Posts Tagged ‘first’

Retrospective: Tool Videos Directed by Adam Jones

Tool Dissectional Tool founding member and sole guitarist Adam Jones has received a tremendous amount of praise for his musical work, but the talent of the guitarist ventures far past the auditory. Adam Jones is also an accomplished animator, makeup artist and set designer, having worked on major flicks such as ‘Jurassic Park,’ ‘Terminator 2′ and ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street 4 + 5′ among others. As Tool began to become more popular, Jones harnessed his talents to create official music videos for the band, which have remained stylistically unique and unmatched in terms of hypnotic quality for two decades. Whether or not Tool is your musical cup of tea, the videos directed by Adam Jones stand alone as not just accompaniments to a song, but as legitimate visual masterworks even if stripped of their music. Below are all seven Tool videos directed by Adam Jones. ‘Sober’ (1993) Adam Jones’ first visual creation for Tool was for ‘Sober,’ the band’s first video offering from their 1993 full-length ‘Undertow.’ Jones used his masterful stop-motion skills for the dark piece, and ‘Sober’ became the first in a long line of videos that purposely do not feature any of Tool’s band members and use bleak color schemes. Jones collaborated with Fred Stuhr to create the video, but for nearly a decade afterword, Jones took sole creative lead. ‘Prison Sex’ (1994) The second and final music video from Tool’s ‘Undertow’ album was crafted for the song ‘Prison Sex.’ Not only was the ‘Prison Sex’ clip a visual and conceptual achievement in the world of music videos, but also cemented Adam Jones’ talent as a video’s sole director. Despite the clip’s prowess, MTV actually banned ‘Prison Sex’ for what was considered to be disturbing imagery. ‘Stinkfist’ (1996) Tool began to earn legendary status as a band after the release of ‘Ænema’ in 1996. It must have been a difficult task to choose the first single from the record, but Tool went with ‘Stinkfist’ and thus, created another video. Purposed in heavily blue and purple, the clip showcases sand-based humanoids swallowing nails and strip their skin to reveal a contrasting layer. Although the video for ‘Stinkfist’ received heavy airplay on MTV, the music channel changed the title to ‘Track #1′ in an attempt to avoid controversy. ‘Ænema’ (1997) The title track for ‘Ænema’ acted as the muse for Jones’ final video coming from the record. The progressive theme of otherworldly human figures continued with ‘Ænema,’ with an added water concept reflecting the lyrical content of the song. Although the song’s visual accompaniment is yet another fascinating use of Adam Jones’ animation skills, the bleak and confusing nature of ‘Ænema’ leaves the viewer to create their own interpretation of the video’s meaning. ‘Schism’ (2001) Arguably Tool’s most popular and accessible song, ‘Schism’ was chosen as the leading single for the band’s 2001 masterpiece, ‘Lateralus.’ This next chapter in Tool’s videography used similar color patterns and humanoid figures from their earlier works, but ‘Schism’ is the band’s most lifelike clip to date. Although the track is well over seven minutes long, the demand for Tool allowed for the video to attain heavy rotation. There is nothing that sucks you in quite like a Tool video, and ‘Schism’ is no exception. ‘Parabola’ (2002) ‘Parabola’ is not only Adam Jones’ longest Tool clip to date (due to its inclusion of lead-in track ‘Parabol’), it is also his first foray into creating a Tool video with help from artist Alex Grey. The video features two suited human figures, reminiscent of the ‘Ænema’ video, cutting up fruit before vomiting up a black substance. A massive amount of interaction occurs throughout the short film, all moving towards the beautifully multi-colored discovery of the ‘third eye,’ representing a sense of enlightenment and one-ness with the universe’s collective consciousness. ‘Vicarious’ (2007) Tool’s most recent clip for ‘Vicarious’ is the sole music video from their 2006 album, ’10,000 Days,’ and is both slightly and massively different from the rest of Jones’ work. Continuing the use of slow movement, humanoid figures and the art of Alex Grey, Tool’s video for ‘Vicarious’ is their most colorful and technologically complex clip to date. The video’s infinite and almost 3D nature is a major trip in itself, but when accompanied by the music of Tool, your third eye suddenly seems unblocked and squeaky clean. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/tool-upcoming-album-more-than-halfway-done/” title=”Next: Tool’s Upcoming Album ‘More That Halfway Done'” align=”center”]

