Ethan Miller, Getty Images We’d like to send out a very happy 50th birthday today (Oct. 3) to legendary Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee . Having manned the kit for Crue since 1981, Tommy Lee has been a crucial part of rock and metal’s musical fabric for over three decades. Known for his infamous exploits both on and offstage, we celebrate the unique life of Tommy Lee. Motley Crue perhaps set the benchmark for pure debauchery during the ’80s hair metal era. Along with his contributions to Motley Crue’s music, Lee added to the band’s reputation of consuming superhuman amounts of alcohol and drugs, escapades with an immeasurable amount of women, constantly adding new ink to their bodies and having numerous run-ins with the law. Crue dominated the airwaves during the ’80s with tracks such as ‘Girls, Girls, Girls,’ ‘Dr. Feelgood,’ ‘Kickstart My Heart,’ ‘Shout at the Devil’ and many more. After 18 years of drumming for Motley Crue, Tommy Lee left the band in 1999 to pursue other interests. Lee went on the build a career with Methods of Mayhem, along with two solo records, an album with supergroup Rock Star Supernova and a number of guest appearances with Nine Inch Nails , Rob Zombie and more. But thankfully, Lee rejoined the Crue in 2004 and has been rocking out with them since. Tommy Lee is one of the world’s most entertaining live drummers, with stunt-like feats constantly being performed by the percussionist. Along with his 360 degree spinning drum contraption and flying around stadiums to hidden percussion kits, Lee now brings his drum rollercoaster to Crue performances, upping the insanity level to a new high. We wish Tommy Lee a very happy 50th birthday, as does his bandmate Nikki Sixx in the tweet below: HAPPY B DAY to my brother @ mrtommyland .I love you. — Nikki Sixx (@NikkiSixx) October 3, 2012 Tommy himself tweeted out to all his well-wishers, with a big thank you: HOLY F@cking B-DAY WISHES!! My laptop’s smokin! Thank you n I love you guys… #rage — TOMMY LEE (@MrTommyLand) October 3, 2012 Check out Lee’s awesome live drum solo in the following video, which features the insane drum roller coaster. Then, click below that to see Ultimate Classic Rock’s list of the Top 10 Motley Crue Songs. Tommy Lee Rollercoaster Drum Solo [button href=”http://ultimateclassicrock.com/motley-crue-songs/” title=”Next: Top 10 Motley Crue Songs” align=”center”]
Troy Augusto, Getty Images Pearl Jam made good on playing their lone political fundraiser as a full band this past weekend, packing the Adams Center in Missoula, Mont., to help out the re-election campaign of Sen. Jon Tester. The group has personal ties to Tester, as bassist Jeff Ament grew up with the senator in a small Montana town. “I can vouch for how much he cares for Montana,” said Ament at a pre-show event. “I couldn’t be prouder to be up here with the band.” The senator and his wife were seated alongside Pearl Jam fan club members watching the show. Tester told Billboard that the show was not the traditional campaign fundraiser, but they did sell some premium ticket packages. However, the Senator says the primary goal was “to get people to vote and have fun in the process. If we can get everybody to vote who is eligible, that’s really what’s most important. And then everything will turn out right.” While Pearl Jam do tend to work in a few cover songs into their sets, the band added several that were very specific to the issues at hand. They rocked through the Clash ‘s ‘Know Your Rights,’ Neil Young ‘s ‘Rockin’ in the Free World,’ and Creedence Clearwater Revival ‘s ‘Fortunate Son.’ They would also perform MC5 ‘s rocking anthem ‘Kick Out the Jams’ with longtime cohorts Mudhoney, who opened the show. As is typical, Eddie Vedder , who recently played solo for a Barack Obama benefit , took the chance to speak openly to the audience. In this case, he used the platform to discuss Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, stating, “The candidate on the other side talks as if 47 percent of people are living off the country, taking welfare and living on food stamps. The person that said that has never had the thrill or terror of walking on the tightrope without a net. He doesn’t understand that that doesn’t represent half the country. We can all agree on that. Only maybe one percent can relate to him.” Meanwhile, Mike McCready , speaking with Folha de S. Paulo , opened up about the progress of their latest album. The told the Brazilian press, “There are seven songs recorded and at least 15 ideas on which we’re working. But we’re taking it slowly. Eddie Vedder is on a solo tour. Matt [Cameron] is playing with Soundgarden , and I’m playing with Duff McKagan .” [button href=”http://loudwire.com/pearl-jam-the-fixer-top-21st-century-hard-rock-songs/” title=”Next: Pearl Jam: Top 21st Century Hard Rock Songs” align=”center”]
