Category — Music News

Mogwai has cancelled the rest of their North American tour dates after drummer Martin Bulloch’s pacemaker broke last Sunday following their final song at the All Tomorrows Parties Festival in New York. After a trip to the emergency room, Bulloch decided he must return home to Scotland immediately to see his cardiologist. Dates that have been cancelled include shows in Boston, Montreal, Chicago, Minneapolis, and Pontiac, MI (where?! yes, I am from California…). Those east of the Atlantic will not be affected by this news, as Mogwai plans to keep their dates in Europe and Japan beginning in October.

Remaining Tour Dates:
10-21 Edinburgh, Scotland - Corn Exchange
10-23 Manchester, England - Academy
10-24 London, England - Hammersmith Apollo
10-27 Luxembourg, Luxembourg - Rockhal
10-28 Paris, France - Casino de Paris
10-29 Cologne, Germany - Live Music Hall
11-02 Copenhagen, Denmark - Vega
11-03 Lund, Sweden - Mejeriet
11-04 Stockholm, Sweden - Cirkus
11-06 Berlin, Germany - Huxleys
11-08 Hamburg, Germany - Grosse Freiheit
11-10 Frankfurt, Germany - Mousonturm
11-11 Dresden, Germany - Alter Schlachthof
11-12 Munich, Germany - Backstage-Werk
11-14 Vienna, Austria - Wuk
11-17 Fribourg, Switzerland - Fri Son
11-18 Zurich, Switzerland - Rote Fabrik

On Mogwai’s official site Bulloch tries to explain the situation to disappointed North American fans (like me):

“I’m really bummed about having to go home,” Bulloch wrote, “but I can honestly say it would be almost impossible for me to carry on at this point as my pacemaker has broken skin and the surrounding area has become infected.” Ok, ok Martin! We get the point, and we forgive you. Even though we have to wait until next year for you guys to come back to America. We hope you get better soon.

SABIAN has announced that it is an official sponsor for “The Big Beat,” an event which will be the “largest gathering of drummers ever assembled for a simultaneous drumming experience.” The company is collaborating with the Five-Star Drum Shops, an organization of 37 American independently owned drum stores, to put organize “The Big Beat,” which is set to take place on Sunday, Nov. 2, 2008 and will benefit The Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation. SABIAN will contribute approximately $2,500 worth prizes to be raffled off, including drum related items and even artist support to each participating store.

According to the vice president of marketing at SABIAN, Stacey Montgomery-Clark, “It’s a privilege for SABIAN to be connected with ‘The Big Beat,’ this year. We relish opportunities like this in which we can support the percussion industry and in particular the drummer consumer and independent retailer.”

Their goal is to break the Guinness world record for the most drummers playing the same beat at one time and drummers of all skill-levels are encouraged to contact one of these seven participating drum stores:

• Just Drums - Toronto, Ontario, CA - justdrums.com
• Resurrection Drums - Hollywood, FL. - rezdrums.com
• Buffalo Drum Outlet - Depew, NY - buffalodrumoutlet.com
• Columbus Percussion - Columbus, OH - columbuspercussion.com
• Stebal Drums - Willowick, OH - stebaldrums.com
• Drum World - Tulsa, OK - drumdaytulsa.com
• Memphis Drum Shop - Memphis,TN - memphisdrumshop.com
• Percussion Center - Houston, TX - percussiononline.com
• Donn Bennett Drum Studio - Bellevue, WA - bennettdrums.com

What I wanna know is, why are there two in Ohio?!

For more information, check out their web site at www.sabian.com. And while you’re there, check out their report on the Modern Drummer Festival.

So Rolling Stone has a piece up about Rock Band 2, the sequel to the hugely successful Rock Band game. Of course, Rock Band upped the Guitar Hero ante by adding a full band setup with guitar, drums and a microphone.

Rock Band 2 adds more of the same as the first, with more downloadable content, more songs and new controllers. You can also play all the songs you downloaded from the first game.

The game is already out for Xbox 360 but the PS3 version and new instruments will be released on October 19th. The Wii release date is November 19th.

You’re only choice now is too decide if you want Rock Band 2 or Guitar Hero: World Tour, which is also shaping up to be an excellent game. I really wonder for drummers, if they will ever add a double bass pedal setup to  one of these games. This would a great way to work on your double pedal skills, while having fun playing a game and not making too much noise in the house.

The Smashing Pumpkins will be celebrating their 20th Anniversary with a tour of theaters around the country, where they will play “special set lists”. Billboard reports that “During multiple-night engagements, for which special ticket bundles will be available, the band promises to not repeat any song on the set lists. The first night of such runs is being dubbed “Black Sunshine,” while the second is called “White Crosses.”

So, yea…I don’t really get the reasons why the tours are named that, but Billy Corgan is pretty much insane now. Before the tour, the band will be playing Neil Young’s Bridge School Benefit Concert for the first time since 1999.

I’m not really too interested in the tour, because it’s not a true anniversary since the original members are nowhere to be found. Although if you’re a fan of Chamberlain’s drumming, and don’t mind Iha and D’Arcy being gone, its a good chance to see his drumming skills live.

I know that Chamberlain is a long-time Yamaha drums endorser, but I have seen some photo’s of him playing a pearl drum set. Not exactly sure why, but it is interesting to note. The bands tour dates are as follows…

Nov. 1: Cleveland (Palace Theatre)
Nov. 3-4: Toronto (Massey Hall)
Nov. 6-7: New York (United Palace Theatre)
Nov. 8: Atlantic City, N.J. (Borgata)
Nov. 11-12: Washington, D.C. (DAR Constitution Hall)
Nov. 14-15: Boston (Wang Center)
Nov. 18-19: Chicago (Chicago Theatre)
Nov. 21-22: Chicago (Auditorium Theatre)
Nov. 26: St. Louis (Fox Theatre)
Nov. 30: San Diego (RIMAC Arena)
Dec. 2-3: Los Angeles (Gibson Amphitheatre)

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With a lot of buzz still going strong after the release of the groups new album “Death Magnetic” (which I actually think is pretty good)…It has been announced that the group is being considered for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Billboard reports… “Metallica, Run-D.M.C. and the Stooges lead the list of nine acts up for induction next year into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Five will be chosen in January for enshrinement during an April 4 ceremony at Cleveland’s Public Hall.”

