From FMQB:
Megadeth has set Endgame as the title of their twelfth studio album. The album is currently scheduled to be released in September through Roadrunner Records. It was recorded at the band’s brand new, self-built studio near San Diego, with both Andy Sneap and Mega-mastermind Dave Mustaine producing. Some track titles include “Headcrusher,” “1,320,” “How The Story Ends” and “This Day We Fight!”
“Thematically, I’ve never been known to be a silent bystander in a world that needs our participation,” says Mustaine of his new work. “As more is revealed about our former President’s legacy, a little-known yet staggeringly frightening document which was signed into law, named ‘Endgame,’ has been uncovered. The album Endgame is the most energetic music offering I have penned in over a decade and is far more believable than knowing someone signed ‘Endgame,’ the document, into law. The album is also the perfect ass- kicking music to listen to once you are done reading the aforementioned document!”
This will be the first Megadeth record to feature new lead guitarist Chris Broderick, who did some touring with the group in support of their last album, 2007’s United Abominations. The lineup now consists of Mustaine, Broderick, bassist James LoMenzo and drummer Shawn Drover.
From FMQB.com:
The Black Crowes have announced a unique double-album release for this fall, with the two records Before The Frost… and …Until The Freeze. Before The Frost… will go on sale September 1, but …Until The Freeze will be available for free through a download code included with Before The Frost… The Crowes say the free album is a “thank you” to their loyal fans.
The recording of the two albums was a fan-friendly process as well. The Crowes recorded the material over five nights at Levon Helm Studios in Woodstock, NY, with an intimate audience of their fans in the studio with the band.
Before The Frost… features 11 brand new Crowes songs, while …Until The Freeze features eight new tracks and a cover of Stephen Stills’ “So Many Times.” A limited edition vinyl release of both records will be out on September 1 as well.
Chris Robinson says of the unusual album concept, “I think we fulfilled a musical commitment to continue on the golden road of artistic independence. Approaching 20 years into our careers, we still are ambitious enough to push ourselves to create something unique that we have never done before.”
The Black Crowes will be on the road this summer touring extensively, starting with two nights at Hampton Beach, NH on June 18 and 19 with dates announced well into the fall.
Alice In Chains have been working on a new album that is set to be released in September of this year. The title of the new AiC disk will be “Black Gives Way to Blue”.
The actual release date for the new Alice In Chains album is September 29, 2009.
Drummer Sean Kinney said, “We’re in a good place. We’ve made a record that we’re really proud of, we’ve got a team in place that’s passionate about the music and we’re excited for the fans to hear the new songs.”
This summer, Alice in Chains will be playing a few shows in Europe with Kid Rock and Metallica, and later doing a few headlining shows. If you are lucky enough to catch these shows, send us pictures!
I know I’m looking forward to hearing some new music from AiC!
Weezer will be getting an online radio station.
Ever wonder what your favorite band listens to? Well, if your favorite band is Weezer, you will know shortly.
From Pitchfork:
What does Rivers Cuomo listen to at home? I’m guessing it’s all Kiss all day, but we’ll get a better idea next month when Weezer get their own online radio station.
According to Billboard, Clear Channel Radio and Frontline Management are starting something called a.p.e. (artist personal experience) radio, which will allow artists to produce their own 24-hour online radio stations. The stations will play songs chosen by the artists alongside interviews and commentary. The program will launch in July with Weezer, as well as stations from Christina Aguilera and the Eagles.
Here’s a shocking story from NME via Yahoo news:
courtesy of NME.com – Mon Jun 1, 6:00 am ET
Jimi Hendrix’s former roadie James ‘”Tappy” Wright has claimed that the late guitar legend was murdered by his manager, Michael Jeffrey.
In his new book Rock Roadie, Wright claims that Jeffrey told him he plied Hendrix with pills and alcohol in order to kill him and claim on the guitarist’s life insurance.
Hendrix died in September 1970. His body was found in a room at London’s Samarkand Hotel booked by Monika Dannemann, whom Hendrix had known for a matter of days.
Jeffrey allegedly made the confession to Wright in 1971, two years before he was killed in a plane crash.
