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Nine Inch Nails, Down Confirmed For Bonnaroo Festival

NINE INCH NAILS and DOWN are among the confirmed artists for the 2009 Bonnaroo festival, set to take place June 11-14 in Manchester, Tennessee.

Tickets go on sale Saturday, February 7 via Bonnaroo.com. This year, fans can utilize a payment plan with five $50 installments, according to Billboard.com. Fuse will provide live TV coverage from the scene, while AT&T Music will once again offer live webcasts.

Headlined by PEARL JAM, METALLICA and JACK JOHNSON, the 2008 edition of Bonnaroo grossed about $17 million, according to Billboard Boxscore, and won its fourth Top Festival honor at last year's Billboard Touring Awards.

Metallica's Hammett And Tools Jones On Surfing In Hawaii, Obsessive Fans And Occult Symbols

The cover story in Guitar World's April 2009 issue features two hard rock guitar gods — METALLICA's Kirk Hammett and TOOL's Adam Jones — reminiscing about surfing together in Hawaii, obsessive fans, and occult symbols. A couple of excerpts from the article, which doesn't go on sale until next Tuesday, February 10, follow below.

Jones: "We opened for METALLICA in Korea and decided to hit Hawaii on our way back to do a couple shows. Kirk was heading to Hawaii, too, but I didn't see him on our plane. After we landed, I was getting my luggage and I felt this tap on my shoulder. It was Kirk, and he said, 'Are you the guitarist in TOOL? I love your band. Would you like to come to dinner?' And I was like, 'Yeah!'"

"He lent me a long board and took me out to this spot where all the old-timers surf. I'm from California, so I've never had to paddle 30 minutes anywhere. [laughs] And you have to go out real far in Waikiki to catch the good waves. My arms were getting so tired, and I was so worried I was gonna look like a pussy!"

Guitar World: I'm wondering what, in your opinions, are the upsides and downsides to becoming a cult phenomenon?

Jones: "[laughs] I know, sorry. I think the downside is that there's a real potential to forget your roots and why you started playing in the first place. It's important to remember where your head was when you first started, because when you get successful and spoiled it's easy to forget the excitement of when you were first writing songs. And that's why his band and my band go into hiding­to write songs and try to find that spot again. We do this so we don't just keep writing what we wrote last time that was successful and start sounding like a cover band of ourselves. We have to constantly go back and find ourselves."

Hammett: "I guess you can say 'Death Magnetic' is METALLICA reaching back to our cultish days, as well. I don't know if you can even call us a 'cult band' now, because we're a very popular band. Can you be a cult band and still be popular? I don't know."

Jones: "It probably depends on who you ask. I think the word 'cult' comes from an outsider's perspective. When someone on the outside looks at METALLICA, they would say they have a cult following. Because METALLICA have had years of success and have a dedicated fan base, it could almost seem like people are following them out of blind faith, but I don't think this is exactly correct. TOOL has had that too. I've heard stuff like, 'How can a band that a lot of people never heard of have gold and platinum records?' That's when they'll say, 'It's because TOOL has a weird cult following.' To me it's just a term people use to describe something they don't quite know how to explain…which is not necessarily a bad thing."

Guitar World: It also seems a cult band can become an easy target for disgruntled fans when it grows beyond being their "pet band."

Hammett: "I know that a lot of people who are cultish types are really obsessive. They really want a certain thing, or feeling, and they find this thing in a band. When the band grows bigger­and maybe more personally inaccessible as a result­these cultish people try even harder to get this thing or feeling from the band. There's a certain type of person who is obsessed with METALLICA who spends all of their time trying to get this one thing outta our music, and when they don't get it they become passionately pissed off. [laughs]"

Jones: "For me, there's nothing wrong with obsession as long as you're getting something out of it that's positive. And when your expectations are let down because you didn't like this record as much as the last record…well, you just have to be a little more forgiving, or move on."

Hammett: "'Forgiving' is totally the right word, because after all it is just music. You can live through it."

Guitar World: Speaking of mysterious subject matter, Kirk, you brought a pretty tripped-out ESP guitar with you today, which goes well with this issue's cult heroes theme.

Hammett: "More like occult heroes. [laughs] Basically, for this guitar, I gave the artist [American painter] Mark Ryden a list of topics, and I said, 'Translate these ideas into your vision and paint it onto the guitar.' There's a bee, which is symbolic of knowledge; the raven, symbolizing secret knowledge; and then the all-seeing eye, symbolic of universal knowledge. Caduceus [a symbol formed by a short staff entwined by two serpents] symbolizes the tree of life, but if you notice it also resembles a DNA strand [a double helix]. Then there's the hand from heaven, the Rosicrucian rose and my astrological sign, Scorpio, as well as assorted skulls and a yin-yang. It's full of numerology, astrology, occult and religious symbolism."

Jones: "It's an amazing-looking guitar. I love all the light sources beaming off of the female shape, and the design at the center, over the pickups, which I see as a life-and-death thing. Mark Ryden is really the icon of this current underground, up-and-coming art movement, and he's paved the way for a lot of people who have similar approaches. I've seen his paintings in person in Seattle, and he is a master at what he does. I'm glad he's now getting the recognition. And Kirk's going to play it and scratch it all up? He should just put it under glass and hang it on his wall. Or better yet, give it to me. [laughs]"

Hammett: "It's gonna see some wear and tear, but that's its purpose. Plus, Mark said he'd do touch-ups when they're needed."

Guitar World: It seems you're both very thoughtful when it comes to studying hermetic philosophies. Do you find them useful in adding order to your lives outside of the musical realm, too?

Jones: "The order is already there. It's just that we're making ourselves aware of it. Sacred geometry is basically studying anything and breaking it down to its purist form, be it a symbol, shape, color, vibration or sound. That's what our life is. It goes outside who we are as people, the earth or the universe, into the spiritual realm or even an unconscious collective realm."

Guitar World: Going back to your guitar, Kirk, what specifically fascinates you about symbolism?

Hammett: "Well, as far as symbolism goes, there are different schools of thought, like how colors can influence your mood or perspective. Different symbols, like the all-seeing eye or the rose, will trigger different things in your psyche or unconscious. All this stuff is influential on some level and has an impact on the person surveying it, whether on a quantum level or a more overt level. I'm really interested in that sort of thing. Another good example of this is Jimmy Page's use of the ZoSo sigil, which he had written on his outfit. [A sigil is a word or symbol of supposed occult power. Page's ZoSo symbol first appeared on the packaging of 'Led Zeppelin IV' and later on his stage outfits.] He thought that it helped his music and artistic direction. I'm totally into how certain images can influence the subconscious mind. On a very basic level, if this guitar was stark white I would feel completely different about it. The fact that it has this amazing graphic on it inspires me and moves me."

Eagles Of Death Metal: 'Axl Rose Has Lost The Rock!'

Eagles Of Death Metal frontman Jesse 'The Devil' Hughes has told NME Radio he believes Axl Rose is no longer a rock star - And that's why his band were thrown off Guns N' Roses' 2006 US tour.

The Guns N' Roses frontman branded Hughes' band "The Pigeons Of Shit Metal", after they received a hostile reception from the crowd when opening for GNR at Cleveland's Quicken Loans Arena.

Speaking from the stage, Rose then fired the band from the rest of the tour.

However in an interview with Iain Baker which will be broadcast on Thursday (February 5) at 4pm (GMT) along with three session tracks on NME Radio, Hughes has blamed Guns N' Roses and the crowds they now attract for the debacle.

"When we showed up it was a 25,000 seat arena with 5,000 kids there; not a single one of 'em born when 'Appetite For Destruction' came out," he said.

He added: "And I remember looking at my manager going, 'Dude, I think we made a mistake, man, apparently the rock went to [former Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash's group] Velvet Revolver.' This band lost the 'uns' and the 'roses' and they’re just 'g' and 'r', you know what I mean?"

Hughes added that he now believes that the tension from Rose originally stemmed from the fact that he is friends with Dave Grohl.

He said: "I really do believe it has a lot to do with the fact that he [Axl] hates Dave Grohl with a passion and we're in the same gang. Because he blames Dave Grohl for ending their [Guns N' Roses] career, and that famous MTV Music Awards when they got into a fight and Dave was on stage going, 'Hi Axl!', taunting him from the pulpit, so to speak."

To listen to the interview in full - along with three exclusive Eagles Of Death Metal session tracks - tune into Iain Baker's NME Radio show on Thursday (February 5) at 4pm (GMT).

Theory Of A Deadman Shoot Video With American Idol Judge; Announce In-Stoer Signings

Vancouver rockers Theory Of A Deadman will be filming a video for their hit single “Not Meant To Be” starring Grammy nominated songwriter and American Idol superstar Kara DioGuardi in the lead role. DioGuardi co-wrote the song with the band’s frontman Tyler Connolly.

Connolly had this to say about working with DioGuardi, “Amazing. I went over to her place, drank some wine and we wrote ‘Not Meant To Be’ in 5 minutes. Our writing styles fit together so perfectly it was almost like it was ‘meant to be.’”

