Earlier this week, Michael "Mick" McDonald of the National Rock Review conducted an interview with MEGADETH drummer Shawn Drover. You can now listen to the chat using the audio player below. A couple of excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).
On whether MEGADETH will try anything new, stylistically speaking, on its next studio album:
Drover: "I don't think so. We definitely branch out to a couple of different areas, stylistically speaking. For me, I'm always an advocate for the heavy stuff, so that's usually what I present to the band — something a little more violent, a little more heavy and oftentimes fast stuff. Because that's how I write. Of course, MEGADETH has done so many different kinds of metal over the years, but for me, I'll always try to represent the more furious side of it, because that's just part of who I am, it's part of my creative DNA to try to write heavy riffs. Whether it gets accepted not, it obviously just depends on how it's going [with the writing process for] the record. We all have so many ideas, not everything is gonna make it. Case in point, on the 'Endgame' record, I had a song called 'Head Crusher', which was a pretty fast, heavy song. It was the first single, the first video and it was nominated for a Grammy Award. So you always try, but you just never know what you're gonna end up with. It just depends on how the recording process goes. But I'll always have ideas to submit, certainly."
On how music downloading has affected the record industry and rock bands in particular:
Drover: "If you're a real fan, you're gonna buy the product. And nowadays it's [done largely] through iTunes or Amazon or Spotify or things of that nature. But, to be honest, a lot of kids don't. And their theory is, 'Why should I spend fifteen dollars on something when I can get it for free?' You just go to a torrent site and you can have it [for free] in a matter of seconds. I think a lot of this younger generation, and not to generalize, [because this doesn't apply to] everybody, but a lot of people, a lot of the younger people, and maybe even the older people, they're, like, 'Why should I buy a record when I can get it for free?' Not even thinking of the damage that it has done to the music industry since this whole Napster garbage started over 15 years ago that's caused irreparable damage to the music industry. It's not debatable; that's a fact."
"This could turn into a really long and potentially depressing conversation, but it is what it is, and it happened. Until somebody can figure out how to change this, whether it's some kind of new format, or something that you can't… I think if someone could find a format where you could purchase a product and there's no way that you could copy it or get it on a torrent site, then that would obviously help the industry. But that's wishful thinking, I think, on my part. I just think the damage has been done now and record buying is slowly becoming a thing of the past. And certainly, to a large degree, record sales are down right across the board. You don't see bands selling 15 million albums, like DEF LEPPARD's 'Hysteria' or all the pop [albums], like the MICHAEL JACKSON records and the MADONNA records, I don't see anybody selling eight, 12, 13 million albums anymore. It's just not happening."
MEGADETH latest album, 2013's "Super Collider", sold 29,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 6 on The Billboard 200 chart. "TH1RT3EN" opened with 42,000 units back in November 2011 to enter the chart at No. 11. The band's 2009 CD, "Endgame", premiered with 45,000 copies to debut at No. 9. This was slightly less than the 54,000 first-week tally registered by 2007's "United Abominations", which entered the chart at No. 8. 2004's "The System Has Failed" premiered with 46,000 copies (No. 18) while 2001's "The World Needs A Hero" moved 61,000 units in its first week (No. 16).
Interview (audio):
Former SLAYER and current PHILM drummer Dave Lombardo was interviewed on the March 16 edition of the "Radio Screamer" show. You can now watch the chat below. A couple of excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).
On what it is that keeps him coming back to SLAYER:
Lombardo: "Oh, well, I don't think that's ever gonna happen again. Well, the reason why… I mean, time passed. It was ten years. When I returned in 2001, it had been already ten years that I was out of the band, and it felt like it was the right time. It was water under the bridge, we didn't have any grudges, but apparently that really wasn't the case, because later I find out that, 'Oh, well, he left in '92, so just get him out again.'"
On the importance of learning the ins and outs of the music business while pursuing a career as a musician:
Lombardo: "It's something that you learn as you go along. And it's a tough road, especially when you're told that everything's taken care of, you're well taken care of, and you trust these people and you don't think twice. But then, of course, like AC/DC says, the rock star, and the businessman gets rich.
"We need to make, I think, drummers aware of their position in the band and spread the word that musicians need to educate themselves not only in their music and their chops and their style and whatever, but they need to really learn the business, because it turns out that a band ends up being a business and each member becomes a quarter shareholder, or a COO [chief operating officer] of the band. So it's very important."
