Today's Day in Rock News!

Today's Day in Rock


Bob Seger Plans To Retire From Touring
(Gibson) Bob Seger famously described the rigors of the road in his song "Turn The Page" but the 67-year-old rock legend is now talking about closing the book on touring. Gibson reports:
Bob Seger is known for his live show, but the Michigan musician says he might take a step back from touring soon. Seger, who just launched his latest North American tour with his Silver Bullet Band, says he's "definitely nearing the end" of his touring days, according to Canada's QMI Agency.

"I can't see myself doing this when I'm 70," said Seger, 67. "I've had a wonderful, wonderful run and my audiences have just kept coming and it's really nice but all good things have come to an end."

The rocker is currently working on a new studio release, which means he might be forced to head out on the road again soon, delaying his retirement plans. "If [the album does well], then we might tour another year," he said. "We'll see." more on this story




Man Dies Trying To Sneak Into Volbeat Concert
(Classic Rock) A 39-year-old Volbeat fan has died after attempting to enter the band's concert after being denied access in Texas on Monday night.

Police say Jubal Colvin was refused entry by security officials at the Lonestar Event Center in Lubbock. He then climbed a security fence to get in, and escaped from staff who apprehended him.

Colvin ran into a restricted area, tried to jump across a gap and fell 20ft, striking his head on a concrete floor. He was given first aid on the scene but failed to recover, and died in hospital soon afterwards. more on this story




Black Sabbath Announce North American Tour Date
(hennemusic) Black Sabbath have announced their first North American tour date as they prepare to launch their world tour with a series of dates beginning next month in New Zealand, Australia and Japan.

Later this summer, the band will kick off its North American tour which will keep the band on the road from late July through September and includes one Canadian stop, on August 14 at Toronto's Air Canada Centre.

The 2013 world tour is in support of Sabbath's new album, "13," which will be released June 11. more on this story




Metallica Yeah's Compiled Into Supertrack
(Radio.com) Metallica fans are known as an obsessive lot, but Palm Springs afternoon radio DJ Kevin Conklin has taken it to a very specific (and impressive) extreme.

Conklin has created an ear-bending Metallica supercut that compiles every single time singer James Hetfield has growled the word "Yeah!" throughout the band's recorded career, from 1983 debut Kill 'Em All through 2008 release, Death Magnetic.

"I knew Metallica's 31st anniversary was coming up because I'm a diehard Metallica fan and I kinda just wanted to do something to put out to social media," Conklin said during an exclusive interview with Radio.com.

Conklin revealed that it took "about two weeks" to create the supercut from scratch. "I would schedule music and run Cool Edit (recording software) in the background and hit F8 every time I heard a 'yeah,'" he explained. "Some of the Metallica songs are just so long I actually had to set time aside [to listen to the whole thing].

"I kinda just did it for me," he continued when asked about his motivation to make the edit. "I thought maybe I could get thousand plays on it, but it's exceeded all of my expectations that's for sure." Check it out and read more here.




Eddie Van Halen Collaborates With LL Cool J?
(hennemusic) Eddie Van Halen has posted a new photo of himself in the studio with rapper LL Cool J. The image includes the caption, "Authentic. 4.30.13"

"Authentic" is LL's 13th studio album. "Album's officially complete," LL tweeted last weekend. "First full length record in five years. kinda scared to release it. It's been so long."

A 15-song track list for the record is available online, but there's no indication – yet – of which song(s) Van Halen may be appearing on. Rumor has it Eddie plays on two tracks on the project. See the photo here.




Foo Fighters Writing Music For Unconventional Album
Dave Grohl says that the Foo Fighters are currently writing new music for their next album. Grohl and the band have been in Austin, TX for the SXSW festival.

Grohl was a keynote speaker at the festival and he also premiered his new documentary film about Sound City studios at the event. Billboard caught up with him prior to the screening to get an update on the Foo Fighters.

"We're just writing right now," Grohl said. "When we start working on a record, what I've found is we work best at our own pace, and sometimes it happens quickly and sometimes it takes awhile."

He also said that he has "a crazy idea of what I want to do with the next record and how we record it. It's not conventional. It won't be a conventional record."

