Today's Day in Rock News!

Today's Day in Rock


Rolling Stones To Play Secret Club Shows
(hennemusic) Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood tells the NME that the group will play a series of small, warm-up shows as they prepare for the 50th Anniversary dates.
Wood said the band may perform under their Cockroaches alias in between breaks from rehearsing in Paris.

"There's going to be little club gigs that we're gonna surprise ourselves to do as well," said Wood. "We'll bung a few in next week or the week after, so look out for any Cockroaches gigs or whatever! I don't know who we'll be billed as but we'll turn up somewhere and put a few to the test. Tiny, 200, 300 people kind of places." more on this story



Led Zeppelin Expand Celebration Day Theatrical Plans
(hennemusic) Last week, Led Zeppelin's forthcoming live set, "Celebration Day," saw a worldwide theatrical premiere release on 1,500 screens in over 40 territories.

The event followed a series of official premieres, which happened in New York, London, Berlin and Tokyo.

Now, Zeppelin have announced additional "Celebration Day" screenings, which will happen daily between October 25 and November 1. more on this story



Rob Zombie and Marilyn Manson Feud Over?
(CBS Local) After talking smack about each other onstage (and clashing via social media), the Rob Zombie and Marilyn Manson tour seems to be back on track.

The tour hit Camden's Susquehanna Bank Center Friday night (October 19) and rocked without any unplanned incidents.

All eyes were on Marilyn Manson when he and his band hit the stage. Anyone hoping for controversy would be disappointed, though, as Manson did his usual performance with in-between song banter. more on this story



Peter Criss Responds to Aerosmith's KISS Insult
(hennemusic) Original KISS drummer Peter Criss has responded to negative comments about the group by Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler.

"KISS is a comic-book rock band," said Tyler in a recent interview with 102.5 The Bone in Tampa Bay, Florida. "They've got a couple of hits, but they're more, they're comic book — you see them in their spackled faces."

Currently promoting his new memoir, "Makeup To Breakup: My Life In And Out Of KISS," Criss appeared on the "Jim Kerr Rock & Roll Morning Show" on WAXQ-FM / Q104.3 radio in New York City on Tuesday, where the drummer was asked for his reaction to Tyler's comments. "In my book, I really talk about our tour — the last tour we did with [Aerosmith]," replied Criss. "I found those guys to be sweethearts. I felt honored to be on stage with Aersomith. I think they're one of the greatest rock and roll bands in the world."

"I could see how Steven loves Steven and he always wants the spotlight over him — he's always, 'Look at me. Look at me.' And that's OK, 'cause I had one of those in my band," Criss continued. Read the rest here.




Beach Boys 50th Anniversary Tour Coming to DVD and Blu-Ray
Blastmusic have set a November 20th DVD and Blu-Ray release date for The Beach Boys: Live In Concert - 50th Anniversary Tour.

The material for the new release was captured live during the band's 75-date world reunion tour and features 21 songs.

Said Marc Bennett, Co-Director of The Beach Boys 50- Live in Concert: "To document this once-in-a-lifetime moment in music history as The Beach Boys embarked on their 50th year anniversary world tour was an experience I still have not come down from. This show is a solidification of their legacy and a tribute to creative endurance and artistic achievement that crosses all cultural and geographical boundaries. In spite of the obstacles they may have encountered over the years, they have reached this 50th year milestone as few bands have ever done, or even imagined. What they leave behind, as captured in this performance, is a body of work that is indelibly etched in music history and popular culture on a global level." more on this story




Motorhead Planning Next Album
(hennemusic) Motorhead are preparing to hit the recording studio to begin work on a new album.

"We're gonna start in the new year, go into the studio in January," Lemmy tells Billboard. It will be the group's first set of new material since 2010's "The World Is Yours," which marked the debut of the trio's own Motorhead Music label.

The group will hook up in advance of the sessions to nail all their new material down. "We'll go into the rehearsal room about a month before the album and just bang stuff out," says Lemmy. more on this story



Gojira, Devin Townsend Project and The Atlas Moth Tour
Gojira will be kicking off the New Year with a North American tour featuring support from The Devin Townsend Project and The Atlas Moth.

The tour kicks off on January 14th in Minneapolis and runs through February 16th, wrapping up in Philadelphia.

