Los Angeles-based rock band, Redlight King, will release their new single, "In Our Blood", on Friday, May 6.





Pre-save the single here, and watch a teaser for the official music video, below:

ILL NIÑO has released a new single, "This Is Over". The track is taken from the band's upcoming album, "IllMortals", which is due on June 10 via Break Silence Music (BSM),which is distributed through ONE-RPM.

ILL NIÑO vocalist Marcos Leal states: "'This Is Over' conveys a message of taking control of the outside negativity that can consume your everyday life. From the darkest forms of harassment and violations of privacy from others, to the worst self-doubts and anxiety within ourselves, we all fall victim to this in one way or another, but the anger and aggression you hear in these lyrics and music is my own form of therapy, my own way of taking charge and my own way of saying enough is enough, 'This Is Over'! I urge you to take control and face the negativity in your life, and find your own way of therapy."

ILL NIÑO is gearing up to perform many high-profile festivals in the U.S. like Welcome To Rockville and Louder Than Life, and prestigious European festivals like Germany's Wacken Open Air, France's Hellfest, U.K.'s Bloodstock Open Air and many more. The band's current lineup includes the return of former SOULFLY guitarist Marc Rizzo who rejoined ILL NIÑO last fall.

Rizzo was originally a member of the New Jersey Latin metal favorites two decades ago, appearing on their classic 2001 Roadrunner release "Revolution Revolucion" and the 2003 follow-up "Confession".

Rizzo says: "It is great to be back in this new version of ILL NIÑO! The new music and new vocals are the best I've ever heard since the beginning of this band, and I'm proud to be a part of it! Fans are definitely getting their concert ticket's worth with this his new lineup!!"

Rizzo came back to ILL NIÑO as the replacement for Jes DeHoyos (SONS OF TEXAS),who left the band last year to focus on his family life. Rounding out ILL NIÑO's current lineup are bassist Laz Pina, drummer Dave Chavarri, rhythm guitarist Sal Dominguez (UPON A BURNING BODY) and percussionist Daniel Couto.

"IllMortals" will feature guest appearances by Sonny Sandoval (P.O.D.),Benji Webbe (SKINDRED),Max Georgiev (FALLING IN REVERSE) and AJ Channer (FIRE FROM THE GODS).

ILL NIÑO's new LP will mark the band's first release since the departure of vocalist Cristian Machado, lead guitarist Ahrue "Luster" Ilustre and rhythm guitarist Diego Verduzco. Machado, Ilustre and Verduzco, along with Chavarri and Pina, announced in March 2020 that they had "reached a mutual, amicable and binding agreement" that will allow Chavarri and Pina to continue with ILL NIÑO while Machado, Verduzco and Ilustre move on with new projects.

Joan Jett has fired back at Ted Nugent over his recent criticism of Rolling Stone magazine for including Jett on its list of "100 Greatest Guitarists".

In December, the 73-year-old rocker, whose recent time in the spotlight has been more for his political views than his music, railed against Jett's appearance on the list during his YouTube livestream. He said: "How do you list the top 100 guitar players and not list Derek St. Holmes? How do you do that? You do that by lying. The same way you get Grandmaster Flash in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. You do that by lying. You have to be a liar. You have to have shit for brains and you have to be a soulless, soulless prick to put Joan Jett… [I] love Joan. Some of my greatest memories include lesbians. I love the lesbians; it's a cocktail of wonderment. [I] love Joan Jett — 'put another dime in the jukebox, baby'; great rock and roller — but as a top 100 guitar player, but you don't list Rickey Medlocke [LYNYRD SKYNYRD] or Dave Amato [REO SPEEDWAGON]. Really? Or Dick Wagner? Dick Wagner and THE FROST from Detroit. Or Mark Farner? Mark Farner from GRAND FUNK RAILROAD. Joan Jett is on the list but not Mark Farner? Grandmaster Flash is in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame but not GRAND FUNK RAILROAD? [Laughs]

"By the way, if Grandmaster Flash is in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame and Joan Jett is on the list of top 100 guitar players, then I'm Caitlyn Jenner's boy toy," he concluded.

After Nugent was widely criticized for singling out Jett as someone who didn't deserve to be on the Rolling Stone list, he doubled down on his comments during an interview with Dave Spuria of The Real Music Observer. Addressing the negative feedback he received for his remarks, he said: "I started off by praising Joan Jett's genuine shitkicker, down-to-earth, all-American rock and roll credentials. I started off by praising her. I even saluted the lesbian thing.

