Hard Rock
David Lee Roth Cancels Entire Las Vegas “Retirement” Residency
David Lee Roth’s apparent retirement party will have to wait, as the former Van Halen singer has canceled his entire Las Vegas residency. The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer had previously declared the planned gigs at the House of Blues Las Vegas at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino would be his last shows ever. The residency was initially slated to be comprised of five shows, and then expanded to nine when four more dates were added. Heading into the holiday weekend, the first two shows (December 31st and January 1st) were initially postponed “due to unforeseen circumstances related to COVID and out of an abundance of caution for those working and attending the shows.” Then on Monday (January 3rd), the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that all nine shows were canceled. While COVID safety wa...
Jeopardy Contestant Confuses Nickelback with Arcade Fire
At least she got the Canadian part right! Jeopardy contestant Kate Woomer-Deters was quick to pose the question “Who is Arcade Fire?” when given a clue that required the response “Who is Nickelback?” — thus confusing one of the 21st century’s most critically acclaimed bands with one of its most critically maligned acts. The musical faux pas happened within the “Billboard Top 200 Albums in 2021” category on Monday night’s episode of the popular quiz show. Reigning champion Amy Schneider had gotten the first four items correct in the category before the contestants were posed the $1,000 clue, “‘The Best Of’ this Canadian band, ‘Volume 1’ included ‘Rockstar,’ ‘How You Remind Me’ & 17 other songs.” After Woomer-Dieters gave her “Who is Arcade Fire?” response, contestant Harsh Daga rang in ...
Dirty Honey Cover Prince’s “Let’s Go Crazy” on a Frozen Lake for NHL Winter Classic: Watch
Dirty Honey covered Prince’s “Let’s Go Crazy” on a frozen lake as part of the festivities for the NHL Winter Classic hockey game, hosted on New Year’s Day in Minneapolis. The Los Angeles-based band surely aren’t used to sub-freezing temperatures, but they turned in a lively and inspired version of the Purple Rain opener — a cover worthy of the hometown hero Prince himself. Lest we not forget, the Purple One performed his iconic Super Bowl XLI halftime show in inclement conditions back in 2007. The NHL Winter Classic takes place annually on New Year’s Day and pits two of the league’s teams against one another in an outdoor venue. In fact, it was former NHL player Tyler Lassiter that put Dirty Honey on TNT’s radar for the Winter Classic performance. Advertisement “I found out about Dirt...
Motörhead Crew Get Tattoos Using Ink Blended with Lemmy’s Ashes
Members of Motörhead’s road crew paid the ultimate tribute to the late Lemmy Kilmister by getting tattoos with ink blended from his ashes. The band’s longtime tour manager Eddie Rocha and production assistant Emma Cederblad recently got inked up with a portrait of Lemmy and the iconic “Ace of Spades” image, respectively. A short video documenting the process was posted on Motörhead’s official YouTube channel on Tuesday (December 28th) — six years since the day Lemmy passed away at age 70. Advertisement Related Video Tattoo artist Stina Nyman of Eye Scream Tattoo handled the blending and artistry. Clearly gifted with the tattoo needle, Nyman rendered a striking portrait of Lemmy on Rocha’s calf. As previously reported, Lemmy’s ashes were encased inside bullets and sent to his closest friend...
Beyond the Boys’ Club: Johanna Platow Andersson of Lucifer
Beyond the Boys’ Club is a monthly column from journalist and radio host Anne Erickson, focusing on women in the heavy music genres, as they offer their perspectives on the music industry and discuss their personal experiences. Erickson is also a music artist herself, recently releasing the song “Eternal Way” with Upon Wings. This month’s piece features an interview with Johanna Platow Andersson of Lucifer. Lucifer craft a unique brand of music, combining the dark, sludgy sounds of ’70s hard rock with a dose of modern doom metal. The band was formed in 2014 by singer Johanna Platow Andersson and has since performed hundreds of shows around the world, from the Kiss Kruise to Psycho Las Vegas to Sweden Rock. The band released its latest album, Lucifer IV, in October via Century Media. For He...
Alice Cooper Set Money Aside for His Crew When Pandemic Started
Live music was one of the industries hit hardest when the COVID-19 pandemic began. Shock rock icon Alice Cooper saw the writing on the wall and put money aside for his road crew as lockdowns hit last year. In a new interview with Forbes, Cooper revealed that he supported his crew during the tough time before the widespread return of concerts. He only hopes other major acts did the same. “When we saw this coming, we put money aside for our crew,” Cooper said. “We could see that it was… something. So we put money aside as a backup for them. Because we knew that their unemployment would run out, you know? And then they’d have something to go to. I think all responsible bands did that. Hopefully.” Advertisement Related Video Cooper is known for his elaborate stage show and theatrical set piece...
