• Soundgarden’s Kim Thayil On Final Album With Chris Cornell: “If You Can Imagine A Lullaby Paired With Psychedelia, That’s Kind Of What’s Going On There”

    During an interview with KOMO News, Soundgarden guitarist Kim Thayil discussed the band’s final album with the late great Chris Cornell. According to him, the material is like “a lullaby paired with psychedelia.”

    Thayil said the following:

    “It was very different from other other records. You don’t start at one point with song ideas and demos and kind of record the drums and build it. We kind of worked in a different direction. We had to build our performances… the songs were were by and large done. But the recordings and the performances weren’t, except for what we had with the vocals and some drums. So then we had to just kind of… it was very forensic in nature. We kind of had to tear it all apart and kind of piece it back together.

    So, and again, spending a lot of time in the studio listening to the material, is both… it’s a great pleasure… It presented a lot of enthusiasm, you know, and opportunity for us, but it’s also a little bit difficult, you know? You’re constantly balancing the responsibility and duty towards the material and towards a beloved friend’s work, and our work together. So it was very unusual. It is a strange thing to do. And I know that we’re not the only people have had to explore the work and the relationships in a similar situation.”

    He continued when asked about his favorite song:

    “That’s always changing. I think we’ve been working on this on and off for a few years, and I think every song has been my favorite at some point.”

    He also discussed the direction of the record:

    “I think all the material is like much of our material… There are quirky elements. It’s very introspective, perhaps more introspective than — I mean all of our work has been somewhat that way — but this is a little bit more so. And if you can imagine a lullaby paired with psychedelia, that’s kind of what’s going on there.”

    He then added the following when asked if the group have settled on a release date yet:

    “No, we don’t. We’re dealing with the record label and trying to work out contractual understandings. You have to think about the promotion, the production, and so we have to work all that out and coordinate it with ourselves, management, the record label, and all those processes are are in motion. So, and again, it’s very different. I mean, it’s been so many years. A lot of these contractual obligations expired. So, uh we have to kind of work them out again.”

    [via The PRP]

  • YOB Postpone Their Immediate Live Shows After Mike Scheidt Suffers Nerve Damage

    YOB have revealed that vocalist/guitarist Mike Scheidt is dealing with nerve damage. As such, the band’s immediate shows have been postponed.

    The group commented:

    “Hey friends! We are sad to say that we need to cancel our upcoming appearance at Ripple Fest, and our October shows at St Vitus, Soulcrusher in the Netherlands, and with Smoke The Fuzz in Greece. Mike started experiencing some tingling in his left hand a few weeks back, but it would go away upon wiggling his fingers and so he didn’t think much of it. Recently, he woke up one morning and his left arm and shoulder were on fire from nerve pain with his left arm not functioning properly.

    An MRI revealed a cervical spinal stenosis due to calcium deposits which are pinching a nerve and causing his left arm and hand issues. We’re currently waiting on an appointment with a neurologist to discuss treatment options though surgery will likely be involved. Luckily it’s a minimally invasive one, but we’re in a holding pattern until we find out more. We were so looking forward to these shows! The good news is we have a lot of exciting things to share and we can’t wait to show you what we’ve been cooking up!”

    Scheidt added:

    “A few weeks ago — maybe a little bit longer, but not much — I started noticing some tingling in my left hand in the middle of the night. I’d wiggle my fingers and it’d go away, I didn’t think too much of it. Then about two and a half weeks ago, I started experiencing a lot of pain in my neck, and I thought I’d thrown my neck out, and I did it pretty good.

    The next morning I woke up and I couldn’t move my arm correctly and was in a crazy amount of pain. So I went to urgent care and they sent me to the ER and I was able to get a MRI. And a surgeon looked at the MRI and determined that I have spinal stenosis due to calcium deposits building up in my neck around this place where I have some arthritis. I wonder how that happened [makes headbanging gesture.]

