KORN guitarist Brian “Head” Welch has confirmed that one of the band’s tour buses was hit by gunfire while parked outside a hotel in Davenport, Iowa on Thursday (March 24).

A spokesperson for the Davenport Police Department told TMZ that they got a call Friday morning around 7:41 a.m. for a vehicle that had been hit overnight. A single bullet pierced the exterior wall of the bus — which was parked on the street outside a hotel — and was found inside the cabin. No one was on board at the time of the shooting and no other damage was reported. The incident is currently under investigation.

Early this morning (Monday, March 28), Welch took to his Instagram to share a photo of the bullet hole in the side of the bus, and he included the following message: “A couple days ago in Iowa we received a bullet to one of our buses in the middle of the night, nobody on the bus thank God, and the bullet didn’t penetrate the interior of the bus. Well, we’re back in Iowa and hoping for a better welcome tonight Des Moines?! How about bringing some Saturday night energy to a Monday night concert for your boys??!!@korn_official”.

KORN — with support acts CHEVELLE and CODE ORANGE — played Friday at TaxSlayer Center in Moline. Prior to that, the three bands performed in Saginaw, Michigan on Wednesday.

KORN is touring in support of its latest album, “Requiem”, which was released on February 4 via Loma Vista Recordings.

KORN kicked off a short run of shows with SYSTEM OF A DOWN on January 31 in Phoenix, followed by dates in San Diego (February 1) and Los Angeles (February 4 and February 5). KORN’s headlining tour with CHEVELLE and CODE ORANGE launched on March 4.

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TESTAMENT’s Alex Skolnick has condemned Will Smith for smacking Chris Rock at the 2022 Academy Awards.

The guitarist reacted a short time after Smith, 53, interrupted the 57-year-old comedian’s introduction of “Best Documentary” with a slap across the face. The altercation came after Rock made a joke about Smith’s wife Jada Pinkett Smith, saying, “Jada, I love ya. G.I. Jane 2, can’t wait to see ya,” an apparent reference to the actress’s bald hairstyle as she lives with the autoimmune disorder alopecia, which attacks follicles resulting in bald spots and hair loss.

Pinkett Smith could be seen rolling her eyes, before the camera cut back to Rock, while Will Smith initially laughed from his seat. Shortly after, however, Smith’s mood changed as he walked up to Rock and struck him across the face with an open hand.

“Oh wow,” Rock said as Smith made his way back to his seat.

“Will Smith just smacked the shit out of me,” the host said.

“Keep my wife’s name out your fucking mouth!” Smith yelled up to the stage at Rock after taking his seat again.

“Wow, dude, it was a G.I. Jane joke,” said Rock — to which Smith replied once again, “Keep my wife’s name out your fucking mouth!”

Later in the night, Smith won the “Best Actor” award for his starring role in “King Richard”. He addressed incident in his acceptance speech by apologizing to the Academy and his fellow actors for the altercation but failing to mention Rock by name.

“I want to apologize to the Academy. I want to apologize to all my fellow nominees,” Smith said in part.

He added: “Art imitates life: I look like the crazy father. Just like they said about Richard Williams. But love will make you do crazy things.”

Last night, Skolnick shared a clip of the incident on Twitter and wrote: “I missed #Oscars2022 & a whole lot apparently. Quick thought: Wasn’t he the ‘nice’ rapper? Meanwhile ‘scary’ rappers have great senses of humor, ie IceT & Snoop (his IG is LOL FUNNY). C’mon #WillSmith. You don’t have to like #ChrisRock ‘s joke but an ugly meltdown? Violence? Wtf?”

Earlier today, Skolnick returned to hsi Twitter and added the following comment: “#WillSmith’s overreaction at the #Oscars stole the spotlight from @questlove, #SummerOfSoul & even #KingRichard (for which he won!) There are better ways to express displeasure. Just when it finally gets past #OscarsSoWhite, he turns it into #OscarsYoFight #willsmithchrisrock”.

Shortly after the incident, The Academy issued a brief statement regarding the matter. “The Academy does not condone violence of any form,” the organization tweeted. “Tonight we are delighted to celebrate our 94th Academy Awards winners, who deserve this moment of recognition from their peers and movie lovers around the world.”

