Today's Day in Rock News!

Today's Day in Rock


The Doors Surviving Members Planning To Reunite
(Classic Rock) John Densmore and Robby Krieger are planning to play a memorial show for The Doors bandmate Ray Manzarek, who died last month at the age of 74.
It means the end of a ten-year feud between the surviving members of Jim Morrison's band. And the musicians settled their differences in time for Densmore to speak to Manzarek before his death.

He tells Rolling Stone: "The inner circle knew Ray had cancer for a while. Then I heard he was really sick and called him. He said thank you for the prayers, and told me chemo was f**ked. So there was a closing, thank God."

Densmore is delighted to be on speaking terms with his former best friend Kreiger. He explains: "I said to Robby a few weeks ago in an email: 'Let's have our musical reunion for Ray. Let's play some Doors songs. It's like to break the ice that way.' It should happen pretty soon." more on this story




Aerosmith's Steven Tyler Going Solo
(hennemusic) Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler has revealed plans to work on his first solo album next year which follows the 2011 release of his solo single, '(It) Feels So Good'.

"I had a lot of fun doing '(It) Feels So Good'…I wrote that with Marti Frederiksen," Tyler tells Rolling Stone. "I've got this itch in me to do a solo record, and that's what I'm gonna do next. I've got some great people that want to get involved in it. It's early on right now, but that's the itch I got. I got that itch to do something that's a lot different than Aerosmith. Aerosmith's never been better, but we did that album [2012's 'Music From Another Dimension'].

"This last album was an Aerosmith all-for-one-and-one-for-all. But my heart is in stuff like that weirder, off-the-cuff stuff that I'm not sure Aerosmith would like. I'm into electronica – I was when I used to listen to Stockhausen in '65. So there's just a lot of stuff – good, weird f**king music that I want to get off my chest. The band will be playing, and we're going to China and Singapore. It's gonna open up a whole new world for Aerosmith. So Aerosmith will always be around, but I got this itch and I know how to scratch it."

Asked who he might work with on the project, Tyler says "There's so much good stuff out there. I am a huge Skrillex fan. I went to lunch with Deadmau5 at Mel's Diner. He's got incredible ideas for his next tour – blew me away, what he's gonna do. He's a single guy. He makes all the money himself when he puts the mouse head on, so he's got a ton of money. He knows where to take it, and he's still relevant. So it was a sick dinner, it was f**king unreal. I want to go out and explore things . . . I really want to take a little risk here and do something solo. There's no timeline – I'm gonna start in January and see where we get by March." more on this story



Deep Purple and Iron Maiden Stars To Tribute Jon Lord
(hennemusic) A tribute concert to celebrate the late Deep Purple keyboardist Jon Lord's life and music will be held on April 4, 2014 at London's Royal Albert Hall.

Artists confirmed so far include Deep Purple members Ian Paice, Roger Glover, Don Airey and Steve Morse, as well as Iron Maiden's Bruce Dickinson, along with Rick Wakeman, Joe Brown and Alfie Boe.

Lord passed away July 16, 2012 at the age of 71 after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. With Purple, Lord co-wrote many of the group's legendary songs, including "Smoke On The Water," and played with many bands and musicians throughout his career. more on this story




Steven Van Zandt Tributes Sopranos Co-Star James Gandolfini
(Radio.com) On Wednesday (June 19), the world was shocked by the news of actor James Gandolfini's death at 51 from a heart attack and one of most famous Sopranos co-stars has paid tribute to him.

Steven Van Zandt, who played Tony Sopranos' consigliere Silvio Dante, posted a statement to his official Underground Garage Facebook page: "I have lost a brother and a best friend. The world has lost one of the greatest actors of all time. Maureen and I send our deepest sympathy and love to Deborah, Michael, Lily, and all of Jimmy's family."

Maureen Van Zandt, Steven's wife, played his on-screen Sopranos wife Gabriella. She tweeted, "I loved James so much. He was a beautiful man and a genius. I was honored to breathe the same air as him. I'll love and remember him forever."

avid Chase, creator of HBO's The Sopranos – which starred Gandolfini in his defining role as Tony Soprano — issued a statement, saying: "He was a genius. Anyone who saw him even in the smallest of his performances knows that. He is one of the greatest actors of this or any time. A great deal of that genius resided in those sad eyes. I remember telling him many times, 'You don't get it. You're like Mozart.' There would be silence at the other end of the phone. For (his wife) Deborah and (son) Michael and (daughter) Lilliana this is crushing. And it's bad for the rest of the world. He wasn't easy sometimes. But he was my partner, he was my brother in ways I can't explain and never will be able to explain." more on this story




David Lynch Directing New Nine Inch Nails Video?
Trent Reznor has sparked online speculation that Nine Inch Nails have recruited acclaimed film director David Lynch to direct the band's new video.

