Saturday, December 28, 2013

This Week's Top Stories In Rock News!






Here are the top stories from this past week's Day in Rock report

Pearl Jam Accountant Admits To Six-Figure Theft From The Band
(Classic Rock) A fired Pearl Jam executive has pleaded guilty to stealing nearly $400,000 from the band who employed him. Rickey Charles Goodrich, 55, was responsible for thefts totaling £380,000 in the four years before he was sacked in 2010. In total he cost the band $566,000 once investigative expenses are added to the bill.

Goodrich has admitted guilt to six counts of first-degree theft and he'll be sentenced in February. It's thought he'll go to jail for six months – but if he hasn't paid back everything he stole, the sentence could be 14 months.

He was employed in 2005 as Pearl Jam's accountant and financial officer, then became part of their management company the following year, with access to their tour and fan club funds. - more on this story



Metallica Streaming Full Freeze 'Em All Concert In HD
(Classic Rock) Metallica have fans an early Christmas present by releasing HD video of their entire historic Freeze 'Em All concert that they staged in Antarctica. Classic Rock has these details and the full 68-minute video:

It was shot earlier this month when the thrash giants embarked on a 10-day cruise to Antarctica with a boatload of competition prizewinners. On arrival on King George Island they delivered a ten-song set through headphones in order to minimise noise pollution.

Metallica say: "On December 8 we set a world record by becoming the first and only band in history to perform concerts on all seven continents in under a year. The energy in the little dome was amazing – words can not describe how happy everyone was." - Watch the show here.



Santana Reunited With Homeless Former Bandmate
(Classic Rock) Carlos Santana has been reunited with a pre-fame bandmate who fell on hard times over 40 years ago, and Santana has vowed to turn his old friend's life around.

'Magnificent' Marcus Malone was a member of the Carlos Santana Blues Band in 1967 – but wound up in trouble with the law. And by the time Santana had become a big name act they'd lost touch with the percussionist.

That changed when CNN reporter Stanley Roberts interviewed a homeless man on the streets of San Francisco, who claimed to be Malone and asked for help. Santana saw the TV report and went looking for his former colleague with no luck. Finally his manager spoke to Roberts, who arranged the emotional moment captured on camera below.

"It's an honor to be in your presence, man," Santana told his old friend after they hugged. "I always cherished you. You and your family were so gracious to us." Afterwards he confirmed: "That's him, man – that's 'Magnificent' Marcus Malone alright. His spirit is indomitable."

Santana had a lot more to say and explained how he plans to help his former bandmate - here.



Judas Priest Releasing New Album In 2014
(hennemusic) Judas Priest took to their official website on Monday (December 22nd) with a Christmas and New Year's message for their fans and also revealed they will be releasing their new studio album in coming year.

"We wish all of our fans a great Christmas and a very metal New Year!," wrote the band. "We will be releasing a new album sometime in 2014 so stay tuned!"

This past summer, Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford shared an update on the band's follow-up to 2008's "Nostradamus." "The writing process is complete," Halford told Billboard. "Now it's the painstaking work of making sure that you get every single note, every single nuance of the vocal, every tiny aspect...right. We're still tracking (instruments). It's just a very laborious but enjoyable part of making the record."

Priest is producing the album itself at the moment, but Halford notes that "there's always a possibility somebody might come in to overview some of the things we're doing." - more on this story




Guns N' Roses Tease Fans With Christmas Message
Guns N' Roses released a holiday message for fans on Monday that teased fans with the news and a graphic about the announcement of a South American tour.

The band told fans, "From everyone in Guns N' Roses, to all our fans around the world – Happy Holidays! As for everything else? …yes, Jarmo is right. Information coming soon!"

Posters on a fan forum state that "Jarmo is right" is a reference to a poster on the Guns N' Roses message board that said that a tour announcement was coming soon. Along with the text, the message also included a graphic that said "South American Tour 2014".

The posting on Facebook included part of the graphic and a link to the announcement on the band's official site. But the Facebook posting also included "Its been 5 years South America… We are coming back at ya!" which had some fans on the My GNR Forum puzzled because the band toured South America two years ago.

Some of the posters speculated that the 5 could have simply been a typo or a mistake. One poster had the following speculation about the 5 years reference: "The five years thing kind of makes me think of a new album announcement, starting the tour off in South America. It's been 5 years since [the "Chinese Democracy" album was released]."

Another poster wrote, "I think the 5 years is referring to the album release? At least I hope. I'd hate to know that management can't even count."

Read the forum postings for more of the fans reaction to the "announcement announcing the announcement" and speculations - here.



Dream Theater Frontman James LaBrie Releasing Solo EP
(Prog) Dream Theater frontman James LaBrie will release a nine-track EP called 'I WIll Not Break' on January 6th, 2014 in Europe and January 14th, 2014 in North America.

It follows the launch of his latest solo album, Impermanent Resonance, which appeared in July. The EP title track is the same one that closes the full-length record, while Unraveling and Why were only previously available as bonus numbers on certain versions. Also featured are an alternative mix of Coming Home, demo versions of Jekyll Or Hyde and Just Watch Me, and remixes of I Tried, Over The Edge and Euphoric.

LaBrie says: "This digital EP will show some of the songs with alternate mixes as well as letting you hear guitarist Matt Guillory's exceptional voice with some of the songs in their demo versions.

"We had three of the songs mixed in dubstep stylings to give them a somewhat interesting flavour and twist. Hope you all enjoy this release – I personally think it is very cool."

Listen to the title track - here.




Pixies Didn't Tell Kim Shattuck Why She Was Fired
(Classic Rock) Kim Shattuck says the Pixies didn't tell her why they fired her just four months after signing up to replace Kim Deal. Bassist Shattuck was brought on board after co-founder Deal announced her departure in June, with management saying she'd "just had enough."

But the position only lasted until the end of a UK tour, after which the Pixies announced Paz Lenchantin as their third bassist of 2013. Now Shattuck tells Jonah Raydio:

"They didn't tell me why or anything – although I had some inkling why. I don't know whether I'm ready to say or not, but it wasn't to do with me as much as you'd think."

One thing she does say is that she doesn't blame frontman Black Francis: "I'm not so mad at him – he's not the problem," she states. - more on this story




Eddie Veddar Jams Stones Classic With Criminal Minds Star
(hennemusic) Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder teamed up with Criminal Minds star Jeanne Tripplehorn to perform the Rolling Stones' 1978 classic, "Shattered", at a fundraiser for Heal EB in Malibu in September, and video from the event is now available.

Vedder played acoustic guitar and handled back-up vocals while Tripplehorn sang the song in the style of Julie Andrews. Heal EB is a nonprofit organization dedicated to funding a cure while raising awareness for Epidermolysis Bullosa.

Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB) is a rare total body disease that causes blisters after the mildest trauma. Depending on the type of EB, the effects can be mild, disabling, or life threatening. It is not contagious because it is a genetic disease. There is currently no cure, but efforts are being made to identify new strategies for the treatment of EB. - Watch the video here.




Kings of Leon Pen Song For August: Osage County Soundtrack
(Radio.com) The guys in Kings of Leon left the electric guitars at home for their stripped-down song "Last Mile Home." Written for the film, August: Osage County, the song is also on the deluxe version of their latest album Mechanical Bull, though with fuller production.

In an interview with Rolling Stone, the band talked of "Last Mile Home" being the first time that they wrote a song not initially intended for an album. "It was important for us to create a song to complement such a beautiful film," Kings of Leon singer and songwriter Caleb Followill said. "We submitted the song, then went out on the road, then had to find a few days to record between tours. It was a tight squeeze but we made it happen."

He added that the film's story was something he could easily relate to. "The dynamic between family is always something that you look forward to, and dread at the same time. Not only are we family, but we all have very strong Oklahoma ties, so we totally relate to that 'frontier grit.'" - more on this story




Muse Not Rushing Next Album
(Gibson) Having just wrapped up touring behind last year's release, The 2nd Law, Muse is already preparing for their next studio album. Muse frontman Matt Bellamy told triple j: "I've written some good tracks, actually" said Bellamy. "We haven't had a chance to rehearse them out yet. We'll take a break next year for a little few months and then we'll get in the studio."

Regarding a potential release date Bellamy said: "If it all goes very well, the new album could well be early 2015 or late 2015. Christmas 2014 might be [when we release] our next single."

Fans of Muse's early work will be happy to hear that the band is going for a more stripped down sound with their new music, as Bellamy told Rolling Stone in a recent interview: "I want to bring it back to just being about the music that we are playing, about the instruments, the guitar, the bass, the drums and these personalities."

Bellamy continued by saying: "I have this strong feeling that the next album should be something that really does strip away the additional things that we've experimented with on the last two albums, which is electronics, symphonics and orchestral work and all that kind of stuff. I kind of feel like it will be nice to reconnect and remind ourselves of just the basics of who we are." - more on this story




Toby Jepson Giving Away Live Acoustic Song
(Classic Rock) Toby Jepson has made a live acoustic track entitled "Unwind" available for streaming and free download. It was recorded in Nottingham's Rock City Basement during his recent solo UK tour in support of new album Raising My Own Hell.

Launching lead track Shadow Boxing via Classic Rock last month, Jepson said: "Raising My Own Hell is the result of getting older – and hopefully a bit wiser. It's perhaps closer to my own kind of truth, my own kind of anger, my own kind of love.

"I've simply gathered six tunes I liked and done the best I could with them in the time available, with some cool friends who were generous enough to indulge me for a short while."

Check out the unplugged song - here.




Steve Thorne Releases 'Darkest, Bitterest
(Prog) Prog has premiered Steve Thorne's seasonal track "English Christmas." It's taken from his upcoming album Island Of The Imbeciles. And, as the title suggests, he's pulling no punches with his message.

Thorne tells Prog: "This is probably the darkest, bitterest and most truthful Christmas song ever written. Ebenezer Scrooge would have bought ten copies! But the irony is, I really like Christmas."

He says of Island Of The Imbeciles, which features guests including Tony Levin and Nick D'Virgilio: "It's been terrific fun to make. I'm really, really pleased with the songwriting and playing. I can't wait for people to hear it, which is usually a good sign." - Listen here.




Dan Akroyd Leads Lonnie Brooks 80th Birthday Celebration
(The Blues) Dan Akroyd led a host of big names through a live show to celebrate the 80th birthday of icon Lonnie Brooks at the weekend. The lineup at Chicago's House Of Blues included Otis Taylor, Otis Clay, Jellybean Johnson, Shemakia Copeland, Big Head Todd, Jimmy Vivino, Donald Kinsey, Billy Branch and others. See fan-shot video of the ensemble outfit jamming Sweet Home Chicago below.

Rolling Stones' guitarist Keith Richard sent a video message. The performance was paused briefly to pay tribute to rising-star bluesman Eric 'Guitar' Davis, who was shot dead last week.

Akroyd told DNA Info: "Lonnie is one of the last living, working links to the Chicago blues tradition. He started in the late 50s with Chess Records and Checkerboard Lounge.

"You've got to recognise a guy like that for his dedication, his artistry, and really for his just hanging in there for so long. He is extremely worthy of a tribute like this, and everybody is coming out because they love him. - More including video.




In This Moment Plan Special Blood In Early 2014
(TeamRock Radio) In This Moment will revisit their 2012 breakthrough album Blood with a Special Edition that is to be released on January 20th in the UK and the 21st in North America.

The original record will be packaged with a live DVD, Blood At The Orpheum, which was recorded in May and features a bonus cover of Nine Inch Nails track Closer plus behind-the-scenes footage.

The Special Edition is launched in January via Century Media, with Blood At The Orpheum appearing as a standalone digital video on February 17th (in the UK, the next day in North America). - Check out the trailer.




The Enid Releasing 40th Anniversary Limited Edition Box Set
(Prog) The Enid have begun taking orders for a limited-edition 40th anniversary box set which celebrates the opening era of their career after being formed by Robert John Godfrey in 1973.

Just 2000 copies will be available with delivery commencing at the end of January, containing two audio CDs and a DVD, presented in a DVD-sized digipak case.

Included are The Enid's first two albums, In The Region Of The Summer Stars and Aerie Faerie Nonsense, both of which are extended with bonus tracks. There's also a DVD documentary in which Godfrey talks to original and current drummer Dave Storey and recently-added frontman Joe Payne about the band's early years. - more on this story




Jonny Lang Explains His Voice Change On New Album
(The Blues) Jonny Lang says his first studio album in seven years has underlined how much he's learned since the release of Turn Around in 2006 – and that includes how to use his voice and who to make music for.

Fight For My Soul was launched in September and sees Lang delivering a vocal style very different from his early works. He tells ADN: "I don't know how to explain it. I didn't necessarily try to sound like that – it's just what came out. I've learned how to sing better, or closer to what I would like to do in my mind."

Lang says of his earlier performances: "Some of that rasp was just me destroying my voice. I used to lose my voice all the time. It's gotten more powerful but less distorted; I can still do that, but it comes with a cost." - more on this story




Eric 'Guitar' Davis Called 'The Future Of The Blues' After His Murder
(The Blues) Eric 'Guitar' Davis, who was murdered in Chicago last week, has been described as "the future of the blues" by the owner of a venue he regularly played.

Tony Manguillo, boss of the city's Rosa's Lounge, said he feels like he lost a brother in the violent altercation which left the 41-year-old – son of drummer Bobby 'Top Hat' Davis – dead as a result of two bullet wounds.

Now he's running a YouCaring memorial fund with the intention of raising $10,000 for Davis' family, ahead of a memorial concert next month. "Leslie and their six children are in need of financial support for Eric's funeral, which must be paid for upfront," Manguillo says.

"Eric was not only a musician, he was an entertainer: the future of the blues. Today we don't only mourn the loss of a friend, but also the loss of an amazing force in the Chicago Blues music scene." - more on this story




Status Quo To Headline Llangollen Eisteddfod
(Classic Rock) Status Quo have been confirmed as the headline act for the 2014 edition of the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod in Wales that will be taking place next summer.

Francis Rossi, Rick Parfitt and co will grace a stage previously trod by classical icons including Luciano Pavarotti, Montserrat Caballe, James Galway and the Welsh National Opera.

The annual event attracts more than 5000 artists every year for competitions and performances – and although it's closely associated with the finer end of the music spectrum, director Eilir Owen Griffiths says Quo are a perfect match.

