Kevin Winter, Getty Images The Black Keys may allow some of their music to be used in commercials, but the band isn’t exactly thrilled that another company has been using a track that is similar to one of their songs. According to the Hollywood Reporter , the group has accused casino operator Pinnacle Entertainment of improper usage and has filed a lawsuit to stop it. The band charges Pinnacle with using a song that is “substantially similar” to ‘Howlin’ for You’ in their advertisements, including one spot that ran this past September. They’re claiming that Pinnacle has violated trademark law and state in the lawsuit that the company has “suggested a false designation of origin as well as making unfair competition for them.” The group also cites claims made by Pinnacle on Twitter and YouTube that the song in question was “a licensed musical interpretation.” This isn’t the first time the Black Keys have taken legal action against improper usage of their music. Just last year the band filed a lawsuit and eventually settled for an undisclosed amount after both Pizza Hut and Home Depot aired commercials with material similar to the band’s songs without permission. The legal action isn’t holding up the Black Keys from keeping busy. The band reportedly ducked into the studio earlier this month to begin coming up with music for their next album. The disc will be the follow-up to their Grammy-nominated ‘El Camino’ album. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/the-black-keys-jack-white-lead-2013-rock-grammy-nominations/” title=”Next: Black Keys Among Leading 2013 Grammy Nominees” align=”center”] ?
Mary Ouellette, SheWillShootYou.com The Unite the United foundation is running a second online auction to benefit the future of late Suicide Silence singer Mitch Lucker ‘s daughter. The auction, which just began, will raise funds going toward young Kenadee Lucker’s future educational pursuits. Lucker died on Halloween night after a tragic motorcycle accident and many in the rock community have been lining up to pay homage to the singer and raise funds to help out his family. The Unite the United auction currently has a number of items that are on the block, with some of the end dates coming as soon as this Saturday (Jan. 26) and others with a longer bidding period of close to a month. The big item on the block is a trip for two including airfare and VIP privileges to the U.K. Warped Tour stop in London. Of all the items, that has the longest bidding period with fans being able to raise the price through Feb. 21. Other memorabilia on the block includes signed drumheads from The Used and Bring Me the Horizon , autographed posters from Asking Alexandria , Blaqk Audio , Hollywood Undead , Slayer ‘s Kerry King and Winds of Plague , signed promo cards from Chevelle and In This Moment , and autographed CDs from Arch Enemy and Arsonists Get All the Girls. Linkin Park have donated an autographed lithograph. On Mice and Men ‘s Austin Carlile and Hatebreed ‘s Jamey Jasta autographed t-shirts. Falling in Reverse have put up a Ron Ficarro smashed bass guitar on the block. Darkest Hour and Bring Me the Horizon autographed instruments. Plus, there are numerous signed items from Suicide Silence themselves. To check out the Unite the United auction, click here . [button href=”http://loudwire.com/randy-blythe-robb-flynn-max-cavalera-surprise-mitch-lucker-memorial-show/” title=”Next: Surprise Guests Highlight Mitch Lucker Memorial Show” align=”center”]
Vimeo Get ready to rock as Avatar are unleashing the video for their current single, ‘Smells Like a Freakshow’ and Loudwire is bringing you the exclusive premiere. The Swedish rockers have provided an interesting character study for the video, as each of the band members get to play the role of tormentor and the tormented in the Johan Carlen-directed video. The band tells Loudwire, “The video illustrates inner conflict in an explicit manner, using abuse of unjust power in different contexts. The lyrical themes of downfall, embracing of decadence and failed attempts to escape are pointed out by the fact that ultimately the bad guys win.” Though all of the members go through a rough conflict with themselves in the video, singer Johannes Eckerstrom has perhaps the most compelling battle. One version of himself stands tall and confident, whipping and taunting the other version of himself, which is slumped over and chained to a post before attempting to escape. ‘Smells Like a Freak Show’ is featured on the band’s fourth studio album and first proper American release, ‘Black Waltz.’ Eckerstrom says of their sound, “We’re in this weird field, caught in a triangle between extreme metal, rock ‘n’ roll and what can be described as Avant-garde.” But even with that eclectic nature, the singer says he feels the band has hit their stride. He adds, “We finally came to understand what a good groove is all about and what a great fit it was for our sound.” The ‘Black Waltz’ album is currently available for purchase here . Watch Avatar’s ‘Smells Like a Freakshow’ Video [button href=”http://loudwire.com/avatar-let-it-burn-exclusive-video-premiere/” title=”Next: Watch Avatar’s ‘Let It Burn’ Video” align=”center”]
