BLINK-182 DONATES TO BURN CENTRES

Rockers BLINK-182 have pledged a $100,000 (£67,000) donation to the burn centres that treated drummer TRAVIS BARKER after he nearly died in a harrowing plane crash last year (08).
Barker is the only remaining survivor from the accident, which occurred when a Learjet flying from South Carolina to Los Angeles failed to clear a runway and burst into flames.
His pal Adam 'DJ AM' Goldstein also survived the tragedy but died of a suspected drug overdose last month (Aug09).
Two pilots and two other passengers were killed in the accident, which left both Goldstein and Barker with second and third-degree burns.
Now Barker is thanking the medical specialists that treated him at the Joseph M. Still Burn Center in Georgia and the Grossman Burn Center in California by donating proceeds from Blink-182's show in Phoenix, Arizona on Saturday (19Sep09).
A statement from the band says the donation is "being made in recognition of their tremendous care and aid of Travis Barker through his recovery from the 2008 plane crash".

HOPPUS CALLS FOR IMMEDIATE U.S. HEALTHCARE REFORM

BLINK-182 star MARK HOPPUS has urged U.S. politicians to speed up policies aimed at giving all American's health coverage after a caterer on the reunited band's tour fell ill without adequate insurance.
The bass player and singer has written an article for the Huffington Post website, demanding that healthcare bosses solve the problems of millions of Americans and figure out a way to help those struggling to pay huge medical bills.
Hoppus explains he was inspired to speak up after an uninsured employee, Ali Vattar, was handed a $48,000 (£32,000) bill following emergency surgery to remove her appendix.
Hoppus writes, "My initial reaction was disbelief. Why would you not have insurance? Especially while on tour? Turns out I was asking the wrong question. The real question is: Why are you unable to get insurance."
He explains that Vattar was unable to get coverage due to a pre-existing medical condition.
The rocker has started a website, the Ali Vattar Matter, where Blink-182 fans can donate money to help the caterer pay off her debt. Hoppus has promised to match every dollar fans donate until the bill is paid.
And his charity push has prompted him to do more to help other struggling Americans.
He writes, "Every day, while our elected officials and corporations argue over the best way to fix the problem of health care in America, more people like Ali are falling through the cracks, into bankruptcy and inadequate care.
"Mr. President, members of congress, hospitals, doctors, and insurance companies, there has to be a better way. When a person’s best option to pay for health care is to take to the internet and ask for small donations from strangers, bold changes need to be made."

Blink-182 Get "Artistic" for Reunion Tour

Blink-182

Openers On select dates: Weezer, Fall Out Boy, Panic at the Disco, All-American Rejects, Taking Back Sunday, Asher Roth and Chester French

Tickets $20-$60

WHAT TO EXPECT:
For their first tour since 2005, Blink-182 are trying a new strategy: rehearsing. "We used to walk onstage and forget our parts — we just wanted to play fast and look cool," says bassist Mark Hoppus. "This time, we want to be more artistic." The trio's reunion tour will feature all their pop-punk hits and a few new songs, plus they're planning an intense light show from Daft Punk and Kanye West's set designer. "We want to use the entire arena as a lighting rig and a stage," says Hoppus. "We're being as ambitious as possible."

People of the Year 2000: Blink-182

On the Blink-182 menu in the year 2000: catchy pop-punk songs about immaturity, suicide and alien abductions. Customers served on their headlining tour this year: more than a third of a million. Live albums released documenting that tour: just one (The Mark, Tom and Travis Show). Number of fart jokes told on that tour: beyond human measure. Event that belied the band's lovelorn lyrics: the Thanksgiving-weekend wedding of bassist Mark Hoppus to Skye Everly. Number of dogs that drummer Travis Barker owned when he sat down for an interview contemplating the past year: three.


What's the worst thing that happened to you last year?
Probably me breaking my hand [in a fistfight outside a Taco Bell in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio]. That was a wake-up call: You idiot, you've got to use your head a little more. You can't ride a skateboard. You can't fight anymore. I never want to break my hand again ? or any of my body parts ? because my only livelihood is playing the drums. The hand's pretty much 100 percent better now. The day I got my cast off, I was supposed to go to physical therapy, but I never showed up ? I just started playing the drums.