He tells the BBC: "We've created a festival within a festival called Llanfest, and this is a great headlining act for ending the week." - more on this story




Of Mice & Men Streaming New Song
(TeamRock Radio) Of Mice & Men have released their new track Bones Exposed, which comes from their upcoming album Restoring Force. The California-based four-piece's third studio outing is set for launch on January 28th in North America, 27th in the UK via Rise Records, and follows 2011's The Flood.

Frontman Austin Carlile recently said: "What happens after The Flood? You return to normal – you find balance again. That's what we felt like we were doing with this album.

"We wanted it to bring equilibrium back to our band and music. We're letting everyone know that we're here to stay: we're Restoring Force." Listen to the new song - here.




Supersuckers Release Pushin' Thru Video
(Classic Rock) Supersuckers have released a new music video for their track Pushin' Thru. It's taken from upcoming album Get The Hell, set for launch on January 14th (January 27th in the UK).

The new album will be released via Steamhammer/SPV, their first with the label and also the first with drummer Captain Von Streicher, who joined last year.

Frontman Eddie Spaghetti recently said: "The Supersuckers have no business being this good after all these years – it's as brutal and as polished as the band has ever sounded. This record is a juggernaut front to back." - Watch the video here.




Rolling Stones Release Season's Greetings Video
(hennemusic) Rolling Stones frontmen Mick Jagger and Keith Richards are offering fans season's greetings on behalf of the band via a new video as they wind down 2013.

The group recently picked up three nominations for the 2014 Grammy Awards ceremony, set for next month in Los Angeles. The band's 2012 single, "Doom And Gloom", is a finalist for "Best Rock Song", while the band's release of "The Brussels Affair" – documenting a 1973 concert in Belgium – earned a nod in the Best Boxed Or Special Limited Edition Package category.

The band's third nomination is for "Charlie Is My Darling — Ireland 1965" in the "Best Historical Album" category. The 56th Annual Grammy Awards will be held January 26, 2014 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles and broadcast live on CBS from 8–11:30 p.m. (ET/PT).
Watch the holiday video greeting - here.




Against Me! Recall Their First Time
(Radio.com) Long before Against Me! carried modern punk's flag, the band had high hopes of their music being played to a wider audience than just their hometown Gainesville, Fl. scene.

Voracious touring helped win over fans, certainly, but early adopters at college radio helped the band reach new levels through airplay, despite the fact that their genre doesn't have a widespread presence at radio.

"I think it was 'Pints of Guinness Make You Strong' off our first record [Against Me! Is Reinventing Axl Rose]," frontwoman Laura Jane Grace recalled of the band's on-air debut.

"It was in our first touring van, which was a Dodge Ram. It was on the local college radio station. We heard that they were getting a DJ who would actually play punk stuff so we listened. I remember it coming on."

She added: "It's one of those surreal moments where you're just like 'Whoa, that's crazy. We're on the radio!' But then it's over and we're like…'OK, so here we go.' It's cool, having yourself played on the radio. If you're a musician and you're in a band, that's cool. You're stoked." -




Gene Simmons Leads A Very Satan Christmas
(hennemusic) KISS bassist Gene Simmons stars in "A Very Satan Christmas", a new video from the team at Funny Or Die. Simmons plays Satan Claus in the seasonal video, which features his family as they gather around the dinner table for a holiday feast.

This past week, KISS were confirmed as one of the inductees into the 2014 Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame, along with Nirvana, Peter Gabriel, Hall and Oates, Cat Stevens and Linda Ronstadt.

The induction ceremony will be held at New York's Barclays Center on April 10th, 2014. The ceremony will be held at New York's Barclays Center, marking the first time the general public will be able to attend the ceremony in NYC. - Watch the video here.




AC/DC Campaign Breaks Band's Chart Record
(Classic Rock) A brave attempt to place AC/DC at UK Christmas number one for the band's 40th anniversary fell just three paces short last night, but it still gave them their first-ever top ten single.

Over 170,000 people liked the Facebook campaign to send Highway To Hell to number one. The Australian giants were beaten to the top spot by this year's X-Factor TV gameshow winner Sam Bailey, who was special guest on BBC Radio 1 as the chart results were announced live.

Over 43,000 people actually bought the track during the eligible time period while Bailey's track Skyscraper sold 149,000 copies. The Official Charts Company said:

"AC/DC have scored their first ever UK top ten single with Highway To Hell. Despite having several top ten albums here, including three number ones, the veteran rockers' previous best was number 12 in 1988 with Heatseeker." - more on this story




Ace Doesn't Want New KISS Members To Wear Makeup At Rock Hall
(Classic Rock) Former Kiss guitarist Ace Frehley says he hopes Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley will "do the right thing" by him and ex-drummer Peter Criss at their induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.

And stating that current members Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer won't be among those honored, Frehley says he'd be happy to see them take part – as long as they're not in makeup.

He tells Q104.3FM (via Blabbermouth): "I always try to take the high road and be optimistic, and hope everybody's going to come to the bargaining table and do the right thing. Sometimes I get the support.

"I have a feeling everything's going to work out. I spoke with Paul and Gene. I know they want to perform with me and Peter. I'm just not sure how they want Tommy and Eric to be involved – but since they're not getting inducted, I'm going to let that play out with the Hall, management, attorneys and all that stuff."

Discussing Thayer and Singer, Frehley says: "I don't have a problem with Tommy and Eric being there out of makeup, if I'm in makeup, because they're a big part of Kiss today." - He had more to say on that subject.




Jimmy Page Discusses Extras For Led Zeppelin Reissues
(Gibson) The entire Led Zeppelin catalog is now available for streaming via Spotify. And Jimmy Page has also been talking about his work on newly-remastered Led Zeppelin albums due in 2014.

"I've done my bit. Technology has moved on since the last set of remasters and you can hear the difference in these new versions. They're quite something," Page explains. "Obviously there's not that much material that we could add from the first two albums, but from Led Zeppelin III there is."

Alternative takes and outtakes are all apparently part of the releases. No date is scheduled yet – Page is renowned for his methodical approach – but there will be remastered Led Zeppelin out in 2014.

Led Zeppelin are already up for two Grammy awards in 2014 — "Best Rock Performance" for "Kashmir (Live)" from Celebration Day, and the album, itself, Celebration Day, in the "Best Rock Album" category. - more on this story




Eric 'Guitar' Davis Killed In Chicago Shooting
(The Blues) Blues star Eric 'Guitar' Davis, who was the son of drummer Bobby 'Top Hat' Davis, was shot and killed near his Chicago home last week, police have confirmed.

The 41-year-old, who was given his first guitar lesson by Buddy Guy, was found dead in his car with bullet wounds in his neck and torso. He was pronounced dead at the scene shortly after 6am.

Davis and his band The Troublemakers has recently signed a deal with Delmark Records. Boss Bob Koester says: "He was next in line for the blues before these guys shot him." - more on this story




Former Korn Drummer Goes After Fieldy Online
(Radio.com) Despite former Korn drummer David Silveria's scattered hints that he'd like to one day re-join the band he formed, it's likely that he's just sealed his fate with a series of Facebook comments directed at bassist Reggie "Fieldy" Arvizu.

Following Brian "Head" Welch's recent tearful reunion with band in May, fans have speculated about Silveria's return. But as as Metal Injection points out, calling a former bandmate a "little b****" may reduce the likelihood of him returning.

After having read Fieldy's new book, Got The Life, a fan queried Silveria about their clashes: "He threw down his bass and called you out to fight him and after that you two never got along, what the hell happened?"

"Ha ha!! Fieldy NEVER threw down his bass and tried to fight me," responded Silveria through a series of comments. "He is a coward with a big mouth and he knows I would beat his a** like the little wimp that he is. I would love for him to talk sh*t to my face now. I would love to crush him like a b****."

"Sorry guys. Fieldy has acted like a tough guy for so long it's nice to tell the truth. Not only is he NOT a tough guy but he's a cowardly little b****. He never tried to fight me cuz he knows I would squash him like a bug. He acted like a tough guy on tour to our staff cuz he knew he could get away with it because our crew got paid well and didn't want to lose their jobs. He used that to walk around acting like he though he was a tough gangsta. Our entire crew laughed at him behind his back because they all knew he is a pussy. I would love to see him out somewhere with no security to protect the runt. He wouldn't say anything because he's totally scared of me." - What does Munky have to do with all this?




Aerosmith's Dream On In The Running For Official Home State Song
(hennemusic) Aerosmith's 1973 classic, "Dream On", is currently competing to be the official state song of Massachusetts. The track is going head-to-head with Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers' "Roadrunner" in a bill discussed Thursday at a hearing of the State Administration and Oversight Committee.

Sentinel & Enterpise reports "Dream On" was left without a single witness to offer live testimony on behalf of the song, despite being put forward by lead sponsor, D-Marshfield.

"(Aerosmith) are definitely from Massachusetts. They are a prime example of the rags to riches story that 'Dream On' encapsulates," Rep. James Cantwell wrote, adding that designating the song "will honor hard work and dreaming on regardless of life's hardships. Like Aerosmith the band, the song celebrates grit and remaining steadfastly committed to your dreams." - more on this story




John Lennon To Receive Out Of This World Honor
(hennemusic) Beatles legend John Lennon is among ten famous people who are having craters on Mercury named after them by the International Astronomical Union.

The IAU, which is in charge of planetary and satellite nomenclature, named the craters in honor of "deceased artists, musicians, painters, and authors who have made outstanding or fundamental contributions to their field and have been recognized as art historically significant figures for more than 50 years."

In addition to Lennon, the newly-named craters are: Capote, for Truman Capote (1924-1984), an American author whose short stories, novels, plays, and nonfiction include the novella "Breakfast at Tiffany's" and the true-crime novel "In Cold Blood." - See who else here.




Queen and Bowie Producer David Richards Dead At 57
(Classic Rock) Queen record producer David Richards has died at the age of 57 after a long illness, it's been confirmed. He's best known for working on the band's last four albums, A Kind Of Magic, The Miracle, Innuendo and Made In Heaven, while also collaborating with David Bowie on Never Let Me Down, The Buddha Of Suburbia and Outside. Among his other credits are Iggy Pop's Blah Blah Blah and Magnum's Vigilante.

In 1975 he started as an engineer at Queen's Mountain Studios in Montreux, Switzerland, after several years of working in London. Two years later he became its chief engineer, then bought over the establishment in 1993 and nine years later moved it to new premises in Attalens.

Queen men Brian May and Roger Taylor say in a statement: "David will be remembered by many as a good friend. He was funny and generous and great company – a talented and capable man who had an instinctive 'magic touch' in the recording studio. His creative productions will be enjoyed for years to come." - Read their full statement here.




The Cult Want To Release New Music In Unconventional Way
(hennemusic) As The Cult wrap up their Electric 13 tour dates this weekend, singer Ian Astbury is looking ahead to the prospect of releasing new material in an unusual way.

"We're playing around with the idea of putting new music out as capsules," Astbury tells Rolling Stone. "That means we'd release two new songs every three months grouped with a live recording of songs from our catalog plus visual elements. We'd do it in all formats: vinyl, digital downloads, CDs…Everything available. It'll be dropped for a limited time in a quick strike and then it's gone."

The only problem is that the group owes an album to UK indie label Cooking Vinyl. "They aren't interested in the capsule idea," says Astbury with a sigh. "They want to put CDs on shelves. I'm like, 'What shelves?' Even the shelf space at Best Buy is shrinking; I was in Whole Foods the other day and they were selling vinyl…But I'm amazed at the resistance to my idea.

"We've even tried the self-funding route, but when you're pioneering something you constantly have to go around and educate people about what this is. This a fresh perspective. The old way just isn't working." - more on this story



Within Temptation Release Howard Jones Collab Video
(TeamRock Radio) Within Temptation have released their video for Dangerous, featuring former Killswitch Engage frontman Howard Jones. It appears on the symphonic metal outfit's sixth studio album, Hydra, set for release next month.

The record also features guest appearances from ex-Nightwish singer Tarja Turunen, Soul Asylum frontman Dave Pirner and hip-hop artist Xzibit.

Guitarist Robert Westerholt explains why they named the album after a mythical many-headed beast: "It's like us – undefinable. And the record represents many different sides to our music."

Hydra will be available in standard formats and an 18-track digital premium release, featuring a video and digi-booklet plus four "evolution versions" of tracks showing how they developed, alongside commentary from Weterholt and vocalist Sharon Den Adel. - Watch the video here.




A Day To Remember Back At It Again With New Video
(TeamRock Radio) A Day To Remember have released a new music video for their track Right "Back At It Again," which is taken from latest studio album Common Courtesy

The new album was finally launched recently after a judge ruled in the band's favor during legal action with their label. Announcing the release in October, frontman Jeremy McKinnon told fans:

"If you care about what you do with your life, if you do if you do it for the right reasons, absolutely nothing can stop you from getting where you want to be." - Watch the video here.



Rolling Stones Guitarist Keith Richards Release 70th Birthday Video
(hennemusic) On December 18, Keith Richards turned 70 and celebrated his 30th wedding anniversary, and the Rolling Stones guitarist has posted a video message of thanks to fans for their messages of support.

The Rolling Stones recently picked up three nominations for the 2014 Grammy Awards ceremony, set for next month in Los Angeles. The band's 2012 single, "Doom And Gloom", is a finalist for "Best Rock Song", while the band's release of "The Brussels Affair" – documenting a 1973 concert in Belgium – earned a nod in the Best Boxed Or Special Limited Edition Package category.

The band's third nomination is for "Charlie Is My Darling — Ireland 1965" in the "Best Historical Album" category. The 56th Annual Grammy Awards will be held January 26, 2014 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles and broadcast live on CBS from 8–11:30 p.m. (ET/PT). - Watch the video here.


Def Leppard Release Christmas Video
(hennemusic) Def Leppard members Joe Elliot and Rick Savage are featured in the band's 2013 holiday greetings video message to fans. The group are set to host A Day Of Hysteria on AXS TV, as they take over the channel on December 29 to present 12 hours of concerts, including the broadcast premiere of their new live set, "VIVA! Hysteria."

Filmed earlier this year at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, "VIVA! Hysteria" includes a full, live performance of the 12-times platinum album "Hysteria", along with hits "Rock of Ages," "Love Bites," "Pour Some Sugar on Me" and more. "VIVA! Hysteria" will premiere at 8 ET / 5 PT.