Juan Naharro Gimenez, Getty Images Between releasing a new Smashing Pumpkins album and finally opening the Chicago tea house of his dreams, 2012 was shaping up to be a pretty great year for Billy Corgan — but apparently a tree had to go and ruin everything. The fateful wood in question once stood on Corgan’s Beverly Hills property, until a major 2011 storm uprooted it and sent it crashing into the home of his neighbors, ‘ Grey’s Anatomy ‘ star Eric Dane and his wife Rebecca Gayheart. TMZ reports that Dane and Gayheart — who was nine months pregnant at the time — were faced with the tricky situation of attempting to evacuate a “quickly flooding” home that had a tree and broken power lines poking through the roof. As you might imagine, the Dane-Gayhearts are a little miffed; in fact, they’re claiming that Corgan was warned that the tree posed a threat, and they’re suing him to the tune of unspecified damages for “nuisance, negligence, and injunctive relief.” For his part, Corgan insists the whole thing is a misunderstanding, telling TMZ that “I was horrified when I learned about the tree falling during what was a massive storm, a storm with winds strong enough to uproot a 50 foot tree by its base! Thankfully no one was injured.” Corgan went on to call the lawsuit “a shame” and referred to his legal assailants as “nice people.” [button href=”http://loudwire.com/tags/billy-corgan/” title=”Next: Billy Corgan Talks Next Smashing Pumpkins Album” align=”center”]
Vans Metal legends Metallica are teaming up with the iconic skate shoe company Vans for a new line of sneakers that celebrate the band’s storied career. “I’ve been wearing Vans on stage my whole freakin’ career (and way before that!),” said Metallica bassist Rob Trujillo. “Whether I’m walking the streets of Venice or San Francisco, Vans provides the funk in my stride!” The collaboration kicks off with a limited edition Vans x Metallica 20th Anniversary Half Cab Pro . It’s part of of the year long celebration marking the 20th anniversary of the Half Cab, the most popular skate shoe of all time. The heavy-duty canvas and suede “black to the floor” Metallica edition features classic band lyrics embossed in the side, exclusive Vans x Metallica x Steve Caballero labeling and a unique clear rubber sole with ‘Kill ‘Em All’ album artwork showing through. “To have Metallica, my all-time favorite metal band, collaborating with me on this 20th anniversary Half Cab shoe is an honor and a dream come true,” said Caballero. “I’m very stoked that Vans is working with such a legendary band and the Half Cab is just the beginning.” In early 2013, the ‘Passion Projects’ will launch. James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett and Rob Trujillo each designed shoes for the collection. They created Vans shoes reflecting their own style, drawing from music, art and action sports. Members of the band’s fan club (Met Club) will have the first opportunity to buy the Vans x Metallica Passion Project shoes in January. They’ll go on sale to the general public in February. The Metallica shoes won’t stop there. In March of 2013, to mark the 30th anniversary of Metallica’s debut album, ‘Kill ‘Em All’ theme shoes will be available. Emblazoned with artwork commemorating the anniversary, the shoes will be available in the Classic Slip-On and Sk8-Hi styles. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/kirk-hammett-upcoming-metallica-album-encounters-with-kurt-cobain/” title=”Next: Kirk Hammett Talks Next Metallica Album + More” align=”center”]
Roger Kisby, Getty Images Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell and his wife Vicky have been sued by their former maid, who claims she was overworked and underpaid. According to TMZ , the couple hired Elia Mora to clean their house in 2006 and she stayed on until December 2011. Mora says that last year, on the day after Christmas, she declined to return to the couple’s home to do additional cleaning after finishing up her shift. This apparently didn’t sit well with Mrs. Cornell, whom Mora claims responded by screaming a series of insults. Apparently, the conversation ended with Mora out of a job, and now she’s taking the Cornells to court. Mora’s lawsuit claims she was forced to work 43 hours a week without overtime, and was never given uninterrupted lunches or breaks. According to TMZ, neither of the Cornells have commented publicly yet, and the report doesn’t mention specific damages Mora is seeking. In the meantime, Soundgarden are getting ready to release its sixth studio album (and first in 16 years), ‘King Animal,’ due on Nov. 13. The first single, ‘Been Away Too Long,’ was unleashed last week. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/soundgarden-new-single-been-away-too-long/” title=”Listen to Soundgarden’s ‘Been Away Too Long'” align=”center”]
