Today's Day in Rock News!

Today's Day in Rock


Rolling Stones Expand 50 and Counting Tour
The Rolling Stones have expanded their tour plans. A few days after announcing dates for their 50 and Counting Tour, the Rolling Stones have announced additional dates and their frontman hints that more may be on the way.
"Normally when you announce a tour like this, you announce part of it, you leave it to be, you see what happens, you might do a date here and another date there. You don't want to be completely hand fast, so you do leave some dates in between," Mick Jagger said in an interview last week according to AP. "So we'll see what happens."

Apparently they didn't have to wait long, as the band added three North American dates to the trek already and are rumored to be adding a second date at London's Hyde Park after the 65,000 tickets for the announced show sold out in minutes.

The newly announced North American dates include two more shows at Chicago's United Center on May 31 and June 3 as well as a second concert at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto that will take place on June 6.

A UK tabloid is reporting that "a spokesman for the band confirmed they would add a second Hyde Park date, expected to be just one or two days after the first performance."

The band had additional good news for fans; they will be selling a block of tickets for under a $100. They announced that they will be offering "over a 1,000 tickets at $85 (including service charges). Some will be among the best seats in the house in the Tongue Pit, with others spread around the arena. Tickets will be sold as a pair. You will find out your seat location when you pick them up the night of the show. Other tickets range from $150- $600 (plus service charges)." more on this story




Andy Johns (Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones, Van Halen) Dead at 61
Legendary producer and engineer Andy Johns has died at the age of 61 after being hospitalized last week. Johns worked on landmark albums including Led Zeppelin's IV, Physical Graffiti, House of the Holy, and the Rolling Stones 'Exile On Main Street,' 'Goats Head Soup' and 'Sticky Fingers.'

Andy was younger brother of producer Glyn Johns and got his start as a tape operator at Olympic Studios, where he was able to work with Jethro Tull, Humble Pie, and Rod Stewart.

Johns would later go on to work on albums from Ozzy Osbourne, Van Halen, Glenn Hughes, The Steve Miller Band, Creed, Cinderella, Godsmack, Bon Jovi, Frehley's Comet, Gary Moore, McAuley-Schenker Group and more

The cause of death has not been reported but Billboard.biz reports that former L.A. Guns guitarist Stacy Blades confirmed that Johns had died. Blades had been working on a project with Johns until he was hospitalized last week.

You can read Billboard's eulogy for a more in-depth look at John's career here.




Former AC/DC Member Dies
(Classic Rock) Former AC/DC and Rose Tattoo bassist Neil Smith has died after a battle with cancer. He was 60. His family say in a statement:

"Neil is now in peace. There is not a person out there who has met him and not felt like their lives were better for the experience.

"He was a loving and devoted father, a loyal friend and all round generous person. He was larger than life, and his passing will be felt.

"Thanks to all his friends for their support and love, especially during the final stages of his life." More rock news.




Black Sabbath Announce Tour
Black Sabbath have announced plans to hit the road this fall in support of their forthcoming reunion album, 13, their first with Ozzy Osbourne since 1978.

The new album features original vocalist Ozzy along with guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler and will be released in June. Original drummer Bill Ward did not participate due to a contract dispute.

The band will be launching a tour of the UK and Europe on November 20th in Helsinki. The tour will include stops in Sweden, Denmark, Holland, Germany, France, Italy and the Czech Republic.

The UK leg is set to kick off on December 10th at the O2 Arena in London and will feature stops in Belfast, Sheffield, Glasgow, Manchester and Birmingham. more on this story




Bon Jovi: Did Richie Sambora Jump Or Was He Pushed?
(Classic Rock) The status of Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora remains unconfirmed after he dropped off the band's world tour at short notice last week.

TMZ suggests it's the result of a long-running contractual dispute between Sambora and mainman Jon Bon Jovi, while the New York Post claims the singer's wife forced the move because the guitarist refused to clean up his act, saying he didn't believe in rehab. Both reports cite "sources close to the band."

Meanwhile, Sambora himself has simply stated via Twitter: "Thank you everyone for your concern. I'm well, but had to stay in LA to take care of a personal matter. Love you all and see you very soon." more on this story





Paul McCartney Adds More North American Tour Dates
Paul McCartney is releasing dates for "Out There" tour in drabs and just announced two additional dates for the spring tour of North America.

The new stops include his return to the BOK Center in Tulsa, OK for his first show at the venue since he played the venue's 1st anniversary show in August 2009.

