Multi-platinum, Southern California alternative metal band P.O.D. (Payable On Death) is releasing their very first-ever acoustic album, SoCal Sessions, on November 17.
Recorded this summer in P.O.D.’s hometown of San Diego, SoCal Sessions features 12 newly recorded, unplugged versions of the band’s top hits and other standouts, including “Youth of the Nation” and “Alive.” SoCal Sessions is available for preorder now at iTunes, Amazon and GooglePlay. You can also preorder a signed copy of the album from Newbury Comics that is autographed by all four P.O.D. band members: Sonny Sandoval (vocals), Marcos Curiel (guitar), Traa Daniels (bass), and Wuv Bernardo (drums).
In addition to SoCal Sessions, P.O.D. is about to start recording their ninth studio album of all new original songs, to be released in 2015. Since forming in 1992, P.O.D. has sold more than 12 million albums, including 1999’s platinum The Fundamental Elements of Southtown and 2001’s triple-platinum Satellite. The band has also garnered three GRAMMY® nominations, four No. 1 music videos, and more than a dozen rock radio hits, including “Southtown,” “Alive,” “Youth of the Nation,” and “Goodbye For Now”. As music trends have come and gone, P.O.D.’s fan base, known as The Warriors, has only grown stronger. The world-renowned band looks forward to sharing the next chapter in what has already been a storied career.
Last week, news spread worldwide of the arrest of AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd by the New Zealand police, who reportedly charged him with “attempting to procure murder.” That charge has been fully withdrawn due to insufficient evidence. However, Rudd is still facing one charge of threatening to kill, which carries a maximum prison term of seven years, plus relatively minor charges of possession of methamphetamine and cannabis.
Said Rudd’s lawyer, Paul Mabey, “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. The damage to Mr. Rudd is incalculable. Questions arise as to the degree of care taken by those responsible for arresting and charging him with attempting to procure murder. Citizens are entitled to a responsible exercise of the power to charge which, as is proved here, can give rise to potentially irreversible damage if that power is not exercised responsibly. Mr. Rudd is considering any possible remedies he may have.” Rudd is out on bail; his scheduled court date is November 27.
Have a look at the brand-new AC/DC video, “Play Ball.” It the band’s first without rhythm guitarist/co-founder Malcolm Young, who recently stepped down; it was later revealed he was suffering from dementia. Stevie Young, nephew of Malcolm and his brother/guitarist Angus, makes his first appearance on guitar. The aforementioned Phil Rudd was inexplicably absent during filming; Bob Richards appears in his place for this video.
Poison frontman Bret Michaels was rushed to the hospital and underwent kidney surgery this past week, causing him to cancel a charity gig in Champaign, IL. Pete Evick, who plays guitar in Bret’s solo band, posted an update on Facebook, saying that Bret had been in and out of six hospitals with kidney concerns over the past two weeks and even performed with two stents in so as not to “let the fans down.”
Eventually, his devotion to performing caught up with him. Said Evick, “I can’t explain the amount of blood or where it came from, but it was horrifying on his bus after [one of the shows Bret performed while ill]. Bret looked at me and said, “Just head to Champaign, we have to make Thursday’s show up. Bret was again taken to a hospital and this time given medication that would keep him down. The doctors basically refused to release him.” Evick also mentioned Bret’s previous health problems that he struggled to overcome, which include “the appendectomy a few years ago, the brain hemorrhage, and recently his scare in Boston with the flu/severe blood sugar on stage earlier this year [Bret is a lifelong diabetic].” Bret is pictured recovering in his hospital bed.
It’s coming baaaaack! Infamous MTV reality series The Osbournes is returning for a special eight-episode run. The show, which followed the day-to-day lives of rocker Ozzy Osbourne, his wife/manager Sharon, and their kids Jack and Kelly, first aired 2002 – 2005 and it was the highest-rating show in MTV’s history. Sharon confirmed the show’s upcoming mini-run during a recent interview with UK talk show Loose Women.
“Ozzy has decided that he wants to do another few episodes,” she said. “Not a whole season, about eight episodes of The Osbournes. It’s been 13 years since the last one. He said that for the whole three years that we did it, he was drunk the whole time, so he said he would like to do one where he is completely sober, as he is now.” She added, “It’s not forever. It’s no more than eight episodes. Because it’s been 13 years and our lives have changed so much, it’s a kind of catch-up. It’s like, ‘What are they doing now?’ That’s it.” Filming reportedly begins in January.
Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler wants to remain on speaking terms with guitarist Joe Perry…so he’s avoiding reading Joe’s recently released memoir, Rocks: My Life In And Out Of Aerosmith.
When TMZ.com asked if he’d read it, he laughed, saying “Hell no! I have to go onstage with him next year. I wanna love the son of a bitch.”
So, Mötley Crüe might be calling it quits on world touring after their current The Final Tour wraps up (so they say…you know how these things go), but don’t count out new music from the band in the future. Singer Vince Neil said in a recent interview, “I have a solo band, but I also have a football team [AFL team Las Vegas Outlaws] coming into Las Vegas and that’s going to take a lot of time…You gotta remember, Mötley Crüe isn’t breaking up, we’re just not touring anymore. We will be making a lot of music still in the future.”
“My guess is, if you want me to make one prediction, I think that Michael Anthony will be back in that band [Van Halen] because they really need to do that.” That’s what Sammy Hagar recently told VH1 Radio Networks about what he sees as his current The Circle and Chickenfoot bandmate (and former VH bassist), Michael Anthony.
“If they’re going to serve the fans and ever do what the fans really want right now, if it’s going to be Dave [Lee Roth], then it’s gotta be Mike. too,” continued Sammy. “It’s gotta be the original band, and that’s the way it should be. Nothing against Wolfie [current Van Halen bassist Wolfgang Van Halen] — I love the guy; he was a sweet kid. [He] grew up. I saw him when he was born, for God’s sake — but they need to do that and my prediction is they will.”