mastodon
Twitter closes offices, staff resign while users eye decentralized options
Elon Musk has been shaking the Twitter tree since he took over the micro-blogging platform in late October. His latest move has resulted in an exodus of employees and office closures. Earlier this week, Musk issued an emailed ultimatum to Twitter staff saying that they need to commit to “working long hours at high intensity,” or clear their desks by Thursday, Nov. 17. A large number of them have taken the second option which is understood to include three months’ severance pay, resulting in the company temporarily closing its offices as hundreds of employees have walked out, according to reports. Twitter also announced it was temporarily suspending all badge access until Monday, Nov. 21, asking staff to “refrain from discussing confidential company information on social media, with the pre...
30 Signature Guitars for Modern Artists
For decades, having a signature guitar was reserved for classic rock legends — the Claptons, the Hendrixes, the Pages, the SRVs and EVHs. But that’s no longer the case. From pop-punk to heavy metal, alt-country to neo-soul, modern artists of all genres and backgrounds are getting signature guitars from companies big and small. Among the titans of the industry, that intentional shift came with a new generation being put into decision-making positions. “When I started, it was largely classic rock and very much a pantheonic Hall of Fame,” Fender’s Executive VP for Products Justin Norvell says of the early 2000s. “It was an end-of-an-iconic-career kind of thing. But it was my feeling that it should be something that people can use to reflect back upon themselves. A Telecaster can mean James Bu...
The 30 Best Albums of 2021
Back in June, SPIN published The 30 Best Albums of 2021 (So Far), rounding up everything from mainstream rock to experimental hip-hop. Six months later, we’re back with our year-end recap — and it’s interesting how, even though the stylistic balance has stayed consistent, the picks themselves haven’t. While this list also covers a lot of ground, only six of those earlier records wound up in our final tally. Below, you’ll find massive R&B collaborations (Silk Sonic), trendy pop breakouts (Olivia Rodrigo), big-ticket indie-rock (The War on Drugs), prog-metal giants (Mastodon), and acclaimed indie-rap (Benny the Butcher & Harry Fraud). Looking back at Pandemic Year Number Two, when the music industry forecast seemed to shift on a daily basis, perhaps these changes are only fittin...
The 50 Best Rock Bands Right Now
First, let’s take care of the obvious. Despite the still-persistent narrative that such music is “dead,” there are way more than 50 excellent rock bands out there. And there’s no exact science to scooping the cream of the crop. Our list includes arena-packing veterans but also semi-obscure indie acts who’ve barely escaped their basements. There are no hard rules here. Our methodology was simple: ask our writers and staff which rock bands feel worthy of recognition right now. But we did aim for a wide scope — throughout, you’ll find flavors of psych, post-punk, hardcore, metal, even country. If it feels like rock, it’s on the table. Consider SPIN‘s 2021 roundup — just like last year’s — a thermometer, taking the temperature of modern rock in all its various mutations. Altın Gün Ho...
Mastodon Are Inspired by Themselves on Hushed and Grim
Trying to be all things to everyone is a fruitless pursuit. It’s impossible on a logistical scale, much less an imaginative one, and no one ends up being satisfied. That being said, Mastodon’s latest album Hushed and Grim (out Friday through Reprise) is, in a way, a Mastodon record for all Mastodon fans. Whatever era you came on to the Atlanta metal quartet over the past two decades, they’ve got your number. “Teardrinker” and “More Than I Can Chew” recall their pivotal turn in Crack the Skye, when drummer Brann Dailor became a co-lead vocalist and ascended to heady prog-metal righteousness. For the heads from the beginning, “Pushing the Tides” and “Savage Lands” will take you back to when Remission was fresh and a roof and beer money was all you needed to be set. [embedded content][embedde...
Watch Maze Runners in Mastodon’s ‘Pushing The Tides’
Grammy-winning metal band Mastodon just dropped a suspenseful, Matrix-inspired video for their new single, “Pushing the Tides.” The single will appear on their forthcoming album, Hushed And Grim, out October 29 via Reprise Records. [embedded content] In the video, two red and blue-masked captives are sent into a maze, and only one of them will arrive in time for dinner with the demented old folks watching their journey, like the game makers in The Hunger Games. The red mask finds a giant hand in the sky that leads him to his death by a cook, as he is oiled, salted, and knifed in a kitchen. Blue mask turns out to be the lucky one, arriving just in time to open the metal cloche over his meal, presumably covering the red-mask’s guts. The band recorded all 15 tracks of Hushed And Grim in their...
