Search Results for: self-titled

Mike Patton probably owns a Blackberry. The former Faith No More and Mr. Bungle frontman has always juggled his many musical whims like the finest project manager, but in 2005 his personal digital assistants might need their own personal assistants. The 37-year-old musician has recruited Oakland, California, DJ crew the X-ecutioners for his latest project, General Patton Vs. the X-ecutioners. Released February 22, Vs. is a characteristically varied affair, featuring the general’s vocal acrobatics, skittish needle-dropping and quick cut-and-paste genre changes. And, like a growing number of musical collaborations, most notably the Postal Service, the songs were all completed via… Read more »

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – A founding member of Korn is leaving the band to focus on his religious beliefs. “Korn has parted ways with guitarist Brian ‘Head’ Welch, who has chosen Jesus Christ as his savior, and will be dedicating his musical pursuits to that end,” said a statement posted Tuesday on Korn’s Web site. Welch told The Bakersfield Californian that his decision might be surprising to some. “A lot of people think I’m crazy. I don’t care.” Welch said he’d become increasingly disenchanted with producing heavy metal music that invokes dark and morbid images. “Those guys in the band, they’re… Read more »

Kasabian Rock’s back pages are littered with tall tales and weird stories about murder and mayhem. Everyone’s heard the one about the woman murdered while the Ohio Players recorded “Love Rollercoaster,” her blood-curdling scream inadvertently making it into the final mix; of Charles Manson’s dalliances with the Beach Boys; or the backwards messages in Judas Priest songs that made middle-American teenagers kill themselves. Well, here’s another one – while recording their self-titled debut in a rural farmhouse, U.K. electro-rock troupe Kasabian whiled away their evenings of pastoral isolation with bloody killing sprees. True story. Well, sort of. “There were shitloads… Read more »

When Good Charlotte’s Joel Madden wants to start up a label to sign your band, that’s propably a sign that you’ve got a good thing going. Strata’s drummer Adrian Robison ran into Madden at a mall in their hometown of San Jose, California and passed him a demo. Singer Eric Victorino says Madden’s enthusiasm helped them figure out what they wanted accomplish as musicians. “He basically inspired us a little bit because he taught us how to act because of how respectful he was. He was actually considering starting a label so he could sign us,” Victorino says. Madden wasn’t… Read more »

New York – On the day nominations for the music industry’s highest honors were announced, nobody could find Killswitch Engage. Most of the members were asleep after headlining a concert the night before, pumping out ear-shattering music and screeching lyrics for a tiny audience. At least it was tiny compared with audiences for previous metal Grammy nominees, like Metallica and Black Sabbath. “Everyone’s mouth was pretty much wide open” after the Grammy nods, lead singer Howard Jones recently told The Associated Press. “Everyone was like, ‘Did this really just happen. What sort of bizarro world is this?’” It’s the kind… Read more »

Read the following passage and choose the correct answers. A strong social conscience has inspired tattooed rockers Good Charlotte to join the tsunami relief effort. Good Charlotte may look scary with their pierced lips and tattoos, but they are actually a socially-conscious group. The American band was formed in 1996 by twin brothers Joel and Benji Madden, drummer Chris Wilson, guitarist/keyboardist Billy Martin and bassist Paul Thomas. After releasing their self-titled debut album in 1999, Good Charlotte were ready to conquer the world. A non-stop tour schedule saw the band refine their music and develop a passionate fan base inspired… Read more »

New York – When Casey Stratton was a struggling singer-songwriter a few years ago, he had idealistic notions about artistic integrity. High on his list of what would jeopardize it: licensing his music to television. “When I was younger, I used to be really weird about stuff like that, like, ‘I will not cheapen my work by putting it on TELEVISION!’” he recalls with a chuckle. That was before the producers of the teen-oriented drama “Tarzan” called and asked to use the bittersweet ballad “Hollow,” from his debut album, on the WB show. Stratton gave the go-ahead, and while the… Read more »

They had throngs of screaming fans, surging popularity and an album gaining chart momentum – but John Nolan and Shaun Cooper, formerly of Taking Back Sunday, left it all behind. “We were just more and more not on the same page as the rest of the band,” said Nolan, now Straylight Run’s frontman. “As time went on, we just had different ideas of what we wanted to do, and eventually it got to the point where it didn’t make sense for us to be in that band anymore”. So Cooper and Nolan ditched the emo-centric Taking Back Sunday and started… Read more »

PORT ORCHARD, Wash. – Independent record label Legend Heart Records announced today the long awaited debut performance of Legend Heart at the historic Pantages Theater in Tacoma, New Years Night at 8pm. The band debuted earlier this year, with the release of their successful self-titled CD on February 14th. Since then, Legend Heart’s website has grown to over a half a million hits per month. Upcoming plans for the band include recording their second album, and a forthcoming single. Additionally, they are planning to perform a series of live shows in selected cities nationwide in 2005. A portion of the… Read more »

Bad Boy for life? Not if you’re Loon. The MC has left Bad Boy Records. “I definitely want people to know that this was amicable,” Loon said. “It’s both beautiful and empowering to see that Puff can be the bigger man.” According to Loon, who released his self-titled Bad Boy debut in 2003, he simply wanted more attention. “Being that [Puff] has so much going on, I didn’t want to be the nagging artist,” he said. “I was happy for all his success, but I was at a crossroads as an artist. I wanted to put forth the same effort… Read more »