On the heels of the current single “The Day I Tried To Live” moving up the radio charts, heavy metal legends Sevendust are announcing their 13th studio album Blood & Stone. The new album is scheduled for release on October 23rd via Rise Records (the second for the band on the label). The latest release also marks a return for the band with producer Michael “Elvis” Baskette, known for his work with Alter Bridge; Tremonti; Slash; and others. Blood & Stone is available for pre-order in various configurations at https://RiseRecords.lnk.to/BloodAndStone.
From the pulsating intro of album opener “Dying To Live” to the now popular album closer “The Day I Tried To Live,” Sevendust continue to push the sound they have made their own for more than 25 years. Tracks like “Love,” “Blood From A Stone,” “Kill Me” and “Against The World” showcases why the band has been adored by fans and critics alike. Lajon Witherspoon, Clint Lowery, John Connolly, Vince Hornsby and Morgan Rose have raised the bar with Blood & Stone. The new music fits perfectly alongside with the bands most seminal tracks that have become the cornerstone of the band’s live performances.
The track listing for Blood & Stone is: 1) Dying To Live 2) Love 3) Blood From A Stone 4) Feel Like Going On 5) What You’ve Become 6) Kill Me 7) Nothing Left To See Here Anymore 8) Desperation 9) Criminal 10) Against The World 11) Alone 12) Wish You Well 13) The Day I Tried To Live
Recently, Sevendust impacted rock radio and unveiled a lyric video for their cover of the Soundgarden classic “The Day I Tried To Live.” The song is currently moving up the charts and the reaction to the track has been overwhelmingly favorable to the unique interpretation the band put on the classic track. The lyric video for the song was created by Wayne Joyner (known for his work with Dream Theater). It features a lone figure walking down a road thinking about his life with clips of the band woven throughout.
In 1994, Sevendust first forged a familial tie amongst each other that translated into one of the most diehard audiences in the game. To this day, the connection between fans and the GRAMMY® Award-nominated gold-certified hard rock outfit only grows stronger. A trifecta of now-classic gold albums—Sevendust [1997], Home [1999], and Animosity [2001]— ignited their journey.
Known as an equally intense and unforgettable live force, they’ve consistently packed houses around the world and decimated stages everywhere from Rock on the Range and Woodstock to OZZfest and Shiprocked! 2015’s Kill The Flaw represented a high watermark. Bowing at #13 on the Billboard Top 200, it scored their highest debut on the respective chart since 2010 and marked their fifth consecutive Top 10 on the Top Rock Albums Chart and third straight Top 3 on the Hard Rock Albums Chart. Most impressively, the lead single “Thank You” garnered a nomination in the category of “Best Metal Performance” at the 2016 GRAMMY® Awards, a career first. All I See Is War continued the band’s success debuting at #28 on the Billboard 200 and has become a favorite among critics and fans alike thanks to singles like “Dirty,” “Medicated” and “Risen.”
ESPN’s NBA Digital Pregame Show Hoop Streams Returns with Five Episodes as the NBA Season Resumes
Hoop Streams Presented by Google Featuring Host Cassidy Hubbarth with NBA Champion Kendrick Perkins and Amin Elhassan Tips Off Friday Leading into ESPN’s First NBA Seeding Game
To celebrate the restart of the NBA season, ESPN House returns with a virtual fan experience for the tip-off of the NBA on ESPN. The experience will be anchored by a live musical performance from rapper and songwriter Tyla Yaweh with special guests Tommy Lee and John 5. The performance will be streamed on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and the ESPN app on Saturday, August 1 at 5:10 p.m. ET prior to Hoop Streams. ESPN House will also feature content from The Undefeated on ESPN.com surrounding social justice efforts.
“I have a long time friendship with Tommy Lee and we have worked on some really great music together,”JOHN 5 says. “I really love how the remix turned out and loved working with new friends Tyla and Post Malone. I love this song and I’m proud to be a part of this.”
Tyla Yaweh – the Orlando-raised, LA-based genre-bending star – launched his career with 2019’s critically acclaimed project Heart Full of Rage, which boasted equal parts trap, hip hop and rock. Along the way, the project, which included the break-out song “High Right Now,” and subsequent singles like “I Think I Luv Her” ft. YG and “Understand Me,” helped him amass over 351 million streams, He has collaborated with names like Wiz Khalifa, French Montana, Ski Mask The Slump God, Juice WRLD and PnB Rock. Tyla also joined Post Malone, Swae Lee and Jaden Smith on the 2019-2020 Runaway Tour across multiple continents and made rousing appearances at festivals such as Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo, Governors Ball, Firefly, Life Is Beautiful, Rolling Loud, Reading and Leeds and more.
Aptly titled RAGER BØY,his upcoming debut studio album encapsulates the world in which Tyla Yaweh resides. With “Tommy Lee” as the lead single, the stage is set for star-studded features (including Post Malone on “Tommy Lee,” Tommy Lee himself on a remix, and DaBaby on the newly-released anthem “Stuntin’ On You”), new vibes and uncharted territory, musically. Tommy Lee’s new album, ANDRO, will be released on October 16, 2020.
Hoop Streams, ESPN’s digital NBA pregame show, returns for five episodes between Friday, July 31 and Monday, August 3 – as the NBA season resumes. Cassidy Hubbarth will host Hoop Streamspresented by Google on July 31 from 6-6:30 p.m. ET at ESPN’s Bristol, Conn. studios, with analyst and NBA Champion Kendrick Perkins and fellow analyst Amin Elhassan appearing remotely. Hoop Streams presented by Google will lead into ESPN’s first NBA Seeding Game telecast as the Boston Celtics take on the Milwaukee Bucks at 6:30 p.m. ET. All editions of Hoop Streams are available on ESPN’s Twitter and YouTube platforms and via the ESPN App.
The trio of Hubbarth, Perkins and Elhassan will return for Hoop Streams pregame shows on Saturday, August 1, at 8 p.m. ET and again on Monday, August 3, at 8:30 p.m. ET. Each edition of Hoop Streams will include special guest appearances, commentary on topical NBA news items, and a preview of the upcoming games on ESPN platforms.
In addition, the Hoop Streams team of Christine Williamson, Omar Raja and Gary Striewski will lead shows on Saturday, August 1, at 5:30 p.m. ET and on Monday, August 3, at 6 p.m. ET. Raja will participate from the NBA Florida Campus and the Walt Disney World Resort, while Williamson and Striewski will be located at ESPN’s Bristol Conn. studios. These shows will feature on-site updates from Raja and viral video content. For ESPN and ABC’s NBA Restart schedule, visit ESPN Press Room.