"Here's the question: how on God's good green earth could someone listen to what I say and then claim it's about hate and about knocking and belittling? Joan's awesome. I mean, THE RUNAWAYS. Her whole, 'Put another dime in the jukebox, baby.' I mean, she's the real rock and roll McCoy. But belonging on the 'top 100 guitar player' list anywhere on planet earth, even 'Boring' Stone before genuine virtuosos of the six-string? That was my statement. I was only using Joan as an example because she happens to be a perfect one."

Addressing Spuria directly, Nugent continued: "I think I can tell that you are a real music lover — you love spirit and soul, defiance, middle fingers on fire, genuine musical authority, all that combination that represents that dynamic and majestic soundtrack to our lives, our American Dream, and if there is a German or a Spanish Dream, I hope they get a soundtrack as well. But Joan Jett represents that. But on the top 100 guitar players list, before Tommy Shaw [STYX], before Rickey Medlocke and before Derek St. Holmes — I can go on with a hundred examples… I was only using that beautiful young lady as an example, and people literally went berserk trying to twist it into hate.

"There was no hate," Ted added. "I don't have any hate. I had my hate amputated when I was five years old. No hate — all love and compassion and honesty. That's what drives people crazy: my honesty."

Jett addressed Nugent's comments in a brand new interview with NME. After the reporter brought up the fact that Ted insisted that Joan didn't deserve to be on the list, she countered: "Neither should he. Is that his implication, that he should be on the list instead of me? Well, that's just typical — it's what I've dealt with my whole life, being written off. Ted Nugent has to live with being Ted Nugent. He has to be in that body, so that's punishment enough."

After a brief pause, she added: "He's not a tough guy. He plays tough guy, but this is the guy who shit his pants — literally — so he didn't have to go in the Army." She then summoned her longtime manager Kenny Laguna to "help," imploring Laguna to relay the full tale of Nugent's supposed Vietnam War draft-dodging tactic (which the alleged pant-shitter himself shared with High Times magazine in 1977 and later retracted).

"So this," Jett concluded, "is the tough guy who's running around America, stirring things up against each other."

Nugent's December 2021 comments weren't the first time he had been critical of Rolling Stone editor David Fricke's choices for "100 Greatest Guitarists". Four years ago, he said that he hasn't gotten the recognition that he deserves as a guitar player, explaining: "This isn't ego. I have an ego, because I have self-esteem, because I put my heart and soul into being the best that I can be. If you run a race and your chest breaks the ribbon and you've won the race, I think you can look in the camera and go, 'Man, I'm fast. Man, I ran good.' I think that should be celebrated. Excellence should always be celebrated. But remember, those people in the musical [sic] industry who make those decisions about who's best and who is in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, they hate me because I'm against dope. And I am against dope. I don't think it's good. I don't want my sons and daughters, I don't want my grandkids, I don't want my pilots, I don't want my band, I don't want my crew stoned. I don't want them comfortably numb. I don't wanna have to wake 'em up three times to get to the gig. I don't wanna have to remind 'em how the song goes. I've had this all my life. And these people in charge of deciding this, they don't like me because I'm on the board of directors with the highest votes for 25 years on the National Rifle Association. They somehow blame inanimate tools on crime."

He continued: "I know that Jimi Hendrix was a god, and Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley and Joe Perry and Joe Bonamassa and Rickey Medlocke and Billy Gibbons and Eddie Van Halen and Stevie Ray Vaughan. Of course they're the best. Steve Vai. Joe Satriani. Hell, Vic [Johnson] in Sammy Hagar's band is an unbelievable guitar player. Derek St. Holmes is an unbelievable guitar player. Brad Whitford… I could go on and on and on — unlimited. But to think that I don't qualify in the top one hundred of guitar players in America is just a stupid lie. Case closed."

Nugent's new studio album, "Detroit Muscle", was released on April 29 via Pavement Music.

SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY & THE CONSPIRATORS will release "Live At Studios 60", their first-ever double live LP, for Record Store Day on June 18. The effort contains a performance of the band's acclaimed new album "4", plus four additional songs from the group.

Recorded live in Los Angeles at Studios 60, the "Live At Studios 60" double LP exclusive Record Store Day release is limited to only 2,250 copies.

The full concert features all the songs from "4", which was released on February 11 via Gibson Records in partnership with BMG. Additional performances of the group's Top 5 rock radio hits, including "You're A Lie", "World On Fire", "Anastasia" and "Driving Rain" are also included in the double vinyl package.

