Michael Loccisano, Getty Images Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea made sure that his 50th birthday would be one that he and all of his guests would remember as he opened up his backyard for a concert-fundraiser to benefit his Silver Lake Conservatory music school. Flea told Rolling Stone prior to the performance, “For this to happen on my 50th birthday is the best gift I could ever hope to receive.” Flea joined his Red Hot Chili Peppers bandmates for a set that headlined the night, while he called upon his old friends in Rancid to serve as the opening act. The selection of Rancid to play the backyard fundraiser was no coincidence, as singer singer-guitarist Tim Armstrong has a history with the Silver Lake Conservatory. Flea explained, “Tim studied there. He took lessons there – he was taking flamenco or something. Tim’s cool and those guys showed up. They played for us before, paid for everything, gave us all the merch, everything. Those guys are so generous – they’re like walking the walk, dude.” Ben Harper also made a surprise appearance during the evening, altering his cover of ‘Hallelujah’ to ‘Happy Birthday’ while a giant birthday cake in the form of a stand-up bass was presented to Flea. The bassist was overwhelmed not only from the birthday wishes, but for the support shown his school. He explained, “A big part of my life is music education because it changed my life — but arts, academics and athletics should all be equally treated in schools. There are different kinds of kids and those three things are vital towards the next generation of kids coming up to be happy, productive good citizens.” Finishing out the evening, Red Hot Chili Peppers took the stage for a nine-song set that began with ‘Can’t Stop’ and wrapped up with ‘By the Way.’ A cover of Neil Young ‘s ‘Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere’ also found its way into the performance. The bassist stated before the final track, “It’s been kind of an overwhelming experience for me. It feels really meaningful and poignant to have everybody come out and support.” Red Hot Chili Peppers Flea’s 50th Birthday Bash Setlist: ‘Can’t Stop’ ‘Snow (Hey Oh)’ ‘Monarchy of Roses’ ‘Soul to Squeeze’ ‘The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie’ ‘Right on Time’ ‘Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere’ ‘Give It Away’ ‘By the Way’ [button href=”http://loudwire.com/10-best-red-hot-chili-peppers-songs/” title=”Next: Top 10 Red Hot Chili Peppers Songs” align=”center”]
Kevin Winter / Frazer Harrison, Getty Images Sammy Hagar knows how to throw a bash, and it helps when you make sure that Alice in Chains singer-guitarist Jerry Cantrell is on the guest list. Cantrell made a guest appearance at Hagar’s Cabo Wabo Cantina (Oct. 13) to take part in Hagar’s 65th birthday celebration. As it was Hagar’s special night, he was able to invite Cantrell onstage and jam through the Alice in Chains’ classic ‘Man in the Box.’ Also joining in the fun on the song was Velvet Revolver drummer Matt Sorum , who kept the beat chugging along. While Hagar may not quite reach the vocal power of the late Layne Staley during the performance (quite honestly, who can?), Cantrell appears to be on par with a blistering guitar solo and some swampy licks. The track met with rousing approval from the crowd and Hagar went in for the embrace with Cantrell after the song was complete. Cantrell has been quiet musically for most of the year. He was honored at the MusiCares MAP Fund benefit back in May and recently turned up to induct Heart into the Hollywood Walk of Fame last month. However, after a break to have shoulder surgery following last album’s tour cycle, Cantrell has been working with Alice in Chains again on a new album . Watch Sammy Hagar and Jerry Cantrell Perform ‘Man in the Box’ [button href=”http://loudwire.com/best-alice-in-chains-songs/” title=”Next: 10 Best Alice in Chains Songs” align=”center”]
Mary Ouellette, SheWillShootYou.com When Stone Sour vocalist Corey Taylor initially revealed his band’s “grand” plan for their next album, he might have undersold it. As it turns out, releasing the album in two parts is only the beginning, as Taylor is plotting a comic book companion piece and now he’s contemplating turning both discs into films. Taylor tells Artisan News (video below), “Once we’ve toured and we’ve got the music out to everyone, the thing I really wanna do is have two movies — Part 1 and Part 2. With the comic and the story and the music, I think we’ll be able to do it. I already know who I wanna talk to about doing it, so we’ll see what happens.” The singer did not tip his hand on who he wants to direct or develop the project. The singer has been quite busy of late expanding the boundaries of the conceptual ‘House of Gold & Bones’ double-disc. He recently inked a deal with Dark Horse Comics to create a four-issue series based around the ideas for the record. The first installment in the series is expected on April 17, 2013. As for ‘House of Gold & Bones,’ the first album of the two-disc set is due Oct. 23, with the second disc to follow next spring. The band just debuted their new ‘Gone Sovereign’ video earlier this month. The group’s world tour in support of the upcoming releases continues in Tokyo, Japan on Oct. 27. Watch Stone Sour’s Corey Taylor Discuss His Film Plans [button href=”http://loudwire.com/slipknot-stone-sour-frontman-corey-taylor-working-on-second-book/” title=”Next: Corey Taylor Reveals Plans for Next Book” align=”center”]