Foo Fighter drummer Taylor Hawkins added that the album is "just sort of a germ in Dave's head at this point. He says he's got a lot of ideas. We haven't really gotten down to brass tacks. I don't know what the path will be. It's always a little different, which is good."




Another New Deep Purple Song Goes Online
(hennemusic) Earlier this week, Deep Purple released a lyric video for "All The Time In The World," the lead track from the band's forthcoming new album, "NOW What?!"

The song is one of two tracks on the double-A side single, along with "Hell To Pay." Now, a radio edit of "Hell To Pay" has surfaced online.

Produced by Bob Ezrin (Pink Floyd, Alice Cooper, Kiss and many others), "NOW What?!" is Deep Purple's first album since 2005's "Rapture Of The Deep." Listen to the track here.




Duff McKagan Kicked Out of Guns N' Roses Bootleg Shop
Original Guns N' Roses bass player Duff McKagan shared a story in his latest Seattle Weekly's Reverb blob about how he got kicked out of a Guns N' Roses Bootleg Shop in Tokyo. Here is an excerpt:

"Harajuku is all connected by alleyway streets lined with themed shops in amazing contrast to each other: punk-rock clothes next to pastel-only skirt shops next to early-'80s NY beat-boy clothing next to a Star Wars store. It becomes obvious that many of the printed T-shirts with band names or Star Wars characters are bootlegs (last time I checked, Skywalker's first name is "Luke," not "Look").

"It was in one of these alleyways that I stumbled upon a rock-and-roll (bootleg) T-shirt store. What caught my eye was a Metallica/GN'R split-band T-shirt in the front window. Of course, this shirt never existed in real life back in the day, but it got me to further peruse the inside of the store.

"I was met with a dazzling array of O.G. Guns N' Roses shirts with some "artwork" close to the original and other "artwork" comically missing. Just as I was looking at a skull-guys-on-the-cross GN'R shirt (where we all looked more like chimps than dastardly rock-and-roll hellions), I was asked to leave... for eating inside of the store." Read the full blog.




Attack Attack! Cancel Tour Dates Due To Injury
Attack Attack! have been forced to cancel their tour dates this month after drummer Andrew Wetzel suffered a knee injury.

Among the bad news, the band also had some good news for fans. They will be hitting the road this spring with The Plot In You, Get Scared, Dangerkids, and Closer To Closure for the Back in Action Tour.

But first the bad news. The band made the following announcement on their Facebook page, "We are super bummed to announce that we have to cancel the shows we had scheduled for March. Wetzel slipped and fell, which tore the cartilage in his already injured left knee. We are very disappointed, but we're sure you are used to the amazing luck we have as a band. We love you all and promise to make it up to you on our spring headliner!"

The band announced the dates for the spring headline tour a short time later and had this to say, " We are super excited to announce the Back in Action Tour. We've been insanely busy putting together a new album and have spent countless hours, days, weeks, months in the studio. Excited to see so many of you that we haven't seen in a long time and we're more stoked than we've ever been on the amazing line up we've managed to put together. We're going to be announcing new album artwork and new music asap as well. Thank you so much to all of you who have stuck with us through everything and we can't wait to give you this record. Make sure you keep your eyes open for announcements about album artwork and new music as well!" more on this story




Dave Grohl's SXSW Keynote Goes Online
(hennemusic) Dave Grohl delivered the keynote speech at the SXSW in Austin on Thursday and video of the speech has been posted online.

The head Foo Fighter traced through his personal and professional history and the musical connection throughout, starting with a 1975 K-Tel compilation album that featured the Edgar Winter Group's "Frankenstein."

"It was a riff; I gave it all up for a f**king riff," said Grohl. "Interestingly enough, though, that song is completely instrumental; there's no vocal. It's drums, guitars, keyboards, percussion – each getting a solo in the song. No vocals. But what I heard in all of those solos were voices – the voices of each musician: their personalities, their technique, their feel – the sound of people playing music with other people. It made me want to play music with other people, too."

Grohl shared stories about hooking up with Nirvana, being chased by record companies in a bidding war to sign them; "accidentally" rebuilding his career with a homemade demo tape of songs that would become the first Foo Fighters album. Watch the keynote here.




