Author: planetsixstring

Dee Snider performed an acoustic version of the TWISTED SISTER classic “We’re Not Gonna Take It” last night (Monday, April 4) at a concert to raise funds for refugees from Ukraine in Agoura Hills, California. Video of his appearance can be seen below (courtesy of California Rock News).

All proceeds from the “Concert For Ukraine”, which was organized by independent promoter Ken Greene, at the BL Dancehall And Saloon will go to the Children’s Emergency Fund, part of the nonprofit Save The Children. Donations will help provide Ukrainian children and families with food, water, shelter and other immediate needs. The nonprofit also supports families displaced by conflict elsewhere around the world.

In late February, Snider announced his steadfast support of the people of Ukraine using the band’s “We’re Not Gonna Take It” as their battle cry anthem, and within just days, became heavily involved at the forefront of World United Live. The platform operates with the goal of raising awareness that may otherwise be shielded from the Russian people, to digitally, simultaneously protest in support of Ukraine, and to eventually coordinate the world’s largest aid concert to help them rebuild.

Last month, in support of World United Live’s initiatives and the people of Ukraine, Snider released a brand new, reworked music video for his “Leave A Scar” solo track “Stand”, specially renamed “Stand (With Ukraine)”. The video, featuring various pieces of current sourced footage, can be viewed at www.worldunited.live.

Snider explained: “About a month ago, someone on social media told me people in Ukraine were using TWISTED SISTER’s ‘We’re Not Gonna Take It’ as a battle cry and asked if I was cool with it. Of course I was. My response elicited someone asking me why I was okay with Ukrainians using my song and not some other groups. I won’t repeat my exact response (it was a bit political), but that tweet went internationally viral. Every news agency in the world suddenly wanted to talk to me.

“At that very moment, some great people (who were all friends of mine) were hatching the idea for World United Live and asked me if I would spearhead the organization. How could I say no? Since then, we have been beating the drum for the free world to come together, not only in support of Ukraine and condemnation of Putin, but in sending a message to the Russian people that they are misinformed and not being told the truth. Now, with the help of the likes of Arnold Schwarzenegger and many others, we are doing just that!

“About a week ago, it hit me that the song ‘Stand’ from my last Napalm Records album ‘Leave A Scar’ fit the crisis in Ukraine perfectly… but I had already released a video for ‘Stand’ recently. Yet I just couldn’t get around how well the lyrics resonated with Putin’s attack on these innocent people. Ukraine was the furthest thing from my mind when I wrote the words for that song, yet it was like I had done just that. So, I had a couple of incredibly talented people (Scott Pitek and Steve Sage Goldberg) cut together a new video using some live concert footage and news clips. The result is devastating. Please watch and share ‘Stand (With Ukraine)’ and join us at www.worldunited.live. Help save the world. Together we can.”

Other World United Live “messengers” include DISTURBED singer David Draiman and FOZZY frontman Chris Jericho.

Dee told “As It Happens” why he’s glad Ukrainians have found inspiration in “We’re Not Gonna Take It” as they fight a Russian invasion: “It was designed to be a song where people can read their personal strife and struggle, whether it’s your teachers or your parents or your government or an invasion — whatever. But then I started to get some people asking me, ‘Well, how can you support that, but you know, you denounced the anti-maskers?’ I was processing it and I was about to head out the door to get Saturday-morning bagels for my family, and I said, you know: This is why. And I wrote it down. And I came back a couple of hours later and opened up my Twitter feed, and it exploded, and I said: ‘Whoa!’ I didn’t realize I sort of hit the nail on the head. One group are fighting for their lives against oppression and tyranny for real. It’s a life and death situation. The other group are screaming that they’re being oppressed because they’re being asked to wear a piece of paper over their nose and mouth to protect others. It’s just so ludicrous, you know? And when you put that kind of perspective on it, it looks embarrassing when you see these true people fighting for their lives, struggling for their lives in the Ukraine, and you get these silly people … stamping their feet like little children.”

