Away Team

As I sit here trying to preface one of the best interviews I have conducted in a while, I am met with an eerily familiar foe… writer’s block.  Perhaps it is because there are no words to describe the remarkable success RAINS has achieved sans the help of a major label.  Perhaps it is the fact that the stories behind the “Stories” are impactful beyond words.  Or maybe it’s just that I’ve consumed one too many Captain and Cokes.  Whatever the reason is, you’re probably asking yourself “What the fuck kind of title is that?”.  Well sit back, pour your own damn cocktail, and relax as we delve into the mind of a remarkable talent who, next time we talk, will undoubtedly need no introduction.  Join me as we talk with Jeff Rains about everything from panhandling-to-pirating music-to-you guessed it, eating shit. [EDITOR'S NOTE: Neither artist, nor author have ever taken part in eating shit.  No shit was harmed during the making of this interview.]

AWAY-TEAM:  First I’d like to congratulate you on the success of your album, which by the way is fantastic…

JEFF RAINS:  Well thank you!

AWAY-TEAM:  …also the current single “Look in My Eyes”.  As we speak now, you’re on the current leg of the Share the Welt Tour with Five Finger Death Punch, All That Remains, and Hatebreed.  How’s that been going thus far?

JEFF RAINS:  It is phenomonal.  Ya know, we were a little bit nervous about it because, you’ve heard our album, and all of the other bands on the tour are so much heavier than us.  So we got offered the tour, and we had alot of reservations about it.  We weren’t sure if we should take it or not, but we did alot of research and basically everybody that we talked to said ‘That’s the tour that you need to be on.  That’s THE tour!’  So we ended up taking it, and it was a big risk, but we’ve been accepted and it’s going great.  The bands are all phenomonal to us, the crew is great to us, and it’s just awesome.

AWAY-TEAM:  Very cool!  So when di you first decide that you wanted to write and record music for a living?  And what was the driving force behind it?

JEFF RAINS:  I was, I think 16 years old, I was brought up on the whole 70′s music scene.  My dad was big into Led Zeppelin, CCR, all that stuff, so I grew up listening to that, and then I also grew up listening to alot of Country music.  And first Woodstock ’94 happened, and my brother and I were not allowed to watch MTV but we had this little 10 inch TV in our bedroom, and when our parents would go to bed we’d turn it on and turn on MTV and they’d be showing clips from Woodstock, like Green Day and the mud fights and all that stuff.  We were like “What in the hell is this?”  It was amazing, we’d never seen anything like it.  So then I started looking into it a little more, and I stumbled across, well I guess you wouldn’t say stumbled across because it was right in my face the whole time, but the whole Seattle, ya know Alice in Chains-Pearl Jam grunge scene.  Right then it was like, it wasn’t even a choice, it was just ‘This is what I’m doing’ ya know.  If you listen to the album, I’m just so influenced by that whole Seattle scene, and I still am.  I mean, everyday before we go on stage, on the bus we’re listening to either Alice in Chains, or Soundgarden, or Pearl Jam.  Then our intro to our show is “When the Levee Breaks” by Led Zeppelin, ya know, so all of those influences are still there and I really like that.

AWAY-TEAM:  You mentioned earlier that you’re band is a little bit different sounding than the other bands on the tour.  You’ve been compared alot to bands like Default, Nickelback, and I’ve even heard Staind.  If you had to describe your sound to someone that has never heard your music before, what would be your answer?

JEFF RAINS:  I’ve been asked this question alot, and the best answer I can come up with is I think it’s a modern day, 90′s Seattle grunge scene sound.  The record’s called “Stories” and I really got sick of the cookie-cutter BS that was on the radio.  Bands singing about drugs, and drinking, and whatever they sing about.  I just wanted to do something real, and something honest, and tell some real stories.  I think it’s paying off for us, and people are connecting with it.  It’s really cool to see.

AWAY-TEAM:  Now you mentioned the album is called “Stories”, the story telling aspect of your songwriting has more of a direct approach than the average artist, I know we touched on it a little bit earlier, but who are some of the artists that influenced that aspect?

JEFF RAINS:  I think the story telling part comes from listening to Country music.  I mean, I listened to alot of Garth Brooks, Brooks & Dunn and stuff like that.  I don’t know, as I’ve said I’ve been obsessed with that whole Seattle scene, I don’t know if that had anything to do with the story telling or not, but I would attribute it mostly to listening to Country music.  Because Country music, I don’t know what it is now because I don’t really listen to it anymore, but back then it was story telling.  All these Country artists would tell these amazing stories during their songs and I thought that was so cool.  So, yeah I think that’s where it mostly came from.

AWAY-TEAM:  That’s actually one of the things that I love about your album.

JEFF RAINS:  Right on.  And I think that’s one of the things that people connect with the most, ya know.  People are so used to the current music scene and where it’s at, and they’re just expecting these cookie cutter songs where ‘We’re up all night partying..’  Whatever.  It is what it is.  So I think when people hear us for the first time, they’re more taken aback than anything, like “Wow, this is actually real music for once.  Real stories, about real people.  This is cool!”  I actually read a really cool article the other day, I don’t even know where I found it, I didn’t interview with them or anything, they just wrote it about us, and the subject said “RAINS-The Band That’s Bringing Back True Rock n’ Roll”  I was like “Holy crap! That’s awesome!”  That’s what I feel like I’m trying to do.

