This Week's Top Stories
Here are the top stories from this past week's Day in Rock report
Guns N' Roses, Pantera, Whitesnake Members Form KISS Tribute Group
Member of Pantera, Guns N' Roses, Whitesnake and Kill Devil Hill have joined forces to pay tribute to 70's era KISS in their new tribute group A.L.I.V.E.!.
The band features Rex Brown (bass; Pantera, Kill Devil Hill), Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal (guitar; Guns N' Roses), Brian Thomas Tichy (drums; WHITESNAKE, Queensrÿche, Ozzy Osbourne, S.U.N.) and Mark Zavon (guitar; Kill Devil Hill), and have announced a couple of live appearances this month to celebrate Brown's birthday.
The project came together when the members were asked to take part in the charity album, KISS 40th Anniversary Tribute album for cancer care. The band sent out these comments:
Rex Brown, "We each got asked to play on this tribute album to benefit cancer research. Obviously, it was for a great cause and we wanted to be a part of it, but I think it also came from a place of real passion too. Each of us were hugely influenced by KISS early in our lives, so the chance to play on those tracks was a real honor. After we'd heard what we'd recorded, we thought it would be a lot of fun to do it live.
"As it turned out, Mark and I had just finished recording the upcoming Kill Devil Hill album, and had a small window of time this summer before we head out on the road again. The timing perfectly coincided with breaks in Ron and Brian's schedules as well, so we decided to put this thing together!"
Rex continues, "I remember I was in 7th grade & this chick had a copy of ALIVE! I swiped it & it changed the future of rock and roll as I know it!! They were like "gods" to this scrawny kid from Texas learning to play guitar!! They are one of the reasons I jam to this day!! I got to open up for them numerous times in stadiums & it's the attitude and the songs, not the schtick, that I go back to every time!!"
Tichy adds, "I thought KISS ALIVE! was the loudest record ever when I first heard it! KISS was the first band I got into. Peter Criss was my first drum idol and he is where I started as a drummer! When the idea of all of us going for this together was brought up, we all reacted with unbridled excitement to how much fun and how powerful this could be! I can't wait to play with these badass musicians I am proud to call friends!"
When asked about KISS's influence on him, Thal said, "Hearing the KISS "Alive!" album at the age of 5 is what made me want to play guitar and join a band. I'm looking forward to playing the songs that launched my life!"
Zavon said, "When I was 14 I borrowed 'Destroyer' from the public library and have never been the same since."
A.L.I.V.E.! will perform material off of KISS's hugely influential Alive! and Alive II records as well as some of their personal favorites. - more on this story
The Police's Andy Summers and Rob Giles Announce Circa Zero
The Police's Andy Summers has teamed up with The Rescues' Rob Giles to form a new group called Circa Zero and have announced their debut album plans and they very first live performance.
The group, which also features Emmanuelle Caplette, will be making their debut public performance on July 25 at the El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles.
Andy Summers says, "Finally, the El Rey! We can't wait to get this out there." "Andy and I just wanted to write rock songs that we wanted to hear but couldn't find anywhere," shares Rob Giles. "It's almost shocking to think we get to play them for an audience."
The group has recently finished recording their self-titled debut album, which was recorded at Summers' Venice, CA recording studio and expected to be released early next year.
Fans won't have to wait for the show or the album release to get a taste of what they sound like as the group have posted a teaser clip of one of their new songs, "No Highway," here.
MSO sent over the following background information on the group: Circa Zero began when a mutual friend invited Summers to a few of Giles' shows with The Rescues. Summers was immediately impressed by Giles' great vocals as well as his multi-instrumental capability.
The two got together to kick around song ideas, and after their first jam session decided it was imperative that they record together. Circa Zero--the band name reflects a new beginning or fresh start--didn't have any definitive musical agenda in mind but instead, following their muse, they began creating edgy lyrical rock songs both familiar and new, modern and classic. -
Eric Clapton Voted Greatest Guitarist
(Classic Rock) Motor racing fans have decided that Eric Clapton is a greater guitarist than Jimmy Page, Angus Young, Pete Townshend and Keith Richards.
They were asked to vote in a poll ahead of the annual Silverstone Classic festival at the iconic race track in England. Organisers asked them to choose from the five Gibson artists – and they responded by voting for Slowhand, who recently released a new album called Old Sock and is considering winding down his touring career.
Event Director Nick Wigley says: "Nearly 2000 votes were cast, and it's clear from the results that Silverstone Classic fans are just as knowledgable about classic rock guitarists as they are about classic racing cars." - more on this story
Stone Temple Pilots and Chester Bennington Announce New Show
(hennemusic) Stone Temple Pilots, with new singer Chester Bennington of Linkin Park, have been confirmed to play Japan's Loud Park 2013 on October 19.
Billed as "the biggest and only metal festival in Japan," Loud Park 2013 features 24 bands on two different stages over two days at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama City.
The show will mark STP's first trip to Japan since 1993. Other bands confirmed for the festival include King Diamond, Trivium, Last in Line and more. - more on this story
Another First For Metallica
(hennemusic) Metallica have added their first-ever concert date in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to their upcoming Asian tour which will launch in Tokyo on August 10th.
"With more than 30 years of traveling around the world behind us, there are very few places that we have yet to explore," said the band about the career first.
"So it's rather thrilling for us to be back with yet another first, a stop in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on August 21 at Stadium Merdeka." - more on this story
Guitar From Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page Fetches $40K
(hennemusic) An acoustic guitar played by Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page during Roy Harper's 70th birthday concert at London's Royal Festival Hall in 2011 has been sold at a London entertainment memorabilia auction for £26,250 (approx. $40,000 US).
