Archive for December 5th, 2001

AFI Singer Davey Havok to Release Debut Novel ‘Pop Kids’

Black Candy Publishing AFI singer Davey Havok is certainly an accomplished and celebrated musician, and now the vocalist is about to delve into the world of books to make his debut as an author. In Havok’s upcoming novel ‘Pop Kids,’ the singer explores the modern teenage obsession with social networking, reality TV, internet porn, fashion, film, music, sex and drugs. The most recent AFI album, ‘Crash Love,’ was released back in 2009, and since AFI has constantly been releasing new material since their ‘Dork’ EP in 1993, fans may be wondering what exactly Havok has been up to since AFI’s 2009 record. In addition to his side project Blaqk Audio, the apparent answer is ‘Pop Kids,’ which has been given an April 4 release date by Black Candy Publishing. The publishing company offers an in-depth analysis of what readers can expect from ‘Pop Kids’: Acknowledging the power of popular culture to serve as both a corrupter and a creative force, Havok welcomes readers into a world where wearing the right clothes, listening to the right music, and indulging in a vicious cycle of self-gratifying behaviors is more important than anything else. Parents, teachers, and other adults are but vague shadows in the lives of these teens. Pop Kids may shock some readers with its unflinching portrayal of a generation weaned on modern media and the cult of celebrity. But according to Havok, this is a world that really exists. He captures it with his trademark use of wordplay and his eye for detail. Pop Kids is destined to become a classic story of teenage angst, nihilistic behavior, and longed-for redemption. A video teaser has also been unveiled for ‘Pop Kids,’ depicting a young male character staring into a fiery blaze, almost hypnotized as he flicks a yellow-and-black Zippo-style lighter open and closed. The teaser also contains an intriguing string of dialogue from within the mind of the video’s protagonist, creating a gripping osmosis of curiosity within the viewer. ‘Pop Kids’ will hit bookshelves on April 4, and a special embossed edition signed by Havoc himself is now available for pre-order . ‘Pop Kids’ – Official Trailer #1 – Prologue [button href=”http://loudwire.com/afi-girls-not-grey-top-21st-century-hard-rock-songs/” title=”AFI – Top 21st Century Hard Rock Songs” align=”center”]

The Black Keys Win Multiple Honors at 2013 Grammy Awards

Kevork Djansezian, Getty Images The Black Keys were the big winners of the 2013 Grammy Awards, taking home three trophies (plus one for frontman/producer Dan Auerbach) and performing a memorable version of ‘Lonely Boy’ with Dr. John and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. The duo of Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney got a good jump on the night during the Grammys pre-telecast ceremony. Toward the end of the event, they won back-to-back honors, taking home the Best Rock Song for ‘Lonely Boy’ and following that with the Best Rock Album for ‘El Camino.’ Frontman Dan Auerbach then received the final award of the pre-telecast, winning for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical. In addition to helming the Black Keys record, Auerbach also oversaw discs for Dr. John and Hacienda. Dr. John’s ‘Locked Down’ also won for Best Blues Album. During the show itself, the Black Keys added Best Rock Performance for ‘Lonely Boy,’ but missed out on the Record of the Year trophy to Gotye ‘s ‘Somebody That I Used to Know’ and Album of the Year to Mumford & Sons ‘ ‘Babel.’ For more of our coverage on the Grammys, click below: [button href=”http://loudwire.com/category/grammys/” title=”Full Grammy Coverage” align=”center”]

The Black Keys Win Multiple Honors at 2013 Grammy Awards

Kevork Djansezian, Getty Images The Black Keys were the big winners of the 2013 Grammy Awards, taking home three trophies (plus one for frontman/producer Dan Auerbach) and performing a memorable version of ‘Lonely Boy’ with Dr. John and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. The duo of Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney got a good jump on the night during the Grammys pre-telecast ceremony. Toward the end of the event, they won back-to-back honors, taking home the Best Rock Song for ‘Lonely Boy’ and following that with the Best Rock Album for ‘El Camino.’ Frontman Dan Auerbach then received the final award of the pre-telecast, winning for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical. In addition to helming the Black Keys record, Auerbach also oversaw discs for Dr. John and Hacienda. Dr. John’s ‘Locked Down’ also won for Best Blues Album. During the show itself, the Black Keys added Best Rock Performance for ‘Lonely Boy,’ but missed out on the Record of the Year trophy to Gotye ‘s ‘Somebody That I Used to Know’ and Album of the Year to Mumford & Sons ‘ ‘Babel.’ For more of our coverage on the Grammys, click below: [button href=”http://loudwire.com/category/grammys/” title=”Full Grammy Coverage” align=”center”]

Sick Puppies Narrowing Down ‘Over 70 Songs’ for New Album

Mary Ouellette, SheWillShootYou.com Sick Puppies are inching closer to their return and bassist Emma Anzai has checked in with an update on their album progress. Anzai reveals that the group has been extremely productive coming up with new material and they’re in the process of narrowing down that tracks that will make the final disc. In her Tumblr posting , Anzai explains, “Because we are perfectionists and don’t want to mess this up, we are taking our time to make sure this is right. We wrote over 70 songs and could potentially release more of these than 12 for the album, but the truth is, we have a need for this to be perfect and just right … and sometimes it takes a little more time for this to be the case.” This would be the band’s first album since their successful 2009 effort, ‘Tri-Polar,’ which spawned four charting hard rock singles — ‘You’re Going Down,’ ‘Odd One,’ ‘Maybe’ and ‘Riptide.’ Anzai adds that as Australian transplants in the U.S., she recently took the time to return home and found it “very rejuvenating and revitalizing.” She adds, “It got me ready to come back and start a fresh new year with brand new music to show you guys.” Sick Puppies spent time on the road last fall as part of the ‘Triple Threat’ tour with Seether and Kyng . [button href=”http://loudwire.com/2013-albums/” title=”Next: 10 Most Anticipated Rock Albums of 2013″ align=”center”]

