Tuesday, February 28, 2017

DAVID DRAIMAN Says DISTURBED Will Record Acoustic EP Before Beginning Work On Next Studio Album


DAVID DRAIMAN Says DISTURBED Will Record Acoustic EP Before Beginning Work On Next Studio Album

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DAVID DRAIMAN Says DISTURBED Will Record Acoustic EP Before Beginning Work On Next Studio Album
DISTURBED is planning to return to the studio later this year to record an acoustic EP before beginning work on the follow-up to 2015's "Immortalized" album.
Prior to the arrival of "Immortalized"DISTURBED had been on hiatus since the fall of 2011, after completing the touring cycle for its previous studio effort, "Asylum", and issuing a rarities collection called "The Lost Children".
Asked by Germany's Rock Antenne how long fans will have to wait before the release of the next DISTURBED album, vocalist David Draiman said (see video below): "Well, the plan at this particular point in time is to take a little bit of time off, spend some time with our families, get some personal stuff done. We have an acoustic EP that we're working on. That's something we've wanted to do for years that we just never had the time or the opportunity to. So that we'll be working on in between our LP releases. And then probably 2018 we will head back into the studio to record the next record and hopefully have a release sometime in late 2018 and hit the road 2019 again."
Draiman also talked about the overwhelmingly positive response to DISTURBED's cover of SIMON & GARFUNKEL's "The Sound Of Silence", which can be found on "Immortalized". Asked if the band has encountered any fans who discovered DISTURBED's music through "The Sound Of Silence" and came to one of the band's shows expecting to hear more similarly stripped down material, Draiman said: "I haven't seen any of that. No evidence of that whatsoever. In fact, the most recurring series of comments that I get is that people who were introduced to the band via 'The Sound Of Silence' cover then were so excited and curious that they tried to listen to a bunch of the rest of the catalog."
He continued: "Even though there is obviously a marked stylistic difference between the majority of our catalog and a cover like 'The Sound Of Silence', it certainly isn't the first time we've done an acoustic track. There is a track off the 'Believe' record called 'Darkness', which is also acoustic and purely sung as far as the vocal delivery is concerned. But I do believe that the saving grace and the binding cohesive element that people are able to embrace within our music is the very, very intense and strong and melodic nature of it. And so people who are brought in by 'The Sound Of Silence' find very powerful melody throughout the rest of our catalog. Some of it is more aggressive, some of it is less aggressive, so they don't necessarily fall in love with all of it, but they fall in love with a lot of it. And there literally isn't a fan that I see in the audience that isn't participating, jamming out and singing to just about every song."
Draiman added: "Granted, 'The Sound Of Silence' is an amazing and beautiful moment within the performance every single night, but it's definitely not the situation that I was warned of, potentially. People used to tell me horror stories: 'Aren't you concerned about' exactly what you described? And they gave me the example of… If you remember back in the '80s, there was a band called EXTREME; they had a song called 'More Than Words'. For instance, they played Australia, and 'More Than Words' was the huge hit, and everybody came to see the band and they were expecting an entire set like that, and had a pretty shocking surprise when the rest of it was 'hair metal,' essentially. But we haven't gotten that at all. And I think that that's a wonderful, wonderful thing."
"Immortalized" became DISTURBED's fifth album to enter The Billboard 200 chart at No. 1 — a feat shared only with METALLICA and DAVE MATTHEWS BAND.
"The Sound Of Silence" was certified platinum last June for sales or downloads of more than one million copies, while "Immortalized" hit gold in September for 500,000 copies sold.

Read more at http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/david-draiman-disturbed-to-record-acoustic-ep-before-beginning-work-on-next-studio-album/#G5cKTDApf78G0diO.99

Monday, February 20, 2017

WILL THE 'TRUMP EFFECT' ENCOURAGE MORE REAL ESTATE EXECUTIVES TO GO INTO POLITICS? - Posted by YJ Draiman


Miriam Draiman, David Draiman and YJ Draiman


WILL THE 'TRUMP EFFECT' ENCOURAGE MORE REAL ESTATE EXECUTIVES TO GO INTO POLITICS?
January 31, 2017 Jarred Schenke, Bisnow, Atlanta and Forbes

If Donald Trump's election proved anything to Peebles Corp founder Don Peebles, it is that Americans value business leadership over political experience. So for someone who has successfully managed a portfolio of billions of dollars in commercial real estate, a city with an $80B budget should be just as easy.

