The Cult

[BurningHills]

http://blogs.houstonpress.com/rocks/2012/05/ian_astbury_speaks_out_on_the.php

Ian Astbury Talks The Cult's Upcoming Tour With Against Me! & Laura Jane Grace

By Craig HlavatyThu., May 10 2012 at 3:40 PM

This afternoon, Rocks Off talked to The Cult's Ian Astbury as his band readies to go on tour with Against Me! and the Icarus Line at the end of the month. The month-long summer jaunt that stops at House of Blues June 19 was seen as a masterful juxtaposition of disparate sounding groups. Rocks Off thinks the lineup on this tour is great, but even we had to read it twice.

Normally bands like the titanic Cult go out with the fire-breathing likes of Against Me!, so this was a standard rock tour until this week. Then the announcement in the current issue of Rolling Stone that Tom Gabel, lead singer of Against Me!, was coming out as transgendered brought new attention to the upcoming dates.

The singer and guitarist is currently taking hormones in order to make the transition into a woman. Gabel will become Laura Jane Grace, and remain married to her wife, with whom she has a child. The news sent shockwaves around the music world as people came to understand her situation. Overall there has been lots of support and pride in her openness from fans and colleagues alike.

For some reason, amongst all the press The Cult has been doing lately, no one had asked Astbury about Grace's news until Rocks off breached the issue on Thursday.
 
"I think it's fine, it's his life, and I support whatever he wants to do. He seems like a very beautiful person," Astbury says. "This is very courageous,"

"I would like to think the culture is opening up enough now, with Obama's recent words too. Aren't we beginning to see now in culture that the patriarchal machine has driven us into a ditch this millenia?"

On Wednesday, President Barack Obama went on record stating that he believes gay couples should have the right to get married.

Astbury welcomes and champions the recent drive in strong female roles in pop-culture in movies and music, iconic and heroic characters who are women.

"You don't see these wars being created by women. It's all lead by men," he adds. He points to friends like Genesis P-Orridge, who has been ahead of the curve now for years in terms of challenging gender roles. Astbury thinks aloud that this may all be apart of something bigger.

"Maybe we are all evolving into one sex, and one gender. It's possible isn't it?" he says.

Astbury is no stranger to people judging him by his looks either. His flowing black hair and Gothic-shaman clothing weren't always welcome.

"I was definitely at the end of other peoples' boots and fists because of the way I looked," he says. "But I can be quite tasty in a fight. I had to learn that."

Astbury reminds Rocks Off that the Cult had toured with a transgendered performer too, with Canadian rock band the Cliks opening for his band on a past tour.

Lead singer Lucas Silveira and his band made music history as one of the first bands with an openly transgendered front man to be signed to a major label.

I greatly respect and appreciate Ian's perspective on Tom Gabel.  I only hope the rest of those in attendance feel the same way

Ali

Ian is good people.

Hoping to run in to him in Philly!

[FunkyMonkey]

Now this is something I'd like to see.

Duff McKagan

I want to tour the US finally. Hell or high-damn-water!

AJ Celi

@DuffMcKagan You should go with The Cult!! Call Billy! How sick would that tour be???

Duff McKagan

@AJCeli Uh....OKAY!!!!!!!! You know someone who has an 'in', i hear?

AJ Celi

@DuffMcKagan I think it would be the perfect match up! Billy's playing footie up at Robbie Williams (name drop) but I already text him!

May 8 2012

It would not surprise me if this actually did happen, early word is The Cult will be doing more North American gigs in August so the door may be open.

It would be a cool rock show for sure although I still remain opposed to Duff singing anywhere near an open microphone..

Nice.  The Cult are not playing in my city so maybe they'll come through in August...with Duff.

And I agree Duff's not my favorite singer.  But I'd like to see him perform and if I could see him with The Cult for the first time...that would be very cool.

[Falcon]

Here's their confirmed dates thus far, seems August maybe a bit ambitious for more US gigs although it's definitely a possibility.

Thanks to www.cultcentral.com for the following:

