TESLA's FRANK HANNON Doesn't Know When TROY LUCCKETTA Will Return To Band: 'He's Taking A Break'

TESLA guitarist Frank Hannon says that he doesn’t know when drummer Troy Luccketta will return to the band.

Last month, Luccketta announced that he would “take a little time from the road” to spend with family and friends. He is being temporarily replaced at TESLA’s gigs by Steve Brown, the younger brother of former DOKKEN drummer Mick Brown.

Frank discussed his longtime bandmate’s absence from TESLA’s gigs during a September 29 appearance on SiriusXM’s “Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk”. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “When we got hit with COVID super hard in August, everybody got sick, including Troy. And when we all finally got over it, I think Troy realized, ‘You know what, man? I just don’t wanna go on the road. I need more time.’ So he’s taking the time that he needs to pull it together, man. A lot of people are feeling that way. And I don’t blame him. Shoot, man, he’s in his 60s, he’s been touring with us for 35 years. So he’s taking a break. And I don’t know when he’s gonna come back. And thank goodness, he hooked us up with our old friend Steve Brown, who’s Mick Brown from DOKKEN — you know, ‘Wild’ Mick Brown — it’s his little brother. And man, Steve — I have to be honest — is bringing a lot of positive energy to the band, and we’re having a great time with Steve. Whenever Troy is ready [to come back], we’ll talk about that then, but right now Steve Brown is really kicking ass for us. And the shows are going great.”

According to Hannon, this isn’t the first time that Steve Brown had played with TESLA. “Steve has sat in with us before, when Troy’s needed one or two days off here and there,” he explained. “Whenever we’ve had family emergencies, there’s been times where someone sat in for me — Howie Simon sat in for me before. Steve Brown has played with us before, but this is the first time it’s been to this extent of time. And it’s gonna go at least until the end of this touring season of this year, Steve will be playing with us in our shows. He’s a great guy, man, and he’s bringing a really good vibe to the show.”

When Luccketta first shared the news of his decision to stay off the road, he wrote: “I am happy and well, and couldn’t be more grateful to my bandmates for this opportunity. I am also looking forward to some musical ventures closer to home. In my absence please show some love to Steve Brown. Steve is a dear friend, and great drummer! He has played with OLEANDER, Ronnie Montrose just to name a few. He is one of Sacramento’s finest, The perfect choice so to speak!”

In August, TESLA postponed several shows due to members of the touring party — including Hannon — contracting COVID-19. Hannon later issued a statement saying that he had “not been able to move all week” and revealed that he woke up with a 102-degree fever and could “hardly breathe” on the day that TESLA was scheduled to leave for tour.

TESLA played the first two shows of its summer 2021 tour — August 5 in Grants Pass, Oregon and August 6 in Grand Ronde, Oregon — without Frank. Filling in for him was Simon (JEFF SCOTT SOTO, GRAHAM BONNET, STRYPER), who previously stood in for Hannon in September 2018.

In late August, TESLA released the official music video for its brand new single, “Cold Blue Steel”. The clip was directed by Brandon Gullion and produced by Hannon.

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DAVID ELLEFSON Is 'Super Proud' Of His Contribution To 'Moral Hygiene', MINISTRY's New Album

Former MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson says that he is “super proud” of his contribution to the new MINISTRY album “Moral Hygiene”.

Although Ellefson’s appearance on the LP wasn’t mentioned in any of the press releases from MINISTRY’s record label, Nuclear Blast, leading up to the album’s arrival, Ellefson says that he is featured on two of “Moral Hygiene”‘s tracks, a cover of THE STOOGES’ “Search And Destroy” and a song called “Believe Me”.

Earlier today, Ellefson took to his social media to share a photo of him with MINISTRY leader Al Jourgensen in the studio, and he included the following message: “Super proud to be a part of the new MINISTRY album, Moral Hygiene, out today via Nuclear Blast! To offer up the bass track on a cover of Iggy Pop’s ‘Search and Destroy’ and to also have a cool collaboration on ‘Believe Me’ (alongside Billy Morrison) is truly a career highlight for me as a long time MINISTRY fan and friend of the mighty Al Jourgensen. The record kicks ass as you would expect from MINISTRY. Check it out!!”

