Slash To Receive Walk of Fame Star
Former Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash will be the recipient of the 2,473rd Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame next month. The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce sent out these details and comments:
"Slash is widely considered one of the greatest rock guitarists of all time," said Ana Martinez, Producer of the Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremonies, "We are proud to place his name among the stars on our fabled Hollywood Walk of Fame."
Slash will be performing at a private acoustic performance and exclusive Q&A with Slash and Myles Kennedy at Hard Rock Cafe Hollywood Blvd. after the ceremony. Fans will have the opportunity to win tickets to the exclusive show by listening to KLOS 95.5 starting June 25. more on this story
Black Sabbath Reunion Helping Iommi's Cancer Fight
(Gibson) Tony Iommi, who has recently been undergoing chemotherapy, has said that playing with the reunited Black Sabbath helped him with his illness.
According to orange.co.uk, working helped him get through the ordeal. He told Kerrang! Magazine: "It was good for me to do that. I did feel tired and sick - and it does make you sick, you start throwing up. But on the days when I felt I could do it, we were all there working."
Black Sabbath were just honored at this year's Kerrang! Awards with the Inspiration Award. more on this story
Zakk Wylde, Lars Ulrich and Skid Row Walk Into A Bar...
(Classic Rock) Black Label Society mainman Zakk Wylde recalls a night in the early 1990s where even rock star status didn't excuse himself and members of Metallica and Skid Row from a bar queue.
It led to a celebrated story in which Lars Ulrich wound up handing cups of Wylde's urine to fans, thinking it was beer. But the guitarist is more surprised the event took place at all.
He recounts the memory in his new book Bringing Metal to the Children, and tells Guitar International: "It doesn't make any sense. I didn't want to lose my spot in line for drinks. I was putting them on the bar and I was going to throw them out when I was finished pissing – there was a garbage can a few feet away.
"The funny part was that it took place in 1990 or 1991. To have Lars Ulrich from Metallica, the guys from Skid Row and me all having to wait in a long line to get a beer in a packed club? We didn't get any special attention there. I'm just trying to picture that now – it would never happen." more on this story
The Who Selected For Olympics
(Classic Rock) After the London Olympics Committee asked Who manager Bill Curbishley whether Keith Moon was available to appear at their closing ceremony, the band have been confirmed as one of four acts representing British music at the event.
Describing Pete Townsend's outfit as "an inspired throwback to the swinging 60s" the committee said they'd be joined by Take That, George Michael and Emeli Sande at the show on August 12.
Read more rock news including Great White's Jack Russell, Steel Panther, Not so Sweet court battle, Stone Sour and more here.
Alice Cooper Goes Gaga At Music Fest
(Gibson) As if recording with Ke$ha on his recent Welcome 2 My Nightmare album wasn't a radical enough foray into the pop world, shock rock pioneer Alice Cooper performed an even more daring feat this weekend: a cover of Lady Gaga's "Born This Way."
Cooper performed the song during his set at the Bonnaroo Music And Arts Festival.Gaga wasn't there in person but she appeared in spirit: a gigantic 'Frankengaga' towered over Cooper's band on stage.
Fans shouldn't be too surprised though: Cooper had previously spoken of his admiration for Gaga: "She can sing, write and play piano — she's not just a costume queen ... you can be as outrageous as you want as long as you back it up with the music," Cooper said. more on this story
Stone Roses Play First Official Show Together in 16 Years
(Gibson) The reunited Stone Roses played their first official concert together in 16 years on Friday June 8 in Barcelona, Spain.
The 14-song set at the Razzamatazz began with "I Wanna Be Adored" from their self-titled debut, and included classic tunes such as "Fools Gold," "She Bangs The Drums" and "Made Of Stone," ending with a ten-minute version of "I Am The Resurrection."
