Good morning Radicals! Here’s what’s new in the world of rock:
please read ⬇️💛 …@TheBrentSmith pic.twitter.com/rxagChywrc
— SHINEDOWN (@Shinedown) May 12, 2020
Shinedown frontman Brent Smith has clarified his recent remarks about playing live, just a few days after he seemingly suggested that the band would tour this summer as planned no matter what.
Shinedown’s spring North American “Deep Dive Tour” was postponed to the summer once the pandemic broke out, and Smith told Zippo Encore earlier this week, “As of right now, that’s all a go. So we’re not backing off of that rescheduled timeline.” Smith later added, “We wanna do everything safely and we wanna go by the professionals in the medical community . . . but you can’t stay inside forever.”
Now Smith has issued a clarification after some fans misconstrued his position to mean that Shinedown would perform this summer against health officials’ advice.
In a post on social media, Smith wrote, “I’d like to clear up any misunderstanding about our touring plans that may be out there as some of my comments were a little misconstrued recently in the midst of trying to stay positive in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
He continued, “We’d like you all to know that while we can’t wait to play for you and see all of you on the road again, we will only do so when it’s safe. The health and wellness of our fans is what’s most important and something we take very seriously.”
Smith told us that he had a message of advice and hope for fans: “Don’t stay online all day long. Get out. Get in the sunlight. Go for a walk. Go for a run. Reset. I’ve said this for many years, and it holds true even more now than ever: it is never goodbye, it’s just ’til next time, and we’ll see you all really soon.”
If it’s not canceled or postponed again, Shinedown’s summer tour is slated to run from July 31st through September 12th. The “Deep Dive Tour” promises deep cuts and B-sides from throughout Shinedown’s career, along with the group’s many radio hits.
Soundgarden guitarist Kim Thayil was asked in an interview with Louisville, Kentucky radio station WFPK why he has never released any solo albums, even when the band was inactive for a period of nearly 13 years after splitting up in 1997.
Thayil responded, “Probably a lot of reasons. I think at the time, I was really fed up with a creative pursuit — you know, songwriting — turning into constant meetings with accountants and lawyers and managers and record company people; I just wasn’t interested. When the band broke up, I was initially interested in going back and playing recreationally, which is what I was able to do — play recreationally.”
Thayil added that he also didn’t pursue a solo project after Soundgarden’s initial split because all his musical ideas at that point would have sounded too close to his former band. He explained, “Anything I would have done would have sounded like Soundgarden without the greatest singer in the world and the greatest drummer in the world. So, that was a little bit discouraging too.”
Soundgarden singer Chris Cornell took his own life in 2017, ending the band for a second and final time. Thayil told us not long ago that he couldn’t see the band carrying on without its frontman: “It’s not likely that we could do, ever, Soundgarden with a missing piece, you know. I would like to do something with Ben (Shepherd, bassist) in the future and it’s likely that Matt (Cameron, drums), Ben and I will do something in the future. It just probably won’t be Soundgarden. I don’t see any dignity in pursuing that course.”
Thayil, Ben Shepherd and Matt Cameron are currently embroiled in a legal battle with Cornell’s widow over the rights to Cornell’s last vocal recordings, payment of band royalties and control of its social media accounts, among other issues.
Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo covered Nirvana‘s hit “Heart-Shaped Box” for the first time last week during his “Island In The Zoom” livestream show. Cuomo recently launched the show after the band went into lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, using it to answer questions and even perform some songs.
In the grainy video the musician uploaded on Monday (May 11th), Cuomo plays the haunting tune from In Utero on the piano. Cuomo is no stranger to covering Nirvana’s songs. Weezer performed the Nevermind track “Breed” in 1998 and, more recently, took on “Lithium” while opening for Foo Fighters in September 2019.
Weezer was set to hit the road this summer with Green Day and Fall Out Boy for the worldwide Hella Mega Tour. However, the European leg has been postponed due to the pandemic, and the fate of the rest of the dates remains to be seen.
Meanwhile, Weezer recently dropped a new single and video called “Hero” from the upcoming album Van Weezer and debuted part of a new song titled “Blue Dream” as animated musical guests on The Simpsons last Sunday (May 10th).
Former Five Finger Death Punch drummer Jeremy Spencer‘s new band, Psychosexual, has shared a live video of the band performing its new single, “Let The Sin Begin.”
The clip was filmed at the Copa Room in Las Vegas on May 9th and marked the first live performance by the group. Spencer sings lead vocals in the band under the name Devil Daddy, with the group planning to release its debut album, Torch The Faith, this fall.
Joining Spencer in the group are guitarist Crucifier, bassist Astaroth and drummer Volac.
A tour to support the release of Torch The Faith is planned for late fall/early winter, pending the state of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Spencer, an original member of Five Finger Death Punch, left that band after undergoing back surgery in the fall of 2018 that required a significant recovery period. Spencer’s replacement, Charlie “The Engine” Engen, made his recording debut with the band on the recently released F8 album.
Pearl Jam has released a teaser for the official music video for the song “Retrograde.” The full clip will make its online debut on Thursday (May 14th). “Retrograde” is taken from Pearl Jam’s latest album, Gigaton, which arrived in March. The current single from the LP, “Superblood Wolfmoon,” is Number Five on the rock radio chart.
Skillet drummer Jen Ledger‘s solo band, Ledger, has shared a previously unreleased song called “Goner.” Ledger and her bandmates performed the song from their homes, with Ledger saying, “We thought we’d have a little fun while we’re all stuck in lockdown!” Ledger has previously released a self-titled EP, while her main band’s latest effort, Victorious, arrived last August.
Incubus frontman Brandon Boyd said it would be “so much fun” to launch a 20th anniversary tour for the band’s album Morning View in 2021. The double platinum LP came out in 2001 and featured the singles “Wish You Were Here” and “Nice To Know You.” As for the band’s tour this summer with 311 and Badflower, set to start in mid-July, Incubus guitarist Mike Einziger said that the bands are still weighing the fate of that run.
