B-Sides

Today's Stories


Hear Macy Gray Take On Metallica and Radiohead Classics
Macy Gray's concerts are known for the unique covers she did. She will finally share these covers on her upcoming album, aptly named Covered, which is set to drop early next year.

While many of her contemporaries don't stray far from their own genre, Macy ventures into the lands of metal, folk, and hip hop as she covers a daring range of artists (Metallica, Radiohead, Prince, Indigo Girls, Awol Nation, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and more).

Check out Macy Gray's live versions of Metallica's "Nothing Else Matters" hereand Radiohead's "Creep" here.



Video From Historic Metallica Show Online
(hennemusic) Metallica played their first-ever show in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Tuesday night at Yas Island.

The band were looking forward to playing in the country, as bassist Robert Trujillo told Gulf News. "This is a whole new adventure for us. Within a tour cycle, we usually play for a couple of years, and usually play a lot of the same venues in Europe and the US. This [show] is great, because we have never been to the Emirates, and we've never been to India [where Metallica are heading to after Abu Dhabi]. We know that there are a lot of fans there who have never seen Metallica live before."

"This is where it turns into a gig, adventure and holiday — we have been very busy, so for us to go to a place like the UAE, it becomes an adventure," added Trujillo. "And it makes it all that much more exciting because we get to perform. It's something different, and we love to explore. We have the best job in the world. We're not clocking in a 9-to-5. We do what we love, and we get to see the world. That's really cool." Watch a couple of videos from the show here



Watch Corey Taylor Go Acoustic At ZZ Top Fest
(hennemusic) Last weekend, ZZ Top staged their first annual La Grange Fest in Austin, Texas.

Tagging along with the bearded ones were Lynyrd Skynyrd, Jamey Johnson and Corey Taylor, as the lineup played The Backyard, in a city famous for its music.

As singer for both Stone Sour and Slipknot, Corey Taylor seemed like the odd man out on the bill, but fan reports suggest he did a stand up job. Taylor has been out performing solo acoustic shows in support of his recent book, "Seven Deadly Sins," and will be doing a full North American solo tour this fall, starting November 14 in Anaheim, CA. Video from his set at La Grange can be seen here.



Video of Last Night's Ace Frehley Show Online
(hennemusic) Former KISS guitarist Ace Frehley has fired up the tour machine this week, as he gets out to play about 4 weeks of live dates, mostly in the US Northeast.

The shows sync up with the release of Ace's new book, "No Regrets: A Rock N' Roll Memoir," which comes out next Tuesday, November 1.

Tuesday, Ace played the first of two nights at B.B. King Blues Club & Grill in New York City, with a set heavy on KISS classics from his time in the band. Video of Tuesday's NYC gig has surfaced, check it out here.



Watch Primus Rock Kimmel
(Banana 101.5) Primus brought forth two bass heavy offerings from their first album in 12 years Monday night (10/24) on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!.' See their performance of 'Jilly's On Smack' and 'Lee Van Cleef' here.

Primus are riding high on their new disc 'Green Naugahyde', which is the first time they have released an album together since 1999′s 'Antipop.' Vocalist and renowned bassist Les Claypool heads the trio which also includes longtime guitarist Larry LaLonde, and early Primus drummer Jay Lane — who returned in lieu of their most well known stickman Tim Alexander.

The band just finished the North American tour in support of their seventh studio album, with their last show taking place October 22nd at The Wiltern in Los Angeles, California. That gig left them just minutes from the set of 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!', where they dropped by Monday night (10/24) to play two new songs — 'Jilly's On Smack' and Lee Van Cleef.' Check out both here



Watch Yngwie Malmsteen TV
(hennemusic) Swedish guitar icon Yngwie Malmsteen recently launched his Relentless North American tour; his opening show at New York's Irving Plaza earned solid reviews, as he tours in support of his latest effort, "Relentless."

Some live footage of Malmsteen on a Swedish TV show has surfaced.