What's the oddest purchase you've made this year?
I don't like to dress nice. And I don't like to wear iced-out watches or rings. But I do like to buy things for my house. So I spent a shitload of money on furniture. Ever since I was seventeen, I had been living in a bachelor pad with my friends. So you get furniture from Goodwill ? you can just trash the place, no worries. Now I got the raddest furniture I could buy. I have a white Italian leather couch that's all straight lines. It's super-rad. It's really expensive, but you can't buy one like that for cheaper.

How much was it?
[Pause] It was $10,000. I can't tell my friends how much it cost. My friends who I grew up with, they're hoodlums. I have respect for that couch. I don't even sit on it.

What's the best thing you heard this year?
Probably the Deftones album. And the new Black Eyed Peas album is fucking ridiculous.

What are your plans for the next year?
We'll start recording our new album in January; it'll be out in July. We're going to try to get a house in San Diego and all be together, instead of having to go through the trouble of getting a rehearsal studio. Last time, we got together for two weeks straight at this rehearsal studio and threw ideas at each other ? that's how we wrote the album. I don't write lyrics, I don't play guitar, but I arrange everything. I decide what tempo a song will be, and I arrange how verses, choruses, breaks happen. When I first got in the band, I wanted us to write songs that were more clever and less repetitive. And that's what we did.

What is your secret fantasy for the coming year?
I want to beat the world record for the number of beats per second on a drum pad. You've got sixty seconds, and the world record is 1,200. It was set by some guy in the Midwest. I'm gonna kick this guy's ass.

Q&A: Blink-182 Man Launches Angels

When Tom DeLonge decided to leave Blink-182 last year, he was walking away from something huge. The band — along with another California trio, Green Day — spawned massive hits, and a slew of pop-punk disciples. As Blink, singer/guitarist DeLonge, bassist Mark Hoppus and drummer Travis Barker (who replaced founder Scott Raynor), scored five Top Ten releases, including 2000's four-times-platinum Enema of the State and the 2001 chart-topper Take Off Your Pants and Jacket.

But DeLonge says he felt increasingly conflicted about both his creative freedom within the band and the toll touring was taking on his family life. (Now thirty, he has a three-year-old daughter.) After the band's announcement, one year ago, that it would be taking "an indefinite hiatus," DeLonge arrived at the concept of Angels and Airwaves — his personal vision for a group that would produce music more epic, expansive and open-ended than that aggressive, irreverent pop of Blink-182.

Alongside musicians David Kennedy, Atom Willard (the Offspring) and Ryan Sinn (ex-Distillers), DeLonge spent the next several months in his home studio recording what will become the band's 2006 debut. (Expect the first single, "The Adventurer," to premiere this month.) And, appropriate to their cinematic sound, Angels and Airwaves are preparing to premiere their record with an ambitious concept movie, the trailer for which can now be viewed at angelsandairwaves.com.

Not that long ago Blink-182 decided to take a pretty serious break. Why that decision?
I put the band together when I was sixteen, and now, you know, I'm thirty years old. I think people just grow up and grow apart. It's like if you start dating someone as a teenager and then you find yourself married later in life and you're going, "Whoa, we're totally different [now]." I think that was part of the reason.

All three of the band members had different goals and different ways of running their personal and business lives. It's hard when you're in a democratic band — where you do things based on what the whole band wants. I respect and honor it, but it was getting to a point where it was a lot more than I wanted to commit to. I needed to make some changes to be able to function as a father to my kid to the best of my ability.

Did you immediately come up with the concept of Angels and Airwaves?
When I decided not to continue with that part of my life, I still wanted the same things that I wanted when I was in Blink: I still wanted to be in the biggest band in the world, and I still wanted to be the best songwriter that I can. And it took me about three weeks to figure it out. I thought, "I can create anything I want to create . . . And it's going to be the most epic and anthemic and heroic music that I've ever made." And that's where Angels and Airwaves came about.

