Angels and Airwaves

Are you Nimrods all pumped up for Valentine's Day this weekend? Need a last minute gift for your honey? Well rockers, Angels and Airwaves are releasing their third full-length album, "Love", on February 14th for free. That's right, F- R- E- E that spells FREE! 

Along with the free standard album a special deluxe edition will be available for you to purchase. A film will also make its way to theaters later on in the year. It all sounds very exciting in the AVA camp, Alternative Press Magazine caught up with front-man Tom Delonge to see what's going on and what it could all mean for Blink-182.

When talking bout the re-united Blink, Tom has laid out what's going on in the punkers' world. "Blink are in the process of scheduling how we are going to record the next record. We already started before the tour, the only issue we're having now is that Angels are having quite a lot of electricity being built, so we have kind of the release of our life, and with this film and everything, we're just trying to schedule how we're going to be able to be in the studio. That meeting was actually supposed to take place last week and then this week, but this week already came to a close, so it's hard because we're all so busy."

So while Delonge is busy with his side project, what could his two other band members be doing while he's away?

"Mark [Hoppus] is actually doing a remix for Angels & Airwaves that will be on the sellable version of "Love". We have a record that we're selling that has 30 minutes extra music on it, plus a remix from Mark. Travis [Barker] has got a million things going on as well, so we're focusing on that and this week kind of went out the window. But I'm gearing up for tour, so the goal is that we're going to be meeting once or twice a week up until when I leave, and then when I get back from tour, it'll open the window up to really dig into it."

But all in all, having two great bands has proved to be quite successful for Tom himself and of course, his adoring fans.

"We actually got a lot done quickly on the new Blink album because people were working simultaneously in different studios, so we're hoping it will go really quickly. I'm in a good spot, because I have two great bands. I know how people are with Blink. I know how big Blink are and I know the legacy with it and everything, but Angels & Airwaves, to my heart and to the people who like it, this is the release of my life."

"I'm really, really, really excited about the album release on Valentine's Day. One step at a time for me--it's hard for me to bounce back and forth, and right now my mind is all Angels and trying to figure out how to schedule the upcoming Blink recording, because that's coming quick, too."

Hope your V-Day is as rockin' as this awesome album will be Nimrods!

Before we go, we'll leave you with a new AVA song, "Hallucinations". Enjoy!

Howdy there homeslices, hope you're having a great weekend! We sure are!

As we said before, Blink 182 are on the cover of June's Alternative Press Magazine. Well, good news is we got all of the scans for you to enjoy! 

The cover story can be found on page 110, and features a photograph of the guys interacting during a photo shoot. The caption at the bottom of the page also let's everyone know not to call it a "reunion."

On another page, bassist Mark Hoppus speaks about how he got into music. It all began when a friend loaned him a tape of the Cure's "Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me." The first song he heard from that cassette was the tune, "Just Like Heaven."  

He was a dedicated fan just after hearing that song, "I got way into the Cure from that moment. Their music became the soundtrack to my life, and I worked my way backward, buying all their previous albums, rare imports, posters, books, 12-inch singles (does anyone remember these?) and everything else I could get my hands on."

Hoppus also admits he started to dress like singer, Robert Smith. He is shown on the scan sporting messy hair, eyeliner, white face powder and sloppy lipstick. Yes, he'd even go dressed this flamboyantly to his high school classes. Aside from mimicking his idols, they're what inspired him to take up the bass guitar. Sitting alone in his room, he'd play along to the songs blasting from his stereo. 

Now in present time, the Blink trio even featured Smith on a song called, "All Of This" for their 2003 untitled album. "I never thought for a second it would actually happen. We called some people, and to our surprise, he wanted to be a part of it," Mark says, "It ended up being one of the best songs on the album. Months later, we were asked to perform a cover of 'A Letter To Elise' for MTV Icon: The Cure in 2004. They were super cool, just like you hope your heroes will be when you see them in real life."

Off the subject of Mark, this scan here features a photo of Tom Delonge, Blink's guitarist. The caption states that these guys may be the modern punk version of the Beatles. After four years, Blink is back to reclaim their throne. All they need to really work on is their friendship!

Now on page 112, the real story begins! AP sits down with the band in their North Hollywood studio co-owned by Mark Hoppus, and drummer Travis Barker. 

Discussing the return of the band, Hoppus says, "we honestly think of it as a continuation, not a reunion. Cause 'reunion' just has such a weird vibe to it, and that's not how we feel about what we're doing, you know? It is a continuation. We definitely had a band meltdown and took some time to figure things out and come back together in a positive way."

In February 2005, after 13 years of being together as a band, they decided to dismantle. Due to constant fighting, distrust and endless touring and promotion, it took a toll on the Southern Californians.

