Wednesday, February 5, 2014

James Hetfield Traces His Musical Evolution: ‘I Was on a Quest’



Metallica‘s James Hetfield recently sat down with Guitar Center for a wide-ranging interview, offering fans an insight into his early years as a musician and his development as a guitarist. You can watch the 13-minute interview above.

Describing the effect that learning to play had on him as a young man, Hetfield recalled, “I was pretty much afraid of everything. Afraid of the world. Afraid of speaking — really, really shy kid. Music was a way to speak, simple as that. That’s me telling the world about me when I can’t do it on my own — so music was the voice I didn’t have.”

Offered a $200 guitar by a member of his school’s jazz band, Hetfield said he “begged my mom, did chores, whatever I could” to get his hands on the instrument, which set him on a path of no return. Joining a cover band called Obsession, young Hetfield started studying guitarists; unsurprisingly, he found immediate inspiration in the music of Black Sabbath.

“Black Sabbath was the band that just totally lit me up,” said Hetfield. “So heavy, so moving. I sunk right into that. I could close my eyes and be in there. . . . Obviously, Tony Iommi is a big influence on most metal guitar players, and obviously the single-note riffs, they sounded fat. When you analyze the sound, it’s not really fat sounding — it has an edge that cuts.”

That cutting edge helped define Hetfield’s sound. “I wanted to play drums on guitar, pretty much,” he explained. “I wanted a really percussive sound — one that really reacts quickly and is punchy, but if you hang on a chord, it’s gonna fill the room.”

Of course, Hetfield left Obsession fairly quickly — as he put it, “I was on a quest, I wanted to get better” — and the rest is history. “Every day we wake up, there is that reminder, again, that dude, you get to do what you wanna do: create, and it’s sustaining your family,” he marveled. “The validation you get out there is unreal. It’s like a fantasy.”

Paul Rodgers Announces Spring Tour




Paul Rodgers has a new album out, and he’s ready to take it on the road.

The legendary singer’s work with Free and Bad Company is never far from the classic-rock radio airwaves, but for his latest project, Rodgers was interested in paying tribute to a different legacy — specifically, the one established by soul singers such as Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, Ann Peebles and Albert King. Recorded in the Memphis studio famous for helping establish many of their careers, ‘The Royal Sessions’ found Rodgers singing live with some of the same musicians who played on the original tracks.

“We kicked off with ‘That’s How Strong My Love Is,’ they found out this guy can sing, we looked at each other and it was plain sailing, so convivial,” Rodgers recalls in the March 2014 issue of Mojo. ”Mind you, I don’t want to overemphasize singing. It’s about the musicians.”

Rodgers, who has pledged to donate proceeds from the album to local Memphis music-education programs, will begin a series of dates on April 28 in New Jersey, concluding (for now) on May 31 in Nevada. Check out the complete list of dates below, and sample a track from ‘The Royal Sessions’ right here.

Paul Rodgers Spring 2014 Tour Dates
4/28 – Englewood, N.J.
4/29 – Englewood, N.J.
4/30 – New Brunswick, N.J.
5/09 – Lincoln City, Ore.
5/10 – Lincoln City, Ore.
5/16 – Shreveport, La.
5/17 – Winnie, Texas
5/29 – Snoqualmie, Wash.
5/31 – Las Vegas, Nev.



Seether Unveil Dates for Spring 2014 Headlining U.S. Tour With Black Stone Cherry + Skindred


After revealing the lineup for this year’s Rise Above Fest last week, Seether have unveiled more tour dates. Their Spring North American tour launches April 18 in Huntington, N.Y. Tickets go on sale Friday, Feb. 7 at this location.


The dates are a combination of headlining shows with Black Stone Cherry and Skindred along with festivals such as Welcome to Rockville, Carolina Rebellion and Rock on the Range.

About midway through the tour, on May 10, is Seether’s Rise Above Fest in Bangor, Maine. Avenged Sevenfold will be the headliners. Motorhead, Hellyeah, Trivium, Kyng,Devour the Day, Black Stone Cherry, Muckler’s Circle and Skindred will also be on the bill alongside Seether.

The festival’s name is taken from the Seether song “Rise Above This,” which frontman Shaun Morgan wrote as a message to his brother, who took his own life before he got a chance to hear it. That experience brought about the creation of Rise Above Fest, which will also raise money and awareness for SAVE (Suicide Awareness Voices of Education).

Seether released the compilation ‘Seether 2002-2013‘ last year. The two-disc set includes the band’s greatest hits along with newly recorded tracks, b-sides and rarities.

