Today's Day in Rock News!

Today's Day in Rock


Lou Reed's Life Saved By Liver Transplant
(Classic Rock) Lou Reed's life has been saved by a liver transplant, it's been revealed. The 71-year-old Velvet Underground icon underwent an emergency procedure in Cleveland in April after his own liver failed as a result of years of drug usage.
"It's as serious as it gets – he was dying," says Reed's wife Laurie Anderson. "You send out two planes, one for the donor, one for the recipient, at the same time. You bring the donor in live and take him off life support. It's a technological feat. I was completely awestruck."

Reed echoes her sentiments in a brief statement, saying: "I am a triumph of modern medicine, physics and chemistry. I am bigger and stronger than stronger than ever. My Chen Taiji and health regimen has served me well all of these years, thanks to Master Ren Guang-yi." more on this story



Gene Simmons Predicts The End Of KISS
(hennemusic) In a new interview with Sweden's Expressen TV, KISS bassist and co-founder Gene Simmons spoke about the final days of the band. "One day it'll end," said Simmons.

"And I hope on the day that we end, we end on a high note instead of going down. You don't wanna stay one day longer than when it's great; you wanna be great 'til the end."

Asked how long he gives the band before it will be time to call it quits for good, the 63-year old bassist said, "We probably have another 5 to 10 years at the most."

The Simmons session was hours before the opening night of KISS' European tour in support of their current album, "Monster," at the Friends Arena in Stockholm on Saturday. more on this story



New Pearl Jam Song Coming Next Month?
(Classic Rock) Speculation is increasing that Pearl Jam will be releasing new music soon, with a report that a single from their long-awaited tenth album be will released on July 16.

The speculation came after industry listing site AllAccess.com listed a song called "Mind Your Manners" for launch on that date, but later removed it.

Guitarist Mike McCready recently said the follow-up to 2009′s Backspacer was nearly finished and would be released this year "for sure." More rock news.




Scott Weiland Rages Against Stone Temple Pilots
(Radio.com) In advance of Scott Weiland's solo show in Arizona last Friday (May 31), the recently deposed ex-lead singer of Stone Temple Pilots went on an expletive-packed rant to AZ Central about being unceremoniously ousted from the multi-platinum rock act. The seething mad singer was determined to reveal the events that led up to being replaced by Linkin Park's Chester Bennington.

Weiland explained that before the band self-destructed, he felt the need to take a break from non-stop touring and record a new album. "We've been playing the same (expletive) set for four years," he said of the band's recent past, lamenting that STP had gone from playing 20,000-seat arenas to county fairs and small capacity casinos.

"I will not sit around and destroy the brand of this band," he told them. "We have to get in the studio and make new music…Fans of STP were so sick of hearing the same songs over and over, the same set list."

"I don't really think about it a lot," Weiland continued when asked about the current relationship between himself and his former band. "I think about how disrespectful they are, sometimes, in between a sip of coffee and a hit of my cigarette. I think about how selfish they are and how much it blows me away that after two times of trying this, they still think they have any opportunity of doing it without me. And it's not me saying that I'm the greatest because you know what? I'm not…But as far as this band goes? The vision? The artistic direction of the band? And trying to keep them from sounding like Rush? I'm sorry. I have to be totally honest. It was me. I'm guilty. I kept them from doing it. That's all I've got to say."

Weiland and his current band, the Wildabouts, are presently on the Purple to the Core Tour, focusing on songs from Stone Temple Pilots' first two albums, Purple and Core after a proposed STP tour in recognition of Core's 20th anniversary (complete with a box set reissue and new greatest hits collection) fell through. more on this story




W.A.S.P. Frontman Black Lawless Injured in Car Accident
W.A.S.P. announced late last week that they have been forced to cancel all of their upcoming appearances this summer at assorted European music festivals because frontman Black Lawless needs to undergo surgery for an injury suffered in a car accident.

The band issued the following, "Blackie Lawless was injured in a vehicle related accident that resulted in him breaking a leg. Complete recovery is expected following surgery.

"W.A.S.P. apologizes with all sincerity and say to all of our fans that we will be back next year bigger and better than ever. Blackie would also like to thank in advance all of those who wish to make inquiries about his well-being.

