Surprise, surprise! Not only is Adam Gontier in town to perform at the Rock for Recovery event tomorrow might, he’s also with his Sludge Factory label folks and the band he signed to his label, Behind the Curtain, who will be doing a couple of showcases in town. If I’m lucky, I may even get to sit down with Adam for a little chat! So stay tuned! Tomorrow night, Adam is part of the charity event at Gramercy Theater with Art of Dying, Hurt, Smile Empty Soul, Edisun and others for Hurricane Sandy victims and the Mercury One organization. Good stuff!….Also today, Lou Brutus will be on the hotLine with a new band out of LA called Gemini Syndrome. They’re one of the bands in Smash or Crash this week on the XL. Vote now on the home page!….Tomorrow, we’ll have a phoner with Kim Thayil of Soundgarden! Next week, Stone Sour, Papa Roach and Otherwise. Never a dull moment around here! This weekend, I’m flying up to Canada to see a new band out of England on Red Bull Records called Heaven’s Basement. They’re touring with Buckcherry up there and in April, will go out with Black Veil Brides. Check them out on their site… Pulse Content reports Shinedown singer Brent Smith has opened up in a new interview with the Los Angeles Times about his four-year struggle with substance abuse that ended with him quitting cocaine, painkillers and alcohol and losing 70 pounds in the process. Smith said that the final straws were a warning from his girlfriend and an insult about his girth on national television. Smith explained, “I’ve toured for over 12 years, and for the first two records I was addicted to cocaine, OxyContin and alcohol. The coke and Oxy kept my weight down. But for the third album I quit the opiates and started to crave sugar. I was still drinking a lot of alcohol and started to pack on the pounds.” Shinedown appeared on the Today show in 2009, where host Kathie Lee Gifford said, “At first I thought he was Meat Loaf.” Smith recalled, “It really stung. I’m a fan of Meat Loaf but she wasn’t talking about a musical comparison. My heart kind of fell on the ground — it was like the performance didn’t even matter.” Next was an ultimatum from his girlfriend, with Smith revealing, “Teresa sat me down on the first of November last year and said, ‘Listen to me, I love you and I’m not going anywhere, but this lifestyle that you’re leading is not going to work.” Teresa sent Smith, who weighed 222 pounds at the time, to a trainer. He added, “I felt like I’d been in a death spiral, and I realized I needed to be healthy and strong for my family. I have a four-year-old boy, and he was a huge motivation, and so were the fans. I had an epiphany working out with my trainer that day, and I haven’t had a drink since.” God bless ya, Brent! You are a stellar individual! Don’t ever change!….Pulse also reports The release date and title for Metallica‘s upcoming 3D feature film, which will combine a fictional narrative with footage of the band in concert, has been revealed. According to a press release, the movie will be titled Metallica Through The Never and will arrive on Aug 9th of this year. Rising young actor Dane DeHaan, who was seen this year in Chronicle and Lawless and has been cast in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, will play a Metallica crew member who is sent out on an “urgent mission” while the band is onstage and “unexpectedly finds his world turned completely upside down.”.. Yesterday, Godsmack frontman Sully Erna announced he will play six solo shows on the East Coast, beginning on Mar 22nd in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The concerts will feature songs from the entire span of Erna’s career, including Godsmack tracks and tunes from his 2010 debut solo album, Avalon. Erna told us he enjoys having two distinct sides to his musical output: “You know, Godsmack, we’ve done some acoustic things here and there, but we really don’t belong in that world so much. I mean, we’re really more of a big, hard rock, powerhouse band and that’s where we should be. But for me, I really love that acoustic side. I love the piano, I love that — just acoustic instruments. And so, I’m so happy that I have carved out that path now because I need to explore that kind of music.”….That darn Dave Grohl! He’s at it AGAIN! His Sound City Players, the all-star ensemble that has grown out of the production of his Sound City: Reel To Real documentary, have confirmed a second gig to follow their debut at the Sundance Film Festival this weekend. The outfit will perform at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles on Jan 31st, the same night that the movie premieres at that city’s Cinerama Dome and in 44 other cities around the U.S. The show that night will feature Stevie Nicks, Rick Springfield, John Fogerty, members of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Cheap Trick, Rage Against The Machine and more, along with the members of Foo Fighters and Nirvana. Tickets for the event go on sale today (January 16th) at noon. Samn, I wanna go!!!!!! In addition, a new song from the soundtrack of the film, “From Can To Can’t,” has been released online. The mid-tempo, rather stoic track features Grohl, Cheap Trick’s Rick Nielsen, Kyuss’ Scott Reeder and Stone Sour/Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor. I really like it! Reminds me of the Beatles. I am gonna buy this DVD the second it’s out! I can’t wait. Hopefully at SXSW, the plan is to do this there!….Speaking of SXSW, I just learned one of my new favorite bands Beware of Darkness has a gig on Mar 15th! WOO HOO! Check them out online. The song is “Howl.”….Through a third party I was talking to Matt aka M Shadows of Avenged Sevenfold yesterday. He said the band is still writing and the plan is the enter the studio in March. After talking to a few producers, they decided to invite Mike “F*^%ing” Elizondo, who did Nightmare, back into the fold! As my friend wrote to me “he’s trying to make you proud. They are working hard.” Yes! Matt, you guys never do anything less, my friend! Looking forward to seeing them A LOT this summer!…..And oh my, I have been made privvy to what the plan is for a few big festivals, and I really have to keep from spilling the beans, but I’ve been sworn to secrecy, but kids, get ready and put away ticket money! This spring & summer festival offerings are gonna blow your mind!!! My mind has already been blown, several times! LOL…And response from the media on the announcement of the hardDrive Live Five Tour has been nothing but stellar! Many thanks to Bullet For My Valentine, their management, agents and staff, Halestorm and Young Guns! And to our promotion partner Ledge Entertainment! It’s a killer line-up we are so freaking thrilled and excited about! Ticket on-sale and dates to be announced on Tuesday…And finally today, I stole this from KFMX/Lubbock, TX’s website. Bad NFL Lip-Reading! Freaking HILARIOUS! Thanks Wes! Watch!….Have a great day!
