Vince Neil's Time To Leave Motley Crue?
(Rock News Desk) Motley Crue frontman Vince Neil has explained why he's considering leaving the band after their Las Vegas residency next month.
He says: "There are so many opportunities in front of me that I'm really excited about. I'm just not sure I can give them the time and effort I'll need, and continue with the band.
"I just don't want to look back later in life and regret that I didn't pursue them. Eventually it's time to call it quits – it might be the time to just kind of bow out." (Las Vegas Sun) More rock news
Roger Waters' Pink Floyd Regret
(Rock News Desk) Roger Waters accepts it was wrong of him to fall out with his Pink Floyd bandmates after he left the prog rock icons.
He and David Gilmour spent many years at loggerheads through lawyers after Waters decided to depart in 1985. Waters claimed the group had "dissolved" and fought to stop the remaining members from continuing under the Floyd name.
Asked by radio host Howard Stern if Floyd were wrong to keep playing his songs after he'd left, Waters says: "No, I don't think so. I think I was wrong to think they were wrong." more on this story
Dave Grohl Records Song With Slipknot's Corey Taylor
(Gibson) Few people really know exactly what Dave Grohl is up to, but his new project is boasting big names. Following news two weeks ago that Ratt's Stephen Pearcy and Warren De Martini had recorded a song with Grohl, Corey Taylor of Slipknot and Stone Sour has revealed that he has been working with the Foos man.
In a Tweet on January 18, Taylor said: "HUGE checks off the Bucket List today – did a song with Dave Grohl and Butch Vig. Do the words 'holy s--t' say enough about it?!?"
It could well be a project about Sound City Studios. In 2011, Grohl said he was working on a film about the Los Angeles studio. "When Sound City closed last year it was a very sad day. That place was like a church. The list of people that recorded there is like a virtual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. We recorded Nevermind there back in 1991. That funky old place had the best drum room in the world. The drum sound at the beginning of 'Smells Like Teen Spirit?' That's Sound City. I decided to make a film about that feeling when you put five guys in a room, hit 'record' and the hair on the back of your neck stands up. Expect some epic jam sessions." more on this story
Queen's Brian May Collaborates With Rapper
(Gibson) Queen's Brian May is no stranger to collaborations. But it is still something of a surprise to see him guesting with N-Dubz singer/rapper Dappy. Dappy launched his solo career with the single "No Regrets," for which May expressed a liking. A few phone calls later, and May is on Dappy's new single "Rockstar."
Dappy tells the U.K's Daily Star, "I would love Brian to make me a guitar. He told me all about his guitar that he made with his dad out of wood from a fireplace in his old house. He even got a five-sided coin to put in the neck and he replaced the Queen's head with his own head. Now that's his pluck, so I want one with my head on it."
Lyrically, "Rockstar" is about the so-called 27 Club of artists that died young. "It's all about paying homage to the 27 Club and amazing artists such as Amy Winehouse," says Dappy. "It's a song about people getting to their lowest but it talks about turning a negative into a positive. more on this story
Reunited Black Sabbath Will Still Rock Download
(Gibson) Organizers of the U.K's Download Festival have said Black Sabbath still plan to perform at the festival this year, despite guitarist Tony Iommi recently confirming he had been diagnosed with cancer.
Speculation about the metal legends' Download slot followed news that Iommi's illness meant the band wouldn't be able to play at California fest Coachella as originally planned.
But Download boss Andy Copping has told the NME: "As far as I'm aware everything is fine. I've been told that Black Sabbath are going to be playing Download. I don't want people to worry unduly about that, we should all just send our thoughts and best wishes to Tony Iommi." more on this story
Bon Jovi, Foo Fighters, Blink-182, and Incubus For Bamboozle
Bon Jovi, Foo Fighters, Blink-182, Skrillex and Incubus are set to headline this year's Bamboozle festival.
The event will be celebrating their 10th anniversary at North Beach Asbury Park, New Jersey, May 18, 19, and 20.
Headlining on Friday for the opening night of the festival are Skrillex and Incubus, as well as performances from Mac Miller, Mike Posner, Kreayshawn, We Came As Romans, and others. more on this story
Chevelle Frontman Explains Upside To File-Sharing
(Rock News Desk) Chevelle frontman Pete Loeffler can see an upside to online music piracy. He had this to say about it:
"I don't like the fact that it is in our human nature to steal music, and I wish we could change that, but one good thing that has happened is that there was a change that needed to be made as artists have always been taken advantage of.
