According to Deadline, Sharon Osbourne is exiting the CBS show “The Talk” following her emotional defense of pal Piers Morgan’s criticism of Meghan Markle.

After completing an internal a probe into the situation, the network released a statement saying that Osbourne decided herself to depart the show.

The statement reads: “The events of the March 10 broadcast were upsetting to everyone involved, including the audience watching at home. As part of our review, we concluded that Sharon’s behavior toward her co-hosts during the March 10 episode did not align with our values for a respectful workplace. We also did not find any evidence that CBS executives orchestrated the discussion or blindsided any of the hosts.

“At the same time, we acknowledge the Network and Studio teams, as well as the showrunners, are accountable for what happened during that broadcast as it was clear the co-hosts were not properly prepared by the staff for a complex and sensitive discussion involving race.

“During this week’s hiatus, we are coordinating workshops, listening sessions and training about equity, inclusion and cultural awareness for the hosts, producers and crew. Going forward, we are identifying plans to enhance the producing staff and producing procedures to better serve the hosts, the production and, ultimately, our viewers.”

In the aforementioned episode of “The Talk”, Osbourne and co-host Sheryl Underwood got into a heated debate about racism after Osbourne defended Piers Morgan for his controversial comments about Duchess Meghan. During the exchange, Underwood got emotional to which Osbourne fired back at her, saying: “Don’t try and cry because if anyone should be crying, it should be me.”

Osbourne posted a public apology on March 12, tweeting that she felt “panicked” that people might think she was racist, so she “got defensive and allowed my fear and horror of being accused of being racist take over. There are very few things that hurt my heart more than racism so to feel associated with that spun me fast! I am not perfect, I am still learning like the rest of us and will continue to learn, listen and do better.” She later claimed that she was blindsided by Underwood questioning her defense of Morgan and was not sufficiently prepared by showrunners and producers. She said she believed her co-hosts “had preparation, they had written questions for them.”

In the meantime, former “The Talk” co-host Holly Robinson Peete alleged that Osbourne had called her too “ghetto” to be on the show and responsible for her eventual ousting, claims Osbourne has denied. “Never in my life did I utter the words that Holly was ‘too ghetto’ to be on ‘The Talk’, as well as not having her fired,” Osbourne tweeted. Fellow “The Talk” alum Leah Remini also claimed Ozzy’s wife referred to Julie Chen, who is Chinese American, as a “wonton” and “slanty eyes,” and called Sara Gilbert, who is a lesbian, a “pussy licker.” Osbourne has denied all these claims and has said that she is “disappointed but unfazed and hardly surprised by the lies, the recasting of history and the bitterness coming out at this moment.”

Read more »

TRIXTER drummer Mark “Gus” Scott has once again defended himself against harsh comments made by his bandmates, insisting that he was “prompted” to take action in order to protect and promote the TRIXTER brand.

Both TRIXTER guitarist Steve Brown and bassist P.J. Farley have been critical of Scott in recent interviews, with Steve saying that the drummer is on “the shit list beyond belief” with the rest of the group, while P.J. compared being in a band with Mark to owning a disobedient dog. “Sometimes you let the dog off a leash and he just goes running to the middle of the street — no good,” he said.

Asked by Waste Some Time with Jason Green to elaborate on his differences with his bandmates, Scott said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “There were always two camps within the band. It hasn’t always been as bad as it is now. Peter [Loran, vocals] and I were always very close, and P.J. and Steve were always very close. I mean, we were all collectively very, very close. We were a family, and that’s not bullcrap; that’s for real. We literally grew up together. P.J., at 15 and 16 years old, used to drive my car ’cause I wanted him to pass his driving exam. To that level, man. I’ve known these guys 35-plus years. So we’ve been through a lot, and we’ve experienced things around the world, the likes of which people will never experience. So we’ve been through very, very highs and very, very lows all together. We each know deep, dark secrets about each other. And it’s something beautiful — it really is. And, unfortunately, more recently, it has turned more ugly.”

Regarding what Brown is “mad” at him for, Scott said: “What it stems from is something, I think, that started a long time ago. And it was unresolved crap that got worse and worse, and then got out of control. It started small in a sense that there were two ideologies within the band on how to run the band. When we had opportunities like we did the second time around… When we first came out [after our comeback], we did three shows in one year; I think the next year we did five. When you have 52 weekends and [you’re plotting] a big comeback and the press is favorable and people are throwing record deals at you and you’re hitting No. 56 on iTunes, the idea of playing 20 shows in one year, to me, it just seemed like an opportunity to strike that no one else really wanted to share the idea. That’s where I think things started, and nobody wanted to talk about it. That’s a problem — in any business.

