The Week In Rock: March 15th – March 22nd

3/15 Puddle Of Mudd Vocalist/Guitarist Charged

Wes Scantlin is arrested (on 3/11) after allegedly getting into a physical altercation with his girlfriend.

Police are summoned to investigate a verbal argument between Scantlin and his girlfriend that allegedly turned physical. The 52-year-old musician was charged with felony domestic violence and possession of a controlled substance (which the police discovered onsite).

3/16 No MAGA, No Way

The Dropkick Murphys’ Ken Casey pauses the band’s annual St. Patrick’s Day show at MGM Music Hall in Boston to call out an attendee holding up a black MAGA hat. “This is America, there’s no kings here,” says Casey.

3/17 Dropkick Murphys Get Suspended

Dropkick Murphys get suspended from X — on St. Patrick’s Day — after lead singer, Ken Casey, blasts President Donald Trump and X owner Elon Musk.

The suspension came after Casey’s comments on a MeidasTouch podcast went viral.

3/17 “Closing Time” Is Not About Migrants

Semisonic strongly condemns the Trump administration for using their song “Closing Time” in a 16-second video on the White House’s official Instagram account. The clip has a man being patted down while handcuffed with the song in the background: “Closing time, you don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here.”

3/18 Queen To Receive Polar Honor

It’s revealed that Queen will be among the recipients of the 2025 Polar Music Prize Laureates., celebrating excellence in music, along with Herbie Hancock and Barbara Hannigan. The Polar Music Prize ceremony will take place on May 27th in Stockholm at the Grand Hotel.

3/19 Ozzy Pays Tribute To Randy

Ozzy Osbourne pays tribute to Randy Rhoads on the 43rd anniversary of the legendary guitarist’s death.

“Randy Rhoads was quite possibly the best composer & musician that I have ever met in my life,” writes Ozzy. “He came into my life like a bolt of lightning and as such he was gone again. I consider myself one of the luckiest men alive to have not only met him but also I had the great honor of being able to work with him.”

Rhoads played on Osbourne’s “Blizzard Of Ozz” and “Diary Of A Madman“ albums but tragically died in a plane crash, when he was just 25 years old while on tour with Ozzy,

Prior to working with Ozzy, Rhodes was the co-founder and original guitarist for Quiet Riot.

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3/19 Guns N’ Roses Say Goodbye To Long Time Drummer

GN’R announce the amicable exit of Frank Ferrer, the longest-serving drummer in the band’s history (19 years).

After serving as temporary replacement, Frank joined Guns N’ Roses contributing to five songs on the “Chinese Democracy“ album.

3/20 Geddy Lee Get A Custom Moog

Moog Music launches the Moog Music Geddy Lee Minimoog Model D, a collaboration that honors the Rush bassist, vocalist and synth pioneer. “It’s… representative of one of the most fertile periods in Rush’s creative history,” said Lee.

3/20 Guns N’ Roses New Drummer

Guns N’ Roses introduce Isaac Carpenter as the band’s new drummer. He will hit the road with GN’R throughout their 2025 European, Asian, and Middle East tours.

A day earlier, GN’R announced the amicable exit of longtime drummer Frank Ferrer.

3/21 Pop Evil “What Remains”

“A lot of writing on this record has been about listening to what my soul is saying and letting the songs find their own path, rather than chasing a sound that might fit in on the radio,” frontman Leigh Kakaty explains about the band’s eighth album.

“I think you can really hear the mood and emotion of the album’s themes in the music.

3/22 Papa Roach Score Fourth Consecutive #1

“Even If It Kills Me” tops the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart.

The track is the band’s fourth #1 in a row following “No Apologies” (’22), “Cut The Line” (’23) and “Leave A Light On” (’24).