Today's Day in Rock News!

Today's Day in Rock


Roger Waters Admits His Battle With Pink Floyd Was Wrong
Roger Waters reveals in a candid interview that will be broadcast today in the UK that he regrets launching a legal battle with his former Pink Floyd bandmates.
Waters was asked by the interviewer Stephen Sackur if he felt it was wrong for Pink Floyd to carry on using the band's name after he left the group he responded, "I did, I did think that was wrong, and I was wrong!... Of course I was.

"Who cares? It was a commercial decision and in fact it's one of the few times that the legal profession has taught me something. Because when I went to these chaps and said 'listen we're broke, this isn't Pink Floyd anymore', they went 'what do you mean? That's irrelevant, it is a label and it has commercial value, you can't say it's going to cease to exist, you obviously haven't looked back to Runnymede, you obviously don't understand English jurisprudence...It's not about what you think, it's about...it's what it is'....The law is everything what we have, that's what the Wall is about."

He also revealed that he is planning to make a new studio album and how going solo has allowed him more freedom to create the music that he wants to.

"It was the correct thing for us to split up, or for me to leave if you like, so I could express my ideas unfettered. And my ideas are still... You know I've had a few breakthroughs recently which I won't talk about, but I am going to make another record. I've had a very very strong idea, and I shall pursue it, and I will make at least one more record and I am really looking forward to getting my teeth stuck into it."

Fans in the UK can tune in today (September 19th) to listen to the full interview where he discusses other controversial topics. The show airs on BBC World News at 0330, 0830, 1430 and 2030 GMT and on BBC Two at 1035am.





Stone Temple Pilots with Chester Bennington Premiere New Song
(hennemusic) Stone Temple Pilots, with new singer Chester Bennington of Linkin Park, have released "Black Heart" as the new single from their forthcoming EP, "High Rise", due October 8.

The project will contain five new tracks including the previously-released single, "Out Of Time." Earlier this month, Stone Temple Pilots kicked off their North American tour with Bennington, the first full trek since the band parted ways with Scott Weiland earlier this year.

The new lineup debuted with a surprise appearance at Los Angeles radio station KROQ's annual Weenie Roast in May. Check out a stream of the new single here.




Pearl Jam Reveal New Song 'Sirens'
(Radio.com) With Pearl Jam fans gearing up for the release of the band's tenth studio album, Lightning Bolt, on October 15, the Seattle band has unveiled "Sirens," the second song to be previewed from the 12-song set.

The moody, mid-tempo song rides an acoustic guitar groove, a much mellower look in contrast to the new album's explosive first single, "Mind Your Matters."

"Sirens" is powered by a particularly strong vocal performance from frontman Eddie Vedder, as the country-tinged song builds to an epic, emotive crescendo, reminiscent of the band's mid-'90s albums like Vs. and Vitalogy.

Pearl Jam is set to support the new album with an extensive U.S. tour, which kicks off with a sold-out show in Pittsburgh on October 10. The band will also be among the headliners of this year's Voodoo Music + Arts Experience in New Orleans on November 1. The tour's second leg starts in Dallas on November 15 and wraps with a homecoming show in Seattle on December 6. Check out the song here.





Tim Lambesis Faced Damning Testimony In Murder For Hire Pre-Trial
(Radio.com) Tim Lambesis, singer of Christian metal band As I Lay Dying was ordered Monday to stand trial for solicitation to commit murder. Dressed neatly in black shirt and tie with hair pulled back, the 32-year-old faced accusers Monday (September 16) for charges that he solicited an undercover police officer to kill his estranged wife.

After a preliminary hearing, San Diego Superior Court Judge Robert Kearney ruled there was indeed enough evidence for Lambesis to stand trial. Damning testimony came from multiple sources including a personal trainer who Lambesis first approached to carry out his plan.

According toCBS 8 , San Diego County Sheriff's Detective John Buckley testified he met with a personal trainer who told him that Lambesis had asked him to kill his wife and mother of three adopted children, Meggan Lambesis. The trainer explained that after turning down Lambesis' first request to assist with his plan; he reached out to police because "he didn't want to see an innocent person get murdered."

The trainer then worked with police to set up a sting operation with a fake hitman known as Red. As noted by San Diego's Reader's Eva Knott, Red appeared a convincing hitman, weathered and rugged, pierced ears and a long reddish beard that wagged when he talked.

