Monday, September 26, 2011

What happened over the weekend?

Here's a few tidbits of info that came and went over the weekend.



(The View)


  • Animals As Leaders have also debuted a song titled "Isolated Incidents", off of their upcoming release "Weightless":

(Isolated Incidents)


  • Coal Chamber have announced to do a few reunion shows.  So far, only a handful of Australian dates seem to be announced.  Read more here

  • Megadeth debuted its next single dubbed "Never Dead", off the album"Th1rt3en":

    (Never Dead)
  • Swedish rockers Amaranthe have debuted their next music video for the single "Amartanthine":

    (Amaranthine)
  • Wayne Static has also given fans an inside listen to his debut solo album "Pighammer", found on his Facebook page.
Message me for more information on these articles, or visit the AFGM Facebook page.

Birthdays In Music!


Cesar Rosas (Los Lobos) 


Shawn Stockman (Boyz II Men)

Friday, September 23, 2011

The Challenge



Tori Amos, a singer, songwriter and pianist had recently sat down with Spinner.com , discussing her "challenge" (which I have no idea what prompted this).  Apparently, Amos is claiming the emotion in her songs is more powerful than anything the heaviest of metal bands can churn out.  Amos had the following to say about the so called challenge:

"Sometimes you don't know how music affects people. I embrace that because I don't think that just because I talk about emotional stuff that it's not motherfucker stuff. I'll stand next to the hardest fucking heavy metal band on any stage in the world and take them down, alone, by myself. Gauntlet laid down, see who steps up. See who steps up!  I'll take them down at 48. And they know I will. Because emotion has power that the metal guys know is just you can't touch it. Insanity can't touch the soul. It's going to win every fucking time."

You can read the full article here.

Birthdays In Music!

Only a few today, but nonetheless deserve a happy birthday indeed!




God F**kin Bless Ozzy Osbourne!

Fans of the great Ozzy Osbourne will now be able to see his most intimate moments in front and behind the spotlight, as his documentary is soon to be hitting DVD/Blu-Ray, as well as a new deal with Canada's Cineplex (find Cineplex info about the movie here).  The film is scheduled to hit theatres on October 26th across Canada. (NOTE:  Not all theatres will be showing the film so be sure to check back regularly for updates on times and locations)

"This is the most honest portrait of my father.  I set out to tell the truth - regardless of how raw it might be - and I think we accomplished just that," - Jack Osbourne (Producer of the film)


Ozzy's documentary has been scheduled for release on DVD/Blu-Ray for November 15th, 2011 via Eagle Rock Entertainment.

"Ozzy Osbournes four decade track record as a culturally relevant artist is unprecedented, but his personal struggles have been shrouded in secrecy, until now. Featuring never before seen footage uncovered from the archives and interviews with Paul McCartney, Tommy Lee and others, God Bless Ozzy Osbourne is he first documentary to take viewers inside the complex mind of Rock's great icon. Emerging from a working class family in war torn England, Osbourne and his neighborhood friends formed Black Sabbath and invented heavy metal. Plagued by self doubt, Osbourne the solo superstar went on a binge that lasted 40 years. God Bless Ozzy Osbourne will relive the highs of his triumphs as well as his journey to sobriety, which Ozzy regards as his greatest accomplishment." -IMDB.com

For those that did not get the chance to view it during its runs in film festivals, here is what to expect from the documentary:
(God Bless Ozzy Osbourne - Trailer)

Be sure to keep checking the Cineplex website for update on this documentary in your local theatre.  And to the end of this, I think the Ozz says it best himself:

"All my life I've been over the top
I don't know what I'm doing all I know is I don't wanna stop.
All fired up, I'm gonna go 'til I drop
You're either in or in the way, don't make me I don't wanna stop."

