Today's Day in Rock News!

Today's Day in Rock


New Jimi Hendrix Song Streaming Online
(Classic Rock) Jimi Hendrix's track Somewhere, taken from new album People, Hell And Angels, can now be streamed online.
The psychedelic blues jam track was recorded in 1968 as the guitar icon experimented with sonic directions for the follow-up to Electric Ladyland. It features Steven Stills on bass and Buddy Miles on drums.

Posthumous unheard record People, Hell And Angels will be released in March 4 in a Classic Rock Fanpack which includes the full 12-track album, a 124-page magazine and a giant poster. more on this story



John Fogerty, Stevie Nicks, Corey Taylor, Nirvana For Grohl Supergroup
(hennemusic) Dave Grohl has revealed the band lineup for his Sound City Players show at Sundance next week.

The impressive collection of players for the January 18 date includes John Fogerty, Stevie Nicks, Slipknot's Corey Taylor, Nirvana bandmates Krist Novoselic and Pat Smear (also a Foo), the full Foo Fighters crew, Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick, Chris Goss and others.

All of the musicians are featured on the soundtrack for "Sound City," the new film directed by Grohl, which will premiere at the Sundance Festival prior to the live show at Park City Live. See who else will be part of the band.




Steve Howe Leaves Asia
Asia cofounder Steve Howe has left the group in order to devote his attention to his other projects including with the band Yes.

The guitarist cofounded Asia in 1981 with John Wetton, Geoff Downes and Carl Palmer. Howe had the following to say to fans about his departure, according to Blabbermouth.:

"Myself and the band wish to thank their fans for the enthusiasm shown during the original members' reunion. I will continue with Yes, and with my trio and solo guitar work. I wish my friends continued success."




Dr Feelgood's Wilko Johnson Has Terminal Cancer
(Classic Rock) Wilko Johnson has terminal cancer, it's been confirmed. The 65-year-old former Dr Feelgood guitarist has refused chemotherapy and aims to keep performing concerts for as long as he can.

In a statement on Johnson's Facebook page manager Robert Hoy says: "I am very sad to announce that Wilko has recently been diagnosed with terminal cancer of the pancreas. He has chosen not to receive any chemotherapy.

"He is currently in good spirits, is not yet suffering any physical effects and can expect to enjoy at least another few months of reasonable health and activity." more on this story




Def Leppard At War With Universal
(Classic Rock) Frontman Joe Elliott says Def Leppard's former record label, Universal, should treat the band with more respect because "we built their penthouse sushi bar".

Leppard are re-recording as much of their back catalogue as possible after failing to reach an agreement with Universal over digital releases. And last month the band cut five acoustic songs performed during their Rock Of Ages tour for a medley released to iTunes.

"We're trying to wrestle back our career and ownership of these songs," said Elliott in an interview in the latest issue of Classic Rock. "They [Universal] own the originals, we're at loggerheads with them over the digital rights. And as long as they're playing silly buggers we'll just keep recording them again."

The singer continued: "Until we can come to some kind of humane conclusion to this ridiculous stand-off, we're going to say: 'F**k you!' We were offered a great deal two years ago and shook hands on it. And then some other twat at the label put a stop to it. It's our life and our music and we're not going to let them exploit us to the extent that they're trying to." more on this story



Three Days Grace Recruit My Darkest Days Singer For Upcoming Tour
Three Days Grace frontman Adam Gontier has left the group due to health issues and the band have recruited My Darkest Days singer Matt Walst to fill in for the group's upcoming coheadlining tour with Shinedown.

The tour is set to kick off on February 1st in Moline, Il. Brad Walst had the following to say about the trek:

"We were surprised and distressed by Adam's sudden departure. We are however very excited for this upcoming tour, and to have my brother Matt stepping in as lead singer."

You can listen to Matt in rehearsal with Three Days Grace performing "The High Road," "Chalk Outline" and "Riot" here.




Grade and Somehow Hollow's Kent Abbott Dead At 32
Somehow Hollow frontman and former Grade guitarist Kent Abbott died on Monday January 7th. He was 32 years-old.

A cause of death has not yet been disclosed. His former band Grade confirmed his passing with the following Twitter post:

"Shocked and saddened to hear that friend and Grade/Somehow Hollow guitarist Kent Abbott passed away. All our thoughts are with his family."

Other musicians have responded to the sad news, read those here.




AC/DC Bon Scott Play Set For Non-Theater Performance
(hennemusic) The first ever non-theater performance of "Hell Ain't A Bad Place To Be - The Story Of Bon Scott" will take place on February 19 at The Corner Hotel in Richmond, Victoria, Australia.

The show will honor the 33rd anniversary of the passing of late AC/DC legend Bon Scott, who died in 1980 at age of 33.

The show stars Nick Barker on vocals, Tommy Boyce and Justin Garner on guitars, Alex Raunjak on bass, and Steve Brown on drums.