DioGuardi adds, “The best part about my job is that you never know who you are going to meet, and who’s going to inspire you. Although I’d never worked with Tyler, when he started singing the song, I knew we were onto something special. I am thrilled he asked me to be a part of the video.”

“Not Meant To Be” is the third single from Theory’s latest release Scars & Souvenirs. The single is currently Top 25 at Hot A/C. Theory has reached new heights with Scars & Souvenirs. The first two singles “Bad Girlfriend” and “So Happy” both reached #1 on the Active Rock charts and Top 10 at Modern Rock. The track “Hate My Life” is fast becoming an anthem for our troubled times; its video debuting at #9 on Fuse’s “No. 1 Countdown Rock.” Scars & Souvenirs is Theory’s best selling album to date, closing in on Gold status.

Theory of A Deadman is currently on the Saints of Los Angeles Tour with Motley Crüe and Hinder.

Roadrunner Records has issued the following statement about Theory Of A Deadman making in-store signing appearances:

"Wanna Meet Theory Of A Deadman? Well they want to meet you, head down to any of the following Best Buy locations and meet the band and Hinder along the Motley Crue/Saints Of Los Angeles Tour. They will be signing copies of their new album Scars & Souvenirs and you can enter to win a Gibson Guitar signed by every band on the tour as well as a pair of tickets to the show. Times, dates, and locations are listed below, bring your "Bad Girlfriends" and tell the band why you "Hate Your Life."

Times and locations below:

Sunday, Feb 8th
Event begins at 2:30pm
Best Buy (Store 209)
9369 Sheridan Blvd
Wesfield Village Center
Westminster, CO 80030
Phone: 303-426-4434

Friday, Feb 13th
Event begins at 2:30pm
Best Buy (Store 406)
2650 E Belt Line Se
Grand Rapids, MI 49546
Phone: 616-957-2522

Saturday, Feb 14th
Event begins at 2:30pm
Best Buy (Store 208)
7357 W Towne Way
Madison, WI 53719
Phone: 608-829-1188

Tuesday, Feb 17th
Event begins at 2:30pm
Best Buy (Store 16)
4100 University Ave Ste 240
West Des Moines, IA 50265
Phone: 515-221-0669

Wednesday, Feb 18th
Event begins at 2:30pm
Best Buy (Store 7)
1643 County Road B2
Roseville, MN 55113
Phone: 651-746-0538

Saturday, Feb 21st
Event begins at 2:30pm
Best Buy #172
2311 Gallatin Pike North
Madison, TN 37115-0000
Phone: 615-859-0115

Saturday, Feb 28th
Event begins at 2:30pm
Best Buy (Store 572)
6205 Veterans Memorial Blvd
Metairie, LA 70003-3935
Phone: 504-780-0172

Wednesday, March 4th
Event begins at 2:30pm
Best Buy (Store 571)
845 N. Alfaya Trail
Orlando, FL 32828-0000
Phone: 407-482-8099

Saturday, March 14th
Event begins at 2:30pm
Best Buy (Store 290)
6711 Ritchie Hwy
Glen Burnie, MD 21061
Phone: 410-863-0000

In This Moment: First Video Blog From Mudvayne Tour

As previously reported, IN THIS MOMENT are supporting MUDVAYNE on their current US tour. They have posted their first video blog from the tour online; check it out below.

Begin tour Diary
Begin tour Diary


In This Moment have also scheduled off-date headline shows (**). Their complete schedule is as follows:

January
31 - Gators Bar & Grill - Farmington, New Mexico **

February
1 - Marquis Theatre - Denver, Colorado **
3 - McElroy Auditorium - Waterloo, Iowa
4 - Ramkota Exhibit Hall - Sioux Falls, South Dakota
6 - Mayo Civic Center - Rochester, Minnesota
7 - The Venue @ The Hub - Fargo, North Dakota
9 - Riverside Ballroom - Green Bay, Wisconsin
10 - The Capital Theatre - Davenport, Iowa
13 - Sokol Auditorium - Omaha, Nebraska
14 - Shrine Mosque - Springfield, Missouri
15 - The Pearl Room - Mokena, Illinois
16 - Pop's - Sauget, Illinois **
17 - Prairie Capitol Convtn. Center - Springfield, Illinois
18 - Orpheum Theatre - Madison, Wisconsin
19 - The Intersection - Grand Rapids, Michigan **
20 - Egyptian Room @ Murat - Indianapolis, Indiana
21 - Piere's - Ft. Wayne, Indiana
22 - Hayloft - Mt. Clemens, Michigan **
23 - House Of Blues - Cleveland, Ohio
27 - House Of Blues - Atlantic City, New Jersey
28 - Starland Ballroom - Sayreville, New Jersey

March
1 - Club Zoo - Pittsburg, Pennsylvania
2 - Great Scott - Allston, Massachusetts **
3 - Webster Theatre - Hartford, Connecticut
4 - Lupo’s - Providence, Rhode Island
6 - The National - Richmond, Virginia
7 - Amos Southend - Charlotte, North Carolina
9 - The Valarium - Knoxville, Tennessee
10 - Shoreline Ballroom - Hilton Head, South Carolina
11 - Hooligans - Jacksonville, North Carolina **
12 - Volume 11 - Raleigh, North Carolina **
13 - House Of Blues - North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
14 - Palm Beach International Raceway - West Palm Beach, Florida
15 - The Ritz Theatre - Tampa, Florida
17 - House Of Blues - New Orleans, Louisiana
18 - Clear Channel Metroplex - Little Rock, Arkansas
19 - Diamond Ballroom - Oklahoma City, Oklahoma **

Beastie Boys Release Remastered 'Paul's Boutique' Album

Beastie Boys have made a remastered version of their 1989 album 'Paul's Boutique' available to buy as a download from their website.

You can get the new version now at Beastieboys.com.

As well as the music, fans who buy the album will receive 3D artwork as part of the download.

The remastered album, now 20 years old, will be released on CD and vinyl on February 10. Combination packs including a T-shirt and album artwork poster will also be available. See Beastieboys.com for more.

Metallica's Death Magnetic Tour Second Leg To Kick-Off In September

The next leg of METALLICA's North American tour in support of the band's latest album, "Death Magnetic", will start in Sepember in Nashville, Tennessee and will include a date at the world-famous Madison Square Garden in New York City.

METALLICA's setlist for the final show of the first leg of the North American tour, which concluded on Sunday, February 1 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, was as follows:

01. That Was Just Your Life
02. The End Of The Line
03. Creeping Death
04. Harvester Of Sorrow
05. One
06. Broken, Beat And Scarred
07. Cyanide
08. Sad But True
09. Welcome Home (Sanitarium)
10. All Nightmare Long
11. The Day That Never Comes
12. Master Of Puppets
13. Blackened
14. Nothing Else Matters
15. Enter Sandman
----------------------------------
16. Die, Die My Darling
17. Breadfan
18. Seek And Destroy

METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich recently told RollingStone.com that the band's massive world tour behind "Death Magnetic" could very well last beyond this year. "We're booked up through August of [2009], and right now we're sort of laying out fall of '09 and the spring of '10," he said. "We're waiting for a few other countries to be actually formalized as nations so we can be the first band in. We're also waiting for the polar caps to stabilize so we can go play there. There's talk about some other planets too."

Regarding the band's first American arena tour in four years, Lars said, "It's great to be back indoors. We're right in the thick of it in the middle of the arena. It completely exposes every nuance and that adds a real tone of vitality and excitement."

Smashing Pumpkins: New Song Available For Download

A new SMASHING PUMPKINS song called "FOL" made its debut in a Hyundai car commercial that aired during the Super Bowl pre-game show this past Sunday (February 1) on NBC-TV. The track acts as the score for a new ad promoting the Hyundai Genesis Coupe. Hyundai VP of marketing Joel Ewanick said that the tune "offers the perfect 'kick-off' to Super Bowl advertising."

You can now download the song for free in MP3 format at this location (free e-mail registration required).

Ironically, it was just 10 months ago — in March of 2008 — that the SMASHING PUMPKINS slapped former label Virgin Records with a lawsuit, claiming that the company used the PUMPKINS' name and music in a promotional campaign for Pepsi that supposedly damaged the group's credibility.

Frontman Billy Corgan said in a statement at the time, "We fought hard for the right to be in control of how our music is used, to avoid situations like this kind of crass commercialism and exploitation," adding that the use of the band's music in the Pepsi campaign threatened their "artistic integrity."

Glastonbury 2009 Sold Out

The Glastonbury festival 2009 has sold out.

A limited amount of tickets had been made available yesterday (February 2) after the deadline for those who had paid a £50 deposit to pay the full amount for tickets passed on Sunday (February 1).

All tickets have now been sold. Only cancelled tickets will now be available to buy – with a limited amount set to go on sale on April 5.

See Glastonburyfestivals.co.uk for more information.

No acts for the bash, set to take place in Somerset between June 26 and 28, have been announced. However, it is heavily rumoured that Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen, Blur and The Specials will play headline slots.

Festival chief Michael Eavis recently suggested that their may be four main headliners billed on the three-day bash.

Other acts strongly rumoured to be appearing include The Ting Tings, Franz Ferdinand and Lily Allen.

