Slipknot's Corey Taylor Has 'Special Message' For Kanye West
Slipknot and Stone Sour frontman Corey Taylor has released a "special message" for Kanye West after the husband of reality TV star Kim Kardashian claimed to be "the greatest living rock star on the planet."
West made the claim during his appearance at the Glastonbury festival in England last month. The performance had previously spawned a viral video showing Freddie Mercury laughing at West's attempt to cover the Queen classic "Bohemian Rhapsody". (see the Kanye West vs. Freddie Mercury video here.)
Music Choice published a new video message from Taylor on Tuesday (July 7) where the metal singer responds to West's telling the audience at Glastonbury "you're watching the greatest living rock star on the planet!"
Taylor says in the clip, "Kanye, you are not [pauses and then with emphasis says] NOT the greatest living rock star of all time. The fact that you had to tell people that [makes funny face] kind of says it all.
He continues, "You remind of the guy who brags about [bleeped with a photo of a kitten]. They never get as much as they brag about. Stop it. [Taylors slaps his wrist] STOP it!" See the clip here.
Aerosmith's Tom Hamilton Reveals Cancer Fight Update(hennemusic)
Aerosmith bassist Tom Hamilton says doctors have declared him cancer-free. Originally diagnosed with throat and tongue cancer in 2006, the bassist successfully underwent treatment at the time, and the health issue that returned in 2011 is now gone again.
"My doctor thought I was pretty much done with the cancer that I had in '06 and then it came back a few years later," Hamilton tells Long Island Pulse. "I was faced with losing my way of life…if not my life. But there's a guy here in Boston that Adele referred to [Steven Zeitels], who does novel surgeries and was able to do a procedure that got the cancer out of my throat without having to ruin the rest of it.
"I just saw him the other day and he said, 'You beat this one. You can keep coming to see me if you want, but I don't think you need to worry about this cancer coming back.' I said, 'I'll come back to see you every six months from here until eternity, if it's alright with you!'" Read more here.
Led Zeppelin's Final Concert 35th Anniversary(Gibson)
Tuesday (July 7) marked the 35th anniversary of the last Led Zeppelin gig with all four original members. The show took place at Eissporthalle in Berlin, and was the last of fourteen gigs during a European tour in support of the band's latest album In Through The Out Door, which was released in August the previous year.
The show opened with "Train Kept A Rollin'" - a song that had been in Zeppelin's repertoire ever since their first show less than twelve years earlier. If the opening song sounded a bit stiff, the band really hit their stride with the second number - "Nobody's Fault But Mine." Jimmy Page in particular delivered a blistering solo.
Although there are no videos available from the Zeppelin's last gig, it's worth noting that visually the band was trying to adapt to the times. While not jumping on the disco bandwagon like the Rolling Stones, and Kiss, the four members of Led Zeppelin had definitely altered their stage outfits in an attempt to fit in better with the New Wave crowd. Gone were the blue jeans, replaced by slacks, and even the occasional tie, and the band had trimmed back their big manes of hair, if ever so slightly. But these are all cosmetics, and normal for any band wanting to stay current. What is important is the music - and that still rocked every bit as hard as it had during the height of the band's popularity in the middle of the previous decade. If you want to see what Led Zeppelin looked like in the latter stages of their career, check out videos from their gig at the Knebworth Festival on August 11, 1979, which was fortunately filmed for posterity.
Sonically, there was an added presence of keyboards, and synthesizers. Especially in new songs like "In The Evening," and "All My Love," but also in classics like "The Rain Song," and even "Kashmir." It was Zeppelin's way of updating their sound, and also the result from much of the material on In Through The Out Door being initially conceived by Robert Plant, and John Paul Jones. In my opinion it's fun to hear these live versions of the songs. Perhaps they give a glimpse as to what would have been if the band had continued on.
Just two and a half months after the concert in Berlin, drummer John Bonham was found dead in his bed on September 25. It has been reported that Bonham, who was struggling with a severe alcohol addiction, had downed the equivalent 40 shots of vodka during a twenty-four hour period prior to his death. Led Zeppelin had already booked a US tour at the time of Bonham's passing, but in December 1980 the band announced that they were calling it quits rather than finding a replacement for Bonham. Since their final gig in 1980, the surviving members of Led Zeppelin have only reunited a handful of times, most recently in December 2007, which resulted in the live CD, and DVD Celebration Day.
