBIE and FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH will headline the lineup for the 2013 Rockstar Energy Mayhem Festival, which will kick off its sixth year on June 29 in San Bernardino, California. Also coming along on the ride for the 26-date jaunt will be MASTODON, AMON AMARTH,CHILDREN OF BODOM, MACHINE HEAD, JOB FOR A COWBOY,BEHEMOTH, HUNTRESS and other heavy acts spread across four different stages, one of which will also showcase local acts at each stop on the tour.

Rob Zombie told The Pulse Of Radio why he's looking forward to playingMayhem again two years after he last appeared on the bill. "Well, I think it's gonna be amazing," he said. "I mean, I like doing things like that 'cause playing shows, I mean a lot of people are like, 'Oh, I like intimate shows, that's fun.' But I don't like intimate shows. The bigger the better. So doingMayhem Festival's perfect because, you know, it'll be the biggest hard rock tour of the summer for sure, and headlining it is perfect because we have a huge show and we can do everything and there's no limitations and the people that put the concert on are great, so it's just a great setup."

All tickets go on sale March 22 at 12:00 noon local time at either the festival web site or Live Nation.

Rob Zombie will have both a new album, "Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor", and a new movie, "The Lords Of Salem", out next month.




METALLICA's LARS ULRICH: 'We Never Want To Turn Into A Nostalgia Band'

With METALLICA frontman James Hetfield recently telling an Australian rock station that "gigs keep popping up" which delay work on the group's next album, The Pulse Of Radio asked drummer Lars Ulrich for his take on the band's more leisurely approach to recording. "There'll be a new record and we certainly never want to turn into a nostalgia band, but at the same time, you've got to keep yourself, I guess, creatively alive and that's what we do by playing these gigs and doing all these other projects and doing movies and festivals," he said. "I mean, it's just, all that stuff's a lot of fun, but it takes a lot of time, you know."

While METALLICA was Down Under performing at the Soundwavefestival, Hetfield told radio station Triple M, "We're trying to write (new material), but gigs keep popping up that are too exciting to stay home for. We have lots of material (we've been) working on from the day [2008 album] 'Death Magnetic' ended all the way up until now."

Asked what the new material sounds like, Hetfield told Triple M, "I don't know where it's going yet but we've got lots of different sounds, different styles."

METALLICA will headline its second annual Orion Music + More festival this June in Detroit, and plans to release a theatrical 3D movie called"Metallica Through The Never" on August 9.



Source: Blabbermouth.net



RHCP Drummer Chad Smith: “Music Saved Me from Going Down a Wrong Path”

 

30 Seconds to Mars has unveiled the name and the release date for their fourth studio album.  Love Lust Faith + Dreams will hit all the usual outlets on May 21. The upcoming album features 12 new tracks, including the first single, “Up in the Air,” which will be available at all digital retailers on Tuesday.
“[Love Lust Faith + Dreams] is more than an evolution, it's a brand-new beginning,” said frontman Jared Leto in a statement. “Creatively, we've gone to an entirely new place, which is exciting, unexpected, and incredibly inspiring."
30 Seconds to Mars has chosen two paintings by English artist Damien Hirst to be featured on the album’s packaging. The first, titled “Isonicotinic Acid Ethyl Ester,” will be the album’s artwork, while the second, “Monochromatic Sectors from Primary, Secondary & Tertiary Colour Ring, Dark Centre” will printed onto the CD itself.
Here's the track list for Love Lust Faith + Dreams:
“Birth”
“Conquistador “          
"Up in the Air"
"C

Dave Grohl Pays Tribute to Musical Heroes During SXSW Festival Keynote Speech

 

VOLBEAT Fan Dies At Lubbock Concert

According to KCBD.com, a fan of Danish/American metal rock 'n' rollers VOLBEAT died in an accident during the band's concert in Lubbock, Texas this past Monday night (March 11).