At this meeting, Lambesis handed Red $100 in cash, photos of his wife and her address. The undercover officer testified Lambesis "wanted his wife gone." The would-be hitman told Lambesis the job would cost $20,000. The meeting ended with Lambesis adding, "Just to clarify, I do want her dead." more on this story





Dealer's Pete Gentil Killed In Motorcycle Accident
(Classic Rock) Dealer bassist Pete Gentil was killed in a motorbike accident at the weekend, it's been confirmed. The 52-year-old is believed to have struck a deer while riding on the B4425 road near his home in Cirencester, Gloucestershire.

The crash is thought to have taken place around 7.50pm on Saturday evening. The B4425 route is a favourite among local motorcyclists, who enjoy its good visibility and relative width for a minor road. However, incidents involving dear are a regular occurrence.

Dealer released their first single Better Things To Do in 1983, at the height of popularity for the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal. Their debut album First Strike followed three years later and their most recent was 2010′s live offering The Final Concert, marking their reunion following a split in the 1980s. more on this story




30th Anniversary of KISS Taking Off Their Makeup
(Radio.com) It was thirty years ago this week (September 13, 1983) that a nation of suburban teens and early twenty-somethings had their young minds blown by the rock and roll equivalent of the curtain being pulled on the Wizard of Oz.

On that day, KISS – which was then comprised of perennials Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, along with their late drummer Eric Carr and one-time guitarist Vinnie Vincent – showed up on MTV, and revealed their true, makeup-less faces.

Whether or not you enjoy the group's music, their makeup was a masterstroke of marketing. Besides helping them to stand out among the hard rock pack, it gave them a visual appeal that arguably no rockers commanded as well since the Beatles. It also helped the band sell action figures, pinball machines, comic books, and added a level of mystique to the group that few rock bands ever had. Remember, this was the pre-Photoshop era, so, most fans didn't know what these guys actually looked like, and didn't have computer programs to help them to figure it out.

Gene Simmons recently stopped by Radio.com to promote Nothin' To Lose: The Making Of KISS 1972-1975, but was glad to discuss the seminal decision to unmask, ironically three years after their 1980 album, Unmasked.

"The tour for Creatures Of The Night [the band's final album in makeup] did not go well in America," he recalled. "And yet, at the same time we were playing stadiums in South America. We played Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, the largest stadium to date that we've played in forty years," noting that the band still had very strong appeal overseas, even as their popularity dwindled in the States.

"So when we came back home, we had a choice to make: 'Hey, what are we gonna do now?' And it was Paul who said, 'Let's take the makeup off.' And I said, 'No! You can't do that.'"

"[Paul's response was] 'Well, let's prove to people that we're a band without makeup,'" He knew — the true fans knew — the songs could hold up outside of the context that the band were known for. Simmons' response: "'Why? We proved to people that we're a band with makeup, that's what makes us different.' I couldn't imagine us without makeup. "

Simmons has always been the main marketing arm of KISS, and he was the one who grew up reading comic books, so of course he was the member most invested in the makeup. They agreed to take one tentative step towards the "big reveal" to see how it went. "We settled on the idea of doing one photo session to see what we look like without makeup. We took lots of photos. It didn't seem like there was a connection to KISS. Finally, one of the photos that we settled on, happened to be one where my arms were crossed, and my tongue was hanging out. And that seemed to be the connection with the soul of the band." That photo would end up being the cover to their next album, Lick It Up.

The title track of that album went on to be a fan favorite, and one of the few from the "unmasked" era to regularly make the set lists in the years since they've put their makeup back on. And in the video, if Gene looked a little unsure of what his new persona would be, Paul looked like he was bursting out of his war-paint-less skin, showing off his true face – and his dance moves – for the world to see.

Unfortunately, the rest of the album hasn't quite stood the test of time. The album's second single, "All Hell's Breaking Loose," found Paul faux-rapping. This was 1983, and hip-hop was still in its early era; if you weren't part of the scene, you might mistakenly think that anyone could be an MC. Paul proved them wrong in just one verse: "Street hustler comes up to me one day/ And I'm walkin' down the street, mindin' my own business/ Now he looks me up and he looks me down and says/ 'Hey man, what be this and what be that and why you gotta look like that?'"