Eyehategod Confirmed For Los Angeles Murderfest 5.0

EYEHATEGOD confirm headlining appearance at LA MURDERFEST 5.0!

EYEHATEGOD, ROTTEN SOUND, CRIPPLE BASTARDS, OUTLAW ORDER are the latest bands confirmed for the 5th annual LOS ANGELES MURDERFEST, taking place May 9th and 10th, at the Knitting Factory in Hollywood, CA.

Confirmed bands so far:
EYEHATEGOD
GENERAL SURGERY
ROTTEN SOUND
CRIPPLE BASTARDS
COFFINS
MALIGNANCY
STORMCROW
GHOUL
- 16 -
LACK OF INTEREST
PHOBIA
OUTLAW ORDER
AGENDA OF SWINE
CREMATORIUM
ABYSMAL DAWN
INSANITY
BEOWULF
RESISTANT CULTURE
BRAINDRILL
VOETSEK
LANDMINE MARATHON
For more information, visit www.losangelesmurderfest.com

Municipal Waste To Enter Studio In March

EARACHE recording artists, MUNICIPAL WASTE are set to start work on recording their new, yet to be titled album this March at Red Planet Studios in their hometown of Richmond, VA. The album will be produced by Zeuss, who had produced the band's last album, THE ART OF PARTYING.

The writing process for the new record is almost complete and the band is excited about bringing new ideas to the table. Frontman Tony Foresta comments: "So far the song writing is coming off a lot more aggressive than our previous efforts." Drummer Dave Witte agrees: "This set of new songs are challenging and super fun to play, we turned up the aggressive and speed knobs while keeping the good time intact."

THE ART OF PARTYING was released in 2007 to great reviews and hailed the dawn of of the most intense shows that MUNICIPAL WASTE shows have played throughout World. Looking ahead, Tony Foresta is enthused about the direction that the band's writing has taken them on the new album:
"I think it is a definite change from our last 2 albums. Nothing super drastic, but a positive change. The WASTE is still all about having a good time. But I think we all agreed on writing something a bit more pissed off and different with this album, Instead of going ahead and writing the same album all over again. But don't fear were not getting "artistic" or any bullshit like that. We've just been listening to a lot more Poison Idea and NWOBHM and I feel it might show a bit with this next album."

The band have announced 3 song titles which promises to entirely new levels of intensity and insanity in a style that is pure WASTE :
Massive Aggressive
Shredded Offering
The Divine Blasphemer

The new MUNICIPAL WASTE album is expected to be released worldwide on EARACHE RECORDS in late August 2009.

Make sure to catch MUNICIPAL WASTE alongside LAMB OF GOD, AS I LAY
DYING, CHILDREN OF BODOM and GOD FORBID on the No Fear Energy Music
Tour!

The Who's Keith Moon Honoured With Blue Plaque

The Who's drummer Keith Moon will be honoured with a plaque at the site of the band's first gig.

The memorial was awarded to Moon, who died of an accidental overdose in 1978, by the Heritage Foundation, following after a campaign by fans Gary and Melissa Hussey.

The pair objected after the drummer was turned for a similar honour by
English Heritage.

To qualify for a blue plaque from English Heritage, a candidate must be dead for 20 years and instantly recognisable.

The organisation stated that they would not give Moon and plague because "more time needs to elapse to judge his contribution more fully".

However David Graham, a trustee of the Heritage Foundation, said his group were happy to honour The Who man, reports BBC News.

"We were delighted to organise a plaque for Keith, and the Marquee is the perfect place because it was at the centre of the rock gigs in London."

The plague will be unveiled on March 8 at the former location of the club at 90 Wardour Street in Soho, London.

Iron Maiden Asking Fans To Vote For 2009 Brit Awards

As previously reported, IRON MAIDEN have been nominated for Best Live Act at the 2009 Brit awards. The awards, which are typically a strictly pop music affair has also nominated AC/DC in two awards following the release of their latest album, Black Ice.

Maiden comment on the nomination: "This is a great opportunity for us to show the power and popularity of metal by voting for Maiden. Over the years the Brits have rarely included anyone from the metal fraternity so this is a chance to make our voices heard. Voting closes this Saturday, February 7th at 5pm GMT, so go cast your vote now here.

The awards ceremony will take place on February 18 at Earls Court Arena, in West London, and will be televised live on ITV1. The show will be hosted by Kylie Minogue and James Corden and Mathew Horne, the stars of the BBC comedy Gavin & Stacey. Performers announced so far are PET SHOP BOYS, U2, KINGS OF LEON, DUFFY and GIRLS ALOUD.

Springsteen, Beastie Boys, Phish Set For Bonnaroo

NEW YORK (Billboard) – Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Phish, the Beastie Boys, Nine Inch Nails, David Byrne, Wilco, Al Green, Snoop Dogg and Elvis Costello lead the lineup for the 2009 Bonnaroo festival, scheduled for June 11-14 in Manchester, Tenn.

Bonnaroo will be Springsteen's only North American festival of the year, as well as the only festival on the 2009 itinerary of reunited jam band Phish. According to Jonathan Mayers, president of festival co-producer Superfly, Phish will play on the Bonnaroo main stage on two separate nights: a two-set performance and a late-evening set.

Costello is billed as playing solo, but may collaborate with artists like Allen Toussaint and Rilo Kiley's Jenny Lewis, with whom he has recorded. Other acts confirmed for the festival include Erykah Badu, Paul Oakenfold, Ben Harper and his new band Relentless7, the Mars Volta, TV on the Radio, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Gov't Mule, Andrew Bird, Merle Haggard and MGMT.

Tickets go on sale Saturday (February 7) via Bonnaroo.com. This year, fans can opt for a payment plan with five $50 installments. Fuse will provide live TV coverage from the scene, while AT&T Music will once again offer live Webcasts.

"It seems more relevant than ever to offer it," Mayers said of the layaway ticket plan. "We want to make Bonnaroo as accessible as possible. We really believe in super-serving our audience. If you say, 'I want to do a music festival,' there's nothing really proprietary about that. The details are what make it interesting. These are like never-ending art projects for us."

Mayers said he's particularly excited for bands such as Animal Collective, Bon Iver, TV On The Radio and Andrew Bird, as well as a crop of African artists including the legendary King Sunny Ade and Toumani Diabate, the latter of whom is performing with Bela Fleck.

"It's about going out there and checking out different things and hopefully discovering some new stuff," Mayers said of the Bonnaroo experience.

The Beastie Boys will be playing their only confirmed date of the year so far at Bonnaroo. "We are looking forward to bringing heat and fire inside of your festival grounds," the pioneering rap trio said in a statement released to Billboard. "We (the band known as Beastie Boys) are like a three-headed dragon with hot molten metal spewing forth from every head. Ready yourselves. Stand fast. Saturn's second moon is on the rise. We approach you now from the Northeast at the speed of lightning. There will be no respite from our wrath."

Headlined by Pearl Jam, Metallica and Jack Johnson, the 2008 edition of Bonnaroo grossed about $17 million, according to Billboard Boxscore.

Machine Head: Video Interview With Adam Duce

Bassist Adam Duce of San Francisco Bay Area metallers MACHINE HEAD was interviewed by France's NRV-TV during the band's recent European tour with SLIPKNOT and CHILDREN OF BODOM. Watch the chat at this location.

MACHINE HEAD was forced to cancel the last two shows on its European tour with SLIPKNOT (in Antwerp and Luxembourg) after guitarist Phil Demmel collapsed onstage again during the band's second-to-last song on December 12, 2008 in Sheffield, England. Adam Duce stated at the time: "After considering the seriousness of Phil's health condition, we all feel that skipping these last two shows is the best thing to do. It's a bummer to end this tour like this after doing nine amazing weeks and three continents with SLIPKNOT, but getting Phil back to the States to get checked out is the most important thing right now. Our sincerest thanks to SLIPKNOT and CHILDREN OF BODOM for their support and understanding. We understand that it's a big disappointment to the fans, and Phil is very sorry about it, but we all feel that his health and safety is most important at this time."

MACHINE HEAD resumed touring on December 17, 2008 in Los Angeles for the first of two METALLICA shows at The Forum.

Metallica: New Live Footage Available

RockStarPix has updated their YouTube page to include footage of METALLICA from their January 29th gig at Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, NY.

Check out the clips below...

'Master Of Puppets'


'Creeping Death'


'Cyanide'


Metallica recently announced the final tracklisting for their forthcoming version of the popular Guitar Hero franchise which hits Xbox 360 and PS3 on March 29th (Wii and PS2 versions will follow later in the spring). The final tracklisting is as follows: 'All Nightmare Long', 'Battery', 'Creeping Death', 'Disposable Heroes', 'Dyers Eve', 'Enter Sandman', 'Fade To Black', 'Fight Fire With Fire', 'For Whom The Bell Tolls', 'Frantic', 'Fuel', 'Hit The Lights', 'King Nothing', 'Master Of Puppets', 'Mercyful Fate '(Medley), 'No Leaf Clover', 'Nothing Else Matters', 'One', 'Orion', 'Sad But True', 'Seek And Destroy', 'The Memory Remains', 'The Shortest Straw', 'The Thing That Should Not Be', 'The Unforgiven', 'Welcome Home (Sanitarium)', 'Wherever I May Roam' and 'Whiplash'.