McCartney will also be returning to the site of the Beatles very first U.S. concert when he plays FedExField in Washington D.C. on July 12th.

He had previously announced shows in Austin, TX at the Frank Erwin Center and in Boston, MA at Fenway Park. more on this story




Foo Fighters' Taylor Hawkins Playing Iggy Pop in CBGB Movie
(Gibson) With Foo Fighters recently on hiatus, drummer Taylor Hawkins has had time on his hands. He used the break in FF's schedule to shoot a film role as Iggy Pop for an upcoming movie about the historic New York punk club CBGB.

The film will take a look at many key figures in the club's history, from the musicians who played there like the Ramones, Blondie, Patti Smith and others, to the club's owner, Hilly Kristal, who is portrayed by actor Alan Rickman in the movie.

The first look of Hawkins as Pop, which was released by Rolling Stone, can be seen here. Hawkins poses with Malin Åkerman, who will portray Blondie's Debbie Harry in the movie. No release date has been set for the movie as of yet, but the CBGB film is expected to arrive sometime in 2013.

Hawkins' respite from Foo Fighters was a short: he's recently played with Dave Grohl's Sound City band, and Foo Fighters are already writing the band's next album. See the photo here.





Tom Araya Assures Fans That Jeff Hanneman Is Still Part of Slayer
(Classic Rock) Tom Araya insists Jeff Hanneman is still very much a member of Slayer and hopes the absent guitarist is working on new music.

The frontman suggests that speculation over stand-in Gary Holt joining full-time has been fuelled by the thrash giants' internal communication problems.

Slayer's Kerry King recently said he'd be "okay" if Holt replaced spider-bite victim Hanneman on a permanent basis. Earlier this week Holt himself said he'd never consider the move if it meant he'd have to quit his own band Exodus.

The issue has been made more complex with the absence of drummer Dave Lombardo over a contractual dispute. Asked if the thrash giants find themselves in a "then there were two" situation, Araya tells Andrew Haug: "It's not really two – Jeff isn't in the picture but he's part of the picture. It's taking him a lot longer than he even thought, I think. He can play, he can work out material, but it's surprising him that it's taking as long as it is to get back.

"Even though no one's seen him, Jeff's still part of the band." He goes on to talk about the new album and Jeff's involvement




Hate Member Dies In His Sleep
Slawomir "Mortifer" Kusterka, the bassist for the Polish death metal band Hate, died in his sleep following the band's concert in Germany this weekend.

The band told fans: "At night 5th/6th April near a German town of Munchberg, our friend, best comrade and longtime bass player unexpectedly passed away.

After the show in Stuttgart last night he went to sleep and never woke up. We found him lifeless early in the morning and immediately called an ambulance. He was reanimated, but to no avail.

"Results of Slawek's autopsy should be known soon. In this situation, we decided to cancel the remaining shows and return home. We gave detailed testimonies to the German police.

"We are shocked and shattered by his sudden, unexpected death. We mourn together with Slawek's family and friends." more on this story




David Bowie In The Running For Time Magazine's Influential People List
(Gibson) Time magazine is famous for publishing its annual Time 100 issue, which pays homage to a variety of luminaries from different industries that the magazine names "the most influential people in the world." Now, the magazine is letting readers vote on who they think should make this year's top 100, and when it comes to musicians, David Bowie is among the candidates.

Bowie is really the only rocker in the running, as the rest of the nominees from the music industry include Beyonce, Justin Timberlake, Jay-Z, Frank Ocean, PSY and Sharon Jones.

Celebrities outside of the music world up for the honors include Pope Francis, Aung San Suu Kyi, Ben Affleck, LeBron James, Serena Williams, Jimmy Kimmel, George Lucas, Quentin Tarantino, Jon Hamm and Paula Deen, among others. Voting runs through April 12, and the top 100 will be announced on April 18. more on this story






Anthrax Frontman Sings National Anthem At Bulls Game
(hennemusic) Anthrax frontman Joey Belladonna was on hand to sing the U.S. national anthem at the Chicago Bulls vs. Orlando Magic game on Friday at the United Center in Chicago.

Anthrax are currently on the road headlining the Metal Alliance tour, along with Exodus, High On Fire, Municipal Waste and Holy Grail.

The band recently released an eight-track EP, "Anthems," which pays tribute to the classic songs by some of Anthrax's favorite bands from the 1970s.