A few months later, Delonge started his band, Angels and Airwaves, and Hoppus hooked up with Barker to form, Plus 44. You may be surprised to know that there wasn't any tension between the two new bands. Or was there? "it was interesting to us to find out how bummed out Travis and Mark were about Tom splitting off," Shawn Harris from the Matches tells the magazine. His band opened for Plus 44 a year after recording three songs with Mark in 2006.

Harris also adds, "they were really hurt at the time, and I think a lot of that went into the Plus 44 album. There might've been a tablespoon of vengeance in Plus 44."

Plus 44 released their first hit, "No, It Isn't" on Delonge's birthday which is December 13. Blink's guitarist shot back some choice words for Hoppus, "I wouldn't want to be Mark and Travis when this record comes out." He claims he wasn't quoted correctly and "hyped up on pills" at the time when AVA began their official piece of press.

Hoppus explains that his best friend tearing away from Blink didn't feel right to him, "Tom cutting everything off and quitting the band through our manger was just really, really hard to swallow, personally, just because we'd been friends fo so long. That really didn't sit right with me for a long time."

What does he think of Angels and Airwaves? Pretty similar to how he took the break-up, "I think, in all honesty, that the Angels and Airwaves stuff lacked something. As creative and ambitious as Tom is, I feel like, as a fan of both our songwriting styles, Angels and Airwaves lacked what Travis and I bring to the table. And I feel like, in a lot ways, Plus 44 lacked what Tom would bring to the table."

Mark did in fact listen to what Tom cooked up with AVA, Travis has yet to hear a single note, "I've heard the singles, but I wasn't listening to that type of music, so it wasn't really run past me." 

This bass player was also thinking about calling Tom out of the blue and jamming on a song, "I was talking to my label: They wanted me to do a solo record. I was getting ready to do that and getting songs and everything together. I wanted to call up Tom and invite him to play guitar on one of the tracks, and just say, 'Dude, let's do like Beverly Hills, 90210 and squash it. I'm going to do this record. I want you to come and play guitar on it."

He never got around to calling Delonge. On September 19, 2008 Barker was in a tragic plane crash killing four out of six passengers. The only survivors were Barker and Adam Goldstein, better known as "DJ AM." Both musicians had second and third-degree burns. Barker had been hospitalized for about a month at a burn center in Georgia.

The cause of the crash is still unknown, but there are theories that state there was a blowout in one of the tires. Barker can't comment on the events because of a pending lawsuit against the jet's owners. He got through this adversity with "positive thinking" and doesn't dwell on it, "I was never sitting around going, 'Yo, I want Blink 182 to get back together.' You have to be friends in order to be  a band together, and at that point we weren't friends. I was so content with everything I was doing during the hiatus."

During the interview, Barker points at the outdoor patio where Hoppus brought up Blink reuniting again, "I was just kind of cruising at that point. I was still really, really, really recovering, and it was just cool to talk to my friends again." He also replied to being asked if he'd have any problems with Mark and Tom uniting without him, "if it was a decision they wanted to do, I would totally do that. If they felt like touring and I didn't feel like touring, or they wanted someone else, of course."

He also goes on to say, "we'll see how it is. If the reunion is the funnest thing in the world, then I'll continue doing it." What if it's not fun? "I never do anything that's not fun."

Mark expressed his excitement for the tour, "we're doing something for our upcoming tour that no band have ever been able to do before. When you buy a ticket, $20 will get you a seat. Twenty Dollars. No ticketing charge, no parking charge, no service fees, nothing. Like, a $20 bill will get you into the Blink show."

He also tells AP about meeting with set designers, "we met with the production designer the other day who did Kanye Wests's tour, Daft Punk's tour and has worked with Nine Inch Nails. We really want to walk out on stage and blow people's minds."

Hoppus quickly shoots down the idea of not doing an album due to the lack of energy from being on the road, "I don' think so-I mean, I don't feel like that now, but talk to me in six months. I really feel like during the tour, we're going to be doing soundchecks and playing instruments backstage and shooting ideas off of one another and we're going to come out of the tour on the other side, ready to get back to the studio and record the next album."

He makes it a point that the album will be out, but there isn't an approximate date or time, "I don't feel like there is a time schedule on a new album. If it takes us a year to write the next record, it will take a year to write the next record. I don't feel pressure to have it out by any certain time. We just want it to be great, no matter what it is or how long it takes us."

With bands like Fall Out Boy and All-American Rejects inching closer to the punk rock royalty throne, how does Blink stay afloat considering their last disc went platinum, but didn't sell as much as 1999's Enema Of The State?

