Danko Jones – YouTube Channel Danko Jones are back with a blistering new track called ‘Just a Beautiful Day’ and Loudwire is proud to present the exclusive video premiere of the performance-based clip, which shows the raw energy of what the band put into the song. The track has a very percussive feel, with the band’s new drummer — Atom Willard, formerly of Rocket From the Crypt, the Offspring, Angels & Airwaves and Social Distortion — pounding away on the skins at a frenetic pace. In addition, both Danko Jones and his longtime bass counterpart John ‘JC’ Calabrese provide the driving track with some crunchy riffage. Calabrese told Loudwire, “I’m glad that that’s been the song to represent this record in a way because it has a lot of elements to it that are rocking and have a lot of melody.” Having spent so much time on their last record cranking out videos with special guests like Elijah Wood, Lemmy Kilmister , Selma Blair, and Ralph Macchio, singer Danko Jones said it was time for the band to go back to the basics for the ‘Just a Beautiful Day’ shoot. “We did so much with the last record in terms of stars and storyline and it was a big to-do that I think the only natural thing to do was to take it back,” explained Jones. “If we tried to follow up on what we did for the last record with all the celebrities and stuff we’d just become like that band that has all the famous people in their videos – more famous than them. So it was good to just take it a step back. It’s cool. I definitely like it.” The black-and-white performance piece was shot by The Diamond Brothers, who’ve previously worked with the band on past videos as well as the recent documentary, ‘Bring on the Mountain.’ The clip, shot in a New York loft, finds the band pouring every ounce of adrenaline into the track possible while the camera shot blur in and out of focus mirroring the ferocity of the track. ‘Just a Beautiful Day’ is the lead single from the band’s new album, ‘ Rock and Roll Is Black and Blue ,’ due Oct. 9. Pre-order the disc here . Watch Danko Jones’ ‘Just a Beautiful Day’ Video [button href=”http://loudwire.com/australia-2013-soundwave-festival-metallica-linkin-park-a-perfect-circle-stone-sour-anthrax-more/” title=”Next: Danko Jones Playing Australia’s Soundwave 2013 Fest” align=”center”]
Paul Kane, Getty Images Here’s a look at the top stories of the day on Loudwire and around the Web: Could there be some new music from Rage Against the Machine in the works? Bassist Tim Commerford offers an answer to that question. [ Loudwire ] How far did Creed singer Scott Stapp fall during his past drug days? The vocalist recounts a crazy tale of falling off a balcony, fracturing his skull and being rescued by rapper T.I. [ Loudwire ] Baseball’s regular season is done, but before the hunt for the World Series title continues, we count down the Top 10 Songs for the MLB Playoffs. [ Loudwire ] Will the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame right past snubs? Newly announced nominees like Rush , Heart , Deep Purple , Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, and Procol Harum certainly hope so. [ Ultimate Classic Rock ] Now that Geoff Tate has moved on from Queensryche , check out his new lyric video for his solo track, ‘Dark Money.’ [ Rock Music Report ] You know, there are actually more instruments that drums, guitar, keyboards, and bass! Check out which acts used a vacuum cleaner, a didgeridoo, and a melodica in the 10 Weird Instruments Heard in Rock Songs list. [ Diffuser.fm ]
Jason Smith, Getty Images Creed singer Scott Stapp has just released his official memoir, ‘Sinner’s Creed.’ You might not think Stapp’s bio would be as interesting as noted works by rockers such as Nikki Sixx and Keith Richards, but you might want to read the book with your eyes wide open . For instance, did you know the singer once fell 40-foot from a balcony while on a multi-day drug binge, fracturing his skull, breaking his hip and nose, before finally being discovered by his “guardian angel” — rapper T.I.? Stapp dropped by VH1′s ‘Big Morning Buzz Live’ to promote his new book, offering the incredible story for all who want to listen. Now sober and a mentor to various individuals who are struggling with addiction, Stapp begins to describe the cryptic night, which begins in the penthouse suite of Miami’s Delano Hotel. “I’ll never forget it,” begins Stapp. “The rooms were all white and I remember in one of the stages of my being awake for three days, I thought I was in ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’, in an asylum. I started hearing things, like the cops were coming through the door and I started thinking, “I can’t embarrass my family.” I was trying to climb over the balcony and fell 40 feet.” Stapp continues, “I had met T.I. back in 2004, we were both writing songs for ‘The Passion of the Christ’ soundtrack and we had briefly interacted there and knew what each other looked like. We’d talked about being fans of Alabama [Crimson Tide] … he came out, and as I’m laying on the ledge, blood fell to his feet and he looked up and he had an Alabama hat on. I said, ‘Roll tide,’ and then he looked at me and put two and two together and really saved my life.” Check out VH1′s video footage of Scott Stapp telling the story of his near-death experience. To buy Stapp’s book, ‘Sinner’s Creed’, click here . Scott Stapp on How T.I. Saved His Life