All of Nuclear Blast’s press releases about “Moral Hygiene” have made mention of the LP’s other contributors, which include Morrison, Jello Biafra (Jourgensen’s cohort in side project LARD), Cesar Soto (MAN THE MUTE), John Bechdel (KILLING JOKE, FEAR FACTORY), Roy Mayorga (STONE SOUR, SOULFLY, NAUSEA), Paul D’Amour (TOOL, FEERSUM ENNJIN), Arabian Prince (N.W.A.) and sitar player Flash.

Ellefson was fired from MEGADETH in May after sexually explicit photos and video of the bassist leaked online along with allegations that he had been grooming a fan, which he vehemently denied. A short time after after the messages and video footage involving him were posted on Twitter, Ellefson filed a report with the police department in Scottsdale, Arizona alleging unlawful distribution of sexually explicit images of him by unknown offenders. In the report, Ellefson admitted that he had been exchanging sexual text messages with a Dutch teenager, who captured a video of several of their virtual “masturbating encounters” without his consent and shared them with friends. (According to Ellefson, the woman was 19 at the time of their first virtual sexual encounter.) Ellefson, who lives in Scottsdale, first became aware of the video on May 9, when the claim “David Ellefson of MEGADETH is a pedophile” appeared on Instagram. Ellefson told police he was notified on May 14 by MEGADETH that the band would be parting ways with him. Three days later, he was fired.

Ellefson was in MEGADETH from the band’s inception in 1983 to 2002, and again from 2010 until his latest exit.

Super proud to be a part of the new Ministry album, Moral Hygiene, out today via Nuclear Blast! To offer up the bass…

Posted by David Ellefson on Friday, October 1, 2021

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Gatecreeper Added to Decibel Magazine Metal & Beer Fest: Los Angeles Line-Up!

Arizona death metallers Gatecreeper will replace Hate Eternal at Decibel Magazine Metal & Beer Fest: Los Angeles on December 10-11, 2021. Tickets on sale now!
The post Gatecreeper Added to Decibel Magazine Metal & Beer Fest: Los Angeles Line-Up! appeared first on Decibel Magazine.

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Video Premiere: Annelida – ‘Crumbs for Rats’

Watch the new video of “aggressive mathcore from the bright lights of Sin City” from Annelida.
The post Video Premiere: Annelida – ‘Crumbs for Rats’ appeared first on Decibel Magazine.

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TIM 'RIPPER' OWENS Says JON SCHAFFER Will 'Pay The Price Forever' For His Role In U.S. Capitol Riot

Former ICED EARTH singer Tim “Ripper” Owens says that Jon Schaffer will “pay the price forever” for his role in the January 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.

Owens, who joined ICED EARTH in 2003 and stayed in the group for four years before being fired in December 2007, addressed his time with the band in a new interview with Jeff Gaudiosi of MisplacedStraws.com.

Asked if he has had any contact with Schaffer in the months since the ICED EARTH leader was arrested for participating in the Capitol riot, Owens said: “I didn’t have contact [with him] before [he was arrested]. It’s funny, everybody comes out of the woodwork and said, ‘Tim’s just like Jon,’ and blah blah blah. It’s, like, listen, he kicked me out of the band five days before Christmas. I don’t hate the guy, but it’s not like we talked [in the years that followed]. Jon messed up and he’ll pay the price.

“Everybody knows my belief on riots that are still going on in Portland and all over America all the time that everybody still seems to think are fine,” Owens, who frequently “likes” tweets that amplify Republican talking points and that are derogatory to Democrats, continued, apparently referencing the Fox News–propelled narrative that downtown Portland is on permanent fire. “Any time you break the law and you riot or have an un-peaceful protest, it’s wrong. I don’t care who you are and what you are, it’s wrong.