“SPACE TRUCKIN’” OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO AND TRACK OUT NOW
PRE ORDERS AVAILABLE TODAY
Founding KISS guitarist and Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame member Ace Frehley announces the release of Origins Vol. 2, his highly-anticipated second collection of eleven rock ‘n’ roll covers, due out on September 18, 2020. Today, he also releases the first single, a flawless cover of Deep Purple’s 1972 hit, “Space Truckin'” available now on all streaming platforms, and as an official music video.
Recorded at The Creation Lab in Turlock, CA, Frehley recorded guitar, bass, and vocals on “Space Truckin'” with long-time studio drummer Matt Star and keyboard player Rob Sabino (Peter Frampton, Simon & Garfunkel).
Ace offers,“‘Space Truckin’ was recorded years ago, and then I just re-recorded some parts and changed it a little. We never ended up putting it on a record, so it was just sitting around. It turned out very well. Rob Sabino is a very accomplished studio musician, and we actually grew up in the Bronx together, so we go way back.”
The official video for “Space Truckin’” was directed by eOne’s Ken Gullic (VP, Sales & Acquisitions, Music) and animated by Chris Fequiere, the same team behind the “Mission to Mars” music video from Frehley’s Spaceman album in 2018.
Frehley has also re-signed with eOne for more new releases, which extends his original deal signed in 2013. During his tenure, he has released three albums worth of new material, Origins Vol. 2 is the fourth. A new studio album is planned for 2021 with two additional releases to follow.
eOne’s Scott Givens, SVP, Rock & Metal, Music says, “I am thrilled to extend our partnership with Ace Frehley. He is a core artist for eOne and I look forward to more continued success with him.”
eOne’s Ken Gullic, VP, Sales & Acquisitions, Music, offers, “We were warned, before our first meeting with Ace in 2014, that he’d never deliver an album or get on the plane for that very meeting. He showed up with an early version of Steve Miller’s “The Joker” in hand and then cranked out eleven brand new songs at lightning speed for his first top 10 solo album ever, ‘Space Invader,’ just in time for his Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction as a KISS member in 2014. With nine albums into his vibrant solo career, one that clearly stands on its own, it’s time for Ace to be considered as a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inducted solo performer too.“
Frehley continues his reflections on a lifetime in music with this release of Origins Vol. 2. No stranger to cover versions throughout his musical history — having recorded, rebranded and repossessed such notable nuggets as “New York Groove,” “Do Ya” and “I Wanna Go Back” throughout his eight previous studio efforts — this new collection presents a thoughtful and exciting selection of songs that inspired and helped shape the legendary guitarist. That spirit of fun is carried through with exquisite execution, and guitar aficionados will enjoy Frehley’s fresh interpretations of these classic songs.
Origins Vol 2. features some extraordinary guests, including Robin Zander of Cheap Trick on Humble Pie’s “30 Days In The Hole,” and former KISS comrade Bruce Kulick on Jimi Hendrix’s “Manic Depression.” Origins Vol.1 alumnus John5 also returns, playing on Cream’s “Politician,” and The Beatles’ “I’m Down.” Finally, the exquisite Lita Ford returns on vocals, this time on The Rolling Stones’ 1968 hit “Jumpin’ Jack Flash.” Full track listing below.
Track List: 1. Good Times Bad Times (Led Zeppelin) 2. Never In My Life (Mountain) 3. Space Truckin’ (Deep Purple) 4. I’m Down (The Beatles) 5. Jumpin’ Jack Flash (The Rolling Stones) 6. Politician (Cream) 7. Lola (The Kinks) 8. 30 Days In The Hole (Humble Pie) 9. Manic Depression (The Jimi Hendrix Experience) 10. Kicks (Paul Revere & the Raiders) 11. We Gotta Get Out Of This Place (The Animals) 12. She (KISS) [Bonus Track]
Origins Vol. 2 will be the followup to 2016’s Origins Vol. 1, which hit #23 on the Billboard Top 200 chart, and was his second highest-charting solo album and his 4th Top 40 album.
Pre-orders are available today at www.acefrehleyorigins.com — which includes an exclusive 180g Opaque Gold Double LP variant (limited to 1000 copies + download card).
On July 29th, rock super group Motor Sister – featuring Jim Wilson (Mother Superior), Scott Ian (Anthrax), Pearl Aday (solo), Joey Vera (Armored Saint, Fates Warning), and John Tempesta (The Cult) – will take part in “Wacken:World:Wide”, a unique event that fans can experience live on wacken-world-wide.com, as well as on the website and app of MagentaMusik 360 (https://www.magenta-musik-360.de) and MagentaTV, for free!
Motor Sister will perform at 9:15AM PT//12:15PM ET//6:15PM CET, with an exclusive interview after the set, so don’t miss out! See below for other artists participating in the livestream taking place July 29th to August 1st: Anthrax Alice Cooper Foreigner Kreator Sabaton Blind Guardian Heaven Shall Burn …and many more!
“Wacken:World:Wide” will not only deliver concerts of classic W:O:A crowd favorites, but also newcomers, plus exclusive interviews, behind-the-scenes content and much more.
Joey Vera comments: “We’re really looking forward to playing ‘Wacken:World:Wide’. We’ve been getting ready to finish this new record we started in March at the start of lockdown, so hopefully in the next few weeks we can get back into the studio and finish the record! Then, next up would be playing some of the new tunes virtually live for you all!”
Motor Sister is currently finishing work on their upcoming album – which, this time, features all original songs. Since the release of their debut, 2015’s Ride (comprised of Mother Superior covers), the group has been more than busy with their other commitments outside of the band – but fans can look forward to this new full-length coming next year via Metal Blade Records.
“The simple goal for the second Motor Sister album is to make the most kick ass, high energy rock & roll record ever,” Jim Wilson comments.
Stay tuned for more news coming soon!
Motor Sister line-up: Jim Wilson – vocals, guitar Scott Ian – guitar Joey Vera – bass John Tempesta – drums Pearl Aday – vocals
Following up the “Quarantine Sucks, Let’s Party” digital tour, ANTI-FLAG will stream their Vainstream 2016 set and chat live with fans on Saturday, August 8, at 3pm PT/6pm ET/11pm BST. The stream will premiere a brand new mix and edit of the set filmed in Münster, Germany.
“We honestly had such a fantastic time reconnecting with everyone during the ‘Quarantine Sucks, Let’s Party! Virtual Tour’’that we jumped at this opportunity to do something similar again,” the band says. “For the first time ever, our Vainstream 2016 set will be streaming via Veeps.com. We will be hanging out in the chat and greatly look forward to the camaraderie, empathy, and kindness we all gain from punk rock and the scene around it. See you in the virtual pit!”
Livestream tickets are available here, with “pay what you want” options ranging from $10 to $50.
