Today's Day in Rock News!

Today's Day in Rock


Led Zeppelin Reunion Coming to DVD?
(hennemusic) Five years after Led Zeppelin reunited for the Ahmet Ertegun tribute concert in London, there's a new rumor that the concert is set to be released this fall.
Belgian classic rock radio station RTBF reports that Zeppelin's December 2007 show at London's O2 Arena will be released on DVD and CD in November.

The posting – which has since been removed from the site – cites Warner Music sources as saying that a double DVD set, accompanied by two CDs, will be made available.

The reunion marked the first full-length by the band concert since the death of drummer John Bonham in 1980, with his son, Jason, featured behind the kit. more on this story



Hackers Target Evanescence Frontwoman
(Classic Rock) Hackers' group Anonymous have declared online war on Evanescence in reaction to allegations made about frontwoman Amy Lee in a House of Commons Early Day Motion.

Lee and her manager Andrew Lurie were accused of bullying a fan in order to cover up sex abuse and drug use.

The motion, tabled by John Hemming MP, suggests they engaged in threatening action against fan Sam Smith, who'd uncovered evidence of illegal activity on Evanescence's EvThread website. more on this story



Aerosmith's Joe Perry To Appear On Sons Of Guns
(hennemusic) Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry is sharing news that he will appear on an upcoming episode of "Sons Of Guns".

Perry tweeted about the Discover Channel program while directing fans to check out the trailer for his episode.

Huliq reports that Perry's appearance on the September 19 episode will see the guitarist drop a restoration and repair project on the team – an antique black-powder Lyle cannon. more on this story



Family To Play First Concert In 40 Years
(Classic Rock) Family will gather for a one-night-only reunion on February 2 next year. Roger Chapman, Poli Palmer, Rob Townsend and Jim Cregan will deliver their first concert in 40 years at London's O2 Shepherds Bush Empire.

Frontman Chapman says: "This is something that I've considered, and been constantly asked about, over the years. It's always been a question of timing.

"2013 marks the 40th year since we did our last show. We ain't getting any younger." more on this story



Slipknot React To Doctor Being Charged For Paul Gray's Death
(Classic Rock) Slipknot have commented on the arrest of Dr. Daniel Baldi, who has been charged with the manslaughter of bassist Paul Gray and seven others.

The band say in a statement: "As the loss of our brother is still very fresh for us, this new development has us all in a state of anger and sadness. We can only hope that justice will be served so this can never happen to anyone else ever again.

"Our thoughts go out to the families of the other victims. We plan to cooperate as much as we possibly can to ensure this tragedy is never repeated." More rock news.



Green Day Frontman's Hospitalization Explained
(Classic Rock) Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong's recent hospital dash was due to severe dehydration, bassist Mike Dirnt reports.

"It was like severe dehydration, influenza, and it was just a really, really bad situation," he says. "If you're in your hotel room and you're vomiting profusely, it's not fun. So what are you gonna do? It's hard to sing while you're puking."

Armstrong's illness forced the cancellation of a show in Italy. Dirnt says: "We're going to make our way back to Bologna and play that show ASAP. We don't miss many shows; we've maybe missed five out of our entire career, and we pride ourselves on that, but we're human." [MTV] More rock news.



Rush Win Album Of The Year At Progressive Music Awards
(hennemusic) Rush's "Clockwork Angels" was named Album Of The Year at the inaugural Progressive Music Awards in London Wednesday night.

The event, created by Prog Magazine, honors the work of progressive music artists. "These awards have been a long time coming," says Prog Editor Jerry Ewing.

"But certainly when one considers the enormous amount of success that progressive artists have garnered over the past four decades, and perhaps more importantly the enjoyment they have given millions of fans over the years, it's only right we give something back to the musicians themselves And given the buoyancy of the genre in recent years, we felt that the time was certainly right." more on this story



Writer of Deep Purple's Hush Dies
(Classic Rock) Joe South, who wrote Deep Purple track Hush and played on Bob Dylan's Blonde on Blonde album, has died at the age of 72.

South penned a number of well-known tracks in the 1960s including Down in the Boondocks and I Never Promised You a Rose Garden. He won a Grammy for his own performance of Games People Play. He suffered from addiction issues in the 1970s, stemming from the suicide of his brother, then attended rehab in the mid-80s.

As a session musician he worked with Dylan, Aretha Franklin and Simon and Garfunkel, among others. South, real name Joseph Souter, passed away from natural causes related to a recent heart attack. More rock news.