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Welcome to the Slaughterhouse Roadshow


So, it saddens me to see no Canadian dates on this tour but will be a kick ass show nonetheless!  Cleveland's Mushroomhead have added a slew of dates to their "Slaughterhouse Roadshow" tour.  Kicking off September 30th in Muskegon, Michigan and will have the following acts for direct and indirect support:


- Ventana (Mushroomhead side project)
- Tenafly Viper (Mushroomhead side project)


The tour dates for this assault are as follows:
September 
30 - Muskegon, MI - Club Envy 

October 
1 - Traverse City, MI - Streeter’s 
2 - Sandusky, OH - The Underground 
4 - Cedar Falls, IA - The Wheelhouse 
5 - Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue 
6 - Joliet, IL - Mojoes 
7 - Dayton, OH - McGuffy’s 
8 - Flint, MI - Machine Shop 
9 - Buffalo, NY - Town Ballroom 
11 - Lexington, KY - Buster’s Billiards & Backroom 
12 - Lancaster, PA - Chameleon Club 
13 - Towson, MD - Recher Theatre 
14 - Worcester, MA - Palladium (Rock N’ Shock 2011) 
15 - Pittsburgh, PA - Altar Bar 
16 - Poughkeepsie, NY - The Chance 
18 - Jacksonville, NC - Hooligans 
20 - Houston, TX - Scout Bar 
21 - Tyler, TX - Click’s 
22 - San Antonio, TX - Backstage Live 
23 - Dallas, TX - Tree’s 
24 - Lubbock, TX - Wreckers 
27 - Sauget, IL - Pop’s 
28 - Columbus, OH - Al Rosa Villa 
29 - Cleveland, OH - Agora Theatre 
30 - Hillsdale, MI - Dawn Theater 
31 - Louisville, KY - Phoenix Hill Tavern 

November 
2 - Knoxville TN - Valerium 
4 - Fort Wayne, IN - Piere's 
5 - Bloomington, IL - Catle Theatre 
6 - Kansas City, MO - Beaumont Club 
8 - Columbia, MO - The Blue Note 
10 - Denver, CO - Summit Music Hall


You will be able to pick tickets most likely at Ticketmaster outlets.  Be sure to check with the local venues to avoid the ticket processing fees.

(Mushroomhead - Come On)

(Psychostick - Beer)

(Motograter - Salvation)

Tonight in Toronto

Sorry for readers outside the GTA, but this post is to let my fellow Toronto folk whats going on tonight in the city:






Nevermind


Nirvana has been once again making headlines across the world with the anticipation of their 20th anniversary edition of "Nevermind".  The special edition album is set to hit stores on September 27th, 2011. In honour of such a special occasion (if you want to call it that), Kerrang Magazine have compiled a tribute album to be released with their latest magazine issue.


The tracks listing for this bonus album are:

01. ARCANE ROOTS - "Smells Like Teen Spirit"
02. FRAMING HANLEY - "In Bloom"
03. DEAF HAVANA - "Come As You Are"
04. RISE TO REMAIN - "Breed"
05. FRANCESQA - "Lithium"
06. YOUNG - "Polly"
07. THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN - "Territorial Pissings"
08. KIDS IN GLASS HOUSES - "Drain You"
09. EVILE - "Lounge Act"
10. THE BLACKOUT - "Stay Away"
11. FRANK TURNER - "On A Plain"
12. SPYCATCHER - "Something In The Way"
13. DANGEROUS! - "Endless, Nameless"
14. WE ARE THE OCEAN - "Sliver" (bonus track)


"When we got the offer, all I could see was fun to be had, and what an honor it was to be included. I was a big fan of Nirvana when I was a young teen, so it's an extra honor in that way for me.  I wondered what we could do to the track to make it our own, so we approached it like we would one of our own songs. That bass riff is brilliant and I wanted to make it more a core element of the track guitar-wise and just metal it up in general. I wanted to respect the approach of the song but also alter Kurt's [Cobain] chord approach to a style more suited to EVILE, and that's a chug-athon!  Hope you all enjoy it; we definitely do." -Ol Drake (Evile)



You can pre-order the 20th anniversary edition via here @ Amazon.  Fans can also get a hold of their latest DVD release "Live At The Paramount" (circa Oct. 31, 1991) here @ Amazon.