AWAY-TEAM:  Being that the songs on the album are a collection of stories, what song on the album had the most profound meaning in your personal life?

JEFF RAINS:  I think the song “Hurricane”.  “Hurricane” was really cool, because I was in Austin, TX, before I was really pushing the music thing I was working for another company.  And I was walking down the street, and some homeless guy came up to me and asked me for $3.96.  I didn’t have any cash on me, and I said “I don’t have any cash on me.” and he was like “Yeah, I get that all the time.  Whatever.”  I said ‘Well, what do you need it for?” and he said “I need to buy a 40, and one cigarette.”  I said “OK, thanks for being honest with me” and I sat down with him and I said “Can I hear your story? I don’t wanna impose or anything, but do you mind filling me in a little bit?” and he told me his whole story.  As soon as he was doen, I went to the ATM, took out $20, handed it to him, and said “Buy whatever you gotta buy, but make sure you at least get some food too.”  The song “Hurricane” is his whole story, and it’s a very sad song, but in that song I felt like I finally hit where I wanted to hit in the songwriting.  I felt like that was where I finally told a story the way I wanted to tell a story.  It was awesome, I was just in Austin like two days ago, and that’s all I kept thinking about the whole time.  I was like “This is the place.”  I actually stood right where I talked to the guy, it was really cool.

AWAY-TEAM:  Wow.  That is awesome!  Many of the songs on the album seem to also be almost interconnected as part of a bigger story.  Can you kinda briefly take us throught the album and give us sort of an abridged version of that story?

JEFF RAINS:  Well, I’ve been married for almost 8 years, and during the writing for the album my wife and I seperated for a bit, and the majority of the songs on the album are about that.  I think every song with the exception of “Hurricane” is a song directly from my own life.  I mean, I wrote about what I was going through every day.  Ya know, it’s great to be able to put yourself out there, and put your life out there, people respond to it.  Luckily the response has been great, so.  Yeah, if it seems like there is a story within the “Stories” record, that’s what it is.  It’s the story of that time period in my life, and everything I was going through.

AWAY-TEAM:  And you’re still married now?

JEFF RAINS:  Oh yeah.

AWAY-TEAM:  So how’s that work when she hears a song like “Hate”? (laughs)

JEFF RAINS:  (laughs) That’s been a bit of a sore subject.  She’s over it now, but when I first wrote it… yeah, didn’t go over too well. (laughs)

AWAY-TEAM:  Well, I’m glad to hear everything worked out for ya.

JEFF RAINS:  Yeah, everything worked out great.  Like the song “Liar”, I don’t know how people interpret that song, but… that song is completely referring to myself.  I just wasn’t doing the right thing in my marriage at the time.  So alot of that stuff is completely personal reference.  It’s basically me dogging myself the whole record. (laughs)

AWAY-TEAM:  (laughs)  Hey, that’s what makes it genuine.

JEFF RAINS:  It worked, so. (laughs) It is what it is.  It was definitely a sore subject for a while though. (both laugh)

AWAY-TEAM:  The way this album was written reminds me alot of Sixx A.M.’s “The Heroin Diaries”, in the respect that it could easily be a sountrack to someone’s life.  If you could write the soundtrack to the biography of any one musician’s life, who would it be?

JEFF RAINS:  Oh man, that’s a tough question.  Probably Layne Staley, or Scott Weiland, or Maynard from Tool.  Or even Phil Collins, I don’t know, I have alot of artists that have influenced me alot, so that list could go on for days.

AWAY-TEAM:  Your day job at one time was actually as a tattoo artist?

JEFF RAINS:  Correct.

AWAY-TEAM:  What’s the funniest, weirdest, or coolest tat you’ve ever done?  Cuz I’ve seen some funny shit out there.

JEFF RAINS:  I tattooed a piece of shit on someone once…

AWAY-TEAM:  (Laughs hysterically)

JEFF RAINS:  ..and here’s the fucked up part.  I tattooed a piece of shit on them because they supposedly won a bet.  The bet was if he ate shit, he got paid $100.  So he ate the shit, got paid $100, and then came and spent the $100 on a tattoo of shit!

AWAY-TEAM:  (laughing) What the fuck?

JEFF RAINS:  (laughing)  I’m not kidding.  I’m not kidding you.

AWAY-TEAM:  Oh my God!

JEFF RAINS:  Yeah.  And another weird one, this guy was… I’m not even worried about him reading this, I’m not gonna say his name, but if he ever learned what the internet was, he’d know it was him.  But, every Friday the 13th, our tattoo studio was called Studio 13, so every Friday the 13th we would do $13 tattoos.  We’d just have these sheets of little 2″x 2″ tattoos, nothing crazy, but one of the tattoos one day was, you know the “Calvin” cartoon pissing?

AWAY-TEAM:  Yeah, yeah.

JEFF RAINS:  So this guy had his ex-girlfriend’s name tattooed right behind his ear, so then on his neck he had me tattoo the “Calvin” cartoon pissing on his ex-girlfriend’s name.