"4" is Slash's fifth solo album and fourth overall with his band featuring Myles Kennedy (vocals),Brent Fitz (drums),Todd Kerns (bass, vocals) and Frank Sidoris (guitar, vocals).

For "4", Slash and the band traveled across the country together to Nashville, Tennessee and recorded the new album at the historic RCA Studio A with producer Dave Cobb (Chris Stapleton, John Prine, Jason Isbell, Brandi Carlile),revealing a stunning new sound and style all captured live in the studio. Cobb shared the band's desire to lay down the tracks live, in the studio including guitar solos and vocals — a first for the group.

"Live At Studios 60" track listing:

Side A

01. Actions Speak Louder Than Words
02. Whatever Gets You By
03. C'est La Vie
04. The Path Less Followed

Side B

01. The River Is Rising
02. Spirit Love
03. Fill My World
04. April Fools

Side C

01. Call Off The Dogs
02. Fall Back To Earth
03. Driving Rain

Side D

01. You're A Lie
02. World On Fire
03. Anastasia

SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY AND THE CONSPIRATORS kicked off a North American headlining tour on February 8, in Portland, Oregon and hit 28 major cities, including Los Angeles, New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, Denver, Nashville, Dallas, Austin, Houston, and more, before wrapping up March 26 in Orlando, Florida.

Nightwish vocalist Floor Jansen has shared another cover song from her growing catalogue of solo performances. Check it out below.


Floor: "'Unikat' from SDP (Stone Deaf Production) reimagined by me for Sing Meinen Song (@VOX). This is the official audio video. The video version can be seen at VOX or RTL+ in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria.


Du bist ein Unikat, you are one of a kind. Thank you Vincent, Dag-Alexis for this amazing song and for the biggest compliments. Hope you all feel this song as much as we did. You're unique, you're just the way you are."










 


Jansen released her first ever original solo track, "Fire", on March 25th. The live performance of "Fire" below took place at  HLF8 on Dutch television. Backing Jansen up are Ivo Maarhuis (drums), Joost van den Broek (keyboards), Levy Simon (guitar) and Jelle Stokhof (bass)


 


 





 


 

Puck Hcky, the hockey-based fashion brand, has released a new collection of gear with BLACK SABBATH.

Matt Marini, CEO of Puck Hcky, says: "WOW! We here at Puck Hcky cannot be more proud, honored and excited to release this collaboration with the legendary BLACK SABBATH. The impact BLACK SABBATH has had (and continues to have!) on the music world cannot be understated, and all of us at Puck Hcky fully realize just how special it is to be able to drop this collection! We hope that the legions of BLACK SABBATH fans around the world find this collection truly special and enjoy wearing it as much as we do! Again...all we can say is WOW!"

The Black Sabbath x Puck Hcky collection features pro-quality crested jerseys, hockey pucks, hoodies, flannels, joggers, shorts, hats, raglans and tees.

The collection is available at www.puckhcky.com.

Based in Royal Oak, Michigan, about 10 minutes north of Detroit, Puck Hcky started in 2015 when Marini decided that the hockey world needed a "cool" fashion brand and his partner, Puck Hcky president Amy Steffek, pushed to "go for it." "So we jumped in, and Puck Hcky was born," Marini told California Rubber. "We are having an absolute blast with the brand and growing day by day. We have an amazing crew here, too. Everyone is totally focused on making Puck Hcky the go-to hockey-fashion brand for the masses."

Regarding Puck Hcky's artist collaborations, Marini said: "What makes all of the collaborations special is that we truly get each partner to participate in the creation of the designs, which brings a certain level of authenticity to the end-products. We refuse to put any product out for sale until they are 100 percent approved by each partner we work with. It's awesome."

DOWN guitarist Kirk Windstein spoke to Pierre Gutiérrez of Rock Talks about the status of the band's long-discussed EP of "obscure" cover songs. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We have been talking about this for a long time. What's been happening is DOWN is kind of now as it started, which was a side project. We love doing it and it's a ton of fun and we love it — we love the band; it's an amazing band — but everybody's back to doing their other bands. Pepper's [Keenan, guitar] doing C.O.C. full-time, Jimmy's [Bower, drums] doing EYEHATEGOD, I'm doing CROWBAR, Phil's [Anselmo, vocals] got a lot on his hands and a lot of projects, as he always did and always will.

"I would love to knock out this cover-song EP," he continued. "We really haven't, to my knowledge, agreed upon the songs a hundred percent yet. Right now we're more concerned with just being properly rehearsed for the shows that we have coming up at the end of May. And we have three festivals in Europe at the end of June that we need to be prepared for as well. So we're kind of concentrating on that, and maybe after that we'll see where we're at with the cover-song EP."

