Category — News

It appears that a Guns N’ Roses “Chinese Democracy” album track will be debuted on the video game Rock Band 2.

“It seems “Shackler’s Revenge”, an apparent Democracy cut that wasn’t among those that leaked a little while back, will come scrolling down the screen this in September as part of the soundtrack to the video game/productivity leech Rock Band 2.”

“According to an unconfirmed tracklist that leaked last week, Rock Band 2 might also contain songs from Bob Dylan, Elvis Costello, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Nirvana, Modest Mouse, the Clash, the Ramones, R.E.M., Nine Inch Nails, and many more.”

Guns N’ Roses choice of debuting a song on Rock Band 2 is a little weird, but also is smart as people may not have that much interest otherwise. Another thing, I can see playing songs by some of the artists mentioned would be kind of hard on the current Rock Band “drum set”, let’s hope they change that this next time around…

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Zildjian Cymbals, have added Rezo crash cymabls to their A Custom Cymbal Series.

“A Custom ReZo Crashes are now available in 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 and 20-inch sizes, all featuring medium-thin weights, a new bell size and a new Brilliant/Traditional Finish combination.”

The A Custom ReZo Crashes feature a spectacular new look that displays alternating bands of spiral and full lathing techniques while using both Traditional and Brilliant finishes. The traditionally lathed area of each Crash helps to offer an aggressive array of bright overtones that blends perfectly with the instantaneous response achieved by the Brilliant finished sections of each cymbal. In addition, a brand new bell design for these Crashes was created to attain exceptional projection. The total design of these versatile new instruments produces a Crash effect that is high-pitched, musical and truly unique within the acclaimed A Custom range of cymbals.”

It would also be perfect for someone not looking for an overly dark crash cymbal, but still one with a shimmer and consistency to it. These cymbals seem like they will sound amazing, although an MSRP price has yet to be stated. Since they are part of Zildjian Cymbals Custom A line, start putting aside some money now.

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Beck has released a music video for the track “Gamma Ray” from his new album “Modern Guilt.”

I mentioned Beck’s new material here a few weeks ago because the drumming on what I had heard was great. While not typically thought of as a drum-associated artist, the drums sounded full, solid and vintage 60’s. Another reason I was really digging some of Beck’s new material is because of the late 60’s early 70’s psychedelic production and drum sounds. Recently I’ve been trying to find obscure records from this era.

I’m eventually going to listen to the album on vinyl, and will give some more impressions on the drumming here. Until then, check out the surreal video…

Beck “Gammy Ray” Music Video

The Smashing Pumpkins are gearing up for a series of small shows in August in honor of their 20th anniversary.

“According to the group’s Web site, the Pumpkins will visit “mostly smaller-sized venues” during an August run featuring “unique sets and songs.”

So far the only date announced is Aug. 9 at the Venue in Hammond, Ind. The band will also gear up in November for larger shows in Los Angeles, New York and Chicago.

If you want to catch drummer Jimmy Chamberlain and his awesome drum kit, live and up-close you’ll want to start plotting a way to get tickets to those smaller shows.

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Sub Pop Records 20th anniversary celebration is happening soon in Seattle, WA where a whole slew of new and old Sub Pop bands will perform.

Pitchfork Media, have a great piece on the label which includes a pretty in-depth interview with founders Jonathon Poneman and Bruce Pavitt. In it, the two discuss the formation of the label from a little-known zine, early bands such as Soundgarden and Nirvana and the insane direction the label took after the success of Nevermind. This includes discussion of Nirvana’s first album “Bleach” which as many people know, did not feature Dave Grohl, but drummer Chad Channing.

“BP: Bleach is almost double platinum, yeah. And it cost $600 to record, so…I would venture that, just from a business point of view, the return on investment from Bleach might make it the most profitable record in the history of the world. $600 for two million in sales, that’s pretty unusual.”

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Rage Against The Machine frontman Zach De La Rocha is part of a new band/project with Jon Theodore, previously of The Mars Volta.

