Serg Alexander/Getty ImagesWhile Korn is currently on the road promoting its dubstep album The Path to Totality, guitarist James "Munky" Shaffer said the band is already thinking about its next release. “With our next record, we're probably going to use all the elements that we've learned [making Path to Totality],” Shaffer told SoundSpike.com. “I don't necessarily say it's going to sound like this record, but some of the elements that we used, the recording techniques that we used, are definitely going to be used on the next record.”
Shaffer added that fans who attend Korn’s upcoming performances can expect a different kind of live show. “It's sort of like a wall of sound and lights that kind of hits you over the head,” noted the guitarist. “It starts out slow and we play some old songs, some rare songs, then we ramp up into the new stuff. We have this great audio-visual production that we've never had before. It's more of an experience really. It's something new for us.”
Gus Stewart/RedfernsA second posthumous solo album from Ramones frontman Joey Ramone will be released on May 15, Rolling Stone reports. Ya Know? will feature unreleased 17 tunes that the singer recorded as demos, both for The Ramones and after the pioneering punk-rock group's 1996 breakup. The tracks were finished by a number of producers, including longtime Ramones collaborator Ed Stasium and ex-Plasmatics bassist Jean Beauvoir. In addition, a variety of guests artists contributed overdubs to the recordings, including E Street Band guitarist Steve Van Zandt, Joan Jett, one-time Ramones drummer Richie Ramone and members of Cheap Trick and The Dictators.
The completion of the project was delayed by negotiations involving Daniel Rey, who produced some of the original demos. Joey's brother, Mickey Leigh, helped oversee the making of Ya Know? and also appears on the album, which follows Ramone's 2002 solo debut, Don't Worry About Me. In a Facebook post, Leigh explained that he chose the title because it's a phrase that Joey used constantly in conversation. He also reported that Ya Know? will be available as a standard CD, a two-disc vinyl set and a digital download. A two-track single will precede the album's release on April 21.
Joey Ramone died on April 15, 2001, after a battle with lymphoma.
Kevin Winter/Getty ImagesLast year, Blink-182 released its first album in eight years, Neighborhoods. In a recent interview with Digital Spy, co-frontman Mark Hoppus said that he’s already working on songs for the band’s seventh studio album. “I think [our next album] will be a continuation of Neighborhoods,” revealed Hoppus. “I think that every record we try to push ourselves a little further to try some different things but we always are gonna sound like ourselves at the same time.”
While Blink-182 is currently on a brief break from touring, the band will kick off the next leg of its North American tour on May 15 at the Blue Cross Arena in Rochester, NY.
IMotorhead.comMotörhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister doesn’t want you to buy the band’s new box set. Kilmister recently posted a message on the band’s official website to protest against the release of a 15-disc box set, The Complete Early Years, which features the band’s early recordings and carries the hefty price tag of $600. “Unfortunately greed once again rears its yapping head," wrote Kilmister. “I would advise against [buying] it even for the most rabid completists!”
Kilmister added that the band has no control over its early recordings, and wants fans to pick up Motörhead's latest album, The Wörld Is Yours or its new DVD, The Wörld Is Ours Vol. 1 – Everywhere Further Than Everyplace Else, instead of the "outrageously expensive box set."
Roadrunner RecordsOn Tuesday night,a cover of Young the Giant’s hit “Cough Syrup” was featured in Glee’s winter finale on Fox. The show’s version of the song was the soundtrack for the scene in which Dave Karofsky, played by Max Adler, attempted suicide by hanging himself. In a recent interview with Billboard.com, frontman Sameer Gadhia said that he was pleased that the song was used to make a point about bullying.
"I don't think we ever had the intent of the song...in such a serious scene," said Gadhia. "It's very, very intense, very, very impactful, and we most definitely empathized with that. All of us have been victims of bullying -- and been bullies at some point in time. It's something that hits everyone."
Gadhia added the band is hard at work on creating the follow up to its self-titled debut album. "We have three or four actual songs completely done and 10-12 ideas," revealed the singer. "Plus there's a couple of songs from the previous record that never made B-sides or the full record that we want to re-introduce into the process. So we're in a good place.” Gadhia said that he hopes to put out YTG’s sophomore album sometime in 2013.
Twitter.com/PrincessLolaOCondolences go out to Ozzy Osbourne and his family, who lost one of their beloved dogs on Tuesday. Ozzy's son Jack revealed in a Twitter post that their English bulldog, Lola, had passed away.
"Lola, you were the best friend anyone could ever have," he wrote. "I will love you and miss you always. RIP."
The pooch appeared frequently on the MTV reality show The Osbournes, and Ozzy's wife, Sharon, offered a humorous profile of Lola on her official website.
"Lola is very much Jack's baby and has to go into grief therapy every time Jack leaves town," writes Sharon. "She takes out her frustrations by PEEING on anything she can -- sofas, carpets and beds (usually mine and Ozzy's). When Jack is in town -- Lola is at her best! She swims laps of the family pool and delights in barking from her own special rock situated in the pool."
