MK ULTRA

SOURCE: BLABBERMOUTH.NET

 
France’s Loud TV recently conducted an interview with frontwoman Cristina Scabbia of Italian alternative metallers LACUNA COIL. A few excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On whether their forthcoming “Black Anima” studio album is “angrier” than 2016’s “Delirium”:

Cristina: “Of course it’s the next step, it’s the next record. It is somehow, an evolution of the band from ‘Delirium’, but the record is completely detached from ‘Delirium’. We were sure, though, that we wanted to keep the heaviness going because we just like to play live the heavier songs. They’re more fun for us; they’re entertaining for us to play. So we wanted to follow this direction on ‘Black Anima’, even though there are a lot of songs that are mellow or at least slower, but they still have that ‘disturbing’ vibe going on that I like very much, so that can be related to ‘Delirium’ somehow. We’re not [angry] at all; we’re actually very positive people. It’s not anger. I don’t think anybody’s afraid anymore of screams and growls in metal because that’s part of the package. There was no anger. It’s more about a reflection on life and actually being focused on more important things and forgetting the small things and the bullshit that are sometimes we are too focused on. It was a more mature record, yet, very [reflective] and also disturbing at times. Some of the songs put you in a mood that you’re, like, ‘Why am I feeling like this? But I like it.’ We wanted to stop the listener and just, like, sit down, reflect where you’re at, how’s your life, think about how you can get better, think about where you are right now. That makes me realize that I might be old because sometimes I think, too, myself that the new generation is kind of fucked, especially with social media. They’ve lost control. They sometimes have no idea how real life is. They’re always ready to judge everyone else. Everyone has an opinion even if they have no idea what they are talking about. Everybody is a judge and everybody is ready to jump on the train of haters. This is kind of fucked up. A lot of people are saying, ‘Don’t feed the trolls.’ I have the opposite attitude. If someone comes to my pages or to a LACUNA COIL page, just like there to throw shit to us, I react. I’m not the person that is, like, ‘Okay, I’ll block you.’ I will answer you. I don’t mind if other fans will jump on board and will kick your ass. You did something that wasn’t right, so you have to understand that what you did was wrong. And if I block you and I delete your message, it’s like I’m not paying attention to you. But what I want to do is ‘I paid attention to you. You’re an idiot. You have to realize that whatever you do brings a consequence.’ So, if the consequence is me answering and giving you two minutes of attention, it’s not too bad if other people tell you’re an asshole and will maybe make you think twice about what you did.”

On whether LACUNA COIL has to tour more due to the current state of the music industry:
Cristina: “We still like to keep a balance because we feel that for the longevity of the band, it’s really important to keep a balance in between your music, which you love and your job, but also your personal life because I have known so many bands who gave up just because they were too tired of touring. I understand that you have to tour a lot because you want to touch every territory. But if you exhaust your batteries, there’s no coming back. Once you’re tired, once you’re hating this job, it’s, like, ‘I don’t want to do it anymore.’ And there will not be a break to repair this. That’s why at a certain part in our career, we said, ‘We’re touring too much. We’re getting to the point where we’re almost hating each other at the end of every tour because we’re seeing each other’s faces every day in a condition that is exactly not comfortable, far from home, far from our loved ones, far from our little commodities.’ So, we said, ‘Let’s learn to be more selective. We don’t need to do three tours in the same territory in one month. We would love to do it. But if the third time we don’t go back with the same passion, that’s not good. Let’s take more time in between. Let’s choose the gigs we’re going to play. And we’re going to do it with more passion and more energy.’ That was exactly how it worked. In the beginning, I had doubts. I like touring, I like traveling. So, I was agreeing on touring and touring and I didn’t realize that I was exhausting my batteries as well. But I was, like, ‘No, we have to continue touring. It’s cool because we have to touch this territory and we have to play here and there.’ Then I realized we were getting tired of it. You can feel the tension. You can feel the ‘I don’t want to play tonight. Oh, we have to play another show.’ I don’t like this because if you’re acting like this, you’re dragging everybody down. That didn’t happen since we took this conscious decision. It didn’t happen. We’re still playing a lot of shows as well. It’s perfect.”

