Carlos Muina / Hulton Archive Express Newspapers, Getty Images Danko Jones is one of the more outspoken musicians in rock and his viewpoint and willingness to speak out has made him the perfect guest columnist for the Huffington Post. This past week, the world lost music great Ravi Shankar who died at the age of 92 and Jones decided to dedicate this week’s column to remembering the sitar icon and Beatles collaborator and relating it to his own experiences with music growing up. Jones reveals that he came from an academic family and that he and his parents rarely saw eye-to-eye on his passion for music, but while they didn’t always agree, one moment of bonding came when they took him to see Shankar at a young age. He explains, “I’m very grateful to my parents whether they realize it or not. I’m grateful to them for instilling me with a set of morals that I use as a compass to this day. I’m grateful for their love and care and their best intentions for me at all times. And I am grateful for that night they took me out, to stay up way past my bedtime, to see Ravi Shankar play with Alla Rakha at the Minkler Auditorium which used to be part of the Seneca College Newham Campus in Willowdale, Ontario when I was eight-years-old.” The singer recalls, “I do remember that I was so not psyched to be in the audience before the show started. I saw a few long hairs and figured it must be a rock concert of some sort, but knew my parents HATED rock music, so it was confusing … My most vivid memory of watching this intimate performance, in basically a glorified college lecture hall, is watching Shankar play on the floor with his eyes closed — which I found mildly impressive — with his trusted tabla player, Alla Rakha, beating out rhythms by his side.” Jones continues, “No matter how many great bands and great shows I’ve witnessed over the years, there’s no show that carries the weight of this one. And even though I didn’t appreciate the moment while it was happening, I remembered that feeling 15 years later when it hit me like a thunderbolt. My mind was being expanded and my music tastes widening, and I had seen Ravi Shankar . I remember sitting in my room kicking myself for not taking it all in properly. Even when I found out Shankar had passed away late this past Tuesday, it took me a full 10 minutes to remember that I had indeed seen him perform all those many years ago, so surreal is the memory.” Jones says he never had a chance to see Shankar perform again, but his love for classical Indian music grew over time to the point where he took a World Music class at York University. He adds, “When my father made a trip home to New Delhi one year, I begged him to bring back as much Shankar music as he could fit in his luggage. I think the request surprised him but he gladly obliged. Coming from a household where academia was valued above all else and seeing the quiet sting of disappointment in my parent’s eyes when I chose a musical vocation, they can’t deny that by exposing me to Ravi Shankar at such an early age they were complicit in this rock ‘n’ roll thing I call a ‘job.’” To read more of Danko Jones’ columns, check out his Huffington Post archive here [button href=”http://loudwire.com/danko-jones-just-a-beautiful-day-exclusive-video-premiere/” title=”Next: Watch Danko Jones’ ‘Just a Beautiful Day’ Video” align=”center”]
Roger Kisby, Getty Images There’s just a few more days to wait until Alice in Chains issue their new single ‘ Hollow ‘ in full, but for now, fans can get their first taste of the track by checking out a song snippet that’s been posted on Amazon. The brief clip finds the band mining familiar territory, with trudging guitars and moody vocals leading the way. While it’s hard to glean exactly what the context of the song will be from just a few lines, fans can analyze the following stanza that appears for clues: “ Running in circles, slowing down / rolling against the closing now / Easy to feed off the weakened thing / Harder to say what I really mean .” Though the song snippet tails off after the last line, it’s apparent during the fade that the style shifts into something a little more forceful and dynamic after the final word is uttered. Listen to the song snippet here . Alice in Chains have spent most of the year working on new music, but the roots of the album actually date back to 2011. Heart ‘s Ann Wilson , a close friend of the band, told Ultimate Classic Rock last year, “I went over to visit them in the studio where they were working on some new stuff — they sound amazing! How can Jerry [Cantrell] not sound amazing, but I mean, it really does — they’re a monster.” The band has been making the lead-up to the release of ‘Hollow’ an interactive event, posting lyrical phrases on Instagram over the past week and asking fans to submit photos they’ve taken or created that are inspired by the lyrics. The project will culminate this Tuesday (Dec. 18), the same day the song hits the airwaves, with fans being able to visit the band’s website and see the fan-submitted photos inspired by the tune’s lyrics coming together with the song. As of yet, the band have not revealed a title for their new album nor a release date, but the offering of the late year single is a sign that the official news on the full record will be coming soon. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/jerry-cantrell-confirms-completion-upcoming-alice-in-chains-album/” title=”Next: Jerry Cantrell Discusses Completion of Alice in Chains’ Next Album” align=”center”]