How did the idea for the album's accompanying movie come about?
At first it was going to be a documentary of what I'm trying to do [with Angels and Airwaves], then the album started getting really, really good. It's exactly where I wish I could have taken my old band. I was looking at some of the footage about a month ago, and I just saw someone who was scared to death but absolutely full of passion and belief that he could pull something off that's never happened in the history of rock & roll.

But the whole movie is this poetic metaphor about how humans can create the worst thing in life — war — and the best thing as well, which is love. It's a third CGI, a third documentary and a third love story. So as you're watching the story and the making of the record, it will come to life in a love story between [two actors] and then go into planes arcing through space coming down into a D-day of missiles exploding in a nebula. It's very The Wall . . . but futuristic.

How did Angels and Airwaves form? Obviously, you're coming from a band with a really specific chemistry . . .
That was hard [because] I loved sharing a stage with Mark and Travis. But that's not what I was looking for. I didn't want the best musicians in the world; I didn't want guys that I thought would add some crazy persona to the stage. With Blink, people would go, "What's your message?" and we'd go, "Fuck! We don't have a message!" With Angels and Airwaves, it's absolute message; it's absolute . . . positivity.

I needed something that was organic. The first [rule] was respect for the band members and respect for their families. And the second rule was the ability to grow into a really hard, predestined friendship.

What albums were you listening to for inspiration? Anything surprising?
I ended up listening to a lot of Peter Gabriel, U2, the Police, the Cure — bands that got to stadium-level size. I wouldn't listen to any independent rock bands, no cool punk-rock bands, no arty Radiohead-type bands. None of it was good enough for me.

I can listen to the Police and always go, "How did they write a song like 'Every Breath You Take'?" I can listen to U2 and list at least thirty songs that make me go, "How the fuck did they do that?" I wanted to learn how music, as mathematics, can touch an amazing amount of people.

So you've been shooting for something "timeless" . . .
I want to come out with an album that people will refer to twenty years from now as the album of this decade. [There hasn't been] a record like that since Nirvana's [Nevermind] and I don't think there's ever been a band as good as U2. But I'm willing to take on that challenge.

Describe the live feeling with Angels.
Super-crazy visuals. Everything with the band, the photos and the imagery, is very futuristic. It's all about beautiful architecture, artistic photography and astronomy. I was always a UFO space-freak, so now I get to have spinning planets in high resolution behind my body as I play a song. You're going to feel like you're in one of Stanley Kubrick's movies, or Star Wars.

What can we expect to hear first?
We're releasing a short film with the first song, "The Adventurer." The whole thing is shot on 8mm black and white, and it's very sci-fi. It kind of looks like George Lucas' THX 1138, where it's all beautiful naked women and fast cars and concrete and glass architecture.

The song was inspired by a friend who whose marriage was kind of falling apart. It touched me so deeply that I was up one night crying for him — I felt so hurt. The chorus goes, "Hey, yo/Here I am, and here we go/Life is waiting to begin." It just keeps building and building and building, and says, "I cannot live and I cannot breathe unless you do this with me."

Imagine you're still in love with someone and that person doesn't love you back, and there's nothing you can do about it. I don't wish that upon anybody.

Rock & Roll Daily, Your non-stop music news source. Previous Next Latest Blink-182 Make Reunion Official on Grammy Stage

“Isn’t it great to see the Jonas Brothers and Stevie Wonder back together again,” blink-182’s Mark Hoppus joked as his band — together again — took the stage at the Grammy Awards to present the trophy for Best Rock Album to Coldplay. “We used to play music together, and we decided to play music together once again,” added Travis Barker. The bottom line: “Blink-182 is back.”

A statement released just after their Grammy appearance reads, “Hi. We’re blink-182. This past week there’ve been a lot of questions about the current status of the band, and we wanted you to hear it straight from us. To put it simply, We’re back. We mean, really back. Picking up where we left off and then some. In the studio writing and recording a new album. Preparing to tour the world yet again. Friendships reformed. 17 years deep in our legacy.”