$20+ will receive a free poster signed by the band.
For additional info on Vainstream RockFest, go here.
Deluxe Collector’s Box-Set and Special 40th Anniversary Editions of “Ace Of Spades”to Be Released on October 30th 2020
Watch a New Video for a Previously Unreleased, Live Version of “Ace Of Spades” Plus Preorders Here
Upon its release in 1980, the Ace Of Spades album was nothing short of a gamechanger for all forms of hard rock. Like lightning in a bottle, it perfectly captured everything great about hard rock, heavy metal, and punk, amped it all up to 11, and came racing out of the gates at what felt like a million miles an hour, pushing at every musical boundary. Nothing was harder. Nothing was faster. And certainly nothing was louder.
Now, following on from last year’s fan and media acclaimed anniversary editions of the seminal Overkill and Bomber albums, comes the record that launched Motörhead into the stratosphere and carved their name into the walls of rock ‘n’ roll history forever; Ace Of Spades. To celebrate the 40th anniversary of this milestone album, it is being presented in new deluxe editions. There will be hardback book-packs in two CD and triple LP formats, featuring a previously unheard concert from the ‘Ace Up Your Sleeve’ tour, the story of the album and many previously unseen photos. Also, the album will be released as an ultimate fan, collector edition Ace Of Spades box set, containing a bevy of era-specific treasures and some 42 previously unreleased tracks!
The Ace Of Spades Deluxe box set contains:
The Ace Of Spades album, half-speed mastered and created from the original master tapes.
Two double-live albums of previously unheard concerts from the Ace Up Your Sleeve tour.
A Fistful Of Instrumentals: A 10” EP of previously unreleased, instrumental tracks from 1980.
The Good, The Broke & The Ugly. A double album of B-sides, outtakes and rare tracks.
Ace On Your Screens: A DVD compilation of rare TV appearances from 1980-81, a live concert from 1981 and a 5.1 audio mix of the original album.
The Ace Of Spades story. A 40 page book telling the story of Ace Of Spades through previously unpublished interviews with the people that were there. Includes never before seen photos and memorabilia.
The Ace Up Your Sleeve tour programme
The Motörhead Rock Commando comic.
A set of 5 poker dice that can be played on the game board inside the box set lid.
All encased in a classic Wild West dynamite box.
A limited edition 7″ reproduction of the Dutch “Ace Of Spades,” with a previously unreleased instrumental version on Side B. (while stock last!)
In 1980, off the back of two essential albums, Overkill and Bomber the previous year, MOTÖRHEAD continued to get bigger, better, louder and faster by the second. This time, on Ace Of Spades they teamed up with producer Vic Maile and came up with twelve songs; each and every one of which crams a regular band’s ten minutes of playing into an average of three. The song titles alone made ears bleed: “Love Me Like A Reptile,” “Shoot You In The Back,” “The Chase Is Better Than The Catch” and “The Hammer” were a few examples. This landmark album saw the three amigos of Lemmy, Fast Eddie Clarke and Philthy Animal Taylor at the helm of the juggernaut that was MOTÖRHEAD, gaining phenomenal growth in popularity as they forged onward. The band’s and fans ideas, wants and inspirations, converged at a perfect tangent. Anyone disputing this fact need look no further than any heavy metal gig of the time and play ‘spot the MOTÖRHEAD T-shirt and jacket.’ They outnumbered anyone else by at least five to one. A statistic that is still accurate some forty five years since they first began!
The Ace Of Spades album release was a magical moment in rock’n’roll history, an album which had enormous global impact and continues to resonate and inspire people worldwide. Fans to this day still remember where they were when they first heard it, and it immediately inspired bands worldwide to absorb the album’s energy, speed, and attitude into their own work. Ace Of Spades is ground zero for thrash, speed metal, and punk / metal crossover.
See below for full details of the Ace Of Spades releases and be sure to visit www.iMotorhead.com for news and updates!
BOX SET TRACKLISTING
Ace of Spades
Side One
Ace Of Spades
Love Me Like A Reptile
Shoot You In The Back
Live To Win
Fast And Loose
(We Are) The Road Crew
Side Two
Fire Fire
Jailbait
Dance
Bite The Bullet
The Chase Is Better Than The Catch
The Hammer
A Fistful Of Instrumentals
Side One
Ace Of Spades (demo)
Hump On Your Back (demo)
Shoot You In The Back (demo)
Fast And Loose (demo)
Side Two
Dirty Love (demo)
Love Me Like A Reptile (demo)
Dance (demo)
Riders Wearing BlackLive At Whitla Hall, Belfast – 23rd Dec 1981
Side One
Ace Of Spades
Stay Clean
Over The Top
The Hammer
Shoot You In The Back
Metropolis
Side Two
(We Are) The Road Crew
No Class
Bite The Bullet
The Chase Is Better Than The Catch
Side Three
Jailbait
Leaving Here
Capricorn
Too Late, Too Late
Side Four
Overkill
Bomber
Motörhead
Dead Man’s HandLive At Parc Expo, Orleans – 5th March 1981
Stone Temple Pilots will perform their iconic album, Core in its entirety for an epic livestream event, Friday July 31 @ 5pm PST / 8pm EST on nugs.tv
Core, STP’s breakout debut album features smash hits “Sex Type Thing,” “Wicked Garden” and “Plush,” which won the Grammy Award in 1994 for Best Hard Rock Performance.
Tickets for the livestream event are $9.99, and can be purchased HERE. Also available at nugs.tv, nugs.net app, iOS, Android or nugs.net app on Apple TV. Watch it live on Friday July 31 @ 5pm PST / 8pm EST. The concert will also be available within 48 hours from pressing play, for user to replay.
In addition to the Core livestream event, STP will release live audio from past shows beginning with August 3, 2011 @ Hampton Beach Ballroom in Hampton Beach, NH with Scott Weiland, and June 13, 2019 in London, UK @ O2 Forum Kentish Town with lead vocalist, Jeff Gutt.
Gutt says about the 2019 London show, “The show at O2 Forum was my first time being in London. In fact, I had never been to Europe, so I was just trying to take in all the history and city vibes. STP hadn’t been there in quite a while, so I remember the crowd being especially electric. There’s something about when the lights go out and everyone knows that the show is about to begin, that really takes us all to a magical place together.”
nugs.tv, the leading channel for live music, gathers thousands of fans nightly for HD broadcasts of full concerts from some of the world’s largest touring artists, including Metallica, Dead & Company and Widespread Panic.
