I found this tonight and thought it was cool. I knew Stone Gossard back in the day as well as his sister Shelley Gossard..both incredible and talented SWEET people. Layne was also friends with Stone so I think it fits here.
Check out the Stone Gossard’s 2008 Project on Youtube.com – Stone Gossard performs live with friends in Seattle, September 2008, performing original songs from an upcoming project. MP3s are available at pearljam.com

I was watching some of the old Pearl Jam videos on Youtube today and if it’s been awhile for you too or if your way younger then me and you never really have.. then I HIGHLY recommend you get too it.

It’s hard to believe I forgot just how much I loved their music. How full of soul and how talented each and ever one of them are. Mike McCready can play the guitar like a god and Stoney with his mellow groove and signature head bob. Eddie and his amazing voice and mellow personality. It’s cool too look back NOW and say WOW I remember being a part of that scene and how amazing it was to be around so many talented young people. I knew it was amazing and I knew I was lucky and that these bands were culture changing bands. These were not just one hit wonder bands. They were truley gifted. I knew it but it was still like no big deal. I guess I learned that just because someone is so talented and so famous that doesn’t make them any different then me or you.

Someday I’ll write about how I met Eddie Veder’s little brother in Isla Vista, Santa Barbara, and how he sold me a demo of his brothers band that was gonna be HUGE someday and he “just knew it”. How I laughed at him but said OK anyway because he was cute, stuck and needed gas money. How I listened to that demo and LOVED it and then how I moved up to Seattle a about a year or so later and the how that kid was right. How I ended up meeting his brother and then running into him again in a bar and he freaking remembered me. How it’s a small world and how amazing life is. Ehh.. I can mark that down as one of things I need to write about. ((wink))

This is what they all looked like when I first met them..

SO Old School!

Popularity: 7% [?]

Alice In Chains Announces New Album “Black Gives Way To Blue” Listening Parties

Alice In Chains are currently set to release their new album “Black Gives Way To Blue” on September 29th. The band has issued the following announcement about two exclusive listening parties for the album:

“Do you live in L.A. or New York? Do you have an unquenchable thirst to hear the new Alice In Chains album now? Do you want to be cooler than everyone else for the next two months? Then check this out…

“There will be two private listening parties coming up, and a very small number of lucky Alice In Chains fans will be able to hear the new album in its entirety long before the release date on September 29th.

“The first listening party in Los Angeles will be this coming Tuesday, July 14th, at 7:00 P.M. The New York Listening party will be on July 21st.

“Here’s all you need to do: Send an email to aliceinchains@velvethammer.net with either LOS ANGELES or NEW YORK in the subject line and include your name, email address, and phone number.

“Five winners will be chosen at random, and the winners will be able to bring one guest. You’ll sit next to record company honchos and industry bigwigs as they all get a sneak preview of Black Gives Way To Blue. Then you can race home and start blogging about the music, and every board member on this site will hammer you with questions for the next two months.

“Here’s the pseudo-legal portion of the contest: Admission is non-transferrable, so if you’re one of the chosen few, this means your name will be your ticket in, and you can’t send your cousin Larry in your place.

“Absolutely no cameras, cell phones, video cameras, or recording devices of any kind will be allowed. You will be patted down and searched before you enter, so don’t try anything sneaky or you won’t be let in. If you look sketchy, suspicious, or just plain weird you will probably be given a body cavity search as well, so take a shower and try and be on your best behavior. And most importantly, LEAVE YOUR CELL PHONE AND CAMERA IN THE CAR!!!

“That’s about it. Winners for L.A. will be announced Monday, winners for New York will be announced July 20th – so send in your emails now and sit back and cross your fingers for the next couple of days.

“Good luck…”

Alice In Chains Reports On “Black Gives Way To Blue” Listening Party

By Metal Underground

Alice In Chains recently held a listening party for their upcoming album “Black Gives Way To Blue,” which will be released on September 29th. The band issued the following report on the party:

“Ive been to a record release party before, but never a listening party. There actually isn’t that much of a difference, but at the record release party the emphasis seemed to be on party, while last night’s emphasis was definitely on listening.

“Oh sure, there were some typical L.A. industry weasels who were more concerned with their hair gel than the album, but the vast majority of people were paying attention and rocking out.

“I couldn’t pick out the website winners from the industry types, but I imagine they may have been the ones that were banging their heads and playing air drums. But then again I saw some label people doing a bit of air guitaring too, so who knows?

“The event was held at the Ricardo Montalban Theater, so instead of standing around schmoozing and sucking down free cocktails all night long, most people sat down and listened to the record as still images were projected on a giant screen onstage.

“There were about 300 people there, and with the exception of a few of them getting out of their seats to go to the lobby (It’s L.A. man, of course there was free food & drinks), they sat in their seats and actually listened for nearly an hour.

“No one knew the song titles, no one knew how many songs there would be, and no one knew that when it was all over the screen would rise and the band would be set up on stage to play.

“The guys started off the short set with Down In A Hole, then Jerry said a few words before they played two new songs; Your Decision, and the title track, Black Gives Way To Blue.