Paul's response? "I kinda laughed, I said 'Hey man, I am cool, I am the breeze!'"

But you can't argue with numbers (especially if you're in a band with Gene Simmons), and the fans voted with their wallets. "Lick It Up sold about three times as many copies as Creatures Of The Night," which Simmons notes is one of his personal favorite albums in the KISS cannon. "And then the record after that, (1984′s) Animalize, sold twice as much as Lick It Up. We were back in 'platinum land,' selling out arenas, without makeup, for over ten years." More including the video of their unmasking.




Roger Daltrey To Guest on Wilko Johnson's Farewell Album
(Classic Rock) Wilko Johnson has recruited Roger Daltrey to appear on his farewell album after the pair met at an awards ceremony earlier this month. The terminally-ill guitarist refused chemotherapy in January after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and instead he's aiming to fill his final months with as much music as possible.

He's already delivered a series of festival shows after having completed what was to be his farewell tour. He made the decision after finding he felt much more healthy than doctors had predicted he would.

Johnson, 66, tells the Mirror: "They did tell me in January I'd be dead in October – but I may last into next year. I hope we'll have something done before I go.

"There are a few more things I want to record. I wrote some songs right after getting this diagnosis. It won't be morbid, though: I can't have any truck with that." more on this story




Previously Unreleased Live Nirvana Footage Released
(Radio.com) Last Friday marked the 20th anniversary of In Utero, the final full-length album from Nirvana. For its own commemoration of the classic record, MTV/VH1 are releasing a series of rare live performance videos of the grunge legends' Live & Loud concert in the band's home base of Seattle from December 1993 that aired on MTV on New Year's Eve that month.

MTV/VH1 plan to release a total of four different sets from the performance, beginning yesterday (Sept. 18) with a rendition of "Heart-Shaped Box," the lead single from In Utero.

Amid a teeming sea of concertgoers that includes the occasional crowd surfer, Nirvana sounds as on-point as the band ever did, assisted by second guitarist Pat Smear filling out the song's crunching guitar on the chorus and backing vocals.

The release of the "Heart-Shaped Box" video precedes Thursday's release of a video for "Rape Me," before a dual set on Monday (Sept. 23) of rehearsal performances of "Radio Friendly Unit Shifter" and "Very Ape," which includes frontman Kurt Cobain on drums.

The footage is included in the Nirvana: Live & Loud DVD, which is scheduled for a Sept. 24 release. The concert itself occurred Dec. 13, 1993, at Seattle's Pier 48, not even a month after the band's storied MTV Unplugged taping. Watch the live video here.




How Zakk Wylde's String Dreams Turned In A Farce
(TeamRock Radio) Zakk Wylde has recalled how hiring a string section to appear on Black Label Society's new album dissolved into a farce. They managed to make things work, and the results can be heard on Unblackened, a record consisting of live alternate takes on BLS classics, which is released on September 23.

Wylde decided to bring in four classically-trained musicians for a version of Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow. He tells Billboard: "That was an adventure – we had these four guys come down. Union guys, right? They play two hours to the dot, take a break and stay for one more hour.

"We put the sheet music in front of them and we start playing. It was right up there as far as disasters go with the Hinbenburg, the Titanic – f**king Michael Dukakis running for president. We were laughing our balls off!

"They were like, 'We can stay an extra hour,' and I go, 'Are you out of your f**king minds? You're going to have to stay for an extra two months!' More from Zakk




Entombed Members To Reunite At Special Show
Entombed shared some big news with fans when they celebrated reaching their Pledge Music goal early to fund a reissue campaign for three of their favorite albums.

The campaign was launching to fund the deluxe reissues of the albums "DCLXVI – To Ride Shoot Straight And Speak The Truth," "Same Difference" and "Uprising."

Alex Hellid revealed that there are plans for a special performance that would mark the first time that he and Uffe (Cederlund) and Nicke (Andersson) will play together again as Entombed in 17 years.

The performance will be taking place on February 1st, 2014 at Gävle Konserthus, Sweden where the band will be joined by a massive orchestra and choir.

Here is what Hellid had to say in the update on the band's Pledge Music site, "Thank you all so much for pledging and making us reach our goal to fund the first three(man) re-issues!

