According to The Pulse Of Radio, Jack White has launched a new interactive timeline charting his musical history through behind-the-scenes photos, rare videos and newly written notes from his time as a solo artist and as a member of the White Stripes and the Raconteurs. The timeline begins on Oct 23rd, 1998 with “Sugar Never Tasted So Good,” a song written on his parents’ front porch and included on the White Stripes’ self-titled 1999 debut.
The most recent item, dated Aug 11th, 2016, is the Stripes song “City Lights,” recorded during the sessions for 2005’s Get Behind Me Satan but left off the set and forgotten until now. White launched the timeline in conjunction with tomorrow’s (Sep 9th) release of Acoustic Recordings 1998-2016, a 26-song career-spanning compilation featuring rare cuts, B-sides and alternate takes.
White told us a while back how he thought rock music had changed since he came on the scene: “It’s changed definitions over the years, you know. Now it’s sort of an energy drink, isn’t it? It’s become an iconic sort of T-shirt at Target or something like that. In more of the ’60s and ’70s, it was such a mystery and untouchable-ness to it. And now like in the age of sort of reality television, so many things are accessible that it’s changing.” Other nuggets available to see on the timeline include the Stripes performance of “Apple Blossom” on Detroit public TV in 2000, their debut on Saturday Night Live in May 2002, and a 2006 Coca Cola ad which contains White’s song “Love Is The Truth.” The White Stripes, which also featured White’s ex-wife Meg, broke up in 2011 after six albums. The Raconteurs issued two albums between 2006 and 2008, with White working more recently with The Dead Weather and issuing two solo albums.
Green Day are gracing the cover of Rolling Stone magazine (on newsstands tomorrow.) TONS of interesting items are revealed by frontman Billie Joe Armstrong, including his bout with alcohol addiction and rehab.
The Pulse Of Radio reported Armstrong opened up in the Rolling Stone interview about the fall 2012 incident in which he went onstage “blackout drunk” at the iHeart Radio Festival and went into a full-fledged meltdown when he was given a signal to wind up the band’s set. Screaming, “I’ve been around since f**king 1988, and you’re gonna give me one f**king minute? You gotta be kidding me! I’m not f**king Justin Bieber, you motherf**kers,” Armstrong proceeded to smash his guitar, walk off the stage — and head straight to rehab.
The incident brought Armstrong’s substance abuse at the time into the public spotlight, and the band put all touring and promotional activities on hold for months while he cleaned up. But Armstrong also said that Green Day shouldn’t have been on the pop-leaning bill in the first place, explaining, “Once a punk, always a punk is really what it comes to . . . we have to blame ourselves for putting ourselves in that situation. We have the ability to say no.” But Armstrong added, “Honestly, dude, I can’t remember a word that came out of my mouth.”
Bassist Mike Dirnt agreed with Armstrong’s rant, but was not happy with Armstrong’s condition, recalling, “What I couldn’t agree with was seeing the degradation of my friend. The f**king path had gone too far. And he didn’t even see it yet. It was, ‘We’re done. Recognize it. I can’t think about playing with you right now. You got to get right.’”
Michael Mayer, who directed the Broadway version of the band’s American Idiot punk opera, said that Armstrong was “the most functioning addict I’ve ever seen in my life . . . It was not like he was drunk or on on drugs all the time. But he’d go into these meltdowns occasionally, and it became harder for him to recover.” Armstrong says now, “Honestly, I don’t know if I would be around (if I hadn’t gone to rehab).”
Green Day releases its 12th studio album, Revolution Radio, on Oct 7th and begins a tour of North American clubs and theaters on Sep 20th in St. Louis. Tickets are going to quite difficult to procure, so get online early tomorrow morning if you want to go! Their current single “Bang Bang” is Number One on the Rock Radio Charts.
Highly Suspect will release its second album, The Boy Who Died Wolf, on Nov 18th. The band recorded the disc in Los Angeles, Brooklyn and Bogota, Colombia, and drummer Ryan Meyer told us working in the latter country had a major impact: “As an artist, it gets you out of like your comfort zone, you know. If we were like hanging out in the living room of our house, you know, watching Netflix, we wouldn’t get anything done. But like, here we are in this like strange land with like crazy stuff happening around us. It really like, you know, it takes you out of your normalcy and puts you into a state of mind you normally wouldn’t be able to get. It’s worth it.”
