My friend Sully Erna from Godsmack spent time in the hardDriveRadio studiosfor a 30 minute video interview yesterday. We talked about everything from the new album to his daughter and family. Later in the day, Paulie Walnuts and I went to Quad Studios, where Coldplay recorded a few albums, and Sully played the packed room of industry folks from Revolver to radio, Music Choice and online rock outlets, 6 songs from the forthcoming 6th studio album, 1000 Hp. We heard the title track and current single (which was the number 1 most added record yesterday on rock radio stations!), “FML,” (a song dedicated to Avery Lippman, the president of the band’s label,) ”What’s Next,” a kick-ass rocker called “Locked & Loaded” that Sully said harkened to their love of Sabbath & Pantera, an epic trippy artsy track called “Generation Day.” Sully said this song was about coming into this generation and watching the evolution into the digital age taking over, and finally the tune that will be the second single called “Something Different.” That one Sully said would be their “level 2″ song and one that’s about relationships and trying to be heard. The tune features the cellist, Irina Chirkova, who performed on Sully’s solo album Avalon. We were treated to sliders and guacamole, humus and delicious tequila beverages, including the “Sully Smash,” a mixture of lemon juice and agave with tequila and a lemon. DEEEELISH! There were 4 other tunes he didn’t play for us for whatever reason. We hung out after most of the crowd left in hopes he would, but he and Shannon Larkin had other press obligations they had to do before the evening was over. Meanwhile, poor Shannon. His plane from Florida was supposed to arrive around 4:30, but he sat on the tarmac in DC and walked in the door when the party was ending! BOO! We got to have a hug and he’s gonna give me some neighborhood tips on places down around where he lives. (I’m starting to think about a winter place…yeah, I’ll be a snowbird when I’m older! LOL) Anyhow, look for the new Godsmack album August 5th…..Pulse of Radioreports Three Days Grace‘s current single, “Painkiller,” became the 12th Number One track of the band’s career at Active Rock radio this week, continuing the band’s record of having the most chart-toppers in the format’s history. The next two groups on the list, Linkin Park and Shinedown, are tied with nine Number Ones each, while Disturbed has seven, Seether has six and Godsmack follows with five. Drummer Neil Sanderson said why he thinks the band continues to connect with listeners: “One thing that hasn’t changed with us is that we write about real things in our lives and the lives of people around us, and observations of just sort of life itself, you know. And I think Three Days Grace fans have attached themselves to that and I think that sometimes, you know, that’s a powerful thing if you can put into words what other people are thinking.” In addition to “Painkiller,” Three Days Grace’s other chart-toppers include “Misery Loves My Company,” “Chalk Outline,” “World So Cold,” “Never Too Late,” “Animal,” “Pain” and “Home.” ”Painkiller” is the first single to feature the band’s new lead singer, Matt Walst, who joined the lineup last year following the departure of founding frontman Adam Gontier. Three Days Grace has been in the studio working on its fifth album, but has taken a break to hit the road. The band next performs in Spokane, WA on June 24th…..Speaking if Linkin Park, their The Hunting Party album, is streaming in its entirety at iTunes. The disc arrives next Tuesday (June 17th) and follows up 2012′s Living Things. The band has been gradually revealing songs from the record over the past few weeks, including the singles “Guilty All The Same” and “Until It’s Gone,” but the complete set is now available to hear at Apple’s online music store. This is the first of Linkin Park’s six albums to be self-produced, and singer Mike Shinoda told us that the band never really considered hiring an outside producer this time: “There came a time when it would have been appropriate to choose a producer if that’s what we were gonna do, and that time just kind of came and went. You know, Brad(Delson, guitarist) and I were at the steering wheel and totally confident that we were gonna take this thing in the right direction.”…And you think you’ve been to shows with a huge audience? You ain’t seen nothing yet! Check out this crowd at Germany’s Rock Am Park for Metallica’s set! and speaking of Germany, Willkommen auf unserer neuen Zuhörer in Nürnberg zu Gong 97,1. Harddrive debütiert heute Abend!....See Road Rage for new dates for Rob Zombie….Celebrating birthdays today: Frank Beard, the only guy in ZZ Top without one, is 65! Dr Gregory House, aka Hugh Laurie is 55 and Game Of Thrones’ Tyrion Lannister aka Peter Dinklage is 45.