AWAY-TEAM:  (laughs)

JEFF RAINS:  (laughing) And when I did it I said “Do you really want this on your neck forever?”, and he was that type of guy.  He was like ”Hell yeah dude! This is gonna be fucking awesome!”  I was like “Ok, whatever.”  (laughs)  But yeah, that’s why I stopped tattooing.  I hated it.  I hated that part of it, because people are, I don’t know how to put this diplomatically.  Some people don’t follow your recommendations as a tattoo artist, and they’ll get the dumbest shit in the history of the world tattooed on them.  And I just got so jaded, I was like “I didn’t sign up for this.”  I signed up to make art, not a Calvin cartoon pissing on a girlfriend’s name, ya know?

AWAY-TEAM:  (laughs)  Your success, has been found thus far through the independent release of your album.  There’s been a recent trend of bands trying to get out of their major label deals and back to basics.  Does that sometimes deter you from seeking the support of a major label?  Or do you kinda take the approach that it works for some and not for others?

JEFF RAINS:  From day one, I have said that I wanna be independent.  It’s gonna take a hell of alot for me to sign with a major label, or with any label.  We’re on our own label, we handle everything ourselves, we have our own PR team, we have our own radio team, we have our own distribution, so.  With the record industry the way it is right now, the only way you’re gonna make, and I don’t give a shit what any other band says “Yeah we wanna do it for the music”  What the fuck ever, you wanna get paid!  You start out wanting to do it for the music, but then when you’re $400,000 in debt, it’s like “OK, I kinda need to get paid at some point.”  The only way to get paid these days, is to be independent, and be your own record label.  So, I guess to answer your question, at no point in the immediate future or the far future will I be seeking out label support.  And I’m very proud of that, and all of the bands we’re on tour with are on major labels and they’re just astounded that we’re doing this on our own.

AWAY-TEAM:  That blows my mind too.  The success that you guys have had being an independent band, it’s really kinda refreshing to see.

JEFF RAINS:  Well I thank you for that.  I’ll take that as a compliment.  It’s refreshing to be in this position, to be honest with you, because we aren’t getting screwed out of evey penny we make.  We make every penny we make, it goes straight to the band. So we’re able to be on a tour bus, we’re able to be on these big tours, we’re able to finance the things we’re able to finance because, believe it or not it takes a hell of alot of money to be in the music business.  It’s not like, your playing some crappy bar and some A&R guy is gonna find you and sign you that night on a paper napkin.  That’s not how it works.  this business is so much about numbers now, and I’m just so happy to be where we are.  Being independent and not having to depend on anyone else, and not have to pay everything we make to everybody else, ya know.  It’s a really good feeling.

AWAY-TEAM:  Speaking of the record industry, there’s been recent rumor of the demise of the CD.  Do you think that’s a good thing for the industry?  What are your thoughts on that?

JEFF RAINS:  I’ll give you an example, last night we played a show, I think there was 5,000 people there.  One guy came up to me and he said ”I’ve been listening to you guys for two years straight.  I’ve been obsessed with you guys.  I’m gonna be honest, I downloaded your CD off the internet.”  But he had 5 copies of the CD in his hand that he had just bought from the merch table.  My approach is, if people want free music, let ‘em have it.  The whole goal is to spread the word right?  So it they’re still coming out to concerts, and still paying for those concert tickets, and still buying our merch, what the hell do I care?  It served it’s purpose, I mean the guy was standing there with 5 CD’s.  So he downloaded one for free, great, he paid it back to us ten times over at that show last night.  And that’s normally how it goes.  Alot of bands aren’t like this, but I encourage people.  If you can find my CD for free, download it.  Don’t even call it stealing, call it my gift to you.  I just want people to hear it, and hopefully they like it.  It will pay off at the end of the day, whether the record labels say it will or not, I know personally that it will.

AWAY-TEAM:   Well hey Jeff, thank you so much for your time.  It’s been a great pleasure.

JEFF RAINS:  Right on. Thank you man!

AWAY-TEAM:  Best of luck in everything you do, and hopefully I’ll catch up with you next time you guys make your way through Florida.

JEFF RAINS:  Definitely.

AWAY-TEAM:  Alright man, we’ll talk soon.

JEFF RAINS:  Alright, thanks alot man!  Bye.

For more  RAINS including, music, merch, and tour dates visit the bands official website here.

Special thanks to Jeff Rains for so graciously giving me his time, and also to Doug Weber at New Ocean Media for making it all happen.

This month’s JAMMIT featured tracks come from guitar virtuoso, Steve Vai and legendary progressive masterminds, RUSH with their epic 2112 masterpiece in its entirety.

Jammit is the first music software solution that eliminates the annoying “stop, play, rewind” method of learning your favorite songs. Jammit® is more than just a cool app that separates the instruments that you want to hear from within the mix of your favorite songs, it’s also the source of the most accurate transcriptions in the world. Jammit® unlocks the secrets that are hidden in the mix so you can learn to play exactly what was recorded with unique offerings for guitar, bass, drums, keyboard and vocals.

Jammit’s patented variable timing technology provides easy, snap-to-grid looping for repeating and perfecting difficult sections. Meticulous note-for-note transcriptions in standard notation and tablature are derived from the isolated tracks providing a level of accuracy previously unavailable anywhere. The amazing variable speed feature allows users to slow down any part of a song without affecting the pitch, making the most complex musical performances easier to master.

