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. This weekly report also features quotes from radio and record industry people on a regular basis, in addition to 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 8/31/14. 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)” | 1686 |
| 2 | 4 | PRETTY RECKLESS | “Messed Up World” | 1625 |
| 3 | 5 | LINKIN PARK | “Until It’s Gone” | 1597 |
| 4 | 2 | SEETHER | “Words As Weapons” | 1578 |
| 5 | 3 | GODSMACK | “1000hp” | 1389 |
| 6 | 6 | RISE AGAINST | “I Don’t Want To Be Here” | 1374 |
| 7 | 7 | YOU ME AT SIX | “Room To Breathe” | 1253 |
| 8 | 9 | STARSET | “My Demons” | 1151 |
| 9 | 8 | SLASH | “World On Fire” | 1122 |
| 10 | 10 | CHEVELLE | “Hunter Eats Hunter” | 1070 |
| 11 | 12 | WEEZER | “Back To The Shack” | 1048 |
| 12 | 13 | KORN | “Hater” | 1017 |
| 13 | 14 | NICKELBACK | “Edge Of A Revolution” | 909 |
| 14 | 16 | SIXX A.M. | “Gotta Get It Right” | 715 |
| 15 | 15 | CROBOT | “Nowhere To Hide” | 777 |
| 16 | 20 | ROYAL BLOOD | “Figure It Out” | 747 |
| 17 | 19 | SKILLET | “Rise” | 646 |
| 18 | 358 | SLIPKNOT | “The Devil And I” | 528 |
| 19 | 17 | THEORY OF A DEADMAN | “Drown” | 514 |
| 20 | 27 | BLACK KEYS | “Gotta Get Away” | 511 |
| 21 | 23 | DEVOUR THE DAY | “Respect” | 473 |
| 22 | 22 | FRAMING HANLEY | “Criminal” | 451 |
| 23 | 25 | OTHERWISE | “Darker Side Of The Moon” | 440 |
| 24 | 24 | BRING ME THE HORIZON | “Can You Feel My Heart” | 426 |
| 25 | 28 | ISLANDER | “Coconut Dracula” | 382 |
| 26 | 29 | A DAY TO REMEMBER | “End Of Me” | 378 |
| 27 | 26 | LIKE A STORM | “Love The Way You Hate Me” | 342 |
| 28 | 30 | ASKING ALEXANDRIA | “Moving On” | 304 |
| 29 | 44 | FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH | “Wrong Side Of Heaven” | 296 |
| 30 | 32 | FOZZY | “Lights Go Out” | 270 |
| 31 | 36 | HELLYEAH | “Moth” | 260 |
| 32 | 38 | NONPOINT | “Breaking Skin” | 249 |
| 33 | 41 | POP EVIL | “Beautiful” | 240 |
| 34 | 35 | THOUSAND FOOT KRUTCH | “Born This Way” | 231 |
| 35 | 69 | DEATH FROM ABOVE 1979 | “Trainwreck 1979” | 205 |
| 36 | 39 | SLEEPWAVE | “Through The Looking Glass” | 180 |
| 37 | 43 | EVE TO ADAM | “Locked & Loaded” | 177 |
| 38 | 42 | FUEL | “Cold Summer” | 173 |
| 39 | 31 | BLACK LABEL SOCIETY | “Angel Of Mercy” | 164 |
| 40 | 34 | REDLIGHT KING | “Devil’s Dance” | 161 |
| 41 | 49 | KONGOS | “I’m Only Joking” | 157 |
| 42 | 33 | DIRTY HEADS | “My Sweet Summer” | 141 |
| 43 | 45 | FLYLEAF | “Set Me On Fire” | 140 |
| 44 | 37 | SLIPKNOT | “The Negative One” | 118 |
| 45 | 46 | TRIVIUM | “Villainy Thrives” | 116 |
| 46 | 54 | SHAMAN’S HARVEST | “Dangerous” | 114 |
| 47 | 50 | RIVAL SONS | “Open My Eyes” | 105 |
| 48 | 47 | AVATAR | “Bloody Angel” | 87 |
| 49 | 52 | STARS IN STEREO | “Leave Your Mark” | 83 |
| 50 | 48 | WITHIN REASON | “Enemy” | 82 |
BAM-BAM’S BREAKDOWN
By Craig “Bam-Bam” Stegall
As is always the case during holiday reporting weeks, some crazy things happened this week at Active Rock Radio. We had bands come out of complete obscurity to land in the Top 50.
This week, we check in with Shannon Larkin (Godsmack), one of the best rock drummers on the scene today, and a close personal friend of mine dating back to our teenage years. Laying down the groove for one of the most successful hard rock bands of this generation, Shannon is featured on the cover of this month’s Drum Magazine. HRD Radio Report brings you an exclusive update from Shannon, who is currently out on the road on the Rockstar Energy Drink UPROAR Tour.
CHART TOPPERS:
It’s a three-peat for Nothing More! For the third consecutive week, the Texas rockers locked up the top slot on the chart with “This Is The Time (Ballast).”
