Today's Day In Rock News!

Today's Day in Rock


Peter Frampton Injured In Car Accident
(Classic Rock) Peter Frampton has slammed a woman who was texting while driving after she crashed into him and caused an injury to his back.
The guitarist believes he's suffering from whiplash following the incident in Southern California.

Frampton last night tweeted: "Texting woman driver just ran into back of me while I was stationary in traffic 101 freeway. Can u say whiplash? People put the phones down!" more on this story



Aerosmith Recruit Special Guests For New Album
(Gibson) Aerosmith are getting ready to release their first album of all new material since Just Push Play, back in 2001. Music From Another Dimension is set to be released on November 6, having been pushed back from its initial release date of August 28. But aside from the five bad boys from Boston, the album will also feature a couple of guest appearances by, among others, Julian Lennon and Johnny Depp.

Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler met Lennon while working on American Idol, and he got Lennon to sing harmony vocals on the track "Love Three Times a Day." Tyler told Rolling Stone "He's such a sweet f---ing guy, and he's John's first son with that voice and sense of humor – gimme a break!"

Depp is no stranger to the world of music, having played slide guitar on the Oasis song "Fade In-Out," and playing guitar for the band P in the mid-'90s. Depp contributes backing vocals to the song "Freedom Fighter," which may not be on the official album, but rather as a bonus track according to Joe Perry. more on this story





Bloc Party Calling It Quits?
(Gibson) Bloc Party have made comments to the effect that they may be calling it quits after finishing their touring duties behind their new album, Four. In fact, Bloc Party singer and rhythm guitarist Kele Okereke thought the band was done after touring behind their last album, Intimacy.

According to NME.com, Okereke told Australia's Triple J magazine: "When we took a break in 2009 I was in the mindset that we were done, our relationships were in such a difficult place that this was it, this was the end." Okereke added, "I don't know where we'll go from here. I don't know what will happen. But I know if this is the last thing we ever do, then we've done everything I wanted to do."

Two tracks from Four have seen the light of day so far: "Octopus" and "Day Four." "Octopus" is driven by an infectious clean guitar riff, while "Day Four" is more of a mellow and melodic affair. more on this story





Gwar's Oderus Won't Be Leading Randy Blythe Benefit Show
(Banana 101.5) Gwar vocalist Oderus Urungus, aka Dave Brokie, has regretfully announced his exit from an upcoming Randy Blythe benefit show that was due to take place Aug. 31 in Richmond, Va.

The Gauntlet reports that the singer's co-host, Eve Alleyne, issued a statement saying, "SORRY to have to tell everyone Dave Brockie will not be able to attend the show due to his recording of the TV series 'Hollister'!

"He is really bummed out and wishes he could be here to support his very close friend Randy! We all support you Dave in your adventures! And we will make sure this show rocks their faces off!! xoxox and FREE RANDY !!" more on this story



Coheed and Cambria Set New Release
(Classic Rock) Coheed and Cambria will release the first disc of double concept album, The Afterman on October 8.

Volume one will be subtitled Ascention, with the second installment, Descension, due in February 2013.

Following appearances at the Reading and Leeds festivals in August, the band tour the UK in November. Dates here.



Alice In Chains, Lemmy Part Of Duff McKagen Film Project
(hennemusic) A film project entitled "The Taking," featuring Duff McKagan's Loaded, is on its way. Directed by Seattle filmmaker Jamie Burton Chamberlin, the series explores the lyrical content of Loaded's studio album of the same title, which was released last year.

The project will be released in episodes, with a total of 10 vignettes/music videos telling a tale of totally bizarre adventures, imprisoned band members, and kids' size ice cream cones.

Among the people involved in the series are Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones, Jerry Cantrell and Sean Kinney from Alice In Chains, Lemmy from Motorhead and Gilby Clarke. Check out the trailer here.



Saint Vitus Plan First U.S. Headlining Tour Since 1993
Saint Vitus will be hitting the road next month for their first U.S. headlining tour since 1993.