Adam Bettcher / Ethan Miller (2) Getty Images Major League Baseball's regular season has ended, which means it's time for us to count down the 10 Best Songs for the MLB Playoffs. Though we're fairly confident the teams participating in the postseason know what they're doing, they could definitely find some baseball wisdom in the lyrics of some top rockers. The songs on our list address themes like pressure, dealing with the spotlight, and the threat that everything you've worked for could be gone in an instant — traits that rockers and baseball players both share. So step up to the plate, take your swings, and let us know what you think of our list of the 10 Best Songs for the MLB Playoffs: ? 10 'Wake Me Up When September Ends' Green Day ? ? From: 'American Idiot' (2005) A 162-game baseball is hard to keep up with, even for the most diehard of baseball fans. Unless your team is in it to win it, the latter half of the season may find your attention waning. That being said, Green Day has the perfect song for the baseball playoffs – 'Wake Me Up When September Ends' – because even if your team has long since been eliminated, playoff baseball has the drama you've been craving all season long. Listen to 'Wake Me Up When September Ends' ? ? 9 'The Clincher' Chevelle ? ? From: 'This Type of Thinking (Could Do Us In)' (2005) The baseball season is over for most, with some teams just missing out on the playoffs. For those on the outside looking in, we give you Chevelle's 'The Clincher.' This Chevelle line tells the fate of the poor teams who missed out by a game or two: “ Could we have known, never would I have helped to nail down / With nothing to gain, here's the clincher, this should be you. ” Mighty cold thought, Chevelle, for an awfully long winter! Listen to 'The Clincher' ? ? 8 'Alive' Pearl Jam ? ? From: 'Ten' (1991) If you weren't ready for the MLB Playoffs, then Pearl Jam's siren-like guitar opening to 'Alive' should get you going. It's tough enough to make it through 162 games and being one of 10 left at a chance at winning it all. But with each playoff game, you're either closer to elimination or being the one team left standing. So if your team is still left playing, sing it with Pearl Jam: “ Hey I, oh, I'm still alive .” Listen to 'Alive' ? ? 7 'Never Too Late' Three Days Grace ? ? From: 'One-X' (2007) While the subject matter of Three Days Grace's 'Never Too Late' is somewhat darker, lyrics like, “ Now and again, we try to just stay alive / Maybe we'll turn it all around / Cause it's not too late, it's never too late ” can just as easily fit a team battling to keep their season going one more game by staging a late game rally. So turn those caps inside out or whatever your ritual may be and crank up some Three Days Grace when you're in need of runs. Listen to 'Never Too Late' ? ? 6 'Bat Country' Avenged Sevenfold ? ? From: 'City of Evil' (2005) Come on. You knew there was no way we would pass on a song called 'Bat Country' for our 10 Best Songs for the MLB Playoffs. That being said, the song itself doesn't really address baseball bats. But a slumping batter can definitely identify with the lyrics, “ My confidence is leaving me on my own / No one can save me and you know I don't want the attention. “ Listen to 'Bat Country' ? ? 5 'Hit That' The Offspring ? ? From: 'Splinter' (2003) “ The winds of fortune, don't blow the same ,” state The Offspring in their 2003 song 'Hit That.' Sounds like some pretty sage October baseball wisdom to us. Of course it would help if the teams would take their advice from the chorus of the song, which states, “ I know you wanna hit that .” Swing away guys! Listen to 'Hit That' ? ? 4 'Home Sweet Home' Motley Crue ? ? From: 'Theatre of Pain' (1985) Motley Crue easily has one of the 10 Best Songs for the MLB Playoffs. The song we chose – 'Home Sweet Home' – is aimed at one particular audience – the third base coach. You can just see that runner chugging around second as a ball hits the gap and singer Vince Neil perfectly sets the scene: “ I'm on my way. Just set me free. Home Sweet Home ” But will the coach send the runner home or hold him at third? Listen to 'Home Sweet Home' ? ? 3 'Still Swingin'' Papa Roach ? ? From: 'The Connection' (2012) Is there a band that brings the adrenaline like Papa Roach? They fire it up once again with 'Still Swingin',' a track that starts off with the lyrics, “ I'm the one stepping up / Spit the fire I'll back it up / Count me in, I'll turn it out / I'm killin' it, you're burnin' out .” And what better time is there to step up that the baseball playoffs? Just like P-Roach says, “ We've been here from the start. We are the ones still swingin' ,” and that definitely fits the teams left in contention. Listen to 'Still Swingin'' ? ? 2 'Walk' Pantera ? ? From: 'Vulgar Display of Power' (1992) They say in baseball that a walk is as good as a hit, but for Pantera that's an understatement. While a walk is one of baseball's most boring plays, the song 'Walk' is one of the most iconic metal songs laid to tape. When it comes down to it, most pitchers want nothing to do with the game's best hitters, and Phil Anselmo 's delivery of “ Re-Spect! Walk! ” is the perfect line for the slugger who gets a free pass. However, if you like your bases on balls with a little less testosterone, there's always the Foo Fighters hit by the same name. Listen to 'Walk' ? ? 1 'Man in the Box' Alice in Chains ? ? From: 'Facelift' (1991) When it comes to the No. 1 song for the MLB playoffs, you need a World Series-contending tune. And Alice in Chains' 'Man in the Box' is just that. All the action happens when there's someone in the batter's box, with the pressure lying on the hitter to produce for his team. But hey Mr. Man in the Box, don't get too close! Cause all it takes is one high hard inside pitch, and you'll be quoting the song: “ Feed my eyes / can you sew them shut? ” On that note, enjoy the MLB postseason! Listen to 'Man in the Box' ? ? What Songs Are The Best For The Baseball Playoffs? Here's your chance to step up to the plate. Make your pitch and let us know which tracks deserved to be picked off and which choices were definitely a home run. Also tell us what songs you think should be on this list that we missed in the comments section below. ?