Mad props to The Pretty Reckless who jumped from #4 spot last week with “Messed Up World” to easily dominate the #2 position this week (only 61 spins behind Nothing More). The song has hung around for a while now, but it doesn’t look like its done vying for the #1 position. Expect to see it in the Top 5 again next week.
CHART HIGHLIGHTS:
Shaman’s Harvest landed in the #46 position with their new single “Dangerous.” This isn’t the first time that they have come out of nowhere to make an impact on the Active Rock Radio chart. In 2010, their hit song “Dragonfly” dominated the charts. It looks like “Dangerous” will be no different. This little Nickelback-meets-Black Stone Cherry ditty will have everyone reaching for the volume knob for weeks to come. Let’s all consider their entry this week at #46 (up from their debut at #54 last week) a sign of hope, that sometimes, it truly is about the music and good things happening to good bands that just keep plugging away. Get used to hearing this one gang, this track has staying power!
Stars In Stereo (a band that I’ve NEVER heard of, and I consider myself pretty tuned in to the radio radar) squeaked into the Top 50, landing in the #49 position with “Leave Your Mark.” This sexy, seductive, female-fronted band has a hot video for the song that has been largely censored. If you can find the uncensored version on YouTube, you’ll definitely want to check it out. I’m not so sure I dig the song as much as I do the crazy, acid-trip video, but it seems that rock radio is embracing this newcomer with open arms. We’ll see next week whether the song has legs, or is just a flash in the pan.
CHART CLIMBER:
Slipknot’s latest single, “The Devil & I” shot up like a bolt of lightning from its debut spot last week at #358 into the Top 20, landing in the #18 position. Is this surprising? Not at all! This band can do no wrong, so you can expect the Top 5 to look very different next week, as it will almost assuredly include Corey Taylor and the boys. It’s also no surprise that their first single – “The Negative One” – is still nicely planted in the Top 50 this week (#44). Having two singles making an impact like this is no small feat, my friends.
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! J
This week’s “Bam-Bam’s Big Ones!” are:
- Charm City Devils – “Shots” (see Hard Rock Daddy Review)
- Beauty In The Suffering – “Juliet”
- Blue Stahli – “Ready, Aim, Fire”
- Phillip H Anselmo & The Illegals – “Walk Through Exits Only”
BAM-BAM’S BANTER: Featuring Shannon Larkin (Godsmack)
I’ve heard so many stories about people who have known rock stars in their early days, only to watch them change as they got caught up in the “machine” known as the music industry. But not everyone changes.
This week, I caught up with, Godsmack drummer, Shannon Larkin. Shannon and I grew up together on the East Coast club circuit in the 80’s, and over the past 29 years, he has been a hero and mentor to me. We were 15-years old when we both committed our lives to the road, after our parents begrudgingly signed off on allowing us to perform in venues serving alcohol. Shannon captured everyone’s attention as the drummer for Wrathchild America. People thought that I had talent, but Shannon was considered a “God” on the Maryland club scene. We all knew that he’d be a star someday.
Eleven years ago, the world learned what Maryland club goers had known for quite some time; Shannon Larkin, is one of the most innovative and groundbreaking drummers in the history of rock music (a fact that is echoed in the pages of this month’s Drum Magazine, which features Shannon on the cover).
Shannon has been a close friend and confidant to me throughout his entire musical journey. His success has never diminished his humility, his sweet nature or his appreciative human touch. Few, if any, can lay claim to being the exact same person that they were before achieving rock stardom and the accompanying lifestyle, but Shannon is one of them. Being an incredible father, husband and friend defines him much more than being the drummer for Godsmack. His anti-rock star mentality is as responsible for his longevity as his drumming ability, something that I can fully appreciate having dealt firsthand with arrogant rock stars.
Shannon and I caught up when the Uproar Tour breezed through Illinois a couple of weeks ago and, as usual, the band brought the house down. I mentioned my weekly feature here on Hard Rock Daddy, and he was happy to be a part of it to update us on how the tour is going, as well as what to expect at radio from their new album, 1000hp.
HRD: “So buddy, how is the tour going?”
Shannon: “It’s going great, man. We have the night off tonight in Texas, so I’m just getting some rest, and going to go do a Labor Day BBQ with some local friends this afternoon.”
HRD: “Well, judging by how good you guys sounded on only the second night of the tour here in Illinois, I’m betting the crowds are pretty excited with the mainstage line-up this year. Everyone sounded amazing!”
Shannon: “Yeah, everyone brought their A-Game, that’s for sure. It’s been an amazing tour. This is a young man’s sport, just like football, and we’re not young anymore, you know? (laughs)
You’ve got bands like Pop Evil killing it out there every night. Seether is just tearing it up and blowing my mind with every performance. Buckcherry…sheesh, those guys bring it every time they play, man…and I’m even digging that band Skillet. They’re like Christian Rock, and out here on tour with all these partying rockers, and they’re just as cool as anyone I’ve ever met. I just met their singer for the first time last night and he is just great to hang out with. He’s got a great voice too. It’s really an awesome line-up this year. I think for the $35 or $40 they’re charging for tickets to this thing, the fans are definitely getting their money’s worth on this tour!”