Charlie Watts Books Solo Gig As Rolling Stones Tour Rumors Circulate
(Radio.com) Rolling Stones fans have been waiting for months to find out the band's tour plans, and while rumors have been circulating about what their plans will be, one thing is certain: Charlie Watts will be hitting the stage, albeit with a different band, later this month.

His group, The ABC&D of Boogie Woogie, will perform on March 23 and 24 at the Pizza Express Jazz Club in London.

The ABC&D features Watts on drums, along with pianists Axel Zwingenberger and Ben Waters and upright bassist Dave Green. A post on the Stones' website mentions, tantalizingly, "Expect the very best in blues and boogie-woogie (and perhaps a surprise or two) in one of the world's best jazz clubs!"

Last year, Watts and Green spoke with Radio.com about playing in clubs with their group, which Charlie says he prefers to the arenas that the Stones usually play.

"You're playing in a club and it's fun and it's not madness," he said. "It's not a giant stadium with the world's press looking at you on a bloody big stage. It's about playing."

Of course, the Stones have been known to hit the clubs as well, but those shows get so crowded that Watts doesn't always enjoy them, either. He says that he has the best time with the Stones when they're just rehearsing. "The Rolling Stones have tried this type of approach to things, in fact, we play very much like this when we're on our own, [when we play] for the fun of it," he said. "When you get in a club with the Rolling Stones, it's a nightmare because there's so many people, it's really uncomfortable. It's not like playing in a club, it's like playing in an oven." more on this story




Phoenix Plan 71 Track Bonus Disc
(Radio.com) Artists adding extra songs onto deluxe editions of full-length albums is nothing new, but French band Phoenix have taken the practice to an extreme on Bankrupt!, their forthcoming new album set for release on April 23.

According to a tweet from the band, fans who opt for the expanded version of Bankrupt! will be rewarded with a whopping 71 (yes, you read that correctly) bonus tracks on top of the ten new songs that make up the album.

Although those extra tracks clock it at over an hour (the actual album is a taut 41 minutes), most of them are song fragments that last less than a minute. The band also made another exciting announcement.




Taproot and Boy Hits Car Announce Spring Tour
Taproot will be hitting the road at the end of the month for a North American tour that will feature support from Boy Hits Car.

The tour is set to kick off on March 29th in Jackson, MI and continue through the month of April and conclude on May 25th in Flint, MI.

Taproot are hitting the road in support of their latest studio album, The Episodes, which was released last April. more on this story




Stevie Nicks Film To Hit Theaters For One Night Only
(Radio.com) When it came to the making of her 2011 album, In Your Dreams, Stevie Nicks said, "Sometimes good things take a long time." The same could be said of the forthcoming Nicks documentary, filmed during the making of In Your Dreams, but the wait is over.

On April 2, the doc – also titled In Your Dreams - will screen in more than 50 cities across the country, including Boston, New York, Los Angeles and Tucson, Arizona.

The documentary, which has been making rounds on the festival circuit and is being shown at this year's SXSW, focuses on the collaboration between Nicks and Eurythmics guitarist, Dave Stewart for her first solo album in over a decade. (Stewart also co-directed and produced the documentary.) More including the trailer.




Former Iron Maiden Bandmates Pay Tribute Clive Burr
Former Iron Maiden bandmates have paid tribute to the band's former drummer Clive Burr who died earlier this week after a long battle with MS.

One of the tributes was from former Iron Maiden guitarist Dennis Stratton who performed on the band's self-titled debut album with Burr. He wrote:

"I am so sad that I have lost an old mate. So glad I saw Clive and [his partner] Mimi last year. God bless, mate. Now you can jam wiv Mooney[Keith Moon], [John] Bonham and all the other drummers up there. Our song. The greatest luv of all."

Former Iron Maiden vocalist Paul Di'Anno who played on the band's first two albums with Burr took to his Facebook page and posted a photo of himself with Clive accompanied by the following tribute: "In memory of Clive Burr:

"Sad to hear of your passing. You will always be in my heart, Clive. A truly unique talent, that will never be forgotten."




