Trè Cool joins the Gretsch family

Back in January we posted about Mike and Trè attending the NAMM show in Anaheim. At the show, we noticed that Trè spent quite a bit of time with Gretsch in their drum area. We speculated the he switched from Leedy to Gretsch. In fact, this is true.

On Gretsch Drums' official site, they posted a news story welcoming Trè to the Gretsch family.

We've also been seeing Billie use Gretsch guitars quite frequently as of late. Most notably in the new studio videos. I wouldn't doubt if a majority of the new album's sound could be credited to Gretsch instruments...

Studio Update #5 - Mike Dirnt and Billie Joe talk about how the new album will be a "piece of art"

It truly seems like Green Day is going to continue releasing studio updates on a regular basis as they have just released their 5th video update.




I swear that these updates continue to get more and more interesting as they go on, the first video was just a simple drum beat up to now where we get an inside look into Green Day's creative process. Also its notable to mention when Billie says:

"This is the first time we've ever really sang about fucking."

It's Fuck Time? I guess we will just have to wait and see how this one pans out!

Green Day releases another studio update with Billie Joe and Rob Cavallo talking about the new songs

Green Day's official YouTube channel has just released another new studio update from the band, this marks the 4th video update since last Wednesday. 




Personally, I think that this is the most interesting video to date since it gives us some insight into the minds of Billie Joe and Rob Cavallo during the song writing process. I think that my favorite part of the video is when Rob says:

"There's so much character in those songs that is going to get brought out, its going to be amazing."

Teaser video of Billie Joe's guest appearance on Nurse Jackie

A new teaser for the upcoming season of Showtime's "Nurse Jackie" was just posted on the Nurse Jackie Facebook. The teaser, called "It's Raining Men," shows a bunch of clips of the different men appearing this season, including a couple shots of Billie Joe. 





Billie's appearance will air during the season premiere on April 8th.

Tony Vincent (St. Jimmy on Broadway) is picked after blind auditions on NBC's 'The Voice'

Tony Vincent was on NBC's 'The Voice' last night, a singing competition where contestants (if picked) join a team of one of four different artists. During the blind auditions he was picked by Cee Lo Green to be a part of his team. Tony will be appearing on more episodes of 'The Voice' which airs Monday's on NBC.

Here's video of his performance of Queen's "We Are The Champions."




You guys can keep up with Tony's updates on his official Facebook page.

EW.com wrote about Tony being picked:

"So it's only fair that Cee Lo finally gets a fellow cueball with Tony Vincent, who's starred in Rent and American Idiot and even worked with Queen on We Will Rock You in London. From the moment Tony rips into Queen's "We Are the Champions" (or, as he sings it, "Wee-eeeee are the champ-yuuuuns") it's clear that the guy's a performer right down to his eyeliner. This is a growling, undulating, nearly-yodeling voice that no doubt shamed his whole theater class from grades 1 through 12."

Tony played St. Jimmy in "American Idiot" from it's original run in Berkeley through it's stay in New York on Broadway. Billie Joe filled his position as St. Jimmy for the remaining weeks of the shows stay at the St. James theater in New York. 

Video #3 of Green Day in the studio this week

New video of the band in the studio. This marks the third one

At the beginning of the video Billie mentions Whatsername and that he's finally going to name the girl (the one he's written songs about from his younger years "fuck it, it's been 19 years") - so I'm pretty certain the song they start playing is 'Amanda' from one of their recent secret shows. Maybe. I'll wait for fans much more astute than myself to guess.

New unofficial DVD coming out April 24th titled "Before the Idiot"

There is a new unofficial DVD being released later this spring called "Before the Idiot". It's currently available for pre-order from Amazon.

I tried doing a bit of research about this, but I didn't get far. I couldn't find any info about what's in the DVD or the company releasing it. All I can tell is it's an unofficial DVD, not being released by Reprise/Warner. 

Another new video of Green Day in the studio

A new video of the band has been posted on YouTube. This one has a mixture of the band in some studio, not sure which, as well as them living their daily lives. Though it appears as if this one was not too recent as Billie's hair is black. Yes, we pay attention to his hair as well.




The video is titled "6-13," presuambly talking about June 13. Many people speculated this was some kind of hint about when the new album is coming out - but don't get ahead of yourselves. We've heard that it's actually more likely the date this was filmed.

Gifts from Indonesia for Billie Joe!

Today is Billie Joe Armstrong Birthday!
here's a video for you from Indonesia :

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BILLIE JOE!!!

We Love you from the bottom of our heart!

New video of Green Day in the studio with Rob Cavallo

Green Day's official site just posted this video of the band in the studio from yesterday. In the video, we see Rob Cavallo which must mean he is producing the album. Weeeeeee.




