As heard this morning (23rd April) from the mouth of Marketing Matt, the “Hero” video is complete and in house, with dubs for ‘the masses’ coming tomorrow. Meaning, this beast should be online shortly. For those of you currently asking “what the fuck are you talking about?”, let’s clarify – We previously wrote that Nickelback frontman Chad Kroeger wrote and recorded a song called “Hero”, for use in the upcoming Spiderman soundtrack. A video was subsequently shot for this tune the day after recording took place. And that is the video we speak of… For more detail, read on: Over the course of two days last month (Mar 21/22, to be exact), a Chad Kroeger-penned song titled “Hero” was recorded for the upcoming Spiderman movie/soundtrack. Chad, who shared vocal duties with Saliva frontman Josey Scott, also contributed the guitar and bass tracks for the song. Matt Cameron of Soundgarden, and more recently Pearl Jam and Wellwater Conspiracy fame, played drums. A video for this track was shot later in the weekend (Mar 24, to be exact) after the recording sessions took place. Matt Cameron was unexpectedly called home, and did not make the shoot. Jeremy Taggart of Our Lady Peace took Matt’s place behind the kit for the video. Also joining Chad and Josey in the video was Nickelback bassist Mike Kroeger. The movie itself, which stars the beautiful Kirsten Dunst, is due out is the USA on May 3rd.

We are pleased to confirm the following shows for JERRY CANTRELL: September Sun 29 – Newport TJ’s (01633 216608 or 0871 2200260) LAST FEW TICKETS Mon 30 – Wolverhampton Wulfrun Hall (01902 552121) October Tues 1 – Bradford Rios (01274 735549) Thurs 3 – London Mean Fiddler (0207 344 0044) LAST FEW TICKETS Fri 4 – Kerrang Weekender (Camber Sands) Sat 5 – Glasgow Garage (0870 220 1116) Sun 6 – Manchester University (0161 832 111 or 0871 2200260) LAST FEW TICKETS All shows 퉌£11 advance except London which is 퉌£12.50 and tickets are on sale now! You can buy from the venue box offices listed above or online by clicking the above links! Support will come from Jerry’s backing band, and in London Sethur will also play.

Word from the USA: Fourth of July, Milwaukee, WI – Tommy Lee joins Jerry Cantrell on stage during Cantrell’s set at Summerfest. The song, “Man In The Box.” Seventh of July, Omaha, NE – Once again Tommy Lee gets behind the kit, joining Cantrell on stage for the last song of the night, “Man In The Box.”

Time to pick up Jerry Cantrell’s latest… Available on CD only for around 퉌£12.99 from HMV (free CD sampler & 퉌£2 off with Download 2002 discount card.. order your card here), Virgin, MVC, Sanity, and all good indies. The track listing for the Cantrell release is as follows: 01. Psychotic Break (4:08) 02. Bargain Basement Howard Hughes (5:36) 03. Anger Rising (6:15) 04. Angel Eyes (4:43) 05. Solitude (3:59) 06. Mother Spinning In Her Grave (3:52) 07. Hellbound (6:45) 08. Give It A Name (4:02) 09. Castaway (4:59) 10. She Was My Girl (3:57) 11. Chemical Tribe (6:34) 12. Spiderbite (6:58) 13. Locked On (5:36) 14. Gone (5:05) Get your mits on a free limited ‘Roadtrip’ sampler CD featuring Sinch, Jerry Cantrell, and Theory Of A Deadman in our giveaways section. Also check out Kerrang!, July 3 issue, as Jerry Cantrell is on the covermount CD! Next time you’re out at the shops, pick up the latest issue of Metal Hammer for a cool Cantrell feature (page 64 to be precise)!