On his most recent split with SLAYER:
Lombardo: "I really don't wanna get into the details, but I take this departure like any other change in life. You just go with it. I, luckily, had a band that I had put back together before this whole thing went down with SLAYER. And you just move forward; you don't look back."
On late SLAYER guitarist Jeff Hanneman:
Lombardo: "The arm, basically, they fixed it and they did everything they could do to help him [after he contracted necrotizing fasciitis, also known as flesh-eating disease, from a spider bite in his backyard in January 2011]. But I think the motor skill to play guitar just wasn't there. You know, we gave him a chance and maybe we could have put him a little low in the mix, but still, it just wasn't working right. 'Cause you have to have a certain ability to play this style of music. And it just wasn't there. It's unfortunate.
"Shortly after he died, I spent the afternoon with his wife and I just hung out with her. We went out to dinner. It's rough. But, unfortunately, it was a downward spiral for him. Obviously, it was depressing for him to have this situation happen to his arm, and him not being able to play, he resorted to drinking more than he was already doing. And, like I said, it was a downward spiral."
On how the surviving members of SLAYER have dealt with the loss of their childhood friend:
Lombardo: "I don't know how Kerry [King, guitar] and Tom [Araya, bass/vocals] responded. By how they responded at the memorial, it was pretty shallow. It was rough for me, because Jeff and I spent a lot of time on the tour bus. We'd get picked up at the hotel and show up at the venue by 4:30 and we would stay chilling on the bus until showtime. So there was a lot of interaction, there was a lot of chatting, a lot of talking, we'd watch TV, we'd listen to music. He loved my iPod, 'cause I had so many different styles of music. He'd say, 'Dude, throw your iPod on.' We'd laugh and joke around and sometimes I'd surprise him with some music that he'd never heard of before. So there was lot of memorable times that Jeff and I had. And it sucks, dude. It's terrible when a bandmate dies, because that magic is forever lost. That band had a certain chemistry when all four of us were on stage. And not taking anything away from Gary Holt [of EXODUS] — he took Jeff's place and he's done an amazing job — but still there's something [that is missing that simply cannot be replaced]."
David Farrier of New Zealand's 3 News recently conducted an interview with SYSTEM OF A DOWN singer Serj Tankian. You can now watch the chat at this location. A couple of excerpts follow.
3 News: Are you looking forward to the Christchurch show?
Tankian: I am looking forward to it very much. In fact, we've been planning on having a show with the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra for many years. My friend Hamish McKeich, who conducted our APO show years ago in 2009 in Auckland, he's the one who called the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, and they were keen on working with us. So we've been trying to plan this for a few years, and we've had very busy schedules, and touring elsewhere, so this year knowing I am going to be spending a nice chunk of time in New Zealand I decided let's definitely go ahead and do the show.
3 News: You've been touring a lot with SYSTEM. Is it hard to get your head into another space with the orchestral music, or is it quite organic?
Tankian: It's not really difficult jumping from one band or musical project to the other. In fact, in Europe and Russia I went from doing three weeks with SYSTEM to doing three weeks with an orchestra. It's actually really great. It's kind of like going to the gym: With SYSTEM, you are getting your cardio, because you are just running, jumping and doing these crazy acrobatics both vocally and physically. And with the orchestra you are sitting there and it's more of a spiritual, emotional, intimate connection musically. And it's a different value in terms of the connectivity with the audience. One is a huge festival type of audience with SYSTEM, and the other is a beautiful theatre, like the Auckland Town Hall, or as it will be in Christchurch. I like the diversity.
3 News: What do rock journos think of your classical stuff, and what does the classical world think of your rock stuff?
Tankian: I would bet that rock critics wouldn't love a symphony record, I would bet classical critics are not going to love someone coming from the rock world and doing a symphony record. I would bet that jazz purists writers, in fact I know jazz purist writers, are not into my "Jazz-Is-Christ" record. But hey, that's okay! Because I am making the music that is coming to me from the universe, and I am presenting it the best way I can. And I am putting a spin on it that is uniquely what I do. And as long as my fans and people who are following me like it, I'm happy with it and thankful for it.
3 News: Do you find it refreshing to be in New Zealand where, I guess, politically, we're a bit more — I suppose the issues are a bit smaller here. Do you find that an encouraging thing?