May 25/2012 - San Diego, California, Humphreys Concerts By The Bay
May 26/2012 - Las Vegas, Nevada, M Resort
May 27/2012 - San Francisco, California, The Fillmore
May 30/2012 - Denver, Colorado, Ogden Theater
Jun 1/2012 - Chicago, Illinois, Congress Theater
Jun 2/2012 - Windsor, Ontario, Windsor Riverfront Amphitheatre (Beaverfest)
Jun 3/2012 - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Stage AE
Jun 5/2012 - Boston, Massachusetts, House Of Blues
Jun 7/2012 - Buffalo, New York, Erie Canal Harbor Central Wharf
Jun 8/2012 - New York, New York, Terminal 5
Jun 9/2012 - Hampton Beach, New Hampshire, Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom
Jun 10/2012 - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Electric Factory
Jun 12/2012 - Silver Springs, Maryland, The Fillmore Silver Springs
Jun 13/2012 - Norfolk, Virginia, The Norva
Jun 15/2012 - Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, House Of Blues
Jun 16/2012 - Orlando, Florida, House Of Blues
Jun 17/2012 - Atlanta, Georgia, The Tabernacle
Jun 19/2012 - Houston, Texas, House Of Blues
Jun 20/2012 - Dallas, Texas, House Of Blues
Jun 22/2012 - Tempe, Arizona, Marquee Theater
Jun 23/2012 - Hollywood, California, Palladium
Jun 28/2012 - Belgrade, Serbia, Usce Park (Ozzy & Friends Festival)
Jun 29/2012 - Graz, Austria, See-Rock Festival
Jul 1/2012 - Bucharest, Romania, Rock The City Festival
Jul 3/2012 - Split, Croatia, Spaladium Arena
Jul 4/2012 - Ljubljana, Slovenia, Kino Siska
Jul 5 or 6/2012 - Roskilde, Denmark, Roskilde Festival
Jul 7/2012 - Zottegem, Belgium, Rock Zottegem Festival
Jul 8/2012 - Weert, Holland, Bospop Festival
Jul 10/2012 - Utrecht, Holland, Tivoli
Jul 13/2012 - Piazzola Sul Brenta, Italy, Anfiteatro Camerini (Hydrogen Festival)
Jul 14/2012 - Rimini, Italy, Velvet Rock
Jul 15/2012 - Milano, Italy, Carroponte
Jul 17/2012 - Barcelona, Spain, Razzmatazz
Jul 18/2012 - Madrid, Spain, La Riviera
Jul 19/2012 - Vila Nova De Gaia, Portugal, Cabedelo (Festival Mar�s Vivas)
Jul 22/2012 - Palma De Mallorca, Spain, Son Fusteret
Sep 11/2012 - Newcastle, England, Metro Arena
Sep 12/2012 - Sheffield, England, Motorpoint Arena
Sep 14/2012 - Manchester, England, Manchester Arena
Sep 15/2012 - Birmingham, England, LG Arena
Sep 16/2012 - London, England, Wembley Arena

[Falcon]

Ian vid interview from FridaeTV, interesting stuff.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZKeHibnABQ&feature=player_embedded

[Falcon]

Billy's this months cover story for Vintage Guitar mag

[FunkyMonkey]

Hopefully this isn't one you've already posted.  An interview with Billy Duffy:

Interview: Billy Duffy - Captain Riffs

June 2012

The Bob Rock produced "Choice of Weapon," is a strikingly rich return to form, arguably deeper lyrically and broader stylistically than 2001?s "Beyond Good and Evil" or 2007?s "Born Into This."

http://www.premierguitar.com/Magazine/Issue/2012/Jun/Interview_Billy_Duffy_Captain_Riffs.aspx?Page=1

[Falcon]

That Metal Show sneak peak with Ian talking about The Doors and how he was originally asked to play Morrison in Oliver Stone's Doors bio flick..

http://www.vh1.com/music/tuner/2012-05-10/sneak-peek-ian-astbury-and-billy-duffy-from-the-cult-on-that-metal-show/

Tom Morello and DJ Ashba make cameo's tomorrow night as well, Tom in the "Top 5" segment and DJ on "Stump the Trunk".

Bonus clips with The Cult, Tom Morello, DJ Ashba and Doro can be viewed here:

http://www.vh1.com/video/misc/766045/the-cult-on-guns-n-roses-opening-for-them.jhtml#id=1684526

[Falcon]

http://presspassla.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=593:the-cult-choice-of-weapon&Itemid=67

THE CULT: CHOICE OF WEAPON
 
By Veena Venkersammy
 
It has been nearly two years since the release of The Cult?s two EP?s Capsule 1 & 2. The Cult?s British post-punk and hard rock metal style came through to mainstream audiences in the mid 80?s with hard rock songs like ?Fire Woman? and ?She Sells Sanctuary?. In music, timing is everything, and seeing the cover of their latest album, Choice of Weapon, immediately brought many current themes in our world to mind.
 
The fa?ade of a Native-American Shaman is the only color to the black and white image of a man seemingly on a spiritual path of awakening and revolution. The first song ?Honey From a Knife? opens with Duffy?s chunky, and edgy guitar tone thickening as over an energizing rock rhythm. When Astbury?s first words are heard, the lyrics instantly begin to connect the album artwork to the music effortlessly. Choice of Weapon addresses and communicates the current global climate from the human perspective in a direct but more poetic fashion.
 
