ThreeDaysGrace.com The rock world was definitely in shock earlier today (Jan. 9), learning that not only was Adam Gontier exiting his post as singer of Three Days Grace , but that the band had already selected My Darkest Days frontman Matt Walst to replace him on their upcoming tour. The questions began to arise about My Darkest Days’ future as well, given that the band just bade farewell to longtime guitarist Sal Costa earlier this week. Even though the group had stated they were starting work on a new album, the major news about Walst joining his brother Brad’s band obviously followed the earlier new music discussion. With that in mind, Walst has posted a new Facebook message attempting to clear up some of the confusion and discuss his motivations about his work with both bands. It reads as follows: WHAT A CRAZY WEEK It has been a very emotional week for myself and the members of My Darkest Days. With the departure of Sal from the band I have to say that it has felt like I have been on a rollercoaster and I am not sure where the end is. When you are on the road with some one for the length of time that we were, you form a bond just like any other relationship and when one person walks away it is only natural to feel a wide range of things from sadness to anger. That being said please know that Sal chose to leave My Darkest Days and although we are disappointed we wish him the best of luck in his new life and his new endeavors. With every down there is an up! I am very excited to have the opportunity to share the stage with my brother Brad and the rest of the members of Three Days Grace on their Transit of Venus Tour. As most of you are, I was just as shocked as you to find out about Adam’s departure from 3DG. When asked, I was unsure at first as Adam, Brad, Neil and Barry have all been such huge influences on my life musically and personally. After some thought and a few sleepless nights I accepted. It has always been a childhood dream to share the stage with my brother and I get that opportunity on this upcoming tour. Adam is an amazing Singer, Performer and Role-model and all I can do is try and fill some enormous shoes. I wish him well in his recovery and hope to see him grace the stage again soon. With all that has gone on this week I want to assure everyone that My Darkest Days is stronger then ever! My bandmates are very excited for me and I have their full support. We have completed some songs that we are very excited about and my brothers, Brendo, Dougie and lil Reidy will continue to write with me while I am on tour. We are looking forward to putting out our third album and hope you are as excited about it as we are! Last but most important of all I want to thank all of you who have supported My Darkest Days in the past and continue to support us in the future. For those that have been there from the beginning and have stuck by us we thank you with all our hearts. For those who have just joined us we thank you. For those about to rock, we salute you! Matt Walst As previously reported, Three Days Grace have signed on for two legs of a co-headlining tour with Shinedown . The trek launches Feb. 1 in Moline, Ill. and continues through the end of March. Matt Walst will serve as vocalist of Three Days Grace for the entire run. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/shinedown-three-days-grace-add-second-leg-to-2013-co-headlining-u-s-tour/” title=”Next: See Where Three Days Grace Are Touring” align=”center”]
Posts Tagged ‘life’
Matt Walst Discusses His New Role as Singer of Three Days Grace + Status of My Darkest Days
January 9th, 2013 
Metalkult 
Posted in News 
Tags: a-few-sleepless, a-wide-range, band, life, my darkest days, post, share-the-stage, stage, three days grace, three-days, walst, week 
No Comments »Singer A. Jay Popoff on Lit: ‘This Band Has Always Been a Brotherhood’
January 7th, 2013 Metalkult Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Lit have had one heck of a journey as a band, releasing their fifth studio album, ‘The View From The Bottom,’ last year after an eight year break. They were also recently part of 2012’s ShipRocked Cruise, which featured numerous talented acts on a boat sailing from Florida to the Bahamas and back. While on the cruise, we had the chance to chat with frontman A. Jay Popoff about the new how, how the tragic death of their drummer Allen Shellenberger affected the band, as well as future plans for Lit and much more. Lit have endured numerous hardships as a band; how has that made you stronger individually and as a group? It definitely changed perspective on the big picture. This band has always been a brotherhood, you hear any band say that but our band literally grew up together. To lose a brother, it’s hard enough not only when you’re best friends and you’re partners in something like Lit – it’s our business and our life, it’s like losing a limb. It definitely brought the rest of us together — Kevin [Baldes] and Jeremy [Popoff] and I –and [we] pulled some deeper, sentimental songs when we wrote ‘The View From The Bottom.’ There are songs that are therapeutic for us. Lyrics have always been important to us but it’s a little less about the partying and drinking – we have those songs on here but it’s more about, just life. What does the title ‘The View From the Bottom’ specifically mean to you? It was an image that came to us more than what it actually says. On the cover, it’s us raising our glasses and it’s sort of like this new beginning in a way and we have a song called ‘Here’s To Us’ – this whole record is all about family and unity and that’s just the toast. ‘The View From the Bottom’ is looking up at the bottom of a glass. It was great seeing you onstage [during your ShipRocked set]. You guys have been away for a while – what did you guys miss most about playing shows and touring? That was the part we missed the most – getting out there. We did continue to do occasional one off shows, it was just enough to keep us going but really getting out on the road over the summer was awesome – just everyday waking up on the tour bus, hanging out after. You have nowhere else to go except back on the bus so it’s cool to hang out with people and reconnect with fans, new fans that were too young to come out to the shows before –we’re meeting a lot of those people and now they’re old enough to drink, so a lot of raising glasses with new people. What made you guys decide to write and create music again? Nathan Walker, our drummer now, he was really close with Allen [Shellenberger], it was when we decided to induct him into the group — I don’t know it was weird, everything just lined up and that’s when songs started to flow. We continued to write because we’re songwriters outside of the band, as well, but actual Lit music just wasn’t coming to us, everything we would right we’d be like “That’s not Lit.” My brother and I we do most of the writing and the songs just started feeling like Lit again and so we just went for it. Was there every a moment where you thought you and the rest of Lit might not ever make music together again or did you feel that it would take some time and happen naturally? We knew that we would always make music together because there really isn’t any other option. We’ve spent our entire lives doing this and it’s just what we are and we just have such a cool fanbase all over the world and constantly getting hit up by people who want new music. I just felt like we owed it to ourselves as a band, we owed it to the fans that have been so patient and we didn’t want to put out some half assed record just because it had taken so long. We wanted to deliver something that we’re proud of. What are plans for Lit in 2013? We’re planning on getting back out on the road and probably writing another record, too. We’re not going to sit around and wait, we’re feeling creative. The fire’s back and passion’s there and we just want to keep it going. Watch Lit’s Music Video for ‘The Broken’ ? [button href=”http://loudwire.com/shiprocked-2012-korn-in-this-moment-p-o-d-more-day-2-recap-gallery/” title=”Check Out Photos of Lit Performing on 2012 ShipRocked Cruise” align=”center”]
New Book Details Author’s Experience as a Black Woman in the Metal Community
January 4th, 2013 Metalkult Bazillion Points Although there is no inherent discrimination within the metal community, it’s plain to see at any concert that most metalheads happen to be white males. While music genres can become polarizing, the central focus should always be the music itself, as author and black female Laina Dawes set out to argue in her new book, ‘What Are You Doing Here?: A Black Woman’s Life and Liberation in Heavy Metal.’ Dawes found herself connected to metal music, especially that of Judas Priest , at a very young age, but due to her gender and race, the youthful Canadian metalhead found it difficult to integrate herself into the scene. “Being 11 or 12 years old, I really resonated with the sound of anger and my internal struggles or what I was going through,” Dawes explains to NPR . “I found that listening to the music in my bedroom, being able to feel like you could scream and yell and really express your anger, that really helped me out when I was a kid.” Despite Dawes finding personal salvation within metal as an individual, she faced some unnerving backlash within social circles. “There was a boy who went to another high school,” begins Dawes. “He was really into metal, and we would talk on the phone, and I remember that he said that he wanted to meet me at a shopping mall on the weekend. And he said, ‘Well, what do you look like?’ And I said, ‘Well, I’m black and this and this…’ and he hung up the phone. I never heard from him again. [I also remember] my black female friends in high school and their parents wondering why I was wearing a Def Leppard T-shirt or whatever, and really kind of questioning me on my cultural legitimacy as a black person. All of those together made me really understand at a pretty young age that, as a black woman, I’m not supposed to be doing this, and there’s something wrong with me because I enjoy this music.” Despite the barriers Dawes faced, metal has remained the soundtrack of her life. The foreward to Dawes’ book was penned by renowned black female rocker Skin of the British rock group Skunk Anansie. ‘What Are You Doing Here?’ is available for purchase at Bazillion Points Books and various online outlets.
