Noel Vasquez, Getty Images Veteran punk rockers Rancid have set up shop in a San Francisco studio to record what will be their eighth album, reveals drummer Branden Steineckert via Twitter . Details are sparse on the group’s new disc, which will be their first since 2009′s ‘Let the Dominoes Fall.’ The band has yet to reveal their producer, though Bad Religion’s Brett Gurewitz has overseen each of their records since 2000. While an official release date has not been announced, the disc is tentatively expected to arrive in early 2013. Rancid will break from the studio on Oct. 16 to play a benefit show in Los Angeles at the home of Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea . The event, which takes place on the bassist’s birthday, will raise funds for Flea’s non-profit Silverlake Conservatory . Rancid will then finish out 2012 with a U.K. tour launching in Belfast Nov. 28. In related news, Rancid singer Tim Armstrong just revealed via Twitter that his other band, the Transplants, are currently in the process of mixing their next album.
Lucy Johnston, Getty Images The Melvins are in the midst of their ’51 States in 51 Days’ tour, attempting to set a Guinness World Record for fastest tour of the United States. Frontman Buzz Osborne has been keeping a tour diary at Spin.com , and had some interesting observations about previous tours with Nine Inch Nails and White Zombie . Playing Sioux Falls, S.D. on the tour reminded Osbourne of the last time the Melvins played there, which was with Nine Inch Nails in the mid ’90s. He remembers NIN smashing up the dressing room there, causing about $30,000 in damage. “This was NIN’s ‘Downward Spiral’ tour, which ended up being the bands zenith, meaning it was their biggest and most interesting album along with the biggest and most semi-interesting point in their career,” Osborne writes. “I honestly didn’t know much about NIN before this tour. I mean I knew they were popular with the MTV baby rock crowd and that they had sold a lot of records but I had never actually listened to one of them. Why would I? I usually have no interest in checking out what sort of bands the baby rockers dig. This is as a result of almost always hating whatever bands the baby rockers dig.” Osborne says at least Nine Inch Nails and their crew were nice to them during the tour. He can’t say the same about White Zombie, and unloads with both barrels. He describes it as the worst tour experience of his life, due mainly to a road manager dubbed ‘Mr. Mullet.’ “Mr. Mullet told us straight up that he was going to see to it that we got fu–ed over every night PA-wise in order to not piss off his boss, the swollen White Zombie dictator Rob Zombie,” Osborne recalls. “And it just went from there. He openly told us that Rob acted a prick to him, and that’s how life on the road was going to go for us as well. Perfect.” He goes on to say, “One insane thing after another every day for the whole tour. On one of the few times we actually got a soundcheck, Mr. Mullet came on stage and pulled the plug because Rob was eating and that we were to “shut the f–k up” because he didn’t like the “noise.” The ’51 States in 51 Days’ tour isn’t even halfway done yet, with plenty more tour diary entries to come. Hopefully Osborne will spill more great stories from the good old days as the tour progresses.
Kevin Winter, Getty Images Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl is getting some serious daddy-daughter points by signing on to design a ‘Yo Gabba Gabba’ t-shirt with his daughter Violet. Audio Ink reveals that the shirts are aimed at the younger demographic, and the tee designed by the Grohl father-daughter team (shown below) features three of the ‘Yo Gabba Gabba’ characters drawn and colored by Violet against a white t-shirt backdrop. You can also make out a faintly drawn character with an emo haircut and devil horns with a halo hovering overhead, which might be the work of Violet’s dad. The shirt is just one of many created by musicians and/or their offspring. Rocker Jack Black created a shirt with his many facial expressions revealed in various colors against a green t-shirt backdrop, while the Tenacious D singer and his son Sam teamed up on a “Brobee” t-shirt with a white backing. The Flaming Lips ‘ Wayne Coyne, Devo ‘s Mark Mothersbaugh, actor Jon Heder and rapper Biz Markie have also created special shirts for the ‘Yo Gabba Gabba’ line. You can check out all of the ‘Yo Gabba Gabba’ t-shirts here . Volcom.com [button href=”http://loudwire.com/foo-fighters-concert-ejection/” title=”Next: Dave Grohl Ejects Fighting Fan From Concert” align=”center”]