In June, Yngwie flew to Sweden to be a part of a program called Moraeus Med Mera, where he performed a couple of tracks for the studio audience; in a taped segment, he also joined Kalle Moraeus in a park to play some Swedish folk music. Watch it here



Def Leppard Dream Tour Partners
(hennemusic) In part 16 of their month-long fan Q&A series, Def Leppard are asked about their wishes for road mates, "If you had a choice to tour with any band, who would it be?"

Leppard have spent most of 2011 on the road with Heart; in December, they team up for a UK tour with Motley Crue and Steel Panther.

Joe Elliott and Phil Collen have different opinions on this one; check out their answers here.



Achtung Baby Was Nearly The End For U2
(Gibson) U2's Achtung Baby is now acclaimed as U2's finest achievement, but the 1991 album nearly didn't get made. In fact, its beginnings nearly split the Irish band apart.

By the turn of the '90s, U2 were at a crossroads. They were a major stadium act, but creatively they were faltering. The band had been stung by media criticism of their half studio/half live double album Rattle and Hum. That "toying" with Americana certainly delivered some hits ("Angel Of Harlem," the Bo Diddley-esque "Desire," the B.B. King duet "When Love Comes to Town") but many found the album too much of a pastiche. U2 suddenly became the most loved/hated rock band on the planet. What to do? As Bono told a Dublin crowd in the late '80s: "We have to go away and dream it all up again."

As guitarist The Edge later reflected, the "traditionalism" of Rattle and Hum was the exception in the U2 canon. "My view," he told this author in 1996 "is that Rattle and Hum, for all its traditionalism, is actually our "experimental" record. Achtung Baby got us back to our normality – making dark, very European music with experimental sounds." Famously, U2 decided to impose new rules for Achtung Baby, the band's rebirth. more on this story



The Day Duran Duran Came Undone Again
(Gibson) On this day in 2006, Duran Duran guitarist Andy Taylor quit the band during the U.S. leg of their world tour. A statement on behalf of the group described the relationship with Andy Taylor as unworkable and one that could not be resolved. Gibson takes a look back: On this day in 2006, the Duran Duran fan club issued the following statement on guitarist Andy quitting the band for a second time.

"The four of us have dissolved our partnership and will be continuing as Duran Duran without Andy, as we have reached a point in our relationship with him where there is an unworkable gulf between us and we can no longer effectively function together," read the letter, signed "Simon, John, Nick and Roger."

It was the second time the Duran Duran guitarist had split from Simon Le Bon and Co. Taylor, who played guitar on the band's first three studio albums in the '80s, originally left Duran Duran after the release of 1986's Notorious. He rejoined the group in 2001, following a spell with '80s supergroup Power Station. more on this story



Video of Jennifer Lopez's On Stage Breakdown
(TMZ) Here come the waterworks -- TMZ has obtained video of Jennifer Lopez tearing up on stage Saturday night in Connecticut ... moments after she performed her 1999 hit "If You Had My Love."

The video kicks in right after Lopez -- who split from hubby #3 Marc Anthony in July -- told the crowd, "A lot as changed since then."

Whoever was cutting those onions in the crowd should be ashamed of himself. Watch the video here.



Photos of Michael Lohan's Bruised Ex Following Alleged Abuse
(TMZ) TMZ has obtained photos ... showing the damage Michael Lohan allegedly caused to his ex-girlfriend's body during a domestic violence incident early Tuesday morning.

The pictures show bruising on Kate Major's upper right arm ... where she claims Lohan violently grabbed her during an argument in her Tampa apartment.

Major also has black and blue marks on her leg, which she claims she suffered when Lohan was shoving her around.

As we previously reported, Major told Tampa police ... Michael got violent and threatened to kill her after she refused to perform oral sex on him in her apartment.

Lohan was arrested and charged with domestic violence ... though he told police he never laid a hand on Major and "would never hurt her."

Michael is still in custody -- but he's set to face a judge this morning in the hopes of being released from jail.