Jason Newsted Joins Charity Supergroup WhoCares

Former Metallica member Jason Newsted has contributed his bass talents to the supergroup charity project, WhoCares. The band also includes guitarist Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath, Deep Purple’s Ian Gillan and Jon Lord and drummer Nicko McBrain from Iron Maiden.

The group has come together for a single track, “Out of My Mind,” to raise money for an Armenian music school that was destroyed by the Leninakan earthquake in 1988. Iommi and Gillan originally recorded to benefit the country just after the quake, but during a recent visit found the music school to be run out of temporary accommodation. More details of the song’s release will be announced soon.

Since departing Metallica, Newsted has worked with several groups, including a stint with Ozzy Osbourne, Voivod, and the reality show based group Rock Star Supernova. He also took up painting after an accident left him unable to play bass for several months, and premiered his work earlier this year at an art gallery in San Francisco, California.