Today's Day In Rock News!

Today's Day in Rock


Rolling Stones Recording In Paris
(hennemusic) The Rolling Stones have been hinting that they'll have soon have some news for fans as the band approaches its still-to-be-announced 50th Anniversary tour.
According to Mick Jagger, the Stones have been working in a Paris recording studio.

Late last week, Jagger posted a photo of him in the studio, surrounded by guitars and amps, along with the news: "Had fun in the Paris studio this week!" See the photo here.



Journey Sidelined By Hurricane Warning
(hennemusic) The impending threat of Tropical Storm Isaac is affecting many things in the U.S. Gulf region, including a Journey concert scheduled for Tuesday at the Cajundome in Lafayette, LA.

On Monday afternoon, the band issued the following statement: "Due to the terrible weather situation, we have had to postpone tomorrow's show in Lafayette, LA. We should have new date details for you before the end of today."

The governors of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama all declared states of emergency on Sunday as a hurricane warning went into effect for the northern Gulf Coast from Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle due to the potential threat of Isaac's impact. more on this story



The Who's Roger Daltrey Auctioning One of Kind Tour T-shirt
Roger Daltrey donated a signed t-shirt that he wore onstage during The Who's 1976 US tour that went up for auction in the UK late last week.

According to the listing: 100% of proceeds from the sale of this item will so to Teenage Cancer Trust to help young people fight cancer

Mission statement: Teenage Cancer Trust is the only UK charity dedicated to improving the quality of life and chances of survival for young people with cancer aged between 13 and 24. The charity funds and builds specialist units within NHS hospitals where young people are treated together by teenage cancer experts in a place designed just for them. You can bid here.



Baroness Frontman Released From The Hospital
Baroness frontman John Baizley has been released from hospital where he was treated for a broken arm and leg, suffered during the band's bus crash earlier this month in the UK.

The group took to their Facebook to announce that all remaining 2012 tour dates have been canceled and aside from Baizley's release, Allen Blickle and Matt Maggioni, who each suffered fractured vertebrae, have arrived back in the United States.

Pete Adams was previously treated and released from the hospital and returned home to the U.S. Facebook link



The Offspring Kicking Off Tour This Week
The Offspring will be kicking off their North American tour this Thursday, August 30 in Rockford, IL.

The tour includes performances at The Fillmore Auditorium in Denver (September 27), Terminal 5 in New York City (September 19), the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles (October 5) and San Jose Civic in Northern California (October 2).

Supporting them at various engagements are Dead Sara and Neon Trees. Also on their itinerary: a headlining slot on the first night of Riot Fest in Chicago (September 14). more on this story



James Iha Streaming New Song Online
Smashing Pumpkins cofounder James Iha has debuted "Speed Of Love," the first single from his forthcoming album online.

The new album, Look To The Sky, will be released on September 18 and was written and recorded at Stratosphere Sound in NYC, a studio owned by James and Adam Schlesinger of Fountains of Wayne

Look To The Sky, out September 18, was produced by James and Nathan Larson of Shudder To Think and features special guests Karen O and Nick Zinner of The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Sara Quin of Tegan and Sara, Nina Persson of the Cardigans, Schlesinger and Tom Verlaine, frontman of New York rock band Television.

Over the years, James has been a member of A Perfect Circle, collaborated with Hanson, Cheap Trick and Fountains of Wayne to form supergroup Tinted Windows and was of course the co-founder and long-time guitarist of Smashing Pumpkins. Listen to the new song here.



Iron Maiden's Steve Harris Explains Origins of Solo Album
(hennemusic) Iron Maiden founder and bassist Steve Harris recently announced the September 24th UK release (Sept. 25 in North America) of his debut solo album, "British Lion."

In a new session with Classic Rock magazine, Harris explains the origins of the album: "How it started was that Graham Leslie came to me with a cassette of songs – which shows how long ago it was! – and I thought they were really good, so I said I'd try to help his band do something," says Harris. "I ended up managing them and producing them and writing with them, although I kept that fact under wraps, to the point where even some people in the band didn't know. Anyway, when that band imploded I thought, 'Well, I've got to do something with this', because I thought the songs were so strong."

"Over the years I've kept in touch with Richie [vocalist Richard Taylor] and Graham, and then Richie was working with another guitarist called David Hawkins, who's a really talented guy, and so we started writing songs together," Steve continues. "So on the album there are six songs written with Richie and David, there's one with just me and Richie, and the others are me, Richie, Graham and a couple of other guys that were around at the time." more on this story



Nonpoint Releasing New Album in October
Razor & Tie have set an October 9th release date for Nonpoint's new self-titled album.

The album was produced/mixed by Grammy Nominated Producer, Johnny K (Disturbed, Staind, Megadeth) and also features some additional production and mixing from Brian Virtue (30 Seconds To Mars, Chevelle).

Front man Elias Soriano explains the new album, "We wanted this record to be a punch in the face. There was a lot of stuff I wanted to artistically vent about. It's a fresh start for us, "We felt like having a self-titled record says it all. We hit the reset button, and there's life again. You can hear it musically. We're not going anywhere." more on this story



Pinback North American Tour Dates
Pinback will be hitting the road next month for the first in a series of North American tour dates.