Roswell For the better part of the last year, Foo Fighters leader Dave Grohl has been building the buzz while compiling and editing footage for his ‘ Sound City ‘ documentary about the famous Los Angeles music studio and the Neve console where many of rock’s great albums have been made. Now fans can really get excited as the full cast for the film and details of what songs were recorded for the movie’s soundtrack have been revealed. Audiences got their first taste of the ‘Sound City’ soundtrack Wednesday night (Dec. 12) when the surviving members of Nirvana joined Paul McCartney onstage at the 12-12-12 Hurricane Sandy benefit to perform ‘Cut Me Some Slack.’ The tune was just made available online and will serve as the lead single from the soundtrack. In addition to McCartney, Grohl teamed up with members of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Queens of the Stone Age , Rage Against the Machine , Foo Fighters, Kyuss and Cheap Trick , as well as singers Stevie Nicks , Rick Springfield, Trent Reznor , Lee Ving and Corey Taylor and violinist Jessy Greene to record songs for the soundtrack. You can currently pre-order the disc here ahead of its March 12 release date. As for the film’s cast, it includes hard rock and metal performers such as Foo Fighters’ Taylor Hawkins , Chris Shiflett, Rami Jaffe, Pat Smear, and Nate Mendel, Nirvana’s Krist Novoselic , Slipknot and Stone Sour ‘s Corey Taylor, Metallica ‘s Lars Ulrich , Rage Against the Machine’s Tim Commerford and Brad Wilk, Nine Inch Nails ‘ Trent Reznor, Queens of the Stone Age’s Joshua Homme and Alain Johannes, Ratt ‘s Stephen Pearcy and Warren DeMartini, Heaven and Hell ‘s Vinny Appice and Fear’s Lee Ving. On the alternative side, the film features The Pixies ‘ Frank Black, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club’s Robert Levon Been and Weezer ‘s Rivers Cuomo, Brian Bell and Pat Wilson. There’s also classic rock representation from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ Tom Petty, Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench, Fleetwood Mac ‘s Stevie Nicks, Mick Fleetwood and Lindsey Buckingham , REO Speedwagon ‘s Kevin Cronin, John Fogerty and Pat Benatar guitarist Neil Giraldo. Plus, there’s ’70s and ’80s pop stars like Rick Springfield and Barry Manilow involved. The film features session musicians like violinist Jessy Greene and drummer Jim Keltner as well as producers and engineers Rick Rubin, Butch Vig, Joe Barresi, Chris Goss, James Brown, Keith Olsen, Jim Scott, Ross Robinson and Nick Raskulinecz. In addition, console maker Rupert Neve, who is responsible for the board that most of the records were made on, appears in the movie, as do Sound City staffers Sandy Skeeter, Shivaun O’Brien, Paula Salvatore and Tom Skeeter. The ‘Sound City’ film is due for digital release on Feb. 1. ‘Sound City’ Soundtrack Track Listing: 1. ‘Heaven and All’ – Dave Grohl with Black Rebel Motorcycle Club’s Robert Levon Been and Peter Hayes 2. ‘Time Slowing Down’ – Dave Grohl with Queens of the Stone Age’s Chris Goss and Rage Against the Machine’s Tim Commerford and Brad Wilk 3. ‘You Can’t Fix This’ – Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl, Rami Jaffe and Taylor Hawkins with Stevie Nicks 4. ‘The Man That Never Was’ – Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl, Taylor Hawkins, Nate Mendel and Pat Smear with Rick Springfield 5. ‘Your Wife Is Calling’ – Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl, Taylor Hawkins and Pat Smear with Queens of the Stone Age’s Alain Johannes and Fear’s Lee Ving 6. ‘From Can to Can’t’ – Dave Grohl with Slipknot and Stone Sour’s Corey Taylor, Cheap Trick’s Rick Nielsen and Kyuss’ Scott Reeder 7. ‘Centipede’ – Dave Grohl with Queens of the Stone Age’s Joshua Homme, Chris Goss and Alain Johannes 8. ‘A Trick With No Sleeve’ – Dave Grohl with Queens of the Stone Age’s Joshua Homme and Alain Johannes 9. ‘Cut Me Some Slack’ – Paul McCartney with Nirvana’s Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic and Pat Smear 10. ‘Once Upon a Time … The End’ – Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl and Rami Jaffe with violinist Jessy Greene and drummer Jim Keltner 11. ‘Mantra’ – Dave Grohl with Queens of the Stone Age’s Joshua Homme and Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor [button href=”http://loudwire.com/dave-grohl-sound-city-documentary-sundance-premiere/” title=”Next: ‘Sound City’ Film’s Sundance Premiere + Trailer” align=”center”]
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire / Marilyn Manson Twitter Marilyn Manson is not afraid to stand up for himself, but in doing so recently in Switzerland the rocker came out a little worse for wear. In fact, the musician needed 24 stitches to sew up part of his air after a brawl. The entertainer who once released the track ‘The Fight Song’ did not go into detail about the scuffle, other than to reveal that the injury came about when he was struck with a glass table. Manson discussed the incident via Twitter and also included a photo of his ear after the procedure. Manson has been touring through Europe along with Rob Zombie as part of the “ Twins of Evil “ tour. The rocker has enjoyed a career resurrection this past year, with the single ‘ No Reflection ‘ and album ‘ Born Villain ‘ both making the cut in the Loudwire Best Rock Songs and Best Rock Albums of 2012 lists. Check out his tweets about his scuffle and ear injury here: I was hit by a glass table in a dangerous fight. I was however, the victor but had to have 24 stitches to keep my ear from becoming Van Goth — Marilyn Manson (@marilynmanson) December 11, 2012 ? My ear. twitter.com/marilynmanson/… — Marilyn Manson (@marilynmanson) December 11, 2012 [button href=”http://loudwire.com/marilyn-manson-2013-north-american-winter-tour/” title=”Next: Marilyn Manson Winter 2013 North American Tour Dates” align=”center”]
