Today's Day In Rock!

Today's Day in Rock


Guns N' Roses The Movie?
(Gibson) In an interview with VH1, former Guns N' Roses drummer Matt Sorum says he has talked with "a couple of really big people" about writing a screenplay about his former band (and 2012 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees).
"The only problem with that is figuring out how to work out the music situation," Sorum said. "If there was a film about Guns N' Roses, the thing about Guns N' Roses that was different than all the butt rock bands in Hollywood was that it was down and dirty and punk rock and real. As much as anyone wants to say they want to try to lump it in with hair metal, it never was because it was a different kind of energy.

"If you look at rock and roll movies, they've never been done right," he said, citing The Doors and the Johnny Cash biopic Walk the Line as two of the only exceptions. more on this story





New Rush Song Streaming Online
(hennemusic) "Headlong Flight," the first single from Rush's forthcoming album, "Clockwork Angels," has surfaced online.

"'Headlong Flight' was one of those songs that was a joy to write and record from beginning to end," bassist Geddy Lee tells Rolling Stone. "Alex [Lifeson] and I had blast jamming in my home studio one day before the second leg of the Time Machine tour, and I did not revisit that jam until a year later. Alex and I assembled the song to be an instrumental and its original title was 'Take That Lampshade Off Yo Head!', but once we saw the lyrics Neil [Peart] had written, I knew that the spirit of the lyrics matched the instrumental perfectly and it was just a matter of making them fit and writing the melodies."

The full album – Rush's first collection of original material in over five years – is due June 12.Listen to the new song here.



Metallica Expand Orion Festival Lineup
Metallica have announced the final acts and attractions for their upcoming Orion Music + More festival which takes place on June 23rd and 24th in Atlantic City, NJ.

Ghost, Letlive, Jim Florentine, Don Jamieson, The Black Dahlia Murder, Charred Walls Of The Damned, and Shuli Egar join the previously announced line up of Metallica, Arctic Monkeys, Avenged Sevenfold, Eric Church, Modest Mouse, The Gaslight Anthem, Cage The Elephant, F**ked Up, Best Coast, Hot Snakes, Titus Andronicus, Gary Clark Jr., Lucero, Roky Erickson, The Black Angels, The Sword, A Place To Bury Strangers, Liturgy, The Jim Breuer Heavy Metal Comedy Tour, Soul Rebels, Wooden Shjips, and an entire stage devoted to punk and thrash music - Damage Inc. Stage - headlined by Suicidal Tendencies and Sepultura, and featuring up-and-comers Torche, Red Fang, Kyng, Landmine Marathon, Black Tusk, Thy Will Be Done, and more.

Metallica will headline both nights of Orion Music + More and today announced they would play Ride The Lightning on Saturday, June 23rd and The Black Album on Sunday, June 24th. This will be the only time the band will perform these albums in North America in 2012. more on this story



Joey Ramone's Previously Unreleased Album Coming Next Month
(Gibson) An unreleased solo album from Joey Ramone, titled Ya Know?, will be released at the end of May.

Music Week reports that the 15-track album was put together by Ramone's brother Mickey Leigh, manager Dave Frey and producer Ed Stasium – who helmed a number of The Ramones' albums.

The record sees contributions from assorted Ramones pals including Joan Jett, Little Steven Van Zandt, Richie Ramone, Bun E. Carlos of Cheap Trick, Dennis Diken of the Smithereens and Lenny Kaye. more on this story





Kurt Cobain Recorded Solo Material?
(Gibson) Former Hole guitarist Eric Erlandson says that Kurt Cobain was working on a non-Nirvana music project before his death in 1994. Erlandson told Fuse.tv about the late singer-guitarist's solo album, which he compared to The Beatles' "White Album."

"That's really what he was going towards, a solo album but working with different people," Erlandson said. "I got to see him play it in front of me."

Apparently there also was a cover song with Cobain's other original demos. "I won't say what it is. I don't own the stuff," Erlandson said. "I just hope that one day it will be released for fans." more on this story





KISS Launching New Comic Book Series
(hennemusic) New KISS comics are on the horizon. In late June, IDW Publishing will issue "Dressed To Kill, part 1" as the first in a new series.

"I wanted to do Kiss comics the way I remembered them as a kid," writer Chris Ryall told Comic Book Resources. "I wanted to do them like the old Marvel comics that Stan Lee worked on with John Buscema and then John Romita, Jr. They were just these teenage, young guys who got these talismans that powered them up. It was like a superhero comic concept, which I always dug."

