Duff McKagan is about to start work on the film version of ‘The Taking’, with Seattle documentary film maker Jamie Burton Chamberlin.

The movie is to be constructed of serveral vignettes, each based on the lyrics from McKagan’s most recent work of the same name.

In a 2010 interview with the West Seattle Herald, Chamberlin said the movie “will be a contemporary version of, say, The Beatles’ ‘Hard Day’s Night’ meets Led Zeppelin’s ‘The Song Remains the Same’, with aspects of documentary, music video, and live performance, all interconnected by an underlying motivation. The album will serve as the soundtrack.

“Everything will be shot in Seattle and the Northwest. We hope to use locations in West Seattle and other familiar settings to create these vignettes that develop organically within them.” 

Meanwhile, it is said that McKagan hopes to push the movie and get it screened on the festival circuit to gain exposure beyond his music fans.

Duff McKagan’s Loaded will be playing a handful of US shows in the remainder of August.  More shows announced soon.

Read a review of ‘The Taking’ (album) here.
Read a review of ‘Sick’ here.

Despite reports from various news sources yesterday that the original line-up of Black Sabbath had reunited and were planning a new album and tour, it appears that this news was just a rumour.

Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi has issued the following statement:

“I’m saddened that a Birmingham journalist whom I trusted has chosen this point in time to take a conversation we had back in June and make it sound like we spoke yesterday about a Black Sabbath reunion.

“At the time I was supporting the Home Of Metal exhibition was merely speculating shooting the breeze on something all of us get asked constantly, ‘Are you getting back together?’

“Thanks to the Internet it’s now gone round the world as some sort of ‘official’ statement on my part; absolute nonsense. I hope he’s enjoyed his moment of glory, he won’t have another at my expense.

“To my old pals, Ozzy, Geezer and Bill, sorry about this, I should have known better.”

The last time the four original members released a full album together was in 1978.

The creation of that album, ‘Never Say Die’ wasn’t without it’s troubles.  Frontman Ozzy Osbourne left the band briefly during that time and was temporarily replaced by ex-Fleetwood Mac man Dave Walker.  Walker’s time with the band was so shortlived, he only made one public appearance as a member of the band, performing the then new song, ‘Junior’s Eyes’ on Birmingham’s ‘Look East’ news programme.

With the 2011 Sabbath reunion firmly denied, it seems as if the new material Sabbath were working on with Rick Rubin in 2001 is destined to be unheard…

Marking their return after a long hiatus, punk/emo trio Blink-182 are set to release their new album on September 26th.

Speaking about the new album, the band have claimed that the new record is very diverse, even containing bits of “prog rock”.
The lead single, ‘Up All Night’, released a few weeks ago polarized fans, and it sounds like the new full-length record will continue the trend.

The tracklisting for ‘Neighborhoods’:

‘Ghost On The Dance Floor’
‘A La Mode’
‘This is Home’
‘Snake Charmer’
‘MH 4.18.2011’
‘Even If She Falls’
‘You Too’
‘Up All Night’
‘After Midnight’
‘Natives’

Deluxe Edition Bonus Tracks:
‘Kaleidoscope’
‘Fighting The Gravity’
‘Heart’s All Gone’

The original line up of Black Sabbath have reunited.  The band are currently writing a new album and have plans to tour.

The last time the original line up of Ozzy Osbourne (vocals), Tony Iommi (guitar), Geezer Butler (bass) and Bill Ward (drums) played together was in 2006, though have not released any studio material since two newly written studio tracks were included on the end of their ‘Reunion’ live album back in 1998.

An attempt at making a new studio record in 2001 was aborted when Osbourne returned to solo work.  However, a newly written track, ‘Scary Dream’ was featured in the band’s live set.  Ten years later, ‘Scary Dream’ has never surfaced as a studio recording.

It is unclear as to whether the band have picked up from where they left off with regards to the proposed studio album or whether they have started from scratch.

At a last minute show in California last week, Green Day surprised fans with a set of largely unheard material.

It is believed that ‘Amy’ (penned just a week before the show) is the band’s tribute to Amy Winehouse who died on July 23rd.  Lyrics regarding walking away from alcohol and “blood stained shoes” add weight to the notion that the song was written to mark her passing.

During a full-length set, the band played no fewer than 15 new songs, suggesting that work on their next album has been incredibly fruitful.  The set closed with an encore containing hits and more familiar songs.

GREEN DAY – Tiki Bar, 1700 Placentia, Costa Mesa, California – August 11th 2011 – SET LIST:

‘Nuclear Family’
‘Stay The Night’
‘Too Young To Die’
‘Oh Love’
‘Carpe Diem’
‘Crushing Bastards’
‘Little Boy Named Train’
‘Trouble Maker’
‘Sweet 16’
‘Wow, That’s Loud’
‘8th Avenue Serenade’
‘Ashley’
‘Gabriella’
‘Wild One’
‘It’s Fuck Time’
‘Stray Heart’
‘Last Gang In Town’
‘Amy’
‘Goodbye To Romance’ (Ozzy Osbourne cover)

‘Welcome To Paradise’
‘Burnout’
‘Murder City’
‘J.A.R. (Jason Andrew Relva)’
‘Only Of You’
‘Hitchin’ a Ride’
‘St. Jimmy’
‘Minority’