Rock declined to file a police report in connection with the assault, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

“LAPD investigative entities are aware of an incident between two individuals during the Academy Awards program,” the LAPD said in a statement, obtained by Variety. “The incident involved one individual slapping another. The individual involved has declined to file a police report.

“If the involved party desires a police report at a later date, LAPD will be available to complete an investigative report,” the statement continued.

I missed #Oscars2022 & a whole lot apparently. Quick thought: Wasn’t he the “nice” rapper? Meanwhile “scary” rappers have great senses of humor, ie IceT & Snoop (his IG is LOL FUNNY). C’mon #WillSmith. You don’t have to like #ChrisRock ‘s joke but an ugly meltdown? Violence? Wtf? https://t.co/ss7nFQUrI2
— Alex Skolnick ?? (@AlexSkolnick) March 28, 2022

#WillSmith’s overreaction at the #Oscars stole the spotlight from @questlove, #SummerOfSoul & even #KingRichard (for which he won!) There are better ways to express displeasure. Just when it finally gets past #OscarsSoWhite, he turns it into #OscarsYoFight#willsmithchrisrock
— Alex Skolnick ?? (@AlexSkolnick) March 28, 2022

Full video: Will Smith’s wife appeared upset after Chris Rock called her “G.I. Jane 2” at the Oscars. Jada Smith suffers from a condition which causes hair loss pic.twitter.com/EChVHrRvjz
— BNO News (@BNONews) March 28, 2022

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Grammy-winning hard rock band HALESTORM has announced its summer 2022 tour featuring special guests THE PRETTY RECKLESS, THE WARNING and LILITH CZAR on select dates. Produced by Live Nation, the 16-city trek kicks off on July 8 at Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre at Freedom Hill in Detroit, making stops across the U.S. in Boston, Charlotte, Phoenix and more before wrapping up in Portsmouth at Atlantic Union Bank Pavilion on August 12.

A special BLABBERMOUTH.NET presale will begin on Thursday, March 31 at 10:00 a.m. local time and end on Thursday, March 31 at 10:00 p.m. local time. When prompted, type in the presale code “BACKFROMTHEDEAD” to access tickets before the general public. General on-sale will be Friday, April 1 at 10 a.m. local time. Check back here on Thursday for ticketing links to individual shows.

Tour dates:

Jul. 08 – Detroit, MI – Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre at Freedom Hill
Jul. 10 – Kansas City, MO – Starlight Theatre
Jul. 12 – Indianapolis, IN – TCU Amphitheater at White River State Park
Jul. 13 – Cleveland, OH – Blossom Music Center
Jul. 15 – Cadott, WI – RockFest (festival date)
Jul. 17 – Baltimore, MD – Pier Six Pavilion+
Jul. 19 – Boston, MA – Leader Bank Pavilion
Jul. 20 – Bridgeport, CT – Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater
Jul. 22 – Harrington, DE – DE State Fair (festival date)
Jul. 23 – Scranton, PA – The Pavilion at Montage Mountain
Jul. 25 – Gilford, NH – Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion+
Jul. 27 – Syracuse, NY – St. Joseph’s Health Amphitheater at Lakeview
Jul. 28 – Holmdel, NJ – PNC Bank Arts Center+
Jul. 30 – Charlotte, NC – Charlotte Metro Credit Union Amphitheatre
Aug. 02 – Irving, TX – The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
Aug. 04 – Albuquerque, NM – Isleta Amphitheater
Aug. 05 – Phoenix, AZ – Arizona Federal Theatre
Aug. 07 – Grand Junction, CO – Los Colonias Amphitheater*
Aug. 09 – Oklahoma City, OK – Zoo Amphitheatre*
Aug. 10 – Rogers, AR – Walmart AMP
Aug. 12 – Portsmouth, VA – Atlantic Union Bank Pavilion+

* Not a Live Nation date

Last month, HALESTORM premiered their video for “The Steeple”, the second single to be released from “Back From The Dead” now making its way up rock radio charts. To lead singer Lzzy Hale, the video, like the song itself, is “a reflection of the human connection music brings us.”

In honor of Record Store Day, HALESTORM will release a limited-edition seven-inch die-cut version of the song “Back From The Dead” in the shape of a tombstone. Look for it at your favorite independent record store.