The show in Barcelona was actually the band's second show since reforming, if you count the secret warm-up gig in their hometown of Manchester on May 23. At that show, fans who had been tipped off were asked to bring along a CD cover, record sleeve or Stone Roses t-shirt to prove they were a fan before they could be given a wristband. more on this story
Slipknot To Release Antennas to Hell and New Mobil App This Summer
Roadrunner have set a July 24th for the new Slipknot "best of" compilation which has been dubbed, Antennas to Hell. And the band is also releasing a mobile application this summer.
The label sent over these details: The two-disc version of Antennas to Hell includes a bonus live CD that captures the band's 2009 performance at the legendary Download Festival in the U.K.
The live disc showcases the band playing a set of career spanning classics in front of 80,000 rabid fans. The journey from - "(sic)" - track 1 on their self-titled debut - to "Snuff" - the haunting No. 1 rock track from 2008's All Hope Is Gone - proves that. The album features fan favorites, live classics and well-known radio hits. more on this story
Bruce Dickinson, Joe Bonamassa and Steve Morse On Jon Lord's New CD
(hennemusic) Former Deep Purple keyboardist Jon Lord has revealed plans to release his "Concerto for Group and Orchestra," re-recorded by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and a selection of invited guests.
Guests and soloists include Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden), Joe Bonamassa and Steve Morse, along with Jon's 'house singers' Steve Balsamo and Kasia Laska.
Scheduled for release in September, the album will be accompanied by a specially filmed documentary. more on this story
Ozzy Osbourne Movie To Air On Television
(hennemusic) "God Bless Ozzy Osbourne," the documentary about the life of the legendary heavy metal singer, will air on July 13 on the US cable network Showtime.
The film had a short run in US theatres last summer before being released on DVD last fall. Co-produced by Ozzy's son, Jack, the movie debuted last year at New York's Tribeca Film Festival.
The story is packed with never-before-seen Black Sabbath footage and recent solo tour clips. Fellow musicians Paul McCartney, Tommy Lee and others share stories, while an exclusive interview with the Osbourne family explains why bringing Ozzy's storied history to life — through the eyes of his son Jack — was the perfect motivation to capture the story of one of music's greatest icons on film. Check out a preview here.
Uproar Festival Dates Announced
Organizer have released the latest dates for this summer's Uproar Festival, which is set to kick off on August 17 in Kansas City, MO.
The main stage is set to feature sets from Shinedown, Godsmack, Staind, along with Adelitas Way.
P.O.D. will lead the second and third stage linesup which will feature Deuce, Fozzy, Redlight King, Mindset Evolution, In This Moment, Thousand Foot Krutch, Candlelight Red and a local Battle Of The Bands winner. more on this story
Smashing Pumpkins Streaming New Album Online
The Smashing Pumpkins are offering fans a free stream this week of their forthcoming album, Oceania, on iTunes.
The new album is set to be released next Tuesday. We were sent these details: Having his own label through EMI afforded Pumpkins leader Billy Corgan the opportunity to try something different. It is a launch scenario that goes against industry standards by allowing the album to be heard as it was meant to be. The group's release plan was in no way intended to slight radio stations, video channels, press or online outlets. Instead, it represents the artistic vision of a band who, says CORGAN, "was dead set on making an album where every song was just as valuable as any other, ignoring the typical claptrap you hear about needing a single. The only way to make the case that every song on Oceania is worth hearing is to put your heart into the sequence as a cohesive whole." Listen here.
Oceania was recorded at the group's studio in Chicago with Corgan's bandmates: guitarist Jeff Schroeder, drummer Mike Byrne and bassist/vocalist Nicole Fiorentino. The powerful 13-song collection (see track listing below) was produced by Corgan and Bjorn Thorsrud and mixed by David Bottrill (Muse, Tool, King Crimson, etc). more on this story
Rush Excited About New Album
(hennemusic) Rush release their 20th studio album, "Clockwork Angels," today. The band are in the midst of doing worldwide press for the new project and, on Monday night, bassist/vocalist Geddy Lee was featured on CBC Canada's national evening newscast, "The National."
Lee sat down with host Peter Mansbridge to talk about "Clockwork Angels," and was asked if he still feels pressure upon the release of new music to fans.