"This is the last concert, so we intend to have a better time now than perhaps we have had before," said Plant in the banter between "The Rain Song," and "Hot Dog" during the gig in Berlin. Although he was only talking about the end of the tour, not knowing it was the band's last show as a foursome, in hindsight it's quite a statement. See the setlist for the show here.
Paul McCartney Frustrated By John Lennon's 'Martyr' Status(Classic Rock)
Paul McCartney has admitted to feeling "frustrated" that the murder of John Lennon in 1980 elevated him to the status of a "martyr" - meaning the rest of the Beatles were relegated to the background.
And he argues that the perception that Lennon led the band is usually supported by offsetting his best work against McCartney's worst. The 73-year-old tells Esquire: "The Beatles split up and we were all sort of equal. George did his record, John did his, I did mine, Ringo did his. It was as we were during the Beatles' time.
"When John got shot, aside from the pure horror of it, the lingering thing was, 'Now John's a martyr, a JFK.' I started to get frustrated because people started to say, 'Well, he was the Beatles.' Me, George and Ringo would go, 'Hang on - it's only a year ago we were all equal-ish."
McCartney emphasizes that he's not trying to put down his late colleague's achievements. "John was the witty one," he says. "John did a lot of great work and post-Beatles he did more great work. But he also did a lot of not-great work.
"The fact that he's now martyred has elevated him to a James Dean and beyond. I didn't mind that - I agreed with it. I understood there was going to be revisionism. It was going to be, 'John was the one.'
"If you just pull out all his great stuff and then stack it up against my not-so-great stuff, it's an easy case to make." Read more here.
Dave Grohl Jams With Pearl Jam and Blind Melons Stars At Biker Rally(Radio.com)
This past Saturday (July 4), Dave Grohl was scheduled to play what for him and his band was a very special show: a concert celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Foo Fighters.
But apparently, headlining RFK Stadium wasn't enough. On that same day, he kicked out some early morning jams at a motorcycle rally taking place at local craft brewery DC Brau. When it comes to rockin', it seems the guy just can't help himself.
As CBS Radio's WXRT reports, the event featured original Pearl Jam drummer Dave Krusen, Jonny Kaplan, Rami Jaffee of the Foo Fighters and Blind Melon guitarist Chris Thorn. Never one to turn down a good jam session with old friends, Grohl showed up to the event and went on to perform "Cinnamon Girl."
With purple cast situated on a padded metal folding chair, and wearing khaki shorts and a black T-shirt, Grohl laid into a supercharged version of the classic Neil Young song. Read more and see video here.
Iron Maiden's Bruce Dickinson 'Cautiously Happy' With Cancer Outcome(Classic Rock)
Iron Maiden's Bruce Dickinson is currently recovering from cancer treatment after two tumors were found in his throat, forcing the band to delay the launch of 16th album The Book Of Souls.
Dickinson says: "I did take it easy for a while and I'm still conscious that I should take it easy." But he adds: "Why? If I'm feeling fine, fit and all the rest of it?
"I consider myself to be extremely lucky that everything is okay. I've got a completely unrestricted airline medical back, just as good as it was before. The doctors were amazing. The treatment was uncomfortable but it worked. I'm cautiously happy with the outcome." Read more here.
Coheed And Cambria Announce Totally Different New Album(Prog)
Coheed And Cambria will release their eighth album The Color Before The Sun in October - and it'll be their first-ever non-concept title. Claudio Sanchez and co have launched a lyric video for lead track You Got Spirit, Kid, which becomes available as a digital single on July 10.
It's the first time the band have stepped away from setting their albums around The Amory Wars, their science fiction saga about the lives of Coheed and Cambria Kilgannon.
Sanchez says: "I want people to know that Coheed can write that sort of record. I've always said ithere's never been a limitation on the band - it makes no sense to me to draw a line in the sand and never cross it."
The Color Before The Sun was recorded at St Charles Studio in Nashville, and produced by Jay Joyce. Coheed hit the road next month with dates in the US and Europe, plus a standalone appearance at the UK;s Heavy Fest. See the dates here.
Shinedown Frontman Brent Smith Laughs Off Health Problems(Classic Rock)
Shinedown frontman Brent Smith is now able to laugh at the health problems that contributed to the delay of their fifth album. He suffered with nodules on his vocal cords after 21 months on the road - then had to deal with a fungal infection in his throat.