The Martin 'Birthday Special 2007' acoustic guitar was sold by auction house Bonhams on Wednesday, with proceeds benefitting the charity Action for Brazil's Children Trust, of which Page is a patron.
The guitar (serial no. 1151442) label inside body was signed by J.R. Warner and C.F. Martin IV, the fingerboard inlaid with Led Zeppelin and Zodiac symbols and the guitarist's name, was offered in its original hard case together with a signed letter from Jimmy Page and a colour photograph of him playing the guitar at the November 5, 2011 concert.
More including video of Page playing the guitar - here.
Guns N' Roses Guitarist Says Fans Want New Music
(hennemusic) Guns N' Roses guitarist Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal says fans want new music from the band. Thal was on tour in India recently with Dubai rockers Point of View, and spoke with Times Out Dubai about GNR's plans for a new album.
"Well, we were supposed to start writing after the end of this last run — but I went to India!," he says. "When I get back, I hope we can all get together, and live it and focus on creating new music together. Fans don't want to hear about new shows, they want to hear about new music."
Thal was asked about the fact that some fans will never accept the current GNR lineup over the band's classic version. "There were six 'Star Wars' movies," explains Thal. "If you only watch up to 'The Empire Strikes Back,' that's fine, but you're kind of missing the rest of the story. And there's probably some good things in there that you can get out of it. But it's your choice; it's there for whoever wants it. If not, that's fine. There's enough of everything in the world to please everybody." - more on this story
Three Days Grace Call On Fans To Make Their Next Video
(Gibson) Say you have a knack for video and have even made a few music videos? You might be Three Days Grace's next video director. Three Days Grace and RCA Records want fans to make the official music video for the band's new single, "Misery Loves My Company." Need an added incentive? The winner will receive $5,000.
Here are some tips for the entries from an official release: "The band loves animation, effects and filters, but they are not mandatory. Images or video of the band or their likeness, animated or otherwise, should not appear in the video.
Other than that they are leaving the brief open to all styles, so check out the track and let your creativity loose!" Submissions must be received by July 22. - more on this story
Alice Cooper Kicks Off Summer Tour
(Gibson) Alice Cooper fans, rest assured you'll have a handful of chances to see the shock rocker on his headlining tour in select North American venues this summer.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer will bring his nightmare to thirteen cities this month on a collection of new headlining dates that kicked off this week (July 2) in South Bend, Ind.
The "School's Out" singer's tour will close out July 20 in Atlantic City, N.J. After the North American tour wraps, Cooper will embark on a European tour kicking off on July 26 in Brno, Czech Republic. - more on this story
Rare Pink Floyd Single Sells For $3K
(hennemusic) A rare Japanese 7-inch single of Pink Floyd's "Not Now John," from 1983's "The Final Cut" album has sold for $3,050 on the online auction site eBay.
The only single issued from "The Final Cut," the track is the only track featuring lead vocals by David Gilmour, with Roger Waters singing the refrains and interludes.
Written by Waters, "Not Now John" deals with war and criticism of British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, as well as general criticisms of the greed and corruption that Waters saw as dangers to society. - Check out the song and see a photo of the single here.
Wilko Johnson Honored By His Local Pub
(Classic Rock) Wilko Johnson's portrait has been added to the signage of his local pub. The Railway Hotel in Southend now features an image of the terminally-ill guitarist, who refused chemotherapy after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
"Over the last year I have become a bit of a regular – and, believe me, it's a good place to be," Johnson tells the BBC. "I love the Railway Hotel. This thing they've done, putting my mush up outside, well, what can I say? What an honour – immortality!"
Landlord Dave Dulake says: "Everybody seems chuffed to bits. Wilko sums up the spirit of the place, the way he's taken the news of his illness." - more on this story
Joe Satriani's Instrumental Focus Happened by Accident
(Gibson) Joe Satriani fans can thank an unnamed record reviewer for setting the guitarist on a path toward making instrumental music. Speaking to M Music & Musicians, Satriani explained:
"It was totally by accident. I was playing in a trio called The Squares, and while on break I started a DIY record and publishing company and recorded some avant-garde music on an EP.
"One of the guitar magazines published a review—just a paragraph, but flattering. Suddenly I thought, 'I should just throw caution to the wind and follow this course.'"
Satriani went on to say he felt lucky it was Surfing with the Alien that put him on the map. "It was a stroke of great fortune," he said. "I love that record. Producer John Cuniberti and I did everything we thought no one would ever let us do.
"The record company became kind of furious because we went over budget. Everyone was surprised when it was picked up by radio. Surfing was a celebration of everything I liked about 60 years of guitar playing." - more on this story
Rolling Stones Making Return To Hyde Park This Weekend
(hennemusic) The Rolling Stones are set to return to London's Hyde Park for two shows this month as part of their 50 & Counting tour. The July 6th and 13th dates mark the band's first appearance at the UK venue since their free concert on July 5, 1969.
The 1969 event was the Stones' first public concert in over two years, and was planned as an introduction of new guitarist, Mick Taylor, though circumstances inevitably changed following the death of former member Brian Jones two days earlier.
An estimated quarter of a million people attended a show that turned into a tribute to Jones, with Mick Jagger delivering a short eulogy on stage before the Stones' set began. Jagger read two stanzas of Percy Bysshe Shelley's poem on John Keats' death, "Adonaïs," from a calf-bound book. After this recital, several hundred cabbage white butterflies were released.
