Archive for January 24th, 2013

Daily Reload: Megadeth, The Mars Volta + More

Mary Ouellette, SheWillShootYou.com – According to Megadeth ‘s Dave Mustaine , the band is almost done with their next album. [ Loudwire ] – The Mars Volta ‘s Cedric Bixler-Zavala revealed in an online posting that he has left the band, which presumably means the group has broken up. [ Loudwire ] – What is the best hard rocking football anthem? You get to choose as round one of the 2013 Loudwire Rock Bowl gets under way. Vote here: [ Loudwire ] – After last year’s bus accident, it’s great to see Baroness performing again. Watch our exclusive video of John Baizley and Pete Adams playing ‘Foolsong’ live here: [ Loudwire ] – Dave Grohl wants to bring the Sound City Players to stages around the world. [ Loudwire ] – Van Halen ‘s former director of security dishes about the band’s “insane round the world ride” in a new interview. [ Ultimate Classic Rock ] – Fleetwood Mac ‘s reunion is now complete with the announcement of their 2013 tour dates. [ Ultimate Classic Rock ] – Ween ‘s Dean Ween and Primus ‘ Les Claypool are collaborating on a fishing reality series. [ Diffuser.fm ] – It’s no joke! The Flaming Lips are releasing ‘The Terror’ album on April Fool’s Day. [ Diffuser.fm ]

Maynard James Keenan Talks New Puscifer EP, Upcoming Autobiography + Illegal Downloading

Gary Miller, Getty Images Although Maynard James Keenan no longer writes a bi-weekly column for the Phoenix New Times, the Tool / A Perfect Circle / Puscifer vocalist recently spoke to the publication about a ton of different topics. Keenan not only gives extra details on Puscifer’s upcoming EP, ‘Donkey Punch the Night,’ but info on his upcoming autobiography and the overall state of the music industry. Speaking to the Phoenix New Times about ‘Donkey Punch the Night’ Keenan describes why the musical collective are releasing an EP rather than another full-length. “The general approach to [Puscifer] has always been to do a couple songs at a time and put them out,” says Keenan. “Traditionally, back in the mid-1900s, a vinyl single would go to a radio station. You’d buy somebody’s sheet music and record a song in a studio and take it to radio stations and sell the single. [You would] sell that song. Then you’d have a B-side on it, and beyond that, if you had a couple more songs and you were feeling kind of froggy, you would do an extended play, an EP … [The ‘Conditions of My Parole’ full-length] was us on a roll. We were going to do a couple songs, and all of the sudden it became something completely different.” In a second article posted by the newspaper, Keenan goes on to remind us all that, in fact, had spent a long time on this Earth before becoming a celebrated musician. “I think there are a lot of misconceptions with some people that, all of a sudden, I was born when my first band came out,” Keenan says. “I actually had a life before that, and there were a lot of accomplishments. [The book] will kind of chronicle why it is I got to where I am, and why I got to where you knew about me.” The sonic mastermind also tackles the issue of illegal downloading. “There’s a disconnect between people not buying music and not understanding why [bands] go away,” Keenan says. “There are people who are like monkeys in a cage just hitting the coke button. They don’t really get that for [musicians and artists] to do these things, they have to fund them. They have to have something to pay the rent.” Puscifer’s upcoming ‘Donkey Punch the Night’ EP is set for a Feb. 19 release date. Puscifer, ‘Donkey Punch the Night’ EP Preview [button href=”http://loudwire.com/puscifer-practice-for-upcoming-tour-dates-exclusive-video-premiere/” title=”Puscifer Practice for Upcoming Tour Dates – Exclusive Video Premiere” align=”center”]

Dave Mustaine on New Megadeth Album: ‘We’re Almost Done With It’

Facebook: Megadeth Megadeth are hitting the home stretch on their latest album. In a picture posting on the band’s Facebook page , it was revealed that Dave Mustaine and drummer Shawn Drover were finishing up tracking on the ten songs for their upcoming album, with another song set to wrap things up that evening. The photo (seen above) shows Mustaine and Drover in the studio together. With the album near completion, Mustaine offered a few more details in a video interview with VintageRock.com at the NAMM Convention. The singer-guitarist said of the upcoming disc, “We’re almost done with it. We’ve been doing it with [producer] Johnny K, doing it down in San Diego where I live. And he’s gonna be mixing it out in Chicago at his studio out there. You know, it’s really incredible this way … Last night, Dave Ellefson — he’ll probably not appreciate me telling this story — but he was sitting in a chair and his hand was hanging over the side of the chair, and I said, ‘What’s the matter? ‘ and he goes, like, ‘Man, I haven’t played this much in a long time.’ And I was like, ‘Good.’ So that was really exciting for me, cause David, he’s a monster on bass guitar, and for him to be saying stuff like that and just showing that he’s a little tired because there’s so much activity with the songs, I think the fans are really gonna respond to that.” Mustaine also stated that touring is starting to take shape as well. The band has already signed on for some dates with Iron Maiden in Europe and a number of headlining shows in the U.K. this summer, with a North American trek expected to follow. He also revealed that the ‘Gigantour’ touring brand may be revived for their late year performances. “We’ve got some really interesting lineups for that,” says Mustaine. “Most people would look at the lineup and they would think, like, ‘Dave’s not gonna tolerate your crap at all,’ because there’s a couple of people that we have that are on the lineup — and we’re hoping for the best — but they’re notorious bad boys. But when people grow up, they kind of grow up, they just don’t grown old, and we’re hoping that the music is gonna be the most important thing so that the fans will get what they want.” Mustaine also revealed that the band has chosen a new record label after parting ways with Roadrunner Records, but did not specify which label. Watch Dave Mustaine’s Video Interview With VintageRock.com [button href=”http://loudwire.com/decibel-magazine-tour-2013-must-see-metal-concerts/” title=”Next: Check Out 2013’s Must-See Metal Concerts” align=”center”]