“So now that a few people have finally heard it and Jerry spoke publicly about the lyrical content, I think I can reveal to the rest of you that the title of the album and the song of the same name are dedicated and in reference to Layne.

“For the guys to play it live for the first time was an emotional experience, and it did Layne proud, as it sounded amazing and the crowd went nuts when it was over.

“The whole thing was an emotional experience, but instead of getting all sentimental and Oprah-ey, I think I’ll just quote Jerry, who said to me, ‘We’ve been sitting on this f*%#ing egg for so long, it feels good to finally hatch it.’

“Unfortunately it doesn’t get hatched for real until September, but last night was a nice sneak preview.”

“A Looking In View” Download

Alice In Chains has posted their new music video online for the song, “A Looking In View.” You can check it out by heading to the bands official website.  ”A Looking in View” song is also a free download  (registration is required).

The song is from their upcoming album “Black Gives Way To Blue,” which is scheduled to be released on September 29th through Virgin Records.

Popularity: unranked [?]

Found this online and decided to post it here..

When the Suffering Undoes the Artist

By JON PARELES

Published NY Times: Sunday, April 28, 2002

(NY Times Article)
Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: unranked [?]

A new ALICE IN CHAINS track entitled “A Looking In View” is now available for purchase via iTunes and Amazon

Check out the full stream before you buy on the bands Official website and watch the trailer below. New album, “Black Gives Way To Blue”, is due in stores on September 29th.

The Return of Alice In Chains

Alice In Chains is back with a fresh deal with EMI’s Virgin Records and new singer William DuVall, and is now ready to release their first album of fresh material in over a decade.

The grunge band’s forthcoming album will be released this September, and is the first with DuVall, who has toured with the group since 2006.

The effort was produced by Nick Raskulinecz, (Foo Fighters, Rush) and was mixed at Hollywood’s Henson Studios.

“It’s been a meaningful journey and a hell of a story,” said guitarist Jerry Cantrell. “We’re very excited to have a home at Virgin/EMI and are looking forward to writing new chapters in the book of Alice.”

Drummer Sean Kinney added, “We’re in a good place. We’ve made a record that we’re really proud of, we’ve got a team in place that’s passionate about the music and we’re excited for the fans to hear the new songs.”

The band recently performed at the Columbus, Ohio Rock On The Range festival. Their next outing comes on July 18th with a Detroit gig with Kid Rock. From there Alice In Chains will head overseas for a handful of festival dates with Metallica.

(Read the article)

Popularity: 4% [?]

Alice in Chains is coming to the Roseland Theater on September 26th. Tickets go on sale Saturday but buy your tickets starting now! There is no password, just click the link!

Alice in Chains Presale

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Popularity: 7% [?]

I JUST FOUND THIS ARTICLE – DOES ANYONE KNOW IF THIS BOOK WAS EVER RELEASED AND IF SO..HOW CRAPPY WAS IT? I MEAN WHO IS THIS CHICK AND WHAT THE HELL DOES SHE KNOW ABOUT LAYNE’S RECLUSIVE LIFE? NOTHING.
I’D BE INTERESTED TO SEE WHAT SHE THOUGHT SHE KNEW OR FOUND OUT. I ASSUME IT WAS NEVER RELEASED SINCE THIS IS AN OLD ARTICLE AND I’VE NEVER HEARD ANYTHING ABOUT IT.

I think it’s total crap her trying to make people think she had some secret relationship with Layne complete garbage.

It’s pretty funny because if you visit her website http://itchlovestoriesaboutheroin.synthasite.com/ and you click on the link called The Horse Chronicles it brings you to her Financial Advisor website.. so I guess being an author didn’t work out so she thought she’d try her hand at giving advice on money?

Here’s the article…

LAYNE STALEY Book ‘Itch, Love Stories About Heroin’ Due In April – Oct. 10, 2008
A new book based on late ALICE IN CHAINS singer Layne Staley’s last five years of reclusive life in downtown Seattle is scheduled for release in late 2008. Entitled “Itch, Love Stories about Heroin”, the book “will reveal some secrets about the singer, as well as offer an inside look at his addiction and struggles with heroin,” according to a press release.

“It will be a struggle to finish the book,” author Tanya Vece said. “It will be like closing a chapter on his life, and mine — not for good but I think saying what he would want to have said.”

According to the press release, “Staley did call in an interview to Vece’s friend author Adriana Rubio about a month before his passing. Weak and coughing, Staley wasn’t ready to comment on his reclusive life, but did talk briefly about his fight with drugs.”

“Everyone knows he was addicted,” Vece stated. “I want to talk about who he was, and get to the real Layne — addiction and art.”

When asked on her connection to Staley, Vece said “Let me just say there are some things I won’t expand on — some things even I will keep secret!”

Tanya Vece is the current editor of independent art e-zine The Horse Chronicles. She has three other fictional independent books out and is an honoree of the International Press Academy. Her recent accomplishments include press coverage through CNN for the Democratic debate in Las Vegas.