“It’s funny how we still talk about January 6th all the time, but we don’t talk about everything that’s still going on in America non-stop,” Tim continued. “Portland’s a fucking train wreck; they took over city blocks and we act like it’s fine. It’s all wrong. And Jon was wrong, like everybody else is. He’s just as wrong as the people burning down mom-and-pop stores in Baltimore. They all put ’em in the same category. If you’re breaking the law, you’re breaking the law. That’s what I look at. When anybody sticks up for any side, I think they’re breaking the law.

“Listen, Jon could have stood outside and protested all he wanted,” Owens added. “That’s fine. Stand outside and protest all you want. Once you guys go inside and once you do things, you broke the law. And that’s just the way it is. And Jon did something wrong, and he’ll pay the price forever for it. But still, you know what? People are still buying his records, so he’ll still get to have his big house and his cars. It’s gonna be a little different.”

Owens previously discussed Schaffer’s involvement in the Capitol riot a couple of days after the insurrection. Asked by a fan on Instagram what it was like “working with a terrorist,” Owens said: “crazy what he did wasn’t if. All I can say is wow. See we never talked politics while I was in ICED EARTH because at that time we where on totally opposite sides. LOL. But I gotta say could of been way worse for me I could of been in a Band with Sebastian Bach”.

When the fan expressed his incredulity over the fact that Owens and Schaffer never talked politics, especially considering the fact that Tim’s first album with ICED EARTH, “The Glorious Burden”, was a concept album exploring various moments in military history, the ex-JUDAS PRIEST frontman replied: “yea that was more of history and I actually learned a lot More then I did in school. Taking about politics at the time wasn’t something I would get into. Opposite sides of the fence and I was working! I got fired anyways so it didn’t matter. Haha”.

In a 2012 interview with Australia’s Loud, Owens said that his departure from ICED EARTH wasn’t executed properly. ‘It was handled poorly, I think, the situation,” he said. “It could’ve been handled good and everybody could’ve looked good in the situation. But it was handled poorly, I think… I started getting all the blame when things weren’t the same. Or things weren’t what Jon thought they could be. And then, of course, it all came down on me. None of the blame ever came down on Jon. I’m fine with that, but the funny thing is that nothing really changed when I left anyway. I read numbers and I talk to agents, and the crowds are the same or smaller now. I think it was also me wandering a bit, knowing that ICED EARTH was kind of like a solo project. It’s really Schaffer’s band, and I knew that. And I started having my own: I started doing BEYOND FEAR, and pushing BEYOND FEAR when probably I should have been talking about ICED EARTH. I think Jon read a lot of that and he read into it that my heart and soul wasn’t into ICED EARTH.”

Schaffer discussed Owens’s exit from ICED EARTH in a 2008 interview with Metal Exiles. At the time, he said: “Tim was great to work with in the studio, and from a standpoint of performing live, he was great as far as being an incredible vocalist, but he was not a true believer in this band. It was a job for him, and ICED EARTH is not about that… He was more interested in doing his solo thing — that was where his head was at — and it was becoming more and more obvious. This band was a means to an end for him.”

In April, Schaffer pleaded guilty to his role in the Capitol riot. As part of the plea deal, Jon entered into a cooperation agreement with the government.

Following the initial reports that Schaffer was involved in the riot, his ICED EARTH bandmates distanced themselves from his actions. Singer Stu Block and bassist Luke Appleton later posted separate statements on social media announcing their resignations. BLIND GUARDIAN frontman Hansi Kürsch also quit DEMONS & WIZARDS, his long-running project with Schaffer. The allegations also apparently affected Schaffer’s relationship with his longtime record label Century Media, which had released albums from both ICED EARTH and DEMONS & WIZARDS. As of mid-January, the Century Media artist roster page did not list either band.

Although Schaffer was initially charged with six crimes, including engaging in an act of physical violence and targeting police with bear spray, he pleaded guilty to only two charges: obstruction of an official proceeding of Congress; and trespassing on restricted grounds of the Capitol while armed with a deadly or dangerous weapon. The first charge is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, while the second carries up to a 10-year prison term.