The Day Of Hysteria marathon also features concerts from New York Dolls, Bon Jovi, Sammy Hagar & Friends, KISS and more…including the television premiere of "Cheap Trick at Budokan: The 35th Anniversary Performance" at 9:30 ET|6:30 PT – shot exclusively by AXS TV earlier this year at L.A.'s El Rey Theatre. - Watch the Christmas video here.




Twisted Sister Film Director Seeks Fan Funds To Complete Project
(Classic Rock) The upcoming documentary film We Are Twisted F*cking Sister! is the story of Twisted Sister's 10 years playing the bars prior to their breakout in 1983.

Director Andrew Horn has put together a crowdfunding campaign to raise money for completion. He's calling on all Twisted fans, metal fans, rock fans – and/or anyone who's just a fan of a great story told by a great cast of characters – to help support the film and get it out there.

Horn explains: "I first met Twisted Sister when I interviewed lead singer Dee Snider and guitarist Jay Jay French while researching my previous film, The Nomi Song. Jay Jay then appeared in the film describing the wild scene that erupted when Nomi, a German operatic counter-tenor and performance artist, was booked to open for Twisted Sister in a club in suburban New Jersey. - more on this story




Motorhead Plan To Finish Wacken Job Next Year
(TeamRock Radio) Motorhead have confirmed they'll return to Germany's Wacken Open Air festival to deliver a full-length set next year, after cutting their 2013 appearance short.

Frontman Lemmy Kilmister has admitted he'd gone back to work too soon after a series of health issues that saw him spend three weeks in hospital over the summer.

He hit the stage with bandmates Phil Campbell and Mikkey Dee for a 70-minute set in August, but went off less than half-way through. That led to a rumour the rock'n'roll icon had died, which Campbell put down to "asshole tweeters."

Motorhead have now revealed they'll appear at Wacken's 35th anniversary event on the weekend of July 31. - more on this story




Jimi Hendrix Exhibit Opens New Hard Rock Casino
(hennemusic) A Jimi Hendrix exhibit is featured at the grand opening of the new Hard Rock Casino Vancouver. The highlight of the Hendrix gallery is a 1964 "Texas Model" Fender Guitar Stratocaster guitar. This olympic white Stratocaster features a tortoise shell pick guard and a maple neck with rosewood fretboard complete with pearl inlays. Originally owned by Gary Boyle (guitarist with Brian Auger's Trinity), Jimi used this guitar on a regular basis upon his arrival to London in late 1966.

Also on display is the green overcoat with pink flowers that was originally crafted by Dandie Fashions in London. Jimi wore this piece on a number of occasions in late 1967 through mid-1968, perhaps most notably during the September 16, 1967 event at London's Europa Hotel where Jimi received the "World Top Musician" award by Melody Maker magazine.

The modest collection is accented by a number of original photos from the likes of Barrie Wentzell, Joe Sia, Bruce Fleming, Baron Wolman and Karl Ferris; vintage concert posters; signed lithographs; many personal artifacts including Jimi's own artwork; autographed items and much more. - more on this story




Why Jizzy Pearl Is Shutting Down Love/Hate
(Classic Rock) Jizzy Pearl has announced he's going to shut down Love/Hate for good after their upcoming UK tour. He's changed the name of the band to Jizzy Pearl's Love/Hate and re-titled their mini-album Crucified as a solo release. The move is believed to be a result of threatened legal action from former Love/Hate guitarist Jon E Love.

Pearl, who'd been using the name since 2002, says in a statement: "Dealing with ex-members isn't worth the hassle. I don't want to spend thousands fighting over a band that makes hundreds.

"This isn't Queensryche or Great White – we're not talking about a band that makes $12,000 or $20,000.00 a night. But there are some people out there who still think Love/Hate is the 'golden goose.'

"Some people think Love/Hate sells shirts like Iron Maiden or Motorhead. Some people still think MTV plays videos. Unless you've gassed up the van and done the tours like I have, I guess you don't really know." - He had more to say.




James Durbin Announce U.S. Tour
(hennemusic) James Durbin has announced a series of US tour dates in support of his forthcoming album, "Celebrate." Durbin hits the road for a January 3 show at The Viper Room in Los Angeles, with shows currently scheduled to mid-February.

The American Idol rocker recently issued a lyric video for his new single, "Parachute", which is the lead track from his new album "Celebrate", which is due in April.

"Parachute was the 10th song I wrote for the new album," said James, "and as soon as we finished in the studio, I knew it had to be the first single. I can't wait for everyone to hear it." - more on this story




Black Sabbath Reveal Handwritten Lyrics To 'Live Forever'
(hennemusic) Black Sabbath have posted handwritten lyrics to "Live Forever", a track from the band's latest album, "13." This is the latest of a series of handwritten lyrics the band has posted in recent weeks.

The project was recently nominated for three 2014 Grammy Awards, including "Best Rock Album" ("13"), "Best Rock Song" and "Best Metal Performance" for "God Is Dead?"

The 56th Annual Grammy Awards will be held January 26, 2014 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles and broadcast live on CBS from 8–11:30 p.m. (ET/PT).

See the handwritten lyrics and the song's video - here.




Van Halen Frontman David Lee Roth Release Holiday Message
(hennemusic) Van Halen frontman David Lee Roth has posted a holiday greetings message for fans. "Happy Holidays!" writes Roth, pictured getting ready to pop the cork on some champagne in one of the rooms of his Pasadena, California mansion.

A few months ago, Roth revealed that Van Halen are in the early stages of working on a new album. "I was up at Edward (Van Halen)'s house, maybe three days ago - just before I came here to the city - and we're starting to put music together," Roth told Ozzy's Boneyard host Jim Florentine on SiriusXM. "Not to give away exactly what the package will be, it's gonna be about 18 months, I think."

"We start way, way, way in advance, 'cause we are eminently art-centric, which is a really fancy way of saying we really do generate all the artwork, the graphics, etc.," he continued. "We don't hire out and have somebody design a bunch of album covers for us and then choose.... we start from scratch ourselves. Same thing with the merchandise - if you buy a t-shirt, that was designed, literally, in my living room. On and on... stage design, lighting rig, putting the show together - it takes about a year and a half, 18 months, because any idea that you have is 85 phone calls. Anybody can go, 'I got an idea, it's a stage that's shaped like, uh, like a square on top of a circle'. Great, my question never was, 'were you able to dream up a stage design', my question is, 'are you prepared to do the 87 phone calls that are about to follow now, to make sure it came out the way we decided'. And then there's another 80 phone calls that are gonna follow that because we have to figure out how to take the f**kin' thing apart and put it in the trucks and buses. And, and, and. So if you really want to generate the ideas from scratch and bring them all the way to the finish, you're gonna have to learn a few other languages, and you're gonna have to speak those over a lot of extra phone calls. And that's usually the break point for most artists."


Read more at http://www.antimusic.com/dayinrock/#g2P0EdMkD3dBC4sG.99

Saturday, December 21, 2013

This Week In Rock News!





KISS and Nirvana Lead 2014 Rock Hall Inductees
(hennemusic) KISS and Nirvana lead the list of inductees into the 2014 Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame. The two rock acts are joined by Peter Gabriel, Hall and Oates, Cat Stevens and Linda Ronstadt as the Class of 2014.

"The spirit of rock and roll for me has always meant following the paths I choose regardless of what my critics or my peers think," says Paul Stanley. "For 40 years KISS has built an army that apologizes to no one and I'm honored to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame knowing we have remained true to ourselves and our fans."

"To the KISS Army, Ace, Peter, Eric Carr, Vinny, Mark, Bruce, Tommy and Eric Singer, Bill Aucoin, Doc McGhee and to my partner of 40 years, the ever youthful Paul Stanley...and all the members of the KISS Family," added Gene Simmons. "This honor is for you. 40 years of Rockin' and still going strong." - more on this story




Dave Matthews and Jakob Dylan Form Supergroup
(Radio.com) The Nauts is a new band that brings together folk-rock hero Dave Matthews with rock & roll progeny Jakob Dylan, best known for his work with band the Wallflowers and the fact that his dad is revered music icon Bob Dylan.

News of new band was released by Mix (via Rolling Stone), which reported that The Nauts grew out of a casual jam session with the two artists alongside guitarist Charlie Sexton, his brother Will Sexton and drummer Brady Blade At Blade's Shreveport, LA, studio. The Mix article also serves as the band's bio on the Shreveport music website UNSCENE! (rumors have the band making its live debut in Shreveport as part of the UNSCENE! concert series).

Charlie Sexton, who had a solo career as a teenager in the '80s with singles like "Beat's So Lonely," already has ties with the Dylan family, having played lead guitar in Bob Dylan's tour band back in the late '90s/early 2000s as well as sporadically from 2009 through the elder Dylan's 2013 tour. - more on this story




Slipknot Can't Explain Jordison's Departure
(TeamRock Radio) Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor has admitted to frustration over the departure of drummer Joey Jordison. He's upset at not being able to explain the situation to the band's fans, but he's not allowed to discuss it.

And he's vowed they'll record an album in 2014 as planned – although the songs Jordison wrote for it won't appear. The sticksman's move, made for "personal reasons," was confirmed in a shock statement last week.

Now Taylor tells 93X: "I can't really talk about it right now. It's still so fresh, and there's a lot of things going on behind the scenes that people don't know about. So, legally and respectfully, I can't say a lot about it.

"It's difficult. But if people can bear with us we'll cross that bridge when we can." But he did have a more positive outlook on the band's new album. Check out what he had to say - here.




Avenged Sevenfold Release Animated Series
(TeamRock Radio) Avenged Sevenfold have launched their animated series based on recent album Hail To The King. Fans can now view all six episodes online: Wager Of The Gods, Rise of Andronikos, The Crown Awaits, Traitor Amongst Us, A God Usurps and The Deathbat Awakes.

It's intended to set the scene for upcoming video game Hail To The King: Deathbat, due early next year. Last week frontman M Shadows said: "The animated series is funny stuff – we hope it gives you something entertaining to watch over your holiday break. We felt this was the best way to tell the story and give you an idea about the type of game we're creating."

The game is set to include new A7X music, although Shadows said: "These aren't metal songs – they're done in an old-school video game fashion." Watch the animated series - here.




Red Hot Chili Peppers Plan Super Bowl-Sized Pregame Party
(Radio.com) Get ready for a Super Bowl-sized pregame party with one killer soundtrack. The night before Super Bowl XLVIII kicks off at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, the Red Hot Chili Peppers will headline WFAN's "Big Hello to Brooklyn" show at the Barclays Center on Saturday, February 1, 2014.

New Politics, MS MR, J Roddy Walston & the Business and Basic Vacation will also play the concert hosted by New York's pioneering sports radio station (a Radio.com station).

Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith joined WFAN morning show hosts Boomer Esiason and Craig Carton to announce the concert today (December 16), the band's first show in New York in almost ten years.

"We're not on tour right now," Smith told the hosts. "We've taken a little time off, but this is a big event, it's a very exciting weekend for New York." - Ticket details and more.





Queen Planning Unreleased Freddie Mercury Music Project
(hennemusic) Queen guitarist Brian May recently revealed that the band have discovered more unreleased Freddie Mercury material in their vaults, and now he's sharing an update on the planned project.

"Well, there's something coming. I'm not really quite sure what it is yet," May tells Rolling Stone. "I don't know if there's a whole album. There's a piece of an album. We were looking at putting together a compilation of the more unusual and yet memorable Queen tracks. Things that weren't singles that have become or stayed popular through the years. That's the way it started and then we unearthed a few tapes of Freddie singing and us in the studio that we never finished off. We thought we got to the end of it with [1995's] 'Made in Heaven'. But there are a few other things which have turned up. So the album may turn out to be a mixture of some unusual things from the past and some very unusual things which no one has heard at all."

May and drummer Roger Taylor are recording new backing tracks to the Mercury material, just as they did for the "Made In Heaven" album. "Roger and I have both been working on tracks in our spare time," he says. "A couple of them have Michael Jackson on as well, which adds another layer of interest. Freddie and Michael singing together and experimenting in the Eighties."

"Michael used to come see us a lot," began May, explaining how the two camps connected. "He was a big big fan, especially of Freddie, and Freddie and Michael got on real real well. Michael was very impressed with our lighting rig, I remember. I can't remember which tour it was. We had pods of lights that moved above the stage that had pilots in them. He said, 'I'm stealing that,' and sure enough on the 'Victory' tour they had something very similar. But Michael really was very fond of Freddie and sort've idolized him. Michael really felt he wanted to be a rock star." - more on this story




Def Leppard Pour Some Sugar On The Voice
(hennemusic) Def Leppard members Phil Collen, Vivian Campbell and Rick Allen performed the band's 1987 smash, "Pour Some Sugar On Me", on The Voice Monday night, and video of the appearance is available.

The band were joined by Voice coaches Adam Levine, Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green and Blake Shelton for the song, which kicked off Monday's show, the first of a two-part season five finale.

The 2-hour program was the final night of fan voting for Voice finalists Jacquie Lee (Team Christina) and Team Adam's Tessanne Chin and Will Champlin; a winner will be crowned Tuesday on the season's final broadcast. - Watch the video here.





Alter Bridge Announce New North American Concerts
(hennemusic) Alter Bridge have announced a pair of new dates to their 2014 US tour schedule. The band will play Chicago's House Of Blues on April 28, and The Arvest Bank Theatre in Kansas City on May 2.

The dates follow last week's news of the initial 2014 US tour schedule, which starts April 14 in Dallas. In addition, Alter Bridge have also announced their first shows in Japan. The group will play Tokyo's Liquid Room on February 18 and Osaka's Umeda Club Quattro on February 19.

The Japanese dates mark the band's first live shows of 2014. Alter Bridge recently wrapped up a headlining tour of Europe in support of their new album, "Fortress." - more on this story





U2 Reveal New Version of Ordinary Love
(hennemusic) U2 have posted a Paul Epworth-produced version of "Ordinary Love", a new song written for the movie "Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom." The British music producer, musician, and songwriter is primarily known for his work with Adele ("21"), but he has also collaborated with the like of Paul McCartney, Bruno Mars, Cee Lo Green and others.

Bono was in South Africa this past week to join those paying tribute to Nelson Mandela at Tuesday's memorial service. "In Ireland," he says, "A wake is never without humor, but it's fair to say we lean heavily on the melancholy... one thing I love about Africa is they accompany the departed with dancing, lots of it, and music full of joy."

