After moving the planned April shows to December, the group have decided to pull the plug. "All shows will be automatically refunded," says the band. "For further information, please visit your point of purchase. We look forward to seeing you all as soon as it is safe for everyone to do so."
In February, Dave Grohl confirmed the group had completed recording the follow-up to 2017's "Concrete And Gold." "We just finished making a record," Grohl revealed during an appearance on The Bill Simmons Podcast. "Some of those songs, the best ones happen in 45 minutes. Then there's other songs - there's a riff on the new record I've been working on for 25 years. The first time I demoed it was in my basement in Seattle." See the canceled dateshere.
Mark Hoppus had this to say, "This song is about the sadness, confusion, anger and frustration we are all experiencing right now. I hope that everybody is safe and that we can get through this very soon. Can't wait to see you all on the other side."
Travis Barker added, "The song was inspired by the quarantine and the crappy punk rock music we have loved to play since day one. All the drums are one take and I even sang some back up vocals.
"Mark sounds more pissed off then I've ever heard him and I really like it." Watch the video here.
In May, Metallica streamed a home isolation video performance of their classic cut "Blackened", the opening track to their fourth album,. 1988's "...And Justice For All."
The band are gearing up for the August 28 release of "S&M2", a new live package with the San Francisco Symphony. The package presents material from a two shows last fall as the pair officially opened the new Chase Center in San Francisco, CA; the events also marked the 20th Anniversary of their 1999 live performance recording "S&M." Watch the videohere.
Streaming via the band's YouTube channel, the event will stream live and rarely seen footage, mini videos and special screen footage, culminating with a performance from a previously unreleased show.
Named after their 1972 single, the series launches this weekend with five live tracks from The Who's 1982 show at New York's Shea Stadium, with an introduction by singer Roger Daltrey.
During the series, fans are encouraged to donate to co-beneficiaries The Teenage Cancer Trust and Teen Cancer America, of which Daltrey is a Patron of both charities and the driving force behind Teenage Cancer Trust's iconic comedy and music shows at the Royal Albert Hall over the past 20 years.
Teenage Cancer Trust has always had incredible support from the music industry and relies on donations but due to Coronavirus, saw essential income generating activity, like the Royal Albert Halls shows, cancelled. With income estimated to drop by as much as half this year; the charity needs to raise £5m to maintain frontline services so events like "Join Together @ Home" are more important than ever. Read more and watch the promo videohere.
"It's really touching to see that so many fans have wanted to be part of this project...great stuff," says The Scorpions. "This is the first of many 'Signs Of Hope' Fans Sign videos to get all your photos in. Thank you for all of your support on this song. All proceeds donated to MusiCares."
The tune was first used in late spring as the group continue work on new music. "We are working on lot's of Hard'n Heavy Rockers for our new album these days," adds the band, "but because of the dramatic COVID-19 pandemic, we want to give you a little 'Sign Of Hope" that came straight from the heart in troubled times... stay healthy and safe... we love you." Watch the videohere.
The band were filmed live in London, UK during a 1994 tour in support of their album, "The Division Bell."; this version was restored and re-edited in 2019 from the original tape masters for "The Later Years" box set.
The home video release of "Pulse" documented an October 20 concert as part of the group's sold-out, 14-night stand at the city's Earls Court before a combined total of 273,000 fans; the shows featured music from their latest record alongside a complete performance of their 1973 classic, "The Dark Side Of The Moon."
"Pulse" topped the US Music Video sales chart upon its original release and was a top 10 set in several countries, where it went on to earn multi-platinum status. Watch the videohere.
"For the safety of all," says the rocker, "we are regretfully canceling our upcoming shows @ Wynn Las Vegas. John Fogerty's 50 Year Trip will be chooglin' again soon."
Last fall, Fogerty released "50 Year Trip: Live at Red Rocks"; recorded in 2019 at Red Rock Amphitheatre in Morrison, CO , the project captures the guitarist in concert on his anniversary tour with a setlist that mixes solo hits with CCR classics. Check out a video from the releasehere.
"The Monitors" ended up being the first single from our Dukes of the Orient - Freakshow album, and I think it's a good choice that represents the band well. This time around, John Payne and I wrote all of material separately with John and I each contributing five songs totally on our own. This was in contrast to our first album where we wrote everything together in a more "old school" rock way with me as the keyboard player writing the music and John as the vocalist writing the lyrics and melodies. So writing independently, the dynamic shifted, and we actually had to write for the other person quite a bit. Or at least with the other person in mind.
John Payne has always been fascinated with gnosticism, secret societies and various masonic themes. Many of his ASIA songs touched on that, and the song, "Silent Nation," is the first that comes to mind. I always enjoyed playing that one live with John, especially with the powerful lift into the second verse when he sings, "Nobody has a name, a number will do." When I set about writing "The Monitors," I really focused on crafting something that would not only suit John's voice, but also fit his style and ethos. John and I have discussed many times the idea that we are living in a "post truth" society now where so much information is shaped by the messenger and also according to the target audience. Combine that with all of the tracking that happens through social media, web browsers and online shopping, and there's the recipe for a great song. That was my goal with "The Monitors."
The first line of the chorus, "We're the architects of heaven and earth," is very much a nod to John's "Architects of Time" history and sets the masonic tone. Then it gets more sinister with the next line, "We're the watchful eye, the culture rebirth." Here I add the idea of surveillance and tracking combined with the illuminati imagery of the all-seeing eye like the eye above the pyramid on the back of the US one dollar note, among other places. As the chorus repeats later in the song, that line changes to "We're the guardians of cultural rebirth" to make it even more sinister and ominous. John connected with the lyrics perfectly, and he even said to me, "This sounds like something I would have written!" Right on target.
In the bridge and outtro sections, you hear a lot of vocal chatter effects, like the sound of microphones over CCTV, walkie talkies, headsets, cell phones, two-way radios, etc. The voices all emphasize the far-reaching and intertwining nature of how we as consumers are constantly tracked and manipulated. And by consumers, I mean not just someone who buys retail goods, but also a consumer of news, of politics, of religion, of entertainment, even of technology itself. In our modern world, we have so information and data thrown at us, often it can be overwhelming. Think about how many emails you get in a day, or even how many junk texts or robocalls. All of these detached voices are meant to emphasize that feeling of data overload, of never-ending marketing and manipulation.
The musical production of the song contributes to this constant stream of information. The pulsing synth bass that goes through the whole song is a great subliminal representation of the never-ending and relentless waves of data we receive and process. And the synth chords and arpeggio effects in the bridge get more intense, both harmonically and sonically, as the data flow increases. The guitar solos add to the manic feeling, especially with the tension of the added guitar harmonies.
Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen and watch for yourself right here!
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