Category — News

In a joint effort with the ‘Iraq Veterans Against the War and Tent State University’ Rage Against The Machine will be playing a free show at the Denver Coliseum on August 27th during the Democratic National Convention. According to Billboard.com…

“The performance is part of the Tent State Music Festival to End the War, and will alsp feature Flobots, the Coup, State Radio and Wayne Kramer.

Tickets will be given away for free by lottery. Fans can sign up by presenting a photo ID at Cuernavaca Park at the university’s campus starting Aug. 24 through Aug. 26 from 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. The all-ages event is set to begin at 11 a.m. Rage has also scheduled a performance for Sept. 3 in Minneapolis, during the same week the Republican National Convention is rolling into town”

The band itself has not given any interviews or issued any statements regarding either shows at this point. I personally think the free show idea is a great way to promote the cause and a great way for the bands fans to get involved. These shows are also significant because they mark two of the bands only true headline concerts that are not huge festivals. Could this be a sign that the band may go into the studio? It’s possible, and I would definitely like to hear some new Rage and new Brad Wilk drum beats.

I have been trying to find out the specifics of the drum kit Brad Wilk is currently playing on tour with Rage but all I can find is information on his 1992-2000 Rage kit and his Audioslave kit which was a Gretsch with Paiste Cymbals. I assume this is his most recent setup. If anyone knows more about, please let me know.

Rage Against The Machine have announced a headline show at The Target Center in Minneapolis, MN on September 3rd. This is noteworthy because the band hasn’t played any solo headlining shows besides festivals and because its during the same time period as The Republican National Convention, happening in the same city from September 1st - 4th.

There is some controversy being brought up over this, with some saying that the band is looking for a conflict. Whatever the case may be, and regardless of what i think of this band at this point in time, I’ve heard they are still good live. Brad Wilk is an amazing drummer, he’s definitely a master of just straight-up 4/4 grooves. Hopefully nothing too insane happens on September 3rd.

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A lot of festivals are happening this summer, and arguably one of the biggest besides Bonnaroo and Coachella is Chicago’s Lollapalooza. The festival was a traveling one in the 90’s which was again ressurected in 2003 with corporate sponsors. This year marked the festivals first sell-out since its residency in Chicago. The festival featured many performers this year and the two big headliners were Nine Inch Nails (w/Josh Freese) and Kanye West.

“Across the field, the setting sun turned the sky pink and gray as Nine Inch Nails pounded out the opening bars of “March of the Pigs” through a haze of smoke. Gripping the microphone tight in an all-black outfit, frontman Trent Reznor growled through “1,000,000,” from the new album “The Slip,” which was given away as a free download this spring.”

“Let’s f*cking do this,” he exclaimed prior to the mega-hit “Closer,” one of several highlights in a set that also included “Hurt” and “In This Twilight,” which was lit by strobes. The whole experience felt like the polar opposite of the laid-back set presented by Wilco on the same stage last night.”

Sounds like a great show, I might try to catch the band here in LA at the Forum in October.

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Ludwig drums have announced new centennial maple drums, which are the first product being linked to the company’s 100th anniversary in 2009.

“The Ludwig Centennial Series fuses the need for reliable gear with the desire for perfect drum tone in one exceptional package. Expandable to fit the needs of any playing style, Centennial Series Drums are Ludwig’s answer to the battle-cry of the mobile percussionist.”

“The Centennial Series Drums start with 6-ply (toms and floor toms) and 8-ply (snare and bass drums) North American Maple shells. Augmented with Ludwig’s new Classic Micro-Lug, Vibra-band mounting system on toms, and 2.3mm drum hoops, Centennial Series presents the road-worthy player with new ways to expand their spectrum of tone. Centennial’s three “Core” shell packs each come standard with a bass drum (20″, 22″, or 24″, each with a 20″ depth for added low and punch), a 12″ rack tom, 16″ floor tom, and snare drum.”

The kit (pictured above), looks absolutely beautiful to play and I’m curious to see what the reviews will be like. I’ve personally always loved Ludwig’s, as a 1967 Ludwig Blue Sparkle kit (with Supraphonic Snare) was the first I ever played on.

For more information go here.

The Steve Albini fronted Shellac have tour dates now booked. It’s a rare occassion that the band tours and when I first noticed the dates I thought “great I can finally see them live!” but as usual most of the dates are out of the US or not close enough.