On Thursday, "Ordinary Love" was nominated for a Golden Globe Award and the band wanted to share Epworth's new version. "We think Paul Epworth's mix is a very soulful, uplifting one and we hope our audience will agree," says Bono. "Nelson Mandela's life and times meant more to me than I can ever tell you, I would need a hundred songs to do that... but this complicated little love song to Winnie and South Africa is the one that landed on our lap. I want to thank the Hollywood Foreign Press for believing in us and the film. This is truly a great honor." - Listen to the song here.





Halestorm Bringing Influences To Next Album
(TeamRock Radio) Halestorm are gearing up to start writing what will be their third studio album and drummer Arejay Hale says it's going to be influenced by the material on their recent covers EP.

They laid down their own versions of Judas Priest's Dissident Aggressor, AC/DC's Shoot To Thrill, Fleetwood Mac's Gold Dust Woman and Marilyn Manson's 1996 for the six-track ReAnimate 2.0.

"It's really a challenge: we have to take these songs and turn them into Halestorm songs – which is almost like training for us," Hale tells Billboard. "On the first covers EP we did Slave to the Grind by Skid Row, and that inspired us to write Love Bites: 'Let's write our own song with this kind of energy.'

"So it's inspiring for us to learn other people's songs. It's great training for any band – it starts the creative juices for your own stuff." Find out when they plan to begin work on the album - here.




Geoff Tate To Rock Vaudeville Style
(Gibson) Geoff Tate will perform Rock And Vaudeville at five shows across three nights at The Triple Door in Seattle on May 1, 2 and 3. The show promises to tell the history of rock, done Vaudeville style.

"See the rock songs you love from the ones you grew up to what's paying today sung by rock legend Geoff Tate from the internationally famous band Queensryche, all while watching aerialists, burlesque dancers, go go dancers, drag queens and circus performers show their stuff."

Tate's version of Queensryche (featuring former Quiet Riot/Ozzy Osbourne bass player Rudy Sarzo) have announced a new run of dates in January for the 25th anniversary of the album Operation: Mindcrime. - more on this story




Katatonia Unplugging For Upcoming Tour
(Prog) Katatonia have confirmed they'll take Dethroned And Uncrowned, their reinterpretation of 2012 album Dead End Kings, on tour next year. Their Unplugged & Reworked trek will include two UK dates in May.

Dethroned And Uncrowned was funded by a Pledge campaign and saw the band stripping the songs from Dead End Kings back to their roots then rebuilding them to maximum prog effect. And the album, released in September, has proved so popular that the Swedish outfit are taking it on the road, playing a set which will also include new versions of tracks from throughout their career.

Guitarist Anders Nystrom says: "Many people appreciated how we dethroned and uncrowned Dead End Kings. They have been hoping – and insisting – the same should be done to our older albums." - Find out their response that fan desire here.





Beatles U.S. Debut 50th Anniversary Event Planned
(Gibson) New York City will host a four-day event this February in honor of the 50th anniversary of the Beatles' famed first trip to the U.S. The event, dubbed NYC Beatles 50, is set for Feb. 6 through 9 and will feature a collection of Beatles-friendly tribute shows at different venues around New York City.

A few of the planned shows include a star-studded concert, called "America Celebrates The Beatles, All-Star Concert," on Feb. 7 at the Apollo Theater in Harlem and a two-day event, named the "Across the Universe" Beatles Music Festival, on Feb. 8 and 9 that will feature an all-day series of performances by a variety of artists.

The folks behind the event have invited 50 bands from 50 different countries to be a part of the festivities. Admission to most events is $50 or less. Proceeds raised during the four days will go towards the Food Bank for New York City. - more on this story





Kings of Leon Rock SNL
(Radio.com) Kings of Leon took to the SNL stage for the third time in their career to perform two tracks from their latest album Mechanical Bull. The Brothers Followill rolled out the rock stomper "Temple," before slowing things down with the power ballad "Wait for Me."

The pre-holiday holiday episode featured host John Goodman, which marked his 13th time hosting the show. His first was in 1989 with musical guests The Reclines, a Patsy Cline tribute band fronted by k.d. lang.

The term "full circle" doesn't really apply, but Kings of Leon have worked more toward adding a country tinge to their sound. Just check the latest video for "Beautiful War" and see how country they've come.

Check out the replays of the SNL performances - here.





Lou Reed Remembered by Velvet Underground Bandmate
(Radio.com) It has been two months since Lou Reed lost his battle with liver disease, and his former bandmates and musicians continue to mourn. While both Patti Smith and Bono eloquently eulogized Reed back in November, Velvet Underground drummer Maureen Tucker shared her memories of the frontman and songwriter with The Guardian.

Having met Reed through her brother, Tucker said she got together with Reed and Sterling Morrison by accident when their original drummer left before a gig in New York in 1965.

"Sterling said, 'Oh, Tucker's sister plays drums.' I lived way out on Long Island and they came out there from the city to see if I could keep a beat. That's how it happened," she recalled.

Tucker said the band never formally discussed their direction, instead they just made music no one else was making.

"Lou had a reputation, for sure. He was tough and he could be grumpy and b***chy, but I've come to realize that his b**chiness came out when there was incompetence about. Didn't matter if it was a waiter or a record producer, he'd rip someone apart if things weren't up to scratch."

But as tough as he was, Tucker also remembered him being encouraging and generous. "He was a good friend through everything. We had this brother-sister type relationship in the group, and it lasted long after the group split," she explained. "It was one of those friendships where it didn't matter if you didn't see each other a lot. We'd meet up after two years or five years and it would be like we'd seen each other last week. As you get older, you come to realise that that kind of friendship is rare, so I miss him a hell of a lot. It's just dawning on me that he's not out there any more." - more on this story




Transatlantic Release Yes Cover
(Prog) Transatlantic have released their cover of Yes track And You And I as a sneak preview of what to expect on the Progressive Nation At Sea cruise next year.

The event, which stars Portnoy Sheehan MacAlpine Sherinian, Adian Belew's Power Trio, Devin Townsend Project, Kings' X, Spock's Beard, The Flower Kings and many others, is headlined by Transatlantic and former Yes frontman Jon Anderson.

They're planning to team up for a grand finale at the end of the cruise that takes place from February 18 to 22. Mastermind Mike Portnoy says: "One of the highlights is certainly going to be Transatlantic and Jon Anderson joining forces for a set of Yes classics." - more on this story





Last Of The Bihari Brothers Dead At 88
(The Blues) Modern Records co-founder and producer Joe Bihari, one of the men who discovered B.B. King, John Lee Hooker and many others, has died at the age of 88, it's been confirmed. He was the last surviving Bihari brother.

He created Modern in 1945 alongside his siblings Lester, Jules and Saul as a side-project of an already-successful jukebox business. Over the coming decade he was instrumental in recruiting stars of the future through his regular journeys through the American South.

The Biharis also discovered Etta James, Elmore James and Ike Turner and their labels expanded to include Meteor, Crown, Flair and RPM. The Washington Post notes Joe once saying: "Sometimes I travelled with Ike – I bought him a Buick Roadmaster, gave him some of my custom-made suits, a salary of a hundred dollars a week and an expense account." - more on this story




Heart Expand North American Tour Plans
(hennemusic) Heart have announced six more dates for their 2014 US Tour. The new concerts are scattered throughout the band's previously-revealed schedule, which starts January 31 in Shawnee, OK.

Heart just wrapped up their 2013 live shows with a Vancouver date and a special hometown holiday concert at Seattle's Benaroya Hall that was recorded by AXS TV.

"Heart and Friends: Home For The Holidays" featured performances by Sammy Hagar, Shawn Colvin, Richard Marx and Train's Pat Monahan. The Seattle concert will air on AXS TV on Wednesday, December 25 (Christmas) at 8 p.m ET (5 p.m. PT.) - See the tour dates.




Journey Guitarist Neal Schon Weds On Pay Per View
(hennemusic) Journey guitarist Neal Schon's wedding to Real Houseviwes Of D.C.'s Michaele Salahi happened in San Francisco on Sunday, and the event was available live via pay per view.

The San Francisco Chronicle reports the televised "Winter Wonderland Wedding and Music Event" at the Palace of Fine Arts featured performances by Journey and Tower of Power.

Among the 356 guests in attendance were Journey bandmates Arnel Pineda and Jonathan Cain, Sammy Hagar, the Grateful Dead's Bob Weir, and R&B singer Brian McKnight. - more on this story




Jake E. Lee Returns to the Stage and Planning More Concerts
(Gibson) Jake E. Lee has returned to the live stage with the debut performance of his new band Red Dragon Cartel at Hollywood's Whiskey A Go Go last week and the band are planning for more live shows.

"Based on a huge buzz created by the band's very first show, our agency's phone rings all the time and we will have tons if gigs in the USA before and after the MOR cruise," the band says. "Our European tour will start in Italy on May 3rd and end at a major festival in the U.K. on June 15. After that some more USA and then Japan and Asia in middle of July, then USA again and then Europe again. RDC will be busy!"

The core band consists of Lee, Smith, bassist Ronnie Mancuso and drummer Jonas Fairley, while the album (which is due on January 27 via Frontiers Records) also includes appearances from Paul Di'Anno (ex Iron Maiden), Rex Brown (Kill Devil Hill, ex Pantera), Todd Kearns and Brent Fitz (Slash), Scott Reeder (ex Kyuss), Maria Brink (In This Moment), Jeremy Spencer (Five Finger Death Punch), Tom Petersson (Cheap Trick) and Sass Jordan (SUN). - more on this story





Cadillac Three Announce UK Tour
(The Blues) Southern rock upstarts Cadillac Three have announced that they will tour the UK starting in February, following their debut London appearance earlier this month.

They'll continue to support the release of debut album Tennessee Mojo with five dates on which they'll open for Eric Church. Frontman Jaren Johnston says:

"We had an absolute blast when we were in the UK. We had no idea how we would be received, but to sell out our first headline show was really something. Then to hear the crowd singing back our lyrics in accents we'd never heard before – that just gave us chills." - more on this story




Tinsley Ellis Offers Up Free Song Download
(The Blues) Tinsley Ellis is offering fans a free download of his new track "Peace And Love", which comes from upcoming album Midnight Blue, ahead of the album's release next month.

The blues rocker's 10-track record is officially released on January 13th in the UK and was recorded with the assistance of keyboardist Kevin McKendree (Delbert McClinton, Brian Setzer), bassist Ted Pecchio (Tedeschi Trucks Band) and drummer Lynn Williams (Delbert McClinton).

Midnight Blue is the second release on Ellis' own label Heartfixer Music, and follows his well-received all-instrumental album Get It! Check out the tracklisting and the free download details - here.




Apocalyptica Release 'Stormy Wagner' Video
(Classic Rock) Apocalyptica have released a video for their track Stormy Wagner. It's taken from their album Wagner Reloaded, recorded in Germany last year when the band were joined by the Leipzig Symphony Orchestra, ballet dancers, actors and theatrical performers in a spectacular live show celebrating the work of composer Richard Wagner.

Cellist Eicca Toppinen says: "It's complex to record a live album with an orchestra, because there are so many lines, microphones – and there's one stupid drummer who beats the shit out of the drums and creates so much noise that everything is spoiled afterwards…

"But we prepared well in advance, and Sven Helbig, the orchestrator, did a great job in making it run together. It works." Wagner Reloaded is on sale now in CD, vinyl and digital formats. Watch the new video - here.




KISS Win Rock Hall Fan Vote
(hennemusic) KISS have topped the fan voting for the 2014 Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame. When the public ballot closed last week, KISS led the nominees with 239,417 votes, or 17.22% of the more than 1.39 million votes cast.

Nirvana came in second (218,155 votes / 15.69%), with Deep Purple at No. 3 (165,828 votes / 11.93%), Yes at No. 4 (151,238 votes / 10.88%) and Daryl Hall & John Oates at No. 5 (112,673 votes / 8.10%).

The top five artists, as selected by the public, will comprise a "fans' ballot" that will be tallied along with the other ballots to choose the 2014 inductees. - more on this story




AC/DC No. 1 For Christmas?
(hennemusic) An online campaign to get AC/DC to the top of the UK Christmas charts kicked off this weekend and a spokesman for the band has publicly endorsed the fan initiative.

A Facebook campaign urges fans to download AC/DC's 1979 single, "Highway To Hell", from December 15 – 21 in an effort to have the song appear as the No. 1 on the UK Christmas chart, according to The Courier.

A spokesman for the group said: "AC/DC are celebrating their 40th anniversary as we speak. They formed in late 1973 and we are a few fans who thought it would be cool to see them at the top of the Christmas tree to celebrate their milestone." - more on this story




Richie Sambora Explains Why He Left Bon Jovi Tour
(Classic Rock) Richie Sambora has gone into detail about the personal issues that saw him leave Bon Jovi's world tour earlier this year, and it seems to kill off rumors of a feud with his frontman.

The guitarist insists there was "no malice" in his sudden decision to leave the band. Instead, he says he needed time away from the constant grind after 30 years.

And he says he's considering rejoining next year – although it's not a certainty. Sambora tells the Hollywood Reporter: "We were the hardest-working band in the world. You're talking 24-7 and you don't get to come home.

"I missed so much of my child's life, and you get to that place where you realise: 'Oh my god, this is so important.'"

He's spent his downtime with teenage daughter Eva and with his mum, who recently broke her hip. He says: "Everything has its time. I had some time to grow up – rock'n'roll will make you a virtual 17-year-old.

"I needed to be with the kid, go to the parent-teacher conference, take out the garbage, pick up the dog sh*t, watch her play and put on her sweet-sixteen party."

Find out how he feels about returning to Bon Jovi - here.




Ace Frehley's Home Damaged In Fire
(hennemusic) A New York home owned by original KISS guitarist Ace Frehley was damaged in a fire on Saturday. No one was harmed and the blazed was ruled accidental.

Yorktown (located 35 miles from New York City) fire officials received a call about the blaze at about 11 a.m. and firefighters were still on the scene at 3:30 p.m, The Journal News.

They report that the fire burned through the roof of Frehley's stone house, which was reportedly occupied by a caretaker but no one was in the house when the fire broke out. - more on this story





Jake E Lee's Singer Apologizes For Bad First Show
(Classic Rock) The singer in Jake E Lee's new band Red Dragon Cartel has apologized to fans and colleagues after admitting he "f**ked up" their first-ever live show.

