Alternative Music
Josh Freese on Pulling Double Duty With Danny Elfman and 100 gecs at Coachella 2022: “It’s My Workaholic, ‘Try To Do it All’ Ethic”
Ed. Note: Head here to find our complete coverage of Coachella 2022. If you aren’t familiar with Josh Freese’s prolific career, ask the following question: What do Sting, DEVO, The Offspring, The Vandals, Nine Inch Nails, 100 gecs, and Danny Elfman have in common? They’ve all recorded, written, or toured with Josh Freese behind the drum kit at some point in their lengthy careers. If “drummer for the stars” is any metric of Freese’s success, then he’s one of the most successful drummers of all time. Last weekend at Coachella, Freese had quite the engagement on Saturday — performing with hyperpop icons 100 gecs around 6:00 p.m., and then again with composer and frontman Danny Elfman at 9:00 p.m. Such a hectic performance schedule is nothing new for Freese, who proudly takes on as m...
The Offer Spins a Fable Out of the Making of The Godfather: Review
The Pitch: In the early 1970s, a plucky little movie studio called Paramount Pictures, overseen by a firebrand named Bob Evans (Matthew Goode), had the rights to make a movie based on a very popular novel called The Godfather. Making this movie, of course, would be no small task, and the hero of the project became an unlikely one: Alfred S. Ruddy (Miles Teller), who prior to taking on the project was a relatively inexperienced film producer best known for co-creating the classic ’60s sitcom Hogan’s Heroes (prior to which he worked for the Rand Corporation as a programmer). Ruddy’s problems aren’t just limited to negotiating the wild personalities involved with the film — Evans himself, neurotic director Francis Ford Coppola (Dan Fogler), a fresh-faced theater actor named Al Pacino (Anthony...
SAULT: Air
SAULT’s aim, since its inception, is to twirl through every hue in the kaleidoscope of Black existence. The enigmatic UK collective—which, despite their aversion to the media, is agreed by most to be helmed by producer and songwriter Inflo, whose real name Dean Josiah Cover—has run through a slew of musical styles and themes in service of that goal. They laid out their thesis with 2019’s 5 and 7, a fuzzed-out collection of minimalist funk songs about pride, the struggle, and everything in between. They sharpened their focus the following year with another pair of albums released while the Black Lives Matter movement was at a height of international attention—Untitled (Black Is) and Untitled (Rise)—putting a finer point on the particulars of protest and the importance of keeping the faith w...
LINKIN PARK’s MIKE SHINODA Enlisted By WARNER RECORDED MUSIC As Community Innovation Advisor
Warner Recorded Music (WRM) has enlisted LINKIN PARK co-founder and music tech pioneer Mike Shinoda as Community Innovation Advisor. In this first-of-its-kind post, Shinoda will work closely with Warner Music‘s leadership and business development teams to help shape the company’s artist-centric approach to Web3. With Shinoda‘s support, WRM will continue to partner with artists to bring their creative visions to life and build communities across new platforms, products, and experiences, while exploring new revenue streams. Max Lousada, CEO, Warner Recorded Music, said: “Central to our DNA at Warner is that we start with the artist experience. A passionate creative who’s deeply embedded in the rapidly evolving world of Web3, Mike‘s perspective here will be...
METALLICA’s KIRK HAMMETT Teases ‘High Plains Drifter’ Music Video
METALLICA guitarist Kirk Hammett will release a music video for his solo song “High Plains Drifter” on Friday, April 22. A teaser for the clip is available below. “High Plains Drifter” opens the second side of Kirk‘s debut solo EP, “Portals”, which will arrive on April 23 via Blackened Recordings across digital platforms, on CD, and as a Record Store Day-exclusive ocean blue vinyl EP (including a download card). Featuring contributions from Edwin Outwater (with whom Kirk had previously collaborated on METALLICA‘s “S&M²” concerts and releases), Jon Theodore of QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE (and Kirk‘s THE WEDDING BAND bandmate), members of the LA Philharmonic and more, “High Plains Drifter” shares a unique inspirati...
MERCYFUL FATE Announces Spring/Summer 2022 European + U.S. Tour Dates
Influential Danish metallers MERCYFUL FATE will embark on a European tour this spring and summer. The trek will kick off on June 2 in Hannover, Germany and will include shows in Poland, Sweden, Germany, Belgium, Denmark, Italy, France, Spain, Finland, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Slovenia, Norway, Czech Republic and the United Kingdom. A one-off appearance at the Psycho Las Vegas festival in Las Vegas, Nevada will follow in late August. Confirmed dates: Jun. 02 – Expo Plaza – Hannover, Germany (with VOLBEAT) Jun. 04 – Mystic Festival – Gdańsk, Poland Jun. 10 – Sweden Rock – Sölvesborg, Sweden Jun. 14 – Wuhlheide – Berlin, Germany (with VOLBEAT) Jun. 16 – Graspop Metal Meeting – Dessel, Belgium Jun. 18 – Copenhell – Cope...
