Linkin Park

Linkin Park Do 'Everything At Once' On LIVING THINGS

25 May 2012 15:18:54 EDT

LP's new album — due June 26 — sees them looking back, while still pushing the envelope forward.
By James Montgomery

As if the drastic left turn they took with 2010's A Thousand Suns wasn't proof enough, it should be fairly obvious at this point that Linkin Park have grown tired of doing things the traditional way. Rather, they're determined to blaze their own trail, which, given their standing as one of the hugest rock acts on the planet, is a certainly admirable — if not slightly questionable — way of operating.

And though the follow-up to the willfully dissonant Suns — LIVING THINGS (due June 26) — isn't quite as obtuse, it still finds the band experimenting with vastly different soundscapes, lyrical themes and recording techniques, simultaneously honing their focus and expanding their horizons. It is the rare record that both pays homage to the past while bolding looking forward, and needless to say, it's a head-spinning listen from start to finish. Though, as Linkin Park told MTV News during the premiere of their new "BURN IT DOWN" video, they prefer to think of it as just the next step.

"It's just really different [from anything we've done before]," Mike Shinoda said. "I feel like we made a serious effort to try and touch all of the bases of all of the different things that we've done, and bring them together in each song. Not just one album, but each song. And then maybe sprinkle in some stuff that we've never done before, too."

That's evident in first single "BURN," which recalls both LP's nu-metal past and their current experimental present ... or in standout tracks like "CASTLE OF GLASS" or "UNTIL IT BREAKS," sonic rattlers born out of the band's less-than-traditional methods of recording, and all the better because of it.

"Our writing process is a weird, amorphous thing. For some bands, just to put it in perspective, they jam, and then they write a song and then they record a song and then they mix it and finish it ... we don't do that," Shinoda laughed. "We do everything at once, every step of the way. From the moment we're putting things down on the laptop, I'm already kind of mixing it a little bit [and] sometimes those things end up being songs, like 'CASTLE OF GLASS,' [where] my vocal performance in the first part of that song, pretty much almost everything you hear in the beginning of the song was the very first demo. Like, that went from nothing there, to those things, and then the song got built.

"Some songs we'll come up with demos, and they won't ever turn into anything ... we'll hear them, and we'll know they're not ever going to be a great song on their own," he continued. "But there may be a section of it, a little glimmer of cool something in it, and the song 'Until It Breaks' is built from just those. There were like four demos that we had made that weren't going anywhere individually, but when you put them all together, they make something really interesting. It's supposed to feel really jarring and weird, and for me it was a really fun song to make."

So yes, while LIVING THINGS does represent a return to the band's thundering past, it is also very much a snapshot of the band in 2012, still at the peak of their powers, still melding seemingly disparate sounds and influences, and pushing the envelope whenever possible. By whatever means necessary.

"Just because you see Brad [Delson] playing a guitar on stage, doesn't mean he just writes guitar on the album. A lot of times, especially on this record, more often than not, he wasn't playing guitar," Shinoda said. "But regardless of who played what, in our band, that's not important. It's more about everybody's got a voice, and everybody's got an influence on the song, and if one guy's not really happy with something, then we try to address it."

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Linkin Park Were Pushed To The Brink For 'BURN IT DOWN' Video

23 May 2012 18:47:09 EDT

Band's new vid premieres tomorrow at 5:53 p.m. on MTV, and LP sit down for an exclusive interview right after on MTV.com!
By James Montgomery

Throughout their careening career, Linkin Park have made no shortage of truly iconic, eye-catching music videos, the overwhelming majority of which were directed by the band's DJ, Joe Hahn.

And LP's latest clip, "BURN IT DOWN" — which premieres on MTV and MTV.com on Thursday, May 24, at 5:53 p.m. ET as part of our "MTV First" — is both a worthy addition to that video legacy and Hahn's directorial reel. Chock full of cutting-edge digital effects, it's a performance video pushed to the absolute limit ... to the point where, when the band bursts into flames at the end, you can't help wondering if they didn't just spontaneously combust.