“It got to a point where I took some action, and I was somewhat of a dick about it,” he admitted. “But my actions were certainly prompted — to take action. And it kind of caught him in the backside a bit, and he got really angry at me.’

Scott said that he was “hesitant to give the full details” of his disagreement with Brown, but claimed that “there was a dictatorial attitude that [Steve] had, and he wasn’t exactly sitting on the throne. And I think he took offense to the idea that I took a strike at his position, and it caught him a little short-sighted.”

Asked if he acknowledges that he may have done something to rub Brown the wrong way, Scott said: “I’ll go so far as to say a hundred percent. I pissed him off big-time, but it certainly wasn’t without prompting. I didn’t just one day wake up and say, ‘You know what? Fuck him. And this is what I’m gonna do. I’m gonna take an ax and chop up his car.’ No. It [had built up] over a long period of time. Everybody avoided the idea of having a conversation about it. I mean, if you’re gonna run a bubblegum stand, you’ve gotta all agree upon how much bubblegum you’re gonna sell, what you’re gonna sell it for, and how often you’re gonna sell it. And to have four guys that own one bubblegum stand and can’t agree on the price of bubblegum and how often they’re gonna sell it, they’re pretty substantial problems.”

About a year ago, Scott told Totally Driven Radio that “it doesn’t look good” that TRIXTER will perform again any time soon. “It’s been about two and a half years since we’ve done anything together, and that is not by my choice, that’s for sure,” he said. “It’s a very sad set of circumstances. I love TRIXTER more than anything in the world — I really do — and if someone said, ‘Hey, we have an opportunity to do this tomorrow,’ I’d be, like, ‘Well, there we go. I’m in.’ And, unfortunately, not everybody shares the same sentiment.”

Since reuniting, TRIXTER has released two studio albums via Frontiers Music Srl — 2012’s “New Audio Machine” and 2015’s “Human Era”.

Scott celebrated the 30th anniversary of TRIXTER’s biggest MTV hit, “Give It To Me Good”, by releasing a solo version of the song in May 2020.

TRIXTER toured extensively in the United States, Canada and Japan in support of its five major label releases. They have performed live in arenas and amphitheaters with crowds up to 35,000 people, appearing with such rock superstars as KISS, SCORPIONS, POISON, TED NUGENT, NIGHT RANGER, CINDERELLA, TWISTED SISTER, DOKKEN, WARRANT, GREAT WHITE and FIREHOUSE.

Read more »

Boldness is key to the appeal of 35K, which pours with minimal carbonation, virtually no head and a rich all-black black-as-your-soul color.
The post No Corporate Beer Reviews: 35K appeared first on Decibel Magazine.

Read more »

In a new interview with Jeff Gaudiosi of MisplacedStraws.com, George Lynch was asked if there has been any talk of more shows featuring the reunited classic lineup of DOKKEN. He responded: “I’ve actually been talking to Don [Dokken] a little bit, and we’re both in agreement that that should probably happen — meaning some kind of a meaningful reunion done in the right way, carefully and with proper preparation and time and rehearsals and not just throwing it out there like we did last time.” George went on to say that “the obvious choice” to replace DOKKEN’s recently retired drummer “Wild” Mick Brown would be Mick’s brother Steve, who can be heard playing alongside Lynch and ex-DOKKEN bassist Jeff Pilson on the upcoming THE END MACHINE album, “Phase2”.

In a separate interview with Alamo True Metal, Lynch reflected on the last time DOKKEN’s classic lineup — Dokken, Lynch, Pilson and Mick Brown — reunited for a short Japanese tour in the fall of 2016. The trek marked the first time in 21 years the four musicians had hit the road together.

“I think I was slightly disappointed in it — not overwhelmingly disappointed, but I have some regrets,” he said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). “I wish we had prepared more. And I know we all feel that way. ‘Cause of the logistics, we all had things we had to do right after the time we had allotted and beforehand. So we just were barely able to even pull it off with everybody else’s pre-existing commitments. The fact that we got to do it at all was… you know, we were fortunate for even being able to pull it off. So we were a little underprepared, I feel. And yes, we were offered a good amount of money to go to Japan and do some other things, so it made it just kind of a no-brainer.”