Degradation Trip OUT NOW. Welcome video #1 of the Jerry Cantrell / Roadrunner Records era. Check out the brand new video for ‘Anger Rising’ (high speed quicktime file). While you’re at it, hit the streets and pick up the following magazines for some Cantrell press: Kerrang! 4K album review (15th June issue) Kerrang! feature (3 pages, 8th June issue) and Classic Rock 3/5 full page review (July issue). Don’t forget to also take a peek at our totally awesome Cantrell E-Card! All things come full circle, which is why it is only fitting this day has come…Jerry Cantrell has confirmed tour plans which will take him to the end of the summer, well after his current run with Nickelback ends… Starting sometime in July, Jerry Cantrell will be teaming up on the road in the USA with heavyweights Creed. True. A great fuckin’ opportunity for Jerry to show America exactly what the hell rock is all about…Creed & Jerry Cantrell, coming to you this summer. Confirmed dates thus far are as follows: July 15 Charlotte, NC – Verizon Wireless Amphitheater 17 Columbus, – OH Polaris Amphitheater 19 Noblesville, IN – Verizon Wireless Amphitheater 24 Hartforfd, CT – Meadows Music Theatre August 7 Scranton, PA – Montage Mountain 13 Fargo, ND – Fargodome 15 Moline, IL – Mark of the Quad 17 Antioch, TN – Amsouth Amphitheater 24 Hershey, PA – Hershey Stadium. Ever wonder about the simple things in life? Little pranks, goofing around with friends, something you wouldn’t expect to hear each day? Well, Jerry Cantrell is starting to share such of life’s little pleasures from the road. Amongst your internet travels, stop by www.jerrycantrell.com and check out the JOURNAL section…read about some of the small things that go on behind the scene. First journal post is up, Case Of The Green Water. Don’t take life so seriously… Jerry Cantrell is in full swing on the road, currently on tour with Nickelback on the 2002 Jim Beam Road To The Rackhouse tour. Tonight’s show, LA – the Hollywood Palladium. Tomorrow night, it’s the desert plains of Mesa, Arizona. Earlier this month it was the Key Arena in Seattle, WA – a bit of a homecoming for Jerry, absolutely an emotional show. Ann and Nancy Wilson joined Jerry on stage for the singing of the Alice In Chains track “Brother”, a song they dedicated to Layne Staley. “It was pretty amazing,” tells Jerry. Set lists on the road have been consisting of mostly new tracks from Degradation Trip, along with a couple songs from Jerry’s Boggy Depot release and of course a couple Alice tracks. With extreme pleasure, we announce that www.JerryCantrell.com is open for business. Actually, a very cool fuckin’ site, one which runs smooth like a Cadillac. No shit. And, sign up for the mailing list for a chance to win a Gibson guitar. No shit, two times. Check it out. Jerry Cantrell’s debut Roadrunner release Degradation Trip is the next beast to tackle – out now. For the first time, we proudly offer you a taste of what to expect from Jerry Cantrell’s Degradation Trip release. Perhaps you have already heard the song, as radio stations that embraced Alice In Chains now embrace what Jerry is bringing to the table. Whether yes or no, here is a track to take with you and listen whenever you like – “Anger Rising”. An MP3 download of Jerry Cantrell’s “Anger Rising” can now be found in our music section. Check out a couple of live shots of Jerry Cantrell in the gallery, including a duet with Chad Kroeger of Nickelback, taken by Daniel Moss.

