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Axel Thesleff Turns Cancelled Live Set Into Immersive Technicolor Film Experience
Axel Thesleff spent months preparing for his SXSW debut this year, developing a groundbreaking new audiovisual performance to share on the occasion. Despite his relentless preparation, though, history took an unfortunate turn with the onset of the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent cancellation of live festivals. The Norwegian producer was down but not out. His plans took a different approach in partnership with event technology company Bright, who sent out a production team to the Helsinki Ice Hall to capture the producer’s “set that never happened.” Thesleff has since titled the event and resulting film “Arena Live” With the new idea for “Arena Live” in place, things ultimately came together in very short order. “We had...
Honey Dijon Discusses Origins of Her “Realness Remix” for Lady Gaga In Insightful Apple Music Interview
Honey Dijon dropped a statement-making remix of Lady Gaga‘s “Free Woman” this week and sat down with Zane Lowe to discuss how it all went down in an illuminating, wide-ranging interview. The Chicago-born house DJ and producer released her remix of Lady Gaga’s “Free Woman,” a cut from the latter’s Chromatica album, playing up the song’s natural club elements, adding a thumping foundational kick and layering in supportive rhythmic instrumentation. While the remix choice feels like a natural fit, the story of how the project ultimately came to fruition was somewhat circuitous. Honey Dijon told Lowe she was originally offered the opportunity to remix Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande‘s “Rain On Me.” Ultimately, she did not f...
Ex-LAMB OF GOD Drummer CHRIS ADLER Has Been Spending ‘Less Time Than Ever’ With His Instrument While In Quarantine
During an appearance on the 19th episode of “The Metal Teddy Bear Experience” podcast, former LAMB OF GOD drummer Chris Adler spoke about how he has been spending his coronavirus downtime. He said (see video below): “In my case, it’s been less time than ever with my instrument. I volunteer for about five hours a day with a place called Habitat For Humanity [nonprofit organization that helps families build and improve places to call home], helping people around here. And really, that’s taken away time from three kids I have running around here [at home] and feeding two animals. “When LAMB OF GOD and I split, that was tough, but it was kind of this… Whatever it is that you’re doing, the grass is always greener somewhere else,” he continued. ...
PHIL DEMMEL Says Playing Guitar For MACHINE HEAD Was ‘An Amazing Ride’ But It Was ‘A Relationship That Just Soured’
Phil Demmel says that a world of opportunites opened up for him once he decided to leave MACHINE HEAD at the end of the band’s fall 2018 North American tour. “It was frowned upon, but I was allowed to do other stuff [while I was in MACHINE HEAD],” the guitarist told Australia’s Riff Crew in a new interview. “I was doing METAL ALLEGIANCE while I was in MH. And I was doing some of the things. But towards the end… Fuck, I don’t know how much I wanna talk about that. “Here we are, going on almost two years since I did that last tour, and I felt like I’ve really talked about the bad stuff with that band enough. I felt like I kind of purged myself, and I wanna get to a place to where it’s just like… “The day after I quit MACHINE HEAD, t...
METALLICA’s Drive-In Concert Was Secretly Filmed At Northern California Winery
According to the Sonoma Index-Tribune, METALLICA‘s performance that will air on August 29 at drive-in theaters was filmed nearly three weeks earlier at the Gundlach Bundschu winery, about a 30-minute car ride from the band’s headquarters in San Rafael, California. Less than half a dozen locals were made aware that the biggest heavy metal band in the world was set up overlooking the vineyard of the Sonoma winery secretly performing some of their biggest hits without an audience. The band rehearsed for two weeks at their headquarters while the METALLICA crew stayed in 30 rooms at Sonoma’s El Pueblo Inn for almost two weeks. Everyone was subjected to repeated COVID testing before METALLICA played the secret concert on August 10 without any of their fans in attendance. METALL...
NICKELBACK Is ‘Looking For A Distribution Partner’ For New Documentary
In a new interview with Meltdown of Detroit’s WRIF radio station, NICKELBACK bassist Mike Kroeger spoke about the band’s plans to return to the studio to make the follow-up to 2017’s “Feed The Machine” album. He said: “We’re looking at some new music, and we’re taking our time. And there’s a few ideas cooking right now. We just released that single, [a cover of THE CHARLIE DANIELS BAND classic] ‘The Devil Went Down To Georgia’. And we actually have a documentary that we’re right now just putting the finishing touches on and looking for a distribution partner for to make sure that we get it out to everybody. And that’s really what’s going on — we’re trying to get that thing polished up and out.” ...