Brian ‘Head’ Welch ‘Really Excited’ About Reuniting With Korn for 2013 Gigs

Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Korn ‘s former guitarist, Brian ‘Head’ Welch , is spending more and more time with his one-time bandmates. After saying yes to joining the band for shows overseas , it was announced earlier this week that Welch would be playing with Korn at the upcoming Rock on the Range festival in Columbus, Ohio. Welch, who also just released an album with his other band Love and Death , is looking forward to balancing both of his musical loves. He tells ARTISTdirect , “This is going to be crazy for me in a great way.” Speaking about his reunion with Korn, he explains, “It’s a bit surreal because I didn’t expect it to happen. We have no hate for each other like some of these other bands that haven’t talked in years. People grew. Everyone went to different places in life. I don’t know. It was so long that I didn’t see it happening, but then when it crept up on me last May during Carolina Rebellion, I saw the emotion. Nothing else mattered except reconciliation, brotherly love, and that family feel with the guys and the fans. People were in tears. I thought, ‘This is a really good thing.’” The guitarist adds, “When they hit me up about the shows this year, to me, it was time. This is the proper time. The reason I felt like it would never happen because it wasn’t the proper time yet. As soon as the day hit when I felt it was right, it felt so good. I’m really excited about this year with them.” Welch will pull double duty over Rock on the Range weekend, as Love and Death are also part of the bill. “It’s going to be great,” he concludes. “I can’t wait to hook up with my old friends and the old fans, and it’s really cool Love and Death is opening.” [button href=”http://loudwire.com/brian-head-welch-on-upcoming-korn-gigs-its-the-right-time-to-reunite/” title=”Next: Brian ‘Head’ Welch Discusses Korn Reunion” align=”center”]

Brian ‘Head’ Welch ‘Really Excited’ About Reuniting With Korn for 2013 Gigs

Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Korn ‘s former guitarist, Brian ‘Head’ Welch , is spending more and more time with his one-time bandmates. After saying yes to joining the band for shows overseas , it was announced earlier this week that Welch would be playing with Korn at the upcoming Rock on the Range festival in Columbus, Ohio. Welch, who also just released an album with his other band Love and Death , is looking forward to balancing both of his musical loves. He tells ARTISTdirect , “This is going to be crazy for me in a great way.” Speaking about his reunion with Korn, he explains, “It’s a bit surreal because I didn’t expect it to happen. We have no hate for each other like some of these other bands that haven’t talked in years. People grew. Everyone went to different places in life. I don’t know. It was so long that I didn’t see it happening, but then when it crept up on me last May during Carolina Rebellion, I saw the emotion. Nothing else mattered except reconciliation, brotherly love, and that family feel with the guys and the fans. People were in tears. I thought, ‘This is a really good thing.’” The guitarist adds, “When they hit me up about the shows this year, to me, it was time. This is the proper time. The reason I felt like it would never happen because it wasn’t the proper time yet. As soon as the day hit when I felt it was right, it felt so good. I’m really excited about this year with them.” Welch will pull double duty over Rock on the Range weekend, as Love and Death are also part of the bill. “It’s going to be great,” he concludes. “I can’t wait to hook up with my old friends and the old fans, and it’s really cool Love and Death is opening.” [button href=”http://loudwire.com/brian-head-welch-on-upcoming-korn-gigs-its-the-right-time-to-reunite/” title=”Next: Brian ‘Head’ Welch Discusses Korn Reunion” align=”center”]

AC/DC’s ‘Highway to Hell’ Used to Test New Military Drone Technology

Kevin Mazur, Getty Images We all know how awesome AC/DC ‘s music is, but their classic hard rock anthems appeal to people from all walks of life. Even British engineers rock out to ‘Highway to Hell’ while they’re on the job! They just happen to be using the song to test new laser technology for in-flight drones. You may remember a story that broke earlier this year, when AC/DC’s ‘Thunderstruck’ was blasted at immense volume at an Iranian nuclear power plant thanks to a computer hacker . Now, British engineers have chosen AC/DC for military drone testing … sound like a conspiracy, Dave Mustaine ? In fact, the laser technology that was tested using ‘Highway to Hell’ is being developed to make drones lighter and operate longer without having to refuel. EADS Innovation Works in Newport, UK, are working on the laser reflector, which they call ‘Dazzle.’ Since we’re not all that bright when it comes to complex engineering, check out this description of the laser reflector courtesy of Gizmodo : After the laser beam enters the reflector, it passes through a transparent switch, called a light modulator, that adds the digital zeroes and ones of the video data to the beam. The light then hits a mirror and is reflected back to the spot it came from – carrying the video data. The tech will allow a speed boost to 1 gigabit per second – easily allowing faster delivery of HD video, which struggles to top 20 megabits per second with radio frequencies. Scientist Yoann Thueux is that man who chose ‘Highway to Hell’ for the inaugural testing of the laser technology. “It was on my iPod and I thought it would be a good song to go first because I know it completely by heart,” says Thueux. “I’d be the first to tell if the technology was not working properly on playback.” As for the next song to be beamed into a drone, Thueux hopes to use one of his own band’s tracks, although Frank Sinatra’s ‘Fly Me to the Moon’ has also been suggested. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/acdc-back-in-black-album-grammy-hall-of-fame/” title=”AC/DC’s ‘Back in Black’ Album Inducted Into Grammy Hall of Fame” align=”center”]