"I definitely want to push where the last album went and go further with that. That is kind of why we decided to do the tour first then record the record, because I feel like people want to go out and see the Blink that they remember. They want to hear 'The Rock Show.' They want to hear 'Stay Together For The Kids.' They want to hear songs that they know."

He continues, "Relevancy, I think is in our own minds, if we record this album and people like it, then that's a success. If it sells 100,000 copies, that's fine. If a young band come up and blow us away, they've earned it. We've got to stay on our toes, and we've got to get the chops out for this tour. We've got to get out there and show everybody what we're all about. It's on us."

The next day, the SoCal punk trio meet up for their photo shoot with AP Mag. Tom takes time out of the shoot to explain a joke about "stimulus package", he's been working pretty hard at it too. Mark jumps in and decides to give his band mate a hard time, "Dude, what happened to your car? It's covered in dents!" He later admits he's just kidding and walks away. 

While the guys may seem to be complete goofs, they still have their responsibilities to be serious about. Tom is still serious about working with Angels and Airwaves, they're actually working on their third album, as well as a AVA movie to be released digitally on Christmas Day totally free, "we're going to try and really chance the way the industry works."

He makes it a point that Blink is what's really on his mind, "at any given moment, whatever I am doing is the top priority of that minute. Right now, getting ready for the tour with Blink is the top priority. I have to make sure it's the best it can be. I want to be able to experience art at that level again. It's a lot of fun to communicate on that large of a stage. We were a great band. I think the three of us together sort of have that spark."

In our last and final scan, it states that the album to coming out in 2010 is still a mystery to the guys. Filling the shoes of the late Jerry Finn, who produced the majority of Blink's records, is going to be a tough one, "what he brought to music is something that can't even be described, and it's awful to not hae him here. I still feel like he's here with us now, because the way we approach recording and everything is the way that he taught us. I wish that he were here to be a part of this."

The guys may have done their fair share of producing albums, but they insist on never showing off their skills on this new album, "we've had talks about that. Do we want to get a producer? If we got a producer, who would it be? Do we want to produce this ourselves? We're still fairly early on in the process, so I think we just need our space to not only find ourselves musically, but to get back into that headspace as a band where we actually communicate with one another and really get to that point where we can say, 'that absolutely sucks.'

I mean, we never say that, but, you know, everyone's still a litle bit polite right now, and we need to get past that politeness and get to the point where we can be like, 'hey, I really don't like that' ; get to that point where you're arguing about something but it doesn't feel like the band are going to fall apart."

So far, Blink 182 have a new song in the works, "The Night The Moon Was Gone". Mark himself calls it, "The Day THe Sun Said Suck It." Both Delonge and Hoppus have writing credit on it, and both offer vocals as well. The sound can be described as post-hardcore, and according to Tom, sounds like it was left off the last album, "lt sounds like it was the lost track of the untitled record. Lyrically, it's all about how everybody has the same wants, fears and desires. No matter who you are, no matter what vantage point. At the end of the day, everyone just wants to get by."

Blink 182 will embark on a three-month tour starting in July, and ending in October. It will feature opening acts like: Weezer, Fall Out Boy, Chester French, Panic at the Disco, All-American Rejects and more.

Will their friendship ever heal and go back to normal? Delonge jokes, "we all agree on one thing, and that's the Descendants." It's possible the band may never really be best friends ever again, but as far as career and success, they see eye to eye.

"I don't think any of us wanted to tip-toe back into Blink. We wanna take the biggest shot that we possibly can. We don't have any endgame. We do this because we love it, and because it's fun for us," Hoppus says.

Delonge ends the article with this quote, "there's only three of us, and that's all it takes. When we get together, all we need are these three instruments. A power trio is a hard thing to be, but when you're good at it, you can be unstoppable."

We fully agree!

There's another article on MTV.com about Blink's openers being super excited to support the guy's gigs. Check it out!

Have an awesome weekend Nimrods!

Hello everybody, how's it going with ya'll so far? Hope it's all good!

MTV.com posted some news concerning Blink 182 and their upcoming reunion tour, and since being away for so long, it's nice they still have their sense of humor.

The guys made their first radio appearance May 18th on KROQ's Kevin & Bean's show. The punk rockers talked about getting back together, the summer tour and jokes made between Mark and Tom during their surprise show in Los Angeles.

Guitarist Tom Delonge joked about his other side band, Angels & Airwaves, "I need to apologize. For the past few years I've been doing this serious stuff. And then the first song we came out and play, and I come right out and ask people if they masturbate to the 'Lord of the Rings' ...it was crazy."

Looks like things are back to normal with the band, hysterical sense of humor and all. Delonge and his bandmate, Mark Hoppus killed some rumors that Delonge looked kind of uncomfortable during Grammy night.

