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Hayley Williams says ‘Petals for Armor’ is about staying “soft in a really, really hard world”

January 24, 2020 – 8:09 pm

Credit: Lindsey Byrnes

Now that Hayley Williams has officially announced her debut solo album, Petals for Armor, and released the first single, "Simmer," she's opening up about the inspiration behind her first non-Paramore music.

Speaking on BBC Radio 1, Hayley says the album's title comes from a lyric in "Simmer": "wrap yourself in petals for armor." To her, those words are "somewhat of a mantra to try and stay soft in a really, really hard world and feel pain, and let all of it come to you, and try and put out something that can redeem it all, even if it’s ugly at first."

"I kept feeling like the way for me to protect myself best is to be vulnerable and be O.K. with having a lot of pain at certain times, and also feeling a lot of joy at certain times," she continues. “As long as I’m staying soft to those things and I’m open to letting those things in and out of me, then I actually can survive the world a lot easier than if I stay hard...with my fists up all the time.”

As for the flower imagery itself, Hayley says it came to her while she was having a "cranial-sacral massage."

"I was laying on [the] table and I started having these weirdly creepy visions of flowers growing out of me -- and not in a beautiful way," she recalls. "It was very painful and very grotesque but I kind of realized in that moment there was a lot that was trying so hard to grow out of me, and it was going to hurt to do it.”

Petals for Armor is due out May 8.

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My Chemical Romance adds, sells out a second UK show

January 24, 2020 – 7:12 pm

Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images

After revealing a June 20 stadium show in the U.K. via their cryptic video, "An Offering...," My Chemical Romance has added a second show at the same venue.

After the first show at Stadium MK in Milton Keynes, England sold out, the band tweeted, "This is incredible. Thank you all so much. We have announced a second show." Tickets for that show, scheduled for June 21, sold out immediately.

The announcement is illustrated with a picture of one of the hooded, skull-faced figures featured in the "An Offering...." video. As AltPress.com notes, there have been many fan theories surrounding the creepy two-minute video, which features the hooded figures walking through a forest, one of whom eventually drives a dagger through a drawing of a pentagram on the forest floor.

My Chemical Romance -- Gerard Way, Ray Toro, Frank Iero and Mikey Way -- first reunited December 20 at Los Angeles’ Shrine Expo Hall, their first live show in seven years. The band has a handful of international dates scheduled for March, but so far, there's been no word of a North American tour.

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On pre-Grammy special, Billie Eilish reveals “I wanna end me” wasn’t just a song lyric

January 24, 2020 – 5:19 pm

Courtesy CBS NewsBillie Eilish is on top of the world right now: Sunday, she's up for six Grammys and will be performing on the telecast. But as the 18-year-old artist revealed Thursday night on CBS' The Gayle King Grammy Special, it wasn't that long ago that she was so depressed, she didn't think she'd make it to age 17.

Billie told King that in 2018, she was "so unhappy...and, like, joyless," because her extreme fame had made her isolated and lonely. She became clinically depressed, she said, and admitted, "I don't want to be dark, but I genuinely didn't think I would make it to 17."

When asked if she'd considered self-harm, Billie replied, "Yeah. I think about this one time I was in Berlin and I was alone in my hotel…And I remember there was a window right there…I remember crying because I was thinking about how the way that I was going to die was, I was going to do it."

Billie also revealed that the lyric "I wanna end me" in her song "Bury a Friend" was about herself.

The star says the one thing that kept her from taking her own life was her mother, Maggie Baird, who stepped in to scale back her daughter's schedule and the number of things she was expected to do.

"We checked in with her all the time about, 'Do you still want to do this?'" Baird told King. "She loved doing the shows. The fans and the shows, that's what kept her going."

Of course, therapy was also involved in Billie's recovery, as was her family's support. She turned 18 last month.

(The number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255).

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Slash isn’t sure about new G’N’R music: “Stuff is happening, but there are no specifics”

January 24, 2020 – 4:30 pm

Phillip Faraone/Getty Images for GibsonWhile the Guns N' Roses reunion has been a smashing success on the road, the prospect of new music from the band is less definitive. In a new interview, guitarist Slash indicates that the band isn't quite certain what the plan should be in terms of releasing anything.

Speaking with Guitar.com about his new collection of Gibson acoustic and Les Paul electric models, Slash says of the band's plans, "There’s been no definitive answer on anything and I’ll just keep keep to that. Stuff is happening, but there are no specifics."

"More than anything, it’s because of the nature of the industry right now," he explains. "It’s just like, 'How do you want to do this?' I mean, there’s material and there’s recording and there’s s**t going on, but we’re not really sure what we’re doing with it right now.”

Of course, as Slash notes, the music industry has changed dramatically since 1993, which is the last time he, Axl Rose and Duff McKagan all made a record together as GN'R.

“There’s a handful people who said, ’Yeah, make a record and go old school,’" he reveals. "And there’s a handful of people that are like, ’We don’t even know what buying a record is any more!’”

While the band works out what to do music-wise, they've got plenty of live performances on their schedule. They'll play the Super Bowl Music Fest in Miami on January 31, and in March, they'll tour South America. In May, they'll perform in Europe.

Axl, Slash and Duff launched their Not in This Lifetime reunion tour in 2016, marking the first time the trio had shared the stage together since 1993. The worldwide outing became the third-highest-grossing tour of all time.

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Stone Temple Pilots cancel acoustic tour due to singer’s medical problem

January 24, 2020 – 2:33 pm

Credit: Michelle Shiers

Stone Temple Pilots were supposed to kick off an unplugged tour on February 5, but that trek has now been scrapped due to lead singer Jeff Gutt's medical issues.

A statement from the band notes that Gutt has "a severely herniated disc," and "doctors have advised immediate surgery, along with several weeks of recovery time and physical therapy."

