Ian Hitchcock, Getty Images In what may prove to be a jarring legal setback for artists who live next door to famous people and want to try and use that proximity as the basis for an unauthorized exhibit, Axl Rose has issued a cease-and-desist notice to the exhibitor behind the L.A. art show titled ‘ Axl Rose Was My Neighbor .’ Compiled by Laura London, who describes herself as “similar to a social anthropologist” in the way she managed to snap photos of property belonging to Axl Rose, who was her neighbor, ‘Axl Rose Was My Neighbor’ purports to offer viewers a glimpse into the Guns N’ Roses frontman’s suburban existence during the early ’90s through a combination of London’s photographs and the work of actors who will create a, ahem, “docudrama based on an interpretation and depiction of actual events.” Surprisingly, Rose does not seem at all interested in having strangers view photos of his former home, and/or a recreation of his past that London describes as “a combination of personal experience, memory, observation and imagination.” He seems particularly perturbed by one photo in particular, which depicts a garage door spray-painted with hostile graffiti aimed at Rose’s ex-wife, Erin Everly; while London claims Rose is responsible for the vandalism, he’s calling her contention “outrageous, false, fabricated and highly defamatory.” “Mr. Rose never spray-painted anything,” reads the letter, drafted by Rose’s busy attorney. “Your salacious and inflammatory statements are plainly designed to garner attention and line your pockets with money.” The letter is directed toward Mat Gleason, the founder of the exhibition space Coagula Curatorial , while Laura London is CC’ed, as well. TMZ has posted the letter , which requests that the exhibitor post an apology and that all presentations of ’Once Upon a Time … Axl Rose Was My Neighbor’ be canceled. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/axl-rose-was-my-neighbor-photo-recreation-exhibit-fall/” title=”Next: Learn More About the Axl Rose Photo Exhibit” align=”center”]
Photo by Chris Konigsmayr Here’s a look at the top stories of the day on Loudwire and around the Web: – Papa Roach ‘s Jacoby Shaddix offers an update on his recovery after vocal surgery, and it’s definitely not affected his outgoing spirit. [ Loudwire ] – They’ve rocked hard for over 30 years, setting the standard for thrash metal. Check out our salute to Slayer with the 10 Best Slayer Songs. [ Loudwire ] – Slash definitely has a fondness for animation after his ‘Phineas and Ferb’ appearance. Watch the rocker’s sinister new animated clip for ‘Bad Rain.’ [ Loudwire ] – Bruce Springsteen guitarist Steven Van Zandt is looking for some Kickstarter campaign backers to get the Rascals back together and touring. [ Ultimate Classic Rock ] – It’s a sad day with the death of legendary crooner Andy Williams. Take a look a several alternative covers of his classic song ‘Moon River.’ [ Diffuser.fm ] – It’s been buzzed about for a couple of years but that Thom Yorke / Flea band Atoms for Peace may have finally nailed down a schedule for their first album. [ Rock Music Report ]
Mary Ouellette, SheWillShootYou.com Motley Crue singer Vince Neil is doing his part to encourage the next generation of rockers, as the vocalist hopped onstage with the members of teen rock band Going Dark to perform the classic ‘Girls Girls Girls’ in New Jersey over the weekend. The singer has been staging after-parties following shows on the Motley Crue and Kiss tour, often times employing a local band to play and occasionally making their day by joining them onstage. Neil recently did a similar thing after his band’s Toronto performance , teaming up with Motley Crue tribute band, Crued. TMZ reports that the New Jersey party definitely was special for the 12-, 14- and 16-year-old members of the band, as not only did Neil sing with them, but he brought along porn star Lisa Ann to dance onstage while they played. After the song was over, Neil high-fived, shook hands, and hugged the band members before the group signed off for the evening. Neil isn’t the first celebrity to cross their paths, as Going Dark recently had boxing champ Sergio Martinez intro their video for ‘Stand Up.’ Watch Vince Neil Perform ‘Girls Girls Girls’ With Gone Dark [button href=”http://loudwire.com/motley-crue-kiss-donate-100k-relief-fund-aurora-shooting-victims/” title=”Next: Motley Crue and Kiss Donate $100K to Aurora Shooting Victims” align=”center”]
Prospect Park Congrats are in order for Five Finger Death Punch , as the group’s latest record, ‘ American Capitalist ,’ has been certified gold for shipping over 500,000 copies in the United States. The band’s previous two albums — 2007′s ‘The Way of the Fist’ and 2009′s ‘War Is the Answer’ — also achieved the mark. ‘American Capitalist’ shot out of the gate with a solid start, debuting at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 album chart back in October 2011. Guitarist Zoltan Bathory says of the accomplishment, “I think it’s a huge win for all of us, not just for us as a band but for the entire genre of hard rock and heavy metal. This is a loud and clear indicator that heavy music is in demand and if a relatively new band like us can accomplish something like this, then maybe this is just the prelude for the shape of things to come.” The album sales also coincide with the band’s chart success with their singles, as the group has surpassed 3.6 million songs sold. In total, the group has scored ten Top 10 singles at Active Rock radio and a No. 1 song with the current single ‘ Coming Down .’ Singer Ivan Moody says, “Radio stations across the U.S., and basically the whole world, have been very supportive of the band. We are grateful and remain indebted to them for stepping behind us, and as our fan base continues to grow year after year, it is clear that rock radio is far from dead. People are listening.” Five Finger Death Punch spent the summer headlining the Trespass America tour, and they’re currently catching a breather before finishing up 2012 with their performance on the Shiprocked Cruise leaving from Fort Lauderdale, Fla,. on Nov. 27. Guitarist Jason Hook recently stated that the group is looking ahead to the ‘American Capitalist’ follow-up and have an eye toward January to start work on the effort. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/five-finger-death-punch-invite-next-generation-of-heavy-metal-onstage/” title=”Next: Five Finger Death Punch Teach Next Generation of Metal” align=”center”]