Jammit® offers a diverse selection of the greatest artists including Soundgarden, Foo Fighters, Three Days Grace, Slayer, Rob Zombie, Nickelback, AFI, Yes, Mötley Crüe, Pantera, and many more. Visit http://jammit.com/ for a complete listing of current and upcoming artists. JAMMIT® is a must-have for every level of musician and singer from beginner to the accomplished professional.

Jammit® releases new tracks daily on Twitter and Facebook , follow us and find out what’s coming out tomorrow!

Jammit® is currently available for the iphone, ipod touch and ipad with Android and desktop versions coming soon.

Michael Todd, the bassist for the band Coheed and Cambria, was arrested for armed robbery after he allegedly held up a Walgreens by claiming he had a bomb.

According to police in Attleboro, MA … Todd showed a pharmacist a cell phone note that said he had a bomb and demanded Oxycontin. He made off with six bottles of pain pill and fled via taxi.

But police say he was spotted in the cab and police were able to track it via the dispatcher … to the Comcast Center where Coheed and Cambria were set to open up for Soundgarden.

Police said Todd was arrested without incident after he was identified by the cab driver, the pharmacist and by store surveillance video.

Todd was charged with armed robbery and unlawful possession of prescription narcotics. He is being held on $10,000 bail and will be arraigned on Monday morning.

The band have issued a statement on their official website about the incident, in which they say they have released Todd from his duties with the band for the time being: “Michael Todd was arrested today on what we consider very serious charges and therefore he will not be finishing up the current tour. Wes Styles, a long time member of the Coheed family will take on bass duties starting tomorrow for the remaining dates. No shows will be cancelled.”

It continues: “We are surprised to say the least and will address the situation with Michael after the tour.”









For more COHEED AND CAMBRIA click here.

Eagle Rock Entertainment will release The Taking, a brand new studio album from Duff McKagan’s Loaded on vinyl (April 12) and CD (April 19).
McKagan once again takes front and center on lead vocals and guitars. Long time Loaded members Jeff Rouse (bassist) and Mike Squires (guitar) return along with drummer Isaac Carpenter who joined in late 2009.

Recorded by Terry Date (Soundgarden, Avenged Sevenfold), the album follows the band’s 2009 debut Sick. A feature-length film, The Taking (in the style of A Hard Day’s Night crossed with The Song Remains The Same), is due this summer.

“This record really sort of took a life of its’ own, and the songs really revealed themselves to us as we went along,” says Duff. “Terry Date came into the picture at a time when his genius ear helped to capture a sonic theme for the record. You can’t underestimate what a guy like TD brings to the table. The Taking is the closest thing to a ‘concept’ record that I have ever been involved with. Pain, loss, triumph, and redemption. Life. Bring it.”



Duff McKagan’s Loaded – Dead Skin by Eagle Rock Entertainment



The Taking track listing:
01. “Lords of Abaddon”
02. “Executioner’s Song”
03. “Dead Skin”
04. “We Win”
05. “Easier Lying”
06. “She’s An Anchor”
07. “Indian Summer”
08. “Wrecking Ball”
09. “King Of The World”
10. “Cocaine”
11. “Your Name”
12. “Follow Me To Hell”










For more DUFF McKAGAN’S LOADED click here.

SOUNDGARDEN will release their first-ever live album, titled Live On I-5, on March 22nd.

Fans who order the album via the band’s website will receive a bonus SoundCheck CD.

Live On I-5 was recorded during the west coast leg of Soundgarden‘s tour in 1996 between November 30th and December 18th. The band states,”we had always intended to release this as a live record and now it’s time to unleash the fury!”

Live On I-5 tracklisting:
Spoonman
Searching With My Good Eye Closed
Let Me Drown
Head Down
Outshined
Rusty Cage
Burden In My Hand
Helter Skelter
Boot Camp
Nothing To Say
Slaves And Bulldozers
Dusty
Fell On Black Days
Search And Destroy
Ty Cobb
Black Hole Sun
Jesus Christ Pose

Bonus SoundCheck CD:
No Attention (Oakland soundcheck)
Never The Machine Forever (Oakland soundcheck)
Waiting For The Sun (Oakland soundcheck)
Room A Thousand Years Wide (Vancouver soundcheck)
Somewhere (Sacramento soundcheck)

The 17 songs that comprise Live On I-5 were recorded in the following five cities:
Del Mar, CA
Oakland, CA
Vancouver, BC
Salem, OR
Seattle, WA

For more SOUNDGARDEN click here.

Chris Cornell gives fans the up-close-and-personal opportunity with his first-ever solo acoustic tour beginning in April.

One doesn’t usually associate the phrase “solo acoustic” with the man who gave voice to Soundgarden, Temple Of the Dog and Audioslave. But Cornell received raves when he played his first acoustic “Songbook” show in front of a sold-out audience in December 2009 at Los Angeles’ Hotel Café. Now fans in the U.S. and Canada get to experience Cornell’s acoustic side when he embarks on the two-month “Songbook” tour beginning April 1 in Austin, Texas, at the Paramount Theatre.

