Today's Day in Rock News!

Today's Day in Rock


Sammy Hagar Open To Van Halen Reunion
Sammy Hagar doesn't appear to hold any grudges against Eddie Van Halen and is in fact open to reuniting with Van Halen under the right circumstances, which would he hints include Michael Anthony taking part.
Hagar was asked by Vegas Rocks what he would say to Van Halen if they met today. He responded, "Well, right now I'd say, 'Wow. Great. I've seen some pictures of you recently. You look like you're healthy and doing great.

"I'm really proud of you and I'd like to see you continue doing that. Here's my phone number. Call me up if you wanna hang and just have some fun and goof off.'"

"And whatever that led to," he continued, "I wouldn't say, 'Hey, let's get together and do it again,' because you would have to do that slow, because I would never do it again under the last circumstances. But I would do it again under different circumstances.

"So it'd be like that. And then I would also say, 'And also here's Mikey's [Michael Anthony] phone numbers with mine.'"

Check out the video interview to hear more including what he would do if he knew it was his last day on earth here.



Kid Rock Selling Summer Tour Tickets For $20
Kid Rock will be going old school for his upcoming North American summer tour by only charging fans $20 for tickets in all sections of the venues.

The tour is set to kick off on June 28th in Bristow, VA and will conclude on September 15th in Tampa, FL. The trek will feature rotating support from Kool & The Gang, ZZ Top, and Uncle Kracker.

Apart from the bargain price tickets, Kid Rock's camp says they will be "lowering prices on everything from parking to beer to merchandise for every show in every city." He will be offering $20 tour t-shirts as well.

"Everyone knows the economy is still hurting people across the country, but I didn't want that to be a reason why everyone couldn't get out and enjoy themselves on a summer night," says Kid Rock. "So we're going to throw the biggest and best party ever, with prices across the board that are reasonable and transparent. No hidden fees, no gimmicks.

"We're not sparing any expense on this tour, we're going over the top as always, but that doesn't mean we're going to ask the fans to pay more. If this works we're going to play to packed houses of fans who appreciate what we're doing. If it doesn't, might be a long summer. But someone has to go out there and fight these high prices and change things up, and I'm lucky enough that I can afford to take a pay cut. $20. Best night ever."

Fans will be able to purchase the all-in $20 tickets at participating Walmart and Live Nation box office locations where they will not pay any additional fees or parking charges, etc. In addition, Kid Rock will be reserving the first two rows for every show as free upgrades for lucky fans that will be selected at random. more on this story



Gene Simmons of KISS Plotting New TV Series
It appears that KISS star Gene Simmons may be returning to television where he will be hosting a hidden camera comedy series called "Busted."

Simmons teamed up with eOne (Entertainment One: The Walking Dead, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire) for the show which they are currently pitching.

The premise of the show is basically a rock star centered take off on the MTV's Punk'd theme where Simmons "goes on tour with some of the biggest bands in the world and gives audiences an all-access pass to backstage practical jokes," according to Deadline.

"When you're on tour, you get bored," Simmons told MIPBlog about the show in a new video interview. "And when you get bored, pranks happen", he teased, before telling one tale of a poor roadie who got his birthday cake laced with laxative. Watch the full interview here.



Former Metallica Star Jason Newsted Completes New Album
(Gibson) Jason Newsted (ex-Flotsam and Jetsam, Voivoid and, oh yeah, Metallica bassist) has completed recording his first full-length album with his new band, the sensibly titled Newsted.

The album will enter the mixing phase later this week, and release is targeted for some time later this year. The Newsted line-up includes drummer Jesus Mendez Jr, guitarist Jessie Farnsworth, and Staind guitarist Mike Mushok.

"It was obvious from the word go that Mike is one of us," Newsted says of Mushok'. "Professional, focused, happy and grateful to be able to make our beautiful noise together!"

Mushok said he loved Newsted's Metal EP, and jumped at the chance to be involved in the band while Staind were on break. "It was perfect timing," Mushok said. "All I could say was 'Hell yeah! I'm totally down for this!'"

The Metal EP sold over 6,000 copies in the USA in its first week of release in January, landing at #62 on the Billboard 200 chart. more on this story






Fleetwood Mac Releasing New EP
(Radio.com) Fleetwood Mac kicked off their 50-stop North American tour in Columbus, Ohio, last week by delivering a mix of their biggest hits, a few unexpected gems from their decades-spanning career… and an announcement of a forthcoming EP.