Watch: SEBASTIAN BACH Performs SKID ROW Classics At ‘Rock ‘N’ Roll Fantasy Camp’ In Las Vegas
Video footage of Sebastian Bach performing a couple of SKID ROW classics with several campers at this month’s Rock ‘N’ Roll Fantasy Camp at Count’s Vamp’d in Las Vegas, Nevada can be seen below. Rock ‘N’ Roll Fantasy Camp was created 26 years ago to provide real people the once-in-a-lifetime experience of connecting and jamming with their musical heroes. The Camp has provided unforgettable memories, advice and feedback for attendees worldwide. Camp events span over four jam packed days where campers join a band mentored by today’s top touring musicians, and work up to final performances with the headliner rock stars at legendary venues from Abbey Road Studios in London, to Hollywood’s Whisky A Go Go, to the Atlantic resort in The Bahama...
Aaron Paul Reveals Bryan Cranston Is the Godfather of His Baby Boy
Bryan Cranston’s Breaking Bad protagonist Walter White likely fancied himself as surpassing The Godfather once he became Heisenberg, but co-star Aaron Paul has made him a different kind of godfather in real life. While appearing on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Tuesday night, Paul revealed that he recently had a second baby with his wife Lauren. When it came time to choose a godparent, his close friend was a natural fit. “His name is Rydin and I love him,” Paul told Fallon, adding that he’s understandably exhausted by the arrival of his infant. The Tonight Show host proceeded to show off photos of Paul’s adorable baby boy, with whom the actor’s 4-year-old daughter Story is already “madly in love.” Cute stuff. Naturally, Fallon asked if Cranston had met the newborn yet, and...
Why Bill Nighy Was Chosen to Succeed David Bowie For Showtime’s The Man Who Fell to Earth
The new Showtime series The Man Who Fell to Earth isn’t a remake — it continues the story of the cult classic Nicholas Roeg film, which starred David Bowie as Thomas Jerome Newton, a mysterious alien whose arrival on our planet ends in tragedy. So while the show starts decades after the film, with the arrival of a new titular man who’s fallen to Earth (Chiwetel Ejiofor), the original man is still there, albeit with a new face in veteran stage and screen actor Bill Nighy, beloved from roles in Love Actually, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Shaun of the Dead. Despite Bowie no longer being alive, there was never a question of continuing the story without the presence of Thomas Jerome Newton, according to co-creator Jenny Lumet. “He’s important — the first alien and the second alien that was alw...
Maren Morris on Taking Inspiration from Jack White and the Future of The Highwomen
Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Amazon Podcasts | Stitcher | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | RSS Maren Morris sits down with Kyle Meredith to talk about her latest album, Humble Quest, and how it tells the story of her road to success using specifically personal stories in the vein of classic ’60s and ’70s country. Related Video The Grammy-winning artist also discusses finding her way to happier songs after coming out of a depression, taking inspiration from Jack White as a way to kick her writing into gear, and adding a little darkness to her romantic musical moments. Morris also talks about the future of The Highwomen, the supergroup that includes Brandi Carlile, Amanda Shires, and Natalie Hemby. Advertisement E...
Rudy Giuliani’s Appearance on The Masked Singer Was As Gross As Expected
Aside from helping to stage an attempted coup, seducing an underage girl, and getting sloppy drunk in the middle of the day, Rudy Giuliani doesn’t have a lot of fun these days. He admitted as much during Wednesday’s episode of The Masked Singer as he attempted to explain how “America’s Mayor” found himself participating in a singing competition series alongside other D-list celebrities dressed like a lemur, armadillo, and teddy bear. In Giuliani’s case, he performed George Thorogood & the Destroyers’ “Bad to the Bone” dressed up as the Jack in the Box. “I want [my granddaughter] to know that you should try everything. Even things that are completely unlike you and unlikely,” Giuliani explained. “I couldn’t think of anything more unlike me and unlikely than this. And I enjoy the show. I...
DISTURBED Drummer Says Fans Will Be ‘Pleasantly Surprised’ When They Hear Upcoming Album
In a new interview with “The Mistress Carrie Podcast”, DISTURBED drummer Mike Wengren spoke about the progress of the writing and recording sessions for the band’s upcoming studio album. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “I can’t divulge too many details just yet, but we’re definitely in the middle of the process. We have been writing, we have been recording. I’m very excited about everything that we’re coming up with right now. It’s feeling great, it’s sounding great.” He continued: “We don’t necessarily have a definitive time frame right now [for the album’s release]. Coming off two years of a pandemic, we just have been taking our time in trying to put out the best record of our careers and t...
