Back in Black: Murder for Hire Charges Dropped Against Phil Rudd

So right after AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd was arrested on charges of trying to procure a murder, drug charges and death threats, the murder for hire charges have been dropped and the prosectors have conceded that there was not enough evidence to proceed. So basically he's gone from singing "Dirty Deeds" to "Back in Black."

Cause I'm back on the track
And I'm beating the flack
Nobody's gonna get me on another rap
So look at me now
I'm just makin' my play
Don't try to push your luck, just get out of my way

Seriiously, now Rudd is thinking about restitution (and justly so)
From ABC News.com

 Rudd's lawyer Paul Mabey said the damage to his client had been incalculable and he was considering possible remedies.

"The charge alleging an attempt to procure murder should never have been laid," Mabey said in a statement, adding "Mr. Rudd has suffered unnecessary and extremely damaging publicity as a result of widespread and sensational reporting of a very serious allegation, which on any basis was never justified."

Mabey said Rudd would defend the other charges against him.

Bill Hodge, a law professor at the University of Auckland, said the events suggested police had overreached.

"Usually you'd expect police to lay a basic charge, a holding charge," he said. "Then, maybe when they've got more witnesses and evidence, they could go for a more complicated charge. I don't understand the rush."

Hodge said Rudd could have a good case for seeking financial damages if the case against him fell apart altogether, but he may have little recourse if convicted on the threatening to kill charge.

Yesterday it seemed AC/DC had been caught off guard and they had started thinking about the tour and record release without Rudd as they released the following statement:
"We have no further comment. Phil's absence will not affect the release of our new album 'Rock or Bust' and upcoming tour next year."

It still hasn't been officially stated whether or not he'll be on tour with the rest of the band. It seems like the drug charges may stick so who knows what the future will hold.

You can get more on the ABCNews.com article 

Contest: Go on Tour With Korn

Good hearted rockers Korn are dedicating their time/selves to a pretty cool charity. It's not a sweepstakes -- more of a raffle where you pay to enter, but the prizes are pretty cool and the charity, "Little Kids Rock," is a good cause.

The website to enter the contest is here http://www.omaze.com/experiences/korn

Should you win, you and a friend will:

    Hang out with Munky on the tour bus, have dinner, and then jam with the band backstage.

    Join Korn for their ‘Prepare for Hell’ tour and get all-access passes for two shows, including seats on stage.
    Get flights and 4-star hotel accommodations at both tour stops

There are all sorts of support levels for the Little Kids Rock charity, as as you might imagine the more cash you pony up the cooler the prizes are.

Starting off with a $10 donation, you get 100 entries in the contest and a digital thank you card. Your contribution will help provide one student with 4 months of music lessons.

They have various levels going up to the "World Changer" level (for $25,000 so dream on) which gets you 25,000 entries. At this level you also get to go get tattooed with Korn! Your good deed will be providing 1,000 students with music lessons for a year.

About Little Kids Rock (that's right, this IS for a charity after all)

Little Kids Rock is a national nonprofit that is dedicated to unlocking children’s inner music-makers by revitalizing music education programming in public schools. The organization partners with school districts to train public school teachers to run their innovative “Modern Band” curriculum and donates all of the accompanying instruments and resources necessary to teach popular music. Little Kids Rock began as a schoolteacher’s vision to give his students access to music education that is relevant to them while diminishing budgets for the arts made that more and more difficult to do. What began as a single after-school guitar class has since exploded into a national movement that is bringing free, weekly music lessons to more than 135,000 public school children due to the efforts of nearly 1,200 teachers nationwide. To date, Little Kids Rock has served over 320,000 students. For more info please visit www.littlekidsrock.org.

Anyway, this is a pretty cool contest. Go check out the  different prize levels and help a most excellent charity!

Billboard: Ozzy Osbourne Pays Tribute to Randy Rhoads at Classic Rock Honours

Last Tuesday night's Classic Rock Honors featured some press for the Osbournes (of course, because Ozzy and family are like the first family of rock). Of course they were mainly talking about future stuff like  "the first Ozzfiesta, a five-day event similar to a musician cruise," but without being stuck on a boat. The Ozzfiesta will take place May 27-31.

But of course some of the other news was The Ozzman's touching tribute to legendary guitarist Randy Rhoads.

While the focus Tuesday was on the future, for both Ozzy and Sabbath, the frontman looked back to Billboard in a moving tribute after the ceremony. He was honored for Blizzard of Ozz, which allowed him to recall his late great guitarist Randy Rhoads. Speaking to Billboard after the event, Ozzy talked about the impact Rhoads had on him and why he wouldn't be here today without Rhoads. 