The singer won't reveal the name of the follow-up to 2012's Amaryllis, but says fans can expect its arrival in September. Smith tells Loudwire: "We took a while mainly because my voice needed to rest. When we got off tour I had three nodules on my left vocal cord.
"I had to heal them. I was lucky enough to do so naturally - I didn't have surgery, but it took two and a half months to get them where they needed to be."
He continues: "I have to laugh about it now, but I got this thing called thrush, which is normally what babies will get. We have fungus in our bodies that's dormant and sometimes it'll unleash, and it unleashed on me.
"It went all the way down to my oesophagus, so that was another two months to heal from that. Four months in all after we got off the road, then we started writing the record." Read more here.
Sleeping with Sirens and All Time Low Announce Co-Headlining Tour(Radio.com)
Sleeping with Sirens and All Time Low Both have announced a co-headlining tour across North America, kicking off in October and running through late November.
The Back to the Future Hearts Tour (you guessed it, the tour poster is Back to the Future-themed) begins Oct. 9 in Orlando, Fla., with additional dates in Houston, Dallas, Los Angeles, Milwaukee and more.
The pair ends their touring engagement Nov. 24 with a show at the Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York. Japan's One Ok Rock will open from Oct. 9 through Nov. 13.
Sleeping with Sirens are touring behind new album Madness, debuted in March, while All Time Low released new record Future Hearts the next month in April. See the dates here.
Jake E. Lee's Red Dragon Cartel Announce 5th Singer In A Year(Classic Rock)
Red Dragon Cartel have named former Jones Street singer Shawn Crosby as their latest vocalist. Crosby is the Jake E. Lee led band's fifth frontman in just four months.
Darren James Smith appeared on the band's 2014 self-titled debut album, but left in March over concerns regarding touring plans. His replacement Michael Beck lasted just a few short weeks before former Lynch Mob and Jason Bonham man Chas West signed on - only to replaced by Paul D'Eath, who's now out of the picture.
Crosby says: "I will be singing for Jake E Lee's Red Dragon Cartel for the month of July and, hopefully, for many months and years after. That is, if we can all play nice in the sandbox together! I'm sure we will. I couldn't be playing with a cooler bunch of guys."
He'll make his debut on July 9 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, joining a lineup that also includes third bassist Anthony Esposito and drummer Jonas Fairley. Read more here.
Breaking Benjamin Frontman Says Pain Only Relief From Mystery Illness(TeamRock Radio)
Breaking Benjamin frontman Ben Burnley says he copes with his mystery illness by using the chronic pain to fuel his live shows. He's suffered from joint and muscle pain for years but says he has been given no answers despite consulting hundreds of doctors.
Burnley tells Rolling Stone: "The pain is so horrendous it distracts me from my other symptoms, so it's relieving in a sick way. Basically, my only relief is intense pain.
"It's a horrible, horrible condition. If I didn't have the support of all the fans, and if I didn't have my incredible wife and son it definitely wouldn't be worth living through.
"The agony never goes away. People ask me how I deal with it and it's because I have no choice. Now I get angry. If I'm dizzy onstage it'll push me even harder. I don't let it peck at me little by little, I charge right through it. And if I go down, I go down doing what I love for the people that want to see me perform." Read more here.
Lamb Of God's Blythe Recalls Homecoming After Manslaughter Trial(TeamRock Radio)
Randy Blythe has posted an excerpt from his book dealing with the moment he arrived on US soil after being released from prison in the Czech Republic.
Dark Days, to be published later this month, covers the Lamb Of God frontman's ordeal after being charged, but later acquitted, of killing fan Daniel Nosek in 2010.
He was released on bail in August 2012, and arrived in New York on August 3. Later that day he posted a picture of himself with a fan, saying: "This lovely young woman, Lia, came to the airport to say, 'Randy, I'm glad you're home.' What a sweetheart! Her boyfriend had to work so we called him on his cell. We have awesome fans!"
In the Dark Days excerpt Blythe writes: "I made my way directly to the terminal's exit to stand on American soil (or at least New York City concrete), for the first time in months. As I moved with the crowd past the last security checkpoint, I heard a female voice call my name. I turned and saw an attractive dark haired young woman standing by the exit. 'Randy, I just wanted you to know I'm glad you're home,' she said, and gave me a hug.
"Lia had read on the Internet that I had been released from prison. The details of my flight had not been made public, but Lia had checked all the flights from Prague to JFK, and had decided to come and take a chance that she would see me in arrivals. After waiting a few fruitless hours she was about to leave, but decided to take a chance on one more flight.