The tour will kick off with the west coast leg on September 12th followed by an east coast leg in November

The trek is in support of their upcoming album Information Retrieved, which will be released on October 16th. more on this story



Tony Iommi and Ian Gillan's WhoCares Album Released Today
(Gibson) Tony Iommi and Ian Gillan's WhoCares album, already released in Europe, will hit the streets in North America today, August 28.

Iommi and Gillan were bandmates during Black Sabbath's Born Again era in 1984, and they renewed their collaboration when they released the single "Out Of My Mind" last year to rebuild and help a music school in Gyumari, Armenia. That track featured Jason Newstead (ex-Metallica), Nicko McBrain (Iron Maiden), Linde Lindström (H.I.M.) and late Deep Purple legend Jon Lord.

The WhoCares album features rarities and unreleased material featuring Iommi and/or Gillan, including a Deep Purple performance of "Smoke On The Water" featuring Ronnie James Dio and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, several tracks by Iommi and Glenn Hughes, and "Anno Mundi," one of the best but most overlooked Black Sabbath songs ever, featuring Tony Martin on vocals. more on this story





For Today Plan Fall tour
For Today will be returning to the road this fall for a North American headlining tour that will feature support from Impending Doom, Sleeping Giant, the Chariot, Texas In July and Hundredth.

The tour kicks off October 11th in St. Petersberg, FL and runs through the middle of November making stops throughout the country. For Today will also head to Europe this winter for a string of headlining dates.

They are touring in support of Immortal, produced by Will Putney (Lamb Of God, Suicide Silence) features 11 new tracks and includes special guest appearances from Sonny Sandoval of P.O.D., Jake Luhrs of August Burns Red and Tommy Green of Sleeping Giant. more on this story



Ringo Is The World's Richest Drummer
(Classic Rock) Ringo Starr is the richest drummer in the world, says pop culture analyst website Celebrity Net Worth.

His total value is believed to be $300m, making him $50m richer than Phil Collins, $75m better off than Dave Grohl and $100m wealthier than Don Henley.

Those first four spots are taken by stickmen who've also fronted bands, with the top-ten rounded out by Lars Ulrich, Charlie Watts, Larry Mullen, Roger Taylor, Joey Kramer and Chad Smith. Check out the list here.



Steel Panther Set North American DVD Release Date
Steel Panther have set an October 22nd North American release date for their upcoming DVD, The British Invasion.

The DVD will be first be released on September 28th in Australia and New Zealand followed by the October 22nd release in North America, Europe, Asia and the rest of the world, according to BW&BK.

The DVD features the band's set during a concert at London's Brixton Academy during their 2010 tour. The disc will also feature a documentary. You can get a preview of what's to come here.



Neurosis Release New Album Details
Neurosis have set an October 30th North American release date for their new album, Honor Found In Decay. Their camp sent over these adjective filled details as well as the tracklisting:

Neurosis forged the songs on Honor Found In Decay with the revered Steve Albini, marking their fifth collaboration with the engineer in their longstanding relationship. Their monolithic sound captured at Electrical Audio studios, Chicago, the seven tracks were then mastered by John Golden at Golden Mastering in Ventura, California.

Aesthetics have always been paramount for Neurosis and with Honor Found In Decay, Steve Von Till, Scott Kelly, Noah Landis, Jason Roeder and Dave Edwardson's musical vision is brilliantly evoked by Neurosis' visual guru Josh Graham. And with that, we proudly unveil the cover art and track listing for this prodigious album, which is shaping up to be one of the biggest releases in the band's extensive history. more on this story



TV News Show Host To Front Prog Awards
(Classic Rock) By night Gavin Esler presents one of the BBC's hardest-hitting current affairs shows. Later that night you might find him relaxing by listening to Pink Floyd, Jethro Tull or maybe even Testament.

But there's one night he won't be doing either. On September 5 he'll be hosting the inaugural Progressive Music Awards at London's Kew Gardens, run Classic Rock Presents Prog. "It's been a long time coming," Esler tells the Guardian. "For me, prog has always been essentially British – it combines all our great and eccentric genius. It's time our quiet little secret was shouted about a bit more."

The journalist started with the BBC in 1977 and in the following decade he was in charge of the corporation's coverage of news in North America. He won a Royal Television Society Award for his work, and later received a Sony Gold Award. He's interviewed a number of world leaders and he's the author of five novels. more on this story



Titans Eve To Support Arch Enemy
Titans Eve are about to set out on their very first European tour where they will be supporting Arch Enemy.

The tour will see Titans Eve perform in Switzerland, Austria, Germany, France and Spain for the 10 show dates in support of their sophomore album, 'Life Apocalypse'.

"Titans Eve has been trying to make Europe part of its touring circuit since we started. We never dreamed it would be Angela Gossow of Arch Enemy that would open the gate for us. Touring with them this fall will be truly awesome, and unstoppable." comments vocalist / guitarist Brian Gamblin. more on this story



Killinger Added To Black Label Society Tour
Killinger have mapped out some live plans in Canada this fall including a support slot on Black Label Society's upcoming tour in late October and early November.