“We’re Not Gonna Take It”, the biggest hit single in TWISTED SISTER’s career, has been used in commercials for hotel chain Extended Stay America, Claritin, Walmart, Stanley Steamer and Yaz birth control.

The song’s lyrics say in part “Oh you’re so condescending/Your gall is never ending/We don’t want nothin’/Not a thing from you.”

TWISTED SISTER called it quits in 2016 after completing a farewell 40th-anniversary tour. The band’s last-ever concert took place in November of that year — 20 months after the passing of TWISTED’s longtime drummer A.J. Pero.

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KORN has announced a summer tour with fellow rock culture icons EVANESCENCE, produced by Live Nation. Accompanied by special guests varying across select dates, the 18-city tour kicks off on August 16 at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado, making stops across the U.S. in Boston, Chicago, Houston and more before wrapping up in Ridgefield, Washington on September 16.

“We’re looking forward to going on tour this summer and bringing our friends EVANESCENCE, out,” said Jonathan Davis of KORN. “Whenever Amy [Lee, EVANESCENCE singer] comes to one of our shows, I always love seeing her on the side of the stage watching the whole set and rocking out. We’re gonna have a great time on this tour, and we can’t wait to see you there.”

Lee added: “I fell hard into KORN’s music in high school. It was an inspiration during the formation of my own band. The chances we’ve had to play together over the years are special, a part of our history. They remain one of the best live bands I’ve ever seen. It’s an honor and a thrill to go out with our friends again, our first full tour together since ’07. We’re all really looking forward to this.”

Tickets and VIP packages go on sale starting Friday, April 8 at 10 a.m. local time on LiveNation.com.

Tour dates:

Aug. 16 – Denver, CO – Ball Arena
Aug. 18 – Maryland Heights, MO – Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
Aug. 20 – Tinley Park, IL – Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
Aug. 21 – Clarkston, MI – Pine Knob Music Theatre
Aug. 23 – Cuyahoga Falls, OH – Blossom Music Center
Aug. 24 – Noblesville, IN – Ruoff Music Center
Aug. 26 – Mansfield, MA – Xfinity Center
Aug. 27 – Camden, NJ – Waterfront Music Pavilion
Aug. 28 – Wantagh, NY – Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater
Aug. 31 – Charlotte, NC – PNC Music Pavilion
Sep. 01 – Pelham, AL – Oak Mountain Amphitheatre
Sep. 04 – Houston, TX – The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
Sep. 06 – Dallas, TX – Dos Equis Pavilion
Sep. 09 – Salt Lake City, UT – USANA Amphitheatre
Sep. 10 – Nampa, ID – Ford Idaho Center
Sep. 13 – Spokane, WA – Spokane Arena
Sep. 15 – Auburn, WA – White River Amphitheatre
Sep. 16 – Ridgefield, WA – RV Inn Style Resorts Amphitheater

KORN changed the world with the release of its self-titled debut album. It was a record that would pioneer a genre, while the band’s enduring success points to a larger cultural moment. The Fader notes: “There was an unexpected opening in the pop landscape and KORN articulated a generational coming-of-angst for a claustrophobic, self-surveilled consciousness. KORN became the soundtrack for a generation’s arrival as a snarling, thrashing, systemically-restrained freak show.”

Since forming, KORN has sold 40 million albums worldwide, collected two Grammys, toured the world countless times, and set many records in the process that will likely never be surpassed. KORN has continued to push the limits of the rock, alternative and metal genres, while remaining a pillar of influence for legions of fans and generations of artists around the globe.

The level of KORN’s reach transcends accolades and platinum certifications. They are “a genuine movement in a way bands cannot be now,” attests The Ringer. They represent a new archetype and radical innovation, their ability to transcend genre makes barriers seem irrelevant.