Justin Sullivan, Getty Images Foo Fighters may be on a break, but fans shouldn’t fear about their future. First of all, relationships seem to still be intact with the band’s members turning up at the musician’s recent ‘Sound City’ concert to help him promote his documentary. And secondly, Dave Grohl himself says that he’s got a plan in place for his return to the band. Grohl tells MTV News , “I have the music for the next record and we’re going to start working on it once we finish doing all this stuff. We have really awesome big plans for the next album and I’m really excited about it.” That being said, the break will last a while longer as Grohl has been playing drums with Queens of the Stone Age and recently detoured into the studio to join up-and-coming band RDGLDGRN. For RDGLDGRN, it was a matter of right place, right time. They tell NME that they met at the Sound City complex while Grohl was working on his documentary and they struck up a friendship. Speaking about Grohl’s involvement in their currently-untitled debut album, they added, “[He] knocked out half our record like some kind of machine.” The group has reportedly asked Grohl to tour with them later this year, but nothing is confirmed as of yet. At present, the ‘Sound City’ documentary is Grohl’s main concern. The film just debuted at Sundance with screenings scheduled for theaters across the country beginning Jan. 31. Grohl’s Sound City Players will also play a Jan. 31 show at Los Angeles’ Palladium in coordination with the screenings. See Dave Grohl Discussing the Foo Fighters’ Future Plans Music News [button href=”http://loudwire.com/dave-grohl-taylor-hawkins-to-induct-rush-into-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame/” title=”Next: Dave Grohl + Taylor Hawkins to Induct Rush Into Rock Hall” align=”center”]
Facebook: Children of Bodom The mighty Children of Bodom have secluded themselves within the icy woods of their native Finland to work on their eighth studio album. From an undisclosed location in Helskini, the band is constructing and recording 10 new tracks for their follow-up record to 2011′s ‘Relentless Reckless Forever.’ “It’s a nice change to the regular method where we lock ourselves up at a studio in the middle of the woods, usually also during the darkest time of the year,” Bodom frontman Alexi Laiho tells Soundi magazine. “However, we did track drums at the tried-and-tested Petrax studio in Hollola this time as well, so we got our fix of that modus operandi too. But for the guitar and bass, we don’t require a big facility in the countryside, so we decided to stay closer to home for this part of the session.” Interesting enough, Bodom guitarist Roope Latvala has made it clear that he is dedicated to elevating the guitar to greater prominence for the band’s next album, a goal which fans with surely appreciate. Although Children of Bodom’s music has remained strong throughout their career, the band has focused less on massively addictive guitar leads since their 2005 album, ‘Are You Dead Yet?’ “Roope did voice his opinions more than usual this time around,” Alexi says. “And maybe the others, too. As far as the actual question goes, the usual rule applies: all good ideas are taken into consideration.” Although there is no ballpark estimate of a release date, Bodom will be continuing their tradition of recording hysterical covers of pop songs, with the band planning to create metal versions of Bananarama and Roxette tracks. Check out footage of Children of Bodom jamming on some new material in the video below. Children of Bodom Practice New Tracks From the Studio [button href=”http://loudwire.com/children-of-bodom-everytime-i-die-top-21st-century-metal-songs/” title=”Children of Bodom – Top 21st Century Metal Songs” align=”center”]
Puscifer Entertainment Puscifer are currently revving up for the release of their upcoming EP ‘Donkey Punch the Night’ along with a handful of tour dates in Australia and South America. To take you further into the realm of Maynard James Keenan and his Puscifer bandmates, we’ve got an exclusive video of the musical collective warming up for what is sure to be a spotlit year for the band’s career. Tool and A Perfect Circle vocalist Maynard James Keenan began Puscifer as an additional sonic alter-ego in 2003, with Keenan acting as the group’s sole permanent member. A decade after the idea was conceived, Puscifer are beginning to rise up not just as an obscure side project, but as a musical force comparable to both Tool and A Perfect Circle in terms of quality. Since the release of the 2011 full-length ‘Conditions of My Parole,’ Puscifer seem to have cemented a more secure lineup consisting of singer Carina Round , A Perfect Circle members Matt McJunkins and Jeff Friedl and guitarist Mat Mitchell among others. The band embarked on a theatrical U.S. tour last summer, and in this behind-the-scenes video, we witness Maynard and his band of curmudgeons in the middle of practice. One of the most interesting parts of the video is the band’s use of their framed television monitors, which magnify the heads of both Keenan and Round to mammoth proportions. Check out this rare look into the world of Puscifer in the video below, premiered exclusively here on Loudwire, and see the band’s current tour itinerary here . Puscifer Behind the Scenes Teaser
Twitter: Pearl Jam Pearl Jam ‘s Eddie Vedder has been a lifelong Cubs fan, and he’ll get to experience Wrigley Field as a performer yet again when his band headlines a show at the historic ballpark July 19. Even though this is Pearl Jam’s first time playing at Wrigley, it’s not Vedder’s first dealings with the “friendly confines.” He’s been asked to throw out the first pitch at Cubs games in the past and just last year he joined Bruce Springsteen onstage when “The Boss” brought his E Street Band to the baseball park. The group began teasing the appearance on Twitter with a photo that showed a stage setup on Wrigley Field with the hashtag @StayTuned. Meanwhile the Cubs Twitter account showed a photo of a Cubs jersey with the number “10″ on it, followed by the same stage setup photo and a lyric ‘All the Way,’ a song Vedder penned about the team. In addition to the Wrigley Field date, Pearl Jam have announced a July 16 show at London, Ontario’s Budweiser Gardens. Both the Chicago and Ontario dates are billed as “An Evening With Pearl Jam,” with no opening act expected to play. While it is not known if the shows signify the band being any closer to finishing the follow-up to 2009′s ‘Backspacer’ album, rumors have begun to circulate about the dates being part of a full Pearl Jam tour. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/alice-in-chains-2013-must-see-rock-concerts/” title=”Check Out the 2013 Must-See Rock Concerts” align=”center”]