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Lemmy Kilmister was the guest on Full Metal Jackie’s radio show this past weekend. He spoke all about his experience playing festivals, his Motorhead bandmates, this past summer’s Mayhem Festival, his adoration for fellow British band Skunk Anansie and much more. If you missed Jackie’s show, read the full interview with Lemmy Kilmister: There’s going to be ‘The World Is Ours Vol. 2’ release; it’s going to feature Motorhead’s 2011 headlining Wacken Open Air Festival, highlights from Sonisphere in the UK and Rock in Rio in Brazil. What was it like playing that Wacken show, what was it like to headline Wacken last year? All around the world rock ‘n’ roll is here to stay. I think it was 85,000 people the last one we did, it was amazing. We did the full show old show, it’s a great festival. Rio was bigger in fact, Rio was good but you can only see the first 50 rows really. It must look like some crazy sea of people when you look out on the crowd. I’m so used to it now, it’s a funny thing to say you got used to it but I am. You see a lot of people, it’s just a lot of people – you don’t really think about the number, the actual number because they go out over the horizon and they’re out of sight anyway. It’s really funny I got used to that really quick, at first you get intimidated the first time – Reading, I think was our first one, Reading festival, there was like 20,000 people and we were freaked out. After that I really didn’t care ‘cause it’s only good as the one guy who’s applauding, isn’t it? I wanted to ask you how your summer was, you were obviously on Mayhem this summer. Which band did you bond with most over the course of the Mayhem Festival? Let’s see now, Anthrax probably ’cause they’re old friends of ours already – so yeah we had a good time with them. They’re good lads. How was your overall experience on the Mayhem Festival, it was your first time playing obviously. It was my first time playing the Mayhem one, yeah, we just went on when we should just go on and we came off when we should come off and that’s all you have to look after really. There’s things, you have to be punctual – a lot of people aren’t with us because they’re unprofessional. Do your main influences like Buddy Holly and Little Richard still come into play when you record new music? No. Not at all? Well no, it’s a different time now, isn’t it? It’s not 1959 anymore, if it is they didn’t tell me. Do you hear them any different now than when you were a kid? No it sticks with you in that frame, with me it does anyway. You remember the things you were hearing then, little time capsules songs are. It hasn’t changed much over the year so what is it that makes writing and recording a Motorhead album with Phil [Campbell] and Mikkey [Dee] such a comfortable process? It’s not comfortable when we’re doing an album, it’s terrible. I mean we fight like cat and dog over the smallest thing – “That extra beat” “Shut Up!” We always fight over things but that’s how it should be, you should have different points of view or else you’d never get it right. How do you come to some sort of conclusion or agreement at the end of the day? The one who talks last, gets it. [Laughs] The one who shouts out gets it, usually. I’ve heard you compliment your other bandmates in the past and how much of a better musician do you feel you are as a result of the time you’ve spent playing with Phil and Mikkey? I’m not better at all, they just enable to be lazier ‘cause they’re so much better you know. We play what we play, we all got our little niche what we cover for the other two. You’ll never hear us do a mistake onstage, there are lots [Laughs] ‘cause we hate rehearsals but you’ll never hear them because we cover them up real good, usually at least. There’s a couple now and again. I really like playing with these two there some of the best musicians in the world right now and they don’t get enough recognition for it. It’s a shame. You’ve collaborated with a lot of different artists over the years. Is there anybody that you’ve never had a chance to? Yes, Skin from Skunk Anansie is one, Dave Edmunds although I did half a collaboration with him once. He produced our first four tracks ever. Who else? I don’t know really, there’s a lot of people that you think you would like to but then you come down to it and you think about it real hard and you think “No it wouldn’t work.” I’d like to collaborate with Billy Gibbons again ‘cause last time it was only half collaboration, I didn’t get to play in the studio with him. I’ve got to imagine you’ve met everbody that you’ve wanted to in terms of musicians and other artists. Has there ever been anyone who was a letdown when you finally met them in person? Oh I don’t bad mouth people. I’m not asking you to name a name. Yeah you are. You shouldn’t do that, if they got to let you down isn’t that enough dismay you want to share it with people. No, I’ve met most of the people I’ve wanted to and most have been okay. Well I just hope that everybody has been respectful to you because … They should be because I ain’t bad mouthed them, right? [Laughs] You’re a legend, man, and you deserve to be respected and when you sit there and you go to a Motorhead show and you watch the band play live you’re like “Wow there are so many bands that have been influenced by Motorhead over the years.” It’s pretty amazing so they need to respect that. You can’t really hear it though. Motley Crue used to play a couple of songs of ours onstage to get themselves going but you can’t hear it in