Good morning Radicals! Lots going on in the world of rock and roll, so let’s get to it:
You think that’s dickish, try being wrongfully accused of stealing money from someone you cared about, and having a lot of your fans believe it.
Good Morning, by the way.— confirm: 0-0-0… DESTRUCT… 0 (@CoreyTaylorRock) March 18, 2019
Slipknot has officially parted ways with percussionist Chris Fehn, just days after it was reported that Fehn had filed a lawsuit against his bandmates in which he claimed that he hasn’t been properly compensated for his years of touring and recording with the group.
The band said in a statement, “Slipknot’s focus is on making album #6, and our upcoming shows around the world, our best ever. Chris knows why he is no longer a part of Slipknot. We are disappointed that he chose to point fingers and manufacture claims, rather than doing what was necessary to continue to be a part of Slipknot. We would have preferred he not take the path that he has, but evolution in all things is a necessary part of this life.”
Fehn claimed in his lawsuit that he had been told that all the band’s income was being funneled through one company that split the profits between the group members. But he alleged that he recently discovered the existence of several other Slipknot-related business entities through which other members were collecting more money.
Fehn specifically accused band leaders Shawn Crahan and Corey Taylor of shady business dealings and demanded a full forensic accounting done on Slipknot’s companies and assets, so that he could collect the damages and profits he believes he is owed.
Taylor addressed the accusations via Twitter on Monday (March 18th), saying, “Try being wrongfully accused of stealing money from someone you cared about, and having a lot of your fans believe it.”
Fehn, known for wearing a Pinocchio-style mask, has been performing with Slipknot since 1998 and participated in all the band’s albums.
Metallica will team up with the San Francisco Symphony on September 6th to open the new Chase Center in San Francisco. The classical orchestra and Rock and Roll Hall of Famers will be the first acts to perform at the new 18,064-seat arena that will serve as home to the NBA team Golden State Warriors in the fall.
The pairing was announced on Monday (March 18th) at a press conference hosted just outside of the venue attended by Metallica’s Lars Ulrich and James Hetfield, San Francisco Symphony music director Michael Tilson Thomas, Warriors owner and CEO Joe Lacob, Warriors president and chief operating officer Rick Welts and San Francisco mayor London Breed.
Metallica last played with the San Francisco Symphony in 1999, with the performance released as the Grammy-winning live album S&M. Ulrich recalled being more focused than usual for that show: “When you play as many shows as we do, sometimes you have a tendency to sit and look at the lighting rig, and the shows in San Francisco were probably the most focused and the most — you know, it was really sort of like being part of a team. When you’re four guys, it’s one thing, but when you’re, like, 90 guys or whatever, it’s sort of like a different thing. So everybody really stepped up to the plate.”
Speaking about what it is like to perform with an orchestra, Hetfield said at the press conference, “There’s more people on stage. And there’s actually real musicians on stage. And we’re a lot more nervous. But it adds to the power. It adds to the opportunities for dynamics, for creating moods with the music, bringing people in, walls of sound — all kinds of great opportunities added by having a symphony along with you, along for the ride.”
Tickets for the concert go on sale at 10:00 a.m. on Friday (March 22nd) at ChaseCenter.com. Metallica fan club members will be allowed to access them via an exclusive pre-sale at 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday (March 19th).
Former Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Bernie Tormé passed away on Sunday (March 17th) at the age of 66, according to his family. Tormé was hospitalized last month with double pneumonia. It was reported at the time that that the Irish musician was “extremely ill” and that he had been placed on a ventilator.
His family issued a statement saying, “Bernie Tormé passed away peacefully on the 17th March 2019, one day short of his 67th birthday, surrounded by his family. He had been on life support for the past four weeks at a London hospital following post-flu complications. Bernie will be remembered for dedicating his life to his music for five decades. He will be sorely missed.”
Ozzy wrote on Facebook, “What a sad day. We’ve lost another great musician. Bernie was a gentle soul with a heart of gold. He will be dearly missed. I send my sincere condolences to his family, friends and fans. Rest in Peace Bernie.”
Ozzy told us a while back that playing guitar for him was a high pressure job: “Whoever stands in the shoes of another guitar player that’s played with me has got a lot to achieve, you know. And no matter what I say to them, you know — Zakk (Wylde) was the new guy once, and Randy (Rhoads) was the new guy once, and Jake E. Lee was the new guy — it’s got to be the hardest gig in the world after all them guys I’ve had, from Tony Iommi onwards, you know. I mean, the guitar players I’ve worked with in my career have been unbelievable, you know.”
Tormé stepped in when Ozzy’s guitarist Randy Rhoads died in a plane crash in March 1982, joining Ozzy’s touring band for a series of shows. Tormé was also lead guitarist in Deep Purple frontman Ian Gillan‘s solo band Gillan, and formed Desperado with Twisted Sister singer Dee Snider and ex-Iron Maiden drummer Clive Burr. He also led his own bands Electric Gypsies and Torme, appearing on over 24 albums throughout the course of his career.
Blink-182 bassist and singer Mark Hoppus was asked in an interview with Pedestrian about the band’s current relationship with former guitarist Tom DeLonge, who left the fold in 2015 to pursue his research into UFOs and the paranormal.
Hoppus replied, “I think that Tom’s very happy doing his thing, and we are very happy doing our thing, and there’s no hard feelings and there’s no animosity or bad blood there. It’s just like I said; he’s doing his stuff, we’re doing ours.”
Hoppus confirmed that he has not spoken with DeLonge in at least three years, adding, “He’s dedicated so much of his life to [UFOs] and so much time and energy researching things and listening to people speak, and talking about it himself, that it would seem like a total bummer if he didn’t get a chance to fly into outer space and see for himself.”
Blink-182 is currently recording its eighth studio album, which will follow up 2016’s California. That chart-topping LP featured the debut of DeLonge’s replacement, Alkaline Trio singer/guitarist Matt Skiba.
Skillet performed two new songs, reportedly titled “Rise Up” and “Dead Man Walking,” during its March 15th concert in Saginaw, Michigan as the support act for Breaking Benjamin. Skillet frontman John Cooper told Consequence Of Sound last fall that the band’s next album would arrive this summer and would be “a bit heavier.”
Finally, we’d like to wish a Happy Birthday today to Mastodon drummer & singer Brann Dailor, as well as Ded vocalist Joe Cotela! Have a great day, all!
