If you have been reading AFGM, you'll know by now that I am an avid lover of Meshuggah, including their newest album "Koloss", which dropped on Tuesday (March 27th). The Swedish five piece have since then released a music video for "Break Those Bones Whose Sinews Gave It Motion":
Fear Factory has unveiled their artwork (and track listing) for their upcoming LP, "The Industrialist", which is set to hit stores on June 5th via Candlelight Records. Check out what Burton and Dino are saying about the new album and the themes behind it.
"The protagonist (The Industrialist) is the incarnation of all industries in the form of an automaton. The mechanical, technological, and scientific advances through the industrial age led to the creation of The Industrialist. In the story, the automaton becomes sentient as it collects memories with each passing day. Through observation and learning, it gains the will to exist. What was meant to help man, will eventually be man's demise." - Burton C. Bell
"Collaborating with Burton again on the new album was like magic. Everything just fell into place naturally. It felt good to recapture the true sound of FEAR FACTORY, taking it back to where it all started while raising it to new levels." -Dino Cazares
"The Industrialist" track listing:
1. The Industrialist 2. Recharger 3. New Messiah 4. God Eater 5. Depraved Mind Murder 6. Virus of Faith 7. Difference Engine 8. Dissemble 9. Religion is Flawed Because Man is Flawed 10. Human Augmentation 11. Blush Response (Difference Engine)* 12. Landfill*
(* Available on deluxe digibook only)
Dino also added, [in regards to working with producer Rhys Fulber], "Rhys has been our secret member. He is the one producer who has been able to understand what we have been trying to accomplish from the beginning and has opened our eyes to new things without sacrificing our original sound. His production and keyboard talents has made FEAR FACTORY stand out amongst the many bands of our genre."
And since you all are looking for some previews of the new album, Fear Factory dropped an entire album preview on YouTube:
Hailing from Windsor, ON, Assassinate The Following is living up the to the expectations of their band name and assassinating doubts of listeners across Ontario and Canada. The five piece metal ensemble has been carving their own name into the Windsor music scene for many seasons and are getting out of the way for no one...OK, maybe some old ladies and children at most (haha).
I had the pleasure of sitting down with guitarist Brandon White for a quick Q&A on whats to come from this project and what the future plans were
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What is meaning behind "Assassinate The Following" and who is in it?
In the band is Brandon White, Brandon Kellam, Drew Torok, Russ Farley, and Chase Bryant. The name Assassinate the Following… came up randomly one practice and everyone liked the name immediately. It had a catchy ring to it and it also had a great way to portray our message. We like to write about standing up for ones self and choosing your own decisions instead of conforming to what people think you should do. It's about keeping true to yourself. Assassinate the Following… leaves it open for anyone to choose what to ignore and it lets them set their own path.
Who started this project? When was it conceived and why?
Drew and Brandon W started the project after their first band split up. The band disbanded because of musical differences and Drew and Brandon were always on the same page as far as musical structure and genre. We wanted to start a band where the music was challenging for us and would always push us to be better musicians, and that the music would be something we would enjoy listening to ourselves. If we don't like it then how can we expect other people to like it?
What are the goals/aspirations for this project?
ATF wants to release our next album and spread it to whomever we can. We feel that our next release will be a pure definition of who we are musically and will portray our views and our stance on how people should be themselves and stand for one another and be true.
Can you give us some influences you guys have when creating this project? Any specific reason(s) as to why?
We've had our few main influences but over time it just became about doing this for ourselves. We would take influence from music, friends, or anything that attracts us and we put our whole being into what we do.
Do you feel Windsor has be hospitable for your kind of music? Have you been getting good reception in your hometown?
Windsor has been great to us. We have many great friends and have played with many amazing bands and musicians from Windsor. It is definitely a city that is overlooked a lot of times. There are so many talented people in Windsor's music scene. Some of which would blow many bands we've seen on tour right out of the water.
You seem to have shared the stage with quite the number of notable acts such as Protest The Hero, Abandon all Ships, etc. Any memorable moments you can share with fans?