The band, whose debut track was unveiled last month, made their initial stage appearance at Hollywood's Whiskey A Go Go last week. But after a spate of negative reviews, mainly concentrating on Darren James Smith's vocal performance, he's taken the blame for their poor showing.

Smith says: "No excuses: I f**ked up. I can't believe the band is sticking with me. The most sincere apologies to the band and all the Jake fans. You deserved better and you're going to get it."

A band spokesman defended Smith via the Red Dragon Cartel website. Read that - here.




59-Track Beatles Rarities Collection Being Released
(Gibson) A generous collection of rare Beatles material is slated for release exclusively on iTunes this week. As reported by NME.com, the 59-track album will be comprised of 15 studio outtakes and 44 live BBC tracks that were not included on 1994's Live at the BBC, or on On Air: Live at the BBC Volume 2.

Various sources have reported the new album will be titled The Beatles Bootleg Recordings 1963, but that information is not confirmed. News of the rarities album comes fast on the heels of the announcement that the band's 13 American-version albums will be released as part of a box set called, simply, The U.S. Albums.

Slated to hit stores in North America on January 21, the box set begins with 1964's Meet the Beatles! and concludes with 1970's Hey Jude. Many of the Fab Four's American albums featured songs, mixes and album art that were different from their U.K. counterparts. - more on this story




Christine McVie Explains Why She Wants Fleetwood Mac Reunion
(Classic Rock) Christine McVie has gone into detail about some of the things that make her want to rejoin Fleetwood Mac. And she says her guest appearance with the band in London in September felt like getting back on a bike she'd fallen off.

McVie still doesn't know if the reunion will actually take place. But she tells the Guardian of her 1998 retirement: "At the time, they tried to persuade me to stay so hard, but back then I'd made my mind up that I'd done enough touring. I just couldn't live out of a suitcase any more. Whereas now I would really rather like to again."

She's attended therapy and cured her fear of flying, another issue that made it tough to remain part of Mac's hectic touring schedule. In addition, McVie has been re-energised by seeing a new generation of fans discover the band's music. "I have friends with grandchildren in their teens and they've got Rumours, Tusk, all the live stuff," she says. "And they dig it, man, they really like it!" - She had a lot more to say.





Rolling Stones Historic Site To Memorialized
(Classic Rock) The railway platform where Mick Jagger and Keith Richards met by accident is to be marked with a blue plaque. The future Rolling Stones members ran into each other at Dartford Station on October 17, 1961, a year before the band was formed.

The pair recognised each other because they'd both attended primary school in the town some years previously. The encounter led to the formation of the Stones. And Dartford Council leader Jeremy Kite says his town are proud of the link, telling the BBC: "Fate was sealed; they started talking about playing music together. They went off and recruited Brian Jones, and the rest is history."

Meanwhile, guitarist Richards admits he's never played one of the Stones' classic tracks exactly the way he thinks it should be done – and he enjoys the ever-present challenge. - more on this story




The Dead Weather Release New Song
(Radio.com) Jack White and Alison Mossheart's bluesy riff-rock are back. The Dead Weather just released into the digital sphere the new single "Open Up (That's Enough)", which will possibly appear on their new album which is slated for release in, literally wait for it, the year 2015.

As previously reported, "Open Up (That's Enough)" b/w "Rough Detective" was first released on 7-inch as part of the latest installment of Third Man's Vault subscription series. This is reportedly part of a long-term (presumably years-long) rollout campaign for the band's new album.

According to Consequence of Sound, Third Man Records states that"It's a unique long-term plan for new music from this incendiary group… The goal is that physical copies are out there first."

In an earlier press release, the label stated that these new songs "are unlike anything else the band has ever done and are both ample reminders of the ferocity of this motley collection of low-lifes, grifters and ne'er-do-wells." - Listen to the new song here.





Linkin Park and The Offspring to Headline Typhoon Haiyan Benefit Show
(Radio.com) While California rock outfit Linkin Park has evolved into one of the world's biggest bands, Chester Bennington and the gang have also become quite the philanthropists, creating Music for Relief to lead charity efforts around the world.

The group announced this week that they're again putting Music for Relief into action by hosting a benefit show in L.A. with The Offspring to raise money for those affected by the catastrophic Typhoon Haiyan, which devastated the central Philippines last month, leaving more than 6,000 dead and 1,800 still missing.

The show is scheduled for January 11 at the Club Nokia in downtown Los Angeles. Music for Relief is working with the International Medical Corps on the initiative, with the latter handling much of the on the ground efforts to deliver food, water, medical assistance and more to those affected by the typhoon. - more on this story




Pearl Jam Announce Summer Tour Leg
(hennemusic) Pearl Jam have announced a summer 2014 European tour in support of their latest album, "Lightning Bolt." The month-long trek begins June 16 in Amsterdam and runs to July 11 at Milton Keynes, UK.

The tour includes two festival appearances: Poland's Open'er Festival on July 3 and Belgium's Rock Werchter on July 5. A ticket pre-sale for members of Pearl Jam's fan club is underway at PearlJam.com.

Having recently wrapped up a fall North American tour, Pearl Jam head to Australia next month for a series of dates on the country's annual Big Day Out festival; the travelling 6-show event runs January 17 to February 2. - more on this story




Van Halen Engineer Discusses Recording The Band's Debut Album
(hennemusic) Van Halen redefined hard rock with their 1978 self-titled debut, and engineer Donn Landee talks about recording the project in a new, and rare, interview.

Working alongside producer Ted Templeman, Landee describes the demo session for the album. "They cut 28 songs in about two hours," he tells Songwriter 101. "That's when we knew we had a band that could play."

On the first week of January 1978, Van Halen convened inside Sunset Sound's Studio 1. In order to capture the raw energy of the group's club work, Landee and Templeman decided on a no-overdubs approach.

"They'd barely had any studio experience," remembers Landee. "It was obvious that in time they would become proficient at making records, but at that point, we really wanted to get them before they really knew what they were doing - just have them come in and play and then get them out."

"So we spent very little time in pre-production; in fact, we treated the entire first album almost like it was a demo," Landee continues. "There are only a couple of spots where we added anything afterwards - on 'Runnin' With The Devil' and 'Jamie's Cryin' - and those were done in one take. And we didn't use very many tracks at all. Alex's drums were probably cut using only four mics total. Even when we moved over to Ed's 5150 studio, we still did the entire band on 16-track and had room left over at the end. You just don't need a lot of tracks to get a great sound." - more on this story





Paul Rodgers Streaming Otis Redding Cover Online
(hennemusic) Paul Rodgers is sharing his cover of the Otis Redding classic, "I've Been Loving You Too Long", as a preview of "The Royal Sessions", a collection of classic R&B and soul songs redone by the Bad Company singer due in early 2014.

"I had been playing in groups since I was 13 or 14, and suddenly Otis' band became my ideal band," Rodgers tells Rolling Stone. "They played from a deeper place. The one thing I loved about blues and soul was the way they taught the world how to express such deep feelings. I was brought up in a fairly emotionally repressed kind of society in Northeast England where one didn't express emotions and was expected to keep a stiff upper lip. But I felt that the part of me that was born to be a singer needed to share these kinds of emotions, and through Otis, I found a much-yearned-for outlet for this."

Recorded at Memphis' Royal Studios, historic home of Willie Mitchell and Hi Records, "The Royal Sessions" features Rodgers' interpretations of songs by Otis Redding, Albert King and Ann Peebles, among others. - Listen to the Otis Redding cover here.




Unreleased Jon Lord Song Streaming Online
(The Blues) A previously-unheard track by the Jon Lord Blues Project has been released by the late Deep Purple keyboardist's estate and is now streaming online.

The track, "As Tears Go Passing By" was recorded during a brief German tour in 2011 but wasn't included on the band's live album.

The track features Maggie Bell, Zoot Money, Miller Anderson, Colin Hodgkinson and Pete York. You can check out a stream of the song - here.




Phish's Mike Gordon Going Solo
(Gibson) Phish's Mike Gordon has posted a stream of the upcoming album's opening song, "Ether," on his official website, and the tune offers a taste of what to expect from Gordon's latest solo endeavor.

Gordon also has plans to head out on a North American tour in support of Overstep next year. The tour will kick off Feb. 28 at the Westcott Theatre in Syracuse, N.Y., and close out April 6 at Higher Ground in Burlington, Vt.

In Phish news, the jammers are slated to celebrate 2014 in New York City with back-to-back shows at Madison Square Garden. Check out Gordon's solo dates - here.




Robert Johnson and B.B. King Songs Added To Grammy Hall of Fame
(The Blues) Robert Johnson's original recording of Sweet Home Chicago and B.B. King's 3 O'Clock Blues have been added to the Grammy Hall Of Fame ahead of the 56th annual award ceremony next month.

Johnson's composition, made up from a number of other songs, was released in 1937 with the B side Walking Blues, just a year before his death. It's become one of the most frequently-covered tracks in music history.

B.B. King released his take of Lowell Fulson's 3 O'Clock Blues in 1952. It became his first hit single and also one of the top-selling singles of that year.

The Grammy Hall Of Fame has now inducted 960 recordings, which must be at least 25 years old and demonstrate considerable influence on American culture to qualify for inclusion. See who else made the list - here.





Black Sabbath Post Handwritten Lyrics Online
(hennemusic) Black Sabbath have posted handwritten lyrics online to their Grammy-nominated song, "God Is Dead?", which comes from the band's latest album, "13".

The tune is a contender for "Best Rock Song" and "Best Metal Performance" at the 2014 Grammy Awards, while "13" earned a nomination for "Best Rock Album."

Sabbath's last Grammy win was for "Best Metal Performance" in 2000 for "Iron Man" from the band's "Reunion" live album. The 56th Annual Grammy Awards will be held January 26, 2014 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles and broadcast live on CBS from 8–11:30 p.m. (ET/PT).

See the handwritten lyrics photo - here.





Volbeat and Red Dragon Cartel Added To Download Lineup
(Classic Rock) Volbeat and Jake E Lee's new band Red Dragon Cartel top the list of bands added to the bill for the 2014 Download festival. They're among the acts who'll perform at Donington Park on the weekend of June 13-15 under festival headliners Aerosmith, Linkin Park and Avenged Sevenfold.

The full list includes SikTH, Dillinger Escape Plan, Suicide Silence, Memphis May Fire, Battlecross, Arcane Roots, Thy Art Is Murder, The Amity Affliction, Avatar, Lonely The Brave and Feed The Rhino.

Volbeat frontman Michael Poulsen says: "2013 has been an amazing year – we had an absolutely fantastic UK tour with some of the most passionate crowds ever. We can't wait to tear up Download." - more on this story





Black Star Riders Announce Japanese Tour
(hennemusic) Thin Lizzy offshoot Black Star Riders have announced that they will be launching a Japanese tour that will include three concerts that will be taking place next spring.

In support of their debut album, "All Hell Breaks Loose", the band will play three shows in May – one in Osaka and two in Tokyo. Tickets will go on sale February 7, 2014.

Black Star Riders are currently playing dates on a UK tour scheduled to wrap December 15 in Belfast. Last month, the group released a video for their latest single, "Kingdom Of The Lost." - more on this story




Soundgarden Announces Show in Peru
(hennemusic) Soundgarden have announced a March 27 concert date at Explanada del Estadio Monumental in Lima, Peru. Tickets go on sale today, December 16th.

The Peru concert, in support of their latest album, "King Animal", marks the first live show of 2014 for the Seattle rockers, and falls two days before the band begins a series of Lollapalooza dates in South America.

Soundgarden play Lollapalooza in Santiago, Chile on March 29, in Buenos Aires, Argentina on April 1, and Sao Paulo, Brazil on April 5. The band's 2014 concerts will not feature drummer Matt Cameron, who will be touring throughout the year with Pearl Jam; Soundgarden have yet to announce a replacement for Cameron. - more on this story




Ashley Hutchings Honored With Folk Award
(Prog) Last Thursday Albion Band founder and ex-Fairport Convention bass man Ashley Hutchings was honoured with The Gold Badge Award by the English Folk Dance And Song Society (EFDSS) in recognition of his work with traditional English folk music.

A presentation was made at King's Place in north London midway through a show by Hutchings' four-piece group The Albion Christmas Band, featuring Fairport's Simon Nicol, Kellie While and Simon Care.

It's the 15th year of the Albion Band spin-off and yet another chapter in the remarkable career of the Southgate-born bandleader, now joining the ranks of artists such as composer Vaughn Williams, Norfolk farmhand Harry Cox and US activist folksinger Peggy Seeger as part of the 115-year-old EFDSS Gold Badge roll-call.

EFDSS Chairman Alan James began with a short introduction explaining that the accolade was "one of the most amazing awards that we can give, and we are proud to give it to people who help keep the traditions of England and take them forward into centuries beyond" before handing over to iconic promoter/producer and author Joe Boyd to give a citation. - more on this story




David Lee Roth Updates Commentary for Dave TV
(hennemusic) David Lee Roth has updated his commentary track on "Dave TV", his collection of videos and interviews released in 1986. Fan site the Van Halen News Desk reports the commentary was not included on his new "Greatest Hits/The Deluxe Edition" (CD+DVD) set, released last month. The Rhino collection has the full, original "Dave TV" special as part of the DVD, but without the commentary.

Roth had reportedly wanted the release to have an alternate audio track with his commentary, but for some reason, Rhino said "No" to that because of explicit language.

"Dave TV" features Roth's hugely-successful series of solo videos, including "California Girls', "Just A Gigolo/Ain't Got Nobody", "Yankee Rose" and "Crazy From The Heat." - more on this story




Black Sabbath To Play Abu Dhabi
(hennemusic) Black Sabbath have announced a May 29th concert that will take place in Abu Dhabi as part of the 2014 world tour in support of their latest album, "13."

The band will play du Arena on Yas Island, with tickets going on sale Wednesday, December 18 at 1 PM local time. Tickets are available via Ticketmaster.ae, selected Virgin Megastores across the UAE

Black Sabbath are currently playing a European tour, which is set to wrap up in the band's hometown of Birmingham, England on December 22. - more on this story





Marillion Release 'Carol Of The Bells' Video
(Prog) Last week Prog revealed Marillion were gearing up to release a Christmas single. Their version of Carol Of The Bells is on sale now, and, as promised, the video is available to view online.