The band leave things with the words “Summer 2009. Thanks and get ready…”

The band has been officially on hiatus since February 2005; since then Tom DeLonge has gone on to form Angels & Airwaves, while Hoppus and Barker put together +44. In November 2008, after the jet crash that nearly killed Barker, Hoppus blogged that the threesome had resumed communication. “In the midst of everything else that has happened lately, Tom, Travis, and I have all spoken together,” he wrote. “First through a number of phone calls, and then a couple of weeks ago we all hung out for a few hours. … We’re just reconnecting as friends after four years of not talking.” The band’s next album would be their first since 2003’s blink-182.

For photos of blink throughout their entire career, check out our gallery blink-182’s Rock Show.

Blink-182 Recruit Fall Out Boy, Weezer for Reunion Tour: Hoppus and Wentz Speak Out

Blink-182 bassist Mark Hoppus breaks some big news in the Summer Tour Preview in the new issue of Rolling Stone: the reunited band is bringing Weezer and Fall Out Boy on the road this summer to open Blink’s first tour since 2005. The news resulted in a big reaction from fans yesterday afternoon when Hoppus posted our story on his blog — and we’ve got more from Hoppus on the lineup, and what to expect on the road right here:

“We started talking about bands to tour with and Weezer was actually one of the first ones that came up,” Hoppus tells Rolling Stone. “They wanted to do the tour, and so did Fall Out Boy. It worked out perfectly.” But fans hoping to catch all three acts together on the tour, which begins July 24th, may be out of luck: Fall Out Boy are on board for two-thirds of the dates and Weezer will play the other third. Dates for the tour, and which bands are opening in which cites, haven’t been announced at press time.

This won’t be the first time members of Blink share the stage with Weezer and Fall Out Boy. Blink guitarist Tom DeLonge’s side project Angel & Airwaves toured with Weezer last year, while Hoppus and Blink drummer Travis Barker toured with Fall Out Boy when their side project, +44, opened FOB’s summer tour in 2007.

“When we started our band, we were like, ‘Man, that’d be so awesome to meet Blink-182,’” Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz says, adding his band is looking forward to the change an opening slot will bring. “It’s been a great stretch of headlining tours the last few years, but there’s something interesting about opening up for bands when you have to rope the audience in.”

Blink-182 are also working to make this tour accessible to as many fans as possible. While the most expensive tickets will go for $60, Hoppus says the band has secured a $20 ticket fee (charges included) for the arenas. “We want this to be an experience that brings the show out to the audience,” Hoppus adds, noting the band has partnered with the set designer Kanye West and Daft Punk use for a light show that will incorporate the entire venue into the band’s performance.

And Blink will debut at least one new tune on the road alongisde favorites like “Rock Show” and “What’s My Age Again,” which may have a more polished feel thanks to the band deciding to do some serious rehearsals before hitting the road. “We used to go on stage and forget our parts,” Hoppus says. “This time we want to be more artistic. We really want the live show on this tour to be something nobody would ever expect from Blink.”

Previous Next Latest Blink-182 Play First Reunion Show, Unveil New Weezer at Private Gig

For the first time in four years, punk trio Blink-182 performed live last night. Bassist Mark Hoppus explained in his Hi My Name is Mark blog that the gig took place at a private party to unveil the new T-Mobile Sidekick at Hollywood’s Paramount Pictures. Drummer Travis Barker was already on the bill with DJ AM, as were Blink’s summer openers Weezer, so Blink were asked to serve as the evening’s surprise ending. According to AltPress (who have shaky fan footage from the show), the trio played three songs, opening their set with Take Off Your Pants And Jacket’s “The Rock Show. “This is our very first show after hating each other’s guts for many years,” Hoppus joked from the stage. This morning, the band released their full summer tour schedule via Billboard (see below).