For myself, my favourite memory of that tour specifically was playing in Montreal. In front of the amazing crowd that was there, was the greatest adrenaline rush and high I've ever had in my life. It was so surreal and so inspiring. I'll never forget that moment.
Lets talk about the music video debut, "I Once Was" (click to watch video). Where was it done and how did it come about to record this video?
I Once Was, is a fun song to play and a fun one to listen to. We shot this video in a friends warehouse with Glenn Fricker from Spectre Sound. It was his first music video and he did a damn good job! He is shooting video's for a very affordable price so everyone should contact him if interested.
Your Facebook page states the following: "WRITING THE NEW RECORD!! SEE YOU IN 2012!" Can you guys elaborate on this and what can fans expect for this record?
I have been writing our upcoming album for quite some time. It is finished now and Drew is writing the lyrics. I will say, the album will be a concept album and it will be more brutal and more melodic than anything ATF has ever done. It is a huge step forward for us and we can't wait to show everyone how hard we've been working on this!
Are we going to see a difference in writing style and song structure from this album compared to "Massacre of the North"?
Yes. The style of music is the same but it's much more mature. You will hear that it's ATF but the songs will blow 'Massacre of the North' out of the water.
Whats the next move for ATF?
Record and release our album, tour, and spread our music to everyone who will listen.
Can you provide newcomers some links and material for them to check out?
And now for some fun, random questions that every musician likes to answer:
If you could have a single guest member on an upcoming album, who would it be and why?
This is a tough question….I would have to say Jake Luhrs from August Burns Red. He has a monstrous scream. Such a powerhouse.
If you had one band who you would be honored to share the stage with, who and why?
Between The Buried And Me. My absolute favourite and most influential band I've ever listened to. I would die happy.
Covers are always fun to do when your jammin out in the studio, any songs in particular you guys like to play and have fun with or is it all original material?
We mostly just play original material. If we do end up jamming we play some songs from mine, Drew, and Russ's old band or we'll break out into Iron Maiden or Holly Springs Disaster. hahaha
Much thanks to Brandon White for taking the time to sit down and do this interview with me. Be sure to request for Assassinate The Following in your town and make sure to catch them on upcoming tours with some notable bands. These guys don't seem to be going anywhere anytime soon...
The collaboration between Slash and Myles Kennedy has got everyone wanting to grab up tickets as soon as they become available in cities across North America. With the a release date of May 22nd, 2012 and the tour kicking off in Toronto last Friday night, old school and new school rockers alike are highly anticipating what the group has brought to the table this time around. You can check out the rest of their tour dates here.
You can check out the preview of their first single, "You're A Lie", here.
(Photo courtesy of gunsnrosesportugal.com)
Slash (featuring Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators) have also announced that they will be playing the new release in its entirety at the 2012 edition of the Revolver Golden Gods.
Currently, the album and tour will feature the following musicians:
Slash – lead and rhythm guitars
Myles Kennedy – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
Todd Kerns – bass, backing vocals
Brent Fitz – drums
For now, a music video for the track "Gotten" has emerged to get fans warmed up to the new album. You can check out the new music video here. There is also some behind the scenes footage released for the making of this film, which you can check out here.
“This video was created to make people take notice of the homeless teen epidemic which is rampant in L.A. as well as in the rest of the country. The story in this video is just one scenario amid millions of potential situations happening at any given time in Los Angeles alone. Everybody involved with the making of this video selflessly donated their time and talents to this cause. I thank them with all my heart.” -Slash
This even warranted the attention and comments of Mark Supper (Executive Director of the Los Angeles Youth Network):
"LAYN is extremely grateful to Slash, Astound Studios, GenAudio and the entire creative force that has come together to support the programs and services of LAYN for homeless and runaway youth often missed by so many systems and who have such limited options for support. Your donation helps us prevent the potential harm these youth are vulnerable and at risk for, and assists us in keeping them from being exploited or victimized on the streets of Los Angeles."