Jane’s Addiction Guitarist Dave Navarro Gets Naked for New PETA Campaign

PETA Jane’s Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro has long been an activist for animal rights, and now the guitarist is proving it in his latest campaign for PETA. In a spot geared towards exposing the cruelty of animals led by the cosmetic industry, the rocker bares all in a squeamish series of photos. Throughout the photo series, Navarro can be seen simulating the torture animals endure at the hands of humans in the quest for perfecting cosmetics and household cleaners. Images of Navarro, like the one seen above, bleeding from the eye with patches of flesh ripped off and bleeding, accompany the message PETA is promoting, ‘Animal Testing Kills: Choose Cruelty-Free.’ The campaign not only calls out the heinous testing methods but helps promote cruelty free testing throughout the industry. In the behind the scenes clip below posted by PETA, Navarro talks about his first exposure to cruelty free makeup and how he learned about the inhumane practices, leading to his quest to become an advocate for the animals. “They’re not taking a bunny rabbit and putting mascara on it. They’re injecting a chemical directly into its eye to see what kind of adverse reaction happens to it,” Navarro explained in the interview. “In many cases, parts of their body are ripped open. They’re all alive, and they’re all aware. It’s torture for the animal, it’s terrifying and painful and probably one of the cruelest things done in the name of vanity.” This doesn’t mark the first time that Navarro has geared down for PETA though and if we were betting folk, probably not the last. He also participated in PETA’s ‘ Ink, Not Mink ‘ campaign, protesting the fur industry. Watch the clip below to see Navarro behind the scenes at his gory photo shoot and to learn more about cruelty-free animal testing, but be warned, it’s not for the faint at heart, as it contains some graphic images of animals. Watch Dave Navarro’s PETA Photo Shoot [Contains Graphic Images] ? [button href=”http://loudwire.com/dave-navarro-sends-canadian-musician-new-guitar-to-replace-stolen-instrument/” title=”Navarro Sends Canadian Musician New Guitar to Replace Stolen Instrument” align=”center”]

Flyleaf + Drowning Pool To Showcase New Vocalists on 2013 U.S. Tour

Facebook: Flyleaf / Facebook: Drowning Pool Two rock bands will put their newly chosen singers vocalists on display when they team up for a 2013 tour. Earlier this year, Flyleaf announced that Kristen May would front the band, taking over for Lacey Sturm who left after recording of the group’s ‘ New Horizons ‘ album. Meanwhile, Drowning Pool are touring in support of their first album with new frontman Jasen Moreno . The as-yet-untitled disc just yielded the single ‘ Saturday Night .’ The trek launches Feb. 21 in Philadelphia and runs for a full month through March 24. Flyleaf guitarist Sameer Bhattacharya says, “We’re excited for everyone to experience Kristen May’s powerful and inspiring voice as she joins us onstage.” Bassist Pat Seals adds, “I can’t wait for these new songs to happen live for both longtime and new fans.” Drowning Pool guitarist CJ Pierce adds about the tour, “We’re excited as hell to get back out on the road and hang with our fellow Texas rockers Flyleaf. We’ve done some radio shows together in the past but this will be our first real run together. I know Flyleaf has a great new lineup and some amazing new tunes. We’ll be playing a killer mix of songs from our catalogue and some new tunes as well. Looking forward to rocking out with everyone.” In addition to ‘Saturday Night,’ Drowning Pool also served up a preview track called ‘One Finger and a Fist’ during the WWE Slammy Awards earlier this week. The song is available as a free download for a limited time here . Get it now. Flyleaf / Drowning Pool 2013 North American Tour: 2/21 — Philadelphia, Pa. — TLA 2/22 — Pittsburgh, Pa. — Altar Bar 2/23 — Hartford, Ct. — Webster 2/24 — Allentown, Pa. — Crocodile Rock 2/27 — Huntington, N.Y. — Paramount 2/28 — New York, N.Y. — Irving 3/1 — Asbury Park, N.J. — Asbury Park 3/2 — Silver Spring, Md. — Fillmore 3/5 — Cincinnati, Ohio — Bogart’s 3/6 — Cleveland, Ohio — House of Blues 3/8 — Grand Rapids, Mich. — The Intersection 3/9 — Detroit, Mich. — St. Andrews Hall 3/10 — Chicago, Ill. — House of Blues 3/14 — Denver, Colo. — The Summit Music Hall 3/15 — Salt Lake City, Utah — ITV 3/16 — Boise, Idaho — Knitting Factory 3/17 — Spokane, Wash. — Knitting Factory 3/19 — Reno, Nev. — Knitting Factory 3/21 — Anaheim, Calif. — House of Blues 3/23 — Tempe, Ariz. — The Marquee 3/24 — Tucson, Ariz. — Rock [button href=”http://loudwire.com/flyleaf-animated-video-call-you-out/” title=”Next: Watch Flyleaf’s ‘Call You Out’ Video” align=”center”]

