Mary Ouellette, SheWillShootYou.com In a comment that just begs for discussion, Motley Crue singer Vince Neil states in a recent interview that his voice is “probably” better than it’s ever been in his career. At age 51, it’s not easy for anyone to keep their voice sounding crisp, or to keep a positive relationship with your bandmates after over 30 years (especially if your band happens to be Motley Crue) but Neil claims that both are still great. First, Neil spoke to ConnectSavannah.com about his broken foot and how it affects his stage performances. “It’s still broke!,” Neil exclaims. “It broke in two spots, but it broke to where you can’t cast it, so I have to wear a boot. But the boot that the doctors gave me keeps it pretty steady, so onstage I can get around. But I’m mostly hopping — well, not hopping, but it’s a big boot so it’s a little awkward. But I didn’t have to cancel any shows or anything, so it’s all good. It’s going to take three to six months to heal, they said.” Speaking on his current relationship with his Motley Crue bandmates, which has been famously complicated over the years, Neil says, “Our relationship’s great. No, we have a great time. On the road, they have the families out, so it’s a different thing. We travel separately because Tommy [Lee] will have his kids out, and Nikki [Sixx] will have his kids, and stuff like that.” Finally, Vince Neil speaks about the current quality of his singing voice. “My voice after all these years is probably the best it’s ever been. And I find that if I take a bunch of time off, it’s harder to kind of get that muscle going again. It’s like after you have a day off, the next day it’s a little tougher to sing some notes than if you had three shows in a row and it’s the third day. It’s just like working out — the more you use it, the stronger it gets.” We’ve got a question for anyone who has recently seen Crue live; does Vince Neil’s voice sound better than ever? Let us know in the comments section below.
Ethan Miller, Getty Images Creed vocalist Scott Stapp is among those voicing his political concerns as the presidential race heats up. The singer says that while he was fully behind Barack Obama in 2008, he’s not exactly thrilled with what he’s seen from our current leader. Speaking on the Fox & Friends television show (see video below), Stapp revealed that he was “disappointed” by Obama, whom he claims “made a lot of promises, but no real delivery.” Sharing his thoughts on which way he’s leaning these days, Stapp said, “My heart and soul would really want someone like Reagan or FDR to come back and give us a New Deal. Be bold, be committed, don’t care what anybody thinks.” He also stated that we need someone who can lead us out of the current recession and that he’s looking for a strong decision maker to emerge during the debates. The vocalist said that while he backed Obama previously, he’s a little more hesitant this time. “For me, it’s hard to commit and to trust President Obama again because I was so inspired and thought everything was going to change,” says Stapp. “I know he walked into a tough situation, but I feel change is in the air.” In addition to talking politics, Stapp is making the rounds this week to promote his new book, ‘ Sinner’s Creed ,’ which shares his life story. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/creed-my-sacrifice-top-21st-century-hard-rock-songs/” title=”Next: Creed: Top 21st Century Hard Rock Songs” align=”center”] Watch Scott Stapp Share His Disappointment With President Obama
Frank Micelotta, Getty Images Here’s a look at the top stories of the day on Loudwire and around the Web: – We’re wishing Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee a happy 50th birthday, and we’re not the only ones. [ Loudwire ] – Deftones are through teasing us with album cuts (‘ Leathers ,’ ‘ Rosemary ,’ and ‘ Roller Derby ‘). The official first single ‘Tempest’ from their ‘ Koi No Yokan ‘ album has hit the airwaves. [ Loudwire ] – Soundgarden ‘s Chris Cornell and his wife Vicky have been sued by their former maid, who claims she was forced to work overtime without pay and let go after refusing to work beyond her shift one day. [ Loudwire ] – Political pundit Glenn Beck likes Muse . Muse doesn’t like Glenn Beck back. What’s a host to do other than write an open letter back to the band still declaring his undying respect? [ Diffuser.fm ] – One more week until the ‘ Monster ‘ album, Kiss fans. But to tide you over in the meantime, check out the newly posted songs ‘Long Way Down’ and ‘All for the Love of Rock & Roll.’ [ Ultimate Classic Rock ] – Just in time for Halloween, Bay Area metal pioneers Autopsy are issuing the ‘Autopsy: Feast for a Funeral’ comic book. [ Rock Music Report ]
Chung Sung-Jun, Getty Images Korn guitarist James “Munky” Shaffer has been involved with his side project, Fear and the Nervous System , for a few years now, and finally audiences will get a chance to see the band in person. Shaffer is starting off small, booking four West Coast shows with hopes of more down the road. The guitarist says, “I’ve had these songs for quite a while, and I can’t wait to share them with the world live. Fear and the Nervous System is unlike anything that I’ve ever done, and it’s an incredible feeling to tour behind it.” Shaffer handpicked his band, with Faith No More bassist Billy Gould, Bad Religion drummer Brooks Wackerman, Repeater vocalist Steve Krolikowski, Korn touring keyboardist Zac Baird and Leopold Ross on guitar. The group’s debut album is currently available online . The tour launches Oct. 13 in Redondo Beach, Calif., at Brixton and the other three shows are also SoCal-based with appearances in Agoura Hills (Oct. 14, Canyon Club), Bakersfield (Oct. 19, B Ryder’s), and West Hollywood (Oct. 20, Roxy Theater). Fear and the Nervous System Fall 2012 Tour Dates 10/13 — Redondo Beach, Calif. — Brixton 10/14 — Agoura Hills, Calif. — Canyon Club 10/19 — Bakersfield, Calif. — B Ryder’s 10/20 — West Hollywood, Calif. — Roxy Theatre [button href=”http://loudwire.com/korn-here-to-stay-top-21st-century-hard-rock-songs/” title=”Korn: Top 21st Century Hard Rock Songs” align=”center”] ?