Monday Night Football With The Rolling Stones
ESPN will be celebrating The Rolling Stones 50th Anniversary during this year's season of Monday night football on their pregame show. UMe sent over these details:

"Legend to Legend" will be a unique collaboration with the Universal Music Group that will combine Monday Night Football highlights with classic tracks from thelegendary band featuring Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts and Ronnie Wood.

ESPN is licensing 16 Rolling Stones tracks, spanning the early 1970's release of Exile on Main St. through the mid 2000's A Bigger Bang. The songs will be a mix of popular hits and deep cuts, including "It's Only Rock'n Roll", "Hot Stuff" and "One Hit (To the Body)". Four different songs will be selected per month and will be used for four weeks at a time on ESPN's Monday Night Countdown Pregame show (6:30 p.m. ET), on bumpers and teases within the Monday Night Football game (8:30 p.m.), and in a post-MNF game highlight segment onSportsCenter, ESPN's flagship highlights, news and information show. more on this story



Killswitch Engage To Play Alive or Just Breathing In Full At Metalfest
Killswitch Engage will be celebrating the 10th anniversary of, Alive or Just Breathing, by performing the album in full for the first time during their headlining set at California Metalfest.

The sixth annual California Metalfest will be held at the NOS Events Center in San Bernardino, The CA on Saturday, November 24th.

The line-up also features Asking Alexandria, As I Lay Dying, Black Veil Brides, Pierce The Veil, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Chiodos w/Craig Owens, For Today, Suicide Silence, Memphis May Fire, Blessthefall, Unearth, Bleeding Through, The Faceless, Born Of Osiris, Winds Of Plague, Shadows Fall, Veil of Maya, Acacia Strain, Attila, Sleeping Giant, Upon A Burning Body among a slew of others. The complete line-up can be located here.



Lynyrd Skynyrd In The Studio For Street Survivors 35th Anniversary
(hennemusic) Lynyrd Skynyrd's 1977 album, "Street Survivors," is legendary amongst music fans for many reasons, most notably its collection of songs and the aftermath that followed its release.

The band's fifth studio album was issued on October 17, 1977. Three days later, on October 20, Skynyrd's chartered airplane crashed en route to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, killing the pilot, co-pilot, the group's assistant road-manager and three band members – frontman Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines and backup singer Cassie Gaines. Beyond the tragedy, the incident severely injuring most who survived the crash.

The album is the last Skynyrd project recorded by original members Ronnie Van Zant and Allen Collins, and is the sole Skynyrd studio recording with Steve Gaines. Now, In The Studio marks the upcoming 35th anniversary of "Street Survivors" as Skynyrd co-founder Gary Rossington sits down with host Redbeard to discuss its impact, its legacy, and how he's able to cope with the loss of his friends and bandmates some 35 years later. more on this story



Peter Criss Previews Makeup To Breakup: My Life In And Out Of Kiss
(hennemusic) Original KISS drummer Peter Criss will release his autobiography, "Makeup To Breakup: My Life In And Out Of Kiss" on October 23 and he is offering up a an excerpt from the first chapter.

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."

"I am so blessed that I am finally going to write my autobiography, and I hope you enjoy the ride," said Criss. "The best of all is I get to share my true feelings of my love for God, family, friends and fame. It's been a wonderful life." more on this story



The Who's Pete Townshend to Receive Les Paul Award
(Gibson) The Who's Pete Townshend is set to pick up the Les Paul Award at the 28th annual Technical Excellence & Creativity (TEC) Awards on Jan. 25 in Anaheim, Calif.

The award, named after the innovative Les Paul, recognizes people or institutions that have made a significant impact on the world of audio production and technology, according to a release.

Townshend is in good company, as past honorees include Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen, Sting, Brian Wilson and Neil Young. "Following in Les' footsteps, Pete Townshend personifies both guitar wizardry and technical prowess in both studio and live music performance," Les Paul Foundation executive Michael Braunstein said in an official statement. "He is a true original and a natural choice for the Les Paul Award honor."