Asked by Gutiérrez if the members of DOWN have already picked a few songs to cover on the upcoming EP, Windstein said: "We have a few that I think we all agree on, but in the end it's really Phil's choice. The other guys, and Phil as well, have texted each other back and forth and e-mailed each other a million different songs that we think would be good. To me, we need to just sit down and have an actual meeting and say, 'All right, guys. What songs are we gonna do? And let's learn 'em. And make 'em sound like DOWN.' We don't wanna be a cover-song band like you have on a cruise ship or something; we want to redo these songs in a DOWN style. And no disrespect to cover-song bands on a cruise ship or anywhere else… But seriously, we just need to agree on the songs and get down to work with it.

"Life starts to take over as you get older," Kirk added, explaining the delay in recording the new DOWN EP. "We have children, and some of us are married… Life starts to take over where it's difficult with everyone's schedule, like, 'Okay, when can we all get together?' Because this one's got this family function going on and this one's got this family function going on. As you get older, it does make it a little more difficult. But we just need to get in a room and talk and figure it out. And I can't wait to do that; I think it's gonna be great."

Pressed about which tracks have already been agreed upon for inclusion on the DOWN covers EP, Kirk said: "I'd rather not [discuss that in interviews yet] because there's only maybe one or two that are really set in stone. Some of it's some obscure stuff, so I would rather… When we have one hundred percent agreement on all the guys as to what we're gonna do, then maybe in interviews we'll talk about it."

When Gutiérrez mentioned that it would be cool to hear DOWN cover a KISS song, Windstein said: "Pepper threw one out that I love, so you never know. Once again, it's really up to Phil in the end, what he feels is great for his voice and what KISS song, if we did, would we do. I mean, we have one in mind, but can we make it sound like DOWN? Maybe so. It's gotta sound like we wrote it; it's gotta sound like us."

As for the possibility of a new full-length album of original material from DOWN, Kirk said: "That's another thing that needs to be discussed at some point. To me, it would almost be easier to just everybody write riffs and get together than try to decide on which cover songs to do. I'm sure that we'll get around to it at some point. We're not getting any younger and it's something that we enjoy and I think that the fans would love it as well. So I'm sure at some point we'll get around to it."

Joining Windstein in DOWN's current lineup are Anselmo, Keenan, Bower and bassist Pat Bruders.

Last August, DOWN took part in a very special in-person live and virtual experience. "NOLA Town Throwdown" was held at the Fillmore in New Orleans, Louisiana and featured fans attending the show in person as well as watching it in real time from the comfort of their living room.

In August 2020, DOWN celebrated the 25th anniversary of "NOLA" with a special livestreamed event. Dubbed "The Quarter Century Throwdown", the high-production, multi-camera event took place using cutting-edge streaming technology to create a one-of-a-kind virtual concert experience.

A founding member of DOWN, Windstein left the band in 2013 in order to focus on CROWBAR and his family life. He was replaced by Bobby Landgraf, DOWN's former guitar tech who was previously in GAHDZILLA MOTOR COMPANY, a 1990s outfit also featuring Jason McMaster (DANGEROUS TOYS, WATCHTOWER),and HONKY.

Windstein announced his return to DOWN in 2019, with the band confirming a number of festival appearances for 2020 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of "NOLA", all of which have since been canceled or postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic which is sweeping the globe.

Prior to the August 2020 livestream, DOWN's last live appearance took place in August 2016 at the Psycho Las Vegas festival in Las Vegas.

Photo by Danin Drahos

SAMMY HAGAR & THE CIRCLE have will release a new studio album titled "Crazy Times" later in the year.

Hagar and his bandmates — drummer Jason Bonham, bassist Michael Anthony and guitarist Vic Johnson — recorded the effort with Grammy Award-winning producer Dave Cobb, who has previously worked with RIVAL SONS and SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY AND THE CONSPIRATORS, among others.

Sammy spoke about the new CIRCLE album during a chat with Forbes. He said: "We're gonna have a new record coming out in the next couple of months. We're gonna release the first single. We made a record called 'Crazy Times' with Dave Cobb. It's the best record I ever made in my life, but I hate to even say that because that's what everyone says. But I'm telling you from my heart, it's the best record I ever made in my life. We did it at this RCA Studio with all that vintage equipment, it sounds phenomenal. It's great, my best songwriting ever, best production ever, and we made four videos already."