Other songs included:

'No Excuses' - ALICE IN CHAINS
'Turn The Page' - BOB SEGER
'Hell Bent For Leather' - JUDAS PRIEST
'Demon Cleaner' - KYUSS
'Tuesdays Gone' - LYNYRD SKYNYRD
'Blood and Thunder' - MASTODON
'Armed and Ready' - MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP
'Mother of Mercy' - SAMHAIN
'Black River' - THE SWORD
'The Boys Are Back In Town' - THIN LIZZY
'Toxicity' - SYSTEM OF A DOWN
'War Inside My Head' - SUICIDAL TENDENCIES
'Mommy's Little Monster' - SOCIAL DISTORTION
'War Ensemble' - SLAYER
'Stone Cold Crazy' - QUEEN
'Ace of Spades' - MOTÖRHEAD
'Evil' - MERCYFUL FATE
'Beautiful Mourning' - MACHINE HEAD
'Stacked Actors' - FOO FIGHTERS
'Am I Evil?' - DIAMOND HEAD
'Albatross' - CORROSION OF CONFORMITY

As previously reported, the games story was concocted by frontman James Hetfield, players begin as Metallica’s opening act, and eventually play as Metallica once they prove their mettle. Everything about the game, from the menu animations based on art by Pushead, Metallica’s long-running collaborating artist, to venues and stage sets from all phases of the band’s career to signature lighting effects and crowd chants will be familiar to fans. The motion-capture used to animate the band is strikingly lifelike, as all of the signature moves are there: the contemplative Hetfield during the opening of “The Unforgiven,” the preening Ulrich hopping up from behind his kit to be seen after every song, and bassist Rob Trujillo’s crabwalk and spins.

Check out a trailer below...

Amy Winehouse Hands Control Of Fortune To Parents

Troubled singer Amy Winehouse has reportedly handed control of her $21 million fortune over to her parents.

The hitmaker has been enjoying a sunshine break in St. Lucia since December following numerous health problems throughout 2008, which included a stint in rehab and several prolonged stays in hospital.

The star has been known to spend recklessly in the past - but in a bid to keep a reign on her vast earnings, she is now said to have signed over controlling rights of her money to parents Mitch and Janis.

It means that Winehouse cannot make any major business decisions concerning her company, Cherry Westfield, without consulting them first.

A source tells Britain's Sunday Mirror newspaper, "Everyone is pleased because it means Amy is listening to good advice. It's still her money and nobody else can touch it. But this stops her doing anything stupid. And it is evidence that Amy is really turning her life around."

The singer reportedly signed documents which give her parents "articles of association", handing them shares in her company and voting rights that could restrict her actions.

The source adds, "Mitch convinced Amy she needs a safety valve for the money for her own good - to stop her doing anything rash. She can be very impetuous and the family wanted to protect her. She cannot make a sudden decision. Her dad wad also worried she might be tempted to go back to (her jailed husband) Blake (Fielder-Civil) - and put him in charge. That is now impossible. This would never have happened before, certainly not when she was with Blake. It's her money and nobody else can touch it. But she can't do anything stupid."

Hawthorne Heights Sign With Wind-Up Records

Four subsidiaries of Wind-up Entertainment and Hawthorne Heights have entered into agreements for this broad-based relationship. The band’s future recordings will be released by Wind-up Records. Additionally, the sale of all Hawthorne Heights merchandise at on-line, retail, and touring points of sale will be handled by Wind-up Entertainment’s Pronto Merch. The band’s publishing will be administered by the company’s Sakyamuni Music Publishing, LLC. Hawthorne Heights has also entered in to an agreement with Wind-up Artist Development Corporation, regarding touring and appearances.

Hawthorne Heights formed in Dayton, Ohio in 2001, building a strong following across the U.S. via repeated self-booked tours. The band was one of the first visionary acts to embrace social networking as a powerful tool in building an audience, and to this day continue to maintain a level of accessibility to the fans via these platforms. Their debut album The Silence In Black And White was certified platinum for sales of 1,000,000 copies by the RIAA. The follow-up, If Only You Were Lonely, had an impressive debut at #3 on the Billboard 200 in 2006, going on to sell over a half-million copies and receiving gold certification. Hawthorne Heights recorded a third, and final album for Victory Records in August, 2008 titled Fragile Future. The band’s Wind-up Records debut is due later this year.

Wind-up Entertainment President Ed Vetri shared, “We are very pleased to be in partnership with Hawthorne Heights. They have been able to develop a special connection to their fans on a true grass roots basis. They have been intensely committed to touring and building a strong, dedicated core following in true DIY fashion. Within Wind-up's partnership structure, we plan to broaden that base, commit even further to touring and production, build out extensive merchandise product lines, while the band can focus and concentrate on their most important contribution to this partnership, the music. It is their deep passion to better themselves, and continue to hone their craft, that will result in the finest Hawthorne Heights collection of music to date.”

Hawthorne Heights J.T. Woodruff offered, “We are extremely happy to be a member of the Wind-up Records stable of artists. It was very important for us to choose a label that has maintained a consistent staff and who understands who we want to be as Hawthorne Heights. We are thankful for everyone we have worked with in the past, and are incredibly excited about our future. As musicians it is crucial to be inspired by your surroundings, and right now we feel exactly that. Inspired....”

Meshuggah Kicks Off North American Tour; Photos Available

Swedish experimental extreme metallers MESHUGGAH kicked off their North American tour last night (Sunday, February 1) at the House of Blues in Anaheim, California.

High-quality photos of the show taken by photographer Chris Loomis can be viewed at CLoomisFotos.com.

As previously reported, MESHUGGAH's Tomas Haake will make an appearance at Tom Lee Drum Centre in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada on February 8 from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. before the Vancouver date of the Swedish metal band's upcoming North American tour.

Intent on decimating the boundaries of extreme music with their metric art, MESHUGGAH will be returning to North America in February as part of a 17-show headlining tour presented by MySpace Music. Direct support to MESHUGGAH will be provided by the legendary progressive metal band CYNIC. Opening all shows will be technical progressive death metallers THE FACELESS from Los Angeles.

Released in March 2008, MESHUGGAH's "obZen" album debuted at No. 59 on The Billboard 200 chart and at No. 14 on the iTunes Top Rock Albums chart. "obZen" has sold more than 50,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Photo below courtesy of CLoomisFotos.com.

Motley Crues Tommy Lee Grounded After 'Erratic' Helicopter Flight

A helicopter drummer Tommy Lee was a passenger in was grounded yesterday (February 1) after the pilot was reportedly piloting the vehicle "erratically".

Police officers forced the helicopter to land at Los Angeles' Van Nuys airport at 10:45am (PST) after becoming concerned that it was being flown carelessly, reports TMZ.

Apparently when officers caught up with the grounded vehicle they couldn't find the pilot for ten minutes – when they found him in an airport facility drinking vodka he had reportedly been given after landing.

The pilot was later released without charge, as was Lee.

Steven Adler Arrested Again

Steven Adler was arrested on Jan 26th because he hadn't finished his community service in the time frame given by the judge. Adler went to register as a drug offender - also court ordered - on the 26th, when cops acted on the arrest warrant stemming from the unfinished community service. He was charged with "being under the influence of a controlled substance" because that was the original charge from his July arrest.

Steven Adler's people want to make it clear he was not under the influence of drugs.

The Killers To Headline Benicassim Festival

The Killers have been named as the final headliner for the Benicàssim festival.

Brandon Flowers, who play on the closing night (July 19), join Oasis (July 16), Kings Of Leon (17) and Franz Ferdinand (18) in topping the bill at the 2009 event.

Paul Weller is also confirmed to play the festival.

Benicàssim takes place between July 16 and 19.

Death Angel: New Audio Interview With Ted Aguilar

Japan's "Metal Moment" podcast recently conducted an interview with guitarist Ted Aguilar of San Francisco Bay Area metal veterans DEATH ANGEL. The chat is now available for download as an MP3 audio file at this location.

DEATH ANGEL last month announced the addition of bassist Sammy Diosdado to the group's ranks. Sammy is a Bay Area native who previously played with the San Francisco hardcore band THE SICK and is a member of the rock and roll outfit ALL TIME HIGHS which is fronted by DEATH ANGEL singer Mark Osegueda. With his in-your-face punk assault on bass and on stage, he was the perfect fit to fill the shoes of former bassist and founding member Dennis Pepa.

Commented Osegueda: "I could not be more thrilled! People in the Bay Area who have seen Sammy on stage know what I'm talking about, and now it is time for the rest of the world to see! Sammy just plain ROCKS! So I urge all DEATH ANGEL fans to welcome Sammy to the DEATH ANGEL family, and come see us live when we come to your town that will be all the convincing you will need that we made the right choice!!!"

