Miami, Zombie!

No, it's not Dawn of The Dead 'Spring Break Ed', but the CSI:Miami episode airing Monday night will sure bring enough guts and weird to gore'round. Directed by Rob Zombie, Monday's episode of CSI:Miami is promising to be one to save in the PVR for a while.



On a recent '5-question' for The Star-Telegram of Ft.Worth Rob admitted to be "amazed at some of the things we did get away with" when asked about his trade gore style, and how it will influence the episode. For more regarding his upcoming CSI contribution check HERE and HERE

Also, don't forget about The Gruesome Twosome Tour

Watch Yerr Head!

Heads will roll this coming spring with the Gruesome Twosome Tour featuring none other than Alice Cooper and Rob Zombie. (WHAT!!!) That's right! Rob Zombie had everyone scratching their heads after he tweeted last night about an 'important announcement' due out today, and it already has people talking, even The Man picked up on it! (and also giving it a funny headline)



Shows announced thus far span all of Western Canada and stops in the Northwestern United States, dates are as follow:

Apr. 26 - Winnipeg, MB - MTS Centre
Apr. 27 - Saskatoon, SK - Credit Union
Apr. 28 - Edmonton, AB- Rexall Place
Apr. 29 - Calgary, AB - Corral
May 01 - Vancouver, BC - Pacific Coliseum
May 02 - Kennewick, WA - Toyota Center
May 04 - Casper, WY - Casper Events Center

With more dates in the works, tickets will go on sale TOMORROW. (!!)

And speaking of Alice Cooper, a New York Times report out today proves that Alice Cooper is one hell of a nice guy, after he has helped a German consumer electronic company boost their sales considerably following the release of three T.V adds featuring Alice as the pitch guy. This isn't the first time we see Alice trying to sell us stuff, if you live in North America you might recall the Staples add where Alice is shopping for school supplies (you can check the Staples add HERE if you need a refresher).

The thing about the NYT note that i thought rather uncalled for was the headline:

Aging Rocker Turns Pitchman in Germany

Gee... How unpolite.





Oh and more Alice! have a look HERE ...

Laying Waste - An Interview With Tony Foresta

I had the chance to chat with Tony Foresta, frontman of American crossover thrashers Municipal Waste on the eve of their anticipated Latin American tour. We chatted plenty about good music and fun times, however, when I asked him what he’d miss the most while on tour he was quick to respond: “I have a pretty tight group of friends at home here in Florida, so I think I’m gonna miss them the most”.

MW will take on the road starting March 7th with their first show of a short Latin American tour starting in Mexico and including places like Brazil and Colombia, notable for their ardent metal scenes. “I don’t know what to expect, we’ve never been there before, but everybody’s saying it’s gonna be crazy!” says Tony about the upcoming tour that will feature The Waste as headliners “I think we’re bringing out local [punk and thrash] bands as special guests for our shows”.

The signature crossover sound of Municipal Waste is reminiscent of outfits such as Black Flag and Misfits with a distinct thrash flavour from bands like Slayer. “I think it’s something for everybody, you know, you don’t have to be a metal-head to be into our band” points out ‘Guardrail’ Foresta, “We like hardcore, thrash, whatever dude, we don’t give a fuck you know, we’re here to have a good time” and the mix sure is good, as the band fan base continues to grow, this has been evident throughout the last few tours according to Foresta “Shows are great like that ‘cuz everybody comes you know, from all walks of life, not just the one crowd”

And what about Massive Aggressive? “Its been great! (…) most of the times the audience wouldn't really know the songs right away, it would take them about a year to get it, now with this one, the first tour we went on people knew the words right away, the reception’s been great” case an point the band is also scheduled for a short Japanese tour starting May 12th with stops confirmed in Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka thus far.

But Tony is not one to stay put. His side project, No Friends, released their new EP last summer and confirmed with me about having just finished recording their upcoming LP release, “I’m really excited about it, its not your typical hardcore record” and not only the new album is not your typical hardcore record but it will also be distributed on a not very typical way “it’s gonna be out online, you’re gonna be able to download it for free, and also available on vinyl only”

FREE MUSIC? Well, sign me up! Accounting for the slump in CD sales all around digital releases have increased in popularity, and this is being noticed by artists all across the board. “Nobody gives a shit about CD’s anymore; they’re going in the landfill now” states Foresta, “people now either buy the record or download it for free anyway” and as to why vinyl? Well, Tony assures “I think that vinyl is gonna outlast CD”.

Heartful of... Nightwish?