The band weren't originally planning to put the track on general release. They explained: "Every Christmas we give our fan club members a free DVD or CD. This year's offering included Carol Of The Bells – with a very amusing video to accompany it.

"The fans demanded an MP3 download so we decided to release it as a single. All the profits from the single will go to charity. We just thought it would be a bit of fun." -





The Harrowing Story Behind Wings' Band on the Run
(Gibson) Making an album – even a classic album – sometimes can be an exercise in overcoming adversity. Still, the monumental troubles that Paul McCartney and Wings had to surmount to record Band on the Run, easily McCartney's best post-Beatles album, easily could have served as fodder for an epic Hollywood film.

It all began with McCartney's desire to work in a locale that was off the beaten path. Fortunately (or perhaps unfortunately, as it turned out), his record company, EMI, had an international presence, with recording facilities based in Bombay, Rio de Janeiro, Peking and … aha! … Lagos. Enchanted by visions of sunning on the beach by day, and recording by night, McCartney decided to gather his Wings bandmates and head for the Nigerian city, nestled on the west coast of Africa. Nevermind the fact that pre-trip inoculations to prevent cholera, typhoid, polio and a host of other potential diseases were required.

One week prior to heading for Africa, McCartney corralled his fellow Wings members to rehearse some new songs. Disputes ensued, and guitarist Henry McCullough and drummer Denny Seiwell left the band. All of a sudden, Wings was a trio consisting of McCartney, wife Linda and guitarist Denny Laine. Off the three went, upbeat and confident despite the unforeseen defection of their drummer and lead guitarist.

The studio in Lagos was decidedly ramshackle. Microphones were discovered tucked away in a cupboard, the control desk was faulty and acoustic baffles used for sound separation were nowhere to be found. Heroically, however, engineer Geoff Emerick pulled together the equipment necessary to forge onwards.

A regular daily pattern ensued. Weekday mornings were spent swimming at a local country club. In mid-afternoon, the band would make the hour-long drive to the studio, where the work sometimes went on until 4 or 5 a.m. Weekends were reserved for rest and recreation, in keeping with McCartney's reasons for choosing Lagos in the first place.

As regards the sessions, McCartney, Linda and Laine were galvanized and motivated by the defections of Seiwell and McCullough. As he had often done on his solo albums, Macca himself handled most of the lead guitar and drumming duties. Notwithstanding the technical difficulties, recording was going relatively smoothly, until one evening the McCartneys decided to take a leisurely stroll. Out of nowhere, a car pulled up, five men jumped out, and, at knifepoint, McCartney was forced to relinquish all the valuables in his possession. Among the items taken were cassettes of demos of potential Wings material.

Such was the first of a series of travails that dogged the sessions. On one occasion, McCartney collapsed in the studio, unable to catch his breath. A heart attack was initially suspected, but after a period of rest, McCartney gathered himself. The episode was later diagnosed as a bronchial spasm triggered by excessive smoking. On another occasion, a local Afro-beat star and political activist went on radio and accused McCartney of coming to Lagos to "exploit and steal" African music. To placate the accuser, McCartney agreed not to enlist help from local musicians. He also steered clear of giving any songs an "African" sound.

By the end of September of 1973, six weeks into their stay in Lagos, the Wings entourage was relieved to be headed back to London. Overdubs were added at Air Studios, including terrific orchestral arrangements by Tony Visconti, best known for his production work on albums by Marc Bolan and David Bowie. On October 28, the iconic cover photo (which featured actors Christopher Lee and James Coburn, among other celebrities) was shot. Incredibly, despite the harrowing incidents that occurred in Lagos, the album brimmed with a buoyant spirit, and was rife with such classics as "Jet" (which found McCartney paying tribute to the family's Lab puppy) and "Helen Wheels" (which did the same for McCartney's Land Rover). -


Read more at http://www.antimusic.com/dayinrock/#EjCwQWDFOHm2BhYP.99

Saturday, November 23, 2013

This Week's Top Rock News Stories!





Here are the top stories from this past week's Day in Rock report

Zakk Wylde, Bootsy Collins, Buddy Guy Lead Experience Hendrix Tour
(Radio.com) Radio.com is proud to announce 2014′s Experience Hendrix Tour, the guitar-centric tribute to Jimi Hendrix that's run on and off since its first incarnation as the Jimi Hendrix Guitar Festival at Bumbershoot '95.

This year's tour will feature Buddy Guy, Bootsy Collins and Zakk Wylde, along with a busload of other guitar legends including Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Jonny Lang, Dweezil Zappa, Eric Gales, Eric Johnson, Serbian blues-rocker Ana Popovic, Doyle Bramhall II, Mato Nanji of Indigenous, and Los Lobos co-frontmen Cesar Rosas and David Hidalgo.

The tour is set to kick off March 11 in Dallas and run through April 3′s Detroit show. Other than Wylde and Popovic, the other artists have played the tour in the past. John McDermott, one of the tour's organizers, told Radio.com that while Wylde, Hildago, Guy, Zappa and Collins may be an odd combination, the goal of the tour is to show the scope of Hendrix's musical influence.

"We try to follow the roots to the fruits," McDermott said. "Before he passed away, we had [blues legend] Hubert Sumlin, who was a favorite of Jimi's. We have Buddy Guy, who is a favorite of Jimi's. We like to have a variety of [younger] players to show how broad and deep the influence is. "

While Wylde spends most of his time on the road playing to all-metal audiences, it's not all that surprising that he signed on for this tour given his fandom (one of his sons is named Hendrix). As for the other tour rookie, Popvic, she first came to the attention of Hendrix fans via a cover of "Belly Button Window" on the 2000 tribute album Blue Haze. "Ana is somebody who we had seen, we saw a performance of 'If 6 Was 9,' which was great, so she was a no-brainer for us," McDermott said. - more on this story




Rush On Hiatus
(hennemusic) As Rush release their new "Clockwork Angels Tour" DVD this week, guitarist Alex Lifeson tells Billboard that the band will be on hiatus for most of 2014 but assures fans it will only be a short break and they will return.

"We've committed to taking about a year off," says Lifeson. "We all agreed when we finished this tour (in early August) we were going to take this time off and we weren't going to talk about band stuff or make any plans. We committed to a year, so that's going to take us through to the end of next summer, for sure. That's the minimum. We haven't stopped or quit. Right now we're just relaxing. We're taking it easy and just enjoying our current employment."

That said, Lifeson acknowledges that he and singer/bassist/keyboardist Geddy Lee - who both live in the Toronto area while drummer Neil Peart resides in California - "typically get a little bored, and so we enjoy writing and working together and I wouldn't doubt that some time in the new year we'll probably gravitate towards each other and start doing some writing."

"It's going to be interesting to see where we do go next," he continues. "You know, the album is dying as a format. We're so used to it and we're so old school in that format, but will we get more mileage by doing a few new songs at a time, or do we do another album? It's hard to say what the future holds, and it's just changing so rapidly. It's always hard to speculate where you're going to go." - more on this story




Sammy Hagar and Motley Crue's Vince Neil Planning Tour
While Motley Crue has announced their intentions to retire, their frontman Vince Neil has revealed that he plans to continue performing and even broke news about a tour with Sammy Hagar.

Neil was recently interviewed by Vegas Rocks! Magazine and was asked about what he intended to do following the band's retirement and revealed that he is already working on a big tour with Sammy Hagar for next year.

The singer told the publication, "I have my own stuff. I have my solo band, and we have a lot of touring coming up. And actually, it looks like me and Sammy Hagar are gonna go out together for a long tour next year. I'll be carrying the torch for Motley Crue when Motley Crue is done." - more on this story





Aerosmith's Steven Tyler Wants Rick Rubin To Produce Solo Album
(hennemusic) Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler has been meeting with Rick Rubin to see if popular producer will sign on produce his debut solo album, tentatively due next spring.

"I'm working on it," Tyler tells Rolling Stone. "I just got back from Russia. Tour was over last week, so I set up my studio, and I had dinner with Rick Rubin last night."

While their working together is not yet confirmed, Tyler seemed confident about Rubin's involvement when asked about the likelihood. "We did do 'Walk This Way' with Run-D.M.C.," he said. "That was his idea." - more on this story




The Doors Surviving Members Plan Q&A At Special Event
(hennemusic) The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is hosting "An Evening With The Doors" on December 5, an event which will feature a screening of "Mr. Mojo Risin: The Making of L.A. Woman" and a Q&A with surviving band members Robbie Krieger and John Densmore.

The 2011 documentary "Mr. Mojo Risin: The Making of L.A. Woman" looks at the creation of The Doors' sixth album, offering a detailed perspective of the intense recording sessions that produced one of the group's most memorable records.

Krieger and Densmore will be on hand for a Q&A following the screening to discuss the band's legacy and their own careers. Check out the trailer for the film - here.




R.E.M. Members Reunite
(Gibson) There was a partial reunion of R.E.M. last week when drummer Bill Berry and bass player Mike Mills joined guitarist Peter Buck on stage during one of his solo shows at the 40 Watt Club in Athens, Georgia.

The former bandmates performed R.E.M.'s 1984 track "(Don't Go Back To) Rockville." According to reports, former frontman Michael Stipe was in the audience too. So if he happened to be singing along, a case could be made that R.E.M. performed together, right? Right?

R.E.M. called it quits following the release of the album Collapse Into Now in 2011, an album which they chose not to tour for. "As lifelong friends and co-conspirators, we have decided to call it a day as a band," they sad by way of explaining the break. "We walk away with a great sense of gratitude, of finality, and of astonishment at all we have accomplished."

However, comments made by Mills to Rolling Stone in May seem to indicate that this onstage jam is as close as we're going to get to the real thing. "We said we're done and we're done," he said at the time "If we honestly thought there was a chance of a reunion tour, we might have said so at the time."

During that May interview, Mills explained that there was no animosity among band members: it was simply time to bring the band to an end. "There were no real factors other than deciding it was time to break up," he said. "There's no drug abuse. There's no in-fighting. There's no legal problems. It was time to break up. That's never really been done before. The idea of breaking up and not reforming for a reunion tour is kind of attractive to us. I doubt you'll see us touring as R.E.M. again."

Check out video of the reunion performance - here.




Bruce Springsteen Releasing New Single Next Week
(hennemusic) Bruce Springsteen has announced that he will be releasing a new single, "High Hopes", on November 25. Originally recorded by Los Angeles band The Havalinas, a version of the song appeared on Springsteen's 1996 documentary and EP, "Blood Brothers".

Bruce and The E Street Band performed the song during their March tour of Australia this year, along with special guest Tom Morello of Rage Against The Machine, who was filling in on guitar for Steve Van Zandt.

In January, Springsteen will perform in South Africa for the very first time before kicking off a month-long tour of Australia and New Zealand in Perth on February 5. - Hear the original version here.




Queens of the Stone Age Get Interactive In New Video
(Radio.com) For "Vampyre of Time and Memory," Queens of the Stone Age have crafted a surreal interactive music video that allows fans to peruse the hallways of a rather creepy mansion.

The clip–directed by Kii Arens, Jason Trucco with help from the tech company Darknet–lets fans lead the way threw the gothic house only to end up in an ever-changing grand ballroom with a very well-manicured Josh Homme and the rest of the band playing the song in dapper suits and ties.

While interacting with the clip, users can find QOTSA performing in three different settings, as well as access song lyrics and a direct link to purchase …Like Clockwork by clicking on various onscreen "Easter eggs" like the very cool poster for the band's show at the Brooklyn Masonic Temple leads to La-La Land Posters, which is home base for the artwork of director Arens.

The elaborate clip can be accessed through its own dedicated website. But for fans who prefer to just sit back and relax, the band has also provided a director's cut of the video, which merges the various scenes and settings of the interactive clip into one fluid visual. Watch it - here.




The Flaming Lips Have Major Plans For Black Friday
(Gibson) The Flaming Lips will mark this year's Black Friday edition of Record Store Day by participating in a trio of interesting projects and creating a chocolate skull and a toy frog.

The band has curated a covers album of the entire first Stone Roses LP along with bands including Peaking Lights, Stardeath, White Dwarfs, New Fumes, Def Rain, Poliça, Foxygen's Jonathan Rado and Spaceface. They've also recorded a collaborative EP with Australian neo-psychedelic rockers Tame Impala where they cover each other's songs, and will release a vinyl edition of their Peace Sword soundtrack EP for the film Ender's Game. And frontman Wayne Coyne tells Rolling Stone the band also hopes to have an edible chocolate head ready in time too.

"It's all made out of chocolate, it's a life-size human skull, a life-sized human brain, and the brain is actually sliding out of the skull made with this brain fluid flavored hard-candy," Coyne says. "And there's a little magic coin inside that brain that you're supposed to dig out. I think it's supposed to get you into any Flaming Lips show in the world. I think that's our intention." If the Oompa Loompas haven't sorted out the chocolate head by Black Friday, the band will aim to have it out for Christmas.

Perhaps even more bizarre though is [Expletive] You Frog, a toy frog which contains a recording of the band's first demo. "That is our very first demo that we ever recorded that's never been released before," Coyne says. "So you get that in this packet. This little frog that's kind of a recorder that you can manipulate the sound on." - more on this story




Stevie Nicks Releasing In Your Dreams Documentary Next Month
(hennemusic) Stevie Nicks will release her 2013 documentary, "In Your Dreams", on December 3. The project shows a behind-the-scenes look at the Fleetwood Mac singer as she created her 2011 solo album of the same title.

Co-produced and co-directed by Dave Stewart, "In Your Dreams" shows the musical journey that the two artists embarked on in Nicks' Los Angeles home as they wrote and recorded an album during what Nicks called "the greatest year of my life".

For "In Your Dreams", Nicks allowed cameras inside her mansion high above L.A. with a wild cast of musicians and friends. The inner life of the legendary Nicks has by her design long been kept at a distance from the public. We learn in "Dreams" that her world features costume parties, elaborate dinner feasts, tap dancing, fantasy creations and revealing song writing and recording sessions all of which are captured on film. - more on this story




Stryper Score Top 40 Debut With New Album
(Gibson) It's a chart result that's pretty much unprecedented in the modern era for 80s hard rock acts, especially those with a Christian element: 80s rockers Stryper have landed at a very respectable #35 on the Billboard Top 200 with their new album No More Hell To Pay.