Ebet Roberts/Frank Micelotta, Getty Images Alternative rockers Dinosaur Jr. have had a long and successful career, but things almost went another route when their frontman J Mascis was asked by Kurt Cobain to join Nirvana back in the day. In a new interview with Spin , Mascis remembers the invitation in July of 1989 at a club in New Jersey. “Nirvana was playing Maxwell’s and after the show I was talking to Kurt and [Sonic Youth’s] Thurston Moore,” Mascis recalls. “Kurt said, ‘You should join my band.’ I think he was sick of the guy Jason [Everman] who was in the band at the time, and thought I should play guitar. I didn’t think much about it. Later, there was also talk of playing drums on a single they were doing [‘Silver’], but it ended up being [Mudhoney drummer] Dan Peters.” After splitting up in the late ’90s, Dinosaur Jr have been back together since 2005. Their tenth studio album, ‘I Bet on Sky,’ was recently released. Nirvana, meanwhile, recently topped our list of the 10 Best Grunge Bands of All Time. See which other bands made the cut by clicking below: [button href=”http://loudwire.com/best-grunge-bands/” title=”10 Best Grunge Bands of All Time” align=”center”]
RobZombie.com Musician and director Rob Zombie recently premiered his latest movie ‘The Lords of Salem’ at the Toronto Film Festival. It generated quite a buzz and a bidding war for the right to distribute the horror flick. Anchor Bay paid a cool $2 million to distribute ‘The Lords of Salem,’ and now Zombie has unveiled a teaser trailer for the movie, which is set for a 2013 release. Zombie recently spoke to Loudwire Radio about ‘The Lords of Salem,’ which was spawned several years ago when he was in Massachusetts for a wedding. He was in the hotel lobby and bought a book about the Salem Witch Trials to read and kill some time. “It just got me thinking about it and I just came up with this idea for the Salem, a very rough idea,” Zombie recalls. “And I kind of jotted down a few notes and forgot all about it. And then, about seven years later, the opportunity came up to make a film but, the only stipulation was — I mean, the budget was the first stipulation but, they just wanted something with a supernatural edge and I remembered this idea and that’s how I sort of dug it out of mothballs and brought it out and started working on it.” The plot of the movie revolves around some radio DJs (one who is played by Zombie’s wife Sheri Moon Zombie) that play a heavy metal song on the air that arrived in a mysterious box. They end up unleashing a coven of 17th century witches. Zombie’s bandmate John 5 composed the music for the movie. Zombie is currently in the midst of the Twins of Evil tour with Marilyn Manson. The U.S. leg of the tour wraps up, appropriately enough, on Halloween. As far as the next Rob Zombie studio album, he also told Loudwire Radio it is finished and should be released sometime after Christmas. Watch the Teaser Trailer for ‘The Lords of Salem’
Mark Metcalfe, Getty Images The Dillinger Escape Plan have been busy writing for their new disc, the follow-up to 2010’s ‘Option Paralysis’ and now the band is targeting a November time frame to hit the studio with producer Steve Evetts. Guitarist Ben Weinman says the overall writing process for the new disc has been very inspired by the bands of his youth, drawing on his deep-rooted punk and hardcore influences. “Billy and I have just been listening to old hardcore records blasting through my house and then going down to the dungeon and just bashing,” Weinman reports (via ThePRP.com ). As far as the lyrics go, Weinman also offered some insight into that, saying, “Greg also seems to be in a very dark place lyrically. I think it’s going to be pretty creepy. If these songs don’t put some holes in the wall, I don’t know what will.” In addition to focusing on new music, Weinman is also using his voice to encourage people to go out and vote in the upcoming election. In a new video for the ‘Why I Vote 2012 / I’m Voting For’ campaign, Weinman and Wyclef Jean join forces to tell the public why they should vote. Check it out below. Ben Weinman and Wyclef Jean on ‘Why I Vote 2012′ ?