In a remarkable achievement, Norma Jean's new one O God, The Aftermath, sold more than 20,000 copies in its first week, making its debut at #62 on the Billboard Top 100. How 'BOUT that? It's a friggin' amazing-sounding record. [hxc]
DJ Andy Hunter recently had quite the gig: spinning for a ton of high-tech and computer-ish types at a Microsoft-sponsored party in France. He's rad, so he deserves it. Full story over here.
Longtime favourites(speaking solely for myself) Thousand Foot Krutch will drop their new album The Art of Breaking July 19th on Tooth & Nail; the record's produced by Arnold Lanni(Finger Eleven, Our Lady Peace), and while I know it will sound amazing sonically, I really hope TFK haven't given themselves over to depraved radio rock. That would be tragic. Please don't have that happen. Please.
It's old news, but it's still weird to see former Korn guitarist Brian Welch's name splashed all over Christian websites. Exceedingly odd. And also odd is this story, wherein Welch is apparently attempting to save 50 Cent. I quote: ""The Big Guy speaks through me a lot when I write, and I have a song for 50 Cent I wrote in the Holy Land," says Welch. "I feel like it's a personal letter to 50 from God, so I'm going to give it to him personally and see what his reaction is. If it's a positive reaction and he's willing to talk to me, then I'm not gonna release it, but if the reaction is not positive, I'm going to share it with the world." End quote. Is this guy for real? I don't know if I buy this. Furthering my weird feelings is this secondary quote: "Welch's solo CD is close to being completed, and he adds that he's just finished one instrumental track called 'A Letter to Dimebag', which he wrote in tribute to the late guitar legend. "It's a guitar-solo instrumental," he explained. "I wrote it for Dimebag because he always used to tell Munky and I to put guitar solos in Korn's music." Does this not, to anyone out there, smack of button-pushing? I don't GET it.
New Coldplay comes out June 7th. Don't care even a little bit. [buzzgrinder, though, did provide that info]
Some OzzFest 2005 news, i.e. main stage lineup, second(Hot Topic - disgusting!) stage lineup, and itinerary to date:
Black Sabbath
Iron Maiden
Killswitch Engage
Shadows Fall
Black Label Society
----------------------
Rob Zombie
As I Lay Dying
Mastodon
A Dozen Furies
The Haunted
In Flames
Arch Enemy
The Black Dahlia Murder
Bury Your Dead
It Dies Today
Soilwork
Trivium
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7/15 Boston, MA Tweeter Center for the Performing Arts
7/17 Hartford, CT CTNOW.com Meadows Music Centre
7/19 Camden, NJ Tweeter Center at the Waterfront
7/21 Darrien Center, NY Darien Lake Performing Arts Center
7/23 Burgettstown, PA Post Gazette Pavilion
7/24 Bristow, VA Nissan Pavilion
7/26 Homdel, NJ PNC Bank Arts Center
7/30 Tinley Park, IL Tweeter Center Chicago
7/31 Noblesville, IN Verizon Wireless Music Center
8/2 Columbus, OH Germain Amphitheater
8/4 Clarkston, MI DTE Energy Music Theatre
8/6 East Troy, WI Alpine Valley Music Theatre
8/7 Somerset, WI Float-Rite Amphitheatre
8/11 Auburn, WA White River Amphitheatre
8/13 Mountain View, CA Shoreline Amphitheatre
8/14 Marysville, CA Sleep Train Amphitheatre
8/16 West Valley City, UT USANA Amphitheatre
8/18 Phoenix, AZ Cricket Pavilion
8/20 San Bernardino, CA Hyundai Pavilion at Glen Helen
8/21 Antioch, TN Starwood Amphitheatre
8/23 Albuquerque, NM Journal Pavilion
8/25 Dallas, TX Smirnoff Music Center
8/27 Woodlands, TX Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
8/28 Selma, TX Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
9/2 Charlotte, NC Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
9/4 West Palm Beach, FL Sound Advice Amphitheatre
These are all just the beginnings, I would assume. Note the lack of Canadian shows thus far. And it's good to see our boys As I Lay Dying up there rocking out. [lambgoat]
Picked up a Victory Records sampler from a promoter in Quebec City last weekend(whassup Karl?) and it's a song each from eleven different bands. Standouts include the tracks from Comeback Kid(duh), The Black Maria, Premonitions of War, Between the Buried and Me and...uh...can't remember who else. Fun mix though. Good for the work commute.
Good LORD: Stretch Arm Strong have decided that very 'now', 'it', 'scene' producer James Wisner...*cough*ahemEMO*cough*...will produce their new major-label debut. They'll start April 23rd. And I for one don't know if I like where this is going. What's a guy who's worked with Further Seems Forever and Dashboard Confessional got to do with hardcore? [theprp]
Geez, MORE from Brian Welch: now he and born-again actor Stephen Baldwin are gonna build some skate parks! Does the publicity ever end??
Yo, pay attention if you're near any of these:
April 21st Danbury, CT - The Empress
April 22nd Portland, ME - The Station
April 23rd Providence, RI - The Living Room
April 24th Farmingdale, NY - The Downtown
Boysetsfire are gonna be playing those places along with The Sleeping(rad band from Long Island!) and A Wilhelm Scream. Do it up.