Alternative Music

In a new interview with Metal Mayhem ROC, MASTODON drummer Brann Dailor reflected on his band’s recently completed U.S. tour with OPETH. The trek kicked off on November 16 in Asheville, North Carolina and concluded on December 5 in Denver, Colorado. Brann said: “We dipped our toes in touring. I think it went pretty well. But there was still a lot of… The omicron variant has just been popping off, so there was a lot of tickets sold that people just didn’t come; they just stayed home. So it was kind of crazy. I mean, the shows were great and they were pretty packed, but the promoters noticed that people were buying tickets and just not coming, because they were just frightened of being… Obviously, our industry is the last one to come back. It’s, like, ‘Let’...

Former JUDAS PRIEST guitarist K.K. Downing spoke to “The Cassius Morris Show” about the fact that he has been nominated for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction for the third time. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “You kind of blow hot and cold with it because when you think of the people that are still not in there but when you think of the people that are in there, it’s a bit of a conflict for me. And it’s all a bit weird. But there are certain awards that you can achieve in your lifetime, like a Grammy — I’ve got one; I’ve got three nominations for Grammys. And when all’s said and done about that situation, it’s still kind of nice to have something on the mantel piece you can look at and hopefully you can pass it on ...

Dee Snider performed at this year’s edition of the Arnold Sports Festival in Columbus, Ohio. The TWISTED SISTER singer and his solo band appeared last night (Saturday, March 5). Video of their performance can be seen below. The Arnold Sports Festival is being held March 3-6 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center and other venues, including the Ohio Expo Center. Arnold Schwarzenegger‘s event, which draws more than 20,000 athletes and 200,000 fans to Columbus, was canceled in 2020 and 2021 because of the coronavirus pandemic. More than 20,000 athletes from more than 80 nations are expected to appear at the festival, participating in about 60 sports. Early Saturday morning, Snider took to his Twitter to share a new photo of him with Schwarzenegger, and he included the following...

Former MEGADETH guitarist Marty Friedman performed at the opening ceremony of this year’s Tokyo Marathon on Sunday, March 6. The Tokyo Marathon 2022, one of the biggest marathons in Japan, ran through Tokyo’s tourist sites, accommodating recreational runners and world’s best elite runners. It was the first Tokyo Marathon in two years, as the 2021 edition was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Through its theme, “The Day We Unite.”, the Tokyo Marathon brings together runners, volunteers and spectators. Marty shared video of him performing at this year’s event, and he included the following message: “Just played the Opening Ceremony at the Tokyo Marathon! This is my 4th year doing it, but today I played 3 times as the runners spread out their sta...

PRETTY MAIDS singer Ronnie Atkins, who is battling stage four cancer, spoke about his condition during a recent interview with “The Bay Ragni Show”. Reflecting on how he was first diagnosed with the disease. Ronnie said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “When I first got it… I knew there was something wrong during the summer of 2019. I had back issues for years, but I had this kind of non-pain, strange pain. It’s something you know yourself if there’s something wrong. My mother had the same thing, and she died of it. I was 22, actually; my mother was 57. So I went to the doctor, and he said, ‘I think you just struck a nerve or something.’ I said, ‘We should check it out.’ And they sent me off. And then, the very same day, they said ...

On Saturday (March 5), model, dancer and actress Diana Lynn conducted an interview with former MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson at the PA Horror Con at the Delta Hotel by Marriott Allentown Lehigh Valley in Breinigsville, Pennsylvania. You can now watch the chat below. Speaking about his involvement in the upcoming feature-length documentary “This Was My Life: The Story Of Nick Menza”, which is described as an “exploration of the late MEGADETH drummer’s life,” Ellefson said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “Nick Menza, who many know [was] the drummer of MEGADETH for the decade of the ’90s — ’89 [to] ’98 — he left the group in ’98 and then he passed away onstage playing with another former MEGADETH guitar player, Chris Poland; ...

JUDAS PRIEST kicked off the rescheduled “50 Heavy Metal Years” North American tour dates last night (Friday, March 4) at Peoria Civic Center in Peoria, Illinois. The band’s setlist was as follows: 01. One Shot At Glory 02. Lightning Strike 03. You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’ 04. Freewheel Burning 05. Turbo Lover 06. Hell Patrol 07. The Sentinel 08. A Touch Of Evil 09. Rocka Rolla 10. Victim Of Changes 11. Desert Plains 12. Blood Red Skies 13. Invader 14. Painkiller Encore: 15. The Hellion / Electric Eye 16. Hell Bent For Leather 17. Breaking The Law 18. Living After Midnight Fan-filmed video and photos are available below. The tour will conclude on April 13 at FirstOntario Centre in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Support on the trek is coming from QUEENSRŸCHE. JUD...

Ex-DREAM THEATER drummer Mike Portnoy attended the group’s concert last night (Friday, March 4) at Beacon Theatre in New York City. It is believed to the first time Portnoy witnessed his former bandmates perform live since his exit from the iconic progressive metal outfit more than 11 years ago. According to DREAM THEATER fans who attended last night’s show, singer James LaBrie gave Portnoy a shoutout from the stage and Mike waved. Several fans also took pictures of Portnoy at the venue, with Mike and his wife reportedly watching the performance from near the Beacon Theatre soundboard. Earlier today, Portnoy shared a few backstage photos from last night’s concert and he included the following message: “After 36 years, I finally got to see my 1st DREAM THEATER show l...