As guitarist Nickolas Wheeler reflects on the group’s monumental Move Along era, he says it came during a “dark time” after the 2004 election. And as the group prep a return with their latest single, “Me Vs. The World,” the music industry is facing what many consider its darkest period ever. 

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Some of Wheeler’s favorite venues around his home in Nashville and throughout Los Angeles have closed their doors, some permanently. He sees longtime crew members struggling to find work across the country. His band even reconsidered how they celebrated Move Along’s milestone 15th anniversary.

But “Me Vs. The World” didn’t start as a response to any of this uncertainty. The Rejects wrote it well before shutdown and without the intention of helping the industry itself move along. Still, Wheeler says their timing is just as serendipitous as it was 15 years back.

“Regardless of what position you find yourself in, in this pandemic or whatever, I think everybody has this mentality that this is the worst fucking year ever,” Wheeler says. “And it literally feels like me against the world, regardless of your status or situation.”

The Rejects intend to donate proceeds from the four-minute track to MusiCares, the Recording Academy’s nonprofit, which assists with the health and well-being of those in the industry. And today, the pop-punk icons are exclusively premiering “Me Vs. The World” before it hits streaming services Friday. While you listen, check out our chat with Wheeler on how it came together, how he’s personally celebrating 15 years of Move Along and whether or not the Rejects would be suitable for a future winery performance.

The title “Me Vs. The World” is quite fitting for where the industry is right now. Can you talk to me a bit about the process of writing this track before lockdown?

It was written quarantine-style a few years ago when [singer] Tyson [Ritter] and I were doing our part separately. And our keyboard player Scott Chesak co-wrote it as well and produced the track. We never got around to finishing it, and then lockdown hit, and we were all looking at free time on our schedule. So we decided to finally finish it and turn it into something. It ended up being a cool thing, not just for us to do, but to be able to put out there since we weren’t able to do literally anything for fans this year.

When we talked about putting something out, I was like, “We should do something for all the people who are out of work, not just ourselves, but our crew, every crew in the industry.” [This is] the one industry that, for some reason, is not allowed to come back. They figured out how to do sports. There’s some live music. But not every genre can get away with putting on a show at a drive-in theater, outside in a park or at a winery. Not every genre really fits those venues. 

When a band like yours or other bands are working to help those struggling in the industry during the pandemic, what do you think it means for the industry as a whole? 

We create music because it’s our passion, and we love to do it. And we’re lucky as hell to get to do it for a living. But if nobody bought that music or listened to that music, we couldn’t keep doing it. And if we can’t pay the people to come out with us to help us put on the show, then there will be no shows. If venues close and there’s nowhere to play, then there will definitely be no shows. 

So I think it’s really cool that everybody is acknowledging how important each piece of this puzzle is and doing whatever they can to help keep the industry afloat right now. There are people in this industry who literally only work when a tour happens, when a show happens, and that really fucking blows that they can’t work and they can’t do what they love. 

Outside of this track, how much music have you been able to work on in quarantine, whether it be finishing these preexisting song drafts or starting fresh?

As far as Rejects stuff, this is the only thing we’ve worked on. We’ve used tools like this in the past to send ideas back and forth. But this is the first time we actually proved to ourselves that we could execute it. So maybe in the future when we’re all in different cities—and now Tyson‘s in a different country—this is definitely going to be useful now that we know we can actually see something through the fruition. 

We have to talk about the Move Along anniversary. Does this feel like a 15-year-old record?

It does not. But honestly, now that I’m [looking back], it seems like a lifetime ago. It would have been really awesome to revisit that this year. I remember rehearsing to make that record when we all moved to Atlanta for two months, and we all lived in the same hotel room, $30 a night, and half of us got bed bugs. It sounds miserable, but [it’s] like what Andy says in The Office, “I wish when you’re in the good old days, you knew you were” or whatever. I’m probably butchering the quote.

Our first record, we missed the 15-year anniversary, so we celebrated the Sweet 16. So maybe we’ll do that for Move Along if we’re allowed to get out there and play some shows next year. 

No winery shows?

At our age and with our genre, we can cross over to the wineries if there are any out there that will have us. By all means. I’ll show up by myself. I don’t care. 

How have you been able to celebrate the anniversary on your own? Do you have a scrapbook or anything you look back on?

I’m not good at that stuff. Obviously, we’ve all spent a lot of time alone this year. So it’s one of those things when you find yourself alone on a holiday. How do you celebrate? You only want to go to work and just treat it like any other normal day. 

