Check the Level

Album: Any Port in a Storm (2010)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Released on the special edition reissue of Dirty Heads debut album Any Port in a Storm, this song features Avenged Sevenfold vocalist M. Shadows and former Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash. The Dirty Heads and Avenged Sevenfold both grew up in Huntington Beach, California and knew each other from the days when Shadows and future Avenged Sevenfold drummer The Rev played in a band called Successful Failure, while Dustin Bushnell of Dirty Heads was in a Punk band called Unknown. The bands formed a lasting friendship, and when Bushnell contacted Shadows to sing on this track, he got Slash as a bonus. Bushnell told us: "We were talking to M. Shadows about getting on the track and then our manager was like, 'Well, M. Shadows and Slash are working together right now on Slash's album. What do you think about getting Slash on there?' I was like, 'What do you think?' (laughs) So it was just two mutual friends of the band and that was really cool. It came out."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Dave Alvin - "4th Of July"

Dave Alvin - "4th Of July"They're Playing My Song

When Dave recorded the first version of the song with his group the Blasters, producer Nick Lowe gave him some life-changing advice.

Incongruent Opening Acts

Incongruent Opening ActsSong Writing

Here's what happens when an opening act is really out of place with the headliner, like when Beastie Boys opened for Madonna.

Tanita Tikaram

Tanita TikaramSongwriter Interviews

When she released her first album in 1988, Tanita became a UK singing sensation at age 19. She talks about her darkly sensual voice and quirky songwriting style.

Don Dokken

Don DokkenSongwriter Interviews

Dokken frontman Don Dokken explains what broke up the band at the height of their success in the late '80s, and talks about the botched surgery that paralyzed his right arm.

Metallica

MetallicaFact or Fiction

Beef with Bon Jovi? An unfortunate Spandex period? See if you can spot the true stories in this Metallica version of Fact or Fiction.

Let Me Be Your Teddy Bear: Teddy Bears and Teddy Boys in Songs

Let Me Be Your Teddy Bear: Teddy Bears and Teddy Boys in SongsSong Writing

Elvis, Little Richard and Cheryl Cole have all sung about Teddy Bears, but there is also a terrifying Teddy song from 1932 and a touching trucker Teddy tune from 1976.