"He was like a lightning bolt that came into my life, changed everything, he was a wonderful, wonderful guy. He was a very patient guy, he knew what he wanted to do, he was very focused and he was just a true musician," Ozzy said of Randy. "On days off when we were touring, he would get the yellow pages and phone up a classical guitar teacher and have a lesson in his room every day. He was a special guy. I kind of knew, I remember saying to someone, 'He ain't gonna make old bones.' I don't remember why I said it, but I kind of knew he wouldn't make old bones. In the journey of life, I'm a believer in what's meant to happen. But if I could have him back I'd love to see him again. One day we'll meet again." 

Accepting the award, Ozzy said he'd have no career without Rhoads, and afterward he elaborated. "I was in a very bad place, my alcoholism was f---ing rampant, my drug abuse...He came in and he said to me, 'Why do you drink so much? Why don't we just make music?' 

There you have it. More on how Randy saved Ozzy and what a special guy he was. Gives more truth to the old saying "Only the good die young."

Get the whole story on Billboard.com 

Dirty Deeds? AC/DC Drummer Arrested for Attempting to Procure a Murder

Apparently AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd may have taken some of their songs a little too seriously.* He was arrested in New Zealand on charges of trying to have two men killed early (locally) on November 5. He appeared in the Tauranga District Court and did not enter a plea. He was released on bail and will be back in court in 3 weeks.

He is also facing drug charges, charged with possession of methamphetamine (really? METH? Dude, you're so much better than that) and possession of cannabis (well obviously it was the meth that made him freak out and order someone killed. Name one violent pothead). New Zealand police have not given out any information about Rudd's arrest or who the intended victims were. According to New Zealand news outlet The Sun, Rudd was "accused of procuring murder" between September 25th and 26th.

This has not been a great year for AC/DC as earlier this year it was revealed that Malcolm Young was suffering from dementia and would no longer be in the band. However the band is planning a world tour and has a new record/ cd/ mp3 collection/ whatever the kids are calling it these days coming out on December 2. Many of AC/DCs fans have expressed concerns about the tour being affected, however The Guardian points out that Rudd has not been involved in a lot of the band's activities lately.

Rudd was a notable absentee from AC/DC’s recent promotional material in the lead-up to the release of the band’s first album in six years. The first image released to promote the album, Rock or Bust, did not feature Rudd and he was absent from two video shoots over the past few months. Lead singer Brian Johnson reportedly told fans Rudd was not at one of the video shoots because of a “family emergency”.(see the full article from the Guardian here) 

AC/DC has not released a statement on the events yet (probably because their publicists/record labels etc are too Thunderstruck to comment) but you can keep an eye on the news section of the band's website.


*Don't get your panties in a bunch, this comment is a joke. After suffering through the "Ozzy makes you kill yourself", "Judas Priest makes you kill yourself" and general "Heavy metal is statanic bullshit that was popular in my youth, I would never imply that simply listening to (or making music) makes you do bad things. However there is something to be said about writing songs based on life experiences...

Buckcherry announces new video on Vevo -- "Somebody Fucked With Me"

Rockers Buckcherry, most famous for their anthem "Crazy Bitch" claimed to be the theme song of crazy metal chicks everywhere (inluding this one) and their party all night song "Lit Up" announced their new video on Vevo today.

The video is for the song "Somebody Fucked with Me" and feedback seems to be pretty good with this one. It's the perfect song for one of those days when you're just over it all and want to just say "fuck it" and walk away from it all. You can watch the video on Vevo right here: http://vevo.ly/V4joJR

Buckcherry released an EP by the name of "Fuck" on August 19. In keeping with the theme, the first single was "Say Fuck It."

