Thoughts and prayers going out to the victims and families of the horrific fertilizer plant explosion in West, TX outside of Waco. This, on top of the tragic events of the Boston Marathon on Monday, sinks my heart so deeply, words can not describe…..Sevendust rocked a packed house last night here in NYC! It was so great seeing them, watching them get the love from the audience and especially cool watching this one security dude who, while watching the crowd in front of the stage right under from where Lajon stood in front of the mic, was singing every word to every song in the set! I LOVED that! I also got to hang for a bit with Lacuna Coil’s Cristina Scabbia and Andrea Ferro. They’re starting to show signs of missing home (they’ve been away for 3 months now!) But they are doing great and happy to be getting such great reaction from the audiences on this run, which includes Candlelight Red, Stolen Babies and Coal Chamber on various dates. So when the shows come to your towns, please get out and support the new rock! Had a great time with Morgan Rose and Clint Lowery yesterday as they spent about 90 minutes with me (I even made Morgan take the chewing tobacco out of his mouth for the interview. What a disgusting habit!) Clint got a little emotional when he brought up his Dad, which is part of the inspiration for one of the songs on the new Black Out the Sun album. His Dad passed away from Parkinson’s Disease and dementia, same as my Mom. Sad watching your parents wither away. I can see how this can have an impact on a songwriter for sure. Meanwhile, they also told me their next run will be with Otherwise! Anyhow, be listening for the interview and watch for the video interview in the coming weeks on this site and on the air on hardDriveRadio….hardDrive Live Tour band and Grammy-winners Halestorm will join 3 Doors Down and Daughtry on the third leg of the two latter bands’ co-headlining tour, which kicks off on July 5th in Solomons, MD and wraps a month later on August 3rd in Cleveland. Halestorm is still on the road on our tour in support of its second album, The Strange Case Of . . . , which came out in April 2012. 3 Doors Down and Daughtry have been sharing the stage for months, not just in the U.S. but in places like Mexico, Dubai, Europe and Russia as well. (Thanks Pulse.)…Speaking of the hardDrive Live Five Tour, I am so excited about all the cool pictures fans have been posting of the tour through the new Vivogig app. Android users should be aware the pictures you are taking can be uploaded and included in the contest on Vivogig by going to the Vivogig.com website. They’re getting the bugs out of the voting on line process on the site, but don’t fret, it’s being repaired and should be up and running very soon, so don’t give up! The tour is going so well! I spoke with Bullet For My Valentine’s tour manager yesterday and everyone is extremely pleased with how great things are on this great run! Big Smiles from ME!….This is very cool. Fall Out Boy posted a message at its website on Tuesday night (April 16th), stating all proceeds from the band’s Boston-area show this fall would go to victims of the Boston Marathon bombing that occurred Monday (April 15th). The band wrote, “Normally this would be a day of celebration with the release of our new album. In light of the events in Boston yesterday we’d like to send our thoughts and prayers to the victims and everyone affected. We’ll be donating the proceeds from our upcoming Boston show from the fall tour at Tsongas Arena to the victims. Hopefully these songs will make some people feel better today. We are Americans, this affects us all.” Fall Out Boy’s show at the Tsongas Arena in Lowell, MA, is scheduled for September 6th. Good stuff!…The Red Hot Chili Peppers will play a special show for the Dalai Lama next month in Oregon, according to Spinner. The Tibetan Buddhist leader will be the guest of honor on May 11th at the Dalai Lama Environmental Summit, with the event’s site saying that the day’s activities will include a “special musical performance” to inspire “future generations to care for our planet.” The concert will take place at Portland’s Veteran’s Memorial Coliseum. Neither bassist Flea nor drummer Chad Smith has made mention of the show on either of their Twitter accounts just yet….Tonight’s the big night in LA as it’s the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony! The members of Rush hope that their induction will pave the way for more progressive and heavy rock acts to get inside the doors. Bassist Geddy Lee said, “I hope this means other great bands like Yes will follow suit. Deep Purple was on the ballot this year, and I was hoping they’d get in with us. We wouldn’t be the band we are without Deep Purple’s existence.” Guitarist Alex Lifeson added he hoped Rush’s long-awaited inclusion “opens the doors for bands like the Moody Blues and King Crimson . . . it’s odd to have (a Hall of Fame) where there seem to be guidelines for who’s acceptable and who’s not.” Thursday’s event will be filmed and broadcast on HBO on May 18th. (USA Today)….I was excited to get a message from AFI that they are coming back with new music in September! Check out this teaser on their official website! Davey looks awesome! I want that jacket!…..Happiest of Birthdays today to my friend Mark Tremonti, who turns 39 today! Hey, we’re the same age today! Nice!