We also see Jason White in the video, playing guitar none-the-less. Is he going to actually record on the album? It's been a topic of discussion over on GDC the last couple days.

Could this be footage from the rumored film documenting the band's creative process on the new album? Rolling Stone posted about it a couple months ago. It'll be interesting to see what comes of this footage. The fact that it says "Day One" gets me excited because we could potentially get something everyday. Okay, that might be wishful thinking but we can hope!

It's official: Green Day started recording the new album on Valentine Day!

Billie sent out this tweet (@BJAofficial) just moments ago confirming the band was in the studio. They've started recording the new album today!

"Happy Valantine's day! Officially started recording the new record today.
It's FUCK TIME!!!!"

what a surprise tweet of Billie Joe!
New album is in front of the eye!

We're Waiting!

Green Day confirmed to headline Summer Sonic 2012

GDA has confirmed that Green Day will be headlining this year's Summer Sonic music festival in Japan, August 18th and 19th. The festival will be held in Osaka and Chiba, Japan.

Earlier today, Summer Sonic's official website posted that Green Day were to play at the festival. This sparked many rumors, but we have now confirmed this information to be true.

We're not sure which day (if not both) the band will play, or which location they will play at. If I had to guess, I'd say August 18th in Osaka. Green Day have played at Summer Sonic a couple times before back in 2000 and 2004, but not have returned since.

Other confirmed acts for the festival include Death Cab for Cutie, Passion Pit, New Order, and Rihanna (for some reason) among others.

Does this mean a new album from the band on the horizon? Back in 2004 when the band played the Summer Sonic and Reading & Leeds festivals, it was just before American Idiot was released. Could this be a similar situation? Stay tuned.

When we find out more information regarding the festival, we will be sure to let you know.


Thanks to GDA on the website for posting about the (at the time) rumor

Billie and Tre joined the Soul Rebels Brass Band on December 7th

I'm not sure how this one slipped under our radar but, apparently back inDecember Billie and Tre stopped in and jammed with the Soul Rebels after one of Metallica's 30th anniversary shows.

The Soul Rebels are a New Orleans brass ensemble who opened for Metallica at their anniversary shows at the Filmore in San Francisco. At each show the brass band would start off the show with a two Metallica classics, "Enter Sandman" and "One." More information can be found on the Soul Rebel's website.

You can check out a few pictures over in our Picture Vault and view a short video of Billie jamming with the Soul Rebels over on the Boom Boom Room's Facebook page.

Waking Up To Loss and The Healing Powers of Green Day - Editorial

5 a.m. calls are rarely a good thing. That was the case when the phone rang one cold December morning in 2005. A friend was calling to tell me my sister was looking for me because my mother had gone into cardiac arrest. Minutes later my sister was at the door and she told me what I already knew. My mother was dead. 

Days later we said our final goodbyes and then as it always does, life went on. I worked, studied and did what I had to do and completely ignored the heartache. I buried it somewhere in my mind and never looked back. My family had their own grief to deal with and I didn't want to bring them down further with mine. My friends did what they could to help, but I resisted. Mostly I was scared. Scared that if I acknowledge the horrible aching pain that it would swallow me whole and I would never be the same. So I did what seemed easy, I hid it all away and convinced myself that I had "dealt with it" and went on with my life.

Five years later I was in my car driving home. I had my iPod on shuffle and "Wake Me Up When September Ends" started to play. I had heard that song dozens of times before but this time I really listened. 

" Here comes the rain again
Falling from the stars
Drenched in my pain again
Becoming who we are"

I felt like I had been punched in the chest. Tears filled my eyes as five years of hurt and anger came bubbling to the surface. In that moment the weight of my hidden grief became completely overwhelming and I knew I had to do something about it. The song so perfectly encompasses the experience of losing someone. Whether it's the studio version or a live performance, when the opening notes are played Billie Joe ceases to be the charismatic, bigger than life rock star we all love. During that song he is one of us. He is another kid who lost a parent, another person dealing with the lifelong effects of profound loss. He is vulnerable, genuine and painfully honest. He doesn't hide his hurt; instead he gets up on stage and shares it with tens of thousands of people night after night. I can't imagine how much courage and bravery it must take to sing that song. It is his bravery that gave me a much needed push towards healing.

Another year has passed since that teary car ride and I have finally come out of hiding. Most days are pretty good but every now and then the clouds roll in and I am "drenched in my pain again" and that's okay. I no longer feel the need to be the stoic; instead I want to be brave. 

The strangest and most beautiful part of my story is that I was saved by a total stranger. A punk from California was the only person who could pull me out of the hole I had dug for myself. He made my life insurmountably better yet has no idea I even exist. That's the amazing thing about Green Day. They pull us out of our darkest places, inspire us, give us hope, let us vent and push us on. They are there whenever we need them and they never let us down.