Prior to the commencement of these dates, Killinger will be play two benefit shows in support of The Alberta Diabetes Foundation in Calgary and Edmonton, respectively.

The Black Label Society shows will kick off on October 27th in Winnipeg and the trek will wrap up on November 4th in Vancouver. more on this story



Forever's Edge Tap Clay Barton and Noah Martin For New Album
(Sub) Forever's Edge have announced the return of singer Clay Barton (Suspyre) for their sophomore album, Hereafter, as well as bassist Noah Martin (Arsis).

Clay Barton comments: "When I was first approached about being a part of the second album I wasn't sure if I was going to have the time or energy to put forward what was needed from a vocalist, but when I started hearing the rough mixes I knew that it had a chance to be something very special. Sal has always been nice enough to give me the freedom to be creative and that makes recording his albums a much more enjoyable experience. If you aren't having fun with a project, it comes across in the music for everyone to hear. My hope is that when everyone hears the album they experience not only the music, but also experience a little bit of the fun that went into recording it."

Noah Martin comments: "I'm glad to have done this recording session with friends, the majority of whom I've known for nearly ten years. It's definitely an effective gelling of musicians, Their music seems to capture the riffs of say, Iced Earth, the length and complexity of Blind Guardian's arrangements, and the grandeur of Symphony X. It's been hectic finishing both this and the Arsis album. Much thanks to the guys for asking me to play on their album, being patient, and even giving me a bass solo." Facebook link.



B Sides


Singled Out: Viasava
Today Viasava guitarist Gogi Randhawa tells us about "New Frontier" from their brand new album "One Year Down". Viasava is fronted by Dustin Lowery, the younger brother of Clint (Sevendust) and Corey (Eye Empire, Dark New Day). Here is the story:

"New Frontier" was a fitting first single for us because it pretty much encompasses everything we were feeling when getting this band together and writing the songs – all the while, thinking about the uncertainty the future holds. The song wrote itself pretty quickly musically. I had just started playing the intro guitar riff while messing around during a writing session, and Dustin almost immediately started singing that intro vocal melody. Honestly, the rest was kind of a blur for the next thirty minutes, but the song was pretty much done not long after we started with it. We listen to the demo version we recorded that day and it's kind of scary at how similar it is to the final product.

Lyrically, the song kind of encompasses everything everyone is feeling as we start this journey known as "Viasava." We've all been doing this music thing for a while and have collectively dealt with the good and the bad that comes with it. The landscape of the business has changed so much in such a short amount of time, and the risk is greater than it ever has been. I think we really just tried to convey everything we were feeling about the journey we were about to take – the passion for what we do, the excitement, the anxiety, the fear, the need for acceptance and confidence from those that love us. For us it wasn't really a choice...music is just something we all feel compelled to do and its not easy to shake off. So we had to just jump in head first and go for it without over-thinking it or putting too much reason into it while at the same time reassuring ourselves that we would be fine and come out of this whole experience okay. I think in some weird way it may be our constant message to ourselves that we don't have a choice but to make this work out.

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



Things You Might Not Know About AC/DC's Angus Young
(Gibson) It's been nearly four decades since Malcolm Young invited his kid brother, Angus, to join a new band he was putting together. Who could have imagined, at that time, that all these years later AC/DC would still be churning out some of the world's greatest riff-rock? Here are some things you may not know about Angus.

He still owns the very first Gibson SG he bought – 42 years ago. Young purchased a late '60s Gibson SG from a music shop located within walking distance of his family's home in Sydney, Australia, when he was just 16 years old. To this day, it remains one of his main go-to guitars. "I think it was the little devil horns [that sold me]," he told the New Zealand Herald, in 2010. "I've still got it and it's still my favorite guitar of them all."

His main pre-AC/DC job prepared him well for the band's bawdy lyrical content. Young left school before his 15th birthday. Not long afterwards, he took a job working as a typesetter at a "men's" magazine that sported the title, Ribald. Malcolm, incidentally, had by then put in a couple of years doing sewing machine maintenance for a company that manufactured bras.

His older sister, Margaret, suggested something even more important than Angus' trademark schoolboy uniform. Most AC/DC fans know that it was the Young brothers' sister, Margaret, who encouraged Angus to wear his schoolboy get-up on-stage. But fewer fans realize that it was also Margaret who christened her siblings' band "AC/DC" after noticing the letters on a vacuum cleaner. According to biographer Susan Masino, Angus and Malcolm liked the fact that the letters denoted power and electricity. Read 7 more things you might not know about Angus here.





A Life Once Lost Streaming New Song Online
A Life Once Lost are streaming their brand new track, 'Madness is God', on their Facebook page.

The track is available now at the band's Facebook page under the BandPage tab. "Like" the page and listen now here.

The song comes from their new album Ecstatic Trance, due out in North America on October 23rd and internationally on November 16th via Season of Mist.