Hard Rock
Mike Patton on Reuniting Mr. Bungle, Navigating the Pandemic, and More
Mr. Bungle (Mike Patton center), photo by Eric Larsen Prior to the pandemic, Mike Patton had countless irons in the musical fire. While his touring plans came to a standstill, the singer has soldiered on with his many creative endeavors. One of those projects is the first album in 21 years from his reunited band Mr. Bungle. Mr. Bungle reunited earlier this year for a handful of shows in February, featuring a lineup that included original members Patton, Trey Spruance, and Trevor Dunn, along with thrash titans Dave Lombardo (ex-Slayer, Suicidal Tendencies) and Scott Ian (Anthrax). In addition to the concerts, news came that the same lineup would re-record Mr. Bungle’s 1986 demo The Raging Wrath of the Easter Bunny. The re-recording, due October 30th, features the songs from original trackli...
Eddie Van Halen Saluted with Stylophone Cover of “Eruption”: Watch
The passing of guitar legend Eddie Van Halen earlier this month has sparked countless tributes. One of the most unique is a cover of his instrumental classic “Eruption” on a pair of Stylophones. Before getting into the musical tribute, the first question you may have is, “What’s a Stylophone?” And that would be a very good question. A Stylophone is an analog keyboard operated by a stylus. It was invented in the late ’60s, and mostly sold as a children’s toy. However, it did make its way into some notable recordings, including David Bowie’s iconic song “Space Oddity”. The instrument was revived in 2007 by the original inventor Brian Jarvis’ son Ben, and a handful of models have been released since then. That brings us to YouTuber maromaro1337, who posted the unique “Eruption” cover in tribu...
Tool’s Maynard James Keenan to COVID-19 Deniers: “Eat a Dick”
Maynard James Keenan recently revealed that he contracted COVID-19 in February, and that he still has lingering effects months later. Apparently, there are some who’ve questioned the Tool singer’s story, leading him to deliver a blunt message to his doubters. After disclosing his coronavirus battle to the Arizona Republic earlier this month, Keenan offered a more detailed account during an appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast this week. The singer confirmed that he contracted COVID-19 while on tour of Australia and New Zealand in late February. “I’m in Australia, we went out to dinner… and immediately food didn’t taste right, but this is now, this is all hindsight, right — I didn’t know at the time,” explained Keenan. “We didn’t know that these are the things you’re looking...
Gene Simmons Selling Longtime Mansion to Escape “Unacceptable” California Taxes
Gene Simmons (photo by Kevin RC Wilson), Mansion (Christopher Amitrano for Douglas Elliman) Gene Simmons has put his longtime Beverly Hills mansion on the market for $22 million, citing California’s “unacceptable” tax rates as the reason for his move. After 34 years at the home, the KISS rocker and his wife Shannon are heading to Washington state. The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer purchased the Beverly Hills house in 1986 for $1.34 million. While he has since put several million dollars into renovations and upgrades, the $22 million he’s seeking should net him a nice profit. The estate was featured prominently on his family’s A&E reality show, Gene Simmons’ Family Jewels, which aired from 2006 to 2012. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Simmons explained, “California and Bev...
Nickelback on the Absurdity of Celebrity
Kyle Meredith With… Nickelback Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Play | Stitcher | Radio Public | RSS Nickelback bassist Mike Kroeger jumps on the line with Kyle Meredith to discuss the 15th anniversary of All The Right Reasons. Together, they discuss what made it a heavier and more lush album, Chad Kroeger’s autobiographical lyrics, the absurdity of celebrity, and the story of their childhoods within the smash hit “Photograph”. Kroeger also discusses the accompanying live album from their show at the 2006 Sturgis Bike Rally and plans for a new 2021 LP as they hit their own 25th anniversary. Kyle Meredith With… is an interview series in which WFPK’s Kyle Meredith speaks to a wide breadth of musicians. Every Monday...
Ozzy Osbourne: Eddie Van Halen Once Asked Me to Sing in Van Halen
Ozzy Osbourne (photo by David Brendan Hall), Eddie Van Halen (photo by Philip Cosores) In the wake of Eddie Van Halen’s passing earlier this month, some never-before-told stories have come to light about Van Halen’s search for a new singer over the years. Former Journey vocalist Steve Perry recently disclosed that Eddie had informally reached out to him about replacing David Lee Roth in the ’80s. Now, Ozzy Osbourne reveals that the guitarist once asked him to join the band. While Perry’s story had some viability, Ozzy admitted that Eddie was likely drunk when he received a late-night call from the guitar icon. In speaking with guitarist Billy Morrison (The Cult, Billy Idol) on SiriusXM’s Ozzy’s Boneyard channel, Ozzy said, “[Eddie] phoned me up one time and asked me if I wanted to sing in ...