There's always something to dance and drink about when listening to Korpiklaani. The Finnish folk metal group has recently put the final touches on their upcoming album and since have released a single from the forth coming album, "Kunnia", which is scheduled for an August release via Nuclear Blast Records. You can check out the first single ("Metsälle") below:
When asked about the story and/or direction behind the new single, Korpiklaani replied that it "is about the hunt on Hiisi's magical moose in the Northland. He (Lemminkäinen) puts on his charmed ski's and takes off for a prolonged hunt through forests and meadows, marshlands and woodlands, rapids and rivers. This song describes part of the Kalevala story, the national epic of Finland."
You can download a free copy of the single via Nuclear Blast Records. Click here.
Suicide Silence
Unearth (select dates)
Dance Gavin Dance (select dates)
The Word Alive
I See Stars
A Skylit Drive
Winds Of Plague
Stick To Your Guns
Attila
For The Fallen Dreams
Stray From The Path
Make Me Famous
Betraying The Martyrs
Obey The Brave
No dates will be announced till sometime in April. Keep checking and I'll post them here when they are available.
Now, I will be the first to admit that I never really got into Springsteen that much growing up ("SAY WHAT?!?!"). I knew of is stature, his tunes and his fans but never felt the need to jump on the bandwagon if you will and start spinning his records. Nonetheless, Bruce was invited to speak at the 2012 edition of SXSW which I found to be quite interesting to read. Check out below the complete text of his speech in Austin, TX for you all to enjoy (compliments of Rolling Stone):
(Photo courtesy of Michael Buckner/Getty Images for SXSW)
Good morning! Why are we up so fucking early? How important can this speech be if we're giving it at noon? It can't be that important. Every decent musician in town is asleep, or they will be before I'm done with this thing, I guarantee you. I've got a bit of a mess up here.
When I was invited to do the keynote speech of this year's conference I was a little hesitant because the word keynote made me uncomfortable. It seemed to suggest that there was a key note to be struck that sums up whatever is going on out there in the streets.
Five days of bands, hundreds of venues from morning till night, and no one really hardly agrees on anything in pop anymore. There is no key note, I don't think. There is no unified theory of everything. You can ask Einstein. But you can pick any band, say KISS, and you can go, "Early Theatre Rock proponents, expressing the true raging hormones of youth" or "They suck!"
You can go, Phish, "Inheritors of the Grateful Dead's mantle, brilliant center of the true Alternative community," or "They suck." You go, "Bruce Springsteen, natural–born poetic genius off the streets of Monmouth County, hardest – hardest working – hardest working New Jerseyian in show business, voice of the common man, future of Rock and Roll!", or "He sucks. Get the fuck out of here!"
You could pick any band, and create your own equation. It's fun. There was even a recent book that focused on the Beatles and decided, you got it, they sucked. So really, instead of a keynote speech, I thought that perhaps this should be a key notes speech, or perhaps many keynote speakers. I exaggerate for effect, but only a little bit. So with that as my disclaimer, I move cautiously on.
Still, it's great to be in a town with ten thousand bands, or whatever…anybody know the actual number? Come on, a lot of them, right? Back in late sixty–four when I picked a guitar that would have seemed line some insane, teenage pipe dream, because first of all, it would have been numerically impossible. There just weren't that many guitars to go around in those days. They simply hadn't made that many yet. We would have all have to have been sharing.
Guitar players were rare. Mostly, music schooled bands were rare, and, until the Beatles hit, played primarily instrumental music. And there wasn't that much music to play. When I picked up the guitar, there was only ten years of Rock history to draw on. That would be, like, all of known Pop being only the music that you know that's occurred between 2002 and now.
The most groups in one place I had ever seen as a teenager was twenty bands at the Keyport Matawan Roller Dome in a battle to the death. So many styles were overlapping at that point in time that you would have a doo wop singing group with full pompadours and matching suits set up next to our band playing a garage version of Them's "Mystic Eyes," set up next to a full thirteen–piece soul show band. And still that's nothing minutely compared to what's going on, on the streets of Austin right now.
