Ipecac Recordings Ever wonder how the Melvins came up with the sound they did over the years? You can take a peek under their collective hoods April 30 as the band lays out their influences for fans with the new covers album, ‘Everybody Loves Sausages.’ Melvins leader Buzz Osbourne explains, “This record will give people a peek into the kind of things that influence us musically. We REALLY like all of these songs along with the bands who actually wrote this stuff because first and foremost, we are HUGE music fans.” The eclectic selection of covers includes cuts from rock icons like David Bowie (‘Station to Station’), Queen (‘Best Friend’) and The Kinks (‘Attitude’) alongside some lesser known songs from Venom (‘Warhead’), The Scientists (‘Set It on Fire’) and Throbbing Gristle (‘Heathen Earth’). In addition, the Melvins have invited a number of musicians to join them in their covers fun. Neurosis’ Scott Kelly, Tweak Bird’s Caleb Benjamin, Mudhoney’s Mark Arm, Blondie’s Clem Burke, Jello Biafro and Kevin Rutmanis, JG Thirlwell and Tom Hazelmeyer are among the guests on the disc. While the album is billed as a proper Melvins disc (with Osborne, Dale Crover, Jared Warren and Coady Willis taking part), there are a handful of tracks recorded in the band’s Melvins Light incarnation, which features Osborne, Crover and Trevor Dunn. Look for the Melvins’ ‘Everybody Loves Sausages’ via Ipecac Recordings on April 30. The Melvins’ ‘Everybody Loves Sausage’ Track Listing: 1. ‘Warhead’ (Venom; Guest: Scott Kelly of Neurosis) 2. ‘Best Friend’ (Queen; Guest: Caleb Benjamin of Tweak Bird) 3. ‘Black Betty’ (Original artist unknown) 4. ‘Set It on Fire’ (The Scientists; Guest: Mark Arm) 5. ‘Station to Station’ (David Bowie; Guest: JG Thirlwell) 6. ‘Attitude’ (The Kinks: Guest: Clem Burke of Blondie) 7. ‘Female Trouble’ (Divine a.k.a. John Waters) 8. ‘Carpe Diem’ (The Fugs) 9. ‘Timothy Leary Lives’ (Pop-O-Pies) 10. ‘In Every Dream Home a Heartache’ (Roxy Music; Guests: Jello Biafra and Kevin Rutmanis) 11. ‘Romance’ (Tales of Terror) 12. ‘Art School’ (The Jam; Guest: Tom Hazelmeyer) 13. ‘Heathen Earth’ (Throbbing Gristle) [button href=”http://loudwire.com/the-melvins-buzz-osborne-recalls-past-tours-with-nine-inch-nails-and-white-zombie/” title=”Next: Buzz Osborne Dishes on Nine Inch Nails + Rob Zombie Tours” align=”center”]
RR Auction A massive auction is happening for any Ramones fan with some extra cash to burn. Possessions from late, legendary vocalist Joey Ramone that include part of his record collection, some of his clothes, handwritten lyrics, his rolodex and even his long-expired passport are being auctioned off. According to Billboard , who have posted tons of pictures of the possessions set to be sold off, auctioneers will be selling 97 pieces of vinyl once owned by Joey Ramone. Some of the records up for sale include titles from Led Zeppelin , the Who, Bob Dylan, Iggy Pop , KISS , the Doors, Elton John and more. RR Auction will be selling the albums, which are in “overall very good to fine condition” according to RR, only with some scattered creases and “small tears to sleeves, affixed price tags and labels and marks.” The albums come from the Joey Ramone Estate, and the collection has been verified by Joey’s brother Mickey via a letter of authenticity. Joey Ramone’s rolodex is full of business cards from heavy hitters such as ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll High School’ producer Allan Arkush along with individuals from Epitaph Records, EMI, Geffen and many others. The most interesting item for sale is arguably Joey Ramone’s personal passport, which was issued to him on Sept. 9, 1986. The passport is signed by Joey, whose birth name, Jeff Ross Hyman is printed legibly on the document. The punk rock legend, who passed away from cancer in 2001, put out a posthumous album, ‘…Ya Know?,’ full of previously unreleased rarities last year. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/joey-ramone-what-did-i-do-to-deserve-you-song-review/” title=”Joey Ramone, ‘What Did I Do to Deserve You?’ Song Review” align=”center”]
Machinehead1.com Metallica ‘s Cliff Burton is one of the most beloved figures in the history of hard rock and metal and his memory lives on with the legacy of the band’s early albums. One of the future rockers who was influenced by the work of Burton and his Metallica bandmates was Machine Head ‘s Robb Flynn , who posted a new journal entry reflecting on what Burton meant to him in honor of the celebration of the bassist’s birthday. “It’s amazing to think how the music world may (or may not) have been different had the tragic bus accident not taken his life,” says Flynn, who has been reflecting on the times he actually got to see Burton perform in his youth. He recalls hanging out with his friend Jim Pittman as a kid and the first time he heard ‘Kill ‘Em All.’ The frontman says, “We’d never heard anything like it. We gleefully stumbled around the running track behind American High School for hours and probably played ‘Whiplash’ fifty times in a row, headbanging wildly the whole time. What a great memory! Still blasting the bootleg, we stumbled back to my house where my parents were gone, we vowed to jam more and to get better at our own band … and to see Metallica the next time they played.” After catching a ride from his dad, Flynn says he had the time of his life. He recalls, “When Metallica took the stage, the world came alive … When it came time for Cliff’s ‘(Anesthesia) – Pulling Teeth’ bass solo, I just remember being mesmerized. I’d had so many metal debates with Jim and other friends that there’s no way that was a ‘bass’ solo. It was a ‘guitar’ solo. Fact. End-of-story. My mind was blown.” Flynn says Metallica’s works with Burton have resonated with him to this day. He explains, “The bass lines were hypnotizing me ever-so-subtly to the point where even now, I know every bass line on those albums like it’s part of my DNA. Go and listen to our song ‘Now I Lay Thee Down’; the triad bass line in the chorus? That’s just one of my tributes to Cliff. The three-part lead section in the middle … I wrote that with Cliff looking over me. Hell, I called it ‘the Cliff part.’” When Burton died in a tragic bus crash, Flynn said it was one of those occasions he’ll always remember exactly where he was when he heard the news. “I was at a kegger party in Cliff’s hometown, Castro Valley, wired and drunk when ‘the news’ came on. 10PM, someone I didn’t know came running into the backyard and yelled, ‘Cliff’s dead, Cliff from Metallica is dead!,’” Flynn recalls. “It was unreal. A stunned silence took over the party. They were ‘our’ band. This didn’t happen to ‘us.’” In the years since Burton’s death, Flynn says he’s read the Joel McIver biography on Burton and learned about how some diehard Metallica fans had made a memorial to the bassist at the site of the bus crash in Sweden. To pay homage, Flynn says he too made the pilgrimage during a tour of Sweden and stopped to leave a guitar pick with the mementos that many fans had left. He concludes, “As this Sunday (Feb. 10) comes to pass, I’m sure in our own way, some of us will pay tribute to a man whose attitude, demeanor, vibe, genuine love of music and unequaled talent affected us. I know I will. Happy birthday Cliff Burton, rest in peace.” To read Flynn’s full posting on Burton, click here . [button href=”http://loudwire.com/favorite-cliff-burton-era-metallica-album-readers-poll/” title=”Next: Favorite Cliff Burton-Era Metallica Album – Readers Poll” align=”center”]
Mary Ouellette, SheWillShootYou.com As a woman in the entertainment industry, there is always the question of how much to play up the sex appeal, and Halestorm ‘s Lzzy Hale shared with Playboy.com her thoughts on taking part in sexy photo shoots and the focus on image in the music industry. Hale explained, “I don’t mind dressing up and doing the short skirt and high heels thing. I tell this to a lot of people because the only stipulation that I have about this is that you have to make sure you have something to back it up. You can’t totally ride on the fact that I’m going to show my legs and people are going to show attention. If they can get past the legs, make sure you can actually sing and be good at your instruments. Because in all honesty, all of us that are dressing up on stage, we aren’t going to be wearing fishnets forever, you gotta make sure you have a little something to ya.” With that being said, Hale says she’s come to accept the shoots as part of the industry, adding, “Sex and rock ‘n’ roll have been going together hand-in-hand since the beginning of time. You can’t get away from it.” The frontwoman also says that while image may get the attention of some fans, she’s been enthused by how their female fan base has grown and opened the doors for more women to enjoy hard rock. She explains, “I’m telling you, though, there’s a moment in every show where I’m looking out and I see all of these girls who are not there because their boyfriends dragged them along, you know? They’re very empowered, a little crazy like me, and it’s wonderful to be in a room like that because when we first started out there weren’t a whole lot of girls at the rock shows unless you count the girlfriends of somebody in the band.” Hale adds that she partook in her fair share of mosh pits and rocked out with the guys when she was younger and is thrilled to see girls coming to rock shows and carving their own paths with the world of rock and roll. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/halestorm-jimmy-kimmel-live-love-bites-freak-like-me/” title=”Next: Watch Halestorm Perform on ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live'” align=”center”]
Mary Ouellette, SheWillShootYou.com Linkin Park have been part of the ‘ Grammy Amplifier ‘ talent search competition since its inception last month, but they’re taking the next step in the process by also signing on for the ‘Centerstage Powered by Grammy Amplifier’ mentoring program. Linkin Park member and program mentor Mike Shinoda joined The Recording Academy’s Evan Green and Hyundai New Media Senior Group Manager Jon Budd at a Los Angeles press conference announcing the online platform that will provide professional mentoring services to aspiring acts discovered through the ‘Grammy Amplifier’ program. The ‘Grammy Amplifier’ program invited musicians to create a profile and upload their music at which point they could then invite their social media fanbases to vote for them as many times as possible. Those with the most votes, known as “amplifies,” would then be introduced to the program’s curators — Linkin Park, Ozzy Osbourne , Kelly Clarkson , Rza, Kaskade , My Morning Jacket ‘s Jim James, and Snoop Lion — who would then help increase their exposure by promoting the aspiring acts on their own social networks. As part of the ‘Centerstage’ program, three of the most “amplified” acts will receive awards that include a recording session with a leading Grammy producer, the production of a music video with a noted producer and/or director and the opportunity to open shows on a major tour or music festival. The winning artists will be announced during the Grammys annual SXSW party in March. For more details on the ‘Grammy Amplifier’ program, click here . [button href=”http://loudwire.com/linkin-park-new-zealand-eighth-lpu-summit/” title=”Next: Linkin Park Plan New Zealand Based Fan Summit” align=”center”]
