The audacity to profess your true self is a virtue. Moreover, the transparency to outwardly proclaim a significant shift in the sentiment you once held so sacred is both courageous and compelling.
Underøath release Erase Me, their sixth studio album and first since 2010, via Fearless Records on April 6.
The confirmation of what is one of rock music’s most anticipated and speculated about reunions arrives with Underøath’s first new song in nearly a decade, “On My Teeth”.
“We’ve had success and we’ve come through a lot of waters,” explains drummer/vocalist Aaron Gillespie. “There’s been 11,000 things we’ve been through so you would think, almost rhetorically, ‘What do you need now?’ All of us are finally in that place in our lives where the only thing we care about is inclusion for everybody—for the world. For me, exclusion is the scariest thing in the world. And I think Underoath coming back now with a new record—which none of us thought was possible—we want people to know that this is your music and you can feel however the fuck you want about it. I just want to prove that we are doing everything in the most honest way we ever have. This is the healthiest we’ve ever been as a group of people, as musicians, and in our worldview.”
Gillespie’s quote touches on the narratives behind the 11-song release: addressing the dire circumstances that led to the demise of the band, the ability to, now, be true to themselves and with their listeners as well as the individual band members disenchantment with religion.
“We took a step away and then we realized that we are a family,” adds singer Spencer Chamberlain. “We do miss it and we miss each other. We made the decision to never play again as Underoath and then we let that sit a couple of years. Band members rebuilt themselves and their friendships–and then we rebuilt the band.”
Erase Me was written and recorded over the summer of 2017 with producer Matt Squire (Panic! At The Disco, 3OH!3) and mixed by Ken Andrews (Failure, Jimmy Eat World).
Described by Dolores O’Riordan as a “killer” cover version, Bad Wolves’ “Zombie” Cover Continues To Dominate Globally
Since Its Release Four Weeks Ago:
#1 iTunes Rock Single #1 iTunes Metal Single 3 Million Streams #3 Shazam Searched Track Top-20 at Active Rock #1 Position On Spotify’s Rock Hard Playlist
Bad Wolves Donating Proceeds To O’Riordan’s Three Children
New Dates Announced with Five Finger Death Punch & Shinedown
“Bad Wolves’ interpretation of “Zombie” is moody like the Cranberries’, though the instrumentation sounds clearer and more cutting.” – Rolling Stone
Bad Wolves’ cover of The Cranberries’ intergenerational hit single “Zombie” continues to dominate rock and metal charts around the globe, with all proceeds from track donated to lead singer Dolores O’Riordan’s three children.
Today, the band reveals the official “Zombie” music video, directed by Wayne Isham[Avenged Sevenfold, Megadeth, Motley Crue]. It’s a powerful testament to the Cranberries’ singer, who was set to record with the band on the day of her tragic passing. The new video features an unreachable woman fully-realized in O’Riordan’s iconic gold from the original “Zombie” video. Throughout the clip, she and frontman Tommy Vext try to touch each other but cannot. She leaves golden handprints with each attempt to touch.
In an exclusive statement, O’Riordan’s UK Publicist Lindsey Holmes, provided further insight into what the Irish singer thought of Bad Wolves’ version of the track: “Dolores was excited about plans to guest vocal on a cover version of her all time classic “Zombie” by American rock band Bad Wolves. Although very different in style to the original, Dolores said she thought that the cover “was killer” and she was intrigued by the simple but effective couple of lyric changes that make the cover version as relevant to current world events as the original was to the events that inspired her to write the song in the early nineties.”
“For me Dolores was the strongest female voice in Rock for the past three decades,”explains Dan Waite, Managing Director Europe for Eleven Seven Label Group and the artist’s personal friend. “I have very bittersweet feelings about the last two voice messages Dolores left me on the day she passed about recording ‘Zombie’ with Bad Wolves. She was telling me Bad Wolves version was “awesome” and she could not wait to get into the studio, however ultimately her voicemails have brought comfort to her Mother Eileen and her family as they heard her messages joking and talking passionately about music, her children, and future plans.