Bring Me the Horizon Unveil New Song “Teardrops”: Stream
Bring Me the Horizon have unleashed another new song from their upcoming EP, Post Human: Survival Horror. The latest single, “Teardrops”, is accompanied by a music video that finds frontman Oli Sykes in an underwater struggle. “Teardrops” follows recent singles “Parasite Eve” and “Obey”, as well as last year’s “Ludens”, which all appear on the nine-song EP, due October 30th. Sykes has high praise fo “Teardrops”, ranking it among the UK band’s top tracks. “It is my favorite song off the record,” he said in a press release. “I’m so excited to get this single out, it feels like a classic Bring Me the Horizon tune but without it feeling like anything we’ve done before. I feel like ‘Teardrops’ is some of the best work we’ve ever done, musically and lyrically as whole.” Editors’ Picks As p...
Aftershock 2021 Lineup: Metallica, My Chemical Romance, Limp Bizkit, Mastodon, Rancid, Gojira, and More
Metallica (photo by Amy Price), My Chemical Romance (photo by David Brendan Hall) Aftershock Festival has unveiled its 2021 lineup, and it’s stacked with metal and punk heavyweights. Metallica, My Chemical Romance, Limp Bizkit, Mastodon, Rancid, Gojira, and more are on the four-day bill. It was previously announced that Metallica and MCR would headline the 2020 edition of Aftershock. When that fest was canceled due to the pandemic, it was revealed that both bands would be back for the 2021 edition. Now, the rest of the lineup has been announced. The festival will take place October 7th through 10th at Discovery Park in Sacramento, California, with metal titans Metallica headlining the Friday and Sunday lineups by playing unique sets on each night. Reunited emo heroes My Chemical Romance wi...
Members of Refused, Mastodon, Korn, Run-DMC, Anthrax, and More Cover Faith No More’s “We Care a Lot”: Watch
There has been a plethora of impressive all-star quarantine performances during the pandemic, but this latest one is especially ambitious. Thirteen musicians from bands such as Refused, Mastodon, Korn, Run-DMC, Anthrax, Filter, and more have joined forces to cover the Faith No More song “We Care a Lot”. The collaboration was organized by Slaves on Dope members Jason Rockman and Kevin Jardine, who contribute vocals and guitar to the performance, respectively. Refused frontman Dennis Lyxzén handles the first verse, while other vocalists include Darryl “DMC” McDaniels of Run-DMC; Richard Patrick of Filter; Walter Schreifels of Quicksand; Kevin Sharp of Brutal Truth; rapper Escoteric of Czarface; and Raine Maida of Our Lady Peace. In addition to Jardine, the core instrumental band is made up o...
Motörhead’s Lemmy and Judas Priest’s Rob Halford Turned Into Retro Action Figures
Two legends of heavy music have been immortalized with new retro-looking action figures. Late Motörhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister and Judas Priest singer Rob Halford are now available as 3.75-inch “ReAction” collectibles from the toy company Super7. Super7 specializes in creating new action figures in the popular style of the ’70s and early ’80s, or as the company puts it, “creating figures we wished we’d had when we were growing up.” The Lemmy figure depicts the rock & roll icon with a removable bass in hand, complete with muttonchops and a Motörhead T-shirt. The Halford figure portrays the Judas Priest vocalist in a studded-leather outfit with whip and microphone accessories. Equally cool as the figures is the packaging in which they come. The artwork features throwback illustrations ...
Steve Perry: Eddie Van Halen Approached Me After David Lee Roth Left Van Halen
Steve Perry (via Columbia Records), Eddie Van Halen (via Warner Bros. Records) Imagine the groundbreaking guitar playing of Eddie Van Halen paired with the golden voice of Steve Perry? Well, it could’ve been. According to the former Journey singer, Eddie Van Halen suggested that he and Perry jam following David Lee Roth’s departure from Van Halen in 1985. In paying tribute to the late guitarist in a new interview with Rolling Stone, Perry strongly hinted that he could have been in line for the coveted Van Halen singing gig if he had followed up on Eddie’s invitation. However, there was one big thing holding him back. “I don’t think anyone knows this, but when David Lee Roth left Van Halen [in 1985] I was living in the Bay Area and not sure what I was or wasn’t going to do anymore,” recalle...
Tommy Lee Fires Back at Ted Nugent: “Is That Guy Even Still Alive … I Thought He Shot Himself”
Forget Trump vs. Biden — the nastiest right wing vs. left wing feud is brewing between veteran rockers Ted Nugent and Tommy Lee. Following some disparaging remarks by Nugent about the Mötley Crüe drummer, Lee has fired back at the guitarist with a vengeance. As we reported Wednesday, Nugent seemingly went out of his way to call Lee “a convicted felon, domestic violence heroin addict” during a recent appearance on the political podcast Blunt Force Truth. It was just a matter of time before Lee retaliated, and he did just that on Wednesday night. The drummer tweeted, “Ted Nugent? ….Is that guy even still alive? ….. I thought he shot himself like 20 yrs ago.” A little harsh, indeed, but Lee is playing off the fact that Nugent has long been a proud gun-toting member of the NRA. When the M...