The band is currently on their fall tour with the following dates:
Oct 03 Austin’s Fuel Room Libertyville, IL
Oct 04 Mickey’s Bar Lancaster, OH
Oct 05 Louder Than Life Festival Louisville, KY
Oct 07 The Machine Shop Flint, MI
Oct 08 Club 3D Beckley, WV
Oct 10 Horseshoe Casino Robinsonville, MS
Oct 11 The station bar & grill Broussard, LA
Oct 14 Hurricane Harry’s College Station, TX
Oct 15 Howlin’ Wolf New Orleans, LA
Oct 17 Warehouse Live Ballroom Houston, TX
Oct 18 Sunken Gardens Amphitheatre San Antonio, TX
Oct 19 Pharr Events Center Pharr, TX
Oct 21 Speaking Rock Ent. Center El Paso, TX
Oct 22 Top Deck Farmington, NM
Oct 25 The Love Ride Castaic, CA
Nov 01 Maverick Stadium Adelanto, CA
Nov 06 Ace of Spades Sacramento, CA
Nov 07 The Ranch San Miguel, CA
Nov 09 Phoenix Int. Raceway Phoenix, AZ

Buckcherry performed on the Rockstar Uproar tour this summer and toured with Kid Rock back in 2013. They are a feel good party band and put on a pretty good show, so if you get a chance you should check them out when they come to your city.

Update: Wayne Static's Death Not Drug Related According to Publicist

Following the announcement of Wayne Static's death, the Internet was full of speculation that it was death related. Of course this usually happens when a rock star dies suddenly, however, his publicist has put out the following press release stating that his death was not related to drugs.

Today is a sad day in the music industry – Front-man and founding member WAYNE STATIC of STATIC-X passed away quietly in his sleep at his home last night. The couple [Wayne Static and Tera Wray] was getting ready to leave for a Fall/Winter tour this morning. They were to have left the night before on Halloween, but decided they would head out early in the morning November 1st. The couple, known for partying heavy, had left hard drugs in 2009 and had not touched them since. Static’s first solo album – Pighammer – was a tribute to his new non-drug life and hoped it would help others to get clean from hard chemical drugs. More official information about his passing will be released in the following days. This is not a drug related incident or an O.D. Please be courteous to his family and wife and leave positive messages.

Read More: Wayne Static's Death Not Drug-Related According to Statement | http://loudwire.com/wayne-static-death-not-drug-related-according-press-release/?trackback=tsmclip

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Sad news from the Static-X website Facebook page this morning. Wayne Static, the band's founder, has passed away at the age of 48. The band's Facebook page states that no further information is known at this time. From wikipedia:

Static-X rose to fame with their debut album Wisconsin Death Trip, which went platinum in 2001.[1] Their sound incorporates elements of nu-metal, industrial metal, and groove metal. Static-X self describes the genre of music as "Evil Disco".[2] Static-X has released six studio albums, one compilation album, one EP, 12 singles, 12 videos and a guitar tab book titled Static-X Guitar Anthology. Static-X's sound shares much in common with their industrial metal influences, using heavy distortion, electronic keyboards, pounding bass riffs, and fast-paced, aggressive vocals. Songs sometimes apply heavy use of synthesizers and insertion of samples, such as snippets of movie dialogue. For example, A Dios Alma Perdida samples spaceship drone sound effects and alien chatter from the film Laserblast. A new element used on their Cannibal album is the presence of guitar solos; which weren't prominent in prior albums. The style in which Static-X's music is played is also known, much as the Nu Metal band 'Orgy', as "Static Metal".

Sadly he had been touring with fellow rockers Drowining Pool, Powerman 5000 and American Head Charge. They had been offering VIP packages for $75 with the price going up to $125 the day of show. At this time there has been no statement about what will go on with the tour. Static was also known for his crazy hairstyle; his hair was held up in a vertical position. Most photos of him feature the "static" look. More recently, in 2011, Static had released a solo album called "Pighammer." Static formed a new line-up consisting of Brent Ashley on bass, Sean Davidson on drums and Ashes on guitar. This lineup toured on what they called the "Noise Revolution Tour" in 2012. Static's death currently a trending topic on Facebook. You can follow the story more here: https://www.facebook.com/topic/Wayne-Static/108512842506638?source=whfrt&position=1&trqid=6077076199591128284 The following is a post from his Facebook page of video from a Stanton Show June 16, 2013.

Post by Wayne Static.

RIP Wayne, you will sincerely be missed by rockers everywhere.

Gene Simmons to women: Stop depending on men

Gene Simmons is an asshat, I've known that since the 90s and anyone who didn't realize that about him hasn't been paying attention. However, in this video which has generated some controversy, he's got some good points.People were blowing him up on social media for the statements he made in this video on Fox News, but this is the advice I'd give my daughter.

I disagree with him that you can't have a career and raise a child. As a single mother I had no choice. It's very very hard and you end up making sacrifices but it can be done. But I wholeheartedly agree that women need to stop depending on men, emotionally and definitely financially.

