What a great long weekend! Saw two bald eagle nests and a male keeping watch on one of them. So cool especially on the 4th weekend! Quite symbolic, I’d say!….Pulse Content reports Metallica will make its first-ever appearance on July 19th at San Diego Comic-Con, the massive geek culture event that annually draws 125,000 fans to the San Diego Convention Center for comic books, movies, TV shows, gaming, toys and more. All four members of the group will be on hand for a preview of their upcoming IMAX 3D movie, Metallica Through The Never, which arrives in theaters this fall. A post on the band’s website said, “You’ve heard us use the word ‘first’ a few times this year and we’re back with a truly unusual, unbelievably exciting first for us — Comic-Con, San Diego here we come! The now iconic convention hosts well over 100,000 visitors from all over the world to talk film, TV, art, collectibles, and of course, comics. We are totally psyched to be a part of it on Friday, July 19 to discuss the upcoming 3D event, Metallica Through The Never.” Metallica’s panel — which will premiere a new trailer and feature exclusive footage from the movie — will take place from 6:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. (Editor’s Note: Gee, could they really spare the 30 minutes?) in the 6,000-person capacity Hall H, the largest room in the convention center. Hall H is usually home to blockbuster film panels, with movies like The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Thor: The Dark World and The Hunger Games: Catching Fire all slated for presentations there this year. Joining the members of Metallica at their panel will be Through The Never star Dane DeHaan, director Nimrod Antal and producer Charlotte Huggins. Metallica Through The Never will open on IMAX screens in the U.S. on September 27th, with a wider release following on October 4th. Here’s the current trailer. ….Alice In Chains were joined onstage last week by Phil Staley, father of the band’s late lead vocalist Layne Staley, during their set at Fox Fest in Burnaby, British Columbia. (See video here.) According to Loudwire, the group invited the senior Staley to the stage before playing the song “Nutshell” in honor of Layne, who died in 2002, and original bassist Mike Starr, who passed away in 2011. Alice In Chains’ official blogger Baldy wrote about the experience online, saying, “Layne’s dad Phil came to the show with us today, and he got a great response when Jerry introduced him to the crowd before the band played ‘Nutshell,’ which was cool. All in all it was just one of those days where everything lined up perfectly.” Layne Staley died on April 5th, 2002 — eight years to the day that Nirvana‘s Kurt Cobain killed himself — after a long, lonely struggle with drug addiction that effectively derailed Alice In Chains’ career. But guitarist Jerry Cantrell told us a while back there was more to his friend and bandmate than his association with drugs: “It’s unfortunate that that seems to be the only headline that gets equated with him, because there was so much more to him than that. Not taking away the fact of the reality of what that is, and how it ended, everybody knows that too. But there’s a whole lot more to the story.” Can’t wait to see them this summer on Rockstar Energy Uproar beginning next month! …..Speaking of Uproar, hardDriveRadio is the official radio sponsor of the Ernie Ball Music Man Battle of the Bands for a slot on the 2014 Uproar stage! Two years ago, Mindset Evolution won and hardDrive actually helped them get signed to a label and get management too! Last year, the Chuck Shaffer Picture Show won. And this year, it could be YOUR unsigned band! Check out this link to find out all the cool prizes, including $10,000 worth of gear, a demo session at NRG Studios with producer Jay Baumgardner, a feature in Revolver, airplay and an interview on hardDriveRadio with Lou Brutus, and much more! Hit this link for more! Jerry Cantrell and Duff McKagan are just a couple of the judges! ….This is interesting. Pulse also reports a feature article published last week in the New York Times tells the story of Jason Everman, who went from being a member of both Nirvana and Soundgarden to becoming a member of the U.S. Special Forces who participated in missions in Afghanistan, Iraq and other places. The 45-year-old Everman recounts in the profile how he was born in Alaska, moved to Washington state with his mother, and eventually found his way into the Seattle music scene. Everman joined Nirvana in the mid-’80s, before the band became successful, and was second guitarist on some early tours. Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic recalled, “We had some great shows with Jason. But then things went south really fast.” According to the story, “a cloud formed over Jason, an impenetrable inwardness that just hung there. They say he wouldn’t talk to anyone, completely removing himself from the circle.” Everman had the same experience with Soundgarden, with whom he played bass for about a year before being replaced by Ben Shepherd. Guitarist Kim Thayil recalled thinking, “We’re not behaving like a band. I’m not happy. No one here is happy. No one’s talking to each other.” Soundgarden’s road manager, Eric Johnson, said, “He was funny and witty, and then a cloud would come over him. He would sit in the bus and be really mad with his headphones on all the time.” A few years later in 1993, Everman met with U.S. Army recruiters and was offered a fast track to becoming a Ranger, with the ultimate goal of becoming an elite member of the Special Forces. A decorated member of the Special Forces until he retired in 2006, Everman participated in drug war actions in Latin America and anti-piracy missions in Asia, in addition to his stints in two wars. He explained his attraction to the military by saying, “The bond of locking shields with each other, working together to defeat a common enemy, it’s a heightened state . . . I knew this was it. This is living.” Having recently earned his Bachelor’s Degree in philosophy from Columbia, Everman currently lives in Washington state again. Read the entire profile and see photos of Everman then and now at http://tinyurl.com/nm3tbox ….Loudwire reports Sick Puppies filmed a live performance in Los Angeles last week on July 2nd that will be shown exclusively on the “Walmart Soundcheck Risers” website, beginning on July 15th. That’s one day ahead of the July 16th release of the Puppies’ new studio album, Connect. The trio filmed the show at the El Rey Theater and included a mix of older favorites and new cuts. Fans were given free passes to the show through a texting and social networking campaign sponsored by T-Mobile. Learn more at http://soundcheck.walmart.com/risers/ …Happy 55th today to Kevin Bacon!
