soundgarden
Weeks after rumors spread that Californian experimental hip-hop trio Death Grips had split, the band have now taken to social media to deny these claims.
Reports of the band’s initial breakup surfaced in early February, when a supposedly leaked message from producer Andy Morin appeared online, with the musician confirming, “yeah it’s over,” before placing the blame on vocalist MC Ride (whose real name is Stefan Burnett).
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“Stefan doesn’t want to do any more,” the message read. “But truthfully none of us can ever predict what will happen with the group.” At the time, no public statement from the notoriously media-shy band was issued.
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However, on Tuesday (April 8), the group took to their semi-active Instagram account to share their first post since October 2023, confirming that Death Grips is still very much a going concern.
“Despite rumour and hearsay, we remain active as Death Grips,” a message signed by Burnett and drummer Zach Hill read in the post, with the text itself written in marker atop a framed artwork. Notably, the statement lacked Morin’s signature, potentially suggesting that the group will continue as a duo in the future.
Death Grips first formed in Sacramento, CA in 2010, with Burnett, Hill, and Morin sharing their debut EP Exmilitary in April 2011. The group found wider fame thanks to the release of debut album The Money Store the following year, with positive reviews accompanying its appearance in the top 20 of the Heatseeker Albums and Rap Albums charts, and a placing of No. 130 on the Billboard 200.
Following a handful of other releases, Death Grips announced their initial split in July 2014, claiming “We are now at our best and so Death Grips is over,” and withdrawing from a planned tour supporting Nine Inch Nails and Soundgarden.
Despite this apparent breakup, the planned second half of their The Powers That B album followed in 2015, with the group returning to the live stage soon after. Further albums and EPs have since followed, though Death Grips have not performed live since an appearance at 2023’s Austin City Limits festival, and have announced no further live shows.
The journals of late Alice in Chains frontman Layne Staley will be collected in an upcoming book, with This Angry Pen to be released in November.
The 176-page volume will be officially released on Nov. 11 via publisher Weldon Owen, with its full title reading This Angry Pen: The Lost Journals of Layne Staley. According to a description of the book on the website of distributors Simon & Schuster, the book collects “handwritten lyrics, deeply personal poetry, stunning original artwork, rare photos, fan tributes” and more.
“For the first time, this stunning collection unveils the deeply personal and creative side of the legendary Alice in Chains frontman,” it continues. “Through never-before-seen poetry, raw handwritten lyrics, intimate scribblings, and heartfelt notes, Layne’s inner thoughts and emotions come to life, offering a glimpse into the mind of a musical genius who defined a generation.”
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Staley began his musical journey in the ‘80s, performing in glam bands in the Seattle area such as Sleze, which changed its name in 1986 to Alice N’ Chains.
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In 1987, Staley – along with guitarist Jerry Cantrell, bassist Mike Starr and drummer Sean Kinney – formed a new band and renamed it Alice in Chains. The group would soon become one of the most influential grunge rock outfits of the ‘90s, with their 1995 self-titled album peaking atop the Billboard 200.
In addition to performing and recording with supergroups Mad Season and Class of ‘99 through the decade, Staley became largely reclusive in the latter half of the ‘90s, battling depression and drug addiction during those years. In April 17, 2002, Staley’s body was found in his Seattle apartment, with an autopsy ruling his death as an accidental overdose of cocaine and heroin from two weeks prior.
Alice in Chains would later reform in 2005, with vocalist William DuVall joining the following year. The band have since released three studio albums, with 2018’s Rainier Fog serving as their last record to date.
“Through Layne’s scribblings and heartfelt musings are a window into the emotional depths of a man who gave so much of himself to his art and his fans, even as he struggled with his own battles,” the description for This Angry Pen continued. “For fans new and old, this is an opportunity to connect with Layne’s artistry and humanity in a way that’s never been possible before. His story, told through his own words, creations, and the lives he forever changed, is a testament to the enduring power of music, art, and the human spirit.”
The publication of This Angry Pen also draws some comparisons to the 2002 book Journals, which collected the drawings and writings of late Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain. Nirvana and Alice in Chains – along with fellow Seattle contemporaries Pearl Jam and Soundgarden – were often considered to make up the ‘Big Four’ of grunge music. Reaction to Cobain’s Journals was mixed upon its release, with Cobain’s daughter Frances Bean expressing her regret over its publication in 2018.
Members of Soundgarden are set to take to the stage next week as part of a benefit concert in their Seattle hometown.
The performance, which takes place at Seattle’s Showbox on December 14th, will see guitarist Kim Thayil, drummer Matt Cameron, and bassist Ben Shepherd adopting the name Nudedragons for the affair. That moniker – an anagram of the band’s more famous name – is the same used by Soundgarden in 2010 when they performed at the same venue for their first live date since 1997.
Shaina Shepherd will take on vocal duties with the band in what is being described as a “brief encore performance”.
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The upcoming live show takes place as part of SMooCH, an annual campaign to raise funds for the Seattle Children’s Hospital’s Uncompensated Care Fund. Previous SMooCH events have featured acts such as Modest Mouse, The Afghan Whigs, Jason, Isbell, Angel Olsen, and more.
Alongside Nudedragons, this year’s SMooCH lineup will also include Sebadoh, Doug Martsch of Built To Spill, and Duff McKagan of Guns N’ Roses.
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Originally forming in 1984, Soundgarden intially remained active until 1997, becoming icons of the Seattle grunge scene in the process thanks to albums such as Superunknown, which topped the Billboard 200 upon its release in 1994.
Following various side projects for its members during the interim, Soundgarden reconvened in 2010, and remained active until the passing of frontman Chris Cornell in 2017. The following year, Thayil noted an uncertainty of what Soundgarden’s future could look like, before announcing the retirement of the band name.
Since then, members of the group have reunited for a handful of performances, including a 2019 tribute performance for Cornell dubbed I Am The Highway, which featured guest vocalists such as The Pretty Reckless’ Taylor Momsen and the Foo Fighters’ Taylor Hawkins.
Upon Hawkins’ passing in 2022, Thayil and Cameron were joined by Momsen and members of Nirvana the Foo Fighters for another tribute performance.
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