After 39-year-old Jubal Colvin, 39, was denied entry to the show at the Lonestar Event Center, he allegedly jumped a fence and entered the premises. Security personnel attempted to remove him, but he fled on foot into a restricted area that was fenced off. He then fell approximately 20 feet from the hillside and struck his head on the concrete covered ground, according to police

First responders gave Colvin CPR on the scene, and he was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Wes Nessman of FMX, which promoted the concert, wrote on the Lubbock radio station's web site that Colvin "appeared to be drunk or had been drinking and was stopped at security for having a knife. At some point he got agitated and threw the knife at security and started running. He was told to stop several times by security and police. He ran past several fences and barricades before either running off the roof or attempting to jump roof to roof." 

Nessman added: "This was on a side of the property that is NEVER used and hasn't been used in about six years. This man was running from officials in a clearly off limits area." 

Check out a KCBD video report below.
 

KCBD NewsChannel 11 Lubbock

'Experiencing Nirvana: Grunge In Europe, 1989' Coming This Fall In Deluxe Hardcover

Bazillion Points Books has announced the October trade hardcover release of "Experiencing Nirvana: Grunge In Europe, 1989". This intimate photo journal and wild grunge rock micro-history was shot and written by Bruce Pavitt, co-founder of Sub Pop Records, the legendary Seattle label that signed NIRVANA in 1988. The book features over 200 picturesque and candid full-color photos shot by Pavitt over a tumultuous one-week period on tour from Rome to London with NIRVANA, TAD andMUDHONEY. 

On November 27, 1989, Bruce Pavitt and his Sub Pop partner Jon Poneman arrived in Rome to meet NIRVANA, as the band was nearing the finish of a grueling six-week tour of Europe. While determined to promote their grungy, riff-heavy debut album, "Bleach", NIRVANA's travels with fellow Sub Pop act TAD had left them exhausted. Pavitt andPoneman did their best to revive the spirits of frustrated and downcastNIRVANA bandleader Kurt Cobain. While he nearly leapt from a 14-foot speaker tower one night, and then had his passport stolen, Cobainmanaged to continue to London, where NIRVANA played the most important show of its young career.

The band's breakthrough performance at the 2,000-capacity Astoria Theatre, London, was meant to be a warm-up for sets by labelmates and hometown Seattle heroes TAD and MUDHONEY. Openers NIRVANA won over the crowd and changed the band's fate, as the then-powerful London music press proclaimed NIRVANA: "Sub Pop's answer to THE BEATLES." Afterward, world attention increased dramatically, setting the stage for the 1990s, when NIRVANA became the most important band of the decade. Incredibly, Bruce Pavitt was there, photographing the events onstage and off, and documenting the details in the hours before fame came calling.

Nearly twenty-five years later, Bruce Pavitt has opened this treasure trove to the public. Says Pavitt: "I put a lot of heart into this grunge rock 'microhistory'. I'm honored to be collaborating with Bazillion Points on a hardcover edition of this project."

Bazillion Points books are available at all good bookstores, music stores, and online retailers, distributed to the book trade viaPGW/Perseus in North America, and Turnaround in Europe, or directly from the publisher.




ZAKK WYLDE To Celebrate 'Bringing Metal' Paperback Release With West Coast Acoustic Tour

Guitar legend Zakk Wylde, the man who turned heavy metal touring into a journey of fantastical excess with his band BLACK LABEL SOCIETY and as lead guitarist for OZZY OSBOURNE for over 20 years, shares what really goes on behind bus windows and stage doors in the paperback edition of his book, "Bringing Metal To The Children: The Complete Berzerker’s Guide To World Tour Domination". The book, set to be released on April 9 through William Morrow, was co-written by New York Times bestselling author Eric Hendrikx.

Beginning with Wylde's "True Rocker Test," "Bringing Metal To The Children" goes on to tell stories of wild nights on the road with some of the biggest names in metal like Ozzy Osbourne, Rob Zombie, Slash and"Dimebag" Darrell Abbott, coaches metal lovers about tour hygiene on the road, and covers both pre-show and post-show etiquette. The book also features Wylde's tales from the record business, a look at his recording studio, and world tour survival techniques.

