HRD Radio Report – Week Ending 8/24/14

HRD RADIO REPORT 

The HRD Radio Report showcases the weekly Active Rock Mediabase Charts (compiled by AllAccess.com), and appears every Tuesday on HardRockDaddy.com.  The HRD Radio Report digs deeper into the weekly Active Rock charts, providing commentary, reviews, recommendations and predictions.  The HRD Radio Report will also be quoting radio and record industry people on a regular basis, and talking directly to a variety of hard rock artists about their music, tours and more!

Many of the artists featured on the Active Rock charts have already been reviewed on HardRockDaddy.com.

Click on the hyperlinked song titles to read song reviews, and the hyperlinked artist names to read album reviews.

The following is the Active Rock Mediabase Chart for the week ending 8/24/14.  All exclusive HRD content is featured below the chart:

 

CHART POSITION THIS WEEK	CHART POSITION LAST WEEK	ARTIST	SONG TITLE	RADIO SPINS THIS WEEK
1	1	NOTHING MORE	“This Is The Time (Ballast)”	1889
2	3	SEETHER	“Words As Weapons”	1749
2	2	GODSMACK	“1000hp”	1729
4	5	PRETTY RECKLESS	“Messed Up World”	1571
5	4	LINKIN PARK	“Until It’s Gone”	1562
6	6	RISE AGAINST	“I Don’t Want To Be Here”	1390
7	7	YOU ME AT SIX	“Room To Breathe”	1155
8	9	SLASH	“World On Fire”	1080
9	10	STARSET	“My Demons”	1079
10	13	CHEVELLE	“Hunter Eats Hunter”	1048
11	11	WE AS HUMAN	“Take The Bullets Away”	1043
12	14	WEEZER	“Back To The Shack”	1019
13	12	KORN	“Hater”	1011
14	0	NICKELBACK	“Edge Of A Revolution”	775
15	16	CROBOT	“Nowhere To Hide”	739
16	18	SIXX A.M.	“Gotta Get It Right”	715
17	8	THEORY OF A DEADMAN	“Drown”	715
18	19	AVENGED SEVENFOLD	“This Means War”	575
19	21	SKILLET	“Rise”	571
20	24	ROYAL BLOOD	“Figure It Out”	518
21	20	KONGOS	“Come With Me Now”	489
22	22	FRAMING HANLEY	“Criminal”	476
23	26	DEVOUR THE DAY	“Respect”	415
24	28	BRING ME THE HORIZON	“Can You Feel My Heart”	389
25	25	OTHERWISE	“Darker Side Of The Moon”	384
26	23	LIKE A STORM	“Love The Way You Hate Me”	382
27	29	BLACK KEYS	“Gotta Get Away”	375
28	27	ISLANDER	“Coconut Dracula”	366
29	31	A DAY TO REMEMBER	“End Of Me”	300
30	35	ASKING ALEXANDRIA	“Moving On”	271
31	30	BLACK LABEL SOCIETY	“Angel Of Mercy”	259
32	33	FOZZY	“Lights Go Out”	254
33	36	DIRTY HEADS	“My Sweet Summer”	219
34	34	REDLIGHT KING	“Devil’s Dance”	217
35	43	THOUSAND FOOT KRUTCH	“Born This Way”	209
36	51	HELLYEAH	“Moth”	208
37	41	SLIPKNOT	“The Negative One”	208
38	42	NONPOINT	“Breaking Skin”	199
39	40	SLEEPWAVE	“Through The Looking Glass”	193
40	32	ESCAPE THE FATE	“Picture Perfect”	182
41	61	POP EVIL	“Beautiful”	162
42	45	FUEL	“Cold Summer”	159
43	47	EVE TO ADAM	“Locked & Loaded”	156
44	65	FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH	“Wrong Side Of Heaven”	150
45	44	FLYLEAF	“Set Me On Fire”	139
46	46	TRIVIUM	“Villainy Thrives”	127
47	38	AVATAR	“Bloody Angel”	110
48	49	WITHIN REASON	“Enemy”	108
49	53	KONGOS	“I’m Only Joking”	104
50	58	RIVAL SONS	“Open My Eyes”	100

 

BAM-BAM’S BREAKDOWN

By Craig “Bam-Bam” Stegall

In addition to discussing some wacky surprises (that landed some brand new tracks on this week’s Active Rock radio chart), we also have a fantastic interview with Roadrunner Records’ longtime VP of Promotions & Marketing, Mark Abramson.  Mark and I discussed the Roadrunner artists featured on this week’s chart, some up-and-coming artists on the label and I dig for the inside scoop on who is going to be named the new drummer of Slipknot.  The highlights of the interview are featured below, and the entire interview will be will be posted exclusively on Hard Rock Daddy in the coming days.

