Not only am I excited about the fact Dave Grohl is the keynote speaker for the 27th annual SXSW convention, I am also honored to have been asked to speak on a panel there this year! (Do ya think Dave might stop in to check it out? Or will I have to stalk him while I’m down there with my digital recorder?) One thing I do know, I’ll be eatin’ me some Ironworks BBQ fo’ sho’!…..Yesterday I got wind of some plans for Alice in Chains! Expect the album in April, with a tour to commence towards the end of that month. Hmmm, end of April is near the middle of May, which means Rock on the Range in Columbus! OH WAIT! Could it be possible they could return to the mainstage of America’s largest 3-day rock music festival? Wonderers can only wonder! That must mean new music is around the bend! Oh Santa, can we please have a taste of some new Alice in Chains music PLEEEEEEEASE????!!!!!….I’ve heard some of the music and today Pulse Content has reported Disturbed singer David Draiman‘s new solo project, Device, has set “Vilify” as the first single from its upcoming debut album. The song will hit radio and retailers in February, while the yet-to-be-titled record will arrive in April. Other tracks set to appear on the CD include “You Think You Know,” “Recover,” “Hunted,” a cover of Lita Ford & Ozzy Osbourne’s “If I Close My Eyes Forever” and “War Of Lies.” The Device album was recorded with ex-Filter guitarist Geno Lenardo. There will be a couple of big name guest singers on it as well. Draiman first revealed the existence of the project last March, saying it would be in the vein of industrial acts such as Nine Inch Nails and Ministry. The rest of the lineup aside from Draiman has yet to be revealed. Disturbed went on an open-ended hiatus last fall, with Draiman saying at the time that all four members wanted some time to pursue other endeavors. The band, which has recorded five albums, has not indicated when it plans to return, although all four members say they’re likely to come back….Three Days Grace will play three shows on three consecutive nights in the band’s hometown of Peterborough, Ontario next month, billed as the “Three Days of Giving.” Each night’s proceeds will go to a different charity. The shows are scheduled for Dec 11th, 12th and 13th and will be the first hometown gigs by the quartet in five years. The first night’s proceeds will go to the James Fund, which provides support for families in Canada and other countries living with neuroblastoma, the most common form of cancer in infants and young toddlers. Bassist Brad Walst‘s son James was diagnosed with a neoroblastome tumor when he was 18 months old. Walst told us about his family’s experience with the disease and the James Fund: “We had to battle it by surgery. So we did one surgery and then it happened to come back. We did exactly the same surgery to get rid of a tumor in his back, which is in the middle of his spine, I guess. Now we’re involved with this foundation that’s actually half an hour from our house, that we just stumbled upon, and it’s a great thing. It helps families deal with neuroblastoma and it’s a pretty amazing place.”….Halestorm will close out a very successful 2012 with three special holiday performances billed as “An Evening With” the band. The shows will take place on Dec 27th at Philadelphia’s Electric Factory, Dec 29th at Montclair, New Jersey’s Wellmont Theater and Dec 31st at Soundstage in Baltimore. Tickets for all three shows are on sale now. Lzzy Hale said in a Facebook post about the shows, “We want to invite you to spend your holidays with us! This mini tour is your opportunity to see a very unique Halestorm show! We are bringing “The Strange Case Of . . .” to life and splitting the night into two very equal, but opposite performances — light and dark, black and white . . . Jekyll and Mz. Hyde.” These will be their only shows of this kind! Cool stuff! I know where Lou Brutus will be over the holidays!…tool frontman Maynard James Keenan‘s side project, the musical revue known as Puscifer, will release a new EP on Feb 19th called Donkey Punch The Night. The eight-track disc will feature the same lineup that recorded the act’s 2011 album, Conditions Of My Parole, and will feature two original songs, “Breathe” and “Dear Brother,” in addition to covers of Queen‘s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” Accept‘s “Balls To The Wall” and a variety of remixes. Keenan said in a statement, “While continuing our tradition of releasing a few new songs at a time, I also had an itch that needed scratching, and that itch was ‘Balls To The Wall.’ Which was followed by an even harder to reach itch known as ‘Bohemian Rhapsody.’ And scratch them we did.” OOOHHHH! Wish I could’ve had me mitts on those for our Cover It Up special edition for this weekend! Damn! Oh well, next time!……”Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die” is the best autobiography title I have ever heard! Who’s is it? Willie Nelson‘s of course! Although Aaron Lewismust be bummed he can’t use that one for his!!!!…Slipknot and Stone Sour frontman Corey Taylor has revealed to NME he would like to record a collaboration with Justin Bieber. Taylor came up with the idea after seeing a fan mash-up of Slipknot’s “Psychosocial” and Bieber’s “Baby” that’s racked up 12 million views on YouTube. Taylor said, “Everybody thought I’d be pissed about it, but I was blown away . . . I give him respect. He’s a very talented kid and he goes above and beyond for his fans.” Can you imagine that? I can actually. Corey is like a chameleon, I swear!….Loudwire reports former Metallica bassist Jason Newsted has launched a new official website with which he plans to “reconnect with all my fans and friends out there around the world . . . I want YOU to be the first to know about what’s happening with me and all of my projects: past, present, and FUTURE!” Newsted plans to begin releasing new music in the near future under the name Newsted Heavy Metal Music through both digital and physical means. Check out the site at www.NewstedHeavyMetal.com….. Stone Temple Pilots singer Scott Weiland has gotten engaged to his current girlfriend, photographer Jamie Wachtel. According to Rolling Stone, the couple have been dating for a year and met while Wachtel was photographing the shoot for a music video from Weiland’s Christmas album, The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year. Weiland said, “I am incredibly happy. She is incredibly beautiful in every aspect of the word. Lovely, smart, passionate. And she loves my kids and I love her son. We’re getting married in the spring, and our families will be living together . . . she’s the greatest thing that’s happened to me in a long, long time.” The couple plan a spring 2013 wedding. This will be Weiland’s third marriage, and he said that before taking Wachtel on a first date he had almost given up on the idea of falling in love again. He explained, “For a long time, I’ve been very disappointed and to the point where I’ve been resolved to the fact that possibly it would never happen again and almost accepted that it would be okay. And then I met her.” Weiland was married to Janina Casteneda from 1994 to 2000, and model Mary Forsberg from 2000 to 2007. Weiland and Forsberg have two children together and reportedly remain friends. The singer, who toured with STP earlier in the year, will head out on a five-date solo tour later this month, beginning Nov 25th in Glenside, PA. Two of the gigs — Nov 26th in New York City and Nov 28th in Asbury Park, New Jersey — will include coat drives to benefit victims of Hurricane Sandy. (Thanks Pulse Content)….Happy 47th today to Mike D of the Beastie Boys and Happy 37th to Davey Havok of AFI (whatever happened to them?)