The band’s latest release, “Requiem”, was born out of very different circumstances than the majority of the band’s catalog; with their busy touring schedule halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the band found themselves energized by a new creative process free of time constraints. This allowed them to do things with “Requiem” that the past two decades haven’t always afforded them, such as taking additional time to experiment together or diligently recording to analog tape — processes which unearthed newfound sonic dimension and texture in their music. The record has been praised by fans and critics alike and also saw its lead single, “Start The Healing”, reach No. 1 on the Modern Rock Radio chart.

Two-time Grammy Award-winning EVANESCENCE has made an impact on people around the world. The group’s 2003 landmark debut album “Fallen” laid the foundation, spending 43 weeks on the Billboard Top 10 and selling more than 17 million copies worldwide. Debut single and global hit “Bring Me To Life” reached No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and marked their first U.K. No. 1 hit single. The equally popular “My Immortal” peaked at No. 7 in the U.S. and U.K.

Following multiple worldwide tours, “The Open Door” came next, which went on to sell more than five million copies followed by the self-titled EVANESCENCE which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard charts. EVANESCENCE lead singer-songwriter and pianist Amy Lee, bassist Tim McCord, drummer Will Hunt, lead guitarist Troy McLawhorn and guitarist and backing vocalist Jen Majura went down both very new and familiar paths for their symphonic/electronic fourth release, “Synthesis”, in 2017 via BMG. The album scored four Billboard No. 1s debuting atop the Independent, Alternative, Rock, and Classical Album Charts.

EVANESCENCE launched their worldwide “Synthesis Live” tour in October 2017 combining their intense live performances and timeless songwriting with a powerful live orchestra. In March of 2021, EVANESCENCE released their newest studio album, “The Bitter Truth”, featuring the songs “Wasted On You” and “Use My Voice”, both of which were nominated for MTV Video Awards, as well as “Better Without You”, a Top-10 charting song at U.S. rock radio, having spent an incredible 27 weeks on the chart.

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SEPULTURA has canceled its performance tonight (Tuesday, April 5) at in Mesa, Arizona after drummer Eloy Casagrande broke his right leg in a stage accident.

SEPULTURA’s “North American Quadra” 2022 tour with SACRED REICH and CROWBAR kicked off on March 4 in Sacramento and is set to conclude on April 8 in Berkeley, California. SEPULTURA also has a six-date tour of Mexico scheduled for April 12-17.

On Monday, the 31-year-old Brazilian musician took to his Instagram to share X-ray photos of his fractured tibia and fibula bones, and he included the following message: “It is with deep sadness that I announce that I have unfortunately broken my right leg. Yesterday, at the El Paso show, during the break between songs I ended up falling off the stage and fracturing my tibia and fibula. I’m going back to Brazil to start the recovery. I’ll see you soon! The tour will continue, but without me. More news coming soon. I ask for your support.”

Last night, The Nile Theater released a statement via social media indicting that SEPULTURA would not play tonight’s gig, but that SACRED REICH and CROWBAR will still perform as scheduled.

“Due to unforeseen circumstances SEPULTURA will not be appearing at this event,” the statement read. “SACRED REICH, CROWBAR and the ART OF SHOCK will still be playing and tickets are available online and at the door. Refunds will be available at point of purchase.”

This is not the first health issue that has plagued the “North American Quadra” 2022 tour. Last month, SACRED REICH was forced to cancel more than half dozen shows on the trek due to frontman Phil Rind’s “ongoing respiratory illness.”

Casagrande joined SEPULTURA 10 years ago as the replacement for Dolabella.

Last summer, guitarist Andreas Kisser spoke to France’s Loud TV about how Casagrande’s addition to has affected SEPULTURA’s sound.

“We’re very lucky to have such great musicians here in Brazil, especially in drumming,” he said. “We have great drummers and percussionists. You see [Carlos] Santana and all those great names, Paul Simon and stuff, always using some Brazilian here and there regarding the drum world. And Eloy started playing drums very early. He was made for SEPULTURA, man. I mean, he played in some other bands and stuff, but here with SEPULTURA, he’s really exploding; he’s really free to express himself the way he wants to, and SEPULTURA’s music really provides that. And in exchange, he gave me especially to write many new possibilities. I think ‘Machine Messiah’ and ‘Quadra’ are the consequence of that interaction we have, which is great. It’s so inspiring. It’s fantastic.