Her plans were cut short far too soon but the relevance of “Zombie” and the legacy of her music continues to span generations. Bad Wolves’ Tommy Vext explains what compelled him to cover the song; “Her lyrics, confronting the collateral damage of political unrest, capture the same sentiment we wanted to express a quarter-century later. That is a testament to the kind of enduring artist Dolores was, and will remain forever.”
Originally released in 1994 following the IRA bombing of Warrington, The Cranberries’ “Zombie” hit #1 across the globe, including on the Billboard Alternative Songs charts. The song returned to the top ten on the US Rock Charts shortly after news of her passing was announced. That same week Bad Wolves released their version of “Zombie” in her honor. In just four weeks, the cover has garnered over 3 Million combined streams (across YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Music) and continues to climb the charts. Bad Wolves “Zombie” is currently Top-20 at U.S. Rock Radio and sits atop rock and metal iTunes charts around the world.
Bad Wolves have also announced upcoming U.S. dates with Five Finger Death Punch and Shinedown.
Sun May 6 – Bridgestone Arena – Nashville, TN
Tues May 8 – Rupp Arena – Lexington, KY
Thurs May 10 – BOK Center – Tulsa, OK
Fri May 11 – Westfair Amphitheatre – Council Bluffs, IA
Sat May 12 – Eagles Ballroom – Milwaukee, WI *
Mon May 14 – Salem Civic Center – Salem, VA
Wed May 16 – Legacy Arena – Birmingham, AL
Thurs May 17 – Ford Center- Evansville, IN
Fri May 18 – Mark of the Quad – Moline, IL
Sun May 20 – Alerus Center – Grand Forks, ND
Wed May 30 – Casper Events Center – Casper, WY *
* FFDP and Bad Wolves Only
Visionary sci-fi rock band STARSET recently unveiled their Augmented reality app while on their current headline tour across the US and Canada. The new mixed reality app developed by the firm Juniper Jones includes space inspired visuals that fans can access using the app throughout the interactive live show. The unique experience features live music synced to the AR content as well as a pre-show countdown clock.
STARSET have one of the more unique stage shows with lead vocalist and engineer Dustin Bates designing much of the automated show technology elements himself. The band’s performances follow a space-themed narrative that center on science and technology and its potential affects on society now and in the future.
Kevin Robinson, Juniper Jones CEO explains the collaboration, “Working with Dustin and the band on creating an AR experience around STARSET’s current tour was an interesting challenge from both a storytelling and technical POV. Creatively, how can we start an experience that excites the audience prior to Starset performing the first set, and how is it structured so that over time we can continue to expand into a larger narrative?”
Live concert venues are generally not ideal for out of box AR experiences. Robinson explains, “Typically you have a ground plane / environment to track but at a concert, there is no ground! Only a sea of excited fans. We came up with an alternate solution that pre-calculated the ground plane, used the phones internal Gyro, thus gamifying a manual location marker. It’s like a virtual concert beach ball, and depending on where you are in the venue when the ball / spaceship reaches you, it’s your turn to engage. It’s that same idea, but with jet propulsion blasters.”
STARSET is currently on tour performing music from their latest album Vessels, which debuted at #11 on Billboard’s Top 200 Chart last year. The band and Bates also collaborated with Marvel Comics to release a STARSET themed graphic comic book last Fall. STARSET recently reached a massive milestone by surpassing 1 Billion views on YouTube, which is in the same league as bands such as: Foo Fighters, Muse, Bring Me the Horizon and AWOLNATION.
The band’s 2014 debut Transmissions, not only introduced us to STARSET with its hit single “My Demons”, but also The Starset Society, which they are a part of. The thought provoking, anonymous-like group of real-world rooted scientists promotes and publicizes science and technology.
Starset is: vocalist Dustin Bates, bassist Ron DeChant, guitarist Brock Richards and drummer Adam Gilbert.
