Archive for the News Category

GREEN DAY’S FIRST DAY IN THE STUDIO

Posted in Artist Watch, New Music, News, Releases, Videos with tags , , , , , on February 16, 2012 by Randy

HELLYEAH ANNOUNCES NEW ALBUM BAND OF BROTHERS

Posted in All Metal, Artist Watch, New Music, News, Releases with tags , , , , , , , , on February 15, 2012 by Randy

New York, NY – February 2012 – Hard rock supergroup HELLYEAH is back with a their third album, entitled Band of Brothers. The album, the band’s first effort for their new label home, Eleven Seven Music, was recorded in Dallas at drummer Vinnie Paul’s home studio, VP’s Upstairs Studio, and was produced by the band and Jeremy Parker (Godsmack, Evanessence), who also served as engineer.

Having produced track after track of heavy-hitting, in-your-face, feel good rock and roll on their previous two albums (2010’s STAMPEDE and 2007’s self-titled debut), Band of Brothers sees HELLYEAH taking a slightly different musical direction. Drawing on their former bands’ collective metal roots for inspiration, the influences and style of Mudvayne, Pantera, Damageplan and Nothingface are immediately recognizable in tracks such as “Band of Brothers,” “War In Me” and “Rage Burn,” while the party anthem “Drink, Drank, Drunk” retains the essence of earlier HELLYEAH.

Frontman Chad Gray comments, “I’m really excited about what we’ve done on this new album. I’ve always separated Mudvayne and HELLYEAH as much as I could, even though it was my voice. Melodies, lyrics and just the overall style of writing were different. With Band of Brothers, I just quit being afraid of who I am in relation to this band. I think we’ve all really gotten back to the original roots of what we’ve done individually and brought it together on this album. As an artist, as long as you’re painting with your own brush, no one can compare or challenge you. I just painted with a bigger, heavier brush than I had with HELLYEAH in the past. I think this is what fans have always expected to hear from us, and now were giving it to them.”

Vinnie Paul echoed the sentiment in a recent interview: “On our first two records, we were a new band. We really wanted to branch out and expand and experiment with all different styles. We all come from traditional metal bands and backgrounds, so it was a great breath of fresh air to play in a band that was rock ‘n’ roll, blues and Southern rock. We got that out of our system and got really focused on going back to our metal roots. It’s heavy, focused, groove-oriented and I’m excited about it.”

Jeremy Parker said, “It’s impossible not to have a good time jamming this record.  It has the anger and violence of Pantera and Mudvayne, but a party vibe that can

only be HELLYEAH!”

Band of Brothers is set for worldwide release in early June. HELLYEAH will be announcing North American tour plans soon. They are confirmed to tour Australia and Japan in the coming months. Dates are as follows:

Feb 25             Brisbane, AUS          RNA Showgrounds

Feb 26             Sydney, AUS            Showground

Feb 28             Melbourne, AUS       The Forum

Mar 01            Sydney, AUS             The Metro Theater

Mar 02            Melbourne, AUS       Showgrounds

Mar 03            Adelaide, AUS           Bonython Park

Mar 05            Perth, AUS                Claremont Showgrounds

Mar 31            Jakarta, IND             Carnaval Beach Ancol

Apr 02             Nayoga, JAP              Diamond Hall

Apr 03             Osaka, JAP                Big Cat

Apr 05             Tokyo, JAP                O-East

Apr 06             Tokyo, JAP                O-East 

https://www.facebook.com/hellyeahband

http://hellyeahband.com/

SLASH ANNOUNCES U.S. HEADLINING TOUR BEGINNING MAY 3

Posted in Artist Watch, News, Releases with tags , , , , , , on February 13, 2012 by Randy

As he puts the finishing touches on his as-yet-untitled second solo album due out May 22, SLASH–the iconic, Grammy-winning rock guitarist and songwriter–has announced that his headlining U.S. tour will begin May 3 in Baltimore. A fan pre-sale begins this Wednesday, February 15, with the regular on-sale starting Friday, February 17. Tickets will be available at: http://www.slashonline.com/.  The itinerary (see below) encompasses three festival appearances: Saturday, May 5 at Carolina Rebellion, Saturday, May 19 at Rock On The Range and  Friday, May 25 at Rocklahoma.