 

 

CHART TOPPERS:

For the second week in a row, rising stars, Nothing More, remain in the #1 slot with their powerhouse single, “This Is The Time (Ballast).”

Surprisingly, Godsmack’s “1000hp” slipped from the #2 slot, edged out by Seether’s “Words As Weapons” by a mere 20-spins.  If “1000hp” starts to trend downwards, it wouldn’t be surprising to see a follow-up single from Sully & The Boys come out sooner rather than later.

 

 

CHART HIGHLIGHTS:

It’s no surprise that Nickelback entered the Top 30 with their latest single, “Edge Of A Revolution.”  What you may find surprising is that I am not one of those who takes pride in being a Nickelback “hater.”  After seeing them live in 2009, I’ve changed my tune as to whether these guys know how to rock or not, and I welcome almost everything they put out with an open ear.

“Edge Of A Revolution” catapulted all the way to the #14 slot this week out of thin air!  Rather than going for a cocksure ballad, the Canadian hit-makers decided to go for an edgier single this time around.  I predict that the song will crack the Top 10 next week, so keep your radar out for this pretty rocking little track.

The biggest surprise of the week was the epic plummet of “Painkiller” by Three Days Grace.  While “Painkiller” is an older track that has been on the charts for some time now, I was shocked that it was nowhere to be found in the Top 50 after a lengthy run that had them in the #13 slot just last week.  This “fall from grace” opened up the door for Five Finger Death Punch to break into the Top 50 with yet another hit off of their ambitious double album The Wrong Side Of Heaven And The Righteous Side Of Hell (Volumes 1 & 2) with “Wrong Side Of Heaven” (which landed in the #44 position).

The other surprising drop out of the Top 50 was HellYeah’s “Sangre Por Sangre (Blood For Blood).”  However, unlike Three Days Grace, HellYeah remained in the Top 50 with their latest single, “Moth.”  One week after the track was featured on “Bam-Bam’s Big Ones,” it ended up in the #36 position on the chart.  Keep an eye on this track; it’s got legs!

 

 

CHART CLIMBER:

Hands down, the Chart Climber of the week goes to none other than those badass Michigan boys – Pop Evil.  Their latest single, “Beautiful”, is no joke!  Fueled by their mainstage spot on the current Uproar Tour, this hard working band bulleted from an unseen position in the Top 50 (#61 to be exact), all the way up to the #41 position on the chart.  Look for this track to crack the Top 20 within the next two weeks, gang!

 

 

BAM-BAM’S BIG ONES!:

 Get your minds out of the gutter!  “Bam-Bam’s Big Ones” is not about my nether region.  This weekly feature is simply one man’s opinion on the music that you SHOULD be listening to if you like the music that is regularly featured on Hard Rock Daddy and the HRD Radio Report.  You dig?  No payouts, no bias…just killer music that I get the chance to hear before others because I’m cool like that!

 

This week’s “Bam-Bam’s Big Ones!” are:

* Theory Of A Deadman

* Slipknot

* King 801

* The Amity Affliction

* Black Stone Cherry

* Marmozets

 

Helping me out this week with my “big ones,” is my old pal, and well-respected industry/label stalwart, Mark Abramson, whose knowledge of rock music is beyond human.  His passion for the genre and willingness to give back and share his expertise is what keeps him at the top of everyone’s list for insight.

While interviewing him for this Hard Rock Daddy / HRD Radio Report exclusive, the man was literally walking out the door to embark upon a two-week vacation, but still took the time to talk music with no limits.

As the VP of Promotions & Marketing for Roadrunner Records, Mark oversees all nationwide rock and metal radio promotions for the label.

 

Bam-Bam (BB):  “How long have you worked for Roadrunner?”

 

Mark Abramson (MA):  “I’ve been here for about 20 or 21-years…so I’ve literally been here since it was a tiny, little label.”

 

BB:  “Tell me about how Roadrunner has evolved throughout the years.”

 

MA:  “We started off as a metal label, underground, street-level thing, but even back then, we had our attempts to go for the more ‘modern’ stuff.  We built our credibility with those metal bands.  Type-O Negative put us on the map, and then Slipknot came in and solidified that, so we were able to make the connections, if you will, to get the people on board with us to be able to sign and promote bands like Nickelback…and you know, Theory Of A Deadman.  We were literally planning it all from the beginning.  We just knew we had to overcome a lot of other hurdles to get there.” 

.

BB:  “Since you brought up Slipknot, this is the perfect time to address the ‘elephant in the room.’  (Mark laughs)  So you know where I’m going with this, don’t you?” (more laughter).  C’mon, bro…we all want to know – who is the new Slipknot drummer that you guys are keeping a secret from everyone?”

 

MA:  “I’ll give you the exclusive, bro (giggling).  It is ME!” (we both crack up).  Look, I will say this…it’s not going to be a big, distracting name.  That would be a mistake.  No one is going to be disappointed, I can promise you that. 

