Alternative Music
ANTHRAX’s FRANK BELLO On Touring During Pandemic: ‘It’s Dangerous’ And ‘It’s A Pain In The A**’
During a recent appearance on the “Tour Talk” video podcast, ANTHRAX bassist Frank Bello spoke about what it has been like for him and his bandmates to play live shows during the pandemic. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “The way I look at things, at any given time, the rug can be pulled from underneath you — honestly. And [that’s the case for] any band, anywhere we are, in this circumstance where we’re at right now. It’s unfortunate. But the only thing I know how to do is just do it and take all the precautions, be smart about things. Look, I come to my room. I don’t hang out and party. I wear a mask. It’s my personal thing. I don’t do anything. I mean, for all of us, for that matter. Last night we all went to dinner. We ...
DAVID LEE ROTH Shows For New Year’s Eve Weekend In Las Vegas Have Been Canceled
The first two shows of David Lee Roth‘s previously announced Las Vegas residency have been canceled. According to Metal Sludge, one of the musicians in Roth‘s backing band contracted COVID-19, forcing the concerts to be called off. Roth‘s camp has issued the following statement: “Due to unforeseen circumstances related to COVID and out of an abundance of caution for those working and attending the shows, the David Lee Roth performances schedule for Dec. 31, 2021 and Jan. 1, 2022 have been cancelled. Refunds will be automatically processed, and ticketholders will be notified directly.” Roth is still scheduled to perform at Mandalay Bay’s House Of Blues on January 5, 7 and 8, January 14-15 and January 21-22. When Roth‘s residency was extended earlier...
Dwayne Johnson Slams Vin Diesel’s Invite to Return to Fast and Furious, Calling His Post “Manipulation”
That’s a no from Hobbs. Dwayne Johnson made it clear in a new interview that he has no plans whatsoever on returning to the Fast and Furious franchise — and had some choice words for fellow star Vin Diesel. Chatter regarding the possibility initially kicked off back in November, when Vin Diesel publicly issued an invite to his long-rumored rival to come back to the family. “The world awaits the finale of ‘Fast 10,’” Johnson, who plays Dominic Toretto, wrote on Instagram at the time. “As you know, my children refer to you as Uncle Dwayne in my house. There is not a holiday that goes by that they and you don’t send well wishes… but the time has come. Legacy awaits. I told you years ago that I was going to fulfill my promise to Pablo. I swore that we would reach and manifest the best Fast in ...
Katy Perry’s Bonkers Las Vegas Residency Includes a Giant Toilet and Lactating Beer: Pics & Video
Is a stack of toilet paper the new Left Shark? On Wednesday night (December 29th), Katy Perry debuted her new Las Vegas residency, PLAY, with some help from some over-the-top set pieces. Among the props for the show, the pop star performed alongside a massive mask, a giant toilet and a mountain of toilet paper, in apparent nods to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. “As with everything I do, PLAY is massively colorful for the kids, with a deep wink for the adults,” Perry said in a statement ahead of opening night. “The show is a funny, playful trip, and was designed specifically for this theatre in Vegas. Honestly, I couldn’t ever travel this show from arena to arena. These sets are larger than life – literally – and the perfect excuse to wake up in Vegas.” Advertisement Related Video <im...
Ezra Koenig Teases Vampire Weekend’s Next Album is “Close” to Completion
Could a new Vampire Weekend album be on the horizon? Frontman Ezra Koenig teased as much in a new interview this week. On Wednesday, the indie rocker stopped by Mark Hoppus’ After School Radio on Apple Music to discuss the progress he and his bandmates are currently making on their follow-up to Father of the Bride. “Yeah, we’ve been working on music and, yeah, we were just recording in England for a while, now back in L.A., working with everybody, and, yeah, I mean, I think we’re… I’m always hesitant to…Sometimes I oversell how close we are with the record because who really knows? But we almost have an album’s worth of songs,” he told the Blink-182 bassist. Advertisement Related Video Koenig continued: “And, as you well know, you could tinker with a song forever; change the arrangement, c...
Sufjan Stevens Shares His Favorite and Least Favorite “Albums” of 2021
Long after most music publications shared their Best of 2021 lists (cough cough), Sufjan Stevens has arrived fashionably late to the opinion-dumping party. The musician caused a bit of a stir today by sharing not only his favorite, but also his least favorite albums of the year on his Tumblr blog; Sure, most of his favorite albums didn’t come out in 2021, and most of his least favorite albums aren’t even albums at all, but who’s going to stop him? He’s Sufjan Stevens! Some of the notable highlights from Stevens’ favorites list include Alain Goraguer’s soundtrack to La Planète Sauvage, a.k.a. Fantastic Planet, the wildly trippy 1973 animated sci-fi film. He also took a liking to new age icon Beverly Glenn-Copeland’s 1986 masterpiece, Keyboard Fantasies. As far as more re...