The dog also had her own Twitter page, which after her death featured a tweet that read, "Thank you all for your kind words. I'm in a better place now. Heaven needs a new princess."
Dana Nalbandian/WireImagePearl Jam guitarist Stone Gossard is auctioning off his electric mandolin to benefit the Seattle Goodwill. The instrument has a few smalls cracks, some wiring issues and apparently doesn't work when hooked up to an amp. In spite of all this, the listing describes it as "a museum quality piece of rock 'n' roll history." Fans can bid on Gossard’s mandolin on eBay.com from now until the auction ends on Thursday at 3:31 p.m. PT.
Roadrunner RecordsAfter Megadeth wraps up its revived Gigantour with Motörhead, Volbeat and Lacuna Coil, the band will hit the road with Rob Zombie for a co-headlining tour in May.The trek kicks off on May 11 at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Homdel, NJ and will make stops in Pittsburgh, Columbus and Sioux City and includes appearances at the Rock on the Range and Rocklahoma festivals.
Here are the tour dates:
5/11 -- Holmdel, NJ, PNC Bank Arts Center 5/12 -- Scranton, PA, Toyota Pavilion 5/16 -- Pittsburgh, PA, Stage AE 5/18 -- Grand Rapids, MI, The Deltaplex 5/20 -- Columbus, OH, Rock On The Range festival 5/22 -- La Crosse, WI, La Crosse Center 5/24 -- Sioux City, IA, Tyson Center 5/25 -- Wichita, KS, Hartman Arena 5/26 -- Pryor, OK, Rocklahoma festival
GovernorsBallMusicFestival.comThe producers of the Governors Ball Music Festival have assembled an impressive lineup of artists for their second installment. Beck, Passion Pit and Modest Mouse will headline the event, which will be held from June 23-24 at its new location on New York City's Randall’s Island. Other artists appearing at the fest include Cage the Elephant, Freelance Whales, Major Lazer, Duck Sauce, Chromeo and Explosions in the Sky, plus more. To see the complete festival artist roster, head over to GovernorsBallMusicFestival.com.
Tickets for the event go on sale starting Friday at 10 a.m. ET on the festival’s website.
Tom Curtis/WireImageBlur has been added to the lineup for the 2012 Olympics Closing Ceremony Celebration Concert, set to take place in Hyde Park in London on August 12. The band joins previously announced headliners New Order and The Specials.
In other Blur news, frontman Damon Albarn and guitarist Graham Coxon unveiled a new song during War Child’s benefit concert at London’s Shepherds Bush Empire on Sunday. Titled "Under the Westway," the track is the first new single from Blur since “Fool’s Day,” which was released for the Record Store Day initiative in 2010.
A fan-filmed clip of “Under the Westway” has been posted on YouTube.
Kevin Winter/Getty ImagesBlink-182 bassist Mark Hoppus is ready to unleash new episodes of his TV show, Hoppus on Music, on the Fuse network. According to Tv.Broadwayworld.com, the new season kicks off on Thursday at midnight and will feature interviews and a panel discussion with OK Go frontman Damian Kulash, The Voice’s Dia Framptom and Billy Eichner from Funny or Die.com’s Billy on the Street as well as a performance by Good Old War. For more information, visit Fuse.tv.
Sarah LeeOn Tuesday, for a record third time, Coldplay captured the Best British Group trophy at the Brit Awards, the UK equivalent of the Grammys.
According to the BBC, frontman Chris Martin described the honor as "very humbling," but said backstage that the only reason they keep winning is because other British groups don't stick around very long. "They keep splitting up," said Martin, according to the BBC. "They keep taking themselves out of the game. We're the only players still on the pitch. No Pulp, no Oasis. Take That are on holiday. We'll take it if they're not around."
Coldplay performed on the show, and later, Chris Martin returned to the stage to play piano alongside Noel Gallagher and his band High Flying Birds, on a rendition of their song "AKA...What a Life."
Foo Fighters, big winners at the Grammys earlier this month, picked up the trophy for Best International Group at the ceremony, held in London. Blur received the Outstanding Contribution award, and performed a medley of their hits at the event.
TheBamboozle.comThe lineup for this year’s Bamboozle festival in Asbury Park, NJ just keeps getting bigger. Event producers have just announced they've added Brand New and Volbeat to the roster which already includes headliners Bon Jovi, Foo Fighters, Blink-182, Incubus and Skrillex. Other bands added to the expanded lineup include Buckcherry, Less Than Jake and Datsik, among others.
Three-day packages and single tickets are on sale now for the event, which will take place in Asbury Park, NJ on May 18, 19 and 20. Visit TheBamboozle.com for more information.
Robert Cianflone/Getty ImagesGuns N’ Roses fans in Pennsylvania and Florida just got some good news. On Monday, the bandannounced that it's added two more dates to its series of intimate shows. Guns N’ Roses will now play at The Electric Factory in Philadelphia, PA on February 27 and the House of Blues in Orlando, FL on March 3.