Dookie is listed in AP's "15 Albums We'd Love To Hear Live"

Editors over at AltPress.com got together to pick their 15 albums they'd love to hear live. They included Dookie in their picks and had this to say:

"Seriously, why hasn't this happened yet? Although American Idiot will be remembered by the new school as Green Day's magnum opus when all is said and done, Dookie is what initially broke the band (and to a certain extent, modern punk) into the national consciousness. Plus it's not like the guys shy away from the material--the record's hits ("Longview," "When I Come Around," "Welcome To Paradise,") have been mainstays in their live set since the record came out eighteen years ago.

ODDS: 3/1. The twentieth anniversary of Dookie is only two years away and it seems unlikely that Green Day wouldn't commemorate it somehow. "

You can view their other albums on altpress.com.

This got me thinking, I wonder what album Green Day fans would most like to see live. I think seeing Dookie would be pretty damn incredible, though I'd probably have to pick my favorite album, Warning, to see live. I'm kind of having a homoerotic love affair with the lyrics of that album - so seeing them play the full thing live would be pretty damn incredible. Vote below for yours, let us know your answer in the comments and why you picked it.

Thanks to GG for sending this news.

What Green Day album would you most like to see live?

1039 Smoothed Out Slappy HoursKerplunkDookieInsomniacnimrod.WarningAmerican Idiot21st Century Breakdown

VoteView ResultsShare ThisPolldaddy.com

Billie Joe talks about how Gibsons are the "Perfect Rock Guitars"

Over the past few years Billie Joe has done quite a bit with Gibson guitars, everything from basic recording to releasing two signature model guitars, the Billie Joe J-180 and the Billie Joe Les Paul Jr. 

Yesterday, Gibson published a new article on their site with various interviews with Billie Joe talking about why he thinks Gibsons are the "Perfect Rock Guitars".

"For me, I think that Les Paul Juniors have more of a rock and roll sound, because it's the true sound of a guitar. The sound I go for is that really punchy, midrange kind of sound, and the first time I ever picked up a Les Paul Jr. - the one which was my guitar which I call "Floyd" - I plugged it in and the sound that was in my head for so many years, it exactly fit that, and even more."

None of the interview is new, rather Gibson just compiled a bunch of quotes from old interviews where Billie was talking about their guitars. Either way the article is still a good read. You can read the whole article over on Gibson.com now by clicking here.

Vote for the best Green Day song on each album

We're currently trying to figue out what the best Green Day song is according to our visitors. The voting is taking place over the next few months, where we'll be voting on a favorite song from each album every week. 

Last week we voted for our favorites off 1039 Smoothed Out Slappy Hours and the champion there was Going to Pasalacqua which took away a pretty clear majority with 'Paper Lanterns' coming in a distant second. 

This week we're voting for our favorite song from Kerplunk. It's currently a very close vote between 'Christie Road' and and 'Who Wrote Holden Caulfield?' There's still a few days left to vote. 

Starting on Monday we'll begin voting for our favorite song from Dookie (pretty sure I already know my answer). 

If you're not a member of our forum, I encourage you to register. It's free and you'll connect with some of the biggest Green Day fans online, plus you get to vote. 

If you'd like to be reminded when voting starts on the next albums, follow our forum on Twitter @GDCforum. We'll tweet the results at the end of the week plus a reminder when to vote on the next album.

Dookie celebrates its 18th anniversary today!

1st February marks eighteen years since the release of Green Day's major label breakthrough album, Dookie. This album was one that introduced many fans to Green Day's music and has been critically acclaimed as their best work up until the band's 2004 release, American Idiot.

To this day, Dookie is still Green Day's most sold album with 15million copies sold world wide as of 2010. 

If you have a chance, take an hour out of your day today and listen to Dookie all the way through. If you have the Green Day Rock Band game you can also play the album all the way though on the game, something that I plan on doing a little later.

First look photos of Billie Joe on 'Nurse Jackie' airing in April

The Hollywood Reporter has some first-look photos of Billie Joe guest starring on Showtime's Nurse Jackie. Click the photos to view full size.


 

"The rocker-turned-actor -- fresh off his stint on Broadway's American Idiot -- will guest star in the Season 4 premiere as a stranger whom Jackie meets that causes a major change in her life. Judging from the photo below, it looks like the two get awfully chummy."

"Rocker-turned-actor" seems a bit ambitious, though I'm sure many fans still have their fingers crossed as a Billie Joe "St. Jimmy" in the American Idiot movie.

Really looking forward to his appearance. You can check out Billie Joe's last acting gig, a guest appearance on the short-lived "Haunted" back in 2003 in our video section.

Billie Joe's appearance on 'Nurse Jackie' will be on the season premiere April 8th on Showtime.

