Today's Day in Rock News!

Today's Day in Rock


Mick Jagger Hints At Rolling Stones Playing Major Festival
(Gibson) The Rolling Stones are likely not finished with their run of live shows, says Mick Jagger. Speaking with New Musical Express, the Stones frontman said,
"Well, I'm just looking at what offers are coming in for this year and sorting them out. I hate announcing things when they're not booked. People are always like, 'Yakety yak, you didn't do that in the end', and I say, 'Well, yeah, we never really announced it!'"

Jagger declined to offer specifics, but when asked if the band might appear at this year's Glastonbury Festival in England, he didn't rule out the possibility. "There are other things in the world, you know, apart from Glastonbury," he said. "But then again, Glastonbury is very important. It seems to be very important to my children -- highlight of their year!"

Later Jagger returned to the topic of Glastonbury, and seemed to drop a broader hint. "Is it going to be rainy on the Sunday [of the festival]?" he asked. "Isn't it nearly always rainy on the Sunday?" The Glastonbury Festival is held annually in Pilton, England. This year the event runs from Wednesday, June 26, through Sunday, June 30. more on this story




Guns N' Roses' Axl Rose Close To Losing Activision Battle?
(hennemusic) Reports out of Los Angeles suggest that Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose may be close to losing his $20 million lawsuit against Activision.

According to Billboard.biz, at a summary judgment hearing Thursday, L.A. Superior Court Judge Charles Palmer reportedly indicated that he is inclined to dismiss Rose's suit against Activision Blizzard for fraudulently inducing him into authorizing "Welcome to the Jungle" for use in the popular video game Guitar Hero III. At the conclusion of the hearing, according to an attorney involved in the case, the judge took the matter under submission.

In the lawsuit, Rose claimed he was told during negotiations that the game wouldn't feature any reference to Slash, the guitarist with whom he has been famously feuding for two decades.

The possibly fatal problem for Rose was not moving soon enough on the allegations. more on this story




Black Sabbath Finish Recording Reunion Album
(hennemusic) Black Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler is sharing an update on the band's new album, which is set for release later this year.

"We're finished recording it," Geezer tells That Metal Show's Eddie Trunk. "Tony [Iommi]'s back in England putting down a couple of solos. Then we start mixing it in February, and it'll be out in June."

"The provisional title is '13', unless we can come up with something more constructive."

For the new project, Geezer continues his long-established role as principal lyricist for the band.

"I've written most of the lyrics," he explains. "Ozzy [Osbourne] comes out with the titles and then gives me an inspiration to write the lyrics, I think we've got 16 songs and I've written 14 sets of lyrics." more on this story




The Who and Elvis Costello Team For Cancer Benefit Concert
The Who and Elvis Costello & The Imposters will be teaming up for an intimate benefit concert at the end of the month.

The concert will benefit Teen Cancer America and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and will take place at The Theater at Madison Square Garden on February 28.

According to the announcement, funds raised from the benefit concert will go towards helping hospitals develop units designed to give the very best chance of a positive outcome both physically and emotionally.

In addition to state-of-the-art facilities to keep patients occupied during long stays in hospital, the units will strive to provide an environment where they can meet others in a similar situation, helping to support their transition between teen and adulthood. more on this story



Rob Zombie Covering Grand Funk Railroad Classic On New Album
(hennemusic) Rob Zombie is revealing more details about his forthcoming studio album, "Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor".

Zombie is offering a partial song list for the project, due April 23, and among the tracks is a cover of Grand Funk Railroad's "We're An American Band."

The first single will be "Dead City Radio And The New Gods Of Super Town", alongside such tracks as "Ging Gang Gong De Do Gong De Laga Raga", "Lucifer Rising" and "Behold! The Pretty Filthy Creatures".

"I think for the first time this new album perfectly merges the old days of White Zombie with the future of what I am doing now," says Rob. more on this story




Led Zeppelin To Receive Lifetime Achievement Award
(hennemusic) Led Zeppelin will receive the inaugural International Lifetime Achievement Award at the Echo Awards in Berlin, Germany on March 21.

Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones will accept the award on behalf of the band; Robert Plant is unable to attend due to a scheduled concert date on the same night in Singapore.

The Echo Awards are presented by the German Phono Academy, the cultural institute of the Federal Association of Music Industry (BVMI). more on this story




Adrenaline Mob Plan Spring Tour and Covers CD Release
Adrenaline Mob have announced the dates for the first of two legs for their North American spring tour.

The tour leg will be kicking off on March 12th in New Haven, CT and will conclude on April 7th in Richmond VA.

The same day that the tour kicks off the group will be releasing their very first covers CD, Coverta, featuring the band's take on classics from Dio, The Doors, Van Halen, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin and more.

