Original Article: blabbermouth.net

DISTURBED garnered its 19th No. 1 on the Active Rock radio chart with “Don’t Tell Me”, the band’s latest single, which features a guest appearance by Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductee and HEART co-founder Ann Wilson. The song is DISTURBED’s fourth No. 1 off the band’s acclaimed album “Divisive”, out now via Reprise Records.

This is the second time DISTURBED has earned four No. 1s on a single record, having previously accomplished the same feat on 2015’s “Immortalized”. Only nine rock albums since 1992 have been able to secure four No. 1 songs on the Mediabase Rock charts and two of them have been DISTURBED’s.

TheMatt Mahurin-directed music video for “Don’t Tell Me” can be seen below. The song marks the first time DISTURBED has included a guest feature on an LP.

DISTURBED vocalist David Draiman commented: “I have tremendous respect for Ann. In my humble opinion, she’s the greatest female rock voice of all time. I think she’s untouchable. I feel like we were very gifted to have her be a part of this.”

Wilson added: “I was honored when I got the call from David Draiman. DISTURBED did a version of ‘The Sound Of Silence’ that my husband and I both really dug. And so when the opportunity came to sing a duet with him on a song that meant so much to David emotionally, I jumped at the chance. And then the video turned out great, which is yet another cherry on top. Hopefully we’ll find a time to perform ‘Don’t Tell Me’ live together at some point. If they call, I’m there.”

Last November, DISTURBED shared behind-the-scenes photos from the set of the “Don’t Tell Me” video shoot in California and captioned them: “On set for our video shoot for our next single ‘Don’t Tell Me’ featuring @annwilson from @heartofficial”.

Regarding how the collaboration with Wilson came about, DISTURBED drummer Mike Wengren told Terrie Carr of WDHA-FM 105.5 FM: “That was always supposed to be the ‘power ballad,’ per se. And as we were tracking it in the studio, David just threw out the idea, ‘Hey, let’s do a duet on this song.’ We’ve tossed around the idea before, but there wasn’t ever either the right material or the right time. So in this particular case, we kind of said, ‘Well, who you’ve got in mind?’ And he didn’t even have a list; he just had one person, and that was Ann. It was a no-brainer. ‘Hey, let’s hit up Ann. Let’s see if she’d be into it.’ And she was on board right away; we didn’t have to convince her.”

Mike continued: “[David and Ann] sort of struck up a bit of a friendship, a little bit of a rapport. When [DISTURBED cover version of] ‘The Sound Of Silence’ came out years back and had its success, she was one of many artists and celebrities that took it up themselves to go on Twitter and praise the song and praise our version of it, which we couldn’t have been more honored. Iconic, legendary Ann Wilson thinks that we did a great job with a SIMON & GARFUNKEL cover. That’s pretty incredible, a pretty great honor. So when we reached out to her, she was more than willing to jump on board. And she came in and she killed it… And she’s super cool and down to earth too, and just incredibly talented. It’s such an honor to have her be on our record. And to me, the blending of her voice and David’s voice, they really, really work so well together. I’m so proud of David and just so honored to have her a part of our record.”

In September 2022, DISTURBED guitarist Dan Donegan, whose divorce inspired “Don’t Tell Me”, told Meltdown of Detroit’s WRIF radio station about the band’s collaboration with Wilson: “Early in our career, we wanted to really establish ourselves without having any guests. We didn’t really talk about it much, but just [felt], ‘This is the band.’ Not that we were ever against it, but this far along in our career… We’re always pushing ourselves, trying to do stuff that’s different musically. And there’s so much talent out there and so many people we would love to do collaborations with now or later in our career.

“Ann Wilson had mentioned before — she tweeted about us before,” he continued. “A few years back, somebody asked her in an interview or whatever if there’s anything new out there, or newer, musically that she’s heard that she’s fan of, and she mentioned she really loved our version of ‘The Sound Of Silence’. And that kind of opened the door to a social media friendship between her and David a bit. And then when we wrote this song, it just seemed like it would lend itself to Ann’s voice and then trying to see that merge between her and David’s voices together. She jumped on the opportunity. Immediately she responded, and we were, like, ‘Holy shit. She just said yes to this.'”