“We are kind of always writing,” he continued. “Sometimes he sends me some drum loops and I send him some riffs and stuff, and it’s really cool that we build stuff from there. And he’s a very professional guy — the best drummer in the world; at least for SEPULTURA he’s the best. [Laughs]”

In February 2020, SEPULTURA singer Derrick Green told Australia’s Everblack Media that Casagrande has had “a tremendous impact” on the group since he joined in 2011. “It’s undeniable because he’s such a strong force,” he said. “He loves playing metal music. He’s one of the most talented drummers I’ve ever seen, honestly. That power is consistent from beginning to the end. It really has rubbed off on all of us to really push ourselves further. He’s such a perfect match for the band. He really is always influencing us in so many ways to really go beyond — above and beyond.”

In 2019, Eloy told Drumtalk that he didn’t care about the long-simmering feud between founding SEPULTURA members Max and Igor Cavalera and his current bandmates. “I respect all the history,” he said. “I have total respect for the past drummers, Igor and Jean [Dolabella]. They are amazing guys, incredible guys, but we just live in the present. I really don’t care what happened, what didn’t happen. I respect all the music. I respect their music nowadays. It’s just that we have to follow our path and that’s it.”

SEPULTURA’s latest album, “Quadra”, was released in February 2020 via Nuclear Blast. The LP was created at Sweden’s Fascination Street Studios with renowned producer Jens Bogren.

SEPULTURA comprises Green, Kisser, bassist Paulo Xisto Pinto Jr. and Casagrande.

Due to unforeseen circumstances Sepultura will not be appearing at this event. Sacred Reich, Crowbar and the Art of…

Posted by The Nile on Monday, April 4, 2022

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San Francisco Bay Area metallers MACHINE HEAD will release a new single and music video on Tuesday, April 12. A short teaser clip is available below.

MACHINE HEAD’s new full-length album is tentatively due this summer. The follow-up to 2018’s “Catharsis” will include the three songs that were featured on last year’s “Arrows In Words From The Sky” single: “Become The Firestorm”, “Rotten” and “Arrows In Words From The Sky”.

Much of the new MACHINE HEAD album was recorded at Sharkbite Studios in Oakland, California with producer Zack Ohren.

This past February, MACHINE HEAD bassist Jared MacEachern told Primordial Radio about his contributions to the band’s new album: “I think that I was very aware from day one that Robb [Flynn, guitar/vocals] is the leader, he’s the creative leader, the musical leader… We all have our inputs but I think it’s always understood that ultimately the decision is up to him for how things go. But, yeah, I definitely made contributions and I feel great about those contributions and I’m asked about my opinion on certain things. But, like I said, I’m following his lead.”

As for the musical direction of the new MACHINE HEAD material, Jared said: “It’s a pretty — to use Robb’s word… I believe he used the word ‘colossal’ the other day. It’s a pretty big-, epic-sounding album. We’ve been toying around with the order, but I’ve been listening, sitting down, taking the time to listen to it all the way through, and the way it goes, it’s a ride — a really great, heavy, beautiful, melodic, raging, thrashing ride.”

Last December, Flynn offered an update on the album’s progress during an episode of his “No Fuckin’ Regrets With Robb Flynn” podcast. He said: “I’m in the studio right now. In fact, we started yesterday — Zack and I were in the recording studio finishing up the new album, working on the new album. It’s coming along. Right now, they’re setting up in there. They’ve got Navene Koperweis [of] ENTHEOS, ANIMALS AS LEADERS and a million other bands — he is setting up drums and he’s gonna be laying down some heat with the drums. Yeah, it’s going really good — [it’s] been really, really productive. And we’re kind of getting towards the end here, man — we’re getting towards the finish line. The finish line is in sight, and I haven’t been able to say that for a long time.”