their music, obviously. It’s like your influences are just your influences, they make you play certain way or they make you realize a certain thing about how it was done. The Everly Brothers are one of my biggest influences and there’s nothing in that obviously ‘cause there’s no one to harmonize with in my band but that was a big valuable influence on me but I couldn’t tell you what for particularly – it isn’t the harmonies which is what I loved them for. So there must be – there’s something else I got from them that I don’t even know about, subliminival. Who do you listen to before you go onstage? I don’t listen to music before we go onstage. There’s enough s— going on without listening to music, as well. [Laughs] Usually I just get up from the table, put a marker in the book and walk onstage and I’m alright. I’m pretty easy to please, I don’t ask for much. Is there any new music that you’ve been listening to lately that’s exciting to you? Not lately, I have not been really looking for any to listen to. Skunk Anansie have a new album coming out though which you should promote and ZZ Top have a really good album out now ‘La Futura.’ The Skunk Anansie one you should listen to, Americans, ‘cause you ain’t got them yet and you should ‘cause they’re excellent. What can we expect in terms of new music and another tour, I guess we’re going to have to wait until next year? Yes we’re going on tour in Europe at the end of October but we’re not playing here until the New Year obviously. I don’t know where we’re going to be, we didn’t set it up yet. For your next record are you going to have a collaboration with any other artists? I’m hoping to get Skin to do a song with me, so I got the solo album almost finished and I just need one more track so I thought I’d do one with her. She said “yeah” but our schedules really odd, they’re not being helpful [laughs] — the schedules themselves. We’ll wait and see, it’s been 10 years anyway, making it. Six months ain’t going to hurt. In terms of another Motorhead record, do you think in 2013? Next year we go into the studio in January so from then on it’s a work in progress. Full Metal Jackie will welcome Canadian film director Sam Dunn, who put together and starred in the ‘Metal Evolution Series’ on VH1 Classics on her next show. Full Metal Jackie can be heard on radio stations around the country — for a full list of stations, go to fullmetaljackieradio.com .
Reprise Green Day are a band who’ve reached the level where each new album is greeted with anticipation and scrutiny to see where they’ll take their music next. After taking a couple of years off and then returning with the announcement that a trilogy of albums was en route, there’s more focus than ever on what the band will provide listeners. The band’s latest, ‘¡Uno!,’ may deserve a second look once the whole trilogy arrives, but for now it stands on its own as a mixture of the punk goodness, attitude and heart that their early albums delivered combined with some nods to the straight ahead rock ‘n’ roll that they grew up on. The band dials back the political rhetoric to some extent on ‘¡Uno!,’ and puts the focus back on the angst and the joys of the heart, with tracks like ‘Stay the Night’ and the lead single ‘Oh Love’ offering variations on the theme that feel perfect for radio. ‘Fell for You’ is also a mid-album standout, speaking to the nervousness of first love, while ‘Sweet 16′ is an infectious gem. But for those not looking to get in touch with their feelings, there’s some great rock tracks on this album as well. ‘Let Yourself Go’ is destined to be a longtime concert favorite, with its blistering aggression, f-bomb filled lyrics, and the full punk scream of Billie Joe Armstrong begging for an audience sing-along to “ Gotta let it go / Gotta let it go .” And while we’re on the subject of sing-alongs, it won’t be long before crowds are joining Armstrong with “ We’re all crazy / You’re all crazy ” from ‘Loss of Control.’ Meanwhile, ‘Kill the DJ’ finds the band venturing into Franz Ferdinand -like beats; ‘Angel Blue’ has guitar work reminiscent of the Clash version of ‘I Fought the Law’; and ‘Troublemaker,’ with its chugging Tre Cool drums and clap-along vibe, seems a perfect fit for the live setting. There’s also a sense of familiarity on the album, as the leadoff track ‘Nuclear Family’ immediately lets you know from the opening drum beats and guitar riff that this is the band you have come to love. This piece of ear candy will be stuck in your head for months and fits perfectly alongside some of their greatest hits. Meanwhile, ‘Carpe Diem’ is ‘¡Uno!’s’ anthem, with Armstrong belting, “ Carpe diem, the battle cry / Are we all too young to die? / Ask a reason and no reply / Are we all too young to die? ” With more pointed lyrics like ‘ Making a living / Making a killing / What’s worth forgiving? ” the track is one of the strong statements on the record. All in all, it looks like the reflective ‘¡Uno!’ is the first step to a promising future from the ambitious trilogy project. We can’t wait to see how it fits with ‘¡Dos!’and ‘¡Tre!.’