Hoppus said, "let me address this...here's what happened. We show up at the Grammys, Travis and I were there for an hour before we're supposed to go on...they sent Tom a car for him that never showed up. So, he's not there, and literally the lady was like, 'If you don't have a full band in 30 seconds, we're cutting you from the show.' And, like, Tom walks in, they send us to a holding area and then it's like, 'GO!' "

Delonge goes on to joke, "I think people thought we were like the crew dudes. People were confused."

Moving on to tour! Big news of the year, the guys will embark on a three month tour starting July 24th and ending in October. Tom has promised fans the show will include lasers, and Mark has sworn to an amazing light show. During the KROQ show, the band took caller suggestions to give their tour a name! However, there was only one winner, "One-Way Ticket to Boneville."

Our beloved bassist laughs, "we've had some good names in the past...'Poo-Poo Pee-Pee,' 'Race Around Uranus,' that one tour where we had the F-word written in flames. But I kind of like 'One-Way Ticket to Boneville.' I don't know if anything's going to top that."

In more Blink news, they'll be on the cover of the July 2009 issue of Alternative Press Magazine. On the cover, they're quoted as saying, "we wanna take the biggest shot that we possibly can." They want to assure everyone not to call this a reunion! It'll be in newsstands soon, should be good!

As far as album news goes, the guys are busy in the studio recording their follow up to the 2003 self-titled record. Don't expect to hear more than one new song on the tour though. Hoppus says for now, it's all about the hits, "I think that people want to hear the old stuff right now. I think that people want to relive the old times, and the people who haven't seen Blink yet want to see the songs they've been listening to the past few years. We'll throw in some new stuff, but this is about reforming as a band and playing the songs that we grew  up playing."

It is still unknown whether or not the Blink men will debut their official single before the tour starts later this year in Las Vegas. Keep your fingers crossed!

They're still signed to their label, Interscope, "Interscope will be putting out our next record, but I don't know if hte song will be coming out as a release- a for-sale version for the tour or not, or if we'll just debut it for the tour and let it sit it in...badly-played live editions," according to Mark.

Read this article from LA Times here.

On top of all this good news, the Blink boys have returned to performing on live television. The trio ripped through their 2001 hit, "The Rock Show" on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno! 

Watch a clip of the guys in action below, enjoy!

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Hello, how are you doing today? We're glad you're with us!

MTV Games and Harmonix seem have dug into their Rock Band files and discovered a string of songs from top bands such as Green Day, Blink 182, and Angels and Airwaves. They've had problems before with leaking the PlayStation Portable version of Rock Band Unplugged two weeks before it's official release date.

The same people have files that seem to make references to top Green Day hits, such as: "Welcome to Paradise," "She's a Rebel," "Nice Guys Finish Last," "Longview," "Minority," "Letterbomb," "American Idiot," "Boulevard of Broken Dreams," "Jaded," "Whatsername," "Walking Contradiction," "She," "St. Jimmy," "Holiday", "Hitchin' a Ride", and "Brainstew."

Hits from Blink 182, "The Rock Show", and Angels and Airwaves, "The Adventure" have made their way onto these people's grabby hands as well. Will these tunes make their way to the new Rock Band video game? Read all about it here.

Good news, according to NME.com Bob Dylan has been kicked off the UK album chart on May 17th by Green Day. Their album, "21st Century Breakdown" has gone straight to number one. A huge congratulations to them for a job well done!

"Together Through Life", Dylan's new record, has gone to fill the number eight spot. "Breakdown" is only two days old and already it's been selling like hot cakes! Green Day have also taken this coveted spot from Lily Allen and Maximo Park who have recently released their own records.

The top ten albums in the UK right now are:

1. "21st Century Breakdown"-Green Day
2. "It's Not Me It's You"-Lily Allen
3. "The Fame"-Lady GaGa
4. "Invadoers Must Die"-Prodigy
5. "Funhouse"-Pink
6. "Quicken The Heart"-Maximo Park
7. "I Am Sasha Fierce"-Beyonce
8. "Together Through Life"-Bob Dylan
9. "The Very Best Of"-Jim Reeves
10. "Only By The Night"-Kings Of Leon

As you already know, Green Day were the musical guest on the season finale of Saturday Night Live. The show was hosted by former show actor, Will Ferrell. The guys not only teamed up with Ferrell, but also with Tom Hanks and Anne Hathaway for their version of Billy Joel's, "Goodnight Saigon" during a skit about a man scarred by a Vietnam getaway.

We also have a video of Green Day performing "Know Your Enemy", enjoy!

Join our listening party on our forums, we'll be streaming the entire "Breakdown" album for the remainder of the month until midnight May 29th. You could listen to it on Nimrod Radio as well!