Today's Day in Rock News!

Today's Day in Rock


Axl Rose Vs Artist
(TMZ) Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose recently fired off a cease and desist letter -- claiming an L.A. photographer is spreading lies about him in a vulgar attempt to capitalize on his fame ... all so she can sell her photographs.
Here's what happened, Laura London -- an L.A. based photographer -- has an exhibit Downtown called "Once upon a time ... Axl Rose was my neighbor."

Laura claims her main piece -- a photograph of a garage door with "Sweet Child O'Die you R 1 of many nothing special " spray-painted on it -- is a picture of Axl's garage from years ago.

According to the cease and desist letter, Laura advertised the piece claiming Axl himself spray-painted the garage during a fight with his then wife, Erin Everly.

But the Guns N' Roses frontman claims that statement and the photograph are "outrageous, false, fabricated and highly defamatory."

The letter, drafted by Axl's attorney, states ... "Mr. Rose never spray-painted anything. Your salacious and inflammatory statements are plainly designed to garner attention and line your pockets with money." more on this story



Led Zeppelin Theater Event Details
NCM Fathom Events have announced the details for the theatrical showing of the new Led Zeppelin reunion concert film, Celebration Day.

The "Led Zeppelin: Celebration Day" event will take place on October 17 and 18 at 7:30 p.m. local time in select movie theaters nationwide.

The concert film features founding members John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, joined by Jason Bonham—son of the band's late drummer John Bonham—taking the stage at London's O2 Arena on December 10, 2007.

The two-hour-plus film features 16 signature songs from their celebrated catalog, including "Whole Lotta Love," "Rock And Roll," "Kashmir," "Stairway to Heaven" and much more.

You can find a list of theaters and online tickets for the event here.



Beach Boys Reunion Ends In Dispute
(CBS Local) Just as the reunited Beach Boys are wrapped their 50th anniversary reunion tour this week in London, band members are feuding over the future of said reunion tour. Firing back at Mike Love's new tour dates without Brian Wilson, Al Jardine and David Marks, Jardine is urging fans to sign an online petition to Love.

The petition, which currently has nearly 2,000 signatures after a few days, was started by a fan and promoted by Jardine on his official Facebook. The petition reads as follows: "In order to preserve the validity of "The Beach Boys" as a whole, and not as a "money saving, stripped down version" that only contains 1 original member, and 1 member that joined in 1965, we ask you to re-instate the 3 other members to the touring group for your final years performing. It's the right thing to do, and it's what the fans want!"

Jardine is not the only Beach Boy to express his unhappiness with the reunion's end. "I'm disappointed and can't understand why he [Love] doesn't want to tour with Al, David and me," Brian Wilson recently said. "We are out here having so much fun. After all, we are the real Beach Boys." Find out Love's plans here which caused the uproar.



Matt Sorum Slams Green Day Singer
(Classic Rock) Velvet Revolver and ex-Guns N' Roses drummer Matt Sorum has slated Green Day after frontman Billie Joe Armstrong's substance-fuelled meltdown at the weekend.

Sorumm whose bandmate Duff McKagan will host this year's Classic Rock Roll of Honour ceremony, tweeted it was "the most punk rock thing he has ever done" and added:

"Then he had to go an ruin it by apologising. Corporate rock is alive and well. Never really bought that band anyway." more on this story



Tower of Power Star Needs Help With Cancer Battle
Tower of Power are calling on fans to help former guitarist Bruce Conte with his cancer fight.

Conte was diagnosed with leukemia a few months ago and is also an insulin-dependant diabetic and the band have updated fans on how they can help Conte in his fight.

Tower of Power are asking for donations to cover Conte's medical expenses including expensive medication. They report that he is responding well to the treatment and set up a Paypal donation link which they say 100% of the money collected will go to his medical expenses.

Conte had this message for fans: Around the beginning of July I took some routine blood tests to check my diabetes and doctors discovered that I had abnormal white blood cell counts. I was hospitalized for 3 days in LA and had to undergo 2 bone marrow biopsies, an ultrasound of my liver and spleen and lots of blood tests. It was determined that I had leukemia. They put me on a medicine called Imatinib 400mg. I have been on it for about 6 weeks and can tolerate the side effects. It has sent my blood levels back to normal for the this period of time. The meds are very expensive but the good news is that I can stay alive as long as I continue taking them. I don't have health insurance because of being diabetic. I am starting to get some help from some of my friends to get me through these hard times. I appreciate any help given. Read more and donate here.