Gutt is expected to fully recover, after which the band hopes they can reschedule the tour for later this year. Ticket holders can get refunds at the point of purchase.

STP's upcoming April tour of Australia with Bush and Live is still on, as is their summer tour with Nickelback.

The unplugged tour was in support of the band's upcoming acoustic-driven album, Perdida, due out February 7. It's STP's second album featuring Gutt, following 2018's self-titled release.

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Ousted Recording Academy CEO says she has “evidence” of Grammy nomination rigging

January 23, 2020 – 4:10 pm

ABC NewsTuesday on ABC's Good Morning America, ousted Recording Academy CEO Deborah Dugan told her side of the story in a contentious debate that's roiled the music industry just days before the Grammy Awards.

Dugan claims she was pushed out after exposing alleged sexual harassment, nomination rigging, and what she described as a toxic "boy's club" that sidelined women and minority groups. In response, the Recording Academy alleges it was Dugan who created a "toxic and intolerable" work environment and is investigating both Ms. Dugan's alleged potential misconduct and her subsequent allegations.

Regarding the nomination rigging, Dugan told ABC's George Stephanopoulos on Good Morning America Thursday, "There are incidents of conflict of interest that taints the results."

Stephanopoulos then read out loud what's written in her complaint: "One artist who initially ranked 18 out of 20 in the 2019 Song of the Year category ended up with a nomination. This artist was actually permitted to sit on the Song of the Year nomination committee. Incredibly, this artist is also represented by a member of the Board."

"Who is this person?" Stephanopoulos then asked.

Dugan and her lawyer wouldn't reveal the artist's identity, but Dugan went on to say that that alleged incident wasn't an isolated one.

"It's not even just that one room. I have evidence that in another room....there were complaints made in the jazz category," she began, before Stephanopoulos interrupted her, saying, "That was gonna be my next question, so you do have evidence?

"I do," she responded.

As a reminder, last year's Song of the Year winner was Childish Gambino's "This Is America." The other nominees were Lady Gaga's "Shallow," "All the Stars" by Kendrick Lamar and SZA, "Boo'd Up" by Ella Mai, "God's Plan" by Drake, "In My Blood" by Shawn Mendes, "The Middle" by Zedd, Maren Morris and Grey, and "The Joke," by Brandi Carlile.

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‘Ride the Lightning’ and ride the surf simultaneously with new Metallica X Billabong product drop

January 21, 2020 – 10:17 pm

Credit: Herring & Herring

The latest collection from Metallica's partnership with apparel company Billabong has arrived.

Called Ride the Lightning after the band's seminal 1984 album, the collection includes t-shirts, boardshorts, hoodies, denim jackets and wetsuits, most of which feature cool blue lightning bolt designs. The wetsuit is the most expensive item in the collection: It'll set you back $300.

The promotional materials for the latest drop feature Billabong surfer Italo Ferreira, who won the 2019 World Surf League championship tour title.

The first part of the collection launched in October; the next two drops will come in February and March.

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More Tool in 2020: Band announces new live dates

January 21, 2020 – 9:40 pm

Credit: Travis Shinn

Tool, currently on the road in support of their new album, Fear Inoculum, have added more dates to their schedule.

The current leg of the tour wraps up February 1, and that will be followed by a string of shows in Australia and New Zealand. Now the band has announced four additional shows in the U.S. for March.

The four new shows take place March 9 in Spokane, WA; March 11 in Portland, OR; March 12 in Eugene, OR; and March 14 in Boise, ID. Tickets go sale Friday at 10 a.m. local time, though members of the Tool Army fan club can grab them starting Wednesday.

As previously announced, Tool will also play the Bonnaroo Festival in Tennessee on June 12. Tool's current dates continue tonight in Dallas, TX.

This Sunday night, Tool competes in the Best Rock Song category at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards. The title track of Fear Inoculum is up against The 1975's "Give Yourself a Try," Vampire Weekend's "Harmony Hall," Brittany Howard's "History Repeats," and Gary Clark Jr.'s "This Land."

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Yungblud announces The Underrated Youth tour

January 21, 2020 – 8:50 pm

Courtesy Interscope RecordsBritish breakout artist Yungblud will kick off a North American tour this spring, following his appearances at both weekends at Coachella.

The Underrated Youth tour, named after the artist's EP of the same name, officially starts April 21 in Sacramento, CA, and is set to wrap up at the Hangout Music Festival in Gulf Shores, AL on May 16.

A pre-sale starts January 22 at 10 a.m. local time, with tickets going on sale to the general public on January 24 at local time. Visit YungbludOfficial.com for a full list of dates and ticket information.

As previously reported, Yungblud will perform at this year's NME Awards, which take place February 12 in London. He's up for a number of awards at the ceremony, including Best Solo Act in the World, Best British Solo Act, Best Music Video for "Original Me," and Best Collaboration for "Original Me," which features Imagine Dragons frontman Dan Reynolds.

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Of Monsters and Men announces FEVER DREAM tour

January 21, 2020 – 7:15 pm

Credit: Meredith Truax

Of Monsters and Men have announced a spring North American tour.

The FEVER DREAM tour kicks off April 29 in Raleigh, NC and is currently set to wrap up at New York's Governors Ball the weekend of June 6 and 7. The tour includes stops at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival on May 1, Atlanta's Shaky Knees festival on May 3, and California's BottleRock Napa Valley festival on May 23. You can get the full itinerary at ofmonstersandmen.com.

A ticket pre-sale on that website goes live on Wednesday at 10 a.m. local time. The general on-sale date is January 24 at 10 a.m. local time.

The FEVER DREAM tour comes in support of the Icelandic group's album of the same name, which came out last July and features the single "Alligator."

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