The band had planned to play the festivals as part of their "30 Years of Thunder" celebration. Lawless published an extensive history online that details the band's history. You can read it here.




Lombardo Learned of Slayer Firing Online
(Classic Rock) Dave Lombardo discovered he was out of Slayer the same way his fans did: by reading the news on the internet. The drummer was dropped in February following a contractual disagreement with colleagues Kerry King and Tom Araya, but was hoping the situation could be resolved.

But the thrash giants confirmed on Thursday they'd hired Paul Bostaph – who replaced Lombardo when he left in 1992 – on a full-time basis. Reacting to the move, Lombardo tweeted "And… there you have if folks!" Asked by a fan how he'd heard, he replied: "Online."

It's the third time he's split from the outfit he co-founded, after first departing in 1986. In April he admitted he was concentrating on side-project Philm as his main focus, but said fans should "cross your fingers" over a return to Slayer in time for their European tour. more on this story





Video of Aerosmith's Boston Strong Benefit Performance Goes Online
(hennemusic) Aerosmith headlined the Boston Strong benefit concert Thursday night at the city's TD Garden. The band played a mini-set full of hits, including "Train Kept 'A Rollin," ""Sweet Emotion," "Dream On" and "Walk This Way."

Aerosmith brought all of the evening's performers on stage for the two-song finale, which featured the Beatles' "Come Together" and the regional favorite, "Dirty Water."

"Boston Strong: An Evening Of Support And Celebration" featured a list of Boston area musicians, comedians and sports figures, with appearances by The J. Geils Band, Boston, James Taylor, Jason Aldean, Dropkick Murphys and more. Check out video from Aerosmith's set here.




Stone Temple Pilots With Chester Bennington Rock Benefit Show
(hennemusic) Stone Temple Pilots, with new lead singer Chester Bennington of Linkin Park, performed at the 9th annual MusiCares MAP Fund benefit concert at Club Nokia in Los Angeles on Thursday.

Bennington was honored with the Stevie Ray Vaughan Award for his dedication and support of the charity, and for his commitment to helping other addicts with the addiction recovery process.

"MusiCares MAP Fund is an amazing program that takes care of their own, and actually saves lives," said Bennington. "It's been so rewarding to support them and see firsthand what they've accomplished for so many artists."

Stone Temple Pilots played a 6-song set that included some band classics plus their new single, "Out Of Time." The group was also joined by Slash and Duff McKagan for a cover of the David Bowie-written song, "All The Young Dudes," made famous by Mott The Hoople.

Thursday's event was the second live appearance by the new Stone Temple Pilots lineup; they debuted with a surprise appearance at a Los Angeles radio station festival on May 18. Check out video from the show here.





Keith Richards Making Solo Album Plans
(Gibson) The Rolling Stones may be on their 50 and Counting tour, but Keith Richards is polishing a new solo album for 2014. In a new interview with Mojo magazine, Richards says: "I've been cutting stuff with Steve Jordan. For the last couple of years we get together and lay down tracks for a possible album.

"There's some great stuff in the can, we're just polishing things up and waiting for the right time to put it out. Maybe after this year with The Stones."

Steve Jordan is the drummer/multi-instrumentalist who co-produced with Richards in his X-Pensive Winos band. Read more about Keith Richards' solo albums.

In the same Mojo interview, Richards admits "there couldn't be a Rolling Stones without Charlie Watts." He also gives credit to bassist Darryl Jones. "Everybody thinks he's the new boy but he's been with us 20 years. His playing with Charlie is so locked in, I can't think of a rhythm section I've been with, except in the Winos maybe with Steve Jordan and Charlie Drayton, where I've felt that same rapport. I wanna give Mr. Jones his due." more on this story






Red Hot Chili Peppers Making New Album Plans
(Radio.com) After nearly two years of touring in support of their half-million-selling tenth album I'm With You, the Red Hot Chili Peppers are finally winding down and may soon book some studio time to work on new material.

"We're probably looking at getting together in September and getting on a roll and starting to write songs for the next record," drummer Chad Smith told Billboard.

Smith elaborated that the band won't have any "fully formed songs until the four of us get together in a room together." At this point, Smith says they just have little "tidbits" and "ideas percolating."

