Jason Newsted: “I Saved Metallica”
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Gossip, Rock
Jason Newsted believes that he "saved" Metallica.
The bass player joined the 'Enter Sandman' group in 1986 to replace Cliff Burton - who had died in a road accident - and left in 2001 after relationships between the band members broke down. However, Jason insists it was his decision to exit which benefited the band and helped them carry on.
"I don't know if this is selfish, and anybody can take it the way they want, or maybe it's egotistical - I'm not sure - but I truly feel that I saved [Metallica] in 1986 by being the right choice [to replace Cliff] and being able to take all the s**t. I also saved their band 12 years ago by stepping aside and letting them carry on with what they wanted," he said.
The 49-year-old musician claims his bandmates at the time - James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich and Kirk Hammett - began to give up on music and he felt angered after having made the group his top priority: "I was not able to be on the same page with them anymore, they were taking too much time away from the band. We hadn't plugged in our amps for months and months and months by the time that I had made the decision and called the meeting to talk to them."
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Metallica Pay Tribute to Green Day
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Artist News, Concerts / Tours, Performances, Covers, Rock
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Metallica paid tribute to Green Day after replacing them at a festival. The heavy metal group stepped in for the "Oh Love" punk band at the Voodoo Festival in New Orleans, after they cancelled all forthcoming dates due to frontman Billie Joe Armstrong's ongoing rehab.
Two songs into their set, Metallica singer James Hetfield told the crowd: ''We! Are! Green Day! - Except a little taller!" He later added, "You're hoping Green Day are going to show up, right? So am I. They're getting help. They're getting it sorted out. The world needs them." He also dedicated the track "Battery" to the front man, saying: "This one's for Billie."
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Metallica’s Lars Ulrich ‘Regressed’ at Drumming
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Artist News, Gossip, Rock
The sticksman may have been with the band for 30 years, but joked he doesn't feel like he's getting better with age. When asked about his abilities, he told Drum!, "I usually feel like I've regressed. I'm like, 'Why can't I do that anymore?'"
Lars, 48, admitted he doesn't regularly practice in order to get better, but uses the drums as a workout: "What happens is I just sit down and kind of play to just more stay in shape. You know, Metallica was up to two or three months off last year, and I would sit down, I have an iPod next to my drums so I can play along to all kind of crazy stuff, but I can't say that I sit down to necessarily practice to sort of get better."
He also talked about how he was excited when listening back to tracks on the band's Beyond Magnetic EP - recorded during sessions for their Death Magnetic album in 2007 and 2008 - and how lively the results were:
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Arctic Monkeys is ‘Heavy Metal in Disguise’
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Concerts / Tours, Alternative, Rock
Metallica thinks that Arctic Monkeys is a "heavy metal band disguised as an indie band."
The "Enter Sandman" group have signed the British rockers to appear at their Orion festival in the US, and while some think they are a weird choice to play alongside a metal band, drummer Lars Ulrich can see the band's hidden heavier side: "For me, having the Arctic Monkeys on there is big. I think they're a heavy metal band disguised as an indie band. If you listen to a song like 'Perhaps Vampires Is a Bit Strong But...' there's almost a Rush element in there."
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Metallica Can’t Afford a Break
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Artist News, Concerts / Tours, Gossip, Rock
Metallica can't afford to take time off.
The "Enter Sandman" hitmakers - who earn a reported $90 million from their tours - claim the music industry has changed so much, they are no longer able to take two years off work in between recording sessions. "The cycles of taking two years off don't exist anymore. We were able to do that because we had record royalties coming in consistently. Now you put out an album, and you have a windfall maybe once or twice but not the way it used to be - a check every three months," guitarist Kirk Hammett told Rolling Stone.
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Metallica Exploring Release Strategies
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Artist News, Upcoming Releases, Rock
Metallica are thinking of "wacky" ways to release new music.
The "Enter Sandman" hitmakers' record deal with Warner expired following the release of 2008's Death Magnetic, but they have been recording new songs and are currently exploring different ways of getting the tracks to their fans.
"We're free and clear of our record contract. The world's our oyster. We can basically do whatever we want. And we're going so start figuring that out. We're writing music and we're going to be recording very soon. At some point we're going to want to share that with people that are interested in listening to it. So we gotta figure out ways we want to do that, from giving it away in cereal boxes to getting people to do handstands for it. We could come up with something wacky," drummer Lars Ulrich told Spin.
However, Lars insisted the band won't utilize unusual strategies just to be "cool," as they want to make sure their worldwide audience can still get their music:
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Jimi Hendrix: The Guitar Riff Champ
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Artist News, Rock
Jimi Hendrix’s “Voodoo Child (Slight Return)” has been voted as having the best guitar riff of all time.
The 1970 track beat Guns N’ Roses classic “Sweet Child O’Mine” - which topped the poll five years ago - to the top spot in the poll by website MusicRadar.com, with “Whole Lotta Love” by Led Zeppelin coming third.
Just two songs from the past decade made the list; Muse’s 2001 hit “Plug In Baby” came in at #11 while The White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army,” which was released in 2003, landed at #15.
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| MusicRadar.com
Eric Clapton Sidelined with Gallstones
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Artist News, Concerts / Tours, Rock
Musician Jeff Beck will be stepping in for Eric Clapton later this week during festivities for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The 64-year-old guitarist was forced to cancel his Madison Square Garden performance after undergoing surgery for gallstones.
Beck is just one of several musicians lined up for the two-day benefit event in New York. Stevie Wonder, Sting, Paul Simon and Crosby, Stills & Nash are amongst those scheduled for Thursday while Aretha Franklin, Lenny Kravitz, U2 and Metallica are on the slate for Friday.
Bruce Springsteen - who canceled an appearance in Kansas City yesterday after a death in his family - is also supposed to appear on Thursday.
Clapton is reportedly doing well and is recovering from his operation in England.
Read More | Hollywood Reporter
2009 Grammy Award Winners
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Awards, Alternative, Country, Hip-Hop & Rap, Pop, R&B / Soul, Rock
Lil’ Wayne may have had the most nominations going in, but he wasn’t the biggest winner coming out.
Next to Rihanna and Chris Brown, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss were the biggest newsmakers of the 51st Annual Grammy Awards. The collaboration between the Led Zeppelin lead singer and the bluegrass artist earned the duo five awards last night including Album of the Year for Raising Sand and Record of the Year. Prior to yesterday, Plant, 60, had only racked up one Grammy in his career. (Krauss, on the other hand, is now up to 26.)
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Read More | Grammys
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