On Wednesday, Reznor got fans imagination going after he tweeted a photo of what appears to be himself in make-up with David Lynch standing in the background.

This had lead some to believe that Lynch may be directing the video for the song "Come Back Haunted," the lead single from the upcoming NIN album, Hesitation Marks.

Reznor and Lynch do have a history together as the Nine Inch Nails mastermind was involved with the soundtrack to Lynch's 1997 film "Lost Highway." You can see the photo here.




Jimi Hendrix Experience: Live In Cologne Set For Release
(hennemusic) "The Jimi Hendrix Experience: Live In Cologne" - a concert recording from 1969 - will be released next month exclusively via Authentic Hendrix – The Official Jimi Hendrix Online Store.

Due July 9, it is the twelfth release in the Dagger Records official bootleg series (previously released as an LP and now coming to CD for the first time).

The album documents Jimi's January 13, 1969 performance at the Sporthalle in Cologne, Germany and the set includes a mixture of Hendrix classics and covers of songs by Earl King and Cream. more on this story





Cancer Fight Inspired Black Sabbath
(Gibson) No one seems more surprised than Ozzy Osbourne by the resounding success of Black Sabbath's new album, 13 and guitarist Tony Iommi says his lymphoma diagnosis actually helped solidify the project.

In a just-published interview with London's The Telegraph, the Sabbath frontman said, "This has really freaked me out. I knew it was a [expletive] good album, but when somebody just told me it's gone top in 50 countries -- I didn't know there were 50 countries, and I'm number one in all of them!" Osbourne admitted it was his outsized ego that scuttled the band's attempt to record eleven years ago.

"I was riding on this cloud of being television's new megastar for five minutes," he explained. "I was doing well on my own, so it took me a while to get that balanced out in my head. I mean, it's not Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath. It's [expletive] Black Sabbath. It's different from me doing my own thing."

Ironically, Tony Iommi's lymphoma diagnosis actually helped solidify the 13 project. "The funny thing is, my whole situation finally got us cracking and brought us all more together," said the guitarist. "Everybody realized, like, wow, what could happen here." more on this story






Vinny Appice To Perform With Dio Disciples This Summer
The Dio Disciples, which features former members of the band paying tribute to Ronnie James Dio, will be joined by original Dio drummer Vinny Appice this summer.

Appice will be appearing with his fellow former Dio members, guitarist Craig Goldy, keyboardist Scott Warren, and drummer Simon Wright along with singers Tim "Ripper" Owens (Judas Priest) and Oni Logan (Lynch Mob) and bass player Bjorn Englen (Yngwie Malmsteen), for five dates in July.

Vinny Appice played drums with Dio from the group's incarnation and debut album, "Holy Diver," through their 1994 post Black Sabbath reunion release "Strange Highways." more on this story




Jake E. Lee Recruits Warmachine's Darren Smith To Front New Band
Former Ozzy Osbourne and Badlands guitarist Jake E. Lee have recruited Warmachine drummer Darren Smith as the frontman for his new band Red Dragon Cartel.

Red Dragon Cartel now features Lee on guitar, Smith on vocals, Beggars & Thieves' Ronnie Mancuso on bass and Black Betty's Jonas Fairley on drums.

Smith's band Warmachine had the following to say about their drummer's new gig, "We would like to send congrats to our band mate and brother Darren! We are so proud of you!"

Lee has remained low-key for the past decade, apart from playing guitar on Enuff Z'nuff's "Dissonance" album, and has now put together a new band and will be releasing a new album.

The new album will feature guest appearances from Cheap Trick's Robin Zander, original Iron Maiden frontman Paul Di'Anno and In This Moment's Maria Brink.

The effort was recorded at Hideout Studios in Las Vegas, which is owned and operated by Kevin Churko (Ozzy Osbourne, Five Finger Death Punch).




Rolling Stones To Be Joined By Aaron Neville In Philly
(hennemusic) The Rolling Stones will be joined by special guest Aaron Neville to night in Philadelphia, the second of two shows in the city this week. Keith Richards co-produced and played guitar on Aaron's album, "My True Story," released earlier this year.