"It's nothing you can ever take for granted, really," explained Geddy. "To me, every time and album is finished and mixed, there's an incredible sense of pride, an incredible sense of relief because they always seem like impossible tasks, in one way or another. You want to know what people think of your work; you put a lot into it. We've always dedicated ourselves to working hard and hoping to improve every time out. And ya, the new one's coming out and we're excited to see if people like it." more on this story
Lita Ford Likens Her Marriage To Ike and Tina Turner's
(Classic Rock) Lita Ford has likened her marriage to ex-bandmate Jim Gillette to the tumultuous relationship between Ike and Tina Turner – and believes her new lease of life is a gift from God because she survived.
The guitarist is set for a tour with Def Leppard and Poison to promote new album Living Like a Runaway, and says her life is massively different from when she released 2009′s Wicked Wonderland, which she now describes as "more of a JIm album".
Now recovering after a messy divorce, Ford says working with Gillette was similar to the unbalanced and sometimes violent relationship the Turners lived through before their 1976 split.
She tells Sleaz Roxx: "It really was like Ike and Tina, completely. It was incredibly awkward for me. I believe in working with your spouse, in supporting your spouse in whatever they want to do." More from her here.
Blondie and Devo To Launch Whip It To Shreds tour
Blondie and Devo are teaming up for a North American co-headline tour dubbed the "Whip It To Shreds" tour.
The trek will be kicking off September 7th and hitting 13 select cities before wrapping September 26th.
"We can't wait to get out on the road with Devo. It's going to be an incredible show and we're excited to share it with our fans," says Debbie Harry. more on this story
Early Metallica and Megadeth Explored In New M&M Podcast
Bill Hale is the special guest for the latest episode of The Decibel Geek Podcast which focuses on the early days of both Metallica and Megadeth.
Hale was a photographer with Metal Rendezvous Magazine in San Francisco in the late 1970's and early 1980's and was witness to the formation and formative years of both legendary thrash bands.
Hale has published books on both bands including Metallica: Club Dayz: 1982-1984 and the recently-released Megadeth: Another Time, A Different Place. more on this story
Geoff Tate Plays Queensryche Show Solo
(Classic Rock) Queensryche singer Geoff Tate played the band's Scorpions support slot last night as a solo artist.
Ahead of Monday's concert in Valley City, Utah, the frontman announced "some of the members" of Queensryche weren't able to appear "due to personal reasons." He went on: "Although I would have really loved for all of us to play together, it wasn't possible for them.
"I couldn't miss playing for one of the best rock audiences in the world and opening for one of my all-time favourite bands for anything. I plan to rock Salt Lake City today." more on this story
Les Paul Auction Brings In Over $5 Million
(Gibson) Some of Les Paul's most famous guitars and musical equipment were auctioned by Julien's this past weekend.
A very rare 1982 prototype sold for a staggering $180,000, according to Reuters. Another historic item, a 1940s Epiphone Zephyr, a.k.a. "Klunker #3," sold for $144,000.
The sale raised in excess of $5 million for the Les Paul Foundation, an organization founded by the iconic guitarist and inventor to support music education, engineering and medical research. more on this story
Zappa Family Trust Plans To Release 60 Frank Zappa Recordings
The music of the legendary Frank Zappa is now back in the hands of the Zappa Family Trust and we received these details about the first new release:
The estate has signed a global license and distribution deal with Universal Music Enterprises to release 60 of the iconic composer's recordings. The roll-out kicks off July 31 with 12 recordings, with another dozen recordings to be released monthly through the end of 2012.
"The ink is not yet dry on The Zappa Family Trust's worldwide deal with Universal Music Enterprises," says Gail Zappa. "They made us the offer we couldn't refuse--for all the right reasons. It is a win-win for all of us, but mostly for Frank Zappa. Long may his baton wave. We are so ready to go." more on this story
Dream Theater Heading South
Dream Theater will follow the second leg of their North American tour with a tour of South America.