"Funny things happened, and funny drummers and funny clothes I wore, and letting off butterflies and doing things you wouldn't normally do in a show," recalls Mick today. "I've never recited Shelley before in a show, so what am I going to do? I suppose I have to do Keats or maybe something else." - More including a promo video for the show.
Iron Maiden's Beer Now Served In The House Of Commons
(hennemusic) Mike Weatherley, the Conservative Member of Parliament for Hove and Portslade, has welcomed the arrival of Iron Maiden's Trooper Ale as the 'Guest Ale' in Strangers' Bar at the UK's House of Commons.
As part of a tradition to promote relatively unknown British Ales, Strangers' Bar in the House of Commons features 'Guest Ales' throughout the year. Mike, founder of Rock The House, Parliament's biggest music competition, recently nominated Iron Maiden's new Trooper Ale, which is brewed by Robinson's Brewery in Stockport.
"As an Iron Maiden fan and an MP, it is a real treat to have this specialist ale as one of the guest ales in Parliament – the fact that I also get to try it for the first time on my birthday is just a bonus," said Weatherley.
"The guest ales programme is an excellent way of drawing attention to small and independent beers from around the UK and I would encourage any local brewers who would like opportunity to have their product showcased in Parliament to get in touch." - more on this story
Rod Stewart Looks Back On His Time With Jeff Beck and Faces
(Gibson) Rod Stewart was blessed with a voice made for rock and roll. Still, he says his skills as a vocalist improved dramatically during his time with the Jeff Beck Group.
"Prior to that I was in bands with lots of musicians and singers," he explains, in a just-published interview with M Music & Musicians. "The Jeff Beck Group offered lots of fresh air and space. Jeff can be a busy guitar player when he wants to show off, but he can also be wonderfully economical. Just listening to Jeff's guitar taught me a lot about phrasing. I learned a lot from his guitar licks.
"It was a great band to be in. Ronnie [Wood's] s bass playing could be exceptionally lyrical, and the late Mickey Waller was the most laidback drummer ever. He was brilliant, that guy."
Stewart went on to say both the Jeff Beck Group and the Faces had tremendous band chemistry. "You can't plan these things, it just happens," he said. "With the Faces, our chemical was alcohol, unfortunately. We drank an awful lot. We used to drink port and brandy on an empty stomach, purposely, so that it would have twice the effect. How stupidly ruinous can you get? But still the shows were great.
"I look back at pictures of the Faces now, and we're all in a big heap in the middle of the stage, lying on top of one another. And that's just halfway through the show! We're all getting on a bit now, so if we ever got the band back together we couldn't do that stuff. Those youthful days are gone." - more on this story
Motley Crue Reschedule Upcoming Tour Date
(hennemusic) Motley Crue have announced a rescheduled date for their upcoming show in Big Flats, NY. Due to an unforeseen scheduling conflict, the band's July 23rd performance at the Budweiser Summer Stage at Tag's has been moved ahead by a week and will now take place on July 16th.
Gates will open on the new date at 6:00pm and the show will start at 7:30pm. All tickets purchased will be honored for the new date. "We would never miss the opportunity to come up and kick ass in Big Flats," said bassist Nikki Sixx.
Motley Crue have a few festival and headline shows lined up this summer before they head to Las Vegas this fall for their second residency in Sin City. - more on this story
Pink Floyd's Dark Side Of The Moon Gets Animated Tribute
(hennemusic) On the 40th anniversary of Pink Floyd's "Dark Side Of The Moon," animator Cliff Port has unveiled a tribute to the legendary album with the release of an animated short entitled "Bad Day At The Office."
In June of 1973, Pink Floyd were performing on the Dark Side tour at Detroit's Olympia Stadium, and the venue policy was to use only in-house staff who were more used to covering ice hockey events.
Using new animation and an actual recording of Pink Floyd lighting designer Arthur Max, it shows him grappling with the technical challenge of working with a brand-new follow-spot crew.
"Bad Day At The Office" debuted at the Glastonbury Festival last weekend. Watch it - here.
Rob Zombie's Full Mayhem Festival Opening Set Video Streaming Online
(hennemusic) Video footage of Rob Zombie's complete headlining set at the opening night of this year's Mayhem Festival tour in San Bernardino, CA has surfaced.
The tour also features Five Finger Death Punch, Mastodon, Amon Amarch, Machine Head, Children Of Bodom and many others.
Zombie is on the road promoting his new album, "Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor," and he's looking forward to playing to as many fans as possible.
"The more people, the better," Zombie told Rolling Stone recently. "Festivals – especially in Europe – they're just monstrously gigantic, and it's fun. It's a cool way to spend the summer because I don't see people much, as far as other musicians that I'm friends with, except in a festival scenario. I don't ever leave the house. It's a way to catch up with people."
Asked if he's planning a big production for Mayhem, Rob say, "Yeah, we have a massive production. One time about seven years ago I did Ozzfest with no production, just for the hell of it. But I love a big production. This is a huge, huge show for the summer. We've been working on it for a long time."
Check out the stream and read more from Rob - here.
Sammy Hagar Releases Fontana Days Behind The Scenes Video
(hennemusic) Sammy Hagar is sharing behind the scenes video of his recent celebration and honors in his hometown of Fontana, California. On June 1, the Red Rocker served as the Honorary Grand Marshal of the Fontana Days Parade, part of the Fontana Days Festival Centennial Celebration, and had a street named after him.
"Nothing is as gratifying as being honored in your home town," writes Sammy. "For me it's right up there with the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame. Having a street named after ya (Hagar Way)-- come on!!!"