Ironically, we had so many tour promotions for cellphone companies and shit over the years. It wasn’t until our third record came out that iPhones were even a thing. I have some pictures on a hard drive somewhere that are from either old camera phones… Remember when you had to specify that it was a camera phone or an actual point-and-shoot digital camera? I have them somewhere. But I mean, honestly, Kids In The Street was the first time we ever did anything where we were carrying around a scrapbook in our pockets at all times. 

How has it felt to see the same fans who grew up with you still support and get excited about this new track? 

I think that’s really cool. I’m the type of music fan who sticks with a band or an artist. And when they change or when they evolve, I’m the kind of music fan who isn’t turned off when I hear something different or something new from an artist. So the fact that there are people out there who are that way with us is really fucking awesome. And it feels really good because I know not everybody is like that. I know a lot of people have those bands, those artists they grew up with, and they haven’t listened to them or bought a record from them in fucking 15 years. And that’s fine, whatever. But the fact that we have fans that are now taking their kids to see our shows or showing their younger siblings our music or still paying attention to what we’re doing now, and still interacting on social media, is really special. That’s definitely fuel to keep the engine running. 

The guitarist put together what he calls a “living album” on Patreon throughout 2016, but after shelving the record due to his mother’s passing, he’s finally unveiling it to the world.

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After halting touring with As Blood Runs Black in 2016, Sugarman spent his time caring for his mother, who was terminally ill with a brain tumor. He spent the next several months watching after her while putting together his solo debut, [ Inside/Out | Part 1 ].

“I left As Blood Runs Black and was in a situation where I had so much trauma and daily grief going on in my life, so I needed a musical outlet,” Sugarman says. “I needed to say things musically because I don’t have words for everything that I feel, and music is the only way I know how to do that.”

The guitarist was supposed to be touring Europe with Ice Nine Kills right now, but their tour was canceled over the coronavirus pandemic. Since then, he’s been spending his time working on releasing this album, creating an upcoming podcast, teaching guitar lessons online and working on a variety of projects with Ice Nine Kills’ bassist Joe Occhiuti, who he now lives with. 

He’s even created an online guitar community called Sugarman’s Lesson Lounge. With hundreds of members and counting, Sugarman is fostering a free community using a Facebook group and Discord where guitarists can pop in and discuss their techniques. 

The Ice Nine Kills guitarist caught up with us to explain the journey of putting the record together and what it felt like to finally move forward from it.

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You joined Ice Nine Kills last year, reigniting your love for sharing music with other people. How did you get the job with them, and what was it about touring that made you realize you wanted to share your music with people again?

Spencer [Charnas, vocalist], I think it was February 2019, hit me up on Instagram literally right out of the blue. I had been hearing about Ice Nine Kills. I couldn’t go anywhere without seeing shirts or hearing the name come up, so I was seeing Ice Nine Kills everywhere I went. 

He hits me up with a message saying, “Dude, you’re the sickest shredder I’ve ever seen. Are you interested in doing any touring?” I had never spoken to the dude in my life, and we immediately hit it off. Once he found out that my uncle was in Friday The 13th Part 2, I think that solidified my role in the band. [Laughs.] 

I left As Blood Runs Black around 2016 because my mother’s brain cancer got so bad that I wanted to stay at home and be her caregiver and spend as much time as I could with her. When the Ice Nine Kills thing came about, I had sworn off touring pretty hard, and I decided that there was a reason this opportunity fell into my lap. 

The second I got out on tour, I recognized immediately [that] the demographic that loves Ice Nine Kills is a fanbase that struggled. It’s a fanbase of people that have gone through things, and it’s a fanbase of outcast people who are different and have found common ground in the community that is Ice Nine Kills, and I think that is beautiful. 

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At the same time, I recognize that my album was quite literally a journaling process of the six months leading up to my mom dying. I recognize that the struggle I went through put into music could be something that other people can come and grow from and understand. Ice Nine Kills to these kids is like medicine. I want to be able to provide that with the music that I make in general. I found that the second I started touring full time again, that connection with people reacting to a live performance or giving someone a hug and a photo after the show, those types of actions that go the distance are the types of things I want to be able to distill in my music.

How did you end up getting all of the guest features for the songs together?

The way that the collaborators came about was all spontaneous, organic and natural. Being a guitar player in bands, I’ve been really lucky enough to have some really awesome friends and make powerful networking relationships that played a role in getting these collaborators really excited to do this. 