The edition will feature four different covers: one main one and three alternates that will be released in limited supply. Check them out here.



Volbeat, Hellyeah and Iced Earth Summer Tour
Volbeat will be hitting the road this summer for their Live From Beyond Hell / Above Heaven North America tour.

Hellyeah has been selected as direct support, with Iced Earth also on the bill. Volbeat will be touring in support of their latest album Beyond Hell / Above Heaven.

Hellyeah will be supporting their third album, Band of Brothers (July 17th; Eleven Seven Music). The album was recorded in Dallas at drummer Vinnie Paul's home studio, VP's Upstairs Studio and sees the band returning to their collective metal roots with the influences and style of Mudvayne, Pantera, Damageplan and Nothingface. more on this story



Brad Add Dates and Jimmy Kimmel Appearance
Brad have announced a new string of dates and they will also perform on Jimmy Kimmel Live on May 2nd.

The string of new East Coast Tour dates will be support of the band's brand new studio album, United We Stand. The ten track album is set for release on April 24th.

In addition to a west coast run, the band will now play Philadelphia, Washington D.C. and New York City. more on this story



System of a Down's Seri Tankian Plans Harakiri This Summer
System of a Down frontman Seri Tankian has set a July 10th release date for his new solo studio album, Harakiri. Reprise sent over these details:

Harakiri, a Japanese word meaning ritual suicide, is the follow up to 2010's critically acclaimed Imperfect Harmonies and the third solo release from the System Of A Down frontman. As with 2007's Elect the Dead and Imperfect Harmonies, Serj produced Harakiri himself at his home studio in Los Angeles.

He tried to approach writing a little differently this time around "I used the Apple iPad as a songwriting instrument to sketch out three of the songs on the record" explains Serj. "We must trick ourselves into writing in different ways to get unexpected results." more on this story



Mastodon and Feist Collaboration Details
We previously told you about the unlikely collaboration between Mastodon and Feist for a special Record Store Day release on April 21st and the Feist camp sent over some more details:

The split single, being touted as Feistodon, will be released as a limited edition 7" and features Feist covering Mastodon's "Black Tongue" and them returning the favor to cover Feist's "A Commotion."

"I'll wear armor and hold up a sword and stand out front of the independent record shops and just protect them," Feist tells Rolling Stone. more on this story



McCartney Ram Reissue Details and Documentary Preview
The details for the Paul and Linda McCartney Ram reissues has been announced along a brand new video preview of the Ramming documentary taken from the forthcoming deluxe reissue.

The deluxe reissue of Ram is set for North American release on May 22nd 2012. You can check out the Ramming preview here.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is an album from a long, long time ago, when the world was different. This is an album that is part of my history – it goes back to the wee hills of Scotland where it was formed. It's an album called RAM. It reminds me of my hippie days and the free attitude with which was created. I hope you're going to like it, because I do!" - Paul McCartney, 2012 more on this story



Blues Traveler Set New Album Release
429 Records have set a June 26th release date for Blues Traveler's new album, Suzie Cracks The Whip, which coincides with the band's 25th anniversary.

The band have mixed it up with their latest bringing in the production team of Sam Hollander and Dave "Sluggo" Katz—aka S*A*M* and Sluggo (Katy Perry) and inviting a slew of special guests such as Ron Sexsmith, Spin Doctor's Chris Barron and Crystal Bowersox who contributed both in the songwriting and performing.

Blues Traveler will support the release by embarking on an extensive nationwide tour with Barenaked Ladies, Cracker and Big Head Todd & The Monsters beginning in July. more on this story



Final Twister Sister Remasters Coming in May
Eagle Rock/Armoury Records will complete their complete remastering and reissue campaign for Twister Sister on May 29th when they release the double-disc Twisted Sister Live At Hammersmith as well as Club Daze 2: Live In The Bars. Here is the official word:

The two CD packages, sold separately, are an important part of this great band's legacy as it shows just how Twisted they became over time.

Club Daze 2: Live In The Bars starts with two 1984 burners ("Never Say Never" and "Blastin' Fast & Loud") that didn't make their Stay Hungry album. Both songs were finally completed in 2001. The next seven tracks were recorded for a 1979 Halloween radio show that never aired. The final four tracks—including Twisted covers of Little Richard ("Long Tall Sally") and Chuck Berry ("Johnny B. Goode")—were taken from WLIR and WBAB radio sessions. Bassist Mark Mendoza has remastered all 13 tracks for this release. more on this story



IZZ Set New Album Release
(Glass Onyon) IZZ have set a May 1st release date for their new studio album, Crush of Night.