Adrenaline Mob features Russell Allen (Symphony X), Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater), and Mike Orlando (Sonic Stomp). more on this story




Rolling Stones, Usher, Kate Upton and Willem Dafoe For Super Bowl Ad
(hennemusic) A Rolling Stones classic is fuelling a new Super Bowl commercial for Mercedes-Benz.

"Sympathy For The Devil" is the musical backdrop to the car company's ad for its new CLA model; the commercial features a star-studded cast that includes Usher, Kate Upton and Willem Dafoe.

Adweek reports Dafoe tries to get a regular guy in a bar to sell his soul for the new vehicle. The offer sends the guy into an elaborate fantasy in which the car raises his social status to the point where he's hitting red carpets with Kate Upton and dancing with Usher. Watch it here.




Sass Jordan and Brian Tichy's S.U.N. New Release Date and Video Stream
Something Unto Nothing (S.U.N.) have set a new release date for their debut album, which was pushed back after Brian Tichy had to undergo surgery for a broken collarbone suffered in a mountain bike accident.

The new supegroup features vocalist Sass Jordan, Tichy on guitar (Whitesnake, Billy Idol, Foreigner, Ozzy), Michael Devin on bass (Whitesnake, Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Experience, Kenny Wayne Shepherd) and drummer Tommy Stewart (Godsmack, Lo Pro, Everclear, Fuel).

You can get a taste of what is come by checking of the music video for the album's first single "I'm The One" here.




Jimi Hendrix's Engineer Eddie Kramer At Historic Venue For Album Party
(Classic Rock) Jimi Hendrix's engineer Eddie Kramer this week returned to the venue where the Jimi Hendrix Experience played their first-ever UK public show.

Kramer was in London's Bag O'Nails Club for the playback of upcoming Hendrix album People, Hell And Angels. The club was recently refurbished to match the way it looked when the iconic guitarist played there in 1966.

People, Hell And Angels was completed by Kramer, based on recordings Hendrix made in 1970. The engineer describes it as "a fantastic window into his mind."

It's available as a limited-edition Classic Rock Collector's Fan Pack, containing the album in full plus a 116-page magazine and collectable art carts. Photos from the event and more info on the fan pack.




John Fogerty Looks Forward By Looking Back
(Gibson) John Fogerty's forthcoming new album, Wrote a Song for Everyone, offers up re-tooled versions of Creedence Clearwater Revival classics.

Speaking to Rolling Stone, however, mixing engineer Bob Clearmountain says the album looks more forward than backward. "It's no nostalgia fest," he said. "It's like they're new songs."

Fogerty recorded the album with a host of guest artists, including Kid Rock, Foo Fighters and Bob Seger, among others.

The former CCR frontman was adamant about working face-to-face with his high-profile collaborators. "I didn't want to just mail people tracks," he said, "because then everyone would just do 'Proud Mary' like the old record."

Fogerty added that the turmoil resulting from past legal tussles over publishing rights to the CCR back catalog is far behind him.

"There was a long time when a lot of stuff was painful, but that doesn't exist anymore," he said. "I wrote all these songs. They're back home with Daddy, like they should be." Wrote a Song for Everyone is slated for release sometime this fall. more on this story






Anthrax's Metal Alliance Tour Join New England Metal & Hardcore Fest
The Metal Alliance Tour will be making a stop at this year's New England Metal & Hardcore Festival on April 19th at The Palladium in Worcester, MA.

The tour is being headlined by Anthrax who will be performing their 1987 album, Among The Living, in its entirety on the trek.

Anthrax will be supported by Exodus, High On Fire, Municipal Waste, Holy Grail and an as-yet-named band.

"Holy crap am I so excited about this year's Metal Alliance Tour! It's been a great year and a half for us since Worship Music came out and to cap it off with a Grammy nomination. This is such a perfect lineup. To make this tour even more special, we will be playing our Among The Living record in its entirety. I can't wait to play Horror Of It All! Come on out and worship with us my friends. You do not want to miss this. USA on Hell one more time…" comment's Scott Ian about the bands involvement of the tour. more on this story




Machine Head Frontman Shocked At Music Business Practice
(Classic Rock) Machine Head frontman Robb Flynn says current practices in the record industry aren't helping prop up physical sales.

Admitting he personally prefers digital products for reasons of portability, Flynn reports: "I have a ritual I've done for every release where, first day, I go in and buy our album. I was stunned when I went into Ameoba Records in Hollywood and saw our regular album not on sale, but full price for $16.99.

"It's wrong – you reward the die-hards for going out there and supporting you first day, week, month. It's a thank you. We were pissed, fans weren't stoked. Sh*t like this has to change – it has to – and we as a band (with your help) have to figure out a way around it." More rock news.