"Now you can do it all on your own, and that's one of the good things to come out of this whole file-sharing thing. It's a wholly different world now because of that." (Ultimate Guitar) More rock news.
Slipknot Using 2012 To Regroup Before Making New Album
(Rock News Desk) Corey Taylor believes Slipknot will regain their strength in the coming year, as they move towards recording their first album without Paul Gray.
The bassist's passing in 2010 put the band's future in jeopardy, but frontman Taylor says: "2012 will be a strengthening year for us. I just know if we try to rush in and make an album that doesn't feel right, the audience will know it isn't genuine, and we have always been as genuine with our audience as possible.
"When we make it, it's going to be for Paul, and I don't think any of us are ready to open up that much yet." (Loudwire) More rock news
Lacuna Coil Streaming New Album Online
Lacuna Coil's new album Dark Adrenaline isn't set to hit stores until next Tuesday (January 24th) but fans can stream the album in full right now at Spin.com
Fans worldwide will also be able to check out a special virtual acoustic performance and Q&A session with Lacuna Coil on January 24th via www.stageit.com. The band's performance and Q&A session will be broadcast live at 7:00PM, EST from acclaimed record store Vintage Vinyl in Fords, New Jersey.
Fans who purchase the new album at any Metal Club store will receive an exclusive code to watch the performance for free. All proceeds will be donated to Rezophonic, a project with which the band is actively involved, that is dedicated to providing medical assistance to remote regions of East Africa. Listen to the album stream
The National Curating All Tomorrow's Parties
All Tomorrow's Parties our annual December festival will be a three day event at Butlins, Minehead will be curated & headlined by The National - performing their only UK show of 2012.
ATP had this to say along with the lineup: Since their formation in 1999, The National have grown organically from indie cult heroes in their early years, to creating truly stunning LPs such as the amazing Alligator and Boxer, and more recently with the success of High Violet deservedly achieving crossover success to become one of the most acclaimed bands on the planet. Much of this success is based on their incredible live shows - ATP are very excited that the band have accepted our invitation to headline and to curate an exciting supporting bill featuring many of their favourite artists.
In total the line-up will feature 40 live acts playing across the weekend on three indoor stages with a total festival capacity of just 5500 people. The event will also feature DJs until late, Cinema chosen by The National, Book Club curated by The National, and much more.
The line-up
Death Cab for Cutie Orchestra Tour
Death Cab for Cutie has announced plans for a North American tour of intimate venues and historic theaters where they will be joined on stage by members of San Francisco's Magik*Magik Orchestra.
The tour kicks off on April 10th at Denver's Ellie Caulkins Opera House and then culminate with a May 13th homecoming concert at Seattle's Paramount Theatre.
Youth Lagoon will support Death Cab beginning April 27th at NYC's Beacon Theatre and continue through the end of the tour. First leg opener to be announced shortly. more on this story
Diamond Rugs (Deer Tick, The Black Lips) Set Album Release
Deer Tick, The Black Lips, Los Lobos and Six Finger Satellite supergroup Diamond Rugs have set a April 24th release date for their self-titled album.
Diamond Rugs is a collaboration between John McCauley (Deer Tick), Robbie Crowell (Deer Tick), Ian Saint Pé (The Black Lips), Steve Berlin (Los Lobos), Hardy Morris (Dead Confederate) and Bryan Dufresne (Six Finger Satellite).
Last fall McCauley decided he wanted to make another record during his downtime in his new home base of Nashville with producers Adam Landry and Justin Collins (Middle Brother, Deer Tick).. While attending a Los Lobos show (one of his all-time favorite bands), he made his way backstage and met Steve Berlin. McCauley convinced Berlin to come to Nashville to play on the record. more on this story
Johnny Ramone Biography Coming
(Gibson) Johnny Ramone, guitarist with punk pioneers The Ramones, is the subject of a new biography, written by his widow Linda.
The Telegraph reports that Commando: The Autobiography of Johnny Ramone will be published by Abrams Image on April 2, some eight years after Ramone's death. Linda finished the book that had Johnny started when he was sick.
"It was like he knew he was dying, and he wanted to do something," she said. Tommy Ramone contributes the foreword while the epilogue has been written by Lisa Marie Presley, a good friend of Johnny Ramone. more on this story
Sebastian Bach and Steve Stevens To Webcast New York Show
(hennemusic) Later this month, Sebastian Bach joins Billy Idol guitarist Steve Stevens for a series of three shows in New York.