A DOKKEN concert DVD focusing on the band’s reunion tour, “Return To The East Live (2016)”, was made available in 2018. In addition to the Japanese performance, the set included footage from the classic lineup’s only U.S. show in September 2016 at Badlands in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, as well as newly recorded acoustic reworkings of “Heaven Sent” and “Will The Sun Rise”. Also featured on “Return To The East Live (2016)” was “It’s Just Another Day”, the first DOKKEN track featuring the group’s classic lineup since 1997’s “Shadowlife”.

Since completing the Japanese reunion dates, DOKKEN has continued to perform with the group’s current lineup — including bassist Chris McCarvill, guitarist Jon Levin and drummer BJ Zampa (HOUSE OF LORDS).

Over the past four years, Lynch has appeared on recordings by THE END MACHINE, KXM, ULTRAPHONIX and SWEET & LYNCH.

Read more »

PAPA ROACH singer Jacoby Shaddix was a guest on the latest episode of “Rock This With Allison Hagendorf”, a weekly Spotify show celebrating all things rock and alternative, featuring exclusive interviews and highlighting the best music from legendary and emerging artists. You can now listen to the program below.

Asked when fans can expect to hear some new PAPA ROACH music, Jacoby said: “Summertime feels like the time to drop in some new music. And we’re just gonna drop music, like, a track, then wait about six weeks, eight weeks, drop another track, wait six weeks, drop another track, and just through the end of the year, just keep dropping music to lead up to a release of an album. And this thing is just a banger of a record. Lyrically, it comes from the gut. It’s, like, I just get so brutally honest in this music that there’s some stuff, I’m, like, ‘God, do I really wanna put this in a song?’ But I have to. It’s, like, there’s healing in it. I have to remind myself — there’s healing in this. And the funny thing is every time we feel a little uncomfortable about something, it means we’re on to something. That’s what we found out about ourselves. It’s ’cause we’re stretching ourselves outside the box.”

Shaddix went on to say that PAPA ROACH’s new album will contain the band’s first-ever ballad. “And it’s not like a corny love song kind of ballad,” he explained. “It’s a really unique take. It’s like a little-bit-of-sawdust-on-the-floor kind of ballad. And it hits so hard with emotion. And we’ve had some cool people come in — this cat [emerging indie/alternative artist, songwriter and producer] No Love For The Middle Child, he rolled in and played some strings on stuff and played some piano on stuff. And so to just have other people be involved in the process of what we’re doing and really to come to know some great people, younger dudes in the music scene, has been a real fun part in the last few years. And we’re like, ‘All right, let’s have that cat come in and create a little bit with us. Let’s see what happens.'”

He concluded: “It’s an exciting time to be in P-ROACH, I will say that.”

Last July, Shaddix told Rock Sound TV that PAPA ROACH’s next album will be released through band’s own record company. “We are in partnership with Warner/ADA, and so it’s like an artist services group,” he explained. “And we’re gonna do that for an album and see how it works out. We’ve been super focused in the creative marketing behind what we do and the imaging and the videos and the messaging and everything, we were, like, let’s take it in our hands and see where we can go with it and try it for an album.”

In January, a snippet of a brand new PAPA ROACH song called “Stand Up” was included in commercial for Ultimate Fighting Championship’s (UFC) partnership with ESPN.

PAPA ROACH’s second greatest-hits collection, “Greatest Hits Vol. 2: The Better Noise Years”, was released on March 19 on Better Noise Music.

“Greatest Hits Vol. 2 – The Better Noise Years” includes 12 of the band’s top 10 hits released between 2010 to 2019 as well as three previously unreleased remixes and two unreleased acoustic recordings recorded live at the YouTube Studios in New York City.

PAPA ROACH’s latest album, “Who Do You Trust?”, was released in January 2019. The disc was produced by Nick “RAS” Furlong and Colin Cunningham except for the song “Top Of The World”, which is helmed by Jason Evigan.

In December, PAPA ROACH released a five-song EP, “20/20”, featuring “new takes on old jams,” including “Last Resort” and “Scars”.

Read more »

A federal court upheld a pre-trial detention order for ICED EARTH guitarist Jon Schaffer in connection with the siege on the U.S. Capitol.