"Fontana has changed so much since 1970 when I left," he continues. "If you would have blindfolded me, brought me there and showed me around I would not have known where I was. For real. 14k population then and 200k today-- damn!
"When I was just a 6-year-old kid, I would watch the parade on Sierra Ave in front of Crawford Drug Store where my sister Bobbi worked and famous LA newscaster George Putnam was the Grand Marshal on a Palamino horse! I certainly never thought that would be me someday but hey, look what can happen! All in all it made my family members very proud, and I must say me too." - Check out the video here.
Surviving Members Of The Doors To Reunite
(hennemusic) Guitarist Robbie Krieger and drummer John Densmore of The Doors will reunite later this year to pay tribute to keyboardist Ray Manzarek, who passed away May 20 after a lengthy battle with bile duct cancer.
"We're going to do at least one show for Ray and have a big send-off," Krieger tells Rolling Stone. "That's either the start or the end of it, I don't know."
Densmore had a falling out with his Doors bandmates after Krieger and Manzarek began touring in 2002 under the moniker of the Doors Of The 21st Century, which lead to a lawsuit over the use of the Doors name, and a $40 million countersuit against Densmore for his refusal to approve licensing of band songs for commercials.
"That's what you do – if someone sues you, you sue them twice as hard back and hope that they drop the suit," Krieger said. "It was a very stupid idea. We had the worst lawyers." - more on this story
Steven Tyler Reveals What Put Aerosmith Back In The Saddle
(Classic Rock) Steven Tyler says Aerosmith's journey to Japan in 2011 was the saving of the band's career. The experience has been captured in documentary movie Rock For The Rising Sun, which will be shown in Vue Cinemas across the UK on July 16 ahead of a DVD release the following week.
They were still reeling from a series of fall-outs that saw the frontman hospitalised with a broken collarbone, his return to drinking and drug-taking, and his bandmates inviting other vocalists to take his place.
But he believes their Japanese trip, made soon after the earthquake and tsunami that devastated much of the nation, put Aerosmith back on the road to success.
Tyler tells Rolling Stone: "We were all such a bad place that we didn't realise our self-worth. It took going to Japan for the band to realise its own magic again. We thought, 'Holy sh*t, we've got to do a f**king record right now!' So that tour helped us to a new album." - more on this story
King's X Fans Pay For dUg Pinnick's Surgery
(Classic Rock) King's X mainman dUg Pinnick has undergone successful surgery for a hernia after fans paid for the operation. Pinnick says: "Hernia surgery was a success; I'm waiting to be released."
He's needed medical attention for years but couldn't afford it due to a lack of medical insurance. But supporters rallied round and raised $26,000 from 599 contributors via a GiveForward crowdfunding drive.
He previously explained: "I'm overwhelmed with the amount of love people have shown by contributing. I have avoided this for way too long and I know I have to fix this immediately." - more on this story
Alice Cooper Throws First Pitch At Blue Jays Game
(hennemusic) Alice Cooper threw out the ceremonial first pitch at the Rogers Centre in Toronto Wednesday night as the Toronto Blue Jays hosted the Detroit Tigers.
The rocker is in the city promoting his current Raise The Dead tour, which hits Rama, ON (which is a few hours north of Toronto) today (July 4, 2013).
Alice recently wrapped up a series of summer dates with Marilyn Manson; billed as the Masters Of Madness tour, the pair of shock rockers hit US cities together throughout the month of June. - more on this story
Megadeth Release 'Super Collider' Video
(Classic Rock) Megadeth have released a video for their track Super Collider. It's taken from their latest album, of the same name, which was released last month – and it's one of those tracks, like Symphony Of Destruction, which appears to have split their fans.
Mainman Dave Mustaine recently said: "The song kind of came from that Symphony Of Destruction corner of my mind. You can't always play aggressive, thrashy stuff.
"Sometimes those aren't even songs; they're like musical rams. But because I'm not a pop guy, I'm also not really comfortable playing sing-along songs.
"To me, Super Collider made sense like a normal song — a verse-chorus-verse-chorus kind of thing. It's written the way a real songwriter would write the song, instead of just taking all these musical twists and turns." - Watch it here.
Lou Reed Rushed To Hospital
(Radio.com) Lou Reed is in recovery after being treated for dehydration at a Long Island hospital over the weekend. It was the latest in a string of recent health scares, including a liver transplant back in May.
The Velvet Underground rocker was taken by ambulance to Southampton Hospital early Sunday morning (June 30) for treatment, reports the New York Post. Meanwhile, Rolling Stone reports that Reed returned home Monday (July 1) afternoon. While Reed was admitted, a source at the hospital confirmed his admittance and told the Post, "everything's fine."
The incident came only ten days after appearing on stage at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in France, his first outing since the liver transplant.
Following the surgery last month, he wrote to fans via Facebook to assure them he was "stronger than ever." "I am a triumph of modern medicine, physics and chemistry," he wrote.
His wife, artist Laurie Anderson, shed light on the gravity of the situation, telling the Times of London after the surgery that Reed's health may never return in its full capacity. - more on this story
Motorhead Address Lemmy's Health Issues
(hennemusic) Motorhead have issued a statement regarding Lemmy's health status, following news that the band have canceled the remaining shows on their summer European festival tour following doctor's orders.
The legendary frontman recently suffered a hematoma (where blood collects outside of a blood vessel), which caused Motorhead to pull out of three earlier dates; this came on the heels of news that the bassist had been fitted with a defibrillator because of heart problems.