10 Years and 10 Questions with William Sadler: On Bill and Ted, Tales from the Crypt, and Never Fearing the Reaper
William Sadler is a man of many faces. He’s played good guys. He’s played bad guys. He’s been the President of the United States. He’s played an illiterate convict with a heart caked in soot. There’s just no limit to what he can and cannot do. This weekend, he returns to the underworld in the highly anticipated sequel Bill and Ted: Face the Music. As the board game-failing, bass-jamming Reaper, Sadler brings some much-needed humility to Hades. Once again, he steals every scene. In anticipation, we connected with the veteran actor to revisit those faces across 10 Years and 10 Questions. Given his eclectic and exhaustive resume, it was next to impossible to squeeze everything in within the allotted 20 minutes, but we tried our damndest. So, enjoy the stories we did get below. 1989 <img ar...
Jim Gaffigan Goes on Epic Tweetstorm After Watching Trump’s RNC Speech: “RIP Truth”
Countless celebrities have vocalized how much they loathe Donald Trump lately — Bruce Springsteen, Taylor Swift, Cardi B, Neil Young, Dave Grohl, and even the late Frank Sinatra! — but arguably no person has gone from apolitical to attacking the president as quickly as Jim Gaffigan did on Twitter last night. Once the final night of the Republican National Convention concluded with Trump accepting the nomination, Gaffigan commiserated the end of honesty and transparency for our country, writing, “RIP Truth.” “Look Trumpers, I get it,” the comedian tweeted. “As a kid I was a Cubs fan and I know you stick by your team no matter what, but he’s a traitor and a con man who doesn’t care about you. Deep down you know it. I’m sure you enjoy pissing people off, but you know Trump is a liar and ...
New Venomous Snake Species Named After Metallica’s James Hetfield
James Hetfield (photo by Amy Price), Atheris hetfieldi snake (via Dr. Luis Ceríaco) Pretty soon, Metallica are going to need to open their own aquarium to house all the species named after them. A newly discovered venomous snake species has been named after frontman James Hetfield just months after a mysterious deep-sea creature was named after the band. The snake, a species of bush viper, has been dubbed Atheris hetfieldi. It was discovered at Bioko Island in the Gulf of Guinea by a team of Portuguese and American scientists, led by metalhead Luis Ceríaco. According to the official finding, “The newly described species presents a series of morphological characters that clearly differentiate it from all of its congeners.” We’re not really sure what that means, but we’re guessing the snake...
Dave Grohl and 10-Year-Old Nandi Bushell Face Off in Drum Battle: Watch
Dave Grohl doesn’t back down from a drum-off, even when he’s challenged by a 10-year-old prodigy. The Foo Fighters frontman answered the call when talented youngster Nandi Bushell threw down the gauntlet to the onetime Nirvana drummer. Nandi has been getting the attention of prominent rockers with her recent YouTube performances. Her rendition of Rage Against the Machine’s “Guerrilla Radio”, on which she played drums, guitar, and bass, received the seal of approval from Tom Morello. In fact, Morello even shipped her one of his new signature Soul Power Stratocasters, which she then used to rock Audioslave’s “Cochise”. More recently, Kirk Hammett offered her praise for her performance of Metallica’s “Enter Sandman”. Now, Grohl is going head-to-head with Nandi, who two weeks ago tweeted her d...
Dave Grohl Answers 10-Year-Old Phenom Nandi Bushell’s Challenge to a Drum-Off
At this point, everyone should be familiar with Nandi Bushell’s ability to rock, but today may have marked a new high in her musical venture, as Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl responded to her request for a drum battle from earlier this month. Sitting at his daughter Harper’s drum set in one of his seemingly limitless number of flannel shirts, Grohl, who recently appeared in Bill & Ted Face the Music, busted out a good chunk of “Everlong” — which he said he hasn’t played since originally recording it — before switching over to “Dead End Friends” by Them Crooked Vultures. Always a good sport, the Nirvana drummer also told Bushell that he likes her videos and has received 100 texts about her initial challenge. Grohl finished the recording by playfully challenging Bushell to respond, so it...
Bryan Adams’ ‘Return to Live’ Concert in Germany Canceled Amid Rising COVID Infections
Bryan Adams fans in Düsseldorf, Germany won’t be “returning to live” concerts so soon after all, as the “Return to Live” event starring the Canadian rocker has now been pushed back due to a recent spike in COVID-19 cases. Put on by Live Nation, the Sept. 4 show was announced a few weeks ago and supposed to mark the beginning of live shows in Germany once again, although many had their doubts that the country was ready for 12,000 people to sing along to “Summer of ’69” in Merkur Spiel-Arena. “Despite a comprehensive health, hygiene, and safety program, organizers felt compelled to cancel the event in view of the increasing number of infections and subsequent capacity restrictions that were imposed on the event,” a statement released by the venue said. It shouldn’t come as much of ...