"Lia was not a stalker or a weirdo; she just felt that someone should be there to welcome me back to America, and after doing so told me she would be on her way. I was deeply touched by her warm gesture, and asked her if she would stay and have a coffee with me." Read more here.
U2 Preview 'Song for Someone' Short Film Starring Woody Harrelson(Radio.com)
U2 are going a bit further than your average band when it comes to the visual for one of their new songs, creating a short film to accompany their track "Song for Someone" from their latest album Songs of Innocence.
What's the difference between this and, say, a new music video? Generally, length: expect this to be longer than the average music video. The short is directed by Vincent Haycock, who has helmed videos for Madonna, Calvin Harris, Paul McCartney and Lana Del Rey. His work to date has been big, broad and sweeping in scope but not necessarily strong on storytelling, so this should be a shift in pace.
Woody and Zoe Harrelson are set to star in the project, with a press release from Interscope Records saying the former plays "a man being released from prison after years of incarceration."
To precede its debut, a trailer has been released for the short. The short will debut on Sundance Thursday, July 9, at 10 p.m. ET/PT, following the season 3 premiere of Rectify, a series that follows a man released from jail after several years when DNA evidence casts doubt on the verdict that put him there. See the preview here.
Twisted Sister's Dee Snider Releases New Solo Song 'To Hell And Back'(hennemusic)
Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider is premiering his new solo single, "To Hell And Back." The tune was co-written with Silvertide's Nick Perri, and is planned to be included as part of a new album Snider is working on with producer Damon Ranger.
"To Hell and Back" represents my first truly new, original musical offering since the 90's," says Snider. "When my friend and co-writer, guitarist Nick Perri presented me with the riff and music bed for this song, I found true inspiration to write for the first time in decades.
"Lyrically, the song raises a bold middle finger to those who whine and complain about the difficulties of life, but have no real clue what difficult is. As I say in the song, 'Don't tell me your sad story. Don't say your world is black. Just spare me your vainglory. I've been to hell and back!'"
Snider will head out to play some solo shows this summer at festivals in the US, Europe and South America. Snider and Twisted Sister have announced plans for a 40th anniversary farewell tour next year following the March 20 death of longtime drummer AJ Pero, who suffered a heart attack while playing on tour with Adrenaline Mob. Check out the new song here.
Set It Off Release 'Stuck In Our Youth' Video(TeamRock Radio)
Set It Off have released a video for their track Forever Stuck In Our Youth. The clip was filmed in their hometown of Clearwater, Florida, with the track taken from their second album Duality, which was released last year.
The band have also announced they'll be main support for Mallory Knox on their winter UK tour. Frontman Cody Carson says: "We're so stoked to be coming back - the UK fans always go so crazy, and the reception we receive every time is out of this world.
"We cant wait to play in such amazing venues with our new buddies Mallory Knox." Ahead of the UK run, the band are part of the Vans Warped Tour in North America. See the new tour dates and watch the video here.
No Devotion Streaming New Song Called 'Addition'(TeamRock Radio)
No Devotion have made their latest single available to stream. Addition is taken from their upcoming debut album, Permanence, due out on September 25 via Collect Records.
The band - which features vocalist Geoff Rickley alongside former members of Lostprophets - worked with producers Stuart Richardson and Alex Newport on Permanence, which was mixed by Dave Fridmann.
Addition is the third single issued in advance of the project, following Stay and 10,000 Summers. Last month, keyboard player Jamie Oliver had a chance encounter with a mountain lion while out jogging near his Los Angeles home. Oliver wrote on Instagram: "I'd decided not to wear headphones. This one thing alone probably saved my life." Stream the new song here.
The Enid Release 'Wings' Performance Video From New DVD(Prog)
The Enid have released a video of their performance of Wings, taken from their upcoming The Bridge live DVD. It was recorded in London in March - and frontman Joe Payne admits it was a difficult piece to deliver.
Payne says: "I owe a lot of thanks to the incredible vocal coach Paul Farrington for the help he gave me. He taught me how to get that really fat operatic top C at the end.
"This is probably the most challenging piece of music I've ever had to sing. I was so nervous at the time. - so I was delighted to have pull it off on the night it was filmed. Thank you, Paul."