Gojira are touring in support of their latest album, L'Enfant Sauvage, which was released was released by Roadrunner in June. more on this story



Ronnie James Dio Gala Special Guests Announced
Organizers of the The Ronnie James Dio Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund's second Awards Gala have released details about the special guests for the event.

The gala will be taking place on Halloween night, Wednesday, October 31 at the Avalon nightclub in Hollywood, will include a live performance by Dio Disciples, comprising former members of the band Dio, with a number of prominent rock musicians joining them on stage for an all-star jam.

Among the rockers planning to join the celebrity jam session are Joey Vera (Armored Saint), Billy Morrison, Glenn Hughes, Frankie Banali, Stephen Pearcy (Ratt), Joey Belladonna (Anthrax), Michael Sweet and Oz Fox from Stryper, David "Rock" Feinstein, cousin of the late singer Ronnie James Dio in whose memory the Fund was created. more on this story




Porcupine Tree Giving Away Song From Forthcoming Album
Porcupine Tree are giving fans an early taste of their forthcoming double live album, Octane Twisted.

The two-disc live album is set to be released on November 20th but fans stream "I Drive the Hearsehere and those that sign up for the Porcupine Tree mailing list will receive a free download of the track.

Octane Twisted consists of side one of The Incident - the band's 10th studio album - recorded live in its entirety in Chicago. The second CD contains five Porcupine Tree tracks also recorded in Chicago, along with three highlights from the band's show at Royal Albert Hall. All the songs were recorded during the tour that supported The Incident, which went Top 30 in both the U.S. and U.K. in 2009. more on this story




Aerosmith Used Pump Era Riff On New Song Out Go The Lights
(hennemusic) Aerosmith have teamed up with Rolling Stone to premiere tracks from their forthcoming album, "Music From Another Dimension."

The latest song to surface is "Out Go The Lights," a riff idea that dates back to sessions for 1989's "Pump," which popped up spontaneously between songs on tour over the years, with Steven Tyler sometimes scatting on-the-spot vocals.

"I remember jamming that live during the show," says Joe Perry. "There was something about that tempo – it's got that funk that we do. It just wouldn't leave us alone." more on this story




Korn Working On Return To Rock Album
(CBS Local) While Korn guitarist James "Munky" Shaffer is currently touring in support of his new super-group side project, Fear and the Nervous System, he's just as excited about what his main band has in store for 2013.

"We're writing a Korn album now, and we have probably about 15 ideas for songs," Shaffer explained during a recent interview with CBS Local. "They're not complete, because we're still in the process of polishing them up and finding the right producer. We're going through meetings with different guys to find one.

"It's really exciting," he added. "Korn has a big year planned for 2013. "We've gone back into the studio and are writing more like a metal or rock band," in comparison to the band's last release, the heavily dub step-influenced The Path of Totality. more on this story




The Whigs Appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Tonight
The Whigs are set to perform on Jimmy Kimmel Live tonight, Wednesday, October 24th.

The band are making the late night TV appearance in support of their new album Enjoy The Company.

The Whigs are also currently on a 3-month North American headlining tour that included a performance at this year's Austin City Limits. more on this story




Chuck Prophet Releasing Halloween Song on Orange Vinyl
Yep Roc Records have set an October 30th release date for Chuck Prophet's "Castro Halloween" as 7" single on pumpkin-orange vinyl. They sent over these details:

Chuck will also be performing in an all-star tribute to Chuck Berry at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Saturday, October 27 - alongside JD McPhereson, Merle Haggard, M. Ward, and many more.

"Castro Halloween" celebrates, as well as laments the demise of, the legendary Halloween parties that used to go down annually in San Francisco's Castro District. Sadly, they were abruptly canceled/banned by the city a few years back after some scuffles led to gunfire. The party ended, but the spirit lives on in this driving rock n roll number with doo-wop vocal cadences, pulsing rhythms and those ringing guitar lines. more on this story



Neil Young Answering Fans Questions During Online Event
If you have a burning question for Neil Young then today you may just have the chance to ask it.

Young will be taking part in Twitter's #LegendsOnTwitter campaign today, taking questions from fans that are tweeted to his Twitter handle @neilyoung with the hashtag #AskNeil.

The Twitter chat comes ahead of Young and his band Crazy Horse's new album release, Psychedelic Pill, on October 30th. Fans can also catch Young on his current North American tour. more on this story




Public Image Ltd's John Lydon Becomes Eclectic This Morning
John Lydon of Public Image Ltd. is set to join DJ Eric J. Lawrence today on KCRW's morning show "Morning Becomes Eclectic."

