August isn’t being very august this morning. A cool 62 degrees here in Big Apple. I don’t want fall just yet, ok?…..Did you see any of Lollapalooza that streamed over the weekend? I forgot it was on! UGH! Nine Inch Nails returned to the stage in the U.S. for the first time in four years on Friday night (August 2nd), as Trent Reznor and the latest lineup of his band headlined the first day of Lollapalooza at Grant Park in Chicago. According to reports at Loudwire and Rolling Stone, Reznor introduced several tracks from the upcoming new album, Hesitation Marks, into a 22-song set that leaned heavily toward classics like “March Of The Pigs,” “Head Like A Hole,” “Closer,” “Terrible Lie” and “Hurt.” Among the new songs aired were opening number “Copy Of A,” first single “Come Back Haunted” and “Find My Way.” The show opened like it did at the Fuji Rock Festivalin Japan two weeks ago, with Reznor standing onstage alone as his band members slowly joined him. Hope I get to see them come to NYC….And Linkin Park performed over the weekend at the Sunset Strip Festival in LA. And they promoted it the old fashioned way-xeroxed home-made flyers! Mike Shinoda designed them and even went to Kinko’s himself to have them copied! Gotta love that! Shinoda explained, “I hand-drew four flyers and went down to Kinko’s myself with Brad (Delson, guitarist) and Dave (“Phoenix” Farrell, bassist). We photocopied them ourselves, cut them up, walked around Hollywood and on campus at UCLA and handed them out to people.” Talk about OLD SKOOL! Oddly enough, there were students who didn’t recognize the band members. Check out some of the band’s tweets. The annual Sunset Strip Festival took place on an iconic stretch of Sunset Boulevard where legendary rock clubs are located, like the Roxy and the Whisky-A-Go-Go. Shinoda recalled, “More than three-quarters of our early shows were on Sunset at the Roxy and Whisky. I have such vivid memories of playing those shows, promoting those shows, walking around the street handing out fliers or posters or, at that point, giving people cassettes.” Linkin Park is currently working on a new album, reportedly called LPU 13, which is tentatively due out later this year. The band recently announced a contest exclusively for members of its fan club, LP Underground, in which the winner can submit a track that could wind up on the new disc.(Thanks Pulse of Radio)…..Man, people are getting desperate! A 43-year-old Detroit man was arrested on Saturday (August 3rd) following an attempted burglary at a home belonging to Kid Rock. According to the Associated Press, the alleged suspect was taken into custody at his home after two tips were made to the local sheriff. The arrest came after surveillance photos from security cameras on Rock’s property in Clarkston, Michigan were released. The photos showed a 1994 Ford Club Wagon van ramming the property gate on Wednesday afternoon (July 31st) and the man, who was on crutches, attempting and failing to get into the house.Rock had offered a $5,000 reward at his website for information leading to the man’s arrest, also posting the surveillance camera photos. The singer also posted a warning, saying, “Thank God I was not on the property at the time of this attempted break in. I am an avid hunter and marksman and I will not hesitate to shoot anyone who has myself or family in fear for our lives.” Rock added, “I take the invasion of my personal space very seriously regardless of who you are.” An arraignment of the suspect was expected to take place on Monday (August 5th). Rock is scheduled to perform Monday night at the Sturgis Bike Rally in South Dakota….Speaking of Sturgis, my boys Korn are there tomorrow night! Wish I was gonna be there! One of these years before I retire, I want to go to one of those Sturgis shows! Who’s been there? What’s it like? Tell me via the email link on the home page!….Today in the hardDrive Studios here in NYC, I’ve got Jason Newsted and Mike Mushok of Newsted dropping in to promote their new album, Heavy Metal Music, which drops tomorrow, and the new band known as the Winery Dogs, with Richie Kotzen, Bad Boy Billy Sheehan and Mike Portnoy. And on Wednesday, Device drop in for an interview and in-studio performance! Busy week! (No rest for the wicked!)….Speaking of Mr Muskok, Staind guitarist Mike Mushok has partnered with online guitar education platform JamPlay.com to discuss songwriting and technique, as well as walk JamPlay.com members through step-by-step lessons focused on the band’s biggest hits. The five-lesson series with Mushok is the latest addition to JamPlay’s list of celebrity instructors that includes members of Collective Soul, Billy Idol‘s band and others. A preview of Mushok’s lessons has been posted on YouTube. With Staind on hiatus, Mushok has been touring as a member of ex-Metallica bassist Jason Newsted‘s new self-named band. ….And finally today, Loudwire also reports ex-Nirvana drummer/Foo Fighters mainman Dave Grohl told Mojo magazine how ex-Germs guitarist Pat Smear became the fourth member of the band during its In Utero tour, which later led to Smear reuniting with Grohl in Foo Fighters. Grohl recalled, “What Pat added more than anything was an injection of life and happiness to those last months of Nirvana. We’d talked about getting a second guitar player . . . Kurt (Cobain) had been in Los Angeles and walked into the SST Superstore where Pat was working, and they hit it off. One of the first rehearsals, we were trying to figure out The Man Who Sold The World and the three of us just couldn’t do it. Pat said, “Actually, it goes like this.” I thought: ‘There’s a musician in the band now!’ Having Pat changed things dramatically.” …Speaking of Mr Smear, Happy 53rd today! Also celebrating birthdays, two cellists! Eicca Toppinen of Apocalyptica is 38 and Devo Keenan, son of Maynard James Keenan, turns 18! Wonder what Dad is getting him this year? And wonder when Apocalyptica are coming with a new album??????