Kevin Winter, Getty Images Here’s a look at the top stories of the day on Loudwire and around the Web: – Black Sabbath are progressing a new album, as Ozzy Osbourne & company are holed up in a Malibu recording studio. Find out the new details here: [ Loudwire ] – Nine Inch Nails leader Trent Reznor has revealed his involvement as a consultant for the Beats by Dre headphone company and announced that it’s led to “a number of very interesting projects.” [ Loudwire ] – Former Pantera singer Philip Anselmo says that quotes he made about Zakk Wylde taking part in a reunion of the band have been taken out of context. [ Loudwire ] – Ever wonder where the dark and rather spooky lyrics for Metallica ‘s ‘Enter Sandman’ came from? Get the story here. [ Ultimate Metallica ] – Kiss open up about making the ‘Monster’ album, their current lineup, the Kiss Kruise, and their thoughts on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. [ Ultimate Classic Rock ] – Smashing Pumpkins singer Billy Corgan reveals that he contemplated suicide on multiple occasions. [ Diffuser.fm ] – Jane’s Addiction , Slash , and goth godfather Peter Murphy are among the top acts for the inaugural UR1 festival. [ Rock Music Report ]
Epitaph / Rise Congratulations to Gojira for their triumphant voyage to our Death Match Hall of Fame! Gojira’s punishing track ‘The Axe’ from their 2012 full-length album, ‘L’Enfant Sauvage,’ has now been declared immortal after defeating four very worthy opponents. You know what that means! We’ve got two brand spanking new songs for you to vote on. Australian metalcore band Parkway Drive make their Death Match debut today with the track ‘Old Ghosts / New Regrets.’ The song comes from Parkway Drive’s upcoming fourth album, ‘Atlas,’ which is set to be released on Oct. 30. Their opponents? The heavier-than-hell deathcore attack of the Acacia Strain. Having just released their sixth studio album, ‘Death Is the Only Mortal,’ the band enter this week’s Death Match with the track ‘Victims of the Cave.’ Which one of these Death Match freshmen will claim victory once all the voting is over? The choice belongs to you. Cast your ballad in the poll below! (This Death Match ends on Tuesday, Oct. 23, at 10AM ET. Fans can vote once per hour! So come back and vote often to make sure your favorite song wins!) Parkway Drive, ‘Old Ghost / New Regrets’ The Acacia Strain, ‘Victims of the Cave’ ? Sorry, you need to have javascript running to see this poll. ? Email Me When Death Match Winners Are Announced Enter your email address below to receive the Loudwire newsletter, which will include notification of the weekly winner of the Death Match, as well as our top stories of each day. Email Rules of Death Match Two bands fight to the death each week. Fans can vote once per hour. The triumphant band goes on to compete in the next Death Match. If a band wins four straight Death Matches, its song will be honored as immortal in the Loudwire Death Match Hall of Fame.
Apparently, there’s a big election happening soon. That’s about as much research as we’ve done so far, but no matter, we’ve got something a bit more interesting to provide you — the 2012 President of Heavy Metal election! There are many leading bands, songs and albums in the world of metal, but there has never been a solid consensus when it comes to choosing metal’s President. From old-school metal pioneers like Ozzy Osbourne and Rob Halford to thrash metal veterans like James Hetfield and Dave Mustaine to new-school icons like Corey Taylor and Randy Blythe, there are several candidates that could hold the seat of President of Heavy Metal. We begin with 16 metal icons, and after four rounds of elimination, the polls will close on Nov. 6, at 11:59pm ET. Then, on Nov. 7, the President of Heavy Metal will be decided! Voting for Round 1 closes on Tuesday, Oct. 23. at 10am ET. Fans can vote once per hour, so keep coming back to make sure that your favorite metal musician wins! [button href=”http://loudwire.com/james-hetfield-vs-al-jourgensen-president-of-heavy-metal-election-round-1″ title=”Click to Cast Your Votes for the President of Heavy Metal 2012 Election” align=”center”]
Photo: James Minchin It’s no accident that Linkin Park have one of the biggest fan bases going, and the band is continuing to do their part to keep their followers happy by staging the 7th International Linkin Park Underground Summit in Cape Town, South Africa, on Nov. 7. The group began holding summits for their fan base several years back and has spread out the locations to make sure that everyone who likes the band will eventually have the opportunity to attend one of the events. Past summits have taken place in London, Sydney, Chicago, Hamburg, Tokyo, and Camden, N.J., with the band offering meet and greets, backstage tours, the opportunity for fans to jam on their gear or walk across their stage, soundcheck entry, Q&A sessions and acoustic performances. Passes for the Summit will be available strictly for the band’s LP Underground fan club beginning this Friday (Oct. 19) at 9AM Cape Town time. Summit passes are free for LPU Plus Pass members as part of their membership. In addition, the group has announced that for the first time, they will be selling exclusive LPU Summit t-shirts specific to the Cape Town event for $25. You can purchase the shirt when you reserve your pass. Stay tuned to the band’s website for additional details, including a Music for Relief tree planting activity, in the days to come. To get a better idea on what’s involved with an LPU Summit, check out the video from their inaugural event in London below. Watch Linkin Park’s ‘LPU Summit in London’ Trailer [button href=”http://loudwire.com/linkin-park-in-the-end-top-21st-century-hard-rock-songs/” title=”Next: Linkin Park – Top 21st Century Hard Rock Songs” align=”center”]