The album also landed at #2 on the Contemporary Christian Albums chart, #3 on the Current Hard Music Albums chart, #3 on the Top Hard Music Albums chart, #3 on the Billboard Top Christian/Gospel Albums chart and #6 on the Top Current Rock Albums. The album sold over 9,500 copies in its first week.

Hailed by fans as a return to their classic sound, No More Hell To Pay features the original lineup of Michael Sweet (vocals/guitars), Oz Fox (guitars), Tim Gaines (bass) and Robert Sweet (drums), and was produced by Michael Sweet.

"We're humbled to be charting alongside some of the biggest and best in music today," Michael Sweet said. "We've worked hard to deliver the best Stryper record to date and we couldn't be more proud of "No More Hell To Pay"! The Yellow & Black Attack is back (well, we never really left). Here's to 30 more years and we'll see you on the road in 2014."

Second Coming, an album of re-recorded Stryper classics, sold less than half the number of copies of No More Hell To Pay in April and handed at #117. Their 2011 covers album The Covering sold 4,600 copies to hit #175, and their previous album of new material, Murder By Pride, reached #73 in 2009. - more on this story




Roger Waters Reflects On Original Pink Floyd Frontman Syd Barrett
(Gibson) Roger Waters reflected on the legacy of original Pink Floyd frontman Syd Barrett at the recent Billboard Touring Conference, describing the troubled songwriter as "very talented" but "only incandescent for a year or two maybe."

During the 80-minute discussion, Waters also recalled Floyd's 1967 U.S. debut performance at San Francisco's Winterland, saying Janis Joplin pilfered a pint of Southern Comfort he had just purchased just before the show.

Earlier this week, Waters spoke with Rolling Stone about his forthcoming solo album--his first "rock" effort in 20 years. "I finished a demo of it last night," he revealed.

"It's 55 minutes long. It's songs and theater as well. I don't want to give too much away, but it's couched as a radio play. It has characters who speak to each other, and it's a quest. It's about an old man and a young child trying to figure out why they are killing the children." The veteran rocker went on to say he isn't sure whether he'll support the disc with a tour. - more on this story





Robert Plant Releases Second Episode of New Web Series
(hennemusic) Robert Plant has posted the second episode in his new 8-part web series, "Zirka", which documents his 2003 trip to perform in Mali and the Festival In The Desert.

Plant appeared at the famed festival alongside Ali Farka Toure, Tinariwen and many others. "It was a journey of revelation — one of the most illuminating and humbling experiences of my life," Plant explained recently to Rolling Stone.

"[The trip] took us from the scurry and bustle of our world into the homeland of the Tuareg, the Sahel of Mali, Timbuctoo, and north to Essakane. A journey that could only reinforce the power and the great gift of music across and between cultures. . . sharing outside of language." - Check out the video here.




Black Sabbath React To Living Legend Award
(Gibson) Black Sabbath were the big winners at this year's Classic Rock Roll of Honor ceremony in London. The heavy metal pioneers picked up three prizes, including the coveted Living Legend award, reports NME.com.

"I didn't even expect to live this long," said Ozzy Osbourne, accepting the awards. "When I was 21 I thought I would be dead by 40. That was alright until I was 39." He later added: "I never thought 43 years ago I'd be standing here. We're in shock--this year has been an incredible event for us."

Guitarist Tony Iommi and bassist Geezer Butler attended the event as well. "It's fantastic to get the awards," said Iommi. "When we started out we never thought about it, you just wanted to play. Even this time, we never thought for a minute [the new album] would get to number one. We just wanted to make an album."

In other Sabbath news, the band has just announced another round of North American live dates, kicking off at the end of March. - more on this story





The Wildhearts Planning Spring Tour With Ginger's New Band
(Classic Rock) The Wildhearts have announced that will be heading out on tour in April 2014, with support provided by Classic Rock Award nominees – and another Ginger project – Hey! Hello!

This tour will see Ginger reunited with his bandmates CJ & Ritch, and will welcome the return of Scott Sorry on bass. Says Ginger: "The Wildhearts always seem to regroup when the timing is absolutely right for everyone. I absolutely cannot wait to get back onstage with the lads, and we're all excited to be playing with our brother Scott again."

Scott Sorry had this to say about the reunion, "After a four year long break, I am excited as hell to hit the road again with The Wildhearts. April couldn't come soon enough." - more on this story




Nine Inch Nails Announce UK Spring Tour
(Classic Rock) Nine Inch Nails will be heading across the pond to launch a tour of the UK next year, where they will be performing six shows in May, it's been confirmed.

It's a continuation of the first world tour since Trent Reznor reactivated the band he'd shut down in 2009. Their eighth studio album, Hesitation Marks, was released in September.

NIN performed at this summer's Leeds and Reading festivals, but the upcoming dates mark their first full UK tour in six years. The shows will feature the full arena production they've been using across the US. - more on this story




Roy Harper Appears In Court On Alleged Child Sex Charges
(Classic Rock) Roy Harper appeared in court on Monday (November 18) for a hearing. The iconic folk musician has been charged for allegedly sexually abusing an underage girl.

He's accused of two charges of sexually assaulting a girl under the age of 13 in the 1970s, plus three charges of indecent assault and four of gross indecency. All charges relate to one alleged victim.

The 72-year-old progressive folk musician, best known for his guest vocals on Pink Floyd track Have A Cigar, entered no plea during a short hearing at Hereford Magistrates' Court. - more on this story





Monster Truck and Scorpion Child Team For Lords Of The Riff Tour
(Classic Rock) Classic Rock is proud to present the Lords Of The Riff UK tour, featuring a double-whammy of rising star acts Monster Truck and Scorpion Child, in association with their sister title Metal Hammer.

Highly rated by both magazines, the bands will deliver nine shows in March next year, taking turns at closing the show. Canadians Monster Truck have been in existence for four years.

The four-piece released their debut album Furiosity earlier this year and won a Juno Award in their home country. Frontman Jon Harvey says: "We can't wait to get back over to the UK with Scorpion Child. It's going to be a certified rock'n'roll roadshow that will melt your face off…"

Texan outfit Scorpion Child launched also launched their first album this year. The self-titled opus led to their nomination in the Best New Band category at the Classic Rock Awards. Vocalist Aryn Jonathan Black enthuses: "We are super excited to rejoin our European family, along with Canadian brethren Monster Truck." - more on this story




Threshold Working On Next Album
(Prog) Threshold are at work on what will be their tenth studio album and guitarist Karl Groom hopes the change of pace between new albums will be permanent.

Their previous studio outing was 2012′s March Of Progress, their first with vocalist Damian Wilson since his return in 2009. Fans had been forced to wait five years for the sequel to Dead Reckoning.

Groom reports that he and keyboardist Rich West started thinking about new material during their last stint on the road. "Our touring for the March Of Progress album inspired Rich and I to get writing not long after the main set of dates," he says. - more on this story




Eric Clapton Releases Tears In Heaven Video From Crossroads DVD
(hennemusic) Eric Clapton is sharing video footage of a performance of his 1992 hit, "Tears In Heaven", from his new live package, "2013 Crossroads Guitar Festival."

Due for release Tuesday in North America on DVD and Blu-ray with highlights on digital and CD, the set features nearly 5 hours of music across 45 tracks, plus conversations with the artists and other behind-the-scenes footage from the event.

On April 12 and 13 in New York City, Clapton assembled an unparalleled lineup of the world's most celebrated guitarists for the fourth incarnation of his legendary festival, where the world's greatest players perform together to raise funds for the Crossroads Centre in Antigua. Clapton founded this treatment and education facility in 1998 to help people suffering from chemical dependency. - Check out the video here.





Dregen Reveals Bald Look in New Music Video
(Classic Rock) Former Backyard Babies guitarist Dregen has released a video for his track Flat Tyre On A Muddy Road and it's the first time fans will have seen his bald look.

The guitarist, who's taken a break from Michael Monroe's band to promote his self-titled solo debut, explains that his hair started to fall out as he worked his way through a hectic year.

"Here's the answer to all of you who have asked why I've been wearing a hat or bandana for the last six months," Dregen says. "I became a dad. I was writing and recording my solo album. I was writing and recording the Michael Monroe album. I wrote a 330-page autobiography. I was touring. All at the same time.

"So my hair fell off – overnight. All of it. The doctor called it 'post traumatic stress disorder.'" But he's pleased to report he'll soon be sporting a head of hair again, and reflects: "Luckily I don't play or write with my hair… It could have been worse. I could have lost my fingers." - Check out the video here.





Blitz Kids Release 'Sometimes' Video
(TeamRock Radio) Blitz Kids have released a video for their track Sometimes. It's taken from the band's upcoming album The Good Youth, which is set for launch on January 20.

Frontman Joe James asserts living in the past two decades has been a massive boost for the Crewe four-piece. He recently told the Plymouth Herald: "We grew up in what I think was true best era of music ever. People still play System Of A Down and Green Day. It was a golden age."

But he cites Queen frontman Freddie Mercury as one of his biggest influences, saying: "I'm a real introvert. I always admired Freddie but I never saw myself in that role. Then I realised even he had insecurities – but he just got on and did it."

James describes writing material for Blitz Kids' next album as "a bit like self-therapy." - Check out the video here.





A Look Back At Led Zeppelin III
(Gibson) Led Zeppelin III often has been tagged the group's "folk album." But how folkie is a tune like the operatic "Immigrant Song" or the charging "Out on the Tiles" or the epic blues "Since I've Been Loving You" or the wailing "Celebration Day?"

What the album actually represented was the band's arrival at the height of their compositional powers and the apex of their ability to distill their primary influences (folk, rock and blues) into something grander that faithfully encompassed elements of all three genres. And to do that, they had to go "country" – or at least into the countryside.

Until mid-1970 the group hardly had time to plan its moves. Less than two years in existence, Led Zeppelin had already made two albums and toured the U.S. – where Page acquired his storied "Number One" Gibson Les Paul Standard from Joe Walsh – five times, rising from clubs to arenas as their guarantees swelled from $1,500 to $100,000 a show. The modus operandi had been to grab their blues roots hard and hit the ground running, and it was only when they stopped in July for a five-week break in the action that Led Zeppelin III crystallized as something more.

Before that the group had tried to record "Since I'd Been Loving You," which appears in a pre-Led Zeppelin III live version on the Royal Albert Hall concert DVD, but couldn't nail its radical shifts in dynamics and intensity in the studio.

The acoustic "Friends," inspired by Page's tinkering with open C tuning, and "Immigrant Song" were also written, or at least ready to get crunched out in jams and on tape.

But sometimes the vibe just isn't right. Maybe, for Led Zeppelin in 1970, it was a matter of finding the right headspace. The group's most recent tour of the States had been a challenge. On the plus side, they set attendance records wherever they traveled and grossed well over a million dollars at a time when concert tickets were about the same price as a fast-food meal today. But the minuses included conflicts between the police and Led Zeppelin's counter-culture audiences in Baltimore, Vancouver, Pittsburgh and other cities. In Georgia and Texas, Plant and Page were taunted by rednecks when their bus stopped, and in Texas they were refused service at a restaurant because of their long hair and had a pistol pulled on them. Worse, in Canada, Page's beloved three-pick-up 1960 Gibson Les Paul Custom Black Beauty was nicked at an airport and still has never been recovered. He'd played the instrument since his years in the Yardbirds.

So when Plant suggested a July retreat to the ancient Welsh cottage Bron-Yr-Aur that he'd visited as a lad, he and Page packed up their families and headed to the country to find some peace.

After 18 months on the road playing at teeth-rattling volumes, the tranquility of the unelectrified cottage was welcome. It also seemed to be a perfect segue for the music they'd been listening to, which included a big helping of acoustic open-tuning wizards John Fahey, Burt Jansch and Davy Graham.

"That's the Way" ended up becoming a turning point in the upcoming album's direction. After Page and Plant mapped the song out at Bron-Yr-Aur it became a touchstone, dictating further acoustic explorations for Led Zeppelin III. Page developed the song in open G tuning, inspired by Muddy Waters and Robert Johnson, and that, in turn, fueled a search for new textures when they returned to the studio. When the song was recorded John Paul Jones shifted from bass to mandolin, and Page took turns at pedal steel and dulcimer.

"That's the Way" was actually the only song written during the idyll in the countryside, but, Page says, it opened up the approach that made Led Zeppelin III a landmark recording in the group's history. -




Roy Harper Charged With Alleged Child Sexual Abuse
(Classic Rock) Roy Harper has been charged with sexually abusing a girl from the age of 12. The progressive folk musician, 72, will appear in Hereford Magistrates' Court on Monday in relation to nine counts of sexual assault, which are alleged to have taken place between 1975 and 1977.

The incidents are said to have taken place in Herefordshire and relate to one victim. Harper, who is based in Ireland, is probably best known for his guest vocals on Pink Floyd's 1975 track Have A Cigar. He also worked with Led Zeppelin and is cited as an influence by the Who, Kate Bush and Jethro Tull, among others.

The musician was summonsed last month after he was voluntarily interviewed by police in February. A brief statement was posted on his Facebook page. Read it - here.




Guns N' Roses Top Dangerous Driving List
(TeamRock Radio) Guns N' Roses track "Paradise City" is one of the most dangerous songs to listen to while driving, according to a list released by insurance website Confused.com.

They used their MotorMate app to monitor the behaviour of motorists as they drove 250 miles without music playing and the same distance with sounds on.

The firm says that listening to rock music caused men to drive more aggressively, moving faster and braking later. Women responded in a similar way to hip-hop. - more on this story




Vince Neil Clarifies Motley Crue's Reason For Retiring
(hennemusic) Vince Neil says Motley Crue's farewell tour plans are not related to guitarist Mick Mars' health, following recent comments to the contrary by drummer Tommy Lee.

"I don't know why Tommy would say that," Neil tells Vegas Rocks! Magazine. "It really had nothing to do with Mick's health. It was just because we all felt — at least me and Nikki [Sixx, bass] and Mick — felt that it was just we didn't wanna go out on the bottom.

"We didn't wanna be one of those bands that start fading away. We've been on top for 32 years, and it's great. And it's just like, you know what? By the time we finish this tour, it'll be in 35 years of Motley Crue. So… that's really kind of it." - more on this story




Cameron To Focus on Pearl Jam and Not Soundgarden in 2014
Soundgarden drummer Matt Cameron has announced that he will not be joining the band on their road next year in order to focus on his other gig with Pearl Jam.