"Hell Ain't A Bad Place To Be" tells the story of Bon Scott's life – his childhood, his family, his secrets, the bands that came before his rise to fame with AC/DC, and his rock and roll dreams. more on this story




Black Star Riders Explain New Song
(hennemusic) Former Thin Lizzy members – now known as Black Star Riders - entered the studio this week with producer Kevin Shirley to record their debut album.

The group adopted the new band name out of respect to the legacy of the late Phil Lynott and to start the project with a clean slate.

Now, guitarist Damon Johnson explains the roots of a new track, "Hoodoo Voodoo." "Thin Lizzy was the music of my life, especially those great guitar parts," says Johnson from the studio. "There was something about this riff that very much sounds like it could have been on 'Johnny The Fox' or 'Bad Reputation.' I had this moment in there today when we were tracking it and Scott and I were like standing right in front of each other…his vibrato is one of the greatest of all time and I've totally tried to emulate Scott my whole life…and I had this moment of 'holy sh*t, I'm in the studio with Scott Gorham, playing a lick that I came up with one morning that sounds just like Thin Lizzy.'" Watch the studio report here.





Visconti Says David Bowie Releasing Real Rock Album
(Classic Rock) David Bowie producer Tony Visconti says surprise album The Next Day is a real rock record, despite the slow, introverted nature of first single Where Are We Now?

The icon astonished fans by releasing the new track and details of the full-length work on his 66th birthday yesterday. Many believed he'd retired from making music. It had also been rumoured that his health was failing after he suffered a heart attack in 2004, then ended public appearances two years later.

But Visconti, who's now worked with Bowie on 13 releases, tells the BBC: "We all know he had a health scare in 2004. But David is extremely healthy. He's rosy-cheeked, he smiles a lot.

"He still has that power in his voice – when he starts singing I have to back off and leave him in front of a microphone." more on this story




Rival Sons Kick Off North American Tour Dates
Rival Sons will be heading north later this month in support of their new studio album, Head Down.

The band kicked off a series of Western U.S. dates last night with a sold out hometown show in Los Angeles. They have lined up shows in Orange County, San Francisco, Portland, Or and Seattle before heading across the border.

The Canadian tour will kick off in Vancouver on January 31st and will conclude on February 16th in London, On.

Earache Records have released "Head Down" digitally in the U.S. and the physical copies of the album will be hitting stores on March 5th. more on this story




Randy Rhoads Family Sues Over Book
The estate and family of late Ozzy Osbourne and Quiet Riot guitarist Randy Rhoads have filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court against the authors and publisher of a new coffee table book about the legendary musician.

The following announcement about the lawsuit and their reasons for it was sent out: In late 2012 Randy Rhoads mother, Delores Rhoads, siblings Kathryn Rhoads D'Argenzio and Kelle Rhoads, learned that a coffee table book titled "Randy Rhoads" had been released, co-authored by Andrew Klein and rock writer Steven Rosen with the assistance of Peter Margolis and Denny Anderson.

The family obtained a copy of the book. They were both astonished and horrified to see that Klein and Margolis are holding themselves out as "experts" on the life of Randy Rhoads, implying that they had the approval and cooperation of the Rhoads family, which they did not.

On April 1, 2007, Margolis entered into an agreement with the Rhoads family to produce a single documentary film on the life of Randy Rhoads. Margolis assured the family that the film would be completed within three years. From that point on, however, Margolis himself did not own any of the ideas and materials obtained or created in the production of the documentary, or any of the photos, videos or sound recordings collected for use in it, having assigned all of that to Dakota Films, the company financing and producing the documentary. Over the next several years, Margolis, Klein and others, working for Dakota Films, went forward with the project. Although Margolis reportedly claimed, as of early 2012, that the documentary was completed – "in the can"—it has never been released. Individuals who saw portions of it during production have reported that it was "edited poorly and unprofessionally," and that the quality of the film was "abysmal." The Rhoads family was frustrated by what they considered the mediocre quality of Margolis's film, and by the fact that the "official documentary" they had so long hoped for had never come to fruition. This has been especially painful for Randy's mother, Delores Rhoads, who is now in her nineties, and has spent the last three decades carefully preserving and advancing the legacy of her son. more on this story




Opeth and Katatonia North American Tour
Opeth will be launching a North America tour this April and May that will feature direct support from Katatonia.

The 30+ city tour is set to kick off on April 18th in Buffalo, NY and will wrap up on May 26th in Santa Cruz, Ca.

Opeth are hitting the road in support of their most recent studio album, Heritage and the tour will feature a headliner appearance at the England Metal & Hardcore Festival with Anthrax, Hatebreed and Suicidal Tendencies.

The tour will kick off on April 18th in Buffalo and will take the band throughout North America on a 30+ city tour. Katatonia has been confirmed as direct support for the tour. more on this story




Sweet Revisit Desolation Boulevard With New Digital Album
Sweet have released a digital live album of the group performing their 1974 'Desolation Boulevard' in its entirety.