    Regardless, it has made for a situation where my left arm and hand aren’t working and I can’t play guitar very well at the moment. So we are currently in a holding pattern waiting to hear from a surgeon.”

    [via The PRP]

  • Watch Quicksand Cover Helmet’s “Unsung” Live

    During their recent live shows, Quicksand have been performing a cover of Helmet’s “Unsung.” You can check out some fan-filmed footage of that from their September 2 show in Brooklyn, NY below:

  • Bad Omens’ Self-Titled Debut Album Receives 10th Anniversary Vinyl Pressings

    Sumerian Records will be releasing some new 10th anniversary vinyl pressings of Bad Omens‘ self-titled debut album on September 18. A number of limited edition variants can be pre-ordered HERE.

  • Boltcutter Announce North American Tour With Misery Whip

    Boltcutter have announced a fall North American tour. Misery Whip will open. Here’s the dates:

    10/20 Amityville, NY – Amityville Music Hall
    10/21 Providence, RI – Alchemy
    10/23 Montreal, QC – Foufounes Electriques
    10/25 London, ON – Rum Runners
    10/27 Toledo, OH – Frankie’s
    10/28 Fort Wayne, IN – Slam City Skate Park
    10/30 Indianapolis, IN – Hoosier Dome
    10/31 Chicago, IL – Gods of Chaos Fest
    11/01 Iowa City, IA – Gabe’s
    11/03 Ft Collins, CO – Soundbar
    11/04 Colorado Springs, CO – What’s Left
    11/07 Fort Worth, TX – Haltom Theater
    11/08 Lubbock, TX – Jake’s Backroom
    11/10 Los Angeles, CA – The Echo
    11/11 San Francisco, CA – Neck of the Woods
    11/13 Tacoma, WA – Real Art

  • Speed Of Light And Holy Wars Added To The Warning’s September Los Angeles Shows

    The Warning have revealed the supporting acts for their upcoming shows in Los Angeles, CA. Speed Of Light will open the first two nights, while Holy Wars will open the third night. Here’s the dates:

    With Speed Of Light:

    09/09 Los Angeles, CA – The Fonda Theatre
    09/10 Los Angeles, CA – The Fonda Theatre

    With Holy Wars:

    09/11 Los Angeles, CA – The Fonda Theatre

  • Movements Premiere “Pulse” Music Video

    Movements have premiered a new video for their song “Pulse.” That track is from the band’s newly released album “Happier Now.”

  • Watch Brooke Colucci (Ex-Plush) Add Her Own Drum Parts To Cover Of Testament’s “Practice What You Preach”

    Drumeo recently tasked drummer Brooke Colucci (ex-Plush) with covering Testament’s “Practice What You Preach” after hearing it for the first time without percussion. You can watch her add her own drum parts to the song in the below video:

  • Flagman Announce Fall East Coast Tour

    Flagman have announced a fall East Coast tour. Sumpp and Leon Trout will open on select dates.

    Tour Dates:

    10/23 Orlando, FL – Will’s Pub
    10/24 Tampa, FL – TBA
    10/25 Gainesville, FL – FEST
    10/27 Charlotte, NC – The Milestone
    10/28 Atlanta, GA – Masquerade

    With Sumpp:

    10/29 Cincinnati, OH – Swine City Brewing
    10/30 Detroit, MI – After Hours @ Brooklyn Detroit
    10/31 New Philadelphia, OH – The Delaware
    11/01 Pittsburgh, PA – Bottlerocket
    11/02 Rochester, NY – Bugjar
    11/03 Troy, NY – No Fun
    11/04 Boston, MA – O’Briens Pub

    With Leon Trout:

    11/05 Brooklyn, NY – Woodshop
    11/06 New Hope, PA – Dharma Bums

  • Staind Score New Multi-Platinum Certifications In The U.S.

    Staind have scored a couple of new mult-platinum awards in the U.S. The RIAA recently certified their 2001 album, “Break The Cycle,” 7x platinum and its lead single, “It’s Been Awhile,” 8x platinum.