Steve Albini passed away on Tuesday, May 7, 2024, at his home in Chicago, Illinois. 

Steve recorded (he hated the term “produced”) essential albums from Nirvana, Pixies, and PJ Harvey. His extensive discography also includes work with Failure, The Breeders, Jimmy Page & Robert Plant, Superchunk, Helmet, Jawbreaker, Dazzling Killmen, Jesus Lizard, Neurosis, and many others. 

He fronted Big Black from 1981 to 1987 and the short-lived band Rapeman. In 1992, he formed Shellac with Todd Trainer and Bob Weston. A new Shellac record, To All Trains, was already scheduled for release next week via Touch & Go Records.  

I spent some time with Steve at his Electrical Audio recording complex in Chicago in 2006, where he recorded Zao’s The Fear is What Keeps Us Here. We documented the sessions with a DVD included in deluxe editions of the album (see it here on YouTube). As he worked away in his signature boilersuit-style uniform, I found Albini as clever, diligent, and driven as his reputation promised. But he was also gentle and a great storyteller who didn’t hold back on rich details and insights. 

Steve was 61. He is survived by his wife, documentary filmmaker Heather Whinna.

The brand-new Falling In Reverse single “Ronald” features rapper Tech N9ne and Slaughter To Prevail frontman Alex Terrible.

The track is set to appear on Falling In Reverse’s first album since 2017’s Coming Home. 

Popular Monster, arriving on Epitaph Records on July 26, will contain the double-platinum title track, as well as the gold-certified singles “ZOMBIFIED,” “Voices in My Head,” and “Watch the World Burn.” The track listing also includes “Last Resort – Reimagined,” “Ronald,” and five more songs.  

Popular Monster tracklist: 

1. Prequel 

2. Popular Monster 

3. All My Life 

4. Ronald (feat. Tech N9ne & Alex Terrible)

5. Voices In My Head 

6. Bad Guy (feat. Saraya) 

7. Watch The World Burn 

8. Trigger Warning 

9. ZOMBIFIED

10. NO FEAR

11. Last Resort – Reimagined

Active Rock station KEGL (97.1 The Eagle) has returned to Dallas-Ft. Worth, Texas.

KEGL Dallas (97.1) was relaunched over a year ago as “97.1 The Freak” in October 2022, with a hot-talk format that included personalities who previously worked mainly at sports talk stations. The return of The Eagle means the return of Active Rock staples like METALLICA and GUNS N’ ROSES. 

“I’m excited that The Eagle is back and ready to rock Dallas/Ft. Worth again,” said Patrick Davis, Senior Vice President of Programming for Dallas/Ft. Worth. “This is a legendary brand for the market, and listeners have been asking to have it back on air and we listened!”

“We are thrilled to announce the return of a legendary station to the DFW airwaves, 97.1 The Eagle,” said Amy Leimbach, iHeartMedia Region President. “Active rock enthusiasts can rejoice as their beloved station is back, ready to once again be the destination for all things rock!”

Following a year and a half of programming a hot talk format on KEGL Dallas (97.1), iHeartMedia returns the station to its rock roots. 

The on-air lineup of “97.1 The Eagle” will be announced later.

Cumulus Media launched a new series yesterday (April 29), taking fans behind the scenes of the making of Mötley Crüe’s latest single. “Dogs of War” is the group’s first song since adding guitarist John 5 (ex-Rob Zombie, ex-Marilyn Manson) to their lineup and their first with Big Machine Records.

The latest Your Music Plus audio series (launched in February 2023 as Your Music First) includes insights and stories from the band and will air on Cumulus Media’s Rock stations across the U.S. over the next eight weeks. 

In a social media post, SLIPKNOT confirmed what fans long suspected: their new drummer is Eloy Casagrande. 

Speculation began when Casagrande suddenly dropped out of Sepultura on the eve of the band’s final world tour. Casagrande made his live debut with Slipknot at a warmup show at Pappy and Harriets in Pioneertown, California, before their set at this year’s Sick New World in Las Vegas over the weekend. 

The band just announced the return of the Knotfest Festival to their native Iowa and a North American leg of the 25th anniversary tour to support their double-platinum self-titled debut. The Here Comes the Pain Tour includes Knocked Loose, Orbit Culture, and Vended as support. 