“Back From The Dead”, HALESTORM’s newest full-length album, produced by Nick Raskulinecz (FOO FIGHTERS, MASTODON, ALICE IN CHAINS) with co-production by Scott Stevens (SHINEDOWN, DAUGHTRY, NEW YEARS DAY), will be available everywhere May 6. The band began writing the album pre-pandemic, but continued throughout lockdown, and the result “is the story of me carving myself out of that abyss,” said Lzzy. “It is a journey of navigating mental health, debauchery, survival, redemption, rediscovery, and still maintaining faith in humanity.”

HALESTORM has grown from a childhood dream of siblings Lzzy and Arejay Hale into one of the most celebrated rock bands of the last two decades. HALESTORM’s music has surpassed a billion streams worldwide. Called a “muscular, adventurous, and especially relevant rock record” by Rolling Stone, “Vicious” earned the band their second Grammy nomination, for “Best Hard Rock Performance” for the song “Uncomfortable”, the band’s fourth No. 1 at rock radio, and led Loudwire to name HALESTORM “Rock Artist of the Decade” in 2019. Fronted by Lzzy with Arejay, guitarist Joe Hottinger, and bass player Josh Smith, HALESTORM has earned a reputation as a powerful live music force, headlining sold-out shows and topping festival bills around the world, and sharing the stage with icons including HEAVEN & HELL, ALICE COOPER and Joan Jett.

THE PRETTY RECKLESS’s latest album, “Death By Rock And Roll”, was made available in February 2021 via Fearless Records in the U.S. and Century Media Records in the rest of the world.

Upon release, “Death By Rock And Roll” topped multiple sales charts — including Billboard’s Top Albums, Rock, Hard Music, and Digital Charts. The record also yielded three back-to-back No. 1 singles — “Death By Rock And Roll”, “And So It Went” (featuring Tom Morello of RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE) and “Only Love Can Save Me Now” (featuring Kim Thayil and Matt Cameron of SOUNDGARDEN). The band has tallied seven No. 1 singles at the rock format throughout its career.

“Death By Rock And Roll” is THE PRETTY RECKLESS’s first album to be made without longtime producer Kato Khandwala, who died in April 2018 from injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident.

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Singer-percussionist Sheila E. discussed the passing of FOO FIGHTERS drummer Taylor Hawkins with Entertainment Tonight’s Nischelle Turner and Kevin Frazier on the red carpet of Sunday’s (March 27) 94th annual Oscars ceremony at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. She said: “[I’m] devastated, because we just played together not long ago. And he’s an amazing drummer. So kind, so generous. His laughter, his smile. He walks into the room and you’re, like, ‘Taylor!’ He’s just… I mean, I don’t even know what to say or how to feel. I’m kind of still in shock. I’m trying to get through this and then just go, ‘Okay, wait a minute. What’s happening?'”

After news of Hawkins’s death broke on Friday, Sheila E. posted a message on Twitter expressing her sadness over losing one of her “favorite drummers.”

“I am devastated to hear the news of one of my favorite drummers Taylor Hawkins has passed,” she tweeted. “Blessings to the family and to the band. I’m so sorry for your loss. Taylor you will be missed!”

Hawkins died at a hotel in Bogota, Colombia on Friday (March 25). Local officials said an ambulance was sent to the hotel after a man reported having chest pains. The 50-year-old FOO FIGHTERS drummer did not respond to resuscitation efforts and was declared dead, the city’s health department said.

On Saturday, the Colombian attorney general’s office announced that Hawkins had opioids, marijuana and other drugs in his system before he died. A toxicology report showed traces of 10 substances in his body, including anti-depressants, the office said. The statement added that the National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences “will conduct the necessary medical studies to ascertain the cause of death” and that it “will continue the investigation and will report the results obtained within the framework thereof in a timely manner.”

FOO FIGHTERS announced Hawkins’s death on their Instagram account. “The FOO FIGHTERS family is devastated by the tragic and untimely loss of our beloved Taylor Hawkins,” the announcement read. “His musical spirit and infectious laughter will live on with all of us forever. Our hearts go out to his wife, children and family, and we ask that their privacy be treated with the utmost respect in this unimaginably difficult time.”

The FOO FIGHTERS were scheduled to perform Friday at the Picnic Stereo festival in Bogota but their performance was canceled.