Lydon will be discussing the band's new album, THIS IS PiL which was released May 29 this year via their own PiL Official label.

You can listen to the appearance live at 10:00 AM on 89.9 (in Los Angeles) and also listen online here.




Limited Edition KISS Pez Set Coming
(hennemusic) PEZ Candy, Inc. have announced that the PEZ KISS Gift Set has begun to ship to national retailers and will soon be available on store shelves.

The KISS gift set includes four dispensers, depicting the four members of the band, and includes one six pack of candy.

The Starchild, The Demon, The Catman, and The Spaceman are displayed in a reusable metal gift tin. Read more and see a photo of it here.




Deep Purple Complete 14 New Songs
(hennemusic) Deep Purple have spent the past few months recording a new album with producer Bob Ezrin in Nashville.

Now, Purple fan site The Highway Star is providing an update on the project. In a new interview with Russian news agency Itar-Tass – translated by the fan site - bassist Roger Glover reveals that 14 songs have been completed, with 11 or 12 likely to make the album.

Purple are considering an early 2013 release for the untitled project, their first studio album since 2005's "Rapture Of The Deep." more on this story




Focus Map Out Initial World Tour Dates
Focus will be kicking off their world tour plans with a 12-date UK leg next month in support of their forthcoming album, "Focus X".

The UK trek begins on November 8th at the Opera House in Buxton and will conclude on November 20th in Chislehurst. Glass Onyon sent over these details:

Fronted by founding member Thijs Van Leer, and best known for their hits "Hocus Pocus", "House of The King" and "Sylvia", as well as critically acclaimed albums 'Moving Waves', 'Focus 3' and 'Hamburger Concerto', the iconic Dutch music masters are back with their tenth album. more on this story




Long Distance Calling Streaming Song With New Vocalist
(CM) Long Distance Calling are changing musical paths, going from mostly instrumental to adding a vocalist to their lineup.

The group have recruited Martin "Marsen" Fischer (Pigeon Toe, ex-Fear My Thoughts) as their new singer and released a new studio video so fans can hear how the new lineup sounds here.

About half of their upcoming album, The Flood Inside will feature vocals, so fans can anticipate a subtle evolution of the band's sound. The Flood Inside will be released March 5 in North America, March 1 in Germany/Australia/Switzerland and March 4 in Europe. more on this story




Singled Out: Vajra
Annamaria Pinna from Vajra tells us about "Inside The Flame" from the new album, "Pleroma," which features Blake Fleming (ex-The Mars Volta), Doug Wright (Dirty Pearls) and Will Dahl (ex-Harley's War). Here is the story:

I thought this song was going to be the simplest song on the album, and it turned out to be the most complicated. It was like meditating a mandala, circling around and around, going deeper and deeper into a vortex to reveal the song's truth.

I started writing this song during Diwali in my bedroom in India (mainly because it was the only room in the apartment that had a/c). At times isolated and lonely, I started thinking about my past relationships and how everything seems to go so well at the beginning and then slowly disintegrates - that the image that your partner portrays at the beginning of a relationship isn't necessarily who he really is and that the real person emerges in time.

Sonically, I wanted to explore the struggle of maintaining one's identity in a relationship while giving and relating to one's partner (in other words, looking at the layers of each partner and also looking at the layers of the relationship between the two of them) while also exploring the slow disintegration of a relationship.

The song started off as an experimentation of a moody, atmospheric lullaby of layered synth sounds and a simple bassline. For some reason (and this doesn't usually happen) most of the lyrics and the main vocal melody came quickly. I wasn't happy with the monotony of the song, and so I started to work on the arrangement. I added a loose drum beat, an overlay of tablas, and a flute outro to the chorus. I wanted to convey the chaos of a fire and the calm aftermath of the burning, so I worked more on the second chorus and a breakdown of disjointed chaos leading to an unsettling calm and finally, a transformative final chorus. When I returned to the States, I sat down with Blake (Fleming) and we fleshed out the simple drum parts that were there, which added another layer of intensity to the song. After that was done, Doug (Wright) and I did the same thing with the basslines and then Will (Dahl) and I worked on the guitar parts. After all this was done, I revisited the vocal melodies until I felt they were right. I experimented with my vocal tone in the verses and choruses and tried to emotionally parallel that of the life of the relationship and its disintegration and transformation. With the verses, especially, I wanted to affect a soft, gentle siren with a hint of something darker below the surface, which is realized in the formidable chorus. In the end, I suppose the song is kind of Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde, a paradoxical yin yang of emotions. We just hope that the listener will feel something.