Jerry on the album: “I was so intent on what I was doing on this record – I was on a creative role I’ve never experienced yet until this record. I was never so prolific in one sitting. And it was going so well, I didn’t want to break it at all until it was finished in my head – until I was done writing. Until I had nothing left to give.” “Goddamn, this looks like a fuckin’ rock show to me,” tells Jerry Cantrell, in regards to the show he played this past Saturday night (Mar 16th) at the annual SXSW festival in Austin, Texas. Preceded by Anyone (a rock show, indeed), Jerry started the show with one of the new tracks off his upcoming June 24th release, Degredation Trip. The song, “Psychotic Break”. And as the Hollywood Reporter puts it, “the dark and lumbering “Psychotic Break,” full of familiar minor-key vocal and harmonies.” Jerry’s first live show (outside his appearance with Nickelback in Canada) on the Roadrunner label was indeed a rock show. Bassist Robert Trujillo was in town and joined Jerry and company for a few songs, and even Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie Paul from Pantera made an appearance – playing on the Alice In Chains’ classic “Them Bones”. Just what was the set list for the night? Many new tracks, and many old. So many tracks, that Jerry kept playing until the venue had to close down…and not one person in the packed house even thought about leaving until then. What next on the Jerry Cantrell touring front? It’s the Road To The Rackhouse tour, sponsored by Jim Beam and to be headlined by Nickelback. This tour is confirmed to start in Albuquerque in May 13th, and will run until sometime in early July. This, will be a ‘fuckin’ rock show’. Indeed. “It sounds unlike any other record I have ever done. It’s is probably one of the heaviest records I have put out including Alice,” says Jerry. The album took close to 2 years to record. DEGRADATION TRIP was the last record to be recorded in the “haunted” studios of A&M in Los Angeles, CA. Jerry Cantrell and Jeff Tomei (Smashing Pumpkins, Matchbox Twenty, Soul Asylum, Collective Soul) produced this monumental effort. “Jerry’s new material picks up right where Alice In Chains left off. This is the style of music he was born to write and play – and the sound that the fans have been craving from him. The new material sounds fresh yet instantly familiar,” Monte Conner – VP of A&R for Roadrunner Records enthuses. “It’s not every day that you get to work with a musician and songwriter of Jerry’s caliber. He has written some of my favorite songs – modern classics that people will still be listening to 30 years from now. How many musicians can you say that about these days?” Last week in Calgary and Edmonton, Canada Jerry met up with labelmates Nickelback and performed the Alice in Chains classic, “It Ain’t Like That” from the AIC 1990 release, FACELIFT. Both nights Cantrell took the stage to the sound of deafening chants of “Jerry, Jerry, Jerry”. The exclusive live performance at Edmonton’s Sky Reach Centre will be featured on Nickelback’s upcoming DVD release. The performance buck does not stop in Canada. The stage has been set at Stubb’s BBQ in Austin, Texas on Mar 16 for Jerry Cantrell to give fans old and a new a preview of the material that will appear on his upcoming Roadrunner release, DEGRADATION TRIP. Most recently jamming with Nickelback during a couple dates in Canada, it has been confirmed that Jerry Cantrell’s next appearance will be a feature performance. Jerry will be playing the finale during this year’s SXSW in Austin, Texas. Details are as follows: Saturday, Mar 16th – Stubb’s BBQ – Austin, TX – Jerry will be closing the night, but not before fellow labelmates Sinch and Anyone grace the stage. This will be a night to remember, and to hear some of the greatest new music you will ever be afforded. more details to come… Dan Kaye, a well known journalist who writes for the likes of Kerrang!, Metal Edge, Revolver, and others, has been spending some time listening to the new Jerry Cantrell music. What’s the word? “Jerry Cantrell’s new album, Degradation Trip, is a masterful return for one of heavy rock’s most unique and innovative players and songwriters. Ominous, swirling tapestries of haunting melodies and vocals merge with crushing barrages of thunderous guitar to fashion an eerie sound that other acts may imitate, but never duplicate. Add some of the most personal and unsparing lyrics the man has ever written, and it’s easy to hear why Degradation Trip may be one of the most authentic and electrifying rock records of 2002.” — Don Kaye

