Good morning Radicals! It’s the first week in December, which means the countdown is on to the end of the year! As always, we give away our studio guitar at the end of the year, signed by every band we’ve had come in to the studios! Will you be this year’s lucky winner? Just register as a hardDriveRadio Radical, and you could be!
It’s hard to believe, but rock and roll’s prince of darkness Ozzy Osbourne turns 70 today! The father of heavy metal and Black Sabbath frontman never anticipated such longevity, figuring he’d succumb to his rock and roll excesses long before he was eligible for social security: “Let me tell you, when I was 20 I was going, I’d go, ‘I’m gonna die by 40.’ And that was all right until I was 39 and a half.”
Although he’s threatened to retire before and says his current “No More Tours 2” trek will be his last lengthy global tour, Osbourne told us not long ago that he has no intention of calling it quits: “I don’t wanna stop, you know. It’s been the biggest love affair of my life. When you reach a certain age in rock ‘n’ roll, people think, ‘Well, this has got to be his last tour,’ or ‘This has got to be his last tour,’ or ‘You’ve got to come next Tuesday ’cause he ain’t gonna do it after that.’ You’ll know when I’ve come off the road permanently. I mean, you’ll know!”
John Michael Osbourne was born in the Aston district of the gritty industrial town of Birmingham, England, one of Jack and Lillian Osbourne’s six kids. He dropped out of school at the age of 15, working as a laborer, plumber, toolmaker and slaughterhouse worker. He also spent a few weeks in prison after being arrested for burglary.
He later formed a band with classmate and guitarist Tony Iommi. The pair decided to play a darker, blues-influenced style of music instead of the psychedelic rock that was all the rage at the time. That group, originally called Earth, became Black Sabbath. Completed by drummer Bill Ward and bassist Geezer Butler, Sabbath became hugely successful with albums like Paranoid, Master of Reality and Sabbath, Bloody Sabbath.
The group arguably created the template for heavy metal and inspired generations of bands over the past 38 years. Sabbath was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006.
Ozzy left Sabbath in 1979 and embarked on an even more successful solo career with albums like Blizzard of Ozz, Diary of a Madman and last year’s Black Rain. He reunited with Sabbath in 1997 and the band toured sporadically for the next 20 years. A new album and tour featuring the original four members was announced in 2011, although drummer Bill Ward dropped out for contractual reasons. The album, 13, emerged in 2013 and Sabbath went on a farewell tour for all of 2016, ending with two shows in Birmingham in February 2017.
Although Ozzy has spoken about recording new music on his own, it has been eight years since he released his 11th and most recent solo effort, 2010’s Scream.
Slipknot and Stone Sour frontman Corey Taylor has slammed Maroon 5 lead singer Adam Levine over comments the latter made about the current state of rock music.
Levine told Variety in a recent interview, “Rock music is nowhere, really. I don’t know where it is. If it’s around, no one’s invited me to the party. All of the innovation and the incredible things happening in music are in hip-hop. It’s better than everything else. Hip-hop is weird and avant-garde and flawed and real, and that’s why people love it.”
Asked about Levine’s remarks by a fan on Twitter, Taylor responded, “Just because you claim to have ‘Moves Like Jagger’ doesn’t mean you come anywhere CLOSE to ROCKING like Jagger. Tell that schmuck to go back to The f**king ‘Voice’.”
While it’s true that rap has officially overtaken rock when it comes to streams and sales, it’s arguable whether Maroon 5 can even being considered a rock band or comment credibly on the genre.
Taylor and Stone Sour have completed the touring cycle for last year’s Hydrograd album, and now the singer is preparing to begin work on Slipknot’s sixth studio LP. The masked rockers are confirmed to start recording the follow-up to 2014’s .5: The Gray Chapter next month, with the album slated to arrive in mid-summer 2019.
