Have a 40 minute conversation with Serj Tankian of System of a Down yesterday. We were lamenting over the state of the rock music business. It ain’t pretty out there, but the cream always rises to the top, ya know? We need to continue to raise our flags high and support the music we love. I found it interesting that before he became a musician, Serj invented software to help his uncle’s jewelry business. The program was so successful, he was able to sell it to get enough money to start his music career. So kids, make sure to get a good college eductation! You can always be a musician! Listen for Serj as our Featured Artist of the Week soon!…..CInco De Mayo this weekend. Lots of hangovers in the making…..Slipknot will enter the studio in early 2013 to record the follow-up to its 2008 effort, All Hope Is Gone, according to band DJ Sid Wilson. Wilson told NME that Slipknot will get to work as soon as singer Corey Taylor and guitarist Jim Root finish touring with Stone Sour, whose new album is due this October. Wilson explained, “We’ve got Mayhem Festival this summer and, after we break for winter and Stone Sour are done with their tour, we’ll be back in the kitchen with Slipknot. Actually before Stone Sour finish touring we’ll be in the studio preparing for Corey’s return, keeping the irons hot.” We will have Sidney in the hardDrive studios for a chat with Lou Brutus on Wednesday next week! Looking forward to seeing this terrifically talented, albeit mishap-prone, dude….On May 21st, Slash returns to the hardDrive studios (he can’t get enough of me I guess) to talk to radio stations around the country about his new “Apocalyptic Love” featuring Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators. The record is solid and really great. Myles is amazing. Such a great team these guys! Meanwhile, on Slash’s new tour, he’s teamed up with Guitar Center to give 20 unsigned bands the chance to open for the legendary guitarist on an upcoming tour. As part of Guitar Center’s “On Stage” program, each of the groups will be personally selected by Slash to perform at a stop on the trek closest to their hometown. One of the acts will be selected at the end of the tour as the grand prize winner, which entitles them to take home $10,000 in guitars from Gibson and Epiphone, a $5,000 shopping spree at Guitar Center and more. Pretty cool!…..Oh man! I will definitely dive into this story when I see Korn’s Jonathan Davis and Munky on Tuesday out in Long Island. Loudwire reports JD was incensed during the Welcome to Rockville festival gig last Sunday (April 29th) in Jacksonville, FL when he noticed a sign at the side of the stage that said, “no cussing.” He proceeded to tear up the sign, which was meant for the artists performing at the show, and later posted on Twitter, “Walked on stage tonight in Jacksonville FL. They had ‘NO CUSSING’ signs on the monitors. WTF!!!!!!!! Thought we lived in the USA MOTHERF***ERS . . . F*** them, I added even more ‘cussing’ to the set.” That’s my Jonny! LOL….Rumors are flying around that Rob Zombie/Marilyn Manson tour could be in the works. That would be freakin’ awesome if you ask me, although I wanna say I thought they HAD done a co-headlining tour before, but maybe I am confusing it with Slayer. Anyhow, I’d buy a ticket for that show! And then there’s the 6 degrees of separation with John 5 and Ginger Fish (both former players of Manson’s are now in Zombie’s band.) Speaking of former Zombie members, Blasko was in the hardDrive studios the other day with Zakk Wylde (he’s promoting a book). Blasko works with the management team involved with Zakk. You may not know this, but Blasko manages Black Veil Brides…See new tour dates for Bush in Road Rage….Flyleaf will hold a benefit concert on May 20th at the Palladium Ballroom in Dallas in honor of their late, longtime soundman Rich Caldwell, who was killed recently in a car accident near his home. The band is doing the show to raise money for Caldwell’s wife and two-year-old son. Flyleaf singer Lacey Sturm said, “Rich was our brother. His life and love have forever changed the world for the better. From the first showcase we played, every heart we touched with Flyleaf’s music was as much Rich’s victory as it was any band member’s. There is not one person behind the scenes, or on stage, who deserves to be honored more than Rich Caldwell.” (Say a prayer for Rich’s family.)….Celebrating birthdays: Today: Dick Dale (“The King of the Surf Guitar”!) is 75! Since 1996, we’ve been playing his music in Dirt on hardDrive and hardDrive XL!) Happy 61st to Mick Mars of Motley Crue and Happy 41 to Mike Dirnt of Green Day! On Cinco De Mayo, these guys will be getting extra drunk: Bill Ward of Black Sabbath turns 64! And Michael Palin of Monty Python will be 69. And Sunday, Chris “Shifty” Shiflett of Foo Fighters‘ fame turns 41. Have a great weekend!