The next tune, ?Elemental Light? reminds me of the deep dynamic qualities shared between Astbury and Jim Morrison, not only in their vocal/sonic characteristics. Both singers have noted a fascination with Native American mysticism and nature, being a key source of inspiration in their work. Astbury?s vocals allow Duffy?s rich guitar passages to shine through at all the right moments here. Lyrical verses: ?Everyone of us feels alone inside sometimes/Everyone of us has forgotten our way.? A reoccurring message in Choice of Weapon calls to the true nature of being alive, and the ailment of media overload in society quickly conditioning us to accept an unsatisfactory outlook on life as we miss the beauty in everything.
 
The piece ?Life>Death? is a pause in the album?s driving hard rock sound. It introduces soft acoustic piano progressions combined with powerful guitar textures and a direct message to the growing corporate giants that cover our eyes and ears. Astbury sings with passion and fervor, ?You can?t destroy them/The beauty and the youth/ You?ll never beat them/You?ll never hide the truth? The proceeding song ?For the Animals? features a register of warm, fuzzy, aggressive guitar parts with tenacious energy in the of context global uncertainty and blindness: ?Dark cities you crawling in/ Dark prisons your living in/ You losing millions of cells/ Spit your mantra Go got Hell?. Watch the For the Animals video!
 
As the track ?Lucifer? starts up, I don?t realize I am on track eight of Choice of Weapon; the album is continuously engaging. The piece opens with Tempesta?s drums in a big sounding Led Zeppelin fashion with potent hard rock riffs surely to capture the ears of modern rock radio listeners. With only two songs remaining in the queue, it hits me that this is one of The Cult?s most powerful, well written bodies of work. The conclusion to this album ?This Night in The City Forever? could not be more fitting. The tune boasts stellar rock arrangement, tempo changes and musicianship surely to leave a second listen desired: ?I am running in the black light/ My skull in flame in the night/ Pull out your knife, Pull out your knife/ We can make it right.?
 
This CD is packaged impressively like a hardcover book. Inside the glossy cover is a 24-page booklet filled with heady artwork, lyrics, and credits. After that is the 4-track bonus disc of the Cult?s work prior to Choice of Weapon. The Cult created an album that will satisfy existing followers and create new ones. Its timeless themes of oppression, love, and redemption call on all of us today to think twice of the path we choose!
 
Choice of Weapon releases May 22nd and The Cult kicks of their North American concert tour May 25th. The band takes the stage at the Hollywood Palladium on June 23rd. To purchase tickets, visit Ticketmaster.

[BurningHills]

Is there any piece of media that the guys AREN'T on these days? 

[Falcon]

Ian at Explore Music - this is really informative.

Subjects include setlists, piano's in a live setting w/ The Cult (not happening thank God), IA's and Trent Reznor's "Storm Group" (which is still yet to see the light of day) and The Cult collaborating with RZA.

Part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKLrbHRIes0&feature=player_embedded

Part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJF_fng-WJs&feature=relmfu

Part 3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0rRn0MW-b8&feature=player_embedded

[Falcon]

Ian vid interview with Press Plus 1

Part 1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8C9XZMxXCVE&feature=related

Part 2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCCGQRUdFfI&feature=relmfu

[Falcon]

Billy on Sixx Sense Radio:

http://www.kegl.com/pages/sixxsense.html?article=10127256

[Falcon]

Duff McKagan's latest ESPN column:

A big win for Manchester City, Billy Duffy

http://espn.go.com/blog/playbook/sounds/post/_/id/1163/finally-time-for-billy-duffy-manchester-city

Musician Duff McKagan's column runs every Wednesday on Playbook Sounds.

In August 1987, I was headed out to play my first-ever arena tour. The Cult gave GN?R the opening slot for a tour that would cross Canada, come down the West Coast, and then shoot across to the Southwest and finally end in New Orleans.
 
I met Cult guitarist especial Billy Duffy on that first night in Halifax, Nova Scotia -- that was nearly 25 years ago now -- and even way back then, his soccer team Manchester City was on an epic losing streak of 20 or so years.
 
I could empathize. I am, after all, from Seattle.

You can?t mess around when talking or writing about English football. If you are an American, and don?t know much about that whole scene over there, be careful about saying such throwaway things as ?I think I?ll pull for Liverpool this year.? I did that once in an interview with some UK magazine. I mean, why not? The Beatles are from Liverpool, and I thought it was a fairly innocuous and tame thing to state. No. I caught a whole rash of crap from each city I went to in England after that.
 
Manchester, England, is a city about the same size as Seattle or, say, Cleveland. Imagine if Cleveland had the Browns and the Steelers both hailing from the same city? Or if Seattle had the Seahawks and the Raiders? And both teams had originated from different sides of town, and had somehow split the fandom somewhere right down the middle of town.
 