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




Soundgarden Preview New Song: By Crooked Steps
(hennemusic) Soundgarden are sharing a preview of the new track, "By Crooked Steps" from their forthcoming album, "King Animal."

The song will appear on the album and its demo is also included on the Deluxe Edition of "King Animal."

"'By Crooked Steps' started just as a two-part guitar riff that I showed the guys," explains drummer Matt Cameron. "We dove right in. We had various arrangements of that one – just the overall song is a pretty classic Soundgarden vibe." Check it out here.



Alice Cooper Brings His Nightmare To Jools Holland
(hennemusic) Alice Cooper rocked the BBC's Later With Jools Holland program on Tuesday.

Alice and his band performed live on the 30 min show, playing the classic "School's Out" and the single from "Welcome 2 My Nightmare," "I'll Bite Your Face Off."

Taped versions of the performances will air on the expanded version of the show this Friday, with "Under My Wheels" added to the lineup. Watch the performance here.



Hard Rock Plans Guns N' Roses Drinks
(hennemusic) Guns N' Roses kick off their "Appetite For Democracy" residency at The Joint inside Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas at the end of the month, where the band will play 12 shows between October 31 and November 24.

"Appetite For Democracy" will span the band's biggest hits from their debut album "Appetite For Destruction" (1987) through "Chinese Democracy" (2008). Exact details about the show are being kept under wraps but fans can expect the raw and gritty heavy metal Guns N' Roses is known for along with a few surprise elements.

Hard Rock Hotel & Casino is gearing up for the event by offering its guests one-of-a-kind drinks inspired by the band, and they're available now through the last show on November 24. more on this story




Gilby Clarke NFL National Anthem Performance Streaming Online
(hennemusic) Former Guns N' Roses guitarist Gilby Clarke performed the American national anthem at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, FL prior to Sunday's NFL matchup between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the New Orleans Saints.

Clarke is best known for a three-year stint as the rhythm guitarist of GNR. He joined the band in November 1991, replacing Izzy Stradlin, who quit the group in the middle of the band's "Use Your Illusion" world tour.

Following GNR, Clarke went on to forge a solo career as well playing guitar with Slash's Snakepit, Heart, Nancy Sinatra, Kathy Valentine (of the Go-Go's), MC5 and forming his own group Rock Star Supernova with members of Metallica and Mötley Crüe. Watch his performance here.




The Seeking Preview New Album Track
The Seeking have released a new lyric music video for their new song "How Did You Know".

The song comes from the group's debut studio album, Yours Forever is set for release on November 6th, which was produced by Colby Wedgeworth (The Maine, Burn Halo, This Century, Austin Gibbs). Watch the video here.

The Seeking also announced plans to support the release with their first U.S. tour opening for Woe, Is Me , Chunk! No Captain Chunk, Our Last Night, Secrets, and Capture The Crown. more on this story




Sites & Sounds: Virginia Film Festival
antiMusic Travel Editor Kevin Wierzbicki tells us about what we can expect at The Virginia Film Festival in Charlottesville, which is taking place on November 1 - 4, 2012:

The Virginia Film Festival will screen more than 120 films this year at various venues around Charlottesville, located in the heart of the state about an hour outside of Richmond and about two hours away from Washington, D.C.

Films of special interest to music fans include the documentaries Don't Stop Believin', about how Arnel Pineda, formerly the front man for a Filipino Journey cover band, became the lead singer of Journey, I Am Not a Hipster which is set in San Diego's indie music and art scene and Hardcore Norfolk: A Story of Rock'n'Roll Survival.

As for feature films, music fans will want to check out A Late Quartet, about a New York-based string quartet called The Fugue that stars Philip Seymour Hoffman and Christopher Walken and Not Fade Away, starring James Gandolfini and Brad Garrett and about a group of friends who form a rock band. Steve Van Zandt produces the Not Fade Away soundtrack.

Boyd Tinsley, violinist for the Dave Matthews Band, also makes his debut as a filmmaker this year with the music-laden Faces in the Mirror. For a complete list of films and show times visit www.virginiafilmfestival.org More information on Charlottesville is available at www.visitcharlottesville.org