It was announced earlier today that Jeff Hanneman of Slayer had died. Hanneman had been battling necrotizing fasciitis (which he obtained from a spider bite) since 2011. Hanneman died from liver failure this morning in a California Hospital. He was 49.
Slayer released this statement via Facebook: “Slayer is devastated to inform that their bandmate and brother, Jeff Hanneman, passed away at about 11AM this morning near his Southern California home. Hanneman was in an area hospital when he suffered liver failure. He is survived by his wife Kathy, his sister Kathy and his brothers Michael and Larry, and will be sorely missed.”
We offer our deepest sympathies and are sending all our thoughts and love to Jeff’s band-mates, his friends, and his family.
Sometimes as a writer you encounter times when you are at a loss for words, this is one of these times. Recently, Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz, from the Talking Heads opened their studio to the children of Sandy Hook Elementary school to record a rendition of Judy Garland’s classic “Over The Rainbow” with help from singer Ingrid Michaelson. The children who range from ages 6-9 sound fantastic and put together a moving rendition of the song.
December 8th is a sad day in the music world as it is the anniversary of two murders. On this day in 1980 John Lennon was gunned down in front of his apartment. In 2004 nearly 24 years later almost to the moment we lost the great, Dimebag Darrell, guitarist of legendary metal band, Pantera, when he was tragically murdered on stage. Today we remember these amazing musicians.
John Lennon’s “Imagine” the title track off of 1971’s Imagine
Pantera’s “Hollow” off of their 1992 album Vulgar Display of Power
On Thursday morning the metal community lost a family member. Mitch Lucker, the 28-year-old front man of Suicide Silence, was killed early Thursday morning due to substantial injuries he suffered in a motorcycle accident in Orange County, California. Regardless of if you are a fan of the band or not, Mitch was a fantastic front man and one of the best deathcore front men around.
Since 2002, Mitch had been the front man for the band Suicide Silence and it is tragic to hear this news. I had the good fortune of seeing them perform twice; both times loving the live show they put on. His presence as front man was stellar; it’s going to be hard to imagine where Suicide Silence will go from here. The reasoning behind the accident is unclear as of now but this will be figured out as time goes on. Our deepest condolences go out to the family, friends, band-mates, and fans of Lucker. As Lucker put in one of his song, “You only live one life, for a very short time. So make every second divine”
July 12th 2012 was a very special day in the music world, as it signified The Rolling Stones’ 50th anniversary. A truly amazing feat considering the copious amount of drugs and alcohol the band has consumed. In-fact it’s amazing that four of the five original members are alive, and that three of the five are still touring to this day. The Rolling Stones have survived so much, and I believe that it is necessary I pay homage to these legends. Instead of giving you biographical mumbo-jumbo I think it would be more fitting to explain what The Stones mean to Rock and Roll.
When Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Brian Jones, Bill Wyman, and Charlie Watts got in the room for the first time I’m sure they never thought that they’d have a 50 year run. More importantly I don’t think they knew the impact that they would have on music forever. If you look at many of the top musicians like Slash, Joe Perry, and many others they will tell you how important they were to their own development as musicians.
One of the things people forget about The Stones is that they are communicators, not only of their own music, but of past music. You can’t listen to a Jagger/ Richards composition without hearing it’s deep roots in blues. You can’t help but hear legends like Muddy Waters, Chuck Berry, and Scotty Moore coming through in Richard’s playing. You also can’t help but realize the Mississippi Delta musicians whom Jagger modeled his vocal approach after. They took what was, and then added a new layer to it, thus making it their own. Jagger and Richards also set into notion the song writing team, this was later utilized by Led Zeppelin in the form of Jimmy Page and Robert Plant and later in Aerosmith by Steven Tyler and Joe Perry.
Along with being tremendous innovators and musicians, The Stones defined what it meant to be a ‘Rock-Star’ and took it to the nth degree. They took excess and indulgence to another level, one only reached by few without dying first. No one will ever forget the stories of Jagger and Richards antics especially in the late 60’s and early 70’s. One of the stories that sticks out to me is the stories that come out of the recording of the 1972 classic, Exile on Main Street which was recorded at Villa Nellcôte a home rented by Richards, and was the launching pad for many notorious parties.