Meanwhile, this Saturday, February 18, SLASH will join Stevie Wonder, Sean Combs, Chris Cornell, Lenny Kravitz, LL Cool J, Common, Snoop Dogg, former President Bill Clinton, Oprah Winfrey, actors Anthony Hopkins, James Gandolfini and more at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas for a 70th birthday celebration to honor boxing legend Muhammad Ali. “Muhammad Ali is & always has been a role model & a hero to me,” says SLASH. “It’s a huge privilege to be able to perform in his honor. He is one of the great icons of American culture and history.” The 16th annual “Power of Love Gala” celebrates the life and legacy of Muhammad Ali and his contribution to the world and raises awareness for Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s, ALS, Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson’s, the disease “The Champ” has been battling since 1984.  Proceeds from the event will benefit the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health’s work toward enhanced treatments and research of neurocognitive disorders and the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville, Ky. The show will also feature appearances from boxing legends such as Sugar Ray Leonard, Ken Norton, Tommy “Hitman” Hearns, and more. Tickets for this once-in-a-lifetime event are on sale now. ABC will also televise the show nationally on Saturday, Feb. 25, at 7 p.m. EST/ 4 p.m. PST. For tickets and more information, visit: keepmemoryalive.org.

 

SLASH is currently in a Los Angeles studio working on his new album with Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators. It will be released SLASH’s own label Dik Hayd International distributed through EMI and will follow his 2010 debut album Slash and his November 2011 first-ever live  solo album, the two-CD/DVD set Made In Stoke 24/7/11. Notably, the Slash album debuted on the Billboard Top 200 chart at #3 (#1 on the Rock chart, #1 on the Independent chart, and #1 on the Hard Music chart). Digitally, the album also became the #1 overall digital album and hit #1 on iTunes in 13 countries. Internationally, the disc achieved Top 5 chart positions in over a dozen major territories, hitting #1 in both Japan and New Zealand.

For the new album, SLASH–along with and his bandmates Myles Kennedy (vocals), Brent Fitz (drums) and Todd Kerns (bass)–have teamed with producer Eric Valentine, who also produced the Slash disc. All the songs were written together by SLASH and Kennedy, and cameras have been rolling throughout the entire making of the album. Check out exclusive behind-the-scenes footage airing weekly at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIYbyb8xXTQ.

www.slashonline.com

https://twitter.com/#!/slash

SLASH’s 2012 headlining U.S. tour dates are as follows:

Thu 5/3 Baltimore MD Rams Head Live
Sat 5/5 Charlotte NC Carolina Rebellion, Rockingham Speedway
Mon 5/7 Orlando FL Hard Rock Live
Thu 5/10 Biloxi MS Hard Rock Hotel & Casino – Hard Rock Live
Sat 5/12 Kansas City MO Liberty Memorial Park
Sun 5/13 Indianola IA National Balloon Classic Field
Mon 5/14 Minneapolis MN The Brick
Wed 5/16 Madison WI Orpheum Theater
Thu 5/17 Grand Rapids MI Orbit Room
Sat 5/19 Columbus OH Rock On The Range, Columbus Crew Stadium
Sun 5/20 Camden NJ Susquehanna Bank Center
Fri 5/25 Pryor OK Rocklahoma
Sat 5/26 Albuquerque NM Route 66 Casino

About SLASH:

