Archive for December 13th, 2012

Daily Reload: Nirvana, Halestorm + More

Larry Busacca, Getty Images Here’s a look at the top stories of the day on Loudwire and around the Web: – Paul McCartney and Nirvana members Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic and Pat Smear perform original song ‘Cut Me Some Slack’ at ’12-12-12′ benefit concert. [ Loudwire ] – Lzzy Hale on 2012 Rock Goddess of the Year competition: ‘We’re all voting for each other.” [ Loudwire ] – Former Black Sabbath drummer Bev Bevan voices audiobook for guitarist Tony Iommi’s ‘Iron Man’ audiobook. [ Loudwire ] – Courtney Love slams surviving Nirvana members for their ’12-12-12′ performance with Paul McCartney [ Loudwire ] – Exclusive Premiere: Orgy unveil music video for ‘Grime of the Century.’ [ Loudwire ] – Can’t get enough of the Nuge? Check out this compilation of Ted Nugent ‘s greatest and most ridiculous moments of 2012. [ Ultimate Classic Rock ] – Adam Sandler remakes Leonard Cohen’s ‘Hallelujah’ for ’12-12-12′ Hurricane Sandy concert. [ Ultimate Classic Rock ] – Adele snags Golden Globe nomination for ‘Skyfall’ theme song. [ Diffuser.fm ] – Ghost to perform special show in Sweden and are currently finishing up on their 2013 album. [ Rock Music Report ]

Ghost Putting Final Touches on 2013 Album

Seven Four Ent. Swedish heavy metal act Ghost have proven to be one of the most bizarre major successes of 2012. Having kept their faces out of the spotlight with an evil Pope frontman and cult-like black hooded robes, Ghost signed a record deal with Seven Four Ent., which is under the Universal umbrella. Luckily for fans, Ghost are now finishing up their first album under that deal, which will be released in 2013. In an official press release, Ghost announced that they are now putting the finishing touches on their as-yet-untitled follow-up to their debut album, ‘Opus Eponymous.’ The debut disc was met with massive acclaim, and rightly so. For those who haven’t listened to Ghost, do yourself a favor and check out their music. Although simple in nature, the unpolished and chilling cadence found in ‘Opus Eponymous’ is not only brilliant, but strangely original. If that description doesn’t convince you, this quote from one of the nameless band members may change your mind: “Hard rock is about who has the biggest d–k and pop music is about who’s got the smallest. I guess we’re pretty average. But in order to have a big d–k, you have to have it mentally.” Meanwhile, Ghost will play a special show this Saturday, Dec. 15, in their hometown of Linköping, Sweden. Check out some of Ghost’s music below and stay tuned for details on their next album as news breaks. Ghost, ‘Elizabeth’

Black Veil Brides Singer Andy Biersack: I Think Everybody Is ‘Wretched and Divine’

