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 ]
Frederick M. Brown / Justin Sullivan, Getty Images The Foo Fighters freshened things up by digging into the past with several classic rock covers Friday night (Sept. 21) during their headlining set at Atlanta’s Music Midtown festival. The event also gave them the opportunity to reprise their frequent cover of ‘Bad Reputation’ with the song’s originator, Joan Jett , who had played earlier in the day. The fans were treated to a healthy dose of the band’s ‘Wasting Light’ album early on, with ‘White Limo,’ ‘Rope,’ ‘Arlandria,’ ‘These Days,’ and ‘Walk’ among the first nine tracks of the night. But after that and such well placed hits as ‘All My Life,’ ‘The Pretender,’ ‘My Hero,’ and ‘Learn to Fly,’ the band mixed things up with their first cover of the night – Van Halen ‘s ‘Everybody Wants You.’ The blistering guitar work and audience reaction made this one of the highlights of the evening, as the Foo Fighters showed that even on someone’s else’s material, they’re a band on top of their game. Next up in the covers catalog was the group’s take on Pink Floyd ‘s ‘In the Flesh?’ The track has been a favorite cover over the past year or so with Taylor Hawkins leading the vocals rather than Dave Grohl . The last two covers of the night also leaned to the classic rock side, with Dave Grohl leading the band through the Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers classic ‘Breakdown’ first. With its moody beat, the Petty classic allowed the Foo Fighters a bit of a breather from their adrenaline fueled set. However, the mid-tempo break was quickly alleviated when Grohl and company introduced Jett. The singer, who has appeared several times with the Foo Fighters during the support of their latest album and even joined the band on the ‘Late Show with David Letterman,’ reprised the collaboration of ‘Bad Reputation’ for the Atlanta audience. With that performance bringing the audience to their feet, the Foo Fighters finished out the night with their longtime show closer, ‘Everlong.” Watch Foo Fighters Cover Van Halen’s ‘Everybody Wants Some’ Watch Foo Fighters and Joan Jett Perform ‘Bad Reputation’ [button href=”http://loudwire.com/foo-fighters-frontman-dave-grohl-downplays-reports-of-band-hiatus/” title=”Next: Foo Fighters Downplay Hiatus Talk” align=”center”]
Mary Ouellette, shewillshootyou.com Here’s a look at the top stories of the day on Loudwire and around the Web: Motley Crue bassist Nikki Sixx talks to us about Motley Crue’s new single ‘Sex,’ tweeting, Dave Mustaine, the future of Sixx: A.M. + much more. [ Loudwire ] Slipknot percussionist and creative force Shawn ‘Clown’ Crahan says that Paul Gray ‘will be part of the next record.’ See what Crahan means right here. [ Loudwire ] We’ve all seen people get kicked out of shows, but it’s even sweeter when a band is the one to drop the axe. Check out 10 Amazing Concert Ejections Caught on Video. [ Loudwire ] Curious as to whether or not Led Zeppelin will reunite? Find out how the band handled questions on the subject. [ Ultimate Classic Rock ] Songstress Fiona Apple has been released on bail after her Texas arrest for hash possession. [ Diffuser.fm ] My Dying Bride and radio goddess Full Metal Jackie are set to premiere the band’s song ‘A Tapestry Scorned’ this weekend. [ Rock Music Report ]
Mary Ouellette, SheWillShootYou.com With less than two weeks to go before the Oct. 2 release of Papa Roach ‘s latest album ‘ The Connection ,’ the band has released a behind-the-scenes video (watch below) that talks about the new album, and includes portions of the new song ‘Before I Die.’ It’s a revealing video that begins with vocalist Jacoby Shaddix in the hospital, holding up a post-it note that says ‘scared,’ as he prepares for surgery on his vocal cord. Papa Roach had to drop off the Rockstar Energy Drink Uproar Festival after a week due to nodules on Shaddix’s vocal cord. Band members also talk about the meaning of the album title ‘The Connection’ in the video. Shaddix told Loudwire recently how they decided on that title. “What ‘The Connection’ means to us, it’s our connection to the music, it’s the connection of this music to the fans, it’s the connection that we make onstage with our music, it’s the connection from fan-to-fan on the social Internet marketing media world. It’s like when the Facebook fans start to get to know each other, they come to shows and meet each other and make friends.” He added, “It’s just this connection that Papa Roach makes is bigger than us sitting in a room jamming. It’s larger than life now and we’re just the facilitators for that, so it’s just painfully obvious that this is what it needs to be.” In the video, Shaddix also reveals that he split with his wife during the making of the record. “There was a point where she wanted to go experience life without me. That was the moment I feared in my life the most. Something so dear to me was being taken away against my will.” His recovery from the procedure is going well, according to a message Shaddix recently posted on Facebook . “Things are lookin good!!! The doctor says my vocal cords look like they are healing very well. So happy so blessed so grateful.” It looks like he’ll be ready to go in time for Papa Roach’s European tour in November. Watch Papa Roach – ‘The Connection’ Part 1 [via ArtistDirect ]
There’s a long history of musicians starring in movies, from Elvis to Meat Loaf to Prince to Miley Cyrus. And now, Iwrestledabearonce are starring in the feature film ‘A Beary Scary Movie,’ which will be released Nov. 6. You can watch a trailer below. ‘A Beary Scary Movie’ is a horror/comedy that tells the tale of a deranged guitarist named Shreddy from legendary hair metal band White Vulture. He comes straight from hell, murdering bands by hacking them to bits. It’s up to the stars of the film, Iwrestledabearonce, to make it out alive. The movie was written and directed by Justin Beasley. In addition to being the feature film debut of Krysta Cameron (vocals), Steven Bradley (guitar), John Ganey (guitar), Mike Martin (bass) and Mike Montgomery (drums), ‘A Beary Scary Movie’ also features the music of Iwrestledabearonce. Other cast members include M. Shawn Crahan (Slipknot), Jake Busey and Jim Babel. Since the movie was filmed, Krysta Cameron took a leave of absence from the band because of her pregnancy. Courtney LaPlante took over vocal duties during this summer’s Warped Tour. But, it now appears the hiatus is permanent. LaPlante has been the vocalist during the band’s current European tour. IWABO will embark on a North American headlining tour Oct. 5 with Oceano , Vanna, Within The Ruins, The Plot In You and Surrounded By Monsters. Watch the Trailer for ‘A Beary Scary Movie’
Mary Ouellette, SheWillShootYou.com This tattooed rocker is giving us a lot to feast our eyes on including a few words and phrases permanently etched into his skin. His upper arm reads ‘Driven By Music’ while the word ‘Strength’ works its way down the lower part of his arm. Taking up real estate on the inside of the arm, it’s easy to see how these tats provide constant inspiration for this singer as he hits the stage every night. And he’s not kidding about that ‘Driven By Music’ thing, his band’s latest disc was released at the beginning of 2012 and debuted on the Billboard 200 at No. 4, marking a career high. Think you know which rocker is sporting this ink? Click below to find out who it is: [button href=”http://loudwire.com/tattoo-reveal-24″ title=”Find Out Whose Tattoos These Are” align=”center”]