Stone Temple Pilots Roll Out the Hits for Return at Rock on the Range Festival

“Good to see you again,” said a casual Scott Weiland on Saturday, as if delivering a greeting to an intimate cocktail party rather than 30,000 people in a soccer stadium. Luckily, the feeling was mutual as the newly reunited Stone Temple Pilots headlined the first night of the Rock on the Range festival in Columbus, Ohio Saturday night, their first full-scale show together in nearly eight years. Opening with the sleepy Purple single “Big Empty,” the tone of the show was more subdued than most of the previous bands on the bill, especially Disturbed, who went on just before STP and whipped the crowd into a mosh-happy frenzy. The crowd surfing, at least, made a late night come back at STP followed the opener with harder rocking fare like Core’s “Wicked Garden” and Tiny Music…’s “Trippin’ on a Hole in a Paper Heart.” With a cigarette in his mouth and a dapper three-piece suit hanging off his slight frame, Weiland, joined by bassist Robert DeLeo, guitarist Dean DeLeo and drummer Eric Kretz, led the crowd on a tour of the band’s greatest hits, including “Creep,” “Plush,” “Interstate Love Song” and “Sour Girl,” each providing enough of a sing-along to compensate for the relative lack of edge that most of the crowd seemed to crave and reminded everybody within earshot that this band was built for massive arena-ready singles. By the time the night was over and the band launched into an encore of “Dead and Bloated,” Weiland had ditched his jacket, vest, tie, hat and the buttons on his shirt, propelling him into full rock-god mode, a return to form just in time for the 60-some shows yet to come. He was clearly glad to be back, and the crowd was happy to have him. [Photo: Brecheisen/WireImage]

Published: 2008-05-19 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News, Live Shows

Interview: Dan Donegan of Disturbed

Disturbed guitarist Dan Donegan is taking a short break right now, back home in Chicago. The band's gearing up for their appearance at Operation MySpace, a show for the troops in Kuwait that sees

Published: 2008-03-10 Provider: Artist Direct

Disturbed Turn Bad Luck Into Inspiration For Indestructible LP

Disturbed frontman David Draiman says two years of bad luck have inspired the band to write a "very dark" LP, Indestructible.

Published: 2007-10-26 Provider: VH1 Keywords: Disturbed, Thousand, Artist, Album, Fists, Ten, VH1, <i&gt;Indestructible<i&gt;, Inspiration, Ringtones, Liberate, Stricken, Concert, Movies, Series, HDNet, Radio, Rocks, Into, Luck, News, Rock, Turn, A-Z, Bad, For, LP, on, TV,

Tour Preview: Disturbed Promise New Songs on Intimate Tour Before “Mayhem”

David Draiman and the rest of his Disturbed band mates are eager to play songs from their recently completed fourth album Indestructible to live audiences. Unfortunately, they can’t, as contractual obligations are preventing the band from playing the majority of their new material live before the album’s June 3rd release date. “Isn’t that horrible, how things have become,” Draiman tells Rock Daily from his home in Chicago, just hours before Disturbed piled into a tour bus for the long ride down to Little Rock, Arkansas, for the tour opening show. “It would really nice to see how a crowd reacts to the new songs early on, but there’s too much dependency on that first week sales number and you can’t sacrifice any of the impact of that.” Fortunately for fans, the band does have a few surprises planned, including two already-released Indestructible songs they’re allowed to play, “Perfect Insanity” and “Inside the Fire,” a never-before-played-live b-side titled “Hell” and the live debut of the their contribution to the Transformers soundtrack “This Moment.” Plus, the smaller venues and smaller markets the current tour touches upon invigorate the band. “It’s going to be very intimate. We’re going to try to make it special,” Draiman says. “It also enables us to get back to grassroots. This is who we are. We started as a small club band. It’s a different type of energy.” It won’t be until the launch of the Rock Star Mayhem tour that Disturbed can finally unleash Indestructible in all its live glory. Draiman has long professed that the band’s songs take on a second life in the live setting, and is looking forward to see the Indestructible material’s metamorphosis. The traveling festival also features Slipknot, Mastodon, Machinehead and more. “It’s a very, very talented bill, and being around that m

Published: 2008-04-28 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News, On Tour

Festival News: Stone Temple Pilots and Linkin Park in Toronto; Ozzfest Docked in Dallas?