According to CNN, prosecutors and Schaffer’s attorneys agreed to recommend that he get between three and a half and four and a half years in prison, based on how fruitful his cooperation is with the government.

The government agreed not to oppose Schaffer’s release during the sentencing phase.

As part of the plea deal, Schaffer agreed to cooperate with investigators and potentially testify in related criminal cases, according to CNN. In return for Schaffer’s assistance, the Justice Department might later urge the judge to show leniency during his sentencing.

As part of the agreement, the Justice Department has offered to sponsor Schaffer for the witness protection program.

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THE WHO's ROGER DALTREY Introduces 'The Real Me' Podcast From PANTHEON And TEEN CANCER AMERICA

“The Real Me”, a new production from Pantheon Podcasts premiering Tuesday, October 5, follows the emotionally powerful stories of young songwriters and performers with cancer who found hope, healing and connection through music.

Presented by Teen Cancer America (TCA), the national non-profit founded by rock icons Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend of THE WHO, “The Real Me” highlights the moving experiences of cancer patients in TCA’s Play It Back program, which matches them with music professionals to write, perform and record fully produced studio versions of their original songs.

“Music is in the DNA of our charity,” said Daltrey, whose familiar voice opens and closes each podcast episode. “Its therapeutic benefit to young people going through cancer is indisputable. These podcasts showcase the talents of these exceptional individuals, while sharing their extraordinary stories and demonstrating the critical importance of Teen Cancer America’s work.”

Based in Los Angeles, TCA funds and develops specialized facilities and services for adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer patients. The Play it Back program has attracted the participation of creative superstars such as Grammy Award-winning alternative pop group PORTUGAL. THE MAN and five-time BMI Songwriter Of The Year Benny Blanco, whose collaborations include hits written and produced with Ed Sheeran, Justin Bieber, Rihanna, MAROON 5, Halsey, Katy Perry, Kanye West, The Weeknd, Selena Gomez and others.

“The Real Me”, named for THE WHO’s 1974 hit song, is hosted by singer/songwriter Erin Alden and produced by Pantheon’s Christian Swain. Songwriter, performer and producer Kenli Mattus, music director for Play It Back, is featured on air helping each artist share their inspiring story.

“Pantheon Podcasts is very excited to be working with Teen Cancer America to fulfill the vision of Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend by doing all we can for teenagers and young adults facing cancer,” said Swain. “‘The Real Me’ podcast achieves a balance that makes these authentic stories so powerful — full of joy, sometimes sad, but always uplifting as we hear these young people find their wings and fly. It’s a privilege to share the journey with them.”

The debut episode features Juan Carlos “JC” Razuri, a Los Angeles native who was diagnosed with lymphoma while in high school. A member of his school orchestra, jazz ensemble and marching band, JC was looking forward to pursuing music in college when life as he knew it suddenly changed. Through Play it Back, music helped him persevere during treatment. He recalls his first “a-ha” moment working on a song with Mattus, inspired while improvising on a violin, feeling the exhilaration of the creative process.

“It is extraordinary to hear these first-person accounts and to understand how important a program like Play it Back is to a young person facing a life-threatening situation,” said Simon Davies, executive director of Teen Cancer America. “We’re extremely grateful to the artists who donate their time and passion for music to the program, and to Pantheon for allowing these stories to be told in such a personal way.”

Starting with the first three of 10 episodes comprising Season 1, “The Real Me” will be available at TeenCancerAmerica.org and on Amazon, Apple, Google, iHeart, Spotify, Stitcher and other podcast platforms.

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Q&A and Track Premiere: Symbolism’s “Rile On”

Hear former Christian Death and Samhain members join forces in new death rock act Symbolism.
The post Q&A and Track Premiere: Symbolism’s “Rile On” appeared first on Decibel Magazine.