The January 27, 28 and 29 gigs at The Iridium and will see Bach and Stevens "doing two sets a night," including "some special unexpected songs," according to Sebastian, adding, "I have always wanted to play with Steve, so I am really looking forward to it."
Bach has now tipped fans off that the Saturday, January 28 performances will be webcast live. more on this story
Metallica Art Exhibition Opens Next Week
(Gibson) Metallica songs are the inspiration for new art exhibition. The Obey Your Master exhibition will see pieces from a range of different artists who have interpreted various Metallica songs in their own unique way.
Among the artists who will be displaying pieces are My Chemical Romance frontman Gerard Way and Metallica's own bassist Robert Trujillo with his wife Chloe.
The exhibition opens to the public at the Exhibit A Gallery in Los Angeles on January 23. The Obey Your Master website details all the participants here
Say Anything Spring Tour
Say Anything have announced the dates for their upcoming headlining tour this March and April 2012.
The 31-date tour will kick off on March 24th at San Francisco's Regency Ballroom, and will then make its way around the country, culminating with a performance at the House of Blues in Los Angeles on May 3rd.
Say Anything are hitting the road in support of their upcoming full-length album, Anarchy, My Dear (out March 13th on Equal Vision Records). more on this story
Brian Jonestown Massacre Spring Tour Dates
Brian Jonestown Massacre have announced the initial dates of their world tour for 2012.
The tour is set to kick off with West Coast North American run beginning on April 27th. East coast dates are expected to be announced soon.
Brian Jonestown Massacre will be touring in support of their new album release, Aufheben, which will hit stores on May 1, 2012. more on this story
Paul McCartney Webstream Today
Paul McCartney fans have been invited to tune in live to PaulMcCartney.com today (Thursday 19th January) at 11am (EST) to get an exclusive live behind the scenes broadcast of Paul answering questions from some of the world's media.
Paul will be spending the afternoon in London talking with press from around the world to promote the release of his new album, 'Kisses On The Bottom' which will be released on February 6th in the UK and Feb 7th in the US.
PaulMcCartney.com will stream 30 minutes of the afternoon at some point between 11am and 12pm est. In addition fans have the opportunity to ask a question to Paul by simply email their question to kissesonthebottom@paulmccartney.com and one question will be chosen and given to Paul to answer. Check it out here.
Marillion and Porcupine Tree Members Team Up For New Album
Marillion and Porcupine Tree members have teamed up for a new album. We were sent these details: Kscope will release Not The Weapon But The Hand, the debut album from Steve Hogarth (Marillion) and Richard Barbieri (Porcupine Tree, Japan), on February 28th in North America.
A sampler of the forthcoming album can be heard on the official Steve Hogarth / Richard Barbieri mini-site here.
Not The Weapon But The Hand was completed in late 2011 and features occasional appearances from Danny Thompson on double bass, Arran Ahmun (John Martyn) and Chris Maitland (ex-Porcupine Tree, No-Man, Blackfield) on drums and guitar, as well as string arrangement contributions from Dave Gregory (XTC). more on this story
Evile, Cerebral Bore and Savage Messiah For A Night Of Metal Mayhem
Evile, Cerebral Bore and Savage Messiah are teaming up for a night of metal mayhem as part of HMV's Next Big Thing tour.
This stop of the HMV's Next Big Thing tour will take place on Saturday, 11th February at the HMV Ritz in Manchester.
The event will also be celebrating the 25th anniversary of the bands' record label, Earache Records, and an after-show party will be held at Satan's Hollow, featuring a guest DJ set by Evile lead guitarist OL DRAKE. more on this story
River Guerguerian Delivers 'Grooves for Odd Times'
River Guerguerian has released his new album 'Grooves for Odd Times'. Glass Onyon sent over this background:
River has been inspiring audiences with his ecstatic and versatile percussion for over 30 years, and has performed and recorded with such groups as the BBC Concert Orchestra, Omar Faruk Tekbilek, Tan Dun, Tibetan Singing Bowl Ensemble, Paul Winter Consort, Chuck Berry, Sophie B. Hawkins, The Billy Sea and Ziggy Marley/Gipsy Kings. He also co-founded the world jazz group Free Planet Radio and Talujon Percussion Ensemble. The music on his new CD 'Grooves for Odd Times' represents a body of work that spans five years. This time period includes: 1) composing music for solo and mixed ensembles, 2) performing with inspiring artists, 3) recording/archiving the process of these creative cells.