Seeing that Jerry Cantrell is now a member of the Roadrunner family, his past bonds too are family now. Accordingly, it is only fitting we make mention of the loss music suffered this past week – Layne Staley, vocalist and co-conspirator with Jerry Cantrell in Alice In Chains, has passed away. On the evening of Friday, April 19th, Layne was found dead in his Seattle home. Layne and Jerry were the writing core behind the machine that was Alice In Chains, the two who made fourth interval harmonies a sound that defined the band and a piece of music history. Layne was truly innovative with his unique vocal styling – a genuine talent, one of a kind. Now often imitated, but never duplicated, Layne’s baritone voice owed nothing to previous singers, but was rather a new type of singing none ever heard before. As one half of the writing machine behind Alice In Chains (Jerry being the other), Layne’s talents went well beyond his voice: Being a self-taught guitarist, he wrote some of the most haunting melodies found on the Dirt release (hear “Angry Chair”, “Hate To Feel”), and living through his own life experiences, he wrote some of the most soulful and brutally honest lyrics one could ever know. Aptly told, Layne once said, “We’re not preaching, it’s our own shit.” Layne’s gift will never be forgotten. His work, in and out of Alice In Chains, will be remembered forever. That being told, this past Sunday (04/21), the remaining members of Alice in Chains offered a statement to express their loss. It is as follows: “It’s good to be with friends and family as we struggle to deal with this immense loss … and try to celebrate this immense life. We are looking for all the usual things: comfort, purpose, answers, something to hold on to, a way to let him go in peace. “Mostly, we are feeling heartbroken over the death of our beautiful friend. He was a sweet man with a keen sense of humor and a deep sense of humanity. He was an amazing musician, an inspiration, and a comfort to so many. He made great music and gifted it to the world. We are proud to have known him, to be his friend, and to create music with him. “For the past decade, Layne struggled greatly í¢ä‰åäó we can only hope that he has at last found some peace. “We love you, Layne. Dearly. And we will miss you … endlessly.”

Many a word has been posted on the message board and rumors on other sites have surfaced about this, but for the first time we can now say it is official – Jerry Cantrell is now on Roadrunner Records. Though he needs no introduction, Cantrell was a founding member, guitarist, vocalist, and writer for the legendary seminal act Alice In Chains – a band that took a then underground movement in the nineties to every rock fan in the world. Cantrell comes to Roadrunner armed with 25 songs which he wrote and recorded independent of any label help whatsoever – 25 songs he had full reign to go in whatever direction he needed. On these recordings, Cantrell does all the vocals and guitars, while the rhythm section comes from bassist Robert Trujillo (Ozzy & Suicidal Tendencies) and drummer Mike Bordin (Ozzy & Faith No More). We look forward to sharing Cantrell’s new music with you shortly – current plans are in place for a tentative May 14th release titled Degradation Trip, 14 songs hand picked by Cantrell himself. If you had the chance to catch Cantrell on tour this past summer, you got a taste of what to expect on Degradation Trip…for those of you who didn’t, for now we’ll just say that Jerry updates the Alice In Chains sound, and at the same time, summons the menacing rock groove of his former band. Jerry Cantrell, proud to have you onboard.

SXSW: check out the video area for some new quicktime action – just posted some awesome live and backstage footage of Anyone at the SXSW (South By South West)festival in Texas earlier this year. On a cool, early spring evening down in Austin, TX, Anyone played directly prior to Jerry Cantrell, to a packed house at Stubb’s BBQ. Their show, inside and out, was captured on video courtesy of BK. What you are about to see are clips from an array of Anyone songs played during the show, mixed in with backstage interview footage with the band taken after the show. This is Anyone. You should know. Enjoy. It fuckin’ rocks.

