Getting Joan Jett’s stamp of approval on your work is no small feat. To do such a thing twice is even more of a testament to a band’s punk prowess. Well, if that sounds like a shining endorsement to you, look no further than Cleveland-based punk band The Vacancies. Their latest outing on Blackheart Records is being praised by critics and landed the band a spot on this year’s Warped Tour. Live-Metal.Net’s Jason Price checked in with vocalist Billy Crooked about the the evolution of the band, the new album Tantrum and what it is like sharing the stage with some of his influences, which just so happen to be some the genre’s biggest names.
Celebrity Interviews
Interviews from Icon Vs. Icon
A Second Youth: An Interview with Within Temptation’s Sharon den Adel
Since forming in 1996, Holland’s Within Temptation, led by the charismatic and gorgeous vocalist Sharon den Adel, has become one of metal’s most successful female-fronted acts. The band started garnering widespread acclaim with the 2000 album Mother Earth and built a strong following that allowed them to play some of the biggest festivals in Europe. The Silent Force, released in 2004, is their most successful album to date, combining their style of folk and symphonic rock with a somewhat updated, modern sound.
Within Temptation’s new release, The Heart of Everything, has already been released throughout Europe to great success through the videos/singles ?What Have you Done,? featuring guest vocals by Life of Agony’s Keith Caputo, and the mesmerizing power ballad ?Frozen.? Further building on the strengths of The Silent Force, The Heart of Everything adds darker, heavier guitar riffs to the band’s epic, cinematic style and features den Adel’s most diversified and captivating performance to date. In 2007, the band was selected for the ?Hottest Chicks in Metal? tour, along with In This Moment and Stolen Babies, supporting Lacuna Coil. It is the band’s first ever U.S. tour.
Jason Price and Jeff Maki of Live-Metal.net had the privilege to talk to Sharon aboard the band’s tour bus during their stop at Jaxx in Springfield, Va. She is just as ?if not more? beautiful in person and one of the nicest artists we’ve had the chance to interview. Sharon talks about the Hottest Chicks in Metal Tour, The Heart of Everything and a new beginning for Within Temptation.
POWERMAN 5000: The Spirit of Rock
The spacesuits are long gone, but as a band, Powerman 5000 is as strong as ever, touring the country in support of its latest album, the punk-rock-fueled Destroy What You Enjoy. When the band hit the Recher Theatre in Towson, Maryland, frontman Spider sat down with Jason Price and Jeff Maki of Live-Metal.net to discuss the new CD, the surprise success of the 1999 breakthrough Tonight the Stars Revolt! and more.
The Iceman Cometh: An Interview with Vanilla Ice
After surviving his initial success on the pop charts, Vanilla Ice now is rising from the underground and remains a force to be reckoned with. With his past behind him and growing support from an underground fanbase, Vanilla Ice continues to breakdown barriers and live life “Wide Open.” Jason Price of Live-Metal.Net caught up with him at a recent stop at the Bottle N’ Cork in Dewey Beach, Delaware. Rob Van Winkle aka Vanilla Ice opened up about his past, the status of his next album, his relationship with Dimebag Darrell, his hardcore fans and more.
‘Back 2 base X’ with (hed)p.e. – An Interview with M.C.U.D.
(hed)p.e., who have flirted with mainstream success on more than one occasion in the past, have been powered by the underground scene for more than a decade. With a retooled lineup, the band has found new life on their new label and is back on the scene with a new album, Back 2 Base X. […]
‘Koast II Koast’ with the Kottonmouth Kings: An Interview with Daddy X
With more than a decade in the game and eight studio releases, there isn’t any question that no one works harder than the Kottonmouth Kings. The band stays focused and true to their roots and dedicated following with their latest album and tour entitled Koast II Koast. Jason Price of Live-Metal.Net recently caught up with […]
Forever Night Never Day: An Interview with 30 Seconds To Mars
30 Seconds To Mars debuted in 1998 and has been on the rise ever since. Fronted by actor/musician Jared Leto, the band has grown to headliner status on the strength of its second album, A Beautiful Lie. At the band’s stop at the Recher Theatre in Towson, Md., drummer Shannon Leto and guitarist Tomo Milicevic […]
Ville Valo: Larger Than Life
Years of hard work have launched Finland?s HIM from a band with a modest cult following in the United States into the mainstream. With some help perhaps from their ?Heartagram? logo, HIM has become a household name among hard rock and metal fans. At the band?s stop at the 2006 HFStival in Columbia, Md., frontman Ville Valo spoke to Jason Price of Live-Metal.net about the band’s song writing process, the status of the band’s next album, the struggles of touring in the United States and more. In the end, Valo squashes the solo career rumors and discovers that all roads lead to Black Sabbath.
Hank Williams III: Crazed County (and Metal) Rebel
You?d be hard pressed to find a more diverse musician than Hank Williams III. In addition to being one of the few today carrying the torch for his grandfather and the other great country outlaws, he played bass in former Pantera vocalist Phil Anselmo?s hardcore/metal band Superjoint Ritual. His other band, Assjack, which splits the bill with his country act when he?s on tour, nicely fits into the same genre. And he has even more on his plate, including a new project with Anselmo, as he told Jason Price of Live-Metal.net in a recent interview.