“Black Anima” will be released on October 11 via Century Media.

LACUNA COIL and ALL THAT REMAINS have joined forces for the “Disease Of The Anima” North American co-headlining tour. The trek includes special guests BAD OMENS, TOOTHGRINDER (September 15 – October 10), EXIMIOUS (October 11 – October 19) and UNCURED.

SKILLET’s John Cooper spoke to Myglobalmind about the difficulties his band has encountered getting its music played on Active Rock radio stations around the United States — this despite the fact the group has sold more than 12 million albums.

“If there is anything that SKILLET does well, it’s our live stage performance; it’s what we are known for,” he said. “It’s great to play in front of new people. If the only place people hear rock music is on a local rock station, they will not know SKILLET. I find it strange because we sold so many records.

“Case in point of what we are dealing with: we are on tour with ALTER BRIDGE and the band DIRTY HONEY is opening the shows,” he continued. “They have the No. 1 Active Rock song on the radio right now. We released a song at the same time as them, being a veteran rock act that has sold a lot of records, and we cannot get radio to play our song. We haven’t broken Top 10. At the same time, DIRTY HONEY is No. 1, and they have 90,000 streams this week. Our song has almost 400,000 streams. I go into radio stations and ask, ‘Why don’t you play us?’ and they say they don’t think fans will like it. I mention to them that we have four times as many streams as the No. 1 artist. They turn around and say, ‘Yeah, but those aren’t really rock fans.’ [Laughs]

“The rock market is dying, and it’s the gatekeepers’ fault,” Cooper added. “They don’t want to change or try anything new. They play bands that sell to young people, then tell you they’re really not rock fans. I reminded them who was listening to GUNS N’ ROSES, NIRVANA or LINKIN PARK when they first came out — young people. It wasn’t a bunch of old folks like us. They will put themselves out of business.”
SKILLET is currently on the road in support of its tenth full-length album, “Victorious”, which was released on August 2 via Atlantic.

SKILLET’s previous four releases — from 2006’s “Comatose” to 2016’s “Unleashed” — have been certified at least gold by the Recording Industry Association Of America (RIAA). SKILLET’s 2009 album “Awake” has gone double platinum.

SKILLET has enjoyed success on both the secular rock and Christian charts, with four consecutive No. 1 albums on the latter — including “Victorious”. SKILLET has also had 27 Top 5 hits on the Christian Rock charts.

Justin Hawkins spoke to Billboard about the lyrical inspiration for “Rock And Roll Deserves To Die”, the first single from the British rockers’ new album, “Easter Is Cancelled”.

“We were looking at a video of some new rock band, and it was just formulaic,” Justin said. “There was nothing original going on — nothing boundary-challenging in it — so they were pretty annoying to watch. So my brother was looking at it, and he said, ‘Well, you know what? Rock ‘n’ roll deserves to die!'”

THE DARKNESS frontman admitted that he doesn’t find much of interest in the modern rock world, preferring to look back to his early influences for inspiration.

“I do love music, and I long for it to be better,” he said. “But in a lot of cases, it isn’t. I always want rock to be better because when I was growing up, it was fucking awesome. It was the most exciting genre, the most challenging — there was androgyny, there was bawdiness in the lyrics, there was emotions, there was makeup, there was all that stuff going on, and it was really exciting.”

 
He continued: “Nothing new has happened within my cherished genre for a long time, and that makes me sad. And angry. Sometimes you hear a retro band come along and they sound great because they’re doing what we’ve all grown up loving, and it’s difficult to be excited about it because it has superficial charm and it’s nostalgic, and there’s nothing underneath it to make it really sing to your heart, you know? The way you want it to and the way it used to. So what we’re saying is, ‘We’re throwing down the gauntlet,’ and the biggest irony is that THE DARKNESS is the band that’s doing it.”

“Easter Is Cancelled” was released on October 4 via Cooking Vinyl. The disc is a mini-rock opera examining the role of the musician in the barbarous culture of the world today. At the heart of the tale is love, loss and heartbreak, where redemption is ultimately found in the brotherhood of band friendship and the power of the guitar.

THE DARKNESS will play “Easter Is Cancelled” in full, alongside a set of its very greatest hits, on its upcoming headline tour. They will play 19 dates across the U.K. starting in November.

