Today is extremely busy in the office.
Motionless In White
Chris from Motionless In White is headed in around lunch time to talk about their forthcoming new music (heard 3 songs….get ready, kids!) and we’ll talk about their new tour with Falling In Reverse, who also have new music coming in April.
Also this afternoon, I have bassist/singer Troy Sanders, last week from Gone Is Gone, this week, he’s turning his attention to his “other” band, Mastodon. The band is proud to announce the title, track-listing, and release date of their eighth studio album, Emperor Of Sand – the follow-up to their universally praised 2014 album Once More ‘Round The Sun. The album will be released on Mar 31st via Reprise Records. Emperor Of Sand will be available for pre-order beginning today at www.mastodonrocks.com. The deluxe pre-order package will contain the album on double 180-gram vinyl housed in a gatefold jacket along with a bonus Color-In-Your-Own vinyl jacket, plus an exclusive box of Mastodon colored pencils. In addition fans will also receive a digital copy of the entire album on March 31st, along with an instant download of the album track “Sultan’s Curse.” Emperor Of Sand will also be available digitally and on CD. Click here to view the typically stunning album artwork by Alan Brown in a glorious, full 360-degree view. Alan Brown, aka Medusawolf, created the cover and inside gatefold images. Click here to learn more about the artist.
Emperor Of Sand finds Mastodon returning to a deeply imaginative and complex conceptual storyline that ponders the nature of time. Threading together the myth of a man sentenced to death in a majestically malevolent desert, the band conjures the grains of a musical and lyrical odyssey slipping quickly through a cosmic hourglass. “Emperor of Sand is like the grim reaper,”says drummer/vocalist Brann Dailor. “Sand represents time. If you or anyone you know has ever received a terminal diagnosis, the first thought is about time. Invariably, you ask, ‘How much time is left?’”
“We’re reflecting on mortality,” adds bassist/vocalist Troy Sanders. “To that end, the album ties into our entire discography. It’s 17 years in the making, but it’s also a direct reaction to the last two years. We tend to draw inspiration from very real things in our lives.“
Emperor Of Sand was recorded at The Quarry Recording Studio in Kennesaw, GA just outside Mastodon’s hometown of Atlanta, with producer Brendan O’Brien (Pearl Jam, Neil Young, AC/DC, Rage Against The Machine), who first worked with Mastodon on their seminal 2009 album Crack The Skye.
Over the course of Mastodon’s career, the band members have fearlessly continued to push themselves towards greater creative heights on their recorded output. Each studio album has united an ever-expanding worldwide legion of fans who have come to expect the unexpected twists and turns that have elevated Mastodon to become one of the most respected and influential creative forces in rock music.
Yesterday, I spoke with Chad Kroeger from Nickelback for about 45 minutes about their new music, the state of rock and the music biz. It was a great chat. A new single is on the horizon. I was happy to be one of the first people he spoke with. I happen to really like the band. They’ve sold more records than just about any rock act and the fact they are so hated is strange. But I love that the guys let that sort of roll of their backs. After all, as I said to Chad, they are a laughing all the way to the bank! BTW: he was in Cabo. And when we hung up, he was about to get into the hot tub with a lovely lady! ;>
Sully Erna’s guitar getting ready to get busy!
Another pal o’ mine, Sully Erna of Godsmack announced via his Twitter the band is getting ready to start writing new music to be released next year as they get ready to celebrate their 20th anniversary. He posted this picture with the caption Let the writing begin… #godsmack7 #20thanniversary #2018
The new album will follow up 2014’s 1000 Horsepower and, as Erna noted, will commemorate the band making it to the two-decade mark. Its self-titled debut disc arrived in 1998.
Erna told me a while back that he’s always been proud Godsmack doesn’t fit neatly into one musical genre: “You know, it is nice to know that we’re creating stuff that’s just kind of living on and that does really well in the active rock stations and the hard rock world and that kind of stuff. So we’re in that middle ground. We’re not quite as poppy as like Aerosmith, but yet we’re not as dark and metal as, you know, the Slipknots or the Metallicas or whatever. So we’re kind of like that in-between band.“
The new CD will also be its first effort for BMG, following a split with the band’s label home since 1998, Republic/Universal. Godsmack signed the new contract with BMG last fall. The first release through the new deal was Erna’s second solo album, Hometown Life, which arrived last Sep.
Guitarist Tony Rombola and drummer Shannon Larkin also released a debut album last year from their recently launched side project, the Apocalypse Blues Review. Meanwhile, it’s hockey season for bassist Robbie Merrill! And I know they will all be rooting for the Patriots.
Frances Bean as dressed and photographed by Marc Jacobs (photo credit: Marc Jacobs Twitter)
Ah, the games people play. The Pulse Of Radio says Frances Bean Cobain, the daughter and only child of late Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain, has filed legal paperwork to get back a 1959 Martin D-18E acoustic guitar that once belonged to her father and is now possessed by her ex-husband, singer Isaiah Silva.
According to TMZ, Frances wants the instrument to be held in storage by an art shipping company to ensure its safety until the court battle is resolved. Silva claims that Frances gave the guitar to him as a wedding present when the couple married in June 2014, but Frances has denied that, calling the instrument a “priceless family heirloom.”
Kurt played the guitar during Nirvana‘s famous MTV Unplugged appearance. It is believed that the guitar, which was modified so that the left-handed Kurt could use it, is the last one he ever played. It was insured for $1 million at one point but is believed to be worth many millions more now. Only 300 copies were made of this particular model before it was discontinued.
The fight between Frances and Silva over the guitar began last year, when the couple divorced after 21 months of marriage. At the time, Frances said that Silva had no right to anything she inherited from her father, whose estate has been valued at $450 million. Silva has sought $300,000 a year in spousal support. D-bag!
Kid Rock and workers at the new Detroit Pistons/Red Wings arena…Little Caesars Arena in Detroit Jan 19th. (Photo: Detroit Free Press)
At a media event last week in Detroit, Kid Rock revealed he is working on a new album that he says “is kind of going back to Rock N Roll Jesus, Devil Without a Cause. I’ve got a lot of different things on there — big rock songs, rootsy sounding stuff, hardcore rap stuff, kind of all over the board. I do have a lot of songs but I’m not sure what I’m going to put on the record or how I’m going to release it yet.” Rock spoke about the album during a press conference announcing the launch of the new Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, at which Rock will play four shows in Sep for its grand opening.
And I will leave you with this gem I got off the WRIF website. Enjoy. You’re welcome!
Celebrating life this weekend: Today: Mike Patton (Faith No More, Mr Bungle, Tomahawk, etc.) is 49. Janick Gers of Iron Maiden is 60 and Nick Mason of Pink Floyd is 73.