So, it's incredible to be back. I've had a lot of fun here in Austin since the '70s, and Jim Franklin and the Armadillo World Headquarters. It's fascinating to see what's become of the music that I've loved my whole life. Pop's become a new language, cultural force, social movement. Actually, a series of new languages, cultural forces, and social movements that have inspired and enlivened the second half of the twentieth century, and the dawning years of this one. I mean, who would have thought that there would have been a sax–playing president, or a soul–singing president, you know?
When we started, thirty years old for a Rock musician was unthinkable. Bill Halley kept his age a relative secret. So when Danny and the Juniors sang "Rock and Roll is Here to Stay," they didn't have a clue as to how terrifyingly, fucking right they were going to be. When I look out from my stage these days, I look into the eyes of three generations of people, and still popular music continues to provide its primary function as youth music, as a joyous argument–starter, and as a subject for long booze–filled nights of debate with Steve Van Zandt, over who reigns ultimately supreme.
There are so many sub–genres and fashions, two–tone, acid rock, alternative dance, alternative metal, alternative rock, art punk, art rock, avant garde metal, black metal, black and death metal, Christian metal, heavy metal, funk metal, bland metal, medieval metal, indie metal, melodic death metal, melodic black metal, metal core, hard core, electronic hard core, folk punk, folk rock, pop punk, Brit pop, grunge, sad core, surf music, psychedelic rock, punk rock, hip hop, rap rock, rap metal, Nintendo core, huh?
I just want to know what an Nintendo core is, myself. But rock noir, shock rock, skate punk, noise core, noise pop, noise rock, pagan rock, paisley underground, indy pop, indy rock, heartland rock, roots rock, samba rock, screamo–emo, shoe–gazing stoner rock, swamp pop, synth pop, rock against communism, garage rock, blues rock, death and roll, lo–fi, jangle pop, folk music. Just add neo– and post– to everything I said, and mention them all again. Yeah, and rock and roll.
Shinedown made their Jimmy Kimmel appearance on Monday, March 26th, 2012 which you can view below and performed two new hit tracks off their latest release, Amaryllis (released on March 27th, 2012 via Atlantic Records & Roadrunner Records)
Bully
Unity
"We're never really a band that's gonna ever be satisfied. We're never gonna be complacent with 'Oh, well, that'll do.' We're the band that's looking for the doors that everyone is afraid to find, because we like that. We like pushing the envelope constantly. It keeps us on our toes." -Brent Smith
Currently, Shinedown is:
Brent Smith - lead vocals
Zach Myers - lead guitar, backing vocals
Barry Kerch - drums, backing vocals
Eric Bass - bass, backing vocals
You can currently catch Shinedown on the Avalanche Tour with Adelitas Way, New Medicine and The Art of Dying:
Track listing for Amaryllis (click on highlighted links to watch music videos):
Its been five years since we have heard or seen from Dreamscape (German progressive). Never fear, they have returned with a new CD, "Everlight".
The album was released on February 29th, 2012 via Silverwolf Productions. After the departure of former vocalist Mischa Mang, Dreamscape decided to record the new album with a numerous guest singers rather than the conventional single frontman. The vocal tracks are being handled by:
- Arno Menses (SUBSIGNAL)
- Erik Ez (ex-PLATITUDE)
- Francesco Marino
- Herbie Langhans (BEYOND THE BRIDGE, SEVENTH AVENUE)
- Dilenya Mar (BEYOND THE BRIDGE)
- Mike DiMeo (ex-RIOT, ex-MASTERPLAN)
- Nando Fernandez (HANGAR)
- Oliver Hartmann (HARTMANN, AVANTASIA)
- Roland Stoll (ex-DREAMSCAPE)
01. Final Dawn
02. Restless
03. Led Astray
04. Fortune And Fate
05. The Violet Flame Forever
06. A Matter Of Time Transforming
07. One
08. The Calm Before The Storm
09. Refugium In DB.Major
10. A Mental Journey
11. Breathing Spaces
12. Everlight
Currently, here is Dreamscape's touring lineup:
Wolfgang Kerinnis (guitar)
David Bertok (keyboards)
Danilo Batdorf (drums)
Francesco Marino (vocals)
Fabian Ziegler (bass)
Well, there seem to be two great shows happening in the good ol GTA today. This is a heads up to other cities to keep an eye out for these tours and if they hit up a venue near you!