Jason Newsted Finishing First Record With New Self-Titled Band

NewstedHeavyMetal.com Jason Newsted recently re-announced his presence online with a new website and followed that with the revelation that he was fronting a new band that also shared his name. Now the former Metallica bassist has checked in online to let fans know that things are moving along quickly and that his band is close to finishing a new record. In his latest Facebook posting , Newsted reveals, “I am very happy in my life now! I have a new band that bears my own name. We’re just finishing our first record. I’m feeling strong again playing bass and singing lead vocals and you all will be hearing it in one month’s time!!! New year, new band, new life!!! Bless you all and I can’t wait to share my music with everyone!!! I’m entrusting all of my friends to get the word out!!! Jason’s back!!!” Speaking about his new band in a recent interview , Newsted stated, “I’ve thought about this for a long time, putting my name on a project other than just coming up with a clever name, like Echobrain or Papa Wheelie or something. We have a lot of cool names for projects, but this is the first time with my name and really trying to get out to the people that I played for by the millions in the past with Metallica.” As for the music, he added, “Whatever it ends up being — if it’s five songs, 20 songs, 50 songs … I don’t even know what the heck I’m gonna do. I have so much music from over the years. I have a bunch of new stuff … I’m just trying to figure out exactly what I wanna unleash on everybody first. That’s kind of what it’s coming down to — the timing of things and how I wanna hit people with it.” In his Facebook posting, Newsted also commented on his time with Metallica, adding, “I want y’all to know that I am ultra proud of my time in the band … I am thankful for the wonderful experiences of our 15 years together and I will always be open to jammin’ with the boys.” [button href=”http://loudwire.com/best-metallica-songs/” title=”Next: 10 Best Metallica Songs” align=”center”]