In support of the release, Wylde has announced a string of West Coast acoustic performances beginning April 21 in San Francisco, and ending May 1 in San Juan Capistrano, California. Tickets go on sale this weekend.

Zakk Wylde acoustic dates:

April 21 - San Francisco, CA - Independent 
April 22 - Chico, CA - El Rey Theater 
April 24 - Salt Lake City, UT - The Depot
April 25 - Reno, NV - El Dorado
April 26 - Modesto, CA - Fat Cat 
April 27 - Las Vegas, NV - Hard Rock Hotel 
April 28 - Scottsdale, AZ - Pub Rock
April 30 - San Diego, CA - Belly Up 
May 01 - San Juan Capistrano, CA - Coach House
 

TOOL Guitarist And Visual Guru ADAM JONES Talks 'Opiate' Reissue

TOOL will release a handcrafted, bonus-laden, limited-edition package of its original debut EP, "Opiate", on March 26 to mark the 21st anniversary of the six-song release.

The anniversary edition is limited to 5,000 copies and features art direction by Adam Jones, illustrations by legendary artist Adi Granov and design packaging by Mackie Osborne, who has collaborated with TOOL on many albums, including "10,000 Days", "Lateralus" and "Salival" as well as posters and merchandise. 

The 5,000 copies will be broken down as 5 x 1,000 runs with each set featuring a variation of the exterior graphics and included bonus items which include a new stereoscopic image for fans to use with their glasses from the "10,000 Days" packaging. 

The packages will only be available via TOOL's web site on March 26 and there will be no pre-orders. A limit of three packages from each of the 5 x 1,000 versions will be in place. 

Speaking to Revolver magazine, TOOL guitarist Adam Jones stated about the five different versions of the "Opiate" artwork: "I'd call them variations. That defines it a little better. There's hand-pressed printing, there's old machine printing. [Designer] Mackie Osborne is kind of celebrating the intimacy and originality of this thing. If we had the budget, we'd take everything as far as possible. 

"I've always lived my life in terms of what I want out of something, and what I want is to go to the store and buy something and go, 'Goddamn, I got more than my money's worth.' I want something where you can tell a lot of time went into it. That's what I love about painting. I appreciate stuff that people do in one day, but I appreciate seeing the layers of paint and the brushstrokes more — seeing that this person really ripped their guts out trying to capture something. 

"There will be five variations in color, and a thousand copies of each. So five thousand copies total. And I know they're putting extra stuff in it, like some stickers, and I did a 3-D separation of some of the artwork so you can view it through the stereoscopic goggles from the '10,000 Days'album. I think there's a golden ticket, too, that's supposed to be in one of every thousand. I'm not sure what you get if you get the golden ticket — maybe tickets to one of our shows or something — I don't think we've decided yet. We're still putting it together. It's actually being printed right now."

Asked what exactly is happening with the artwork, Adam said: "When we did the original art for 'Opiate', I had a lot of people helping me and a lot of outside influence. I was doing makeup effects and sculpting in Hollywood. So for the art, we picked the song 'Opiate' and tried to design artwork around it. For the reissue, it was really nice to readdress that, especially my priest, because I wanted to get something a little more mystical and three-dimensional going on. Obviously, sculpting is three-dimensional, but I'm talking about ideas and thinking. So I asked Adi Granov to come and work with us. He's this amazing comic book illustrator, and he's designed a lot of the 'Iron Man' suits for the 'Iron Man' movies. He hit me up on Facebook a while ago, and we became friends. So when it came time to do this 'Opiate' packaging, I totally thought of him. I sent him some sketches and ideas, he sent some sketches back, and he just nailed it, man. So we turned it all over toMackie — she's worked on a lot of our stuff, and she's [MELVINS singer-guitarist] Buzz Osborne's wife — and she's found this thick paper to print everything on that's gonna make this thing really special and collectible."

Read the entire interview from Revolver magazine.