First off, we have a breakdown haven happening at the Annex Wreckroom tonight. Tickets are running for $18 (plus service fees) and doors are at 5pm (17:00). Check out headliners and direct support from:
And if you felt like you wanted to "Party Hard", then make your way over to the Phoenix Nightclub for an eventful night of Andrew W.K. The high intensity and high energy show will have you with a beer in your hand and a foot on the dance floor before you know it. Tickets are running for $23.50 (plus service fees) and the doors open at 8pm (20:00hrs)
So apparently, the goal for record labels and bands for this month was to drop as many albums as possible (haha). As you can see below, there are quite a few notable albums (click albums to enlarge photos) dropping in stores and online today across North America. Make sure to pick up a copy or two and show some love to the music industry:
Mondays are always nice because you open up the news feeds and see a good stack of music ready to be cranked up. So that being said, a few good music videos and samples have come across AFGM to share with you. Cheers!
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Taking Back Sunday has dropped a new music video in support of their latest effort (self titled "Taking Back Sunday - Taking Back Sunday") which came out on June 28th, 2011:
1. El Paso
2. Faith (When I Let You Down)
3. Best Places to Be a Mom
4. Sad Savior
5. Who Are You Anyway?
6. Money (Let It Go)
7. This Is All Now
8. It Doesn't Feel a Thing Like Falling
9. Since You're Gone
10. You Got Me
11. Call Me in the Morning
This Is All Now:
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And not being surprised by this one, Demon Hunter has kept the format and released another lyric video for their track "Dead Flowers", which will be on....you guessed it..."True Defiance", hitting stores in April.
1. Crucifix
2. God Forsaken
3. My Destiny
4. Wake
5. Tomorrow Never Comes
6. Someone To Hate
7. This I Know
8. Means To An End
9. We Don't Care
10. Resistance
11. Dead Flowers
12. What is Left (Deluxe Edition)
13. I Am a Stone (Deluxe Edition)
Dead Flowers:
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Architects have been hard at work putting the finishing touches on their upcoming album "Daybreaker", which will see a June 5th North American release. Check out the music/lyric video for the track "These Colours Don't Run":
You can also check out the promo video for the upcoming album release here.
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Always great to sit back and watch Mr. Loomis do what he does best. Check out a clip of Jeff Loomis performing a track from his new upcoming album "Plains of Oblivion", which will hit stores on April 10th, 2012 via Century Media Records.
1. Mercurial (feat. Marty Friedman)
2. The Ultimatum (feat. Tony MacAlpine)
3. Escape Velocity
4. Tragedy And Harmony (feat. Christine Rhoades)
5. Requiem For The Living (feat. Attila Vörös)
6. Continuum Drift (feat. Chris Poland)
7. Surrender (feat. Ihsahn)
8. Chosen Time (feat. Christine Rhoades)
9. Rapture
10.Sibylline Origin
And to top it off, being that I grew up in the golden era of grunge, I am happy to see that Soundgarden has come up with some new material to go with their their reunion. Check out the track "Live To Rise", which will be featured on The Avengers Soundtrack, available May 1st:
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And as always, head over to AFGM Facebook for more news, videos, articles, and more!
War of Ages have been hard at work prepping for their new album ("Return To Life") release on April 24th, 2012 via Facedown Records. For now, the five piece group have released their first lyric video for their first single, "Redeemer":
Hey everyone, so being that he dropped the album on May 1st, I'm sure you've all seen Marilyn Manson's album artwork and track listing for his release, “Born Villain”, released via Cooking Vinyl Records.