Birthdays In Music!

A very happy birthday goes out to the following musicians:





Pete Jones (P.I.L.)

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

The Jägermeister Presents: Chimaira, Unearth & Skeletonwitch

The forces of metal have come together once again to bring you a night of pounding kick drums, whaling guitar solos and ear crunching screams as Jagermeister brings Chimaira, Unearth and Skeletonwitch to your town!  The tour kicks off in (awww yeah!) Toronto on Nov. 13th and will continue until Christmas time.




Tour dates are as follows: 

Nov. 13 - Toronto, ON - Opera House 
Nov. 14 - Montreal, QC - Club Soda 
Nov. 16 - Hartford, CT - Webster Theatre 
Nov. 17 - Poughkeepsie, NY - The Chance 
Nov. 18 - Sayreville, NJ - Starland Ballroom 
Nov. 19 - Hampton Beach, NH - Wally’s Pub 
Nov. 20 - Springfield, VA - JAXX 
Nov. 21 - Asheville, NC - The Orange Peel 
Nov. 22 - Raleigh, NC - Lincoln Theater 
Nov. 23 - Myrtle Beach, SC - House Of Blues 
Nov. 25 - Ft. Lauderdale, FL - Revolution 
Nov. 26 - St. Petersburg, FL - State Theatre 
Nov. 27 - Jacksonville, FL - Freebird Live 
Nov. 29 - Austin, TX - Emo’s 
Nov. 30 - Oklahoma City, OK - Diamond Ballroom 
Dec. 01 - Albuquerque, NM - Sunshine Theater * 
Dec. 02 - Grand Junction, CO - Mesa Theater 
Dec. 03 - Colorado Springs, CO - Black Sheep * 
Dec. 04 - Farmington, NM - Top Deck 
Dec. 05 - Tempe, AZ - The Marquee Theatre * 
Dec. 07 - Pomona, CA - Glass House * 
Dec. 08 - Reno, NV - Knitting Factory 
Dec. 09 - Boise, ID - Knitting Factory 
Dec. 10 - Spokane, WA - Knitting Factory * 
Dec. 11 - Calgary, AB - Republik 
Dec. 12 - Edmonton, AB - The Starlite Room 
Dec. 14 - Winnipeg, MB - Pyramid Cabaret 
Dec. 16 - Cedar Falls, IA - Wheelhouse 
Dec. 17 - Madison, WI - The Barrymore Theater 
Dec. 18 - Grand Rapids, MI - The Intersection 

* SKELETONWITCH not appearing on these dates 



All three bands will be touring in support of their newest albums (seen below with information)

(The Age of Hell, released August 16th, 2011 via E1 Music)


(Chimaira - The Year of The Snake)

(Darkness In The Light, released July 5th, 2011 via Metal Blade Records)


(Unearth - Eyes of Black)

 
(Forever Abomination, released on October 11th, 2011 via Prosthetic Records)


(Skeletonwitch - Repulsive Salvation)

Mylo Xyloto

I have been seeing that Coldplay have been getting quite the amount of hits on various blogs and news feeds.  So in light of this, I decided to break down a little more of what to expect from their upcoming album release Mylo Xyloto.

(Album artwork)

The release date: October 24, 2011
The label: Parlophone Records

The track listing for the albums is:
1. Mylo Xyloto
2. Hurts Like Heaven
3. Paradise
4. Charlie Brown
5. Us Against the World
6. M.M.I.X.
7. Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall
8. Major Minus
9. U.F.O.  
10. Princess of China (featuring Rihanna)  
11. Up in Flames  
12. A Hopeful Transmission
13. Don't Let It Break Your Heart
14. Up with the Birds


You can pre-order a copy of the album from Coldplay's official site.

