Cindy Ord, Getty Images It’s never a surprise to see Andrew W.K . popping up in the most unexpected places with his ‘Party Hard’ mentality and endless source of party tips for friends and fans. However, his latest public appearance at the ‘My Little Pony’ convention was certainly a unique one. Each year the fans and followers of ‘My Little Pony’ gather for their annual ‘My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic’ Convention, and this year, Andrew W.K. served on a panel at the convention in Strongsville, Ohio. Andrew W.K. is never short on inspiring words and his message for the fans was one of individuality and joy, saying, “The amount of joy being conjured up in this room … it will spread through the whole universe. You should feel proud of that; that’s a real achievement.” He also commented on the inclusive nature of the event and the overall acceptance he felt right away. “It’s a humbling experience … to be a part of something, even if it’s like a neighborhood,” said Andrew W.K. “It doesn’t mean you’re giving up a part of yourself. We choose to get together and celebrate our uniqueness.” The ‘My Little Pony’ franchise began in the early ‘80s with the line of pony doll figurines geared towards young girls and has carried on with cartoons and animated features including the latest televised series ‘My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.’ Strangely enough, according to Rolling Stone , a subculture of older teen men and adults who watch the show referred to as ‘bronies’ made up the majority of the attendees in Andrew W.K.’s panel. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/andrew-w-k-party-hard-top-21st-century-hard-rock-songs/” title=”Next: Andrew W.K.: Top 21st Century Hard Rock Songs” align=”center”]
Jim Dyson, Getty Images There’s been a loss in the Kiss family, as singer Paul Stanley is mourning the death of his mother, Eva Eisen. Eisen passed away Saturday (Sept. 29) at the age of 88. The official cause of death was not given. The vocalist has not only credited his mother with his love of music, but stated that she has always been there to support him through his musical endeavors, often turning up at Kiss shows. Kiss had recently come off the road, finishing “ The Tour ” with Motley Crue that was one of the highlights of the summer concert season. The band’s new album, ‘ Monster ,’ arrives Oct. 9. Stanley made a public statement about his loss at the Kiss website . It read: My mother found so much pleasure and fulfillment in all the various types of music that she loved so. It was through her that I, too, found that same passion. She lived long enough to see, enjoy and love an extended family that included her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. She found numerous ways to contribute to her community and was appreciated and loved by those who knew her. My mom was the matriarch of our family and words cannot express our loss. His bandmates also chimed in with their thoughts and condolences in a brief posting. It read: From the earliest days of Kiss until recently, Eva was always seen by fans at New York-area shows. We send our deepest sympathies to Paul and his family. Our thoughts and prayers are with you. Loudwire wishes to send our condolences to Paul Stanley and his family on their loss. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/beyond-the-bridge-guitarist-keyboardist-simon-oberender-passes-away/” title=”Next: See Other Rockers We’ve Lost in 2012″ align=”center”]
Noel Vasquez, Getty Images Scars on Broadway ‘s live shows have been few and far between since they released their self-titled debut disc in 2008, but singer and lead guitarist Daron Malakian has reconfigured the band’s lineup and is ready to hit the road this fall. The group’s first performance on their current run with Deftones came Saturday (Sept. 29) in Irvine, Calif. as part of the Epicenter Festival. Earlier this year, Scars on Broadway parted ways with their other System of a Down tie – John Dolmayan – but have since replaced him with Jules Pampena on drums and percussion. Also absent from the 2008 lineup is guitarist and occasional lead vocalist Franky Perez. The current band, which also features Danny Shamoun on keyboards and Dominic Cifarelli on bass, got to work out a mixture of older favorites like ‘They Say’ with brand new songs like ‘Dictator,’ ‘Sickening Wars,’ and ‘Guns Are Loaded.’ They’ll be opening dates for Deftones this fall. The band also recently revealed that an EP is in the works, but a release date has not been announced. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/scars-on-broadway-tease-new-song-guns-are-loaded/” title=”Next: Scars on Broadway Tease ‘Guns Are Loaded’ Song” align=”center”] Watch Scars on Broadway Perform ‘They Say / F— N Kill’ Watch Scars on Broadway Perform ‘Guns Are Loaded’ ?