The reunited Stone Temple Pilots have added another concert to their summer tour, picking up headlining duties at this year’s Edgefest in Toronto on July 12th with Linkin Park, the Sam Roberts Band and the Bravery also on the bill. Edgefest becomes the second festival to book STP, joining Columbus, Ohio’s Rock on the Range fest on May 17th. Last month, Velvet Revolver guitarist Slash predicted Weiland would leave VR to reunite with the group that gave him his big break. The reunion seemed to be up in the air after Weiland made a trip to rehab in late January, but it was eventually confirmed with the announcement of the Ohio gig. In other festival news, reports suggest that the heavy metal road show that is Ozzfest will potentially morph into a two day non-touring event in Dallas, TX, with the titular Ozzy Osbourne as the main attraction. The going-on-thirteen-summers-old portable festival is facing additional competition this summer from the Rockstar Energy Mayhem Tour, which touts Disturbed as its headliner. In 2007, Ozzfest offered free admission, with concertgoers procuring tickets through sponsors’ websites. [Photo: Getty]

Published: 2008-02-26 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News

Marilyn Manson Bringing Twiggy Songs, Satan, “One Giant Evil Cocktail” On Tour

With his “Rape of the World” tour set to terrorize Orlando, FL, tomorrow night, Marilyn Manson spoke with Rock Daily about what he has planned this time around. With bassist Twiggy Ramirez back in the fold, Manson promises that fans will “get a little bit of what they may have seen in the past, but turned up to a thousand.” That includes many older songs that Manson has refrained from playing in recent years “because they didn’t sound right” without Twiggy’s assistance. The reacquisition of Ramirez has invigorated Manson, who says, “It’s hard for us when we get together because we’re a real bad mixture of trouble. It’s going to be difficult for people to keep us from tearing our faces off.” Twiggy may not be the only surprise Manson has up his sleeve, as his band’s recent tour with Slayer seems to have reaped some benefits. “I’ve invited Kerry King, who’s become a good friend of mine, to come play on stage with us for a few songs here and there. Hopefully we can not only bring Twiggy back but bring Satan back into one giant evil cocktail that’s one thousand proof.” Also figuring into that mixture is opening band Ours. Manson was also eager to talk about his beloved film project, Phantasmagoria: Visions of Lewis Carroll. While the WGA strike and his current tour have pulled him away from the film, Manson predicts shooting will begin in either Prague or Romania in the late spring. “I’m going to be able to make a better film now because I had time to step away from script. I think its going to be a very disturbing film.” Marilyn Manson’s Rape of the World Tour January 19 - Orlando, FL @ Hard Rock Hotel Orlando January 20 - Miami Beach, FL @ Jackie Gleason Theater January 22 - Atlanta, GA @ Tabernacle January 24 - Baltimore, MD @ Rams Head Live! January 26 - Boston, MA @ Orpheum Theatre January 27 - Philadelphia, PA @ Electric Fac

Published: 2008-01-18 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News, On Tour

Dupri Says New Usher Album Ready to Go, Wyclef Sued for Copyright Infringement, Britney Spears’ Custody Battle and More

Usher’s follow-up to 2004’s Confessions is ready, according to producer Jermaine Dupri, who says “[Usher] has been taking a pretty long time to put it out, but I think he’s ready now.” The album will likely feature the Dupri-produced “The Realest,” contributions from Cool & Dre and a guest appearance by Ludacris. Wyclef Jean is being sued for copyright infringement by a rapper named Blahz, who claims a song on Wyclef’s Carnival 2: Memoirs of an Immigrant too closely resembles his 1995 song “Danger.” Sony BMG is also being named in the suit, which sources say could be asking for as much as $50 million. Olga Sarantos, the grandmother of the Fiery Furnaces‘ Matthew and Eleanor Friedberger who narrated the band’s critically-acclaimed 2005 album Rehearsing My Choir, has passed away. Britney Spears could permanently lose visitation rights with her children pending her performance at a custody hearing on Monday. Should Brit be tardy, uncooperative or just out of her head, the judge could end her attempt to regain her custodial privileges. Members of the LAPD will testify to describe what they saw the night of Spears’ breakdown. In a related and equally disturbing development, Kevin Federline has re-entered the studio. The Monks‘ banjoist/rhythm guitarist Dave Day died yesterday after suffering either a stroke or heart attack last Sunday. The Monks were a seminal proto-punk band from the Sixties who were was also name-checked in LCD Soundsystem’s “Losing My Edge.” [Photo: Getty]