Liz Ramanand, Loudwire The Black Veil Brides army continues to march strong, especially with the band’s third studio album, ‘Wretched and Divine: The Story of the Wild Ones,’ due out on Jan. 8. Loudwire had the opportunity to catch up with Black Veil Brides frontman Andy Biersack after her surprised 20 fans with his presence at a listening party in New York City. Biersack talked in-depth about ‘Wretched and Divine’ and how circumstances in his personal life helped with the creation of the new album. ‘Wretched and Divine: The Story of the Wild Ones’ is a very epic sounding album name. What does the title mean to you personally? Growing up, I wasn’t like the kid in ‘Breakfast Club,’ but I was like the weirdo like “Don’t let your kids around that guy” – I had like a James Dean complex when I was a kid and I wanted to be this rebel person but it wasn’t because I wanted to rebel against things it was just that my inclinations were more towards rock ‘n’ roll, leather jackets and that kind of stuff. I wasn’t a kid who got into trouble, I didn’t get into drugs as a kid but just the way that I looked and my interests made me into this social pariah. So at a young age I was already fascinated by the social dichotomy of if someone looks a certain way or someone has certain interests they can be labeled as a bad person without any actual knowledge of who they are. The older I got, I started to realize more it’s not necessarily that any of us are inherently bad or good, you just kind of carve your own way and you are your experiences and your surroundings and what you grow up in. I think on any given day somebody could help out a homeless person and cuss out somebody that cut them off in traffic and I think that everybody has that inside them, it’s just how you live that balance – so I think everbody is ‘Wretched and Divine.’ Our band also, we’re a very polarizing band in opinion – people either tend to love us or hate us, there’s not really anything in between. We like to think of ourselves and the people that support us as people on the fringe, we don’t care to be part of one group or another. We kind of exist on our own bubble so to speak and with that I think that may be where the title came from. Can you talk about the brand new single ‘In The End’ musically and lyrically? The song probably came about two or three weeks after my grandfather died. I was very close with my grandparents and through the course of writing the song, I started to think more and more about – just from my personal perspective because everyone in the band has their own feelings on when songs are written. But when I was sitting outside writing lyrics to it, I was feeling — I’m not a religious person but I grew up in a religious family. I went to the funeral for my grandfather, a person that I love very much and everyone is speaking about how he went to heaven and how he’s in heaven. I always fight with that because I would love nothing more to believe that my grandfather is in the clouds playing Xbox 460 or whatever awesome stuff they have up in heaven but I can’t. I remember sitting around in my grandmother’s house afterwards and everbody’s doing what you do after — you all go back somewhere and you talk about the great stories of the person that died and that came to me very clearly: Whether you believe or don’t believe in an actual physical afterlife, you cant deny that there is a certain element of an afterlife in the legacy that someone leaves. A bunch of people sitting around a room talking about how wonderful this person was and how positively they affected their lives is always going to, in a sense, be heaven — heaven on earth. I think heaven and afterlife is for the living, it’s for the people that continue on and remember that person and if you’ve done something that is substantial in your life then you can leave a legacy and do something positive. It obviously applies to the storyline and this battle and being at the end of it and not having won or loss — just knowing that you did something for what you thought was right. Artists such as Bert McCracken from the Used and William Control are on the album. What did these other musicians bring to the table? With this we were doing something so different than anything we’ve done before, it opened itself up to inviting friends and different people in. In the past we never really had guest vocalists but this felt like it was bigger than just the five of us – it’s almost like doing a play and you only cast you and your friends, you have to have stuff that exists outside of the base where the story was written. If anything else, it was bringing people in that had different perspectives and different sounds so that we could play more with the sonic level of the record and have different sounding things. Can you talk about the F.E.A.R spoken word parts of the album and the idea behind those sections of the disc? I’ve sort of just like the whole Orwellian, dystopian future – I like the idea that it doesn’t seem to crazy or far off that there could be someone who is this omnipotent, omniscient power that tells you what to do. I think that people always make the metaphor pretty readily with television or media brainwashing and the people with the tinfoil on their heads think that everything’s brainwashing them. So, if you were to have a situation where it’s an all sweeping political, religious, psychological just this entity that exists on every level to where you get your food, you get your God and you get your health from this one entity and they kind of control everything — that just always interested me. I like the idea of having the narrative told through the perspective of the bad guy more than anything else. You rarely ever hear something narrated through the villain’s perspective and it was fun. If nothing else, this record boils down to stuff that I just thought was fun and cool and what we could have fun with as a whole. Where did the idea of the Black Veil Brides film ‘Legion of the Black’ come from? Again just fun, honestly it was as simple as just the childishness of “We should do a movie” and then the reality of, “How do you do that and how do you get the financing for that?” We were very fortunate to have great friends Patrick Fogerty and Richard Villa, who have worked with us from day one. Richard does our artwork and Patrick has directed every video I have done since I was 17 years old and so they have a lot of friends and were able to pull a lot of favors and we were able to agree with the label on a budget. So instead of doing these promotional videos, we decided that we would do a cohesive film to compliment the album because it is this larger than life kind of thing. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/black-veil-brides-unleash-video-for-in-the-end/” title=”Check Out Black Veil Brides’ Video for ‘In The End'” align=”center”]

Guns N’ Roses Dedicate Indian Concert to Late Music Legend Ravi Shankar

Jason Merritt / Frazer Harrison, Getty Images On Dec. 11, sitar virtuoso and essential Beatles influence Ravi Shankar passed away. The news was learned by many the next day, inspiring many tributes and condolences in response to Shankar’s death, including a special shout-out from Guns N’ Roses during their Dec. 12 performance in New Delhi, India. During the massive Guns N’ Roses concert, singer Axl Rose took a moment to memorialize Shankar with one quick sentence: “We dedicate this show to Pandit Ravi Shankar, who passed away today.” Shankar, a three-time Grammy Award winner, was admitted to Scripps Memorial Hospital in San Diego, Calif to undergo heart valve surgery on Dec. 6. Shankar had been complaining of breathing difficulties after the surgery, ultimately passing away five days later at the age of 92. The Shankar family released their official statement on Shankar’s death shortly after his demise: It is with heavy hearts we write to inform you that Pandit Ravi Shankar, husband, father, and musical soul, passed away today, December 11th, 2012.?As you all know, his health has been fragile for the past several years and on Thursday he underwent a surgery that could have potentially given him a new lease of life. Unfortunately, despite the best efforts of the surgeons and doctors taking care of him, his body was not able to withstand the strain of the surgery. We were at his side when he passed away. We know that you all feel our loss with us, and we thank you for all of your prayers and good wishes through this difficult time. Although it is a time for sorrow and sadness, it is also a time for all of us to give thanks and to be grateful that we were able to have him as a part of our lives. His spirit and his legacy will live on forever in our hearts and in his music. Sukanya & Anoushka Shankar [button href=”http://loudwire.com/best-guns-n-roses-songs/” title=”10 Best Guns N’ Roses Songs” align=”center”]

Lzzy Hale on 2012 Rock Goddess of the Year Competition: ‘We’re All Voting for Each Other’