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I had Angel Vivaldi, who is a very well-known instrumental solo guitar player. He randomly was stranded in Los Angeles. His plane was delayed for several days, so he stayed at my house, and I had the beginnings of this idea, and we happened to write a song that was perfect for this. He was very aware of my mom and supportive of my mom. We spent time in my mom’s room quite a bit when he was at the house when she was at this point paralyzed and unable to speak. It was very tough, but having Angel be there, who actually had a relationship with my mom, to kick off the first collaboration for the record was very profound for me. 

Track five, Ruben Alvarez from Upon A Burning Body again happened to be in Los Angeles. He was filming a video for Upon A Burning Body, and he and I go back 10 years. My old band actually took Upon A Burning Body out on their very first tour ever [around] 2007, and since then, me and all of the dudes in the band have been super close. When they got to L.A., they hit me up to hang out, and Ruben came over, and we just started writing a song, and I thought it should be on the record. 

The album was obviously written at a difficult time with your mother’s health and passing, but how does it feel to finally put it out and be able to move forward?

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It is one of the most therapeutic, cathartic feelings I’ve ever had. I cannot tell you how synchronistic all of this shit feels. It was done three years ago, and I shelved it because I couldn’t work on the songs for the life of me without losing it. I’m sitting here, and I decided [about] six months ago to put all of these things in place to make it happen. I’m sitting there waking up on Mother’s Day feeling absolutely devastated, and lo and behold, 500 CDs show up on my doorstep that I have to put up and sign. For that to show up on Mother’s Day felt so real to me. 

It’s such a powerful thing to be able to hold this in my hands after not being able to hold my mom’s hand for three years. It’s a powerful thing to feel her presence when I’m doing this. The artwork, the release, there’s something so real about holding it in my hands and having to send it out to people for them to make their own opinions on. I truly believe that a musician’s job is to conceive and give birth to the thing, but you’ve got to throw your kid out into the world.

You also do guitar lessons online, and I think a fair amount of people are looking into learning an instrument since the lockdowns went into effect. How have things been for you with lessons since the pandemic started?

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I have been doing social distancing-styled lessons on Skype for over a decade now, so I’m prepped and ready to go. It’s been awesome, the fact that one minute I can teach someone in Kuwait and the next minute teach someone in Ohio or Japan or Mexico all in one day is really a blessing to have the ability to do. The amount of people that I’ve had reaching out to me to start guitar is something [else]. I’ve never seen such a wave of new musicians.

I think there’s something incredible about that, and there’s also something terrifying about it. Fender guitars discovered that electric guitars for the first time in the history of electric guitars were losing in sales to acoustics. They threw away a ton of money to figure out what was going on, and what they discovered is that within the first year of guitar players picking up the instrument, they quit. They went further into the research and discovered that clearly it was the teacher’s fault. If a student is heading down a path that is not fruitful, of course, they’re going to step off the path and do something else. 

When I look at it now, it’s a world of interesting and hungry people who are being presented lessons with teachers who don’t understand the way to deliver this stuff. There’s a huge responsibility to teachers right now, and I take that shit so seriously. I don’t have a single student who has come to me and quit. That’s something that for being a teacher for over a decade and to have that success rate, I think is cool.

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It’s about, “What do they need today that excites them and challenges them at that moment?” I think a lot of teachers are messing up with curriculums. I hated school because I was told what I was supposed to learn when I was supposed to learn it. I’ve been teaching for over a decade, and in the beginning, I would spend hours building a curriculum for every student, and we would spend time going through that. Over the years, I learned [doing] that is what allows a student to excel. I just want to say to anyone wanting to learn guitar to do your due diligence and make sure you’re not prescribing to someone that’s going to send you down the wrong path.

This is obviously a difficult but rewarding record to be putting out, but because it’s titled as Part 1, what can people expect from Part 2?

I have a series of songs that I wrote directly after my mother passed away, and then I have a series of songs that was written in the time between that and a series of songs that were written more recently. There’s this part in my mind where I’m thinking that Part 1 will be music written from within the tragedy, and Part 2 will be written outside of the tragedy, looking back and looking forward. 

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I have not chosen the songs yet. I might scrap all of that and do six brand-new songs that happened three years later, but the thing I know for a fact is that [ Inside/Out | Part 1 ] is within the tragedy, and Part 2 is outside looking back and looking forward. As far as I know, musically, it’s going to be really technical. It’s going to be really emotional. It’s going to be another story. Some of the songs I’ve written already are some of my favorite songs I’ve ever done. 