He continued: “If you recall, Navene is the dude who played on ‘[Become The] Firestorm’, ‘Arrows In Words From The Sky’, ‘My Hands Are Empty’, he played on ‘Circle The Drain’. Yeah, it’s comfortable. [He’s] a local guy, which really helps.

“We’re probably gonna be dropping some new songs pretty soon,” Robb added. “Then the record will be dropping probably end of summer. We’ve gotta wait till the vinyl all lines up ’cause the vinyl takes fucking forever now. Nine-month lead time on vinyl. Adele just shifted 130 thousand copies of vinyl first week. Dude, it’s crazy. All these fucking major labels are clogging up all of the vinyl pressing plants now. So, yeah, it’s been a challenge. But we’ll be dropping some songs on the DSPs, digital service providers.”

Flynn and MacEachern previously said that they were “making great progress on at least six different new songs, including a 10-minute-plus epic.”

In November 2020, MACHINE HEAD released a single, “My Hands Are Empty”, via Nuclear Blast. The song marked the first musical collaboration between Flynn and original “Burn My Eyes” guitarist Logan Mader in 24 years.

“My Hands Are Empty” was just one in a line of singles to be released by MACHINE HEAD, which issued “Do Or Die” in October 2019, “Circle The Drain” in February 2020, and the two-song digital single “Civil Unrest”, consisting of “Stop The Bleeding” and “Bulletproof”, in June 2020. “Stop The Bleeding” featured guest vocals from KILLSWITCH ENGAGE frontman Jesse Leach, and was written and recorded just days after the murders of George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery.

Flynn previously said all three tracks from the “Arrows In Words From The Sky” single as well as “My Hands Are Empty”, would be included on the band’s next full-length studio album. “And the other stuff is just gonna stay kind of in whatever void it came out in — and probably be released on a collection of songs with a bunch of other B-sides at some point, a physical version,” he told the “Behind The Vinyl” podcast last June. “But for now, these four songs, and then some future songs, are gonna make up the next record.”

Asked if the “turbulent” nature of the last couple of years was a good thing for him creatively, Flynn said: “Oh, totally. I’m an impatient man. [Laughs] I want it, and I want it now. And the music business can be mind-numbingly slow at times. And certainly with the pandemic now, just the lead time to set up a record is, like, seven months. Vinyl is fucking seven months. If I turned in a record today — done, mastered, finished, artwork, everything — we’re not gonna get the vinyl until seven months from now. I’m, like, ‘This is fucking crazy.’ And I don’t wanna wait; I just wanna put it out.

“When I started in the [1980s] thrash scene, bands put out demos and fucking rehearsals and new songs every month or two,” he explained. “I had every EXODUS song released just from bootlegs and from demos and stuff like that. Same with METALLICA. And it was just so much faster. And the world has just kind of shifted into this extremely slow — certainly the metal world has. And I wanted to bring it back to that… Yes, I’m not releasing a cassette tape, but yeah, I’m putting it out so that if the diehards wanna hear it, you can fucking hear it. And consistently do that — consistently put out music so that it’s constantly giving the fans, the diehard fans, the Head Cases, the ones who fucking live and breathe this shit, something to chew on every three or four months. And I really dig it. I think it’s amazing. And I think that we have the technology — thanks to Spotify and all the streaming services now — [so that] we can do this shit. So why not?”

Ten months ago, MACHINE HEAD announced that it was abandoning plans to resume its “Burn My Eyes” 25th-anniversary tour now that the pandemic is slowing down. Flynn said that the “Burn My Eyes” tour, which saw him and MacEachern play the band’s classic debut album in its entirety for the first time ever, with original “Burn My Eyes”-era drummer Chris Kontos and Mader joining in, would not pick up at such a time as MACHINE HEAD can continue touring. Flynn also confirmed that MacEachern is still a member of MACHINE HEAD alongside new recruits, guitarist Wacław “Vogg” Kiełtyka (DECAPITATED) and British drummer Matt Alston.