About a year ago we talked about Brother Firetribe (Emppu Vuorinen's side project) and the release of their EP Heart Full of Fire. BFT toured in between Nightwish and other schedules and during that time recorded a live DVD performance on April 15, 2009 at The Apollo in Helsinki that featured Anette Olzon as guest vocals for the EP title-track. Brother Firetribe, Live at Apollo was released this past February 12 via Spinefarm Records, with preview clips available via their YouTube channel.





Marco Hietala also made the Finnish headlines this week with his cover of Paradise city for Finnish TV



But don't let all this fool you as Nightwish is still together, according to a statement released by their management via BW&BK, in which they also announce that mainman Tuomas Holopainen is currently working on demo ideas for the next Nightwish album, with a planned start for recording sessions in May.

Speaking of Nightwish, Former singer Tarja Turunen has been confirmed for this year's Wacken Open Air festival, joining a bill including Iron Maiden, Stratovarius, Cannibal Corpse and many (many!) others as previously reported.

A Nickelburn of the 3rd Degree?

For the past couple of weeks The Pickle has been making the rounds on Facebook in its efforts to recruit more fans than Nickelback, finally achieving its goal over the weekend. As it stands now, The Pickle has a following of 1,456,215 fans compared to Nickelback's 1,418,719.

The Pickle has also surpassed other artists such as Creed, Hinder, The Oprah Winfrey Show and Madonna, and has sparked the conversation around the net (check HERE, HERE, and HERE ->good read) and even Obama-ized 'hope' parodies.

But that's not the only thing The Pickle has started! According to an updated posted today on The Pickle's wall Nickelback doesn't appear to be very happy about it.

The origin of the message is yet to be confirmed, however as of now one thing is for sure: There sure are a LOT of people that enjoy pickles AND good music!

Metallica Thrashes Through Latin America

Metallica has started the South American leg of their Word Magnetic Tour setting attendance records in Lima, and selling out Santiago earlier this week. The Santiago gig also made headlines because of clashes between police and unruly fans trying to get into the show, some with no tickets, and upset over misinformation and alledged ticket fraud on part of the promotors. By the time the mayhem outside the venue was under control Santiago Riot Police had 120 fans in cuffs, with one of their own injured. This isnt the first time Metallica is at the centre of a riot, as was the case in '96 during their first visit to Thailand, causing all similar shows to be banned thereafter.

The Santiago show was not only notorious for the restless crowd, but also because a very special fan was in attendance... Grandma Graciela went to see Metallica play.

Meanwhile, Lars Ulrich has been quoted saying that the next Metallica album won't be coming around for another year and a half at least, similar to what Robert Trujillo declared on a similar interview late last year.

Metallica was took a break from the studio for six years between Re-Load and St.Anger, only releasing live material on CD and DVD. Lars' words come hinting what many are rumouring already about... we might be in for another six years of re-issues, started with the Francais Por Une Nuit CD/DVD, and now being followed up by Orgullo, Pasion y Gloria: Tres Noches En La Ciudad de Mexico, a similar CD/DVD recorded over the band's 3 night stay in Mexico City. Sources close to the band report that a further release is on the works chronicling the band's Canadian tour.

Tell Your Story (Morning Glory)

Australia's Daily Telegraph published an opinion piece featuring Brian Johnson in which he slams hard on Bono and Bob Geldof for their outspoken activism and charity work, "I don't tell everybody they should give money -- they can't afford it. When I was a working man I didn't want to go to a concert for some bastard to talk down to me that I should be thinking of some kid in Africa. I'm sorry mate, do it yourself, spend some of your own money and get it done." for the rest of the piece check HERE

A throat cancer scare late last year made Johnson reconsider his time with the band. However, now that it has passed and he is in good health, Johnson has changed his tune about retirement, "Of course I don't want to retire, but I'm telling you if the body or the voice packs in there's nothing I can do" And the band's Australian/NZ leg of their Black Ice tour proves his point. The tour started last week in Wellington and will power through Australia and New Zealand and is already recieving raving reviews.

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The third installment of Disney's Pirates of The Caribean saga featured legendary everything Keith Richards as Jack Sparrow's dad. Albeit a short one, Richards' apperance brought the two closer together.

Depp has been open since the begining of the saga about the influence that Richards has played on Depp's portrayal of Capt. Sparrow, the spaced out bucaneer, and also about his admiration for the Rolling Stone. According to an interview with Serbian magazine Politika Johnny Depp is currently working on a documentary about the life and times of Keith. for more check HERE

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Dutch symphonic outfit Epica is getting through the North American leg of their tour that has included stops in Montreal and NYC. here's a video of their Montreal show at Club Soda.

