Tag: covid

JUPITER HOLLOW Reschedule Live Streams Due To Covid Lockdown In Ontario, New Dates Beginning August

Toronto, ON based Jupiter Hollow, announce they will be cancelling their planned live stream tour dates for April and May due to the Ontario government’s Covid 19 lockdown to prevent the increasing spread of the virus in the province.



The band comments:

“It is with heavy hearts that we must announce our formal cancelling of all remaining Phase III live stream tour dates. We didn’t intend on ending this tour early that’s for sure, but our provincial government did, and our best interest in our home province of Ontario is to stop the explosion of Covid-19 cases currently overwhelming our healthcare system, which directly affects one of our band members. We’re sorry, and we hope you enjoyed the 7 shows we did get to play this spring. In the meantime, we hope you enjoy our live performance singles and our new Live DVD Digital Blueray “Bereavement: Live in Ashburn” featuring John-Ryan Godfrey and Jeffrey Laird, as well as all of our Bereavement show streams available from 2020 and 2021 so far. We love you, and we will get through this, and continue to be the busiest band in the world.Kenny & Grant – Jupiter Hollow”


The band has already gotten to work planning their Bereavement Tour: Phase IV live streaming tour, which will contain 50 shows performed and streamed live for future viewing beginning on August 2nd until December 11th. (dates listed below).

The Bereavement Live Stream Tour: Phase IV
The virtual concerts can be viewed completely FREE on the band’s Facebook or Instagram, but for those interested in making donations, can at the following link: https://www.jupiterhollow.ca/product-page/donate
(All shows starting at 6:30 PM EST)
August – 2, 4, 7, 8, 11, 14, 16, 18, 21, 23, 25, 28, 30
September – 2, 4, 7, 9, 11, 13, 16, 18, 21, 23, 27, 29, 30
October – 5, 6, 12, 13, 14, 18, 19, 21, 26, 28
November – 2, 4, 10, 11, 16, 18, 22, 25, 29, 30December – 7, 8, 10, 11

Consisting of Grant MacKenzie (Guitar, Bass, Synth) and Kenny Parry (Vocals, Drums, Piano, Synth), Jupiter Hollow is here to create an artistic experience unlike anything else in the industry. Inspired by the art of storytelling and adventure, they intend on taking you through an in-depth journey through their discography and encourage listeners to join them for every step along the way.
The band recently released video from a live session for their track “Sawbreaker”, which also appears on a new live DVD / digital Blu-Ray thye have put together entitled “Bereavement Live In Ashburn” that is available at the following link.


Check out ‘Sawbreaker’ below.

Jupiter Hollow released their highly praised album “Bereavement” during June 2020 to follow their two previous admired recordings “AHDOMN” (2018) and “Odyssey” (2016).

Fans can receive the entire new album including digital downloads, lyrics, all the live videos, conceptual interviews, drum playthroughs, and guitar playthroughs completely FREE via the following link.

Check out ‘The Mill’ below.

Evanescence & Within Temptation Postpone UK Tour To 2022

Originally due to take place in 2020, Evanescence and Within Temptation​’s Worlds Collide tour has once again been postponed.

Pushed back to 2022, the two bands co-headlining run of the EU and the UK will now be touring March and April 2022, with Evanescence stating, 

​“Well guys, we have to push this back one more time. We hate to make you wait longer but we are absolutely determined to make this tour we’ve all been looking forward to happening, so check out the new dates. We will be counting the days till we finally get to celebrate all this new music together. 

“In the meantime, stay safe, stay sane, and keep your headbanging to The Bitter Truth! You will have no excuse not to know every word by next spring! We love you!”

Within Temptation add: ​“This is definitely not what we’ve wished for, but reality tells us otherwise: we have to postpone the Worlds Collide tour. Although we can’t make the current situation better than it is, we hope to put a big smile on your faces again soon, because… We haven’t been sitting still and we have a lot of cool stuff coming up for you! Until then, stay safe. And you know what? Third time’s a charm, so see you in March or April 2022!”

Here are the dates.

April 2022

1st –  Germany, Hamburg, Barclaycard Arena
4th – First Direct Arena, Leeds
5th – The O2, London
7th – The SSE Hydro Arena, Glasgow
8th – Birmingham Arena, Birmingham

EU Festivals Speak On Their Return As Dutch Government Set Date & Allow Trials

European festivals have spoken about their hopes of returning this summer, with the Dutch government setting up trial events next month and stating that festivals should be possible from July.

Following the recent cancellation of Glastonbury in the UK due to complications from the coronavirus pandemic, anticipation now surrounds how the rest of the festival season with Download Festival as well as Reading & Leeds Festival as to how they will play out. In the UK, festival organisers are calling on the government to provide a restart date for preparation, as well as insurance to help them survive if they have to cancel again.

Now, it seems that this has been granted for the music industry in the Netherlands.

“Great news: the Dutch government has announced that they aim to allow festivals after July 1,” a new statement reads on the website for Netherlands’ dance event Liquicity. “In case festivals still get canceled due to changing COVID circumstances, organisers are likely to be compensated for the costs. Festivals in The Netherlands are currently selling out in record pace due to this new government announcement.”

