Alternative Music
DEE SNIDER Endorses Former ‘American Idol’ Contestant CLAY AIKEN In Second Bid For Congress
Dee Snider has endorsed singer-songwriter Clay Aiken‘s latest congressional bid, saying the former “American Idol” contestant is “smart” and “fearless.” Aiken announced Monday that he would run for Congress as a Democrat for a second time after being beaten in a 2014 House race. The 43-year-old Democrat is looking to become the first openly gay congressional member to represent either of the Carolinas. Earlier today, Snider shared Aiken‘s announcement video on Twitter, and he wrote in an accompanying message: “This may surprise some of you (Seriously?), but I endorse @clayaiken . Clay is smart, decent, hard working, caring, well spoken & fearless. Pretty much everything most congressmen are not. I’m not from N.Carolina, but if...
Original KITTIE Lineup To Celebrate 22nd Anniversary Of ‘Spit’ With Online Chat
The original lineup of the Canadian all-girl metal band KITTIE — Morgan Lander (guitar, vocals), Mercedes Lander (drums), Fallon Bowman (guitar) and Tanya Candler (bass) — will reunite for an online chat to celebrate the 22nd anniversary of its gold-certified 2000 debut album, “Spit”. Earlier today, KITTIE posted the following message on its Instagram account: “Join us tomorrow on IG Live at 7:30pm EST for a little celebration of the 22nd anniversary of our debut album SPIT. We’ll hang out and answer some questions! #iglive #spit #happybirthday #joinus #kittie”. Candler left KITTIE after the release of “Spit” in order to finish high school and was replaced by Talena Atfield. Bowman exited KITTIE in 2001 and started her own industrial/electronic pro...
Judas Priest to Perform as Four-Piece, Dropping Andy Sneap from Their Touring Lineup
Judas Priest will play their upcoming tour as a four-piece after dropping guitarist and producer Andy Sneap from their live lineup. The legendary metal act’s rescheduled 2022 North American tour kicks off March 4th in Peoria, Illinois, with tickets available via Ticketmaster. Initially, a statement from the band suggested that the split was amicable, with Sneap leaving to concentrate on production — including work on Judas Priest’s next album. Judas Priest stated, “Hello maniacs! We are chomping at the British Steel bit to return to world touring… celebrating 50 years of Judas Priest as an an even more powerful, relentless four piece heavy metal band – with Glenn [Tipton] coming out on stage with us here and there as before. Big thanks to Andy for all you’ve done and continuing to be in th...
Encanto Soundtrack Unseats Adele’s 30 as No. 1 Album on Billboard 200
After six weeks atop the Billboard 200, Adele’s 30 has been toppled by the soundtrack to Encanto, the animated Disney film featuring songs written by Lin-Manuel Miranda. Encanto earned 72,000 equivalent album units for the week ending January 6th, with streaming activity making up the majority of that sum. The two most popular songs from the soundtrack, “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” and “Surface Pressure,” respectively debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 chart at No. 50 and No. 54 last week, and are expected to climb even higher. The film centers around the Madrigals, a family who live in a charmed place called an Encanto, hidden in the mountains of Colombia. Every child in the family has a unique gift except for one, Mirabel (Stephanie Beatriz), who discovers the magic surrounding th...
Betty White Died Six Days After Suffering Stroke
Betty White’s death certificate has revealed that the television icon suffered a stroke six days before she died. Via TMZ, the official cause of death is listed as cerebrovascular accident, or loss of blood flow to parts of the brain. Reportedly, she was alert and cogent following the stroke, and passed away peacefully in her sleep on December 31st, just weeks short of her 100th birthday. According to PageSix, her final words were “Allen,” in apparent reference to her late husband Allen Ludden. White would have enjoyed her centennial birthday on January 17th. On that day, theaters will screen Betty White: A Celebration, a film marking 100 years since she was born, although it was slightly altered following her death. That same date, her hometown of Oak Park, Illinois will ce...
Elvis Costello Says He Won’t Perform “Oliver’s Army” Anymore, Tells Radio Stations Not to Play It
Elvis Costello is retiring one of his biggest songs from his live show. In a new interview with The Telegraph, the singer-songwriter said he wouldn’t perform his 1979 hit “Oliver’s Army” live anymore, and that radio stations should stop playing it. Written about the conflict in Northern Ireland, “Oliver’s Army” contains the lyrics “Only takes one itchy trigger/ One more widow, one less white n****.” Costello defended his use of the slur, noting its historical context, but said he would stop performing it to avoid controversy. “If I wrote that song today, maybe I’d think twice about it,” Costello said. “That’s what my grandfather was called in the British army — it’s historically a fact — but people hear that word go off like a bell and accuse me of something that I didn’t intend....