Then again, knowing Hahn, it's entirely possible he just decided to set his bandmates on fire. After all, in previous clips, he's nearly drowned them in tanks of water and tossed huge handfuls of dust directly in their faces. So when MTV News sat down with Hahn, Chester Bennington and Mike Shinoda during the "BURN IT DOWN" premiere (you can watch the entire interview on MTV.com immediately after the video's debut), we had to ask them about Hahn's hardline approach to making music videos.

Basically, how much of a pain in the ass is this guy to work for? As it turns out, the answer is: a huge one.

"Yeah, Joe really goes for it," Bennington laughed. "And, for whatever reason, I usually get it the worst. I've almost drowned, I had all this powder thrown in my face. ... On this new one, I was sweating like crazy. It was intense."

Of course, as you'd probably expect, Hahn wasn't having any of it. The way he sees it, Linkin Park owe their success to the fact that they never do anything the easy way. (Their new album, LIVING THINGS, due June 26, is testament to that.) And since his bandmates are going to complain no matter what he does, well, then he might as well push the limits as far as possible.

"The reason why we're successful is because we're all passionate people; I have to take the director's seat and be in-between," he said. "And the thing I figured out is, no matter what, they're going to complain. They could just be staring at an apple on a table and they'd be like, 'OK ... [makes a 'checking the watch' gesture].' So you might as well make it fun."

"And get your money's worth," Bennington shot back.

Just wait until you see "BURN IT DOWN," because Hahn — and Linkin Park — definitely got their money's worth with this one.

Don't miss the world premiere of the "BURN IT DOWN" video during "MTV First: Linkin Park" tomorrow! It all starts at 5:53 p.m. ET on MTV, followed by an exclusive interview with the band on MTV.com

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Linkin Park To Premiere 'BURN IT DOWN' Video On MTV!

22 May 2012 08:59:00 EDT

Band will debut the clip Thursday, May 24, during "MTV First: Linkin Park," followed by a 30-minute interview on MTV.com.
By Kara Warner

Hey Linkin Park fans, are you ready to see the music video for the band's chart-climbing single "BURN IT DOWN?" Get ready for a little Christmas in May, because Chester Bennington, Mike Shinoda and Joe Hahn will be on hand to introduce their brand-new clip via its global premiere on MTV Thursday, May 24, as part of "MTV First: Linkin Park."

After the global premiere of the video at 5:53 p.m. ET on MTV, the band will stick around for a meaty 30-minute interview with MTV News' James Montgomery on MTV.com. Fans can get in on the action by submitting their reactions to the clip in the comments section or on Twitter (using @MTVNews, hashtag #MTVFirst). During "MTV First," the rock stars will also answer your Twitter questions and dish on the latest news.

"What's interesting about this video is that we're really trying to capture a live kind of element with the band playing very similarly to how we would perform live," Bennington told MTV News recently when we were lucky enough to visit the video's set. "The fact that we're playing broken down, kind of like we're playing live brings that organic vibe to the video, makes for this really cool almost plugged-in look that we have."

"As the band has gotten older lyrically, my favorite [songs] over the past couple years have a lot of layers to them," Shinoda said of the band's evolution. "Part of that comes from the fact that all along, Chester and I, we have different life experiences and we tend to write the lyrics together, so although we're writing one song, we're coming at it from two different experience points. He may be writing about one thing he's thinking and I might be writing about something completely different."

The global partnership positions "BURN IT DOWN" to reach more than 600 million households around the world via MTV's global network of more than 60 channels and over 300 digital media properties in 150 plus territories. In the U.S., the video will debut during "MTV First" and will also premiere across MTV's channels in Canada, Europe, Latin America, Australia, Asia and Africa.

Don't miss the world premiere of the "BURN IT DOWN" video during "MTV First: Linkin Park" on Thursday! It all starts at 5:53 p.m. ET on MTV, followed by an exclusive interview with the band on MTV.com.