Bisnow: Ethan Rothstein 

Peebles Corp CEO Don Peebles


Peebles is still mulling a run for New York City mayor in an attempt to unseat incumbent Bill de Blasio in the Democratic primary. He is just one of a handful of commercial real estate executives across the country who are eyeing public service in the wake of Trump's historic win of the U.S. presidency.


“I think Donald Trump's election as president is a lasting change,” Peebles said, regarding high-level political positions. "No more will a person seeking a political seat have to be a career politician. They will not need to have that experience of the career politician or the career public servant to go and seek America's highest office.” 

Is This The Trump Effect?

This 2017 election season is seeing a handful of current and former real estate executives jumping into the political arena. IV Capital's Sidney Torres IV is considering a run for mayor of New Orleans, and, in a Trumpian twist, will be starring in a reality show. YJ Draiman, a retired real estate executive, is running for mayor in Los Angeles for a second time. And the biggest names of all are running for mayor in the president's hometown: Peebles, Massey Knakal brokerage co-founder Paul Massey and Abyssinian Development head Calvin Butts.

Attributing a plethora of political candidates with commercial real estate backgrounds seeking public office to Trump winning the presidency may be overstating things. But a successful Trump administration could certainly have a long-term, inspiring effect of more commercial real estate and other private sector executives pursuing public office, said Loyola Marymount University political science professor Richard Fox. 

“It's way too early to say there's a Trump effect, but yes, there's a potential for that,” Fox said.

In a study he and American University professor Jennifer Lawless conducted for the National Science Foundation, Fox said there was a measurable uptick on the number of African-American high school and college students who expressed interest in pursuing political roles while Obama was president. Unless Trump crashes and burns, Fox said he would expect a similar effect under Trump. 

The Perception Of Developers Is Changing

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YJDraiman.org - Miriam Draiman, David Draiman and YJ Draiman


“There is a negative connotation for being a developer," Draiman, a retired Chicago real estate investor who did hundreds of residential rehabs in Chicago with his former company, Bankers Realty, said. "I've seen a negative effect from various people who I met. They feel, when they see a developer, that it's a no-no."

Today, Draiman — whose son, David, is the Grammy-nominated frontman for the rock band Disturbed — is hoping to discover the power of politics in his quest for the Los Angeles mayoral seat in the March primary. He also ran for mayor in 2013, and in a 2011 interview with L.A. Weekly, he was making many of the same cases for himself Trump made in the presidential campaign.

"Some politicians were basically coerced, if you want to call it, to support a developer," he told the publication. "And remember, I was a developer myself, so I know where it's going to and where it's coming from."  

This time, he is running on the platform of pushing for economic development and for pushing for smarter growth and development with developers in the city. Much of his rhetoric is similar; after all, it worked for Trump. 

“The public as a whole feels that large, wealthy developers, since they contribute so heavily … to various other elected officials, they have an in, if you want to call it,” Draiman said. "They get by with certain benefits that the little guy doesn't get. And it's true. I won't deny it. I've seen it with my own eyes." 

Terranova Corp founder Stephen Bittel takes exception to the idea that any real estate executive who jumps into the political arena does it because of Trump's success. For Bittel — who recently was elected as Florida Democratic Committee chairman — the longtime Democratic Party donor and activist was mulling an ascent long before Trump announced his candidacy. 

“American history is replete with successful business leaders getting involved in the leadership of our country,” Bittel said. “I think Donald Trump, what he did for a living, has nothing to do with this. And to suggest that might even encourage people not to seek careers in public service. I don't think that the electorate cares about how you made your money, I think they care about how you lived your life.” 

