Basslines and Protest Signs is Brett Callwood’s column looking at the intersection of music and politics. This week talks about gun violence in America and the attempt to place blame on video games, TV shows, movies, and music.
Winter sucks. And some days, there’s just no point in trying to fight it; all you want to do is curl up under the covers and break out your favorite angsty music while preparing for hibernation. That’s why our writers have prepared a two-part playlist dedicated to the winter blues; check out part one this week!
It wasn’t a very good night for openers Killswitch Engage, as they announced right before their set that their singer had “blown his voice” and Unearth’s frontman (who already sang that night) would be filling in. Fortunately, no angry rioting ensued, not even when they cut their set short and promised to bring a better show through town next time. Their technical defeat was accepted gracefully by the pierced-and-tattooed hordes, who gave KE a roomful of raised metal horns as a salute. Without a doubt, the night belonged to Slipknot. With Number 8 (Corey Taylor) holding up a framed award… Read more »
Jet, Hoobastank, Yellowcard and Lostprophets lead the crop of bands already on board for the album, due June 22, according to a Columbia Records spokesperson. Tracks by Train and Dashboard Confessional will serve as the LP’s two singles, set for a simultaneous release at an unspecified date. Videos for the songs are also expected to surface at the same time. Yellowcard are especially excited to have a song on the soundtrack, since frontman Ryan Key has not only claimed to have had Spider-Man sheets and footy pajamas as a child, but now sports a swinging Spidey tattoo on his shoulder.… Read more »
Slipknot’s lighting guy deserves a raise. His chaotic visual display so accurately complements the band’s turbulent music that even with the sound turned off, Slipknot’s punishing assault would come across loud and clear. At Monday’s stop of the Jägermeister Music Tour, which began March 30 in Orlando, Florida, whirring red emergency lights translated the dizzying guitar lines of Jim Root and Mick Thompson. Blinding white strobes pulsed in time with Joey Jordison’s unrelenting bass drums. The sickly green hues that backlit the nine masked bandmembers manifested the music’s creepy, menacing tones, while reality-distorting black lighting frequently bathed the stage, suggesting… Read more »
The tail end of last year wasn’t among the highlights of Slipknot’s seven-year career. Although the band’s third album, Iowa, dropped in late August, prompting maggots everywhere to rejoice, tragedy struck the World Trade Center and the Pentagon a couple of weeks later, temporarily curbing fans’ elation and fostering an environment in which songs such as “Everything Ends” and “I Am Hated” weren’t among the most welcome. Factor in the bad news that percussionist Clown’s wife had taken ill, and that the band was touring in the midst of a slumping economy, and the bulb-nosed performer wasn’t the happiest of… Read more »
Drummer Joey Jordison of the hard rock band Slipknot, is planning to release a side project this summer. Slipknot is composed of nine Des Moines-area natives known for grotesque masks and extreme metal music. The band they started in an Urbandale basement in the mid-1990s has captured two Grammy nominations and sold millions of compact discs around the world. Jordison has teamed up with Tripp Eisen of Static-X to form Murderdolls. They’ll release their debut album, “Beyond the Valley of the Murderdolls,” on Aug. 20. Their lyrical inspiration is horror movies. The titles of the songs include “She Was A… Read more »
Columbia/Roadrunner/Island Def Jam/Sony Music Soundtrax will release “Spider-Man (Music From and Inspired By)” on Tuesday, April 30. “Spider-Man,” the live action motion picture released by Columbia Pictures in conjunction with the 40th anniversary of the classic graphic character’s Marvel Comics debut, will be in theaters nationwide on Friday, May 3. “Spider-Man (Music From and Inspired By)” is a collection of music written and performed by a generation of musicians influenced by the power and mystery of the Spider-Man character, his conflicts and his adventures. The album’s lead singles and videos are “What We’re All About (The Original Version)” from Sum… Read more »
For his next musical offering, Steven Tyler will be singing about slinging. Tyler and his Aerosmith bandmates are contributing their version of the “Theme From Spider-Man” (“Spider-Man, Spider-Man, does whatever a spider can…”) to the soundtrack for the live-action feature, according to a Columbia Records spokesperson. The LP, composed of tracks exclusive to the soundtrack as well as previously released album cuts, is set for release April 30. Sum41’s recently recorded studio version of “What We’re All About” will serve as the soundtrack’s first single. A live version of the song appears on the Canadian quartet’s four-song EP, Motivation. “What… Read more »
Sony’s “Spider-Man” soundtrack, due April 30, has snared Aerosmith to cover the film’s main theme, Billboard.com has learned. The set also features first single “What We’re All About (The Original Version)” by Sum 41 and second single “Hero,” performed by Nickelback frontman Chad Kroeger, Saliva vocalist Josey Scott, Pearl Jam drummer Matt Cameron, and Theory Of A Dead Man guitarist Tyler Connolly. Also confirmed for the set are a mix of new and previously released tracks from Alien Ant Farm, Default, Slipknot principal Corey Taylor, Pete Yorn, and Macy Gray. Gray, whose track “My Nutmeg Phantasy” was remixed by Rage… Read more »