Diosdado joined DEATH ANGEL on stage for their performance at the benefit concert for DEFTONES bassist Chi Cheng, which was held on November 29 at Fat City in San Francisco, California. According to photographer Alan Ralph, DEATH ANGEL had several musicians handling bass duties during different parts of the show, including Sammy, who was described by Osegueda as "the first white dude to ever play in DEATH ANGEL." Sammy played almost the first half of the set before Steev Esquivel (SKINLAB) took over for one or two songs, followed by a guy named Damien Sisson (from the San Francisco band SCARECROW), who played the rest of the show with the group. TESTAMENT frontman Chuck Billy joined DEATH ANGEL on stage for a cover of METALLICA's "Leper Messiah" during the concert, which also included performances by WILL HAVEN (with a special guest appearance by original singer Grady Avenell), PHALLUCY (featuring DEFTONES drummer Abe Cunningham, EIGHTFOURSEVEN and DEATH VALLEY HIGH.

Check out photos from Alan Ralph at this location.

Dennis Pepa played his last show with DEATH ANGEL on October 28, 2008 at the Grand Ballroom in San Francisco, California. Fan-filmed video footage of the performance can be viewed below (courtesy of "Rudeness20006"). Photos of the concert are available at this location (all pictures taken by Alan Ralph).

Released on February 26, 2008 via Nuclear Blast Records, DEATH ANGEL's latest album, "Killing Season", sold approximately 2,300 copies in the United States in its first week of release according to Nielsen SoundScan. The album was recorded at Studio 606 in Northridge, California with producer Nick Raskulinecz, who has previously worked with FOO FIGHTERS, RUSH, VELVET REVOLVER, SHADOWS FALL and STONE SOUR, among other acts.

Erykah Badu Gives Birth To Baby Girl

Soul singer Erykah Badu and hip-hop star Jay Electronica are the proud parents of a new daughter.

The couple welcomed the child - their first together - into their family on February 1st. The rapper announced the happy news with an update on his online Twitter page, writing: "Feb 1 2009 my first child, my daughter was born at 1.30 pm exactly. It's the happiest day of my life."

Badu - real name Erica Wright - is already mother to son Seven Sirius with Outkast rapper Andre 3000, and daughter Puma Rose with rapper The D.O.C.

'Now Thats What I Call Music' Compilations To Become TV Show

A TV show based on the 'Now That's What I Call Music' compilations is set to be made, with former manager and 'American Idol' creator Simon Fuller behind the plan.

Fuller owns the rights to the compilation brand, and plans to use it to launch a show that will boast an "interactive" chart and will promote up-and-coming bands as well as established acts, reports BBC News.

"This show will be nothing like 'American Idol', Fuller said. "It will be a new take on music programming."

Bob Mercer, CEO of the 'Now…' franchise, told Billboard, "The intent is to take that brand and that trust in that brand and establish it as a TV show with the same elements. We'll probably form our own pop chart so the public can be involved."

The show is currently in its planning stages.

Metallica, Killswitch Engage, Trivium, Slipknot Confirmed For Austrias Nova Rock Festival

METALLICA, TRIVIUM, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE and SLIPKNOT are among the confirmed bands for this year's Nova Rock festival, set to take place June 19th - 21st on the Pannonia Fields in Burgenland, the easternmost federal state of Austria (near Nickelsdorf and the Hungarian and Slovak borders).

The festival billing is shaping up as follows (in alphabetical order): 3 FEET SMALLER, AUGUST BURNS RED, BLACK STONE CHERRY, BLACK TIDE, BRING ME THE HORIZON, DIE TOTEN HOSEN, DISTURBED, GOGOL BORDELLO, IN EXTREMO, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE, MASTODON, METALLICA, PLACEBO, SLIPKNOT, SMOKE BLOW, THE LIVING END and TRIVIUM.

Further festival details at this location.

Mastodon, Henry Rollins Confirmed For Coachella 2009

MASTODON, HENRY ROLLINS and PATTON & RAHZEL (featuring former FAITH NO MORE singer Mike Patton) are among the 130-plus acts set to perform at the tenth Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival on April 17-19, 2009 at the beautiful Empire Polo Club in Indio, California — the same grounds where the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival debuted in 1999.

Tickets for Coachella go on sale Friday, January 30 at 9:00 a.m. PT at all Ticketmaster locations. Three-day weekend passes are $269.00 +$3 charity + $9 facility fee ($1 charity/$3 facility fee per day) and single-day tickets are $99.00 +$1 charity + $3 facility fee.

For more information, visit www.coachella.com.

John Lennons Son Dispels Rumours About Performing With His Brother

John Lennon's son Julian Lennon has dispelled a rumour that he and his half-brother, Sean, will perform together at a United Nations event next month.

Fox News columnist Roger Friedman reported today (January 29) that the brothers, who have never performed together in public, would take the stage at the UN Millennium Goal Awards on February 26. Julian, however, has said this is absolutely not true.

In a posting today on his MySpace blog, Julian wrote, "Sorry to say, but the news today about Sean & I playing together at the UN Awards came directly out of Roger Friedman's ass!"

"Do they ever tell the truth at FOX?" he added. "He/they didn't even attempt to get in touch with either of our reps or the producers of the UN event to find out whether this story was true or not. So you know what they represent.....J x"

Julian, 45, and Sean, 33, have been caught in the middle of a long-time family feud between Lennon's widow and Sean's mother, Yoko Ono, and the former Beatles' first wife and mother of Julian, Cynthia Lennon.

Journey's Arnel Pineda: 'I Nearly Lost Everything To Drugs'

Korina Sanchez of TV Patrol World — the flagship national network news broadcast of ABS-CBN in the Philippines — recently conducted a very revealing interview with JOURNEY's Filipino lead vocalist Arnel Pineda.

He was once an unknown singer who is now suddenly being mobbed in America as the lead vocalist of the legendary American rock group JOURNEY. Pineda, born and raised in Sampaloc (in Manila), grew up in poverty and often slept in in Luneta, a park in Manila. Along the way, he tried using illegal drugs and became addicted — "to the point that I wished that I was dead," he said.

For Arnel's family, especially his wife Cherry, this was the most miserable thing that had ever happened to them. She told TV Patrol World, "When he gets drunk, he cries, so I asked him, 'What is the problem?' And then I found out he was using drugs."

Arnel lost his mother early in his life when she died of a lung disease. He said that it was the memory of his mother that prevented him from totally becoming consumed by drugs. "I think my mother was there all the time," he said. "Every time I thought I was almost dying and gave up hope in my life, I felt like she was whispering in my ear and asking me, 'Why are you doing this?'"

Because of drugs, Arnel lost almost everything. "It was my wife who saved me," he revealed. "It was my birthday and we were having fun. I was high on drugs; I was high on alcohol. While [Cherry] was upstairs, she was packing her bag. When I went up, she told me she was leaving and will have to let me go. So that woke me up."

Watch the three-minute TV Patrol World report below.

CD Sales Down 54.6% From Peak In 2000

As if the news from Wall Street, Detroit, and Starbucks was not bad enough, DigitalMusicNews.com is reporting that CD sales have now fallen to less than half the number of CDs sold in their peak year, 2000. In 2008, CD sales were down 54.6 percent from 2000, or a giant 514.6 million units less.

Soundscan counted over a billion "a la carte" downloads last year from digital services like iTunes and Amazon.com. Now a billion singles sounds like a lot, but it is not even close to making up the revenue lost from a half-billion fewer CD's sold.

Like Detroit, the major labels have no one to blame but themselves. It has been known for a long time that CD sales were in freefall and that strong action was needed. And also like in Detroit, the current economic downfall might be the straw that broke the camel's back. The meltdown (if that word is even strong enough) of the credit market is not the problem for Detroit, but it made the longtime problems suddenly unworkable.

Likewise with the labels. The record companies dealt with the Internet about as well as Hummer dealt with fuel efficiency. The lack of available credit combined with huge loses at the media conglomerates that own the major labels could spell doom for them. And unlike Detroit, I don't think their will be any bailout money from Washington.

Laura Marling To Headline Blissfields

Laura Marling and will play headline slots at the forthcoming Blissfields festival.

The event is set to take place in Hampshire between July 3 and 5.

The third headliner for this year's bash, which has a capacity of 1,250, is yet to be announced. See Blissfields.co.uk for more information.

Metallicas Robert Trujillo: 'We're Already Jamming New Songs And Riffs'

Christina Fuoco-Karasinski of LiveDaily recently conducted an interview with METALLICA bassist Robert Trujillo. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

LiveDaily: How have you seen the band grow since you joined METALLICA almost six years ago?

Trujillo: In a lot of ways: For starters, me, personally and Kirk [Hammett, guitar], we've now got children. When I first joined METALLICA back in 2003, I wasn't married, I didn't have kids. Now I'm sitting here with a 2-year-old daughter and a 4-year-old son, happily married. That's a major transition in one's life. When I first joined the band, I was kind of like the boy in the bubble. I really had to focus on being a part of this band and learning over 23 years of catalog at the time, then learning all the "St. Anger" material, which was really crazy. So I had to create this bubble environment, so I could only focus on that. That would have been difficult with the full-on family back then. And then also Kirk, as I mentioned, has a couple kids as well. Lars [Ulrich, drums] had a child just over a year ago. There's a lot of new magic in the band, somewhere we can all connect, where we share the same interests. Outside of a lot of things like family, we don't have a lot of the same interests. We're all different. Our families sort of bring us together. The music brings us together, definitely. It's nice to have the family aspect in there too, something we obviously love and cherish. We can all share that.