[He posted a link to a] classical version of 'Blessed Be' from our second album Clandestine performed by the Nordic Chamber Orchestra at Tonhallen in Sundsvall, Sweden, 12 April 2013.

February 1st, 2014 we will do it again at Gävle Konserthus, Sweden, with Gävle Symphonic (65 piece) Orchestra, 40 piece a choir and and last but not least original members Uffe Cederlund and Nicke Andersson.

We will be performing Clandestine as arranged by Thomas Von Wachenfeldt and it will be the first time in 17 years that me, Uffe (Cederlund) and Nicke (Andersson) play together again as Entombed.

We are all very excited to start working on this project and look forward to see where it'll take us!" Check out the Pledge Music page here.




Eddie Vedder and Neil Finn Team Up For Hunters & Collectors Cover
A stream of Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder and Crowded House and Split Enz singer Neil Finn's cover version of Hunters & Collectors' "Throw Your Arms Around Me" has been posted online.

The track is the second song released from the forthcoming 'Crucible - The Songs of Hunters & Collectors' album which was curated by fan, critic, and A&R executive John O'Donnell.

Both Vedder and Finn have performed "Throw Your Arms Around Me" live in concert in the past and teamed up for a "stripped back" version of the track in tribute to the legendary Australian group. Check it out here.

"Crucible - The Songs Of Hunters & Collectors" will feature 30 tracks in full, including 15 tributes and 15 original recordings and will be released on September 27th by Liberation Music in Australia.

Curator O'Donnel had this to say, "It has been an exhilarating journey of reinvention and rediscovery," says O'Donnell, "as a wildly diverse range of artists have stepped forward with passion and creative zeal to record interpretations of fourteen equally diverse Hunters songs. From the more obscure corners of the band's catalogue such as 'Alligator Engine', 'The Slab (Betty's Worry)', 'Dog' through to the classics like 'Throw Your Arms Around Me', 'Holy Grail' and 'When the River Runs Dry', established artists like Eddie Vedder & Neil Finn, Paul Kelly, The Living End and Something For Kate have paid respect while newer acts like The Rubens, Alpine, Matt Corby and Abbe May have gone digging for their own truths in these amazing songs."

Hunters & Collectors' Mark Seymour adds. "I have to say, it is deeply rewarding for me as a writer to know that beyond the years and all the hard work that was done in the crucible of the Australian suburbs, the songs of Hunters & Collectors have reached the cream of Australia's talent, great singers and bands young and older... who have stepped up to record the best of what we delivered in those pubs so many years ago. I am honoured by the respect they have shown. Songs are what we share, and sharing itself is crucial to our identity as a people" more on this story




Iron Maiden Recording Brazilian Concerts
(hennemusic) Iron Maiden recording engineer Tony Newton has revealed that he will record the band's upcoming Brazilian concerts in São Paulo (September 20th) and the Rock In Rio festival (September 22nd).

"Off to Brazil later today to record Iron Maiden in Sao Paolo and Rock in Rio," says Tony. "Will be great to see the band and crew but really not looking forward to the two mammoth flights in 6 days!"

Iron Maiden recently wrapped up a short-run of US dates with openers Megadeth on their "Maiden England" world tour; the trek finishes with a return to the Estadio Nacional in Chile on October 2. more on this story





Metallica Want To Tour With Through The Never Stage
(TeamRock Radio) Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo says that the band want to tour using the stage set that appears on their upcoming 3D movie Through The Never.

It's described as the biggest indoor production of all time, and requires 40 trucks to transport it – but Trujillo wants to see those vehicles on the road after the band have recorded their new album next year.

"Well, that's the plan. I don't think you build something that incredible and not share it with the world," He reports. "We're just trying to get through this phase of the journey and release this beast to the world. After that we'll see where the adventure takes us.

"We do have this stage – we should put it to use."

Meanwhile, frontman James Hetfield has looked back on the band's legal war against filesharing site Napster. Read about that here.





Alex Lifeson Explains Why Rush Remixed 'Vapor Trails'
(Classic Rock) Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson has explained why the band's 2002 album Vapor Trails is being reissued in a remixed form – and why, 11 years on, drummer Neil Peart still can't bear to listen to the record.

Vapor Trails was always a problematic album for Rush. It marked a comeback for the band, and for Peart in particular. It was the first album they had made together since the double tragedy that Peart suffered in the late 90s – his 19-year-old daughter Selena killed in a car crash, and his wife Jacqueline succumbing to cancer.