Liquicity, set to take place from July 16-18, also promised that festival-goers can request a full refund until May 16, that they’ll get their full money back if it gets cancelled or if they’re unable to get there due to travel bans, and that a ticket swap service had been set up for fans who still didn’t feel comfortable attending closer to the event.

Meanwhile, it has also been announced that two trial festivals on Netherlands festival Lowlands to test if they can be run safely and free of coronavirus. As We Rave You reports, 3000 participants at the events will have to present the negative result of a COVID-19 test, with their temperatures measured on entry and some being randomly selected for a “thick” test.

Attendees will also be given a lanyard that records moments of contact with others. Lowlands director Eric van Eerdenburg told a press conference that the measures they had in place would allow them to be prepared “in the event of a subsequent outbreak” at events later this summer.

“As a sector, we have to think five or six months ahead to organise a major event,” he said. “The government often looks at a situation in a few months from now.”

Primavera Sound festival’s recent trial for the return of gigs with no social distancing but same-day antigen testing found no infection rate, while a study in Germany last year found a “low to very low risk” or coronavirus spreading at indoor gigs – concluding that “good ventilation and social distancing are key”. This month will see a similar experiment take place in Luxembourg.

Meanwhile, trials have been announced to test “health passports” at small indoor gigs in the UK as a route to “reopening live music safely”.

Maynard James Keenan Contracted Covid-19 For A Second Time

Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan has announced he contracted Covid-19 for a second time in 2020, ending up in the emergency room as he couldn’t breathe.

The musician first caught the virus in February 2020, says the last effects he was feeling and explaining that he took “some major medications” to try and beat it. ​“Still coughing,” he said in October. ​“There’s still lung damage.” 

The frontman then contracted it again in mid-November 2020 and even ​“ended up in the ER on December 1”.

Speaking to STROMBO on Apple Music Hits, he says, ​“Ugly, ugly. Couldn’t breathe. I could barely put two words together without going into a coughing fit that, you know? It ended up kind of also progressing into pneumonia. So, if I stayed in the hospital, they said, ​‘Okay, we can keep you here, but you’re fighting 12 other people for a bed and a ventilator we don’t have, so what do you want to do?’ I’m like, ​‘Well, I need to breathe and I need to sleep.’ So, you’re just treating symptoms at that point. There’s nothing you can do other than treat the symptom, so for a real cough medicine, not the crap over-the-counter and then like an inhaler, and some antibiotics to fight the pneumonia and strap the fuck in…”

London Venue The Black Heart Launch Crowdfunder For Survival

London venue The Black Heart, based in Camden, London has launched a crowdfunder after releasing a statement, which you can read in full below. The venue explains that they need help in raising £100,000 or they’ll face the possibility of being unable to re-open. They also state that they’ve had zero help from the government or their landlords to financially stay afloat.

Those who donate will also be in with a chance of winning a prize, as each donation will result as an entry into a raffle.

“FRIENDS, THE BLACK HEART IS IN SERIOUS TROUBLE.

We’ve spent a year adapting our bar and venue to meet government guidelines due to this awful pandemic, but we can go no further on our own.

We need to raise £100,000 by the end of March 2021, or we face the very real prospect of never reopening.

We are independently owned and operated and are proud to have retained all our staff, because we’re a family. We are now reaching out to the extended Black Heart family for support as we launch our #savetheblackheart Crowdfunder.

WE HAVE HAD ZERO HELP FROM THE GOVERNMENT OR OUR LANDLORDS.

By supporting our Crowdfunder you’ll have the opportunity to win something. Simply donate toward the prize you’re keen to win and you will be entered into that raffle.

Every week we will release a new round of prizes and we’ve priced it to cover all budgets.
Week 1 kicks off with prizes from Orange Amplifiers, Ritual Productions, Rise Above Records, BEER + BURGER, Drink Moor Beer and We Are Beer Craft Beer Festival.

The Black Heart is an integral part of the UK underground heavy music scene and international touring circuit. The list of incredible bands that have played in our venue is endless.

THE FUTURE IS LOUD AND HEAVY BUT WE NEED YOUR HELP

Can you imagine a heavy music community without The Black Heart?

Yeah, neither can we.

We love you, we miss you, and we cannot wait to reopen and see you all again soon.”

Those that are looking to donate to the crowdfunder can at crowdfunder.co.uk/savetheblackheart.

Dave Grohl Talks Why Foo Fighters Are Releasing New Music During The Pandemic

The upcoming tenth record by the Foo Fighters, ‘Medicine At Midnight’ has been in the works for a while now and Dave Grohl has been talking on how the release could’ve been delayed further where the band decided the released was needed because they needed it, despite the Coronavirus pandemic.

The band dropped the single, ‘Shame Shame’ with the full record coming in February 2021. Speaking to New York’s Q104.3  (via Blabbermouth), Dave says the band spent ​“months” deciding what to do about releasing it in these strange times, having finished the album earlier this year.