MACHINE HEAD will team up with Sweden’s Viking metal overlords AMON AMARTH for a co-headline “Vikings And Lionhearts” European arena tour in September and October. Support on the trek will come from THE HALO EFFECT, the new band featuring five former members of IN FLAMES: Peter Iwers, Daniel Svensson, Jesper Strömblad, Niclas Engelin and Mikael Stanne.

“Catharsis” was the final album to feature guitarist Phil Demmel and drummer Dave McClain, who both left MACHINE HEAD in October 2018.

Demmel, who was in MACHINE HEAD for nearly 16 years, during which time he played on five of the group’s studio albums, told the “In The Pitts Of Metal And Motor Chaos” podcast that MACHINE HEAD ended up becoming a Robb Flynn solo project toward the end of his time with the group. “We weren’t a band,” he said. “That was Robb’s trip, and we were basically just being told what was gonna happen… Everything had changed over time. Shit, we were together for 16 years and stuff changes after that. It’s been the band that he started. So things shift, and as they weren’t what we agreed to or what we wanted to be a part of, [Dave and I] just left. So we do our own thing, and [Robb] does his thing.” Demmel also said that the musical side of MACHINE HEAD took a sharp turn for the worse during the writing stage for “Catharsis”, an album he said he hated.

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THE QUIREBOYS have released a statement explaining their decision to part ways with their lead singer Spike (real name Jonathan Gray).

Late last month, the long-running U.K. rockers announced that they had split with the frontman and revealed their intention to continue as a five-piece, with longtime guitarist Guy Griffin handling the vocals.

A short time later, Spike took to his Twitter to write that he had received a letter from “3 of MY band members informing me that my services are no longer required to sing or perform with them.” He went on to refer to himself as “THE QUIREBOYS founder, only original member and singer.”

After a couple of concert promoters canceled THE QUIREBOYS’ previously announced appearances, the band issued the following statement: “Further to our initial statement last week regarding THE QUIREBOYS parting ways with Spike, we’d like to address some of the questions and speculation that have arisen.

“Spike was informed of our decision to part ways with him via a phone call from the band’s manager two weeks prior to receiving the letter, which was just legal confirmation, as he refused to speak to us. Spike has consistently declined to meet and discuss band issues over the course of the past nine months.

“Our decision was not taken lightly and is the culmination of not just months but years of persistent problems, as many working in the music industry know.

“Most recently we had to deal with his last-minute nonappearance on the Monsters Of Rock Cruise as well as the double-booking of solo shows in a bid to jeopardise contracted QUIREBOYS shows, including those in France this past weekend and our forthcoming US tour. There are many more instances of cancelled shows and systematically trying to undermine us thus causing stress and uncertainty to both our crew and ourselves.

“Spike’s solo performances are not and have never been an issue, but doing them without any consultation with the band or management is. Our shows are booked months in advance of being announced and all band members receive the dates in good time. It is up to us all individually to manage our calendars accordingly and to ensure that any other projects we have do not interfere with THE QUIREBOYS schedule. Ultimately, if we do not fulfil our contracted tour schedule, the band makes no money and any deposits would need to be refunded.

“We have been trading as THE QUIREBOYS through a business registered with Companies House & HMRC for many years, a company Spike was asked to join but declined, preferring instead to be hired on a freelance basis, ‘cash in hand’. Therefore, there is absolutely no fraudulent use of the name by us. Spike does not legally own the band or the name.

“The pandemic hit our company and band hard, as it did many in the industry. After an 18 month struggle to pay bills and keep the band solvent whilst supporting our families, we were dismayed to come into possession of a contract that Spike’s Agent had been sending out on his instruction stating: ‘Please note that THE QUIREBOYS will not be performing any ‘unplugged’ shows in 2022′ – and so just like that, 50% of our future income was gone before we had even had a chance to play again.