It’s been a while. About time we brought you some news on Anyone. What have the band been up to lately? Anyone have been playing a few underground shows along the Californian coast. Having gone to visit Riz and co at the infamous Anyoneden for a week, caught one such show myself in downtown LA a few weeks back – held in a multi-storey warehouse home of sorts, with giant art displays strewn around. The band had travelled to the ‘venue’ the night before to spend hours decorating the stage, setting up the full Anyone vibe. No boring show, for not only did Anyone play a mesmorising and intoxicating set, they were joined by DJs, fire eaters, fire dancers, jugglers, and even a human pinata (yes, a man was bound up in a strait jacket and dangled from the ceiling by his feet, while dancers gave the impression of hitting him making sweets fall)! Two new Anyone fans, Mike & Nikki, travelled all the way from Las Vegas just to attend the show, and had such a great time, they’ve since moved to Riz’s hometown of Huntington Beach themselves! We’ll be bringing you some photos of the show soon, as well as a look at the famous Huntington Beach area itself, when Riz played tour guide for a day. So what’s next for Anyone? The band will be heading out on tour in the USA this summer as they have been invited to play on the forthcoming AMP tour – taking in 26 cities. Confirmation from Riz? “Yes, the AMP TOUR is on. We will be doing 26 cities in the STATES.” Doesn’t get clearer than that. Amp is a new energy drink (think Red Bull) being introduced by the same company who brought the US the Mountain Dew drink. Exact details are still being confirmed, but the band are excited to be part of it! Check out the new band photos … fresh from the latest photo shoot with Anyone, and new drummer Ransom! The photos were taken by long-time band friend and tour manager, Mick Longo. ANYONE lucky enough to live in California should be aware that ANYONE are throwing a hugh bash to celebrate the American release of the critically aclaimed debut record. The party will take place at DEJA VU (a strip bar) in Westminster, California on Thursday April 11th. The band will be playing a live set at home for the first time in a year. In addition to the concert, the band will be showing excerpts from RIZ STORY’S film TOGETHERMENT, and various ANYONE videos. The band are planning a full blown ANYONE DEN, with all of the usual elements ( ornate decorations,multimedia presentations, treats, celebrities, and of course, sexy naked women dancing in your lap). If you’ve never been to an ANYONE DEN show . . . BRACE YOURSELF ! Hint get there early. (capacity of only 400). Yeah, we wished we lived in Cali too. Remember we told you Anyone would be playing in Texas at SXSW (South By SouthWest)? Well, the band played just before Jerry Cantrell and we hear they left the crowd buzzing and intrigued. Among the intrigued was MTV’s GREG KAPLAN. MTV reportedly filmed the entire legendary performance and is planning on airing some snippets along with a piece for MTV’s music news! Fresh from the show (Mar 6) at the Launch Pad in Albuquerque, Anyone is currently driving through the painted desert, heading back home after their first of two shows with stoner rock legends Fu Manchu. Show number 2 is tonight (Mar 8) at Brick by Brick in San Diego. Fireball Ministry and Headstrong will also be playing the show. After that, it’s the premier event at the upcoming SXSW Festival in Austin, Texas. On Saturday (16th), Anyone will be hitting the stage at Stubb’s BBQ (apparently an incredible place to catch a show) at 11pm. Afterwards, Jerry Cantrell closes the night with a set starting at midnight. Another wake up call to Static, this time by Chris from our NY office… woke him from taking a nap on the band’s RV while driving to Peoria. He recalled how the night before drummer Ransom sliced his hand on a cymbal during the Chicago show – white kit, covered in blood – “it was amazing. I’ve never seen anything like it before in my life. Literally puddles of blood by the end of the show, gnarly. I almost puked.” The band has since bandaged Ransom up and have gone on with the shows. Today 27th Feb in Las Vegas, Anyone plays their first US show with an album on the streets. Do you remember Geoff, our Spineshank tech guy with all the Chimaira tour reports? Even Geoff is checking out the show in Vegas this evening. It also marks the last show on their current tour run with Lennon and Speedealer. Up next – 2 dates with stoner rock legends Fu Manchu, and a March 16th gig in Austin, TX with the all around legendary Jerry Cantrell. So, Anyone are on the road. And fresh from a quick early morning phone call with Static, we can tell you the guys are currently in Colorado, in 3 feet of snow! “It’s super pretty”, tells Static, “I wish I had some time to go snow-boarding or ski-ing.” The band are travelling between shows in an RV, decorated in the Anyone Den style! The band’s trusty sidekick Mick is out with them, fully recuperated now from his pre-Xmas car crash. So far, the tour has been going ok, with a small hiccup a couple nights ago when a wheel broke on their trailer. It made for a very long night travelling and the band are only just managing to catch up on some sleep now… the show must go on. Two more dates with Lennon remain, and then the guys have 4 days at home before heading out touring in the US again with Fu Manchu. We’ll let Static have the last word… “We’re all having fun, but I can’t wait to come back to the UK audiences.”