"The inspiration for 'Grooves for Odd Times' was to create a sonic palette in the same way a painter might approach canvas," River explains. "The album's roots are heavy grooves mixed in with the lyrical side of percussion. There is a dance in the odd time rhythmic structures." more on this story
Fleming Plan Record Release Show
Fleming have announced a special record release show at the Mercury Lounge on February 13, 2012 to celebrate the release of their debut EP, "Play for Manuel."
Muse Box sent over these details about the group: The trio, made up of Erich (guitar and vocals), Guillem (bass and vocals), and Andrew (drums), made their performance debut in 2003 at the now defunct ACME Underground, and have since performed at Bowery Ballroom, Don Hills, The Continental, Luna Lounge, and Knitting Factory.
With a sound that is energetic yet dark and quirky yet introspective, Fleming has been compared to Interpol, Spoon, and Matthew Sweet. Through word-of-mouth alone, the band has garnered a devoted following and earned a residency at the Lower East Side's Mercury Lounge. more on this story
Winds Of Genocide Lineup Change and Album Details
Winds Of Genocide have announced a lineup change and released details about their forthcoming album.
Winds Of Genocide will release their debut, Usurping The Throne Of Disease, which will feature cover art by legendary gruesome graphic artist Mark Riddick (Arsis, Slayer, Morbid Angel, The Black Dahlia Murder, Suffocation, Cephalic Carnage, etc).
Winds Of Genocide have also recently added drummer Matthew Henderson, and second guitarist Linus Girdland Flink to the lineup. Elaborates the band in a collective statement: "This is the new lineup that will be writing material for and recording our debut full-length, Usurping The Throne Of Disease. Matthew is a great, young, versatile drummer --still only in his teens -- and drums in a local death metal band called Plague Rider. He can switch from d-beats, Swebeats and blastbeats, which is all we need in a drummer! He has picked up most of the songs we've written so far very quickly and learned the current setlist with impressive ease. We are very happy to have him in the band and onboard for the full-length album. Linus, who played drums on our first two recordings and the tracks for the upcoming split with Abigail (Japan), has now moved on to second guitar due to his relocation to London. We needed to find a drummer who could rehearse and work on new material regularly."
Singled Out: Foxes' The Panda Bear Song
Today Adam Bell from Foxes tells us about the evolution of their song "The Panda Bear Song " from their brand new self-titled album, which hit stores this week. As a bonus, Adam shares the evolutionary versions of the song as well! Here is the story:
The first recording was made on the very day Kayla & I came up with the main ideas for the song. We were sitting in our house in Old Road, Oxford with the TV on and there was a shot of a crew in a helicopter filming some polar bears swimming. It was talking about endangered species and I just started singing the lines 'as we fly in the helicopter, watch the bear swimming in the water!' over a few suspended chords that sounded good to me. Somehow a polar bear turned into a panda bear shortly after. As you'll hear from the first recording, there weren't too many lyrics at this stage and we were so excited to get a recording that I didn't bother tuning my guitar. The date of this recording is 18th December 2006. Listen here.
The next recording is a home demo recorded by just Kayla and myself again on 26th September 2007. By this point, we had played the song live with Dan Pacrami (original bassist), who had written the bass intro (played here on a casio keyboard), and the basic structure of the song was down, although the second half of the song was purely instrumental and also lacks a lead guitar line. Listen here.
Al Grice replaced Dan on bass around this time and we went to St John's College in Brighton in December 2007 to record the first full band version of the song. It was produced by Matt Twaites and Ben Elliott from Restlesslist. Matt ended up producing the whole of the album. By now, the song is complete and the 'voice' of the first part of the song is revealed to be Anneka Rice, as Kayla sings "Anneka, can't you see that there's nothing left but the bamboo tree?". Listen here.
We upped the tempo and tried to go hell-for-leather for the album version of the song. Otherwise it was not hugely adjusted from the first studio version, apart from some additional keys and backing vocals. Listen here.
The lyrics have a nice throwaway goofy nursery rhyme feel to them. I liked the idea of putting cutesy animals into an upbeat pop song but having a sub-context of more serious issues as well. It has a light-hearted, fun feel but with a darker undercurrent and as such, perhaps a good song to define how a lot of our songs work. Musically, it crams quite a few ideas into a short space, I don't like to waste any time when songwriting and get bored easily by repetition. Sometimes this causes a jarring first listen as things change all over the place but hopefully, after a few plays, things start to make more sense, that's the plan anyway!
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