Asked by Meltdown if “Don’t Tell Me” is a more mellow track than the standard DISTURBED fare, Dan said: “I can’t give it away, but their voices, it’s like Fergie and Jesus — a little ‘Step Brothers’ [2008 movie] quote there… It was a pretty magical moment to be in the room and to hear the two of them harmonize together.

“We tracked David’s vocals in Nashville, and we wanted to make it easy and convenient for her, ’cause we were, like, she said yes, she’s gonna do it,” Donegan continued. “Let’s make it as easy as possible on her.’ We flew out to California to meet with her. We went into a studio out there for just a couple of hours, and she sang against David’s tracks. And he was there kind of going over the harmonies with her and stuff too. So it was kind of a really magical moment to see the two of them working on those harmonies together. It was pretty impressive. And she’s such a pro, and she’s so damn good. She’s a legend. So it was pretty exciting. And it’s not like she sits there and jumps on people’s albums either, so we take that as a badge of honor to think that there’s not many times where somebody as big a legend as she is that she would jump on any album. She doesn’t have to, and she chose to be on this one. And she loves the track. And it just came together great.”

Released in November 2022, “Divisive” was recorded earlier that year with producer Drew Fulk (MOTIONLESS IN WHITE, LIL PEEP, HIGHLY SUSPECT) in Nashville, Tennessee.

According to Billboard, “Divisive” sold 26,000 equivalent album units in its first week of release, with 22,000 units via album sales.

On the all-format Billboard 200 chart, “Divisive” debuted at No. 13.

DISTURBED has had five No. 1s on the all-genre chart, beginning with “Believe” in 2002.

My interview with @ChrisCuomo on @NewsNation last night.#Israel #Gaza #SaveGazaFromHamas#HamasisISIS #NovaFestivalMassacre#BringThemHome #BringThemHomeNow #NeverAgain #NeverAgainIsNow #Peace #Jewish #Proud #Coexistence #AmYisraelChai pic.twitter.com/ks4oxdqLU7

— David Draiman 🟦🎗️🇮🇱✡️☮️ (@davidmdraiman) February 29, 2024

Original article: Jerusalem Post

Over the last 48 hours over 1,000 people donated to the campaign, money will be used to pay for private security for Matisyahu and his family.

A GoFundMe campaign initiated by Jewish American hard rocker David Draiman, lead singer of Disturbed, to raise $25,000 to provide security for fellow Jewish reggae roots singer Matisyahu, more than reached its goal in only two days.

Earlier this month, two Matisyahu shows were canceled – in Tucson, Arizona, and Santa Fe, New Mexico after the venues said they couldn’t guarantee security due to anti-Israel protests that were planned outside the shows.According to the singer, the issue was actually staff who were unwilling to work at the show. The artist said that he had offered to supplement these staff shortages, but he had been refused.

“They do this because they are either antisemitic or have confused their empathy for the Palestinian people with hatred for someone like me who holds empathy for both Israelis and Palestinians,” Matisyahu said in social media posts at the time. “It truly is a sad day when dialogue with those you disagree with is abandoned for hate-mongering and silencing artistic expression.”

Matisyahu has shown support to Israel since beginning of the war
Last month, Matisyahu visited Israel to show solidarity amid the war. He visited army bases and performed for soldiers.

Draiman, who has also been outspoken in support of Israel – often draping his shoulders in an Israeli flag and displaying a ‘F*** Hamas’ banner at shows on the current Disturbed tour in the US, heard about the cancellations and decided to take action.

He launched the funding campaign, writing: “This is David Draiman of Disturbed, and I’m raising funds to provide security for my friend, Matisyahu, an amazing, peace-loving artist, who is currently dealing with unprecedented levels of antisemitism. Matisyahu and I first met years ago when he performed in Miami Beach and I had my management reach out to him when I heard about his unfortunate show cancellations in Arizona. I couldn’t let that stand. Couldn’t let him and his family continue to be terrorized, so this campaign was started. All funds will be wire transferred to Matisyahu’s management team to pay for a private security detail for him and his family for the remainder of his current tour.”

Over the last 48 hours over 1,000 people donated to the campaign and as of Saturday night, more than $26,000 had been raised, which Draiman said will be used “to pay for private security for him and his family for the duration of his current tour.”

When asked by the Post on Saturday night what he took away from the speedy and generous reaction to his appeal, Draiman said, “we are united against the scourge of antisemitism. Never again is now.”