In a brand new interview with The Cosmick View, former QUEENSRŸCHE singer Geoff Tate spoke about the fact that making a living as a songwriter and performer has become increasingly challenging in today’s climate, especially for younger rock artists.

“The game has changed radically; it doesn’t even resemble anything like it was when I started out,” he said. “The rules are all different, if there are any rules, really. [Laughs]

“I would say as far as a genre of music, rock is not the music of the times — definitely not worldwide,” he continued. “It has pockets of popularity and I for one am solidly entrenched in rock music and I make a nice living touring and releasing albums to my market and I still tour; this tour was 26 countries. You know, that’s pretty respectable. I like that. It works for me. But as far as many bands and artists making a living doing that, I don’t know. It’s really tough for a new band to get an audience, and that’s what you need in order to survive in this business — is an audience of people that are willing to support your art, buy your records or buy the tickets to see you perform. And without that, a young artist doesn’t have anything other than their music. So the challenge is getting that audience.

“It used to be, when we started out, that you would go out on tour with the headliner band and they were kind enough to share their audience with you, you know. And if you were good at what you did their audience would accept you and maybe be interested in what you had to say and you’d start building from there. But nowadays, there’s just so much competition and there’s so many bands and artists that want to say something and tour around. How do they get access to an established artist audience? It’s near impossible for everybody to do it.
“So, I for one like to help out artists that I can and have certain artists that I enjoy and I like, I like what they’re doing, I like them as people,” Geoff added. “I try to give them spots on my tour to share my audience with them. I think that’s just the way you should do it. That’s the way it was when I was starting out and I’ll continue that tradition.”

Geoff has spent the last couple of years celebrating the 30th anniversary of QUEENSRŸCHE’s “Operation: Mindcrime” album by performing the LP in its entirety on European and U.S. tours.

In April 2014, Tate and QUEENSRŸCHE announced that a settlement had been reached after a nearly two-year legal battle where the singer sued over the rights to the QUEENSRŸCHE name after being fired in 2012. Original QUEENSRŸCHE members Michael Wilton (guitar), Scott Rockenfield (drums) and Eddie Jackson (bass) responded with a countersuit. The settlement included an agreement that Wilton, Rockenfield and Jackson would continue as QUEENSRŸCHE, while Tate would have the sole right to perform the albums “Operation: Mindcrime” and “Operation: Mindcrime II” in their entirety live.

Tate has been replaced in QUEENSRŸCHE by former CRIMSON GLORY singer Todd La Torre.

Tate will perform the QUEENSRŸCHE albums “Rage For Order” and “Empire” in their entirety on the “Empire 30th Anniversary Tour” in 2020.

The Zappa Trust has announced the release of two books honoring legendary musician and composer Frank Zappa’s legacy: “Zappa Gear: The Unique Guitars, Amplifiers, Effects Units, Keyboards And Studio Equipment” by Mick Ekers with foreword by Dweezil Zappa; and “The Hot Rats Book”, in celebration of the 50th anniversary of Frank Zappa’s “Hot Rats” album by Bill Gubbins and Ahmet Zappa.

“These books provide another way for fans to connect with Frank Zappa,” Ahmet Zappa says. “They give a fascinating window into Frank’s mind and the ideas he came up with throughout his career.”

First up, the November 29 release of “Zappa Gear: The Unique Guitars, Amplifiers, Effects Units, Keyboards And Studio Equipment”. “Zappa Gear” offers an unprecedented inside look at the machinery behind the legendary music. In addition to a detailed presentation of the equipment, “Zappa Gear” also introduces some of the pioneering inventors, engineers, and entrepreneurs without whom the instruments would not exist.

Frank Zappa was an unremitting musical innovator and experimenter, always looking for ways to exploit the latest advances in technology. His working life coincided with the explosive development of music technology that ran from the 1960s through the following three decades. Without such inventions as the Marshall amplifier, the Gibson SG, the wah-wah pedal, and the Synclavier — much of it modified to Zappa’s requirements and used in ways for which they had never been designed — Zappa’s “air sculptures,” as his music has been described, would have had a significantly different shape and texture. Lavishly illustrated, the book includes over 180 unique photographs of Frank Zappa’s guitars and equipment taken by the author at Zappa’s UMRK studio in Los Angeles. “Zappa Gear” is an official Frank Zappa book produced and written with the full cooperation and endorsement of Gail Zappa and the Zappa Family Trust.