"Regretfully, Motorhead announces it has had to cancel its remaining six summer festival appearances," said the group. "The band hate to let their fans down by missing any shows, but they expect to be back in full force this Fall."
"As you may have heard, earlier this Spring Lemmy had some medical maintenance for the long-term good," continued the band. "He was, at that time, advised to rest, but once feeling better, he of course resumed his life as usual. He has since been advised that he should immediately take some more time to rest." - See what Lemmy had to say here.
Aerosmith's Steven Tyler To Undergo Surgery
(hennemusic) Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler has revealed that he will undergo knee surgery later this year. "My knee is giving out," the singer tells Rolling Stone.
"I had ACL reconstructions, and in November I'm getting knee replacement surgery. It'll take me about three or four months to recover . . . I've had so many operations on my knees and feet that just to be standing is a miracle. But to turn around and do one of my spins where I don't fall, that's the sh*t! But hey, all these years have taken their toll on me."
Tyler's health issue came up while the singer was promoting Aerosmith's forthcoming DVD release, "Rock For The Rising Sun," as well as his thoughts on working on his first solo album.
Tyler has been writing with his longtime collaborator Marti Frederiksen and hopes the album will come out in October or November of 2014. "It might be hard to decide when I write a song whether or not it should go on an Aerosmith album," he says.
"What is a Steven Tyler solo album? Is it a bunch of songs like 'Dream On?' That's already on an Aerosmith album. It'll just be a different people playing it. I don't know. I just want to have some fun." - more on this story
Dimebag Darrell Almost Joined Megadeth
(Radio.com) To many metal fans, a band that featured both Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine and the late 'Dimebag' Darrell Abbott of Pantera would have been a dream pairing. And it almost happened.
In our Radio.com news interview, Mustaine explained that he invited Darrell to join Megadeth, but Darrell said that he was a package deal with his older brother, Pantera drummer Vinnie Paul (Vincent Paul Abbott).
Megadeth had just hired a different drummer (Nick Menza), so Darrell had to decline the offer. "It would have been pretty monstrous," Mustaine admitted.
Mustaine, though, remained friends with the brothers. This summer, for instance, Vinnie Paul's current band Hellyeah will be on the bill of the 2013 edition of Megadeth's traveling heavy metal festival Gigantour. This year's tour also includes Newsted (the band of former Metallica bassist Jason Newsted), Device, Death Division, and Zakk Wylde's Black Label Society. (Wylde joked with Radio.com about the lineup: "It's like a high school reunion gone wrong!")
Megadeth's new album Super Collider is the band's first for a major label (Universal Music, via their imprint Tradecraft Records) since 1999′s Risk. It's also the second new Megadeth album in a row to feature original bassist Dave Ellefson, who played on the band's first nine albums. For years, Ellefson was involved in a bitter lawsuit with Mustaine, but, happily, they have resolved their differences.
"Dave's a good friend of mine," Mustaine confirmed to Radio.com. "Unfortunately he got some bad direction and followed it. He apologized. I forgave him. That's the kind of guy I am." - Stream the full interview here.
KISS Concert Canceled Due To Flood
(hennemusic) The July 13th KISS show in Calgary has been cancelled due to damage from devastating flooding in the Canadian city. The Calgary Herald reports KISS and other concerts at the Scotiabank Saddledome by Carly Rae Jepsen, Tim McGraw and Dixie Chicks – all scheduled as part of the 2013 Calgary Stampede – have been scrapped while the city tries to get back on its feet.
Calgary Stampede chief executive Vern Kimball said the four concerts couldn't proceed due to the damages the facility suffered during the recent flooding.
"We understand that this news is disappointing and we're disappointed too as we wanted to present our guests and our fans with an awesome concert experience," said Kimball.
"It became evident late (Monday) to the Stampede and the Flames that the services necessary for an acceptable concert experience just weren't available given the current status and limitations of the building." - more on this story
Lamb Of God's Randy Blythe To Publish Memoir
(Classic Rock) Lamb Of God frontman Randy Blythe will publish a memoir about his year of hell after he was arrested, jailed, tried and finally acquitted of the murder of fan Daniel Nosek.
Blythe spent five weeks in a Prague prison last year and was finally dismissed in March. The drama came close to bankrupting the band, who were unable to work while Blythe fought for justice.
Now he says: "While I've dreamed of being a published author almost since I began to read, I never imaging my first book would centre around such a sad topic.
"Sometimes, though, life provides you a story that needs to be told. I will tell it with the respect and dignity all involved deserve. This will be a good read, I promise you – and I hope some good comes out of it." - More rock news.
Guns N' Roses Add More Intimate Dates
(hennemusic) Guns N' Roses have announced a pair of intimate Canadian club shows this month. The band will play the Metroplis in Montreal on July 14 and Toronto's Sound Academy on July 15.
The shows come on the heels of the band's performance at Festival D'Été (Quebec City Summer Festival) in Québec City that will be taking place on July 12th.
The festival, which runs July 4–14, is billed as Canada's biggest outdoor artistic event; other acts playing during the 11-day festival include Rush, Def Leppard, Foreigner and the Black Keys. - more on this story
Church Refuses Rolling Stones Lyric Quote On Tomb
(Classic Rock) "It's only rock'n'roll - but I like it." Those words, written by the Rolling Stones in 1974, have come to represent a feeling shared by many rock fans – an understated declaration of undying love for the music, echoing the famous football fans' mantra that to some, it's a matter of life and death… while to others, it's more important than that.