Regarding how making the new album in Nashville with Cobb influenced the sound of the record, Sammy said: "David Cobb said, 'I'm not gonna do anything that even sounds anything remotely country on this record, 'cause I wanted to make an Americana record a little bit less hard rock.' He goes, 'I wanna make 'Standing Hampton'. I wanna make the record I grew up on, I wanna hear you and Mikey sing like you did in 'Top Of The World' with VAN HALEN. That's what we're gonna get out of you guys." And he'd come up and squeeze it out of us, and it's like this book, it's a hybrid of everything I've ever been involved with musically. David Cobb is the reason because he squeezed it out of me. He said, 'This is what I grew up on, motherfucker. You ain't gonna get away with working with me and try to do something else,' you know what I mean? And that's when I learned, and I know he worked with Slash next, and I'm sure Slash found out the same way this guy wants to rock; he don't wanna make no country record with Sammy Hagar."

THE CIRCLE's first album of all-original material, "Space Between", was issued in May 2019 via BMG.

Last year, SAMMY HAGAR & THE CIRCLE released their massively popular "Lockdown Sessions" as an album collection titled "Lockdown 2020".

"Lockdown Sessions" began in March 2020, when the COVID-19 shelter-at-home order went into effect. With time on their hands and their upcoming tour in limbo, Bonham challenged Hagar, Anthony and Johnson to record a warmup jam they'd been playing backstage before concerts for several years. Equipped with iPhones and their respective instruments, they each laid down their individual tracks from the den, music room, closet and even showers of their homes, and "Funky Feng Shui" and the band's "Lockdown Sessions" were born.

Over the next eight months, their "Lockdown Sessions" became a hit with critics and fans alike, producing 10 tracks and reaching an online audience approaching 30 million. The sessions gave the band the opportunity to throw down raw and raucous compact covers of classic hits that they'd jammed to backstage but never planned to record, including THE WHO's "Won't Get Fooled Again", Bob Marley's "Three Little Birds", AC/DC's "Whole Lotta Rosie" and more. When plans for an album came to fruition around the holidays, the band came together to record one more track, a cover of David Bowie's "Heroes" which they'd offer as an instant download or single purchase.

For more than four decades, Hagar has been recognized as one of the best and most accomplished lead singers and songwriters in rock music. From breaking into the industry with the seminal hard rock band MONTROSE to his multi-platinum solo career to his ride as the frontman of VAN HALEN, CHICKENFOOT and his latest supergroup THE CIRCLE, Hagar has amassed 25 platinum albums on sales surpassing 50 million worldwide. Along his journey, he has set the tone for some of the greatest rock anthems ever and earned the highest respect of the music industry with a Grammy Award and induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.

At THE CIRCLE shows, fans experience the legendary artists performing some of Hagar's greatest hits, spanning more than four decades, including songs like "I Can't Drive 55", "Dreams", "Your Love Is Driving Me Crazy", "Mas Tequila", "Why Can't This Be Love", "Right Now" and many more.

Howie Pyro died peacefully on May 4, 2022 from complications due to COVID-19-related pneumonia, following a liver transplant and long battle with liver disease.  The beloved and influential bassist, DJ scene-maker and troublemaker, devoted his life to everything weird, wonderful and wild in music.   


Pyro started out in the 1970s at Max’s Kansas City and CBGB as founder of the first underage punk band, The Blessed, and was a member of Freaks, The Chelsea Smiles, D Generation and Danzig. He co-founded the Greendoor Party in New York City, the infamous club Coney Island High, and was a member of the Blacklips Performance Cult. He collaborated with Johnny Thunders, Ronnie Spector, Rancid, Joey Ramone, Genesis P-Orridge, The Misfits, Debbie Harry, Kid Congo Powers, Ed “Big Daddy” Roth, Jayne County and Alan Vega.  


A world-renowned DJ, Pyro hosted the groundbreaking show, Intoxica! Radio, an infectious two hours of primitive 45 RPM records from the deep underbelly of the original rock n roll era.




He is survived by his sister Robin Hartmann, Rory and Leah Hartmann, former wife Andrea Kusten Matthews, and many cousins. 


In honor of Howie, please consider donating to the UCLA Division of Liver and Pancreas Transplantation.


Howie Pyro will be laid to rest at Hollywood Forever Cemetery. In the near future, there will be a big celebration of his life.


(Photo courtesy of Carla Parisi and BJ Papas)


 


 

DISTURBED's David Draiman and SHINEDOWN's Zach Myers have reacted to a leaked draft opinion published by Politico on Monday (may 2) that shows a majority of the U.S. Supreme Court has voted to overturn the landmark 1973 ruling Roe v. Wade that established the right to abortion nearly 50 years ago.