If You Can Build It, The Votes Will Come

Courtesy: Avison Young Kirk Rich Atlanta native Kirk Rich has been enmeshed in the commercial real estate industry for decades. He is president of the Georgia Chapter of the Certified Commercial Investment Member organization; a board member of Invest Atlanta — the city's economic development arm; and a member of Georgia State University's real estate board. 

He recently sold his boutique Atlanta third-party leasing and management firm to Avison Young, and has been tapped to head that firm's third-party platform. 

Rich has also thrown his hat into the ring for Atlanta City Council's 6th District seat, which covers a wide swath of Atlanta's most prestigious neighborhoods, including Morningside-Lenox Park, Druid Hills, Virginia-Highland, Piedmont Heights, portions of Midtown; the nexus of growth since the last recession. 

“I don't think Trump has affected people in real estate wanting to run for office,” Rich said, noting he did not support Trump for president. “But I think people are tired of politicians, and they're looking for people from the private sector. And Trump is about as private sector as it gets.” 

In Atlanta, the issues trumping voters' priorities in city council races are about growth and development, and the stress associated with it on traffic and infrastructure. And that's where Rich said real estate executives can be effective in public office. 

“That opens the door for people who understand commercial real estate development to get involved,”  he said. "And they need to get involved, because with the challenges we have I don't think they've been at the table enough already." 

While voters might find appeal with a business person running government, at least in New York City, where Hillary Clinton snagged 80% of voters, “I'm not necessarily sure being in the real estate business, especially in light of President Trump, is an advantage,” Peebles said. In fact, he added, it could be a double-edged sword. 

What being a commercial real estate executive does, Peebles said, is give him the ability to manage city issues and delegate authority. After all, one of the biggest issues facing New Yorkers is right in a developer's wheelhouse: housing affordability. 

“Real estate developers, by and large, don't have a very specific technical skill set. They have broad vision and leadership skills to be able to lead a team and be able to execute,” he said. 

But Peebles is also taking some cues from executives cum politicians like Trump and former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg (whom Peebles credits for blazing a trail with New York voters to accept a private sector executive in high public office): he vows to largely self-fund his campaign, if he runs. Peebles also said he will instruct the executives running Peebles Corp not to do any real estate deals in New York City while he's mayor to avoid conflicts of interest. His firm also has projects in Charlotte, Philadelphia, Washington, DC, Miami and Boston. 

Bittel is taking a similar tactic during his four-year stint as the Democratic chair: He will not draw a salary, nor will he seek expense reimbursements, he said. 

“I'm doing this for all the right reasons,” he said. 

Private World, Public Business

Courtesy: Jennifer Lawless 

Lawless said it's not uncommon for politicians to have come from the private sector. Typically, a third of Congressional members have backgrounds in Corporate America or business ownership. The other common paths are from law, education and career political activism. Those ratios were consistent with congresses in 2001, 2008 and 2011, Lawless said, with Republicans substantially more likely to have a business background. 

“When you think about local office, I'm not surprised by the real estate background [of candidates], because they really know the community,” she said. 

Lawless said it is too early to tell if President Trump will inspire more real estate executives to enter politics, especially on a national level. That will come to bear in the 2018 election, perhaps. 

“We know generally speaking when somebody becomes president of the United States," she said, "that that person's qualifications and background automatically become legitimate” in the eyes of the voters.

Rich said his experience in the industry is a plus on a city council that, essentially, is all about urban planning. If you run on the idea of smarter development that doesn't affect traffic negatively, “you'll win,” Rich said.






YJ Draiman, Dad to Disturbed's Lead Singer: Top 5 Reasons Unknown Underdog 2013 L.A. Mayoral Candidate Is Freaking Interesting

YJ Draiman
YJ Draiman


So far, four candidates have announced they will be running for mayor of Los Angeles in 2013. When you announce, it gives the green legal light to start raising funds to campaign. YJ Draiman, one of the four, is not a widely known name, but he is certainly interesting. Here are the top five reasons:
5) His son is Disturbed's lead singer, David Draiman.
4) People don't trust politicians. And he agrees: usually, they shouldn't.
"We have a major problem with voter apathy," Draiman says to L.A. Weekly. "A lot of voters said: 'politicians promise us the moon, they don't deliver, all they care is for their own pockets.'"