Noel Vasquez, Getty Images Primus frontman Les Claypool is sad to report that his nephew Matthew has passed away after struggling with Infant’s leukemia for the past two years. The bassist-singer brought Matthew’s struggle to light last year when auctioning off one of his basses to raise funds to help offset his brother’s family’s mounting medical costs. Claypool auctioned one of his rare protype Pachyderm basses hoping that it would fetch a large sum and it did with the winning bidder raising the price to $50.6K. During the bidding process itself, Claypool posted online at how overwhelmed he was by how far people were willing to go to help out . In his Facebook posting , Claypool reveals that young Matthew died Friday (Feb. 8) while staying at the St. Jude’s Hospital in Memphis. His message reads as follow: Hello everyone, I am sad to report that my little nephew Matthew Pierce who has come to be known as Baby Matthew has passed on from complications related to his more than two year struggle with Infant’s leukemia. He passed this evening (Friday, February 8) just after 7pm pacific time at St. Jude’s Hospital in Memphis Tennessee. My heart aches for my Brother Ron, his wife Aimee and his kids Isaiah, Noah and Lilly. It has been an extraordinarily tough road for my Bro and his family and I want to thank everyone who has reached out to help them over the past couple years. The amount of support they have received has been phenomenal and very touching. Matthew was a tough little guy who beat the odds for much longer than anyone every thought. Because of him and his tenacious struggle, there has been more knowledge accumulated in the procedures of how to treat Infant’s Leukemia and the potential for survival is that much greater. Even though he was just a tot, he has done a great service to those future children who may be misfortunate enough to contract this mysterious and deadly disease. Thank you all once again for your kind thoughts and generosity. Les Claypool Meanwhile, Matthew’s parents posted their own update at the BabyMatthew.org website. It reads as follows: The Lord has decided that this sweet boy has suffered enough and he took him home tonight. We are so broken but I find much comfort in knowing that tonight…right now he’s laughing…running…playing the drums to his heart content. It was such an honor to love and cherish someone as special as Matthew Robert Pierce. Momma loves you. Our precious baby Matthew was born on July 14, 2010 at 2:59pm, Weighing a healthy 8lbs 13oz and 21 inches long to parents Ron Pierce and Aimee Grijalva and brother to Izahia and sister Noa. They were so happy and had the family they always dreamed of. On September 22, 2010 after a follow up doctor’s appointment their dream became a nightmare, Baby Matthew was airlifted to Stanford and the family was told the worst news anyone could ever imagine. Baby Matthew was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) and was now fighting for his life. At only 2 months old he is fighting the odds and doctors are calling him a “miracle”. Baby Matthew and his family have a long road ahead of them. We ask that you please keep them in your prayers, and if you would like to donate to help with expenses, we would greatly appreciate it. Thank you for all your prayers and support. To read more about baby Matthew, additional information on leukemia or to make a donation, click here . [button href=”http://loudwire.com/dean-hocking-death-2012/” title=”See the Rockers We Lost in 2012″ align=”center”]
Ethan Miller, Getty Images Guns N’ Roses ‘ Axl Rose may wish to distance himself from Slash as much as possible, but the proximity of the frontman to his former guitarist will stand in the ‘Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock’ video game. A judge dismissed Rose’s lawsuit against Activision Blizzard Inc. in which he claimed the gaming company broke a promise made to him when he agreed to license his music. According to the San Marino Tribune , Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Charles Palmer heard more than two hours of arguments Jan. 31 concerning the lawsuit’s contract claims before taking the case under submission. On Thursday (Feb. 7), he affirmed his tentative ruling and tossed out the remaining causes of action in the case. Back in August , Palmer threw out Rose’s initial fraud and misrepresentation claims because they were filed beyond the statute of limitations, but left the vocalist with the ability to pursue the contractual causes of action . In the time since the last court date, Activision filed another dismissal notice and this time Palmer ruled in their favor. Rose alleged that he had agreed to allow usage of ‘Welcome to the Jungle’ in the video game only if Activision were to disallow any images of his former Guns N’ Roses bandmates or their current band, Velvet Revolver . However, Slash appeared as a character within the game itself. Even though Rose voiced his displeasure during production of the game, the company moved forward with their usage of the guitarist’s image and the band’s song. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/guns-n-roses-third-headliner-new-york-governors-ball-festival/” title=”Next: Guns N’ Roses Announced as Headliner for 2013 Governors Ball” align=”center”]