Shellac Tour Dates:

09-15 Pontiac, MI - Crofoot *
09-16 Toronto, Ontario - Horseshoe *
09-17 Montreal, Quebec - La Sala Rossa *!
09-18 Montreal, Quebec - La Sala Rossa
09-21 Catskills, NY - ATP New York
10-27 Galway, Ireland - Roisin Dubh
10-28 Dublin, Ireland - Button Factory
10-31 London, England - Forum (Release the Bats ATP)
11-02 Glasgow, Scotland - ABC

* with Chris Brokaw
! with A Place to Bury Strangers

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Chad Smith, the well-known drummer of The Red Hot Chili Peppers has just released an instructional drum DVD. The DVD is entitled “Chad Smith: Eastern Rim” and features performance footage, drum clinics, touring diaries and interviews with Chad Smith himself.

“Drum Clinics: Chad demonstrates his power and skill in clinics filmed in Australia and Japan. These clinics offer multi-camera angles (including overhead and foot-cam!) and show Chad playing with original recordings from Stadium Arcadium”

“Performances: In addition to rare, behind-the-scenes views of a Red Hot Chili Peppers concert, this DVD captures an explosive 30-minute improv live from Federation Square in Melbourne.”

This is a must-have for any Chad Smith or Red Hot Chili Peppers fans. For more information and a trailer go here.

Due to popular demand, Gretsch has released a series of Purewood Rosewood snare drums.

“Three new Rosewood snares have been added to Gretsch’s Full Range Snare lineup. Each 9-ply, 100% Rosewood snare drum features 30-degree bearing edges, die cast hoops, 10-lugs (20-lugs on 8 x 14) and 20-strand snares. Adjustable throw-off and Evans G1 batter side with Evans clear snare side heads included.”

These are serious snares, very high quality. So if you’re planning on buying one check out the prices first…

S-514-RW 5.5 x 14 Renown Purewood Rosewood Snare Drum $770
S-6514-RW 6.5 x 14 Renown Purewood Rosewood Snare Drum $845
S-8014-RW 8 x 14 Renown Purewood Rosewood Snare Drum $925

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Zildjian Cymbals has announced that it will produce the first ever run of all-black cymbals in its 385 year history.

“Pitch Black™” cymbals are available in a full range of sizes and models and are designed specifically for Rock and Metal applications. The series features eight models including a 22-inch Ride, 20-inch Crash Ride, 18 and 16-inch Crashes, 13-inch Splash, 15-inch Mastersound HiHats, 14-inch HiHats and an 18-inch China.”

“Utilizing a proprietary coating process, all Pitch Black™ cymbals are made from Zildjian’s high performance Bronze 12 Alloy which features enhanced tin content for a richer sound. The coating process allows the cymbals to be durable and visually striking while still opening up as a cymbal should. Heavier weights and large sizes combined with new profiles, cups, lathing and hammering techniques help to deliver the brightness and presence required for Rock and Metal applications.”

I don’t know much about the sound of these yet, but they look very cool. I am pretty sure purists will still want traditional cymbals, esp considering how expensive they are, although this is a great choice of a cymbal for the player who wants a different visual aesthetic for their drum kit while still having great sound.

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Europe’s annual Download Festival is hitting 2 US cities this weekend. The lineup seems to feature a few older reunited bands such a The Jesus and Mary Chain and Gang of Four, as well as a lot of newer acts.

The Download Festival on Saturday (7/19) happens in the San Francisco area at the Shoreline Amphitheatre. The Sunday (7/20) version will be occurring at Gibson Amphitheatre in Los Angeles, with another version of the festival occurring in Camden, NJ on August 2nd.

This is an interesting way of planning a festival as most occur for 2 or 3 days in the same location. For the full festival lineup and more information go to downloadfestival.com

In case any drummers out there missed it, legendary progressive rock band Rush made their first TV appearance in 33 years on The Colbert Report last night.

When it was announced, some (such as Stereogum), joked about the fact that Neil Peart’s drum kit might not fit in Colbert’s studio, surprisingly it did. The band played their hit “Tom Sawyer” and were interviewed. Stephen Colbert even jokingly asked Neil Peart “how many drums do you have there?” with Neil responding “enough”. It seems like the band must really appreciate Colbert’s show and/or humor to choose his show to break their 33 year TV absence.

Check out awesome footage of Neil Peart’s kit and more importantly awesome footage of the band playing Tom Sawyer on television…

Rush on The Colbert Report.