10 Best Rock Songs of 2012

Frazer Harrison, Getty Images / Chelsea Lauren, WireImage / Kevin Winter, Getty Images There were some incredible rock songs unleashed in 2012 from a diverse group of artists. Bands like Three Days Grace , Stone Sour and Papa Roach maintained their excellence with standout tracks at rock radio. There was a welcome return this year from Marilyn Manson , and breakout tracks from female-led bands like Halestorm and Dead Sara . It was tough to narrow the picks down to 10, but after some heated debate and occasional fisticuffs among our staff members, Loudwire has made its choices for the year's best tunes. So check out our list of the 10 Best Rock Songs of 2012: ? 10 'Chalk Outline' Three Days Grace ? ? From: 'Transit of Venus' We kick off our 10 best songs of 2012 list with Three Days Grace's 'Chalk Outline,' a track that many people loved as evidenced by its 12-week reign atop the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and 10-week run at No. 1 on the Billboard Active Rock Chart. The jarring opening notes definitely catch the listener right off the bat, while singer Adam Gontier belts out lines about being cursed by a love that's left him behind. Listen to 'Chalk Outline' ? ? 9 'Still Swingin'' Papa Roach ? ? From: 'The Connection' Papa Roach have battled against the odds to establish themselves as one of rock's enduring bands, and 'Still Swingin'' provided the group with the perfect anthem to qualify their journey. It's got blistering guitars, hard-hitting drums and a rap-like delivery in the verses before Jacoby Shaddix shows his melodic side in the chorus. As long as they keep cranking out songs like 'Still Swingin',' Papa Roach will continue to stay on top of their game. Listen to 'Still Swingin'' ? ? 8 'Harakiri' Serj Tankian ? ? From: 'Harakiri' (2012) System of a Down singer Serj Tankian delivered one of the best rock albums of the year with his solo effort 'Harakiri,' and standing tall among the disc's songs is the title track. Featuring perhaps the most beautifully melodic chorus in a rock song in 2012, the tune 'Harakiri' questions if today's environmental factors may be playing a part in the freakish mass deaths of various animals over recent years. It's a thought-provoking tune that is both memorable in its lyrics and its music. Listen to 'Harakiri' ? ? 7 'Bully' Shinedown ? ? From: 'Amaryllis' Bullying has become an increasing problem in schools and the guys of Shinedown take on the issue with this blistering tune. The aggressive nature of 'Bully' fits perfectly with the band's condemnation of bullying and encouragement to those being bullies to stand up for oneself. Add in Brent Smith 's infectious sing-along lyrics and you've got a track that's not only inspirational but also rocks. Listen to 'Bully' ? ? 6 'No Reflection' Marilyn Manson ? ? From: 'Born Villain' Marilyn Manson experienced a musical rebirth with his 2012 album 'Born Villain' and the first single, 'No Reflection,' made it clear that the singer had recaptured the old magic that led to his superstardom in the first place. The fuzzed out opening guitars, the catchy but dark lyrical content, and a chorus where the emotion in Manson's voice takes hold as he digs deep into his soul makes this one of 2012's best rock tracks. Listen to 'No Reflection' ? ? 5 'Gone Sovereign' Stone Sour ? ? From: 'House of Gold & Bones, Pt. 1' 'Gone Sovereign' was half of a two-part single that Stone Sour released in late summer (the other half being 'Absolute Zero'), and the hard-hitting nature of the song immediately connected with fans. The frenetic power and fury of the guitar play between Jim Root and Josh Rand stands out, while Roy Mayorga's thunderous drumming drives the song. Corey Taylor starts the song by singing, 'No one's laughing now,' but the vocalist probably has a smile knowing that 'Gone Sovereign' has turned into one of 2012's standout songs. Listen to 'Gone Sovereign' ? ? 4 'March to the Sea' Baroness ? ? From: 'Yellow & Green' Baroness had one of the year's better, yet often overlooked, albums and one of the tracks that makes it such a standout disc is 'March to the Sea.' The song starts innocently enough, with some nifty psychedelic picking before the power of the drums kicks in. The track provides a hypnotic feel throughout, as the band tell the tale of a friend lost to drugs, comparing it to someone who tied themselves up and jumped in the sea never to come home again. Listen to 'March to the Sea' ? ? 3 'Love Bites (So Do I)' Halestorm ? ? From: 'The Strange Case Of…' Halestorm got 2012 off to a rocking good start with the single 'Love Bites (So Do I),' a song that was an infectious concoction of punk, thrash and rock all in one foot-tapping, fist-pumping package. Drummer Arejay Hale absolutely kills the drumkit, while Lzzy Hale tells the tale of a girl honing in on a guy with a girlfriend and explaining why she should be his. 'Love Bites' became the first song ever from a female-fronted act to be No. 1 on the Active Rock charts. Well done, Halestorm! Listen to 'Love Bites (So Do I)' ? ? 2 'Leathers' Deftones ? ? From: 'Koi No Yokan' Fans certainly were excited when Deftones announced the impending release of their album 'Koi No Yokan,' but it was the first song unleashed from the disc that truly sent the band's devotees into a frenzy. While not the official first single, 'Leathers' is the most dynamic song on a disc that took the top spot on our 10 Best Rock Albums of 2012 list. Chino Moreno's voice soars to new heights when he sings the line 'Shedding your skin / Showing your texture.” All told, 'Leathers' just might be the most powerful rock song of 2012. Listen to 'Leathers' ? ? 1 'Weatherman' Dead Sara ? ? From: 'Dead Sara' Every once in a while, the rock world needs a swift kick in the butt from a new band. And in 2012, it was Los Angeles rock act Dead Sara who delivered the most dynamic song of the year. 'Weatherman' is a raw, uninhibited tune that perfectly melds frontwoman Emily Armstrong's incredible voice with a no-holds-barred musical attack led by guitarist Souixsie Medley. The track features the memorable line 'Go for the kill,' and that's exactly what Dead Sara did with 'Weatherman,' making it the No. 1 tune on our list of the best rock songs of 2012. Listen to 'Weatherman' ? ? What Was Your Favorite Rock Song Of 2012? Well, that rocked! Do you agree? Let us know what you think about our 10 Best Rock Songs of 2012 list. Is there a song we missed and if so, what would you knock out? Tell us your thoughts in the comments section below. ?