Adrián Terrazas-González from the Mars Volta did flute and saxophone solos on one of my new songs already. That’s one of the coolest things ever because sax is one of my favorite things in the world, and Mars Volta are one of my favorite bands in the world. 

I don’t even want to start talking yet about the collaborators on the record, but there’s a lot of very cool songs and a lot of big artists that are already on board. There are some very cool plans for how I want to release this on Patreon. I’m fairly certain I will be doing that again. As you saw with [ Inside/Out | Part 1 ], nothing I do is conventional or standard.

[ Inside/Out | Part 1 ] arrived May 15 and can be ordered here. You can stream the album below and check out Dan Sugarman’s guitar lessons or join Sugarman’s Lesson Lounge here. 

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The band, as well as the actors who portrayed them in Netflix‘s biopic The Dirt, are hosting a livestream watch party of the film.

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They are revealing a virtual watch party anyone can join in on from the safety of their own homes.

It’s taking place this Friday (May 15) at 4 PM PT and includes the band members as well as unannounced “special guests.”

They’ll be offering exclusive commentary on the film throughout the viewing party as well as encouraging fans to comment using the #homesweethome hashtag. The photo in their announcement also states actors from the movie will be joining in on the live Twitter discussion but doesn’t name which actors are joining.

You can see their post announcing the watch party below.

Watch #TheDirt with the Crüe & special guests on Netflix this Friday 5/15 at 4pm PST! Follow along with special commentary right here on Mötley Crüe’s twitter using the hashtag #stayhomesweethome

Stream / Download The Dirt soundtrack – https://t.co/aJrZQpuXOs pic.twitter.com/FdCnUnbx6y

— Mötley Crüe (@MotleyCrue) May 11, 2020

As previously reported, the band are set to embark on their return to touring in June. The outing also includes Def Leppard as well as openers Poison and Joan Jett and the Blackhearts.

While Tommy Lee previously said everything was still set to go for the tour, the band are actually waiting to hear about its status.

In a post about The Dirt, numerous fans asked about the tour and Mötley Crüe replied saying things are as unclear to them as they are to us.

In their post, a fan asked them to “cancel the tour already so your fans can get their money back. No tours are happening this year. Do the right thing. Bon Jovi did.”

The band account replied saying “Bands don’t decide this. We await info as well.”

Another fan asked “is this stadium tour on or off? So confusing with everyone saying different things. Governor said no shows till 2021 so what’s going on? I have VIP”

Mötley Crüe shot back reiterating that “no one has said anything as yet.”

After The Dirt gave them a resurgence in popularity, the band scheduled their return to touring. You can see their current tour dates below.

Tour Dates: 

06/18 – Jacksonville, FL @ TIAA Bank Field
06/21 – San Antonio, TX @ Alamodome
06/23 – Kansas City, MO @ Kauffman Stadium
06/25 – St. Louis, MO @ Busch Stadium
06/27 – Minneapolis, MN @ U.S. Bank Stadium
06/29 – Nashville, TN @ Nissan Stadium
07/02 – Cincinnati, OH @ Great American Ballpark
07/03 – Cleveland, OH @ FirstEnergy Stadium
07/07 – Miami, FL @ Hard Rock Stadium
07/09 – Orlando, FL @ Camping World Stadium
07/11 – Charlotte, NC @ Bank of America Stadium
07/14 – Arlington, TX @ Globe Life Field
07/15 – Houston, TX @ Minute Maid Park
07/19 – San Francisco, CA @ Oracle Park
07/23 – San Diego, CA @ Petco Park
07/25 – Phoenix, AZ @ State Farm Stadium
08/09 – Atlanta, GA @ SunTrust Park
08/11 – Hershey, PA @ Hersheypark Stadium
08/13 – Buffalo, NY @ New Era Field
08/15 – Philadelphia, PA @ Citizens Bank Park
08/16 – Pittsburgh, PA @ PNC Park
08/18 – Milwaukee, WI @ Miller Park
08/20 – Detroit, MI @ Comerica Park
08/22 – Washington, DC @ Nationals Park
08/23 – Queens, NY @ Citi Field
08/25 – Boston, MA @ Fenway Park
08/26 – Boston, MA @ Fenway Park
08/28 – Chicago, IL @ Wrigley Field
08/30 – Denver, CO @ Coors Field
09/02 – Seattle, WA @ T-Mobile Park
09/05 – Los Angeles, CA @ SoFi Stadium

What do you think of Mötley Crüe’s livestream watch party? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

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The venue’s operators spoke to the Los Angeles Times and they’re saying they “can’t foresee being able to ride this out.”