LiveDaily: What do you see for the future of METALLICA? You have one more album left on your deal with Warner Bros., correct?

Trujillo: Basically, I don't know the technical details. I can only tell you this: outside of the business side of things — which is probably what you're asking me — on a creative level, the sky's the limit. To me, "Death Magnetic" is only a launch pad. We're already jamming on new ideas and new riffs. There's a rhythm-section thing that I'm feeling with Lars that I'd like to dive into even more so with the future. It's great to be playing thrashy, heavy riffs again, too. That's one of the things with this band — there's no shortage of musical ideas. When you check out some of the other bands that have been around for so many years, sometimes the hardest thing is to stay motivated. Sometimes bands will end up playing almost like — how do you say it? — a tribute scenario where they're playing all the hits all the time. That's cool. But the future of [that type of] band doesn't seem as interesting. I think we still got it in us to create interesting music and to get even better with it. That's kind of fun.

Read the entire interview on www.livedaily.com.

Ephel Duath: New Track Streaming Online

Italian avant-garde metallers EPHEL DUATH have updated their MySpace page to stream the new song 'Bark Loud'. Check it out at this location.

The band released their newest and most bizarre studio album yet,, titled Through My Dog's Eyes, on January 26th via Earache Records. The album is based on a concept conjured up by guitarist and founding member Davide Tiso, in which the entire album is written from the perspective of a dog.

Through My Dog's Eyes includes a limited edition bonus DVD. The DVD contains an exclusive art-documentary, featuring an in-depth look at the concepts behind the new album, along with the history and evolution of the band, all told by Tiso.

Check out a trailer for the DVD, below...

Former GNR Bassist Duff Mckagan Lands Writing Job For Palyboy

If someone were to tell me 5 months ago that I'd be busy thinking up things to write about on a weekly basis, I would have actually been happy to hear it. As of this week, I will not only be continuing my Seattle Weekly commitment, but also starting a new endeavor as a financial columnist at Playboy.com.

From my experience, once you are pegged as a 'rock guy', people just assume that you are either brain-dead or off hi-flying on a private jet with hookers and cocaine. While I have definitely been guilty of both of the before-mentioned traits-most of the time, my life these days is just kind of simple and book-filled. Writing is something that I found a fondness for when I attended Seattle University and took a particular English course taught by visiting poet, Sam Greene.


Some of you may probably rightly accuse my writing style of being a tad sophomoric or conversational. My thought process thus far in my writing just goes straight to the computer keyboard without the guide of an outline or notes. I will edit as I go and don't usually read the whole thing until it is up on the Weekly site. Brian Barr and Chris Kornelis (my esteemed editors at SW) gave me two simple guidelines before my first column, "Make it seem like you are talking to a friend at a bar and make it 1400 words". Sometimes it is the small things that people say to you that will guide your next 10 years. Brian's 'bar-talk' advise will be one of those small things for me.

How the hell is it that I will to be writing about money matters for Playboy? Well, over the last few years, I have been doing more and more TV and print interviews regarding some faction of finance. It started in 2004 when a writer for some music newspaper asked me about my experience going to business-school after my career with GNR. That interview in turn prodded other writers to ask me about money issues within the music biz. From there, PBS's 'Frontline' interviewed me about the 'valuation of a rock band' and the cork was officially off the top of the bottle as far as me being an ersatz 'go to' guy for anyone looking for financial insight from inside the music industry. Sometimes I DO wish more artists would go to business school just so I wouldn't always be getting the calls to do these interviews.

I do find how money works rather fascinating. Adam Smith, the main person looked at to be the founder of capitalism, was a simple but brilliant economist who had particular ideas on how a free market would take care of itself. The theory of every little niche being filled in the marketplace seems too 'free' to actually work...but it has for the most part over the last 240 years. This is a statement made free of politics by the way.

I think part of my mission statement for Playboy may be to perhaps try and shed some light and maybe even bring down some of the criminals on Wall St. Wouldn't that be cool? Maybe be a voice for the people- one that can't be bought (well, no one has ever actually tried to bribe me, but I'll let you know if they do!). The talking heads on the financial news networks also bother me. Always trying to be smarter than the next guy, using big and needless words and terminology so that they can watch themselves at home on their TiVo and gloat. Most of these shows do nothing more than a sort of "if it bleeds, it leads" type of sensationalism. This of course promotes only panic, stress, depression, and fear. Poppycock if you ask me. (As an aside; I would never actually use the word 'poppycock' in a bar room conversation but I couldn't wait any longer to use it. It IS a great word).

If any of you are like me, I didn't know squat about financial 'vehicles' or what the term 'financial vehicle' actually meant until I was 32. Why would I? And by the time I was 32, I was too afraid too ask anyone for fear of coming off as a buffoon. What I didn't realize then is that really no one else knew what any of this financial terminology meant either (except for CPA's, lawyers, and stockbrokers-and my brother Mark who is freakishly smart at everything). I think it would be cool to clarify some of this mess while at my column at Playboy. Just some no-nonsense plain talk about things that can usually get real confusing. In this scary time of grave financial woe, we all need to look out for each other and ourselves.

One thing is for sure; in these times of a drastically changing and unforeseen financial landscape, I will be learning as I go and only hope not to fail in front of everyone or let anyone down. I know that I will be learning a ton as I go. Hopefully some of you will come along with me as I stumble through this new landscape If anyone has any great ideas for the name of my Playboy column, please let me know.

'Brasil Heavy Metal' Documentary Teaser Available

A one-minute teaser for "Brasil Heavy Metal", the upcoming documentary about the Brazilian metal movement, can be viewed below. Due later in the year as a DVD+CD package, the film features interviews with more than 50 personalities who have been involved with the Brazilian metal scene since the early 1980s, including members of SEPULTURA, VULCANO, KORZUS, VIPER, DORSAL ATLÂNTICA, TAURUS and CÉRBERO. Also available below is an interview Vitao Bonesso of the Brazilian radio program "Backstage" conducted with the "Brasil Heavy Metal" director, Micka Michaelis.

For more information (in Portuguese), go to this location.

Alice Cooper: More NAMM Footage

ALICE COOPER performed a special set on January 17, 2009 at the Hilton Hotel in Anaheim, California during this year's NAMM (National Association Of Music Merchants) show, which was held at the Anaheim Convention Center. Fan-filmed video footage of six songs can be viewed below.

ALICE COOPER's latest album, "Along Came A Spider", was released in July 2008 via SPV Records. Co-produced by Danny Saber, Greg Hampton and Alice himself, the CD manages to marry both vintage and modern-day Alice. As theatrical as ever, the album is a sonic combination of familiar Alice musical elements from albums as diverse as "Billion Dollar Babies" and "Brutal Planet", with the storytelling of "Welcome To My Nightmare", capturing the historic dark side of Alice in peak form, an instantly recognizable presence that will be welcomed by his fans. Joining Alice on the album are members of his touring band — longtime Alice drummer Eric Singer, bassist Chuck Garric, and guitarists Keri Kelli and Jason Hook, with additional contributions from others, including Saber, Hampton, and renowned backing vocalist Bernard Fowler. Slash also lends some guitar style to "Vengeance Is Mine".

Dirty little Rabbits Premiere 'Hello' MP3

Johnston, Iowa's DIRTY LITTLE RABBITS premiered today an MP3 for their track 'Hello' via eclectic indie-rock site TheTripwire.com.

"Don’t be scared by the SLIPKNOT name," writes The Tripwire's P. Elizabeth Cawein, "Dirty Little Rabbits are anything but comparable to the face-mask-sporting metal band. Not with the more traditionally pretty vocals of Stella Katsoudas mixed in with a sometimes heavy, sometimes off the wall rock-infused sound."

The post and MP3 can be found here.

'Hello' was the number one most requested song on Q105.1 in Des Moines and number one on KIWR in Omaha last year.

Dirty Little Rabbits released their debut EP, Simon, on Tuesday, January 27th. The EP is currently available digitally and in stores everywhere. The band lineup includes: Stella Katsoudas (vocals), Ty Fyhrie (guitars), Jeff Karnowski (bass), Shawn Crahan (drums), Michael Pfaff (organs, keyboards).

Dirty Little Rabbits on the web: www.dirtylittlerabbits.com, www.myspace.com/dirtylittlerabbits.

Unearth Announces Valentines Day Massacre Show

"UNEARTH and CEPHALIC CARNAGE present:
THE VALENTINE’S DAY MASSACRE
FEBRUARY 14TH 2009
At THE GAFF (382 HOLLOWAY ROAD, LONDON N7 6PN)
Doors at 10pm – Until LATE!
4£ WITH FLYER / 5£ WITHOUT

"Free Metal Blade Records & Terrorizer Magazine Goodies for the first few people!! Party through the night with members of UNEARTH and CEPHALIC CARNAGE as they play exclusive DJ sets and spin their own personal selection of shit-kicking tunes!"