According to Mediabase, BEARTOOTH‘s “I Was Alive” is No. 1 on this week’s Active Rock chart. 

In November 2023, the band achieved their first #1 on active rock radio with “Might Love Myself” after only 15 weeks. “I Was Alive” is now their second No. 1 and once again managed to top the format after only 15 weeks. Both songs appear on the band’s latest album, The Surface. 

BEARTOOTH’s 2014 single “In Between” was certified gold by the RIAA in 2020. 

I’m proud to have been part of the journey with BEARTOOTH mastermind Caleb Shomo and his longtime manager, Thomas Gutches, from the first EP when they drafted me to help tell the band’s story. I’ve since written each BEARTOOTH bio for every album cycle and conducted several interviews with Caleb and the band for different outlets over the years, including Knotfest and Alternative Press. 

I love these guys and their team, and I send my heartfelt congrats to them and everyone at Red Bull Music. 

MÖTLEY CRÜE will release a new single, “Dogs of War,” on Friday, April 26, as part of their newly announced deal with Big Machine Records.

Produced by Bob Rock (Metallica, Bon Jovi, Black Veil Brides), the song features the current line-up of cofounding members Vince Neil, Nikki Sixx, and Tommy Lee with new guitarist John 5 (ex-Rob Zombie, ex-Marilyn Manson, ex-David Lee Roth).

“It’s a great match for us,” Neil told Classic Rock. “We’re good friends with [Big Machine founder/CEO] Scott Borchetta, who put together the Nashville Outlaws album back in 2014. His company just knows radio, how to get it out there, how to get the right people listening.”

“We self-released Too Fast For Love on our own Leathür Records label,” he added, speaking of the Crüe’s 1981 debut. “It cost $3,000 to make and was done in three days. It was a glorified demo tape, but we were the record label until we got signed by Elektra. We haven’t been on a record label for 20 years. But Scott shares our philosophy, and he’s a brilliant guy.”

Mötley recorded three new songs with longtime producer Rock more than a year ago, including “Dogs Of War” and a cover of BEASTIE BOYS’ “(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party!.”

OZZY OSBOURNE is among the 2024 Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame inductees, this time in recognition of his solo career. 

It’s the second such honor for Osbourne, who was inducted alongside the rest of the original BLACK SABBATH line-up in 2006.

(Ozzy, rather famously, once asked to have Sabbath removed from consideration in 1999, calling it “meaningless.”) 

In an email to Billboard, the 75-year-old heavy metal icon said that becoming one of Rock Hall’s multiple nominees “feels big. I’m more than honored.” 

“I definitely wouldn’t say I was confident” about solo success, he added, noting that the 2021 induction of late guitarist RANDY RHOADS in the musical excellence category “made me feel we could be on to something. With every new music venture, there’s always a certain amount of surprise when the fans embrace it because no one wants to make a record and have it flop. I feel like I was invited to a party in 1980, and it hasn’t stopped. Not bad for a guy who was fired from his last band.”

Other inductees in the Performer category are FOREIGNER, PETER FRAMPTON, MARY J. BLIGE, CHER, DAVE MATTHEWS BAND, KOOL & THE GANG, and A TRIBE CALLED QUEST.

JIMMY BUFFETT, MC5, DIONNE WARWICK, and NORMAN WHITFIELD will be presented with the Musical Excellence Award. 

The induction ceremony will be held on October 19 at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio. It will air live on Disney+. An edited version will run on ABC later and be available on Hulu the day after.

GREEN DAY scored their ninth No. 1 single on Billboard‘s Mainstream Rock Airplay chart with “Dilemma.”

It marks the Bay Area, California trio’s second consecutive number-one hit after “The American Dream is Killing Me.” 

Both songs appear on the band’s fourteenth album, Saviors, which arrived on January 19. 

Watch the “Dilemma” music video here. 

The BAD OMENS single “Just Pretend” was just certified platinum by the RIAA for digital sales and streams in excess of 1 million.  

The smash rock hit, which originally went gold in July 2023, has continued to be a success on Billboard’s Hot Hard Rock Songs chart, among other places. 