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The Troubadour previously announced they were one of 800 plus venues joining in with the National Independent Venue Association to collectively request a government bailout.

“Our passionate and fiercely independent operators are not ones to ask for handouts,” Dayna Frank, NIVA Board President and owner of First Avenue in Minneapolis, says in a statement to Rolling Stone. “But because of our unprecedented, tenuous position, for the first time in history, there is legitimate fear for our collective existence.”

The organization issued a letter back in April outlining the struggles venues are facing as one of the last sections of the economy likely to reopen. As previously reported, it’s looking like the next time a concert is likely to happen won’t be until late 2021. You can read more about their requests here.

Independent Venues across the country are banding together to bring our fight for survival to Washington for targeted funding to help save our industry. We are calling on all independent venues to join us in our fight. Membership is free. Click here https://t.co/JjoVyCo5hH pic.twitter.com/fiL1NE3O0z

— National Independent Venue Association (@nivassoc) April 17, 2020

TAKE ACTION:
The Troubadour stands with @nivassoc to request specific federal support for independent venues & promoters across the country. Please write or call your local officials to let them know you want them to help #SaveOurStages.

Take action here: https://t.co/W2Sxiawkml pic.twitter.com/FYKbnBAtOz

— Troubadour (@theTroubadour) May 5, 2020

Now, the Troubadour is opening up about how much they’re struggling right now.

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“It looks tacky,” general manager Christine Karayan tells LA Times of the GoFundMe, “but it’s a reality at this point. It’s not a joke. If we’re going to survive this thing — and that’s a big if — we’re going to need all the help we can get, from any direction we can get it. … We know there’s going to be a huge fatality rate as far as how many venues will not be able to open again when/if this thing ever ends. We’re just looking to survive, like everybody else.”

The building’s GoFundMe was launched on April 2 and is tagged as a “Troubadour Employee Relief Fund.”

At the time of writing, it’s brought in over $33,000. Prior to the Times’ story, it was hardly catching on with just $12,000 donated.

Karayan says they became more concerned after Governor Gavin Newsom gave California’s four-stage plan for reopening the economy. Concerts are listed as part of the final stages.

The plan doesn’t discuss capacity limits but projections for business mean Karayan sees it “means the middle to the end of next year to potentially open, and maybe a 25 percent cap” for attendance.

“I can’t foresee being able to ride this out like that. … The more I think about it, it’s just completely futile. At least a big seated venue has space where they can keep people apart. But I don’t know how that works for a general admission venue. Are you going to stop them from using the restroom?”

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Karayan’s father, Ed Karayan, owns the building meaning eviction isn’t an issue from them like other music venues. The GoFundMe is aiming on supporting 20 hourly employees with all except for three facing layoffs. Further, the club’s general manager says they may expand fundraising efforts.

Karayan is also highlighting that many people believe the Troubadour is owned by large companies like AEG or Live Nation but they remain independent. “We’re lumped in with the big boys, and we’re not the big boys,” she says. “We don’t have shareholders, we don’t have corporate money. We are what we are.”

Lastly, she’s highlighting the uncertainty with returning people to concerts and the likelihood it won’t be for a long time.

“I was like… ‘We probably won’t have concerts until the end of the year, but it’s OK.’ … Now it’s like, ‘Oh, I’m sorry. We’re talking, potentially, the middle of next year.’”

You can read more about the Troubadour’s situation here. Their GoFundMe can also be found here.

What do you think of the Troubadour’s financial struggles right now? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

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In a statement issued earlier this week, SXSW broke the solemn news of company layoffs. “Due to the city of Austin’s unprecedented and unexpected cancellation of the SXSW 2020 events in March, SXSW has been rigorously reviewing our operations, and we are in the unimaginable position of reducing our workforce. Today we said goodbye to approximately one-third of our full-time staff. Those of us in the business of live events know the level of trust required to execute an event of SXSW’s scale, and we are deeply sad to let people go this soon. We are planning for the future, and this was a necessary, but heartbreaking, step.”