Their current single “Ricochet” can be heard here:
DEMONSTRATIONS
February 21 – Lawrence KS – Granada Theatre
February 23 – Denver, CO – Summit Music Hall
February 24 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Complex
February 26 – Portland, OR – Hawthorne Theatre
February 27 – Vancouver, BC – Rickshaw Theatre
February 28 – Seattle, WA – El Corazon
March 2- Sacramento, CA – Ace of Spades
March 3 – Berkeley, CA – UC Theatre
March 4 – San Diego, CA – SOMA
March 6, Los Angeles, CA – The Regent
March 7 – Phoenix, AZ – Marquee
March 9 – Oklahoma City, OK – Diamond Ballroom
March 10 – Dallas, TX – Canton Hall
March 11 – Houston, TX – White Oak
March 13 – Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade [Heaven]
March 15 – Nashville, TN – Top Golf Live
March 16 – Columbus, OH – Express Live
March 21 – Manchester, UK- Academy 3
March 23- London, UK – Islington Academy
March 24 – Birmingham, UK -O2 Institute –
March 25 – Bristol, UK – Fleece
March 27- Cologne, Germany – Luxor
March 28 – Hamburg, Germany – Logo
March 29 – Berlin, Germany – Musik & Frieden
March 31 – Vienna, Austria – Chelsea
April 1 – Milan, It – Legend Club
April 2 – Zurich, Switzerland – Werk 21
April 4 – Paris, Fr – Les Etoiles
April 5 – Utrecht, Nl – De Helling
April 8- Moscow, Ru – Red Club
April 9 – St Petersburg, Ru – Aurora Concert Hall
April 11 – Minsk, Belarus – Prime Hall
April 12 – Kiev, Ukraine – Club Atlas
Apr 17 – Corpus Christi, TX- Concrete Street Amphitheater
Apr 18- Baton Rouge, LA- Raising Cane’s River Center Arena
Apr 20- Tampa, Fl -Wxtb 98rockfest Amalie Arena
Apr 21 – Orlando, FL-Wjrr Earthday Birthday Central Florida Fairgrounds
Apr 22 – Charleston, SC – Wybb 98rockfest Exchange Park
Canadian punk, power-trio, The Allovers, have joined Anxious & Angry Records to release their debut album, Yer Guises, on May 18th.
“We are stoked to have Ryan Young and the rest of the Anxious and Angry crew behind us for our debut release. Their dedication to the punk community is unwavering and we have nothing but respect for what they’re doing. We look forward to a busy 2018 and are thankful to have them help us get our music out to as many people as possible.” – The Allovers
Formed in 2011, the Edmonton/Calgary hybrid, made up of guitarist Matt Pahl, bassist Paul Arnusch (The Wet Secrets, Faunts, The Whitsundays) and drummer Garrett Kruger (Fire Next Time), has a way of combining genres that’s unique to them, all the while writing songs that either make you think twice or not think at all.
With titles like “Dog Team Cooperation,” “Hitchcock Twist,” and “Rinkydink” (a song written from the perspective of a breaking down lawnmower as a comment on the cheapening of the modern world), Allovers have levels that belie their lighthearted exterior. With punk structures reminiscent of The Ramones, melodies and harmonies cut from the same jib as Burt Bacharach or The Everly Brothers and sonic textures entering similar territory as Thurston Moore, The Allovers are guaranteed to hook you, move you, then keep you singing along for years to come.
Nashville has become a surging city in terms of rock bands and The Dead Deads are a group who have been proving themselves on the road. Combining several sub-genre styles from punk to garage rock to..um…space rock(?), the band has a presence on stage and knows how to captivate a crowd with the music. At The Rave in Milwaukee the crowd took to The Dead Deads almost instantly, even though this was only the band’s second time in the city. From the sounds of it, they should come back because the cheese-heads loved them.
Click on any photo below to open the gallery and scroll below the photos to watch the music video for their song “Nothing Will Be Fine”.