“Just Pretend” was written and produced by the band’s own Noah Sebastian and Joakim Karlsson. Sebastian revealed in an interview with NME that it began as a parody of “butt rock” radio hits: 

“At the time, I was frustrated with people in my ear talking about, ‘Oh, you need to focus on the radio,” the band’s frontman explained. “Never having an ulterior motive when writing has always been a strict rule of ours. We just want to make music that we like and we’re proud of. So with ‘Just Pretend,’ it started as this ironic butt-rock song. Even the way I was singing in the demo, I was doing this exaggerated bravado. As silly as the vocal sounded I was like, ‘This is actually a really great chorus.’ I was kind of just freestyling. I had written some chords and I just started singing in the booth over it. And this melody came out, the lyrics came out really quickly.” 

Once the song hit No. 1 on the rock radio charts, Bad Omens concluded, “It’s the most ironic full-circle moment this band will probably ever have.”

“Just Pretend” appears on the band’s 2022 album, The Death of Peace of Mind (Sumerian Records). The album’s title track was certified gold in January of this year. 

• “Waking Lions” (MNRK Music Group) released 2017 / certified gold 2024
• “100 in a 55” (Republic Records) released 2008 / certified gold 2022 
• “Trenches” (eOne Music) released 2013 / certified gold 2021 
• “Footsteps” (eOne Music) released 2015 / certified gold 2021
• “Torn to Pieces” (eOne) released 2014 / certified gold 2020 

Five Finger Death Punch is the biggest gainer on the Active Rock chart this week, jumping 19 spots to No. 16 with “This is the Way,” the Las Vegas hard rock band’s collaboration with the late DMX. “This is the Way” is also No. 1 this week on Billboard‘s Hard Rock Digital Song Sales chart. 

Linkin Park’s “Friendly Fire” is No. 1 with 2206 spins, according to the Mediabase chart for April 9 – 15. 

Foo Fighters’ “The Glass” falls from No. 1 to No. 3, with Green Day’s “Dilemma” moving up a single spot to No. 2. 

This week’s complete Active Rock Top 10:

1. Linkin Park “Friendly Fire” (Warner)
2. Green Day “Dilemma” (Reprise/Warner)
3. Foo Fighters “The Glass” (Roswell/RCA)
4. Beartooth “I Was Alive” (Red Bull/The Orchard)
5. Pearl Jam “Dark Matter” (Republic)
6. Metallica “Screaming Suicide” (Blackened/ Q Prime)
7. Asking Alexandria “Dark Void” (Better Noise)
8. Des Rocs “I Am The Lightning” (Sumerian)
9. NOTHING MORE “IF IT DOESN’T HURT” (Better Noise)
10. Godsmack “Truth” (BMG) 

BILLY MORRISON‘s collaboration with OZZY OSBOURNE cracked Billboard‘s Mainstream Rock Airplay chart this week. 

“Crack Cocaine,” which also feature’s Morrison’s longtime BILLY IDOL bandmate, STEVE STEVENS, debuts at No. 28. 

Other new entries on the chart include P.O.D.‘s “Afraid to Die” (featuring JINJER‘s TATIANA SHMAYLUK) at No. 38 and SET IT OFF‘s “Fake Ass Friends” at No. 40. 

Earlier today, the Ozzman and ex-THE CULT bassist Morrison announced a forthcoming series together called The Madhouse Chronicles. The show will see the pair talking about conspiracy theories, UFOs, drugs, and rock n’ roll. Head over to osbournemediahouse.com for more information. 

SiriusXM‘s Liquid Metal added the following tracks this week: 

• Better Lovers “The Flowering” (SharpTone) 
• Knocked Loose “Don’t Reach For Me” (Pure Noise Records)
• Entheos “An End To Everything” (Metal Blade)
• Seeyouspacecowboy/Courtney LaPlante “To The Dance Floor For Shelter” (Pure Noise Records)

Courtney LaPlante, of course, is the front woman for Spiritbox. 

Check out Liquid Metal host Jose Mangin in our Famous Firsts section. 

It’s also his birthday later this week! 

“Record Label Layoffs Hit Radio Promotions Staffs: Why It’s Happening.”

Billboard addressed that question today in a new piece by Steve Knapper (with additional reporting by Gail Mitchell). 