The Bridge is released on September 4 and it can be pre-ordered via The Enid's website. Sales income will go towards funding the follow-up, Dust, to be directed by Kate Bush collaborator Simon Drake. The Bridge is nominated as Live Event of the year at the 2015 Progressive Music Awards, with voting open now. See the tracklisting and watch the video here.
Chris Cornell Reissuing Debut Album As 'Euphoria Mourning'(hennemusic)
Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell will reissue his 1999 solo debut album under its original title, "Euphoria Mourning", on August 14. Cornell says he was dissuaded from his first choice for a title and the the project was released as "Euphoria Morning."
"The title of the record has been restored to its original spelling," says the singer. "Which was changed before release after I listened to some bad advice."
The remastered "Euphoria Mourning" will be available for the first time on vinyl as well as being reissued digitally and on CD. The 180 gram vinyl package will include a download card featuring 320 kbps MP4 audio ripped directly from the record.
The 1999 album saw Cornell team with Alain Johannes and Natasha Shneider of the band Eleven, who appeared on the album, co-wrote five of the tracks and were credited as co-producers, engineers and mixers with Cornell. Read more and see the new cover art here.
Black Sabbath Legend Bill Ward Launching New Exhibit(hennemusic)
Original Black Sabbath drummer Bill Ward will present an exhibit of his fine art collection, "Absence of Corners | Rhythm On Canvas", at the Fathom Gallery in Los Angeles.
Running August 15-29, the event will launch on August 15 with two artist discussions by Ward in which he will detail the concepts underlining the artwork and relate personal stories of how each piece is connected to his private or professional life.
The free lectures are set for 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. and attendance to each is available on a first-come basis; pre-registration is required at the Fathom Gallery.
Over a year in the making, "Absence Of Corners" is the result of a complex multi-disciplined approach to creating art that combines high-end digital technology with the oldest known musical instrument. The resulting images capture Ward's experimental spirit and translate onto canvas powerful abstract expressions of his music.
"When I'm working on new ideas, musically much of what's played is guided by a visual appearance or shape," explains Ward. "Since my early childhood, I've played drums in visuals as well as sound. When I write, there's always an image, sometimes a color attached to what's being created... I am delighted with the captured expressions - from my head and my heart. Their arrival onto canvas is beautiful." Read more here.
The Receiver Release 'Transit' Music Video(Prog)
The Receiver have issued a video for their track Transit. The song is taken from the dream-prog duo's third album All Burn, released last month via Kscope Records.
It was shot in Beirut by director Youssef Nassar, the man behind the promo for Steven Wilson's recent single Perfect Life. The Receiver brothers Casey and Jesse Cooper say: "Transit was written during the beginning of a new relationship. It expresses the emotional highs associated with falling in love, and makes a promise of commitment, regardless of whatever change or loss may come."
Nasser says of his work: "The music is simply superb - very dreamy, filled with layers of sounds and emotions. I did my best capturing that feel. I think the video has a strong concept behind it, showing a certain type of a fantasy happening, in an abstract and emotional way." Watch the video here.
Accept Reveal Winter Tour Plans(Classic Rock)
Accept have announced a London date as part of a European winter tour. The German metal outfit will play at The Forum on December 7 as part of a run of gigs that also takes in Germany and France.
Guitarist Wolf Hoffmann had this to say: "We are happy to come back to London. The last show was such a great experience, let's make it an even hotter night."
Accept released their 14th album Blind Rage last year and in April they brought in guitarist Uwe Lulis and drummer Christopher Williams to replace Herman Frank and drummer Stefan Schwarzmann, who left in December.
Before the December gigs, the band are lined up to play a series of headline shows and festivals across the continent. See the tour dates here.
Spoof Prog Icon Brian Pern Returning To TV(Prog)
Spoof prog icon Brian Pern will return for a third BBC series later this year, the corporation have confirmed. Simon Day's character will mark 45 years of making music and lead a reunion of his band Thotch in the run of three episodes, which also features co-stars Paul Whitehouse, Nigel Havers and others.
A list of big-name guest stars will be announced in due course, along with details of a series of short clips based around the rest of the BBC's musical output.
Pern says: "I am so delighted to be back on BBC Four to help sell more copies of my new orchestral greatest hits album, tickets for the Thotch reunion shows - and to remind people how I shaped rock music over the last 45 years."
Co-creator Rhys Thomas says: "I'm thrilled that Brian Pern is returning, though it's been hard to celebrate since receiving death threats from certain members of Genesis and a mechanic from Mike and The Mechanics."