“We started [recording] this, I think, in maybe September last year, and we were finished by January, February,” he says. ​“We were totally done – mixed, mastered, ready to go. Artwork was done; T‑shirts were being made; equipment was on the trucks – we were good to go. And then everything just kind of shut down. Then it was months and months of trying to decide when we would release it. ​‘Okay, do we just put it out now?’ ​‘No, let’s wait. Maybe we’ll see what happens.’ A month later, ​‘Do we put it out now?’ ​‘No, let’s wait.’ ”

The frontman continues: ​“So, six or seven months went by, and I’m like, ​‘We make this music for people to hear. We don’t just make it so that we can go hit the road. We write these songs so people can enjoy them and sing along, whether it’s in their kitchen by themselves with a bottle of Crown Royal or in a stadium bouncing around, singing the choruses.’

“So I was like, ​‘Right now, more than ever, people need something to lift their spirits, something to give them some feeling of relief or escape.’ I was like, ​‘We’ve gotta put it out. Let’s put it out right now.’ I don’t know when we’re gonna hit the road, but we need to give the music to the people, ​’cause that’s why we make it.”

Check out the interview below.

Black Veil Brides Jinxx Gives Covid Update

Last week Jinxx, the guitarist of Black Veil Brides revealed that he had contracted coronavirus and was isolating from his wife and new son Lennon. There has been some good news from his camp as he’s getting better and is advising fans to keep vigilant.

“Thank you all for the outpouring of well wishes I received while I’ve been hunkered down with COVID,” he says. “Little update on my condition, today is the first day I don’t feel like absolute death, although I still can’t smell or taste anything and my brain is still a little foggy. I’m not quite 100 per cent, but I have some energy back and I’m excited because the Department of Health says that I can come out of quarantine tomorrow for Thanksgiving.

“Even though I won’t be able to taste any of the food, I get to hold my wife and son again after a week and a half of not being able to and I’m extremely grateful for that.”

In addition took the opportunity to remind everyone of the importance of being careful over Thanksgiving and Christmas.

“I just wanted to say to everyone to continue to stay safe and please wear a mask! No matter how annoying it is,” he says. “And take this seriously. This is no hoax and cases are spiking everywhere, and no-one is immune. And just because you got a negative result doesn’t make you immune or mean you may not have just contracted it. So be cautious and maybe think twice about travel and gathering plans over the holidays.

“Though I appreciate the good wishes, I’m not sharing my story for sympathy as much as a warning, especially a day before people are most likely gathering with people outside of their household despite CDC guidelines advising not to,” Jinxx continues. “Having a newborn in our lives, we thought we had been super extra careful following all the protocols and yet @mommajinxx and I still got it. So be safe out there, stay home if you can, FaceTime and Zoom exist! Be courteous to your family and the rest of the world, let’s try to avoid any more people getting sick!”

We here at Almost Anything Media do wish Jinxx a speedy recovery!

Could Festivals And Big Shows Return After Easter In The UK?

Could Gigs and Festivals return after Easter in the UK? The signs are on the up after UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock said life could return back to normal by April. The comments came as he spoke on a Covid-19 vaccination program that could start as early as next month, following the development and successful trailers of vaccines by Pfizer, Moderna and Oxford University.

“The bulk of the vaccine rollout programme will be in January, February, March, and we hope that some time after Easter things will be able to start to get back to normal,” he told BBC Breakfast.

The goverment have ordered 100 million doeses of the Oxford vaccine subjec to being approved for public use, as well as 40 million of the Pfizer jab.

In terms of what this means for shows and touring, it’s a massive game changer for a lot of large shows such as Guns N’ Roses and Green Day as well as a lot of festivals returning just in time for the season next summer.

London, UK Venue The Crobar Launch Crowdfunder To Stay Open

It’s no secret that the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic has had a disastrous effect on the music venues throughout the world.

The London Venue has now launched a crowdfuner scheme in an effort to re-open after recently announced their closure.

The venue announced its closure on September 20th 2020 due to being unable to trade for several months as a result of the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

On the closure and crowdfunding campaign, owner Richard Thomas has said:

“Back in June, when I realised there was no way we would survive, I was heartbroken. As well as the obvious loss of all our jobs, I was hit hard by the thought that there are Crobar friends that I’ve seen on a regular basis for donkeys years, that I would never see again. This made me very sad. I also realised from texts and Facebook comments that most of our customers felt the same way.

At that time it felt like the end of the world, but one night soon after, I was reading my daughter a bedtime story, and half way through the book, the pirates ship sunk. “Oh no” I said, “How will the pirates get the treasure now?

My daughter shrugged and said, “They’re pirates Daddy, they’ll just get another ship.”

I am now happy to announce that The Crobar has decided to crowdfund with the aim of raising the money needed to reopen the bar at another location. When life gives you a kicking, kick it back! The aim is not just to reopen the bar, but hopefully to open a live music venue too. With so many venues closing, London will need new ones or its incredible music heritage will die. As a lifelong music fan, I can’t sit back and let that happen.”

The Crobar‘s crowdfunding campaign is live now, with a prize draw that includes pewter belt buckles, Zippo lighters and Richard‘s very last bottle of Crobar whiskey (number 666).