TOOL Guitarist: 'Getting Together Is Very Hard'

According to The Pulse Of Radio, TOOL guitarist Adam Jones has given a new interview to Revolver magazine about the upcoming 21st anniversary re-release of the band's debut EP, "Opiate", but naturally the conversation turned to the band's long-delayed new album. When questioned about its status, Jones replied candidly, "It's unfortunate that we haven't put anything out in a while, but you know, we've changed as a band. It's just like a marriage — you grow older, people change, and you've gotta adapt or move on. We've become even more eclectic and distant, so getting things done and getting together is very hard."

Jones insisted, however, that this was "not a bad thing," adding, "We live kind of cushy lives now, so we get together when we want. It makes everything go slow, which is unfortunate — we all would have liked to have been done with a new record a long time ago — but when it's done, it's gonna be good . . . We also had two really bad things happen, things that I'm not gonna get into, that set us back emotionally and mentally. But we're past them now, everybody's recovered, and that process has kind of actually added to us focusing on being creative."

Jones also spoke about the deluxe reissue of "Opiate", which will come in a limited edition of 5,000 copies with five different covers, new artwork and other bonus material. He said, "What I want is to go to the store and buy something and go, 'Damn, I got more than my money's worth.' I want something where you can tell a lot of time went into it."

Jones has always been deeply involved in TOOL's artwork and visuals, telling The Pulse Of Radio a while back that his interest started long before the band. "I've always been into art and drawing and sculpting, and I did makeup effects for a long time, and it's always been a big part of my life," he said. "And Maynard too, and, you know, the other band members — you know, when I met those guys, they were all doing something kind of creative, and I think that's why it clicks."

As for revisiting the music on "Opiate", Jones said, "It's kind of like a time machine. It takes you back to that time and what you were thinking. Creatively speaking, there's always room for improvement . . . but overall I like it. It's something I'm very proud of."

The 21st-anniversary edition of "Opiate" comes out on March 26.




POP EVIL Singer Talks New Album In Audio Interview

On March 9, Rustyn Rose of Metalholic.com conducted an interview with vocalist Leigh Kakaty of Grand Rapids, Michigan hard rockers POP EVIL. You can now listen to the chat in the YouTube clip below.

POP EVIL's new full-length album, "Onyx", is due out on May 14. The CD's first single, "Trenches", is available for streaming on the band's Facebook page.

The message of "Trenches" applies to the world of art as well as the world of sports, the military, or anyone struggling with the economic downturn, like POP EVIL's home state of Michigan.

"It's about our battles," Kakaty says. "Not focusing on the things we can't control, if we really want to be a band that stands the test of time we have to write the music that connects. We have to dig our way out of the trenches."

During a slump in the music industry, POP EVIL is living proof that you can still make a living following your dreams. "It's a matter of time before rock and roll is in the forefront again and we want to be part of that,"Kakaty says.

After three Top 5 songs at rock radio, a fourth in the Top 10, a half million digital singles sold and over 1,000 shows a few short years into their impressive career, POP EVIL's return with "Onyx" is a swaggering, fist­pumping, ball­busting ride through American rock. The grandiose melody of the '70s, the danger of the '80s, the emotion of the '90s and the loudest of modern riffs all have a home in POP EVIL, who fashion a fresh sound that looks to the future through the prism of rock's past.
 

Source: Blabbermouth.net



The Smashing Pumpkins to Play Free Show at SXSW

 

The manager of The Black Keys has been accused of offering free tickets for one of the band's concerts in order to influence an opponent of an anti-scalping bill in Tennessee backed by Ticketmaster.
According to WTVF-TV in Nashville, an attorney named John Ray Clemmons sent a letter to the state Senate Commerce Committee chairman, alleging that Black Keys manager Fielding Logan offered him "what he described as really good tickets to the upcoming Black Keys concert" prior to Clemmons' scheduled testimony before the committee in an alleged attempt to "keep me from opposing the bill."
Clemmons opposes the bill because he believes it would hurt charities that raise money by buying and then auctioning off tickets.
Logan confirms to both WTVF in a phone interview and to the committee chairman in a letter that he made the offer for the band's May 3 concert in Nashville, but he says he wasn't trying to influence Clemmons. He says in the letter that the offer was made "to demonstrate that paperless tickets can be transferred for the purpose of helping charities."
Logan is also the manager for country musician Eric Church.