Writing of the admission, Wright says: “I can still hear that conversation, see the man I’d known for so much of my life, his face pale, hand clutching at his glass in sudden rage.”
Jeffrey is quoted by Wright as telling him: “I was in London the night of Jimi’s death and together with some old friends.. we went ’round to Monika’s hotel room, got a handful of pills and stuffed them into his mouth…then poured a few bottles of red wine deep into his windpipe.”
The manager was allegedly worried that Hendrix was about to sack him. He had recently taken out a life insurance policy worth $2 million, with Jeffrey as beneficiary, reports Britain’s Mail On Sunday.
“I had to do it. Jimi was worth much more to me dead than alive,” Jeffrey is quoted as telling Wright. “That [expletive] was going to leave me. If I lost him, I’d lose everything.”
At the time of Hendrix’s death, a coroner recorded an open verdict, stating that the cause was “barbiturate intoxication and inhalation of vomit.”
Things that make you go…hmm…
The new supergroup Chickenfoot (which consistes of Michael Anthony, Sammy Hagar, Joe Satriani and Chad Smith) has announced the dates for part of their North American tour. Here’s the list of Chckenfoot tour dates so far:
Aug. 2 - Halifax, NS
Aug. 4 - Toronto, ONT
Aug. 5 - Pittsburgh, PA
Aug. 7 - Chicago, IL
Aug. 8 - Detroit, MI
Aug. 10 - St. Paul, MN
Aug. 11 - Kansas City, MO
Aug. 13 - Comstock Park, MI
Aug. 15 - Cleveland, OH
Aug. 17 - New York, NY
Aug. 18 - Albany, NY
Aug. 20 - Uncasville, CT
Aug. 21 - Atlantic City, NJ
Aug. 23 - Hampton Beach, NH
Aug. 24 - Boston, MA
Aug. 26 - Portsmouth, VA
Aug. 27 - Charlotte, NC
Aug. 29 - N. Myrtle Beach, SC
Aug. 30 - Atlanta, GA
Sept. 5 - Lake Tahoe, NV
From Canada like a cool blast come two new electric guitars with some refreshingly independent features and approaches to construction.
Godin’s Radiator is a simple yet different take on what a budget instrument can offer, particularly in the looks department. In addition to that bigger-than-yours pearloid pickguard, there are pearloid-buttoned enclosed tuners and pearl-capped Tele-style chrome knurled knobs. The colorful “Tele-meets-Les Paul Junior” body is so immaculately finished that it seems a shame to hide it beneath a sheet of plastic.
A look underneath the pickguard, though, will show one of the Radiator’s real surprises. Most of the maple body has been routed away to create a tone cavity for lighter weight and a more acoustic response. The pickups and electronics all mount on the pickguard; only the bridge and neck mount onto the body. The result is a distinctively snappy, yet full, unplugged sound.
Playing the Radiator is a pleasure. The maple bolt-on neck’s oval contour and satin finish is complimented by 24 neatly finished medium frets on a 12-inch radius rosewood fretboard, creating a feel that is friendly to almost any playing style. The pickups are a single-coil design regulated by two independent volumes and a master tone control. Their amplified output is pleasant and uncolored in low-gain settings, but higher gain and volume reveals a faulty desire for microphonic feedback. Keep the Radiator reigned in as a rhythm instrument or in mildly gritty blues territory and you won’t be disappointed.
Fury Guitars have kept an undeservedly low profile since their founding in 1962. Although the body design might strike some as “Sixties budget import,” there is nothing second-rate about these guitars. Our review model, a BBM 2V came in a flawless metallic charcoal gray finish with chrome hardware, two humbucking pickups and an optional vibrato bridge. Other choices include 18 different standard colors, gold hardware, a three-pickup configuration and matching color headstock. Apart from the Schaller tuners and the electronic components, all Fury parts are made at their own factory—that includes the pickups, vibrato bridge, knobs and, of course, neck and body.
And they do a furiously fine job of putting it all together. In addition to the enclosed Schaller tuners, the minimalist headstock is mounted with a large string guide and a uniquely designed “Uninut” that functions as a kind of zero fret plus nut. The maple neck features a 25.064-inch scale length with a gloss finish and a nicely rounded shoulder. The 22 jumbo frets are mounted on a 9-inch radius on the pao ferro fretboard. The frets are well crowned and polished, and what appears to be overcut fret slots are in fact intentional, and improve the neck’s stability over time.