KISS’ Paul Stanley and His Entire Family Infected with Omicron Variant of COVID-19
KISS singer-guitarist Paul Stanley is dealing with his second bout of COVID-19 in the past six months, and this time he’s been infected with the Omicron variant. In fact, the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer’s entire family has tested positive for the new strain. The rock veteran first contracted COVID-19 in August, just a few shows after KISS had resumed their postponed farewell tour. Although Stanley has been a staunch advocate for mask-wearing and vaccines, he faced criticism when he was seen outside a hotel without a mask just days after revealing that he tested positive. On Sunday evening (December 26th), Stanley announced that he had once again contracted COVID-19, writing alongside a selfie on Instagram, “My Omicron face! Yup. My entire family has it. I’m tired and have sniffles. Most ...
Sammy Hagar Says He Was Once Asked to Join Pantera (and Aerosmith and Mötley Crüe and Velvet Revolver)
If Sammy Hagar joined every band he was asked to be in, he could have fronted every act on one of the greatest theoretical one-day rock festivals himself. The Red Rocker says in a new interview that he was approached by Pantera’s manager to join the legendary metal group as their singer, and it’s certainly not the only time he’s been asked to sing for a high-profile band. Of course, Hagar will forever be known as one of the most notable replacement singers of all time, taking David Lee Roth’s spot in Van Halen. Granted, he already had a very successful solo career at the time. Hagar took a recent ride in Pantera’s old limousine, which was gifted to radio host Jose Mangin by the estates of late brothers Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie Paul. Advertisement Related Video “How about if I tell you so...
In Photos: Bands Featuring Sons of Metallica’s Hetflied, Ulrich, and Trujillo Team Up for San Francisco Gig
As part of Metallica’s “San Francisco Takeover” to mark their 40th anniversary, a handful of club gigs were announced to surround the metal titans’ massive shows at the Chase Center. One of those shows included three bands — OTTTO, Taipei Houston, and Bastardane — with each featuring at least one son of a Metallica member. The gig took place Saturday night (December 18th) at The Chapel, with Bastardane taking the stage first. Based out of Savannah, Georgia, the group features drummer Castor Hetfield, son of Metallica frontman James Hetfield. The trio had a sound that was just as much thrash metal influenced as it was hard rock, and put on an impressive set. Next up were Taipei Houston, a two-piece whose members Myles (drummer) and Layne (singer-bassist) are the sons of Lars Ulrich. Althoug...
Top 30 Metal & Hard Rock Songs of 2021
The 2021 edition of our Annual Report continues with our list of the Top 30 Metal & Hard Rock Songs of 2021. As the year winds down, stay tuned for more awards, lists, and articles about the best music, film, and TV of 2021. You can find it all in one place here. Another heavy year deserves another heavy soundtrack of standout songs. While we still find ourselves in the midst of a pandemic, our favorite acts continue to churn out tunes that stir inspiration, hope, anger, rage, sadness, and all the emotions that go with the uncertain world in which we live. Music serves as an escape we need during difficult times, briefly diverting our attention from the daily grind or reminding us that there is still beauty in the world, no matter the circumstances. In 2021, we were once again blessed ...
Tool’s Danny Carey Due in Court January 12th for Alleged Assault as New Details Emerge
Tool drummer Danny Carey will have to make a January 12th court appearance stemming from his arrest for alleged assault at the Kansas City International Airport. Along with the court date, a few new details have emerged regarding the incident. As previously reported, Carey was arrested for misdemeanor assault Sunday night (December 12th) after law enforcement received a report of a “disturbance between two males at an airport terminal,” with TMZ reporting that the acclaimed musician allegedly got into a physical altercation with an airport security worker. A citation from the Kansas City Airport Police, newly obtained by Billboard, confirms TMZ’s earlier report that Carey allegedly hurled a homophobic slur at the security worker he is accused of assaulting. “[Carey] did intentionally cause...
John 5 and The Creatures Announce 2022 North American Tour
John 5 and The Creatures will take their show on the road in 2022, as they’ve announced a headlining trek dubbed “The Sinner Tour.” The Rob Zombie guitarist and his band will be supported by The Haxans at select shows. The spring run kicks off April 21st on Roseville, California, and wraps up with a May 21st set at the Welcome to Rockville festival in Daytona Beach, Florida. John 5 and The Creatures will also open two shows for Fozzy in the midst of the spring jaunt, and also have a handful of headlining gigs in Canada and New York City scheduled for July. Tickets for most shows go on sale Friday (December 17th) via Ticketmaster. On the road, John 5 will perform cuts off his latest solo album, Sinner, which arrived in October. The lead single off the set, “Que Pasa,” features a guest...
