Short Rock News Bits!

Van Halen Unplug For You Really Got Me
(hennemusic) Van Halen has released an acoustic performance of "You Really Got Me." The video is in the spirit of "The Downtown Sessions," the bonus DVD that makes up part of the Deluxe Edition of their forthcoming new album, "A Different Kind Of Truth" (due February 7).
The full "Downtown" DVD features 4 acoustic video performances – "Panama", "You and Your Blues (intro)", "You and Your Blues" and "Beautiful Girls!"

The footage of The Kinks' classic was shot at Henson Recording Studios in Los Angeles. Check it out here.


Beastie Boy Settles Colbert Report Dispute
(Banana 101.5) Beastie Boy Mike D. flexed his 'License to Ill' on 'The Colbert Report' last week in order to settle a crossword puzzle dispute caused by the misuse of a term in a recent edition of 'The New York Times.'

Comedy Central's Stephen Colbert decided to settle an argument between New York Times crossword puzzle editor Will Shortz and blogger Julieanne Smolinski on last Thursday's episode of 'The Colbert Report.'

The beef was caused by Shortz' clue for the term 'Illin,' which he described as "Wack, in Hip-Hop." After some back and forth between Smolinski and Shortz, Colbert brought in "the only authority with a license to ill" Beastie Boys' "head grammarian" Mike D. to mediate the dispute.



Shredders of Ozz: Ozzy Osbourne's Amazing Guitarists
(Gibson) Few things in life are certain, but one thing that is certain is this: if you're playing guitar for Ozzy Osbourne, you're a virtuoso. Osbourne's current guitarist, Gus G., recently expressed the thoughts of many with these words: "I like all [Ozzy's guitarists]. I like Zakk Wylde for what he did, and I'm a big fan of the Jake E. Lee albums. The first Ozzy solo album I heard was Diary of a Madman, and I thought Randy [Rhoads] was amazing. I don't think I have a favorite. I really like all the guys he's had." Below are profiles and quotes from the sensational six-stringers who've backed Osbourne during more than three decades of solo work.

Randy Rhoads: A classically influenced virtuoso, Randy Rhoads was introduced to Osbourne by bassist Dana Strum, from Slaughter, when Osbourne was seeking a guitarist with whom to launch his solo career following his split with Black Sabbath. Rhoads's tenure with Ozzy was brief – he died tragically in a plane crash in 1982 – but his contributions to rock guitar are monumental. "As a guitar player he was just phenomenal," Osbourne told Guitar Shop, in 1998. "His heart wasn't really into rock 'n' roll so much as the classics. He was one of these guys who, once he tasted what he wanted to taste, wanted to move on. He wasn't really interested in becoming the next guitar hero."

Jake E. Lee: Jake E. Lee's stint with Osbourne, which extended from late 1982 until 1987, provided much-needed stability during a difficult period. Lee's playing on 1983's Bark at the Moon and 1986's The Ultimate Sin – both of which featured his contributions as co-writer as well as guitarist – was sensational. "On the first album, I felt [pressure] because there were a lot of guitar players who wanted this gig," he told Guitar World, in 1986. "I knew there were going to be a lot of people listening to see if I did any good or not. But I'm not the kind of person who really cares what other people think. There are guitar players who still come up to Ozzy and go, 'I'm the guitar player you should have got.'"






Cold War Kids Giving Away New Single
Cold War Kids are giving away their latest single, "Minimum Day," as a free download on their official website.

Recorded by Richard Swift, the song features new guitar player Dann Gallucci.n celebration of the new, Cold War Kids will perform in Portland, Seattle, and San Francisco - three cities, three nights each. Ticket holders will receive a limited edition, "Minimum Day Chapbook," designed by bass player and in-resident artist, Matt Maust.

"Does the Mayan Calendar predict a 2012 apocalypse? With humanity coming to an end soon, we are giving away our latest single, 'Minimum Day,'" says lead singer Nathan Willett. "Time to play a few shows to join in on the end days craze!" Grab the song here.



Primal Fear Streaming New Song Online
Primal Fear are streaming their new song "Bad Guys Wear Black" online ahead of next Tuesday's release of their new album Unbreakable".

"Unbreakable" features a well-balanced "back to the roots" vibe and an ambitious learning process that took place during their longest tour so far.

"Unbreakable" was produced by Mat Sinner, engineered and mixed by Achim Koehler at the House Of Music studios and some more studios in Germany & Sweden between the summer and autumn of 2011. Check out the song here.


KISS Kruise II Details
(hennemusic) KISS have announced more details and pre-sale ticket information about KISS Kruise II.

For the second straight year, Kiss has partnered with Sixthman to unite the Kiss Navy for the 2012 Kiss Kruise, which is scheduled to depart Miami, Fla. on October 31 — Halloween — and head to Great Stirrup Cay, Bahamas. Passengers will enjoy all the comforts and amenities aboard the Norwegian Pearl ship for the four day cruise, that will return to the port on November 4.

Packages for the cruise begin at $750 per person. In addition the the entertainment aboard the ship, other attractions will include each member of the band leading their own activities for the Kiss Kruisers to get involved with. Fans will also have the rare opportunity to explore the private island, Great Stirrup Cay, located in the Bahamas. more on this story


NAMM and the Make-A-Wish Make Heart Transplant Patient's Dream Come True
NAMM and the Make-A-Wish Foundation will fulfill the dream of a heart transplant patient who wants to meet and shadow renowned rock music photographer Robert M. Knight.

The meeting will take place from 3:00 – 6:00 pm on Friday, January 20 at The NAMM Show, one of largest music instruments and products trade shows in the world that showcases more than 1,400 exhibitors.

19 year-old Kevin Grissom, a North Carolinian, received a heart transplant last May and has always admired Knight's work, which includes a collection of photography chronicling the Who's Who of music. Knight began his career in the late 60s and has photographed Eric Clapton, Led Zeppelin, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Jimi Hendrix, Maroon 5 and more. more on this story


Anniversary of Daydream Believer Songwriter John Stewart's Death
(Gibson) On this day in 2008, Singer-songwriter John Stewart, who wrote the Monkees hit "Daydream Believer," died at age 68 after he suffered a massive stroke or brain aneurysm in San Diego. Stewart was a member of folk group The Kingston Trio and went on to record more than 45 solo albums with his biggest solo success being a U.S. top five single, "Gold," in 1979.

Gibson looks back: He started out in small folk groups before making his mark in the seminal '60s folk combo the Kingston Trio, whose style influenced a generation of folkies from Bob Dylan to Peter, Paul and Mary. After that group fizzled out, he talked about starting a duo with John Denver but that pairing never went beyond the talking stages. When "Daydream Believer" hit for The Monkees, Stewart no longer had to be concerned about money and could devote himself to making the kind of singer-songwriter albums he'd always aspired to.

His debut solo album, California Bloodlines, remains a cult classic. Recorded in Nashville while Dylan was cutting his pioneering Nashville Skyline album, California Bloodlines was a brilliant first album and an inspiration to the burgeoning singer-songwriter boom that was about to engulf rock and roll. Rolling Stone placed Stewart's masterpiece in their list of the top 200 albums of all time.

But Stewart's throaty, literate, whimsical style, while influential among his peers, failed to translate into sales. The industry truly rated him – indeed three major labels, Capitol, Warner Brothers and RCA, at different times tried to break him to the mainstream market but for some mystifying reason, Stewart spent the early '70s in obscurity.