The album is part 2 of a 3-part series of thematic albums that began with The Darkened Room (TDR) in 2009. Featuring a guest appearance by Gary Green of Gentle Giant on Words and Miracles (Electric guitar, Guitar solos and backing vocals) and The Crush of Night (guitar solo), IZZ brings their characteristic sense of melody to the fore on this album, while at the same time fusing high reaching emotion with the driving impact that IZZ fans have come to identify with the band.

From the opening vocal melody of You've Got a Time, to the guitar-driven Words and Miracles featuring the distinctive guitar sound of Gary Green, to the stirring emotion of Half the Way, culminating with the impressive 26 minute suite that shares its name with the album title, Crush of Night passionately delivers on all fronts by creating a sound that is uniquely IZZ. more on this story



This Will Destroy You and A Place To Bury Strangers Tour
(230P) This Will Destroy You are teaming up with A Place To Bury Strangers for a coheadlining tour this June.

This Will Destroy You is touring in support of its "Black Dunes" 7" and latest album, Tunnel Blanket, released via Suicide Squeeze.

The single features the "Black Dunes (edit)" on the A-side and "Black Dunes (Holy Other Woman In The Dunes mix)" on the B-side. more on this story



Singled Out: The Kinected's Hypnotize
Today Ron Anthony from The Kinected tells us about their song "Hypnotize," which is the first single from their debut album, "Evolution no. 9". Here is the story:

I vividly remember the original inspiration for "Hypnotize." I was in a small club in Santa Monica, and the D.J. was spinning some incredible electro bass lines that had the whole club moving. By the time I hit the parking lot, I had the bass line for our new jam sung into my phone recorder app. Upon returning from L.A., we immediately started working on it. At first the chorus melody came and seemed to stick, however the lyrics initially made no sense. The track musically came together as we had a vision of something funky yet electro, but also could blow up in the chorus like Blur's, "Song 2." The musical hook at the beginning is a guitar/keyboard unison line that was written to capture the attention right off the bat; something like Slash's intro to "Sweet Child of Mine."

At this point, stress was starting to build in our professional and personal lives. The lyrics just came…"I have got so much to worry about. I am stepping up and never coming down." The lyric states our intent to face these challenges head on. The verse and chorus are about the outlet to relieve such stress in our lives as well as for others. I started to notice many patrons of a particular venue we performed at were fixated on some of the dancers. It seemed as if their problems were temporarily absolved by admiring the beauty of these attractive women. The verses also poke a little fun at the delivery of cheesy pick up lines that are often used to "break the ice." In general, "Hypnotize," is an honest declaration of attraction, a motivational force to step up to a challenge and then feel better about letting loose at the end of it all.

Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen for yourself and learn more about the album right here!


B Sides


Metallica-Related Movie Makes Motorhead's Lemmy Cry
(Gibson) Motörhead's Lemmy seems like a tough guy. He is a tough guy. But he admits "I cried" over forthcoming Metallica-related movie Mission to Lars.

Mission to Lars is no regular rock bio movie. It's a documentary about a U.K. man Tom Spicer. He is a learning disabled man who, with his siblings' help, goes on a transatlantic quest to find his much obsessed-over hero, Lars Ulrich of Metallica.

The press release says: "Tom has Fragile X Syndrome, a sort of autism. All he's ever wanted is to meet Lars. After 20 years and 10,000 times of asking his journalist sister, Kate, when he was going to meet Lars, she finally cracked. This is a film that looks beyond disability, and uncovers the soul of a very cool guy." more on this story





Soundgarden Release Studio Footage
(hennemusic) This week, Soundgarden are offering fans a FREE download of "Live To Rise," the band's first new song in 15 years.

"Live to Rise" is the first single from the soundtrack album for "Avengers Assemble," which will be released May 1.

Soundgarden have posted some footage of the recording sessions for the new tune. Watch it here.



We Are Augustines Deliver Juarez Video
We Are Augustines have released a new music video for their song Juarez, which comes from their debut album Rise Ye Sinking Ships.

The video offers a view of life on the road in America, and is the third video released from Rise Ye Sinking Ships.

Rise Ye Sinking Ships is an album written by lead singer Billy McCarthy to help cope with tremendous personal tragedy. Watch the new video here.