Though it had been three years since Lindsey Buckingham, Stevie Nicks, Mick Fleetwood and John McVie took the stage together, they played as if no time had passed since their last tour.

Buckingham proved why he's still one of the most revered guitarists in recent decades as he wailed through their catalog, often while fans in the front row ran their hands along his guitar in almost prayer-like devotion.

Nicks, donning her trademark black outfits and shawls (which came and went in quick on-stage changes), proved why she's a cultural icon. Sometimes with a tambourine in hand, others while tugging at the black straps hanging from her mic stand, and just a few times while spinning in her trademark circles, she sang flawlessly.

The first surprise in the set list came early on: Four songs in, they did a brand new song, "Sad Angel." Buckingham noted that it is on their new EP, which would be out "in a few days." Nicks later referred to the EP, calling it their "little baby record." more on this story



Iron Maiden and Megadeth Plan American Tour and One-Off Festival
Iron Maiden will be launching a North American mini-tour with support from Megadeth this September which will include a new heavy metal festival in Southern California.

The seven-date tour will kick off with the band's very first concert in Raleigh, NC on September 3rd and will conclude with The Battle Of San Bernardino on Friday the 13th that will also feature Anthrax, Testament, Overkill and Sabaton at the San Manuel Amphitheater (formerly the Blockbuster/Glen Helen Pavilion) in San Bernardino, CA.

After the U.S. dates the band will be heading to Brazil to once again headline the Rock In Rio Festival. 70,000 tickets to the September 22nd event sold out within hours.

Frontman Bruce Dickinson had this to say, "As Maiden fans know, we're going back to Brazil to headline Rock In Rio again, so we thought that on our way down south we should certainly stop off and do a few more shows in the U.S. We especially wanted to try and play some more cities we've not visited for a while, so we're really excited about seeing our fans again in places we've not been to in over a decade, and in some cases even longer! We hope they will remember us!

"We can't wait to launch the Battle of San Bernardino for our Southern California fans! It really will be a day to remember for south Cal Metal fans. Friday 13, 13 too! Double Trouble!!

"We'll be bringing with us the same full production we had on the Maiden England Tour in North America last year so fans can expect to see the huge lightshow, stage set, various incarnations of Eddie, plenty of pyro and all kinds of other exciting stuff."
Steve Harris adds, "We know how popular the History of Maiden Tours are with fans of all ages and we love visiting cities we haven't been to in many years as it gives us a chance to play to new audiences. We had a huge amount of fun with the set list for this Maiden England Tour when we opened in North America last year as we got to play songs we had not played in a very long time like 'Seventh Son,' 'The Prisoner' and 'Afraid To Shoot Strangers,' as well as fan favourites like 'The Trooper,' 'Aces High,' 'The Clairvoyant,' 'The Number Of The Beast,' 'Wasted Years' and 'Run To The Hills.' That opening leg of the tour was so enjoyable for the whole band, we're really looking forward to coming back to see our fans again and a lot of new faces too! " more on this story




Fall Out Boy Streaming Full 'Save Rock and Roll' Album Online
(Radio.com) As it's become almost expected in the increasingly digital-driven music industry, Fall Out Boy has posted an online stream of each of their fifth album, Save Rock and Roll, one week ahead of the album's official release date of April 16.

Tracks from the new album were posted individually on FOB's official SoundCloud account. They confirm collaborators like Courtney Love on "Rat A Tat" and Detroit rapper Big Sean on "The Mighty Fall."

The title track even features none less than Sir Elton John. Talk about an epic comeback – no surprise considering this is Fall Out Boy's first album of new material since 2008′s Folie Á Deux.

"Rock and roll to me represents an attitude," bassist Pete Wentz said in an exclusive interview with Chicago radio station B96. "It represents something inside you. That's why we got into playing music. That's why I wanted to be in the band.

"So you can take it as an ironic thing or you can take it the way it is. We just wanted to do something that was fun and dangerous for us. We didn't need to do the band again, we wanted to do it because it was fun." more on this story




Ozzy Osbourne Promises Mindblowing New Black Sabbath Album
(Gibson) Ozzy Osbourne says forthcoming Black Sabbath album 13 is "mindblowing" and "the album we should have made after Sabbath Bloody Sabbath."