#HAPPENS favorites THE GHOST INSIDE and LINES ØF LOYALTY both crack Billboard‘s Mainstream Rock Airplay Top 40 this week. 

THE GHOST INSIDE, who participated in a moving Q&A at this year’s #HAPPENS event in Las Vegas (where the band is based), debut at No. 36 with “Wash It Away” (Epitaph). Meanwhile, LINES ØF LOYALTY (who hails from Kenosha, Wisconsin) debut at No. 40 with “Hurts To Be Human” (C3&B). 

Pearl Jam is No. 1 for a second week in a row with “Dark Matter” (Monkeywrench/Republic). 

• Beartooth “I Was Alive” (Red Bull) No. 6
• Metallica “Screaming Suicide” (Blackened/Q Priime) No. 8 
• Des Rocs “I Am The Lightning” (Sumerian/Virgin) No. 11 
• The Warning “S!CK” No. 19 
• Blind Channel “Deadzone” (BloodBros/Century Media) No. 26 
• Dayseeker “Dreamstate” (Spinefarm) No. 29 
• Velvet Chains “Stuck Against the Wall” (WWDD) No. 39 

See the entire Billboard Mainstream Rock chart here. 

AVENGED SEVENFOLD, DISTURBED, and SLIPKNOT are among this year’s Rocklahoma headliners. 

Rocklahoma returns August 30 – September 1 to Rockin Red Dirt Ranch in Pryor, Oklahoma, just outside Tulsa. 

The Labor Day Weekend event will feature AVENGED SEVENFOLD and EVANESCENCE (Friday), DISTURBED and A DAY TO REMEMBER (Saturday), and SLIPKNOT and LAMB OF GOD (Sunday).

The lineup also includes HALESTORM, SKILLET, MASTODON, ANTHRAX, CLUTCH, NOTHING MORE, KERRY KING, BADFLOWER, POP EVIL, BAD WOLVES, SET IT OFF, DES ROCS, and many more hard rock and metal artists. 

Danny Wimmer Presents (DWP) acquired Rocklahoma and will work with creators Pryor Creek Music Festivals and other key stakeholders. 

Rocklahoma is hosted by Eddie Trunk.

Complete information is available at Rocklahoma.com. 

Papa Roach‘s 2021 collaboration with TikTok star Jeris Johnson just went gold. 

“Last Resort (Reloaded)” appears on Johnson’s 2021 album, my sword, released by 300 Entertainment. 

The RIAA certified the track gold for over 500,000 digital units. 

The reimainged song joins a number of other Papa Roach albums and singles on the band’s proverbial wall. 

• Infest (Dreamworks) 2000 — certified triple-platinum in 2001 
• Lovehatetragedy (Dreamworls) 2002 — certified gold in 2002 
• Getting Away with Murder (Geffen) 2004 – certified platinum in 2005 
• “Scars” (Geffen) 2004 – certified gold in 2005 
• “Help” (Better Noise Music) 2017 – certified gold in 2021 

Congrats to Papa Roach, Ian Dietrich and Lewis Kovac at 10th Street, Jeris Johnson, Chris Cary, 300 Entertainment, and everyone else involved!

The Guardians of the Galaxy franchise and Taylor Swift accounted for 29% of all cassette sales, according to Luminate (via Billboard). 436,000 cassettes were sold in the U.S. in 2023 (vs. 439,700 this year before). Cassettes made up just 0.41% of the 105.32 million albums sold (cassettes, vinyl, CDs, digital downloads). 

TOP 10-SELLING CASSETTE ALBUMS OF 2023 IN THE U.S. 

1. Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Mix Vol. 1 (18,000)

2. Taylor Swift 1989 (Taylor’s Version) (17,500)

3. Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2: Awesome Mix Vol. 2 (16,000)

4. Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3: Awesome Mix Vol. 3 (13,000)

5. Taylor Swift Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) (11,500)

6. Nirvana Bleach (8,000)

7. Metallica 72 Seasons (7,500)

8. Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Mix, Vol. 1 (6,000)

9. Barbie: The Album (5,500)

10. Phoebe Bridgers Punisher (5,500)

A handful of rock-label signings have come to light this month, including: 