According to the Politico report, the draft was written by Justice Samuel Alito and circulated in February. Alito was reportedly joined by justices Clarence Thomas and all three of former President Donald Trump's nominees — Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett — while justices Stephen Breyer, Elana Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor were working on dissents. It was unclear how Chief Justice John Roberts voted.

Early this morning, Draiman took to his Twitter to write: "The government should not be able to tell anyone what they can and cannot do with their own body. Period. #prochoice #RoeVWade".

Myers chimed in, writing: "Leaks happen for purposes of chaos and panic. Period.", to which Draiman responded: "There would have been chaos and panic whenever this one got out. Leaked or otherwise." Myers added: "I only don't like leaks for the purpose of pot stirring …. Which is what this feels like … it causes panic when a matter isn't settled. Also for a guy who was never 'what else is going on here' In the last 4 years. Now I'm def like 'what ELSE is going on here'".

A couple of hours later, Draiman tweeted: "Just an observation; This 'leak' was exactly what the Democrats needed to galvanize and energize their base. The resulting fervor could prevent the red wave many were predicting in the upcoming elections." He then clarified: "(Reminder; I pledge allegiance to neither side) #prochoice #RoeVWade".

The 1973 Roe v. Wade court decision affirmed the right to receive an abortion under the 14th Amendment, ruling that abortions were constitutionally protected up until about 23 weeks when a fetus can typically live outside the womb.

In the 98-page draft, Alito said Roe was wrongly decided, saying the issue should be decided by politicians, not courts. If Roe is reversed, it would not federally outlaw abortion. However, it would shift the power to states to decide on the procedure's legality.

In 2020, Michael Sweet of openly Christian rockers STRYPER publicly revealed his views on abortion. While discussing how he decides which presidential candidate he gets behind, he told Slabber.net: "It's not anything new for people to hear from a Christian that they support pro-life. We want to see children that are unborn, live. The other side of that argument, for example, if the woman is raped and she loses her right to have an abortion, that's a terrible thing as well, and I agree with that. You would think in this case a woman should have the choice to keep that baby or not keep that baby. It's a tough argument. There are pros and cons to both sides of this argument. For me, as a believer, as a Christian, the pro-life pros outweigh the cons. Therefore, I'm a guy who typically gets behind whoever is the candidate that is pro-life as well."

One vocally pro-choice musician has been TWISTED SISTER singer Dee Snider, who told Yahoo! Entertainment in a 2019 interview: "I hate the whole concept of pro-choice versus … well, I call it 'no choice.' It's not like you choose for yourself, and that means you can have children, or you don't have children. They're, like, 'No, we're deciding for you what is right for you.' And there are Republicans out there who are [pro-choice]. They call them 'Northeastern Republicans' as a rule, and they tend to be fiscally conservative/socially liberal. I love those guys."

According to a September 2021 Yahoo News/YouGov poll, more than twice as many Americans (55 percent) said they wanted the court to reaffirm Roe v. Wade as said they wanted it overturned (26 percent).

Critics have said that tossing out the landmark rulings establishing abortion rights would tarnish the court's reputation and open the floodgates to other challenges to well-settled law.
The government should not be able to tell anyone what they can and cannot do with their own body.

Period.#prochoice#RoeVWade

— David Draiman (@davidmdraiman) May 3, 2022


I am

— David Draiman (@davidmdraiman) May 3, 2022


There would have been chaos and panic whenever this one got out. Leaked or otherwise.

— David Draiman (@davidmdraiman) May 3, 2022


I only don’t like leaks for the purpose of pot stirring ….

Which is what this feels like … it causes panic when a matter isn’t settled.

Also for a guy who was never “what else is going on here”

In the last 4 years. Now I’m def like “what ELSE is going on here” 😂

— Zach Myers (@ZMyersOfficial) May 3, 2022


Just an observation;

This “leak” was exactly what the Democrats needed to galvanize and energize their base. The resulting fervor could prevent the red wave many were predicting in the upcoming elections.

(Reminder; I pledge allegiance to neither side)#prochoice#RoeVWade

— David Draiman (@davidmdraiman) May 3, 2022

Milan Records has announced the release of "Clark (Soundtrack From The Netflix Series)" by OPETH mainman Mikael Åkerfeldt.