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In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, SXSW’s founder Roland Swenson says there would be plans for a 2021 iteration of the festival, adding, “but how we’re going to do that, I’m not entirely sure.” Variety is reporting that last year the music conference brought in $157 million dollars of tourism revenue to the city.

The coronavirus scare has kept many industry people away from the event. Corporate employees to rock icons and film auteurs have decided to stay home. But what about the small bands who built their spring touring around SXSW? Who can afford to stay several nights in hotels for no good reason or good gigs?

John Trep, founder of The Trep Agency who books bands in the underground realm, says there are lots of repercussions fans are acutely unaware of. “These cancellations are devastating for the talent, the venues and promoters from almost every angle. The scariest stuff, whether it be SXSW, St. Patrick’s Day or spring break plans, is the way these people have stocked up on inventory they won’t be able to sell off. Artists depend on these busy months of gigs to cover their slow months. It’s the same with certain bars/venues. I think some venues may even go out of business over this because their end-of-year numbers may fall so far short.”

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Trep remembers all the historical concerns around such worldly health controversies as swine flu and bird flu but doesn’t recall them affecting the touring business or SXSW. But while corporate employees and financially stable artists have the means to live without touring, small bands simply don’t have that luxury. If fans don’t show, merchandise doesn’t get sold. Then something as essential as filling up the tank of the touring van turns into a very real fear.

“The biggest thing is uncertainty of any of a band’s shows happening properly,” Trep says. “Smaller-sized bands depend on merch sales. The door money usually isn’t enough to do more than cover gas. Which means that even if promoters take a hit and give the band a few dollars regardless of turnout, the band don’t sell merchandise. Not only do they not have money to survive on out there, but they’re also out the money they put up to stock inventory. It can be a real double-edged sword in a case like this.” 

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There’s no denying the coronavirus outbreak is changing everything from world markets to stock prices to release dates of blockbuster films. But when it comes to the small underground bands operating in the realms AltPress covers, the hustle got a whole lot harder.

“It would’ve been easy for us to stay home,” Paul Masbad says, the frontman for New York pop-punk band Live Well, a client of Trep Agency. “However, we worked so hard on this tour. Just because SXSW is canceled doesn’t mean the city is just going to shut down. There are lots of gigs that have [been] canceled, but there are still other people wanting to celebrate, throw shows and bring people together. 

“We’re going to be playing dates all around Texas, as well as the Midwest, South and so on,” he says. “The best we can do is just make sure we’re washing our hands and taking on the best infection prevention practices. Lots of vitamin C and being more aware.”  

But don’t take our word for it. “Killing Joke have been a musical inspiration for me for many years and also have made a huge impact on my approach to drumming,” Tool’s Danny Carey tells AltPress. “The power of our bands together on this tour is going to tear people’s heads off. I can’t wait to unleash this on our fans.” Longtime Tool die-hards will remember that Carey is wearing a K-joke shirt on his band’s first cover of AP. 

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Killing Joke—frontman/synth op Jaz Coleman, guitarist Geordie Walker, bassist Martin “Youth” Glover and drummer Paul Ferguson—formed in 1978 in London’s Notting Hill area. Their first single, “Turn To Red,” was a brilliant DNA of dub reggae rhythms topped off with Walker’s captivating guitar tone (once described by Coleman as “a million orchestras on fire”) and Coleman’s commanding vocals and judicious use of electronics as atmosphere-enhancing elements. Their self-titled 1980 debut remains an iconic release that is remarkably stentorian. 

Fifteen albums in and Killing Joke are still bringing the fear and the madness. You can hear the seeds of industrial rock, the jagged edges of the most sublime post-punk and the blueprint for the melodic yelling style that half a million bands have inadvertently copped from them. A list of their die-hard fans range from superstars (Metallica, Foo Fighters) to alt-rock icons (Helmet, Ministry, Nine Inch Nails) to straight-up metal dudes (Fear Factory, Prong). You don’t influence that diverse a pool of great bands by staying in one place.

So here’s a quick primer of assorted K-joke highlights for you to swing your balled fists at the day. There’s a ton more quality stuff we had to pass on, as we suspect the comments will remind you. But if you’re going to see Tool this month, don’t be lame and show up late: Killing Joke have been packing sonic heat for more decades than most of the bands on your device.

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1. “The Wait”

It’s probably the best place to start, as all of the band’s signifiers are in place here. Ferguson’s tribal drumming is relentless and punishing, and Walker and Coleman keep the urgency in the peak zone. From their legendary self-titled debut album, this one was covered by Metallica on their Garage Days Re-Revisited EP, a move that shocked a good amount of alt-rock/post-punk snobs back in the day.