The promotional poster for the show can be viewed here.

Airbourne Vs. Machine Head: Random Question Video Interview Available

AIRBOURNE and MACHINE HEAD are featured in Roadrunner Records' latest installment of their "random question generator" interviews. Check it out below.

White Stripes' Meg White Auctioning Off Drum Kit

The White Stripes' Meg White has donated one of her drum kits to be auctioned to raise money to help Detroit music scene lynchpin Jim Shaw, who is battling against cancer.

The kit, which can be seen in the video for the band's 2003 hit 'The Hardest Button To Button' (scroll down to watch the video), is one of several lots going undwer the hammer at the Jim Shaw Rock'n'Roll Benefit on February 7 at the Cpop Gallery venue in Detroit.

Other lots up for grabs include original photographs of Iggy And The Stooges and and original posters.

See Myspace.com/jimshawfundraiser for details.

The Haunted, All That Remains, Deadlock: Tonight's Performances To Be Webcast

In support of their acclaimed new effort "Versus", Swedish metallers THE HAUNTED are currently touring Europe with ALL THAT REMAINS. The band's sold-out show tonight (Thursday, January 29) in Hamburg, Germany will be broadcasted live at www.ligx.de.

The webcast times are follows:

20.00-20:30 DEADLOCK
20:50-21:50 THE HAUNTED
22:10-23:10 ALL THAT REMAINS

Fan-filmed video footage of THE HAUNTED's November 30, 2008 concert at Hangar 110 in São Paulo, Brazil can be viewed below (clip uploaded by "lbvideos").

THE HAUNTED recently finished filming a video for the song "Trenches" with director Daniel Larsson. The clip is expected to premiere in the next couple of weeks. The track comes off the group's latest album, "Versus", which sold around 1,600 copies in the United States in its first week of release, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

"Versus" entered the Swedish chart at position No. 14 and the Finnish chart at No. 12.

An e-card for "Versus" can be found at this location.

The CD was recorded in part at PUK studio in Denmark with producer Tue Madsen (HEAVEN SHALL BURN, DARK TRANQUILLITY, MOONSPELL, etc), who previously worked with the group on its two most recent LPs, "rEVOLVEr" (2004) and "The Dead Eye" (2006).

Igor Cavalera's Mixhell: Cologne Footage Available

Video footage of MIXHELL — the DJ/hip hop/electro project featuring former SEPULTURA and current CAVALERA CONSPIRACY drummer Igor "Iggor" Cavalera and his wife Laima Leyton — performing on December 19, 2008 at Agenda Suicide Club in Cologne, Germany can be viewed below.

Igor Cavalera left SEPULTURA in June 2006 due to "artistic differences." He has since been replaced by Jean Dolabella (ex-UDORA). Igor's departure from SEPULTURA came five months after he announced that he was taking a break from the group's touring activities to spend time with his second wife and their new son (who was born in January 2006). Filling in on drums during the band's spring 2006 European tour with IN FLAMES was Roy Mayorga, who played with Igor's brother Max in SOULFLY for several years in the late '90s and again in 2001-2003.

Igor is the second Cavalera to leave SEPULTURA. In 1996, Max Cavalera exited the group after the rest of the band fired Max's wife Gloria as SEPULTURA's manager.

Igor and Max Cavalera are currently collaborating on a new project called CAVALERA CONSPIRACY. The group's debut album, "Inflikted", was released in March 2008 via Roadrunner Records.

Celebrity Parties Going Head-To-Head At Superbowl

TAMPA, Fla. – Kevin Costner signed on to host a glitzy Super Bowl party this year, but the truth is he doesn't really like parties all that much. Too much glad-handing, picture-taking and standing around.

The 54-year-old Hollywood star would much rather be up on stage with his band, Modern West, grinding out original tunes in a dark club somewhere, showing people how serious he really is about the music. So if you really want to get Costner to appear somewhere, invite the band, too. Playing live in the middle of the biggest weekend in sports is why he's coming to Tampa.

"It's clearly not the need for attention. I've had enough of that for a lifetime," Costner chuckles during a telephone interview. "It's no fun being a celebrity. I'd rather be a performer. I'd rather sing for my supper."

But attention is clearly the point for many of the celebrities who stage one of the glitzy, see-and-be-seen happenings that have become as much a part of Super Bowl week as the game itself. The Hollywood types are here, along with the hip-hop guys, dozens of current and former NFL stars, plenty of scantily clad models, prize fighters and assorted Kardashian sisters.

Ashton Kutcher and Lindsay Lohan are scheduled to be here. So is Snoop Dogg. Mike Ditka says he's bringing 100 former NFL stars with him.

The lousy economy this year led some regular party sponsors to cut back or pull out of the Super Bowl scene — Playboy and Sports Illustrated both bagged their annual affairs — but there's still enough going on in Tampa to keep the paparazzi busy all weekend.

Costner and ex-New York Giant Michael Strahan are co-hosting the Saturday Night Spectacular. It's going head-to-head with gigs by hip-hop artist T-Pain and rap mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs, along with an affair crawling with Playboy hotties called "Models and Bottles," and an event at a science museum hosted by boxer Antonio Tarver and rapper Nelly.

The night before is the Maxim magazine party, which has become one of the more exclusive celebrity bashes of Super Bowl weekend. Models from the lads magazine will be competing for attention that night with those over at a party thrown by ESPN the Magazine, another at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino hosted by Kevin Dillon of "Entourage" fame, and a get-together featuring the unlikely duo of NASCAR driver Jimmie Johnson and pop-music star Nick Lachey.

The annual "Leather and Laces" party is also Friday, hosted by Jenny McCarthy, Carmen Electra and Kim Kardashian. Promoters of all the parties are promising plenty of famous people and professional athletes.

Electra, who hosted a party with McCarthy at the Super Bowl last year in Phoenix, says it's a unique atmosphere, even for someone like her who doesn't care who wins the game or, for that matter, even who's playing.

"I think sports fans are very enthusiastic, so during the Super Bowl there's a lot of energy, a lot of people," says the model and sometime actress. "It makes for a much more fun, lively party. ...It's going to be sexy and fun, and it's always going to be crazy at the Super Bowl."

Some of the parties are so exclusive that regular folk don't have a chance of getting inside. Sports agent Leigh Steinberg, for instance, is staging his annual invitation-only gig at the Tampa city zoo. Other events are benefiting charities and selling tickets to the public for a few hundred dollars or more.

Some of the proceeds of Costner's party are going to several good causes via a foundation set up by Tampa Bay Buccaneers kicker Matt Bryant to honor his 3-month-old son, who died suddenly in September. Costner says the charity aspect was part of the attraction.

While between Hollywood projects, Costner is touring with his band, playing clubs and theaters in places like Omaha, Neb., Des Moines, Iowa, and Columbia, Mo. The roots rock/country outfit released its first CD last fall.

He hopes people will come because he's Kevin Costner and leave as new fans of Modern West.

"We're playing original music, so the difficulty in that is inherent with any performer playing songs that (people) can't tap their toe to because they've never heard it," he says. "I kind of like the challenge of everything that probably goes with being me, the curiosity factor and everything else, and doing songs that they've never heard and holding that audience."

Oh, and the game? Costner likes the Steelers.

The Human Abstract: Play Halo 3 Against The Band Online

THE HUMAN ABSTRACT have issued the following update:

"Here's your chance to play Halo 3 with The Human Abstract

That's right folks! Currently on the road with AS I LAY DYING, PROTEST THE HERO, and MY CHILDREN MY BRIDE we wanted to take the opportunity to get to know our fans and the true gamers that they are!

If you're an Xbox LIVE Gold member, and you want a chance to play Halo 3 with us send a friend request to our Gamertag (THAbstract GWF) and be online half an hour before (4:30 P.M. EST) the Game with Fame session starts on Sunday, February 8th, 5:00pm EST.

No worries Tulsa, Oklahoma we'll still be amped and ready for our show that night at Cain's Ballroom! For full details and for your chance to upgrade as an Xbox LIVE Gold member, click here."

Thanks!
THA

The band's tour schedule is now as follows:

January
28 - Mr. Small’s - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
29 - The Town Ballroom - Buffalo, New York
30 - Rockingham County Fair - Harrisonburg, Virginia
3 - The National - Richmond, Virginia

February
1 - Lincoln Theater - Raleigh, North Carolina
2 - The Orange Peel - Asheville, North Carolina
4 - Freebird Live - Jacksonville Beach, Florida
6 - Club Fire - Jackson, Mississippi
7 - The Village - Little Rock, Arkansas
8 - Cain’s Ballroom - Tulsa, Oklahoma
9 - Midnight Rodeo - Armadillo - Amarillo, Texas
10 - Gator’s - Farmington, New Mexico

U2 To Rescue Iconic Studio

U2 are reportedly considering buying London's Olympic Studios.

The Irish band recorded part of their forthcoming album 'No Line On The Horizon' at the historic Barnes studio, which has also been used by Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin and Oasis.

Olympic's current owners EMI said in December that the studios weren't making enough money to justify their existence, and put the building on the market.