It is important to recognize The Stones, as they did it first. They took the blues, and took it to the next level. They defined the definition of ‘Rock-Star.’ And they did this all in the name of the one thing they loved more than anything else, Rock and Roll.
We here at Musically Diversified are very sad to hear about the closing of the European and Canadian offices of Roadrunner Records. Our thoughts are with all the employes over in the U.K., Germany, and Canada. We also want to say thank you to those employees for brining us bands like Slipknot, Trivium, Killswitch Engage, Machine Head, and many others.
UPDATE 3:30 PM EST: Apparently Warner Music Group as absorbed Roadrunner Records and have let go of many of it’s U.S. employees. A sad day for metal, and also for music.
Born in 1956 to a very musically inclined family, it wasn’t a question if Randy Rhoads would be a musician. Starting at the age of seven Rhoads started playing and taking guitar lessons at his Mother’s music school. Eventually the very advanced Rhoads started giving lessons, which he continued until he got the gig of lead guitar in Ozzy Osbourne’s new band, The Blizzard of Ozz. All though Rhoads was a teacher he always thought of himself as a student, as he continued studying classical guitar and taking classical guitar lessons. At the time of his death it is said that Rhoads wanted to study music at U.C.L.A. Tragically he never got the chance.
When Rhoads got to Ozzy’s band he was no newcomer to the stage. Starting in 1970 Rhoads played with the groups Violet Fox, and then Quiet Riot starting around 1976. It is said when Quiet Riot would perform the audience would not be around the lead singer but, Rhoads who would be dressed in a velvet vest and a polka-dot bow tie. Rhoads was a showman through and through as evident in the video of his live guitar solo from his Quiet Riot days “Laughing Gas.” This solo also previewed a number of riffs that would later be featured in recordings during his tenure as Osbourne’s guitarist.
In 1980 Ozzy Osbourne’s fortunes had taken a turn for the worse, he had been fired from Black Sabbath. After spending countless months in a hotel room drinking and drugging, Osbourne, Dana Strumm, and future wife Sharon Arden set out to form a new group. The new group was to be called, Blizzard of Ozz and be a four piece. Rhoads reluctantly auditioned, as he was not a Black Sabbath fan but, he got the job. Eventually The Blizzard of Ozz retreated to the Ridge Farm Studio where they recorded Blizzard of Ozz.
The record was released in September of that year. It consisted of nine blistering tracks including “I Don’t Know,” “Crazy Train,” and “Mr. Crowley” which later became staples of Osbourne’s live show. The album also featured the song “Dee,” a short classical piece inspired by Rhoad’s mother Delores. The album featured bassist Bob Daisley and drummer Lee Kerslake. The album reached number 21 on the Billboard chart and reached Multi-Platinum level sales.
Shortly after the release of Blizzard, Arden got the group to go into the studio to record what was to become Diary of a Madman. Rhoads put on another tremendous performance when recording Diary enhancing his virtuoso image and showcasing his raw talent. Tracks from the record including “Over the Mountain” and “Flying High Again” where released as singles but, the most notable track of the album was the title track. Even though Bob Daisley and Lee Kerslake played on the record, they were not featured on the album artwork. Instead pictured and credited were bassist Rudy Sarzo and drummer Tommy Aldridge. The album was released in November of 1981 and went platinum in the U.S. by the following May. Unfortunately Rhoads was not able to receive this honor.
Thirty years ago today Randy Rhoads was killed, when the plane he was riding in crashed into a private home in Leesburg, Florida. The plane was piloted by the tour bus driver Andrew Aycock. Aycock had two passengers on board, Rhoads and hairdresser Rachel Youngblood. He was joyriding when the wing of the plane hit the side of Osbourne’s tour bus and crashed into a pine tree and finally collided into a garage of a house near the airport. Rhoads was only 25.
In the two years Rhoads toured and recorded with the Blizzard of Ozz, he did more than most people do in a lifetime. His guitar playing took the instrument to a whole new level of proficiency. His sound and technicality was emulated by multiple generations of guitarists. On this day we remember Randy Rhoads not only as a musician but, a caring human being that thought he could learn something from everyone, especially his students.
Musically Diversified 