Guitarist Josh Rand says that Stone Sour fans can expect the band to explore some new creative avenues on the second installment of the band's concept double album, House of Gold and Bones Part 2, due out April 9.
“We take pride in making sure that [Part 2] doesn't sound the same,” he tells The Gauntlet. “That’s why when people hear Part 2 they will say it is completely different fromPart 1. We have different instrumentation than we have ever done, different sounds and a lot more of being experimental.”
While House of Gold and Bones has already inspired a comic book mini-series, Rand adds that the band hopes to begin working on a movie adaptation of the album sometime soon. “We are definitely looking into it,” he reveals. “Right now the focus is promoting the record, getting the comic book out there and off of the comic book we will see if someone does the scripts. We will see what happens from there.”
Stone Sour will kick off the next leg of tour dates to promote House of Gold and Bonesnext month. That trek begins on April 2 at the State Theatre in Portland, Maine. In This Moment and Hell or Highwater will support the band on select dates. Visit StoneSour.com for the full itinerary.

Lamb of God’s Randy Blythe Pays Tribute to Deceased Fan & His Family in Open Letter

 

30 Seconds to Mars singer Jared Leto has signed on to participate in a series of events at this year’s South by Southwest festival.
First, Leto will host a discussion about how bands and brands can use Twitter to help promote their projects and products.  That'll take place Tuesday at 12 p.m. at the Sonos Lounge in Austin, Texas. Shortly after that, Leto will be a part of a “creative conversation” with founder of Buzzfeed Jonah Peretti at the Fast Company Grill at The Cedar Door at 2 p.m.
Wednesday, Leto will be interviewed at the Austin Convention Center on 2 p.m. Then at 4:30 p.m., the singer will host a screening of his documentary, Artifact, which won the People's Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival last year. The film tells the story of 30 Seconds to Mars’ legal battle with record label EMI, which slapped the group with a $30 million lawsuit when it tried to leave the label in 2007.  The lawsuit was eventually dropped and the band wound up releasing its 2009 album, This Is War, through EMI.
In other 30 Seconds to Mars news, the band will digitally release “Up in the Air,” the first single from their upcoming fourth studio album, on March 19.

Watch Dave Grohl’s Sound City Players Perform “Mantra” in Studio

 

Jack White’s Blunderbuss just went gold.  The Recording Industry Association of America has certified that the ex-White Stripes singer’s debut solo album has sold over 500,000 copies.
Blunderbuss has been a hugely successful release for White, scoring him his first #1 album on the Billboard 200 albums chart its first week out. While White has racked up seven top-10 albums with The White Stripes, The Raconteurs and The Dead Weather, he'd never scored a #1 album on the Billboard album chart until Blunderbuss. White’s previous highest-charting release was The Stripes’ final studio album, Icky Thump, which hit #2 when it was released in 2007.
In addition, Blunderbuss was the best-selling vinyl album of 2012, racking up 33,000 copies sold, according to Nielsen SoundScan's vinyl charts. Blunderbuss unseated The Beatles' 1969 album, Abbey Road, which had held the top spot on the vinyl charts for the last three years. Blunderbuss is also the first new album to top the vinyl charts since SoundScan first started tracking vinyl sales in 2008.

