Archive for April, 2010

If you’re not a reader of Metal Hammer magazine, you might want to reconsider this month. That’s because contained inside this month’s issue is a track from late Pantera and Damageplan guitarist ‘Dimebag’ Darrell Abbott, which was recently unearthed by Dime’s former girlfriend, Rita Haney.

Of course, it’s surprising that its taken this long for posthumous Dimebag material to surface, what with the estates of Tupac Shakur and Jimi Hendrix releasing material consistently since both artists perished. But this may be the last unreleased gem from Dime, and it’s being billed as the final recording from Abbott.

Produced by Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo, the unnamed track appears on a compilation disc with tracks from Soulfly, Cancer Bats, Bleeding Through and Dillinger Escape Plan. According to Lombardo, he “got the track and put it into Pro Tools and trimmed the edges and made it shine a bit, but the true producer and engineer was Dime. The sounds you hear are the ones he recorded, I just cleaned it up.”

To read the complete article visit NOISECREEP

On Saturday, August 14, AEROSMITH and THE J. GEILS BAND will descend upon Fenway Park in Boston to deliver the grandest slam to their hometown crowd. For the first time ever, the Bad Boys of Boston will be bringing their brand of major league rock straight to Fenway Park.

During Wednesday’s Red Sox-Yankees game, Steven Tyler from AEROSMITH and Peter Wolf representing THE J. GEILS BAND appeared in the booth alongside Jerry Remy and Don Orsillo in the bottom of the fourth to announce the event.

For ticket information visti AEROSMITH

Lady Gaga, Green Day, a reunited Soundgarden, Arcade Fire, the Strokes and

Phoenix will headline this year’s Lollapalooza, festival organizers confirmed today (Apr. 6).

The National, Spoon, Devo, Cypress Hill, Cut Copy, the New Pornographers, Erykah Badu, Slightly Stoopid, Grizzly Bear, Gogol Bordello, Chromeo, Wolfmother, Yeasayer and X Japan are also among the more than 130 bands, musicians, and DJs set to perform at the weekend-long event, scheduled for Aug. 6-8 in Chicago’s Grant Park.

Tickets for the three day festival are $215, inclusive of the service charge, and are on sale now. Additional information about tickets, travel packages and VIP options is available at lollapalooza.com.

Lady Gaga’s appearance at Lollapalloza is part of her previously announced Monster’s Ball tour, which stops at arenas across North America throughout the summer.

To read the complete article visit BILLBOARD

“Our motto for this tour is ‘Leave ‘em wanting less,’” quipped Wilco executive chef Jeff Tweedy at the Music Center at Strathmore last night. “When you leave here, you’ll be very full.”

He wasn’t kidding. The pacing might have been haphazard, but Tweedy and his five mates served up course after tireless course, a three-dozen-song banquet of art-rock, folk-rock, country-rock, and — once Nels Cline strapped on that double-necked guitar — rawk-rock that ran to three hours and excavated tunes from every Wilco album, plus side projects and a gorgeous cover of Big Star’s “Thank You Friends” in memory of Alex Chilton.

The acoustically pristine, not-a-bad-seat-inna-house Strathmore proved an ideal environment in which to savor the group’s musicianship, never sharper than its current six-man lineup. Though Tweedy occasionally lamented (and indulged) the brayed-out song requests, audible throughout the wood-paneled room, the audience – which included White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel – was deferential enough to permit the band a dynamic range impossible in a club or an arena.

The Strathmore is a reverent, not a little churchy kind of place, and revealed sonic details of some performances felt otherworldly in origin: the resigned scrape of Tweedy’s voice on the stunning suite of “Poor Places” and “Reservations,” or Glen Kotche’s storm of percussion on the mournful “Via Chicago.”

