Queen Guitarist Interviewed on Fresh Air

Terry Gross, host of Fresh Air - WHYY's national weekday magazine of contempory arts and issues - recently had the chance to conduct and in-depth interview with Brian May. The interview with the Queen guitarist can be streamed here.

On the topic of vocalist Freddie Mercury's sexuality, May said:

"I think it was an undiscussed thing for a long time. The truth of the matter is nobody should care. Why should anyone care what sexual persuasion people have? It's about the music, and Freddie would have been the first to say that. He never hid the fact that he was turned on by men instead of by women, but strange enough, I don't think it was always the case. Because in the early days, we used to share rooms. So in the early days, I know who Freddie slept with, and they weren't men, but I think it gradually changed. And I have no idea how these things work, but it wasn't really anybody's business but his, and we never talked about it as if it were important. Why should it be important? We just made music together."

More interview excerpts can be found at NPR.org. (Read More)

Sevendust and 10 Years to Join Forces for HardDrive Live Tour

The Pulse of Radio recently announced that Sevendust and 10 Years are slated to lead the lineup of the second annual HardDrive Live tour. Anew Revolution and Since October will also appear on the bill. Dates and venues will be officially announced on Monday, August 16. Official information regarding tickets, VIP packages, meet-and-greet passes, etc. have yet to be revealed.

Sponsored by HardDrive - a nationally syndicated radio program - last year's festival featured Lacuna Coil, All That Remains, and a number of other acts.

This isn't the first time Sevendust and 10 Years have spent time on the road together. However, according to 10 Years vocalist Jesse Hasek, the bands are not as wild whilst on tour as they once were: "In our experience and our age — we're getting a little bit older — you realize that this is a business and you can't jeopardize the performance by partying too much," he said. "For me, being the vocalist, I've really found the line. I can't do that stuff every night and expect to get up there and perform to the, my capabilities and everything." (Read More)

Kerry King to Guest Star on Full Metal Jackie

Slayer axeman Kerry King is scheduled to make a guest appearance on this weekend's (August 6-8) edition of the natiionally syndicated radio show, Full Metal Jackie. Also on the show will be premieres of new music from the likes of Murderdolls and Return to Earth.

A full list of stations carrying the program (as well as airing times) can be found at FullMetalJackieRadio.com. (Read More)

Tracy G Interviewed on Heavy Metal Mayhem

Former Dio guitarist Tracy "G" Grijalva was interviewed this past Sunday (August 1) during the latest edition of the Heavy Metal Mayhem radio show with Mike "The Big Cheese." The audio interview can be streamed via Blabbermouth.net.

In late May 2010, Grijalva posted his condolences for the late Ronnie James Dio:

"My condolences for Wendy Dio and all the Dio family for their loss. My prayers are with all of you. I worked with Ronnie for six years and it was a truly amazing time. Long live Ronnie James Dio, one of the greatest rock vocalists ever!"

Grijalva left Dio in 1999, citing the band's desire "for more of a Ritchie Blackmore style" and its intention to assign him to rhythm guitar duties as the reasons behind his departure. (Read More)

Soilwork Guitarist/Producer Interviewed in Chicago

On July 22, FourteenG's Karma E. Omowale sat down with Peter Wichers - guitarist for and producer of Sweeden's Soilwork. The interview is now available for streaming in three parts via Blabbermouth.net.

The Panic Broadcast - Soilwork's latest album - sold roughly 5,300 copies in the U.S. in its first week of release and debuted at No. 88 on The Billboard 200 chart. The album was released in Europe on July 2 and in North American on July 13 via Nuclear Blast Records. It was mixed by Jens Bogren at Fascination Street studio in Örebro, Sweden.

Broadcast's predecessor, titled Sworn to a Great Divide, was released in October 2007 and sold 5,000 units and landed a No. 148 spot on Billboard. (Read More)

Sepultura Writing New Material on the Road

Phoenix Radio's Miss Bomb recently conducted an interview with guitarist Andreas Kisser of Sepultura for The Bombshell Rock Show. The chat is scheduled to air on Thursday, August 5 and Thursday, August 12 at 9:00 PM in the U.K. at www.phoenixradio.co.uk.

Sepultura are currently on the road promoting A-Lex - their latest album which is based on the 1962 Anthony Burgess classic A Clockwork Orange. The band have apparently begun to write new material for a follow-up release in 2011 via their new record label, Nuclear Blast Records.

"It's always a challenge to write something, you know, and we are in this moment now because we are preparing a new album," stated Kisser during the interview for Bombshell. (Read More)

The Haunted Forced to Cancel Last Three Shows on Slayer Tour

The Haunted have announced the cancellation of their last three shows on the current Slayer tour. The Swedish metallers issued the following update:

"We are sorry to announce that due to an illness that required immediate medical attention, we are forced to cancel our last three performances as support to Slayer. We are, of course, very sad for this, and would like to apologize for any inconvenience this may cause."

The following dates are affected:

August 2: 013 - Tilburg, Holland
August 3: 013 - Tilburg, Holland
August 5: Volkshaus - Zurich, Switzerland (Read More)