Mary Ouellette, SheWillShootYou.com With the release of their very successful second studio album ‘The Strange Case Of…,’ Halestorm have had one hell of a year, including a recent Grammy nomination, nonstop touring and  plans  for a new covers EP. Not to mention, the band received multiple nominations in our very own 2012 Loudwire Music Awards. We spoke to Halestorm frontwoman Lzzy Hale  shortly after the band’s Grammy nomination , and she was kind enough to share some thoughts on being one of the contenders for the Rock Goddess of the Year and other topics related to the 2012 Loudwire Music Awards. “It’s so neat, thank you so much for including us in that,” Hale told us. “It’s funny, we were talking about this and it’s like, we’re the new kids on the block, so it’s neat that all of a sudden we’re part of this rock club. It’s just cool to watch and it’s a lot of fun for the fans, too, because they feel like they’re a part of something — so it’s really great that you’re doing that.” In the Rock Goddess of the Year category, Hale joins her pals Amy Lee of Evanescence , Maria Brink of In This Moment and other female artists who have been prominent this year in music. “It’s funny because just in the past couple years we’ve become really good friends with a lot of the people who are included, so all of us, between myself and Amy and Maria, we’re all voting for each other,” Hale remarks. “Right now, I’m on Twitter with Maria Brink and everyday [laughs] we’ll be like, ‘How many votes do you have now?’ It’s a lot of fun for us too.” Hale also talks about the her little brother Arejay Hale being nominated for Drummer of the Year alongside musicians such as Vinnie Paul . “It’s so funny, he’s so thrilled about that too. He’s like, ‘I’m with Vinnie! It’s so cool.’ I’ve been watching the whole time just getting everyone to vote.” [button href=”http://loudwire.com/rock-song-of-the-year-2012-loudwire-music-awards/” title=”Vote Now in Loudwire’s 2012 Music Awards” align=”center”]

Orgy, ‘Grime of the Century’ – Exclusive Video Premiere

YouTube: OrgyMusic Welcome back, Orgy ! Frontman Jay Gordon & Co. have re-emerged in the music scene with their new single ‘ Grime of the Century ,’ and Loudwire is bringing you the exclusive premiere of the song’s video. The clip may serve as the introduction of the new Orgy lineup for some, as Gordon is now flanked by guitarist-keyboardist Carlton Bost, guitarist-keyboardist Ashburn Miller, bassist Nic Speck, and drummer Jamie Miller. Musically, ‘Grime of the Century’ is the perfect bridge between the past and present. It’s got the keyboard-heavy vibe that you would hope for, yet it remains infectiously heavy and in the vein of the band’s past work. In the video itself, fans get a good look at each of the band members as much of the clip is performances with each musician shot against a white or red backdrop. There is, however, a narrative part to the video as a lovely young woman attempts to grab Gordon and the other band members’ attention, but the cleaner they are, the dirtier she gets until the “grime” begins to seep in on them as well. Orgy got out for a handful of dates last year to get the lineup sharp before heading into the studio. ‘Grime of the Century’ has emerged as the first new track from the band since their 2011 shakeup and it’s expected that more songs or potentially a new album will follow in 2013. In the meantime, fans can purchase the ‘Grime of the Century’ single at iTunes . Watch Orgy’s ‘Grime of the Century’ Video

Former Black Sabbath Drummer Bev Bevan Voices Audiobook For Tony Iommi Autobiography

Simon & Schuster It’s time for the holidays and you need stuff to add to your various wish lists. We’re assuming that you’ve already asked for the paperback version of Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi ‘s book, ‘Iron Man: My Journey Through Heaven & Hell,’ as we suggested in our official Holiday Gift Guide , but another option is now available. The autobiography has been turned into an audiobook, read by former Black Sabbath / Electric Light Orchestra drummer Bev Bevan. The Iommi autobiography has received mostly positive reviews from Sabbath fans, who have called it “inspirational” and “fascinating” within Amazon.com ‘s feedback section. The book has also been praised for capturing the warmth, humor and intelligence of the legendary riff master. Iommi just announced the availability of the audiobook and expressed his excitement regarding Bevan’s involvement. “Good news, the audio version of my book is now available,” begins Iommi, “taken a bit of time but we’ve all been busy! I had a go myself but wasn’t comfortable when I listened back. Normally you just get an actor to voice it but I didn’t want someone who didn’t know me or the music business so I asked my old mate Bev Bevan (former Black Sabbath / MOVE / ELO drummer) as he already has a radio show and lived some of the chapters with me! I’m really pleased how it’s turned out.” The audiobook is no short listen, clocking in at 11 hours and 31 minutes, and is now available for Kindle, iPhone, iPod, Android and other MP3 players that can store over 500 songs. To purchase the new audiobook, or any other form of ‘Iron Man,’ click here . [button href=”http://loudwire.com/ozzy-osbourne-celebrates-64th-birthday-recording-vocals-for-new-black-sabbath-album/” title=”Ozzy Osbourne Tracking Vocals For New Black Sabbath Album” align=”center”]