Before the Los Angeles foursome can settle down and hit the studio, they'll check off a few more festival performances including San Francisco's Outside Lands and Metallica's Orion Festival, taking over Belle Isle Park in Smith's home town of Detroit on June 8. more on this story




Iron Maiden's Bruce Dickinson Launching New Airline
(hennemusic) Iron Maiden singer Bruce Dickinson says his company, Cardiff Aviation, is in discussions with the Civil Aviation Authority about setting up a new airline.

"Subject to approvals, we'll be in the air within the next 50 days," Dickinson tells The Telegraph. "Clearly that fits with the maintenance — both operations need each other."

In the spring of 2012, Dickinson launched Cardiff Aviation as a major commercial airline maintenance repair and overhaul operation in South Wales. The company is based at the Twin Peaks hangar at St. Athan in the Vale of Glamorgan.

Cardiff's 2013 plan for the new airline venture is to start with three private jets, before sourcing some regional jets, and then working towards some larger, full passenger jets.

"The next stage is rebuilding Astraeus, but with proper governance. The market is ripe for an outsourcing airline that provides extra capacity," he says. "We want to provide British jobs, British pilots and British-operated aircraft." more on this story




Metallica Giving Away Download Of Star Spangled Banner Performance
(hennemusic) Metallica are offering fans a free download of their May 3rd performance of "The Star Spangled Banner" at the first ever Metallica Night at AT&T Park in San Francisco.

Guitarists James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett played the US national anthem before the San Francisco Giants' home game against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Fans can download the performance for free here. As part of the evening's festivities, drummer Lars Ulrich also threw out the ceremonial first pitch – watch it here and check out video of the National Anthem performance here.




Joe Elliott Says Supergroup Kings Of Chaos May Make New Music
(Classic Rock) Def Leppard frontman Joe Elliott says there's a chance that his all star covers band Kings Of Chaos could branch out to create their own material.

Elliott is part of Kings Of Chaos alongside mainman Matt Sorum, Gilby Clarke, Duff McKagan, Sebastian Bach, Glenn Hughes and Ed Roland, plus Slash and Myles Kennedy.

Elliott explains: "What a lineup! It's a wonderful experience to work with these guys. They just smile all the time. Everyone has been in a band for 30 or 40 years, and we all have great jokes and stories. Fresh songs come with fresh blood – we may even end up writing songs together. Who knows?" More rock news.





Judas Priest Rockline Replay Goes Online
(hennemusic) Judas Priest vocalist Rob Halford and guitarist Richie Faulkner were the featured guests on the May 15th edition of Rockline and if you missed it you can check out the appearance online.

The guys were on hand to discuss their new live DVD, "Epitaph," which captures the final show of the band's last ever world tour, filmed at the Hammersmith Apollo London on May 26, 2012. A replay of Priest's appearance on Rockline is available here.

"Epitaph" was directed by Brickwall's Alex Walker and sound-engineered by Richard Kayvan and Tom Allom, the mastermind behind countless seminal metal records. more on this story




Black Star Riders Make Live Debut
(hennemusic) Black Star Riders, the new band formed from the final Thin Lizzy lineup, performed their debut live show on Thursday at The Marshall Theatre at Milton Keynes, UK.

The occasion was to mark the release of the group's debut album, "All Hell Breaks Loose." The set featured a mix of new music along with some classic Thin Lizzy tracks.

"Thank you everyone who was there and made this show a huge success!!!" posted the band after the sold-out show. Video from the show has been posted online, you can watch it here.





Alice Cooper and Marilyn Manson Kick Off Shock Therapy Tour
(hennemusic) Alice Cooper and Marilyn Manson kicked off their Masters Of Madness: Shock Therapy Tour Saturday in Albuquerque, New Mexico and video from the show has been posted online.

Manson performed an abbreviated greatest hits set, featuring tracks like "The Dope Show," "The Beautiful People," and covers of "Personal Jesus" (Depeche Mode) and The Eurythmics' "Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)."

Alice opened his headlining set through a curtain of fire before delivering one classic after another from his extensive catalog. For the night's encores, Cooper was joined by Robin Zander and Rick Neilsen of Cheap Trick for "School's Out," and Manson himself returned to the stage for "I'm Eighteen."

The trek also features openers Picture Me Broken, a band fronted by Layla Allman, the daughter of Gregg Allman. Check out video from the show here.