In the aftermath, Peart told Lifeson and bassist/vocalist Geddy Lee that he was retired. He didn't play drums for three years. But when he agreed to rejoin the band, they spent 15 months working on Vapor Trails, and the result was an album described by Lifeson as "filled with raw emotion". In his lyrics, Peart wrote about the pain he had experienced. And the music had a similarly heavy vibe. "We wanted it to be hard-hitting," Geddy Lee said.

But over time, both Lee and Lifeson have felt that Vapor Trails didn't sound right. "It really bothered us that it didn't sound like it did when we were making it," Lifeson says. "Now we've remixed it, it's the way it should always have been. But Neil still won't listen to the record."

In a new interview with Classic Rock Magazine, Lifeson was asked "You say that the sound of the finished album 'bothered' you and Geddy. What exactly was wrong?" and he responded, "The original mastering was the problem. It was poorly done. At the time we should have remastered. It bothered us forever – particularly Geddy, who had the task of remastering of the original album and feels responsible for it. It irked him for many years.

"The original version is hard on your ears, because the mastering was pushed so hard, there's distortion and so much compression – I found it very difficult to listen to it.

Lifeson was then asked "then why go back and remix it – why rewrite history?" and he responded, "There was so much invested in that record and it just didn't sit with us that we had this blemish on our recording history. We wanted to rectify that.

"I'd like to remix every record we did – maybe update some parts. But that's crazy, you know? You don't do that – records are moments in time, markers of these different periods of progression and growth. But this one was a very important record – our return after a horrible nightmare. And it deserved better." Read the full interview for a lot more here.




Anthrax's Scott Ian Jams With Volbeat
(TeamRock Radio) Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian proved there's no hard feelings with former bandmate Rob Caggiano when he joined Volbeat on stage in Hollywood on Monday night.

The ex-colleagues teamed up for a section of Anthrax classic I Am The Law before delivering Pool Of Booze Booze Booze from Volbeat's 2005 album The Strength / The Sound / The Songs.

Caggiano jumped ship in January, saying he wanted to concentrate on production, and went to work on Volbeat's Outlaw Gentlemen And Shady Ladies. Just weeks later it was announced he'd become a member of the band – leading Anthrax drummer to admit it seemed "a bit sketchy."

The thrash giants have since confirmed Shadows Fall axeman as Caggiano's replacement, with Ian telling TeamRock Radio: "I know we haven't said anything official yet, but in my mind he's the guy."

View a fan-shot video clip here.





Nightwish Releasing Live DVD
Nightwish will release a live DVD entitled Showtime, Storytime on November 29. It features their complete 16-track, 85-minute performance at this year's Wacken Open Air festival in front of 85,000 fans. The show was among the last of 104 performances on their Imaginaerum world tour.

The package also includes a 120-minute documentary entitled Please Learn The Setlist In 48 Hours, detailing how vocalist Floor Jansen was brought in to front the band at short notice during the tour.

Mainman Tuomas Holopainen says: "Our darling flying Dutchwoman has been nothing but incredible during her time in Nightwish on this tour, so this is a perfect opportunity to immortalise the current vibe of the band on film." more on this story




Within Temptation and Delain Postpone Tour
(TeamRock Radio) Within Temptation and Delain have postponed their upcoming UK tour until next year, after production of the headline act's album took longer than expected.

The news comes soon after Within Temptation confirmed ex-Nightwish singer Tarja Turunen is the mystery guest vocalist on upcoming EP Paradise (What About Us?).

Fans had been kept guessing after the band released a teaser video featuring two lead microphones and two pairs of ladies' shoes earlier this month. The result can be heard on the title track of the four-song release, due on September 27.

They say: "To make up for the rescheduled dates, we're now pressured to work even harder to deliver our best and most impressive live production ever on the upcoming tour. However, the completion of a great new album is a prerequisite for that!"

View a teaser clip here.





Aerosmith's Joe Perry To Headline Rock & Roll Fantasy Camp
(hennemusic) Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry will headline a special edition of Rock & Roll Fantasy Camp in Las Vegas next February. Billed as "The Ultimate Musician's Fantasy Camp", the event will take place February 13-16 over President's Day weekend.

