Whew! That went too quickly, right? Hope you had a great long Thanksgiving weekend filled with family and friends and good food! I know mine was! And I got to see Korn, Halestorm, Redlight King and Stars In Stereo! Everyone was so pumped and happy and it seems like the holidays have raised everyone’s spirits! And to all the Crimson Tide fans, sorry! Auburn War Eagles/Tigers rolled over them. And did ya notice at the end of the game when the fans were rushing onto the field the song that was playing in the stadium? None other than Redlight King’s “Born To Rise”! I had to email Kaz to tell him! How cool for the band!…..Let’s start with congratulations! The second volume of Five Finger Death Punch‘s two-record set, The Wrong Side Of Heaven And The Righteous Side Of Hell, sold 77,000 copies in the U.S. during its first week of release to debut at Number Two on the Billboard album chart Wednesday (Nov 27th). The first volume, which came out in July, also debuted in the same position, although it sold 113,000 copies. And now looks like this dynamic duo of drummer Jeremy Spencer and his tech Bobby Watson has turned into a comedy troupe! Check this out! Silly boys…..Meanwhile, speaking of Halestorm, frontwoman Lzzy Hale has announced the launch of her own clothing, jewelry and accessory line, called Scissor Happy, which will feature products designed by Hale herself. The singer and guitarist said, “After years of gluing, sewing, bending and breaking things in the back of the bus…I am so excited to finally have something to share with all of the crazy people who inspire me.” Hale added, “All of these pieces are hand made on the road and created by me. This four-piece launch line is just a taste of what’s to come, and all of my pieces are unisex, so no matter what side of the pendulum you swing at, there’s a little something for everybody! Thank you so much to everyone for enabling me to share my passions with the world! ‘Tis only the beginning! Rock On!” An official website has gone live with photos of Hale’s first products. The initial four items are a denim vest, a “Running With Scissors” T-shirt, a belt buckle and a scissor skull necklace. They range in price from $30 to $70. Hale has posted two videos online in which she talks about the T-shirt and the necklace. (I’m getting me that necklace!)….Oh no! Chris Cornell was unable to perform his scheduled solo acoustic show last Wednesday (Nov 27th) in Wilmington, Delaware due to a severe shoulder strain sustained earlier that day. Doctors had advised he rest the shoulder. Cornell plans to reschedule the date as soon as possible and honor all tickets. Cornell’s current “Songbook” shows highlight tunes from throughout his career, including his solo albums plus his work with Soundgarden and Audioslave. (Blabbermouth)….The remaining members of Lostprophets: guitarists Lee Gaze & Mike Lewis, keyboardist Jamie Oliver, bassist Stuart Richardson and drummer Luke Johnson, posted a lengthy message to fans about the news of former frontman Ian Watkins pleading guilty to countless crimes against children and infants. “Earlier this week, we learned that the allegations of child sexual abuse against Lostprophets singer] Ian [Watkins] were true, and that he would not be contesting them in court. Until then, we found them extremely difficult to believe and had hoped it was all a mistake. Sadly, the true extent of his appalling behaviour is now impossible to deny. Many of you understandably want to know if we knew what Ian was doing. To be clear: We did not. We knew that Ian was a difficult character. Our personal relationships with him had deteriorated in recent years to a point that working together was a constant, miserable challenge. But despite his battles with drugs, his egotistic behaviour, and the resulting fractures and frustrations within our band, we never imagined him capable of behaviour of the type he has now admitted. We are heartbroken, angry, and disgusted at what has been revealed. This is something that will haunt us for the rest of our lives. Being in a band has always been a labour of love and a platform to inspire people, not to take advantage of them. It’s still hard to believe this is happening and that someone we were once so close to has destroyed so many lives, lying every step of the way. Our hearts go out to Ian’s family, the fans and friends he betrayed, and most importantly, the victims of his crimes and others like them. We hope for justice, but also that Ian will truly take responsibility for what he’s done. We would urge any other victims to contact the authorities.” Ya know, the last time I had seen Ianwas several years ago, just around the time Columbia released their last album here in the states. There was a listening party over at the now defunct Sony Music Studios over on W 54th St here in NYC. He seemed different to me. His usual warm and greeting demeanor had changed to dark and aloof. I just thought maybe he was jet-lagged or something. The album bombed and that was the last I had seen or heard about the band. Then news of his child abuse over in Wales. It’s so shocking and sick! I hope they put him away for a long time. He’s been in jail since Feb of this year and his sentencing is Dec 18th…..Happy 45th today to Foo Fighters’ bassist Nate Mendel.