Speaking to Australia's Triple M radio station, Ozzy stated about Sabbath's June-released CD: "The album is mindblowing... I'm so over the moon about the way the album turned out.

"We wrote 16 songs, and I put it on my CD player, expecting me to be unhappy with the end result, but this big grin came on my face and my hair on the back on my neck [stood up]… It's better than my wildest dreams; it's so good."

Osbourne, guitarist Tony Iommi and bassist Geezer Butler are joined by RATM drummer Brad Wilk on the album. Songs include "End of the Beginning," "God is Dead" and "Epic."

Osbourne was full of praise for producer Rick Rubin. "I'd run into him from time to time over the years, and he goes, 'Any chance of Sabbath reforming? If you do, I would love to produce the album,'" Ozzy said. "And he did such a great job on the album. I know if you're a Sabbath fan, you will not be disappointed. It's so Sabbath-y, it's scary. It's the album we should have made after [1973's] Sabbath Bloody Sabbath.

"It's very, very heavy… I'm so excited about it." more on this story






Kataklysm's Max Duhamel Taking Break From Band To Battle Demons
Kataklysm drummer Max Duhamel has announced that he won't be taking part in the recording of the band's forthcoming album, "Waiting for the End to Come," so he can focus on fighting his alcohol addiction.

Duhamel issued a brutally honest message for fans that explains why he is taking some time off. He writes, "Hello everyone, it is with an a extremely heavy heart that I announce today that I will not be performing on the new Kataklysm album, I have been struggling with many personal issues the last year but lately, the main one has been alcohol, it's been affecting my body in a very negative way to the point that when I came home after the Ex Deo tour we just did, I tried to stop drinking for few days and it's been very hard without having any withdrawal symptoms, I've also lost a lot of weight as some of noticed recently and I'm not in good shape."

"I've heard the new material my brothers have written and its truely incredible stuff, it's really some of the best music the band has ever done but It's going to be a very demanding album and my state of mind and body is not ready to confront this big task right now, I need to clean my body and my mind and come back focused to Kataklysm and I don't know how long this will take ..., the guys have reached out to help in anyway they can which I can't thank them enough .. I'm truely blessed to have them as a family, so as I start my road to recovery I send this message to all of you and thank you for all the support.

"It's time to take my life in my hands and take responsibility, I will not be attending the Juno Awards ceremony in two weeks for Ex Deo nominations but I will close my contract with the shows in May that are left, ExtremeFest, Beastival in Germany and Metalfest Czech Rep. will be my last shows until I'm ready again to come back in full form, you guys deserve the best of me...see you later."





Rob Zombie To Headline Sturgis
Sturgis just got heavier with the addition of Rob Zombie as a headliner of the Sturgis Buffalo Chip during hard rock night on August 7th.

Zombie will be headlining that night of the music festival taking place during the Sturgis motorcycle rally. Mastodon and Machine Head were previously announced for that night's concert.

"Rob Zombie is a living icon with so many highly acclaimed accomplishments behind him we have no doubt he'll make an impact fans will remember for years to come, " says Rod Woodruff, owner of the Sturgis Buffalo Chip. "Fans are absolutely thrilled to have Rob Zombie join the Chip's festival lineup this year."

The 32nd annual Sturgis Buffalo Chip motorcycle and music festival takes place August 2-11, 2013 during the annual Sturgis motorcycle rally.

In addition to the hard rock night lineup, the festival also feature performances from Kid Rock, Toby Keith, ZZ Top, Halestorm, Brantley Gilbert, Queensrÿche and Sublime with Rome.





Bigelf Recruit Mike Portnoy For New Album
Bigelf are back! The band have recruited former Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy to play on their forthcoming album and have inked a new record deal with InsideOut Music who will be releasing the album later this year.

It appears that rumors of the bands demise were premature. Damon Fox explains why the group fell under the radar and their return:

"Finally! Bigelf lands on a planet whose atmosphere is synonymous with progressive rock and heavy metal. One of my all-time favourite quotes is, 'Be bold and mighty forces will come to your aid...' I'm ecstatic that InsideOut/Century Media and Mike Portnoy have joined 'forces' with Bigelf.

