The rock world is sad, shocked, heartbroken, but not entirely surprised by the news that Scott Weiland, former singer of Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver and most recently frontman for Scott Weiland and the Wildabouts, was found dead on the band’s tour bus in Minnesota.
According to the announcement on his Facebook page, Weiland died in his sleep :
Scott Weiland, best known as the lead singer for Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver, passed away in his sleep while…
Jane’s Addiction and Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Dave Navarro first tweeted the news around midnight eastern time. Navarro has since deleted his tweet.
TMZ and radio station KNAC reported that the band was scheduled to play a 9 p.m. gig at the Medina Ballroom in Medina, Minnesota tonight but was canceled when Weiland was found unresponsive on the band’s tour bus by his manager.
Wildabouts guitarist Jeremy Brown died earlier this year at the age of 34
Smoky Mountain News reporter Garret K. Woodward interviewed Weiland two weeks ago in one of the singer’s final interviews. He ominously opened his article:
Catch him if you can. For the better part of the last 25 years, Scott Weiland has been a moving target within the music industry. Lightning struck twice for the singer, as a front man for both Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver, two of the most successful rock acts in the modern era. And yet, with success, comes a price.
Apparently, the ultimate price came tonight. Cause of death has not been confirmed, but Weiland has had a long history of substance abuse problems.
Weiland, whose deep vocals were often compared to those of Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder, rose to fame as the lead vocalist for the ’90s grunge band Stone Temple Pilots. Weiland formed the band with brothers Robert and Dean DeLeo. STP saw much success with Weiland at the helm, including radio hits like “Interstate Love Song,” “Big Empty” and “Vasoline.” STP’s debut album, Core, rose to No. 3 on the Billboard 200 chart and in 1994, their album Purple, reached No. 1.
After a tumultuous departure from Stone Temple Pilots, he went on to front the supergroup Velvet Revolver, which included former Guns N’ Roses members Slash and Duff McKagan and former Cult and GnR drummer Matt Sorum. Weiland released two albums with the band.
Weiland had long suffered from substance abuse issues. In 1995 Weiland was sentenced to probation after being arrested for buying crack cocaine. Weiland was also arrested in 2003 and 2007 for D.U.I. Weiland was also known to use heroin as well and checked into a rehabilitation center, but reports say that Weiland left the program early.
The singer was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and was open about it in interviews, to the extent that it made him a better songwriter. He told Smoky Mountain News in an interview that ran on Nov. 18:
I’m bi-polar and I have to take medication for that. Sometimes I fall into stark places, and I think I write better music when I’m in those places. And sometimes I write better music when I’m on a high, not a narcotic high, but an actual high, a bi-polar high.
Weiland is survived by his wife, photographer Jamie Wachtel, whom he married in 2013, and two children: Noah, age 15, and Lucy, age 13. Both children were born to his second wife, model Mary Forsberg, whom he married in 2000. He was first married to Janina Castaneda in 1994. Their marriage ended in divorce in 2000.
As the long awaited 11th album from Anthrax For All Kings is set for a February 26, 2016 release via Megaforce Records, fans in the Hudson Valley area can get excited for a one-off spoken word appearance from guitarist Scott Ian, who did a successful spoken word tour last year.
Scheduled for Dec. 30 at BSP in Kingston, Ian will share tour stories, crazy encounters and other highlights over his three decade-plus career.
Ian wrote when announcing the show on his website:
It’s my birthday party! Come hear some crazy stories and killer music from me and the Paul Green Rock Academy rippers. It’s your New Year’s Eve warmup!
In related news, Anthrax recently announced they will be touring with Lamb Of God. Tour dates are below:
Jan. 15 – Pittsburgh, PA@ Stage AE (Indoor)
Jan. 16 – Philadelphia, PA @ Electric Factory
Jan. 17 – Silver Spring, MD @ The Fillmore Silver Spring
Jan. 19 – Atlanta, GA @ Tabernacle
Jan. 22 – Norfolk, VA @ Constant Convocation Center
Jan. 23 – New York, NY @ Hammerstein Ballroom
Jan. 24 – Wallingford, CT @ Toyota Presents Oakdale
Jan. 28 – Detroit, MI @ Royal Oak Music Theatre
Jan. 29 – Indianapolis, IN @ Egyptian Room at Old National Centre
Jan. 30 – Chicago, IL @ Aragon Ballroom
Jan. 31 – Grand Rapids, MI @ Orbit Room
Feb. 02 – Kansas City, MO @ Arvest Bank Theatre at The Midland
Feb. 04 – Houston, TX @ Revention Music Center
Feb. 05 – Dallas, TX @ Bomb Factory
Feb. 06 – Corpus Christi, TX @ Concrete Street Pavilion –
Feb. 08 – Austin, TX @ ACL Live at The Moody Theater
Feb. 09 – Oklahoma City, OK @ Diamond Ballroom
Feb. 11 – Las Vegas, NV @ Brooklyn Bowl
Feb. 12 – Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Palladium
The lineup for the So What?! Music Festival has been announced, and it includes Albany’s State Champs, New York City’s Bayside and Long Island’s Stray From The Path.