Jimi Hendrix Producers Eddie Kramer and John McDermott on Rockline
(hennemusic) Jimi Hendrix producers Eddie Kramer and John McDermott were the featured guests on US nationally syndicated radio show Rockline with host Bob Coburn this past Wednesday (March 13).

The pair were on hand to promote "People, Hell & Angels," the new project premiering twelve previously unreleased studio recordings completed by the guitar icon.

"People, Hell & Angels" is co-produced by Janie Hendrix, Kramer and McDermott. Kramer first met Hendrix at Olympic Studios in London in January 1967. Since 1997, Kramer has teamed with Janie Hendrix and McDermott to oversee the release of each Jimi Hendrix album issued by Experience Hendrix. more on this story




Marky Ramone, Glenn Hughes, Lemmy, Steven Adler To Rock Against MS
Marky Ramone, Glenn Hughes, Lemmy, Steven Adler lead the all-star lineup for the Rock Against MS Benefit concert that will take place later this month.

The event is set to take place at The Whisky A Go-Go in West Hollywood on March 27th and will be hosted by KLOS radio personalities Bob Coburn and Gary Moore.

There is also supposed to be a "huge surprise guest" who will appear at the event which will also feature John 5, Blasko (Ozzy), Billy Morrison (Billy Idol), Kenny Aronoff, Gilby Clarke, Brian Tichy, Ginger (Rob Zombie), Piggy D, Tommy Victor, Phil Buckman (Filter), Brent Scallions (Fuel), Jack Russell, Jeff Pilson, Teddy Zigzag, Tim King (Soil), Jeff Bowders, Jeff Young, Chas West.

Two stars that will be appearing at the event, John 5 and Glenn Hughes, are also set to appear on KLOS this morning (March 15th) at 9 AM PST. Fans in the Los Angeles area can listen on the radio dial at 95.5 and fans elsewhere can tune in online here.

The event was organized by Steve Stevens and his wife Josie Stevens to raise medical funds and support for veteran music publicist Nancy Sayle, who was diagnosed with Primary Progressive MS in 2009. This is a severe version of the disease and only 10% are inflicted with this level. She was also diagnosed with a pituitary brain tumor 2012. more on this story




Nazareth Postpone Tour Due To Illness
(Classic Rock) Nazareth have called off their UK tour, which was due to start next week, after singer Dan McCafferty contracted a chest infection during their recent Brazil dates.

They explain: "Doctors have advised Dan that it should take around two weeks to clear the infection. This has resulted in the band having to postpone the UK tour, with the next window of opportunity to complete it being November this year.

"Promoters and venues have been informed and, hopefully, they will all agree to rescheduling the shows." more on this story




Scott Gorham Tried To Change Sound of Thin Lizzy Offshoot
(Classic Rock) Scott Gorham says he tried to force the members of Black Star Riders to avoid sounding like Thin Lizzy as they worked on their debut album All Hell Breaks Loose.

Once the decision had been made to drop Phil Lynott's band name and use a new one, he wanted to draw a line between the two acts. But he accepts it was a futile exercise – and he's happy with the results of their studio efforts.

Gorham tells May The Rock Be With You: "I was constantly trying to drag everyone away from the Lizzy thing, just because I'm figuring we're going to do a new album, new band, new sound, new everything. But you couldn't help it.

"It's going to sound like a Thin Lizzy album by default, just because I'm in there – because of the way I write and play and all that. Then you've got Ricky Warwick; the lyrics on this are just unbelievably good. Damon Johnson is a giant in this band and his writing leans towards the Lizzy side." more




Meat Loaf Launching Farewell Tour Next Month
Meat Loaf will be launching the first leg of his Last At Bat farewell tour next month with trek across the U.K. and Europe.

The leg is set to kick off on April 5th in Newcastle, UK and will include stops across the U.K., dates in Germany and Holland before wrapping up on May 17th in Dublin.

Each concert will feature two-acts. During one set he will perform songs from his entire career and in the second set he will perform his smash hit album "Bat Out Of Hell" in its entirety.

