Was on the hotLine yesterday with Sam Loeffler from Chevelle. They’ll release their seventh studio album, titled La Gargola, on April 1st. The disc was recorded in Pasadena, CA with Joe Barresi instead of the band’s usual spot in their hometown of Chicago, and follows up 2011’s Hats Off To The Bull. (And Sam was pretty happy about missing most of Chicago’s super crappy winter weather!) The first single, “Take Out The Gunman,” addresses the issues of guns and mass shootings, but Sam said it’s also about more than that: “It is hitting a little close to home. However, certainly it’s about that but the real point is about how the media sensationalizes it and how it perpetuates it, because we talk about it so much and concentrate on it so much, which is — when you put something on television, it just becomes bigger than life and then, you know, the age-old question is, if you don’t put it on TV and nobody knows about it, will it happen less? I don’t know.” Sam said he’s happy to be getting back out on the road again, beginning April 4th with Middle Class Rut and Oh Brother. The tour should be announced soon and I’ll have it for ya in Road Rage….Ah, I can see the Foo Fighters Bud Light show from Saturday night from the front of the stage now since I was standing on the side on stage right. Watch some of it here…Metallica‘s 2013 IMAX 3D concert film, Metallica Through The Never, won the “Best 3D Documentary” award at the International 3D & Advanced Imaging Society’s Creative Arts Awards in California over the weekend. Drummer Lars Ulrich and bassist Robert Trujillo accepted the award in person, with Ulrich telling the crowd, “Four years ago, when we got this idea, we had no idea what this movie would be — other than we knew that it was going to be in 3D.” Metallica Through The Neverarrived on DVD, Blu-ray and digital on January 28th, after making less than $4 million in its initial U.S. box office run last fall. (Gibson)..It appears Guns N’ Roses will return to Las Vegas this spring for its second residency at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. The news was revealed on the venue’s Facebook page, where the band’s logo was accompanied by the words “coming spring 2014” and “Text GNR to 97580 to be the first to hear the big news.” Guns N’ Roses’ first Vegas residency took place in the fall of 2012. (Blabbermouth)…Kiss’ Gene Simmons will appear in an episode of CBS’ CSI set to air on March 12th, according to Billboard. CSI executive producers Don McGill and Carol Mendelsohn issued a statement to The Hollywood Reported saying; “We’re really excited to have Gene Simmons guest-starring on CSI, playing himself in a rock-and-roll-themed murder mystery.” Simmons has previously made small screen cameos as himself on Castle and Ugly Betty, and was in an episode of the 1980’s Miami Vice, and I remember him as an evil dude in a film where there were robotic spiders that killed people, but I can’t recall the title. Funny, I worked with Kiss back in the late 80’s when they put their make-up back on to do a couple of music videos, “Rise To It” and “God Gave Rock and Roll To You.” And we did the ballad, “Forever.” Gene drove me freakin’ nuts.…..Metal Hammer reports Prince Harry is a metal head! His iPod contains Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax and Megadeth. Wouldn’t it be cool if he blasted And Justice For All in that huge marble hallway in Buckingham Palace? Awesome!….Happy 66th today to Alice Cooper! Happy 51st to Noodles aka Kevin Wasserman of The Offspring, and Happy 74th to Night of the Living Dead director George A. Romero.