Tankian: I do. I mean, obviously, New Zealand has its own issues that we grapple with here, but yeah, the geo-political issues are way more tame. The semi-neutrality of the country is definitely very progressive outlook. Many nations can benefit from that kind of perspective. And kiwis are quite wise politically, in terms of international politics, because they read. Most people in America don't read! And the education system is great. I think it's not just enough to have a democracy, it's important to have an educated democracy, because without an educated, literate democracy, you can have a George Bush as your leader. And that can be maybe as dangerous as having Assad as your leader in some cases! [laughter]. Coming to New Zealand it's refreshing, every year I live between here and Los Angeles and it slows things down on a beautiful level, and increases the lifestyle for me. The quality of the lifestyle, the people I interact with and the relationships that I develop. And it's a different world and I'd love it to stay like that forever.
3 News: Are you glad you moved to New Zealand?
Tankian: I'm more than glad, I am ecstatic. It's my haven. And it's also a place where I feel more creative. And I feel more at home in myself to be honest with you. And I have lived in L.A. since 1975, which is a lot of years. And I have a lot of friends there, and family there, and it's difficult to move away. My work is mostly there, the entertainment industry is there, and I've been scoring for films and video games, and the music industry is based there in the world. And to have that excitement and working there is great. But when I get off tour, I don't think of going to my place in L.A., I think of coming to New Zealand as home. Because I feel more at home here.
Read the entire interview at 3 News.
According to the Courthouse News Service, British metal label Earache Records has filed a lawsuit against New York-based The Century Family, an affiliate of the nonparty record label Century Media Records, of Dortmund, Germany, claiming that the U.S. distributor owes it $250,000 in licensing fees, and broke a promise to release a catalog of hundreds of albums.
Earache claims that The Century Family breached a January 2013 agreement to market and distribute Earache's music, and attempted to escape its obligations by falsely claiming Earache had breached a three-year licensing agreement. Earache claims that of the 356 albums it delivered to Century, including 10 new releases, the company has distributed only 13 albums in the United States.
Excerpt from the complaint:
"On December 10, 2013, Don Robertson of [The Century Family] asked Al Dawson of Earache Records whether Earache Records would give [The Century Family] a six-month extension of its obligation to pay the $125,000.00 advance due February 1, 2014, because [The Century Family], according to Robertson, was having cash-flow problems. Mr. Dawson explained that, for reasons of its own (including among other things imminent obligations of Earache Records to third parties, for payment of which Earache Records was depending on timely payment of [The Century Family's] second and third advances under the U.S. Licensing Agreement), Earache Records regretfully could not agree to [The Century Family's] request.
"On January 31, 2014, less than one day before [The Century Family's] deadline to make its second $125,000 advance payment, Earache Records received a letter from attorney Eric German, characterizing himself as 'litigation counsel' for [The Century Family], setting forth a list of spurious allegations, on the basis of which [The Century Family] was claiming (for the first time ever) that Earache Records was supposedly 'in breach' of the U.S. Licensing Agreement. That this letter sent on behalf of [The Century Family] was nothing but a transparent pretext for delay was made clear when Mr. German therein advised, after first threatening litigation, that '[The Century Family] will not be making any payment pursuant to [the January 2013 agreement], unless and until such time as this matter is resolved, whether by negotiated settlement or by litigation.' [The Century Family] thereby not only announced its intended breach of its obligation to make the $125,000.00 February 1, 2014, advance payment, but also the $125,000.00 March 1, 2014, advance payment.
"On February 7, 2104, counsel for Earache Records, William Leibowitz, responded in writing to Mr. German's letter of January 31, 2014, stating in detail Earache Records' position and factual contentions, and noting [The Century Family's] actual and anticipatory breach of the U.S. Licensing Agreement's payment provisions. Mr. Leibowitz's letter constituted notice of termination of the U.S. Licensing Agreement, pursuant to its terms.
"[The Century Family] did not timely make the $125,000.00 February 1, 2014, advance payment, and has failed to cure that default of [The Century Family's] contractual obligation. [The Century Family] has also now failed to make the $125,000.00 March 1, 2014, advance payment, and has already stated that it has no intention to cure that default, either. Accordingly, as of at least March 9, 2014, [The Century Family] is in material breach of its payment obligations under the U.S. Licensing Agreement. Moreover, by [The Century Family] having failed to cure such breaches within thirty (30) days of the date of Mr. Leibowitz's letter of February 7, 2014, the U.S. Licensing Agreement is deemed terminated effective as of March 9, 2014."
Earache says The Century Family is still marketing and selling Earache's records in the U.S. market.
It seeks an injunction and $250,000
