Archive for the ‘News’ Category
Cause of Paul Gray’s death ruled a drug overdose
I’ve already touched on Paul Gray’s death a couple times on this site, so I suppose it makes sense to wrap things up by letting you know that the medical examiners have officially ruled his cause of death as an accidental morphine/fentanyl overdose. He did not have a prescription for the drugs.
According to the report, “Fentanyl is a synthetic form of morphine that may be hundreds of times more potent than morphine, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. . .Its effects are indistinguishable from the effects of heroin.”
You’ll remember that at the time of his death, he was found in his hotel room surrounded by needles and pills, so this finding isn’t exactly a surprise. It’s just another sad case of a someone letting their addiction get the best of them.
Tool don’t give a damn how long they make us wait between albums.
But at least we know they are currently at work on a new one. When can we expect it to hit shelves? “When it’s ready,” Maynard James Keenan told Rolling Stone.
But the enigmatic frontman said those who go see the band in concert this summer (dates here) may get to hear them test out new material – provided the band is ready, of course. “If it comes together, yeah, you’ll hear some new stuff. If it’s not ready, you won’t.” Reasonable enough, I suppose.
Keenan also said that A Perfect Circle, a supergroup of sorts that includes Keenan, Billy Howerdel, and Josh Freese and has in the past included James Iha, Jeordie White, and Danny Lohner, is working on its fourth album. No word on when that might see the light of day, but it’s good news nonetheless.
-Sam
If you’ve got web skillz, you might want to start lining up your resume, because I’m thinking there might be an opening soon over at Monkeywrench Records’ website.
MW Records, you see, is the label that Pearl Jam created after they broke free from their major label contract. It’s the label they released their last album, Backspacer, on. Until today, the site had just been a logo with no other content. But today, according to Antiquiet, somebody by the name of Pete posted a new PJ song called “Better Days” on the label’s website with the following note: “Gary, Kelly wanted you to hear this please give it a listen.” Pearl Jam is managed by Kelly Curtis.
Well, as you can imagine, not long after the leak, the site went under lock and key, and it now requires a password to access. So yeah, this definitely wasn’t planned. And Pete might want to get familiar with the unemployment line.
You can stream “Better Days” at Antiquiet. It sounds to me a lot like Eddie Vedder’s solo work on Into The Wild, but some PJ fans are claiming it’s a B-side from 2003’s Riot Act. Of course, there’s also the slim chance it’s a song from an upcoming album. Fingers crossed.
-Sam
It was undoubtedly sad news when Slipknot bassist Paul Gray was found dead in his hotel room earlier this week. The police reported that no foul play was involved, but that didn’t erase the question of whether there were harmful substances in his body.
It sucks that that is the first thing that pops into people’s heads when they hear that a rock star has died before their time, but it seems like more often than not, it turns out to be true.
While the official toxicology reports have not yet been released, TMZ reported that the hotel worker, who found Gray dead in his room, told the 911 operator that he saw hypodermic needles and a bottle of pills in the room as well.
So nothing’s official yet; but when you put two and two together (not to mention the fact that he has been arrested in the past for possession of cocaine and needles) the picture is decidedly grim.
-Sam
Reports are surfacing that Slipknot bassist Paul “The Pig” Gray has died. He was found in an Iowa hotel room early Monday morning. He was 38.
I think I speak for all fans of the band when I say he will be sorely missed. Those in the know will be aware of Gray’s importance to the band, not just as a bassist but as a constant presence and key songwriting component.
I for one will be blasting out some Slipknot classics and downing a beer or two tonight. RIP #2
2010 has already seen a good deal of solid albums be released, and it doesn’t look like the output will be slowing down anytime soon. Here’s a roundup of some the most promising albums set to hit shelves later this year (or early next year):
* Kings of Leon are in the studio working on their fifth album. Their last album shot them into the stratosphere as far as fame and popularity are concerned, so it will be interesting to see how they follow that up. Initial word is that the guys are “exploring their progressive side” on the new disc.
* M.I.A.’s new album has received a title but had its release date pushed back. It will be called / \ / \ / \ Y / \ (aka “Maya”) and will be released on July 13 rather than the original June 29 date.
Heavy metal lost one of its bedrocks today.
Ronnie James Dio passed away this morning from stomach cancer. He had been diagnosed with the disease just six months ago. His wife Wendy posted the following message on Dio’s website:
Today my heart is broken, Ronnie passed away at 7:45am 16th May. Many, many friends and family were able to say their private good-byes before he peacefully passed away. Ronnie knew how much he was loved by all. We so appreciate the love and support that you have all given us. Please give us a few days of privacy to deal with this terrible loss. Please know he loved you all and his music will live on forever.
- Wendy Dio
He was 67 years old.
For anyone unfamiliar with Dio’s work, he was the singer in Black Sabbath from 1979-1982 (and several stints thereafter). He then embarked on a solo career that lasted until his death. To me, he’ll always be known for imbuing a special majesty in metal vocals, and, of course, with popularizing the devil’s horns symbol.
Catch some great footage of him after the jump:
2Cents recently began touring with Korn as part of the Jagermeister Spring Music Tour. The band will be touring in support of their latest hard-hitting release, Dress to Kill – which was released April 20th. The album manages to capture intensity and melody together, in one badass approach. Oh yeah, I just definitely described it like that. For some proof, check out some of the standout singles such as, “Get What?” and “Now You Know.”
“Get What?” is currently moving up the charts; currently sitting on the Mediabase Active Rock chart at #25. We’re noticing the track more and more on the radio, too, so that number should only move closer to #1 in the coming weeks with the tour with Korn.
The folks at antimusic.com got the inside scoop on “Get What?” – here is frontman Adam O’Rourke’s tale on the track after the jump. continue reading
Pearl Jam has just released it’s own radio station via it’s website. It’ll be a constant stream of live, rare and studio tracks. And if you’re digging the tune, hit the buy button and it is yours. The band has been together for over two decades pushing out mass amounts of music, so this station will keep you rocking all day long. Ok, that was just lame to say. Regardless, head on over to Pearl Jam’s site to check out the station.
The band will also make pro-mixed recordings from its current tour available starting in mid-May as part of its 2010 Bootleg Programme. That means MP3, FLAC and CD formats, starting at $9.99 for the former. FLAC? I just went from six to midnight (thank you, Jonah Hill, for that epic quote from Forgetting Sarah Marshall (cannot believe I just said epic)).
Lala is getting set to close its’ doors at the end of the month. Lala, the music streaming and online music retail site, was purchased by Apple a few months back. The service published a shut down notice on its front page last week.
Lala users will be sad, I’m sure, but rumors are circulating about the possibilty of iTunes to fill the void Lala is leaving behind. It iTunes announcement could come as soon as next month during the company’s Worldwide Developer Conference in San Francisco. Apple typically uses this venue to make major announcements.