Steven Van Zandt Reuniting The Rascals
Steven Van Zandt is calling on fans to help him organize a reunion of The Rascal's original lineup for the first time in 40 years for "Once Upon A Dream," a concert/theatrical event produced and directed by Steven Van Zandt and lighting/projection wizard Marc Brickman.

Van Zandt set up a Kickstarter campaign, which had 144 backers at press time, to help fund the project which is set to debut at the The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, New York, December 13th, 14th, and 15th.

Steven Van Zandt had this to say: "To do justice to the Rascals importance, I've written a show for them that is just as unique as they are. It's called "Once Upon a Dream". It's a combination of a Rock Concert and a Broadway show that will include their own live performance by the original four Rascals - Felix, Eddie, Dino, Gene, and be complimented by filmed segments and news footage and will be a show that they can take all over the country.... The show will be an uplifting inspiration for you fans that have been waiting all these years, praying for a Rascals comeback, and those of you who are younger will get a real taste of the '60's you missed the first time around. Me and Marc have invested our time, money, and blood these last few years for this idea and now we need you to bring it home. Not one dollar that is contributed will go into anyone's pocket, or be commissioned in any way, every dollar will go into the production making it as good as it can be, as great as the Rascals deserve....So that's it. The Rascals are coming back. We have been looking for other investors but nobody has any vision anymore. Frankly nobody believes in this dream except me, Marc, Peter and you. The production will be as big as you make it. On behalf of the Rascals Thank you." You can learn more on the Kickstarter page.



Rolling Stones' Ronnie Wood Upset That Ex Is Auctioning His Memorabilia
(Classic Rock) Rolling Stones bassist and guitarist Ronnie Wood claims his ex-wife Jo has arranged an auction of his artwork and memorabilia without consulting him.

He says he's "shocked," "staggered" and "saddened" by the move, which sees some of his personal belongings, including two custom Fender Strats, going under the hammer in Los Angeles in October.

Former model Jo Wood insists the items which are to be sold by Julien's Auctions in Beverley Hills all belong to her. They include portraits of Eric Clapton and Bob Dylan painted by her ex-husband, plus a harp, a four-poster bed, a tour stove and stage gear worn by the Stones. more on this story



Slash Gets Animated For New Video
Slash has released a new animated music video for his new single "Bad Rain" and you can watch it online.

"Bad Rain" is the third single from Slash's sophomore solo album, "Apocalyptic Love."

The album's lead first "You're A Lie," gave Slash his first-ever #1 hit at rock radio. Check out the new video here.




Corey Taylor Explains Where Theme To New Stone Sour Album Originated
(Gibson) Stone Sour are gearing up to release their new album, House of Gold & Bones Part 1, on Oct. 23, and the CD is the first in a set of two concept albums, with the next one slated to arrive in May of 2013.

This is Stone Sour's first concept album, but frontman Corey Taylor says he's had the idea to put together an album revolving around one theme for a while.

"I've had the idea for the concept for a few years actually, but I've never given myself the time to really flesh it out and see it clearly," Taylor told Metal Shrine. "It was right about the time when we did the Sonisphere shows that for some reason "Boom! it … hit me! I saw it as clear as day, beginning, middle and end. I knew the characters, I knew the world that I wanted to create, I knew what I wanted to do." more on this story





Peter Criss Launching Book Tour
(hennemusic) Original KISS drummer Peter Criss is getting set to release his autobiography, "Makeup To Breakup," on October 23.

The memoir is billed as being "from sex, drugs, and rock 'n roll to multiple brushes with death, 'Makeup to Breakup' will be Peter Criss' unvarnished and eye-opening life story."

Criss will promote the new memoir with a series of newly-announced book signing events, including one in New York City on the day "Makeup To Breakup" is published. Check out the tour dates here.



KISS Slot Game Hitting Vegas
(Gibson) KISS have announced that a new KISS-dedicated slot game is coming to Las Vegas in October.

WMS Gaming Inc. will debut the special slot game at the 12th annual Global Gaming Expo, held Oct. 2 through 4 at the Sands Expo and Convention Center.