So What?! Music Festival (formerly South By So What?!), now in its ninth year, will take place Saturday and Sunday, March 19 and 20, at Quiktrip Park in Grand Prairie, Texas. The initial lineup for the 2016 festival was announced this week: New Found Glory and Underoath will headline the festival on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. State Champs and Bayside will play Saturday, while Stray From The Path will play Sunday. Other artists include Neck Deep, Real Friends, The Devil Wears Prada, Saosin and Beartooth.
From the press release:
Different from other music festivals, So What?! is a “festival made by fans for fans,” stated founder and promoter Mike Ziemer. Opening its doors in 2008, Ziemer and his company Third String Festivals had a vision to create an alternative music festival where fans could get away from the massively growing South by Southwest. The festival was designed for a more intimate ambiance for fans at a reasonable price. Located just a few hours shy of Austin, So What?! Music Festival delivers an array of musical acts including rock, metal, folk, dance, pop, pop-punk, and this year an all new acoustic stage (artists yet to be announced). Previous artists include Asking Alexandria, The Early November, Motion City Soundtrack, G-Eazy, Pierce The Veil, Cartel, Sleeping With Sirens, A Day To Remember, Taking Back Sunday, and more.
Tickets for So What?! Music Festival are available now. Single-day passes can be purchased for $50. Two-day weekend passes are available for $75. VIP packages are also available, starting at $150.
The Eagles of Death Metal have recently become worldwide household names, just not in a way anybody wishes to achieve stardom. Well, everyone knows who they are now because of the recent tragedies that occurred during their live show at the Bataclan Theatre in Paris.
Formed in 1998 by Jesse Hughes and Joshua Homme, the Eagles of Death Metal were about an hour into their set at the Bataclan when chaos ensued. Homme was not present at the Paris show.
Terrorist attacked several locations throughout Paris, France. That night saw 130 people die, with many more still critically wounded due to the senseless acts. In this interview, the Eagles of Death Metal talk about that night and the friends and fans they lost, including their own merch guy Nick Alexander, from this horrific event.
Vice News founder Shane Smith sat down with the Eagles of Death Metal in their Los Angeles offices and talked about the tragedies that happened in Paris. This is the first time the band has spoke about the incident since that night on Friday, Nov. 13.
This emotional interview shows that the band members are still horrified and shocked over the events. Below are some excerpts from that interview followed by the full interview.
Smith asked the band how the tragedy started. Guitarist Eden Galindo responded:
At first, I thought it was the PA cracking up, and then I realized real quick that it wasn’t. And I recognized what, what it was. That time Jesse ran, he ran towards me, and we went in the corner of the stage. We weren’t sure if they were targeting us, or what was going on, you know? Boot, who’s also on the crew, he ah, I guess saw, he saw the gunman like run out of, cartridge run out, and so he took it out to put another one in. And that is when he (Boot) was like let’s go. And then we (Hughes) got up and ran off the stage we (Hughes) went up the stairs, went in the dressing to find Tuesday (Hughes’ girlfriend) but she wasn’t there. He (Hughes) kept going up, and then he came running back down because he saw the gunman upstairs.
Smith then asked Galindo how he got out of the building:
After we come back downstairs, we go out the side exit door onto the street, onto this little street. The kids were, they saw us and they were helping and they were being so helpful and they were being so great and they were like come this way, come this way.