VIO-LENCE Releases First Original Song In 29 Years, ‘Flesh From Bone’
San Francisco Bay Area thrashers VIO-LENCE have returned with “Flesh From Bone”, their first song in 29 years. The track comes from their upcoming EP, “Let The World Burn”, their first original release since 1993’s “Nothing To Gain”. The five-song collection will be available worldwide on March 4 via Metal Blade Records. “This is the first VIO-LENCE song I had written in close to 30 years,” admits founding guitarist Phil Demmel. “I wanted to keep some of those early ‘Eternal Nightmare’ [debut album, 1988] qualities intact but infuse a lot of what I’ve culled into my songwriting arsenal over the decades. ‘Flesh From Bone’ has the frenetic picking/fingering riffs and the solo trade-offs that are pretty ...
ANDY SNEAP Is ‘Incredibly Disappointed’ But Respectful Of JUDAS PRIEST’s Decision To Tour As Quartet
Former JUDAS PRIEST touring guitarist Andy Sneap says that he is “incredibly” disappointed by the band’s decision to perform as a quartet on its upcoming tour. Sneap, who co-produced PRIEST‘s latest album, “Firepower”, began touring with the band four years ago after longtime guitarist Glenn Tipton — who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease eight years ago after being stricken by the condition at least half a decade earlier — announced in early 2018 he was going to sit out touring activities in support of the LP. Earlier today, the British heavy metal legends released a statement in which they said that they were planning to return to the road as “an even more powerful, relentless four-piece heavy metal band.” They also thanked Andy f...
SUICIDE SILENCE And CARNIFEX Announce ‘Chaos & Carnage’ 2022 Tour
The “Chaos & Carnage” tour has announced its 2022 return to the road after two previous successful runs in 2018 and 2019. Co-headlined by deathcore titans SUICIDE SILENCE and CARNIFEX, the tour will also feature a selection of the very best bands from the world of modern metal with LORNA SHORE, UPON A BURNING BODY, ANGELMAKER and DISTANT rounding out the lineup. Tickets for the “Chaos & Carnage” tour go on general sale on Friday, January 14 at 10 a.m. local time from ChaosAndCarnage.com. Produced by industry visionaries Jason Malhoyt of Imperial Artist Management and JJ Cassiere of renowned booking agency 33 And West, the “Chaos & Carnage” tour is now in its third year and has quickly garnered a reputation for showcasing the very best big-nam...
SMASHING PUMPKINS And STONE TEMPLE PILOTS Among Confirmed Artists For BEACHLIFE FESTIVAL
An eclectic beach-focused lineup of more than 55 top music artists across the spectrum of rock, indie, jam, reggae, and more has been announced for the third edition of BeachLife Festival, Los Angeles County’s only coastal three-day immersive experience uniquely celebrating beach culture. Held May 13-15, 2022, Southern California’s premier live music, art, and culinary experience takes place on the picturesque waterfront in Redondo Beach, California. Headliners WEEZER (Friday), THE SMASHING PUMPKINS (Saturday) and STEVE MILLER BAND (Sunday) will be joined by a wide range of talent rarely booked together for the same event, including 311, Sheryl Crow, Vance Joy, BLACK PUMAS, LORD HURON, STONE TEMPLE PILOTS, UB40 feat. Ali Campbell, COLD WAR KIDS and many more, performing on four...
Corey Taylor Confirms New Slipknot Album and More for 2022
Corey Taylor has confirmed that Slipknot will release a new album in 2022. The band unleashed a new single, “The Chapeltown Rag,” back in November, and now fans can look forward to the follow-up to 2019’s We Are Not Your Kind sometime this year. The Slipknot singer took to Twitter over the weekend to disclose that the new Slipknot album and a few other projects are on tap for 2022. “Big Shit Coming, 2022 edition: ZvN updates, SK album, secret ‘homecoming’ plans, etc. Stay Tuned! ‘Hold On To Your Butts’ – Franklin D. Roosevelt.” In addition to “SK album” referring to the new Slipknot LP, “ZvN updates” touches on Taylor’s feature film, Zombie vs. Ninja, for which he wrote the script. Several months ago, Taylor had reported that he was looking for a director and that he expected filming to be...
Pete Davidson Says Bob Saget Helped Him Through “Some Rough Mental Health Stuff” in Tribute
Pete Davidson has added his name to the growing list of celebrities attesting to the kindness of the late Bob Saget. Following Saget’s shocking death on January 9th, the Saturday Night Live star opened up about his relationship with the comedian, calling him “one of the nicest men on the planet.” “When I was younger and several times throughout our friendship he helped me get through some rough mental health stuff,” Davidson, who doesn’t have social media, said in a message posted to friend Dave Sirius’ account. “He stayed on the phone with my mom for hours trying to help in anyway he can — connecting us with doctors and new things we can try. He would check in on me and make sure I was okay.” “I love you Bob it was an honor to know you,” Davidson concluded. “Thank you for your kindness an...
