Baroness guitarist Gina Gleason has launched a new project called Ecliptor. The band’s first show was held in Philadelphia, PA on March 28. You can check out some fan-filmed footage from the concert below:
[via The PRP]
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New Documentary “Heavy Healing” Explores The Healing Powers Of Heavy Music
Former A&R exec Howie Abrams has announced a new documentary titled “Heavy Healing.” The film will explore the healing powers of heavy music.
More details were shared in a press release:
“Fans of Heavy Metal, Hardcore Punk and the like have been told since forever, whether by their parents, teachers or religious leaders, that these genres are “not music,” but noise. Each has been labeled as disorderly, violent and detrimental to the physical and mental health of young people.
Be that as it may, many who have been affected by a wide variety of enervating conditions have come to rely on heavy artists to successfully assist them through the worst of times such as severe illness, weighty medical conditions and mental health challenges.
New documentary film Heavy Healing seeks to dispel rumors and shine a much-needed bright light on the healing powers of aggressive music. You will hear directly and candidly from artists, fans and industry types – remarkable individuals who have leaned on (or even become) “controversial” music-makers in order to inspire and be inspired through the grueling process of recovery from the likes of cancer, anxiety and depression, strokes, heart attacks, cerebral palsy, blood diseases, diabetes and HIV/AIDS to name a few.
Appearing in Heavy Healing are Jesse Leach (Killswitch Engage), Lou Koller (Sick of It All), Jaret Reddick (Bowling for Soup), Mike IX Williams (EyeHateGod), Vinnie Stigma (Agnostic Front), Eddie “Sutton” Pomponio (Leeway), Jesse Malin (Heart Attack, D-Generation), Jimi Hazel (24-7 Spyz), Michael Alago (A&R Metallica, White Zombie…), Michael “Kaves” McLeer (Lordz of Brooklyn), Jimmy G. Drescher (Murphy’s Law), Brian “Mitts” Daniels (ex-Madball), Adam Blake (H2O), as well as one of HH’s filmmakers, and the inspiration for this documentary, music business veteran Seth Abrams, among others.
Seth offers, “I’ve survived several severe, life-altering medical ordeals. When you strip away the doctors and family and friends’ support, it’s the music that gets you through it all. In my case, I specifically leaned on Suicidal Tendencies’ “You can’t Bring Me Down.” Heavy Healing gives a voice to those who have relied on heavy, aggressive music to recover from any number of things – medical, emotional or both.”
Heavy Healing director Howie Abrams adds, “As someone who has worked with underground bands for over four decades, I’ve encountered far too many musicians who are forced to cope with one disorder or another. That said, it’s incredible to see how they’ve been able to rely on the extreme music we grew up with to help them remain motivated and to recover. Our hope with the film is that others can draw just as much inspiration from the music as our interviewees have.”
Heavy Healing has been accepted into the ReelAbilities Film Festival in New York City, the world’s largest film festival dedicated to disability. It will screen as part of the festival on:
Saturday, April 25th 7:00 PM Maysles Documentary Center Harlem, NY
Monday April 27th 7:00 PM Nitehawk Cinema Prospect Park Brooklyn, NY
In addition to the screenings during ReelAbilities, Heavy Healing will also be showing at the New Jersey Punk Rock Flea Market in Edison, NJ on April 11; a portion of the proceeds for which will be donated to Sick of It All vocalist Lou Koller’s Sweet Relief fund as he continues battling esophageal cancer. It will also show at the Punk Rock Museum in Las Vegas, NV on April 18.”
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Watch Hayley Williams Perform “Parachute” Live With Josh Scogin (’68, Ex-The Chariot)
During her March 27 solo show at The Tabernacle in Atlanta, GA, Hayley Williams (Paramore) was joined onstage by Josh Scogin (’68, ex-The Chariot) for a performance of “Parachute.” You can see some fan-filmed footage of that below:
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Pantera’s Charlie Benante: “I Would Love To Release A Live Album Of This Lineup”
During a recent interview with Hot Metal, Pantera’s current drummer Charlie Benante was asked about the possibility of a live album from the group. He says he “would love to release a live album of this lineup.”
Benante said the following when asked about the possibility of new music from the band:
“There was some talk — but nothing, really. I would love to release a live album of this lineup so we can document what we did and just have it. I think that would be a great thing.”
He also futher addressed controversy surrounding the band’s decision to tour under the Pantera name following the deaths of the Abbott brothers:
“I feel I was put in this Pantera situation for a reason and that’s why I embraced it so much and that’s why I love it so much, because it’s something bigger than the band. And I wish people nowadays would be more caring and loving towards us all, you know? Not just musicians, but to each other. Stop being so rotten about things, because I’ll tell you this much: [in] 10 years’ time, a lot of this stuff is gone. So if you don’t enjoy it now, that’s it: it’s done.