Kid Rock Unveils 2013 ‘Rebel Soul’ U.S. Tour Dates Featuring Openers Buckcherry + Hellbound Glory

Mary Ouellette, SheWillShootYou.com Kid Rock has announced dates for the first leg of his 2013 U.S. tour in support of his recently released new album ‘Rebel Soul.’ He’ll be bringing along Buckcherry and Hellbound Glory for the ride. The trek, which follows his two-night stand in Hollywood, Fla., on Dec. 30 and 31, kicks off Feb. 2 in Kansas City, Mo., and is currently scheduled through a March 2 gig in Louisville, Ky. More dates are expected to be announced shortly. Rock will be touring with his longtime backing group the Twisted Brown Trucker band. Kid Rock recently unveiled the video for ‘Let’s Ride,’ the first single off ‘Rebel Soul.’ He’ll be performing that tune at the WWE Tribute to the Troops airing on the USA network on Dec. 19. Buckcherry, meanwhile, will be out in support of their upcoming album ‘Confessions,’ which is due in 2013. Check out the full list of dates for the first leg of Kid Rock’s 2013 tour below: Kid Rock 2013 U.S. Tour With Buckcherry and Hellbound Glory Feb 2 Kansas City, MO – Sprint Center Feb 5  Springfield, MO – JQH Arena Feb 7  Beaumont, TX – Ford Park Event Center Feb 9  Tulsa, OK – BOK Center Feb 10 Wichita, KS – INTRUST Bank Arena Feb 13 Bossier City, LA – CenturyLink Center Feb 15 Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena Feb 16 Greenville, SC – Bi-Lo Center Feb 18 Fort Myers, FL – Germain Arena Feb 20 Pensacola, FL – Pensacola Civic Center Feb 21 New Orleans, LA – New Orleans Arena Feb 23 Birmingham, AL – BJCC Arena Feb 24 Huntsville, AL – Von Braun Center Feb 26 Greensboro, NC – Greensboro Coliseum Complex Feb 27 Knoxville, TN – Knoxville Civic Auditorium Mar 1  Memphis, TN – FedEx Forum Mar 2  Louisville, KY – KFC Yum! Center

Soundgarden Rock ‘Live on Letterman’ Gig at New York’s Ed Sullivan Theater

SoundgardenWorld.com New Yorkers had the opportunity to see Soundgarden play at the very intimate Ed Sullivan Theater as part of the ‘Live on Letterman’ concert series. Soungarden are out in promotion of ‘King Animal,’ their first album in 16 years, and they kicked off the night with new tracks ‘Worse Dreams’ and ‘By Crooked Steps.’ Seven out of the 10 songs they played were off of ‘King Animal’ which gave fans a first listen at hearing the new tunes in a live setting. It took a while for the crowd to warm up, as many were hearing these songs for the first time, but the enthusiasm built pulled out some classics such as ‘Incessant Mace,’ ‘Beyond the Wheel’ and ‘Fell on Black Days.’ Soundgarden sounded flawless as Cornell’s vocal range took our ears to an entirely new level. The serious shredding skills of guitarist Kim Thayil is mind blowing when you see him perform live, and the booming bass of Ben Shepherd and steady beats from drummer Matt Cameron topped it all off. During the performance Cornell, joked that that David Letterman was managing them now. Earlier in the evening, while they were taping their appearance on CBS ‘Late Show,’ host David Letterman told the band after their performance that he’d like to manage the band. Cornell went on to quip that the band is not doing any more small gigs, only Madison Square Garden from now on. That joke didn’t last long, since right after ‘Live on Letterman,’ Cornell did in fact play a “small gig,” for a big cause. Cornell performed a solo set which was a benefit show for Hurricane Sandy victims at Bowery Ballroom. In a surprise, he was joined by his Soundgarden bandmates during that gig. Soundgarden’s takeover of New York City continues tonight (Nov. 13) with a gig at Irving Plaza. Check Out Soundgarden’s ‘Live On Letterman’ Set ‘Live On Letterman’ Set list: 1. Worse Dreams 2. By Crooked Steps 3. Incessant Mace 4. Beyond the Wheel 5. Taree 6. A Thousand Days Before 7. Eyelid’s Mouth 8. Non-State Actor 9. Fell on Black Days 10. Rowing