Good morning Radicals! Hope everyone had a lovely weekend. Here’s what’s up in music news today:
Linkin Park singer Mike Shinoda has confirmed that he is working on a new solo album. According to The PRP, Shinoda took to social media to invite fans to an impromptu meet-up near the old Tower Records building in Hollywood. Shinoda wrote, “Who wants to meet up and be in a music video? I’m shooting something for my solo album at 8:30 in Hollywood tonight. In 45 minutes. Roll thru.”
Shinoda released three new solo tracks as a digital EP in late January. Titled Post Traumatic, the set directly addressed the death of Linkin Park singer Chester Bennington and Shinoda’s own anxiety over what would come next.
Shinoda and Linkin Park guitarist Brad Delson were recently tagged in a Instagram photo taken at a recording studio, while bassist Dave “Phoenix” Farrell also shared an in-studio photo that may have been from the same location. It’s not clear whether the photos were from sessions for Shinoda’s album or if he intends to have his bandmates guest on the LP.
Linkin Park has not officially announced whether the group intends to continuing recording and touring together, following Bennington’s suicide last July. The band staged an emotional all-star tribute concert for the fallen singer last October, and released a concert album in December, titled One More Light Live, which was recorded on their last tour with Bennington.
A Perfect Circle has released a new video for “Disillusioned,” the second track to emerge from the band’s new LP, Eat The Elephant. The clip showcases a group of people helplessly attached to their smartphones, with one woman testing a version of the technology that is applied directly to her eyes like contact lenses. But when she comes upon a group of people who have abandoned their devices, holding hands in a circle to celebrate their togetherness and appreciation of the natural world, she leads others to do the same thing.
The video seems to be a reference in some ways to singer Maynard James Keenan‘s official policy of banning smartphones and similar devices from A Perfect Circle and Tool shows.
Eat The Elephant is set for release on April 20th and will be the first collection of A Perfect Circle studio recordings since the 2004 covers LP, eMOTive. A Perfect Circle’s first official single from the new album was “The Doomed,” while the band has also previewed song like “Feathers” and “Talk Talk” live. The band is set to hit a number of festivals this summer, including a headlining slot at Indio, California’s Coachella Festival on April 15th and 22nd, plus events in Las Vegas, Dallas and Somerset, Wisconsin.
In other news, the webmaster for Tool has made it official that the band has “moved into a major studio where the recording process for the next album is about to begin in earnest.” The webmaster also confirmed that Tool is again working with producer Joe Barresi and that more updates from the studio are forthcoming.
Avenged Sevenfold singer M. Shadows has revealed that the band’s legal battle with its former label, Warner Bros. Records, is not yet resolved, saying that the group wants to settle the matter before it begins work on a new LP: “We have a couple things we’re looking at, but right now, you know, we’re still dealing with the label situation, we’re dealing with the lawsuit still and just — a couple of things that we just got to kind of clean up before we move on to the next record.”
Warner Bros. sued Avenged Sevenfold in late 2015 after the band left the label by citing the California Labor Code’s “seven-year rule.” The rule allows for parties to exit contracts after seven years if certain unfavorable conditions exist. But a provision in the rule allows labels to collect money that would have been made on undelivered albums.
Warner Bros. is seeking damages based on the fact that Avenged Sevenfold had one album left on its contract, while the band has argued that extensive turnover in the label’s staff led to an unsatisfactory working relationship.
While that case was originally expected to go to trial in December of last year, it appears to have since been delayed to an as-yet unspecified date. The band has since moved on to Capitol, which issued the group’s seventh album, The Stage, as a surprise release in October 2016. Avenged will tour North America this summer with Prophets Of Rage and Three Days Grace.
Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready will be honored by the MusiCares Foundation at the 2018 MusiCares Concert For Recovery, scheduled to take place on Thursday, May 10th at The Showbox in Seattle. McCready will receive the Stevie Ray Vaughan Award in recognition of his significant dedication to and support of MusiCares and his commitment to helping others in the addiction recovery process.
McCready said in a statement, “Recovery is a journey that you take each day, and mine has been affirming from a musical standpoint and a community perspective. To be able to raise funds for MusiCares and the critical addiction recovery work they do for music people across the country all year long is humbling, and it speaks to the way we can come together to help those in need.”
The Concert For Recovery will feature performances by Slash and Duff McKagan from Guns N’ Roses, Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith, former Screaming Trees and Mad Season drummer Barrett Martin, Heart‘s Nancy Wilson and others. The evening will close with a special performance by McCready and friends.