Queens Of The Stone Age Deliver Uncut Letter About New Album
(Classic Rock) Queens Of The Stone Age have offered another cryptic hint of the contents of their upcoming album. In a letter to Uncut Magazine the band writes:

"If you find a way to embrace the chaos of life, that chaos can become your biggest inspiration. If the above sentence is true, we were really inspired during the making of this record and realised: the best trick of all is no trick at all. So the songs are very raw and an honest reaction to our last year.

"We can't seem to write about the past or the future 'cause we're so chained to the moment. Almost dialled 999 couple months back, now everything runs like clockwork. So, um… will you come pick us up at the bus station? Hurry we're freezing, Queens of the Stone Age." More rock news.




Heaven Shall Burn Announce New Album and Release Shows
Heaven Shall Burn have set release dates around the world for their new studio album, Veto, and have also lined up three release shows in Europe.

The album will be released in North America on April 30th, Germany/Austria/Switzerland/Norway on April 19th, Australia / New Zealand / Finland on April 26th and the rest of Europe on April 22nd.

The band learned the sad news this week that the man who inspired one of the songs on the album had passed away on Tuesday. Guitarist Maik Weichert had this to say, "Just while finalizing the very last bits and pieces for 'VETO' we received the sad news that Walter Schilling passed away in Saalfeld on January 29th. Walter Schilling was a Protestant pastor and civil rights activist in the GDR (former East Germany). We have a new song called 'Antagonized' that is about him, his life and his work in Thuringia.

"It might seem odd that a band called Heaven Shall Burn is dedicating a song to a man of the church. Still, Schilling was never into clerical dogmas. Instead he encouraged and helped teenagers to pursue new and alternative cultural ideas under the protective shield of his church and youth centre in Braunsdorf near Saalfeld.

"Without Walter Schilling a huge part of the youth culture and music in Thuringia wouldn't have happened - this probably goes for the GDR in general. No matter if you liked Blues, played Punk or Metal, every single person was welcome in Braunsdorf, Saalfeld, Rudolstadt or Jena. Schilling helped establishing what enabled HSB to play music, because most of the clubs and musicians that supported us in our very early days were directly or indirectly involved with Schilling's work. You will not find many theologians of Walter's kind." more on this story




Einherjer Returning To North America For First Time in 12 Years
Einherjer will be playing their first North American tour dates in 12-years in March when they play at the Heathen Crusade Metalfest, SXSW and launch a Canadian tour.

The band will launching their "Dragons Over Vineland" Canadian tour on March 15th in Toronto. The tour will feature support from Panzerfaust.

Days prior to that trek they will be headlining the 2013 Heathen Crusade Metalfest in St. Paul, MN on March 9th and then will be performing a to-be-announced show at this year's South By Southwest festival in Austin, Texas on March 13tj.

The band will be touring in support of their latest studio album, "Norrøn," which was the first new release from the band in eight years.

The album was recorded at Studio Borealis in the band's home town of Haugesund, Norway and produced by vocalist/guitarist Frode Glesnes, the six-track album was mixed and mastered by Matt Hyde (Slayer, Children of Bodom). more on this story




Scar Symmetry's Per Nilsson Joins The Absence
The Absence have recruited Scar Symmetry guitarist Per Nilsson to join their band as they work on their forthcoming EP with James Murphy.

Nilsson had this to say, "Six years ago the guys asked me to do a guest solo for the 'Riders' album and we've been friends ever since. I've followed their career as a fan and when they reached out asking me to join the band, it was a no-brainer.

"I am super excited to be a part of The Absence family; we've been jamming out some new tunes and I feel like we've got some killer stuff in the works for ya! Between Patrick and me, there's gonna be some INSANE guitar shreddin' on the new tunes!"

The band members had the following to say. First Jamie Stewart, "We are super excited to have Per a part of the family. Look forward to great things!"

"Beyond siked to play with such a great friend" - Jeramie Kling

"With Per now a part of The Absence… Boundaries are non-existent" - Patrick Pintavalle

"Per is one of my favorite dudes in the world; I couldn't be more exited to have him in the band!" - Michael Leon




Caspian Plan North American Tour
Caspian will be launching a North American headline tour this month with support along the trek being split between Junius and Native.

The tour will kick off with support from Junius on February 16th in Chapel Hill, NC who will be on the tour until March 1st in Los Angeles.

Native will join the tour the next day in San Diego, CA and will support the remainder of the trek which will conclude on March 24th in Burlington, VT.