Eddie Van Halen Says He And David Lee Roth Didn't Hate Each Other
(Gibson) Eddie Van Halen has given a rare, open interview about his life to Esquire magazine. The band Van Halen, now reunited with original vocalist David Lee Roth, recently released A Different Kind of Truth, which hit #2 on the Billboard charts.

On Roth, Eddie tells Esquire: "We never really hated each other. I think the press blew that out of proportion. He did kind of blindside us by leaving – we certainly weren't ready for that. But we always, if we argued – you know, now it's always about, about the structure of a song. It's never personal. We've never on a personal level not gotten along."

On recording A Different Kind of Truth, EVH says: "Before we decided to actually make a full record, we said, 'Hey, let's do some old demos.' And we actually recorded three of them already. And I engineered 'She's the Woman,' 'Out of Space' and 'Bullethead,' and it ended up turning into a whole record. But we figured: Why not give fans the era that they liked, you know?" more on this story





The Day Brian Johnson Joined AC/DC
(Gibson) On this day in 1980, Brian Johnson, 32-year-old English singer with Geordie, replaced the late Bon Scott in Australian rock band AC/DC. Gibson takes a look back: n 1976, three years after AC/DC burst onto the Sydney, Australia club scene, things were really starting to happen for the band. They signed an international deal with Atlantic Records and soon found themselves touring Europe, opening for the biggest bands of the day, including Black Sabbath, Aerosmith, Kiss, Styx and Blue Öyster Cult. Their music—a lethal concoction of revved-up Chuck Berry and ultra-heavy hard rock—was now reaching a larger audience, thanks to a three-million-selling compilation album released in Europe (culled from the group's High Voltage and T.N.T. albums). Later that year, Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap was released in Europe and Australia (though it was held back from American audiences, who wouldn't see it until 1981).

By 1977, the group had made the final tweak to their lineup, replacing bassist Mark Evans with Cliff Williams, who also joined guitarist Malcolm Young on backing vocals. Of Evans' departure, the CEO of Epic Records—who'd worked as a booking agent for the band during the mid-'70s—later remarked that he knew Mark wasn't going to last because "…he was just too much of a nice guy." With the last piece of the puzzle in place, the group released the powerhouse live recording, Let There Be Rock, which showcased the AC/DC's frenetic stage act. The group launched their first U.S. tour that year, as well, brutalizing U.S. audiences with Angus Young's guitar pyrotechnics over the band's unstoppable backbeat.

1978 saw the release of Powerage, which marked Williams' recording debut with AC/DC. The album spawned the #24 hit "Rock 'n' Roll Damnation" and, itself, went to #26 on the U.K. album charts. With their career trajectory shooting skyward, the band brought in legendary producer Robert "Mutt" Lange for the Highway to Hell sessions. Released in 1979, Highway to Hell became AC/DC's first album to crack the top 100 in America, eventually landing at #17. The album was the perfect combination of the Young brothers' rocket-fueled Berry riffs, the propulsive rhythm section of Williams and drummer Phil Rudd, and on top of it all, the lecherous howl of frontman Bon Scott.

The group was riding a new high when 1980 rolled around. But soon after beginning work on their seventh album, tragedy struck. On February 19, 1980, Scott passed out in his car after a night of heavy drinking at London's Music Machine club. The next morning, Scott's friend, Alistair Kinnear, who'd left Scott the previous evening passed out in the car, went out to find the singer still in the car and unconscious. Kinnear rushed him to King's College Hospital in Camberwell, where he was pronounced dead.

Beyond the human tragedy of a talented life cut short, Scott's death also halted a group on a seemly unstoppable roll. After a steady seven-year climb from the Australian club circuit to the verge of worldwide megastardom, AC/DC suddenly faced serious doubts about whether they had any future at all. They even considered folding up shop and quitting altogether. After much deliberation, though, the remaining members of AC/DC decided to soldier on, believing it's what Scott would have wanted. A number of replacement singers were considered, including ex-Moxy member Buzz Shearman, Terry Slesser of Back Street Crawler and Slade's Noddy Holder. Then there was a bloke named Brian Johnson, who fronted the band Geordie… more on this story





New Years Day Deliver Let's Get Dead Video
New Years Day have released their new music video for the song "Let's Get Dead," which comes from their The Mechanical Heart EP.

The live video was taken on multiple dates of the "All The Rage Tour" along with Blood On The Dance Floor this past October/November 2011. Watch it here.

The band is currently on tour with Blood On The Dance Floor, Brokencyde, Deuce, William Control, The Bunny The Bear and Hayley Rose on "The Fight To Unite Tour".