About Stone Temple Pilots:
With over 50 million albums sold, Stone Temple Pilots roared on to the scene in 1992 with their raucous debut, Core. A breakout success, the album peaked #3 on the Billboard 200 chart, and dominated radio waves with hits like “Sex Type Thing,” “Wicked Garden,” and the Grammy-Award winning smash single, “Plush.” STP quickly distinguished themselves as a band beholden to no trend. Boasting the inimitable riffs of guitarist Dean DeLeo, the propulsive rhythm section of bassist Robert DeLeo and drummer Eric Kretz, and the charismatic baritone of front man Scott Weiland, STP ruled airways, video playlists and charts alike, over their legendary career. In 2020, STP released their eighth studio and first all-acoustic album Perdida, the second album with lead vocalist Jeff Gutt, to rave reviews. Paste magazine says, Perdida may be the most sonically rich experience that Stone Temple Pilots have offered their fans to date.
Founded in 1997 as a fan site for downloading live music,nugs.net has evolved into the leading source for official live music from the largest touring artists in the world. Metallica, Pearl Jam, Phish, Jack White, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Bruce Springsteen and many others distribute recordings of every concert they play throughnugs.net. The platform offers downloads, CDs, webcasts, and the only streaming service dedicated to live music, delivering exclusive live content to millions of fans daily.nugs.net is available on iOS, Android, AppleTV, Sonos, BluOS, and Desktop. Visitnugs.net or get the app at nugs.net/app.
Metallica and San Francisco Symphony’s September 6 & 8, 2019 S&M2 concerts were historic on multiple levels: They served as the grand opening of San Francisco’s Chase Center, reunited the band and Symphony for the first time since the 1999 performances captured on the Grammy-winning S&M album, and featured the first-ever symphonic renditions of songs written and released since those original S&M shows.
The sold out shows were rapturously received by the 40,000 fans who traveled from nearly 70 countries, as well as the media: Rolling Stone raved “the group proved that anything was possible,”Variety noted an atmosphere “buzzing with excitement,” while the Mercury News witnessed “a concert that fans will be talking about for decades to come,” and Consequence of Sound hailed “a true celebration of Metallica and their musical prowess.”
On August 28, S&M2 comes to life once more with the release of Metallica and San Francisco Symphony: S&M2. S&M2 will be available in a staggering array of formats, ranging from a digital album on all leading streaming outlets, to 4LP vinyl, 2CD, DVD and Blu-ray versions, to a limited edition color vinyl 4LP + 2CD + Blu-ray Deluxe Box featuring sheet music, guitar picks, poster and more, all the way up to a Metallica.com exclusive Super Deluxe Box, limited to 500 copies, each featuring actual sheet music used by the Symphony during the shows and hand-signed by all four band members (in addition to including everything in the Deluxe Box). With this long-awaited Blackened Recordings release, S&M2 can be fully experienced by others beyond those who squeezed into the Chase Center over those two unforgettable evenings.
S&M2 is a landmark release in the Metallica catalogue, both sonically and visually. Produced by Greg Fidelman with James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich, the S&M2 live album captures more than two and a half hours of James, Lars, Kirk Hammett and Robert Trujillo joining forces with the nearly 80-strong SF Symphony, legendary Music Director of the orchestra Michael Tilson Thomas, and conductor Edwin Outwater. The concert film is a brand-new edit done by Joe Hutching (Through The Never) and both the audio and visuals have been taken to the next level from the October 2019 theatrical version that played in over 3,700 cinemas worldwide
S&M2 is available for pre-order now, preceded by the S&M2 versions of “All Within My Hands” and “Nothing Else Matters,” both now available across digital platforms. See below for track listing and detailed list of configurations, and stay tuned to metallica.com/sm2 for further information.
METALLICA & SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY: S&M2
Configurations: – Deluxe Box (limited edition 4LP color vinyl, exclusive photobook, 2CDs, Blu-ray, sheet music, five guitar picks, poster, download card) – Super Deluxe Box (all of the above + original sheet music signed by the band. Limited to 500 via Metallica.com) – Black 4LP set w/photobook and download card – Color 4LP set w/photobook and download card (exclusive to indie retail + Metallica.com) – 2CD set w/36-page booklet – 2CD/Blu-ray set w/36-page booklet – 2CD/DVD set w/36-page booklet – Blu-Ray – DVD – Digital Album – Digital Movie
Track Listings:
LP 1 / SIDE ONE 1 The Ecstasy of Gold 2 The Call of Ktulu 3 For Whom the Bell Tolls LP 1 / SIDE TWO 1 The Day that Never Comes 2 The Memory Remains 3 Confusion LP 2 / SIDE THREE 1 Moth Into Flame 2 The Outlaw Torn LP 2 / SIDE FOUR 1 No Leaf Clover 2 Halo on Fire LP 3 / SIDE FIVE 1 Intro to Scythian Suite 2 Scythian Suite, Opus 20 II: The Enemy God and the Dance of the Dark Spirits 3 Intro to The Iron Foundry 4 The Iron Foundry, Opus 19 5 The Unforgiven III LP 3 / SIDE SIX 1 All Within My Hands 2 (Anesthesia) – Pulling Teeth 3 Wherever I May Roam LP 4 / SIDE SEVEN 1 One 2 Master of Puppets LP 4 / SIDE EIGHT 1 Nothing Else Matters 2 Enter Sandman
CD 1 1 The Ecstasy of Gold (Live) 2 The Call of Ktulu (Live) 3 For Whom the Bell Tolls (Live) 4 The Day That Never Comes (Live) 5 The Memory Remains (Live) 6 Confusion (Live) 7 Moth Into Flame (Live) 8 The Outlaw Torn (Live) 9 No Leaf Clover (Live) 10 Halo on Fire (Live) CD 2 1 Intro to Scythian Suite (Live) 2 Scythian Suite, Opus 20 II: The Enemy God And The Dance Of The Dark Spirits (Live) 3 Intro to The Iron Foundry (Live) 4 The Iron Foundry, Opus 19 (Live) 5 The Unforgiven III (Live) 6 All Within My Hands (Live) 7 (Anesthesia) – Pulling Teeth (Live) 8 Wherever I May Roam (Live) 9 One (Live) 10 Master of Puppets (Live) 11 Nothing Else Matters (Live) 12 Enter Sandman (Live)
DVD / BLU-RAY 1 Menu (features “Moth Into Flame”) 2 Intro (features “Wherever I May Roam” and “All Within My Hands”) 3 The Ecstasy of Gold (Live) 4 The Call of Ktulu (Live) 5 For Whom the Bell Tolls (Live) 6 The Day That Never Comes (Live) 7 The Memory Remains (Live) 8 Confusion (Live) 9 Moth Into Flame (Live) 10 The Outlaw Torn (Live) 11 No Leaf Clover (Live) 12 Halo on Fire (Live) 13 Intro to Scythian Suite (Live) 14 Scythian Suite, Opus 20 II: The Enemy God And The Dance Of The Dark Spirits (Live) 15 Intro to The Iron Foundry (Live) 16 The Iron Foundry, Opus 19 (Live) 17 The Unforgiven III (Live) 18 All Within My Hands (Live) 19 (Anesthesia) – Pulling Teeth (Live) 20 Wherever I May Roam (Live) 21 One (Live) 22 Master of Puppets (Live) 23 Nothing Else Matters (Live) 23 Enter Sandman (Live) 24 Credits 25 Behind the Scenes: Making of the Show 26 All Within My Hands Promo