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Linkin Park, Incubus Prep Their 'Dragon Pants' For Honda Civic Tour

25 Apr 2012 12:41:15 EDT

Co-headlining tour kicks off August 11, and Incubus frontman Brandon Boyd is making plans for an Iron Maiden-inspired show.
By James Montgomery, with reporting by Kelly Marino

Last week, Linkin Park not only announced the title and release date of their new album — it's called Living Things, and it's due June 26, to catch you up — but they revealed plans to co-headline this summer's Honda Civic Tour, alongside Incubus.

The trek kicks off August 11, and, somewhat unbelievably (given both acts' longevity), it'll be the first time the two bands have teamed up — though they've been kicking the idea around for a while now. Or, at least that's how LP's Chester Bennington and Incubus' Brandon Boyd remember it. Though, to be fair, their memories aren't exactly crystal-clear.

"I remember Mike Shinoda had run into Mike [Einziger] from Incubus, and off the cuff said, 'Yeah, we should go out, do a big tour together,' but whether or not that was the beginning phase of doing this, I'm not sure — it could have been eight months ago, I don't know, time to me is kind of weird," Bennington laughed. "But we'd been talking about doing something really great in the U.S. and going out with another really amazing band that does very well on their own, and that's how this came about. And luckily, for the first time in our careers, we'll have the chance to get to know each other. I think a lot of people just sort of assume we all hang out together."

"Yeah, people think rockers just hang out together. Like we meet at 'rock bars' or something," Boyd added. "This tour is just going to be the beginning. We're going to start a comedy troupe next."

And if they're really considering going Groundlings once the Honda Civic Tour wraps, well, Incubus are already taking appropriately hilarious steps by tapping into the gaudy, bong-glazed glory of Iron Maiden's set designs. At least, that's if Maiden are willing to play ball.

"We've been trying for many, many years — and I'm actually not joking right now, I'm really serious — to borrow Iron Maiden's set from [the] Seventh Son of a Seventh Son [Tour]," Boyd said. "They always had the coolest, raddest productions, with Stonehenge-type things and giant walking zombies and stairs and pyramids you can climb. They have all that stuff in storage, and our production manager worked with them years ago, so every time before we go do a tour, he asks if we could borrow some of their sets. Imagine coming onto a stage out of one of the Pyramids of Giza, with smoke coming out of it and a giant walking zombie going 'Ha ha ha ... keep rocking, Brandon. Keep on rocking, Chester.' "

"That would be so rad. That makes me excited. I wanna see that," Bennington laughed. "The thought of you running around in, like, dragon pants, or maybe flying like Bruce Dickinson. I'm totally ready for this tour to start now."

Will you check out Linkin Park and Incubus on tour? Let us know in the comments!

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Linkin Park Announce Living Things Release, Tour Dates

16 Apr 2012 13:21:49 EDT

New LP is due June 26, and band will hit the road with Incubus on the Honda Civic Tour in August.
By James Montgomery

Last month, when Linkin Park invited MTV News to the set of their new "Burn It Down" video, frontman Chester Bennington told us that he knew the title of the band's upcoming fifth studio album, but he couldn't reveal it just yet.

"Soon, though," he smiled. "You'll know it soon."

And he wasn't kidding. Because on Monday (April 16) — the same day "Burn It Down" hit radio — Linkin Park let it be known that their new album will be called Living Things and will be in stores June 26. Co-produced by Rick Rubin and LP's Mike Shinoda, the new album is the follow-up to 2010's A Thousand Suns, and, as Bennington explained, it splits the difference between that record's electronic experimentation and the band's earlier, heavier heyday.

"This album is a really great representation of where we're at right now as a band," he said. "We're kind of really comfortable with our early nü-metal days, and we're really comfortable with where we're at in our more contemporary version of ourselves; so this is a good representation of that comfort level with our own identity as a band."

Living Things will be available later on Monday for pre-order through LinkinPark.com, and all early orders also come with an immediate download of "Burn It Down," not to mention a monthly subscription to receive eight new remixes from the album itself.