Sweet's 'Desolation Boulevard Revisited' features the new live performances of the classic hits 'Ballroom Blitz', 'Fox On The Run' and 'The Six Teens'.

Founding member Andy Scott had this to say, "Sweet's 'Desolation Boulevard' album was groundbreaking back in 1974 and proved to be a major influence on soon to be famous rock bands such as Kiss, Motley Crue, Def Leppard and many more.

"The album was a tightly produced collection of Power Pop Heavy Rock Radio Friendly tunes that still sound great today. This was the album that accelerated SWEET into a Major Headlining Touring Band in the '70s, a testament of anyone who saw the band 'live'. Several of the songs from the album have been covered by other artists which pays true homage to a great band. Now in 2013 we have 'Desolation Boulevard Revisited'. more on this story




Ryan Adams Iron Maiden Cover Featured On New Soundtrack
(Radio.com) The popular Showtime series Californication returns for its 6th season Sunday January 13 at 10:30 pm ET, and two days later, the show's soundtrack will be released, featuring covers of some iconic classic rock and metal artists.

Former Sex Pistol Steve Jones leads off the album with a cover of David Bowie's "Suffragette City," and country-rocker Ryan Adams does a much different take on Iron Maiden's metal classic "Wasted Years".

Up-and-coming Americana singer Lissie offers a not-too-different version of Metallica's ballad "Nothing Else Matters." Read more and grab links to check out some of the covers.




New Clutch Song Streaming Online
(Classic Rock) Clutch have released the title track from upcoming album Earth Rocker and you can hear it online.

Their tenth album hits shelves in March and they'll tour across the US and Europe in the coming months.

Classic Rock recently said of Clutch's live show: "They've proved themselves to be the beating heart of 21st-century rock'n'roll. Out of step with the times but by no means retro, their supremacy is something to be very smug about indeed." Listen to the song here.




Black Sabbath Enlist Shihad For Upcoming Tour
Black Sabbath have recruited veteran New Zealand band Shihad to support them on their upcoming tour.

The tour will be taking place this April and March and will include several stops in New Zealand and Australia.

Black Sabbath will be launching the tour in support of the forthcoming album, their first with original frontman Oozy Osbourne since 1977's "Never Say Die." more on this story




Original Love/Hate Guitarist Says Demos Were Better Than Their Albums
(Classic Rock) Original Love/Hate guitarist Jon E Love insists the band's demos for classic albums Blackout In The Red Room and Wasted In America sounded better than the final releases.

Frontman Jizzy Pearl has announced a tour with a lineup featuring Robbie Crane (Ratt), Keri Kelly (Alice Cooper) and Matt Starr (Ace Frehley). While Love is scheduled to appear at a handful of shows he's not expected to take part in the UK dates through March and April.

But the return to action has given the guitarist cause to think about the band's past, and the heady days of the early 1990s. more on this story





Singled Out: Adler
Today Jacob Bunton from Adler tells us about their new single "Good To Be Bad" which comes from their debut album "Better Off Dead". Here's the story:

"Good To Be Bad" is an anthem that almost everyone can relate to. No matter what you do in life, there is a dark place rooted in your mind that you can't run away from. Some try to turn it off and others embrace it, but it's always there.

It's like the old cartoons that portray an angel on your left shoulder and a devil on the right. We all have free will to do right or wrong, but sometimes the line is blurred depending on religion, morals, political beliefs, life circumstances, etc.

This song is written from the view point of someone living in excess and just not caring about the consequences. It was one of the most fun songs to record. John 5 from Rob Zombie came in and played guitar on the track and absolutely nailed it. It's my favorite song off the record to play live.

Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen for yourself and watch their new lyric video here.




Conan Previews Jack White Serious Jibber-Jabber Session
(hennemusic) Jack White will be a guest on Conan O'Brien's TBS show tonight and Conan has offered up a preview of the conversation.

Jack and Conan talk for a long time about art, success, and upholstery on a special episode of Serious Jibber-Jabber - shot entirely on 35mm film.

White is currently nominated for three Grammys for "Blunderbuss", including Album of the Year, Best Rock Album, and "Freedom At 21" for Best Rock Song. Watch the preview here.




Video of Rush's Rock Walk Induction Posted Online
(hennemusic) On November 20, 2012, radio personality Jim Ladd introduced Rush, to fans and press, as they were inducted into the historic Guitar Center RockWalk. Guitar Center has just released a video highlights package from the event.

Geddy Lee, Neil Peart and Alex Lifeson placed their hand prints onto the wet cement which was later placed next to the palms and faces of other legendary musicians in front of the world famous Guitar Center Hollywood on Sunset Blvd.

Guitar Center's RockWalk is dedicated to honoring those artists who have made a significant impact and lasting contribution to the growth and evolution of Rock 'n' Roll, Blues and R&B.