Linkin Park are a big enough band that most large avenues of promotion are available to them, but there was a time in their life when they had to hustle just to get people to shows. In August, the band will headline the Sunset Strip Music Festival in Los Angeles and they decided to test out one of their old school promotional avenues by passing out flyers for the upcoming event.
Though there had been talk of a spring release, Dream Theater have nailed down a Nov. 5 street date for their upcoming concert video, 'Live At Luna Park.' The group decided to share the experience of performing for their large South American fan base during two special nights in Bueno Aires, Argentina last year.
Smile Empty Soul will return this fall after launching their own imprint, Two Disciples Entertainment, in conjunction with Chicago's Pavement Entertainment. The band just entered the studio this past week to start recording their upcoming album, 'Chemicals,' which is on track for a fall 2013 release.
Motley Crue bassist Nikki Sixx and model Courtney Bingham are the latest to join the NOH8 Campaign, a charitable organization that was founded in the wake of California's passage of Proposition 8 that banned same-sex marriage. The NOH8 campaign seeks to “promote marriage, gender and human equality through education, advocacy, social media and visual protest.”
Metallica had the time of their life in the early part of May, joining the San Francisco Giants baseball team for a special Metallica-themed evening that saw Lars Ulrich throw out the first pitch and James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett thoroughly rock the National Anthem. As expected the band's performance of the 'Star-Spangled Banner' rocked and fans have been clamoring for it ever since. Now the band is obliging by making the Hetfield and Hammett version available as a free download for those who want it.
It's been a few years, but drummer Paul Bostaph is back behind the kit for Slayer and will get to show off his chops with the band on their summer tour. Bostaph was recently named a full-time replacement after the group decided to move forward without Dave Lombardo following a contractual dispute earlier this year. In his first interview since rejoining the band, Bostaph spoke with Nikki Blakk of San Francisco's 107.7 The Bone about his return and he also shared memories of late Slayer guitarist Jeff Hanneman.
UPDATE Saturday 6:15 a.m. EST: The number of reported fatalities is at least five, with another 71 injuries caused by what authorities say are a total of 17 tornadoes ripping through the Midwest on Friday.
Linkin Park's Chester Bennington was the honoree at the MusiCares MAP Fund benefit Thursday night (May 30) in Los Angeles, but it was his new association with Stone Temple Pilots that was grabbing the headlines.
While most of the focus has been on if Pearl Jam will release their new album in 2013 or 2014, the attention is now shifting to when we might hear the first taste of new music from the band. According to an AllAccess.com posting that has since been removed, Pearl Jam is alleged to be targeting a July 16 premiere for a new song.
Megadeth are fourteen studio albums into their career and showing that they still have a few tricks up their sleeves. As the band approaches the release of their 'Super Collider' album, they've just debuted another song off the disc called 'The Blackest Crow' which has some instrumentation not usually heard in the band's music.