Even with his support of rock, Taylor told us a while back that he still finds Slipknot’s success during the last two decades improbable: “Nine idiots from Iowa, playing metal, wearing masks, being complete idiots…we made it. It’s, God, you can’t make this up, but we did, you know.”
Words cannot express how horrified we are feeling this evening after hearing about the death of a young man at our show last night. Our hearts and deepest condolences go out to his family and loved ones at this terrible time. We will comment further in due course.
— Bring Me The Horizon (@bmthofficial) December 1, 2018
Bring Me The Horizon issued a statement following the reported death of a fan during the band’s concert at Alexandra Palace in London on Friday night (November 30th). The statement said, “Words cannot express how horrified we are feeling this evening after hearing about the death of a young man at our show last night. Our hearts and deepest condolences go out to his family and loved ones at this terrible time. We will comment further in due course.”
The venue issued its own statement, saying, “A medical incident occurred at last night’s Bring Me The Horizon concert. Our thoughts and condolences are with the individual’s family and we would like to express our deepest sympathy to them. We hope you can appreciate we cannot provide any further comment at this time.”
In a couple of since-deleted tweets, SHVPES vocalist Griffin Dickinson — son of Iron Maiden‘s Bruce Dickinson — wrote, “Last night at a BMTH show I saw a kid die. He was carried out by 3 dudes & paramedics tried to resuscitate him to no avail. Please please please look out for people around you.”
Griffin added, “Please please please look out for people around you. Don’t leave it up for someone else. If someone looks unwell, CHECK on them. In any situation, on a tube, at a gig, whatever . . . Don’t be afraid to call an ambulance. Don’t act like it ain’t your business. ACT on it. Rest in peace to that dude. Thoughts are with his family rn.”
No further information regarding the incident was available at press time. Fans at the show reported on Twitter that security allowed the show to continue despite the conditions that led to the young man’s death.
Kid Rock was removed as Grand Marshal of Nashville’s 2018 Christmas Parade, which took place on Saturday, December 1st, following backlash over comments he made during a television appearance on Friday morning, November 30th. Replacing him as Grand Marshall was James Shaw Jr., who thwarted a mass shooting at a Waffle House in Nashville in April.
Rock was dismissed after his Friday appearance on Fox & Friends, which was shooting on location in downtown Nashville at Kid Rock’s newly opened Big Ass Honky Tonk Rock N’ Roll Steakhouse. After telling host Steve Doocy that people needed to come together and have calm civil discourse, he added, “I would say, love everybody. . . except screw that Joy Behar bitch.”
His remark forced a flustered Doocy to repeatedly apologize for the singer’s language. Rock remarked, “I apologize for the language, not the sentiment.” Behar was quick to fire back on Friday’s episode of The View, saying, “This bitch and these bitches will be happy to have you on the show and have a beer,” she said.
Later in the day, Kid Rock issued his own statement on Facebook, noting that Behar had criticized him along with Ted Nugent and Sarah Palin for visiting Donald Trump at the White House in 2017. He wrote, “Mess with the bull, you get the horns. End of story. I apologized for cursing on live TV, I will not for my sentiment nor do I expect an apology from her or anyone else who has choice words for me or doesn’t like me.”
Rock was replaced as Grand Marshall of the Nashville parade when both city councilman Freddie O’Connell and mayor David Briley suggested that they would not participate if Rock was involved. O’Connell posted that the choice of Rock as Grand Marshal “evokes neither the spirit of Christmas nor the inclusivity I think represents the best of Nashville.” Parade organizers eventually issued a statement that Rock would be replaced as Grand Marshal by Shaw.
To all the gullible reporters who are “reporting” that I asked to be on the guest list at a Nine Inch Nails concert: uh, no, NIN is not my music taste. He was clearly joking. And for the record, I also didn’t “drink all his beer” the last time…but I would have! #FakeNews https://t.co/ZNr292SCVl
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) November 29, 2018
U.S. Senator Ted Cruz has responded to Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor‘s recent assertion that he denied Cruz a spot on the guest list at the band’s November 27th show in Irving, Texas, and that Cruz drank all the band’s beer at a show years earlier. Cruz remarked, “To all the gullible reporters who are ‘reporting’ that I asked to be on the guest list at a Nine Inch Nails concert: uh, no, NIN is not my music taste. He was clearly joking. And for the record, I also didn’t ‘drink all his beer’ the last time…but I would have!”