The concert marks the 17th stop on the Stones 18-date "50 & Counting" arena tour, which has seen the band play with a variety of guests, including John Fogerty, Tom Waits, Keith Urban, Carrie Underwood and John Mayer.

The Stones will wrap up the North American tour in Washington on Monday; the band will play the Glastonbury festival on June 29, followed by two shows in London's Hyde Park next month. more on this story




Metallica Add Singapore Date and Release Adelaide Footage
(hennemusic) Metallica have announced a Singapore concert date as a new addition to their upcoming Asian tour and have also released footage from their recent concert in Adelaide.

The band will play the Singapore Changi Exhibition Centre in Singapore on Saturday, August 24. The appearance marks only the second time Metallica have played in Singapore, with their last date more than 20 years ago.

Metallica's tour of Asia kicks off August 10 in Tokyo, Japan, with dates scheduled for China and South Korea, and the band saying that more concerts will be announced.

Metallica have also released footage from their March 2nd appearance at Australia's Soundwave festival in Adelaide. The band has issued video of "No Remorse" and "Motorbreath" from the tuning room, as well as "The Thing That Should Not Be" from the show.

The Adelaide stop was the fourth date of Soundwave, which hit five cities in the country over a two-week period. Check out the footage here.




Michael Monroe Releasing New Solo Album
(hennemusic) Finnish rock legend Michael Monroe (Hanoi Rocks) has announced details of his new album, "Horns And Halos," due for release on August 26 in the UK.

Monroe has revealed the album's track listing and cover art, which is based on an idea from Swedish guitarist Dregen (Backyard Babies), who features in Michael's current touring and recording lineup.

"I love logotypes that are a 'little secret," says Dregen. "You know, the ones that are more like signs — Van Halen, Crass, Him's Heartagram, etc. That was the starting point…"

The project's lead single, "Ballad Of The Lower East Side," was released in April; a second single/video will be made available on August 5. more on this story




Def Leppard Guitarist To Hold Fitness Seminar
(hennemusic) Def Leppard guitarist Phil Collen and his trainer, Muay Thai kickboxing champion Jean Carrillo, have announced their first fitness seminar, set for July 12 in Quebec City.

Billed as Physical Mechanics, Collen and Carrillo will be speaking about health, fitness and what the axeman does to get fit on tour and off. Coming one day before Def Leppard's performance in Quebec City, the event includes a VIP cocktail reception before the lecture, and an audience Q&A following the seminar.

The promo poster reads: "Discover how Phil Collen, the well-known guitarist for Def Leppard - now 55 - has the shape and body of a 25-year old." more on this story




Rolling Stones Reach Glastonbury Festival Broadcast Deal
(hennemusic) The Rolling Stones have reached a deal with organizers of the Glastonbury festival that will see an hour of the band's June 29th performance broadcast on television.

According to the BBC, the Stones had originally insisted that only four songs from their 90-minute set could be televised, but festival organizer Michael Eavis told reporters a compromise had been reached.

Eavis, who established the event on his farm in Pilton 43 years ago, said he had also endured protracted negotiations with the group to secure their performance.

"It's taken a long time to get them to come and play," he said. "Everyone wants to see the Stones, basically."

"I think Mick Jagger wanted to play to the people here, rather than a TV show," he added. "They're going to be playing for about an hour for the TV." more on this story




Airbourne Announce Fall Tour
(Classic Rock) Airbourne will tour the UK starting in November, with 11 dates booked to support their third album Black Dog Barking. They'd already been added to the bill for this year's Hard Rock Hell, which takes place in Wales on November 30-December 1.

Airbourne frontman Joel O'Keeffe recently said his band had made a better job of the new record than they had over its predecessor, No Guts No Glory.

"We might have rushed a few things here and there, because we had two world tours back to back up against each other," He explained. "We recorded the music just in the middle of all that. We even had some shows between recording. This time, we spaced it out." more on this story






Singled Out: Heaven & Earth's I Don't Know What Love Is
Today Heaven & Earth mastermind Stuart Smith tells us about their next single "I Don't Know What Love Is" from their brand new album "Dig". Here is the story:

This was about the 5th song to be written for the "Dig" album. It's based around a title that I'd come up with over 20 years ago.