Slash is widely considered one of the greatest rock guitar players of all time. He has received countless accolades and awards including his forthcoming induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame set for April 2012. In 2007, Slash was inducted into Hollywood’s RockWalk (located in front of Guitar Center in Hollywood) alongside his idols Jimmy Page and Jimi Hendrix. An original member of iconic rock band Guns N’ Roses, the Grammy-winning Slash helped the band create signature sounds like the guitar riff of #1 hit “Sweet Child o’ Mine” and “Welcome To The Jungle.”  The band dominated the 1980’s and 90’s music scene selling more than 100 million albums worldwide and ushered in a decade of hard-charging rock music. After leaving the band, Slash went on to critical acclaim in his personal project Slash’s Snakepit, and global success with the supergroup Velvet Revolver.  He has been widely sought after by the biggest musicians of all time, performing with everyone from Michael Jackson to Stevie Wonder to Ray Charles.  Slash recently landed on the top of the charts with his first true solo album, Slash.  In addition, Slash was honored by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce who named him as an official selection for 2011 to receive a star on Hollywood’s iconic Walk of Fame. In February 2011, he performed at the Super Bowl XLV half time show, seen by more than 106 million people, becoming the most-watched program in U.S. television history (Nielsen Co.).

KILLSWITCH ENGAGE ANNOUNCE NEW SINGER: JESSE LEACH – HE SERVED AS BAND’S ORIGINAL SINGER ON LANDMARK ALBUM ALIVE OR JUST BREATHING

Posted in All Metal, Artist Watch, News, Releases with tags , , , , , , , on February 8, 2012 by Randy

(New York, NY): Killswitch Engage are pleased to announce that they have filled the singer vacancy in the band and they have done so with a familiar face: original vocalist Jesse Leach.

Leach sang on the band’s first self-titled album, which came out in 2000, and on their landmark 2002 Roadrunner debut Alive or Just Breathing. Leach left the band in 2002 and was replaced by Howard Jones, but his work on Alive or Just Breathing has always been revered by diehard, longtime KsE fans. Things have come full circle a decade later, and Leach and the band couldn’t be more pleased about this reunion.

The band revealed that Leach auditioned for the job he once held and pretty much blew everyone away and then some. The band stated, “After much deliberation and careful consideration, we are pleased to announce that Jesse Leach has rejoined Killswitch Engage. Our job was to find the best person to fill Howard’s shoes: a decision based on talent and not familiarity.”

The band further said, “Truth be told, Jesse blew us away in auditions. The room seemed charged with electricity. He commanded both new and old material, and proved, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that he wanted to do this. The choice became very clear and apparent.”

The band also is psyched to share the news with fans, saying, “This change is very exciting. We know you’re going to love it. This is truly a new era in KsE history  and it is ready to shred your face off. So, please help us in welcoming Jesse back into the KsE family; he is a rare and great talent, a fact that older KsE fans have known for years. Here is to a killer new record and a bright future. The five of us cannot wait to write this record and play shows together and bring that feeling to our fans. It’s been far too long.”

The “new” guy himself also commented on his return to the band after a decade-long absence, saying, “It is a great honor to rejoin my brothers after all of these years. After some discussion and much reflection, it was obvious to me this was the path I was meant to take. We got together and jammed on the ‘Howard-era songs,’ as well as some Alive or Just Breathing-era songs and we all felt the synergy.”

He continued, “I look forward to writing the new record, since the demos sound absolutely amazing,  as well as breathing new life and getting comfortable with the soulful songs Howard has written. It is a new chapter of my life filled with new and exciting challenges. I will give all that I can to honor the position I have been given and take nothing for granted. I will sing every note with all of my soul. I am very blessed and very thankful to be back in the KsE family! All things happen in their due time and now is the time for this reunion and new direction.”

KsE remain hard at work on their latest album, which follows 2009’s second self-titled album.

The band will perform at the New England Metal and Hardcore Fest on April 22, 2012. Leach last performed with KsE in March 2010 in New York City, Clifford Park, NY, and Wallingford CT.

Tour dates are as follows:

4/22 Worcester, MA @ Palladium (New England Metal and Hardcore Festival)

6/1-6/3 Rock Am Ring/Rock Im Park

6/8 Nickelsdorf, Austria @ Pannonia Fields II (Nova Rock)

6/15 Copenhagen, Denmark (Copenhell)

6/16 Gothenburg, Sweden (Metaltown)

6/22 Milan, Italy @ Arena Fiera Milano (Gods Of Metal)

6/24 Dessel, Belgium @ Festival Park ‘Stenehel’ (Grasspop)

 

More tour dates will be announced shortly.