I know I’ve said this before about all of the bass players I’ve interviewed in the past from Nikki Sixx to Gene Simmons to Rex Brown, but Jason Newsted, former bass player from Metallica, might be THE biggest influence in my bass playing ability and performance. His stage presence and bass playing with a pick was something many bassists on the music scene today try to mimic even today. If I’m not mistaken, Jason Newsted might also be one of the first players that I’ve seen live bang his head in a circular motion. If you saw him do it back then, you know what I’m talking about! Well, after laying low with many projects after leaving the mighty Metallica, Jason Newsted is back with his own band Newsted, and from the sounds of things, he might be back for world domination.

Following the tragic death of Metallica bassist and legend, Cliff Burton, in September 1986, Jason Newsted had some major league shoes to fill. He beat out over 39 other bass players to…

Korn are about to get a riff refresh.

In 2006, when Brian “Head” Welch parted ways with his band of brothers he’d hooked up with more than 20 years prior in Bakersfield, California, the Korn community was in dismay, to put it lightly.

In 1994, singer Jonathan Davis, guitarist James “Munky” Shaffer, and bassist Reggie “Fieldy” Arvizu, along with lead guitarist Brian “Head” Welch and founding drummer David Silveria, started a magical music movement. A true poster child of emotional torment, Davis boldly marched into unchartered lyrical territory. Korn’s self-titled debut album took the nursery out of nursery rhymes, blew the whistle on bullies (before it was a tv campaign), and peeled back the emotional layers of countless other hard-hitting themes.

The music was equally enthralling; a culmination of dirty guitar riffs and slaphappy basslines served as the soundtrack for a generation of enduring adolescents. Their sophomore release, 1996’s Life Is Peachy, fused together the band’s hard shell repertoire, with a hip-hop outburst in an Ice Cube cover, “Wicked,” and a metal homage to…

Popa Chubby has become a staple of the international blues scene with years of touring, recording, and plying his craft. He’s done major label records and huge festival shows, as well as small bars and lo-fi, indie releases. He has just released a blistering set of songs on his latest CD, Universal Breakdown Blues, which showcases both his rock-tinged guitar pyrotechnics and soulful vocals.

The new album has been cited by reviewers and his label as a return to the blues for Popa. “Amen to that,” he exclaims, talking to me from a sidewalk café in Amsterdam. “I’m primarily a songwriter. I usually get fixated on a style or genre, so I try to do everything in that genre. I went back to my ‘70s bluesy hard rock style. I got influenced by hip-hop. The blues was always there, but kind of got pushed back. You don’t find the blues, the blues finds you. Listen to a Muddy Waters record, and every song is a personal story.”

There are actually two distinct bands backing…

NOTE: Some names and identifying characteristics have been changed out of respect for the privacy of the individuals involved. All situations and quotes are faithfully recounted.

The New Orleans air was electric when I stepped off the train. The skyline glowed against the dark and brooding sky, distant heat lightning flashing amongst the purple clouds. I walked down St. Charles Ave. into the Garden District, clueless, playing phone tag with my host that night. I paused at a corner, waiting for traffic to pass. A bar across the street caught my eye.

Two women—one with dreadlocks—sat out front with a dog between them, which made me think perhaps I had found a hangout for local creative types. The inside of the bar was disappointingly yuppie, however, and I clumsily ordered a NOLA Blonde from the harried bartender before heading outside to assess the situation.

The women with the dog soon engaged me in conversation, asking what I was doing in New Orleans. When I told them I had come to report on Jazz…

New Jersey Musicians Tell The Real Story Of Hurricane Sandy – Six Months Later

I have to be honest, when I first started this article, I had a whole section leading up to the stories. A section that sounded like every other knuckleheaded journalist trying to paint themselves as a spokesperson of rational summation of a disaster that can never be properly described unless you’ve literally been deep in the middle of it. But as the stories rolled in, I knew that I could never wrap this up in one cute, human interest fluff piece, and I realized that while many communities are getting back on their feet, for many, the aftermath is far from over.

So I scrapped the whole thing and started again with one key element in mind.

That element would be stepping out of the way and going to the stories of the musicians who experienced the brunt of the storm. They are the real witnesses here at the Jersey Shore. This week starts off with the tough story from…