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Fans turned out in droves for the New York City stop of the ‘Epic Kings & Idols’ tour featuring Katatonia , Devin Townsend Project , Paradise Lost and Stolen Babies. Katatonia are out in support of their ninth full length record ‘Dead End Kings’ and they kicked off their set with ‘Dead Letters’ from the new album. The Swedish metalers also performed new tracks like ‘Buidings,’ ‘Lethean’ and ‘The Racing Heart’ along with older cuts ‘Teargas,’ ‘Walking by a Wire,’ ‘My Twin’ and more. Devin Townsend and the rest of his band had the most energetic set of the night and put on one of the best shows of the year. Townsend has one hell of a voice and he belted out songs such as ‘Supercrush,’ ‘Juular,’ ‘Vampira,’ as well as numerous others. The band also showcased the new album ‘Epicloud’ with performances of ‘Kingdom,’ ‘Lucky Animals’ and ‘Grace.’ Townsend is known for his fun stage presence, and he threw smiles and funny faces to the welcoming and enthusiastic crowd. The Devin Townsend Project is one group of musicians that cannot be missed in concert. Paradise Lost performed a vigorous set that kicked off with ‘Enchantment,’ ‘Erased’ and ‘The Enemy.’ They also played the title track of their latest record ‘Tragic Idol’ and another new tune ‘In This We Dwell,’ as well as older favorites ‘Faith Divides Us’ and ‘Say Just Words.’ Stolen Babies opened up the show and began the night of madness with their carnivalesque, avant garde metal set, which fans really dug. Frontwoman and accordion player Dominique Lenore Persi would later grace the stage again during Devin Townsend’s set. Check out our photos below of the show at New York City’s Irving Plaza. Katatonia Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Devin Townsend Project: Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Paradise Lost: Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Stolen Babies: Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire With just under two weeks before their upcoming album ‘The Parallax II: Future Sequence’ is released, Between the Buried and Me have premiered the first official video from the album, ‘Astral Body.’ The clip was directed by Wes Richardson. The video draws from the concepts of 2011′s ‘The Parallax: Hypersleep Dialogues’ EP and the new album. “To see lyrics and music come to life in a video is an unexplainable feeling. I literally am speechless every time I watch what he has done with this video,” says BTBAM singer Tommy Rogers. The ‘Astral Body’ video explores a design structure that would make up the creator’s dream while floating through space. The structure is a digital blueprint of the world he once knew. Richardson also made use of location photography, footage, and photo-real visual effects to capture the surface on the planet. “When we decided to create a video for this song I never expected to have visuals of this quality,” Rogers explains. “Wes has done an outstanding job of taking the lyrics and creating a world that won’t let the viewer turn away. We are very lucky to have such talented people surround us.” Guitarist Paul Waggoner details the concept of ‘Parallax II.’ “The two main characters of the story take on a journey through space and time with the unenviable task of having to cure the flaws of humanity by any means necessary. While the EP served mostly as an introduction to the characters, ‘Future Sequence’ contains the action of the story.” BTBAM kick off a European tour Oct. 1 in the UK followed by Japan, Australia and New Zealand dates. [button href=”http://www.altpress.com/aptv/video/video_premiere_between_the_buried_and_me_astral_body” title=”Watch Between the Buried and Me’s ‘Astral Body’ at AlternativePress.com” align=”center”]
Mary Ouellette, SheWillShootYou.com In late August, Papa Roach frontman Jacoby Shaddix received discouraging news. After experiencing issues with his voice and consulting a doctor, he was advised to undergo surgery due to a node on his vocal cord. The impending surgery caused Papa Roach to drop off of the Rockstar Energy Drink Uproar Festival after only a week on the bill, an opportunity the band was hoping to use to showcase the new material from their upcoming disc, ‘The Connection,’ due out next week on Oct. 2. Well, good news: Shaddix tells Loudwire he is already on the path to a complete recovery after the surgery, and should be back on the stage in the very near future. Our phone conversation with Shaddix began with the Papa Roach singer serenading yours truly with his rendition of the classic Run-DMC tune ‘Mary, Mary,’ probably much to the chagrin of his doctor. When asked how his pipes were healing and how he was feeling, Shaddix was very positive about the whole experience. “Recovery is going really good,” Shaddix said. “It was a little tough in the beginning; I couldn’t talk at all so that sucked. It was the longest silence of my life since I was born; I just wanted to talk so bad.” As far as the physical healing, Shaddix said his last few appointments have been very encouraging. “Went to the first doctor’s appointment, all good,” explained Shaddix. “Went to another one yesterday and the doctor said I could start warming up. It was funny because they put a camera down my nose and down my throat to look down there and they couldn’t see which side they operated on because it had healed so well. They had to go back and look at the ‘before’ pictures, so that’s a god sign. It’s healing really well.” So what does the future hold for the singer? “I’m going to start warming up and I’ll be good to go here in the next two weeks. I’ll be full-voiced, buck wild, singing like a maniac,” Shaddix said. So in short, a true return to form. When we asked Shaddix if there would be any long-term effects to his singing voice, he responded, “I don’t think so. I’ll find out exactly how my voice sounds in the next few weeks. Anything is better than what it was, though, because it was f—ing terrible. I’m good.” Check back next week for the rest of our interview with Shaddix. In the meantime, you can pre-order Papa Roach’s new disc ‘The Connection’ here before its release on Tuesday (Oct. 2). [button href=”http://loudwire.com/papa-roach-still-swingin-video-jacoby-shaddix-recovers-vocal-surgery/” title=”Watch the Video for Papa Roach’s New Single ‘Still Swingin'” align=”center”]