Motley Crue Frontman To Take Part In For The Kidz Golf Classic
(hennemusic) Motley Crue singer Vince Neil is set to participate in, along with several sports stars, the 15th annual Sheetz Family Charities "For The Kidz" Golf Classic, set to take place Monday, June 3 at Kingsmill Resort in Williamsburg, Virginia.

The golf outing is a major fundraising effort for the Sheetz Family Charities that benefits the company's Christmas program for underprivileged children who are identified with the help of the Salvation Army. Proceeds from last year's golf event were used to bring smiles to the faces of more than 6,900 children.

Sheetz Family Charities is also supported throughout the year by Sheetz in-store donations, proceeds from Sheetz bottled water sales and other efforts. In 2012, Sheetz raised more than $1.1 million for the charity. more on this story





Bostaph Reacts To Slayer Reunion
Paul Bostaph has commented further about reunited with Slayer and for the second time replaced Dave Lombardo in the veteran thrash group.

Bostaph had this to say about rejoining the group, "It's been really cool to come back in the room and play some of the songs – Slayer songs are epic and amazing. So that's been great. We had a lot of great years together when I was with them and I'm hoping to continue all that."

In last week's announcement by the group, Bostaph had this to say, "I'm very excited to be rejoining Slayer. We spent a very intense ten years of our lives together, had a lot of fun, made a lot of great music, so for me, this feels like coming home."

And Slayer's Tom Araya added, "Paul's a great drummer and a good friend, and we're very happy that he's decided to rejoin the band. We're still pretty numb from the loss of Jeff, but we don't want to disappoint our European and South American fans, and we need to begin moving forward...having Paul back in the band makes that a whole lot easier." more on this story





The Cult Expand Electric 13 Tour
(hennemusic) The Cult have added a series of November European dates to their Electric 13 tour, a trek which will see the band perform their 1987 album, "Electric," in its entirety for the first time.

The shows will include two sets: "Electric" in one, with a second featuring tracks from the band's catalog. "The Cult's life blood has always been playing live, we are between albums and decided to continue the momentum created by Choice Of Weapon, stay in people's hearts and minds," explains singer Ian Astbury.

"As Love Live was such an incredible experience we have decided that performing the Electric album, an event that has been demanded by our fans and followers as the perfect live set to play in 2013."

The Electric 13 tour will open July 25 in San Diego. more on this story





Peter Frampton Talks Guitar Circus and The Magic of Live
(Gibson) Peter Frampton is currently touring his live extravaganza, Guitar Circus, featuring guests B.B. King, Robert Cray, Sonny Landreth and more. Frampton became a star via Comes Alive, his 1976 double album, and tells TBO.com he still doesn't understand why live music works so well for him.

"I can't say why the studio versions of the [Comes Alive] songs that became hits weren't successful. All I can think of when I hear the recordings from San Francisco venue Winterland is that there is so much passion and energy.

"The funny thing is how it was back then," Frampton tells TBO.com. "Live albums didn't count as part of your record deal but that particular album turned my career around and I was told that wasn't part of my deal."

But Frampton reports he's now happy playing a tour called Guitar Circus with some stellar talent. "People forget or don't realize that I was a guitarist first and then I became a singer. I never wanted to become a singer," he says.

"I knew way back when I was no Steve Marriott or Paul Rodgers, but you steal from the best and I stole from Steve Marriott and Peter Wolf. I was a guitarist." more on this story






Traveling Guitarists Need Not Fear Fed's Regulation
(Gibson) The long-delayed United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) report on the Lacey Act was delivered to Congress last week, and guitarists can finally breathe a major sigh of relief.

The report states that an instrument owner would "not need to submit a Lacey Act declaration for the instrument upon entry into the United States because APHIS is not requiring the submission of a Lacey Act declaration for such informal entries."

The report also highlights the difficulty of collecting the information required by the declaration, and states that there is no hard evidence that the Lacey Act has reduced illegal logging.

Prior to this report, it was unclear what documentation was needed, as well as what penalties might be levied against musicians for traveling with guitars. more on this story






KISS Debut New Spider Stage In Tour Kick Off
(hennemusic) KISS kicked off their European tour in support of their current album, "Monster", at the Friends Arena in Stockholm, Sweden on Saturday and video from the show has been posted online.