 
The following month will see the release of “The Hot Rats Book”, out December 15. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the much-loved “Hot Rats” LP, Ahmet Zappa and the Zappa Trust have teamed with Backbeat Books and Bill Gubbins, the only photographer to document the “Hot Rats” sessions, to create “The Hot Rats Book”, a deluxe, commemorative book packed with never-before-seen photos and an interview between Ahmet and Gubbins documenting the “Hot Rats” sessions and last U.S. show of the original MOTHERS OF INVENTION on August 10, 1969 at Cleveland’s Musicarnival in Warrensville Heights, Ohio. “A movie for your ears” is how rock icon Frank Zappa first described his album “Hot Rats”, which remains, 50 years after its release, not only one of Zappa’s most critically acclaimed and commercially successful albums, but a stunning tour-de-force of the totality of his musical genius and legendary skills as a composer, lyricist, producer, arranger, studio innovator and virtuoso guitar player. “The Hot Rats Book” is an official Frank Zappa book produced and written with the full cooperation and endorsement of the Zappa Trust.

About Ahmet Zappa: Ahmet Zappa, the second son of Frank and Gail Zappa, is, in addition to being a co-trustee of the Zappa Family Trust, a successful entrepreneur, New York Times best-selling author, and film and television screenwriter and producer.

About Mick Ekers: Mick Ekers is a lifelong Frank Zappa enthusiast, first seeing the original MOTHERS OF INVENTION at the Royal Festival Hall in London in 1968. A musician and self-confessed equipment geek, in the 1970s he worked as a sound engineer and also sold sound equipment and early synthesizers.

About Bill Gubbins: Bill Gubbins’s photographs have appeared in the New York Times and Rolling Stone and have been exhibited in the United States (Detroit, Nashville, Philadelphia, and soon, Los Angeles) as well as internationally (Bad Doberan, Germany; Klagenfurt, Austria). Gubbins had just turned 19 when Zappa invited him to document the “Hot Rats” sessions after being interviewed by him following the Musicarnival show.

About Backbeat Books: Since 1991, Backbeat Books have been favorites among passionate music fans and musicians own for their depth, spirit, and authority, Backbeat offers a diverse range of books — from biographies and memoirs, critical examinations and histories, to authoritative volumes on musical instruments and instruction — covering all areas of rock ‘n’ roll, jazz, and beyond.

David J (Bauhaus, Love and Rockets) will be releasing his long-awaited double album ‘Missive to an Angel from the Halls of Infamy and Allure’ on October 18. It will be released on double vinyl, CD and digitally.

This is a highly ambitious and intensely personal, self deprecating, confessional song cycle, which details a period of profound transition. A culmination of everything David J has created in the past 36 years of solo and collaborative work.

The new album features contributions from Anton Newcombe (Brian Jonestown Massacre), Toby Dammit (Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds), Paul Wallfisch (Swans), Sean Eden (Luna), Rose McGowan, Asia Argento, Emily Jane White, Annabel (lee) and the great Czech violinist Karel Holas, amongst others.

The new album was recorded in Prague, Berlin and Los Angeles, as well as Beck Studios in Wellingborough, England, where Bauhaus cut their seminal ‘Bela Lugosi’s Dead’ back in 1979. This is a ‘coming home’ of sorts as Glass Modern Records is essentially the reactivated Glass Records, the label that released David J’s earliest critically acclaimed solo works.

This album is intended as a cyclic swan-song, the last track, ‘I Hear Only Silence Now’ being a new version of the song that was the first on David J’s 1983 solo debut ‘Etiquette Of Violence’.

Ahead of this album, David J released two singles – ‘The Auteur (Redux / The Starlet’s Cut)’ featuring actress, activist and writer Rose McGowan and ‘Migena And The Frozen Roses’ featuring actress Asia Argento and Brian Jonestown Massacre frontman Anton Newcombe. A two-track version of the single, including David’s rendition of ‘Read ‘Em ‘N Weep’ (written by Ian Hunter), is available exclusively via Bandcamp.