Despite already having their own studio in Dublin, U2 apparently liked Olympic so much they are considering putting in an offer for it, reports The Sun.

In recent years, the studio's 'bunker' has also been a musical-home to producer Stephen Street. Street produced albums by The Courteeners and Kaiser Chiefs there, as well as Pete Doherty's upcoming solo album 'Grace/Wastelands'.

Journey: Pre-Game Performance At Superbowl XLIII Confirmed; Video Available

JOURNEY frontman Arnel Pineda recently confirmed the band's performance during Superbowl XLIII pre-game show this Sunday (February first). Reports that the band would play at the game originally surfaced on January 1st.

Check out the teaser clip below.

Official Mayhem Fest Press Release

Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival, the most electrifying carnival to ever hit the summer concert circuit, is back…and bigger. Organizers of the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival announced today that hard music legends MARILYN MANSON and SLAYER will top the bill on this year’s highly anticipated tour, which is set to kick off July 10 at the Sleep Train Amphitheatre in Sacramento, CA. The festival will tear through 27 cities in the U.S. and Canada. Mayhem tickets will go on sale to the public on April 24—check www.mayhemfest.com and www.livenation.com for more info.

Like last year’s Godzillian-sized lineup, the second annual Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival will feature a gaggle of rock’s heaviest bands: the main stage will see Marilyn Manson and Slayer joined by BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE and a special guest that will be announced in the coming weeks; the Jägermeister stage will feature TRIVIUM, ALL THAT REMAINS, GOD FORBID and the Jägermeister Battle of the Bands winner; the Hot Topic stage will feature extreme metal bands CANNIBAL CORPSE, JOB FOR A COWBOY, BEHEMOTH, BLACK DAHLIA MURDER and WHITECHAPEL. The World’s Greatest Freestyle Motocross team METAL MULISHA will also be revving up the crowd with their unique style of death-defying motorcycle stunts on all dates.

“Given the great success of last year’s festival, we knew that we needed to put together a stellar group of talent for 2009—and we have,” says Mayhem producers John Reese and Kevin Lyman. “This will be a blockbuster event, one that blends thrilling live performances with special music-related events and a few yet-to-be-revealed surprises. The result is a concert experience like no other. We’re extremely excited to get the show on the road.”

“Last year’s inaugural Mayhem Festival tour was a definitive success, attracting nearly 340,000 incremental fans to our amphitheaters,” said Jason Garner, Chief Executive Officer of Global Music at Live Nation, the tour’s co-producer. “This year, the Mayhem team has delivered another great all-star lineup and we anticipate another huge success for Mayhem.”

“I have good news and I have bad news to announce,” declares Manson. “The good news is that I am completely aware now that our music and our Mayhem tour will have a negative, destructive influence on America. The bad news is that I don't give a fuck.”

Manson is currently in the studio working on his forthcoming album scheduled for release in May on Interscope Records. This highly anticipated record reunites Manson and Twiggy Ramirez for their first collaboration since Hollywood in 2001.
Summer 2009 will also see a brand new album from the mighty Slayer, who have already recorded three new songs and are slated to return to the studio in February to finish. Late last fall, Slayer made one of the new tracks, "Psychopathy Red," available as a free online stream to fans, and to date, the song has been posted online at more than one million sites.

"We co-headlined with Manson once before, a couple of years ago," said Slayer's Kerry King, "so we all know what we're getting into. Manson and I probably drank a little too much absinthe on that tour, but we had a really good time hanging out and playing good music - we're looking forward to doing the same this summer on Mayhem."

Says Slayer vocalist/bassist Tom Araya, "We're looking forward to some summer mayhem and playing new shit!"

The Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival is the brainchild of Kevin Lyman, John Reese and CAA’s Darryl Eaton, the creative team behind some of the industry’s most successful road jaunts, including the long-running Vans Warped Tour and the Worldwide Rockstar Taste of Chaos Tour.

Following the proven model of utilizing sponsorship to deliver a lower ticket price and an enhanced concert experience, the tour organizers have joined forces once again with Rockstar Energy Drink, the festival’s title sponsor.

“We’re excited to continue our successful relationship with the festival,” says Michael Kelso, Marketing Director for Rockstar Energy Drink. “We’re looking forward to delivering a high-energy, mind-blowing event, one that not only brings you the biggest lineup of the summer, but also at an affordable ticket price. Let the Mayhem continue.”

In addition to catching a slew of speaker-shredding performances, fans can take part in a number of festival activities, including playing the newest video games, perusing vendors, attending autograph signing sessions and a host of other interactive activities that will add to the festival experience.

Stage sponsor Jägermeister will be sampling their products and providing fun surprises for attendees. “Jägermeister is proud to once again be working with Mayhem and its great staff of people in 2009,” says Rick Zeiler, Jägermeister Director of Strategic Marketing. “We plan to not only rock our million dollar mobile stage again this year but Slayer's Kerry King and a host of other great bands have agreed to sign autographs at our activation booth. Once again Jagermeister and Mayhem will prove to be a marriage made in heaven.”

Revolver Magazine (who will produce the Official Tour Program) has signed on as official Rockstar Energy Mayhem Festival media partners. Additional sponsors will be announced soon.

For more information fans can visit www.mayhemfest.com .

Mayhem Festival Tour dates are as follows:

July
10 - Sacramento, CA - Sleep Train Amphitheatre
11 - San Francisco, CA - Shoreline Amphitheatre
12 - San Bernardino, CA - Glen Helen Pavilion
14 - Seattle, WA - White River Amphitheater
17 - Phoenix, AZ - Cricket Pavilion
18 - Albuquerque, NM - Journal Pavilion
19 - Denver, CO - Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre
21 - Kansas City, KS - Sandstone Amphitheater
22 - St. Louis, MO - Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
24 - Atlanta, GA - Lakewood Amphitheater
25 - ndianapolis, IN - Verizon Wireless Music Centre
26 - Chicago, IL - First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
28 - Toronto, ON - Molson Amphitheater
29 - Scranton, PA - Toyota Pavilion
31 - Cleveland, OH - Blossom Music Center

August
1 - Pittsburgh, PA - Post Gazette Pavilion
2 - Detroit, MI - DTE Energy Music Theatre
4 - Boston, MA - Tweeter Center
6 - Virginia Beach, VA - Virginia Beach Amphitheater
7 - Camden, NJ - Susquehanna Bank Center
8 - Hartford, CT - New England Dodge Music Center
9 - Washington, DC - Nissan Pavilion
11 - Tampa, FL - Ford Amphitheatre
12 - West Palm Beach, FL - Cruzan Amphitheatre
14 - Dallas, TX - Superpages.com Center
15 - Houston, TX - Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
16 - San Antonio, TX - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre

Black Crowes Announce Surprise Performance At Londons Forum

THE BLACK CROWES have announced that they will return to the UK in May to play one special show at London’s Forum.

Right from their start in 1990 - with their six million-selling Shake Your Money Maker, a pivotal work that kick started an authentic style of rock and roll in America -The Black Crowes have been at odds with prevailing commercial trends. Their heady mix of '70s inflected rock, Funkadelic soul and heartfelt roots music jostled against the hair metal and high-gloss pop getting airplay at the start of that decade. While the sheer attitude and charm of 'Hard To Handle', 'Jealous Again', 'Twice As Hard' and 'Remedy' managed to make big waves, the intervening years have seen the band steadily evolve an increasingly refined, singular sound that takes the best parts of hard rock, gospel, country, psychedelia and anything else it fancies into their hungry maw to create something several light years beyond the young men who recorded 'She Talks To Angels'.

Having been hailed by the UK's Melody Maker as ‘The Most Rock and Roll Band In The World’ it is hardly surprising that their seventh studio album Warpaint released in March of last year, reached top 5 status on the US Billboard 200. Their powerful new album - the first on the band's own Silver Arrow Records, builds compellingly on the band’s trademark adventurous brew of rock, blues, country, soul and gospel, and finds the band in top fighting form.

Today, anyone checking in will find The Black Crowes more dedicated than ever to their craft which has resulted with sales of 20 million albums worldwide. They’re not only a band with something to say; they have become known as one of rock’s best live acts and have been called a “thoroughbred American rock ‘n’ freakin’ roll band.” Their panoramic live shows feature alternating set lists and signature incendiary musical explorations that are designed to take audiences on a journey. Make sure you don’t miss what is sure to be one of the highlights of 2009 Rock’n’ Roll calendar.

The Black Crowes will play London's Forum on Sunday, May 17th. Tickets are priced at £32.50 (subject to booking fee) and are available from www.livenation.co.uk.

Goodbye Daughters Of The Revolution - Live

Mike Patton To Perform At Coachella

Billboard.com reports: Contrary to rumors that Faith No More will reform to play the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival in April, the group's frontman Mike Patton will perform at the event in tandem with beatboxer Rahzel.

Patton and Rahzel have worked on an album-length collaboration that has yet to see official release, but Rahzel appeared on Patton's 2006 self-titled album as Peeping Tom, and the two acts also guested on Bjork's 2007 album "Medulla."

Faith No More split in 1998 after touring in support of the previous year's "Album of the Year."