To read the complete review visit CLICK TRACK/WASHINGTON POST MUSIC BLOG

The Claddagh Fund–the charity established in 2009 by Dropkick Murphys founder Ken Casey–has teamed with netRaffle.org to host a raffle for an all expense paid trip to Dublin, Ireland to see Dropkick Murphys play at the Olympia Theatre on April 22, 2010.   Raffle tickets are only $2 each and are available until Monday, April 12, 2010 at: www.claddaghfund.org/landsdowne2dublin.php.

The winner will receive:

• Two tickets to the Thursday, April 22, 2010 Dropkick Murphys concert at the Olympia Theater in Dublin, Ireland

• A meet and greet with the Dropkick Murphys and an autographed Live On Lansdowne, Boston MA DVD/CD

• Three nights hotel accommodations at the Clarence Hotel (owned by U2’s Bono and The Edge) in Dublin Ireland (single room/double occupancy, check-in Wednesday, April 21, 2010, check-out Saturday, April 24, 2010)

• A $2,500 allowance for airfare, ground transportation and meals

• A cash prize in the amount of $1,482.25 to mitigate the winner’s tax liability that results from winning the raffle. This prize is withheld and paid, on behalf of the winner, directly to the IRS ($1,225.00) and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts ($257.25)

If the winner is unable to make the trip, The Claddagh Fund will offer the cash equivalent of the entire prize package.

The Claddagh Fund will be contributing all of the proceeds from this raffle through the American Ireland Fund to the Belvedere Youth Club, a children’s center in Dublin, Ireland.  The money will fund the “Weekend Holiday Program,” a weekend retreat for inner city children who will travel free of charge to the Club’s cottage in County Wexford to enjoy sports, arts and music in a relaxed environment.

The Claddagh Fund was established by Dropkick Murphys founder Ken Casey in support of non-profits that champion the causes of children, veterans and those suffering from alcohol and drug addiction.  The Claddagh Fund is committed to the three attributes symbolized in the Claddagh ring: friendship, love and loyalty.  The Claddagh Fund seeks to harness the passion of Dropkick Murphys friends, family and fans to significantly improve the quality of life of children, their families and the most vulnerable populations in the community.

The inaugural Claddagh Fund event, Claddagh Fund Skate in the Park, was held Saturday, December 19, 2009 on the ice at Fenway Park—built for the historic NHL Winter Classic Game—and was followed by a reception at the House of Blues.  The event raised over $50,000 for the fund.  Claddagh Fund Skate in the Park not only provided a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to skate the NHL ice at Fenway Park but also brought together friends of the Dropkick Murphys that included athletes from Boston’s major sports teams, celebrity guests, families and fans.

The Claddagh Fund’sCelebrity Bartending Party was held at McGreevy’s Third Base Saloon in Boston on February 13, 2010 and raised nearly $15,000 for Hope for Haiti Children’s Center to provide food, medical attention, shelter, emotional support and eventual family placement to children left orphaned by the tragic earthquakes in Haiti.  Celebrity bartenders at the event included Dropkick Murphys, along with NESN’s Heidi Watney, NECN’s Chris Collins, “The Mad Fisherman” Charlie Moore, funny gal Sue Costello, gubernatorial candidate Charlie Baker, boxing legend Micky Ward, former New England Patriot Christian Fauria, and Boston Bruins legend/WAAF personality Lyndon Byers.

For more information on The Claddagh Fund, go to CLADDAGH FUND

According to JanesAddiction.org, a re-tooled JANE’S ADDICTION — featuring bassist Duff McKagan (GUNS N’ ROSES, VELVET REVOLVER) — performed last night (Tuesday, March 30) at singer Perry Farrell’s 51st birthday celebration at Les Deux in Los Angeles, California. The band’s set included a cover version of LED ZEPPELIN’s “Whole Lotta Love”, fan-filmed video footage of which can be viewed below.

McKagan stepped in when JANE’S ADDICTION founding bassist Eric Avery dropped out of the group for a second time earlier this year.

Several photos of JANE’S ADDICTION working in the studio with McKagan can be viewed at JanesAddiction.org.

To read the complete article visit BLABBERMOUTH