Caspian will be touring in support of their latest album, Waking Season, which was released in September. more on this story





Singled Out: Abriosis
Today Abriosis vocalist Alxs Ness tells us about "Crypsis " from their brand new EP "Vessel," which is being released today (Feb 1st). Here is the story:

"Crypsis" was the first song that I contributed lyrics and vocals for in Abriosis. When I joined the band last year, the guys already had the music composed and it was up to me to finalize the vocals. At first I wasn't sure where to take it lyrically, so I started off by mapping out vocal rhythms. After locking down the rhythms and listening to the song countless times, the lyrical content started to materialize; the lyrics are inspired by the way the music makes me feel.

The word crypsis refers to the ability of certain organisms to blend in with their surroundings through methods such as camouflage, transparency and mimicry. In the song I took that idea and created a lyrical world where creatures use the transparency of consciousness to coexist with humans on a certain level. We can minutely sense them but they're always just outside of our perceptions. The overall feel of the song is ominous: the creatures' purpose isn't quite clear but it's definite that we are at their mercy.

Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen for yourself with a free stream or download here and learn more about the band and the EP right here!




Paramore Tease New Music Video
(Radio.com) Paramore are back with a decided vengeance. Boasting a new line-up featuring Jeremy Davis and Taylor York alongside flame-haired frontwoman Hayley Williams, the three-piece is preparing to launch their fourth studio album, with the self-titled full-length scheduled for release on April 9.

During an exclusive interview with Kevin & Bean, Williams called the making of this new album "really liberating," and dropped hints of what fans can expect from the highly anticipated official video for the album's first single, "Now" (the lyric video has already generated more than 800,000 views).

The clip, which was directed by Daniel "Cloud" Campos and shot in Los Angeles, has a "post-apocalyptic, kinda sci-fi" feel, according to Williams. "It was really cool, just very different for us and active."

Williams also mentioned that the video made her feel like "Leelo," actress Milla Jovovich's notorious character from the 1997 science-fiction movie The Fifth Element, or someone from Jovovich's popular Resident Evil film franchise. The band's label, Fueled by Ramen, expects to release the video the week of February 11. more on this story




Cinderella's Tom Keifer Streaming Song From New Solo Album
(Classic Rock) Cinderella frontman Tom Keifer has released a solo track called The Flower Song and you can listen to it online.

It's taken from his solo album The Way Life Goes, due on April 30, which is described as "ranging from intimate, organic, acoustic tracks to driving hard rock."

Keifer says of The Flower Song: "To me, it's about how unbelievable it is that you're able to find that one person that's perfect for you. It's told from the perspective of a guy but I think it's true for both men and women. When you find that one person, it's a miracle." Check out a stream of the song here.




Eric Clapton Reflects On Cream
(Classic Rock) Eric Clapton says he managed to hold his own in Cream, despite being younger than Ginger Baker and Jack Bruce, and despite coming from a different musical background.

He believes his focus on blues, while his bandmates concentrated on jazz, was no barrier to their communication – because blues music was the source of all three's inspiration.

In a clip from Beware Of Mr Baker, a documentary about the wayward drummer, Clapton says: "I could listen to what Jack was doing and what Ginger was doing, and see a way to get involved in that without being overawed.

"I could hold my own in terms of musical taste and knowledge. Not necessarily from the world that they were coming from, which was more of a jazz world. They had played in it and they could talk that language, which I couldn't. I was of the view that it all came from blues anyway." More including the trailer.




Schmier of Destruction On Wikimetal
German thrash metal band Schmier of Destruction were the featured guests on the latest episode of Wikimetal. They sent over these details.

The bassist and singer Schmier talks about Destruction's 30 year long career, their last album Spiritual Genocide, and his relationship with Brazil.

Schmier also reflects on moments of his career and also have asked for some awesome sounds to be played on Wikimetal. Check out the full episode here or listen to the interview here.




hennemusic Celebrates 3rd Anniversary
Congratulations are in order for Day in Rock news partner hennemusic which celebrates its 3rd anniversary today. They had this to say about the occasion:

Launched in 2010, hennemusic has developed into a reputable worldwide rock news service, with reports regularly shared by music fans around the globe, and featured by trusted media brands, artist websites and dedicated artist fan sites. The music site has published more than 5,200 rock news stories to date, including 2,200 in the past twelve months.

"hennemusic continues to grow, thanks to the ongoing support of music fans around the world," says Bruce Henne. "We're being read by rockers in more than 190 countries!"

A music media veteran, Henne is a pioneer in Canadian network radio. Bruce has helped create, market and build major music brands, including Q107-FM Toronto's Rock Radio Network, The Legends Of Classic Rock, The Ongoing History Of New Music, Corus Entertainment's Deep Sky and ExploreMusic, which he branded.

Henne has worked with virtually every major rock act in the business while producing "Rockline," "Little Steven's Underground Garage," and other U.S.-based shows for Canadians, creating radio series like "All Access" and "One On One," and producing more than 400 music specials, world album premieres and live broadcast events.