Rock News Review: August 2024

8/1 Metallica Partner Again with Wolverine Boots & Apparel 

The band’s’ All Within My Hands and the apparel company create a unique, high-quality boot to benefit the Metallica Scholars Initiative which supports the enhancement of community colleges’ career and technical education programs. 

8/1 Megadeth Offers Megadeth VMK25 Headphones

The limited-edition headphones are manufactured in collaboration with Valco Oy are available through Valco’s online store.

8/1 Lollapalooza Kicks Off with Hybrid Battery System with

The Main Stage in Chicago’s Grant Park powered by the system, includes all audio, lighting, video and stage production. The four-day event is the first major U.S. festival to accomplish this. 

8/2 Smashing Pumpkins Release “Aghori Mhori Mei.”

Frontman Billy Corgan sees the set “as a means to move forward; to see if in the balance of success and failure that our ways of making music circa 1990-1996 would still inspire something revelatory.”

8/4 Lacuna Coil Play the Rockstadt Extreme Fest in Râșnov, Romania.

It’s their first concert since the departure of guitarist Diego Cavallotti.. Last June, the band announced Cavallotti’s exit. 

8/5 Drummer Jason Bittner Announces His Departure From Overkill

Bittner plans to pursue other projects. He joined Overkill in ’17 and contributed to the band’s last two studio albums, ‘19’s “The Wings Of War” and ‘23’s “Scorched.” He played his last show with the band days earlier (8/1) at the Vagos Metal Fest in Portugal. 

8/6 The MTV Video Music Nominations.

In the Best Rock category are: Green Day (pictured) – “Dilemma,” Bon Jovi – “Legendary,” Kings Of Leon – “Mustang,” Lenny Kravitz – “Human” and U2 – “Atomic City.”  

8/6 Slipknot Launches the North American Leg of the “Here Comes The Pain” Tour

Celebrating the 25^th anniversary of their seminal self-titled debut album, they kick it off with a 14-song set at the Ruoff Music Center in Noblesville, IN.

8/9 Hammerfall’s 13^th Studio Effort, “Avenge The Fallen” Arrives.

The set features “Hail To The King,” “The End Justifies” and “Freedom.”

8/9 A Kurt Cobain Plaque Controversary

A debate occurs at the Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle over the wording describing the late Nirvana frontman’s death in ’94.

The exhibit on the “27 Club,” covers musicians who perished at the young age, states Cobain had “un-alived himself” at 27. The term is an alternative to using “died by suicide,” to avoid censorship on various social media platforms.

8/11 Red Hot Chili Peppers Help Close the ’24 Paris Olympic Games

In a musical handover to the 2028 Games in L.A (LA28), a mix of pre-taped and live performances, represent a different facet of the city’s cultural heritage. RHCP play “Can’t Stop” from their eighth studio set, “By The Way” (’02).

8/12 Gojira frontman Takes Participates In a Peaceful Protest  

Joseph Duplantier takes part in a peaceful protest in front of the parliament in Copenhagen, Denmark to demand the release of U.S.-Canadian anti-whaling activist Paul Watson, founder of the Sea Shepherd activist group who has been held in custody in Greenland (since 7/21).

8/12 Slipknot Bassist Alessandro “V Man” Venturella Unveils Latest Mask

The mask was created in collaboration with German visual artist and sculptor Hedi Xandt. “I’ve been a massive fan of his work and thought it was time to go get him to make me a piece of his art for Slipknot,” enthused Venturella.

8/13 The Sex Pistols Play To Save Bush Hall in West London.

Paul Cook, Glen Matlock and Steve Jones fronted by Frank Carter (rather than John Lydon who is feuding with his ex-bandmates) play the first of three shows to preserve the West London venue. The play songs from their landmark ’77 set “Never Mind The Bollocks” at a fundraiser for the historic venue.

8/13 Greg Kihn Dies

The leader of the Greg Kihn Band, known for the ’80’s hits “Jeopardy” and “The Break-Up Song,” dies at 75 following a battle with Alzheimer’s disease.