DIGITAL FILM 1 Intro (features “Wherever I May Roam” and “All Within My Hands”) 2 The Ecstasy of Gold (Live) 3 The Call of Ktulu (Live) 4 For Whom the Bell Tolls (Live) 5 The Day That Never Comes (Live) 6 The Memory Remains (Live) 7 Confusion (Live) 8 Moth Into Flame (Live) 9 The Outlaw Torn (Live) 10 No Leaf Clover (Live) 11 Halo on Fire (Live) 12 Intro to Scythian Suite (Live) 13 Scythian Suite, Opus 20 II: The Enemy God And The Dance Of The Dark Spirits (Live) 14 Intro to The Iron Foundry (Live) 15 The Iron Foundry, Opus 19 (Live) 16 The Unforgiven III (Live) 17 All Within My Hands (Live) 18 (Anesthesia) – Pulling Teeth (Live) 19 Wherever I May Roam (Live) 20 One (Live) 21 Master of Puppets (Live) 22 Nothing Else Matters (Live) 23 Enter Sandman (Live) 24 Credits
Proceeds From Ticket Sales To Benefit a Local Los Angeles Animal Rescue and Live Nation’s Crew Nation Fund Tickets now available here: https://lnk.to/steelpantherlive
California rock legends, global philanthropists and stripper connoisseurs Steel Panther continue to set new career goals for themselves. After effectively saving the world (we are all reading this press release after all) with the very successful Concert To Save The World in June, the band is now back with another virtual concert event, Rockdown In The Lockdown. The concert will take place on Sunday, August 16th from the ultra-sanitized, production-filled, multi-camera Drum Channel Studio at Drum Workshop located in Oxnard, CA. The show will be live globally at 2:00PM Los Angeles time, 5:00PM New York City time, 10:00PM (22:00) London time, 11:00PM (23:00) Berlin time, 5:00AM (Monday morning) Hong Kong time and 7:00AM (Monday morning) Sydney time.
Rockdown In The Lockdown will be slightly different from what fans saw last time.Steel Panther has filmed a series of sketch comedy pieces that will be played throughout the show giving the virtual experience more depth and laughs. The band will again be interacting with fans around the globe via a live chat. Tickets for the virtual concert will cost $15.00 each; with proceeds from each ticket sold going to benefit a local Los Angeles animal rescue and Live Nation’s Crew Nation Fund (benefitting all touring personnel affected by the Covid-19 pandemic). All fans who purchase tickets to the concert will get access to Steel Panther’s Rockbuster Video Store. The Rockbuster Video Store will be a place where fans can access exclusive content to stream for a period of time. Currently, The Concert To Save The World and the classic Live From Lexxi’s Mom’s Garage will be available with ticket purchase and more content will be added. Anyone who has purchased the band’s latest effect pedal The Butthole Burner prior to the concert will get a free ticket to the event. The “You Can’t Beat The Meat & Greet” VIP upgrade is also available that includes access to a virtual one-on-one meet & greet, private video chat with 2 band members and a screen shot selfie.
Rockdown In The Lockdown is being sponsored by Monster Energy and all tickets and VIP upgrades are available here: https://lnk.to/steelpantherlive.
“More Music! More Comedy! More Spandex! More Panther! Steel Panther would like to inform you that it is STILL totally legal to attend this concert naked, but please wear a mask if you’re around strangers!”
Steel Panther continue to make headlines with their daily video vignettes helping folks know what day of the week it is. A short musical intro gives way to a band member explaining which day it is for their viewers. The series has gained such popularity that various entertainment friends have made cameos as well. Corey Taylor of Slipknot/Stone Sour, Scott Ian of Anthrax, Chris Kael and Jason Hook of Five Finger Death Punch, Kid Rock, George Lopez, Myles Kennedy and Mark Tremonti of Alter Bridge, Rob Riggle and Joey Fatone of ‘N Sync have all shown up on the popular video series. The videos can be seen daily on all social media platforms. The band also recently released a music video for their newest single “Let’s Get High Tonight” as their original boy band incarnation F.P.C. (Four Pump Chumps) from their chart-topping album Heavy Metal Rules (https://lnk.to/HeavyMetalRules).
The Frankie Nasso directed video was unearthed from the band’s archives and can be seen here: https://youtu.be/W2FQM2j8Lss.
Iced Earth founder, songwriter, guitarist and producer Jon Schaffer has announced the release of his first ever book, “Wicked Words and Epic Tales”.The book is the debut release from Schaffer and his new publishing company Wicked Tales, LLC and is the first of many original concepts planned for future release by Schaffer. Media Mikes had the chance to speak with Jon recently about the books creation, the accompanying music and his plans for future releases.
Adam Lawton: Can you tell us where the idea/opportunity to do this book came from?
Jon Schaffer: The idea for the book came to me around Christmas of 2019. I was at home with my family and I all of a sudden had this idea to do an anthology of all my lyrics. I have always been a big fan of comic and graphic novel art. It’s actually something I have been doing for years on the Iced Earth album covers. We have so much bad ass art that has been done for us over the years and have made contact with a lot of great artists that I thought I could commission a bunch of new material and put something together for the die-hard fans. I had never really seen anything like what I was thinking of doing but I know that if Steve Harris, Geezer Butler or Roger Waters put out something like this as a fan I jump on it. I ended up deciding to use Kickstarter to get things going because it allowed me to gauge the interest and figure out how many copies to make. After I decided I was going to add new art I thought it might be cool to do some spoken word audio tracks to go along with it. What ended up happening was I decided to create some new music as well. What we ended up with is this something in between an audio book and a soundtrack. I call it a narrative soundscape and that comes as a bonus with the book.
AL: Is this all new musical content?
JS: No. These songs have been written over the course of my career specifically with Iced Earth. I think the oldest song is “Angels Holocaust” which was written around 1991. With the exception of the song “Wolf” all the material is based off of the original compositions. What I did was instead of the album being this loud, ripping heavy metal work I took verses and choruses and turned them into string and keyboard pieces. I did play some guitar but not that much and we programmed in some theatrical drum loops to give things dynamic. For the spoken pieces I really tried to get into character and make things dark an eerie or very emotional depending on what each piece called for.
