I am so excited about this! Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl‘s directorial debut, a feature-length documentary about the legendary Los Angeles recording studio Sound City, will make its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah in January. According to Grohl’s publicist, Grohl and several other artists from the film, which is titled Sound City, will be in attendance at the event. Grohl said, “As a first time director, I am humbled to be able to share my passion for songwriting and storytelling with this incredible cast of legendary musicians, as seen through the extraordinary story of America’s greatest unsung recording studio, Sound City. Being included in this group of artists is a true honor, and the Sundance Film Festival is the perfect place to premiere a film about craft, integrity, and passion for art. I am over the moon!” Grohl conceived the film after purchasing the now-closed studio’s historic Neve 8028 recording console last year. The analog console was built in 1972 and was used to record classic albums from Nirvana — for which Grohl was the drummer at the time — Neil Young, Fleetwood Mac, Tom Petty, Cheap Trick, Guns N’ Roses, Rage Against The Machine, Slipknot, Nine Inch Nails, Metallica and many others. Sound City features interviews with many of the artists and producers who worked at the studio, chronicles its history and that of the projects recorded there, and also showcases performances of new music created exclusively for the film.Producer Butch Vig worked on the new sessions for the film and told us a while back they feature brand new collaborations with many artists who recorded at Sound City: “We’ve been doing these sessions that are collaborative with different musicians, like, you know, Rick Springfield came in and played with Dave and Josh (Homme) from Queens Of The Stone Age and Corey (Taylor) from Stone Sour and — really interesting collaborations, and all the people also were interviewed. It’s gonna be cool. I’m not sure how it’s all gonna come together yet, but so far the process has been really, really fun.” I hear the film will be screened at this year’s SXSW Music and Film Convention in Austin in mid-March. I am praying I can get an interview with Dave while I am there to speak on a panel. Come on, Dave! Pleeeeeeze?……Speaking of documentaries, my friend Sebastien Paquet, long-time Korn krew documentarian and band protege, has directed a short film. Wounded Warriors documents Jonathan Davis of Korn, returning to Ramstein Air Base in Germany Aug 11, 2012 to visit with members of armed forces stationed there as well as those in transit from Iraq and Afghanistan—will make its online premiere this Wednesday, Dec 5 (my birthday, thank you very much!) as a free stream on MonsterEnergy.com (www.monsterenergy.com). Its television premiere is set for the second season of the GI Festival on the Pentagon Channel in May 2013, where it will air in over 34 million homes and military bases around the world. The film made its debut Nov 10 (Lou’s birthday!) over Veterans Day weekend at the GI Film Festival Hollywood and was the recipient of the “Audience Choice Award.” “I’m just in shock. This film is not about me. It is about all the troops and what they sacrifice to keep our life going,” adds Jonathan. “I am truly grateful for every single one of them.” In the film, Sébastien provides us with a visual tour as JD narrates his personal experience at Ramstein and passion for supporting the troops. Wounded Warriors captures a glimpse of Davis’ unique understanding of what emotional challenges wounded warriors go through which drives his desire to get involved and do more for the brave men and women that have answered our nation’s call. View the Wounded Warriors trailer at: http://youtu.be/pqrqh7Puoak. For more on Sébastien Paquet, follow: www.klown.org; www.SuspendedMotionProductions.com. ….Speaking of Korn, JD, Munky & Fieldy all indicated to me original Korn guitarist Brian “Head”
Welch will be returning to Korn in some capacity. The feeling I get is it will start with “baby steps,” doing those two festivals next summer in Germany. Another Korn insider told me the stuff the band is working on is some of the best Korn music EVER. This makes me very happy. Will Head be a part of the recording process, not sure. Anything is possible!….Disturbed frontman David Draiman said in a new video message taped on Sunday (Dec 2nd) at the Boston Music Awards that fans can expect “huge guest performances” on the debut album from his band Device, which is due out in April 2013. (I know but I can not say for fear of retributes.) Draiman did not hint on who would appear on the album, nor did he provide any further information on an exact release date, title or label. Device has set “Vilify” as the first single from the upcoming disc, with the song hitting radio and retailers in Feb. Other tracks set to appear on the CD include “You Think You Know,” “Recover,” “Hunted” and “War Of Lies.” There is also a duet with a singer on Ozzy and Lita Ford‘s “If I Close My Eyes Forever.” Device also features ex-Filter guitarist Geno Lenardo. 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. Disturbed went on an open-ended hiatus last fall. The band, which has recorded five albums, has not indicated when it plans to return. (Thanks Pulse Content)…..Queens Of The Stone Age frontman Josh Homme has opened up about the band’s upcoming sixth album, telling BBC Radio One that the recording was done with “a lot of struggles,” adding that the lyrics are more “vulnerable,” and that the music is “deeper, richer and stranger” than the band’s previous efforts. In other news, even though Dave Grohl plays drums on the album, the Foo Fighters frontman is reportedly not going to tour with the Queens — who are said to be auditioning drummers for the job now. (Antiquiet)….This bums me out. Lamb Of God frontman Randy Blythe has been officially indicted on charges of manslaughter by the State Attorney’s Office in Prague, the Czech Republic. The charges were filed on Friday (Nov 30th) and mean Blythe will have to stand trial. The singer was arrested last summer and held in a Czech prison for five weeks when the band stopped there on a European tour. He was forced to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in bail before being allowed to return home. The charges stem from an incident in 2010 in which a fan died nearly a month after he sustained a head injury following an apparent stage fall while attending a Lamb Of God concert in Prague. The prosecutor maintains Blythe pushed the man off the stage, leading to his injury. Video of the alleged incident has been posted online, although it’s been disputed whether the man seen in the footage is the same one who died and whether Blythe even pushed him. Randy could face 5-10 years in prison if convicted. Let’s think positive thoughts for Randy please!…..A fund raiser is set for Dec 21 in Pomona, CA at the Fox Theater for the Mitch Lucker of Suicide Silence memorial. Randy Blythe, Robb Flynn of Machine Head, Chad Gray of Hellyeah, Dez Fafara of Coal Chamber/DevilDriver, and Tim Lambesis of As I Lay Dying have been announced to perform so far. Lucker tragically lost his life in a motorcycle accident in Huntington Beach, CA on Nov 1. The previously mentioned singers will be performing with Suicide Silence, each on a different song. More singers will be announced. Proceeds will benefit the Kenadee Lucker Education Fund. To donate: click here…..The first single off Sevendust‘s Black Out the Sun album is “Decay” and it’s coming soon. Morgan Rose played it for me on Shiprocked….Speaking of Shiprocked, those fine folks at Ask4 Entertainment have announced SHIPROCKED SUMMER CAMP! It’s a three-day on-land event to be held in Kent, CT Jun 14-16. A limited number of tickets are available and go on sale on Friday, Dec 7th for returning Shiprocked attendees. For more: www,campshiprocked.com….Sorry to hear after ten years together, Egypt Central have called it quits. Members Blake Allison and Joey Chicago have formed Devour the Day and are currently mixing their debut album for a 2013 release….In stores today: Chevelle‘s Stray Arrows: A Collection of Favorites, featuring the killer new song “Fizgig” (Lyric video online now) and Hinder‘s Welcome to the Freak Show….Be sure to be a registered hardDriveRadio Radical! We’ve got something coming on Monday that would sure be nice in your Christmas stocking! ;>