Mastodon Release ‘Forged By Neron’ off Dark Nights: Death Metal Soundtrack
The Dark Nights: Death Metal Soundtrack, executive produced by Tyler Bates, sees Mastodon release “Forged By Neron” as the lead single off the collection. The soundtrack serves as a companion piece to the comics and graphic novels by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo. Bates unites an array of artists across various genres—including Denzel Curry, Manchester Orchestra (who we just spoke with a few weeks ago), Chelsea Wolfe, IDLES and Soccer Mommy. The soundtrack will be released digitally by CD and Vista Loma Recordings on June 18 and physically on July 16. “We are super excited and honored to be part of the Dark Nights: Death Metal Soundtrack! We’ve all been fans of DC Comics and the Batman universe since we were kids, so it really means a lot for us to be able to add something t...
Members of Limp Bizkit, 311, The Used and More Cover Jane’s Addiction to Support Roadies
The Kings of Quarantine — the appropriately named collaboration between members of Mastodon and Slaves on Dope that covered Faith No More in October — are back with a collection of their friends for a brand new take on an old tune. Whereas last time saw them collaborate with members of Korn, Anthrax, Refused and more, this month’s rendition of Jane’s Addiction’s “Mountain Song” comes with the help of Wes Borland (Limp Bizkit), P-Nut (311), Bert McCracken (The Used), Tanner Wayne (In Flames), Louise Post (Veruca Salt) and Richard Patrick (Filter). Is watching a variety of musicians record their parts in their homes or personal studios and then mix them all together into one semi-cohesive track as strange as it seems? Yes. Is it a fitting representation of where we’re at with ...
Alice in Chains Honored by Metallica, Mastodon, Korn, Eddie Vedder at MoPop Benefit
Last night, Alice in Chains were honored as the recipients of the 2020 Founder’s Award from the Museum of Pop Culture (MoPop). Metallica, Korn, Heart’s Ann Wilson, Mark Lanegan and Alice in Chains themselves performed more than 20 songs during the livestream event that paid tribute to the Seattle quartet. Additionally, friends and fans ranging from Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder to Iron Man actor Robert Downey, Jr. shared congratulations. Alice in Chains themselves were shown in often-humorous segments, touring the museum exhibits, which include Jimi Hendrix guitars, DEVO jumpsuits, and numerous items of iconic horror film memorabilia. The virtual event was viewed by more than 275,000 people worldwide and raised more than $600,000 to keep the museum and its educational and co...
Gone Is Gone Is No Mere ‘Supergroup’ on If Everything Happens For A Reason… Then Nothing Really Matters At All
Gone Is Gone may be billed as a “supergroup” of sorts, but the Los Angeles-based quartet sure doesn’t want the negative connotations that go along with the title. For bassist/vocalist Troy Sanders (Mastodon), drummer Tony Hajjar (At the Drive-In), guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen (Queens of the Stone Age) and multi-instrumentalist Mike Zarin (composer and founder of Sencit Music), the almost-cinematic rock group is just another project they get to work on when their dayjobs don’t monopolize their time. After announcing themselves with a self-titled EP in July 2016 and a debut full-length not too long after, it would’ve been understandable if the group decided their schedules would never allow for a second album. But four years later, they reunited for If Everything Happens For A Reason… Then Not...
Anthrax, Mastodon, Korn Members, DMC Cover Faith No More’s ‘We Care A Lot’
Making music on Zoom — on the surface — seems weird (that whole connectivity thing). But, yet again, a group of musicians joining forces to show strength in numbers managed to work. Mastodon’s Bill Kelliher, Korn’s Ray Luzier, Anthrax’s Frank Bello, DMC, Filter’s Richard Patrick and more collaborated for a cover of Faith No More’s “We Care A Lot” in support of the Roadie Relief effort, which aims to help out of work crew members who have been impacted by the pandemic. The collaboration was organized by Slaves on Dope members Jason Rockman and Kevin Jardine. Also featuring on the song were Walter Schreifels of Quicksand, Dennis Lyxzén of Refused and more. Check it out below. [embedded content] You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates O...
Mastodon and Robyn Set to Headline Adult Swim Festival
Today, Adult Swim announced the 2020 edition of its annual festival, and like so many other events this year, it’s going virtual. The global livestream takes place next month and boasts performances from Robyn and Mastodon, as well as exclusive live streams with talent from Rick and Morty and The Eric Andre Show, a world premiere of Run the Jewels x Cyberpunk 2077 music video, a special edition of Toonami where hosts Tom and Sarah will give you the scoop on the new Playstation PS5. More than 20 additional musical acts and live streams are set to be announced closer to the event. The festival’s merchandise store is going virtual too, offering items like Power to the People face masks — designed in partnership with Run the Jewels with proceeds benefiting the ACLU — Adult ...
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