Meat Loaf plans to follow this trek with a North American tour before he rides off into the sunset of retirement later this year. more on this story




Suicidal Tendencies Return With New Album and Tour
The wait for Suicidal Tendencies fans is almost over. The band will be releasing their first album in 13 years on March 26th and will be hitting the road to support the effort.

The new album, appropriately titled "13", was produced by Mike Muir and Paul Northfield (Rush, Dream Theater, Ozzy Osbourne) and the band have released a new music video for the track "Cyco Style" which you can watch here.

Mike Muir states, "First, thank you for all the people that have patiently waited for this record. Now I will shut up and let the music do the talking."

The band will hitting the road to support the album with their "Slam City Tour" which will also feature Madball, Sick Of It All and D.R.I..

Prior to the tour, the band will be holding their Suicidal Tendencies And Infectious Grooves Cyco Family Weekend on April 5th and 6th and will be making an appearance tonight (March 15th) at an invite only showcase at SXSW. more on this story




Van Halen's David Lee Roth Interviewed On Australia's Today Show
(hennemusic) Van Halen frontman David Lee Roth was interviewed on Australia's Today Show Friday morning to promote the band's April 20 headlining slot at The Stone Music Festival in Sydney.

The visit marks Van Halen's first concert in the country since 1998 and the first ever with Roth, which he referenced during the session.

"A long time? Is that metric? It's been freaking forever," began Roth. "As you may have noticed, it's a little difficult – its like trying to pry a manhole cover with a tongue depressor – getting this rock band to move past American shores, but we keep threatening and [it] looks like this time we're going to deliver."

Roth has been making headlines lately as he does media interviews for the group's 2013 live shows, which – so far – only includes the Australian date, three June concerts in Japan, and a headlining gig at the Rock USA festival in July in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. more on this story




Garbage's Shirley Manson Excited About Record Store Day
(Gibson) Garbage frontwoman Shirley Manson is a supporter of the locally owned, independent record shop. In fact, Manson just posted a message on Record Store Day's official website, gushing over the experience of walking into a record store and picking up that prized album.

"[Record Store Day] honors the mystery, the romance and the dying art of record making," she stated on the site. "It promotes the belief that time spent exploring a small, lovingly curated record store, discovering artists, music and ideas can arm you against anything that ever threatens to overwhelm or engulf you."

Garbage will also be taking part of this year's Record Store Day festivities, as Manson stated that they'll be unleashing a special, limited edition 10" vinyl record on Record Store Day, which falls on April 20 this year.

The vinyl offers a new track called "Love Like Suicide," a cover version of Patti Smith's "Because the Night" with the Screaming Females and a remix that a fan put together of Garbage's "Automatic Systematic Habit" off the band's last album, "Not Your Kind of People." more on this story







Paramore Release Lyric Video For New Song
Paramore have released a new lyric video for the song, "Still Into You," which is the second single from the band's forthcoming album.

The band will be releasing their new self-titled album on April 9th. The new single follows the lead single, "Now," which was released earlier this year. Fans can watch the new lyric video here.

To promote the new album, Paramore will be hitting the road next month for a world tour kicking off with a North American leg.

The tour is set to get underway on April 25th with the first stop in Houston and will feature support from the band Kitten.

The band will follow the American leg with the kick off of their European tour on June 5th in Warsaw, Poland. more on this story




Spiritual Beggars Release Wise As A Serpent Video
(Classic Rock) Spiritual Beggars have released a video for their track "Wise As A Serpent." It's taken from upcoming eighth album Earth Blues, due for release on April 15 via InsideOut.

Guitarist Michael Amott says: "We chose this particular song as the first video off Earth Blues because it's an explosive track – and also the shortest song on the album!

"I filmed and directed the video myself and Anders Björler of At The Gates did a great job on the edit. We're more than pleased with the end result; it's done in true DIY spirit – raw and authentic." Watch the video here.



Little Caesar Release Dirty Water Video
(Classic Rock) Classic Rock have proudly premiered the music video for the Little Caesar track Dirty Water and you can watch it online.

The soulful, hard rockin' outfit touch on country roots plus acoustic and electric blues as they illustrate the rigours of jamming with John Barleycorn.

Dirty Water is taken from their fifth album American Dream, which was released last year via Unison Music Group.