Alternative Music
Testament’s Alex Skolnick Forms New Rap Duo Hu$h Money, Condemns Right-Wing Echo Chambers in “B.I.G. L.I.E.”: Stream
Testament guitarist and unlikely political hip-hop prodigy Alex Skolnick has debuted his new rap group, Hu$h Money, and shared the video for the track “B.I.G. L.I.E.” Last year, Skolnick made headlines when he released a pair of politically-charged rap songs, one blasting Donald Trump and another encouraging us to “Wear a F**king Mask.” Now Skolnick has returned as his alter ego Skoly-D and teamed up with co-conspirator Kimmy G, aka Kimmy Gordon, for a full-blown rap project. “B.I.G. L.I.E.,” which also features guest rapper J-Hype, picks up where Skoly-D left off with his previous songs, this time taking on “right-wing echo chambers” and the political lunacy that provoked the Capital insurrection a year ago today (January 6th). The song comes complete with an equally tongue-in-cheek...
R.I.P. Peter Bogdanovich, Acclaimed Film Director of The Last Picture Show Dead at 82
Peter Bogdanovich, the Oscar-nominated director of films like The Last Picture Show; What’s Up, Doc?; and Noises Off, has died at the age of 82. The sad news was confirmed by the Hollywood giant’s daughter, who told The Hollywood Reporter that her father passed away from natural causes in the early morning of January 6th. Bogdanovich was born on July 30th, 1939. After graduating from New York City’s Collegiate School in 1957, he began studying acting at the famed Stella Adler Conservatory and got his career start as a film programmer at the Museum of Modern Art, exposing patrons to his love of the works of Orson Welles, Howard Hawks, John Ford, as well as writing as a film critic for Esquire. Advertisement Related Video He married his first wife Polly Platt in 1962 and soon moved to Los An...
Jesse Michaels Addresses Possibility of Operation Ivy Reunion: “I Wouldn’t Object to It”
Operation Ivy is one of the few bands who has thus far resisted reuniting. The Bay Area quartet, made up of singer Jesse Michaels, guitarist Tim Armstrong, bassist Matt Freeman, and drummer Dave Mello, existed for only a brief two-year period between 1987 and 1989, and released only one studio album. But what an album it was: 1989’s Energy successfully bridged two-tone ska and punk rock into what would become the template for modern pop punk, making it one of the most influential albums of its time. After Op Ivy’s demise, Armstrong and Freeman formed Rancid, Michaels explored other interests such as painting, and Mello bought a ranch. In the three decades since then, the closest we’ve gotten to a reunion was a surprise appearance by Michaels at a Rancid show in 2006, during which he joined...
MUDVAYNE Shares ‘Dig’ Drum-Cam Video From WELCOME TO ROCKVILLE Festival
MUDVAYNE has uploaded drum-cam footage of the “Dig” performance from the band’s third reunion show, which took place on November 14 at the Welcome To Rockville festival at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. MUDVAYNE canceled its appearance at the Louder Than Life festival in Louisville, Kentucky in September after the band’s singer Chad Gray and “a few staff members” tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. MUDVAYNE played its first show in 12 years on September 11, 2021 at the Inkcarceration Music & Tattoo Festival in Mansfield, Ohio. MUDVAYNE formed in 1996 and has sold over six million records worldwide, earning gold certification for three albums (“L.D. 50”, “The End O...
ZAKK WYLDE Says ‘It’s Definitely Pretty Surreal’ Playing On OZZY’s New Album Alongside IOMMI, BECK And CLAPTON
Zakk Wylde says that “it’s an honor” to be playing on the upcoming Ozzy Osbourne album alongside some of his guitar heros. The guitarist, who has been a member of Ozzy‘s solo band on and off for 35 years, was excluded from the legendary heavy metal singer’s 2020 LP “Ordinary Man”, which was the first Osbourne effort to be produced by Andrew Watt. After Ozzy recently confirmed that Zakk, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Tony Iommi all make an appearance on his “work-in-progress” follow-up to “Ordinary Man”, which is tentatively due in early 2022, Wylde talked about his involvement with the LP during a chat with the “Australian Rock Show” podcast. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “If you would have to...
THE OFFSPRING Guitarist Says TRUMP And Allies ‘Must Be Held Accountable’ For Insurrection
THE OFFSPRING guitarist Kevin “Noodles” Wasserman has blasted supporters of former President Donald Trump who participated in the deadly January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol last year, saying that “anyone who aided and abetted Trump‘s attempt to overturn the election is a criminal and a traitor.” Writing on Twitter on the anniversary of that riot, Noodles said the former president and his followers “were not planning on a peaceful protest” and “must be held accountable.” The 58-year-old rocker said: “A year ago today hundreds of criminal traitors tried to subvert the will of the American people & overturn a free & fair election by staging the stupidest insurrection ever. The fact that they failed doesn’t make it any ...