SONGBOOK VOLUME 1 dates:
April 1 Austin, TX Paramount Theatre
April 2 Houston, TX House of Blues
April 3 Dallas, TX House of Blues
April 5 Atlanta, GA Center Stage
April 6 Asheville, NC The Orange Peel
April 8 Bridgeport, CT The Klein Memorial Auditorium
April 9 Boston, MA Berklee Performance Hall
April 10 Glenside, PA Keswick Theatre
April 12 New York, NY Town Hall Theatre
April 15 Atlantic City, NJ Borgata Hotel Casino
April 16 Montclair, NJ Wellmont Theatre
April 17 Washington DC Sixth & I Historic Synagogue
April 19 Poughkeepsie, NY Bardavon
April 20 Toronto,ON Queen Elizabeth Theatre
April 22 Chicago, IL Vic Theatre
April 23 Milwaukee, WI Pabst Theater
April 24 St. Paul, MN Fitzgerald Theatre
April 26 Edmonton, AB Winspear Centre
April 27 Medicine Hat, AB Esplanade Arts & Heritage Center
April 29 Victoria, BC Royal Theatre
April 30 Coquitliam, BC Red Robinson Show Theatre
May 1 Seattle, WA Moore Theatre
May 3 San Francisco, CA The Fillmore
May 4 Los Angeles, CA John Anson Ford Amphitheatre
May 6 San Diego, CA Humphreys Concerts by the Bay

For more CHRIS CORNELL click here.

SOUNDGARDEN will release their first-ever live album, titled Live On I5, on March 22nd.

Live On I5 was recorded during the west coast leg of Soundgarden‘s tour in 1996 between November 30th and December 18th. The band states,”we had always intended to release this as a live record and now it’s time to unleash the fury!”

The complete tracklisting to Live On I5 is as follows:
Spoonman
Searching With My Good Eye Closed
Let Me Drown
Head Down
Outshined
Rusty Cage
Burden In My Hand
Helter Skelter
Boot Camp
Nothing To Say
Slaves And Bulldozers
Dusty
Fell On Black Days
Search And Destroy
Ty Cobb
Black Hole Sun
Jesus Christ Pose









For more SOUNDGARDEN click here.

THE AUTUMN OFFERING vocalist Matt McChesney has issued the following update:

“Due to (guitarist) Tommy (Church) leaving the band, as well as a million other things, we have decided to take a long break. Possibly just end it, depending on what happens.
We haven’t been dropped by our label or anything, we are just burnt out. There is no reason to go on and on with bullshit, we are all friends. All you guys know we love you.
Personally, I wish everyone well, in whatever they choose to do. As for myself, I have a new band with Jesse Nunn. We will enter the studio next month with producer Logan Mader to start our new record. It’s not going to be a metal band, as I am personally done with metal for awhile. I’m disgusted with the state of it, and I dont want to be a part of it.
I’ve always been a well rounded musician, and the early 90′s movement of bands such as SOUNDGARDEN and ALICE IN CHAINS have always held a special place in my heart. I’ve always wanted to front a rock band, and I’m exited to start.
There’s been quite a bit invested into this project by some powerful people, so the pressure is on. We plan to deliver.
I’m sure whatever (drummer) Brian (Sculley) and Tom decided to do, it will be rad. They are great musicians. Matt Johnson has become quite the engineer, I’m sure he will leave his mark.
Take care everyone, it’s been a blast.”

For more (or less) of THE AUTUMN OFFERING click here.

The Deluxe Edition of SLASH‘s (VELVET REVOLVER, ex-GUNS N’ ROSES) latest solo record was released on September 28th in the US and will be issued October 19th in Canada via Universal.

Ultimate-guitar.com is streaming three exclusive tracks from the reissue – ‘Sweet Child Of Mine‘ Live, ‘Baby Can’t Drive‘ and ‘Mean Bone‘.

The two CDs/one DVD features a limited-edition guitar pick designed by Ralph Steadman and Slash and an exclusive 3′ x 3′ fan-contributed-photo-mosaic-poster of Slash that is available for fans to interact with four weeks prior to and after release date and is redeemable online to everyone that buys the Slash deluxe edition.


The deluxe edition features the following tracks:
Disc 1
Ghost (Ian Astbury of THE CULT)
Crucify The Dead (OZZY OSBOURNE)
Beautiful Dangerous (Fergie of THE BLACK EYED PEAS)
Back From Cali (Myles Kennedy of ALTER BRIDGE)
Promise (Chris Cornell of SOUNDGARDEN/AUDIOSLAVE)
By The Sword (Andrew Stockdale of WOLFMOTHER)
Gotten (Adam Levine)
Doctor Alibi (Lemmy Kilmister of MOTÖRHEAD)
Watch This (Dave Grohl/Duff McKagan of FOO FIGHTERS/VELVET REVOLVER )
I Hold On (KID ROCK)
Nothing To Say (M Shadows of AVENGED SEVENFOLD)
Starlight (Myles Kennedy of ALTER BRIDGE)
Saint Is A Sinner Too (Rocco De Luca)
We’re All Gonna Die (IGGY POP)
Disc 2
Sahara (English) (KISHI INABA)
Paradise City (CYPRESS HILL/Fergie)
Mother Maria (BETH HART)
Baby Can’t Drive (ALICE COOPER, NICOLE SCHERZINGER)
Sahara (Japanese) (Koshi Inaba)
Beautiful Dangerous Radio Mix (Fergie)
Demo #4
Demo #16
Back From Cali (Acoustic) (Myles Kennedy of ALTER BRIDGE)
Fall to Pieces (Acoustic) (Myles Kennedy of ALTER BRIDGE)
Sweet Child O’ Mine (Acoustic) (Myles Kennedy of ALTER BRIDGE)
Watch This (Live) (Myles Kennedy of ALTER BRIDGE)
Nightrain (Live) (Myles Kennedy of ALTER BRIDGE)

DVD:
Making Of The Album
Back From Cali – Live From The Roxy
By The Sword – Music Video
By The Sword – Behind The Scenes
Starlight – Live From MTV Classic Launch
Mean Bone – Live From MTV Classic Launch









For more SLASH click here.