Weedeater and Sourvein will provide support for the five week trek which begins on September 14 in Little Rock, AR and will wrap up on October 19

"We're stoked to destroy America again; the last Saint Vitus U.S. headlining tour was in 1993," commented Dave Chandler. "This time we'll be playing "Lillie" as well as fan favorites and some old surprises. Leave your ear plugs at home and come bleed with us." more on this story



Motorhead Were Also Blamed For Fan Injured At Concert
(Classic Rock) Motorhead drummer Mikkey Dee says his band were once chased in an attempt to blame them for an injury sustained by a fan who decided to jump from a balcony while they played.

It's a similar situation to the current ordeal of Lamb of God frontman Randy Blythe, who's been behind bars in Prague since June. Blythe remains in jail without charge in the Czech Republic having paid $200,000 bail – which was later doubled – a month ago. He was arrested in connection with an incident in 2010 when fan Daniel Nosek voluntarily invaded Lamb of God's stage several times, during which he may have sustained the head injury which led to his death four weeks later.

"One guy years ago threw himself from the second floor in a theatre and ended up breaking his back on one of the seats," Dee tells Artisan News. "And they came after us for that."

And he says Motorhead have their own experience of the legal system in the Czech Republic



Muse Reveal Some New Album Details
(Gibson) Muse have revealed the artwork for their sixth album The 2nd Law, which is due to hit stores on September 18. The artwork features a map of brain pathways in neon colors.

The album title reportedly refers to the second law of thermodynamics, the study of the relations between heat and other forms of energy.

Muse are known for their unconventional approach to rock music, with singer and guitarist Matt Bellamy playing the most outlandish guitar riffs with the help of various effect processors, like for example the outlandish riff in their 2006 song "Map of the Problematique."

On The 2nd Law , the band is apparently even taking things a step further and delving in to dubstep on one of the tracks. See the artwork here.





Queensryche Break Out Rarities For Debut Gig With New Singer
(Gibson) The new lineup of Queensryche played their first official gig over the weekend, pulling out some vintage classics as well as a few rarely played deep cuts at the Halfway Jam in Minnesota.

The band recently parted ways with singer Geoff Tate after 31 years, amid claims of frustration at the direction the band had taken. Tate contends that his former bandmates weren't submitting ideas and had never spoken up to say they weren't happy with how things were going. Queensrÿche claims, among other things, that their ideas were being brushed aside in favor of outside writers. The conflict became physical in Brazil in May, with Tate being fired in June. The matter is before the courts but for now, Queensrÿche have upheld the right to continue to use the band name for now.

Some Queensrÿche fans are thrilled with the decision to hire Todd La Torre on vocals and to focus on Queensrÿche's harder-hitting material. Others are concerned that without Tate, the band will lose much of its theatric edge. And they have a point: previous Queensrÿche tours have included actors playing parts from Operation: Mindcrime; a mock bar for the performance of the epic title track to the Promised Land album; and of course the notorious Queensrÿche Cabaret tour, which saw the band performing with dancers, jugglers, contortionists and drag queens. more on this story





Tom Waits Teases Fans With Cryptic Pirate Message
(hennemusic) Tom Waits posted a cryptic message to fans on Tuesday under the heading of "Permission To Come Aboard?."

Waits shared a photo of himself in a bit of a pirate outfit, wearing an eye patch, smoking a cigar, with a sword drawn and at the ready. The caption on the photo reads "Coming August 7."

No further details were provided, so it's anyone's guess what the legendary performer has up his sleeve. more on this story



Frank Zappa Classics Going Digital
(Gibson) Frank Zappa's music will soon be available digitally. Zappa's family and trust have made a deal with Universal Music to re-release 60 of the composer's recordings.

"The ink is not yet dry on The Zappa Family Trust's worldwide deal with Universal Music Enterprises," says Frank's widow Gail Zappa… "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."

Bruce Resnikoff, President/CEO of Universal Music Enterprises (UMe) added, "The artist and composer, Frank Zappa, is one of the most important and influential artists in music history with his prolific body of work, including his breakthrough rock 'n' roll concept albums. We are honored that Gail Zappa and the Zappa Family Trust have entrusted us with his legacy. We intend to honor him and bring high-quality releases, digital and physical, for his new and longtime fans." more on this story





The Jam's Bruce Foxton Releasing First Solo Album In Almost 30 Years
Bruce Foxton of The Jam/From The Jam/Stiff Little Fingers fame will be releasing his first new solo album in nearly 30 years, 'Back In The Room,' on October 1st. 2012. His camp sent over these details:

Joining Bruce on the album are Russell Hastings and Big Country's Mark Brzezicki, both of whom are also members of From The Jam. The album boasts a very special guest on three songs in Paul Weller, who had Bruce as a guest on his 2010 album 'Wake Up the Nation' and at a show at the Royal Albert Hall in the same year. Other guest musicians include Steve Cropper (Booker T & the MG's/The Blues Brothers) and Spandau Ballet's Steve Norman.