Perry will be joined by guitarists Steve Vai and Eric Johnson. The weekend will also feature rock star counselors including Elliot Easton (The Cars), Gary Hoey, Tony Franklin (The Firm), and Joe Vitale (drummer for CSN and The Eagles).

There will also be special guest appearances from John 5 (Rob Zombie) and bass players get to take lessons from legendary bassist Michael Anthony (Van Halen, Chickenfoot.) more on this story




Lamb Of God's Randy Blythe and Halestorm Judging Music Comp
(TeamRock Radio) Lamb Of God frontman Randy Blythe and all four members of Halestorm are among the judges for an online music competition with a $35,000 prize.

They're looking for the best new material from an undiscovered act in the Breakout Artist contest, with free entry for one song and $20 for additional songs.

The top prize includes a management contract (if desired), the making of a three-song EP, a music video and photo shoot, 1000 CDs, $1000 in cash and more. more on this story





Green Day Set Cuatro Documentary Release
(Gibson) Green Day's new documentary film Cuatro is set to be released via iTunes, Amazon, Qello and on DVD on Sept. 24th. ¡Cuatro! was directed by Tim Wheeler and produced by Tim Lynch for Farm League.

The film promises to take "fans inside the world of Green Day" with footage from a variety of live performances in different cities around the U.S., plus behind-the-scenes clips documenting the pop-punk trio's creative process while writing and recording their recent trilogy of albums: Green Day ¡Uno!, Green Day ¡Dos! and Green Day ¡Tré!

"Over the last year while we were recording our trilogy, we posted multiple clips every week so fans can see parts of the recording process of ¡Uno! ¡Dos! ¡Tré!," bass player Mike Dirnt said in a statement.

"¡Cuatro! brings our fans one step closer by giving them even more access and revealing what it was like for us to make these records." more on this story







Singled Out: Campfire OK's Wishing You The Best
Today Mychal Cohen from Campfire OK tells us about "Wishing You The Best," the first single from upcoming album, "When You Have Arrived," which was released this week. Here is the story:

I will start out by saying "Wishing You The Best" was originally written on piano. It was pretty much a punk/metal/piano song. I am not even kidding. It was crazy. Like Mastadon meets Ben Folds type of crazy. I originally wrote it about 5 years ago when I only played piano, and I would sneak in to the practice rooms in the Seattle University music building (which I was eventually kicked out of and banned from campus). It is about lovers being too needy and overbearing but not knowing how to get out of that cycle even though they know it is ruining their relationships.

It was tracked for the first album, but never made the cut. About 5 months before we released the first album, we decided to start walking in to restaurants unannounced like mariachi bands and play a song for people so we could continually have an audience without having proper shows. The only catch was we didn't have a song we could do that with that was catchy and simple, and one that I could play guitar on (since carrying a piano is a bit out of the question). So I told my friend Brit that I could rewrite that song with using one note in the verse, and 4 notes in the chorus. With that, the song was finished. We have played it live the same way ever since.

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





Nirvana Release 'Scentless Apprentice' Video
(hennemusic) Nirvana have released a performance of "Scentless Apprentice" from the forthcoming 20th anniversary reissue of their 1983 album, "In Utero", due September 23 (September 24 in North America).

The performance is featured on the complete "Live & Loud: Live at Pier 48, Seattle, WA – 12/13/93", one of the bonus elements of the repackaged set that will also be available as a standalone DVD.

A multi-format release of the Seattle band's final album spreads more than 70 remastered, remixed, rare, unreleased and live recordings over configurations ranging from a 3-CD/1-DVD Super Deluxe Edition to a standard digital/CD remaster of the original album. Check out the video here.





Motley Crue Release Promo Video For Las Vegas Residency
(hennemusic) In a newly-released video, Motley Crue singer Vince Neil is inviting fans to check out the band's Las Vegas residency, "An Intimate Evening In Hell", which starts Wednesday at The Joint at The Hard Rock Hotel And Casino.

The band will play an exclusive 12-show run from September 18 through October 6. Since the Crue's Vegas debut in 2012, Guns N' Roses performed their "Appetite For Democracy" residency last fall, while Def Leppard played their "VIVA! Hysteria" series this spring.

Motley Crue will promote the Las Vegas run with their first reddit Ask Me Anything chat this Friday. The band will be taking questions this Friday (September 20th) at 3PM EST/12PM PST. Check out the promo video here.