The band debuted a new show for the occasion, with center stage made up of a massive spider. The set featured many of the KISS standards, but also included tour debuts of "Let Me Go, Rock N' Roll," "Heaven's On Fire" and "Say Yeah."

KISS will play a mixture of headline shows and festival dates across Europe for the next three weeks before launching an extensive Canadian tour in early July. Check out video here.




Ace Frehley In Celebrity Ghost Stories Season Premiere
(hennemusic) Original KISS guitarist Ace Frehley was featured on the season 4 premiere of Biography channel's Celebrity Ghost Stories, which premiered over the weekend.

The series presents first-person accounts by notable actors, musicians and models who believe they have experienced the other side. You can watch a clip here

"There are vengeful entities in Ace Frehley's estate and all the women in the home are in peril," reads the show's description. Frehley's tale is told alongside others by actor George Wendt ("Norm" on Cheers) and entertainer Wayne Newton. more on this story





Lynyrd Skynyrd Release Pawn Off Video With Pawn Stars
Lynyrd Skynyrd celebrated last week's premiere of the new season of Pawn Stars by releasing a special "Pawn Off" video for their new theme song for the show.

The video features Pawn Stars' Rick, Old Man and Corey Harrison as well as Austin "Chumlee" Russell in the crowd watching the band perform the new theme song for the show "Winning Isn't Everything."

The clip also features various pop-ups that give facts about the band as well as "pawn off" prices for items featured in the video like guitars, hats and more.

The hit show premiered their latest season on the History Channel last Thursday and in the season kick off Rick was given a "Rock and Roll Fantasy" camp experience for his birthday.

Fans of the show will know that Rick is an ardent fan of The Who and in the episode he went to Rock and Roll Fantasy Camp where was able to work with Kip Winger to learn to sing The Who classic "My Generation" and he later went on to perform the song with the band's frontman Roger Daltrey.

If you missed the episode, check your local listing for a reairing but for now check out the new Lynyrd Skynyrd video here.





Megadeth Streaming New Super Collider Songs Online
(hennemusic) Megadeth are streaming two new songs, "The Blackest Crow" and "Built For War," in advance of this week's release of their new album, "Super Collider."

"Super Collider" will be available as a limited-edition CD with a 3-D cover and bonus tracks, regular CD, regular LP, limited LP plus seven-inch vinyl, and as a digital download.

Megadeth are playing shows across the UK this week and have announced a series of signing sessions in the country that will take place in HMV stores in Newcastle, Glasgow, Manchester and London.

You can check out the "Built For War," here and the "The Blackest Crow" stream here.




Video From Scott Weiland's Tour Leg Kick Off Posted Online
(hennemusic) Former Stone Temple Pilots frontman Scott Weiland kicked off a short, west coast leg of his "Purple At The Core" solo tour at the House Of Blues in Hollywood last Wednesday and video from the show has been posted online.

Weiland is on the road with his band, The Wildabouts, as they play tracks from STP's first two albums along with a mixture of solo cuts and covers from artists like David Bowie, The Doors and The Libertines.

This past week, Weiland was sued by his former bandmates, who fired the singer this past February. The band claims Weiland sabotaged its 20th anniversary tour by being chronically late for performances and missing promotional gigs; they also claim in the lawsuit that Weiland wouldn't even communicate with band members, and that the singer's plan was to "hijack" the tour.

The suit is the latest part of the unfolding story of Stone Temple Pilots, who recently began working with Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington. Check out video from the show here.





Video From Guns N' Roses Club Show Goes Online
(hennemusic) Guns N' Roses played back-to-back nights on Tuesday and Wednesday at the House Of Blues in Dallas this past week and video from the second show has surfaced.

The band played the same set both nights with one exception: they added "Used To Love Her," from 1988's "Lies," at the second show on Wednesday.

The group are currently playing a brief, 8-date series of US concerts, which kicked off May 24 at Rocklahoma. Gun N' Roses will wrap up the dates with a headlining set at the Governor's Ball; the June 7-9 event at Randall's Island will also see performances by Kanye West, Kings Of Leon, Gary Clark Jr, and many more. Check out the video here.




Whitesnake Singer Reads Marriage Proposal On Stage At Concert
(hennemusic) Whitesnake frontman David Coverdale read a marriage proposal on stage during the band's recent show in Sheffield, and video of the event has surfaced.

