To quote the late Janis Joplin, “summertime and the livin’s easy...” Once again, this promises to be a bangin’ summer.
The latest addition to a growing concert schedule: Black Sabbath will visit Hershey. Sabbath think enough modern-day metaleers Disturbed to rip them away from Ozzfest and bring them into Central PA on August 17. Regardless of what you think of the never-ending Sabbath reunion, this show will dominate the summer. Tickets are on sale now...
Another show you might have trouble scoring tix to is the Rolling Rock Towne Fair 2.0. Big surprise: it’s sold out. You can still win tickets from The X, but if you’re not a winner, the Showtime cable network will air a two-hour, pay-per-view recap on August 11...
Speaking of Southwestern PA, an Island-Def Jam source confirms that Pittsburgh’s Rusted Root are back in the studio, with original member Jenn Wertz returning to lineup. Wertz and the band split ways after 1994’s platinum ‘When I Woke’. Over the past year, Root played a series of hometown reunion gigs, and the band’s trademark tribal vibe may be back. No release date is set, but stay tuned...
Video doesn’t need the radio star... Ministry perform in the Steven Spielberg film, A.I., which features Haley Joel Osment and Jude Law. Set in the future, the film is playing now, but the video for “What About Us” is available at www.dreamworksfansite.com/ai. Supreme Canadian MC/DJ Buck 65’s video for “Pants on Fire” is available at www.buck65.com. The song is the first single from ‘Man Overboard’ (Anticon). Read more about Buck in UnsungUnlimited.com's disc reviews...
No amount of Versace wear or high-priced lawyers can get Courtney Love a brand new bag. In a case that could have repercussions for the entire industry, Love continues struggling to break free from her contract with her record label. A judge has sided with Universal on 11 of 15 complaints from Love, and we expect an outcome soon...
The Rollins Band have completed an LP for the band’s new label, Sanctuary (Megadeth, Widespread Panic, COC). Due in August, ‘Nice’ features the same rock-oriented lineup from 2000’s 'Get Some Go Again', and the band will play Warped Tour stops including Bristow, VA; Virginia Beach; Pittsburgh; Camden, NJ; NYC; Asbury Park, NJ; Cleveland, and Buffalo. Other acts playing the ‘palooza include Blink-182, 311, Kool Keith, the Misfits and Baltimore’s Jepetto...
Joan Jett, Lit, Sevendust and Mötörhead are just a few of the artists raising their glasses to Twisted Sister on a tribute album due out next month from Koch Records. TS will close the disc with a cover of AC/DC’s “Sin City.” Look for a Twisted Sister VH-1 Behind The Music in August...
Drawing criticism from all ends, Fred Durst recently lashed out at online hecklers who say his band has gone “limp.” Durst posted a message on the band’s official site claiming that the group’s next offering will be “post nuclear.” The Taproot effect? He also says his buddies from Staind haven’t been keeping in touch in the wake of their recent success...
For those that want to actually SEE the members of Radiohead in one of the band’s videos, wishes do come true: They will appear in the “Knives Out” clip... and, yes, it will feature the evasive frontman Thom Yorke...
Mötley Crüe has had enough... for now, at least. According to Nikki Sixx, after 20 years, the band is tired and needs to take a break. How long until LA’s original heavy-metal big-hair bad boys feel refreshed? Sixx said it’ll be a two-year hiatus. If you’re hungry for more, make sure to check out ‘The Dirt: Confessions of the World's Most Notorious Rock Band’ (Regan Books). Tommy Lee, Vince Neil, Mick Mars and Nikki Sixx collaborated with Neil Strauss to tell the history of the band. And once you’ve read the details, it’s clear that they’re due for a rest.
Didn’t catch U2 on the first swing around? Rumor has it that they will swing through North America and Canada again in the fall and hit a couple of cities they missed the first time around...
After months, the bass-player-less Metallica has finally confirmed that they are actively searching for someone to replace Jason Newsted. The kicker is... it could be you. Check their website for contest info and details... www.metallica.com...
The Cranberries are in the studio, pounding out an LP tentatively titled ‘Wake Up and Smell the Coffee’. The band expect to tour in 2002...
Bjork also has an album on the way. ‘Vespertine’ is due in stores on August 28th. Her avant-garde career includes an album of jazz standards and a musical (last year’s acclaimed ‘Dancer in the Dark’), and the Icelandic diva will tour US opera houses in October...
Insane Clown Posse will stage the second annual Gathering of the Juggalos July 13, 14 and 15 at Toledo, Ohio’s Seagate Center. The fan-fest will be a full-on circus—the dark clowns are promising Faygo-spraying insanity, mayhem, psychopathic-inspired entertainment, a flying saucer, wrestling matches, BMX displays, skate stunt shows, Bizzar Bizaar Beauty contests, the wedding of a Juggalo and Juggalette, and “hype-ass seminars,” in addition to live performances by ICP, MARZ, KAOS, Twiztid, Vanilla Ice, Suicide Machines and more... Questions? Juggalo.com...
And to cap things off for this month, here’s the “end-all-be-all” for, well, the end: Kiss fans can give the ultimate salute to their favorite band at the end of their lives, with the Kiss Kasket. For about $5000, your shell can spend eternity in a coffin that features photos and signatures of Gene, Paul, Ace and Peter. The phrase “Kiss Forever” decorates both sides of “the box,” which bassist Gene Simmons calls “the ultimate Kiss collectible.” Because the coffin is waterproof, its manufacturers say, owners have a great option for use while they are still alive... as a giant Kiss cooler. (Heavy sigh... and a headshake.)
Have a great summer... peace and then some!