Ever wonder how electronic artist Jimmy Tamborello partnered up with Death Cab for Cutie frontman Ben Gibbard to become The Postal Service? The band is offering up their humorous take on the subject in a new video on FunnyOrDie.com.
In the nine-minute clip, Tamborello and a Sub Pop Records executive hold tryouts for The Postal Service in 2002. A variety of rock stars get their shot to be in the band, including Foo Fighters bassist Nate Mendel, Blink-182 guitarist Tom DeLonge, formerGuns N’ Roses bassist Duff McKagan, Helmet guitarist Page Hamilton, and a shirtlessMoby, who trashes the audition room while screaming obscenities. When Gibbard takes the stage and begins singing lyrics to The Postal Service’s track, "The District Sleeps Alone Tonight," he gets the job and a new band is born.
In other Postal Service news, the band has announced another handful of tour dates to celebrate the April 9 release of a special edition of their debut album, Give Up Deluxe 10th Anniversary Edition.  The new dates include stops in Pomona, CA; Houston, TX; Cedar Park, TX; Berkeley, CA; Kansas City, MO; and St. Paul, MN.
Here are the dates:
4/15 -- Pomona, CA, Fox Theater
6/1 -- Houston, TX, Free Press Summer Fest
6/2 -- Cedar Park, TX, Cedar Park
7/27 -- Berkeley, CA, Greek Theater 
7/31 -- Kansas City, MO, Midland Theater
8/2 -- St. Paul, MN, Roy Wilkins Auditorium

 

While Dave Grohl gathered an eclectic group of artists to make new music for his documentary, Sound City, there was one musical pairing that he wasn’t able to make happen. The Foo Fighters frontman says that he wanted to get Weezer singerRivers Cuomo and pop icon Barry Manilow together in the studio to collaborate on a new song for the film.
“[Manilow] was the first person who said he’d do it but was the last we tracked down,” he tells U.K.‘s The Sun. “I was this f***ing close to getting them on a record. I thought it was going to happen, it would’ve been f***ing huge.”
In other Grohl news, the singer will be performing with the Sound City Players, a band comprised of some of the artists who appear in Sound City, on Tuesday night on ABC’sJimmy Kimmel Live!  Accompanying Grohl for the appearance will be all the members of the Foo Fighters, former Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic, Queens of the Stone Agemulti-instrumentalist Alain Johannes, Cheap Trick guitarist Rick Nielsen, Fearfrontman Lee Ving, John Fogerty, Rick Springfield, The Wallflowers keyboardist Rami Jaffee, and violinist Jessy Greene.

More details have been revealed about next month's Record Store Day initiative. On April 20, a massive number of artists will be releasing album reissues, new singles and rare and unreleased materials to support local record stores.
Included in the list of upcoming releases will be a limited-edition single from The Black Keys. The seven-inch vinyl record will feature a 2002 recording of the Keys covering The Stooges 1969 track, “No Fun,” along with the Stooges' original version on the other side.Iron and Wine will also offer up a special seven-inch single for Record Store Day, which will include two exclusive tracks that have yet to be named.
Avenged Sevenfold will be dropping two special releases for Record Store Day as well. The first is a 12-inch vinyl single of “Carry On,” the track they wrote for the Call of Duty: Black Ops II, which will be pressed onto a picture disc sporting artwork from the video game. The second is a 12-inch vinyl LP which features audio from the band’s first live concert film, Live in the LBC, as well as Diamonds in the Rough, an album of B-sides that was released back in 2008.
In addition, The White Stripes will release a reissue: a 10th anniversary edition of their fourth studio album, Elephant. According to the Third Man Records website, the double LP will feature one album on split-color black and red vinyl, while the other will be on white vinyl.

BUCKCHERRY Frontman: 'You've Just Got To Be The Real Deal In Whatever You're Doing'

BUCKCHERRY vocalist Josh Todd recently spoke to Music Radar about what it takes to be the "perfect" frontman.

"I think you've just got to be the real deal in whatever you're doing," he said. "I've got to believe it. The frontmen that I like are guys that had enough of an edge to them so guys would like them and they had enough flair so girls would like them. That, to me, is the perfect package for a frontman."

He continued: "I love Jim Morrison [of THE DOORS], and I also think Prince is amazing, and Stevie Wonder. I think Jim was really great with managing the mystery. He was great at pulling people in and then exploding on stage. He was the master of that. From what I've read about him, he would read books on crowd control. If you watch him perform he could be very subtle and then he'd just erupt. I like that. He was cool and sexual at times, but very masculine. He was just a great frontman and he wrote amazing lyrics.