"We've already got lists of song ideas. We never stop writing. We go into the studio with all the best laid plans then what we end up with is not what we intended. It's just exciting to wonder what will come out the speakers in a year's time. "We have very exciting things lined up. It's time to take our music down different directions and really explore other avenues." - Guy Berryman (bass)


(Alternative album cover)

Chris Martin has also mentioned the album is considered a concept piece.  "Based on a love story with a happy ending", as he would put it.  The album has been inspired by such as "old school American graffiti" and "the White Rose Movement".  

The first single for the album is "Every Teardrop is a Waterfall", released digitally on June 3rd, 2011.


Now Coldplay has announced a handful of shows in the coming months:

September 23rd, Las Vegas, USA
September 24th, Atlanta, USA
October 1st, Rio de Janeiro, BRA
October 5th, Cape Town, S. Africa
October 8th, Johannesburg, S. Africa
November 17th, Manchester, UK
December 3rd, Glasgow, UK
December 4th, Manchester, UK
December 9th, London, UK
December 14th, Paris, FR
December 15th, Cologne, GER
December 17th, Rotterdam, NET
December 18th, Antwerp, BEL
December 20th, Frankfurt, GER
December 21st, Berlin, GER


Other shows around the world are to be announced soon, but nothing official yet.  Stay tuned for more updates on these guys as we approach the highly anticipated release date for the album.


(Every Teardrop is a Waterfall)

Hottest Chicks in Hard Rock

Amy Lee will be featured on the latest cover of Revolver Magazine, for promotion of the "25 Hottest Chicks In Hard Rock".  This edition will be hitting shelves on October 11th.  The other women to grace the article have not been announced yet, but will be posted as soon as information is available.


The Sinner

OK, call me biased but I have been waiting a LONG time for these guys (Memphis May Fire) to release a music video for their latest LP "The Hollow".  So turn the speaker nice and loud this morning and crank it up!

(Memphis May Fire - The Sinner)

("The Hollow" was released April 26, 2011 via Rise Records)

Time to Thrash and Burn!

Thrash and Burn dates have now been posted and tickets will be available shortly through the regular outlets (coughticketmastercough).  For a reminder to you folks, the headliners for this massive tour are none other than the mighty Winds of Plague.  They will be supported by: 


- Chelsea Grin
- As Blood Runs Black
- For The Fallen Dreams
- Upon A Burning Body
- In The Midst of Lions
- Like Moths To Flames
- Volumes



The dates for the tour are as follows:

Nov. 10 - San Diego, CA @ Soma (no FOR THE FALLEN DREAMS)
Nov. 11 - Sacramento, CA @ Ace of Spades
Nov. 12 - Salt Lake City, UT @ [to be announced]
Nov. 13 - Denver, CO @ Summit Music Hall
Nov. 15 - St Paul, MN @ Station 4
Nov. 16 - Joliet, IL @ Mojoes
Nov. 17 - Indianapolis, IN @ Emerson Theatre
Nov. 18 - Detroit, MI @ Harpos
Nov. 19 - Dayton, OH @ The Attic
Nov. 20 - Louisville, KY @ [to be announced]
Nov. 21 - Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade
Nov. 22 - St Petersburg, FL @ The State Theatre
Nov. 23 - Ft. Lauderdale, FL @ TBA
Nov. 25 - Richmond, VA @ Kingdom
Nov. 26 - Allentown, PA @ Crocodile Rock
Nov. 27 - Baltimore, MD @ Sonar
Nov. 28 - New York, NY @ Gramercy Theatre
Nov. 29 - Worcester, MA @ The Palladium
Nov. 30 - Portland, ME @ [to be announced]
Dec. 01 - Clifton Park, NY @ Northern Lights (w/ HATEBREED) (WINDS OF PLAGUE, CHELSEA GRIN, AS BLOOD RUNS BLACK only)
Dec. 02 - Montreal, QC @ Tulipe
Dec. 03 - Toronto, ON @ Opera House
Dec. 04 - Cleveland, OH @ Peabody's
Dec. 05 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Altar Bar
Dec. 07 - St. Louis, MO @ [to be announced]
Dec. 08 - Tulsa, OK @ Marquee Theatre
Dec. 09 - San Antonio, TX @ White Rabbit
Dec. 10 - Dallas, TX @ Unsilent Night Fest
Dec. 11 - Houston, TX @ Warehouse Live
Dec. 12 - Corpus Christi, TX @ House of Rock
Dec. 13 - Austin, TX @ Emo's East
Dec. 14 - El Paso, TX @ Tricky Falls