Seether Tour Dates

4/18 -– Huntington, N.Y. – The Paramount
4/22 –- Baton Rouge, La. -– Varsity Theatre
4/24 –- Mobile, Ala. -– Soul Kitchen
4/26 –- Ft. Meyers, Fla. –- Jet Blue Park/Fort Rock
4/27 –- Jacksonville, Fla. -– Metropolitan Park/Welcome to Rockville
4/29 –- Atlanta, Ga. –- The Masquerade
4/30 –- Birmingham, Ala. –- Iron City
5/2 –- Chattanooga, Tenn. -– Track 29
5/3 –- Concord, N.C. –- Charlotte Motor Speedway/Carolina Rebellion
5/6 –- Baltimore, Md. –- Ram’s Head Live
5/7 –- Stroudsburg, Pa. –- Sherman Theater
5/8 –- Clifton Park, N.Y. -– Upstate Concert Hall
5/10 -– Bangor, Maine –- Darlings Waterfront Pavilion/Rise Above Fest
5/11 –- Hartford, Ct. –- Webster Theater
5/13 –- Lancaster, Pa. –- Freedom Hall
5/14 –- Sayreville, N.J. -– Starland Ballroom
5/16 –- Columbus, Ohio –- Columbus Crew Stadium/Rock on the Range
5/17 –- Grand Rapids, Mich. -– The Orbit Room
5/18 –- Chicago, Ill. –- House of Blues
5/20 –- St. Paul, Minn. -– Myth
5/21 –- Sioux Falls, S.D. –- The District

Geoff Tate: Music Plans on Hold Until Queensryche Legal Battle Concludes

Liz

The legal battle between Geoff Tate and his former Queensryche bandmates has extended beyond a year, but the singer says that he hopes that everything will be decided upon shortly for everyone involved.

Tate told the Chicago Sun-Times, “Everything’s kind of been on hold while we finish up our court case and everything, which we hope we’ll finish up at the end of January. We’re just in the final stages of trying to work out settlements now.”

The band ousted Tate in 2012 in a contentious split, replacing him with new frontman Todd La Torre. Tate, meanwhile, formed his own version of Queensryche and a judge ruled that both bands were allowed to use the name until an official decision was rendered.

Tate says, “For me at least, the last year and a half has been quite a difficult time. I’m looking forward to it being settled and moving on.” The vocalist says not only has it been difficult on himself, the ongoing legal issues have also been hard on the band’s fans. He adds, though, “People have been very supportive, which is wonderful.”

Tate’s version of Queensryche has been playing shows, focusing on the band’s ‘Operation Mindcrime’ album and celebrating its 25th anniversary. The rocker says that after the recent January dates, everything would come to a halt until a decision was rendered, after which he’ll make a decision on his future plans.


Red Hot Chili Peppers Bassist Flea Responds to Super Bowl Controversy




Red Hot Chili Peppers just performed on one of the biggest stages in the world, playing the Super Bowl halftime show alongside Bruno Mars. But the performance has drawn some criticism as it was visibly noticeable that bassist Flea and guitarist Josh Klinghoffer were performing without their instruments plugged in.

Living Colour‘s Vernon Reid was among those who noticed that the band was not “plugged” while playing, but he was also quick to point out that this was likely not the band’s choice and was likely something required by the NFL to ensure the performance went off without any issues.

Late Tuesday (Feb. 4), Chili Peppers bassist Flea penned an open letter to fans explaining the Super Bowl performance situation. The letter reads as follows:


