Karl Walter, Getty Images When he’s not on the road touring, Iron Maiden ‘s Bruce Dickinson is running his Wales-based business Cardiff Aviation, Ltd. , an aircraft maintenance company he launched last year. Now, Dickinson is starting the new year with a solid base for his new operation with hopes for a prosperous future. When he first announced the business, Dickinson had speculated that it could bring in hundreds of jobs to the local community. In a new interview with the Wall Street Journal , Dickinson reveals that his fledgling operation currently employs 40 people, but expects to expand to between 100-125 employees by next summer. “That’s not bad,” says the singer, who admits that even he deals with “the wonderful world of practicality.” However, even with the expected growth, there is an incredible amount of patience and the ability to temper expectations needed to run the business. The vocalist explains, “Clearly aviation is a highly regulated industry, and it does take time for the wheels to grind.” Dickinson says it is somewhat frustrating knowing that they have some resources to push forward, but must wait on the red tape before proceeding. He adds, “[We have] 5 million dollars worth of heavy engineering machinery … We have enough stuff in our hanger to build an airliner, let alone maintain it.” However, first there are a number of certifications that need to happen. However, Dickinson is confident in his future and says he feels he has the two key attributes needed to succeed. He explains, “You’ve got to have a vision, but you’ve also got to have common sense.” Years of trial and error have also helped. He recalls one of his first ever enterprises, dating back to his youth. “One of my earliest ventures was when I was 9 years old. I realized there was a shortage of pencils at school, so I started Rent-a-Pencil,” recalls Dickinson. “But I made a fundamental mistake. Everybody stole my pencils.” [button href=”http://loudwire.com/iron-maidens-bruce-dickinson-offers-start-up-business-advice/” title=”Next: Bruce Dickinson Offers Start-Up Business Advice” align=”center”]
Ethan Miller / Theo Wargo, Getty Images Happy New Year, everyone! Loudwire’s Top 20 Countdown begins 2013 with a familiar face holding onto the top spot. After a brief taste of the No. 1 position in late November, Shinedown fell back to No. 2 for several weeks, but is now spending its second straight week on top. Soundgarden , Shinedown’s biggest obstacle during the early-December stretch, slips back another notch this week from No. 2 to No. 33. Trading places with Chris Cornell and company is the rapidly rising Avenged Sevenfold single ‘Carry On,’ which is commanding the No. 2 position and could make a run at No. 1 next week. Rounding out the top five are All That Remains ‘ ‘Stand Up’ and Volbeat ‘s ‘Heaven Nor Hell,’ swapping places this week. All That Remains inch another step closer to the top of the charts at No. 4, while Volbeat slide back to the No. 5 spot. Elsewhere on the countdown, there were significant jumps this week for Adelitas Way ‘s ‘Alive’ and Papa Roach ‘s ‘Where Did the Angels Go.’ Adelitas Way are knocking on the door to the Top 10, patiently awaiting at No. 11 with their latest single. Meanwhile, Jacoby Shaddix ‘s crew have seen ‘Where Did the Angels Go’ take flight up another two spots to No. 15 this week. And finally, Alice in Chains has the lone new entry in the week’s countdown with ‘Hollow’ digging in at No. 18. Look for the track to be a candidate for next week’s rapid riser. Check out the Top 20 songs below and be sure to tune in to Loudwire Radio this weekend to crank up these tunes at full volume. Loudwire Radio Top 20 Songs of the Week: 20. Trapt, ‘Bring It’ 19. Three Days Grace, ‘Chalk Outline’ 18. Alice in Chains, ‘Hollow’ 17. Nonpoint, ‘Left for You’ 16. In This Moment, ‘Blood’ 15. Papa Roach, ‘Where Did the Angels Go’ 14. P.O.D., ‘Higher’ 13. Stone Sour, ‘Absolute Zero’ 12. Young Guns, ‘Bones’ 11. Adelitas Way, ‘Alive’ 10. 3 Doors Down, ‘One Light’ 9. Five Finger Death Punch, ‘The Pride’ 8. Deftones, ‘Tempest’ 7. Slash, ‘Standing in the Sun’ 6. Chevelle, ‘Same Old Trip’ 5. Volbeat, ‘Heaven Nor Hell’ 4. All That Remains, ‘Stand Up’ 3. Soundgarden, ‘Been Away Too Long’ 2. Avenged Sevenfold, ‘Carry On’ 1. Shinedown, ‘Enemies’ [button href=”http://loudwire.com/loudwire-radio-station-list/” title=”See Which Stations Air Loudwire Radio” align=”center”]
Theo Wargo, Getty Images – Metallica and the Red Hot Chili Peppers were among 2012′s highest grossing touring rock acts. Find out how much money each act raked in. [ Loudwire ] – Pearl Jam ‘s Eddie Vedder reveals the band is halfway through recording their next album. [ Loudwire ] – Guns N’ Roses guitarist Ron ‘Bumblefoot’ Thal takes a music magazine to task over twisting his friendly advice into an attack on frontman Axl Rose . [ Loudwire ] – Megadeth ‘s Dave Mustaine receives an apology from Men’s Warehouse after his Facebook rant against the company. [ Loudwire ] – Members of Slayer , Exodus and Queens of the Stone Age are collaborating on the ‘House of Shock’ documentary soundtrack. [ Loudwire ] – Happy 67th birthday to Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones . Check out his best work with Ultimate Classic Rock’s Top 10 John Paul Jones Led Zeppelin Songs. [ Ultimate Classic Rock ] – Congrats are in order for newly engaged former Kiss guitarist Bruce Kulick . [ Ultimate Classic Rock ] – Jack White is lavishing fans with more goodies as part of his Vinyl Vault subscription service. [ Diffuser.fm ] – Black Rebel Motorcycle Club have debuted a second short film to promote their new album. [ Diffuser.fm ]