Tuesday, September 20, 2011

So You Want To Start A Band?


The Hunter Visualizer (Full Album Premiere)


Alright eager beavers!  Mastodon has once again blown us away with a full album stream of their upcoming LP "The Hunter", due in stores next Tuesday!  I encourage all of you to watch the full 53 minute video and visuals.  Drugs are not endorsed but are optional for this (haha).


Track listing is as follows for 'The Hunter':

01. Black Tongue
02. Curl Of The Burl
03. Blasteroid
04. Stargasm
05. Octopus Has No Friends
06. All The Heavy Lifting
07. The Hunter
08. Dry Bone Valley
09. Thickening
10. Creature Lives
11. Spectrelight
12. Bedazzled Fingernails
13. The Sparrow
14. The Ruiner (limited-edition bonus track)
15. Deathbound (limited-edition bonus track)


Limited Edition of "The Hunter" includes:

- Instant download of 'Black Tongue' 
- A second download of 'Curl Of The Burl', the first official single from The Hunter as soon as it becomes available

- A CD/DVD combo housed in digi-pack with an alternative cover 
- 20” x 30” Lenticular Poster featuring the album cover of the standard CD 
- Augmented reality experience by Total Immersion that will contain exclusive content only available to this package (more information coming soon)





Crush Em All

Sumerian Records have released a trailer for the upcoming "Crush Em All Tour", featuring After The Burial, Veil of Maya, Misery Signals and Within The Ruins.  The tour kicks off tomorrow (Sept. 21st) in Grand Rapids, Michigan.



The tour will also have opening slots (on selected dates) for I The Breather, Structures, Volumes and Your Memorial.



For more information, please head to the official Facebook page of the tour.  Also, for more information on After The Burial, I recently had a Q&A with them, check it out here.

(After The Burial - Pendulum)

(Veil of Maya - Unbreakable)

(Misery Signals - A Certain Death)

(Within The Ruins - Controller)

Buried Alive

The Rockstar Uproar tour has come and went in the blink of an eye, but that just wasn't enough for headliners Avenged Sevenfold.  The boys have recently announced their plans to continue their touring schedule into Christmas time with the announcement of the “Buried Alive Tour”.  


The 15 city tour will see supporting acts from:

 Hollywood Undead

 Asking Alexandria

Black Veil Brides

Here’s how the touring schedule will run:


11/23 Ft. Meyers, FL Germain Arena
11/25 Jacksonville, FL Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena
11/26 Augusta, GA James Brown Arena
11/28 Huntsville, AL Von Braun Center
11/29 Pikeville, KY East Kentucky Expo Center
11/30 Ft. Wayne, IN Allen County War Memorial
12/02 Madison, WI Alliant Energy Center  (minus Hollywood Undead)
12/03 Minneapolis, MN Target Center
12/06 Green Bay, WI Resch Center
12/07 Duluth, MN Amsoil Arena
12/09 Grand Forks, ND Alerus Center
12/10 Bismarck, ND Bismarck Civic Center
12/12 Billings, MT Metra Park Arena
12/13 Missoula, MT Adams Center
12/14 Yakima, WA Sun Dome