The South American run, in support of their latest album A Dramatic Turn Of Events, will launch in Guatemala City, Guatemala on August 8 and will include stops in El Salvador, Costa Rica, Columbia, Argentina, Chile and Brazil.
The tour will conclude September 1 at the Ulysses Guimaraes in Brasilia, Brazil, almost a full year after the band first went on the road in support of the new album. more on this story
Dr Feelgood's Wilko Johnson Set For Solo Tour
(Noble) Former Dr Feelgood guitarist Wilko Johnson plans to launch a fall tour of the UK with special guest Virgil and the Accelerators.
Johnson is promoting his autobiography, Looking Back At Me. Dr Feelgood is said to have influenced everyone from Joe Strummer and Mick Jones to Steve Albini.
After pioneering the Feelgood's distinctive mid 70s, pre-punk British R&B sound (which had a significant impact on the British punk rock music), Wilko went on to play guitar for Ian Dury and the Blockheads. more on this story
BoDeans Expand Tour As New Album Is Released
BoDeans have expanded their 40+ date North American tour with headlining stops in Nashville, Atlanta, Memphis, and Cleveland.
They play a special Fourth of July show at Milwaukee Summerfest before playing NYC's City Winery on August 9.
BoDeans are touring in support of their new studio album, 'American Made,' which was release this week. more on this story
Dropkick Murphys Add Halfway To St. Patrick's Day Tour Dates
Dropkick Murphys have added more dates for their "Halfway To St. Patrick's Day Tour," with U.S. shows from September 14 through 21.
The "Halfway To St. Patrick's Day Tour" will include stops in Buffalo, Chicago, Detroit, Pittsburgh and Utica, and culminates with a previously announced performance at Boston's Bank Of American Pavilion waterfront amphitheatre.
Dropkick Murphys are touring in support of Going Out In Style and Going Out In Style: Fenway Park Bonus Edition CDs, both released via the band-owned Born & Bred Records. more on this story
Icarus The Owl Releasing New Album This Month
Icarus The Owl have set a June 21st release date for their new album, Love Always, Leviathan.
The Stephan Hawkes produced full length will will contain twelve tracks of technical pop-punk.
Joey Rubenstein commented on the sound of the album by saying, "This album still has all the main attributes of Icarus The Owl. It is still very technical with odd time signatures, tap guitar, poly-rhythms among other aspects. Love Always, Leviathan is our most technical work to date, but also our poppyest. The songs differ vastly track to track, ranging from everything between quirky pop songs to heavier technical songs. The last two tracks are both over six and a half minutes long, which is definitely something new for us." more on this story
B Sides
Singled Out: Hats Off Gentlemen It's Adequate
Today Malcolm from Hats Off Gentlemen It's Adequate tells us about the deeply personal story behind their new single "Me Again". Here is the story:
Thanks very much for inviting me to write about about the process of making our new single, 'Me Again'. I greatly appreciate the interest in my music, and the opportunity to try to raise awareness of the disease that the song is about.
The Lyrics The inspiration for the song started with a phrase from a friend's Facebook post on an Ehlers-Danlos syndrome – "I just want to wake up one day and be me again".
I thought the phrase reflected the frustration of the condition very well, and also hinted at the exhaustion that often comes with the condition. My friend was very happy for me to use the phrase in a song.
The phrase is the basis of the chorus, and the rest followed from that. The verse is very simple lyrically – "So tired, I can't explain. So tired. So cold. Sucking me down." Initially there were more verses, but the song was getting too long at over 6 minutes, so I trimmed it back.
Many of us who have Ehlers-Danlos syndrome look healthy, but experience chronic pain and pain related exhaustion, which can lead to a lot of misunderstanding from those unfamiliar with this little-known disease.
Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome is a group of genetic diseases in which people have abnormally weak collagen. Collagen is an important structural protein providing strength to joints, cartilage, skin, intestines, and other parts of the body. Due to the weak collagen, things that many people would take for granted, including lifting, carrying, and travelling can be very difficult.