"Clark" is a brand-new six-part Netflix series released on May 5 and features a dramatic and mesmeric soundtrack by the acclaimed Swedish musician, leading rock guitarist and songwriter. In addition to today's digital release, the album is set to be made available in both CD and vinyl formats in 2022 by InsideOut Music. The jewelcase CD and the two-LP heavyweight gatefold set including liner notes from Åkerfeldt and director Jonas Åkerlund are set to arrive on July 22.

This eagerly anticipated Swedish-language series in the thriller/crime genre with comedic caper elements is directed by internationally renowned director Jonas Åkerlund from scripts by Frederik Agetoft, Peter Arrhenius and Jonas Åkerlund and is based on a book of his life by the protagonist Clark Olofsson. It features Bill Skarsgård ("Deadpool", "It", "The Northman"),Alicia Agneson and Vilhelm Blomgren ("Midsommar") and is produced by Börje Hansson and Julia Stannard.

Says Åkerlund of the new series: "It's about his whole life and what made him who he is, the truth and lies of his incredible career..."

Åkerfeldt's atmospheric soundscape deftly captures the sound and feel of the times in music, ranging freely from swinging '60s style sounds to 1970s progressive rock and psychedelia via heavy metal, tango, funk, jazz, Arabic melodies and indie pop and chill. All of these vibrant layers and textures are skillfully combined to effortlessly underpin the high-octane dramatic content of the series and also to place it perfectly within the context of the times in which the drama plays out. Clearly, in his element here, of the 34 tracks presented, four have a distinctive key vocal component provided by Åkerfeldt himself.

On writing the soundtrack to "Clark", Åkerfeldt notes: "Writing the music for 'Clark' is probably one of the most rewarding things I've done musically. It was so fun. Challenging but fun. I wanted to do a good job, of course, and provide music that would fit with the rather bizarre tale of Clark Olofsson. I had to conjure up a sound for him. His sound. It's all in my head, I guess, but it felt like I was on to something after having finished the first track. The immediate feedback from Jonas Åkerlund was almost overly positive. So I just took it from there.

"During the pandemic, I wrote so much music for this project, but I like to think I didn't stray too much from the 'original sound of Clark.' The finished soundtrack record is a downright wish-mash of musical styles. Some sounds I'm familiar with. Other sounds were brand new to me. Or old, depending on how you see it. Brand 'old'?

"The album doesn't really make musical sense at all, and that's pretty much the purpose. Writing music to portray the multi-faceted story of a man like Clark Olofsson was bound to generate some type of musical insanity. It (the music) is just all over the place. Oddly enough, so is my own personal taste in music.

"Even if many would deem Clark 'a man insane,' it really helped me in my work. No boundaries (let's cross them). No rules (let's break them). Anything goes…"

"Clark (Soundtrack From The Netflix Film)" track listing:

0. Libertine Theme
1. Tango Bizarre
2. Druglord Panic
3. Rockefellers
4. Vintage Modern
5. Wish You Were There
6. The Weak Heart
7. Happiness
8. Ode To Confusion In A Minor
9. La Shay' Jadid Taht Alshams
10. The Real Me
11. Here's That Sunny Day
12. Perfect Horizon
13. Sea Slumber
14. Then
15. The Hunted Are In The Clear
16. Northern Hemispheres
17. Ordinary Folks
18. Distant Spring
19. Funky Chicken
20. Code To The Vault
21. Two Mermaids
22. Rags to Riches
23. Sunrise
24. Red & White
25. Headfirst Into The Storm
26. Ballad Of The Libertine in G Minor
27. Lost In San Marino *
28. Rhodes Rat
29. Måndag I Stockholm *
30. Mother Of One
31. Vielleicht Später *
32. Battle For Love *
33. Night Life

* vocals

Åkerfeldt is famous as the frontman for progressive metal band OPETH, where he is the lead vocalist, guitarist and the band's main songwriter. Åkerfeldt won a Swedish Grammis award in 2003 for "Best Hard Rock Album" for OPETH's "Damnation" album. He was also the guitarist in STEEL and vocalist/songwriter for death metal band BLOODBATH. He previously collaborated with Steven Wilson on OPETH's "Blackwater Park" album and their side-project STORM CORROSION. He is an avid vinyl collector, walking music encyclopedia, heavily influenced by progressive rock and was ranked No. 42 in Guitar World magazine's list of "100 Greatest Heavy Metal Guitarists Of All Time".

Photo credit: Jonas Åkerlund

Last July, WHITESNAKE announced that it had enlisted Croatian singer/multi-instrumentalist Dino Jelusick for its upcoming tour. Jelusick is a member of multi-platinum selling band TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA and was previously part of DIRTY SHIRLEY (with George Lynch),ANIMAL DRIVE and recorded with many others. The 29-year-old Dino has been singing, touring and recording since the age of five. Other than being a frontman, his main instrument are keyboards but he also plays bass, guitar and drums. He finished music academy and did theater work.