Adam Bettcher / Ethan Miller, Getty Images The Download Festival has done it again, putting together one of the best music lineups in recent memory, especially if you’re a hard rock and metal fan. The 2013 event, which runs June 14-16 at Donington Park in the U.K., just increased the awesomeness of its already stellar lineup by adding Stone Sour and Mastodon . For Stone Sour, this marks the second major festival of 2013 where Corey Taylor will get to pull double duty (the other is Ozzfest Japan ), as his other band, Slipknot , have been confirmed as one of Download’s headliners. Stone Sour have been building extra buzz from their ‘House of Gold & Bones, Pt. 1′ album and their European tour with Papa Roach . As an extra little gift for fans, by the time Stone Sour return to Download, ‘House of Gold & Bones, Pt. 2′ will be in stores. The status of Mastodon by the time that Download comes around is a bit murkier. Brent Hinds recently revealed that while the band is enjoying supporting their 2011 album, ‘The Hunter,’ they actually have a good start making music for their next effort, possibly using some of early 2013 to lay down tracks. Depending on how they progress, the band will either still be promoting ‘The Hunter’ or potentially gearing up for a new release. The three-day event will have Slipknot, Iron Maiden and Rammstein as the headlining bands for the individual days. Other acts set to play Download include Bullet for My Valentine , Queens of the Stone Age , 30 Seconds to Mars , Motorhead , the Gaslight Anthem , Alice in Chains , A Day to Remember , H.I.M. , Volbeat and the reunited Coal Chamber . More bands are expected to be revealed in the weeks and months leading up to the festival. For ticketing information on the 2013 Download Festival, please check here . [button href=”http://loudwire.com/best-mastodon-songs/” title=”Next: 10 Best Mastodon Songs” align=”center”]
Seven Four Ent. Swedish heavy metal act Ghost have proven to be one of the most bizarre major successes of 2012. Having kept their faces out of the spotlight with an evil Pope frontman and cult-like black hooded robes, Ghost signed a record deal with Seven Four Ent., which is under the Universal umbrella. Luckily for fans, Ghost are now finishing up their first album under that deal, which will be released in 2013. In an official press release, Ghost announced that they are now putting the finishing touches on their as-yet-untitled follow-up to their debut album, ‘Opus Eponymous.’ The debut disc was met with massive acclaim, and rightly so. For those who haven’t listened to Ghost, do yourself a favor and check out their music. Although simple in nature, the unpolished and chilling cadence found in ‘Opus Eponymous’ is not only brilliant, but strangely original. If that description doesn’t convince you, this quote from one of the nameless band members may change your mind: “Hard rock is about who has the biggest d–k and pop music is about who’s got the smallest. I guess we’re pretty average. But in order to have a big d–k, you have to have it mentally.” Meanwhile, Ghost will play a special show this Saturday, Dec. 15, in their hometown of Linköping, Sweden. Check out some of Ghost’s music below and stay tuned for details on their next album as news breaks. Ghost, ‘Elizabeth’
Jason Merritt / Frazer Harrison, Getty Images On Dec. 11, sitar virtuoso and essential Beatles influence Ravi Shankar passed away. The news was learned by many the next day, inspiring many tributes and condolences in response to Shankar’s death, including a special shout-out from Guns N’ Roses during their Dec. 12 performance in New Delhi, India. During the massive Guns N’ Roses concert, singer Axl Rose took a moment to memorialize Shankar with one quick sentence: “We dedicate this show to Pandit Ravi Shankar, who passed away today.” Shankar, a three-time Grammy Award winner, was admitted to Scripps Memorial Hospital in San Diego, Calif to undergo heart valve surgery on Dec. 6. Shankar had been complaining of breathing difficulties after the surgery, ultimately passing away five days later at the age of 92. The Shankar family released their official statement on Shankar’s death shortly after his demise: It is with heavy hearts we write to inform you that Pandit Ravi Shankar, husband, father, and musical soul, passed away today, December 11th, 2012.?As you all know, his health has been fragile for the past several years and on Thursday he underwent a surgery that could have potentially given him a new lease of life. Unfortunately, despite the best efforts of the surgeons and doctors taking care of him, his body was not able to withstand the strain of the surgery. We were at his side when he passed away. We know that you all feel our loss with us, and we thank you for all of your prayers and good wishes through this difficult time. Although it is a time for sorrow and sadness, it is also a time for all of us to give thanks and to be grateful that we were able to have him as a part of our lives. His spirit and his legacy will live on forever in our hearts and in his music. Sukanya & Anoushka Shankar [button href=”http://loudwire.com/best-guns-n-roses-songs/” title=”10 Best Guns N’ Roses Songs” align=”center”]