The video for SOUNDGARDEN‘s newly released track “Black Rain” is available below (courtesy of Spinner.com). The song, which is taken from the “Badmotorfinger” recording sessions, comes off SOUNDGARDEN‘s first collection of music since 1996, “Telephantasm“, which is scheduled for release on September 28 in the U.S. and September 27 internationally.

The band will partner with innovative gaming publisher Activision to release the album on September 28 via A&M/UMe inside one million copies of the new videogame Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock. This release marks the first time a music album will be simultaneously released and bundled with a video game launch. Additionally, fans will get full access to the band’s new album as downloadable content for Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock. The 12-song disc will then be available on October 5 at all music retail outlets and on the band’s web site.

On September 28, A&M/UMe will release three expanded versions of “Telephantasm” which will include a double-disc with 12 additional tracks, five of which are previously unreleased, and SOUNDGARDEN‘s first-ever DVD, featuring 20 videos, 13 of which have never been released, a deluxe three-LP vinyl edition and an individually numbered super deluxe collector’s edition. The super deluxe collector’s edition will be available for a limited time and will include two CDs, the limited-edition DVD, three heavy vinyl discs, a collectible poster, lithos, and much more. These three expanded versions will be available at all music retail outlets and on the band’s web site.








For more SOUNDGARDEN click here.

SOUNDGARDEN will release its first collection of music since 1996, “Telephantasm“, on September 28 in the U.S. and September 27 internationally. This career-spanning retrospective album includes never-before-heard unreleased track “Black Rain“, taken from the “Badmotorfinger” recording sessions.

The band will partner with innovative gaming publisher Activision to release the album on September 28 via A&M/UMe inside one million copies of the new videogame Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock. This release marks the first time a music album will be simultaneously released and bundled with a video game launch. Additionally, fans will get full access to the band’s new album as downloadable content for Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock. The 12-song disc will then be available on October 5 at all music retail outlets and on the band’s web site.

On September 28, A&M/UMe will release three expanded versions of “Telephantasm” which will include a double-disc with 12 additional tracks, five of which are previously unreleased, and SOUNDGARDEN‘s first-ever DVD, featuring 20 videos, 13 of which have never been released, a deluxe three-LP vinyl edition and an individually numbered super deluxe collector’s edition. The super deluxe collector’s edition will be available for a limited time and will include two CDs, the limited-edition DVD, three heavy vinyl discs, a collectible poster, lithos, and much more. These three expanded versions will be available at all music retail outlets and on the band’s web site.

The track listing for the various release formats is as follows:

** “Telephantasm” (Single CD):
Hunted Down
Hands All Over
Outshined
Rusty Cage
Birth Ritual
Black Hole Sun
Spoonman
My Wave
Fell On Black Days
Burden In My Hand
Blow Up The Outside World
Black Rain (previously unreleased)

** “Telephantasm” (2-CD/Limited-Edition DVD):
CD – Disc One:
All Your Lies
Hunted Down
Fopp
Beyond The Wheel
Flower (BBC session)*
Hands All Over
Big Dumb Sex
Get On The Snake (live)
Room A Thousand Years Wide (single version)*
Rusty Cage
Outshined
Slaves & Bulldozers
CD – Disc Two:
Jesus Christ Pose (live)
Birth Ritual
My Wave
Superunknown
Spoonman
Black Hole Sun
Fell On Black Days (video version)
Burden In My Hand
Dusty
Pretty Noose (live on “SNL”)*
Blow Up The Outside World (MTV “Live ‘N’ Loud”)*
Black Rain*

*Previously unreleased on CD

DVD – The Music Videos:
Flower
Hands All Over^
Loud Love^
Jesus Christ Pose (original version)
Outshined
Rusty Cage
My Wave^
Spoonman
The Day I Tried To Live (uncensored)^
Black Hole Sun^
Fell On Black Days^
Pretty Noose (uncensored)
Burden In My Hand
Blow Up The Outside World (uncensored)
Bonus Videos:
Spoonman (mash-up version)
The Day I Tried To Live (European version)
Superunknown^
Pretty Noose (international version)
Pretty Noose (alternate ending)
Blow Up The Outside World (censored)
All videos previously unreleased except ^

** Super Deluxe Version (2 CDs + Limited-Edition DVD + 3 heavy vinyl discs plus more in deluxe packaging)

For more SOUNDGARDEN click here.

SOUNDGARDEN played last night (Thursday, August 5) at the intimate Vic Theatre in Chicago, just three days before it headlines the third day of the Lollapalooza festival in the Windy City’s Grant Park on Sunday, August 8.