He tells fans in an online posting, "I will be taking 2014 off from Soundgarden touring due to prior commitments promoting 'Lightning Bolt' with my brothers in Pearl Jam and the desire to have more time at home with my family.

"I am trying to balance the many twists and turns of my awesome music career. This is temporary. I am still an active member of Soundgarden. Chris, Ben, Kim and I are in the process of finding the perfect substitute for the upcoming Soundgarden dates in 2014."
-




Journey Donate Over $350K To Philippines Storm Relief
(Classic Rock) Journey have donated more than $350,000 to victims of the storm that struck the Philippines earlier this month. The band are fronting a US appeal for more funds while the International Committee of the Red Cross are running a wider campaign.

Over 11 million people are believed to have been affected after super typhoon Haiyan made landfall on November 7, killing more than 4000. It's thought to have been the second most intense storm on record in the area with wind speeds reaching 200mph.

Journey frontman Arnel Pineda, a Filipino who remains based in Manila, is aiming to take a leading role in recovery efforts – and he's started by pledging the six-figure sum from his bandmates and their associates Live Nation, Creative Artists Agency and manager John Baruck. - more on this story




The Beatles Animated For Buddy Holly Cover
(hennemusic) The Beatles have premiered a new animated video for their performance of the Buddy Holly classic, "Words Of Love", from the band's newly-released "On Air - Live At the BBC Vol. 2" package.

The set features 63 tracks, none of which overlaps with The Beatles' first BBC release, including 37 previously unreleased performances and 23 previously unreleased recordings of in-studio banter and conversation between the band's members and their BBC radio hosts.

Ten of On Air's songs were never recorded by the group for EMI in the 1960s, including two making their debuts with the new release: The Beatles' direct-to-air performance of Chuck Berry's "I'm Talking About You" and a rocking cover of the standard "Beautiful Dreamer." - Watch the video here.




Maynard James Keenan Says New Tool Album Process Is Tedious
(TeamRock Radio) Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan admits getting set to add his input to the next Tool album is "tedious." His bandmates are thought to be working on tracks for the follow-up to 2006's 10,000 Days – but it's taking a while.

Keenan tells Rolling Stone: "I don't write the music. They write the music. I wait for them to bring music to me. They tend to go back over and over stuff.

"It's a long process – for a person like me, it can be a very tedious process." He doesn't believe it needs to take as long as it does. "They don't have to go through it 700 times," the frontman says. "They can trust that first thought. But that's their process, so you've got to let them do it." - more on this story




Robert Plant Pays To Play In Charity Soccer Match
(hennemusic) Robert Plant has paid £900 to play in a testimonial football/soccer match next year for the Wolverhampton Wanderers as part of a fund-raising effort for the Birmingham Children's Hospital.

The former Led Zeppelin frontman's bid was part of total figure in excess of £8,000 collected for the hospital at a fund-raising dinner Thursday night, according to The Guardian.

The May 2014 testimonial match between the Wanderers and Sunderland is a tribute to newly-retired Wanderers' captain Jody Craddock, who played for both teams in the Premiere League; his son, Toby, has been treated for leukemia at the Birmingham Children's Hospital. - more on this story




Allman Brothers Release Whipping Post Video From Crossroads DVD
(hennemusic) Eric Clapton is sharing video of a performance of "Whipping Post" by the Allman Brothers Band as seen on the new live package, "2013 Crossroads Guitar Festival."

Due for release November 19 in North America on DVD and Blu-ray and – for the first time ever – audio highlights on digital and CD, the clip is the second one issued from the set featuring the Allmans – watch Clapton and the band play "Why Has Love Got To Be So Sad" here.

"2013 Crossroads Guitar Festival" features nearly 5 hours of music across 45 tracks, plus conversations with the artists and other behind-the-scenes footage from the event. - Watch the video.





Scorpions Release MTV Unplugged Preview
(hennemusic) The Scorpions have released a video preview and movie trailer of the upcoming release of "MTV Unplugged - Scorpions Live In Athens."

Due November 29 in Europe (January 21, 2014 in North America), the package features a mix of classic Scorpions tracks and new songs performed acoustically.

In September, the German rockers performed three MTV Unplugged concerts in Athens, Greece at the city's Lycabettus Theatre. "MTV Unplugged - Scorpions Live In Athens" will be available on CD, DVD and Blu-ray disc. - Watch the preview here.




Paul Rodgers Release Cover Of Sam & Dave Classic
(hennemusic) Paul Rodgers is sharing his cover of the Sam & Dave classic, "I Thank You", as a preview of "The Royal Sessions", a collection of classic R&B and soul songs redone by the Bad Company singer due in early 2014.

Recorded at Memphis' Royal Studios, historic home of Willie Mitchell and Hi Records, "The Royal Sessions" features Rodgers' interpretations of songs by Otis Redding, Albert King and Ann Peebles, among others

Produced by Perry Margouleff, "The Royal Sessions" pairs Rodgers with an all-star roster of legendary musicians who played on the original hits dating back to the '60's. The classic rhythm section includes Reverend Charles Hodges (Hammond B3), Michael Tolls (guitar), LeRoy Hodges Jr. (bass), "Hubby" Archie Turner (Wurlitzer), Steve Potts and James Robertson Sr. (drums), The Royal Horns and the Royal Singers. - Check out the cover here.




Ace Frehley Lands New Record Deal
(hennemusic) Original KISS guitarist Ace Frehley has signed a new two-album deal with eOne Music. Frehley announced his new deal with eOne Music Friday morning on the Mancow radio show in Chicago.

This summer, Ace was in the studio recording with drummer Matt Starr (Burning Rain) and bassist Chris Wyse (The Cult, Owl) for the follow up to his 2009 release, "Anomaly."

Frehley is also working on a companion to 2011's "No Regrets: A Rock 'N' Roll Memoir", which debuted at #10 on the New York Times "Hardcover Nonfiction" best sellers list upon its release in 2011. - Check out video here.





Pearl Jam Broadcasting Lightning Bolt Tour Shows
(hennemusic) Pearl Jam has begun airing concerts from their current "Lightning Bolt" tour on its Pearl Jam Radio channel on SiriusXM. The first show from the tour, which took place in Pittsburgh, PA on October 11, debuted last Friday, November 15.

The channel will premiere a different show from the tour each Friday at 6:00 pm ET, with rebroadcasts on Saturdays at 7:00 pm ET and Sundays at 2:00 pm ET.

Concerts are accessible on Pearl Jam Radio via satellite on channel 22, through the SiriusXM Internet Radio App on smartphones and other connected devices, and online at siriusxm.com. - more on this story




Quireboys Laughs Off Drummer Woes and Accept Spinal Tap Comparison
(Classic Rock) Quireboys frontman Spike has laughed off the band's drummer woes – and accepted a comparison with Spinal Tap. They recently parted ways with Matt Goom, the eleventh man to sit behind the kit, who said: "I'm now ready for a new adventure and I will see you all very soon." The current stand-in is Simon Hanson of Squeeze.

Asked if Spinal Tap used the Quireboys as a role model, Spike tells Austrian TV show Mulatschag: "Exactly. We've had 25 since the start. You couldn't make it up, could you?"

He recalls how late Little Angels man Michael Lee replaced Jason Bonham, who was still packing up when the new man arrived. "They were never very good friends," he says. "The look on each others' faces… originally Jason didn't get the job with Page and Plant – they gave it to Michael."

And Spike says his memories of working with former manager Sharon Osbourne are good. - Read what he had to say.




Arcane Roots Ask Fans To Pick Cover Songs For Upcoming Tour
(Prog) Arcane Roots have invited fans to submit cover versions they'd like to hear the band tackling. And they've vowed to choose one on every day of their upcoming tour, record it and post it online.

The band is currently gearing up for a run of headline shows with support from Empire and Verses, followed by a set of support slots with Coheed And Cambria.

If you want to suggest a cover for the group, just use the hashtag #OneCoverADay or #ARUKTour and Arcane Roots will select from the resulting list.

The band has also released a video for their upcoming single, Resolve, due for release on December 9. View it - here.




Bill Wyman Has Warning For Blues Fans
(The Blues) Bill Wyman has issued a warning to people who are starting to explore blues music, telling them to be cautious over where they begin. The former Rolling Stone believes the genre he loves is at risk from low-quality output which leads to stereotyping.

Wyman tells the Yorkshire Post: "People should be very careful about what blues music they listen to when they start. Because if they start off with something that's not very good quality it will put them off for life.

"At its worst, blues can be really dull and boring. But if they're listening to Muddy Waters, Elmore James, Little Walter, Jimmy Reed or people like that, they'll get the really good quality blues.

"A lot of it's got fantastic humour; some of it's saucy. A lot of it is very close to the edge." - more on this story




Black Sabbath Release Paranoid Video
(hennemusic) Black Sabbath have released a preview video of their performance of the classic "Paranoid" from their forthcoming live DVD, "Black Sabbath – Gathered In Their Masses."

Due November 26, the set features the band recorded over two shows – April 29 and May 1 – in Melbourne, Australia during the early stages of the group's current world tour.

In support of their latest album, "13", Black Sabbath launches a fall tour through Europe this Thursday, November 20 in Helsinki, Finland. Check out the "Paranoid" video - here.




KISS' Music From The Elder Still Controversial 32 Years Later
(Classic Rock) Kiss' Music From The Elder was released on November 16, 1981 – 32 years ago this month. Was it the band's worst album or was it an unheralded masterpiece?

Art or arrogance? Love it or hate it, Music From The Elder has long been considered to be the most divisive album released by Kiss (yes, even more so than Psycho Circus or Carnival Of Souls). The Elder is so divisive, in fact, that even we at Classic Rock can't make up our minds about it!

A couple of years back we included The Elder in a list of the Top 50 Worst Albums Ever, saying:

The Pan-Stik'd rock titans dropped a bollock the size of Jupiter with this bafflingly bad tale of one boy's stand against extra-terrestrial invaders.* So embarrassing that guitarist Ace Frehley left the band soon afterwards. The Elder reached its nadir with the God Of Thunder's uber-syrupy ballad A World Without Heroes – closer to Diana Ross than Kiss. Only The Oath kicked something approaching arse.

…Oops! We obviously forgot that way back in Classic Rock issue 72 (November 2004 edition) we named The Elder as one of the 20 Most Underrated Rock Albums Ever, saying:

The Elder was a mad concept album that confused the hell out of everyone. A colossal failure in sales terms, this anomalous release nonetheless has much to recommend it. A spooky atmosphere is conjured up by bizarre opening track The Oath, and a sense of impending doom never departs. For The Elder Kiss rehired Bob Ezrin, who had produced their 1976 classic Destroyer, and whose last project had been Pink Floyd's The Wall. Which probably accounts for much of the demented nature of The Elder. Surprisingly, some of the songs were even co-written with Mr Lou Reed.

Here's what Ace himself had to say about The Elder in his book No Regrets, A Rock'N'Roll Memoir: Bob Ezrin is a brilliant producer, but when it came to the ninth Kiss studio album (and what would turn out to be, for all practical purposes, my last Kiss album for a while), Music From The Elder, I disagreed with him and the band on many issues. I could see it from the beginning. I had the street smarts and common sense to take a giant step back and look at the project with an objective eye, and I knew it was a colossal mistake in judgment. Paul, Gene and Bob didn't get it. They went forward with the whole ridiculous concept.

As anyone who knows rock'n'roll can tell you, concept records can be career killers even for the most talented bands. The problem is that instead of ending up with a masterpiece like Tommy, you could end up with Saucy Jack, Spinal Tap's unproduced rock opera about Jack The Ripper. - More from Ace and a lot more.




Queen's Roger Taylor Streams Bonus Song Online
(hennemusic) Queen drummer Roger Taylor is streaming "Dear Mr. Murdoch (Nude Mix)", a bonus track from his newly-released solo album, "Fun On Earth", as included in the career-spanning collection "The Lot."

Recorded at Priory Studios in Surrey, the project marks Taylor's first new solo album in 15 years. In addition to the solo album, Roger has also released "The Lot" - the complete collection of his back catalog of solo work and material from The Cross.

The material is available in stunning limited collector's editions and digital formats. "The Lot" comprises Roger's solo albums "Fun In Space" (1981), "Strange Frontier" (1984), "Happiness?" (1994), "Electric Fire" (1998) and "Fun On Earth", as well as the three albums by his band The Cross – "Shove It" (1988), "Mad, Bad And Dangerous To Know" (1990) and "Blue Rock" (1991). - Check out the song here.



Rush Releases Two Performances From Upcoming DVD
(hennemusic) Rush have released performance videos of the songs "Red Sector A" and "Middletown Dreams" from their forthcoming live DVD, "Clockwork Angels Tour."

Due November 19, Rush were filmed and recorded last November at the American Airlines Arena in Dallas, Texas. The 11-month marathon world tour crossed North America twice and ventured overseas to Europe in support of the band's acclaimed 2012 studio release "Clockwork Angels."

In capturing the tour's three-hour set, "Rush: Clockwork Angels Tour" pairs Rush classics ('Tom Sawyer', 'The Spirit Of Radio', '2112'), with a nod to the '80s Rush era ('The Analog Kid', 'Territories', 'Subdivisions') alongside newly reworked arrangements specifically for the tour featuring the Clockwork Angels String Ensemble ('Headlong Flight', 'YYZ', 'Red Sector A'). The string section marks the first time the trio has brought additional musicians on the road with them. To showcase their latest studio release, the epic set list also features nine tracks off "Clockwork Angels." Other highlights include tracks rarely performed and never before recorded live ('The Body Electric', 'Middletown Dreams'), in addition to three separate drum solos by Neil Peart. - Watch the videos here.




Jolly Get Animated With Mike Portnoy In New Video
(Prog) Jolly have released an animated video for their track Lucky. It's taken from The Audio Guide To Happiness Part 2, which the band finally released in March after fighting back from seeing their studio devastated by Hurricane Sandy.

They tell Purevolume: "We took time out of our busy schedule to do some arts and crafts to make our latest animated video. We made the most we could out of cardboard, hot glue, and computer software. Jolly loves you."

The promo includes a scene featuring Mike Portnoy – the band hint: "Look for the puppy nursery van." Look for it as you watch the brand new music video

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