"When I got more into rock music I was really into [late AC/DC singer]Bon Scott. Bon had a very distinctive voice. He had a voice when you heard it you knew it was Bon Scott. Nobody could sing like him. He had a lot of soul too. He was a pretty humble guy and he didn't give a shit about flash or flair, he just came out in ripped up jeans and laid it down. I love [current AC/DC singer] Brian Johnson, too. We got to do five shows with them [in 2000] and it was our rock 'n' roll dreams come true for all of us. It was amazing. We got to hang out with all those guys in one room, and they were the most humble, nicest people. It pays off when you meet your heroes and they're super cool."




LZZY HALE Talks About Dueting With DAVID DRAIMAN On DEVICE's LITA FORD Cover

HALESTORM singer Lzzy Hale is one of many guests appearing on the self-titled debut album from DEVICE, the new industrial rock act led byDISTURBED frontman David Draiman. Hale, who duets with Draiman on a cover of the Ozzy Osbourne/Lita Ford song "Close My Eyes Forever", told Artisan News (see video report below): "David Draiman has been such an amazing mentor over the years. I've always felt like a little sister in heavy metal to him. And we had talked about doing that song for years, and we just never had any time to do it. And so I kind of thought that he had forgotten all about it. And then I got a call one day and he was, like, 'I know you're on tour, but can we make this happen?' So I literally flew to New York and got into this tiny, little studio and we did it."

She added: "[David is] an amazing man. Talk about a hard-working band. DISTURBED has been around for so long and really got us into new metal."

Draiman previously stated about his collaboration with Hale on "Close My Eyes Forever": "For years I'd wanted to re-do 'Close My Eyes Forever' by Lita Ford and Ozzy Osbourne. I always thought it was a fantastic idea and needed the right combination of elements and events and needed to have the right woman to play the role of Lita in this song, and Lzzy Hale, in my opinion, is the strongest, most distinctive voice, female voice in rock today. I think that she's just as good as it gets."

In addition to Hale, the lineup of guests on the DEVICE disc includesAVENGED SEVENFOLD singer M. Shadows, SYSTEM OF A DOWNvocalist Serj Tankian, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE guitarist Tom Morello, BLACK SABBATH bassist Geezer Butler and ex-DEEP PURPLE bassist/vocalist Glenn Hughes.

The set is due out on April 9, with a first single called "Vilify" arrived at radio stations last month.

Lenardo will not be part of the DEVICE touring band due to previous commitments. 

Other members of the live lineup include EVANESCENCE drummer Will Hunt and DOPE guitarist Virus.

In a recent video interview with Artisan News Service, Draiman spoke about how DEVICE came together. "I was first approached by Geno Lenardo, who was working on a number of tracks for the 'Underworld'soundtrack for the last 'Underworld' film that came out… and he asked me if I would be interested in being a part of one of the tracks and I asked him to send me the music that he had in mind and I was able to make a really compelling and powerful song," he said. "[I] found that working with him as a songwriting partner was very easy and fluid. He's a very strong songwriter in his own right."
 

Source: Blabbermouth.net



Dave Grohl’s Sound City Players to Perform Exclusive Concert for Jimmy Kimmel Live!

 

Ex-Screaming Trees/Mad Season drummer Barrett Martin has revealed that he’s part of a new band which includes Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready and former Guns N’ Roses bassist Duff McKagan. Martin says that the idea to form a new group surfaced after he collaborated with McCready on tracks for the 2012 self-titled debut album of his side project with McKagan, Walking Papers.
“I had a whole bunch of song ideas and Mike had a whole bunch of song ideas and Duff had a whole bunch of song ideas that were not making it into Walking Papers,” he tellsBillboard. “We decided that we would go into the studio and record them.”
McCready adds that he’s still working on new material for the group’s debut album, as well as actively recruiting a number of singers to appear on the release. “We wrote some new stuff and we took some of those old Mad Season demos from that [unreleased] second Disinformation record, so we are trying to find something to do with those," he explains. "We're talking to Jaz [Coleman] from Killing Joke and I've been trying to find some singers to work on some of that stuff."
A release date for the band’s debut album has yet to be announced.