AL: Will a reader/listener be able to put the music on and have it match up with the book chapters?
JS: It’s broken up a little differently. The book has over 250 pages. The lyrical content alone is well over 100 songs and features lyrics from more than just Iced Earth. The music portion is 15 tracks picked from just my Iced Earth works. If a reader wants to match things up they will just have to go to the index and find the page number for each song to make that happen.
AL: How did you go about selecting the artists who have work featured in the book?
JS: Some of those guys like Todd McFarlane and Greg Capullo I have worked with in the past on Iced Earth album art so I knew them. All of the artists who I have worked with through all my projects and career are credited. I worked with an additional 15 new artists specifically for this book. I just started reaching out to people. I reached out to Jim Balent on Instagram and he came on board I then reached out to Jonboy Myers and he was interested. Richard Ortiz did four pieces of art which are killer homage pieces. Roy Young who was in charge of the layout of the book is a guy I met when I was working with Todd McFarland in 1994. Roy has been very instrumental in this. There is tons of great stuff in this book.
AL: We the artists given free reign or did you have specific pieces you wanted each person to do?
JS: I went to each of them with a specific plan. From there the artists will generally take that idea and run with it. If it ends up being something I am not happy with we make edits and changes until it’s where I want it to be. Each artist put their own unique spin on “Set” who is kind of Iced Earth’s mascot. They all had their own interpretation of the character which is something I really loved. You could tell it was Set but the Set character does not have one specific look or logo like Batman or one of those other superheroes. Everyone added their own style which made this part a lot of fun.
AL: The book features two different covers. Does each of the books feature something different that the other does not aside from the alternate cover art?
JS: The books will all be the same on the inside. There are actually four covers in all. Two main covers were done and then did two nude variations of Jim Balent’s cover. Those covers are limited to 100 and 150 copies. The slip case for each book is the same but inside is where you will find all the virgin art aside from the spine which has to include an identifiable marker denoting what the work is. I had a chance recently to see some of the test and it looks amazing! It’s all printed on nice heavy paper with lots of colors. Even the text pages are predominately color.
AL: “Wicked Words and Epic Tales” is the first book to be released via Wicked Tales LLC which you own. Can we be expecting more books from you in the future?
JS: This was my first step in to learning how to self publish. There will be more books however they will not be lyric books. Going forward the timing will depend on what happens with the music business as it relates to what is going on in the world right now. My band is international and I am not sure when or if we will be able to travel freely again. With the members being spread out and living in various places putting together or planning an Iced Earth tour production just can’t happen right now. My plan since 1997 when I first created the “Something Wicked” universe was to always end up being in comics and graphic novels once I retired the band. It’s a killer story with a lot of potential to dive in to so that’s always been my plan. This book was a test and something I started before the world went in to lock down. When that I happened I just continued to work. There will be more things coming out however I don’t have a specific date as it will be after Iced Earth retired. I am getting close to that time but I still want to do one or two more records before that day comes.
AL: If someone did not pre-order the book via Kickstarter will fans still be able to get a copy?
JS: We will have some extra copies available through the Iced Earth merch store. We are in negotiations with Plastic Head who handles our merchandise in Europe about our options. Shipping an item this heavy is quite pricey so we are trying to figure out a way to get to more than just the United States where a majority of the sales have occurred. We hope to have that figured out very soon. In the future we may release a digital and/or trade paperback. There also could be a second printing if the demand is there.
To find out more about “Wicked Words and Epic Tales”click here
Chicago Punk’s The Lawrence Arms are set to release their 6th studio album July 17th titled “Skeleton Coast”. The album which is being released via Epitaph records contains elements of the band’s sound which fans have come to love for nearly two decades. Although it was written and recorded before the Corona virus upended the world, “Skeleton Coast” sounds eerily prescient as it imagines an apocalyptic future where coyotes croon and wolf packs roam free
Coming in at 35 minutes spread over 14 tracks the latest offering from veteran punks The Lawrence Arms provides an upbeat lift during uncertain times. Don’t let the upbeat rhythms fool you as the albums lyrical content cuts deeps leaving a lasting impression that will stick with listeners long after the closing notes ring out. Having caught these guys last year opening for Bad Religion I was anxious to hear what the group’s latest studio album had to offer. Upon first listen I was drawn to tracks like “Quiet Storm”, “Belly of the Whale” and “Last Last Words” which are all straight ahead rockers showcasing the dual vocals of guitarist Chris McCaughan and bassist Brendan Kelly. The mixture of McCaughn’s smoothness with Kelly’s gravelly more rough and tumble approach give the band a solid one, two punch while drummer Neil Hennessy delivers the knock-out blow. For listeners wanting something a little more aggressive and fitting of the worlds current climate check out tracks like “Planes Trains and Automobiles”, “Demon” and “Goblin Fox Hunt” as they will certainly kick up the angst level.
“Skeleton Coast” checks nearly all the boxes fans of melodic punk will be looking for. As the follow up to 2014’s “Metropole” the album showcases the bands continued growth over the past six years between while still staying true to the sound which has endeared them to fans since the late 90’s. You have to commend The Lawrence Arms along with the countless other bands who are still putting out new music despite the inability to tour and support that material for the remainder of 2020. When an album is as good as “Skeleton Coast” is, I hope to hear these tracks echoing through our hometown venues sooner than later.
Early September will see ZAKK SABBATH, the BLACK SABBATH tribute band featuring guitarist/vocalist Zakk Wylde (Black Label Society, Ozzy Osbourne), bassist Blasko (Ozzy Osbourne, Rob Zombie) and drummer Joey Castillo (Danzig, Queens of the Stone Age), release their spectacular tribute to the Birmingham four, a faithful yet supercharged rendition of BLACK SABBATH’s first album. Vertigo Records issued the iconic debut album on a Friday the 13th in 1970, and the world was never the same. Legendarily recorded in a single day in October 1969, the earth-moving self-titled set closed the book on hippie optimism with its dark magic and ushered in a brand new genre, setting the metal template for decades to come.
Exactly 50 years later, ZAKK SABBATH celebrate the first chapter in the Sabbath catalog with a reverently rendered tribute, simply titled “Vertigo“, which is slated for a release on September 4th, 2020, via Magnetic Eye Records. Faithfully recorded in the spirit of the original, live in the studio and with a film crew documenting the process, the session culminated in a new version of a landmark album that celebrates the greatest heavy metal band of all time and the record that started it all.
