Today's Day in Rock News!

Today's Day in Rock


Alice In Chains Plan Spring Tour
Alice In Chains have announced the initial dates for their upcoming North American tour.
The tour is set to kick off on April 25th in Miami Beach and the band has announced dates in Birmingham, Augusta, GA, Norfolk, VA, Bethlehem, PA, Pittsburgh, Sioux Falls, SD, Milwaukee, Philadelphia, Fort Wayne, IN, Evansville, IN, and Lincoln, NE.

The band will be hitting the road in support of their as-yet-titled new studio album, which reunited the group with producer Nick Raskulinecz (FooFighters, Deftones) who worked with them on their comeback album, "Black Gives Way To Blue." more on this story



Disturbed Singer's New Band Sets Release For All-Star Album
Disturbed's David Draiman and former Filter guitarist Geno Lenardo have announced the release of the debut album from their new project Device, which features an impressive guest list.

Device have set an April 9th release date for their self-titled album. The first single from the album,, ""Vilify"" is set to be released to radio on February 19th.

"It's not metal", Draiman says. "It's influenced by early Industrial rock (I.E. Nine Inch Nails/Ministry) and has a dark electronic vibe. At the same time, these are big, anthemic, and intensely melodic songs. It's futuristic rock."

The album was co-written and recorded by Draiman and Lenardo and they called on a variety of special guests to appear on the album including Serj Tankian of System of a Down, Geezer Butler of Black Sabbath, Glenn Hughes of Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Black Country Communion, M. Shadows of Avenged Sevenfold) and Lizzy Hale of Halestorm. more on this story




Metallica Anniversary Inspired Jason Newsted To Launch New Band
(Classic Rock) Former Metallica bassist Jason Newsted says he had the best teacher ever in frontman James Hetfield when it came to learning how to lead his own band.

Newsted's self-titled outfit has released their first EP after he announced the end of a self-imposed semi-retirement last year. And he's credited fans for bringing him back when he found it difficult to keep going after quitting Metallica in 2001, despite work with Echobrain, Ozzy Osbourne, Voivod and others.

He insists it was important to give the new band his own name, telling Geeks Of Doom: "I wanted to make it very clear what was happening this time: that this was a fan-driven, enlightened, happening, offering. It was absolutely fuelled by the fans.

"When I played with Metallica at The Fillmore for the 30th anniversary shows I thought it was going to be fun. I had no idea the outcome was going to be like it was.

"The actual physical feeling from the fans, the energy, the respect, just the magnitude of it – I had no idea. It hit me hard, and it got better with each day as we played together and then I just felt it again. They called me back, and that's why we are talking now." more on this story




Lamb Of God's Randy Blythe Mentally Preparing For Manslaughter Trial
Lamb Of God frontman Randy Blythe shared his thoughts with fans as he prepares for his upcoming manslaughter trail in the Czech Republic.

This weekend Blythe had this to say via an Instagram posting: "The last 2 or 3 days I have been getting ready mentally to leave my home & return to Prague to do this whole trial thing in early February. It's not something I particularly WANT to do; but inside, my gut & heart tells me it is the RIGHT thing to do. I cannot turn my back [on] the right thing.

As I've been thinking, I've [been] shooting [pictures] a lot around my hometown. I love this place. A couple of days ago I went to my mechanic to get my truck worked on- the garage is over near the CSX train yard here in Richmond. I dropped off my truck & went creeping under the over pass that runs above the tracks. As usual, there was a lot of sleeping gear, trash, old mattresses & stuff that homeless people keep there. In my younger days, I used to ride freight trains across our country.

"I have spent many nights under bridges just like this one in freight yards across the USA. I have always loved to travel, & have been across the USA three times without a dime in my pocket most of the time, learning the survival skills of the hobos & street people of our country. You can get by with almost nothing if you know what you are doing. This old suit case sitting up on this ledge really captured my attention. I wonder what it once held? Safe travels to whoever owns it…" You can see the photos here.




The Breeders Announce Last Splash Anniversary Tour
The recently reunited Breeders have announced the initial dates for their upcoming Last Splash 20th anniversary tour.

The group will be heading to Europe in late May to kick off the tour where they will play the Last Splash album in its entirety.

LSXX, the 20th Anniversary reissue of the Breeders' Last Splash, is scheduled to be released in April.