The event, presented by Amazon Music, will benefit MusiCares. MusiCares ensures music people have a place to turn in times of financial, medical, and personal need and provides members of the music community access to addiction recovery resources. Tickets range from $250 for individual cabaret seating to $5,000 for prime floor seating for four. All tickets will include a buffet. In addition, a one-of-a-kind Nixon Chris Cornell Sentry timepiece will be auctioned off live at the event.
#CantDenyMe. #PearlJam pic.twitter.com/BeEtn8Flr2
— Pearl Jam (@PearlJam) March 10, 2018
In other news, Pearl Jam has released a new song called “Can’t Deny Me” to members of its official fan club. A short preview clip is available online. Although there have been rumors that Pearl Jam is working on a new LP, the group has not indicated when it will arrive. The band’s last all-new set of material was 2013’s Lightning Bolt.
Bring Me The Horizon singer Oli Sykes has given England’s Kerrang! magazine an update on the progress of the band’s sixth studio album, saying that the group has around 30 song ideas in the works and hopes to get new music in front of fans by the end of the year. Speaking about the direction of the new material, Sykes said, “I don’t think any Bring Me The Horizon fan is going to be surprised at this next album sounding different to the last one.”
Sykes added that Bring Me The Horizon has no qualms about aiming for commercial success, explaining, “We like the idea of breaking into the mainstream. We’re not ashamed of that, we don’t see it as selling out. We see it as a great challenge, to make music that can be adored by more people but still retain who we are. That is the goal.”
Sykes cited Twenty One Pilots as an inspiration, saying, “(They’re) popular and accessible, but without compromising their integrity or who they are. That’s a real challenge now.” Bring Me The Horizon’s latest album, 2015’s That’s The Spirit, reached Number Two on the Billboard 200 album chart and featured the hits “Happy Song” and “Throne.”
The British act released its Live At The Royal Albert Hall DVD in December 2016, documenting an April 2016 concert at the legendary London venue with a full orchestra and choir. All proceeds went to Teenage Cancer Trust.
Smashing Pumpkins frontman William Corgan has revealed that the band will release the songs it’s been recording on two EPs, with the first of the new music coming in May. Following reports that the group was working on 26 songs, Corgan has now taken to Instagram to explain his plan, saying, “Almost all the musical side is done with 2 days to go,” adding, “The intended plan being to release the songs over two four-song EPs, with a first song most likely due out in May.”
Corgan recently reunited three-fourths of the band’s original lineup, including guitarist James Iha and drummer Jimmy Chamberlin for a lengthy summer tour and the new EPs. Original bassist D’Arcy Wretzky is not involved however, with a bitter feud unfolding between Wretzky and Corgan over claims that she was asked to participate and then disinvited.
Corgan is also continuing work on a new solo album, the follow-up to last year’s Ogilala.
Corgan also revealed that the band just completed a long-ranging interview with the New York Times, which he said will “address many of the things we get asked about.” He did not say when the article would run but it’s speculated that it will address the situation with Wretzky. The “Shiny And Oh So Bright” tour, which will reportedly focus on the band’s first five albums, kicks off on July 12th in Glendale, Arizona.
Beyond The Beats: Rock & Roll’s Greatest Drummers Speak! is the name of a new book arriving on March 13th that features exclusive interviews with drummers from the biggest bands in rock and metal, including Lars Ulrich of Metallica, Joey Kramer of Aerosmith, Tommy Lee of Motley Crue, Taylor Hawkins from Foo Fighters, Chad Smith from Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jimmy Chamberlin of the Smashing Pumpkins and more. The artists talk about their earliest memories of playing drums as well as the creation of their most famous beats.
Steve Gleason I (reluctantly) accept your #ALSPepperChallenge @ALSTDI has raised over $500K thru the challenge. I challenge you @MikeMcCreadyPJ & Will Ferrell @funnyordie to do the same! @TeamGleason pic.twitter.com/6BwIQGdmRt
— Chad Smith (@RHCPchad) March 5, 2018
The ALS Pepper Challenge is the latest campaign to raise awareness for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, the rare progressive neurological disorder better known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Former NFL player Steve Gleason, who suffers from ALS, challenged Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith to eat a hot pepper, and now Smith has posted a video in which he accepts the challenge and calls on actor and Smith lookalike Will Ferrell along with Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready to do the same. Smith says in the clip, “The ironic thing is I don’t like chili peppers — I’m not a fan of the hot pepper.”
Finally, we’d love to wish a Happy Birthday to Steve Harris of Iron Maiden, Claudio Sanchez, frontman for Coheed and Cambria, and Graham Coxon, guitarist for Blur. Woo hoo!