TRIXTER’s STEVE BROWN: The Most Important Thing That EDDIE VAN HALEN Taught Me
TRIXTER guitarist Steve Brown recently spoke to The Rock Shop With Ralph about his nearly 30-year friendship with Eddie Van Halen. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “When I bought my house and was moving in and building my studio, I went out to see VAN HALEN and my wife and I were in Ed‘s dressing room and I had that great picture [taken] with me and him. It was the week after I bought my house and I [was] building the studio. And I told him, I said, ‘Yeah, man, I’m building my studio.’ And he goes, ‘What are you, building something to make demos?’ And I go, ‘No, man. I’m building a studio, like you.’ I said, ‘You’ve got 5150. My studio’s gonna be 6160.’ And started cracking up. And he was so ha...
Ex-DIO Guitarist CRAIG GOLDY Says ‘Stubborn’ People Who Refuse To Take COVID-19 Vaccine ‘Don’t See The Bigger Picture’
Former DIO guitarist Craig Goldy recently spoke to Metal Express Radio about how musicians have been affected by the restrictive environments imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the corresponding technological implications. He said in part (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “Everything is about self-preservation right now, but at the same time, there’s all sorts of groups and people getting together trying to help one another. So it’s a combination of everything. It’s like no other time. “I lost my stepfather and my mother during this time, so it was kind of weird,” he continued. “The last six years, I was taking of them, really. So when they were gone, it was just a completely different world. Everything that I ever knew and depended on and r...
NITA STRAUSS Shares Video Recap Of Fall 2021 U.S. Tour
Nita Strauss, the guitar shredder for the ALICE COOPER band, has shared a nine-minute video recap of the fall 2021 leg of her “Winter Wasteland” tour, which kicked off on November 10 in New Orleans, Lousiana and concluded on December 18 in Angola, Indiana. Nita wrote in a message accompanying the YouTube release of the clip: “Some memories from our return to the stage after a year and a half off! It was so great getting back out there and seeing so many of you out on the road!” Upcoming Nita Strauss solo shows: Jan. 07 – Baton Rouge, LA @ Chelsea’s Live Jan. 08 – Memphis, TN @ Growlers Jan. 10 – Des Moines, IA @ Woolys Jan. 12 – Iowa City, IA @ Wildwood Saloon Jan. 13 – St Peters, MO @ Diamond Music Club Jan. 14 – Westland, MI @ T...
Watch New Video Of Ex-IRON MAIDEN Singer PAUL DI’ANNO Receiving Lymphatic Drainage Massage Treatments
New video of former IRON MAIDEN singer Paul Di’Anno receiving lymphatic drainage treatments in Zagreb, Croatia can be seen below. A lymphatic drainage massage relieves swelling that happens when medical treatment or illness blocks the lymphatic system. It involves gently manipulating specific areas of the body to help lymph move to an area with working lymph vessels. The 63-year-old musician, who has battled a number of health issues in recent years and is currently in a wheelchair, traveled to Croatia to undergo knee surgery. Last January, Kastro Pergjoni, operations director of the Cart & Horses pub in Stratford, London, England where IRON MAIDEN made its live debut in 1976, launched a crowdfunding campaign on JustGiving for Di’Anno to be treated privately. More than £13,...
Celebrate V of BTS’s Birthday With These 10 Songs
Today (December 30th) marks the birthday of V, one of the multi-hyphenate members of BTS. V, born Kim Taehyung, has spent the last eight and a half years working as a songwriter, dancer, and vocalist, and has become beloved for his rich baritone and artsy, quirky offstage persona alike. Bangtan birthdays are funny because they remind us that no one loves BTS like the members of BTS love each other, but we can do our best to add to the celebration anyway. We’ve rounded up 10 of our favorite songs spotlighting V (in no particular order), and would press them all into a vinyl record in his honor if we could. Listen below, and scroll to the end for a playlist of the eight tracks that are available on Spotify. BTS – “Singularity” Advertisement Is there any song that captures the essence of Kim ...
New Year’s Eve 2021: Concerts and Music Events to Watch
With lots of New Year’s Eve concerts and events dropping like flies thanks to our new enemy, the Omicron variant of COVID-19, there’s a good chance you’ll be spending the evening at home with a very limited number of vaccinated, boosted, and negative-tested companions. But don’t fear: There’s still some New Year’s gatherings you can attend remotely — not on Zoom — that’ll still make ringing in 2022 fun. From Miley Cyrus and Pete Davidson’s sure-to-be-wild shindig to Phish’s livestreamed sets, there’s plenty to watch from the comfort of your couch this year. Ready the snacks and check out Consequence‘s guide for the top music events to watch from home this New Year’s Eve below. Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve Advertisement First off, the most famed New Year’s Eve event of all: Dick Clar...
