Gary Miller, Getty Images Although Maynard James Keenan no longer writes a bi-weekly column for the Phoenix New Times, the Tool / A Perfect Circle / Puscifer vocalist recently spoke to the publication about a ton of different topics. Keenan not only gives extra details on Puscifer’s upcoming EP, ‘Donkey Punch the Night,’ but info on his upcoming autobiography and the overall state of the music industry. Speaking to the Phoenix New Times about ‘Donkey Punch the Night’ Keenan describes why the musical collective are releasing an EP rather than another full-length. “The general approach to [Puscifer] has always been to do a couple songs at a time and put them out,” says Keenan. “Traditionally, back in the mid-1900s, a vinyl single would go to a radio station. You’d buy somebody’s sheet music and record a song in a studio and take it to radio stations and sell the single. [You would] sell that song. Then you’d have a B-side on it, and beyond that, if you had a couple more songs and you were feeling kind of froggy, you would do an extended play, an EP … [The ‘Conditions of My Parole’ full-length] was us on a roll. We were going to do a couple songs, and all of the sudden it became something completely different.” In a second article posted by the newspaper, Keenan goes on to remind us all that, in fact, had spent a long time on this Earth before becoming a celebrated musician. “I think there are a lot of misconceptions with some people that, all of a sudden, I was born when my first band came out,” Keenan says. “I actually had a life before that, and there were a lot of accomplishments. [The book] will kind of chronicle why it is I got to where I am, and why I got to where you knew about me.” The sonic mastermind also tackles the issue of illegal downloading. “There’s a disconnect between people not buying music and not understanding why [bands] go away,” Keenan says. “There are people who are like monkeys in a cage just hitting the coke button. They don’t really get that for [musicians and artists] to do these things, they have to fund them. They have to have something to pay the rent.” Puscifer’s upcoming ‘Donkey Punch the Night’ EP is set for a Feb. 19 release date. Puscifer, ‘Donkey Punch the Night’ EP Preview [button href=”http://loudwire.com/puscifer-practice-for-upcoming-tour-dates-exclusive-video-premiere/” title=”Puscifer Practice for Upcoming Tour Dates – Exclusive Video Premiere” align=”center”]
Theo Wargo, Getty Images You can never get too much of a good thing and Dave Grohl knows that the magic provided by the Sound City Players is something that music fans need to see. After an epic performance at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this month and another scheduled show at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles Jan. 31, Grohl says he’s open to staging more of the star-studded concerts. The ‘ Sound City ‘ director that gathered all the talent in the first place tells Billboard , “We plan to do shows all over the world. When I came up with the idea of taking all these performers to the live stage a few months ago, my idea [was] to have video presentations between each performance. We’ll have that at the next shows.” The first two Sound City Players dates have included guest appearances from Stevie Nicks , John Fogerty , Cheap Trick ‘s Rick Nielsen , Slipknot ‘s Corey Taylor , Fear’s Lee Ving, Rick Springfield and members of Rage Against the Machine , Nirvana , Queens of the Stone Age and more. Fan-shot video of the Sound City Players featuring Corey Taylor and Rick Nielsen covering Cheap Trick’s ‘Surrender’ may be seen below. The concerts are helping to promote Grohl’s ‘Sound City’ documentary, which not only tells the story of the legendary Los Angeles recording studio but also serves as a love letter by some of rock’s greats to the idea of collaboration in a room and the bonds formed playing live music together. Grohl says, “I knew I didn’t want it to be a retrospective documentary, the history of the studio. [The story] has an emotion quality to it and it had some relevance … ‘Sound City’ has been home to so many influential albums, but also to so many beautiful stories about people and their relationships. It’s such a deeper story than a ‘Behind the Music’ that would talk about ‘Damn the Torpedoes.’ The film will screen in theaters around the world on Jan. 31, with additional screenings set up throughout the month of February. Sound City Players Featuring Corey Taylor and Rick Nielsen Perform ‘Surrender’ [button href=”http://loudwire.com/dave-grohl-admiration-sound-city-collaborators-corey-taylor-paul-mccartney/” title=”Next: Dave Grohl Shares Admiration for Paul McCartney + Corey Taylor” align=”center”]
Jason Merritt, Getty Images Guns N’ Roses have taken a few knocks in recent years for appearing onstage late or rolling past curfews as a result, but one of the main reasons for that occurrence is the production value that they’re bringing to audiences around the world. Guitarist DJ Ashba tells Australia’s Yahoo7 News that the production issues are a common reason for the delay in getting the band to the stage. He explains, “We have a huge rig and pyrotechnics so often it’s the case of fitting all that into the venue. Our number one priority is to make the shows safe. [The criticism from fans on social media] kills us as a band because we’re not doing any of this on purpose. Our main goal is to go and give the fans a show they will never forget and we understand how expensive tickets are. We take that into account and when we do hit the stage, it’s almost impossible to get us off.” The guitarist also addressed the sometimes negative perception of frontman Axl Rose in the media, explaining, “I think a lot of people and the press try to blow it up and say he’s an a–hole, but everyone can be an a–hole if you get them on the wrong day. One thing people don’t seem to get is that he’s genuinely funny and he’s always joking around and telling stories to make people laugh. I always say that if he wasn’t a musician, he’d be a great comedian. I wish the world could see that side of him because it’s the opposite of what people have branded in their brains.” Even though Ashba is one of the last members to join the current Guns N’ Roses lineup, he says that Rose has done nothing but treat his bandmates like gold since he started. He adds, “He lets us write our own solos and gives everybody their time to shine on stage and I think that says a lot about who he is. He has no problem sharing the spotlight, in fact he quite likes it.” Guns N’ Roses will next take the stage this March in Australia. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/guns-n-roses-offer-first-look-at-3d-concert-film-announce-tour-dates-in-australia/” title=”Next: Guns N’ Roses Offer First Look at 3D Concert Film” align=”center”]
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Killswitch Engage vocalist Jesse Leach has joined forces with Chicago non-profit organization ‘Hope for the Day’ and Alternative Press magazine to release their latest video segment of ‘Music Saved My Life.’ In the video, Leach goes in-depth about the positive emotional impact that music had on his life, especially during the darkest of times. Jesse Leach, who rejoined Killswitch Engage in 2012 after a decade away from the band, opens up about struggling with depression, anxiety and losing friends to suicide. He also speaks about exactly how music saved his life along with the band which cemented his dedication to his greatest passion. “I got involved with music at around 14 or 15 years old. I first heard the band Minor Threat and the visceral anger, emotion and just the sheer catharsis of the music is really what drove me and it’s something I can relate to, being a young, angry kid and sort of feeling like I didn’t belong in my high school.” Leach continues, “Punk rock and hardcore was really the music that first spoke to me, and made me want to have a voice and express myself. That music was definitely an outlet for my emotions, especially when you’re that young and still learning how to cope.” Hope for the Day is a movement dedicated to educate youth through music and the arts. It hopes to use these crafts as a defense mechanism against suicide by allowing youths to flourish through creative expression. Check out the full ‘Music Saved My Life’ video featuring Jesse Leach in the player below. Killswitch Engage’s Jesse Leach Shares How Music Saved His Life
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”]
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”]