Draiman is an elected member of the Northridge East Neighborhood Council.
"We need some fresh blood there, come on lets be realistic," Draiman tells the Weekly. "We need somebody who is not part of the machine, somebody who comes from the community."
3) He's a Ron Kaye Clean Sweeper: a campaign to run the bums out of City Hall.
Though, the Clean Sweep slate didn't fare as well as we would have liked in March 8 city elections, the fight wages on.
"The problem is that I would have expected in this past election to have some councilmen in this city changed," Draiman tells L.A. Weekly. "Unfortunately, the machine overcame, you know, people that wanted change."
2) He KNOWS$$ his clean energy. And he has a plan to help Los Angeles save much needed money in our $350 million deficit.
Draiman hails from Chicago, where he was a developer during a time that, he says, taught him the hard way about saving money.
"I got involved in the energy market," Draiman says to the Weekly. "In the late 70's mortgage rates hit like 18 percent. The only way to survive was to look at ways to cut costs."
"They call me an expert these days," Draiman says to the Weekly, with some hearty yet honest chuckles. "I conducted various talk shows, people called in with various questions on energy so on and so forth ... Do you have any idea how many billions of dollars we waste in southern California on energy?"
1) He doesn't want to "improve" your 'hood with projects that will annoy the crap out of you - and fill the pockets of City Hall.
"Some politicians were basically coerced, if you want to call it, to support a developer - and remember, I was a developer myself, so I know where it's going to and where it's coming from," Draiman says to the Weekly.
May we suggest some examples here? Possibly District 4 City Council member Tom LaBonge's $850 thousand median? -- or Marina Del Rey's force fed "improvements."
So far, running against Draiman will be: City Controller Wendy Gruel, radio personality Kevin James and L.A. District 9 Councilwoman Jan Perry.
Contact Mars Melnicoff at mmelnicoff@laweekly.com / follow @marsmelnicoff

Saturday, February 18, 2017

Disturbed David Draiman Targeting Late 2017 or Early 2018 Return to Studio


Disturbed David Draiman Targeting Late 2017 or Early 2018 Return to Studio


David Draiman
Amy Harris, TheFirst3Songs.com
Disturbed have been on a remarkable run since returning from hiatus with Immortalized in 2015. The record topped the charts upon its release and has been certified Gold in the U.S. with a significant boost off their revered Simon & Garfunkel cover, “The Sound of Silence.” But when will fans see the next album from the hard rock vets?
While being interviewed on a tour bus in Berlin, Germany (video below from DISTURBEDpedia), guitarist Dan Donegan started planting the seeds for the successor to Immortalized. Outlining their plans for the immediate future, the axeman said “Once we’re done [touring], I think everybody is gonna unwind a bit. We’re all gonna get home and spend some time with our families. And we’ll just let it come naturally.”
Regarding new music, Donegan explained he has some ideas recorded on his phone, but isn’t getting too far ahead of himself in the writing department. “I’ll just save some riff ideas and readdress them later at another time, once we’re all in the right headspace for it. But anytime we’ve written, it always has to just come naturally, when we all feel that we’re ready. There’s never any pressure of saying, ‘We have to start writing right now.’ We don’t like to put any kind of time frame on things,” he said.
Easing fan apprehensions that Disturbed would return to the shadows for a couple years, Donegan affirmed, “I definitely don’t anticipate us taking a long break. But there might be a little bit of time — it won’t be nothing like a four-year hiatus. I think hopefully by at least, if not this year, by early next year, hopefully, we’ll be in the studio again.”
Disturbed were nominated for a Grammy for Best Rock Performance for “The Sound of Silence” taken from their appearance on Conan, but lost to David Bowie‘s “Blackstar.”
Dan Donegan Talks Disturbed’s Future Plans
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10 Unforgettable David Draiman Moments
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