Two days ’til we head to Las Vegas for the RadioContraband Convention, the first convention dedicated to ROCK RADIO programmers and music industry folks who supply us with the music we love to play! Very stoked to be speaking on a panel, our own Lou Brutus is hosting the Rock Radio Awards show and we’re both nominated for awards! (Thank God it’s not like the Emmys! I would never go since I would have nothing to wear!) And then this weekend in Sin City, it’s the Rock Vegas two-day festival with the likes of the Rockstar Uproar bands along with the Twins of Evil Tour mates Rob Zombie and Marilyn Manson, and special guest Corey Taylor of Stone Sour! So stoked, although the weather is super hot and I just have a hard time tolerating heat. I guess it’s because I was born in December. Or I am a vampire…keep me away from the sun! HA!….Well, I was sure aghast when I watched Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day display a total uncontrolled fit of rage when the band was given the 1 minute signal during this weekend’s I Heart Radio Festival in Vegas. Seems Green Day’s set was shortened to accommodate Usher‘s performance, and Billie Joe went ballistic, spouting off 4 letter words to the promoters, culminating in the smashing of his guitar and tossing of the microphone onto the stage. It has been reported Armstrong is now seeking treatment for substance abuse and some of their upcoming promotional appearances have been cancelled. Hey, their ALBUM is released tomorrow! Publicity stunt or cunning subliminal promotional aspect in effect? You decide! If you recall, the band had to cancel some of their last European dates due to undisclosed medical issues, but severe dehydration was the cause. And dehydration is usually accompanied with alcohol consumption. So, let’s see how he comes out on the other side. All I can say, the band has done NO radio interviews, and that sorta makes me unhappy. And not for nothing, but cutting a million-selling, Grammy Award winning super rock act (the number 3 most watched on YouTube with 245 million views) short at a major radio festival (from 45 to 25 minutes,) that’s not cool, so in their defense, I’d probably be pissed too! …..Speaking of Corey Taylor earlier, he’s coming to NYC for the New York Comic Con next month, which I am going to try to attend this year! Never been to one and I hear they’re great! Corey will be promoting Stone Sour’s new comic book series via Dark Horse Comics that will tie in with the release of the band’s House of Gold and Bones-Parts 1 & 2. The first part of the double concept album comes out Oct 23, with Part 2 in Jan. Corey said the books, a total of 4 we hear, will not only tie-in with the musical concept (a morality play) but with images and pieces not in the books which will appear on the website. Should be another interesting endeavor from the man who drinks tons of coffee and has very little sleep! 😛 Corey, you are an amazingly talented man for sure! Can’t wait to see him in Vegas and when he comes into the hardDrive studios in Oct. So be sure to be listening for more from Mr Taylor on both hardDrive and hardDrive XL…..You probably have heard about the Led Zeppelin cd/dvd release Celebration Day, which documented their 2007 reunion at the O2 Arena in London, to honor the memory of Atlantic Records’ chairman and co-founder Ahmet Ertegun. I was watching some of the press conference this morning at Absolute Radio or search Led Zeppelin Celebration Day press conference on YouTube. Led Zep was one of my first concerts in 1969. Yes, I am ancient!…..Pulse of Radio reports How To Destroy Angels, the project featuring Nine Inch Nails mastermind Trent Reznor, his wife Mariqueen Maandig and collaborator Atticus Ross, has signed a deal with Columbia Records. A new EP called An Omen will be released on Nov 13th as both a digital download and a 12-inch vinyl disc. For Reznor, this marks a return to the major label end of the music business for the first time since 2007, when his contract with Interscope Records expired and he decided to go independent. In a statement posted on Facebook, Reznor said, “Regarding our decision to sign with Columbia, we’ve really spent a long time thinking about things and it makes sense for a lot of reasons . . . but it really comes down to us experimenting and trying new things to see what best serves our needs. Complete independent releasing has its great points but also comes with shortcomings.” (Yes, you still need people to promote and market the music, and that is a problem many artists face when they go “indie.”)….Happiest of Birthdays today to our friend Shawn M. Crahan aka the Clown of Slipknot who turns 43 today! Rock on Shawn!
