What day is it? What day IS IT? Hump DAAAAAY!!!!!!!….Sorry, had to…..Seether seems closer to the finish line of the recording of their next album, their 5th, due later this spring. Bassist Dale Stewart did a video blog from the studio and you can check it out here. I know the label is meeting with Shaun Morgan today and hopefully we will get an updated interview with my ole friend soon…..Killswitch Engage frontman Jesse Leach has opened up in a new interview with Metal Hammer about the reasons why he originally left the band in 2002 after recording two albums. Leach, who reunited with the group in 2012, explained, “When I left Killswitch, there was definitely something wrong with my head. I was dealing with a depression. At that time it was a pretty lowdown feeling of being alienated, just sort of not being prepared mentally for a life on the road.” Leach also revealed that during his first stint with the group he did not know how to properly care for his voice on tour, saying, “I was struggling to maintain it. I wasn’t hanging out with the band because I was just so worried about conserving the voice I had. I wasn’t drinking, I just wasn’t participating in any of the fun aspects of being out on tour.” The vocalist added that he “just ended up driving my head into some really dark places to the point where I was apathetic to what I was doing . . . it’s laughable to me now when I look at myself then and consider the person I’ve become.” Leach’s replacement in the group, Howard Jones, sang with them for nine years and three albums before leaving in 2012 with his own health issues. The band was nominated this year for a Grammy for their Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance for “In Due Time” from Disarm The Descent……Pulse of Radio reports The Offspring will be the recipients of the Orange County Impact and Lifetime Achievement prize at the annual OC Music Awards, which will take place on March 8th at the City National Grove in Anaheim, California. The award annually goes to a renowned local band or artist that has left a major impact on the Orange County music scene, which the Offspring — who hail from Huntington Beach — have clearly done. A statement from the organizers said, “The Offspring’s impact on artists, the music community and fans is undeniable. With more than 40 million records sold and fans across the globe, it is OC Music Awards honor to recognize The Offspring with the 2014 OC Impact Award.” Other local punk acts that have received the award include the Vandals, Social Distortion and Thrice. Although the Offspring will attend the ceremony, they are not expected to perform. The band is also nominated for Best Alternative Act, while other local acts up for various trophies include Avenged Sevenfold, Social Distortion, The Adolescents and more. The Offspring are currently on a break, but are scheduled to hit the road this May in Europe….Tool have announced additional dates to their March run on the west coast and Rob Zombie and his band of merry men will be hitting the east coast in April and May. See Road Rage for both….And sorry to see Shaun White did not make it to the podium for a medal at the Sochi Olympics. Bummer, dude.