I have type III (hypermobility-type) Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (also known as joint hypermobility syndrome), and appreciate that I am fortunate to have a form of the illness that isn't life-threating, however chronic pain, joint degeneration/premature arthritis, and the exhaustion of managing with chronic pain can be challenging, and I'm very appreciative of all the support I get from my family.
Hypermobility-type Ehlers-Danlos syndrome is almost certainly underdiagnosed - it took about 20 years for me to get my diagnosis. People who are hypermobile ('double-jointed') and have unexplained chronic pain should ask their doctor whether they might have the condition. Although there aren't curative treatments, getting a diagnosis makes a big difference, as at least you understand why you hurt.
I've written several songs about type III Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, exploring different reactions to the challenges of invisible disability (While I Still Can - here and Wait For The Storm -here ). I hope to help raise awareness of invisible disabilities. I also hope that the songs can stand on their own even if you don't know what inspired them.
The Music 'Me Again' is just me multitracked. It's got piano, bass, chugging distorted rhythm guitar, acoustic guitar, and some twiddly lead guitar bits at the end. The guitar is a Strat, the acoustic, bass and keyboard Yamaha's. The electric guitar was recorded through a digitech RP250. I use Sonar X1 for recording. The vocals were recorded at Camden Recording Studios, London, UK. The rest was done on a laptop at home.
Listen to a free stream of 'Me Again' here and you can buy it on iTunes right here!
Tom Cruise Explains Def Leppard's Reaction To His Cover Of Their Song
(hennemusic) The new Tom Cruise film, Rock Of Ages, hits theaters this Friday. The Broadway play-turned-movie is billed as a love story told through the music of Bon Jovi, Journey, Poison, Twisted Sister and other artists from the 1980s.
Cruise plays Stacee Jaxx, the biggest rock star in the world; in the film, he sings renditions of Def Leppard's "Pour Some Sugar On Me" and Guns N' Roses' "Paradise City."
The actor promoted Rock of Ages during an appearance last Friday on The Tonight Show, with Cruise explaining that he found out the day before filming that members of Def Leppard would be stopping by to listen. "I'm just trying to honor you," Cruise told the band before singing their smash hit. "We played the whole song, and most of the crew was watching [Def Leppard] for their reaction. The band's lead singer [Joe Elliott] walks over and points at me, and I can't say what he said ... some sort of obscenity, and they had us perform it again for them. They were very generous." Watch the interview here.
Preview The Story Of Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here
(hennemusic) Pink Floyd fans will get some insight into the band's history on June 26 when Eagle Rock Entertainment releases "The Story Of Wish You Were Here" on DVD and Blu-ray.
This is the authorized story of the album made with the full involvement and approval of the members of Pink Floyd.
The DVD and Blu-ray releases contain additional bonus material not featured in the TV broadcast version, including further interviews with Waters, Gilmour and Mason plus Roger and David performing excerpts from the album. Check out a preview here.
All Else Fails Proclaim That Kanye West Is Still A Giant D****
All Else Fails take aim at Kanye West with the first episode of their new web series.
The band previously released a web series called 'Studio Space' where the band chronicled their studio and tour adventures for fans.
The band is now rebooting a new series called 'Breaking Acclaim' that features AEF's satirical sense of humor along with their road side antics. To view episode 1 titled 'Kanye West Is Still A Giant D*****' you can go here.
Faulkner Got Judas Priest Gig In Unusual Place
(Classic Rock) Judas Priest new recruit Richie Faulkner has revealed he was offered the job of replacing KK Downing while the band were in Glenn Tipton's kitchen.
The guitarist was enjoying the atmosphere backstage at the tenth Download Festival in Donington Park this weekend. It's the same place Priest appeared in 1980 for the first-ever Monsters of Rock event as second-headline act under Rainbow. And unlike the modern three-day, 140-band extravaganza, that formative event lasted a single day and featured just seven acts.
Faulkner was invited to join the metal gods after Downing astonished fans by announcing he'd quit last year, ahead of their last-ever world tour. Priest will continue playing and are working on a new album, but don't plan on travelling round the world again in the future.
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