The TEC Awards honor "outstanding achievement in audio technology and production." The event, sponsored by the Les Paul Foundation, will take place at the Anaheim Hilton on the second day of the NAMM music-equipment trade show. more on this story





Behold The Arctopus Returning With New Album
Behold The Arctopus have returned with a new lineup to release their sophomore album, Horrorscension, on October 23rd release. Black Market Activities sent out these details:

In the five years since their last album, Skullgrid, much has transpired in the Behold The Arctopus camp. 12-string Warr guitarist Colin Marston expanded his musical outlets, founding avant-black metal band Krallice and joining progressive death metal legends Gorguts. In addition to his playing, Marston increased his output as a recording engineer, helping create albums for such artists as Kayo Dot, Orthrelm, Jarboe, and Altar of Plagues. Original drummer Charlie Zeleny departed, to be replaced by the prolific Weasel Walter, renowned for his long-running band The Flying Luttenbachers and his widespread collaborations in the free jazz, noise, and metal genres.

Horrorscension is the inaugural release of the new Behold The Arctopus lineup -- Marston, Walter, and unholy shredder Mike Lerner on guitar. (In the spirit of defining Horrorscension as the beginning of a new era for the band, the ellipsis ["..."] is being removed from the band name.) more on this story



Corrosion Of Conformity's Eye For An Eye Being Reissued
Candlelight Records have set an November 6th North American release date for the special reissue of Corrosion Of Conformity's Eye For An Eye. They sent out these details:

This special reissue has been remastered/packaged and includes the EP Six Songs With Mike Singing. Both titles have been out of print for years. It follows the successful release of the band's self-titled album earlier this year.

A deluxe digibook edition of the album, limited to 1000 for North America, will be available at limited retailers and via Candlelight's official webstore. The digibook version includes extended liner notes and a rare pictorial gallery. more on this story



ELO's Jeff Lynne Appearing at Special Grammy Museum Event
Electric Light Orchestra mastermind Jeff Lynne is set to make a special appearance at The Grammy Museum on Wednesday, September 12th. MSO sent over these details:

The appearance comes in advance of the October 9 release of two albums on Frontiers Records: the solo disc Long Wave, a tribute to some of the very songs that originally inspired him, and Mr. Blue Sky–The Very Best OF Electric Light Orchestra.

The evening's program will consist of a screening of "Reel to Reel: Mr. Blue Sky: The Story of Jeff Lynne and ELO" and a discussion about the film, moderated by Vice President of the GRAMMY Foundation and MusiCares, Scott Goldman. more on this story



Glenn Hughes Had Second Thoughts About Deep Purple Tribute
(Classic Rock) Glenn Hughes had second thoughts about whether to contribute to Deep Purple tribute album Re-Machined. But in the end he appears on two tracks of the disc dedicated to celebrating the 40th anniversary of the band's groundbreaking Machine Head album.

Re-Machined is released later this month but is available now as part of a Classic Rock Fan Pack. The former member, who's currently fronting Black Country Communion – although possibly not for much longer – recorded a version of Maybe I'm A Leo with Chad Smith and Luis Maldonado.

Then when keyboardist Jon Lord died suddenly, he went back into the studio to lay down a cover of Highway Star, even though Smith's band Chickenfoot had already delivered their own version. His take on the track is included as an exclusive bonus in the Fan Pack edition. Read about his second thoughts here.



B Sides


W.A.S.P.'s Lawless Regrets Motorhead Fight
(Classic Rock) Blackie Lawless wishes he could go back in time and prevent the fight that led to Motorhead quitting a US tour with W.A.S.P. in 1997.

And he's revealed that he and Lemmy Kilmister discovered months after their fall-out that it had been caused by backroom boys telling them different stories about how the proposed double-header bill would be operated.

Despite the promise of equal billing, Motorhead found themselves opening the show each night. After coming offstage to find their belongings thrown out of a dressing room shared with WASP, Lemmy's band walked out. more on this story



Muse Release Madness Video
Muse have released a new music video for the song "Madness," the second single from the band's sixth studio album, 2nd Law, now set for release on October 2.

"I wrote that song having a fight with my girlfriend," Muse frontman Matt Bellamy told KROQ's Stryker during a recent interview.

"Nothing particularly over the top, but just having one of those moments where she leaves you for the day to think about it. I rarely write songs that catharticly. All I had was a drum machine and a synthesizer, so I just put this very minimal thing together." Watch it here.



Metallica Share Live Sad But True Footage
(hennemusic) Metallica wrapped up their summer 2012 touring in Vancouver, with three concerts being filmed in 3D as part of the group's upcoming 3D movie.

As they did in Edmonton, the band brought along its extensive, career-spanning stage from the 8-show run in Mexico City, which featured a variety of props and effects used over the past 30 years.

Metallica are sharing footage from the first Vancouver date, on August 24, including video of the tuning room and the 1991 "Black" album classic track, "Sad But True" from the concert.