Good morning friends! Let’s start the day with a look at what’s new in rock and roll:
Foo Fighters main man Dave Grohl and his mother, Virginia Hanlon Grohl, will give a talk together at the 2019 edition of Canadian Music Week, the northern nation’s big music conference and festival that will take place in Toronto next month. The 37th annual event takes place from May 6th to 12th at various venues around the city.
The Grohls’ discussion will be held on May 10th as part of the conference’s Keynote Speakers lineup, where mother and son will “talk about the inspiration behind her book From Cradle To Stage, her delightful meetings with music moms and what to do when your child is a talented, charismatic prodigy.” A Q&A will follow afterwards.
Mrs. Grohl released her book, From Cradle To Stage: Stories From The Mothers Who Rocked And Raised Rock Stars, in 2016. In addition to highlighting her own experiences as a rock star mom, it featured conversations with other famous musicians’ mothers, including the moms of Dr. Dre, Michael Stipe, Amy Winehouse, Beastie Boys’ Mike D and more.
Foo Fighters were forced to reschedule their performances at the two-night grand opening of The Fillmore New Orleans in February after Dave Grohl underwent arm surgery. The shows have been rescheduled to May 15th and May 16th and all tickets for the original dates will be honored.
Shinedown drummer Barry Kerch said in a recent interview with Wisconsin radio station WZOR that while the band is a “full democracy,” it’s singer Brent Smith who leads the way. Kerch explained, “You have to have a leader, and Brent’s good at it. He’s driven in a way that I don’t have, and he’s got the gift of gab, which . . . when it comes to business and getting in there and getting in somebody’s face, I don’t have that. I’m too nice — I’m very nice.”
But Kerch maintained that all four members of the band have an equal say, remarking, “One cool thing that we always do before we kick off a tour cycle, we get in a room — the four of us — and hash it out. So we bring anything up that bothered us in the past . . . we just call each other out, tell each other the problems we’re having, come to conclusions, and then we can start with a fresh slate.”
Smith himself told us a while back that he’s always felt like he has a responsibility to be a role model to the fans: “I’ve never said that we’re rock stars but I will say that we’re role models, because there are a lot of people in the audience that look up to you. Sometimes, you know, it’s like, you’ll find that kid and they really want to be you, you know, or be like you. You have a duty to show them how to be a real artist, be a real entertainer, be a man or be a woman. That’s a duty upon yourself that you asked for, so respect it, and also respect the people that are watching you.”
Shinedown’s latest album, Attention Attention, came out last year and features the crossover hit “Get Up” and the new single “Monsters.” The band will kick off an extensive spring and summer tour on May 3rd at the Beale Street Music Festival in Memphis, Tennessee.
Motionless In White will release its fifth studio album, titled Disguise, on June 7th. The band has shared two songs from the new disc, the title track and “Brand New Numb,” on all streaming platforms.
The new LP will follow up 2017’s Graveyard Shift, which was not only critically acclaimed but yielded a rock radio hit on “Loud (F**k It),” along with fellow singles “Eternally Yours” and “Necessary Evil.”
Motionless In White is currently out on the 2019 “Spring Invasion Tour,” a co-headlining run alongside Atreyu and also featuring support from special guests Wilson. The tour stops in Corpus Christi, Texas on Thursday night (April 18th) and will conclude in Knoxville, Tennessee on May 9th.
Later this summer Motionless In White will head back out on the road with Alice Cooper and Halestorm for a North American tour set to kick off on July 17th in Allentown, Pennsylvania.
Finally, we want to wish a Happy Birthday to Alter Bridge guitarist Mark Tremonti! Have a great day!