• GRAMMY-nominated American black metallers DEAFHEAVEN with the Warner Music-owned Roadrunner Records 
• Melodic hardcore merchants HIGHER POWER with the Believe Digital-owned Nuclear Blast 
• DREAM THEATER keyboardist JORDAN RUDESS with the Sony/Century Media-distributed InsideOut Music 
• THRICE frontman DUSTIN KENRUSE with BMG for his forthcoming solo work 
• Alt-metal band A KILLER’S CONFESSION with MNRK Heavy 
• ALL FOR METAL with the newly launched Reigning Phoenix Music 

PAPA ROACH is No. 1 on the Mainstream Rock Airplay chart this week for the tenth time. “Leave a Light On” climbs from No. 4 to the top spot on the survey dated February 24. It’s the fourth No. 1 single from the band’s 2022 album, Ego Trip. 

This makes PAPA ROACH one of 11 bands with ten or more No. 1 singles in the Mainstream Rock Airplay chart’s 43-year history. (SHINEDOWN tops ’em all, with 19.) Ego Trip is one of only eight albums (from seven different bands) to produce four or more chart-toppers from the same album.

Two of those records belong to SHINEDOWN. The rest of the list includes LINKIN PARK, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, GODSMACK, DISTURBED, and THE BLACK CROWES. 

Daughtry achieved a significant milestone as “Artificial” ascended to the top spot on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Airplay chart, dated February 17. 

It’s been 17 years since the Chris Daughtry-led band first broke into the chart with “It’s Not Over,” which peaked at No. 5 in March 2007. 

Chris Daughtry began his career in earnest as a contestant on American Idol, where he placed fourth during the competition show’s fifth season in 2006. 

Though “Artificial” is Daughtry’s first Mainstream Rock No. 1, the band has previously topped other Billboard airplay charts multiple times. This includes four No. 1 hits on Adult Pop Airplay between 2007 and 2009, as well as one each on Pop Airplay and Adult Contemporary.

Daughtry returned to the Mainstream Rock Airplay chart with 2020’s “World on Fire.” 

Meanwhile, “Artificial” continues its ascent on the Rock & Alternative Airplay chart, moving from 14 to 13 with a 13% increase in audience impressions. The song also ranks at No. 12 on the most recent Hot Hard Rock Songs list, bolstered by both radio airplay and streaming activity.

“Artificial” arrived as a standalone single as the follow-up to 2021’s Dearly Beloved, which has accumulated 88,000 equivalent album units to date, according to Luminate. 

Red Hot Chili Peppers and The Offspring will perform at the Harley-Davidson Homecoming, set for July 25 – 28, 2024, at Veterans Park in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 

The confirmed lineup also includes Jelly Roll, HARDY, Warren Zeiders, Cypress Hill, and Destroy Boys, among others. 

Complete information is available at hdhomecoming.com. 

Audacy announces The Black Keys and Jelly Roll will headline this year’s Riptide Music Festival on December 2nd and 3rd on Fort Lauderdale Beach Park. The lineup includes Bleachers, Lovejoy, Cannons, Silversun Pickups, MisterWives, Beach Weather, little image, The Beaches, Jack Kays and more to be announced for the end-of-year beach party. 

“Riptide Music Festival is the premier beachfront event and we can’t wait to bring two days of amazing music, food and fun to the sunny sands of Fort Lauderdale,” said Claudia Menegus, Regional President, Audacy. “What’s especially exciting about this year’s lineup is that we’ve included some of the hottest crossover stars in music today, giving our devoted attendees the acts they love and welcoming new festival goers with the chance to experience a wide variety of performers. Don’t miss out on two days of live music on two stages and this epic celebration of sound and sensation!”

The LowTide pre-sale for two-day tickets begins tomorrow (9/26) at 9a.(ET). The pre-sale is exclusive to Audacy/Miami stations – Alternative WSFS (104.3 The Shark), Country WKIS (KISS Country 99.9), WPOW (Power 96), Classic Hits WMXJ (102.7 The Beach), AC WLYF (101.5 LITE FM) and Sports WQAM (560 Sports) newsletter subscribers.

General on-sale of Wave 1 two-day tickets begins Monday, October 2nd at 8a (ET). Find all the ticket info and more at RiptideMusicFestival.com.