Commenting on working again with Paul Weller and having Steve Cropper guesting Bruce said: "It was such a pleasure to work and hang out with Paul again. What an honour to have both Paul and Steve play on the album." more on this story



Mike Oldfield Hopes For Resurgence of Music By Musicians Not Computers
(Classic Rock) Mike Oldfield hopes his Olympic performance of Tubular Bells marks a resurgence of instrumental rock music and that it might herald an end to the era of computer music.

The veteran composer appeared as part of the sport event's opening ceremony, delivering a part of his iconic 1973 work in a segment which hailed the UK's National Health Service.

Oldfield says he felt a "glow of pride" when director Danny Boyle invited him to be part of the show – and it was a refreshing contrast to the negative energy he received in the punk era. "Hopefully it will inspire some kind of renaissance in instrumental rock music." he says. "Let's throw away all the computer software. You just get a load of software and click a few buttons. You don't have to have the slightest bit of musical talent." more on this story



Rock Stars Say the Funniest Things To Feature Duff McKagan, Scott Ian
(Classic Rock) Duff McKagan, Scott Ian and Chris Jericho will each perform a spoken-work show at the Garage in London as part of a season called Rock Stars Say the Funniest Things.

McKagan will recount stories from his book and perform acoustic tracks on October 25. Ian will deliver a series of touring anecdotes on November 4.

And Jericho will look back on his musical and wrestling careers on November 25. More rock news here.



Marilyn Manson, Lou Reed and Neil Young Teepee Tale Part Of Billy Corgan Book
(Gibson) Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan has spoken to Australia's Channel Seven about the memoir he is writing. He hinted at stories involving Marilyn Manson, Lou Reed and Neil Young.

When asked about his celebrity encounters, Corgan balked about saying too much on the breakfast TV show but said: "I'll put in the slight plug, I'm writing a book that does reveal some of those stories."

He continued, "It's sometimes hard to tell those stories out of context because, during times of drug and drink, there was a lot of crazy stuff that went on. I'll give you a perfect example, I'll give you something that doesn't give anything away.

"I was at Neil Young's house once – a beautiful, incredible house out in Northern California. And he had a teepee, a real, legitimate Native American teepee. So, in the teepee there was myself, Marilyn Manson, Lou Reed, Neil Young, probably like Harvey Keitel or something. You can imagine that round table." Let's hope Corgan remembers if it was "probably" Keitel or "definitely" Keitel. If he can't, his story may lack gravitas? more on this story





KISS Reveal Monster Track Details
(hennemusic) The current lineup of KISS has revealed the tracklisting for their 20th studio album, Monster, which is set for release October 16.

The 13-song effort kicks off with the lead single, "Hell Or Hallelujah," which is out now.

"Monster" is KISS' first studio effort since 2009's "Sonic Boom"; it was produced by Paul Stanley with Greg Collins at Conway Studios in Hollywood, California, and The Nook in Studio City, California.

01. Hell Or Hallelujah
02. Wall Of Sound
03. Freak
04. Back To The Stone Age
05. Shout Mercy
06. Long Way Down
07. Eat Your Heart Out
08. The Devil Is Me
09. Outta This World
10. All For The Love Of Rock & Roll
11. Take Me Down Below
12. Last Chance
13. Right Here Right Now

Read more and hear the first single here.



Winds Of Plague Finish Recording New Album And Lose A Member
Winds Of Plague just finished recording their new album and are hitting the road this week for The All Star Tour but you won't see Art Cruz behind the drum kit as the band has officially parted ways with drummer due to creative differences.

"After many years of having Art Cruz with us we have decided its best for both parties involved to go our separate ways," states vocalist Johnny Plague. "Art is a great drummer and I'm sure he will be back behind the drums one way or another soon."