Smith then asked bassist Matt McJunkins his experience through the ordeal:
Yeah when the shooting started, threw down my bass, hid for a second, sort of behind the curtain, sort of behind the monitor desk, and immediately, you know, people started pouring through, there’s like a door, ah to get up to the stage. Stage access and people were coming, and Steve, our tour manager, he was there and, and he’s the first person I saw, and just.. the look on his face, of like, we both… had the same thought, he was like there’s, there’s no exit over here. And he was trying to tell people that. Ya know.
Everyone’s running, well everyone is sort of going up into this room, or you know, just to escape the gunfire, you know, naturally, instinctively, from my perspective, I see the shooting, to see it, to see, you know, the pops go off, the lights flashing, sort of dive over, and then just have to make that decision whether do I really want to run across the stage, or do I wanna just go in this room , hope for the best. So I went into the room with a bunch of people and there’s a bunch of people all helping each other to get up there, you know, holding on and just like lets ya know we’re in this. And as soon as we get there were a few people that have been shot, and were bleeding. People started, we started grabbing chairs to barricade the door. Ah there was like a mini fridge and (chuckles) someone had left a bottle of champagne in the room for like a post show thing. We had, that to use in case. (motions in a stabbing manner)
This prompted Smith to ask if he intended to use the bottle as a weapon. McJunkins replied:
Yeah, cause that’s it. That’s all we had. There was a woman in front of me, who, it was scary cause she was bleeding, you know she got shot right there here (points to thigh) on her upper thigh. And there was nothing to do, except, there was this guy, I don’t know, he was holding her and just keeping pressure on her and she had a friend, who was doing the same thing, and this guy was just trying to like, keep her comfortable, and like , I mean, her blood was running out on the ground. The gunfire got closer. It went on for… you know 10-15 minutes. It just didn’t stop. And then it would stop, and then there was a sence of relief, and then it would start-up again. And then there was an explosion, that just shook the whole room, probably the whole building, and a, of course we didn’t know what that was. so we didn’t know if some one was trying to bomb the place, or maybe trying to maybe blow up the whole venue. Or what.
Smith then turned his attention to drummer Julian Dorio. Smith asked Dorio what he saw happen. Via tele-video, Dorio replied:
I think what really shocked me at first was that we’re a loud rock band, you know? The power of the band on the stage through the PAs, is hard to trump and the initial shots were so powerful for me that, I immediately, I knew something was wrong. I kinda bailed off of my stool. Almost immediately, the gunpowder hit my nose. I turned, looked, sort of through my drum hardware, to the side of an amp, and that’s when the second round started. And I saw two guys out front, and that might just be the most awful thing ever, is them relentlessly shooting into the audience. That’s when I started crawling. I basically stayed almost on my chin. Crawling to the right side of the stage, behind the drum riser. Keeping all that gear in front of me. And once I got to the other side of the stage, Eden mentioned it earlier, and I think Boot and who else I saw the moment of opportunity to run, to that door. They ran in front of me, I saw them, I hopped up, and I ran right behind them.
Smith now turned his attention to co-founder Jesse Hughes. Smith asked Hughes what happened to him during the event as he was looking for his girlfriend Tuesday:
I ran up. I didn’t see her on side of the stage so I ran up to the dressing room. And just like he said, I threw the door open, she wasn’t in there. Then I opened up the hallway door and that’s when I saw…the a..shooter and um he turned on me and he brought his gun down and the barrel hit the a…door frame, and I was like oh f**k. And I turned around and I started, cause I could tell people were following me, you know, this was the situation where everyone was looking for the place to go you know. And a I realized that, and I was like no, no, no do not f*****g come this way. Do not. And we started heading back down and a, we got to that exit door and I still hadn’t seen Tuesday and Julian got out in front of me. Eden was like standing with me (turns to Eden) actually I think if you think about it, you were like what the f**k dude. It was almost like let’s move, let’s go, but I didn’t know what to do, but when Tuesday saw Julian and I heard her voice (deep breath) I knew she was cool and then Eden and I, Eden grabbed me I think and we headed out.
In a separate interview conducted, Smith talked to founders Hughes and Homme. Smith asked where the band goes from here. Hughes stated:
I pledge to every person, who loves rock & roll, enjoy me, I will never, I may be scared, and maybe I went through some bad s**t but I’m breathing. I get to talk to my son tonight. and a, I have a house that is paid for because rock & roll’s blessed me, and been very good to me, and I’ve been blessed with beautiful friends, I feel like I have a life of blessings and I’m not gonna walk around acting like it sucks. I wanna spend my life smiling with my friends and entertaining them. I cannot wait to get back to Paris. I cannot wait to play, I wanna come back. I want to be the first band to play in the Bataclan when it opens back up. Because I was there when it went silent for a minute, and our friends went there to see rock & roll and died. I wanna go back there and live.