Original Article: blabbermouth.net

Chris Daughtry of Grammy-nominated rockers DAUGHTRY joined DISTURBED on stage last night (Saturday, February 17) at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee to perform the DISTURBED song “Stricken”. Fan-filmed video of his appearance can be seen below.

“Stricken” was the second single from DISTURBED’s third studio album, “2005’s “Ten Thousand Fists”. In August 2008, the track was certified gold in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales in excess of 500,000 copies.

DISTURBED kicked off the 2024 leg of its “Take Back Your Life” tour on January 19 at the Peoria Civic Center in Peoria, Illinois. The band’s 21-song setlist included the live debut of the “Divisive” album track “Don’t Tell Me” featuring a guest appearance by Moriah Formica of the opening band PLUSH.

Released in November 2022, DISTURBED’s latest LP, “Divisive”, was recorded earlier that year with producer Drew Fulk (MOTIONLESS IN WHITE, LIL PEEP, HIGHLY SUSPECT) in Nashville, Tennessee.

According to Billboard, “Divisive” sold 26,000 equivalent album units in its first week of release, with 22,000 units via album sales.

On the all-format Billboard 200 chart, “Divisive” debuted at No. 13.

DISTURBED has had five No. 1s on the all-genre chart, beginning with “Believe” in 2002.

“Divisive” topped Billboard’s Top Hard Rock Albums and Top Alternative Albums charts, for their sixth and fifth No. 1s on those respective tallies.

“Bad Man”, a single from “Divisive”, was nominated for “Best Metal Performance” at the 66th annual Grammy Awards, which took place on February 4 in Los Angeles. DISTURBED had been nominated twice before, in 2009 and 2017, but did not win either time. “Bad Man” was the second single released from the LP and peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs chart while two previously released singles, “Hey You” and “Unstoppable”, reached No. 1.

DISTURBED will perform at this year’s Knotfest in Australia in March and is scheduled to make festival appearances at Welcome To Rockville and Sonic Temple Art & Music Festival in May.

I have made an official list of all approved/verified official socials. David himself has retweeted and reposted so hopefully people will believe it from him. I want you guys to spread this around. If you see or hear someone talk about the fact they are being DMed by one of the guys please direct them to our tweet located here or on our instagram, or David’s posts on instagram, or even right here to the DisturbedZone.com site. (Respectfully of course, please do not spam or self promote my site link in other groups without the permissions of the group admins)

Did Dan go honky tonkin’ last night?! Hayley with Dan Donegan of Disturbed before their exclusive show at EXIT/IN last night.

More than 400 leaders from the entertainment industry — including KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons, DISTURBED singer David Draiman and Ozzy Osbourne’s wife/manager Sharon Osbourne — have signed an open letter released by the non-profit entertainment industry organization Creative Community For Peace in support of the European Broadcasting Union’s (EBU) public commitment to include Israel in the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest.

The letter comes in response to others who have demanded that Israel be disinvited from the contest. In December, Iceland’s Association Of Composers And Lyricists published a statement saying Israel’s military action in Gaza made its participation incompatible with an event “characterized by joy and optimism”. In Finland, a petition signed by more than 1,400 music industry professionals accused their national broadcaster Yle of double standards, saying it was among the first to demand the ban on Russia after its invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

The Creative Community For Peace letter highlights Eurovision’s unique ability to unify people from diverse backgrounds and music’s capacity to effect positive change in the world. The letter states that the annual event, with more viewers than the Super Bowl, is a celebration of unity and should not be used as a tool for politics.

Simmons said: “Music unites people from all backgrounds. It’s the one language that everyone can understand. It’s a beautiful thing and a great way to bring people together. Those advocating to exclude an Israeli singer from Eurovision don’t move the needle towards peace, but only further divide the world.”

The statement is the first of its kind — a call from the entertainment industry unequivocally voicing support for Israel’s inclusion in Eurovision.

“We have been shocked and disappointed to see some members of the entertainment community calling for Israel to be banished from the Contest for responding to the greatest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust,” the letter reads. “Under the cover of thousands of rockets fired indiscriminately into civilian populations, Hamas murdered and kidnapped innocent men, women, and children,” it continues.

On Eurovision’s impact, the letter states, “We believe that unifying events such as singing competitions are crucial to help bridge our cultural divides and unite people of all backgrounds through their shared love of music.” The letter concludes: “Those who are calling for Israel’s exclusion are subverting the spirit of the Contest and turning it from a celebration of unity into a tool of politics.”