Dear everybody,
When we were asked by the NFL and Bruno to play our song Give It Away at the Super Bowl, it was made clear to us that the vocals would be live, but the bass, drums, and guitar would be pre-recorded. I understand the NFL’s stance on this, given they only have a few minutes to set up the stage, there a zillion things that could go wrong and ruin the sound for the folks watching in the stadium and the t.v. viewers. There was not any room for argument on this, the NFL does not want to risk their show being botched by bad sound, period.
The Red Hot Chili Peppers stance on any sort of miming has been that we will absolutely not do it. The last time we did it (or tried to) was in the late 80′s, we were thrown off of ‘The Top Of the Pops’ television program in the U.K. during rehearsals because we refused to mime properly, I played bass with my shoe, John played guitar atop Anthony’s shoulders, and we basically had a wrestling match onstage, making a mockery of the idea that it was a real live performance.
We mimed on one or two weird MTV shows before that and it always was a drag. We take our music playing seriously, it is a sacred thing for us, and anyone who has ever seen us in concert (like the night before the Super Bowl at the Barclays Center), knows that we play from our heart, we improvise spontaneously, take musical risks, and sweat blood at every show. We have been on the road for 31 years doing it.
So, when this Super Bowl gig concept came up, there was a lot of confusion amongst us as whether or not we should do it, but we eventually decided, it was a surreal-like, once in a life time crazy thing to do and we would just have fun and do it. We had given this a lot of thought before agreeing to do it, and besides many a long conversation amongst ourselves, I spoke with many musician friends for whom I have the utmost respect, and they all said they would do it if asked, that it was a wild trippy thing to do, what the hell. Plus, we the RHCP all love football too and that played a big part in our decision. We decided that, with Anthony singing live, that we could still bring the spirit and freedom of what we do into the performance, and of course we played every note in the recording specially for the gig. I met and spoke with Bruno, who was a beautiful dude, a real talented musician, and we worked out something that seemed like it would be fun.
We recorded a track for the day, just banged one out from our hearts that was very like in spirit to the versions we have been playing live the last few years with our beloved Josh on guitar.
For the actual performance, Josh, Chad, and I were playing along with the pre recorded track so there was no need to plug in our guitars, so we did not. Could we have plugged them in and avoided bumming people out who have expressed disappointment that the instrumental track was pre recorded? Of course easily we could have and this would be a non-issue. We thought it better to not pretend. It seemed like the realest thing to do in the circumstance. It was like making a music video in front of a gazillion people, except with live vocals, and only one chance to rock it. Our only thought was to bring the spirit of who we are to the people.
I am grateful to the NFL for having us. And I am grateful to Bruno, who is a super talented young man for inviting us to be a part of his gig. I would do it all the same way again.
We, as a band, aspire to grow as musicians and songwriters, and to continue to play our guts out live onstage for anyone who wants to get their brains blown out.
Sincerely,
Flea



Papa Roach Enter the Studio to Begin Work on New Album



Papa Roach just enjoyed one last full blast of sunlight, performing as part of the ShipRocked Cruise. Those memories will have to last for a while as the band immediately went from fun and sun to the intimate confines of a recording studio.

Papa Roach’s Jacoby Shaddix just checked in with an update for fans, revealing that, in fact, the band has returned to the studio to work on a new album. The group is currently holed up in a Las Vegas recording facility with producer Kevin Churko. The board-master’s credits include records with Ozzy Osbourne, Five Finger Death Punch, In This Moment and more.

Shaddix’s Facebook post on the beginning of their new album can be seen below:



Post by Papa Roach.


Papa Roach enter the recording sessions on a upswing after the success of their 2012 album, ‘The Connection.’ The disc yielded the hit singles, ‘Still Swingin’,’ ‘Where Did the Angels Go?,’ ‘Before I Die’ and ‘Leader of the Broken Hearts.’ Though production is just beginning on the new disc, a timeline for the new album delivery has not been announced.



Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Metallica’s James Hetfield: ‘Orion’ Festival Was a ‘Disaster Financially’ + ‘Not Able To Happen Again’




Even when you’re the most commercially successful metal band in history, financial issues can still set you back. In a new interview, Metallica frontman James Hetfield calls the band’s ‘Orion Music + More’ festival a “disaster financially.” Additionally, after back-to-back years of ‘Orion,’ Hetfield believes that because of money issues, the festival will not happen again.

In a creative sense, Metallica have been very successful in their larger-than-life endeavors. The ‘Orion’ festival and it’s many sideshows such as Hetfield’s car show, guitarist Kirk Hammett‘s horror crypt and drummer Lars Ulrich‘s film showcase, provided a unique experience, but ‘Orion’ lost money during its two-year history. The band’s 3D concert film ‘Metallica Through the Never’ was a box office bomb, drawing less than $3.5 million in North America after the band spent $18 million on its production.

“Right now, it seems like metal is struggling a little bit in the States,” Hetfield recently told 94.5 The Buzz. “Obviously, the Orion [Music + More] festival that we had tried to do the last couple of years has really not been… Gosh, it’s been a disaster financially, and it’s not able to happen again because of that. So it’s a bummer. So, you know, we’re doing what we can to keep being alive here. And I hope to get out and play in the States. It seems like forever since we’ve been out and about. You know, we’ve hit the coasts and we’ve done TV stuff and things like that. But it will happen again.”

Bottom line: Although ‘Orion’ may never see its third installment, Metallica will once again hit North America with a tour, and if handled properly on the business end, there’s no doubt that Metallica will make boatloads of money.