Posted in News Tags: a-black-person-, a-black-woman, a-pretty-young, a-shopping-mall, a-very-young, doing-here, into-the-scene, leppard-t-shirt, life, metal, Music, news, phone, skunk-anansie No Comments »Perry Farrell: 60-Song Creative Burst Is for ‘Immersive Theater’ Project
January 2nd, 2013 Metalkult Kevin Winter, Getty Images Jane’s Addiction ‘s Perry Farrell recently spent some time recovering from surgery enjoying a creative burst that resulted in some 60 tracks being worked through, but the singer says that the material was not necessarily all for Jane’s Addiction. Farrell tells GrungeReport.net , “There’s over 60 [songs] lyrically written and then there’s probably 38 recorded, but they were not Jane’s Addiction, they were mine, for the next project.” The vocalist went on to add, “The next project’s going to be a really interesting affair, never before done in history. It’s going to be immersive theater, like a musical or play. I’m going to have Jane’s writing one record and then I’ve written another one that’s electronic. It’s theater, and in some cases, the scene takes place out in a place like Phuket or a region like that in a bar or a club, so you’d be listening to dance music.” The vocalist says he’s already written the first, dance-related portion, but the second half is still incomplete. He added, “I have many song melodies, but they haven’t been recorded or worked with Jane’s Addiction yet.” Farrell also spoke about a proposed Porno for Pyros reunion and explained that his current project has cooled him on the idea for the time being. He explains, “I love all the guys in Porno and I’ll always want to do it, but I’ve gotten so hot with this new project, now that it’s in the works and moving forward, that … something really great came up. It’s sort of like you were with a girl or with a guy, and then you guys broke apart, and you started getting in contact with each other, like, ‘Yeah, we should see each other again sometime,’ and then all of a sudden this amazing person comes into your life.” For more of the singer’s thoughts, including working with Trent Reznor , the latest on Lollapalooza and more, check out the full GrungeReport.net interview here . [button href=”http://loudwire.com/janes-addiction-dave-navarro-plotting-two-solo-records/” title=”Next: Jane’s Addiction’s Dave Navarro Contemplates Two Solo Records” align=”center”]
Posted in News Tags: a-for-the, a-place-like, current-project, farrell, getty-images, janes addiction, kevin-winter, life, rock, singer, time, winter No Comments »Papa Roach Unveil ‘Before I Die’ Video
December 22nd, 2012 Metalkult YouTube Papa Roach are ending 2012 with a little video extravaganza. Earlier this month, fans got the ‘ Where Did the Angels Go ‘ clip and now, getting in just under the 2012 deadline, there’s a new video for ‘Before I Die.’ The promo itself finds a grieving Jacoby Shaddix haunted by visions of lost love, often to his own detriment. Playing it close to the lyrical concept of the song, the video shows Shaddix expressing his heartbreak by chasing his visions into dangerous situations in an attempt to hold onto the past. Earlier this year, Shaddix told Loudwire about ‘Before I Die,’ “I was going through a separation with my wife during the process of making the record. Fast forward to the present and we’re working it out now, but in the process of making this record we were separated. I was at the end of my rope; I was in a lot of pain. This music is where I found my sanctuary, where I could express myself and just take myself out it for a second and not feel the pain and just be creative. During the process of making this song, ‘Before I Die’ I felt like everything was taken from me and I was just left out there raw and broken, it made everything clear to me, what really mattered to me.” ‘Before I Die’ is a key song for Shaddix as the vocalist says it spurred a change in his life. He explains, “At the end of the day it’s the people that I love in my life that are the most important to me and sometimes when you treat the people that you love the most the worst, that’s the wrong path. I had to take a long hard look at myself and realize how I was living my life and make those changes. Just being out there on my own and having those realizations, that’s where the song came from.” ‘Before I Die’ appears on ‘ The Connection ‘ album and likely will be part of the band’s performances when they begin their 2013 North American touring with Stone Sour . Watch Papa Roach’s ‘Before I Die’ Video [button href=”http://loudwire.com/papa-roach-still-swingin-guitar-center-sessions-exclusive-preview/” title=”Next: Watch Papa Roach’s ‘Still Swingin’ from ‘Guitar Sessions'” align=”center”]
Posted in News Tags: a-little-video, a-second-and, band, life, Music, news, official music videos, papa roach, people, roach, rock, still-swingin-, Stone Sour, wife No Comments »Deftones’ Chino Moreno Says Chi Cheng Would Appreciate Band’s Recent Albums