Soundgarden‘s setlist:
Searching With My Good Eye Closed
Spoonman
Gun
Rusty Cage
Let Me Drown
Jesus Christ Pose
Flower
Outshined
Fell On Black Days
Ugly Truth
Get On The Snake
Burden In My Hand
Pretty Noose
Head Down
Face Pollution
Superunknown
Black Hole Sun
Mailmain
Slaves And Bulldozers
4th Of July
Blow Up The Outside
Like Suicide

For a review of the show click here.
For more SOUNDGARDEN click here.
Photo by Gary Miller/ FilmMagic

SOUNDGARDEN updates us with the following:

“It is with great pleasure that we can finally let you all know what we have been working on.
On September 28th, we will be releasing a new retrospective called Telephantasm. It includes songs from all of our albums and EPs, including ‘Black Rain’, an unreleased track from the Badmotorfinger sessions.
Plus, we are releasing our first ever DVD which will include never before seen video’s, and much more.”
We have partnered with Guitar Hero 6 to launch Telephantasm simultaneously with the launch of the new game. Which means if you buy Guitar Hero 6 for the week of September 28th you get a copy of Telephantasm as well. Of course, there will be vinyl, collectors editions, deluxe packages and more.
See you all at Lollapalooza!”

Current SOUNDGARDEN dates:
AUG 5 VIC Theatre Chicago, Il
AUG 8 LOLLAPALOZA Chicago, Il

For more Soundgarden click here.

Soundgarden has announced that they are playing an intimate show, at the legendary Vic Theatre in Chicago on Thursday, August 5th… and here’s your chance to get a couple of tickets.

Click here to sign up as a member of Soundgarden World. Members will be given the chance to purchase a pair of tickets to this once-in-a-lifetime show. If selected, you’ll be sent an email with a link to purchase a pair of tickets. If you already have an account, login and update your profile.

There are a bunch of rules here so read carefully:
Must be 18 to attend this show. This is not an all ages show. IDs will be checked at point of entry. There will be no hard tickets to this show. All tickets are paperless and will be distributed at will call the day of the show. All ticket sales are final. NO EXCHANGE, REFUND, OR TRANSFER of names for these tickets. The SoundgardenWorld member must show government issued photo identification to collect their paperless tickets. No exceptions.
Tickets are purchased in pairs (2) only. No single tickets sold. ALL SALES ARE FINAL. Sorry, but in order for us to insure that these tickets are all used by REAL FANS, we must make this rule.
Please enter your chance only if you can realistically attend this show. For example, if you live in Slovenia and really, really, really want to go, but there’s no frickin’ way you’re flying all the way to Chicago for the show, don’t make it harder for someone who can attend by putting in a request.

Please direct all ticket related questions to: tickets@soundgardenworld.com.

Carlos Santana was initially intimidated by mentor Clive Davis‘ pitch for his next album — another “Supernatural“-style all-star collaboration, but this time on a collection of iconic rock songs by the likes of the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, AC/DC and others.
“I was like, ‘No, I don’t know if I want to do this one, Clive. This one’s a little challenging,‘” the guitarist and bandleader told Billboard.com.
“And he would stay on the phone for at least 45 minutes to an hour, three times in one year, and I was like, ‘Oh, lord…’ But then I started realizing that someone with that intense passion of commitment couldn’t be wrong, so I had to trust him. And it was incredible.”

The album — Santana‘s first since “All That I Am” in 2005 — is due out in September and is not yet titled. The track list is being finalized as well, but during sessions Santana reunited with “Smooth” partner Rob Thomas on Cream‘s “Sunshine of Your Love” and worked with Joe Cocker on Jimi Hendrix‘s “Little Wing,” Scott Weiland on the Rolling Stones‘ “Can’t You Hear Me Knocking,” Chris Daughtry on Def Leppard‘s “Photograph,” Soundgarden‘s Chris Cornell on Led Zeppelin‘s “Whole Lotta Love,” Papa Roach‘s Jacoby Shaddix on Deep Purple‘s “Smoke on the Water” and rapper Nas, who lays down rhymes on AC/DC’s “Back in Black.”

Santana chose half of the songs while Davis, Sony Music‘s chief creative officer, picked the other half. Davis, who originally signed Santana in the 1960s, masterminded his 1999 comeback “Supernatural,” a worldwide smash that also garnered nine Grammys.
“What I brought to the table is my heart, knowing that I complement, I don’t compete,” Santana said of the recording sessions. “I brought my heart, trusting that there’s enough in me of purity and innocence and genuineness that I couldn’t possible, excuse the expression, fuck it up. I know Eric (Clapton). I know Jeff Beck. I know Jimmy Page. And they know me. I have supreme certainty and confidence that they’re going to say, ‘Hey man, I love what you did with my song.”
While he considers every song “incredible,” Santana said his very favorite is the Beatles’ “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” which he recorded with India Arie and cellist Yo Yo Ma.
“I sent the song to George Harrison‘s widow, Olivia, and I got back an email that says, ‘Carlos, I listened to the song and I started crying and jumping with joy at the same time. And I want you to know that George really loved you, because he understood your passion for compassion.’ And I was like, ‘Bam!’ that’s like George Harrison himself, through his beautiful wife, validating my existence and what I did with that song.”
Santana plans to preview some of the covers during his upcoming summer tour with Steve Winwood, which gets under way June 30 in Saint Paul, Minn. He also plans to have Winwood “join my band” for collaborations he hopes are “totally different” than what fans might expect.
“I would prefer not to do Steve Winwood or Santana songs with him,” Santana explained. “I would like to go to the Bob Marley repertoire or Marvin Gaye or African music by King Sunny Ade or really, really obscure other-side-of-the-tracks. So I’m crossing my fingers.”
After the summer tour with Winwood, Santana is returning to Las Vegas in August for his second residency at the Hard Rock Hotel. Santana is touring Europe in September and October, including a stop at London’s O2 Arena.
Santana has another album ready to go as well, an all-instrumental set called “Shape Shifter,” which he recorded with his band and he plans to release after the next album has run its course.