The Sheffield show was part of Whitesnake's recent UK tour with Journey, a trip that saw them play 9 dates in a 2-week span. The group launched a European tour on Saturday in Germany.

In April, Whitesnake released "Made In Japan," a Deluxe 2CD/DVD edition that captures the band in concert at the Loud Park festival on October 15th, 2011 at Saitama Super Arena in Japan during their Forevermore World Tour. Watch the video here.




Rolling Stones Joined By Sheryl Crow In Chicago
(hennemusic) Sheryl Crow was the featured special guest Friday night in Chicago as the Rolling Stones played the 10th stop on their "50 & Counting" arena tour.

Crow joined the Rolling Stones to perform the song "All Down The Line," which comes from the classic Stones 1972 studio album "Exile On Main St."

Friday's show was the second of three in the Windy City for the Stones this week; they'll play the United Center again on Monday. Check out video of the jam here.





Queensryche Streaming New Song Called Fallout
(Classic Rock) The version of Queensryche fronted by Todd La Torre have released their track "Fallout". It's taken from their upcoming self-titled studio album.

The album will be their first with La Torre following the sacking of Geoff Tate, who's formed his own Queensryche lineup. Both bands will use the name until a court hearing in November decides which gets to keep it.

The two singers recently traded comments over the title of Tate's album, Frequency Unknown, with La Torre saying it was a "cheap shot" at his colleagues while his counterpart refuted the suggestion.

Queensryche tour the UK in October, and their album is released on June 24. Check out the new song here.




Synchronicity: The Album That Broke Up The Police Turns 30
(Radio.com) In Not Fade Away, we take a look at the legacy of some of the greatest albums of the past few decades – some iconic, some lesser known – as they celebrate significant anniversaries. Here, we take a look at the Police's 1983 classic "Synchronicity," which turned 30 on June 1, 2013.

If you were listening to the radio in the summer of 1983, there were two albums you couldn't avoid: one was Michael Jackson's Thriller, and the other was the Police's swan song, Synchronicity. The latter album was packed with singles, including "King Of Pain," "Wrapped Around Your Finger," "Synchronicity II" and — oh yeah — the most ubiquitous song of the the year, "Every Breath You Take." Indeed, Synchronicity and Thriller slugged it out at the top of the charts throughout the summer, with each spending time at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 album chart, and not leaving much room for other albums.

Synchronicity was the Police's fifth album, and once it took off, it seemed like nothing could stop them. Except, as it turned out, themselves. Sting's dominance of the band rubbed the other members — guitarist Andy Summers and drummer Stewart Copeland — the wrong way, especially Copeland. And so the seeds of the Police's demise were sown during the making of the record.

As producer Hugh Padgham told Sound On Sound, "By the time of Synchronicity, they were sick of each other — Sting and Stewart hated each other, and although Andy didn't show as much venom, he could be quite grumpy — and there were both verbal and physical fights in the studio."

In fact, Copeland recorded his drums in the studio dining room, watching his bandmates via a video monitor. Sting recorded in the studio's control room, with only Copeland actually recording in the actual recording studio.

Part of the problem was that, while Sting was writing most of the material, Copeland was a highly acclaimed drummer who felt he wasn't getting to put his stamp on the music. In particular, the drums on "Every Breath You Take" seemed to be a bone of contention. Each drum or percussion element on the track was recorded separately, as opposed to Copeland sitting at his drum kit and simply playing normally. (Throughout the song's music video, Copeland looks both angry and frustrated as he plays.)

The Sting/Copeland beef continued through the album's mixing, which took place in Quebec near a ski resort. more.




Joe Satriani Concludes Unstoppable Momentum Video Series
(hennemusic) In the final installments of a new 3-part video series, guitarist Joe Satriani discusses his inspiration behind the writing and recording of his new album, "Unstoppable Momentum."

In part 2, Joe discusses the working with co-producer Mike Fraser and creating new performances for the project. You can watch the episode here.

In part 3, Joe discusses the hidden messages that were revealed in the process of recording the songs for the project with Mike Keneally, Chris Chaney and Vinnie Colaiuta.

The video series also features exclusive behind the scenes footage of the recording sessions and samples of tracks from the album.