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Last year Oasis was playing at V-Fest in Toronto when Daniel Sullivan managed to get backstage during their set and rushed Noel from behind, who promptly faceplanted on one of his monitors and nearly landing on one of his beloved Gretch axes. Eyewitness accounts (and YouTube!) tell of Sullivan turning towards Liam before being tackled by security and dragged offstage. The V-Fest incident caused the band to cancel the remainder of their Dig Out Your Soul World Tour, and leaving my girlfriend and I up in the air with floor tickets for a show that was rescheduled for the following December.

Sullivan was charged with assault causing bodily harm (among other counts) and has been in and out of court since the incident, battling not only his charges but a $2-mil law suit against him by Gallagher. Civil suit and all, the ordeal appears to be reaching its end soon, as soon as Noel flies to Toronto to personally deliver his victim impact statement.

Gallagher's apperance has not been scheduled yet, and has caused the case to be adjourned until a date can be set. for more check HERE

Dude, Looks Like (might be) a Lady!

It is no secret that Aerosmith's Steven Tyler has been going through a rough n'tough time personally and with the band over the past few weeks (or months, depending where you read). Rumours circulated about Tyler quiting the band, while other said he was joining Led Zeppelin for their reunion, meanwhile he was lustering guns for a legal battle with Aerosmith amid allegations of drug use relapses and surprise appearances at bars (yes, no joke)

Joe Perry sat down for a chat with the UK's Classic Rock Magazine and one of the things they discussed was Tyler's flip floping. Perry did confirm that Tyler had flown to London (albeit without the band's knowledge) to audition for the LedZep gig--reported to be rather embarrasing for Tyler.

So, who's going to sub-in for Steven? when asked, Perry cleared up the circulating online rumours about the possible offers already made to pipes the size of Chris Cornell, Sammy Hagar and Paul Rodgers (who recently had a short-lived frontman gig with Queen) However, as Perry explains, no official offers or auditions have been conducted yet. One thing that he made clear was the fact that the band is open to the idea of finding a female singer.

All in all, the band is taking a 'Steven is on Vacation' attitude as explained by Perry.

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly (not in order)

Last October some outlets reported the disappearance of Morgan Harrington, a Virginia Tech student and MetallicA fan who was last seen outside the John Paul Jones Arena for the band’s World Magnetic Tour stop.

Last week the search for Morgan Harrington shift to the search for answers about her death, after a farmer found her remains in a remote farm area outside Charlottesville, Virginia.

Metallica released a statement through their website expressing their condolences. For more check HERE and HERE
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The organizers of Wacken Open Air are reporting that the legendary festival is once again sold out, just in time to celebrate the festival’s 20th anniversary. Check here for a complete list

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Ha! And how about THIS? We ought to thank the boys at MH for that one!
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MegadetH has also issued a press release announcing the rescheduled dates of the Canadian Carnage tour with Slayer and Testament. for the full press release check HERE
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Last Monday I had the chance to go see Guns n' Roses in London, ON. it was an excellent show! too bad no cameras were allowed. The first opening band, Danko Jones, started at 7:30pm and Sebastian Bach, began at around 8:30pm.

Setlist:
01-Chinese Democracy
02-Welcome To The Jungle
03-It's So Easy
04-Mr. Brownstone
05-Sorry
06-Better
07-Richard Fortus Guitar Solo [James Bond Theme]
08-Live And Let Die
09-If The World
10-Band Introductions
11-Dizzy Reed Piano Solo
12-Street Of Dreams
13-Jam [TNT]
14-Scraped
15-Rocket Queen
16-DJ Ashba Guitar Solo [The Ballad Of Death]
17-Sweet Child O' Mine
18-Axl Rose Piano Solo [Asshole Song / Someone Saved My Life Tonight]
19-November Rain
20-Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [Pink Panther Theme]
21-You Could Be Mine
22-Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door
23-Shackler’s Revenge
24-Acoustic Jam
25-Patience
26-Nightrain
ENCORE
27-Madagascar
28-This I Love
29-Paradise City

-Axl played Asshole Song as intro to November Rain.
-Gran Torino was played in the break of November Rain.
-Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door was dedicated to Mojo, Dougie n’ Eduardo

Lancing for Free

My apologies for the slow updates recently, but i have just (also) started freelancing for Rockombia.com for their Int'l content... ahhh and dont forget about school :P

I will continue to add updates here, don't panic! in the meantime, check out the other side.