The album title and release date weren't the only bit of news Linkin Park broke on Monday: They also revealed that they'll be hitting the road later this summer as co-headliners on the 2012 Honda Civic Tour, joined by Incubus and MuteMath. The tour kicks off August 11 in Bristow, Virginia. For information on pre-sales, check out the band's official site or HondaCivicTour.com.

Dates for the Honda Civic Tour are as follows:

»8/11 - Bristow, VA @ Jiffy Lube Live
»8/12 - Uncasville, CT @ Mohegan Sun Arena
»8/14 - Mansfield, MA @ Comcast Center
»8/17 - Camden, NJ @ Susquehanna Bank Center
»8/19 - Atlanta, GA @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
»8/21 - Detroit, MI @ The Palace of Auburn Hills
»8/22 - Cincinnati, OH @ Riverbend Music Center
»8/24 - Chicago, IL @ First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
»8/25 - Indianapolis, IN @ Klipsch Music Center
»8/27 - Dallas, TX @ Gexa Energy Pavilion
»8/28 - Houston, TX @ Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
»8/30 - Denver, CO @ Comfort Dental Amphitheatre
»9/5 - Tacoma, WA @ Tacoma Dome
»9/7 - Mountain View, CA @ Shoreline Amphitheatre
»9/10 - San Diego, CA @ Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre

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Exclusive: Linkin Park Ready To 'Burn' With New Single, Album

28 Mar 2012 15:07:06 EDT

'We worked our butts off to create this record,' Chester Bennington tells MTV News of fast-evolving follow-up to A Thousand Suns.
By James Montgomery, with reporting by James Lacsina

Last year, when Linkin Park told MTV News they were already beginning work on the follow-up to A Thousand Suns, it was noteworthy for several reasons — chief among them being that this is a band that likes to take their time with things.

But it looks like all that is changing. On Tuesday, MTV News was on the set of the video for "Burn It Down," the first single from their (still-untitled) new album. So, yes, this is really happening, and yes, it's happening soon, as LP's Chester Bennington explained.

"Well, we promised our fans that we'd put out records faster, and that's what we're doing. We figured out a way to condense our cycle, so to speak, by ... continuing to write, trying to keep the creative ball rolling as often as possible," he said. "We wrote some of the stuff on the road during the last tour, and instead of ... touring for two years, we toured for about a year, we came home, jumped right back into the studio and just worked our butts off to create this record.

"And this album is a really great representation of where we're at right now as a band," Bennington continued. "We're kind of really comfortable with our early nü-metal days, and we're really comfortable with where we're at in our more contemporary version of ourselves, so this is a good representation of that comfort level with our own identity as a band."

As for "Burn It Down," well, Bennington said the band chose it as the first single mostly because it showcases everything they're hoping to accomplish on the new disc: a combination of their crackling, crushing past and their ethereal, electro-tinged present. And while we can't reveal any details about the "Burn" video just yet, we'll let Bennington tell you all about the new song:

"All of our songs take these really big creative turns and twists throughout the process, so sometimes songs will start out as a melody or some musical chord progressions. ... Other times, they'll start out as beats, and the next thing you know they kind of evolve over the course of the making of the album," he said. "But what's interesting about this track is the really high energy and the really strong electronic melodies and hooks kind of set this song apart, which is why we chose it as our first single.

"We've kind of drifted into a lot more kind of electronic, digital feel, but what's interesting about this record is that a lot of songs — people might pick up on this — but a lot of the songs kind of were started as these folk-driven songs," he continued. "So there's a very organic element to the record, as well as a very modern, kind of futuristic element too. We can't wait for our fans to hear it."

What are you expecting from Linkin Park's new music? Let us know in the comments!