“None of us asked to be put into this position. We are a band who has been playing together for over twenty years with nine albums’ worth of music to our name. In addition, as most fans would know, Guy Griffin has played on every QUIREBOYS album to date, writing many of the tracks you love. Why should we be denied the opportunity to play the songs we wrote or performed on and not be able to protect our livelihoods?

“Let the music do the talking.”

THE QUIREBOYS most recently performed without Spike aboard this year’s Monsters Of Rock cruise, which departed out of Miami, Florida on February 9.

THE QUIREBOYS put out their most recent album, the well-received “Amazing Disgrace”, in 2019.

The band’s debut LP, “A Bit of What You Fancy”, was released in 1990 and included the song “Hey You”, which was THE QUIREBOYS’ biggest hit, reaching No. 14 in the U.K. singles chart and No. 5 in the U.S. Billboard Rock chart.

In 2020, THE QUIREBOYS were scheduled to celebrate their 35th anniversary with a tour. The trek, which ended up getting canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, would also have marked 30 years since the release of “A Bit Of What You Fancy”.

Following the band’s inception in London in 1984 — originally as THE CHOIRBOYS, then THE QUEERBOYS, before settling on the less controversial name of THE QUIREBOYS — there followed six years of hard graft and personnel changes.

THE QUIREBOYS played to 72,000 people at 1990’s Monsters Of Rock at Donington with the likes of WHITESNAKE, AEROSMITH and POISON. They supported THE ROLLING STONES that same year in Newcastle, and opened for GUNS N’ ROSES at the Hammersmith Odeon in 1987 and again a couple of years later on their “Use Your Illusion” tour.

The public’s appetite for THE QUIREBOYS had returned and hasn’t waned since — three further studio releases (“Well Oiled”, “Homewreckers & Heartbreakers”, “Halfpenny Dancer”) were released on various labels from 2004 to 2009 before the band found their new, and permanent, home on Off Yer Rocka, the label of the renowned festival brand Hard Rock Hell.

An anniversary edition — fully re-recorded — of “A Bit Of What You Fancy” drew much acclaim in 2021.

Further to our initial statement last week regarding The Quireboys parting ways with Spike, we’d like to address some of…

Posted by The Quireboys – This Is Rock And Roll on Tuesday, April 5, 2022

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According to KABC, the stage at a new park which is under construction in Eddie Van Halen’s former hometown of Pasadena, California will be named after the legendary VAN HALEN guitarist. The city plans to name the stage the Van Halen Stage.

The park, to be named after science-fiction writer Octavia Butler, will be located at 701 East Union Street (between El Molino Avenue and Oak Knoll Avenue). It will have open space for informal recreation, relaxation, and community gatherings; children’s playground with shade structures; public restrooms; a 48-space parking plaza; and a dog run.

The city held public outreach to solicit suggestions for the name of the new park, with the most popular suggestions being for Eddie Van Halen and Butler. Eddie Van Halen Park received over 3,400 favorable responses in the survey, Octavia E. Butler Park got 526 favorable responses, and Playhouse Village Park and similar variations, including Playhouse Park, got 135, according to a tally reported jointly by the Planning and Community Development Department and the Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department. Ultimately, city officials recommended naming the park for Butler and the performing stage not just for Eddie, but the entire band.

A memorial honoring Eddie Van Halen in Pasadena was officially unveiled last October — a little over a year after his death. A plaque was presented near the city Convention Center, which is next to the Civic Auditorium, where VAN HALEN played a number of times between 1975 and 1978.

A couple of weeks after Van Halen’s passing, a City Council meeting was held in Pasadena where a memorial honoring Eddie was discussed.

City manager Steve Mermell was directed to come up with ideas for how to best honor the musician, who died earlier that same month at the age of 65.

In the first three weeks after Eddie’s death, the city was bombarded with requests to pay tribute to the guitarist “to recognize both his local connection to Pasadena, as well as the impact that his artistry had on music,” Mermell wrote in a report.