Current SANTANA dates:
5/25/2010 Tuesday Pavilhão Atlântico, Lisbon
5/28/2010 Friday Le festival MAWAZINE Rythmes du nde, Rabat, Morocco
6/30/2010 Wednesday Xcel Energy Center, St Paul, MN Steve Winwood
7/1/2010 Thursday Summerfest, Milwaukee, WI Steve Winwood
7/3/2010 Saturday Saturday in the Park Festival, Sioux City, IA Steve Winwood Free Festival
7/4/2010 Sunday Starlight Theatre, Kansas City, MO Steve Winwood
7/6/2010 Tuesday Riverbend Music Center, Cincinnati, OH Steve Winwood
7/7/2010 Wednesday Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre, Indianapolis, IN Steve Winwood
7/9/2010 Friday Midwest Bank Amphitheatre, Tinley Park, IL Steve Winwood
7/10/2010 Saturday DTE Energy Music Theatre, Clarkston, MI Steve Winwood
7/11/2010 Sunday Molson Amphitheatre, Toronto, ON Steve Winwood
7/13/2010 Tuesday Quebec City International Summer Festival, Quebec City, QC Steve Winwood
7/14/2010 Wednesday Lebreton Flats, Ottawa, ON Steve Winwood
7/15/2010 Thursday Bell Centre, Montreal, QC Steve Winwood
7/17/2010 Saturday Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, Bethel, NY Steve Winwood
7/18/2010 Sunday Nikon at Jones Beach Theater, Wantagh, NY Steve Winwood
7/20/2010 Tuesday PNC Bank Arts Center, Holmdel, NJ Steve Winwood
7/21/2010 Wednesday Mohegan Sun, Uncasville, CT Steve Winwood
7/23/2010 Friday Comcast Center, Mansfield, MA Steve Winwood
7/24/2010 Saturday Trump Taj Mahal Casino/Hotel- Etess Arena, Atlantic City, NJ Steve Winwood
7/25/2010 Sunday Jiffy Lube Live, Bristow, VA Steve Winwood
7/27/2010 Tuesday Verizon Wireless Virginia Beach Amphitheatre, Virginia Beach, VA Steve Winwood
7/28/2010 Wednesday Time Warner Cable Music Pavillion, Raleigh, North Carolina Steve Winwood
7/29/2010 Thursday Chastain Park Amphitheatre, Atlanta, GA Steve Winwood
7/31/2010 Saturday 1-800-ASK-GARY Amphitheatre, Tampa, FL Steve Winwood
8/1/2010 Sunday Cruzan Amphitheater, West Palm Beach, FL Steve Winwood
8/25/2010 Wednesday The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, NV
8/27/2010 Friday The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, NV
8/28/2010 Saturday THe Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, NV
8/29/2010 Sunday The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, NV
9/1/2010 Wednesday The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, NV
9/3/2010 Friday The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, NV
9/4/2010 Saturday The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, NV
9/5/2010 Sunday The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, NV
9/29/2010 Wednesday O2, Dublin, Ireland
10/1/2010 Friday O2 Arena, London,UK
10/2/2010 Saturday MEN Arena, Manchester,UK
10/3/2010 Sunday Newcastle Arena, Newcastle,UK
10/5/2010 Tuesday Gleredome, Arnhem, NL
10/6/2010 Wednesday Sportpaleis, Antwerp, BE
10/7/2010 Thursday König-Pilsener-Arena, Oberhausen, Germany
10/9/2010 Saturday Hallenstadion, Zürich, Switzerland
10/10/2010 Sunday Zenith, Dijon, FR
10/12/2010 Tuesday Bercy, Paris, France
10/13/2010 Wednesday SAP-Arena , Mannheim, Germany
10/15/2010 Friday O2 Arena, Prague, CZ
10/16/2010 Saturday O2 World, Berlin, Germany
10/17/2010 Sunday Olympiahalle, Munich, Germany
10/19/2010 Tuesday Mediolanum Forum, Milan, Italy
10/20/2010 Wednesday Rothaus Halle , Friedrichshafen, Germany
10/23/2010 Saturday O2 World, Hamburg, Germany
10/25/2010 Monday Arena Fyn, Odense, DK
10/27/2010 Wednesday The Globe, Stockholm, SE
10/29/2010 Friday Vestlandshallen, Bergen, Norway
10/30/2010 Saturday Vikingaskeppen, Hamar, Norway

For more information visit Santana‘s website here.

Source: Reuters.com