HRD: “I agree. I mean, with all the talk of how older bands that have been around are just phoning in their performances nowadays, that’s totally not the case with Godsmack. You guys are seriously playing like it’s your last gig and you want to be remembered forever!”
Shannon: “(laughs) Well thanks man, you know I always appreciate your kind words. You know, as the great Casey Chaos from my old band Amen used to say, ‘Play every show as if it’s your last because you never know if it just might be!’ We kind of have that motto. We just lay it all on the stage every night. You know, Sully made a pact that we are not going to drink the night before a show on this tour. Only on days off, like today, are we going to allow ourselves to drink. We don’t want to cheat the crowd and not be 100%. We’re healthy, we’re getting along great…I mean we’ve always said, if we ever feel like we don’t want to get up on that stage…that’s when we call it quits. But, this tour…every night is like when I was 16 again, playing with Wrathchild, and everything about my day was getting to that stage and putting on an incredible show that night. I mean, I get excited about playing every show! So, yeah…you never know, man. I just play every show as if it was my last.”
HRD: “Let’s talk about the single at radio currently. You hit #1 with the title track to the new album about three weeks ago, but it’s starting to drop as of late. Are there any plans to release a follow-up single and attack that top position again?”
Shannon: “Oh yeah, man. We’re going to release “Something Different” near the end of September. That’s officially the second release, but we think we might even release “What’s Next” as a single too. That one’s a lot heavier, but it’s still a catchy track.”
HRD: “Did you set out to release an album that was three-deep with radio singles, or is it just by chance that they happen to fit the format?”
Shannon: “Well, it had to happen totally by chance because we didn’t set out to write radio singles, that’s for sure. I mean, it’s kind of weird that we had about 16 songs recorded for the album and we were going to just go through them with Dave Fortman (producer) to figure out what fit the album we were trying to release. It was almost like an afterthought that we were just jamming one day and “1000hp” and “Something Different” came out of that practice. Those two were written after we had recorded, what we thought, was the whole album.”
HRD: “I remember you telling me something similar about the last album, and how ‘Crying Like A Bitch’ was kind of the same story; it all happened after the album was already through pre-production.”
Shannon: “You’re exactly right! Those songs literally happened in the course of like an hour or so. It’s crazy! You can look at Paul McCartney waking up in the middle of the night and going downstairs and writing “Yesterday” in like 5-minutes. Sometimes great songs just happen.”
HRD: “With that said, is there anything new that is really kicking your ass currently?”
Shannon: “Hell yeah! Seether, man! That new song…we battled with them for that number one spot at radio for weeks and finally inched them out for one week, but that song is just amazing! (Note: Shannon is speaking about the current #4 track on the charts, Seether’s “Words As Weapons”) They just write killer songs. My favorite two bands, as you know from being my friend for so long, are The Beatles and The Ramones…it’s always been about great songs for me.
I love to hear great songs. Then, Seether crowns the whole thing by just killing it when they hit the stage. I love them! Also, I’m gonna have to give a shoutout to my man Phillip H Anselmo & The Illegals. Your Metal listeners will totally be floored by this one. It’s called “Walk Through Exits Only”. It’s literally the heaviest thing I’ve ever heard. You can’t call it any kind of Thrash Metal, Groove Metal, Death Metal…it’s something that’s just an absurd reckoning! (laughter) The lyrics are brilliant, the drumming is just insane and some of the best I’ve ever heard in my life…I mean, Dave Lombardo can’t touch this guy! It’s really, really good!”
HRD: “Well, there you have it! I know you and Phil go way back to your first tour with Wrathchild America in ’90 with his, then unknown band, Pantera. I’m sure you’re happy for him, as he is for you, bro. Hey, thanks again for chatting with me for the HRD Radio Report, bud. It’s always a pleasure. Tell Sully and the boys we wish them well, and please drop us a line before the tour wraps up so we can get some updates, okay?”
Shannon: “You got it, brother. Always a good time talking to you, Craig. Take care!”
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
- Death From Above 1979
Okay, I’m done giving the first three bands any attention whatsoever in this column. We all know that they don’t belong on these charts. Let’s chalk it up to a cruel joke in the label exec’s office.
What I do know is that Death From Above 1979 is the dumbest name that I’ve ever heard for a band, and the music is just as laughable. Tattoos don’t make you a rocker, the music does. I mean, Brian Setzer and Slim Jim Phantom had more tattoos than Tommy Lee, but their music still wasn’t jammed down our throats on Active Rock Radio.
Geez…DFA1979, litters their videos with bare chest tattoos of mean dragons and evil skulls, and then pukes out wimpy pop crap to an audience of listeners who have no interest in hearing Saturday morning cartoon themes. This just sucks on so many levels that I’m embarrassed that I have to include it in the charts. Avoid this shit-bomb at all costs!
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 week, we’ll take a look at how the charts stack up to our predictions, and spend some time with our special guest, Munsey Ricci (Skateboard Marketing), to find out what bands he’s working to radio, and check out some of the heavier offerings in his corral of artists in the Metal genre. Until then, keep it locked into HardRockDaddy.com for all the news on your favorite bands and more. Until then….
Peace/Out!
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