"First, I want to elaborate on what has been happening 'inside' the band since 2010, there have been numerous rumours on the internet that I fired everyone in Bigelf, this is completely untrue.

"After the juggernaut of 'Cheat The Gallows' came to a halt, the business and personal infrastructure of Bigelf imploded and an unexpected hiatus occurred leaving the band in complete disarray. A myriad of personal, financial and domestic matters had enveloped myself as well as certain members of the group. There also comes a time when deep down inside it just doesn't feel right anymore, and one has to face the music that the end is near. Transparency no longer exists and with that, clarity and perspective are lost. I'm speaking for myself now but clearly this was a mutual feeling and I believe it was obvious amongst the band. Subsequently, Ace Mark decided to move on and left Bigelf in the summer of 2011, and a request by the remaining members for a dissolution of business followed. To put it simply, we went our separate ways without malice.

"I had been keeping in close touch with Mike Portnoy after his very public and difficult departure from Dream Theater. At this time, my musical future seemed quite bleak and I was very vocal to Mike about not being able to sustain the band any longer on my own. He implored me to carry on and to not let Bigelf slip away, his encouragement and enthusiasm meant the world to me. Recognizing that I needed some new allies, I asked him if he would help fight the good fight and lend his extraordinary drum majesty to the new Bigelf record and he readily agreed. Also...sharing a passion for all things rock & roll, my good friend Duffy Snowhill climbed aboard the Viking ship for another round of thundering bass guitar and for that too I am grateful. more on this story





Guns N' Roses For Tots
Twinkle Twinkle Little Rock Star have set an April 30th release date for latest rock for tots release, "Lullaby Versions Of Guns N' Roses."

The album will feature lullaby renditions of Guns N' Roses hits which focuses mainly on music from the original "Appetite for Destruction" and the "Use Your Illusion I & II" lineups and albums.

The album includes child friendly versions of "Welcome To The Jungle," "Sweet Child O' Mine," " November Rain," "Paradise City," "Don't Cry," and more. more on this story




Rolling Stones Confirm Second Hyde Park Concert
(hennemusic) As expected, The Rolling Stones have officially announced a second concert at London's Hyde Park, set for Saturday, July 13.

The Stones' first Hyde Park show on Saturday, July 6 sold out within minutes of going on sale last week. Tickets for the July 13 date go on sale 9am this Friday, April 12.

Support for the July 13 show features Jake Bugg, Tom Odell and The 1975. Both concerts are part of the band's "50 & Counting" tour. more on this story





Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder Gives QOTSA More Cowbell
(Banana 101.5) Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder once again joined Queens of the Stone Age for their cowbell-driven hit 'Little Sister,' this time at the Chilean outing of Lollapalooza.

This isn't the first time it happened. Both Queens of the Stone Age and Pearl Jam played Alpine Valley, Wisconsin for PJ20. A multitude of guests joined PJ on stage throughout the weekend, of whom Joshua Homme was one.

Vedder returned the favor the following day, joining QOTSA on lead cowbell for 'Little Sister.' Watch the Lollapalooza Brazil performance here.





Rush's Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson To Added 'Lighted Stage' Screening
(hennemusic) Ahead of Rush's induction into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame in Los Angeles on April 18, band members Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson will attend a screening in the city of the documentary, "Beyond The Lighted Stage."

The screening will also be attended by the film's directors Sam Dunn and Scot McFadyen ("Metal: A Headbanger's Journey," "Iron Maiden: Flight 666").

The screening will be followed by a question-and-answer session with the Rush members; the evening is hosted by veteran DJ Jim Ladd at The ArcLight Cinema in Los Angeles on Tuesday, April 16th at 7pm. Check out the trailer.





Alter Bridge, Shinedown and Halestorm Tour
Alter Bridge have announced that they will be launching fall tours of the UK and Europe. Halestorm is set to join them on both treks and Shinedown will be part of the UK leg.

The UK tour will kick off on October 16th in Nottingham and will include stops in Birmingham, London, Cardiff, Glasgow and Manchester.

The European tour will begin on October 24th in Paris and will conclude on November 16th in Lisbon. "Thrilled to be returning to the UK with Shinedown and Halestorm later this year," said Alter Bridge frontman Myles Kennedy. "I'm looking forward to reconnecting with the part of the world that embraced Alter Bridge from the start."

