Ugh! Hate wet winter weather. Snow, oh I can handle that. I am a December baby. Love me a good snow storm! But cold, icy rain?? Glad I don’t have to drive! Sorry for all the awful road conditions, especially for our trucker nation! Stay alert everyone and slow down!….Gemini Syndrome are heading into the hardDrive studios this afternoon. Will be doing an acoustic performance for us and an interview. Stay tuned for this on air soon…. Pulse of Radio reports Metallica successfully performed a 10-song concert in Antarctica yesterday (Dec 8th), with photos from the historic show posted at the band’s official Facebook page. A statement from the band said, “This was the most unique show Metallica has ever done. The band, contest winners, research station scientists (from Russia, South Korea, China, Poland, Chile, Brazil and Germany), and the ship crew, all crammed in this little dome out on the helipad of Carlini Station in Antarctica! The energy in the little dome was amazing! Words cannot describe how happy everyone was.” Metallica’s gig was just the second rock concert ever performed on the Earth’s southernmost continent. During the Live Earth series of concerts in 2007, a band called Nunatak — comprised of research scientists stationed on the continent — played a small show. The Metallica concert was sponsored by Coca-Cola Zero and fans from several Latin and South American countries had a chance to enter a contest and win the opportunity to join the band on the expedition. The concert took place under a dome at the Carlini Argentine Base and was heard by the fans through headphones, with no other amplifiers or sound system. The gig was also live-streamed in the participating countries….Nine Inch Nails main man Trent Reznor said in a Reddit “Ask Me Anything” session on Thursday (Dec 5th) that the band will launch another North American tour in 2014, this time with a streamlined line-up. Reznor will be joined on the trek by drummer Ilan Rubin, keyboardist Alessandro Cortini and guitarist Robin Finck. Three musicians who were part of the band for the recently completed Tension 2013 road trip — Josh Eustis, Pino Palladino and Lisa Fischer — will not return. Reznor explained, “What I’m doing this (touring) cycle is making each leg of the tour have its own identity. The festival run we did over the summer was very different from the Tension tour we just finished. We’re currently rehearsing with a new incarnation of the band for what’s ahead.” He added, “This keeps things fresh from a musician’s perspective, but also keeps things interesting for fans in an era where every show ends up on YouTube. The setlist and presentation moving forward will be very different from what we just did. Reznor reactivated Nine Inch Nails in early 2013 after a four-year hiatus, assembling a new version of the group, signing a new deal with Columbia Records, and releasing the first NIN album in five years, Hesitation Marks, in September. A 77-minute concert film shot at the band’s recent show in Los Angeles was posted online on Thursday, and there are tentative plans for a longer, more comprehensive Blu-ray/DVD release in the spring. Meanwhile, Reznor and Dr. Dre‘s Beats Music streaming service will be launching next month….I have to grumble today. I saw the Grammy nominees for Metal and rock today and although I am happy for all the bands, I am scratching my head! Who are these people who are voting? The list is SO STRANGE and doesn’t represent what we would’ve thought would be the best choices. Check it out:
Best Rock Performance
“Always Alright,” Alabama Shakes
“The Stars (Are Out Tonight),” David Bowie
“Radioactive,” Imagine Dragons
“Kashmir (Live),” Led Zeppelin
“My God Is The Sun,” Queens of the Stone Age
“I’m Shakin’,” Jack White
Best Rock Album
13, Black Sabbath
The Next Day, David Bowie
Mechanical Bull, Kings Of Leon
Celebration Day, Led Zeppelin
. . . Like Clockwork, Queens of the Stone Age
Psychedelic Pill, Neil Young with Crazy Horse
Best Alternative Music Album
The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, the Harder I Fight, the More I Love You, Neko Case
Trouble Will Find Me, The National
Hesitation Marks, Nine Inch Nails
Lonerism, Tame Impala
Modern Vampires of the City, Vampire Weekend
Best Metal Performance
“T.N.T.,” Anthrax
“God Is Dead?,” Black Sabbath
“The Enemy Inside,” Dream Theater
“In Due Time,” Killswitch Engage
“Room 24,” Volbeat featuring King Diamond
Best Rock Song
“Ain’t Messin ‘Round,” Gary Clark Jr.
“Cut Me Some Slack,” Dave Grohl, Paul McCartney, Krist Novoselic and Pat Smear
“Doom And Gloom,” Rolling Stones
“God Is Dead?,” Black Sabbath
“Panic Station,” Muse
Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical
Annie Up, Pistol Annies
The Blue Room, Madeleine Peyroux
The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here, Alice In Chains
. . . Like Clockwork, Queens of the Stone Age
The Moorings, Andrew Duhon
Random Access Memories, Daft Punk
OK, so what do you think? Call in the hotLine 877-MUSIC-11and leave a comment or email via the interact link on the home page. I want to know what you would’ve nominated….Pearl Jam completed its fall North American tour on Friday (December 6th) with a massive, 33-song hometown show at Seattle’s Key Arena. The band was joined onstage by Soundgarden guitarist Kim Thayil and members of local legends Mudhoney during an encore cover of the MC5‘s “Kick Out The Jams.” The three-hour and 15-minute show was Pearl Jam’s first hometown gig in more than four years. (Rolling Stone)….Last July, Korn traveled to Germany to perform three free concerts on U.S. military bases to celebrate Independence Day with the U.S. troops. A 14-minute video report on the band’s visit has now been posted online. Korn has spent this fall on tour in support of its 11th studio album, The Paradigm Shift, which featured the return of guitarist Brian “Head” Welch after an eight-year absence. (Blabbermouth)….Happy Birthday today to Tre Cool of Green Day who turns 41, actor John Malkovich turns 60 and a fellow my Mom grew up with, actor Kirk Douglas is 97!