“We recorded a live EP and were wondering what we could do next as a cover band, so the 50th album anniversary came just at the right time”, explains Blasko regarding Zakk Sabbath’s decision to go studio. “Compared to ‘Paranoid’, which is almost like a best-of record, the bulk of the material on ‘Black Sabbath’ is deep-cut, really experimental stuff that was never thoroughly explored, so that was a challenge, not to forget that we wanted to meet our own high standards.“
Describing the DIY process as “very productive,” the three respectfully added their own flair to make for a slightly different flavor, also revisiting various live renditions and “extending a solo here or slowing things down because that’s what they tended to do on stage.”
Today, ZAKK SABBATH are sharing a first track taken from “Vertigo” exclusively with Rolling Stone Magazine. You can now stream their tribute version of the iconic anthem, Black Sabbath,HERE!
ZAKK SABBATH’s “Vertigo” won’t be available digitally, “to make the release feel authentic to the time when vinyl ruled the earth. It was such a cool time for those of us that grew up during that time. The fan experience with the physical product is irreplaceable with digital and streaming. We wanted to capture that authenticity.”
“Vertigo” will be available as:
Digipak CD
CD/DVD hardcover book with the album behind-the-scenes-interviews and making-of
limited edition yellow vinyl
Tracklisting: 1) Black Sabbath 2) The Wizard 3) Wasp / Behind the Wall of Sleep / N.I.B 4) Wicked World 5) A Bit of Finger / Sleeping Village / Warning
Set to be released on September 4th, the album pre-sale has just started at THIS LOCATION!
Today Myrkur‘s Amalie Bruun joins forces with renowned multi-instrumentalist Anna von Hausswolff to reimagine Björk‘s classic, “All Is Full of Love“. Bruun comments, “From our homes in Denmark and Sweden we decided to record a simple, fragile and raw version of Björk‘s “All Is Full of Love”. A song we consider to be one of the most beautiful and encouraging songs, that is a reminder to stay open to receive love even in times like these.”
Myrkur‘s latest album Folkesange saw its release earlier this year to high acclaim via Relapse. Just after newfound motherhood, Bruun set out on a journey into the very heart of the Scandinavian culture that marked her own childhood. The album relinquishes black metal for a refined yet far-reaching evocation of traditional folk, combining songs ancient and new to sublimely resonant effect. Through Bruun’s crystalline vocals, an array of traditional instruments and storytelling, Folkesange offers listeners an immersive, emotional and transcendent experience that resonates in today’s turbulent times.
Today, Chicago bred trio The Lawrence Arms share “Last Last Words” off their forthcoming record Skeleton Coast out July 17 via Epitaph.
The track “is about coming to terms with your own obscurity – but like, in a pretty upbeat way,” says vocalist and guitarist Chris McCaughan. “It’s an escape dream to an edge of the world while being strangely content with some undergrown adulthood. It’s part undercover love song to the sometimes beautiful randomness of the universe and part offbeat, comical reminder to keep rewriting your unknown future. Like so much of the record, the song chases tiny flashes of light in the darkness.”
Skeleton Coast was recorded 30 miles east of El Paso, TX at Sonic Ranch Studios with longtime producer Matt Allison. The album contains the elements of the band’s sound that fans have come to love for the past two decades but recontextualizes them in a way that somehow sounds perfectly aligned with this strange time in our collective history. Although it was written and recorded before the Coronavirus upended the world, the band’s seventh studio album sounds eerily prescient as it imagines an apocalyptic future where coyotes croon and wolf packs roam free. “For a band who has been around as long as us, this is about as urgent of a record as we could make,” vocalist and bassist Brendan Kelly explains. “It may be kind of dark but it’s really about searching for light in the darkness and finding it, as small as those moments may seem. That’s sort of where we’re at: Collecting the scraps of things that could make for a bearable existence in dark times.”
SKELETON COAST TRACK LISTING 1. Quiet Storm 2. PTA 3. Belly Of The Whale 4. Dead Man’s Coat 5. Pigeons and Spies 6. Last Last Words 7. Demon 8. Ghostwriter 9. How To Rot 10. Under Paris 11. Goblin Fox Hunt 12. Lose Control 13. Don’t Look At Me 14. Coyote Crown
The Lawrence Arms have never had any agenda apart from just having fun and making good music. Since forming in Chicago in 1999—the trio of bassist/vocalist Brendan Kelly, guitarist/vocalist Chris McCaughan and drummer Neil Hennessy—have made albums that continually challenge the boundaries of their sound. In the process they’ve carved out a distinctive identity in the punk community that’s simultaneously gritty, beautiful, melodic and mutinous
“One of the most intensely joyful experiences we’ve ever had as a band.” – Rhett Miller
Watch the Video for First Single “Turn Off The TV” HERE
“Terse, wry, and supremely catchy roots-rock.” – THE ATLANTIC
“A well-loved pioneering force in the alt-country movement… [they’ve] still got the same raucous, sweaty energy that’s made [them] so beloved all this time.” – NPR
“Blistered, blasted, and brilliant.” – NEW YORKER
Old 97’s, the iconic alt-country outfit fronted by Rhett Miller, is returning with their twelfth album, the aptly titled Twelfth, to be released on August 21 on ATO Records. Twenty-seven years in, Old 97’s still features its original lineup – Miller, guitarist Ken Bethea, bassist Murry Hammond, and drummer Philip Peeples – and Twelfth is a testament to the band’s staying power. The album’s cover image of former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach is both an homage to Miller’s childhood hero and a recognition that, in making their livings as musicians, the 97’s themselves have achieved their lifelong dreams.
In an interview with Rolling Stone, Miller talks about how his five-year sobriety influenced the new album, saying, “Going back in, I thought, ‘What if I don’t bring anything to the table? What if I’m like Samson and the whiskey was my long hair and I cut it off and can’t write songs anymore?’… But [Twelfth] was the first record where, top to bottom, I felt I was back in the driver’s seat, found my voice, and came out the other side. It feels good.”
The band shares Twelfth’s first single “Turn Off The TV” today alongside a video directed by Liam Lynch that features Puddles the Clown as well as footage of the band throughout their career. Watch the video below and pre-order TwelfthHERE.
Old 97’s – TwelfthAugust 21, 2020 – ATO Records
1. The Dropouts
2. This House Got Ghosts
3. Turn Off The TV
4. I Like You Better
5. Happy Hour
6. Belmont Hotel
7. Confessional Boxing
8. Diamonds on Neptune
9. Our Year
10. Bottle Rocket Baby
11. Absence (What We’ve Got)
12. Why Don’t We Ever Say We’re Sorry
MORE ON TWELFTH:
“Somehow what we’ve got never breaks down,” Rhett Miller sings on Old 97’s exhilarating new album, Twelfth. At first, the line comes off as a boast, as a declaration of invincibility from a band that’s managed to survive three decades of rock and roll debauchery, but as the phrase repeats over and over again, it slowly transforms into something more incredulous, something more vulnerable, something deeply human.