"I feel like I did get to a point on my previous two records, not that I'm discrediting the music that I did or hating it or anything of that nature, I just feel that I started to change the way that I wrote because I wanted to open up. I was in a place where I could not figure out how to deal with being me. Me the person, not me as Marilyn Manson. Sometimes you don't know how the fuck to be yourself, because you're too confused by the circumstances you're in. Everyone goes through that (...) I realized that I started writing songs to make people feel how I felt, rather than just making them feel something. That's not the way I should do things. Especially because I felt shitty making those records. So I was basically making music to make people feel shittier, which in a sense with my sarcasm would be funny, but that wasn't my intention. If I was doing that on purpose... There are parts of this new record where I want people to feel shitty, where I use sounds that only dogs can hear that humans can't hear that actually make you nauseous inside, just because I was looking to meddle with people's reactions, but much more orchestrated from a directors point of view, as someone who wanted to tell a story, who wanted to tell people something that they would feel a reaction from." -Manson
Track listing for the album is as follows:
1. Hey, Cruel World… 2. No Reflection 3. Pistol Whipped 4. Overneath The Path Of Misery 5. Slo-Mo-Tion 6. The Gardener 7. The Flowers Of Evil 8. Children Of Cain 9. Disengaged 10. Lay Down Your Goddamn Arms 11. Murders Are Getting Prettier Every Day 12. Born Villain 13. Breaking The Same Old Ground
"With their eighth studio album, Born Villain, Marilyn Manson return from the depths of their mid-2000s limbo with almost an hour of the type of evil industrial and glam-infused metal they made their name on in their earliest days. While the band's blazingly controversial public profile died down tremendously since their late-'90s heyday, legions of devoted fans followed them through the next decade's bevy of changes. The departure of founding member Twiggy Ramirez coincided with a few of the band's weakest albums, and even his return to the fold on 2009's The High End of Low couldn't redeem a substandard record from what seemed like a flailing band past its prime. Born Villain sheds some of the more introspective leanings of prior offerings and accentuates all the throbbing rhythms, metallic guitars, and bilious disgust that defined the band's best work. Lead single 'No Reflection' screams 'comeback,' with Manson channeling a Sisters of Mercy vocal over the sinister pulse of the verses before huge choruses explode in darkly catchy bursts. 'Children of Cain' draws again on the later-period Bowie influence that defined much of the band's glammy Mechanical Animals album, and an unlisted cover of Carly Simon's 'You're So Vain' turns the FM staple into a gruesomely churning romp. Moments like these are the aural equivalent of a knowing smirk from the band, acknowledging that even the princes of darkness might have a lighter side. 'Lay Down Your Goddamn Arms' finds the band working in a curiously grunge-tinged mode, with sludgy riffs meeting huge distortedly melodic choruses that would fit in nicely with Badmotorfinger-era Soundgarden. All of these songs find Manson himself in typically depraved form, with lyrical content as sexually, morally, and socially devious as it's been since 2000's devilish Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death). 'Pistol Whipped' tells a tale in great detail of a sadomasochistic relationship and song titles like 'Murderers Are Getting Prettier Every Day' speak for themselves. Even while Born Villain is a return to form for the band, the album becomes tedious at right about the halfway mark. The songs are overly long and all rely on similar dynamics to propel their crunchy angst. Though sounding inspired and sonically rejuvenated in its best moments, as the album wears on one gets the sense of a band trying a little too hard to revisit its former glory. Without remaking 'The Beautiful People,' there's still a feeling that they're reaching to remember how to make a Marilyn Manson record and put the purgatory of their past few efforts behind them. All told, Born Villain is as valiant and exciting an effort as the group has come up with in years. While not reaching the dizzying heights of Marilyn Manson's early material, it suggests a band getting its legs back after a long period out to sea, and could lead the way to even brighter future wickedness." -All Music
"In any story, the villain is the catalyst. The hero's not a person who will bend the rules or show the cracks in his armor. He's one-dimensional intentionally, but the villain is the person who owns up to what he is and stands by it. He'll do the things that are sometimes morally questionable, but he does it because it's his nature to do it and it doesn't fluctuate. It's the fable of the frog and the scorpion, all those stories that just say, whatever you're going to be, stick to it in confidence. Don't waver or life will fuck you over." -Manson
For those like me, who are a fan of the artistic side of Manson, be sure to check out his latest music videos for the track(s) "Born Villian", as well as his newest videos "Slo-Mo-Tion" and "Hey, Cruel World"...