On March 19, U.S. Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui ordered the 53-year-old musician, who resides in in Edinburgh, Indiana, held without bail on six federal criminal charges related to his alleged involvement with the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. He ruled that while Schaffer wasn’t a flight risk, he does pose a danger to the community.

A short time after the hearing, Schaffer’s attorney Marc Victor filed a “motion to amend detention order,” claiming that “the government failed to establish Mr. Schaffer’s dangerous to the community by clear and convincing evidence.”

Victor wrote: “Mr. Schaffer is 53 years old. He has no criminal convictions. He does not have a substance abuse or mental health issue. He has no history of violence and was not violent on January 6, 2021. He entered the capitol with pepper spray. He did not threaten anyone with or discharge the spray. He left the capitol after approximately sixty seconds and returned home to Indiana.”

On March 24, a U.S. magistrate judge filed an “order of detention pending trial” concluding that Schaffer “must be detained pending trial because the Government has proven by clear and convincing evidence that no condition or combination of conditions of release will reasonably assure the safety of any other person and the community.”

During the March 19 hearing, government lawyers presented exhibits consisting of a video interview Schaffer gave in November 2020 at a pro-Donald Trump rally expressing his political views and a video and still photos taken on January 6, showing him inside the U.S. Capitol holding “bear spray.” Schaffer’s attorney argued his client’s comments in the video interview — that “if somebody wants to bring violence, I think there’s a lot of us here that are ready for it” — were taken out of context, and that he knows he used bad judgment on January 6 and wishes he had a “do-over.” He pointed out that the guitarist has no prior record and insisted that he isn’t a danger to the community. He also argued the musician was not responsible for the insurrection and was encouraged by former president Donald Trump.

In the March 24 “order of detention pending trial” — obtained by BLABBERMOUTH.NET — the judge wrote: “In response to the Government’s exhibit of Mr. Schaffer speaking at a rally in November 2020, Mr. Schaffer argues that he was simply explaining his political views. When asked about violence in the video interview, Mr. Schaffer responded that he didn’t want violence, but that he was prepared to meet any violence with self defense. In response to the video that shows him entering the Capitol, Mr. Schaffer argues he was only in the building for 60 seconds and only unholstered the bear spray in question because he thought someone was trying to take it. Mr. Schaffer said he is not a flight risk because he voluntarily contacted his lawyer and surrendered himself. He is a high profile musician so would have difficulty fleeing. He has a stable girlfriend, stable residence, and a daughter. He is 52 years old with no criminal history or substance abuse problems. Mr. Schaffer argues the weight of the evidence is weak, as the Government did not provide evidence that he knowingly entered the Capitol building unlawfully. There was no evidence of violence presented and Mr. Schaffer says he is not affiliated with the ‘Oath Keepers.’

“Mr. Schaffer is charged with carrying a dangerous weapon (bear spray) onto restricted, Capitol grounds. His actions on January 6, 2021, during the certification of the electoral college vote, were shocking to the rule of law and the democratic process. As Chief Judge Howell noted in United States v. Barnett, the title of the offense does not ‘properly capture the scope of what [the defendant] is accused of doing here.’ In this case, there appears to be premeditation and a weapon present. Mr. Schaffer appeared in the video to be one of the first people to breach the Capitol. There is some evidence, and evidence still being developed, that defendant is affiliated with groups that present ongoing threats of danger to the community, e.g., the ‘Oath Keepers.’

“The government presented a number of exhibits at the detention hearing that show Mr. Schaffer was in possession of bear spray. There is video of him clearly entering the Capitol and three police officers that appear to fall back in self defense. Thus, it doesn’t seem likely or reasonable Mr. Schaffer was under the impression he was ‘invited in’ by Capitol law enforcement.

“Mr. Schaffer has no criminal history and no documented history of substance abuse. He is employed and has a stable residence. It is true he is within his rights to demonstrate and share his political views through lawful means. This case concerns unlawful means of demonstration. Mr. Schaffer’s status as a firearms owner does not have any bearing, negative or positive, on this decision.