CCFP’s chairman David Renzer and executive director Ari Ingel said: “We join entertainment industry leaders in rejecting the vilification of Israel on the global music stage. After thousands of innocent Israelis were killed, over 360 of them at a music festival as they danced in celebration of life, to see some respond in this fashion is shameful. We hope Eurovision stands firm in the face of this misguided, discriminatory boycott attempt. We want the world to know that the entertainment industry supports the Contest and all this year’s amazing participants, including Israel’s.”

Simmons was born as Chaim Witz in August 1949, at Rambam Hospital in Haifa, Israel, to Jewish immigrants from Hungary. He was the son of Holocaust survivor Flora Klien and a father, Feri Witz, who soon abandoned his family, leaving them penniless prior to emigrating to America in search of a better life.

Draiman, the son of Israelis and the grandson of Holocaust survivors, spends much of his time on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, sharing pro-Israel articles and posts and has often used his fame to speak out against anti-Semitism.

DISTURBED’s song “Never Again”, from 2010’s “Asylum” album, was written about the Holocaust and calls out people who deny it.

Both of Draiman’s maternal grandparents were survivors of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, while many others on his mother’s side were wiped out by the Nazis.

Sharon Osbourne once described herself as “half a Jew”, with the Jewish half coming from her father, the renowned music promoter and manager Don Arden who had represented ELO, THE SMALL FACES and BLACK SABBATH.

“We were brought up in basically a Jewish household,” Sharon told The Jewish Chronicle. “My family, my father’s family, my aunt, my cousins, are all Jewish. And observant Jews who practice and love their religion. So Judaism is the only religion I have, and the only one with which I feel comfortable.”

Read the rest of this entry »

The post Travis Kelce Gets “Down with the Sickness” at Super Bowl After-Party, Gets Invited to Disturbed Show appeared first on Consequence.

Social media clips of Travis Kelce partying after the Super Bowl in Las Vegas have been rampant, with the champion tight end cutting it up with girlfriend Taylor Swift and his fellow players in the aftermath of the Kansas City Chiefs’ overtime victory.

One in particular has been making the rounds in heavy metal circles, as it sees the football star getting down to Disturbed’s anthemic “Down with the Sickness” — and impressing the band’s singer David Draiman in the process.

The clip shows Kelce pumping up the crowd from the DJ booth as he appears to shout “Go baby!” during the “ooo ah ah ah” refrain while the metal banger blasts through the speakers.

Draiman re-shared a couple of the Kelce clips and extended an invite over X/Twitter, first writing, “Hey @tkelce, you’re welcome at one of our shows anytime,” and later remarking, “Well done @tkelce … Come and do it live with us?”

Back in November, Draiman defended Taylor Swift at a Disturbed show. When he joked to a female fan, “I know this isn’t Taylor Swift, but we’re doing our best,” some of the crowd booed at the mention of the pop superstar’s name. He then exclaimed, “Shut the fuck up! Taylor Swift kicks fuckin’ ass!”

Disturbed’s 2024 tour already passed through Kansas City in early February, but there are still 10 more dates on the itinerary if Kelce wants to drop in. You can pick up tickets to Disturbed’s upcoming shows here.

Watch the clips of Kelce getting “Down with the Sickness” below, along with one of David Draiman defending Swift.

Well done @tkelce 🤘🏻
Come and do it live with us? @Disturbed @Chiefs #downwiththesickness pic.twitter.com/ENIAYU7QgH

— David Draiman 🟦🎗️🇮🇱✡️☮️ (@davidmdraiman) February 13, 2024

Hey @tkelce, you’re welcome at one of our shows anytime 🤘🏻pic.twitter.com/NpKJlZnV0h

— David Draiman 🟦🎗️🇮🇱✡️☮️ (@davidmdraiman) February 13, 2024

Original Article: rockatnight.com

With a can’t miss lineup of powerhouse metal rockers, the sold out Mohegan Sun arena was rocked to its core Saturday night.

Starting with the all female band Plush, it was clear from the beginning this was going to be a special night.

With their infectious energy and magnetic stage presence, Plush wasted no time in captivating the crowd. Power vocalist Moriah Formica soared effortlessly, commanding attention with each powerful note on popular songs “Athena”, “Hate” and “Champion”.