"Find out that thing that you're good for that makes the money, and then get married and/or have children from a position of strength," Simmons says. That makes sense. Even if you do decide to stay home later you have money to take care of your child. Having two people making a good living is a great thing.

Another part that resonated with me: "Let's all agree that women should not depend on men. The statistics tell us predominantly they will run out on you,"

Yes, there are some good men out there. But my experience and that of a lot of my friends has been the running out kind. Make sure you can take care of yourself. Best advice a woman can have, actually. It's hard enough to pick yourself up and start again emotionally. At least if you can take care of yourself financially you can be in good shape.

Simmons also says that men aren't fully grown until about their 40s. This is again something I can agree with. I know a lot of men take offense to it, but having dated men in all age groups, that's when they finally start treating you right and do a little less catting around.

The good news is, if you get an education and you're capable of supporting yourself and any children you have, if the right man comes along you're with him because you love him, not because you can't afford to leave him.

So yeah, even though I think Gene Simmons is a pompous asshole (but  he's laughing all the way to the bank) I kind of think he got it right on this one.

You can watch the whole video here.
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Shinedown starts recording of new album

Shinedown has started recording their next album, right now being referred to as Shinedown5. They have posted references to it on their Facebook and Twitter. On the band's official Facebook account, they have posted a few photos from the recording of it and have been using the hashtag #shinedown5. Looks like today is Day 3, and we all know how long it takes to record an album, mix it and finally get it released, but at lease new music is on the way! I will definitely be following this (well, I always do) and posting any updates I see on this site.

This is very exciting as Shinedown always puts out some great stuff. Their last studio album was Amaryllis, which was released on March 27, 2013. While Shinedown was taking a break, guitarist Zach Myers released a special acoustic album and even went on an acoustic tour which got some pretty good reviews. The Myers side project album, Allen, Mack, Myers and Moore, is available on his Pledge music site.

While you're waiting for the new tunes, you can head over to Shinedown.com where they are having a weekly sweepstakes. Seems that every week they are giving away a prize pack. Contest winners receive a limited edition Shinedown Nation t-shirt and more. Contest enntry is as simple as sending them an email, so what do you have to lose? 

Halloween Idea: Iron Maiden's Eddie

Halloween is definitely one of the most metal holidays out there and few things are as metal as Iron Maiden's mascot, Eddie. (Also known as "Eddie the Head") One of my friends shared this awesome makeup tutorial on Facebook and it is definitely a pretty cool idea. The video is from YouTube and it basically shows how to do your makeup like Eddie.

In 2008, Gibson.com called Eddie "the most recognizable metal icon in the world and one of the most versatile too." From 1980 till 1992, Eddie was drawn by artist Derek Riggs. However in 1992 the band accepted contributions from other artists in order to "update Eddie to the 90s." Eddie has appeared as everything from a skeleton to a samurai to an undertaker to a Blade-Runner esque cyborg. Eddie can truly be anything and any incarnation. According to Dave Murray Eddie's name was inspired by an old joke: "A wife had a baby, but it was born with only a head and no body. 'Don't worry,' says the doctor. 'Bring him back in five years time and we'll probably have a body for him'. So five years go by, and there's Eddie the 'Ead, as his parents have called him, sitting on the mantelpiece, when in walks his dad. 'Son,' he says, 'today's a very special day. It's your fifth birthday and we've got a very special surprise for you.' 'Oh no,' says Eddie. 'Not another fucking hat!'" If you would like to see more awesome artwork of Eddie for some Halloween inspiration of your own, there is actually a Facebook community called "Eddie -- Iron Maiden's mascot." In any case, if you decide to follow the tutorial for the video or do your own awesome Eddie costume, feel free to send pics to the contribution info at the top of this page. Any pics I recieve will be posted.

Steven Tyler Encourages Drug Court Graduates

Steven Tyler, of Aerosmith, known back in the day for some crazy drug use as well as the rockin' music that Aerosmith made, appeared as a guest speaker before the Maui/Moloka'i Drug Court program graduation and encouraged the graduates as well as speaking about his own struggle.

Tyler attributed a lot of his success with sobriety to attending AA meetings. This was probably a good message for the graduates to hear...no one can do it all themself and a lot of people need the support and structure to get them back to a drug-free life.

He said he began "getting high" in 1964. "By 1984, I was 126 pounds, shooting cocaine," when he first went into a rehabilitation center, Tyler said.
"They weren't rehabs," he said. "They were mental institutions where people that sat next to me had dribble bibs."
Later, he relapsed. "I had it all. I didn't care," he said. "And I hurt my family and my children and my friends. If it wasn't for the program of AA, I would have nothing.
"I'm a better drug addict and alcoholic than I am a musician. I got to keep it in check."

