ALICE IN CHAINS, DAMAGEPLAN Members Share Bond

Launch Radio Networks is reporting that when the surviving members of ALICE IN CHAINS play together this Friday at a tsunami relief benefit in Seattle, Washington, they'll be joined onstage for several tunes by DAMAGEPLAN vocalist Patrick Lachman. The two groups have both seen members pass away: ALICE IN CHAINS singer Layne Staley died of a drug overdose in 2002, while DAMAGEPLAN guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott was shot to death this past December. ALICE IN CHAINS guitarist Jerry Cantrell discussed how that shared loss brought the survivors together to perform. "When Dime was taken, you know, it was such a shock, you know, and still the senselessness and violence of that act is really hard to get your head around, especially if you knew Dime," he told Launch. "And of course, you know, it brings up some feelings of losing Layne too, you know, and knowing what that's about. And so it made a lot of sense to ask Pat."

Jerry Cantrell collaborated with DAMAGEPLAN on a song called "Ashes to Ashes", which surfaced last year on the soundtrack to "The Punisher".

This Friday's event will mark the first time that Cantrell, ALICE IN CHAINS bassist Mike Inez, and ALICE IN CHAINS drummer Sean Kinney have performed together onstage since 1996.

The bill will also feature NIRVANA bassist Krist Novoselic, former QUEENSRŸCHE guitarist Chris DeGarmo, HEART lead singer Ann Wilson, and rapper Sir Mix-A-Lot.

Proceeds from the event, which is dubbed the OK-Rock Tsunami Continued Care Relief Concert, will go to the Care organization, which is dedicated to fighting poverty worldwide and helping people overcome their problems.