A quote by Moriah Formica defines Plush “The mission of PLUSH is to bring the heart of rock back to the mainstream with a new fresh spin on the sounds you already love. Plush hopes to inspire young women everywhere to follow their dreams, regardless of whatever challenges may lie in the way.”

Living up to their stated mission and backed by lead guitarist Bella Perron, bassist Ashley Suppa, and drummer Faith Powell, Formica (a former contestant on TV’s The Voice). Plush nailed Heart’s “Barracuda” dead nuts.

After a few stage modifications, Falling In Reverse came on to unleash their unique brand of rock ‘n’ roll mayhem.

Lead Vocalist Ronnie Radke jumped up on to a riser that had been added to the front of the stage and he immediately broke into their hit “Zombified” while Radke with his raw vocals and unbridled energy, ran back and forth wildly on the riser.

Unfortunately because the riser was placed in the front of the stage, those of us in the photo pit could not see the rest of the band but it didn’t matter because Radke commanded all the attention with his magnetic stage presence and vocal prowess incorporating Rap into their heavy metal creating a very unique style.

“I’m Not A Vampire”, Popular Monster”, and “Losing My Mind” were fan favorites.

When the curtain drawn over the front of the stage was removed , the packed house seemed ready to burst when Disturbed’s David Draiman took center stage. It was obvious from the outset, the Mohegan Sun crowd loved the charismatic Draiman and he gave it his all in return.

Starting with the hard hitting “Hey You”, Disturbed had the crowd in the palm of their hand.

For the next two hours, David Draiman’s deep powerful vocals were mesmerizing with incredible range, and keyboard and guitarist Dan Donegan, bassist John Moyer, and drummer Mike Wengren prove Disturbed is no one trick pony. They came to play and left everything they had on the stage.

Disturbed weaved in and out of there popular original hits, drum and bass solos, a duet, and a couple of cover songs that rival the originals.

In fact their cover of Simon and Garfunkel’s “Sound Of Silence” with it’s almost 1 billion Youtube, views has become a signature song and a must play at every concert.

In these times of rising concert ticket costs, Disturbed’s “Take Back Your Life” tour” is a bargain with a full night of great live music by three super talented bands playing almost 40 songs, it’s already one of the best tours of “24”. Don’t miss it!

Photos by Mike McKenney

Original Article: msn.com

During their Take Back Your Life 2024 tour stop at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT on Saturday, February 12, rockers Disturbed stopped their performance to address a fan in the crowd who had been holding up a photo for them to see throughout the night.

“What is your story,” Disturbed frontman David Draiman asked as he approached the fan at the stage barrier. “You’ve been holding this picture up to me the entire show. What’s going on?” Fighting back tears, the fan explains: “This is my best friend Mark. I’ve known him since I was 11… He unfortunately lost his life to addiction on January 17th this year. It’ll be a month on Wednesday.”
“It’s definitely the hardest thing I’ve ever had to go through,” the fan continues as her emotions get the best of her. Still standing on the barrier, Draiman leans in to comfort her with a hug, and then gets down to floor level to look her in the eye when he says, “Come with me.”

The video then cuts to David and Kaylee on stage, where Draiman introduces her to the arena while giving her a chance to share the name of her late friend, Mark Rivers, with everyone in attendance. After another hug, Kaylee is welcomed to stay on stage as the band performs their single, “The Light,” in honor of Mark. “Breaks my heart,” Draiman says addressing the crowd. “Unfortunately, not everyone gets saved. Not everyone survives the darkness.”

“The key is to let the memories of the people we love live long beyond us,” David continues. “To keep them in our hearts, and to keep their souls radiant wherever they are. All you have to do is just think about them. Keep them in your mind, keep them in your soul, and the people you love are never ever truly gone.”

Finally, Draiman explains, “Sometimes it takes the right song to bring us back to the memory that we so deeply miss. I know I still miss so many of my dearly departed friends, we lost so many of them: Chester [Bennington], Scott [Weiland], Chris [Cornell]. That’s part of the reason why we write the songs that we do. Because life, no matter what the storybooks tell may you, is not f***ing easy. Not everything is sweet. Sometimes we have to look into the darkness in order to dispel the darkness.”

“I have a secret you may not realize,” Draiman says as he walks back to address Kaylee again personally: “Sometimes darkness can show you the light.” Watch the touching clip above.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Disturbed (@disturbed)