Art Cruz adds, "I'm very thankful for the experience. I love those dudes. I will continue to play drums and on the business side, I am currently pursuing artist management. To keep up with what I'm doing, follow me on twitter at twitter.com/artimusplague." more on this story



Devildriver Map Out Fall Tour Plans
Devildriver have a busy fall ahead of them as they plan to hit the road one final time in North America in support of their latest release Beast.

The tour is scheduled to kick off October 7th in Grand Junction, Colorado with a string of headlining dates before the band meets up with Gwar on October 12th in Philadelphia, PA to start the "Fate or Chaos" tour.

Devildriver will also play select headline dates during off days of the tour with GWAR. Frontman Dez Fafara commented on the upcoming tour with GWAR: "Devildriver was going to take some time off from our touring schedule in October and November, but when we were asked to support GWAR, it was a resounding YES in our Camp! more on this story



B Sides


Anchor & Brail Singled Out Week: Knew Then Know Now
Anberlin's lead singer Stephen Christian's released the new Anchor & Brail album "Quiet Life," this week. Today Stephen tells us about the song "Knew Then Know Now":

My brother and I once wrote a song for my sister upon high school graduation, honestly it was a really good song. It was a 'the world is yours go find it' type of song. I wanted to continue in that vein and approach this song as motivational song to try to show people that they do not have to be a slave to their circumstances or past. We are not our fathers or mothers, we are not what we came out of; we can stop the forward progression of apathy and change it.

I constantly think about all the decision I had to make in early high school, I remember feeling how heavy they were, how weighty. But now I look back on those 'hard times' and laugh. I would give anything for the lack of responsibility and carefree moments that those formidable years exude. The funny thing is that I believe in 20 years from now I will look back at these times and laugh at how good I had it. In other words our personal circumstances may feel insurmountable right this second but in time we will see that life simple works out the way it should.

These are some of the best lyrics on the record, so I felt inclined to include them:

KNEW THEN KNOW NOW

Life is beautiful open your eyes whether you see it believe it or not

It's not somewhere out there; it's them by your side, its here in today its there in your smile

Take all of it in, let it all go, where you end up well nobody knows

dance like you care, act like you don't. if life wants to drowned well pretend that you float


if I knew then what I know now

I would tell tell myself again

life works out the way it should

if I could go back in time awhile

I would tell myself to rest awhile

don't worry about all the have been what could

life works out the way it should


life is here and gone, no one denies, we live we learn we love then we die

so while were still young lets take on the town lets travel the world follow the sun don't quit till we're there, I know it seems long but this road only takes those who are still strong feeling the wind brushing your face this is a freefall not a human race.

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



Metallica Show Off New Live Special Effects With 9 Minute Video
(Banana 101.5) Metallica's eight-concert run in Mexico City has begun at the Palacia de los Deportes. A video of the 'best effects' during the opening show on Saturday, July 28 is now available.

The nine minute clip includes shots of various pyro and lighting effects, including what appeared to be stagehands catching on fire.

During 'Enter Sandman,' a flare malfunctioned, and two stagehands examining it were engulfed in flames. The show was stopped while the fire was extinguished and the crew members were taken off the stage on stretchers. The horrifying event apparently was all a stunt, as a spokesman for the promoter described it as "part of the show." Watch it here.



KISS For Tots Preview
(hennemusic) Rockabye Baby!, which transforms timeless rock songs into beautiful instrumental lullabies, will release "Rockabye Baby! Lullaby Renditions Of Kiss" on August 28.

"Rockabye Baby" was developed by Van Halen singer David Lee Roth's sister Lisa Roth, in conjunction with CMH Records. The series includes collections made from the songs of artists like AC/DC, Metallica, Aerosmith, Pearl Jam, The Beatles, and many others.

Here's the KISS album description: "There will never be a better show opener than 'Detroit Rock City'. 'Beth' is the gold standard for power ballads. And 'Rock And Roll All Nite' is the quintessential rock 'n' roll national anthem. Given Rockabye's kid-tested, parent-approved lullaby treatment, these KISS Klassics are as alive as ever — just as thrilling when xylophones and bells replace Ace Frehley's Gibson Les Paul and Gene Simmons' demonic snarl. Except come bedtime, junior won't be able to keep partying into the 'nite;' these lullabies will have him counting a veritable KISS Army of sheep."