"We've spent 40 years bringing our spectacle music and the KISS experience to life on stages around the world. We're blown away by this new cutting edge slot game," KISS members Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley said in an official statement. "WMS has done an incredible job of capturing the energy of KISS and bringing our classic rock to life on the casino floor." more on this story





Live Umphrey's McGee TV Special On Halloween
AXS TV will celebrate Halloween with a live broadcast of Umphrey's McGee's concert at The Fillmore in Silver Spring, Maryland. Here is the official word:

As Umphrey's McGee continues their U.S. tour, the band will bring fans a live show unlike any other. Fans who have followed Umphrey's McGee for any period of time know that there are only two guarantees: you never know what you're going to get, and Umphrey's always delivers.

"Our live show is malleable - every night becomes its own thing, you never know where the rock show may go," keyboardist Joel Cummins explains. "This show will be a unique event for us as we perform a rare set of fan selected covers to accompany a set of original compositions. The addition of live TV creates a palpable energy that will add excitement for both the fans and the band." more on this story



Gene Simmons Daughter Auditions For The X Factor
(hennemusic) Sophie Tweed Simmons, the daughter of KISS' Gene Simmons and Shannon Tweed, auditioned for The X Factor during Wednesday night's episode.

When Sophie first introduced herself on stage for some pre-song Q&A, it was new judge Demi Lovato who recognized the young Simmons: "That's where I know you – you're Nick's sister," said Lovato, before it was further revealed that she was Gene's daughter.

With her parents watching from the wings, Sophie was asked what they thought of her auditioning for the show. "They didn't know I was doing this until yesterday and they're pretty upset with me," she said. "I just didn't want any help."

Sophie sang Adele's "Make You Feel My Love" for her audition – see how she performed and what the judges decided here.




Slipknot Confirmed As Final Download Headliner
(Classic Rock) Slipknot have been confirmed as the third and final headliners at Download 2013, four years after their breakthrough appearance at Donington.

They'll close the show on Friday 14 June, with Iron Maiden following suit on the Saturday and Rammstein rounding off the three-day event on the Sunday.

Corey Taylor and co's first headline appearance four years ago was a watershed moment for the band, confirming them as a top-class outfit as they drew attention from every part of the multi-genre audience with their energy. more on this story



Brian Head Welch's New Band Sets Debut Album Release
Former Korn guitarist Brian "Head" Welch's band that he formed via YouTube, Love & Death, will make their debut this fall.

Love & Death's debut album "Between Here & Lost" is set for a November 20th release date via Tooth & Nail Records.

Recorded in Nashville with producer Jasen Rauch (RED, Breaking Benjamin) and mixed by Paul Pavao & Ben Grosse (Marilyn Manson, Disturbed), and Jim Monti (Korn), the CD consists of 11 tracks, ranging from songs about personal struggle and triumph ("Chemicals", "My Disaster", "Paralyzed") to emotionally charged anthems ("Fading Away" "Watching The Bottom Fall") to a riff heavy rendition of Devo's 1980 hit "Whip It". more on this story



Steve Howe Addresses Wakeman and Anderson's Absence From Yes
(Classic Rock) Steve Howe says classic-era Yes members Jon Anderson and Rick Wakeman couldn't be there now because they don't want to commit to what the band believes it must do. And he sees no contradiction in Asia having done nothing while vocalist John Wetton was too ill with addiction issues to take part, while Yes replaced frontman Anderson – and his replacement – when they suffered sickness.

He feels Anderson and Wakeman did not share Yes's commitment to playing material from all eras of their 44-year career. "For Yes to evolve we had to have people who were committed to it, to warrant a position in the band. If you come in and say, 'I play the drums but in Yes I'm going to play the bongos,' we would say 'But we want a drummer.'," Howe tells Classic Rock Revisited.

"You've got to be able to provide the full story. We don't just look at little pockets when certain people were in the group. We look at the group as a whole." He had more to say about that and what's different with Asia.



Bloc Party Plan More Fall Tour Dates
Bloc Party will be staying on the road a bit longer as the band have added a new run of Fall tour dates.

The new tour dates are focused on the west coast and also include two shows in Mexico. Support on the trek will be provided by the Dum Dum Girls.

Bloc Party are touring in support of their most recent album, Four, which marked the end of a four year hiatus for the band who has released three full length albums, including their Mercury Prize-nominated debut, Silent Alarm. more on this story



Stevie Nicks Documentary Premiere Announced
The new Stevie Nicks documentary "In Your Dreams - Stevie Nicks" is set to premiere at two film festivals this fall.