On the project, Anthrax cover tracks by AC/DC, Cheap Trick, Rush, Thin Lizzy, Boston and Journey.

Video of Belladonna's performance can be seen here.




Deep Purple Explain Canceled Concert
(Classic Rock) Deep Purple have explained why they cancelled their concert in Nepal last month. They say promoter Richard Coram of Talent Brokers failed to pay the agreed fee at the agreed time.

Frontman Ian Gillan says: "I want to assure everyone that our management and agency bent over backwards to make this work. But every promise from the promoter was broken.

"We are truly miserable that we couldn't get there and would love to come over at the first opportunity."

In other news, Classic Rock has announced a limited-edition hardback version of the magazine featuring Deep Purple. Details here.





Everybody In Skid Row Has A Beef With Sebastian Bach?
(Classic Rock) Skid Row bassist Rachel Bolan says it's not true that a fallout between he and Sebastian Bach is preventing a classic lineup reunion.

Bach last year said that only one member of Skid Row was refusing to let a reunion take place. But Bolan says: "We just choose to ignore his comments because it really doesn't matter."

Bolan insists that both Snake Sabo and Scotti Hill both have their own reasons for not wanting to work with Bach again.

"I'd really rather not talk about him – but I can say I think everybody has a beef with him, honestly," Bolan tells Legendary Rock Interviews. "I know what it's like from this side, Snake, Scotti and myself; and I know all of our feelings towards that." more on this story




Judas Priest To Appear on Rockline
(hennemusic) Judas Priest will promote the launch of their new live DVD, "Epitaph," with an appearance on the US nationally-syndicated radio show Rockline with host Bob Coburn.

Priest are scheduled to be the special guests on the May 15th episode of Rockline, which starts at 8:30pm PT/11:30pm ET. More info here

"Epitaph" will be released on May 28th and was recorded at London's HMV Hammersmith Apollo on May 26th, 2012, which was the closing date of the band's Epitaph World Tour, a trek they billed as their last "large scale" world tour. more on this story




Mike Tramp Rules Out White Lion Reunion
(Classic Rock) Mike Tramp has ruled out working with White Lion again for two reasons - he doesn't think founding guitarist Vito Bratta will get involved, and he doesn't want to sing like he once did.

The singer – whose last outing with the hard rock band was 2008′s Return Of The Pride – is currently promoting his solo album Cobblestone Street, released on May 8. He accepts it's a departure from what fans might expect – but believes they'll have to get used to it.

Tramp tells Rock Meeting: "The thing that's been difficult is you have to answer a question that Vito should be answering. And the answer is 'no.' He's not going to get back up on stage.

"I didn't want to do White Lion after the band broke up. The sound of White Lion represents who Mike Tramp was at that time." more on this story




Metallica Attaching Vert Ramp To Damage Inc Stage at Orion Fest
(hennemusic) Metallica continue to roll out more details for the 2013 edition of their Orion Music + More festival, set for June 8 and 9 at Belle Isle in Detroit, MI.

"We're bringing the Vans Vert Ramp to Detroit and attaching the Damage Inc. stage to it this year at Orion Music and More," posted the band.

"Watch riders tear up the 30-foot wide Vert Ramp while live band (and very special guests) perform during demos!" more on this story





Singled Out: Meeting Of Important People
Today Josh Verbanets from Meeting Of Important People tells us about their new single "Keep Your Eyes On Me" from their brand new album "My Ears are Having a Heart Attack", which is being released this week. Here is the story:

""In Meeting of Important People, I write a lot of "character songs" that are supposed to be sung from the point of view of someone else, not necessarily my own voice or perspective. KEEP YOUR EYES ON ME is our new single, and fits into this category:

I had the idea to do a dance song, you know-- one that orders people to GET UP AND SHAKE IT or GET OUT ON THE DANCE FLOOR, but in a way that it could sound equally like someone having fun or instead like someone's insecure girlfriend/boyfriend ordering them around. It always seemed to me that most of the point of dancing in public is to get people to look at you anyways, so I wrote the lyrics from the perspective of someone being bossy at the club, ordering everybody around them to give them attention-- or they're leaving.

The kick drum was recorded as a loop, which just repeats throughout the song to give it that dance feel, and the rest of the drums were played "live"... we ended up with kind of a demented island-sounding song, which I think is perfect for the lyrics. When we perform this song live, we do a big breakdown and try to get everybody to clap and sing along right before the final chorus, sounds like some excellent arena-rock.""