Good Monday! Yes, I am back and rested, but why is it so damn hard to get back into the routine? Had a great break, even though I punked out and missed the Mayhem stop in Saratoga Springs that I really wanted to make. Sometimes, you just can’t leave the beach, ya know?…..Korn bassist Reginald “Fieldy” Arvizu and his wife Dena are expecting the birth of their second child this month, according to Loudwire. But since the baby may apparently be arriving sooner than expected — says a post at Korn’s website — Fieldy will miss a number of dates on Korn’s European tour this month. His fill-in will be Mudvayne bass player Ryan Martinie, who certainly could use the work since singer Chad Gray and guitarist Greg Tribbett left that group hanging in limbo four years ago while they went off and played in Hellyeah. And in other Korn Kid news, James “Munky” Shaffer and his wife are expecting their first child together, Munky’s second, in November. He has a daughter from a previous marriage. Hopefully it will be before their ShipRocked appearance in late Nov!…..Man, some crazy weather around! Pulse of Radio reports Lollapalooza was suspended for several hours on Saturday (August 4th) and the festival grounds in Chicago’s Grant Park were evacuated due to warnings that a severe thunderstorm was going to hit the area. Every stage was shut down at 3:30 p.m. CT, with concertgoers cleared from the park and sent into three shelters set up underground in the surrounding streets. The storm, reported to have caused heavy damage west of Chicago, included hail, heavy rain, lightning and wind gusts up to 75 mph. The storm delayed the festival for around two hours, with the event resuming at 6:00 p.m. City officials and concert organizers extended the show curfew so that nearly every act still got to play its scheduled set. Red Hot Chili Peppers and the 3 original members of Black Sabbath performed full sets that evening. I heard last night’s show was also affected, but haven’t seen anything official yet. Mad storms, man!…System Of A Down singer Serj Tankian has a message for fans waiting for a new album: don’t hold your breath. In an interview with Loudwire, Tankian explained, “We haven’t made plans of recording the new record as of yet. When we do, everyone will know. We haven’t really discussed another record as of now with any of the guys, really. It’s something that, when it’s the right time, we’ll do it. Right now I’m busy with my own stuff and that’s gonna take me a bit, but when it’s the right time, everyone will know. I don’t even want to say there’s (a new System album) coming because we haven’t really talked about it.”….Rob Zombie is offering VIP “Golden Ticket” packages on his upcoming Twins Of Evil tour with Marilyn Manson, which begins September 28th in Phoenix. The first of the two packages includes a ticket to the concert with priority early entry, a limited edition signed poster, a VIP laminate and concierge service. The second option includes all that plus a meet and greet with Zombie, a customized bag, a limited edition poster and exclusive T-shirt. Current ticketholders can upgrade to a VIP package as well. Speaking of Manson, he performed on Thursday night (August 2nd) at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles for the Showtime series Californication. The show was both a party for the cast and crew as well as a sequence to be used in the series finale. Manson appears in several episodes of the upcoming season, which begins in January, as himself. He remarked, “I was really nervous to watch it because I’m playing myself. That would seem easy, but it was strange. It’s hard to read a script of what you would say yourself.” (Rolling Stone)…. Pulse of Radio reports Lamb Of God frontman Randy Blythe was released from a prison in Prague, the Czech Republic, last Thursday (Aug 2nd), more than a month after he was arrested and incarcerated on charges of alleged manslaughter. Blythe was facing the possibility of conviction and a long-term jail sentence after a 2010 incident in which a fan attending a Lamb Of God show died two weeks later, allegedly from injuries sustained when he was thrown off the stage. Blythe’s predicament galvanized the heavy rock community, with artists across the hard rock genre pledging their support. Although Blythe paid $200,000 bail shortly after his arrest, prosecutors challenged the bail action and forced Blythe to remain behind bars. A judge doubled the bail to $400,000 and this time ordered that Blythe go free once it was paid. Blythe was set free Thursday afternoon and boarded a flight home to the U.S. on Friday (Aug 3rd). Interviewed by a Czech media outlet while waiting for his plane, Blythe said, “I’m relieved to be out of jail but if it’s necessary for me to return to Prague to go to this court thing, I certainly will, I’m no flight risk.” Blythe added that he had no memory at all of the incident in question, saying, “I feel very bad that a fan of my band is dead and his family has to go through it, it’s terrible, I feel awful for them but it’s a tragic coincidence . . . we had no knowledge whatsoever that someone had been injured much less died.” The case is expected to be heard in court in November. Blythe and his bandmates will now appear at Knotfest later this month and are already rescheduling a canceled U.S. tour for October.