2. “Change”

Another track from the debut album, this track epitomizes the term “death disco” in a way that no other band can. You could flail around on a dance floor to it, or it could be the soundtrack for you and a baseball bat delivering some revenge on someone who harmed a loved one. Did LCD Soundsystem rip off the central riff for “Losing My Edge”?

3. “The Fall Of Because”

From the band’s second album, 1981’s What’s THIS For…!, the cascading tom-toms and that razor-wire guitar sound appealed to both mohawked punks and sullen goths. Historical note: In the late ’80s, there was a  Birmingham, UK-based outfit that took this title for a band name, prior to changing it to Godflesh.

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4. “Butcher”

Also from What’s THIS For…!, here’s a perfect example of synthesizers as atmospheric sound design adding a great sense of menace and buoyed by Coleman’s sinister lyrics (“Butcher the womb and expect her to bear”) about man ruining the Earth. That low-end synth-pulsing is godlike. 

5. “Land Of Milk And Honey”

From the band’s third album, Revelations, this attack on the ugly politics and soulless machinations of the music industry further cements Coleman’s disgust.

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6. “Frenzy”

A crucial point in K-joke’s history was Coleman’s fascination with the occult, which prompted him to decamp to Iceland to purportedly escape the impending apocalypse. This track from 1983’s Fire Dances features lyrics that portend nuclear cataclysm (“Leave it all behind/I saw the cities come and go/And then I saw beyond”), while Ferguson’s drumming is probably why the song is titled accordingly. Of historical note, this was the first album where bassist Glover was replaced by Paul Raven. (Raven also appeared with Ministry, Prong and Pigface, among other acts before his passing in 2007.)

7. “Night Time”

By their fifth album, Coleman was singing more melodically, but the urgency never lets up. Walker’s liquid feedback guitar solo is nothing short of genius. This writer will fight you.

8. “Eighties”

Most famous for the great video with Coleman as a lying politician and Walker portraying coke-dealing auto-designer John DeLorean, this pointed attack on the greedier aspects of the human condition is positively eternal, regardless of the titular decade. Some folks think Nirvana lifted the riff for “Come As You Are,” but it’s more of a tribute than a heist.

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9. “Sanity”

1986’s Brighter Than A Thousand Suns was probably the most commercial thing they ever did, but it still sounds pretty tense for people who loved, say, “She Blinded Me With Science.” This track is mentioned here for educational purposes; the real burner on this LP is “Chessboards.” 

10. “Money Is Not Our God”

For 1990’s Extremities, Dirt And Various Repressed Emotions, Coleman, Walker and Raven were joined by drummer Martin Atkins (Public Image Ltd, Ministry, Pigface) and became supercharged sonically and lyrically (“Do you grovel to your master?” Coleman seethes. “Do you beg like a dog?”). After a number of creative missteps and music industry travails, this seemed like a proper return to form. Dig that stalking feedback at the end.

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11. “Whiteout”

1994 found Atkins and Raven out and Youth (by then an established record producer) returning to the fold to record Pandemonium. While a lot of the electronic-techno-dance rock music happening at the time sounded like wallpaper to abuse asthma inhalers to, K-joke’s take on the idiom was positively corrosive. This sequencer and pedal abuse rave-up from Pandemonium is completely relentless in its power. 

12. “Asteroid”

The band’s second self-titled album (2003) brought along a whole bunch of surprises. Coleman, Walker and Youth were assisted by Gang Of Four guitar avatar Andy Gill in the producer’s chair. When System Of A Down’s John Dolmayan was unavailable to play on the sessions, some guy named Dave Grohl was more than stoked to sit behind the drums. Now hit the play button on “Asteroid” and brace yourself. However cranked you have it, you’re still not playing it loud enough.

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13. “This World Hell”

Having returned in 2010 with all the original members of the band intact, Killing Joke proceeded to remind folks who drafted all those blueprints countless bands have been copying from for the last 30 years. Coleman’s treatise on governments and the power struggles of the oppressed (“And you’ll never ever get to see heaven”) are shored up with murderous riffage. On a historical side, Absolute Dissent was released with a limited-edition bonus CD of bands covering and/or remixing KJ tracks. Those who know history are more than elated to repeat it…  

14. “Autonomous Zone”

Taken from the band’s most recent release, 2015’s Pylon, the album’s centerpiece is a propulsive fantasy on the death of digital living. “Misery lies at the heart of control,” Coleman intones as the band back him at rapid heart-rate velocity. And that’s just the opening track. Who else keeps it this manic 40 years in? 