More tour dates have been promised but there was no mention of North American tour plans in the announcement. more on this story




Uriah Heep and David Bowie Bassist Travor Bolder To Have Surgery
(Classic Rock) Uriah Heep bassist Trevor Bolder will bow out of the band for several months while he recovers from upcoming surgery, it's been announced.

The band will continue to work with John 'JJ' Jowitt of IQ, Ark, Arena, Jadis and Frost* renown. They'll play as planned in Israel at the end of the month.

Heep mainman Mick Box explains former Spiders From Mars member Bolder wants the band to keep going in his absence. He says: "We all wish Trevor a speedy return to the fold. In the meantime we're very pleased that JJ has agreed to step in and cover Trev's unique bass panache, which is so crucial to Heep's sound. JJ will also contribute to the signature five-part vocal operatics." more on this story




Bring Me The Horizon Announce Lineup Change and Set Album Release
Bring Me The Horizon have announced a lineup change and the release of their new studio album.

The band have replaced guitarist Jona Weinhofen with former Worship guitarist Jordan Fish. Weinhofen had this to say about his departure, "After a lot of time and thought I've decided to leave my current position as guitarist with Bring Me The Horizon. Things in the band have been very tense with a lot of disagreements between myself and certain members who I won't name.

"I'm thankful for my time with BMTH and I have met many good friends and been able to travel the world more. I'm planning on moving back to Australia to pursue other musical ventures."

The group has set an April 30th release date for their new studio album, Sempiternal. "There's a very euphoric sound coursing through the album, a very uplifting but yet sad sound," says frontman Oliver Sykes. "Electronically, it's far more advanced than anything we've done before." more on this story




Beatles Classic Enters The Public Domain
(Gibson) Thanks to a legal loophole, The Beatles' classic "Love Me Do" is currently in the public domain, free to be covered by anyone with the means to record, without approval or compensation for those involved in its creation.

The song has just entered the public domain in Europe, and small labels are already taking advantage of the opportunity to re-record the 1963 hit. Several have already rushed out their own versions of the song, and plenty more are expected. European copyright laws protect a recorded track for fifty years, which "Love Me Do" has just passed, as of January 1.

Other Beatles songs may mange to escape this most unauthorized of fates: the law is under consideration for an amendment this year, which would see the copyright period stretch from 50 years to 70 years (which is closer to the US threshold of 95 years), but the new protection isn't expected to be retroactive, so "Love Me Do" is destined to be reimagined, recast and otherwise re-recorded. more on this story






Senses Fail Releasing New Album in March
Senses Fail have set a March 26, 2013 North American release date for their fifth studio album, Renacer.

The album, pronounced ray-nah-serr, was recorded in Los Angeles, California at both The Airport Studio and Red Bull Studio with producer Shaun Lopez (Far, Deftones).

"We celebrated our 10 year anniversary in February 2012 and immediately got to work writing Renacer," says singer Buddy Nielsen. "The approach to this record was to embrace change and explore a different side of the band. The process was long, but was probably the smoothest out of any other record because we wrote without any boundaries. Renacer is by far our heaviest effort to date, which felt like a natural progression for us."

"We chose to work with Shaun because of our respect and love of the music he has made in Far and the work he has done over the years as a producer. Shaun was a huge asset in crafting and harnessing the heaviness of the record without sacrificing the clarity and natural sonics that we wanted." more on this story




Angels Frontman Determined To Beat Brain Tumor
(Classic Rock) Angels frontman Doc Neeson has told bandmates he will among the 20 per cent of patients who beat a form of aggressive brain tumor which resulted in him being hospitalized and all tour dates being cancelled.

Neeson, who turned 66 on January 4, was admitted to hospital shortly before Christmas complaining of pins and needles. He was immediately placed on a programme of chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

His plight has ended plans for him to front a second version of the iconic Australian pub-rock band, which would tour in competition with a line-up fronted by former Screaming Jets singer David Gleeson.

Drummer Buzz Bidstrup told News Limited of the diagnosis: "On a scale of one to four it's a four. But he's incredibly stoic and accepting; he's in great spirits." more on this story




Black Flag Founder Teams With Pro-Skater For Good For You
Good For You, the new band feature Black Flag's Greg Ginn and professional skateboarder Mike Vallely, will be releasing their debut album next month.

The group have set a February 26th release date for the album, entitled " Life is Too Short to Not Hold a Grudge."

"Greg and I had been talking about writing music together for many years, comments Vallely. "There was no real plan in place to "team up" or anything like that. It was more so just about the music. Creatively and artistically we just found a common road and from that came an output that became this new music and this new record."

