Hello all. I friended M Shadows of Avenged Sevenfold on Facebook today. I am bummed I am going to miss all their area shows next week as I will be in Palm Springs at the Sunset Sessions convention where I will see a whole bunch of new bands and sit in on some panels about rock radio and what we do. I am excited about seeing some of our pals perform there like P.O.D., Taproot, Art of Dying, and then get to see some new bands like Dead Sara, Beware of Darkness, Hydro da Hero, among others. Serj Tankian will have an album listening party for his “Harakiri” album, Everclear’s Art Alexakis and Billy Corgan of The Smashing Pumpkins will be on panels as well. (BTW: Billy just did an interview for us and we’ll be premiering some of it very soon!) Plus it’s at this swanky old Palm Springs resort, so I will love it! And it’s that dry heat! LOL Anyhow, at least I get to escape the gray gloominess of this New York springtime! And I am also going to miss Metallica at their Orion Music+ More Festival in Atlantic City. Oh well, I can’t be in two places at once, at least in this life…..Stone Sour’s Corey Taylor has revealed the name of the forthcoming concept double disc set to be released in two parts will be House of Gold and Bones. At last weekend’s Download Festival, he acoustically performed a new song called “Taciturn.” The first album should be out in October, with the second disc release date TBA. Lou Brutus will be on the hotLine with Corey next week and Jim Root tomorrow night for airings on upcoming shows, so stay tuned! Meanwhile, Corey accepted the Metal Hammer Golden Gods Award for best festival performance at Download for Slipknot back in 2009. Watching him accept it, he was overwhelmed. Aw Taylor, you’re such a softie! .And the dude from Metal Hammer who presented him with the award, he looked like Peter Steele at first when he stepped out on stage! Man, that’s one huge dude! And congrats to Mastodon for winning the Metal Hammer Award for Best Metal Album of the Year for The Hunter! Right on!….Tomorrow, I will have Jacoby Shaddix on the hotLine to talk about what Papa Roach is up to in the studio. Can’t wait to catch up with him!…..Yesterday I was chatting with the promoter of the Rockstar Mayhem, Uproar and 48 Hours Festival. We are brainstorming to come up with some super ideas for a special hardDriveRadio contest for you, but we want your help. What do you think would be an amazing thing to do if you won a trip to one of the stops on the Uproar Tour? Come on, send me some suggestions! Something that would make your day or even your life! The line up is great and we love all the bands. So come on, drop me an email with some ideas via the INTERACT link on the home page. Who knows, there could be something in it for YOU…..Check out one of the new bands on the Uproar bill, Mindset Evolution, over on YouTube. They won the Battle of Bands to appear on Uproar this summer. They’re out of Peoria, IL and they have a song called “Relevant” which rocks. Seem like a bunch of nice dudes too…..Charm City Devils have signed a contract with EOne and will release their Sins album Jul 31. They are also dropping a new single called “Doorstep” soon….Seether have added Young Guns on their Triple Threat Tour through Oct 3 and my buds in Eye Empire starting Oct 5 through the end of the tour. Very cool!….Just got this press release from Linkin Park that I wanted to share in it’s entirety because it is pretty awesome:
Today Linkin Park announced their participation in Rio+Social on June 19th, a global conversation being organized by the United Nations Foundation, Mashable, 92nd Street Y, Ericsson, Energias de Portugal (EDP) and LiveAD that will explore the intersection of social media, technology and sustainable development. Linkin Park’s session during Rio+Social is in support of U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s Sustainable Energy for All initiative, with the entire event lending a voice to the world on the eve of Rio+20, the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development. Band members will join Rio+Social from Los Angeles to engage in a dynamic discussion about the power of music, gaming and social media to address some of the world’s most pressing sustainability challenges. The group will also give a special performance, dedicated to their ‘Power the World’ movement, which will include new material from their forthcoming album ‘LIVING THINGS’. The Linkin Park portion of Rio+Social will be live-streamed, presented by Honda Civic Tour, powered by VSee, and available at The Warner Sound, Warner Music Group’s original YouTube channel that offers an eclectic mix of specially-produced programs. People around the world will be able to watch the entire Rio+Social event and join the conversation at www.rioplussocial.com starting at 9:30am BRT, with Linkin Park live from 5:30pm BRT. “We believe today’s youth are global citizens and are better connected and informed than any previous generation.” said Linkin Park bassist, Dave “Phoenix” Farrell , “Rio+Social is an historic opportunity allowing youth to participate in the global discussion about critical issues like sustainability in a way that has not been possible before.” At the end of last year, in support of Sustainable Energy for All, Linkin Park launched Power the World, a movement to provide energy access to 1 million families in 2012 through the band’s non-profit organization Music for Relief. Linkin Park is urging people to sign a pledge supporting sustainable energy for all, while helping to raise critical public awareness and funds. To sign the pledge, go to powertheworld.org. Since November 2011 – after the U.N. Secretary-General asked Linkin Park to join his initiative, due to their humanitarian efforts in the aftermath of the Haitian earthquake – the band has engaged in a solar light distribution program in Haiti and has recently partnered with We Care Solar to secure solar lighting systems for health clinics in Uganda. Throughout the Honda Civic Tour this summer, Linkin Park will have the ‘Solar Suitcase‘ on display for fans to learn more and contribute to distribution efforts. At Rio+Social, Linkin Park joins previously announced speakers representing digital media, technology, the private sector, philanthropy, the United Nations and civil society, who will speak in innovative conversations about the new role of social media and technology in sustainable development. Digital advancements have contributed to increased awareness and more effective calls-to-action worldwide. Rio+Social invites everyone to participate in the Rio+20 conversations and, more importantly, encourages a discussion about solutions and how people everywhere can get involved. Registration is now open at www.rioplussocial.com. For more information on Rio+Social, including how to get involved in the global community that has already come together to discuss technology, social media and how to solve global problems, visit www.rioplussocial.com.