The Joe Marcinek Band will play five shows in early December with a very special lineup. The brief tour brings the band to Syracuse and Buffalo on Dec. 4 and 5.
The current incarnation of the Joe Marcinek Band features Reed Mathis (Tea Leaf Green) on bass, Pete Koopmans (Family Groove Project) on drums and Holly Bowling on keys. Joe Marcinek, of course, will be on guitar. Jason Hann (String Cheese Incident, EOTO) will cover percussion the first two nights, with Michelangelo Carubba (Turkuaz) taking over the final three. ROAR, formerly Yojimbo, will open each night.
Marcinek has a new album in the works. He is funding its creation through a crowd-source campaign. From his website:
We are going out to Colorado to record at Scanhope Sound with Joey Porter from the Motet producing. Most of the money raised will go towards covering the studio time, musicians, mixing, master, manufacturing and anything left over will go towards advertising!
I’ve put together a great package of perks for all those that pledge! Not only will you get a copy of the new CD once finished but if you let us know your email address you will recieve a digital copy of our first album “Both Sides” and the unreleased recording of the show from last month where JMB opened for Moe. The JMB lineup included Jim and Vinnie from Moe as well as Borahm Lee from Break Science on keys!
Dec. 2 – Scarlet and Grey Cafe, Columbus, OH
Dec. 3 – Madison Live!, Covington, KY
Dec. 4 – Funk ‘n Waffles, Syracuse, NY
Dec. 5 – Buffalo Iron Works, Buffalo, NY
Dec. 6 – Beachland Ballroom, Cleveland, OH
Correction: Michelangelo Caruba will no longer be joining the Joe Marcinek Band for this run. Jason Hann will be covering percussion for the first three nights, with Ryan Nogle, formerly of Aqueous, on the fourth night. There will be no percussionist on Dec. 6.
The year after its 20th annual edition, popular music festival Gathering of the Vibes will take a break in 2016.
Festival founder Ken Hays announced today that he needs a “time out,” calling producing the festival as an independent promoter a challenging endeavor.
According to the statement posted on the festival’s website and social media and emailed to the festival’s mailing list:
This is not the end of the Vibes, my friends; it’s simply a pause, an opportunity for us all to reflect on the memories, explore new and exciting festival initiatives while planning our triumphant return in 2017.
The four-day festival started as a gathering at SUNY Purchase for people mourning the loss of Jerry Garcia in 1996, and it has had strong ties to the Grateful Dead community ever since, hosting all of the original band members at various points throughout the festival’s 20 years. The festival was held in several New York locations before relocating to Seaside Park in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Gathering of the Vibes 2016
Updated Nov. 30: Due to a recent knee injury, Wanda Jackson has had to cancel the Dec. 5 appearance at the Cohoes Music Hall. All ticket holders will receive a full refund through Brown Paper Tickets. There are no details on the possibility of rescheduling the performance.
We wish Wanda a speedy recovery and strong return to the stage.
The Queen of Rock is making her way to The Cohoes Music Hall on Saturday, Dec. 5.
A 2009 inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Wanda Jackson returns to the Capitol District bringing a long career’s worth of material with her.
Jackson started playing music at a young age, encouraged by her father to learn guitar during the Second World War, also being exposed to artists like Tex Williams, Spade Cooley and Bob Willis at the same time. After she gained attention for herself through hosting a radio program on KLPR while in high school, her father continued to support her by becoming her road manager in her early career.
Over the years she has had incredible success, scoring hits early with “Fujiyama Mama” and a take on Elvis’ “Let’s Have A Party.” Though primarily a rockabilly singer, Jackson bounced around from that and country music from time to time, and released three gospel records in the 1970s.
After her induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2009, Jackson connected with a younger generation of genuine rock and roll musicians and began working with Jack White on an album. That album became known as The Party Ain’t Over, released in January 2011, and included covers of Dylan’s “Thunder on the Mountain” and the Amy Winehouse’s “You Know I’m No Good.”