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AVENGED SEVENFOLD Members Cover MISFITS' 'Hybrid Moments' (Video)

Three members of AVENGED SEVENFOLD have recorded a cover of the MISFITS’ “Hybrid Moments” and have uploaded an accompanying video to their YouTube channel. Zacky Vengeance, Johnny Christ and Brooks Wackerman painted their faces in MISFITS-style makeup and filmed the video remotely during the coronavirus pandemic.

Zacky explained: “We wanted to have a little fun with you to kick off the Halloween Season. Brooks wanted to do a MISFITS song. I wanted to paint my face like KISS and call ourselves the KISSFits and Johnny wanted to drink and walk around town dressed like a skeleton. I forgot to paint my face like KISS. We still kept it punk rock and spooky for ya! Enjoy!!”

Three months ago, AVENGED SEVENFOLD’s M. Shadows confirmed that the band’s next album will be released before the summer of 2022. Five months earlier, he told the Minneapolis, Minnesota radio station 93X that “70 percent” of the follow-up to 2016’s “The Stage” album was “done.” He said: “We’re working on stuff. We have some things we can’t finish right now ’cause of COVID — string players, et cetera. We know Andy [Wallace, AVENGED SEVENFOLD’s longtime mixer] doesn’t wanna travel, or his management doesn’t want him to travel because of COVID. So there’s just a lot of things going on.”

As for when fans can expect to see the new AVENGED SEVENFOLD LP released, M. Shadows said: “It doesn’t make sense for us right now to put out a record and not be able to tour it. The world has changed. Putting out a record on Spotify without touring for a rock band, it just doesn’t make sense to us. So we’re gonna wait till everything is back, then we’ll come out with the record, finish it up, and all will be good.”

Last December, M. Shadows told Kerrang! magazine about the musical direction of the new AVENGED material: “The [new] record sounds nothing like ‘The Stage’ — it’s a completely new direction, and it sounds nothing like anything we’ve done. That’s all I’ll say about it: it’s over the top, and it’s very eclectic and wild.”

AVENGED SEVENFOLD kept a low profile during 2019 and will likely not return to the road until early 2022. A blood blister on M. Shadows’s vocal cords forced the band to cancel a summer 2018 tour with PROPHETS OF RAGE and THREE DAYS GRACE.

“The Stage” was surprise-released in October 2016. The release of the disc, which was announced the night it went on sale, earned the lowest sales of an AVENGED SEVENFOLD album in 11 years.

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SLASH's Autographed Top Hat Among Items Being Auctioned For KITTEN RESCUE

Kittens rock hard, and no rescue organization rocks harder than Kitten Rescue. In support of Kitten Rescue’s life-saving mission, iconic GUNS N’ ROSES guitarist Slash, one of rock’s coolest cats, has donated an autographed top hat and guitar pack for the group’s online auction to help the organization in its fundraising.

As distinctive and iconic as the guitarist himself, the Slash autographed top hat, an astoundingly unique piece of hard rock memorabilia, will complete any music fan’s collection. Fans can bid here.

Additionally, Slash has donated a Slash Appetite Les Paul Special-II Electric Guitar Performance Pack. This is an incredible all-inclusive package for beginners and pros alike. Designed to sate your appetite for destruction, the pack features a Slash-designed Les Paul Special-II in classic Appetite Amber finish with premium gig bag, plus a 15-watt Slash “Snakepit” amp with 2 channels, a full-EQ section and headphone output, custom Slash signature picks and free online lessons from eMedia. More information here.

Kitten Rescue is a non-profit, volunteer-run organization devoted to finding loving homes for unwanted, homeless cats and kittens. Kitten Rescue saves cats and kittens from the streets of Los Angeles and from city shelter euthanasia. Since their start in 1997, they have grown into one of the largest, most well-respected animal welfare groups in L.A. Other notable rock icons such as BLACK SABBATH bassist Geezer Butler and his wife Gloria, OZZY OSBOURNE bassist Robert “Blasko” Nicholson, legendary DEEP PURPLE bassist/vocalist Glenn Hughes and his wife Gabi, as well as BLABBERMOUTH.NET are some of the organization’s loyal supporters. None other than The Metal God Rob Halford as well as Elvira The Mistress Of The Dark have lent their image in support of Kitten Rescue.