NOW HERE IS AN EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK – THIS WAS FOUND ON HER WEBSITE

An excerpt from Itch. Love stories about Heroin.
I remembering walking through a dark hallway and people looked like demons. Their faces were gone, removed from the world, and looking into another one. Everyone’s skin seemed to be on the verge of melting as their eyes were lit with an ominous green glow. They were hyper and distant. They were also ready to kill, hungry for something beyond the taste of blood. They all looked like they were awakened zombies, trying to recapture their youth in this underground melting pot of demons, fairies, and sleepwalkers who just wanted to waste away beneath the Earth’s surface.
As we headed down the stairs, the volume of the techno house music raved through my ears and pulsated in my veins. It overtook me like a tidal wave. He grabbed my arm while leading the way past a sea of people dancing to the same beat. They all looked drugged, numb to each other yet amazingly moving together in sync. Multi-colored lights scanned the pulsating blanket of the beings in search of someone not moving. The lights flashed and spun, chasing hips that were loosing momentum in this dance that blurred the line between feeling alive and allowing oneself to be dead to the world.
“This is new my thing. This is where I have been at lately” Layne yelled at me. People were starting to strip off their clothes ,while others sprayed water into the crowd from embellished tanks on plastic guns.
I moved with him, feeling more and more evil with every self indulging twaddle motion of my weightless arms. The air was overly humid and infused with sweat. All of us, packed together in this basement like sardines, moved together as one. I could feel the music transforming me into an abstract version of myself. As the lights glazed over me, up and down, right to left , and all around -I could feel my eyes transitioning from morbid blue to a drunk with envy green.
All of us were outcasts, out of sorts, out of our minds and some of us on the verge of being out of our bodies. It was a tragically fantastic place to be.
Layne and I circled the room, on the train of unwinding souls with no real destination. All of us just stuck in our places, like the repetitive pace of the blaring bass in the background. As people bobbed and swayed, someone from the outside could have described this place as hell on Earth. Drugs, alcohol and relishing in sin were all staple crops in this rhythm nation. The best part was not one person gave a damn as every-ones eyes were dilated with an oblivious craving to never loose the taste of this parallel universe.
Layne started to throw up blood on the floor , tipping his hat to himself while laughing away the pain in his stomach. The music was becoming louder as horns drilled into the stagnate drum beats that were now screwing the room. Nothing was stopping this party, this was happening before we entered and would continue on far after we left. Being sick here was not an option. I just kept spinning, moving faster and faster trying to create a dizzying blur that would allow me to ignore his illness and my own slow collapse.

OMG THIS IS COMPLETE GARBAGE!!!!!! IF HE WAS WITH HER IN A CLUB IT WAS PROBABLY THE VOGUE OR SOMETHING AND SHE’S JUST TRYING TO MAKE IT SOUND MYSTICAL AND “DARK”. GIVE ME A BREAK. I HAVE A REAL HARD TIME BELIEVING THERE WAS SOME HEROIN CLUB… I DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT. LOL! IF THERE EVER WAS SUCH A THING I WOULD OF BEEN THERE. NOPE NEVER.

“Everyone’s skin seemed to be on the verge of melting as their eyes were lit with an ominous green glow” “The best part was not one person gave a damn as every-ones eyes were dilated with an oblivious craving to never loose the taste of this parallel universe.”

THAT’S JUST FROM LIVING IN THE NORTHWEST YOU KNOW ALL THAT RAIN, NO SUNSHINE IT TENDS TO MELT OUR SKIN AND PIN OUR EYE BALLS IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH SOME UNDERGROUND DRUG SOCIAL SCENE.. Haha!

Popularity: 30% [?]

Revolver TV has uploaded a short interview with ALICE IN CHAINS guitarist Jerry Cantrell conducted by Full Metal Jackie at the first annual Epiphone Revolver Golden Gods Awards, which was held on April 7 at Club Nokia in downtown Los Angeles. Watch the two-minute chat below.

ALICE IN CHAINS has signed with Virgin Records, a division of EMI Music, for the release of the group’s first new album in 14 years. According to a feature in the Los Angeles Times, the yet-to-be-titled disc will be out in mid-September. Production on the project was completed last month after more than a year of writing and recording. The Times writer, who got a preview of some of the material, called the album “recognizably thundering and gloomy,” with an acoustic track called “Your Decision” followed by what the reporter described as “a seven-minute epic built on heavy slabs of guitar, drums and bass, something like BLACK SABBATH but far quicker.”

The disc will mark the recording debut of vocalist William DuVall, who joined the group in 2006. Original singer Layne Staley died of a drug overdose in 2002 after nearly seven years in which the band was all but inactive.

Jerry Cantrell, drummer Sean Kinney and bassist Mike Inez regrouped in 2005 for a charity show before embarking on several tours in 2006 and 2007 with DuVall on the mic.

When asked about stepping into the shoes of Staley, DuVall told the Times, “It’s a big thing. I’ve joined a group that has a strong identity and a strong legacy. Nobody’s sitting here who wants to, in any way, disrespect or sully that legacy. You want to add to it.”

All of ALICE IN CHAINS’ previous albums and EPs were on Columbia Records.

Alice in Chains at the Revolver Golden Gods Awards!

Alice in Chains at the Revolver Golden Gods Awards!

Popularity: 13% [?]