The vibrato bridge has been re-thought from the ground up and features a non-locking design resting on a neoprene stop block to prevent the guitar from detuning when a string breaks. Additionally, the springs and leverage are set to eliminate detuning when strings are intentionally bent. In short, you could pop a string in the middle of a song and still play your favorite double-bends and whammy drops. Very impressive, Fury!
The Fury’s “Zero Pole” pickups are likewise built from the ground up and offer equally impressive results. Their hollow pole pieces create a less imposing magnetic field for the vibrating string, and this, combined with construction that secures every component at every point, results in a humbucking pickup with a delightful high-end sheen. This added definition can be heard in both clean and distorted settings as a subtle increase in pick attack and upper harmonic content. Add the dual coil-selector switches and extremely responsive tone control to this formula and you have an axe capable of colors from bright to funky to fat. By the way, you can crank this baby loud enough to be heard by the border police, and the only squeal you’ll hear will be one of delight.
Godin’s Radiator has enough good looks and quality construction to be a smart choice for the player on a budget or on the lookout for a second or third instrument. Even with a pickup swap, it’s a good bang-per-buck axe. Fury’s BBM is a major contender for any major player who isn’t glued to the clone-of-a-clone design paradigm that most mid-priced models offer. Go to Godin’s Guitar Website to see more of what they have to offer.
From FMQB:
Even seasoned musicians like Sammy Hagar, Michael Anthony, Joe Satriani and Chad Smith crave new challenges once in a while, and that is exactly what their supergroup - Chickenfoot - provides for them. Obviously Hagar has been successful for the last 13 years with his post-Van Halen band The Waboritas, Satriani has had a long and well-respected solo career, and Smith is doing just fine with the Red Hot Chili Peppers. But sometimes, Hagar says, you need to mix things up.
“I just got to a point where I felt I needed to grow,” Hagar told Billboard.com. “I was feeling stuck and stagnant. And the whole party thing I created, I just got tired of doing that. You need to eat and feed yourself in order to grow and the best way to do it for me is to start new projects, and I don’t want to call this band a project because we’re a band. It’s just getting together with other people for new input that stimulates and inspires you to become better. That’s all there is to it.”
Hagar added that, “I don’t think I could have written a record this good by myself in 100 years. And by getting together with Joe, I think we wrote some amazing songs. It’s funny, he’s in the same place as me. He’s tired of being a solo artist. We’re all on the same page so much in this band that it’s scary. And we want to take this thing worldwide. We need to take this to everyone who loves this kind of music. I really think it’s Montrose, Van Halen and the thing Chad brings is a deep pocket. He plays this groove that is kind of Zeppelin-esque. We’re really coming from everywhere.”
Welcome to the new MJHQ. As you can see, we have TONS of work to do in order to recover this site to the coolness that it was before.
Hope you stick around to find out more music news!
Oddly enough, this time it’s the members of Black Sabbath suing Tony Iommi, claiming that the use of the name of the band shouldn’t be exclusively his.
According to frontman Ozzy Osbourne, “As of the mid-1990s, after constant and numerous changes in band members, the brand of ‘Black Sabbath’ was literally in the toilet and Tony Iommi (touring under the name Black Sabbath) was reduced to performing in clubs. Since 1997 when Geezer, Bill and myself rejoined the band, Black Sabbath has returned to its former glory as we headlined sold-out arenas and amphitheatres playing to upwards of 50,000 people at each show around the world. We worked collectively to restore credibility and bring dignity back to the name ‘Black Sabbath’ which lead to the band being inducted into the U.K. and U.S. Rock & Roll Hall of Fames in 2005 and 2006, respectively. Throughout the last 12 years, it was my management representatives who oversaw the marketing and quality control of the ‘Black Sabbath’ brand through Ozzfest, touring, merchandising and album reissues. The name ‘Black Sabbath’ now has a worldwide prestige and merchandising value that it would not have had by continuing on the road it was on prior to the 1997 reunion tour.”