Mary Oullette, SheWillShootYou.com Here’s a look at the top stories of the day on Loudwire and around the Web: – Welcome back Avenged Sevenfold ! The band is continuing their association with the ‘Call of Duty’ video game series by offering up the song ‘Carry On’ for ‘Call of Duty: Black Ops II.’ [ Loudwire ] – Kid Rock is finally ready to roll with the follow-up to 2010′s ‘Born Free.’ ‘Rebel Soul’ is on target for a November release. [ Loudwire ] – On this day back in 1991, Nirvana released their classic album ‘Nevermind.’ Thought you knew everything there was to know about it? Check out 20 Things You Didn’t Know About Nirvana’s ‘Nevermind.’ [ Loudwire ] – Lynyrd Skynyrd fans can settle down, as guitarist Gary Rossington has clarified his Confederate flag comments made on CNN and stated that the flag will still fly “every night” at shows. [ Ultimate Classic Rock ] – Arcade Fire , Thom Yorke and Beck – they’re all part of a new BBC Radio 6 live compilation celebrating the U.K. music source’s 10-Year Anniversary. [ Diffuser.fm ] – The Doors ‘ ‘Live at the Hollywood Bowl’ from their 1968 appearance has been restored for an audio and video release. [ Rock Music Report ]
Angela Weiss, Getty Images Korn ‘s Jonathan Davis will not be joining the Rob Zombie and Marilyn Manson -led ‘ Twins of Evil ‘ tour after all, as exhaustion has taken its toll on the singer. The vocalist has kept a busy schedule in 2012, not only supporting Korn’s ‘The Path of Totality’ album on tour, but also exploring his budding electronic music career under the stage name ‘JDevil.’ The rocker has been doing remixes for other artists like his ‘Twins of Evil’ tourmate Rob Zombie and taking the opportunity to do DJ sets here and there. But apparently the full schedule of 2012 has caught up with him as he informed fans of his decision to back out of the tour via a Facebook posting . It read: Hey Guys- we wanted to let you know right away that JDevil will no longer be able to join Rob Zombie and Marilyn Manson on their co-headlining Twins Of Evil Tour this October. Due to exhaustion from his recent eight week overseas tour with KORN, Jonathan’s doctors have ordered him to refrain from any travel and performing for the next few weeks while he recuperates. We got this from management: “Jonathan is really bummed right now and regrets having to disappoint anyone, especially his fans and his good friends Marilyn Manson and Rob.” We’ll keep you updated here, everyone expects he’ll be back on track soon. The singer also tweeted to fans, “I’m sorry guys. My head and my body are really f—ed up. Back on meds trying to get better. Dr. said no way I could perform. F—! I’m sorry. I really love you guys. I’m so depressed.” Davis announced his participation in the ‘Twins of Evil’ Tour at the end of July, revealing that it would allow him to pursue his EDM side project. At the time of the announcement, the vocalist stated , “I like to think of JDevil as the ‘anti-christ’ of EDM. To play along side Zombie and Manson is going to be a f—ing sinister night all around, and an unbelievable experience. I can’t wait.” Even without Davis, the pairing of Rob Zombie and Marilyn Manson is a formidable bill. The ‘Twins of Evil’ tour launches Sept. 28 in Phoenix. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/korn-co-headliners-shiprocked-2012-cruise/” title=”Next: Korn to Co-Headline 2012 Shiprocked Cruise” align=”center”] ?