"A7X is excited to have Hollywood Undead, Asking Alexandria, and Black Veil Brides joining them on the Buried Alive Tour, offering fans an incredible value with four of the hottest bands in rock today. Los Angeles’ Hollywood Undead released their second album American Tragedy in April, which peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart and No. 1 on the Hard Rock Albums chart. Britain’s Asking Alexandria's sophomore full-length album release, Reckless and Relentless, debuted at No. 9 on the Billboard Top 200. The band has performed on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and appeared on the cover of AP and Guitar World. Hollywood’s Black Veil Brides hit No. 1 on the Billboard Independent Albums with their 2010 debut album We Stitch These Wounds, followed by their second album, Set The World On Fire, which peaked at No. 17 on the Billboard Top 200 chart." - Avengedsevenfold.com

You can purchase tickets to the shows from A7X's official website, here.

(Avenged Sevenfold - Nightmare)

OK, So Who Wants To Be A Rockstar?!

Start taking notes people!


Trust Me, He's A Doctor

If there is anyone people should be taking advice from, its this man.  On the other hand, I think his actions are the life lessons people should learn to get through life (haha).  Over a 40 year career has indulged in more drugs, booze, rock and women than anyone else I know of.  Its almost an amazement on how this guy is still alive!


His biography titled "I Am Ozzy" was a great success and went into great detail of his introduction into music, his transistion from Black Sabbath to a solo career, and doing his be to kick the bad habits while maintaining his status as a husband and father.  This man is a true rock and roll star and has gone to hell and back to prove it.

In his latest effort, Ozzy has now released a new book titled "Trust Me, I'm Dr. Ozzy".



"Ozzy Osbourne became one of a handful of people in the world to have his entire DNA mapped in 2010. It was a highly complex, $65,000 process, but the results were conclusive: Ozzy is a genetic anomaly. The "Full Ozzy Genome" contained variants that scientists had never before encountered and the findings were presented at the prestigious TEDMED Conference in San Diego-making headlines around the world. The procedure was in part sponsored by The Sunday Times of London, which had already caused an international fururoe by appointing Ozzy Osbourne its star health advice columnist. The newpaper argued that Ozzy's mutliple near-death experiences, 40-year history of drug abuse, and extreme hypocondria qualified him more than any other for the job. The column was an overnight hit, being quickly picked up by Rolling Stone to give it a global audience of millions. In TRUST ME, I'M DR. OZZY, Ozzy answers reader's questions with his outrageous wit and surprising wisdom, digging deep into his past to tell the memoir-style survival stories never published before-and offer guidance that no sane human being should follow. Part humor, part memoir, and part bad advice, TRUST ME, I'M DR. OZZY will include some of the best material from his published columns, answers to celebrities' medical questions, charts, sidebars, and more." -Amazon

Osbourne has announced that he will be doing a series of book signings as well for the promotion of the release.  The dates are as follows:


Tuesday, October 11, 7:00 p.m.
Barnes & Noble
7881 Edinger Avenue
Huntington, CA

Thursday, October 13, 7:00 p.m.
Barnes & Noble
10775 Westview Parkway
San Diego, CA

Friday, October 14, 7:00 p.m.
Barnes & Noble
3490 Tyler Street
Riverside, CA

Saturday, October 15, 3:00 p.m.
Barnes & Noble
189 The Grove Drive
Los Angeles, CA

Tuesday, October 18, 7:00 p.m.
Hastings
1306 West Davis
Conroe, TX

Wednesday October 19, 6:30 p.m.
Barnes & Noble
5130 East Broadway
Tucson, AZ

Thursday October 20, 6:30 p.m.
Barnes & Noble
2191 North Rainbow Boulevard
Las Vegas, NV

Friday October 21, 7:00 p.m.
Barnes & Noble
1725 Arden Way
Sacramento, CA

Saturday October 22, 3:00 p.m.
Booksmith with Amoeba Music
1644 Haight Street
San Francisco, CA

Anyone looking to pick up a copy of the book, make sure to head to your local bookstore and reserve a copy.  For all those who are Amazon lovers, you can purchase a copy here.