But the Church of England have decided that the iconic lyrics are too flippant, and they've told the sons of a late rock fan they can't have "It was only rock'n'roll" engraved on his tomb.
Darren and Rick Clapham wanted the words to be an epitaph for musician Charles, who recently passed away and was buried at All Saints Church in Standon near Stoke-on-Trent. They also wanted to describe his death by saying he "finally fell off his perch."
But a Church of England court judge has decided against them. Stephen Eyre says: "I would be prepared to authorise an inscription going beyond the recording of Mr Clapham's age at death, and his attributes as a loving father and grandfather.
"What is essential is that any such inscription gives a message which conveys something of Mr Clapham's character – without being capable of being seen as inconsistent with the Christian Gospel." - more on this story
Rival Sons Announce Tour Dates With Sammy Hagar
Rival Sons are gearing up to be native sons once again as they have mapped out a series of U.S. tour dates, including a number of shows with Sammy Hagar, following their success overseas.
The band will be kicking off the 14-city tour on August 20th at Loveland, CO. Prior to the tour they will be performing at the Telluride Festival on July 13th.
Several of the summer tour dates will see the band supporting Sammy Hagar on his "Four Decades of Rock" tour. Hagar and Rival Sons frontman Jay Buchanan are both natives of Fontana, CA, which recently honored Hagar with a street named after him.
Rivals Song will be touring in support of their latest album, "Head Down," but they caught Sammy Hagar's ear with a previous release a few years back.
"These guys are the real thing," says Hagar. "Their first CD was great, showing off a lot of styles from the 60's, 70's and 80's. These boys have done their homework…now road-tested. The Sons have made a CD (Head Down) that truly lives up to the band's name. This is a giant step from a great previous CD…not easy.
"But for those that like classic rock but are tired of the same old songs, I highly recommend this CD…and even better, go see 'em live--they deliver."
Rival Sons guitarist Scott Holiday had this to say about the summer trek, "Well, we're finally hittin' our homeland for a handful of tour dates. Ask and ye shall receive! And what a cool thing to get to go out and support a legend…and super cool fella like Mr. Sammy Hagar! I think this one's gonna be a blast." - more on this story
Five Finger Death Punch Guitarist Talks New Album
(Gibson) Five Finger Death Punch guitarist Jason Hook is on top of the rock world. After all, not only is his band co-headlining the 2013 Mayhem Festival with Rob Zombie this summer, but the group is also releasing two albums this year: "The Wrong Side of Heaven and the Righteous Side of Hell," Volumes 1 and 2.
How did the writing and recording process for "The Wrong Side of Heaven and the Righteous Side of Hell" differ from how you went about creating your previous release, "American Capitalist?" We did a lot of preparation for this record.
I remember at the start of the "American Capitalist" record, we came off the road, and two weeks later, we were getting back together and trying to come up with the first song. I just remember thinking, "Hey, it would have been great if we could have done some preparation."
So, for this record, we started writing songs last year. We have a portable studio on the road, and we were deliberately trying to prepare in advance to have something to pick from when it came time to start working on the new album. It turns out that we had about 9 or 10 songs ready to go on day one. Those songs were recorded pretty quickly. Not completed, but the basic tracks were recorded, and then we just started writing more material, and before we knew it, we were at 20-something songs.
Tell me about the decision to release the album in two separate installments. The conversation turned to, "What should we do? Should we whittle this down to 12 songs?" We're getting better at making records, so now, we're kind of looking at all this material and saying, "I like all of it! I don't think there is any weaker half of the batch." We thought, "Well, let's release all of it. Let's make two records." So, that's what we did.
What should we expect from Volume 2 of this release, and how does it fit with Volume 1? That's a good question, because Death Punch have two kinds of distinct flavors. There's the really brutal, heavy metal, face-peeler stuff, which I like. And then there's the more aggressive, melodic blend, like "Coming Down" or "Bad Company."
We certainly could have made two different records, and the title would have made sense, meaning one record being the brutal record and the other record being the more melodic record. But, we decided against that, and what we ended up doing was spreading the material out evenly across both records so that it wasn't black and white, night and day.
We decided to shuffle the songs equally so both albums had the same potency. We didn't want one record to outshine the other or to have one record be heavy and one record be soft. We wanted it to be one evenly spread out, potent package. We wanted it be one consistently spread out group of songs.
You have some cool guest appearances on this album, including Rob Halford on the single, "Lift Me Up." He's such an awesome guy. I still get a little nervous when a living legend walks in the room, and you're like, "He's Rob Halford!" What happened was "Lift Me Up" was a song I had started and one of my ideas. I brought it to the band, and everybody liked the song, and someone mentioned that it sounds like an old Judas Priest song.
They were like, "I wonder if we could get Rob Halford to do guest vocals? That would be cool!" We're kind of at the level now where we've sold some records and we have some plaques, and we're kind of doing stuff that's fun again. Just whatever we want to do. Kind of like when you do it the first time: You're not thinking of business or record deals. So, we sent him the track. Turned out he loved it. He thinks, "It's a hit," and he wants to come to Las Vegas and sing the second verse. So, we were all thrilled. - More of the interview.
Steve Van Zandt Unsure About Bruce Springsteen's Tour Plans
(Gibson) Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band wrap up their tour in support of last year's Wrecking Ball with two shows in Ireland at the end of July. Aside from a festival gig in South America in September, no more dates have been scheduled.