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire / Housecore Records The music world was shocked over the holidays when Rigor Mortis and Ministry guitarist Mike Scaccia died after collapsing onstage during a performance in Texas. The musician was performing with Rigor Mortis, which is fronted by singer Bruce Corbitt (picured right, above). The vocalist, who is returning to rock with Warbeast on tour this month, says both his band and the trek’s headliners Down intend on dedicating the entire run to Scaccia’s memory. Corbitt stated after Scaccia’s passing, “Mike Scaccia left this Earth doing what he loved to do. Tragically, the music world has lost an extremely talented, gifted and unique guitar virtuoso. His music and his legend will live on forever.” Meanwhile, Down singer Phil Anselmo came up with the idea for Warbeast to write some lyrics about Scaccia, with the end result being two new songs. One of the tracks is about Corbitt’s late brother Jeff, while the other track was penned specifically about Scaccia. The two songs will eventually be released with a picture of Scaccia on one side and a picture of Jeff Corbitt on the other. Meanwhile, Anselmo also offered his remembrances in a posting relayed by Corbitt. It reads: I have traveled the world playing music, and I’ve been fortunate to play, with extremely talented guitarists, and to have seen living legends right in front of my eyes. But when it came down to extremities, I’ve known since 1987 who the fastest, most precise player on this planet was, and that was the one and only Mike Scaccia. The playing field is now even. I can’t put into words what it meant for me to be accepted into the Rigor Mortis horde back when I was the new guy in town, and playing in a rival band back in the late ’80′s. But we were kindred spirits, and Mike Scaccia’s kindness helped that bonding process which I still cherish today. Underneath Mike’s soft-spoken, quiet demeanor, there lived a monster of mythical size, unbridled passion, and a practitioner of inhuman feats that will never be replicated. We called his picking hand, “The Hummingbird” because of its blinding speed and accuracy. But now, ‘The Hummingbird’ has flown. Let his body of work speak for itself, as a legacy of success not many can achieve. When Mike played, you knew it was him, and with that, he left a mark in music that can’t be touched. The DFW area has lost our era’s two greatest guitarists in Mike Scaccia and Dimebag Darrell Abbott, and that is a terrible blow. But their accomplishments will be considered sacred ground for aeons. When I think of my fallen comrade Dime, I think of him as a star in the cosmos. I will think of Mike in the same way, in honor of his legacy and friendship. Celebrate this great man’s life. With all my love, sincerely. – Philip H. Anselmo In addition, Scaccia’s daughter Sarah is putting together a book to honor her father and she’s currently welcoming personal stories about her father from fans and peers. She can be contacted at sjska21@gmail.com and will use the remembrances to put the book together. Those wishing to donate to the Mike Scaccia Family Fundraiser can click here and follow the link. Down / Warbeast 2013 Tour: 1/5 — Fort Worth, Texas — The Rail Club (Warbeast only) 1/11 — Houston, Texas — Warehouse Live Ballroom 1/12 — San Antonio, Texas — Backstage Live 1/14 — Tempe, Ariz. — The Marquee 1/15 — Las Vegas, Nev. — Fremont Country Club 1/16 — West Hollywood, Calif. — Key Club 1/18 — Anaheim, Calif. — City National Grove of Anaheim 1/19 — Sacramento, Calif. — Ace of Spades 1/20 — San Francisco, Calif. — Regency Ballroom 1/22 — Seattle, Wash. — Showbox at the Market 1/23 — Portland, Ore. — Roseland Theater 1/24 — Boise, Idaho — Knitting Factory Concert House 1/26 — Denver, Colo. — The Summit Music Hall 1/28 — Minneapolis, Minn. — First Avenue 1/29 — Milwaukee, Wis. — The Rave 1/30 — Cincinnati, Ohio — Bogart’s 2/1 — Chattanooga, Tenn. — Track 29 [button href=”http://loudwire.com/ministry-rigor-mortis-guitarist-mike-scaccia-cause-of-death-revealed-memorial-show-planned/” title=”Next: Mike Scaccia Memorial Show Planned” align=”center”]