8/15 Former Great White singer Jack Russell Dies

Great White is known for the single “Once Bitten, Twice Shy” and the platinum albums “Once Bitten” (’87) and “Twice Shy” (’89). Russell was 63.

8/16 Dark Tranquillity Unfurl “Endtime Signals”

The band’s thirteenth studio effort features the lead single “The Last Imagination.” “We’ve gone through quite a lot in order to end up where we find ourselves today,” writes the band in a statement.

8/18 KISS Bassist/Vocalist Awarded a “Key To The City”

Gene Simmons is honored by Niagara Falls, NY. Also, a downtown street temporarily named in his honor to acknowledge his investment in the local business community.

8/19 Metallica Helps The Homeless

People Serving People, a Minnesota organization that provides services to people and families experiencing homelessness, announce that Metallica has donated $40,000 to the charity through the band’s All Within My Hands foundation.

8/21 AC/DC’s “Back In Black” is Certified 

The ’80 breakthrough set is certified for U.S. shipments of 27 million copies by the Recording Industry Association Of America (RIAA) making it the third highest-certified album in U.S. history.

At #1 is the Eagles compilation, “Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975),” which has moved 38 million units with Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” certified at 34 million units.

8/21 Neil Young Heard At Democratic Convention

Vice-Presidential Tim Walz concludes his Democratic Convention speech by walking off the stage to Neil Young’s “Rockin’ In The Free World.”  Walz sought and received Young’s approval to use the song — one of the Minnesota governor’s favorites.

8/21 Also at the convention… Stevie Wonder Delivers Speech and Performance

He performs of “Higher Ground” in support of Vice President Kamala Harris’ run for the White House.

8/23 Simone Simons releases “Vermillion“

It’s the debut solo effort for the singer of the symphonic Metal band Epica and includes the tracks “Aeterna,” “In Love We Rust” and “R.E.D.”

8/23 “Brian May: The Badgers, The Farmers And Me” Airs

Broadcast on BBC 2 the program follows the Queen guitarist on his decade-long opposition to the controversial badger cull, implemented to curb the spread of the disease in cattle. May and his team have organized marches, protests, and a petition to end the practice.

8/23 Slipknot’s Sid Wilson Hospitalized

 His is in the hospital with “serious burns” after a fire explosion occurs while lighting a burn pile on his and his girlfriend Kelly Osbourne’s farm.

8/24 Foo Fighters Rail Against the Trump Campaign

“My Hero” is played during an Arizona event where Donald Trump receives an endorsement from former indie presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy. Trump’s campaign says they received a license from BMI’s Songview service to use the song.

8/24 Wage War’s “Magnetic” is #1 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Airplay chart.

It’s the lead track from “Stigma,” the Metalcore band’s fifth studio effort.

8/24 Jelly Roll’s “Get By” is Played to Open ESPN’s College Football Schedule.

“There’s a powerful connection between music and college football,” says Curtis Friends, ESPN Vice President of Marketing, “Jelly Roll is a talented, award-winning artist whose music speaks to the passion of college football fans across the country.

8/27 Oasis Reunion Tour

Led by the often-bickering brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher, Oasis announce a summer “Oasis Live ’25,” comeback tour. It quickly sells out.

8/28 An Exclusive “Anniversary” Blend of Green Day’s Punk Bunny Coffee is Out

It’s sold for a limited time exclusively at 7-Eleven, Speedway and Stripes stores nationwide to commemorate the 60^th anniversary of 7-Eleven selling freshly brewed coffee in to-go cups and the 30^th anniversary of Green Day’s “Dookie” and 20^th anniversary of “American Idiot.”

8/28 Journey Legal Dispute Settled

Journey’s Jonathan Cain (pictured right) claims victory in his legal battle with bandmate Neal Schon (left). A third director is to be assigned to their joint touring company to settle all future deadlocks between Mr. Cain and Mr. Schon. Cain accused Schon of excessive spending causing “unforeseen strains on cash flow.