Rolling Stone asked E Street Band guitarist Steve Van Zandt if the Boss has any more tour dates lined up: "I really, really don't know," said Van Zandt. "I know that Bruce is off in August. But what happens in October-November, I don't know. I really don't. I would tell you, but I don't know. It's possible we've passed the point where it's even possible now. I'd always heard that the tour was ending in September. I've heard that for the last year and a half. Then you start hearing rumors on the street. Half the time they're true, so I never know."
If the touring behind Wrecking Ball is indeed done, it's more likely that Bruce will start working on a new album. Bruce did record with the E Street Band earlier this year while they were on tour in Australia.
Finally, Van Zandt said: "I've been saying this for 40 years, certainly since Darkness on the Edge of Town, but he literally always has an album in his pocket. He usually has two of them." - more on this story
Avenged Sevenfold and FFDP Headlining Aftershock Festival
(Gibson) The Aftershock Festival announced an expanded lineup to their second annual installment yesterday. The northern California festival is set to take place at Discovery Park near downtown Sacramento on September 14 and 15.
Among the additions are Five Finger Death Punch, who will co-headline the second night along with previously announced Avenged Sevenfold. "We're excited to take the new albums out on the road so fans can hear some of the new music live," said Five Finger Death Punch singer Ivan Moody. And what better way to kick off our fall tour than with a massive festival like Aftershock?"
Retro hair metal rockers Steel Panther, who will play during the festival's first day, are also set to kick off the festival at a pre-show on September 13 at Ace of Spades in Sacramento. The pre-show is free for all festival ticketholders.
Saturday, September 14: Korn, Megadeth, Shinedown, Papa Roach, Skillet, Testament, In This Moment, Steel Panther, P.O.D., Pop Evil, Thousand Foot Krutch, Otherwise, Love And Death, We As Human, Heaven's Basement, Girl On Fire, Nothing More
Sunday, September 15: Avenged Sevenfold, Five Finger Death Punch, Volbeat, A Day To Remember, Asking Alexandria, Halestorm, HIM, Falling In Reverse, All That Remains, Filter, Device, Miss May I, SOiL, Airbourne, Eye Empire, Gemini Syndrome, Butcher Babies. - more on this story
Nick Cave Movie Coming
(Classic Rock) Nick Cave announced that he is the subject of a drama-documentary movie following the 20,000th day of his life which is set to be released theatrically in 2014.
The unscripted production was shot while he worked on new album Push The Sky Away and features cameo appearances by Ray Winstone and Kylie Minogue.
As the subject matter of the film suggest, it will be entitled 20,000 Days On Earth. It was directed by Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard. - More Rock News
Herman Rarebell Recruits Dokken, Jack Russell and More For New Album
(Classic Rock) Former Scorpions drummer Herman Rarebell has released a brand new guest-star-studded studio album called Acoustic Fever featuring a lot of famous hard rock voices.
The album features guests contributions from John Parr, Doogie White, Tony Martin, Gary Barden, Don Dokken and Jack Russell, among others.
Rarebell says: "I'm really happy to have all those great singers on my album and I'm also thrilled that they said 'yes' to doing this. I look forward to meeting you all on the Acoustic Fever Tour." - More rock news.
War Hero Was Kicked Out Of Nirvana And Soundgarden
(Classic Rock) Jason Everman could have been forgiven for thinking he'd blown any chance of success in life after he was fired from Nirvana, then Soundgarden. But he went on to a decorated career in the US Special Forces, where he's regarded among those who know of his achievements as a hero.
In a detailed personal piece, the New York Times reports how Everman picked up a guitar while attending therapy in his junior high school years, and described discovering punk as the "first defining event of my life."
He got the gig with Kurt Cobain's fledgling outfit through early drummer Chad Channing in February 1989, and paid the $606.17 they owed for their debut album Bleach. Bassist Krist Novoselic recalls: "Jason was very generous. We had some great shows with him – but then things went south really fast. The fun stopped."
Cobain didn't actually dismiss the guitarist; instead the band just cancelled their tour and went home in silence. The frontman later described Everman as a "moody metalhead" – and never repaid the Bleach money, even though the record went on to sell over two million copies. - more on this story
Fall Out Boy Held Captive In Mental Hospital In New Video
(Radio.com) In the fourth of eleven episodes, Fall Out Boy takes fans deeper into their twisted horror story, with each clip set to a track from Save Rock and Roll, released back in May.
The series began with the band being abducted in "My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark (Light Em Up). Then, with "Phoenix," it got darker as members were tortured, humiliated and in the case of singer Patrick Stump, dismembered by leather-clad super models.
In "Alone Together," we find the band held captive in some sort of dimly-lit mental hospital, where much of the torture takes place. Pete Wentz tricks and kills one of his captors allowing him to escape a strait jacket and save his bandmates one at a time. Unfortunately, escape from the facility doesn't come as easy as he'd hoped. - more on this story
My Ruin Take Fans Behind The Scenes Of Their New Album
My Ruin have released a new behind the scenes studio video for the making of their brand new studio album, 'The Sacred Mood' and frontwoman Tairrie B sent over some more details about the effort.
The album was produced by My Ruin's Mick Murphy along with Joel Stooksbury and was recorded at Soundtrack Black Studio in the hills of East Tennessee where My Ruin previously recorded their 2011 album 'A Southern Revelation'.
Tairrie B had these details about the album, "The atmosphere of the new album is heavily drenched in the heat of the South where it was recorded and fueled by insomnia filled nights in Los Angeles where it was written.
'The Sacred Mood' is a subtle reinvention for My Ruin. In an industry that is ever changing, we're not a band who pays attention to the current trends. We've found our sound and we simply do what we do while staying true to our roots. I think our fans appreciate our integrity and we appreciate our fans. We offered the last album as a free download where people could donate to the band if they wanted and it was a great success but we are taking a different approach with our new album which we are self releasing once again.