The Smashing Pumpkins came home to Chicago on Friday night (November 30th) as part of their 30th anniversary tour, surprising the crowd with a new cover and another hometown hero. Towards the end of their set, frontman William Corgan brought out Rise Against’s Tim McIlrath to sing lead on a cover of The Cars’ “Dangerous Type.” Corgan was content to play guitar and sing backing vocals for the song.
AFI has shared a second song, called “Trash Bat,” from its upcoming EP The Missing Man. Guitarist Jade Puget said, “I brought the song in and was playing it for Davey (Havok, singer) and he threw out the line, ‘my Trash Bat’ and I thought, how can you lose with a title like that? What is a Trash Bat anyway? Who cares!” It follows the surprise release of “Get Dark,” the first song shared from The Missing Man, which arrives Friday, December 7th.
Rage Against The Machine, Audioslave and Prophets Of Rage bassist Tim Commerford has confirmed his split with his wife of nearly two decades. Commerford said in a statement: “After 17 years of marriage to Aleece Dimas, I am saddened to announce our divorce. This decision was made after much careful thought and consideration. I want to send my deepest appreciation to my family and friends who have supported us through these changes. We remain committed and loving parents to our two boys. Our family asks in advance for your kindness and sensitivity at this difficult time.” The Commerfords were married in 2001 and have two sons together, Xavier and Quentin.
Concert promotion company AEG filed a lawsuit on Thursday, November 29th against promoter Danny Wimmer Presents, AEG’s former partner on the Rock On The Range and Carolina Rebellion rock festivals. AEG’s suit claims that Wimmer illegally “divorced” itself from AEG, shut down the two festivals the companies had been working on together and relaunched new competing festivals under Wimmer’s sole ownership.
AEG’s attorneys allege that Wimmer used “deceit and fraud to achieve its goal of stealing these highly acclaimed festivals.” The suit claims that Wimmer illegally shut down Columbus, Ohio’s Rock On The Range event and renamed it Sonic Temple under Wimmer’s sole ownership. It also alleges that Wimmer’s newly announced Epicenter festival is a carbon copy of the Carolina Rebellion festival the two had produced at Charlotte Motor Speedway since 2011.
Danny Wimmer Presents chief executive Danny Hayes told Billboard, “Danny Wimmer Presents has always worked within the framework of our agreements with AEG. We have deep respect and appreciation for the people at that company and are sad to see that AEG has elected this course of action. We will, of course, vigorously protect our rights and are completely confident of our legal position.”
Sonic Temple is set to take place on May 17th, 18th and 19th, 2019 at Mapfre Stadium in Columbus, Ohio, with a lineup that will include Foo Fighters, System Of A Down, Disturbed, Ghost, Bring Me The Horizon, Halestorm, Bad Wolves, Badflower, Chevelle, Beartooth, In This Moment, The Struts and many more.
Meanwhile, Wimmer unveiled the Epicenter event as a replacement for the eight-year-old Carolina Rebellion on Friday, November 30th, revealing it will take place at the newly created Rockingham Festival Grounds in Richmond County, North Carolina from Friday, May 10th through Sunday, May 12th. The lineup will be unveiled on Monday, December 10th at 9:00 a.m. ET.
Wimmer said that he was “very proud” of Carolina Rebellion but added, “The creation of the ‘epicenter of rock ‘n’ roll’ in the heart of North Carolina gives us the ability to expand on the festival experience . . . There’s always a next level to strive for — and after eight great years of Carolina Rebellion, Epicenter is that next level.”
That’s a wrap! Have a great day!