Kevin Winter, Getty Images / Men’s Warehouse Shortly before the new year, Megadeth ‘s Dave Mustaine became the victim of a terrible injustice perpetuated by corporate America. The thrash frontman simply wished to bestow his beloved tour manager Jim Carroccio with a Men’s Wearhouse gift certificate via mail, but alas, the gift certificate failed to be transported in time. No, we haven’t tapped Mustaine’s phone or hacked into the Men’s Wearhouse supercomputer … Dave Mustaine actually shared this news to over 5 million Megadeth fans on the band’s Facebook page. After poking fun at Men’s Wearhouse CEO and spokesman George Zimmer, calling him an “old geezer with the voice that sound like he has chain-smoked since he was a fetus,” Mustaine wrote a lengthy rant detailing how Men’s Wearhouse failed to live up to their two-day delivery guarantee. Strangely enough, Men’s Wearhouse has actually issued a statement in reaction to Mustaine’s Facebook post, offering an apology to the musician: Dave, thanks for reaching out to us on Facebook. We apologize for the delay in receiving your gift card and agree that the delay is unacceptable. Customer satisfaction is our highest priority and we stand by our guarantee to deliver world-class customer service. So, we’d like to speak with you about a solution but are having some trouble reaching you since we last connected on 12/28. Please send your contact info to MWListens@tmw.com and our team will help you right away. John Cleese of ‘Monty Python’ once said while attempting to return a dead parrot, “If you want to get anything done in this country, you’ve got to complain ’til you’re blue in the mouth.” Apparently, truer words have never been spoken. And by the way, do not , we repeat, do not , send any silly emails to Men’s Wearhouse while pretending to be Dave Mustaine. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/megadeth-progress-new-album-dave-mustaine-sells-gear-from-old-studio/” title=”Megadeth Making Progress on New Album” align=”center”]
RCA Bullet for My Valentine recently revealed that their latest studio album, ‘ Temper Temper ,’ would be arriving on Feb. 11 and now we know what the album cover art looks like. The band has unveiled the artwork (see the image on the left) for their forthcoming release and it shows a darker side to the album’s title. Given that the title ‘Temper Temper’ suggests some hot-headedness, the imagery of a pair of bloody hands, palms up, is a striking one. The pose is almost mindful of a person who is looking down upon their hands contemplating the dastardly deed they’ve done, though we never actually see the person’s face. So far, the group has served up the album’s title track and a second single ‘ Riot ‘ to check out in advance of the disc’s release, but it is not known how those songs compare to the rest of the record. In addition, the band has also unleashed a music video for ‘Temper Temper,’ giving at least some visual representation of the song. Bullet for My Valentine fans have had to wait a little while for a new disc, as singer Matt Tuck spent much of 2012 balancing his time between Bullet and his other hard-edged band, AxeWound , who toured and released their debut disc last year. Tuck says having the other group did affect Bullet for My Valentine’s latest effort, explaining , “We approached the record a lot differently this time around. It was more inspired by the way I did the AxeWound record and that was basically: get in the studio and write and record as you went along.” Look for ‘Temper Temper’ in stores Feb. 11; you can also pre-order the disc here . [button href=”http://loudwire.com/bullet-for-my-valentine-behind-the-scenes-new-album-temper-temper-exclusive-video/” title=”Next: Watch Behind the Scenes Video from ‘Temper Temper'” align=”center”]
Studio Jonkillz An incredibly exciting new musical project is beginning to take shape. To create the soundtrack for an upcoming documentary film about Phil Anselmo ‘s ‘House of Shock’ haunted house attraction, members of Slayer , Exodus , Queens of the Stone Age and Amen have joined forces for a full-on sonic boom. There have been countless “supergroups” formed throughout the history of rock and metal, but this project is a new breed entirely. When Exodus guitarist Gary Holt filled in for Slayer then-ailing guitarist Jeff Hanneman , Holt formed a strong creative bond with Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo . “Whenever Dave and I would get on deck for soundcheck, we’d go up there first and jam make up stuff everyday,” Holt tells Noisecreep . “It just comes easy for us. We’re both into being spontaneous and improvising. We probably have an album’s worth of material.” Legendary producer Ross Robinson ( Slipknot , Deftones ) was self-admittedly blown away by the “fire, energy and wisdom” created by Holt and Lombardo, so when the producer was approached to help provide music for the ‘House of Shock’ documentary, Robinson immediately knew who he wanted to work with. “The first thing I wanted to do was tap into this energy between Gary and Dave,” says Ross of the unnamed project. “And Casey [Chaos, Amen] has this amazing ability to do these amazing choruses and be so violent and ruthless at it.” Along with Casey Chaos coming in as another contibutor, former Queens of the Stone Age bassist Nick Oliveri became the fourth musician to join the collective. With such a unique lineup cemented together for the soundtrack, an obvious question presents itself: Will the diverse group form a new band and create their own album? Although both Holt and Lombardo are hard at work for new Exodus and Slayer albums, respectively, Lombardo keeps an open mind. “If we came in for two weeks of just riff-writing and another two weeks of putting it all together, we’d have an album that would throw people for a loop,” explains the drummer. “They wouldn’t know what hit them … I’m as proud of this stuff as anything I’ve ever done. It’s phenomenal.” Stay tuned for more news on this non-monikered project and the tunes they’re creating for the ‘House of Shock’ documentary.