The new charts will be the first data-driven predictive charts showing current interest in the touring activity of artists.

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They’ll be launching in ten U.S. cities to start with international charts coming a few weeks later. The ten cities will include Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles, Nashville, New York, and San Francisco.

The charts weigh a formula comprised of both tracker growth and fan engagement on the platform.

The company also teamed up with Billboard to exclusively present the Billboard + Bandsintown Tour Index. The pair will have four exclusive weekly charts launching later this month with rankings showcasing top overall and rising artists using a similar methodology as the other charts.

The new charts kick off today and will arrive monthly with worldwide and U.S. emerging and established artist charts.

According to Billboard, developing artists including DIY and independent artists are key drivers of music industry growth for the first time ever. These new charts plan to celebrate and encourage discovery of new artists by spotlighting trending touring acts.

“In a fast-growing streaming music world, there is nothing more true than real fans’ interactions and engagement at live music events to build successful and long-term artist careers,” says Bandsintown Managing Partner Fabrice Sergent. “Bandsintown’s dataset is unique in the marketplace as it highlights national and local rising stars based on fans engagement in the real world. The Bandsintown Live Music Charts furthers Bandsintown’s mission to support developing artists.”

You can see the first-ever set of charts here.

What do you think of the new Bandsintown charts? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

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In an interview with Flaunt, the pop star questioned why only deceased artists tour in this format and said she wants to retire from touring.

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“I wanna retire from touring,” says Grimes. “I wanna do a hologram tour. Why do we keep doing them for dead artists instead of living ones who have stage fright?”

When asked if she experiences stage fright, Grimes explained she feels performing is “nightmarish” and “horrible.” She also says she needs “to Gorillaz it” and find a way out of traditional touring.

The musician also called albums “trash” in the interview, saying after she releases her upcoming album Miss_Anthropocene she will “never have to put out another” record.

She added that if it weren’t for contractual obligations she would have released more music than she has instead of following traditional album formats. The musician doesn’t feel she is particularly consistent with her albums and would rather release EPs.

This isn’t the musician’s first time putting wacky ideas into the world though. She says her new album is supposed to be pro-climate change and will make the discussion around the issue “fun.”

She has also legally changed her name from Claire to c and expressed she’ll eventually kill off her Grimes monicker. The reasoning behind her name change is that c is a symbol representing the speed of light. Even that name is temporary though, as she says she plans to continue changing her name in the future.

Grimes is also involved in a lawsuit along with her boyfriend Elon Musk and rapper Azealia Banks over Musk allegedly making false and misleading statements to investors.

Earlier in the year, Grimes collaborated with Bring Me The Horizon on the dancey sounding “nihilist blues.”

Would you pay to see a living musician’s hologram tour? Let us know in the comments below.

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Shinedown, Escape The Fate and Sleeping With Sirens prove to be some of the heaviest gigging rock and metal bands of 2018 in a new rundown compiled by Norman Records that tracks the biggest touring bands of the whole year.

The figures are presented as taken from data collated from the top 1,000 artists on Songkick, and then cross-referenced with gig listing sites to find how much a given band has actually been playing out and about, according to the NME.

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And it looks like Shindown comes out on top, according to the Norman Records rankings, with a total of 136 gigs played this year. And while metal and rock artists are presented on separate lists, Escape The Fate comes in second for total number of gigs, 131, followed closely by Sleeping With Sirens, who played 110 concerts in 2018.

“It’s a golden age for live music, with artists hitting the road more often and for longer stretches,” a Norman Records spokesperson says. “Getting sweaty with a bunch of like-minded fans provides the tangible experience lacking in an age where algorithms dominate listening habits. Which got us thinking. Who are the hardest touring artists?”

Of course, this list may not be entirely accurate, given the kind of criteria used in collecting the concert data. Still, it does serve to give a handy representation of the rockers that were covering the most gigging ground throughout 2018.

Take a look at the complete Top 10 rankings for Rock and Metal artists below. Do the numbers surprise you? Who did you think would be the top touring rock band of the year? Sound off in the comments section with your thoughts!

Top 10 Rock (Indie, Folk, Alternative)

Top 10 Metal (Heavy/Alternative)

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