Good morning Radicals! Time for another round of what’s up in rock and roll with DIRT!
Kirk Hammett has revealed that he was sitting on the toilet when he got the phone call to join Metallica. The lead guitarist said that at the time he was in the metal band Exodus and received the call on April Fool’s Day. He told Loudersound, “It was April 1st, April Fool’s Day, and I was sitting on the toilet. I got the call from [Metallica sound engineer] Mark Whittaker, and after I hung up, I was like, ‘I can’t believe I just got that phone call. Was that an April Fool’s Day prank?'”
He continued, “A couple of days later I got this tape from them, but I already had the demo and I already knew two thirds of the songs on there.”
Kirk then talked about how his Exodus bandmates reacted when he told them he was leaving to join Metallica. He said, “They were p*ssed. I remember Paul Baloff was so p*ssed that he poured a beer over my head. He said, ‘[angry-hurt voice] I can’t believe you’re doing this Kirk’, then poured his beer over my head. I just took it, ‘Yeah, yeah, I know…’”
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Former Motley Crue frontman John Corabi and Guns N’ Roses guitarist Richard Fortus have plans to collaborate on some new music. Fortus shared that information during a recent Q&A with fans for Gretsch Guitars on social media.
When asked what he has doing during the pandemic, Fortus said, “I’m working every day. I’ve been really fortunate. Unlike a lot of my friends during Covid, they’ve not had any work, because they’re touring musicians or they’re studio musicians that don’t have a studio at home. I’m actually sitting in my studio, which is in my house, and so I’m able to do sessions for different people . . . ”
He added, “I love playing on other people’s stuff; I love writing with different people. My buddy John Corabi is coming up from Nashville in a few days, and we’re gonna work on some stuff together.”
Eddie Vedder has taken part in the (ALS Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) trick shot challenge. The Pearl Jam frontman had been challenged to participate by Chicago Cubs President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein to complete a trick shot as part of the #TrickShot4Snowy challenge. Similar to the recent the ice bucket challenge, participants are asked to perform some type of athletic undertaking, or a trick shot to raise awareness, make a donation — and then nominate a friend to do the same.
According to Loudwire: “For his trick shot, Vedder hopped atop his surf board skimming along the lake’s surface following a boat. While he was doing this, he also balanced while carrying a baseball bat and waited for someone from the boat to toss him a pitch. In addition to being a surfer, Vedder’s love for baseball has been well documented, so it should come as no surprise that he connected on the pitch. The bigger surprise may have been doing so while still maintaining his balance and never falling off the board.”
Vedder nominated his Pearl Jam bandmate Jeff Ament and retired and three-time Stanley Cup champion, Chicago Blackhawk Chris Chelios, to take part in the challenge.
To learn more about the fight against ALS, log on to: https://www.als.org/
On Saturday, July 18, music fans worldwide who are tired of intimate bedroom livestream performances can experience rock ‘n’ roll the way it should be with a special, one-night only, free full production virtual arena show by iconic multi-platinum rock band Bush. The event, which kicks off at 9pm EDT/6pm PDT on BushOfficial.com, is a celebration in honor of the release of BUSH’s forthcoming eighth studio album, The Kingdom, available everywhere Friday, July 17.
During the show, viewers will be able to purchase The Kingdom at a special discounted price (digital version: $5.99, physical CD: $8.99 plus shipping and handling) and will also receive two exclusive non-album bonus tracks. Fifty cents from each record sold during the livestream will be donated to When We All Vote, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization on a mission to increase participation in every election. BUSH will match the total donated by fans to help the cause.
Falling In Reverse have shared the not-so-new song “Carry On.” The song was originally recorded during the sessions for 2017’s Coming Home and was previously unreleased. The band revisited the track and decided now was the time to share it with the world. Listen here.
The band’s latest smash hit single “Popular Monster” enjoyed a multi-week stint as the No. 1 rock radio song in the country. The song landed in the top spot on the Mediabase Active Rock Chart, Billboard’s Hot Hard Rock Chart, and the Nielsen Rock Chart. The chart-topping hit marked the first No.1 single of Falling In Reverse’s career. It also follows the recent gold certification of the band’s 2011-released debut album The Drug in Me Is You and a sold-out anniversary tour.
That’s a wrap for DIRT, have an awesome (and socially distant) day!
