Facebook is your friend and your enemy. Woke up all happy ’til I read about the passing of a longtime pal from Boston who worked at Warner Bros Records for his entire career. He was one of us. A truly passionate music person who made the case for every single band or artist he ever worked with. Plus he was funny as hell with the heart of gold. George Skaubitis, you will be missed by all. RIP man. 🙁
Drummer Matt Cameron, who sits behind the kit for both Soundgarden and Pearl Jam, went into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last Friday (Apr 7th) as a member of the latter group, having been Pearl Jam’s drummer since 1998. My associate Don Kaye of The Pulse Of Radio asked Soundgarden singer Chris Cornell how he felt seeing his bandmate go into the Hall of Fame: “Oh, I’m really proud of Matt. I think it’s really great. And, you know, if anyone belongs in it, like, he certainly belongs among the pantheon of, like, great drummers. He’s one of the best there’s ever been, so I think it’s — I’m really proud of him, I think it’s really great.“
Cameron and original drummer Dave Krusen were the only two of Pearl Jam’s five drummers inducted into the Hall of Fame with the band. Cameron is also eligible to go into the Hall with Soundgarden, the band he’s been in since the beginning of his career. Soundgarden has yet to be nominated for induction into the Hall.
Chris Cornell is currently promoting the title song for the new movie The Promise, which he recorded as a solo artist. The film, which opens on Apr 21st, follows a love story set against the backdrop of the Armenian Genocide that took place more than 100 years ago.
Soundgarden last month announced a North American tour that will kick off on May 3rd in Atlanta, winding down on May 27th at the Rocklahoma festival in Pryor, OK. The band has been working on material for its seventh studio album, which will follow up 2012’s King Animal.
On Monday, Apr 17 at 7 p.m. CT, NextVR and Live Nation will broadcast live in virtual reality the Killswitch Engage concert, where they will perform from the House of Blues in Houston, TX. Fans will get front row and on-stage access as they are transported to an immersive experience featuring this dynamic group performing for the first time in virtual reality.
Killswitch Engage are currently on a co-headlining tour with Anthrax, dubbed “The Killthrax Tour.” The live VR broadcast will be available for free globally (except in China) through the NextVR app. Fans with a Google Daydream or Samsung Gear VR headset, along with a compatible smartphone, can experience the concert live by downloading the NextVR app from the Oculus store for GearVR or the Google Play store for Daydream.
Fans can go here for additional details on the concert and here to learn how to get started.
Volbeat has booked a number of headlining shows that it will play this summer on off-days from the band’s North American tour as special guests of Metallica. The dates (see Road Rage) will begin on May 7th at the Carolina Rebellion — three days before the Metallica tour launches on May 10th in Baltimore — and extend into July. Among the opening acts will be Baroness, Iron Reagan, Power Trip and more.
Volbeat got its first big U.S. break opening for Metallica and drummer Jon Larsen told us how it was a learning experience: “I guess just soaking up the vibe of how everything works on a Metallica tour. Everything was so professional that we couldn’t believe it, and how calm those guys are. I remember clearly watching James (Hetfield, Metallica frontman) walking down one of the halls in the arena one day — he said hi to everybody, and he knew them by name and he knew exactly what they were doing. That’s definitely something that you can pick up and say, ‘OK, that’s the way to do it.“
Blabbermouth reporting behind-the-scenes and blooper footage from the making of Crooked Teeth, the ninth studio album from California rockers Papa Roach, can be seen below. Due on May 19 via Eleven Seven Music, the disc will be available digitally and physically, as a standard (10 tracks) and deluxe (10 tracks + 3 brand new tracks + 16 Live tracks Live at the Fillmore Detroit) editions (see details below).
Written and recorded in a cramped North Hollywood studio, Crooked Teeth was produced by first timers Nicholas “RAS” Furlong and Colin Brittain, with the exception of “Born For Greatness,” which saw the band collaborate with writer/producer Jason Evigan (Jason Derulo, Demi Lovato, Zedd, Maroon 5) for this positive, pulsating anthem. Furlong and Brittain, who grew up listening to P-Roach, inspired the band to revisit some of the traits that personally endeared the band to them, most notably singer Jacoby Shaddix‘ remarkable rapping technique and the band’s intense live energy.
“The first time we met up with RAS and Colin, they said that [2000’s] Infest was on constant rotation when they were growing up and they wanted to bring back some of that fire,” says Shaddix. Adds Furlong, “The whole idea was to take the classic elements of Papa Roach that everyone loved and revamp them into a modern version of the sound through the creative process, and we ended up with a bold, courageous and more adventurous version of Papa Roach.”
The Furlong/Brittain production team worked to bring in elements of music from different genres and parts of the world, and pockets of rhythm people associate more with rap or reggae, while still staying true to Papa Roach‘s sound. “The people who have wanted to hear me rap for years are gonna love some of the viciousness on this record,” Shaddix proclaims.
From the instantly infectious nature of the title track to the atmospheric sheen of the moody ballad “Periscope” (featuring Skylar Grey) and the acoustic/ hip-hop rock mashup of “Sunrise Trailer Park” (featuring Machine Gun Kelly adding a verse to Shaddix rap) “Crooked Teeth” displays the various sides of Papa Roach and illustrates why they’ve managed to remain relevant while other musical trends ebb and flow. “We didn’t go into this album with the intention of trying to write radio singles,” guitarist Jerry Horton explains. “This collection of songs was really about bookending everything that we’ve done prior to this album and reintroducing Papa Roach to people who didn’t realize the depth that we have,” says drummer Tony Palermo.
In many ways making Crooked Teeth reminded Shaddix of the band’s earliest days, well before they sold millions of albums and became a household name. “When we were in the rehearsal space I wasn’t thinking about who I needed to impress, I was thinking about how much I love making music with the guys in this band.” “It [the album] feels honest and pure and that’s all we could hope for,” adds bassist Tobin Esperance.
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Got these rock briefs from The Pulse Of Radio and man, there are some surprises here!
- Photos emerged online Tuesday (Apr 11th) of Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington in the studio with Lamb Of God guitarist Mark Morton and producer Josh Wilbur. An Instagram story shared by Bennington gave a quick glimpse of some lyrics for a song they are apparently working on together, while Morton tweeted a brief message about the session as well. There’s no word yet on what the recording could be for or when we’ll hear it. (The PRP)
- Crobot has parted ways brothers Jake and Paul Figueroa, who played bass and drums with the band respectively!!!!! I am shocked to see this news, actually! Singer Brandon Yeagley and guitarist Chris Bishop said that “creative differences” led to the split. Scorpion Child bassist Alec Padron and ex-The Sword drummer Kevin Fender will fill in on the band’s upcoming festival dates. The most recent Crobot release was 2016’s Welcome To Fat City. (Loudwire)
- The two-week Milwaukee Summerfest has announced its usual massive lineup, with the event running from June 28th through July 2nd and July 4th through July 9th. Red Hot Chili Peppers will headline on the 28th, while other rock acts appearing over the course of the festival include Shinedown, A Day To Remember, AWOLNation, Chevelle, Highly Suspect, Bleeker, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and many more. (Loudwire)
- Ever wonder what Rage Against The Machine‘s “Killing in The Name,” Metallica‘s “Enter Sandman” and AC/DC‘s “Back In Black” might sound like when played exclusively on kids’ instruments? Well, The Wackids have arrived to answer that question for you. The act posted videos of themselves online playing those songs on children’s toy instruments, and the results are…different. (The PRP)Have a great day!