The band played Lollapalooza Chile on March 18 and Lollapalooza Argentina on March 20. They were scheduled to headline Lollapalooza Brasil on Sunday (March 27).

Hawkins has been open about his history of drug use. He overdosed on heroin in 2001 and spent a week in a coma, just four years after joining the FOO FIGHTERS.

I am devastated to hear the news of one of my favorite drummers Taylor Hawkins has passed. Blessings to the family and to the band. I’m so sorry for your loss. Taylor you will be missed! ?????????? #taylorhawkins #foofighters #drummer pic.twitter.com/FJAFQOa76X
— SheilaEdrummer (@SheilaEdrummer) March 26, 2022

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CREED’s Scott Stapp has credited STRYPER’s Michael Sweet with “inspiring” and “influencing” him “on so many levels”.

Stapp made his comments in response to an Instagram post from Sweet in which the STRYPER guitarist/vocalist praised CREED for “bringing back heavy guitars mixed with inspiring lyrics” during the latter band’s heyday in the early 2000s.

On Sunday (March 27), Sweet took to the social media platform to share a photo of Stapp and he wrote: “I’m very proud of @scottstapp – not just for what he’s accomplished but more importantly, who he’s become through those accomplishments.

“When music was changing so dramatically & drastically in the 90’s, it was difficult sometimes for me to relate to many bands from that era. @officialcreedpage came along and changed that for me personally. They brought back (IMO) heavy guitars mixed with great melodies and most importantly, inspiring lyrics that changed lives and hearts. There was real value there. That’s what matters. Substance. I was always a fan and will always be.

“I’m proud to see Scott doing so well and still releasing powerful and meaningful music.

“God bless you Scott and all that you do”.

In response to Sweet’s comments, Stapp took to his Twitter this morning to write: “Brother…this means so much to me. You have inspired and influenced me on so many levels you have no idea. Thank you for your “powerful and meaningful” music that helped shape me, encourage me, comfort me, and inspire me.

“Without you and @stryper I can honestly say I would not have followed the path God had for me. You were HIS voice to my heart. You are a LEGEND and I am humbled that you even know who I am. God bless you and your family my friend.

“I am in such awe that someone I admired and STILL admire so much, whose words and voice impacted my heart so deeply, shared this about me and the music I have been blessed to be apart of creating. Thank you & love you brother”.

Several years ago, Stapp said that his faith-based lyrics led many to believe CREED was a Christian band. CREED wasn’t and Scott’s bandmates resented it, eventually contributing to the group’s initial breakup.

Even though STRYPER’s third album, 1986’s “To Hell With The Devil”, made Sweet and his bandmates the first contemporary Christian act to score a platinum album, the group has often felt unwelcome in Christian circles, with some members of the church feeling that Christianity and heavy metal are incompatible.

In a 2018 interview with the Detroit Free Press, Michael said that STRYPER was never fully embraced by the heavy metal and hard rock communities, largely because of the band’s Christian lyrics.

“We’ve never been accepted by either side,” he said. “The secular side, the mainstream, they’ve never accepted us to this day. We’re probably that band that everyone’s going to go to whenever there’s a time to mock. We’ll be the band used for that in most cases. Now on the Christian side, we’ve never really had the full support of the Christian side because we don’t fit into their little club. We’re not wearing suits and ties and going to every church and preaching.”

Formed 39 years ago, STRYPER’s name comes from Isaiah 53:5, which states: “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.”

STRYPER’s albums include “To Hell With The Devil”, “Second Coming”, “No More Hell To Pay”, “Fallen”, “God Damn Evil” and the band’s latest effort, “Even The Devil Believes”.

Brother…this means so much to me. You have inspired and influenced me on so many levels you have no idea. Thank you for your “powerful and meaningful” music that helped shape me, encourage me, comfort me, and inspire me.
— Scott Stapp (@ScottStapp) March 28, 2022

Without you and @stryper I can honestly say I would not have followed the path God had for me. You were HIS voice to my heart. You are a LEGEND and I am humbled that you even know who I am. God bless you and your family my friend.
— Scott Stapp (@ScottStapp) March 28, 2022

I am in such awe that someone I admired and STILL admire so much, whose words and voice impacted my heart so deeply, shared this about me and the music I have been blessed to be apart of creating
?? Thank you & love you brother??
— Scott Stapp (@ScottStapp) March 28, 2022