"Unfortunately, we have learned over time that most record labels are not for us and we seem to do better on our own as a DIY independent band which is what we have always been, today more than ever with our eighth album 'The Sacred Mood' as a testament to our staying power and dedication to our music." - Check out the behind the scenes video here.
Satriani, Joe Perry, Marty Friedman, Johnny Depp on New Steve Hunter CD
Steve Hunter (Alice Cooper, Peter Gabriel, Lou Reed, David Lee Roth, Jack Bruce and Aerosmith) has released his guest-packed fifth solo album, "The Manhattan Blues Project."
The new album features guest appearances from Joe Satriani, Tony Levin, Johnny Depp, Joe Perry, Marty Friedman, Michael Lee Firkins, Phil Aaberg, 2Cellos, and Tommy Henriksen.
Hunter had this to say about the effort, "This album has been inside me trying to get out for a long time, I wanted to show the other side of New York, the soulful side plus it also says a lot of what I have always wanted to say on guitar.
"I wanted to show the other side of New York, the soulful side. Plus it also says a lot of what I've always wanted to say on guitar."
Joe Satriani adds, "I am honored to play along side legendary guitarist Steve Hunter on his stunning new album, check it out!"
The album features primarily new songs written by Hunter but also features two covers: an instrumental version of Peter Gabriel's "Solsbury Hill", (Hunter performed on the original album version in 1977) and a cover of the Gaye classic "What's Going On".
Hunter decided to undertake the project after he got off the road with Alice Cooper in 2011 and quickly decided to call on his special guests to join him on the album.
You can listen to preview clips of all of the tracks and purchase the CD or digital album - here.
F**ked Up and U.S. Girls Supergroup Smartboys Release New Songs
Smartboys, the new group featuring Jonah Falco and Mike Haliechuk from F**ked Up and Tim Westberg from U.S. Girls, have followed up their debut single release by unleashing two new songs.
The new songs "Receiving the Bribe" and "The Wrench of Recollection," were released yesterday by White Iris Records and the group is giving fans a taste of the music with the online premiere of "Receiving the Bribe" here.
We were sent these details about the group: Over the course of F**ked Up's existence, Falco and Haliechuk wrote a collection of songs together informed by the late `70s punk of The Undertones, The Testors, Jet Staxx, Twink and others.
Teaming up with vocalist Tim Westberg (U.S. Girls, My Mind), the group adopted the name Smartboys and released their debut 7" single in May. For their follow-up release they traveled to Brooklyn to record at White Iris Studios with producer and Black Iris Music/White Iris Records founder Daron Hollowell.
"Jonah and I filled each other in," Haliechuk recently explained to MTV Hive. "Jonah's parents are jazz teachers and he reads music and does some stuff that I can't do. But, I have a more intuitive way of writing and fitting in a way that they wouldn't be able to." -
The Acacia Strain Launching No Way Out Summer Tour
The Acacia Strain camp sent over word that the band will be launching the "No Way Out" North American headlining tour this summer and have announced the initial dates for the trek.
The tour will be kicking off on August 13th in Chicago and will feature support from various bands during the trek. Here is the breakdown: Within The Ruins (8/21-9/18) Xibalba (8/13-9/1 & 9/6-9/18) Fit For An Autopsy (All Dates) and American Me (8/21-9/18).
The No Way Out tour will also be the first official headline tour for the band's new lineup: Vincent Bennett (vocals), Kevin Boutot (drums), Jack Strong (bass) and new guitar players, Richie Gomez (ex-Molotov Solution) and Devin Shidaker (ex-Oceano). - more on this story
Against Me! Singer Announces Solo Dates
Against Me!'s lead singer Laura Jane Grace will be launching a handful of solo acoustic concerts this summer under the banner of "Laura Jane Grace Sings The Transgender Dysphoria Blues."
The tour will include six stops and will kick off on Saturday, August 10 at MilkBoy in Philadelphia, PA and include shows in Boston, Providence, Washington, DC, Brooklyn and New York, NY.
Grace will be offering fans a musical bonus when they purchase tickets. The tickets will include a download link of the digital version of "True Trans," a new limited edition 7" that will feature two new Against Me! songs and will be available at the show.
The two songs are acoustic versions of tracks that will be appearing on Against Me!'s forthcoming album, "Transgender Dysphoria Blues."
Fans will also be able to see Against Me!'s perform at this year's Riot Fest in Chicago, IL the weekend of September 13-15 and in Denver, CO on the weekend of September 21-22. - more on this story
Motley Crue's Nikki Sixx Celebrates Sobriety Birthday
(hennemusic) Famous for his past battles with alcohol and substances, Motley Crue bassist Nikki Sixx is celebrating the anniversary of his sobriety and posted a message to fans about the milestone.
"F**k yeah," writes Nikki on Tuesday. "Today is my sobriety birthday. By letting go of self and ego, working a program that connects you to a higher power and giving back to those still struggling are just some of the important things you learn through sobriety. You get to repair the damage done from drink, drugs and horrific behaviors that broke people's hearts who loved you."
"For me," he continues, "taking away the substance just gave me a honest view of who I had become and then the healing started. I do believe without any program to help, many are just dry drunks and there is always a danger of them going out again. I've been there. It's not pretty.
"This is no joking matter to me so I take it seriously. I also love that I get to live in the moment by not carrying around all that baggage (in my head ) from years ago."
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