“Recognizing Van Halen the band and/or individual members should be considered,” according to the report. “With his passing, Eddie Van Halen’s international recognition as a musical artist is noted for the significant impact he had on the Rock & Roll genre and his legacy is a source of hometown pride for the city.”

“Given the band’s connection to Pasadena,” city spokeswoman Lisa Derderian said Thursday, “we agreed it was appropriate to place a plaque outside the Civic Auditorium.”

Following Eddie’s death after a long battle with cancer, fans left flowers at his childhood home on Las Lunas Street in Pasadena. Additional flowers, candles and fan mementos were placed on Allen Avenue where Eddie and Alex scratched their band’s name into the wet cement of a sidewalk when they were teenagers.

VAN HALEN was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2007.

Rolling Stone magazine ranked Eddie Van Halen No. 8 in its list of the 100 greatest guitarists.

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U.S. groove rock masters CLUTCH have released a brand new single, “Red Alert (Boss Metal Zone)”. The song’s official music video, directed by David Brodsky, can be seen below.

CLUTCH frontman and lyric wordsmith Neil Fallon explains: “Early in 2021, I learned the Boss Metal Zone pedal schematic was being presented as ‘proof’ that the COVID-19 vaccine had an electronic component to communicate with 5G cellular networks. It was, of course, nonsense. It sounded like a [sci-fi icon] Philip K. Dick premise. I didn’t want to write a song specific to COVID-19 vaccines, so I went with the Philip K. Dick angle (again). ‘Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep?’ [Dick’s 1968 science fiction novel] came to mind (replicants, in particular, representing what is real and not real, or is there a difference at all?). The video makes no secret that this is a homage to Philip K. Dick and a future where we have distortion coursing through our veins.”

Drummer Jean-Paul Gaster adds: “‘Red Alert (Boss Metal Zone)’ is one of the faster cuts on our forthcoming album. It kicks in and hits like a freight train. The intensity of the recording reminds me of our live shows. This song cooks, and I can’t wait to play it on tour!”

Longtime fans of Dick, the members of CLUTCH have also curated a fun “inspired by” Sci-Fidelity playlist on Spotify to coincide with the single’s release.

Early last year, Gaster told the Chicago-based webzine Metal Kaoz that he and his CLUTCH bandmates had “written a lot of songs” for the follow-up to 2018’s “Book Of Bad Decisions” LP. He said: “We’ve been writing now for our new album, and I think we’re spending more time than ever in the studio, just trying out different ideas. And most of the ideas don’t ever really make it to the end; we try 10 things and we keep one.

“I think we are even more selective than we were before as to which ideas we really decide to focus on. And I think it is because we have so much more time. Before, we would come home for a tour and maybe we would have three weeks off. So, the first week, we don’t do really much of anything — everybody goes back home to their families and we rest — and then the next two weeks we would get together and we would just jam really hard and get a bunch of ideas, and then on the road and play those ideas, and then come back and do it again. And that process might go on for a year and a half. This has been different. This is the first time where we’ve had so much time at home to work on ideas and never really tried them in a live setting. So I’m not sure how it’s gonna impact the record. But I think it’s gonna make for a different album — whether it’s good, bad or otherwise, it’s too early to tell. But, for sure, it’s a different dynamic, and it requires more of us.

“So often, when we have new ideas and we put them in front of an audience, you can really tell right away — we know right away if the song is the right tempo, we know right away if the riffs are where they need to be, if the chorus is the way it needs to be,” Gaster added. “It’s a testing ground. And we don’t have that right now. So, for that reason, I think we are being a lot more careful about what ideas we really wanna focus on, and which ones we think, ‘You know what? We’ve done that before. Let’s do something a little different.'”

“Book Of Bad Decisions” was recorded at Sputnik Sound studio in Nashville, Tennessee with producer Vance Powell. The record sold 26,000 copies in America during its first week of availability, giving the group its third consecutive Top 20 album on the Billboard 200.

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