BLACK LABEL SOCIETY DEBUTS “A LOVE UNREAL” MUSIC VIDEO
BLACK LABEL SOCIETY, led by American guitar icon Zakk Wylde, has released another brand new music video for the single “A Love Unreal” from their latest LP, Grimmest Hits. The video was directed by long-time collaborating director Justin Reich.
Black Label Society recently soared into the charts with their new LP via Entertainment One, Grimmest Hits. The LP landed at #4 on the Billboard Current Charts, the highest charting LP since Order Of The Back released back in 2009. Grimmest Hits reached #1 on the Billboard Hard Music, #1 Independent, and #2 Rock Charts.
Black Label Society is in the middle of a hefty batch of North American tour dates spanning coast to coast in support of the all-new LP. Support is supplied by legends CORROSION OF CONFORMITY on all dates. Select tour dates are seeing support from EYEHATEGOD and RED FANG.
Black Label Society released their tenth full length titled Grimmest Hits, on January 19, 2018. The new effort is the highly anticipated follow up to Billboard Top 5 charting titles Catacombs of the Black Vatican (2014) and Order of the Black (2010). In-between then and now, Zakk Wylde released Book of Shadows II, the long awaited follow up from his 1996 solo debut of the same name, which debuted at #18 on the Billboard Top 200 Chart.
Wylde, now reunited with Ozzy Osbourne after an eight-year break, has played a handful of dates with whom he refers to as “the boss,” with no signs of slowing down. The reunion kicked off over the summer with a highlighted performance at CHICAGO OPEN AIR with high profile festivals like LOUDER THAN LIFE and OZZFEST MEETS KNOTFEST on deck to close out the year.
Wylde will stay on the road beyond the Black Label Society dates in 2018 reunited with “the boss” on the “No More Tours 2.” The two-year stretch will take place this spring with dates in Mexico, South America and Europe. The tour’s first U.S. leg, which will feature Stone Sour as the opening group, starts in Allentown, Pennsylvania in August and wraps in Las Vegas in October. Tickets for the North American dates are on sale now.
One part invading horde and all parts traveling carnival party, Black Label Society traverses the world powered by caffeine and cacophony. BLS engages and inspires audiences everywhere they go, on every radio dial they burn, inviting all comers to join in and participate in their brotherhood and sisterhood of hard rock and vigor.
Now ten studio albums deep, with solo records, Ozzy shows, and Zakk Sabbath tours all kicking ass simultaneously, Black Label Society rides ever forward, fist held high.
“I swear, that’s never happened before.” -Corey Taylor
That’s what the voice of Stone Sour said after his confetti gun failed to discharge properly. While it was snowing and windy outside in downtown Milwaukee it was hot in The Rave where Stone Sour had finally returned to after almost four years.
This was my first time to Milwaukee and I can honestly say that both the crowd and venue were perfect for a band to come play for. The audio sounded clear throughout the ballroom and the crowd was responsive to everything. On an Instagram post the next morning, Corey said that the band WOULD be back. I can understand why.
US Tour Currently On-Sale Now And All Ticket Info And Dates Can Be Found At:www.MylesKennedy.com
As anticipation continues to build for Myles Kennedy’s debut solo album, Year Of The Tiger, another lyric video is released worldwide. The video for the 3rd track, “Devil On The Wall,” can be seen here: https://youtu.be/WKmFW0NiWkI.
The song comes from the album available worldwide on March 9th via Napalm Records. Fans that pre-order (http://smarturl.it/MK-YearOfTheTiger) the download of Year Of The Tiger through a digital retailer will receive an instant download of the song as well as the first single “Year Of The Tiger” and recently released “Haunted By Design.” The album is also currently available for pre-order in various bundle configurations at:http://smarturl.it/YearOfTheTiger-NPR and www.MylesKennedy.com.