December 21st, 2012 Metalkult Mark Metcalfe / Ethan Miller, Getty Images Deftones continue to receive plenty of acclaim for their ‘ Koi No Yokan ‘ album, with the disc making many year-end Top 10 critics lists, including a No. 1 spot on Loudwire’s 10 Best Rock Albums of 2012 . But the success for the band is bittersweet as they’ve been doing it without the services of longtime bassist Chi Cheng , who has mostly been in a comatose state since his 2008 car accident. While Cheng has been out of action, singer Chino Moreno says his presence is felt on their recent material and he feels the musician would appreciate what the band has been doing in his absence. Moreno tells the Irish Times , “Some of the best times in our lives have been together as friends making this music together and he’s a very big part of it. I’ve been friends with him for most of my life. I think he would appreciate what we are doing now.” The band’s creative resurgence with both ‘Koi No Yokan’ and their previous disc ‘Diamond Eyes’ came after Cheng’s accident, and Moreno says that it really proved to be a catalyst for the band’s future musical focus. He says, “It made everybody sit back and realize that little things don’t seem to matter so much anymore. It’s just music. It is not the be all and end all, but it is a gift and we appreciate it. Everybody got into a really good headspace and it made us all close together. We started to appreciate and enjoy it more.” The singer adds, “A lot of people deal with things that are bad. Once you’ve been through something, you grow from it and you take a lot in. You can always turn it into something positive.” As for Cheng’s future, Moreno says, “I think [we’ll see him recover]. That’s what keeps us going. [It’s] four years since his accident. He’s still alive, he’s still fighting. He wants to make it through this. It has happened before in a lot of cases. We do keep positive and hopeful. It helps us to carry through and keep going. It could be the case that he never wakes up, but the best thing we can do is keep a positive mental attitude about things.” [button href=”http://loudwire.com/deftones-spring-2013-u-s-tour/” title=”Next: Deftones Announce 2013 North American Tour” align=”center”]
Posted in News Tags: cheng, chino-moreno, deftones-chino, diamond-eyes-, getty-images, life, moreno, musician, rock, with-the-disc No Comments »Black Sabbath Legend Tony Iommi Joins the National Guitar Museum Board of Advisors
December 20th, 2012 Metalkult Robert Cianflone, Getty Images Black Sabbath guitarist and master of the riff Tony Iommi has been welcomed into the National Guitar Museum Board of Advisors. Iommi strives to help preserve the legacy of the guitar through the traveling institution, which will showcase its unique exhibit in six different cities between now and September 2015. The National Guitar Museum ‘s traveling instillation, ‘Guitar: The Instrument That Rocked the World,’ launched its first show in 2011, proclaiming the guitar as “The Most Popular Instrument. Ever.” As metal music’s most important six-string strummer, Tony Iommi is a natural fit to bring additional credibility to the museum and exhibit. “I welcome the opportunity to be part of the National Guitar Museum’s goal to highlight the history of the guitar — the instrument that has been part of my life since I was a teenager,” states Iommi. “There is so much more to the guitar than six strings and a slab of wood. Everything about it is fascinating, from how it is crafted to the legion of people who have played it.” Adds HP Newquist, executive director of the NGM, ”Tony is one of the most important rock guitarists to ever pick up the instrument. His guitar playing has defined the sound of heavy metal for more than four decades, and he has influenced countless thousands — if not millions — of players. Tony’s also had a huge affect on the instrument itself, from establishing the Gibson SG as an iconic guitar on to his own innovations in pushing the boundaries of string and pickup technology.” Iommi has joined a legendary group of guitarists already on the museum’s Board of Advisors, including Steve Vai, Ritchie Blackmore ( Deep Purple , Rainbow), Johnny Winter, Joe Bonamassa, Steve Howe (Yes), Liona Boyd, Pat Kirtley and Pete Huttlinger. Once the National Guitar Museum completes its string of instillations, one U.S. city will be named the permanent home of the Museum. Meanwhile, Tony Iommi is currently competing for Rock Titan of the Year in the 2012 Loudwire Music Awards. Place your vote here . [button href=”http://loudwire.com” title=”Former Black Sabbath Drummer Voices Tony Iommi Audiobook” align=”center”]
Posted in News Tags: a-natural-fit, advisors-iommi, already-on-the, black, black-sabbath, getty-images, guitar, history, instrument, iommi-audiobook, life, news, rock, tony iommi No Comments »
