Hard Rock
New Music-Competition TV Show to Feature Alice Cooper, Lzzy Hale, Gavin Rossdale, Bishop Briggs as Judges
A new music-competition TV show called No Cover is going into production, featuring Alice Cooper, Halestorm’s Lzzy Hale, Bush’s Gavin Rossdale, alt-pop singer Bishop Briggs, and Animals as Leaders guitarist Tosin Abasi as judges. The reality program will focus on finding artists and bands who compete with their own original material. The show is being produced by Hit Parader, which was once the name of a popular rock magazine but was recently relaunched as a TV/film production company. The competition will be filmed at the famed Troubadour club and the Sunset Marquis Hotel in West Hollywood, California. No Cover is being billed as an alternative to programs like American Idol and The Voice, which mostly rely on competitors singing cover songs. And judging by the aforementioned judges, No C...
Five Things to Know About Puscifer’s New Album Existential Reckoning
Five years after the release of their last album, Money Shot, Puscifer are back with their fourth LP, Existential Reckoning. As with the band’s previous releases, the album comes with an abundance of intrigue and mystique. Puscifer — featuring core members of Maynard James Keenan (Tool), Mat Mitchell, and Carina Round — have crafted a 12-song album that is both experimental and cinematic in quality. The songs range from the dance-y “Apocalyptical” to the angry “Fake Affront”. The album also continues the story of the fictional characters Billy D and his wife, Hilda Berger, who’ve been portrayed by Keenan and Laura Milligan, respectively, in promotion of the band’s previous LPs. Along with the announcement of Existential Reckoning came a classified document that reported on an alien abducti...
Nine Inch Nails Are Selling Face Masks with Removable Words
The coronavirus pandemic is still raging on, and that means everyone should follow the CDC guidelines: quarantine when you’re feeling sick, socially distance when you’re out, and wear a mask if there’s anyone nearby no matter what. Thankfully, Nine Inch Nails can help you with that last step, as they’ve just rolled out their own line of face masks to deal with COVID-19. Say hello to the “NIN Modular Face Mask Starter Kit”, a $35 ctton face mask deal that comes with interchangeable messages “for uncertain times” like these. Both of the grey and black masks have a filter, a bendable nose band, adjustable over-the-ear ringlets, and 13 replaceable patches to let the world know how you’re feeling: “DIRTY,” “CLEAN,” “NUMB,” “ENRAGED,” “BROKEN,” “FIXED,” “FRAGILE,” “PIG,” “ASLEEP,” “AWAKE,” “COMP...
Filter Target “Trump-Supporting Nutbags” with New “Murica” Video: Watch
Filter mastermind Richard Patrick is on a political vendetta with the band’s upcoming album, Murica. As the frontman said himself, he’s targeting “Trump-supporting nutbags” with an incendiary video for the album’s title track. Patrick has been outspokenly anti-Trump on social media, opinions that led to the cancellation of a Filter show in the state of Texas in 2019. In the video, the singer portrays his version of a radical right winger, and he pulls no punches. “I just wanted to show this surreal, crazy side of what America looks like,” he told Alternative Press. “I literally am doing it just so the record shows that someone was willing to f**kin’ say something about the right. Something about how crazy they are.” The gun wielding, Nazi saluting characters in the “Murica” video are caric...
Alice Cooper Launches His Own Horror-Themed Party Game
When he’s not satirically running for president, the legendary Alice Cooper usually has his hands in a variety of multimedia projects, from his long-running syndicated radio show to inspirational music videos. The shock rocker’s latest endeavor is just in time for Halloween: a horror-themed party game called HorrorBox. The Cards Against Humanity-style game was written by Cooper and a host of other horror fanatics. It takes the basic CAH concept of pairing setup and answer phrases from different cards to create absurd statements. For example: “‘The tenth circle of hell is for’ … ‘setting up my haunted house as an Airbnb.’” There are also dare cards mixed in with the question cards, prompting players to engage in a spooky action. Cooper’s version of the addictive game is geared specifi...
Butch Vig Says Nirvana’s Nevermind “Would Not Have the Same Cultural Impact” If Released Today
Out of all the people to debate the relevancy of Nirvana in the modern day, perhaps nobody’s as fit to do so as Garbage drummer Butch Vig. He produced the band’s breakout album, Nevermind, back in 1991, but even he doubts the grunge icons would have the similar type of “cultural impact” today. “I think it would be tough to repeat that zeitgeist moment,” Vig told NME. “If Nevermind came out this week, despite being a great record, it would not have the same cultural impact. It was perfect timing coming out when there was a shift in music and it felt like a revolution. I can see that happening again, but not in the same way.” Vig’s opinion isn’t meant as a slight to Nirvana, of course. If anything, it’s a comment on how much the industry has changed since then. Which is why he’s so...
Puscifer’s Maynard James Keenan and Mat Mitchell on Existential Reckoning, Alien Abduction, and More
In the midst of a pandemic and a truly bizarre year, it somehow feels like an ideal time for Puscifer to release a new album. The experimental rock act is back with a new LP, Existential Reckoning, and it’s a fitting document of the times, even if that wasn’t intentional. Led by a core of Maynard James Keenan (Tool), Mat Mitchell, and Carina Round, Puscifer have often thrown out the rulebook when it comes to rock ‘n’ roll. Each album is surrounded by eccentric characters, while the music is equally unconventional. Existential Reckoning is no exception, picking up on the story of the fictional characters Billy D (apparently now abducted by aliens) and his wife, Hildy Berger, as it had left off with 2015’s Money Shot. The new album is shrouded in a cloud of alien activity, from its init...
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...
