This week welcomed great news of new projects in the works, featuring great music fests on the way, highly anticipated new albums and just all-around awesomeness.
We invite you to read on, as the outlook of upcoming music is good, really good.
Fresh from their recent collaboration with Lou Reed on Lulu, Metallica is a force to be reckoned with, as they’ve announced the creation of their own music festival.
Called the Orion Music & More Festival in honor of the band’s late bassist Cliff Burton, (whose most memorable musical expression is thought by Metallica to reside in the track “Orion” off Master of Puppets) the festival will be a two-day event that Metallica will headline both days, planning to cover one of their classic albums in its entirety each night.
Adding a bit of eclecticism to their festival, Metallica has handpicked more than 20 other musical acts to perform at the festival, including Modest Mouse, Best Coast and Fucked Up. The fest is scheduled for June 23 and 24 in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
If you need to get a little rock ‘n’ roll in your system before Metallica’s music festival in June, May 18th through 20th will mark the 6th annual Rock on the Range festival in Columbus, Ohio. This rock festival has a killer lineup with headliners such as Incubus, Rob Zombie, Marilyn Manson and Megadeth.
The festival will commence with performances from Hairball, Foxy Shazam and Hells Bells at Friday Night 4Play, an event that is free with every Rock on the Range weekend ticket. The festival is a cute and an intimate size, featuring 3 days of music from 44 bands, on 3 separate stages. Tickets are currently on sale via Ticketmaster, the Crew Stadium Box Office and the fest’s website.
Another unique mélange of musicians are the likes of Daft Punk, former Chic front man Nile Rodgers and Animal Collective’s Panda Bear and their possible collaboration on a new album. According to Pitchfork and Culturemap, the assortment of musicians has been discussing collaborations for upcoming tracks.
Still basking in the success of their 2011 soundtrack for Tron:Legacy, Daft Punk is still in the foreground of the music world, also having been linked collaboratively to songwriter Paul Williams in other reports. As elements to these potential collaborations transpire, we will surely await in anticipation for whatever Daft Punk pulls out of their sleeve next.
After a 6 year hiatus, Tenacious D has resurrected themselves to grace fans with a brand new album titled Rize of the Fenix, coming this May. This new effort follows their 2001 self-titled album, and 2006’s Pick of Destiny, which served as the soundtrack to their comedy film Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny. Consisting of Jack Black and Kyle Gass, Tenacious D is what people call a mock-rock duo, incorporating vulgar comedy into the rock genre. To the delight of many, Tenacious D has recently been added to the lineup of the upcoming Sasquatch Music Festival as well.
This week, Archie Powell & the Exports shared exclusive info about their upcoming album with your friends at mxdwn. Great Ideas in Action, out May 1st, will feature the group’s lively, upbeat sound matched with front man Archie’s dark, contrasting lyrics. Their new single “Metronome” has become available, and features Archie’s satisfying sarcasm and a memorable guitar melody. The band has launched a new website in support of their forthcoming album, and will also kick off their tour for Great Ideas in Action at the upcoming SXSW Festival.
Unplugging In Brief:
Metallica Announce Orion Music and More Festival for June 23 and 24 (Tickets, Lineup, Presale) – Metallica has created their very own music festival, named in honor of their late bassist Cliff Burton.
Rock on the Range Announces 2012 Lineup – A respectable array of rock acts will hit Columbus, Ohio in May for the 6th annual Rock on the Range Festival.
Daft Punk In Talks with Nile Rodgers and Panda Bear For Possible New Album – Details are still in the works, but it seems Daft Punk may be teaming up with a few unique artists for tracks for a new record.
Tenacious D Announce New Album Rize of the Fenix For May 2012 Release – mock-rock duo Tenacious D, Jack Black and Kyle Gass, have ended their 6-year hiatus with the announcement of a new album, out this May.
EXCLUSIVE PREMIERE: Archie Powell & The Exports “Metronome” + New Album Great Ideas in Action Announced For May Release – Archie Powell & the Exports exclusively talked with mxdwn about their upcoming album, Archie’s dark lyricism, and their new single “Metronome.”