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Slash ‘s Los Angeles date will have to wait as singer Myles Kennedy has come down ill. As a result, the group has postponed tonight’s (Oct. 3) show at the Wiltern until Dec. 2. “We want to be 100% for this gig and we’re just not at this moment,” said the guitarist. “We’ll be back Dec. 2 in fighting form. See you then.” Kennedy added, “My apologies to everyone who was planning on coming out to the show tonight. I promise to make it up to you when we return in a few months.” The Los Angeles show would have been a special one for Slash as it would have been a homecoming performance. Earlier this year, the guitar great was saluted with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame , and he’s previously been honored at the Sunset Strip Music Festival as well for his contributions to the Los Angeles music scene. There has been no confirmation of any change in Slash’s plans to appear on Conan tomorrow night (Oct. 4), but with Kennedy ailing, it’s worth monitoring. Meanwhile, Slash recently released an animated video for the group’s latest single, ‘ Bad Rain .’ The legendary guitarist has also been working on the score to the horror film ‘ Nothing to Fear .’ He [button href=”http://loudwire.com/slash-limited-edition-deluxe-four-disc-box-set/” title=”Next: Slash Reveals Deluxe Box Set Details” align=”center”]
YouTube Get Slayer ‘s Kerry King and Anthrax ‘s Scott Ian in front of a camera together, and all you have to do is get out of the way while two hard rock legends talk — which is exactly what the producers at Fuse.tv did recently when King and Ian arrived in the studio to discuss their recent Metal Masters 4 concert. Ian and King touched on a number of subjects (or, as Fuse put it when titling the clip, ‘Scott Ian and Kerry King Talk Arrests, Booze & Strippers’), but some of their most heartfelt discussion centered around Dimebag Darrell . And while Darrell’s life ended in tragedy, the conversation focused on happier (and, it must be said, hazier) memories of the former Pantera guitarist’s life. “My normal rules went out the window when I played with those guys,” recalled Ian. “I would try to keep it to a minimum and say, ‘I’m not doing more than three shots with you before I play.’ But then they’re walking onstage and handing me drinks in the middle of a set or pouring ‘em down your throat. Any time I toured with those guys was the drunkest I’ve been in my life.” King chimed in, saying, “[Drinking] just made [Dimebag] loose. It got him in the vibe to play.” Ian went on to discuss an epic night at a strip club with Darrell and some other famous friends, including Gene Simmons of Kiss and Motley Crue ‘s Tommy Lee : “We ended up in a private room and for three or four hours I’m sitting next to Dime with a stripper on my lap constantly. There never wasn’t a girl on my lap and there was always someone refilling my drinks. I remember saying to somebody afterward, ‘Who paid for that? What did we do?’ And the next day in the New York Post I saw a story, ‘Tommy Lee dropped 28 grand at Scores last night.’ So I guess I owe Tommy a thank you.” Scott Ian & Kerry King Talk Arrests, Booze & Strippers
Reprise Deftones got fans excited for one of 2012′s most anticipated albums, ‘Koi No Yokan,’ by recently unleashing the awesome track ‘ Leathers .’ Today happens to represent another monument for ‘Koi No Yokan,’ as Deftones have released ‘Tempest’ as the first official single from the album. ‘Tempest’ is purely and undoubtedly Deftones, as singer Chino Moreno begins the track with a drifting vocal line. Deftones constantly balance beauty and aggression in ‘Tempest,’ lending a slightly schizophrenic feel to the song, as the development of ‘Tempest’ takes many spikes and dips. This first single from ‘Koi No Yokan’ maintains the fact that no band on the planet sounds like Deftones. The little nuances that have existed during the band’s career are still firmly in tact with ‘Tempest,’ which heightens our excitement for the Nov. 13 release date for ‘Koi No Yokan.’ Deftones are currently on a North American tour with Scars on Broadway, which features Daron Malakian from System of a Down. The band is giving fans a taste of ‘Koi No Yokan’ by playing both ‘Leathers’ and ‘Rosemary’ live, and have also performed ‘ Roller Derby ‘ recently, which was reportedly the working title for ‘Poltergeist,’ the opening track on ‘Koi No Yokan.’ Check out the new Deftones track ‘Tempest’ in the player below. Listen to Deftones, ‘Tempest’ [button href=”http://loudwire.com/deftones-release-new-song-leathers-as-free-download-koi-no-yokan-track-listing/” title=”Next: Listen to Deftones’ ‘Leathers'” align=”center”]