The first single from the new record, “My Name Is Human,” is already streaming online and can be heard on hardDrive this weekend.The song originally was going to be titled “Fireworld,” but apparently they changed it at the last minute (or the A&R Dept was a little lazy on relabelling it. When I was first scripted for the show, I got on the phone to do the interview with Ryan (from London) and when I asked about “Fireworld” he said, ”no, it’s called ‘I Am Human.’ ” And then when I asked his handlers, it was “My Name is Human.” So insanity ensued for a bit!) Highly Suspect’s 2015 debut, Mister Asylum, was nominated for Best Rock Album and Best Rock Song for the single “Lydia” at the 2016 Grammy Awards. Both “Lydia” and “Bloodfeather” were Top 10 hits at rock radio.
The trio, who came together seven years ago in Cape Cod, MA, but based in Brooklyn, NY, is about to embark on a headlining tour beginning tonight (Sep 8th) in Syracuse, NY. (Thanks The Pulse Of Radio.)
Helmet and Page Hamilton fans are going to be happy to hear the band is releasing it’s first studio album in over 6 years on Oct 28th. Dead To The World will drop and a 36-city tour will start on Nov 3rd with Local H. European dates will also be announced soon.
Produced by Page himself and mixed by award-winning record producer, engineer and mixer Jay Baumgardner, Dead To The World” will be released as a CD digipak, on transparent vinyl and as a digital download.
The gold-certified and Grammy-nominated Helmet has released eight widely acclaimed albums since originally forming in 1989 in New York City. Last time I saw them was about 4 years ago on ShipRocked. It was cool I got to hang out with Page and share some meals together. I always liked him very much. And bands such as the Deftones, Rise Against, Pantera, Chevelle and Tool have all cited Helmet as an influence, and not just for Helmet‘s blistering, aggro approach, but for the band’s sheer musicality and brains.
Hamilton offered these thoughts: “Catch phrases, punchlines, guns, bluster, ammo, incivility, impatience, murder. You, me, us, them, life, liberty and the pursuit of property.
“We disagree, we disrespect, discourse disappears in the age of access. When in doubt GET LOUD! It’s my way or the highway, thank you Lawrence Tierney! (Editor’s note per Wikipedia: Lawrence Tierney was an American actor known for his many screen portrayals of mobsters and tough guys, roles that mirrored his own frequent brushes with the law.)
“Religious tchotchkes nailed to the walls of homes above razor-scarred mirrors. Do you meditate, levitate, pray? Live in L.A.! I’m a huge fan, got a perfume line, smell nice, plan my next move. Threats loom, the bad news network blooms, fear sells. Just get em out, the spying neighbors, suspects, terrorists our forefathers intent. ‘If you don’t like it, leave’ and call it democracy.”
Looking forward to hearing the new stuff and hopefully having him in the studios to talk about it! His current line up includes Dan Beeman on rhythm guitar, Dave Case on bass and Kyle Stevenson drums.
Whoa! He does exist! Zack de la Rocha is back with new music!
Dude, where ya been? Zack de la Rocha (photo credit: Juan Luis Garcia)
“Digging For Windows” The new music was produced by Brooklyn, NY alternative hip-hop/culture freak & artist El-P and the only other thing on the press release besides these images and the tune are the lyrics:
fuck that bright shit
the spot or the flashlights
we in la ducking both
in the shadows with lead pipes
the days are all night
see if i pay edison
no medicine
these blues ain’t more better when
my fever rise in the jungle
as quick as the price spikes
the days are all night
my future snapped like a rubber band
off my fold on a hand to hand
he drew from his waist
i put two in his roof
and i can still hear his screams
all night
now they ride their portfolios
like rodeos
rise every time my cherry glows
on the end of my cig as
the smoke blows through the bars
and the co’s laugh fades
as he strolls away
says i gotta pay
off that roll away
or its fuck your visitation days
and i pop off so in solitaire
i dream of offing these fred astaires
and the skin off my fingers tear
we digging for windows here
where the days are all night
this city’s a trap my partner
under the lights of they choppers
bodies tools for they coffers
not worth the cost of our coffins
i stare at a future so toxic
no trust in the dust of a promise
won’t mark the name on a ballot
so they can be free to devour our options
and just like you I’m a target
ill defined by the guap in my pocket
but the stage make figures
as quick as it off em
what marley and pac get?
i put these caps in capitals
leave minds blazed in they capitols
i step with a fury so actual fact
that my offense could be capital
we digging for windows here
Hmmmm, wonder if he’s considering joining up for a tour with Prophets Of Rage? Wouldn’t THAT be amazing?!!!!!!!!