Asked in a new interview with Chris Akin what Dino's role will be on WHITESNAKE's final tour, the band's guitarist Joel Hoekstra said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, [Dino is] an amazing keyboard player too, so having his ability there is really great. And he's singing a lot — I mean, he's singing a lot of background vocals and there are times here and there where David [Coverdale, WHITESNAKE frontman] has him singing a line of the song. So I think the ability to get out and tour the world with WHITESNAKE and have the ability to showcase his singing and keyboard playing is a great opportunity for him. He's a fantastic talent, and he's young yet. So I think he's got a great future ahead of him. I think it would be a couple of years really well spent for him to do this."

Last October, Coverdale spoke about Dino's addition to WHITESNAKE, telling Antihero Magazine: "He's going to be the way I have two guitar players.

"I've always seen WHITESNAKE as an orchestra," he explained. "I don't see it as a band-band. I don't want two guitarists playing exactly the same song, or just harmony guitars, I want two opposing… you've got the incendiary Joel Hoekstra, entirely different to the electrifying Reb Beach. And this is not to overwhelm Michele [Luppi, WHITESNAKE keyboardist]. Michele's totally secure. I adore him and what he brings to WHITESNAKE.

"In 2019, Dino's band opened for us in Zagreb, and this is very rare for me, and I went, 'Who the fuck is that?' And I was going, 'Wow, that kid's great.' And Joel said, 'Yeah, I worked with him in the TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA. He's a great guy.' And I said, 'That guy's a snake, dude.' And I said, 'Don't say anything yet. I'm going to keep my eyes and ears on him.'

"So, I think it's going to be fantastic," Coverdale added. "I'm going to have an orchestra of keyboards for a lot of songs on WHITESNAKE which are big epics, that make them even more musically orchestrated without having an orchestra on stage with us.

"I mean, the guy's great, I can't wait to sing with him. I already have [two] singers who are good enough to be frontman singers, with Michele Luppi and Reb Beach; they are really great singers. What's wrong with having another one? And I think he's a super guy. He has his challenges legally at the moment, but talent, belief, and courage will always win. And I can't wait for us to start rehearsals, I really can't. It's got to be exciting to me and adding another spice to an already good cocktail."

Last September, Dino told Mónica Moreira of More Than Words about his involvement with WHITESNAKE: "Well, David mentioned that he would love to fly me [to] his house and that he would love [for] me and him to write some songs for WHITESNAKE.

"I'll be playing keyboards. I'll be doing backing vocals. I'll be playing guitars on a couple of songs," he explained. "And that's as far as I know."

Asked if he is in any way a bit sad to know that this will be probably WHITESNAKE's farewell tour, Dino said: "Well, no. Every band has an expire date. WHITESNAKE has been going for 40, 50 years now. More than 40 years — since '78 or '77, when the first album came out. But I'm proud to be the last WHITESNAKE member ever. When you see the guys that played in this band. You had Jon Lord. You had Don Airey on keyboards. You had Timothy Drury, Michele Luppi and myself. It's five keyboardists of WHITESNAKE. There were a couple of more playing live — yeah, Paul Mirkovich was in 1994, playing that leg. Yeah, there were a couple of more. But, yeah, it's definitely a beautiful part of history in the making."

When Jelusick's addition to WHITESNAKE was first announced, David said in a statement: "I am absolutely delighted to welcome the extremely gifted Dino Jelusick to WHITESNAKE. We've had our eyes and ears on him since we played Zagreb together two years ago. You're going to love him!"

Dino said he has been influenced by WHITESNAKE and Coverdale from an early age.

"I am beyond honored to be part of one of my favorite bands of all time," he said. "To get the phone call from David Coverdale is something every singer and musician of my generation can only dream of; it still feels completely surreal. I cannot wait to start hitting the road with WHITESNAKE and, as the great DC said to me himself, to give a piece of my identity to the sound of this iconic band."

Coverdale, who turned 70 last September, recently confirmed that he plans to retire from touring after WHITESNAKE's next batch of concerts around the world.

Coverdale had both his knees replaced with titanium in 2017 after suffering from degenerative arthritis. He later explained that he was in so much pain with arthritis in his knees that it hampered his ability to perform live.

WHITESNAKE had been touring in support of its latest album, "Flesh & Blood", which was released in May 2019 via Frontiers Music Srl.