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Linkin Park 'Getting The Wheels Rolling' On Next Album

02 Sep 2011 15:55:25 EDT

Chester Bennington tells MTV News that, while it's still early in the process, LP 'like the direction' new album is heading.
By James Montgomery, with reporting by Vanessa WhiteWolf

Earlier this summer, when Linkin Park took over Moscow's Red Square for a historic — and decidedly Michael Bay-size — performance, they also spoke to MTV News about the follow-up to A Thousand Suns, which, at the time, was just beginning to take shape ("Right now, it sounds like blips and bleeps and pieces," frontman Chester Bennington described).

So, earlier this week, when Linkin Park took over Los Angeles' Mayan Theater for an equally historic — yet decidedly more personal — benefit concert for Japanese earthquake and tsunami relief, we got the chance to once again ask them about the new album. And, as Bennington explained, things have progressed — albeit just slightly.

"We just kind of began. We like to keep the creative juices flowing, so we try to keep that going all the time," he said. "We don't know when the next record is going to be done. We are in the beginning phases of that. We're still winding down A Thousand Suns and touring for that, so I can tell you we are working and we're excited, and we like the direction that we're going in."

Bennington added that the band has been working closely with producer Rick Rubin, who will once again helm the sessions for the yet-untitled disc. And though it's still early, Linkin Park are already pleased with the results.

"[Rick's] involved all the way, all the time, from the very beginning. You know, we ask him, 'What do you think of these ideas?' " he said. "And we're kind of getting the wheels rolling. ... It's so hard to talk about something that hasn't been created yet, but, like I said, we definitely like the way things are going already."

What are you expecting from Linkin Park's next album? Let us know in the comments!

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Linkin Park's Chester Bennington Talks Earthquake Relief Show

01 Sep 2011 09:25:25 EDT

'It's especially an honor to be able to give back to the Japanese community that's been so devastated and been so great in supporting us,' Bennington says.
By Gil Kaufman, with reporting by Vanessa Whitewolf

Linkin Park got together with 1,100 of their biggest fans on Wednesday night to play a very special show. Normally used to rocking tens of thousands, the group squeezed into the very intimate Mayan Theater in Los Angeles for a benefit for Japanese earthquake and tsunami relief that was fueled by their followers' energetic fundraising efforts.

"It's a really exciting night tonight. We're performing a show with he B'z from Japan, [the] biggest rock band in Japanese history," explained singer Chester Bennington before the gig. "It's an honor to be able to play with these guys, and it's especially an honor to be able to give back to the Japanese community that's been so devastated and been so great in supporting us."

The show was populated by fans who met the group's challenge to each raise $500 or more for Japanese tsunami relief in order to earn a pair of tickets. It was a continuation of LP's Music for Relief charity, which was started in the wake of the 2005 Indian Ocean tsunami, which has subsequently raised funds for victims of other natural disasters, including the 2010 earthquake in Haiti.

"We wanted to do something where we kind of engaged our fans to give money, because we're always asking them to give money all the time because unfortunately, there are natural disasters affecting so many places all over the earth that we're always asking our fans for money," explained Bennington of the group's ongoing fundraising efforts. "We wanted to do something that was exciting for our fans and gave them something to look forward to, a goal that was beyond anything they'd done before."

One initial idea had LP donating all the money from a show in Japan to relief efforts. But that felt like the obvious thing to do, so instead they came up with the notion of a secret show that would engage fans by having them "earn" the tickets.

"We set a goal that we thought was pretty high, at $250,000, and amazingly our fans — from both Linkin Park and B'z — have generated over $350,000 in 60 days," he said. "Which is unbelievable considering not only the devastation in Japan but also the economic struggles people are having here in the U.S. as well." In fact, he said proudly, the top fundraiser brought in more than $13,000.

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Linkin Park Announce L.A. Concert For Japan Relief Fundraisers

06 Jul 2011 09:27:57 EDT

Band will give tickets for 'intimate venue' show to the first 500 fans to raise $500 for earthquake relief.
By Gil Kaufman

Five months after a devastating 9.0 magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami hit Japan, rockers Linkin Park have come up with a novel way to raise funds for relief efforts.

Their latest project, on fundraising site Give2gether.com, is a fan challenge in which the first 500 people to raise $500 or more will get a pair of tickets to a secret Los Angeles show that's scheduled to take place on August 31.