I went to a friendly between the Seattle Sounders and Manchester United last summer and was quickly made aware of just how huge and dominant, worldwide, Man U was. The merchandise factor alone for that team is that of the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Lakers combined. Being the underdog fan that I have become from being a Seattle fan, I had a decidedly angled mistrust of that Manchester United machine. But they had all of the appearance and strut of a machine that expected to win.
 
Billy Duffy and I have remained good pals over these years. We just did a trip together to South America. When you are together with dudes for a long period of time, the topic will inevitably lead to sports. This where I started to get the full (albeit slanted) story of what was going on in the Premier League this season. Manchester City was then eight points out of the lead against Manchester United, but City had a real chance at last, after 44 years of sucking pretty valiantly.
 
A lot has been made in the Premier League this year of how Manchester City ?bought? an all-star team. This kind of stuff happens, of course, all the time here in America. It has worked out for some (?97 Florida Marlins, for example), and hasn?t worked for others (the yet-unproven Miami Heat). You do still have to win the games, and a team -- all-star or not -- has to learn how to play and win over a full season.
 
As this Premier League season came to an end, Man City won the games that they had to, and Man U lost the games that they should have won, and those two teams were neck-and-neck coming in to last weekend. Do-or-die time. A good sports story. If City (basically) won on Sunday, they would win the Premiership for the first time in 44 years.
 
Last week, the Los Angeles-based Mancunian Billy Duffy could take it no more. He had to get back home and see this last game for himself. I got a call from him. He asked if I thought he?d be jinxing his team. He told me about all of the games he went to with his dad when he was a little kid. He told me about the horrible fields that City had to play on when they were relegated down two whole leagues (Relegation would be a whole other topic to write about, eh?). I have seen first-hand how Billy Duffy has suffered year after year for that team. ?Dude. You should go!? was my answer.
 
He went.

They won.

Whether Man City was a team put together by large amounts of cash or not, they still had to win. That is perhaps a harder thing to do when you are just not at all used to the upside.
 
So, to Chelsea, and Man United, and Everton, and Liverpool, Arsenal (best team name in all of sports), Newcastle, Aston Villa, Stoke, and all of the rest: Good luck for next year, and at least you didn?t suffer the fate of poor old Wolverhampton ... a relegated team this year.
 
Congratulations to all of you fans of Manchester City. It is a great story for your lot.
 
Now, if only the Seattle Mariners could get Derek Jeter, Albert Pujols, Josh Hamilton, Stephen Strasburg, CC Sabathia, and Roy Halladay on the team for next year.

McKagan's Playlist:

Another thing that we dudes talked about on that South American tour was The Cult's new record "Choice Of Weapon" (iTunes | Amazon). It is sometimes hard to be stuck on a trip with someone, and they ask you to listen to their new record. What if the record isn't good? Or, what if you can't stand the band already?

Luckily, neither were a factor when I did get to listen to this epic and ferocious new Cult record. Billy and Ian are kicking ass, and this is the freshest rock record that I have heard for quite awhile. Catch the Cult on tour this summer, and get this record! Out May 22.

[BurningHills]

Catch the Cult on tour this summer, and get this record! Out May 22.[/b][/i]

No problem, Duff. I plan on doing both! 

[Falcon]

Audio interview with IA from The Block Radio can be heard here:

http://www.theblockradio.com/2012/05/51612/

[Falcon]

"Choice of Weapon" review from The American Music Channel:

http://americanmusicchannel.com/features/reviews/5-14-2012/choice-weapon


By : Andrew Vaughan

Hard to believe that The Cult have been around since post-punk 1983. Like any band that aspired to such longevity there have been highs and lows along the way and a few misfires as they attempted to adapt to rock?s changing climates but this time around they?ve nailed it.
Mixing the band?s love of the eccentric with their powerful free lowing tough rock and roll hasn?t always been successful but it seems age and maturity has given them the freedom to finally have fun with their music and their legacy.

Ian Astbury?s curdling vocals are tremendous throughout while Billy Duffy?s venomous guitar is a start reminder that rock and roll will never die.

Life > Death is a rock and roll rebellion to the core, while For the Animals bristles with darkness, venom and crunching spitting guitar. Ata time when rock and roll with depth and sense is woefully lacking form the mainstream this album could be one of the most significant of 2012. Welcome back, and thanks.

[Falcon]

Billy's 2012 guitar rig from Guitar Geek:

http://www.guitargeek.com/billy-duffy-the-cult-2012/

[BurningHills]

Apparently some people are receiving their CD's from Amazon early.

[Falcon]

Apparently some people are receiving their CD's from Amazon early.

In the states?

[Falcon]

Ian interview from Louder Than War, a great read:

http://louderthanwar.com/ian-astbury-from-the-cult-in-depth-interview-about-the-new-album/