Published: 2008-01-11 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News, Afternoon News Roundup

Paula Abdul in Talks to Play Super Bowl, Daughtry at Work on New Album, Robbie Williams May Be Latest EMI Casualty and More

Paula Abdul is in talks to perform at Super Bowl XLII, joining the previously announced halftime headliner Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. TV Guide reports that Abdul is currently rehearsing for a video for her duet with fellow American Idol judge Randy Jackson (for the first single from his Music Club Vol. 1), and would replicate those moves for the live performance on February 3rd. Sony BMG has confirmed last week’s reports that they will sell DRM-free tracks via Amazon’s music store. The service is slated to begin at the end of this month, making Amazon.com iTunes’ biggest online competitor. Daughtry, the mega-successful band fronted by American Idol fourth-place finisher Chris Daughtry, has revealed they’re working on their sophomore release. The band told Gibson.com they hope to complete writing by the spring. Warped Tour founder Kevin Lyman and promoter John Reese have announced the first-ever Rockstar Mayhem tour. Billboard.biz reports Slipknot and Disturbed are already on board for the outing, which will launch in July. Robbie Williams‘ manager has confirmed the singer has threatened to pull out of his contract with EMI over criticisms regarding how the label manages its artists. Reuters reports EMI is expected to announce restructuring plans next week. [Photo: Getty]

Published: 2008-01-11 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News, Morning News Roundup

Lou Pearlman’s PervGate: The Most Disturbing Things We Learned About the Boy Band Impresario

Lou Pearlman’s fall from grace has been well documented, but now Vanity Fair has unveiled their scandalous feature about the boy band impresario who now sits in a jail cell on charges of embezzling $300 million. A short summary: After founding the Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC and guiding their careers, both bands turned around and sued Pearlman for fraud (as Justin Timberlake told Rolling Stone, “I was being monetarily raped by a Svengali” — one of the baddest of all time). Pearlman was later investigated for defrauding his investors and fled the country; he was captured in Indonesia in December 2006 and upon his return to the States, his belongings were auctioned off and he was indicted for fraud. While there were mutterings about Pearlman’s alleged perviness for years, this new story really drives the point home. We’ve taken time to comb through the piece and pull out the most distressing details: “I would absolutely say the guy was a sexual predator,” Steve Mooney, an aspiring singer and former assistant to Pearlman insists: “More than once, he says, he encountered young male singers slipping out of those doors late at night, tucking in their shirts, a sheepish look on their faces. ‘There was one guy in every band — one sacrifice — one guy in every band who takes it for Lou,’ says Mooney, echoing a sentiment I heard from several people. ‘That’s just the way it was.’” Around 1997-1998, allegations of sexual abuse emerged, one of which involved former Backstreet Boy Nick Carter. “My son did say something about the fact that Nick had been uncomfortable staying [at Pearlman’s house],” Denise McLean, mother to fellow Backstreet Boy A.J. recalled. “For a while Nick loved going over to Lou’s house. All of a sudden it appeared there was a flip at some point.” “Certain things happened,” Carter’s mother told Vanity Fair, “and it almost destroyed our family. I tried to warn eve

Published: 2007-10-05 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News

Beastie Boys Open and Close With Brooklyn Anthems at First-Ever Show In the New York Borough

“Did we mention this is our first show ever, in the history of the band, in Brooklyn, New York?” Mike D asked the crowd last night. Can you believe the Beastie Boys never played here before? After all these years of “No Sleep Till Brooklyn,” it was like finally seeing Lou Reed in Manhattan, Skynyrd in Alabama or Slayer in Hell. McCarren Pool in funky Greenpoint has hosted some of the summer’s best shows in recent weeks, from Sonic Youth to Erasure, but the Beasties were disgustingly great. They looked great in their natty suits — Mike D’s wig was like a Jewish-Afro version of Ricky Sylvers. They began with “Hello Brooklyn,” from Paul’s Boutique, and ended with “No Sleep Till Brooklyn,” two of their best and two of the finest non-Biggie songs ever written about the borough. In between, the thousands of checked Medina heads who opted to spend their hot August night here instead of with Daft Punk (in Coney Island) or the Hold Steady (in Prospect Park) were richly rewarded, swiftly devolving into a concrete bowl full of party people screaming, “I play my stereo loud! I disturb my neighbor! I want to enjoy! The FRUITS of my LABOR!” “Hello Brooklyn” was such a killer intro, they could have just played instrumentals from their new album the rest of the night and people would have been half happy. But they pummeled us into submission with non-obvious fan faves like “Posse In Effect” (MCA rapping about Abe Vigoda, who he resembles more every year), “Root Down” and “Time For Livin.’” Adrock handed “Paul Revere” to the crowd, and let us carry every word of the story. They picked up their instruments for stoner-fuzak jams that really did sound excellent on a summer night (with a lot of help from keyboardist Money Mark and drummer Alfredo Ortiz), plus vintage hardcore thrashers like “Heart Attack Man” and “Egg Raid On Mojo.” It was weird to hear Adrock rap, “On the L we’re doing swell,” the day after the L-train got shut down by a freaking tornado in Brooklyn. The security dude