Jason Merritt, Getty Images Here’s a look at the top stories of the day on Loudwire and around the Web: – Dave Grohl may not have wanted to make a “ big deal ” about it, but yes, the Foo Fighters have officially announced their hiatus. [ Loudwire ] – Falling in Reverse singer Ronnie Radke’s enthusiasm at a weekend show in New Jersey got him arrested when the microphone stands he tossed into the crowd injured audience members. [ Loudwire ] – Black Sabbath drummer Bill Ward may not be with the band right now due to a contractual impasse, but that doesn’t lessen his desire to rejoin the band at some point. [ Loudwire ] – The man of many bands – noted session drummer Josh Freese – is moving on from his long time gig with A Perfect Circle . [ Loudwire ] – Scorpions ? Def Leppard ? What acts have songs that make up the perfect Oktoberfest soundtrack? Check out the Top 10 Oktoberfest Songs. [ Ultimate Classic Rock ] – Heard that latest Smiths reunion rumor? Faster than you can say, ‘Stop Me If You Think You’ve Heard This One Before,’ Johnny Marr has dashed those hopes. [ Diffuser.fm ] – Bonnaroo is branching out, offering the new “Bonnaroo 365 Tour” for emerging acts White Denim and Maps & Atlases. See where they’ll play. [ Rock Music Report ]
Solid State Records After 15 years, seven albums, Grammy and Dove award nominations and 1.3 million albums sold, the metalcore band Underoath has announced they are calling it a day. The band will release a retrospective album ‘Anthology 1999-2013′ on Nov. 6 via Solid State Records. “It’s sad to say that we feel like it’s time to close this chapter, but we have never seen things more clearly,” says vocalist Spencer Chamberlain. “These have been the best years of my entire life, and I owe that to every single person who ever supported this band along the way. This wasn’t a quick decision by any means. It’s just time for us to move on.” The compilation will include songs from all of Underoath’s albums, from 1999′s ‘Act of Depression’ through 2010’s ‘Ø (Disambiguation)’. In addition to previously released material, the collection also includes two newly recorded songs: ‘Sunburnt’ and ‘Unsound,’ the final material recorded by the band. Fans will get a chance to see Underoath one last time, as they are planning a farewell tour. “Over the past decade or so of our lives, we have been able to live a dream traveling the world, playing music that excites us, and meeting more amazing people than we could have ever fathomed,” says keyboardist Chris Dudley. “This couldn’t be a more bittersweet moment for us. We have accomplished more, met more friends, seen more places and have just done more than we could have ever imagined, and we really wanted to just go out on the highest note possible.” “That’s why we have put together a group of great friends and musicians for what will be our final tour ever,” Dudley continues. “We are taking every moment of this tour as an opportunity to say goodbye to you all, as well as celebrate what has taken place over all these years. The love we have and the debt of gratitude that we owe to all of you is not able to be measured in any way.” More information about the farewell tour, which will embark in 2013, will be announced soon. “We don’t take this very lightly and it’s heartbreaking for all of us,” Chamberlain says of the band’s announcement, “but all good things must come to an end. We love all of you and hope to see you again soon.” Underoath – ‘Anthology 1999-2013′ Track List 1. ‘Sunburnt’ 2. ‘Unsound’ 3. ‘In Division’ 4. ‘Catch Myself Catching Myself’ 5. ‘Paper Lung’ 6. ‘Desperate Times, Desperate Measures’ 7. ‘Too Bright To See, Too Loud To Hear’ 8. ‘In Regards To Myself’ 9. ‘You’re Ever So Inviting’ 10. ‘Writing On The Walls’ 11. ‘A Boy Brushed Red Living In Black And White’ 12. ‘Reinventing Your Exit’ 13. ‘It’s Dangerous Business Walking Out Your Front Door’ 14. ‘I’ve Got Ten Friends And A Crowbar That Says You Ain’t Gonna Do Jack’ 15. ‘When The Sun Sleeps’ 16. ‘Cries Of The Past’ 17. ‘Heart Of Stone’