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Last month, I wrapped the NHL Stadium Series at Nashville’s Nissan Stadium in front of 68,619 screaming fans and an army of TV production, crew, etc. The network chose to lean into Nashville’s Music City theme by including performances by 12 of the city’s biggest names in music. About a month ago, the director, Michael Dempsey, whom I worked with on several award shows, hired me as the music director. Here’s how it went.The NHL set three stages across the front of Nissan field. At stage left was Miranda Lambert, at stage right was Dierks Bentley, and center stage was the house band with 10 other acts including Dustin Lynch, Lindsay Ell (check out her Rig Rundown), Tiera Kennedy, A. Jay and Jeremy Popoff of the band Lit, Frankie Ballard, Coffey Anderson, Joshua Hedley, Morgan Evans, Jackson Dean, and Bexar. I had played TV spots with five of these artists before, so that made it a bit more comfortable for them and me. But the rest were strangers, and we were doing this live in front of a packed stadium and millions viewing at home, so there was some pressure.It had been raining on and off for days, and by the time we hit the stage it was freezing. My hands went numb, and I could not play.Once the artist settled on their songs, I had an idea of what instrumentation we needed. I hired five friends to cover bass/BG, drums, keys/BG, steel/banjo/guitar, fiddle/accompaniment/percussion, along with your humble scribe, me, on guitar.I was about to play all the guitar with 10 artists in front of millions of people. That stress combined with this painful cold shut my brain down.I then edited the songs to fit a limited TV time, then made mockups of the arrangements on GarageBand so the artist and producers could get an idea of what they would sound like. Once production and the artists signed off on the arrangements, I wrote charts and sent them to the band. I then listened through and decided on instrumentation, and wrote a road map of who plays what, sent it to the band and audio, then trusted everyone to do their homework.The plan was to rehearse the songs Friday night during our load-in/soundcheck, but nature did not cooperate. It had been raining on and off for days, and by the time we hit the stage it was freezing. My hands went numb, and I could not play. Nick Jonas had, like, eight bad bars of a solo in one award show, and now you never see him play (he’s an incredibly talented musician). I was about to play all the guitar with 10 artists in front of millions of people. That stress combined with this painful cold shut my brain down.I literally could not hold a pick during our soundcheck. The next morning, I filled my pockets with Fred Kelly Bumblebee thumbpicks (as seen in the Steve Earle Rig Rundown). I like thumbpicks when I’m trying to hack my way through a fingerstyle acoustic song, or playing pedal steel, but for me it’s never as comfortable as a flat-pick on electric. But I had no choice.Then I cut the fingers off a pair of driving gloves I found in my closet. I kept the thumb on the left hand. I hesitated, because they were expensive/new gloves, but I’m not the kind of person to wear driving gloves, so what the hell was I saving these for? Admittedly, it was a rocky start getting used to playing with gloves and a thumbpick, but I had to embrace the challenge and hope for the best. I put on thermal long johns, sweatpants, jeans, two pairs of socks with thermal boots, two shirts, three coats, and one of the Nashville Predators hockey jerseys and hats that production had given the band.Our call time was 11:15 a.m. and we had 15 minutes set aside to rehearse each artist. The band had never actually played together when the artists arrived onstage for a pre-show run-through. But my friends in the band are pros, so it sounded great despite not rehearsing.Although I loaded the charts on my iPad, I brought the original paper charts just in case, and I’m glad I did, because the extreme cold killed my iPad between the rehearsal and showtime. I also brought two amps, two Les Pauls, and two Strats (tuned to Eb), just in case the cold killed any electronics, taking the belt-and-suspenders approach to ensure I got through it.The combination of preparation and luck paid off. The producers got some portable heaters onstage, the weather was cold but not unbearable, and the performances all went well.The show must go wrong, and yet maybe all that tension, uncertainty, and fear is essential to a good show. If you scored every shot, won every hand of poker, and never missed a note, life would be boring. The trick is to get comfortable with the curve balls and don’t beat yourself up over the misses.That night, as I was unloading my gear, a freezing rain began to fall. I was so grateful that I wasn’t schlepping my coverless amps through the downpour. I’m not making this up for dramatic effect; real life is truly dramatic. Disasters lurk everywhere, and yet it’s usually a happy ending.

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