Good Morning! Getting ready for the big holiday weekend! Can’t wait!
My friends in Linkin Park have posted a new studio progress video. Actually they sent it out in an email. It depicts Mike Shinoda with two unidentified guys. The note that was included with the video in the email was:
Hey everyone,
Rather than writing you an update this time, we decided to let this video do the talking!
-Mike
So it APPEARS, once again, there will be other “collaborators” on this next Linkin Park record, which we expect to hear, at least in single form, later this summer or in the fall.
As we learned over the weekend at Rock on the Range, Pop Evil has announces its new drummer is Hayley Cramer, a British musician who has previously played in the band McQueen. Cramer replaces Josh “Chachi” Marunde, who exited the group last month after a five-year stint. Frontman Leigh Kakaty spoke to Lou Brutus about the change: “You know, we got some new blood, it’s a new chapter for the band, so we’re excited to, you know, just see where this takes us. It’s always difficult when you have a member change, but this transition couldn’t have been any better. It just feels like it’s been very natural, very organic and, you know, we’re excited for this next chapter.“
Kakaty told our friends at Radio Contraband about Cramer, “She’s amazing. She’s from Brighton. We love her. And we didn’t think this was gonna work, cause we were, like, ‘A girl on the bus? I don’t know if this is the right idea.’ But we already knew she could play the drums. And if you haven’t seen her play the drums, she slays it. But you know what? She’s even become a better sister, so I love her.”
Ms Cramer told Lou Brutus she heard about the gig through an American friend in the music business and jumped all over it: “I checked out the albums and I was like literally punching the air in the car. I was like, ‘Yes, this is me! This is me! Gotta do this.’ So I sent loads of videos over to them, got in touch, Skype, the lot…it just felt right. Came over to Grand Rapids, had a rehearsal, hit the road and it feels good.”
Marunde is said to be taking a new opportunity that will allow him to spend more time with family. Up, Pop Evil’s fourth album, was released last August. The latest single is “Take It All.” The band will team up with 3 Doors Down and Red Sun Rising for a late summer/early fall tour that will kick off on August 26th in Charleston, West Virginia.
In other drum-related news, UK’s Young Guns has parted ways with its drummer, Ben Jolliffe. The group said in a statement, “We have always been friends before bandmates and that will never change — our paths are simply headed in different directions and we agreed on this being the best thing to do for all of us.”
The band has not announced a replacement for Jolliffe but did indicate that it has completed recording its fourth album for release later this year. The group will appear on this summer’s Warped Tour. The last Young Guns studio effort, Ones And Zeros, arrived in June 2015 and featured the song “I Want Out.” I know the album was produced in the NYC vicinity. We will be releasing a video interview with the band very soon, so make sure you’ve subscribed to the hardDriveRadio YouTube Channel!
And speaking of, we just posted this interview yours truly did with Red Sun Rising. I wanted to get them all on camera as I felt there are not enough folks who know their faces and wanted to acquaint you all with these guys. They are awesome. So here is your chance to check them out!
Blabbermouth reports Hellyeah has released a five-minute video featuring behind-the-scenes footage from the first week of the band’s “We’re All In This Together” tour with Escape The Fate, New Years Day and From Ashes To New. Following the end of this trek on Jun 5th in Las Vegas, Hellyeah will jump on the Hell Pop tour with In This Moment & Sunflower Dead scheduled to start on Jun 18th in Des Moines, IA. Hellyeah’s fifth album, Unden!able, will be released on June 3rd.
Randy Hawke from WJJO sent me a note informing me the station has the world premiere of the new lyric video from Nonpoint. He said we can share it, too. Check it out.
Nonpoint’s new album, The Poison Red, was produced in Chicago, where some of the band members are now based. News is their new guitarist is BC Kochmit, who I originally met when he was in Dark New Day and Eye Empire. The band will hit the hardDriveRadio studios for an acoustic performance and interview next week. Looking forward to see Elias Soriano, Robb Rivera and the guys!
About the new album, Elias said, “This record tells a lot of stories: going from guts to glory; chasing impossible dreams down the rabbit hole; harsh and honest words with consequences attached; uncovered rules for the weak, made by the wicked and heartless; recalling fight or flight moments with a deep breath. And it all starts with a warning to all the world’s generations past, present and future to look up, look forward and live their lives loose from social media shackles, online bullying, the devaluation of art and music, and to not be absorbed by the dramatic, megalomaniacal side of politics. Life is right outside of your phone and newsfeed. Go live it and play this record while you do. It’ll all start to make sense.”
The Pulse Of Radio reporting A&M Records and London Bridge Studios co-founder Rajan Parashar have finally come to an agreement over Parashar’s possession of the master tapes for the self-titled 1991 album by Temple Of The Dog, with Parashar giving the tapes back to the label. Singer Chris Cornell tweeted the above picture of the tapes on Wednesday (May 25th) along with a caption reading, “Temple Of The Dog masters returned today. History made a whole 25 years later!”
A&M sued Parashar last year, claiming he wouldn’t return the master tapes, which Cornell and his Soundgarden bandmate, drummer Matt Cameron, recorded in 1990 with members of Pearl Jam. Cornell sided with A&M, which said it bought the tapes in 1993, against Parashar, whose brother Rick produced the disc.
A&M now reportedly intends to remaster the record for a 25th-anniversary deluxe reissue later this year. When A&M’s lawsuit was first filed, Cornell told the Associated Press, “A&M Records paid for the recordings and the use of the studio,” adding that for Parashar “to pretend he has a right to keep the recordings makes no more sense than the owner of a laundromat claiming he owns the clothes you washed in his washing machine.” The former studio owner’s attorney insisted the tapes belonged to Rajan, who said he was not a participant in the 1993 deal between his brother and the label. Rick Parashar died in 2014. RIP Rick.
Temple Of The Dog recorded this album in 15 days as a tribute to the late Andrew Wood, former frontman of Mother Love Bone. Mother Love Bone was Jeff Ament on bass, Bruce Fairweather lead guitar, Greg Gilmore drums, Stone Gossard guitars and Wood on vocals. Cornell and Wood were roommates. Temple Of The Dog was Jeff Ament, drummer Matt Cameron, Chris Cornell, Stone Gossard, guitarist Mike McCready and little known second singer Eddie Vedder. Vedder, Gossard, Ament, McCready and Cameron went on to form Pearl Jam, while Cornell and eventually Cameron went to to do Soundgarden with Ben Shepherd on bass and Kim Thayil lead guitar. It’s all so incestuous there in Seattle.
Temple Of The Dog reunited in 2011 for Pearl Jam’s 20th anniversary and here is what they sounded like.
Speaking of 20th anniversaries, hardDrive will present a special 20th anniversary special edition the weekend of Jul 15-16. Lou Brutus will be hosting RockFest in Cadott, WI that weekend celebrating with the likes of Alice In Chains, Slipknot, Five Finger Death Punch, Hollywood Vampires (Johnny Depp is a single guy again, girls!), Marilyn Manson, Rise Against, Skillet and MORE! We will have memories and tributes from tons of the bands we have helped to support over the years. So mark your calendars and get ready for some moments from shows over our illustrious 20 year history on the radio!
Have a great day!