Note: The top hat shown in photo is not the one being auctioned.

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ANN WILSON Says She Required Vaccinations For All Members Of Her Solo Band

In a new interview with Ultimate Classic Rock, HEART singer Ann Wilson was asked if it’s a little bit anxiety-inducing playing shows with her solo band in the midst of this ongoing pandemic situation. She responded: “Yeah, the protocol that we observe now is really intense. The last couple of legs that we went out on, especially the one of the northeast, some of those venues don’t allow you on the premises unless you’ve tested negative. And some don’t allow you on the premises unless you have a vaccination card.

“We had to lay down this thing for our whole tour group,” she continued. “Every last crew person, every band person, had to be vaccinated. Some of them just kind of stomped their feet and went, ‘Well, that’s against my… you know, I’m a free spirit. I don’t have to.’ And we went, ‘Well, you do if you want to be on this tour.’ So they all did. But we’re still careful. Everyone has to mask up when they’re not in their dressing room. So far we haven’t had any positive tests and we’ve been out on three legs now. You’ve just gotta play it super-careful.”

A Fox News poll released last month showed clear majorities of Americans back mask and COVID-19 vaccination mandates. 54 percent of people favor proof of vaccination in indoor spaces like restaurants and gyms while 66 percent said they favor businesses requiring masks for customers and employees. 67 percent said they support mandating that students and teachers wear masks in schools. According to the poll, which included interviews with more than 1,000 registered voters conducted between September 12 and 15, 56 percent of voters supported President Joe Biden’s directive to companies with more than 100 employees to require proof of vaccination or regular testing.

Dr. Arturo Casadevall, chair of molecular microbiology and immunology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, told CNBC that COVID-19 vaccines “are extremely safe,” noting that the risks of the side effects from the vaccines are significantly lower than the health risks posed by the virus. “COVID, on the other hand, is deadly, unpredictable.”

COVID-19 vaccines have been studied in humans for more than a year now, and more than 182 million people have been fully vaccinated in the United States alone. There are several robust safety monitoring systems in place for these vaccines that can detect the very rare adverse events.

With the original strain of the virus, the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines were about 90% to 95% effective in preventing symptomatic disease. As a result of the delta variant, that efficacy rate has dropped to 66%. Still, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that unvaccinated people are almost five times more likely to contract symptomatic COVID compared to a fully vaccinated person.

Fully vaccinated people are 29 times less likely to be hospitalized because of the virus compared to those are unvaccinated, according to a study released by the CDC.

Research shows that fully vaccinated people experience milder symptoms and are half as likely to develop several symptoms in the first week of illness compared to unvaccinated people.

Various polls have consistently find that Democrats are much more likely to report having been vaccinated than Republicans, and Republicans are much more likely to say that they definitely do not want to get vaccinated.

Two months ago, Wilson and her solo band THE AMAZING DAWGS released a live EP called “Howlen Live”. Joining Ann in the group are Tom Bukovac on lead guitar, Tony Lucido on bass, Paul Moak on guitar and keyboards, and Sean Lane on drums.

In April, Ann released another new single, “Black Wing”. It is one of several songs the HEART frontwoman recorded last fall in Seattle with the help of local musicians, including current HEART bassist Andy Stoller and keyboardist Dan Walker. In addition to “Black Wing”, Wilson recorded “Tender Heart” as well as covers of Steve Earle’s “The Revolution Starts Now” and ALICE IN CHAINS’ “Rooster”, all three of which have already been released as singles, plus another original, “The Hammer”, which came out in February.

Earlier in the year, Ann said in an interview that there are no plans for HEART to work on new music in the immediate future.

HEART toured North America in the summer of 2019 after a nasty split that kept the Wilson sisters estranged for three years.

Ann’s 2018 solo album, “Immortal”, contained cover versions of classic songs by artists who have passed away.

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