Stevie Nicks teamed up with Dave Stewart to co-produce and co-direct the documentary the writing and recording of Nicks's album, "In Your Dreams".

The film will premiere at the 35th International Hamptons Film Festival on Sunday October 7th and at the 20th annual Mill Valley Film Festival on Friday, October 12th which has already sold out. more on this story



Dying Fetus Map Out Their Blood of Power Tour
Dying Fetus will be hitting the road this fall for their new headlining North America tour.

The first leg of "The Blood of Power Tour" will kick off November 24th in Atlanta, GA and run through December 13th in Boise, ID. Support on the first leg will come from Cattle Decapitation and Cerebral Bore.

The second leg of the tour begins December 15th in Denver, CO, wrapping up December 23rd in Trenton, NJ. Support on this leg will come from Malignancy and Cerebral Bore. more on this story



Unitopia Releasing Covers Album on Halloween
Unitopia have set an October 31st release date for their new covers album, 'Covered Mirror'. Glass Onyon sent over these details:

"Making a covers album is always a challenge," confesses lead vocalist Mark Trueack, "and reproducing classic songs and making them ours was always going to be difficult.We spent a great deal of time coming up with ideas and we are very proud of the results. We wanted to take the listener on a journey or experience, if you like. We fused together progressive, pop and rock music into one smooth sound."

Based in Adelaide, South Australia, Unitopia endeavours to draw from the heart and soul of the listener thought provoking topics such as environmental awareness, political and social upheaval and the hectic pace of life and human relationships in a positive and uplifting light. Using progressive themes as a framework, Unitopia's music includes elements of world, classical, jazz, heavy rock and groove. Mark Trueack (composer/lead vocals/producer), Sean Timms (composer/keyboards/backing vocals/producer) and Matt Williams (guitars/backing vocals/producer) form the nucleus of the band. To complete the line-up, they chose the combined drum/percussion batteries of David Hopgood and Tim Irrgang, Craig Kelly on bass and Daniel Burgess (sax/clarinet/flute/piccolo/didgeridoo). more on this story



B Sides


Singled Out: Six60
New Zealand's Six60 kick off their North American tour next week and to celebrate we asked frontman Matiu to tell us about their latest single "Forever" from their self-titled debut. Here is the story:

We come to you from a small hotel room in Melbourne, Australia where this coming weekend will see us bring a close the first leg of our World tour (we have just toured New Zealand and Australia and the next leg is UK and Europe, then finally USA and Canada).

Its crazy how fast things have moved in the last 2-3 years. From playing flat parties and small bars in Dunedin, to having three sold out shows in London. We couldn't be more excited about our future in music, and our latest single "Forever" is the perfect representation of where we stand right now, and the journey we have been on.

Marlon (synth player) and I (Matiu – lead singer) had planned to get together and share some new demos. After running through the first few (not good enough to remember) we started to question whether or not anything would eventuate, until Marlon played me something. I remember think that this was the worst crap I had ever heard! But somewhere in the mix of this rubbish was a bridge section that immediately made us Feel. Our eyes lit up and we knew we had something.

From there is was a sh*t fight to try and turn this small section in to a song. We tried everything - epic synth lines to heavy rock chords to side chaining and nothing seemed to work. That was until Eli (drummer) suggested we pick up the acoustic guitar and pluck the progression. its weird how people can listen to the same thing but hear something completely different.

From there the lyrics came easily. The music itself made me feel like we had created something that is our own. Something that we can call Six60, so the word 'Forever' came to mind. I started to think about friendships and relationships, but also, our trials and triumphs as a band. Along with that, we wanted make a statement, that we are here to stay and that we are going to do everything in our power to get to where we want to be.

Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen for yourself, learn more about the album and see if they will be rocking in a town near you right here!



Heart Receive Walk of Fame Star
(hennemusic) Heart's Ann and Nancy Wilson were honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Tuesday.

Emcee Leron Gubler, President/CEO of Hollywood Chamber of Commerce and guests Sean Kinney, Mike Inez of Alice In Chains and Rita Wilson helped Heart unveil the 2,481st Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in the Recording category.

"I'm so delighted to be here today taking some credit," said Nancy. "Credit for all the long, hard work we do to bring a few good songs into the world. Songs are truly the messengers of love, and it's really amazing – f**kin' cool – when the message gets through."

The Wilson sisters' star was unveiled in front of the Musician's Institute.