The 2009 ceremony will be the first one open to the public since 1997 and will be held in Cleveland, Ohio the home of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Metallica has made a lot of missteps over the years, specifically “St. Anger” and the snare drum sound that came with it. Regardless, the band is arguably one of the most important metal bands of all time and also one of the most successful. Also, contrary to what most people say about Lars Ulrich’s drumming, he definitely knows his way around a kit and how to perfectly compliment James Hetfield’s rhythm guitar.

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This past weekend a lot happened, the All Tomorrow’s Parties New York festival took place and while Stereogum has great coverage of it, most of it doesn’t feature any drummers. More importantly, I thought I would  report on the Travis Barker, DJ AM plane crash that occured this past weekend as some new details have emerged.

It is now being reported that a blown tire was the cause of the crash, which killed four people and injured and burned drummer Travis Barker and DJ AM. According to Billboard, “Barker and DJ AM remained in critical but stable condition yesterday; one of their doctors said he expected them to fully recover. Two of the musicians’ close friends and the plane’s pilot and co-pilot were killed when it shot off the end of the runway, ripped through a fence and crossed a highway. It came to rest on an embankment a quarter-mile from the end of the runway, engulfed in flames.”

“Barker was burned on his torso and lower body and DJ AM, whose real name is Adam Goldstein, was burned on an arm and a portion of his scalp, according to a statement from the musicians’ families released by the hospital. Such injuries can take a year to fully heal, however Mullins said he didn’t think it would take that long.”

It seems like they will be back to normal in a year or so, but after having been involved in something like this I can only imagine its pretty hard to get over.  Both Barker and DJ AM are very lucky to have survived.

This weekend the All Tomorrow’s Parties Fest begins and lasts until Sunday the 21st. The lineup is pretty outstanding and features, among other things, the first performance by My Bloody Valentine in the US in 16 years!

The full lineup can be viewed at the festival’s official site. A large number of great drummers will be at the festival as there are so many amazing bands playing. Among the band’s I’d love to see are…

OM, Polvo, Shellac, MBV, Low, Tortoise, Bardo Pond, The Meat Puppets, Dinosaur Jr, Mogwai, And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead and Bob Mould.

It’s a shame ATP doesn’t get as much press as other festivals, but then again it is not really on the level of Coachella or others like it. All Tomorrow’s Parties is currently SOLD OUT, so if you really want to go and you didn’t get a ticket, either pawn your drum set off or check out eBay. Wish I was going…

Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl spoke to the BBC regarding the band taking an extended hiatus.

Grohl said ” “We’ve never really taken a long break, I think it’s time,”.

The former Nirvana drummer continued: “After doing Wembley [the band played Wembley Stadium on June 6 and 7] we shouldn’t come back there for 10 years because we’ve played to everybody.

“We’re over in the UK every year, every summer, so I think it’s time to take a break and come back over when people really miss us.”

This is sad news for Foo Fighters fans but at the same time the band’s return will probably be well publicized. It also makes sense for the band to go on hiatus at this point in time, considering Dave Grohl and his wife are raising their first child.

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Most drummers know John Blackwell, you’ve either heard or seen him as Prince’s drummer or you’ve seen his instructional videos. Not only is he an amazing player, who combines the best aspects of rock, R&B, hip-hop and funk, but he is also an expert stick-twirler and showman.

“Hudson Music announces the latest addition to its Master Series of drum instruction DVDs — John Blackwell: Master Series.”

“The three-hour DVD is divided into two main sections. In the first section, Blackwell performs with an all-star band and then explains and demonstrates the drum parts. Not only does the master drummer discuss the way the song and groove evolved along with the specific techniques that are involved in the performance, he demonstrates the patterns at normal and slow speeds to provide students with a deeper, fuller understanding of the parts and their musical context.”

If you haven’t yet checked out Blackwell’s drumming I highly recommend doing so online. If you are impressed by what you see his DVD’s are a worthwhile purchase, or at the very least, early ideas for your Christmas list.

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This morning I came across a great article over at Wired.com about the current stage show on Nine Inch Nails latest tour. It is one of the most high-tech setups that has ever toured, features multiple moving “stealth screens” as well as interactive lights and video the band members can actually control on the fly.

“With the song “Only,” for instance, the front, convex screen starts out as solid static. On Reznor’s side of the display, a laser above him detects whenever he crosses a vertical plane paralleling the screen. On the floor, a piece of tape and two tiny LED lights let him know exactly where that plane is.

As Reznor intersects that plane with his hand or body, the laser tracks his X and Y coordinates. The “brain” box then tells the particles to spread out to a predetermined dispersal pattern. Reznor says: “Then it follows me around. If I leave the plane, it fills back in. If I push through, it comes back out.”

Proving that he is the ultimate professional once again, Josh Freese doesn’t just pound out beats on his DW drums, he is turning off and on a drum grid sequencer. “We recreated a grid drum sequencer,” he says. “[Drummer Josh Freese] is actually touching and turning them on and off. But he’s not really touching the screen. He’s crossing the same laser on the back screen, which gets calibrated at sound check.”

These are just a few aspects of the band’s current stage setup, the article is fairly long and well worth the read.

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