Latest news with #WilliamDuVall
Yahoo
21-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
King Ultramega Supergroup Pays Tribute to Chris Cornell With ‘Rusty Cage' Cover
A raft of talented musicians come together to form the new King Ultramega supergroup and pay tribute to late Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell in the process. The nascent group made their debut on Friday (July 18), sharing a rendition of Soundgarden's 'Rusty Cage' – the opening track to 1991's Grammy-nominated Badmotorfinger. More from Billboard Mariah Carey 'MC16' Album Details Coming Tomorrow Fans Choose BTS' 'Permission to Dance On Stage' Live Album as This Week's Favorite New Music 'JACKBOYS 2' Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard 200 Albums Chart Leading the charge in King Ultramega is vocalist William DuVall of Alice in Chains, who is joined by Mastodon's Bill Kelliher on guitars, Anthrax and Pantera's Charlie Benante on drums, while Metal Allegiance's Mark Menghi serves as bassist and mastermind for the project. 'I just leaned into my love for the song and my immense respect for Chris,' DuVall of the cover. 'Since the instrumental track Bill, Charlie, and Mark sent hewed so closely to the original, I thought it best for me to stay in that ballpark as well.' According to Menghi, the project started back during the COVID-19 pandemic when he recorded a rendition of the track with friends. After being initially apprehensive of the project given the lofty standards set by Cornell, Menghi's position changed once Soundgarden guitarist Kim Thayil became involved and re-recorded one of his own tracks for the project. 'There is not a singular moment in time that led to this project,' explained Menghi. 'It was a trail of events that led to the formation of King Ultramega and the evolving creation to pay tribute to the voice of a generation.' Future releases in the series will feature songs from across Cornell's career, with selections taken from his work with Soundgarden, Audioslave, and his own solo career. Each track will also be raising funds and awareness for MusiCares, with the likes of Joe Satriani, Alissa White-Gluz and Kenny Aronoff all set to appear in the future. 'My reason for participating was simply taking on an interesting challenge when so much of the world was shut down,' added DuVall. 'I had no thoughts or ambitions for this beyond our posting it on social media five years ago. But if this release can help further the good work done by MusiCares, then I'm all for it.' 'I'm super honored to record alongside all the amazing musicians appearing on the King Ultramega project,' Thayil added in a statement. 'I'm equally proud that it celebrates Soundgarden in this tribute to the songwriting of Chris. Ultra-admirably, everyone's participation is supporting the work of the MusiCares Foundation.' Soundgarden officially disbanded in 2017 following Cornell's passing at the age of 52. In recent years, a handful of reunion performances have taken place, including a December benefit gig under the moniker Nudedragons with vocalist Shaina Shepherd in December. Members of Soundgarden had also previously been announced as performers for the recent Back To The Beginning farewell concert for Ozzy Osbourne at Villa Park in Birmingham, England on July 5, though ultimately did not attend. 'We are very grateful to Tony, Ozzy, Geezer and Bill, as well as Sharon Osbourne and music director, Tom Morello for the honor and invitation to Soundgarden to perform at the Back to the Beginning festival!' a statement on Soundgarden's official Instagram account read. 'We are super bummed and regret that we were unable to coordinate the schedules of our individual and collective projects to attend and contribute to the festival.' Hear King Ultramega's 'Rusty Cage' cover below. Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Alice in Chains suddenly cancel tour kickoff show after member's ‘medical emergency'
Alice in Chains were forced to cancel the first date of their U.S. tour after one of their co-founding members suffered a 'medical emergency.' The four-piece 'Man in the Box' group, comprised of lead vocalist William DuVall, guitarist Jerry Cantrell, bassist Mike Inez, and drummer Sean Kinney, were scheduled to kick off their multi-city tour at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, on Thursday night. However, hours before they were expected to take the stage, they announced on their Instagram Story that after soundcheck, Kinney 'experienced a non-life-threatening medical emergency.' 'We unfortunately have to cancel tonight's show,' they said. 'We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience. Refunds are available at the point of purchase.' The Independent has contacted the band's representatives for comment. Thursday's concert would've been the band's first time on stage since they performed at the 2024 Sick New World festival in Las Vegas. Their last tour was in 2023. The next scheduled stop on their U.S. tour is Saturday at the Freedom Mortgage Pavilion in Camden, New Jersey. So far, it appears they are planning to go ahead with that show. Additional stops on their tour include major festival appearances at the Sonic Temple Art & Music Festival in Columbus, Ohio; the Welcome to Rockville festival in Daytona Beach, Florida; and the Boardwalk Rock festival in Ocean City, Maryland. They will also have concerts in Nashville, Tennessee and Dothan, Alabama. They will make a final U.S. stop in Libertyville, Illinois, before making their way across the pond to Birmingham, United Kingdom, for a performance at Villa Park on July 5. There, they will join rock band Black Sabbath for their Back to the Beginning: The Final Show, which will also celebrate Ozzy Osbourne's final performance. 'It's my time to go back to the beginning … time for me to give back to the place where I was born,' Osbourne said in a February statement. 'How blessed am I to do it with the help of people whom I love. Birmingham is the true home of metal. Birmingham forever.' Billed as the 'greatest' heavy metal show ever, Back to the Beginning: The Final Show will additionally feature performances from bands Metallica, Pantera, Gojira, Slayer, Halestorm, Lamb of God, Anthrax and Mastodon. Alice in Chains was founded in Seattle in 1987 by Kinney and Cantrell. They then recruited late singer Layne Staley and late bassist Mike Starr, with the latter leaving the band in 1993. He was replaced by Inez. While the group never formally disbanded, the 2002 death of Staley from a fatal drug overdose led to the group's prolonged hiatus. They reformed in 2005 with new vocalist DuVall. Since their formation, the band have released six studio albums: Facelift (1990), Dirt (1992), Jar of Flies (1993), Alice in Chains (1995), Black Gives Way to Blue (2009), and Rainier Fog (2018).