I think in the beginning of the whole thing there were naysayers and all I would say is ‘just come [to one of the shows].’ If you like it, great. If you don’t like it, okay. You never have to come again. But the thing is, the people who were coming were bringing their kids who never saw Pantera before. This isn’t the same. Dime and Vinnie are not there, but we are just playing these songs that need to be played again, and it’s giving people smiles on their faces again and it’s a great thing.”
He also discussed their future plans:
“I don’t really know. I know we have a few shows this summer and then maybe some shows next year, but that’s as far as it goes.”
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Neurosis On Recruiting Aaron Turner: “The Only Hesitation About Aaron At First Was That It Seemed So Obvious”
During an interview with Bandcamp, Neurosis discussed their decision to recruit Aaron Turner (SUMAC, Old Man Gloom, Isis, etc.) as their new guitarist/vocalist. According to guitarist/vocalist Steve Von Till, the idea “seemed so obvious.”
Von Till said the following:
“We were thinking about how we could reinvent ourselves with the same energy that we reinvented ourselves with when I first joined, when we went from ‘The Word As Law‘ [1990] to ‘Souls At Zero‘ [1992]. But we’re no longer young men. What kind of puzzles could we put in front of us to create that level of reinvention when time doesn’t move the same way it used to? It came down to finding the right energy.
Honestly, the only hesitation about Aaron at first was that it seemed so obvious. And we weren’t convinced that he wasn’t too busy with his own work to just want to drop everything and join our dysfunctional old man band.”
Turner also commented:
“It’s not like Steve and I had never spoken, and he all of a sudden asked me to join. Our paths became interwoven a long time ago. Numerous projects of mine released stuff on [Neurosis’s label] Neurot. I did some artwork for Neurosis. Neurosis took my old band [ISIS] on tour. I don’t know if Steve remembers this, but in the early 2000s, he proposed that I come up to the Bay Area and do some stuff with him and one of the guys from Enablers.
This is a relationship of community where everybody is doing stuff with each other constantly, and there are always ideas flowing back and forth. In that way, it wasn’t surprising to me. I’d had an open dialogue with Steve for many years. At the same time, it was definitely a what-the-fuck moment for me because this is a band that I had been deeply influenced by in many ways, both musically and ideologically.”
Von Till continued when asked if they wanted someone who can contribute new ideas:
“We’ve always been a collective, and we need the energy. As much as people may think they understand what happens behind the scenes in certain bands, Neurosis has always been collaborative. This album being a reinvention, we didn’t want the same old shit. We wanted somebody to come up with new ideas and a fresh approach—to make not only the old stuff their own, but to bring new stuff. All “Neur-Isis” jokes aside, it’s really been what Aaron has done with SUMAC, the really unhinged sonic dynamics and mastery of raw emotion, and his unique approach to guitar, that we felt was really going to click with our energy.”
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Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal (Ex-Guns N’ Roses) Premieres “The Thread” Music Video
Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal (Art Of Anarchy, ex-Guns N’ Roses, etc.) has premiered a new video for his song “The Thread.” That track appears on the guitarist’s latest instrumental album “Bumblefoot …Returns!.”
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Despised Icon Win JUNO Award For “Metal/Hard Music Album Of The Year”
Despised Icon’s “Shadow Work“ was crowned as the “Metal/Hard Music Album Of The Year” at this year’s Juno Awards. That event is being held today (March 29) at TD Coliseum in Hamilton, ON.
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Boysetsfire Founding Drummer Matt Krupanski Passes Away
Boysetsfire founding drummer Matt Krupanski has sadly passed away. The band confirmed the news via social media. A cause of death was not revealed.
The group said the following:
“We hate to write this. Today the BSF family lost one of our founding members, our drummer Matt Krupanski.
Words are failing us. Snapshots of memories skitter through our mind.
Picking him up for our first tour from high school which his parents had to give permission to leave early.
Writing ATE and Rookie in his parents’ basement.
Smoking cigars on the beach in North Carolina after playing a very misleading Bed and Breakfast (no bed no breakfast).
His weird ass drummer gang with Tucker from Thursday, Mike from the Souls and Brandon from Rise Against.
Abusing Tony Victorys open bar tab in Chicago
Our intense madden games which often led to near violence (not even kidding).
Matt playing guitar in Pussy Tim and the Mother Fuckers; a side project that wasn’t real at what we thought was a sparsely attending festival but when the lights came up there were 25000 people there.
There is so much more.We are so fucking sorry George. We are so sorry Carla. We are so sorry Marc and Melissa. And our heart breaks for his daughter Georgie. We are so sorry.
We are gutted. Our hearts are shredded. We lost a brother today.
We are planning on a fund raiser for Georgie maybe for college or whatever the family decides.
Matt you are missed and we love you.
–BSF“
Metal Anarchy 
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