My Morning Jacket’s Jim James Shows Love for Mike & The Mechanics

My Morning Jacket may be known for their perfectly distilled blend of southern rock, soul and a dash of the avant garde, but that doesn’t mean all of singer-guitarist Jim James’ influences are hipster-approved. James recently listed his influences for Spin.com and one entry, in particular, stood out from the bunch: the Genesis/Squeeze offshoot, Mike & The Mechanics and their 1985 hit, “Silent Running (On Dangerous Ground).”

“Some say there is a massive astrological shift taking place right now as dictatorships topple in Egypt and people rise up in mass numbers in places like Wisconsin and Ohio to fight for what they believe is right,” James said. “We are seeing large sections of the population fundamentally questioning their experience and existence, perhaps spurred on by this new revolutionary spirit of longing for real freedom… or perhaps spurred on by this Mike + the Mechanics song, which somehow speaks to me about all that is going on in the world right now. Somehow. It spoke to me once as a child. And it found me again the other day in the freezer section at Whole Foods. 'Can you hear me running?' Yes, Mike. I can.”

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Rush’s Geddy Lee Shows Love for Cleveland, Talks <em>Clockwork Angels</em>

This weekend saw Canadian power trio Rush return to a significant site in the band’s history: Cleveland, Ohio. It was Cleveland radio that first broke Rush in the States and catapulted them to rock stardom. “It was enormous for us,” bassist Geddy Lee told the Plain Dealer. “The fact that we were able to create a buzz in Cleveland and the fact that people were paying attention to us there opened everything up for us. It was really the start of our entire career.”

And so, the group are celebrating their return by filming the show for a future DVD release.

“It feels like full circle to me,” Lee said. “We realized after all these years that we've shot films in all these different locations. But we've never really shot an entire film in America. We thought, 'Well, that's just wrong.' So where do we want to shoot? And it dawned on me that it was appropriate to shoot in Cleveland, where our entire American adventure began.”

Lee also gave an update on the group’s much-anticipated Clockwork Angels album.

"We've got about seven songs written," Lee said. "When you hear the first two songs, which we're playing live now, they definitely have a heavier sound. It's the heavier side of Rush in the early going. But when I think of all the songs that we've written already, there's quite a lot of diversity there. I think—I hope—Rush fans will like it. We're certainly going to work hard to make it a great record, as we always try."

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Slayer Hoping Jeff Hanneman Returns for Big Four Shows

Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo said that he and the band are keeping their fingers crossed that ailing guitarist Jeff Hanneman rejoins the band in time for The Big Four’s Indio, California, show on April 23. Lombardo recently spoke with Austrian website Stormbringer.at.

“I’m hoping he comes back for the Big Four show in California that’s on the 23rd of April,” he said. “But, you know... We don’t know [yet if that will happen].”

Slayer have other Big Four dates (with Metallica, Megadeth and Anthrax) planned for the summer in Europe as well. While Hanneman has been on the sidelines with a flesh-eating virus caused by a spiderbite, other guitarists have stepped in, including Exodus’ Gary Holt and, currently, Cannibal Corpse’s Pat O’Brien.

Lombardo talked about O’Brien’s first night on the job.

“[It went] really good. Pat was nervous. He was very, very nervous,” he said. “But he did such a great job. He worked so hard. He only had... I don’t know... five or six days [to prepare]. He flew in and he immediately went to work in the dressing room. I feel he nailed it. He did everything perfect.”

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