You can read the full story from Billboard magazine here. 

It's  great that Steven Tyler took time out to attend this program and give this talk  to people who could surely use his inspiration. It probably helped them to know that even one of rock and roll's great vocal Gods faced the same struggles that they did. Statistically I'm sure some of these people will relapse again, but if he could help a few of them that is a great service. This is the sort of thing that makes him seem like more of a "Nice Guy of Boston" than one of the "Bad Boys of Boston." Tyler is truly an inspiration and a down to Earth guy.

They don't call him "Wild Mick Brown" for nothing: Drummer charged with in golf cart DUI

I didn't even know you could get arrested for DUI on a golf cart. Guess Mick pissed someone off. I love this story cause it seems like the fun-loving Wild Mick Brown I remember from the 80s.

Ted Nugent's drummer faces several charges after police in Bangor, Maine, say he was seen driving drunk in a golf cart stolen from a concert venue.
Officers working at Nugent's Sunday night concert at the city's waterfront pavilion were told that 55-year-old Mick Brown was intoxicated, had stolen the cart and was driving it recklessly on a foot path.
According to the Bangor Daily News, police officer Steve Jordan spotted Brown driving with two females on the cart and attempted to stop the drummer without success. When officers tried to stop the cart again, Brown sped past them and shoved a security officer. Two security officers then removed Brown from the cart, and he was arrested.
Brown, of Cave Creek, Ariz., was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, driving to endanger, theft and assault. He was released on $4,000 bail and is due back in court Aug. 15.

Full story on Billboard.com

Lamb of God launches page to raise money for Randy Blythe

As Randy Blythe remains in a Czech prison, Lamb of God has added a widget to their Facebook page to raise money for his legal defense. Though $200k bail has already been posted, apparently that doesn't mean you can go free over there so Randy is still jailed.
Fact of the matter is his legal bills are going to continue to pile up. He has lawyers over there, but apparently they're going to fly over some U.S. lawyers as well.

On the page, Lamb of God notes:

While we appreciate the outpouring of support, we are not interested in trying to profit or gather press or sympathy from this event. We have assembled this page to make it possible for people that feel so inclined to donate to the expenses incurred in defending this case. One hundred percent of the money raised will go to the legal fees and any remaining balance will be given to a charity of Randy's choice upon his release.

Personally I'm glad there's something I can do besides post "#freeRandyBlythe" over and over again. I wish I had more to give, but every little bit helps. Funny thing is I'm not actually a big Lamb of God fan, but followed Randy on Twitter for a while (before he deactivated his account) and read his Randonesia blog. There were times I didn't agree with what he said, other times he had me laughing pretty hard (if anyone else saw the posts about taking Henry to Petsmart to get groomed...) but I loved his writings and developed a ton of respect for him.

Photo copyright 2012 by Randy Blythe from Randonesia. Caption: "The payoff is pure freedom."

I keep thinking of this photo and I hope he can do this again soon.

BBC: Randy Blythe still in Czech prison despite posting bail

The BBC is reporting that Lamb of God vocalist Randy Blythe is still in jail in the Czech Republic despite posting bail a few days ago. You can read the complete story here:

This is complete bullshit. I know he's a definite flight risk: He was only supposed to be in their country for a night. But he paid the bail so he's supposed to be able to leave. That's pretty much the purpose of bail.

Not to mention that the whole charge is pretty bogus. Apparently a 19 year old fan known in the court proceedings as Daniel N. jumped on stage not one but three times. The third time Blythe is alleged to have pushed him down, causing him to fall on the concrete floor and die from his injuries a few days later.

I feel for the guy's family and it's a tragedy that he died, but he is responsible for his own death. He's the one who jumped up on stage. ok, maybe he was just stage diving, but there are inherent risks with stage diving. Sad thing is if security had moved that kid, he would've been pissed but he would still be alive.

The band is encouraging everyone to wear their Lamb of God clothes on July 4 for Independence Day. I wish wearing the shirt would actually do something to get Randy Blythe released from prison.

All we can really do is wait and see if he really gets released. If the Free Randy shirt sales are contributing to his defense I'll get one. The fact that he's still detained is just insane! And if he does get out, I hope he runs and never returns to Eastern Europe again!

In related news, the official Lamb of God twitter posted this video which supposedly shows the alleged incident.