“While Mr. Schaffer is most likely not a serious flight risk due to his status as a well-known musician, there remains the concern of danger to the community. Mr. Schaffer’s views on the government and current administration are long held. His statements, including the November 2020 interview, show that this was not an isolated event. He has stated there would be ‘bloodshed’ if the current administration came to power. This transfer of power has taken place, so it cannot be assured Mr. Schaffer will not engage in further violence to support his political ideology if released. The Government alleges Mr. Schaffer is a lifetime member of the ‘Oath Keepers,’ which is an organization that has questioned the legitimacy of the government and threatened political violence. Last, although Mr. Schaffer claimed he would only respond to violence in self defense, there was no violence directed against him on January 6, 2021, yet he engaged in violent and destructive behavior when he entered the Capitol armed with a weapon.”

Schaffer waived his preliminary hearing as well as his rights to an identity hearing and production of a warrant in late January in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, court documents state. He was then transported by a United States marshal to Washington, D.C. where government lawyers and Schaffer’s legal team have mutually agreed to handle all proceedings.

Schaffer will appear in a status hearing next month.

Last month, a man resembling Schaffer was seen in security footage from the U.S. Capitol riot that the House impeachment managers obtained and submitted as evidence for former President Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial. The clip in question, which was released by CNN on February 15, shows rioters charging through a breached entrance and engaging and pushing officers. Schaffer can be seen near the front of the mob, wearing a blue hooded sweatshirt, a tactical vest and black leather fingerless tactical gloves, and pointing his finger while yelling at the officers.

Schaffer was photographed wearing an “Oath Keepers Lifetime Member” cap during the insurrection. The Oath Keepers describe themselves as an association of former law enforcement and military personnel dedicated to “support and defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic.” But the Anti-Defamation League describes it as “a large but loosely organized collection of right-wing anti-government extremists who are part of the militia movement, which believes that the federal government has been coopted by a shadowy conspiracy that is trying to strip American citizens of their rights.”

Schaffer was held in the Marion County Jail for nearly two months after surrendering to police on January 17. He made his first court appearance the following day.

Just hours after the insurrection, ICED EARTH fans recognized Schaffer in a photo released by federal investigators.

Schaffer is believed to be one of at least 400 people who are being investigated by FBI officials over their roles in the insurrection.

More than 250 criminal cases have been filed so far. Charges include unauthorized access, theft, damage to government property and assault on law enforcement officers.

Read more »

Decibel has the goods for this week: Witchseeker, Memoriam, the return of Genghis Tron and more for the latest in new releases!
The post Five For Friday: March 26, 2021 appeared first on Decibel Magazine.

Read more »

Matthew Kiichi Heafy, the Japanese-American musician best known as the guitarist and lead vocalist for the Grammy-nominated heavy metal band TRIVIUM, has released the “Silence In The Snow” acoustic EP, featuring reworked versions of four songs from the group’s 2015 album of the same name. You can now listen to it in the YouTube clip below.

Featured songs:

00:00 Silence In The Snow
03:35 The Ghost That’s Haunting You
07:34 Until The World Goes Cold
10:26 The Thing That’s Killing Me
13:22 Bonus: Violence Made Of Snow

According to Heafy, there will be an acoustic EP for every record except 2020’s “What The Dead Men Say”.

Heafy is also an avid gamer who steadily built his Twitch profile to massive success in the past few years. His Twitch efforts have been featured by Microsoft, TechCrunch, Forbes and beyond. He is also a practitioner of Brazilian jiu-jitsu and a food connoisseur. Heafy streams daily on his Twitch channel “matthewkheafy,” displaying the behind-the-scenes work it takes to stay in shape to play guitars and do vocals. He plays TRIVIUM songs by request and every day is a new show made by the fans, for the fans.

Some of Heafy’s notable accomplishments include hosting the first-ever full metal gaming village at Wacken Open Air, competing against Ninja in the Twitch Rivals Summer Skirmish, competing and celebrating the opening of Full Sail’s esports arena, creating Shroud’s theme song, being Streamlab’s top streamer merch seller of all time, being in the top 100 most subscribed to channels on Twitch, leading the charge as the pioneer of music streaming on Twitch (also partnering with Twitch to make the official how-to guides on streaming music on Twitch’s help page), and co-founding the Metal & Honey Foundation, which supports the Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for children. 100% of the proceeds directly benefit the music therapy program.

Heafy also recently appeared on “The Drew Barrymore Show”, where he surprised a fan and gifted him with a guitar.

TRIVIUM’s ninth full-length album, “What The Dead Men Say”, is available now via Roadrunner Records.

Read more »