Myles Kennedy recently announced a US tour in support of the upcoming solo album. The US run comes on the heels of the recently announced European tour that sold out in 32 minutes. The 15-date US tour kicks off on May 2nd in Spokane, WA and runs through May 25th where it wraps up in West Dundee, IL. The tour will make stops in major markets including San Francisco, CA (May 5th), Dallas, TX (May 9th) and New York, NY (May 22nd) among others. All tour information including ticket links can be found at www.MylesKennedy.com.
On Year Of The Tiger, Myles embarks on his first venture as a solo artist by embracing musical elements and influences he hasn’t explored until this point in his career.Kennedy himself plays banjo, lap steel, bass, and mandolin in addition to guitar throughout the album. The emotional journey and personal story of Myles is captured in a bluesy-americana album with a twist of country and rock, swirling and flowing around this incredible soulful voice the world has come to know. As MetalSucks.com recently raved: “Kennedy is the Robert Plant of our times.”
Myles Kennedy burst on the music scene in 1990, but it wasn¹t until 1995, through his band The Mayfield Four, that he gained some notoriety. It was when the Mayfield Four toured opening for hitmakers Creed that Myles Kennedy would meet Mark Tremonti, Brian Marshall and Scott Phillips. This meeting would eventually lead to the formation of Alter Bridge, the band that would become Myles¹ calling card to the world. The band released their debut album One Day Remains that would end up being certified Gold by the RIAA and the band would go on to sell millions of records worldwide over the course of 5 studio albums with the band. In 2008, the legacy of Myles Kennedy was circling the music industry and eventually found its way to members of Led Zeppelin. A now legendary story, Myles was asked to jam with Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and Jason Bonham for a potential project that never materialized. In 2009, Guns N¹ Roses guitarist Slash was working on a solo project and tapped Myles Kennedy to do vocals on 2 songs on that release. That partnership would lead to Myles becoming the vocalist for his other rock band, Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators. They have released 2 albums under that moniker. This relationship would also lead to Myles Kennedy singing for the iconic Guns N¹ Roses at their Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame induction in 2012 after band founder Axl Rose was unable to attend. Through Myles’ various projects, he has appeared on The Tonight Show; Jimmy Kimmel Live; Conan; has had music used by the WWE, Major League Baseball and NASCAR to name a few; and appeared in the motion picture Rock Star. 2018 will mark a new chapter in Myles¹ career as he will be releasing his long-awaited debut solo album Year Of The Tiger. The album is a whole new direction for Myles creatively and showcases the talent that has made him one of the premiere frontmen in modern music today.
‘Machine‘ is the first single from SKINDRED’s upcoming album entitled “Big Tings” – out on April 27th 2018 via Napalm Records.
The band has already released a first album appetizer in the form of a teaser for the track “Machine”. Now it’s time to unleash the full music video which features actor and stunt man Neil Chapelhow best known for his work in new films Wonder Woman, Fantastic Beasts and where to find them, The Commuter, King Arthur and many more.
The band states: “When we were told we were doing a video with the stunt team thats be behind the marvel films, James Bond and the Bourne films we knew we were in for a good time on the shoot! Throw in Gary from Reef and one of our fav bars in London (Big Red) and you have the ingredients for a really fun video! The idea is don’t judge a book by its cover. Skindred is inclusive. Not Exclusive. So when someone in a rock bar is being teased by some “rockers” for not being the same as them, he hits back! In a big way!”
“Machine” has already been used as both the intro and outro theme to ACDC frontman Brian Johnson’s TV show ‘Cars that Rock’ Worldwide and features Reef frontman Gary Stringer lining up alongside the band’s own Benji Webbe on co-vocals and if that is not enough the single also features Motorhead/Bastard Sons guitarist Phil Campbell taking the honours on the guitar solo too!
Meanwhile SKINDRED shot some exclusive behind the scenes Studio footage while recording their new album “Big Tings” at Peter Gabriels Real World studio in the village of Box, near Bath. View the band’s album teaser HERE!
Keep your eyes and ears open for many more info and details to be unveiled soon!