 

BB:  “I guess we’ll find out who the new drummer is soon enough.  What are your thoughts on the new record?”

 

MA:  The record is sick; the band is back with a vengeance; it’s amazing!  I think that anyone who starts trying to crap on this record is either an Internet troll or just doesn’t want to like Slipknot for some reason.  It’s that simple.”

 

BB:  “What is the most anticipated Roadrunner Release to come out this year?” 

 

MA:  “You know, that’s tough.  The new Theory Of A Deadman is an exciting record.  I’ve worked with those guys from the beginning, and their last record was not their best.  I mean, it had some great moments, but there were some things about it that even the band wasn’t happy with, so they went back and rediscovered what they really wanted to do.  Honestly, this record (as I’ve told them to their faces) is the best record that they’ve ever done.  It’s just an incredible rock record, and I know people will find something that sticks here.”

[HRD NOTE:  TOAD’s current single, “Drown,” fell 9 spots to number 17 this week, but Mark sees more singles from this album which will attack the Top 10 in coming weeks.]

 

MA:  “As far as Slipknot is concerned, I’m very excited for that record.  The funny thing is, the single that’s on the radio now (‘The Negative One’) was not supposed to drop for Active Rock.  It was meant for Metal Radio, but it just hit big at Active as a coincidence because it’s Slipknot. 

‘The Devil And I’ is going to Active Radio as the proper single from the upcoming album, and it’s going to explode!  It’s so exciting to get Slipknot back!  It’s got the melody, the aggression…it’s incredible! 

Also, the Trivium record is going to be massive.  To the metal world, they’re not a baby band, but for regular radio, they’re still fairly new. 

We’ve also got this thing with King 801 (which just came out and it’s going to cause a stir).  We’re working a second single with Black Stone Cherry, and I’m a huge fan of The Amity Affliction album.  I’ll be releasing another single from their album that I just love.  I think it is one of the most amazing things to come out in a long time, and I expect them to make a run at the charts very soon. 

Another one that’s going to be a big priority for us is Marmozets out of the U.K. We’re going to be prioritizing that for the next year because they’ve got this incredible female, rock vocalist named Becka.  She’s just amazing.  I love, love, love this band!” 

 

BB:  Thanks to our buddy, Mark Abrahamson from Roadrunner Records.  The full, exclusive interview with Mark will appear in the coming days on HardRockDaddy.com.

 

 

I CALL B#LL$HIT!:

Each week (for reasons unknown) there are songs on the chart by bands that don’t belong on Active Rock Radio.  Hard Rock Daddy launched the HRD Radio Report to showcase and report on hard rock bands on radio.  Rather than edit these bands off the chart, we decided to add an “I CALL B#LL$HIT!” feature to this column to point out the bands that have no place on Active Rock Radio.

 

Here are this week’s “I CALL B#LL$HIT!” bands:

• Black Keys
• Dirty Heads
• Weezer

 

BAM-BAM’S “I CALL B#LL$HIT!” RANT…

Like last week, all three of these bands caused a major disturbance in my bowel movements, and made me realize that we need LIVE radio, now more than ever!

All of this voice-tracking and pre-recording of shows has left the listener cold and abandoned in their search for great, new hard rock music.  If we had more live jocks working active dayparts to help eliminate this travesty, we could nip this in the bud tomorrow.  People WANT to call a radio station, talk to their favorite DJs to request new music and ask about a song that they just heard.

Without a personal touch, people are left to just wallow around in the commercialized bullshit that we all hate about this industry.  That’s not what this genre was founded on.  We used to trade tapes and share our discoveries.  Rock DJs were allowed to add new music to their playlists, but it’s just not that way anymore, and it needs to stop!  Programmers need to disengage the safety-button that keeps them from making sound decisions (no pun intended), and quit listening to the people who can only benefit from album sales.  Just my 2-cents, but if more people joined me, we’d have a couple bucks to help programmers buy a clue!

 

 

FROM THE PUBLISHER’S DESK:

Bam-Bam’s “I CALL B#LL$HIT!” rant has inspired a publisher’s op-ed piece on music sharing and discovery that will appear this week on HardRockDaddy.com.  This hard rock music marketing piece may ruffle some feathers, but hopefully, it will provide some food for thought…

 

 

WRAP-UP:

That’s it for this week!  Tune in to HardRockDaddy.com every Tuesday for the HRD Radio Report and Bam-Bam’s Breakdown.

Next Tuesday, we bring you excerpts from our exclusive interview with Shannon Larkin of Godsmack as we discuss the Uproar Tour.  We also will be taking a look at some of the heavy tracks being introduced into the Active Rock mainstream by metal promoters like Munsey Ricci (from Skateboard Marketing).  See you next week!

Peace/Out!