Now, after 60 years of touring, Wanda Jackson brings a fruitful career of rock and roll to The Cohoes Music Hall on Saturday, Dec. 5. Local Albany rockabilly band The Lustre Kings will open the evening; they’ve joined with Jackson on many occasions over the past few years. Jackson herself is quoted on the Lustre Kings’ website:
I have worked with many bands around the world through the years, and none are better than Mark Gamsjager and the Lustre Kings. Their fine showmanship and musical ability make them the greatest in my book. THEY ROCK!!
Doors open at 7 p.m., and the show starts at 8. Tickets are $20 in advance or $25 at the door and are available through Brown Paper Tickets.
Although it has been has been tossed around the past decade or so, “How High 2” may be in fact happening after all.
XXL Magazine conducted an interview with Redman on the release of his latest album Mudface. The following is an excerpt from the interview.
Will fans get to see another Blackout 3 album in the future?
Absolutely. We actually want to make it the soundtrack to How High 2.
So when is How High 2 dropping?
Yeah, How High 2 is not going to drop until at least 2017. The writers are still writing the script. Just looking at it time wise and being realistic about it. By the time we shoot it, get it edited, color corrected, that’s going to be a year or so, so yeah about 2017.
Back in 2010, when Method Man and Redman were touring for Blackout 2, they played a show at the Upstate Concert Hall in Clifton Park, and Meth asked if everyone wants to see a How High 2. The crowd roared in favor of it. Time will tell if this will happen but this is first bit of news on any progress of the film in quite some time. Until then, we can laugh to the original.
Central New York’s newest concert venue announced its first acts for the 2016 season today: Classic rockers Journey and the Doobie Brothers will perform at the Lakeside Amphitheater on July 13.
Dave Mason (Traffic) will open the show. Tickets go on sale Dec. 5 and will cost $30 for lawn seats (or four for $89), while pavilion seats range from $39.50-$135.
The 50-date summer tour, dubbed San Francisco Fest 2016, will also make stops at Saratoga Performing Arts Center on July 5 and Darien Lake Performing Arts Center on July 9.
Journey‘s current lineup consists of lead guitarist Neal Schon, bassist Ross Valory, keyboardist Jonathan Cain and singer Arnel Pineda. Drummer Steve Smith will join the band for the first time since 1998 on this tour. The band last appeared in Syracuse during the 2014 New York State Fair with Cheap Trick.
The Doobie Brothers’ classic core of Tom Johnston, Patrick Simmons and John McFee will be joined on this tour by Little Feat drummer Bill Payne. The Doobies last played in Syracuse to a packed crowd at the Fair’s free stage at Chevy Court, also in 2014.
Country star Miranda Lambert christened Lakeview Amphitheater along the shore of Onondaga Lake during last summer’s New York State Fair. Construction was completed just days prior to the inaugural show. Onondaga County officials and the venue’s promoter Live Nation have stated that the new amphitheater will bring acts that often pass by Syracuse on the way to other upstate outdoor venues.
‘Tis the season to be jolly, and the Food Bank of the Hudson Valley will be decking their halls with tidings of comfort for families throughout the region through the help of Palenville’s Felice Brothers. The band is set to release a five-song EP, Felice Navidad, of original Christmas-themed songs through their online store on Nov. 30.
The cost of the EP download is $5, with net proceeds benefiting the Food Bank of the Hudson Valley. Those pre-ordering now will receive a free download of the new song, “Country Ham.”
The band will also be performing at Foodstock 8, an annual charity concert benefiting the same food bank at The Chance in Poughkeepsie on Nov. 21. Other bands on the bill that night include Lindsey Webster, Sirsy and Lara Hope and the Arktones. Other dates include a Nov. 28 gig at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, Webster Hall in New York on Dec. 2 and Brighton Music Hall in Boston on New Year’s Eve.
The follow-up to the band’s acclaimed 2014 album Favorite Waitress is slated for release in 2016. The Albany Times Union called Waitress, “freewheeling, loose and heartfelt…A wild cross between The Band and Nirvana.”
The Felice Brothers have released their first video from the benefit Christmas EP, set to be released Nov. 30. Ian Felice performs the simple, forlorn tale of Christmas. Felice tells the Wall Street Journal, “It’s a narrative about feeling lonely on Christmas, and the different emotions that can go with the holidays that aren’t always talked about in the happy-go-lucky songs.” Check out the new video here:
Dave Mason
The band will also be performing at