Good morning rock and roll fans! Here’s what’s happening today in music news:
Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich revealed in a new interview that the band members are exchanging new musical ideas via Zoom and email while continuing to shelter in place.
Ulrich explained, “We’re just starting, in the last four weeks maybe, we connected again…we [have now] connected creatively, and now we’re sort of in discovery mode, I think is a good way to say it. We are sending ideas to each other via e-mail and via Zoom and [trying to] make music in these unusual situations.”
Asked how making a “quarantine” album would be different from a “normal” one, Ulrich replied, “So far, at least the sonic side of it and the practical elements are in surprisingly good shape, actually. So now we’ve just gotta figure out how much we can create without being in the same space.”
Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo has told us before that there’s always new music coming out of frontman James Hetfield: “James usually comes up with a lot of stuff. He’s the kind of guy where he plugs in his guitar, turns a volume knob or a, you know, a tone knob, and he comes up with, you know, the greatest riff that you can imagine. So in that case, there’s no shortage of riffs and ideas.”
In early May, the four members of Metallica recorded a new version of their song “Blackened,” with each member separated in his own home. The band has postponed all live dates for 2020 and has instead been streaming a full concert from its archives every Monday.
The Pretty Reckless singer Taylor Momsen told Download TV how the band got Rage Against The Machine‘s Tom Morello to play guitar on its new album, Death By Rock And Roll.
Momsen explained, “I’ve known Tom for a few years now, but we kind of reconnected at the ‘I Am The Highway’ tribute for Chris Cornell; we both played with Soundgarden on the song ‘Loud Love.’ As I was making the record, the song ‘And So It Went’ came about, and I called him up and I said, ‘This is begging for your voice on this. This is begging for a Tom Morello solo.'”
Momsen continued, “He has such a unique voice and a unique sound that is so distinctive to him. And I said, ‘Dude, are you in? Do you like the song? Is it something that you can contribute to?’ And then he was all about it and he sent back his wizardry . . . it comes in slamming, and it’s so undeniably Tom Morello, he makes the song. It’s awesome.”
Morello joins previously announced guests Kim Thayil and Matt Cameron from Soundgarden on the early 2021 release. Death By Rock And Roll is The Pretty Reckless’ fourth studio album and the title track recently cracked the Top 10 at rock radio.
Ozzy Osbourne says that he is “slowly getting better” after suffering from several medical issues last year, including a fall, neck surgery and hospitalization for the flu. The legendary singer spoke about how he is handling life during a pandemic during a Wednesday (June 17th) appearance on his wife Sharon’s daily talk show, The Talk.
Ozzy explained, “I’ve never been at home this long in my whole career. So I’ve had a chance to see my wife’s side of the fence more than me being on the road. So it’s had its moments, I must confess.” Asked how he is feeling at the moment, Ozzy said, “I’m getting better. It’s a slow process, but I’m getting there slowly but surely.”
Ozzy released his first solo album in a decade, Ordinary Man, just before the pandemic struck, but tentative tour plans were put on hold both due to his recovery and the spread of COVID-19.
In other news, Ozzy is one of many notable artists contributing rare “one of a kind” items to an upcoming auction to benefit the MusiCares Relief Fund. Others include Billie Eilish, the Killers’ Brandon Flowers, Black Sabbath‘s Tony Iommi, Robert Plant, Willie Nelson, Cher, Depeche Mode, Blake Shelton and more.
The Julien’s Auctions event will take place on September 9th. The exact slate of items hasn’t been revealed yet. MusiCares and the Recording Academy established the COVID-19 Relief Fund in March for music industry members in financial need during the pandemic.
Deftones have confirmed plans to release a deluxe edition of their classic 2000 album White Pony, along with a bonus alternate disc of brand-new remixes dubbed Black Stallion.
Singer Chino Moreno revealed, “We’re going to be releasing later in the year a reissue of the record and we’re going to do sort of a split side of the record, a remixed version of it titled Black Stallion. So we have a bunch of different people on it, some that actually inspired some of the writing of the record itself, the original album. So it’s kind of come full circle.”
Only one contributor, DJ Shadow, is confirmed, while the rest of the participants and a release date are yet to be announced.
White Pony was released 20 years ago this Saturday (June 20th). It is widely considered Deftones’ finest effort to date. The million-selling disc yielded the Top Three rock hit “Change (In The House Of Flies).”
Moreno told us at the time that White Pony established the template for the kind of records he wanted to make: “I wanna make music that’s very soothing. It can be so abrasive, but the whole time you’re listening to it, it’s soothing you, you know what I mean? I wanna make a record that you hear and it’s poking the s**t out of you the whole time you’re hearing it, but it’s stroking you. It’s making you feel warm inside, and that’s the vibe I’m going for.”
Deftones recently completed work on their new album, which is tentatively slated for a September release.
Finally, let’s wish a Happy Birthday to Guns N’ Roses keyboardist Dizzy Reed! Hope you have a great day!