"Working with Greg really opened me up as a writer and vocalist," he continues. "His approach to writing, recording and producing was so free that for the first time I feel I was really able to honestly express myself in the studio." more on this story




Awolnation Plan North American Tour
Awolnation will be hitting the road this spring for a North American headlining tour.

The 30-show trek will feature direct support from Blondfire with Mother Mother serving as the opening act.

The tour is set to kick off on March 8th in Lubbock, TX and will conclude on April 25 in Tulsa, OK.

Prior to the North American dates, Awolnation will launch a European tour that will include shows in Sweden, Norway, The Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Italy, Spain, Portugal, France, and the United Kingdom. more on this story




The Black Crowes Plan Second Reunion Tour Leg Following Sell Outs
The Black Crowes plan to add a second leg to their upcoming Lay Down With Number 13 reunion tour after several shows sold out for the first leg.

The band has sold out shows for the first leg in London, England, Port Chester, NY, New York City, Washington, DC, Chicago, Nashville, Boston, St. Louis and Atlanta.

"We're thrilled and honored and look forward to sharing our music with everyone," says Chris Robinson more on this story




With Honor and My Heart To Joy Reuniting For Sandy Hook Benefit
With Honor and My Heart To Joy will both be reuniting for a benefit concert for the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting that will take place next month.

The benefit concert will also feature Hostage Calm, Call It Arson and Ovlov and will take place on February 9th at the Hungarian Club in Wallingford, Connecticut.

Misery Signals, Life In Your Way, Make Do And Mend, Corelia and TWIABP for a related benefit concert the previous night that is set to take place at the El N Gee in New London.

""The Sandy Hook tragedy hit close to home for a lot of us involved in the Connecticut scene," said Hostage Calm guitarist Tom Chiari. "Everyone felt an immediate need to help those affected and these two amazing shows are the result. Our hope is that the greater community will come together for the weekend to celebrate and pay tribute to those affected by the tragedy."

Greg Thomas, guitarist of Misery Signals and owner of CT recording studio Silver Bullet Studios had this to say: "It is always an incredible thing to see the strength that small communities can have when they unify and work together. The circumstances that have garnered this are nothing short of horrific, but I am proud to see the outpouring of compassion and support from everybody involved in making this truly special weekend come together. I hope that the friends who are scattered about this country can travel home for this. Connecticut hardcore punk, for these two days, lets stand as one in tribute."
Get more information here.




The Flaming Lips and The Black Keys Plan Mini Tour
The Flaming Lips and The Black Keys will be teaming up for a handful of tour dates in the U.S. this spring.

The dates will take place in late April and early May and include stops in Kansas City, Pittsburgh, Atlanta and Nashville.

have announced that they will perform four upcoming shows together in April and May. Tickets go on sale today. Click here for details.

The Flaming Lips will be touring around the release of their new studio album, The Terror, which will be released sometime this spring. more on this story




Alan Parsons Plans Rare U.S. Live Performances
Alan Parsons has announced a series of rare live performances in the U.S. as part of his forthcoming world tour.

The Alan Parsons Live Project is set to kick off on Valentine's Day (Feb. 14th) in Fort Pierce, FL and will include stops in across Florida before heading to the west coast.

The February 15th stop in Clearwater, Fl at the Ruth Eckerd Hall will include lasers and a symphony orchestra.

The tour also coincides with the 40th Anniversary of Parsons engineering Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon. more on this story




The Moody Blues' Justin Hayward Releasing New Solo Album
The Moody Blues star Justin Hayward has set a February 26th release date for his new album Spirits Of The Western Sky.

The album was recorded in Genoa, Italy and Nashville, and is Hayward's first solo album since 1996's The View From The Hill.

Some of the tracks feature orchestrations by Academy Award-winning composer Anne Dudley. "Anne [Dudley] is one of the true greats," states Justin, "in the same rarefied class of orchestrators as Peter Knight, who was such an inspiration in my early Moody Blues days.

"I've worked with Anne on different projects over the years and it's always a joy (when she is arranging, all the studio musicians know it's going to be wonderful). more on this story




Helloween Co-Headlining The 70,000 Tons Of Metal Cruise
Helloween will be setting sail later this month as the co-headliner of the 2013 70,000 Tons Of Metal Cruise.

This year's cruise will be sailing from Miami to the Turks and Caicos Islands beginning Jan 28, 2013 and will include over 32 metal bands over 5 days.