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire / Ethan Miller, Getty Images Throughout the past year, the surviving members of Pantera have commented on the possibility of Zakk Wylde filling in for the late Dimebag Darrell if the band were ever to reunite. While it’s all been speculation thus far, singer Phil Anselmo now reveals that he recently discussed the topic with Wylde himself. Anselmo says that both he and Wylde would be open to it, but that his strained relationship with Dimebag’s brother and Pantera drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott, is a major obstacle to overcome first. “I talked to Zakk about two weeks ago, and he’s very open for it,” Anselmo tells the Village Voice . “He’s got an open mind about it. But, truth be told, Vince has got a grudge against me that is really unfounded. And, honestly, I’ve always had a wide-open door when it comes to Vince.” The singer adds, “If it takes me standin’ there and lettin’ that little guy punch me in the f—in’ face repeatedly, over and over and over, til his hands were tired of hittin’ my rock-hard f—in’ head, as long as we could sit down and talk afterwards, I’m all for it, man.” Earlier this year, Wylde said he would be honored to fill in for Dime if he got the call. “I love all those guys,” Wylde told the radio station Banana 101.5 . ”If they were ever to actually do that and they asked me — of course I would do that in honor of Dimebag. Why wouldn’t I? It would just be an amazingly beautiful thing to celebrate Dime’s greatness and what the band achieved.” Vinnie Paul, meanwhile, may have started the whole conversation when he said , “If [a Pantera reunion] ever were to happen, [Zakk] would be the guy [to step in for Dimebag]. But I honestly think, out of respect for my brother, we should just leave the 14 amazing years Pantera had be.” Whether fans are in favor of this potential reunion or not, Anselmo warns that the idea is still far-fetched at this point. ”I didn’t say that the Pantera thing is a realistic thing,” he explains in the Village Voice interview. “I don’t think that’s the important thing. I think what the important thing is, what Zakk and I discussed, is just Vince actually dropping his guard and realizing there is no treachery afoot.” Dimebag Darrell was tragically gunned down onstage by a deranged concertgoer while performing with Damageplan on Dec. 8, 2004, in Columbus, Ohio. Anselmo is currently out on tour with his band Down , who just released a new EP titled ‘Down IV Part I: The Purple EP.’ Vinnie Paul’s current group, Hellyeah , released their latest album, ‘Band of Brothers,’ earlier this year. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/phil-anselmo-talks-upcoming-down-ep-solo-album-more/” title=”Next: Phil Anselmo Discusses Down EP, Solo Album + Tour” align=”center”]
Paul Hawthorne, Getty Images It has been five years since the last release from the legendary hardcore/punk band Bad Brains , but now they’re coming back with the new album ‘Into the Future,’ which will be released Nov. 20 via Megaforce Records. The title track is now available for streaming (click below to listen). Vocalist H.R. tells Rolling Stone the music connects the past to the future. “My vocalizing strengthens the impact of the group’s overall deliverance of the music, and the expression of the church of music. The new album wouldn’t be an A-plus new album if it hadn’t been for the earlier music, which was equally as inspirational. And it gets better and better.” Bad Brains produced ‘Into the Future’ themselves after their previous record ‘Build a Nation’ was produced by the late Adam ‘MCA’ Yauch of the Beastie Boys. The band included a remix of ‘Peace Be Unto Thee’ on this album as a tribute to Yauch, their longtime friend and fan. “‘Into The Future’ is the purest Bad Brains recording since the ‘ROIR’ cassette,” says bassist Darryl Jenifer. “This self-produced record shines with a true sense of freedom and musical experimentation, with blends of soulful backgrounds meshed with blistering hardcore and metal riffs, with classic dub.” A documentary about the band, ‘ Bad Brains: A Band in D.C. ‘ was released this year, and is being screened at various film festivals. It will be shown at the Woodstock Film Festival in New York on Oct. 12 and 13. [button href=”http://www1.rollingstone.com/hearitnow/player/badbrains.html” title=”Listen to Bad Brains – ‘Into the Future’ at RollingStone.com” align=”center”]
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.
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”] ?