Fans can purchase pre-sale tickets for the show in Philadelphia right now, before they're made available to the general public on Wednesday. For the Orlando show, ticket pre-sale begins Wednesday at 10 a.m. ET, while tickets will be made available to the general public on Thursday. For more info, including VIP packages, check out GunsNRoses.com.
Third Man Records/ColumbiaMore details have emerged about Jack White's upcoming solo debut, Blunderbuss, which will be released on April 24. On Tuesday, White revealed that the album will contain 13 tracks, including the recently-released single “Love Interruption.” Fans will be able to get a taste of the new album performed live when White makes his solo debut on Saturday Night Live on March 3 as the show's musical guest.
Here’s the track list:
“Missing Pieces” “Sixteen Saltines” “Freedom at 21” “Love Interruption” “Blunderbuss” “Hypocritical Kiss” “Weep Themselves to Sleep” “I'm Shakin'” “Trash Tongue Talker” “Hip (Eponymous) Poor Boy” “I Guess I Should Go to Sleep" “On and On and On” “Take Me with You When You Go”
ABC NewsOver the summer, Noel Gallagher will head back into the studio to get to work on his second solo album, which features collaborations with the psychedelic dance duo Amorphous Androgynous. In a recent interview with NME.com, Gallagher said that if he was given the choice to make new music with Blur frontman Damon Albarn or Radiohead, he would choose Albarn. “If I was gonna make a record, it'd be Damon,” noted Gallagher. “For a start, he's as mad as a box of frogs. Number two, he'd get loads of hip-hop dudes working on it, which itself would be f**king mental. And number three? It would be a better record.”
Gallagher’s sophomore album is expected to be released some time in 2013.
Warner Brothers RecordsEven though it’s only been two months since The Black Keys put out their seventh studio album, El Camino, the band is already in talks to create its eighth. In a recent interview Billboard.com, frontman Dan Auerbach said that even though a new album is “already on the books,” he doesn’t have a release date in mind. "We don't know when it would come out, but we want to try to get in the studio this year just to start working," revealed Auerbach.
The singer added that he’s looking forward to getting into the studio to begin working on new material. “We don't get to practice together on the road,” said Auerbach. “We're always trying to write and keep ideas going, but where we're most comfortable is in the studio. I can't wait to get back in there."
While The Keys are currently on tour overseas, the band will return to the states to kick off its co-headlining tour with Arctic Monkeys on March 2 at the U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati, OH.
Photo: LeAnn MuellerVan Halen launched its North American tour in support of the new album, A Different Kind of Truth, on Saturday in Louisville, Kentucky. The band's former singer Sammy Hagar, meanwhile, has been quoted in the media recently making negative remarks about the record, the first Van Halen studio effort since 1984 to feature original frontman David Lee Roth.
Hagar had more critical things to say about his old band's new music last week at a Las Vegas press event celebrating the mainland U.S. debut of his new Sammy's Beach Bar Rum.
"I think it's great that they finally made a record for the fans. The fans deserved a record about 20 years ago…They deserved about 10 records in that amount of time," the Red Rocker declared. "So, I'm happy for the fans that they gave them something. I think they could have done a better job, but that's none of my business."
Hagar also announced that his current band Chickenfoot -- which, of course, also happens to feature founding Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony -- will embark on its own American tour this spring. He revealed that the trek will kick off May 5 with a two-night stand at his Cabo Wabo Cantina in Lake Tahoe, California, and will last "for about six weeks."
In addition, Hagar reported that drummer Chad Smith continues to be unavailable to tour with the supergroup as they support their sophomore album, Chickenfoot III, because of his commitments to his main band, the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
"If he's off you bet he's playing with us," Hagar explained. "But no, we got Kenny Aronoff and Kenny Aronoff's kicking a lot of butt up there…Chad's pretty busy with the Peppers but if they took a break when we were gonna go out, Chad would be playing with us. We love Chad. But Kenny's killin' it, man."
Meanwhile, the Red Rocker -- who already has made a killing in the tequila business -- is excited about his new rum line, which now is available at his Cabo Wabo Cantina in Las Vegas.
"I hate to hype anything. Just drink the damn stuff and you tell me," he said. "It's so good."
As why he thinks the rum tastes so great, Hagar said, "I think the secret is that it's made with pure cane sugar from Hawaii… this is such pristine sugar."
He added that another reason for the liquor's special flavor is that the company's master distiller "has one little trick in the way he makes it -- it makes it smell and taste like creme brulee."
Jo McCaugheyJack White is ready to give fans a taste of his upcoming album, Blunderbuss. The producers of Saturday Night Live have announced that White will make his solo debut on the show next month as the show's musical guest. He'll hit the SNL stage on March 3, along with Lindsay Lohan, who will take her fourth turn hosting the show.