"We are truly honoured to be playing with Alter Bridge in the UK this year," adds Shinedown's Brent Smith. "We are such big fans of the band, and admire them greatly. Rock'n'roll is a way of life for all of us in Shinedown, and we are so excited to be apart of such an amazing tour."

"I'm so excited to be sharing the stage with our friends in Shinedown and Alter Bridge," notes Halestorm singer Lzzy Hale. "I'm so lucky to be the 'little sis of rock' on this tour. All of these men have been so influential to my life, and are tremendous performers. Anyone attending one of these shows better be prepared to leave the building barefoot, because the lot of us are gonna rock your socks off." more on this story





John Fogerty Added To Tim McGraw's TV Special Lineup
John Fogerty has been added to the lineup for the ACM Presents: Tim McGraw's Superstar Summer Night Special all-star concert.

The concert will be filmed on Monday, April 8, 2013 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas and CBS will air the special on Sunday, May 19 at 9:00-11:00 PM on CBS-TV.

A couple weeks later on May 28th, Fogerty will release his new album "Wrote A Song For Everyone," which features his collaborations with other noted musicians recreating 12 classic songs from his career as a solo artist and with Creedence Clearwater Revival.

His camp sent over these additional details: The album was mixed by Bob Clearmountain and was recorded in Los Angeles and Nashville except for "Proud Mary" which was recorded in New Orleans with Allen Toussaint and the Rebirth Brass Band.

Fogerty recorded "Fortunate Son" with Foo Fighters at their 606 studio using "the" legendary Neve recording console featured in Dave Grohl's documentary Sound City.




Black Star Riders Guitarist Explains Why They Are No Longer Thin Lizzy
(hennemusic) Black Star Riders guitarist Scott Gorham explains in a new interview why the band decided to change their name after touring for the past three years as Thin Lizzy.

"There was a definite reason for that," guitarist Scott Gorham tells Bloodstock Radio's Michelle Livings. "The writing process took about a year to get 18 songs down. About four months into the whole writing process, I kept thinking about it, 'do I feel comfortable recording an album under the name Thin Lizzy and Phil Lynott is not there?'

"And I just found myself feeling increasingly 'no I don't feel comfortable with that idea.' I brought this up to Brian Downey, the drummer, and I said 'what do you think?' He said 'I feel exactly the same way, probably even longer than you have.' So, let's talk to the rest of the guys."

"Went to [vocalist] Ricky [Warwick] and [guitarist] Damon [Johnson] and the others…unbeknownst to all of us, we were all thinking the same thing but nobody wanted to be that first guy to bring the subject up. At that point, we knew that the only way we were going to be able to carry on and record these songs and put them out as an album was we had to stop Thin Lizzy. We had to create a new band, a new personality." Watch the interview here.




The Black Crowes and Tedeschi Trucks Band Summer Tour
The Black Crowes and Tedeschi Trucks Band will be teaming up this summer to launch a North American co-headlining tour.

The tour will feature support from The London Souls and is set to kick off on July 19th at The Woods Amphitheatre at Fontanel in Nashville.

The trek will focus on the East Coast and Midwest markets and include stops in Alpharetta, GA- Charlotte and Raleigh, NC- Columbus, OH- Gilford, NH- Boston- Canadaigua, NY- Pittsburgh- Holmdel, NJ- Wantagh, NY- Philadelphia, PA- Indianapolis, IN- Chicago, IL- Rochester Hills, MI. more on this story





Queens of the Stone Age Streaming New Song Online
(Banana 101.5) Queens of the Stone Age debuted 'My God is the Sun,' which we now know is the first single from their upcoming album '…Like Clockwork,' during Lollapalooza Brazil. Now the band has pushed the studio version of the track to YouTube.

We've been waiting almost 6 years for new music from QOTSA and that day has finally arrived! The first single from their upcoming sixth studio album has just dropped on the internet and showcases the desert/robot rock proprietors at their finest.

Blending just the proper amount of melody, groove and their signature brand of weird — Queens of the Stone Age are back… and they brought Dave Grohl with them to play drums.

'My God is the Sun' marks the first song unveiled from '…Like Clockwork,' and was released just in time to keep us occupied until the album hits stores June 4th.