Fender.com talks about seeing Mike Dirnt at NAMM 2012

As we posted the this past Sunday, Mike Dirnt and Tre Cool attended this years National Association of Music Merchants trade show in Anaheim, California. 

Fender.com posted on their blog about catching up with Mike at the show. Mike helped give feedback to Fender about their Bassman Pro Series when they were first designing the amp and was "thrilled" seeing the reaction of other bassist using the amp. 

Fender went on to say...

"Back in our "Green Room," Dirnt also plugged in a Fender Strat to see what the new Greta Pawn Shop Special Greta and Excelsior amps could do. He promptly ordered one of each - the Greta is headed to his home office while the Excelsior was tagged for the Green Day studio in Oakland, Cali., where the band is preparing to start recording their next studio album."

It is great to hear from so many different outlets that Green Day is indeed preparing to start recording their next album. The full article is available for you to read over on Fender.com.

Green Day's follow up to 21st Century Breakdown included in Billboard.com's "This Year's Best Bets"

Little has been mentioned about Green Day's follow up to 2009's 21st Century Breakdown, but many magazines believe that this year will be when Green Day release their new album. Aside from the handful of surprise shows that Green Day put on late last year no word has been said about the next album. Billie Joe even said at their halloween show in New York that the album "doesn't even exist yet." 

Billboard.com has come out with an article that includes their "best bets" on what new albums will be released this year. In the article, Billboard was able to exchange words with Butch Vig, the producer of 21st Century Breakdown.

"I think Billie is still in writing mode," Vig says. "I know they have a ton of songs."

You can read the full article over on Billboard.com by clicking here. 

In August we put up a poll asking you guys when you thought the new album would come out with almost 70% of you saying 2012. Lets all hope that this will be the year for big things to come from Green Day once again!

Billie Joe's guest appearance on "Nurse Jackie" will air April 8th on Showtime

Back in October we posted that Billie Joe will be guest starring on the Showtime show "Nurse Jackie." At the time, we didn't know a premiere date for that,. but now we do! April 8th, at 9pm EST on Showtime, the new season of the show kicks off with Billie Joe as a middle-aged druggie. Note that tattoo on his hand, that was a temporary tattoo just for his character on the show.

We first got word about this appearance when the photo on the left was tweeted out by executive producer of the show @Richie_Jackson:

"Edie & our new cast member @BJAofficial! Wait till you see the season premiere! "

So begins the countdown to April 8th for all of us to check in on Billie Joe's acting skills. Of course he last attempt (not including his Broadway run) was a short guest spot on the short lived show Haunted which starred Matthew Fox (from Lost) in 2003. You can view a clip below. 

Thanks to zipgunonparade, Meaghan and @GreenDayAngel for the news

Green Day included in Gibson's "Top 10 Rhythm Sections"

Green Day have once again been included in a Gibson Top-10 list. Today, they're counting down the ten best rhythm sections and Green Day's track "Longview" has made the cut. Coming in at number nine, Gibson gives props to Mike and Tré for their bass and drum tandem.

"Green Day have never shied away from letting their rhythm section shine. Just listen to the opening riff of "Longview," dancing along with Mike Dirnt's buoyant walking bass-line and Tre Cool's shuffle. While Billie Joe Armstrong often is the face of Green Day, his anti-establishment croons and poppy melodies would have no oomph without Dirnt and Cool behind them, and songs like "Minority" and "American Idiot" would easily lose their punch."

The full list can be read over on Gibson's site by clicking here.

Yesterday, Gibson counted down the "10 Great Albums that were Shelved or Abandoned" and Cigarettes and Valentines was included

Cigarettes and Valentines included in Gibson.com's list of "10 Great Albums That Were Shelved or Abandoned"

Gibson.com has included Green Day "lost album" Cigarettes and Valentines in their list of the "10 Great Albums That Were Shelved or Abandoned".

"This intended follow-up to Green Day's 2000 album, Warning, never saw the light of day for one simple reason: the master tapes were stolen from the studio. Frontman Billie Joe Armstrong later said the pilfered material was "good stuff," while bassist Mike Dirnt remarked that the songs constituted a return to Green Day's "hard and fast" punk roots. Nonetheless, instead of re-recording the album, the band decided to go a different route. The result was the acclaimed 2004 disc, American Idiot."

No one outside of the band and their close friends know what actually happened to the album, but it is presumed by many fans that the band just didn't feel like the album was "maximum Green Day". Some fans even doubted the albums existence until the band began playing the title track "Cigarettes and Valentines" on the last American leg of the "21st Century Breakdown tour." 

Other albums on the list include The Who's Lifehouse and Bruce Springsteen's Electric Nebraska. You can see all ten albums that made the list over on Gibson.com by clicking here.

Sorry

hey I'm back! , after all this time not updating my blog, and now I will give you the latest newsabout Green Day. sorry for the delay of information :) Enjoy!