Otherwise Unveil ‘I Don’t Apologize (1000 Pictures)’ Music Video

YouTube There’s something to be said for moving on from heartbreak, and Otherwise capture that spirit in their most recent single, ‘I Don’t Apologize (1000 Pictures).’ If you didn’t get that from hearing the lyrics initially, the band has now provided a video that spells it out even further. The new clip for ‘I Don’t Apologize’ features a man who has taken a trip to the desert where there’s a lone, solitary leafless tree. As he stands by himself, he begins thumbing through photos taken with his ex, reflecting on some of the good times had and with each photo, he places it with a clothespin on one of the brittle branches. But as we see, the good times didn’t last and the love of his life was cheating on him, so each photo placed upon the tree serves as a way of shedding his past and moving on. If you follow the lyrics of the song, you can guess the fate of the aforementioned tree and the photos that adorn it. Otherwise are currently touring in support of their debut album, ‘True Love Never Dies.’ The band can be seen opening shows for Stone Sour and Papa Roach on their current North American tour leg. Watch Otherwise’s ‘I Don’t Apologize (1000 Pictures)’ [button href=”http://loudwire.com/otherwise-true-love-never-dies-album-review/” title=”Next: Read our Review of Otherwise’s ‘True Love Never Dies’ Album” align=”center”]

Soundgarden Unleash ‘King Animal’ in New York – Photo Gallery

Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Soundgarden  continued their resurgence this week with two sold out shows at Hammerstein Ballroom on Tuesday (Jan. 22) and Wednesday (Jan. 23). During the Tuesday night show that we attended, the grunge legends rocked the venue with a massive setlist that spanned their entire discography, including classic favorites and new tracks off their latest album ‘King Animal.’ Frontman Chris Cornell, guitarist Kim Thayil, bassist Ben Shepherd and drummer Matt Cameron are masters of their instruments and remain a powerful force onstage. View our photo gallery of the NYC show below. For a full list of dates and cities where you can catch Soundgarden on tour, go here . Photos of Soundgarden Performing at Hammerstein Ballroom Jan. 22 in New York City Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire

Baroness’ John Baizley and Pete Adams Perform ‘Foolsong’ Live – Exclusive Video Premiere

Relapse Baroness had an incredibly successful year in 2012 with not only the release of the masterful ‘Yellow & Green’ double album, but also as a touring act with Meshuggah and Decapitated . Despite what was possibly the greatest year of their career musically, a horrifying bus accident has curbed the band since August 2012. However, frontman John Baizley and guitarist Pete Adams have slowly been picking themselves back up, as evidenced in this exclusive video of the duo performing ‘Foolsong’ live. Baizley told us that a bus crash isn’t the sort of thing at will stop Baroness during his first ever interview since the accident. Fans of the band never doubted Baizley’s words for a second, and last weekend (Jan. 19 – 20), the Baroness frontman joined Converge onstage in Philadelphia to perform ‘Coral Blue’ with the band, only to open for Neurosis the very next day as a stripped-down version of Baroness alongside guitarist Pete Adams. This performance of ‘Foolsong’ isn’t only sonically beautiful, but acts as one of the most inspirational chapters in modern rock. After months of rehab, uncertainty and almost unimaginable torment, John Baizley and Pete Adams turned this performance into a declaration of their own perseverance. Sit back and enjoy this unique and impassioned version of ‘Foolsong’ by John Baizley and Pete Adams, exclusively here on Loudwire. Baroness’ John Baizley and Pete Adams Perform ‘Foolsong’ [button href=”http://loudwire.com/baroness-john-baizley-bus-crash-isnt-going-to-stop-us/” title=”Next: Read Our 3-Part Interview with John Baizley” align=”center”]

2013 Loudwire Rock Bowl – Round 1

Super Bowl XLVII, featuring the San Francisco 49ers vs. the Baltimore Ravens, is just around the corner, and we’ve got football fever. And what goes better with some bone-crushing, hard-hitting gridiron action that some truly amped-up, adrenaline-fueled riffing and rocking. That’s what you’ll find in the 2013 Loudwire Rock Bowl, where we pit 16 football-ready tracks into a matchup to determine which song gets you hyped for some pigskin action the most. With only 16 songs, there will be some tough choices made. There are a number of tracks in our first round that are already stadium anthems and there’s no shortage of big name acts vying for gridiron domination. There are rock vets like Metallica and Pantera seeking a Loudwire Rock Bowl victory with some of their classic songs, but they’ll have to get past next generation cuts from  Five Finger Death Punch , Avenged Sevenfold and Volbeat . What songs will emerge victorious? That’s for you to decide. You can vote in each of the eight first round matches every hour until Sunday, Jan. 27 at 11:59PM ET. After a few more rounds, the 2013 Loudwire Rock Bowl winner will be crowned Feb. 4 — the day after Super Bowl XLVII. Click on the button below to start voting in the eight Round 1 matchups: [button href=”http://loudwire.com/metallica-vs-volbeat-2013-loudwire-rock-bowl-round-1/” title=”Start Voting in the 2013 Loudwire Rock Bowl Here” align=”center”]