Blink closed out their set 2003’s “Feeling This” and Dude Ranch’s “Dammit.” “To be honest, it was one of the best nights of my life,” Hoppus wrote on his blog, which also has backstage photos from the gig. “Thanks to Travis and Tom. You are my brothers, and it feels amazing to share the stage with you once again.” The band’s official return comes when they play the The Late Show With Jay Leno on Tuesday, May 21st. As Rolling Stone reported in our current issue, Blink will be joined by Fall Out Boy on the road for two-thirds of their reunion jaunt, with Weezer picking up the remaining dates.

Weezer, who covered both Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face” and MGMT’s “Kids” during their set, also debuted a slightly new lineup on stage during their performance. Drummer Pat Wilson, who has been behind the skins since 1994’s Weezer (The Blue Album), joined the front lines as Weezer’s third guitarist, with Devo/Gn’R/NIN drummer Josh Freese picking up the sticks (and adding another prestigious band to his rocking resume). Since Freese is committed to tour dates with Devo this summer, it’s unclear whether he’ll be joining Weezer onstage again. Dates dates for the Blink tour were released this morning on Billboard’s Website, however the opening-band schedule has not been announced at this time.

July 24 - Las Vegas, NV @ the Joint
July 28 – Vancouver, BC @ GM Place
July 30 - Calgary, AB @ Saddledome
July 31 - Edmonton, AB @ Rexall Place
August 1 - Saskatoon, SK @ Credit Union Center
August 2 - Winnipeg, MB @ MTS Centre
August 4 – Milwaukee, WI @ Marcus Amphitheater
August 6 – Boston, MA @ Comcast Center
August 7 - Quebec City, QC @ Colisee Pepsi
August 8 – Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre
August 9 - Wantagh, N.Y. @ Nikon Theater at Jones Beach
August 12 - Hershey, PA @ the Star Pavilion
August 13 – Cincinnati, OH @ Riverbend Music Center
August 14 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Post Gazette Pavilion
August 15 – Chicago, IL @ First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
August 16 - Omaha, NE @ Westfair Amphitheater
August 18 – Minneapolis, MN @ Xcel Energy Center
August 20 – Indianapolis, IN @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
August 21 - Buffalo, N.Y. @ Darien Lakes Performing Arts Center
August 22 – Detroit, MI @ DTE Energy Music Theatre
August 23 – Toronto, ON @ Molson Amphitheater
August 25 - Holmdel, N.J. @ PNC Bank Arts Center
August 27 - Saratoga, N.Y. @ Saratoga Performing Arts Center
August 28 - Camden, PA @ Susquehanna Bank Center
August 29 - Hartford, CT @ New England Dodge Music Center
August 30 - Washington, D.C. @ TBD
August 31 - Wantagh, N.Y. @ Nikon Theater at Jones Beach
September 2 – Cleveland, OH @ Blossom Music Center
September 3 - St. Louis, MO @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
September 4 - Kansas City, MO @ Capitol Federal Park at Sandstone
September 6 – Denver, CO @ Fiddlers Green Amphitheater
September 7 - Salt Lake City, UT @ David O. McKay Events Center
September 10 – Seattle, WA @ White River Amphitheater
September 12 - Sacramento, CA @ Sleep Train Amphitheater
September 13 - Mountain View, CA @ Shoreline Amphitheater
September 14 - Santa Barbara, CA @ Santa Barbara Bowl
September 16 - San Diego, CA @ Cricket Wireless Amphitheater
September 17 - Irvine, CA @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
September 19 – Phoenix, AZ @ Tempe Beach Park
September 21 - Albuquerque, N.M. @ Journal Pavilion
September 23 – Dallas, TX @ Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
September 24 – Houston, TX @ Superpages.com Center
September 26 - West Palm Beach, FL @ Cruzan Amphitheater
September 27 - Tampa, FL @ Ford Amphitheater
September 29 – Atlanta. GA @ Lakewood Amphitheater
October 1 - Charlotte, N.C. @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
October 2 - Virginia Beach, VA @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
October 3 - Atlantic City, N.J. @ Borgata Events Center