(*A word of caution to younger readers, nudity and the usual stuff you would expect from MM):
TGIFF indeed! This just happened to make my day today. Not only am I a huge Rammstein fan but the icing on the cake was the Marilyn Manson cameo and cover! Check out MM and Rammstein covering "The Beautiful People" from last night's Echo Awards:
Both Marilyn Manson and Rammstein will be touring throughout 2012 to support both their releases (Marilyn Manson's upcoming "Born Villain" and Rammstein's retrospective compilation "Made In Germany").
I can only imagine the shear talent and patience it takes to cover an entire album in one take on a completely different instrument! Check out this guy cover Mastodon's entire Leviathan album on piano!
Track listing and timing for the video is:
Blood and Thunder 00:00
I Am Ahab 03:34
Seabeast 06:16
Island 10:27
Iron Tusk 13:35
Megalodon 16:13 (\m/ 17:26)
Naked Burn 20:23
Aqua Dementia 23:16
Hearts Alive 26:33
I'm not sure why this is warranted. From my perspective, Rush should be a no-brainer inductee into the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame. Nonetheless, an online petition has been circulating to have the power trio inducted into the HoF. Posted below, you can read the petition reason(s) as to why:
We, the undersigned, as consumers and fans of rock music, wish to see Rush considered for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
We believe that Rush has earned a spot in the Hall of Fame for reasons including, but not limited to, the following:
--Rush has 22 consecutive gold records, and is fourth behind The Beatles, The Stones, and Kiss in all-time gold record acquisitions for a band. Fourteen of those albums have gone platinum.
--Rush has inspired such bands as Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, The Tragically Hip, Smashing Pumpkins, Primus, Queensryche, and many more.
--Rush's lineup has remained unchanged since their first major tour in 1974.
--Rush has consistently put out records that reflect their own artistic growth and change, without compromising the band's integrity for the sake of sales.
--Rush has a huge, worldwide fanbase.
--Rush has, with the exception of the Test for Echo "Evening with Rush" tour, always toured with opening acts in part to allow said acts the chance to play on "a fairly large tour" (as quoted by Alex Lifeson).
--Outside of Rush, each member has made his own contributions to the world of rock music, through production, outside musical efforts, guest appearances, and so forth.
--Rush consists entirely of men your children can look up to. No scandals, no embarrassing "National Enquirer" moments, nothing like that. Just really good music from generally decent human beings.
We believe that Rush has been sorely overlooked in the United States for far too long by the popular media and the critics. The Hall of Fame was founded to recognize outstanding achievements and contributions to the world of rock music. Inducting Rush will legitimize that claim by recognizing one band in particular that has contributed dramatically to the rock genre while continually preserving its integrity.
Be sure to make your way to the site and sign the petition. This is for a great cause and can only help solidify Rush's place in the ongoing history of music.
***UPDATE***
It seems everyone's voices have finally been heard! RUSH has now made it to the 2013 nominations for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame! And from the polls already, it seems the trip is leading the race with 30% of the vote thus far! Mind you, there are a few other notable acts such as Depp Purple, Public Enemy and many more.
“We are honored to be among the nominees for this year’s Rock ‘N Roll Hall of Fame. We are especially thrilled for the many, many dedicated RUSH fans to whom this nomination is so very important.” – Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, Neil Peart
Check out the promo video below:
To vote, head over to the Rock & Roll HoF online poll and cast your vote for your favourite artists (and of course RUSH).
"For the first time in its history, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame will offer fans the opportunity to officially participate in the induction selection process. Beginning on Thursday, October 4th and continuing through December 5, the public can cast votes for who they believe to be most deserving of induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The top five artists, as selected by the public, will comprise a 'fans’ ballot' that will be tallied along with the other ballots to choose the 2013 inductees." -R&RHoF
So did you all get the chance to check out the Rush parody? Canada's own CBC television show "This Hour Has 22 Minutes" got the chance to poke fun at the trio and their recent nomination (finally!). Not a bad rendition. Could be worked on, but funny nonetheless...