The band is called One Day As A Lion and is described as “a sonic reflection of the visceral tension between a picturesque fabricated cultural landscape, and the brutal socioeconomic realities it attempts to mask,”

Supposedly the record is an “exploration of kick and snare” which sounds really interesting. If this record turns out to be what I’m imagining (basically De La Rocha rapping over live drums with minimal instrumentation), this could be amazing.

Jon Theodore is a great drummer, as proven by his previous work in The Mars Volta. And I personally think this is cooler than getting a new Rage album. It comes out on July 22nd.

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Stereogum has a great article up about the possibility of a new Phish reunion. Better yet, they have a quite long editorial (rant), about the parallels between Metallica and Phish. You’re probably saying “wait a minute that does not make any sense at all…” and while you’re pretty much right, it’s kinda good.

“for Metallica it was a shredding Hammett, endless riffs, an eschewing of mainstream-rock song structures, and juvenile lyrics about death; for Phish it was a shredding Anastasio, endless arpeggios, an eschewing mainstream-rock song structures, and juvenile lyrics about nonsense.”

While the writer readily admits that the comparison fails on so many levels (and it definitely does), it is still worth a read just because it’s amusing.

Check it out.

I came across a piece a little while ago about Obama and what he has on his iPod. Here’s a sampling…

• The Rolling Stones (favorite song: “Gimme Shelter”)
• Stevie Wonder (Barack’s musical hero)
• Earth Wind & Fire
• Elton John
• Miles Davis
• John Coltrane
• Charlie Parker
• Bob Dylan (30 songs, including Blood On The Tracks)
• Bruce Springsteen

So we can see that the guy has taste, and kind of “drummer-taste” at that! He’s got Coltrane, Charlie Parker and Miles Davis on his iPod, among other cool stuff with excellent drumming!

“His favorite tune right now is Dylan’s “Maggie’s Farm,” which works out because Dylan’s favorite presidential candidate right now is him. Says Obama: “I’ve got to say, having both Dylan and Bruce Springsteen say kind words about you is pretty remarkable. Those guys are icons.” He likes hip hop too, with some qualification:

“I am troubled sometimes by the misogyny and materialism of a lot of rap lyrics,” he said, “but I think the genius of the art form has shifted the culture and helped to desegregate music.”

Smart guy.

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Pearl Drums is introducing a new drum kit, with new maple shells.

“Our Masters Series MCX 6-ply Maple shell has set the standard for great sound and craftsmanship for years and can be heard on countless recordings by the world’s most legendary drummers.”

“NEW for 2008, MCX 4-piece shell packs can be purchased at an average street price of just $1,500 dollars ($2,499.00 List) in your choice of 5 NEW configurations.”

“The heart and soul of MCX is the 6-ply 7.5mm shell, made from hand-selected choice Maple using our Superior Shell Technology. This offers the smooth round tone you would expect from Maple with even highs and mid range frequencies, coupled with pronounced low-end punch. The 7.5mm shell thickness provides a super wide tuning range; increased resonance and projection all of which allows your sound to be felt as much as heard.”

This drum set looks like a great intermediary step between Pearl’s lower budget models and their higher-end professional kits.  It is great that matching Pearl MCX snare drums are available as well. The tuning range of this kit is also a major plus, in my opinion, for drummers who like to experiment and/or tune to specific pitches.

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Coldplay is sponsoring a contest where you can enter for a chance to open select dates on their upcoming tour.  Yes, you would be the opening act for Coldplay if you won.

The contest is only for select cities, these being the bands Chicago, San Jose, DC, Boston and Hartford dates. Whether or not you are a single songwriter or a full band, you are eligible. The way it works is that, you must submit a YouTube video of yourself to the radio station-sponsored section of coldplayontour.com.

Winners will be selected and notified and will also join the likes of the other opening acts on the tour Shearwater and Santogold. Even if you or your band aren’t fans of Coldplay (I, myself am not), it’s a chance for amazing exposure.