One day way back then, and I can't remember if I was actually feeling that way or if I just thought it up but I came up with the line "I Don't Know What Love Is Anymore" and I thought it was such a powerful statement that I wrote it on the back of a business card and put it in my nightstand as I didn't want to forget it. A year or so later I was going out with a girl called Amanda whom I had always looked upon as the one that got away. In fact Keavin from antiMusic may remember her as he actually worked on the road crew of a very early version of Heaven & Earth when it was called "Midnight" during that period. Anyway, we were in the studio one day and Amanda said that she'd meet me at my house afterwards. When I got there she wasn't there so I called her at her apartment to ask where she was and she told me that she'd gone through my nightstand and found the business card and was upset that she'd found what I'd written on it and asked me if that was the way I felt. I laughed and told her that it was just an idea for a song title that I'd wrote down a long time before. Everything carried on between us for a while but at the time I remember thinking that if it had that effect on someone then it was worth doing something with.

Over the years I'd tried to write something around that title but was not really satisfied with anything that I came up with. When we were writing for "Dig" Joe (Retta) went to visit his parents in Rochester for a few weeks and I decided that we needed an acoustic style ballad, like "Heaven & Earth" off the first album, so I picked up my acoustic and consciously decided I was not going to pick up the electric again till I'd come up with some music that was worthy of that title. For two and a half weeks I worked on it all day and night, coming up with hundreds of ideas, but couldn't find the keystone riff to tie them all together. A few days before Joe was due to return I was talking to Howard Leese about the problems I was having with putting it together and he said well it sort of sings itself, "Love is Anymore" and the way he sang it reminded me of "She Love's You" by The Beatles" and the main riff instantly came to me. The minute I had that it was like I was magically transported into space and was looking down and could see all the other parts I'd written so I just went "I'll have you, you, you and you" and the whole thing dropped into place within 5 minutes.

When Joe got back a couple of days later I played him the song, which he loved, and gave him the title, which he thought was going to be tough to work with, so we recorded it on his 8 track recorder. As we were doing this he thought the chords I'd used for the chorus were a bit too "happy" and not in keeping with the title or the rest of the song, so I just swapped them out for a part in a bit more of a minor mode that I'd written earlier and he, as he usually did, disappeared into his room and I didn't see him for a few days. A few days later he played me the nearly completed song and I was blown away.

We made a few minor adjustments during rehearsals before we went into Ocean Studios in Burbank to record it but basically that was it. It was around Christmas time when we had the backing track completed and Joe had sung his vocal. Every year I would go over to David Paich's (Toto) for his Christmas Eve party where David and I would play carols on the piano and guitar. There was never anyone really good to sing them though so that year I brought Joe with me to help us out. After the party finished we went into David's studio and played him the song. He said that it was a definite hit and wanted to play some strings on it so we came back a couple of weeks later and he did his magic on it. As a final touch we added the Agape Gospel Choir on, shortened the title to "I Don't Know What Love Is" and the song was complete. I feel this is one of our strongest songs because, as relationships are so complicated, I think that most people can relate with the sentiments expressed within the lyrics at some point in their lives.

Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen for yourself and learn more about the album right here!




Stone Sour Release The Uncanny Valley Lyric Video
(Classic Rock) Stone Sour have released a lyric video for their track "The Uncanny Valley." It's taken from recent masterwork House Of Gold And Bones, which was released in two parts with the second installment appearing in April.

Frontman Corey Taylor enjoyed a busy three days at the Download festival last weekend, headlining Friday's show with Slipknot, appearing at a book signing on Saturday then playing the main stage with Stone Sour on Sunday.

He also recently released the first three issues of a comic based on the House Of Gold And Bones storyline. You can watch the new "The Uncanny Valley" lyric video here.




Spock's Beard Release Submerged Video
(Classic Rock) The latest album from prog rockers Spock's Beard, Brief Nocturnes And Dreamless Sleep, is out now and carries the Classic Rock seal of approval. In fact, we're calling it "arguably the best record of their 20-year career to date".

Spock's Beard recently completed a European headline tour with InsideOut label-mates Sound Of Contact and Beardfish. Just previous to starting that tour, they filmed a music video for the track Submerged and you can check it out below.

Alan Morse (guitar/vocals) had this to say about the filming of the clip: "This is the best video we've done yet, we're really proud of it. We had a great time making it, though it was a lot of work. It looks fantastic – the director, actors and crew were all really top notch, it was a pleasure to work with them. The director, Michael Beaudry, had a powerful vision to go with the song, and I think he executed it brilliantly. Plus he's just a really cool guy. Hope you all like it, more to come…"