Helloween will appearing in support of their new studio album, Straight Out Of Hell, which will be released on January 22nd. more on this story




AC/DC Headphones Coming Soon
(hennemusic) German company On.Earz has launched a new line of on-ear headphones licensed from AC/DC and the estates of Elvis Presley and James Dean.

The unveiling happened last week in Las Vegas at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES).

The Mac Observer reports the Legends series is priced at €99, and the company said that it expects to price them at US$99 for the U.S. market when it launches later in the first quarter of this year. more on this story




Keith Emerson and Quincy Jones Tribute Claude Nobs
(Gibson) Claude Nobs, the man behind the prestigious Montreux Jazz Festival passed away on January 10 after a skiing accident during Christmas.

Nobs co-founded the jazz festival in 1967 with pianist Geo Voumard and journalist Rene Langel and with backing from Atlantic Records President, Nesuhi Erteguen.

Rock fans will know Nobs as Funky Claude from Deep Purple's "Smoke On The Water," which recalls a fire at the Montreaux festival in 1971.

Quincy Jones tweeted: "There are no words to express the deep sorrow and hollowness in my heart that comes with news of Claude Nobs."

Keith Emerson, told Progrockmag.com: "Claude was responsible for turning a sleepy Swiss village, once a year, into a haven of jazz, blues, rock and even classical. Every artist that meant anything almost begged to be there.

Read Claude Nobs's account of the story behind "Smoke on the Water" here. more on this story






Conan Premieres New Coheed and Cambria Video
Team Coco are getting fans ready for Coheed and Cambria's appearance on Conan's late night show on TBS next week with the exclusive online premiere of the band's new video.

Team Coco premiered the video for "Dark Side Of Me" which comes from the band's new album, "The Afterman: Descension." The new album is the conclusion of their two-part concept releases and will hit stores on February 4th.

Part one, "The Afterman: Ascension" was released in October. The band will be performing the new single on Conan's show next Thursday (January 21st). Watch the video




Local Musicians Launch Effort To Save Legendary Beatles, Rolling Stones Venue
(Classic Rock) Newcastle City Hall, one of the UK's most legendary venues and a staple of the rock and pop touring circuit since the 1950s, is under threat of closure. The Hall is owned by Newcastle City Council and its future is uncertain due to budget cuts.

Newcastle City Hall has played host to The Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, Led Zeppelin, Buddy Holly, The Eagles, Santana and thousands more. A large section of Don't Look Back, the documentary about Bob Dylan's controversial 1965 UK tour, was filmed backstage at the City Hall.

Save The City Hall, a four-song CD aimed at raising awareness of the potential fate facing the 85-year-old building has just been released by the North East All Stars and is also available for download via iTunes. more on this story




Singled Out: Recovery Council
Today Recovery Council guitarist/vocalist Rebeca Qualls tells us about the song "Reform" from their brand new album "Plan-Do-Check-Act," which is being released today (1/15). Here is the story:

It started as a couple of guitar parts for a previously untitled song I had written back when I was an undergrad at NC State. I was playing in an alt/rock band with a couple of guys, and guitar was still new and different to me, as I was primarily a bassist in metal bands. So the bass player in me would try to reproduce rhythm notes/chords on the top strings while the hack guitar player in me would strum the bottom strings in reverse to create sustain and texture. It was one of the first songs I used an alternate tuning on, and it was also one of the first songs where I threw an occasional wrench in the time signature. Somehow those two concepts stuck and have become part of my somewhat lopsided foundation as a guitarist.

Now comes the serious part…the lyrics to "Reform" are pretty personal. They stem from a period of time where I had to put music and writing on hold to get other parts of my life together. I had been questioning my path and where I wanted to be, all the while noting that time was just ticking away. I usually would tangle through all these thoughts and feelings to clear my head by creating music and writing because, truth be told, I think too damn much as it is. And at the time I was doing neither. This was never how I imagined being, and it was depressing. As a result, I struggled with my own reservations, and was well on my way to becoming the polar opposite of the rational me who refused to postpone joy. I knew I needed to start rebuilding music and writing back into my life and do what I love, regardless of odds, adversity, or outcome. I've never been the type of person who is content with the status quo, and the easy road has rarely if ever been an option. I was thinking about this one day and the image of "flying a kite along some power lines in a thunderstorm" came to my mind. It eventually became the refrain of the song, and the rest of the lyrics were built around it to describe the catalyst for the change that I needed to bounce back.