“We experienced some close calls over the last few years,” says Miller, “and I think that led us to this dawning realization of the fragility of it all. At the same time, it also led us to this increased gratitude for the music and the brotherhood we’ve been so lucky to share. I think all of that combined to make recording this album one of the most intensely joyful experiences we’ve ever had as a band.”
That joy is utterly palpable on Twelfth. Loose and raw, the record is an ecstatic celebration of survival, a resounding ode to endurance and resilience from a veteran group that refuses to rest on their considerable laurels. Working out of Sputnik Sound in Nashville, Miller and his longtime bandmates—bassist Murry Hammond, guitarist Ken Bethea, and drummer Philip Peeples—teamed up once again with GRAMMY-winning producer Vance Powell (Chris Stapleton, Jack White), and while the resulting album boasts all the hallmarks of a classic Old 97’s record (sex and booze, laughter and tears, poetry and blasphemy), it also showcases a newfound perspective in its writing and craftsmanship, a maturity and appreciation that can only come with age and experience. Perhaps the band is growing up; maybe they’re just getting started. Either way, Old 97’s have never been happier to be alive.
“You have to take pride in the unlikeliness of it all,” says Miller. “It’s mind boggling to think that we’ve been able to last this long, that we’ve been able to support ourselves and our families on our own terms for almost thirty years. Twelve is a lot of records.”
Formed in Dallas, Texas, Old 97’s first emerged in the early ’90s with an adrenaline pumping blend of rock and roll swagger, punk snarl, and old-school twang that quickly brought them into the national spotlight. Conventional wisdom places the band at the forefront of a musical movement that would come to be known as “alternative country,” but, as the New York Times so succinctly put it, their sound always “leaned more toward the Clash than the Carter Family.” Fueled by breakneck tempos, distorted guitars, and wry storytelling, the foursome built a reputation for high-energy albums and even higher energy shows, earning themselves performances everywhere from Conan and Letterman to Bonnaroo and Lollapaloozaalongside countless rave reviews. NPR lauded the group as a “pioneering force,” while Rolling Stone hailed their music’s “whiskey-wrecked nihilism and slow-burn heartbreak,” and The New Yorker praised their songwriting as “blistered, blasted, and brilliant.” On top of his prodigious output with Old 97’s, Miller simultaneously established himself as a prolific solo artist, as well, releasing eight studio albums under his own name that garnered similarly wide-ranging acclaim and landed in a slew of prominent film and television soundtracks. A gifted writer beyond his music, Miller also contributed essays and short stories to The Atlantic, Salon, McSweeney’s, and Sports Illustrated among others, and in 2019, he released his debut book, a collection of poetry for children, via Little, Brown and Company.
While part of Old 97’s charm has always been the air of playful invulnerability they exude onstage every night, reality began catching up with the band in 2017. The night before a television appearance in support of the group’s most recent album, Graveyard Whistling, Peeples collapsed in a hotel parking lot, falling backwards and cracking his skull on a concrete abutment. He spent weeks in the ICU and was forced to miss the first leg of tour. Bethea, meanwhile, began to notice a loss of feeling in the fingers of his right hand. As his condition continued to deteriorate on the road, the numbness spread to his leg, and he was eventually forced to undergo spinal surgery in order to regain full motor control. Miller, for his part, found himself at more of an existential crossroads, questioning attitudes and behaviors he’d long taken for granted. Yes, he was a rock and roll star (whatever that means nowadays), but he was also a father and a husband, and he decided it was long since time to get sober.
“Back when we were in our 20’s, we put ourselves through these terrible trials because we thought we could survive anything,” says Miller. “But over the last few years, it started becoming clear that we’re human.”
Rather than slow things down, the band decided to embrace their mortality as all the more reason to seize the day. Life is short—a lesson that was hammered home on the group’s first day of recording in Nashville, when a series of deadly tornadoes ripped through town—and Twelfth is the sound of Old 97’s recommitting themselves to making the most of every moment they’ve got left. Addictive opener “The Dropouts” sets the stage, taking stock of the band’s journey from its very first days, when they cut their teeth playing the bars of Deep Ellum in exchange for pitchers of beer and pizza. Like much of the record to come, it’s a nostalgic look back on simpler times, but it smartly avoids looking at the past through rose-colored glasses, instead recognizing that change is neither inherently good nor bad, only inevitable.
“There’s a line about sleeping on hardwood floors in that song,” says Miller, “and that’s what we did in the early days. But that image of hardwood floors keeps coming back and building on itself in different songs throughout the album, and over time it begins to mean different things as we grow up and start families and own homes.”
Miller has a knack for capturing those sorts of little details that tell a larger story, for crafting richly cinematic scenes that transform seemingly mundane moments into metaphors for life itself. The driving lead single “Turn Off The TV,” for instance, spins a free cable hookup into a celebration of the visceral pleasures of living in the present, while the larger-than-life “Diamonds On Neptune” turns an astronomical phenomenon into a meditation on what really matters, and the waltzing “Belmont Hotel” finds emotional symbolism in the restoration of a Dallas landmark.
“‘Belmont Hotel’ is a microcosm of the album, and of our band,” says Miller. “When we first started out, the Belmont was in absolute ruins, and we even did a photoshoot in the empty parking lot. Now, though, it’s more beautiful than it was in its glory days, and that got me thinking about the way we approach our relationships. Whether it’s a friendship or a marriage or a band, it’s inevitable that you’re going to go through ups and downs, but if you’re willing to put in the work and stick out the hard times, you can wind up with something that’s better than it ever was before.”
While Miller collaborated with writers like Butch Walker and Nicole Atkins on Graveyard Whistling, he penned everything on Twelfth himself (outside of the Spaghetti Western-esque “Happy Hour” and hypnotic album closer “Why Don’t We Ever Say We’re Sorry,” which were both written and sung by Hammond). It’s a return to form he credits in part to his increasing comfort with sobriety, a comfort that finds him effortlessly running the gamut from playful romance (the dreamy “I Like You Better”) and brash bravado (the blistering “Confessional Boxing”) to supernatural fantasy (the Kinks-ian “This House Got Ghosts”) and old-school twang (the rollicking “Bottle Rocket Baby”). It’s perhaps the jaunty “Absence (What We’ve Got)” that captures this particular moment in Old 97’s history best, though, as Miller marvels at the way things change while staying the same. “The wine turns into whiskey / And the whiskey turns to tears / It’s been this way for years,” he sings, later summing the whole magic act up with a deceptively simple confession: “This is what I do.”
Old 97’s may be human, but somehow what they’ve got never breaks down.