Published: 2007-08-11 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News

In The Studio: Disturbed’s David Draiman Talks “Indestructible” New Album

For Disturbed singer David Draiman, the past few years have been tumultuous. “I had a motorcycle accident, and I had my garage burn down with most of my vehicles,” Draiman tells Rolling Stone. “And I’ve had really bad relationships that I’ve been in and out of. They’ve left their mark.” That mark, and how Draiman bounced back from all the bad times, can be heard in the lyrics on the band’s self-produced fourth album, Indestructible, which is due next spring. After bouncing around other album titles, the band chose Indestructible because it’s a comment on both Draiman’s struggles and the band’s perseverance in an industry where so many of their musical peers continually disappear into obscurity. To match the tenacity of the lyrics, Draiman asked his bandmates to “give me your darkest, nastiest, aggressive tribal rhythmic shit you can.” Draiman also underwent much-needed surgery for a deviated septum, which made his breathing easier and helped amplify what was already considered to be one of the best voices in the genre. While the band hasn’t decided upon a final tracklist—that’ll come after the mixing stage—Draiman opens up about some of the songs will that definitely wind up on the album. Most obviously, there’s the title track, which Draiman calls “an anthem for soldiers” — specifically American soldiers fighting overseas. “It’s meant to be something that would make them feel invincible, take away their fear, make them strong,” says Draiman. “And that’s what this whole body of work on this record does. It’s music to help you feel strong.” Spotlighting the band’s darker side, there’s “Deceiver,” inspired by one of those “really bad relationships,” and the Edgar Allan Poe-esque tale “Inside The Fire.” “That’s a real racy song,” Draiman admits, ̶

Published: 2007-11-22 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News, In the Studio

Rock Reality Show Recap: Pepa Searches for a Real “Whatta Man” on “The Salt-N-Pepa Show”

Every week on The Salt-N-Pepa Show, two MCs from the late Eighties try to prove they don’t hate each other (and the rap game), while our Rock Reality Show Recaps attempt to prove we don’t resent VH1 for exploiting the heroes of our youth. Here’s our take on the second episode: Thirty Minutes in Four Sentences: After a double-date disaster with one of Pepa’s bad-boy love interests, Salt embarks on a quest to find her fellow MC the perfect man. Salt sums up her opinion of Pep’s love life by sighing, “Pep and men … good Lord” while Pep squirms under her pal’s judgments. The two hire a professional matchmaker who interviews half a dozen men, all of whom Salt rejects, instead choosing her friend, a youth pastor, as Pep’s suitor. In the end, Pep fires Cheryl as a matchmaker, sticking to her conviction. “I believe in my record ‘Whatta Man.’ I want ‘Whatta Man.’ ” Disowning the Shoop: In a last-ditch effort to find Pepa this mythical man, Salt invites her pastor friend over to dinner for an evening of quiet desperation. After using her thighs to help open a wine bottle in an outfit that lets the girls breathe, Pepa grills Salt about the incoming suitor, disturbed with a premonition that he was hairless and “round.” When the bashful pastor finally does show up with neither a body like Arnold nor a face like Denzel and pick-up lines about God smiling when he made Pepa, she drags Salt inside the pantry for an angry one-on-one. “I knew he was round. I knew it.” And when Pastor Mark brings up his disapproval of shoop before marriage, Pepa chokes on her food — evidently the dinner has run its course. While Salt spies out the house window, Pepa’s suitor was rebuffed for a good night kiss and left way more woman than he could handle banging on Salt’s front door for a word with her matchmaker. Whatta Band: While the duo were too busy looking for a litt

Published: 2007-10-23 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock Reality Show Recaps