David J will be supporting this album with a European and UK tour. David recently completed a massive world tour for Bauhaus’ Ruby anniversary, joining former bandmate Peter Murphy. Sold out venues around the world proved once again that Bauhaus’ music is as vital now as it was 40 years ago. Bauhaus will also be playing several reunion shows at LA’s Palladium on November 3, 4 and December 1. The latter show was added due to the first two selling out within minutes.

Ahead of this, David J will be bringing his distinct charm and sonic swagger to audiences in Germany, Italy, Portugal, Spain, France and the UK. David’s trio features the great Karel Holas on violin for most dates. Karel played on the album, which was recorded at his First Floor studio in Prague. Fiona Brice (John Cale, Placebo, Elbow, John Grant, Simply Red) will play violin for Lisbon, Leira, Porto, Barcelona, Madrid and Paris shows. Robert Vasicek, who also contributed to David’s album, will play piano.

The tour kicks off of October 8 in Prague, winding up later that month in David J’s native Britain. His two Spanish appearances (in Barcelona and Madrid) will be particularly special with David J supporting 80s new wave legends Psychedelic Furs. David has also just announced that his special guest for London and Manchester shows will be Pat Fish (a.k.a. The Jazz Butcher). He will also be making an appearance at Levitation Festival in Austin, TX on November 8, performing with Curse Mackey and Rosegarden Funeral Party..

The album can be pre-ordered at https://glassmodern.bandcamp.com/album/missive-to-an-angel-from-the-halls-of-infamy-and-allure. Tickets for shows can be obtained as indicated below.

TOUR DATES
Oct 08  Prague, Czech Republic @ La Loca
Oct 11  Berlin, Germany @ Chausseestraße 131 
Oct 16  Lisbon, Portugal @ Musicbox 
Oct 17  Leiria, Portugal @ Teatro José Lúcio da Silva
Oct 18  Porto, Portugal @ Hard Club 
Oct 19  Barcelona, Spain @ Salamandra (with The Psychedelic Furs) 
Oct 20  Madrid, Spain @ Teatro Kapital (with The Psychedelic Furs) 
Oct 22  Paris, France @ Le Petit Bain 
Oct 24  Manchester, UK @ Club Academy (with Pat Fish – The Jazz Butcher)  
Oct 26  London, UK @ Moth Club (with Pat Fish – The Jazz Butcher) 
Nov 03 Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Paladium (as Bauhaus)
Nov 04 Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Paladium (as Bauhaus)
Nov 08  Austin, TX @ Elysium (with Curse Mackey, Rosegarden Funeral Party)
Dec 01 Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Paladium (as Bauhaus)

CREDITS
Produced by David J except track 8: David J and Anton Newcombe, track 15:
David J and Paul Wallfisch, track 11: David J and Richard E
Tracks 1, 2, 5, 16 Engineered by Tony Green at Ear Gallery Music Studio, Los
Angeles
Track 1 Additional engineering by Richard E
Tracks 3, 6, 7, 12, 13, 14 Engineered by Ian Kelosky at First Floor Studio, Prague
Track 4 Engineered by Tim Newman and Thomas Yearsley, mixed by Tim Newman
Track 8 Engineered by Anton Newcombe at Cobra Studio, Berlin
(Track 9 Recorded on iPhone on Moonlight Beach, Encinitas)
Track 10 engineered by Nick Fox at Faust, Prague
Track 11 Engineered by Andrew Jaimez at The Compound, LA. Additional
engineering by Rob Kaechele. Mixed by Richard E
Track 12 Engineered by Dave Smith at Beck Studios, Wellingborough
Track 15 Engineered and mixed by Paul Wallfisch, additional engineering by Tony
Green
Album mastered by Ian Kelosky at First Floor Studio, Prague
All songs by David J except ‘Baudelaire (Peter Laughner) and ‘Migena And The
Frozen Roses’ (David J, Asia Argento, Anton Newcombe)
Front cover painting by Roger Gonzalez
Graphic design / layout – David Barker

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