Good morning rock music fans! Let’s take stock of what’s happening in the music world today:
Ozzy Osbourne, Foo Fighters, Halestorm, Green Day and Papa Roach are among the artists who “disconnected” from their usual work or promotion online in honor of #BlackOutTuesday (June 2nd).
Many of the artists are sharing posts on social media under the #TheShowMustBePaused hashtag and expressing solidarity with the black community.
The campaign was created by music industry executives Jamila Thomas and Brianna Agyemang to “disrupt the work week” and engage instead with the black community in the wake of the killing of George Floyd and the ensuing unrest nationwide.
A statement said, “We are tired and can’t change things alone. In the meantime, to our Black friends and family: please take time for you and your mental health. To our allies, the time is now to have difficult conversations with family, friends and colleagues.”
Halestorm’s Lzzy Hale wrote, “Instead of promoting ourselves or our personal agendas on Tuesday, we will pause in solidarity out of respect for what is happening right now . . . I encourage you all to do your research and find big or small ways that you can help change happen.”
Other artists across the rock, pop and urban genres that participated in Blackout Tuesday included Coldplay, Radiohead, Papa Roach, Katy Perry, Rihanna, Beck, Queens Of The Stone Age, Carrie Underwood, Nine Inch Nails, Megan Thee Stallion, Taylor Swift and many others.
not literally lighting businesses on fire. I thought that people would understand that, but it was taken at face value. I do support the active protests and other non violent/destructive initiatives to get the message across to those who need to hear it.
— Chris Motionless (@ChrisMotionless) June 2, 2020
Motionless In White frontman Chris “Motionless” Cerulli blasted Donald Trump for his performance as the head of state and head of government of the U.S., saying Trump’s “behavior and poor acts of ‘leadership’ enable cruelty, ignorance, and social injustice.”
Cerulli made his comments after several days of protests in cities across America following the killing of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, at the hands of Minneapolis police.
The singer wrote in part, “WHAT/WHO IS America today? Has it officially transitioned into a nation that predominantly embodies what this man stands for, rather than a land of compassion and opportunity for everyone like we thought it was? How could this happen? His behavior and poor acts of ‘leadership’ enable cruelty, ignorance, and social injustice.”
Cerulli added, “I am with the riots. I am with fighting fire with fire. How else can we expect change when so many others endorse what we’ve become?”
He later returned to clarify his earlier comment, writing, “No, I do not support the specific acts of looting and violence that are undermining and distracting from the true message of these protests . . . I do support the active protests and other non violent/destructive initiatives to get the message across to those who need to hear it.”
Motionless In White is sitting at Number 16 on the rock radio chart with the single “Another Life,” from the band’s 2019 LP Disguise.
10-year-old online musical sensation Nandi Bushell has offered her support of Black Lives Matter and the fight against racism with a multi-instrumental cover of the Rage Against The Machine classic “Guerrilla Radio.”
Bushell rocked the drums, bass, and guitar for the virtuoso split-screen performance. Rage Against The Machine guitarist Tom Morello has already praised the British youngter’s rendition, retweeting the performance and writing, “Well, now we’re on the right track.”
A description of the performance on her YouTube channel and social media pages stated, “Solidarity in the Fight to End Racism! #fightracism #blacklivesmatter #enoughisenough. This song is one of Nandi’s favorite songs. Nandi has loved @rageagainstthemachine since she was a baby.”
Rage bassist Tim Commerford told us a while back that part of the band’s mission is educating kids: “We’re all about a different point of view. We’re all about trying to educate kids and trying to make kids raise their hand in history class and say, ‘Why am I not learning about Mexico?’ and ‘Why am I not learning about Africa?’ and ‘Why am I not learning about East Timor? How come I didn’t know that we’ve been in East Timor since 1970 murdering people, you know? Why has that been kept a secret?’ That’s what we’re here for.”
Bushell has previously covered Queens Of The Stone Age, Metallica, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Royal Blood, The White Stripes and numerous other artists on her YouTube channel.
She might have gotten the chance to jam with the members of Rage themselves, but unfortunately their much-anticipated reunion tour was sidelined due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The politically charged band will now hit the road beginning June 3rd, 2021, in El Paso, Texas.
Slipknot percussionist M. Shawn “Clown” Crahan was asked in an interview with The Fred Minnick Show if he could ever see the band ditching its trademark costumes and masks.
He responded in part, “There’s not a day that doesn’t go by that every member wishes we didn’t have to wear that stuff. Especially since it was my idea in the sense of I brought it to the table. And for all I know, maybe some of the guys think it’s the worst thing ever . . . It seems like it’s what we wanted to do. And it’s helped, and it really is who we are.”
He continued, “There’s just never been any (thought) of anything else. I really couldn’t fathom us any other way. I would feel cheapened; I would feel betrayed. I think that’s the difference . . . we do not deter away from staying the course.”
Crahan told us a while back that the band’s masks and images will always evolve: “We’re not a Kiss thing. I love Kiss, they’re the reason I play music, so no, you know, there’s no disrespect here, but I’m not gonna be left to have, you know, demon eyes for my whole career. I can’t do it. I’m too over here, there, and everywhere to ever have to be that one thing forever. I’m not. We’re an ongoing experiment that we play, and we change.”
Crahan’s comments echo those of Slipknot singer Corey Taylor, who told Overdrive in a 2019 interview that he couldn’t see the band ever going unmasked. He explained, “It’s such a part of our art . . . when we start trying to cut corners and try to make things easier, just so we can ‘get on with it,’ that’s when it’s gonna be time to call it a day.”
Slipknot recently canceled all of its previously announced summer 2020 tour dates, including the Knotfest Roadshow U.S. tour. The band is transitioning its Knotfest website into a portal dedicated to heavy music culture.
System Of A Down, Iron Maiden and Kiss will headline the virtual Download TV festival, which will stream on YouTube and social media from June 12th through the 14th.
All three bands were set to headline this year’s Download Festival, the massive U.K. heavy music event that was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The virtual fest promises footage from prior Download appearances, socially distant performances, interviews, and exclusive content from the bands that were initially slated for this year’s lineup.
Kiss will “headline” Friday’s programming, with replays of its 2015 Download set. Saturday night belongs to Maiden, featuring vintage performances, clips from its most recent tour and exclusive content for Download TV. System Of A Down will close out the festivities on Sunday with clips from its Download sets in 2005, 2011, and 2017.
Other notable acts that will be featured across the weekend include Deftones, Korn, Babymetal, Baroness, Mastodon, Disturbed, Killswitch Engage, The Offspring, Volbeat and many more.
Download TV will also air interactive content, such as celebrity “cookalongs,” artist Q&As, tutorial sessions, as well as user created content from Download attendees.
Finally, join us in wishing a Happy Birthday to Slayer axeman Kerry King! Have a great day!