The band isn't revealing much else about the show, other than a promise that it will be in a "small, intimate venue in the Los Angeles area" and feature an opening set from Japanese pop group B'z.

Depending on how much money fans raise, they could also get even bigger perks. The top 50 fundraisers will earn a meet-and-greet session with the bandmembers and a group photo. The top 10 will get signed instruments from the band's recent European tour, plus the meet-and-greet. And the top fundraiser will watch the secret show from the stage, in addition to all the other goodies.

All proceeds from the campaign will go to Save the Children's Japan earthquake and tsunami relief effort via Linkin Park's nonprofit Music for Relief. Though those who do not reach the $500 level will not get tickets to the show, they will get a thank-you note from Music for Relief, acknowledging their participation.

In a video promoting the campaign, bandmembers Mike Shinoda and Dave "Phoenix" Farrell encouraged fans to get onboard the charity project. Talking up the intimacy of the show, Shinoda joked that the venue is "so small it would fit inside my hands."

"And all you have to do to come to this very small venue is support Music for Relief for Japan. ... Does that sound mysterious to you? Does that sound interesting?" Shinoda asked.

At press time, the Give2gether site had 1,155 supporters who had raised $47,635, with the most generous U.S. fan donating $7,000 to the cause. All funds have to be raised by August 24, and winners (who must be 18 years old or 16 with parental consent) are responsible for their own transportation to the concert.

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Linkin Park Talk Next Album From Moscow's Red Square

24 Jun 2011 15:43:33 EDT

LP's performance of 'Transformers: Dark of the Moon' single 'Iridescent' in historic landmark airs Friday at 8:55 p.m. on all MTV channels.
By James Montgomery, with reporting by Josh Horowitz

Linkin Park's voluminous A Thousand Suns was a departure, to say the very least. And, from the sound of things, they're getting ready to depart once again with a brand-new album that's already in its infancy.

At least that's what Linkin Park told MTV News in Moscow, where they'll perform the Suns song — and lead single from the "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" soundtrack — "Iridescent" on Friday from the iconic Red Square, in conjunction with the film's world premiere (a performance that will air on MTV, MTV2, mtvU, VH1 Classic and Palladia at 8:55 p.m. ET/PT). Turns out they've been working on new material for months now, and things are finally beginning to take shape.

"We're always writing. It's hard to explain to people in simple terms what it means to us; the way we do it is a little weird and unique," LP's Mike Shinoda said. "We kind of write it and record it at the same time; we can do it on the road at all times. I mean, I was in my hotel room throwing something together at, like, 2 a.m. But what it takes to go from one of those demos to a finished song, I mean, we really obsess over it. It takes a while."

And to that end, Linkin Park said there's still no firm release date for the new album (which will once again be produced by Rick Rubin), but they do know that it will see the light of day sooner rather than later, which, for them, would be yet another departure.

"We do have a really great head start. We've got some great music, some good ideas. The creativity has continued to flow for us for the last few years, consistently," Chester Bennington said. "So, we do plan on having this record out much quicker than what we've turned out in the past — that was one of our goals — and I feel like we're in a really good place now."

Of course, the next logical question would be: What does the new album sound like? And while LP weren't about to give up all the details ("Right now, it sounds like blips and bleeps and pieces," Bennington laughed), they're adamant that it will most certainly sound different than any of their previous efforts ... mostly because that's been the goal with every record they make.

"The fans, what they always ask is, 'What's it going to sound like?' " Shinoda said. "And, for us, when we go into a record, from the beginning until now, the attitude has been 'We're going to challenge ourselves, and try to be better songwriters, try and come up with something that's original.' And we can't say, 'Oh, it's going to sound like one of our other records,' because the goal is actually not to do that."

Linkin Park's Red Square performance will premiere Friday, June 24, at 8:55 p.m. ET/PT on MTV, MTV2, mtvU, VH1 Classic and Palladia.

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