ANTHRAX’s FRANK BELLO Says He Got His COVID-19 Booster Shot: ‘I Wanna Make Sure Everybody’s Healthy And Safe’
In a recent interview with Metal Master Kingdom, ANTHRAX bassist Frank Bello spoke about what it has been like for him and his bandmates to play sporadic shows during the coronavirus pandemic. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET) “There’s a new [coronavirus] variant. I don’t even wanna watch the news anymore. It is what it is. And you and I have no choice as we speak right now. We have to go with it and live our lives and all that good stuff. I’m vaccinated — I did the whole thing. I just got my booster. I have a family. I wanna make sure everybody’s healthy and safe. To each his own — that’s what I say — but life has to get back to life sooner than later. And I hope it’s sooner, because this is crazy — this is a crazy time in all of our li...
The Body and OAA Announce Collaborative Album, Share “Barren of Joy” Featuring Full of Hell’s Dylan Walker: Stream
The Body and producer OAA, aka AJ Wilson, have announced their debut collaborative album, Enemy of Love, out February 18th. With just over a month until the release date, they’ve also shared the lead single “Barren of Joy” featuring Full of Hell vocalist Dylan Walker. Year in and year out, The Body continue to offer up beguiling and adventurous heavy music that defies categorization. The duo of Lee Buford and Chip King frequently collaborate with like-minded artists to achieve their vision, having worked with Full of Hell, BIG|BRAVE, Uniform, and many more. For their latest collab, Buford and King teamed up with OAA, who had previously remixed a track for The Body’s 20th anniversary Remixed LP in 2019. True to its stark title, “Barren of Joy” is an uncompromising blast of free-form no...
John Mayer Tests Positive for COVID-19, Exits Dead & Company Festival in Mexico
Just before flying to Mexico for Dead & Company’s annual festival Playing in the Sand, John Mayer had to withdraw after testing positive for COVID-19. The band shared the news in a social media post, while also announcing that Margo Price would now be joining the rock veterans. “Today, just prior to leaving for Mexico, per his physician, @JohnMayer tested positive for COVID-19 and will be unable to perform at the upcoming ‘Playing in the Sand’ event in Riviera Cancun January 7-10,” the band wrote. Mayer becomes the second Dead & Company bandmate to bow out of the festival, after drummer Bill Kreutztmann announced that he would be pulling out due to heart issues. According to the group, “The weekend will now feature Dos Hermanos con Amigos,” referring to founding Grateful ...
Loathe Unleash New Song “Dimorphous Display”: Stream
Loathe have unleashed the new one-off single “Dimorphous Display,” their first non-instrumental track since 2020’s I Let It In and It Took Everything. “Dimorphous Display” is a bit of a departure for Loathe, who embrace a ’90s alternative aesthetic over the metallic leanings of their 2020 album. The saturated production and ambitious arrangement paint the band in a new light without compromising the dynamic songwriting. According to a press release, the UK experimental metal group worked with Eddie Al-Shakarchi at Giant Wafer Studios on “capturing the rawest incarnation of the Loathe sound to date.” The final version expands on a demo that was recorded after the sessions for I Let It In and It Took Everything. Advertisement Related Video “‘Dimorphous Display’ in its first iteration, had be...
Michael Imperioli Checking in for Season 2 of The White Lotus
Michael Imperioli has been cast to lead the second season of HBO’s hit series The White Lotus. According to a report from Deadline, the Sopranos actor is set to portray a new character named Dominic Di Grasso, who’s described as “a man traveling with his elderly father and recent college-graduate son.” While the first season of the anxiety-inducing social satire helmed by Mike White was filmed on location in Hawaii, Season 2 is expected to be set at another, yet-to-be-revealed location of the fictional White Lotus hotel franchise. Related Video Of the Season 1 cast, Jennifer Coolidge is rumored to be making a return as the riotously funny Tanya McQuoid, though her casting has yet to be officially confirmed. However, Imperioli himself took to Instagram to rave about the actress’ performance...
SAMMY HAGAR Named Tourism Ambassador To Los Cabos, Mexico
Yesterday, January 5, 2022, legendary Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame musician and longtime Los Cabos resident and business owner Sammy Hagar was awarded the accreditation of honorary ambassador of Los Cabos, Mexico. Hagar was honored with the municipality’s first Medal Of Honor during an award ceremony that was presided over by secretary of tourism, economics and sustainability in Baja California Sur Maribel Collins, municipal president of Los Cabos Oscar Leggs Castro, senator of the Mexican Republic Lucía Trasviña and director of tourism Donna Jeffries, at Plaza Mijares in San Jose del Cabo. Hagar is the first recipient of the honor, which was created with the vision of distinguishing those individuals who have contributed to the development and promotion of Los Cabos and the economic g...