Scar The Martyr Release 'Blood Host' Video
(TeamRock Radio) Slipknot star Joey Jordison's latest band Scar The Martyr have released a brand new music video for their track "Blood Host", from their forthcoming debut.

It's taken from their self-titled first album, which is set to be released on September 30th in North America, the UK, Europe and across the world via Roadrunner Records.

Jordison came up with the idea for a set of "good, solid songs" while he was writing material for Slipknot's next album, due in 2014. You can out the video here.





Sites & Sounds: Late September Music Festivals
antiMusic Travel Editor Kevin Wierzbicki gives us a look at some of big music festivals that are taking part during the final weeks of this month including Goner Fest 10, Pygmalion Music Festival, Cropped Out and Global Citizen Festival.

Goner Fest 10, Memphis TN, September 26-29: The idea behind Goner Fest is to showcase bands from Memphis alongside bands from all over the world. To that end this year's blow-out will feature Mudhoney, Wreckless Eric, Guitar Wolf, Quintron & Miss Pussycat, CC Riders, Spray Paint, Gino and the Goons, Tyvek, Destruction Unit, Harlan T. Bobo, Leo Welch, Cosmic Psychos, Ex-Cult, Human Eye, True Sons of Thunder and many others. Shows take place at clubs the Hi-Tone, the Buccaneer, Murphy's and the Goner Records Shop gazebo. www.goner-records.com/gonerfest

Pygmalion Music Festival, Champaign-Urbana IL, September 26-28: Kurt Vile and the Violators, Major Lazer, the Breeders, Dawes and The Head and The Heart headline this year's event. Also scheduled to appear are Cory Chisel and the Wandering Sons, Dessa, Bleached, Jonathan Rice, Little Green Cars, Spectrals, Young Empires, San Fermin, Foxygen, Youth Lagoon, Damien Jurado, Warpaint, Murder By Death, Jenny Hval, Caveman, Psychic Twins and a lot more. Shows take place at various venues in Champaign and Urbana. www.pygmalionmusicfestival.com and www.visitchampaigncounty.org.

Cropped Out, Louisville KY, September 27-29: Here's a chance to see an amazing bunch of indie bands. The long list of participants include Lambchop, Wolf Eyes, Endless Boogie, Louisville punks the Endtables, Blues Control, CAVE, Steve Gunn, Human Eye, Hair Police, Juanita, White Reaper, Tweens, Watery Love, Spray Paint, Rinehart, Cop City Chill Pillars, Montag, Thee Open Sex, Jaye Jayle and many more. Plus, get your tarot cards read! All the fun happens at the American Turners Club. www.croppedoutmusic.com

Global Citizen Festival, New York City, September 28: Here's the socially-conscious music event of the year, taking place on the Great Lawn in Central Park and featuring Stevie Wonder, Kings of Leon, Alicia Keys and John Mayer. Timed to coincide with the meeting of world leaders at the U.N. General Assembly in New York, the festival celebrates the achievements that have halved global extreme poverty since 1990 and calls for more action to end extreme poverty by 2030. Also, it will rock out. The event is free but ticketed and if you can't finagle a ticket you can watch the show live on the Web. www.globalfestival.com .





Gibson Looks Back At Slash's Les Pauls Through The Years
(Gibson) With the "Sweet Child 'O Mine" video, Slash reminded everyone that the Les Paul was a killer rock guitar. This fact had somehow been forgotten amidst the flash and glitter of the '80s, despite the influence of Led Zeppelin on the riff-rock of the time. But it wasn't long before players started seeking out Les Pauls again. By the early '90s, the Les Paul was totally and utterly cool again, just in time to be the guitar of choice for many grunge artists. And since then it's been here to stay. Slash's contribution to the Les Paul's popularity has been celebrated with several signature models over the years. Let's take a look at them.

Slash Les Paul Snakepit (1997): Released in 1997, this guitar took a bit of inspiration from a slim-necked Gibson Custom Shop Les Paul Slash had built for him in 1990, at least in the sense that both were bright red …but more on that later. The Snakepit model featured the logo of Slash's Snakepit (his post-G'n'R band) and an elaborate, curling cobra fretboard inlay. It was limited to 100 guitars worldwide, although the initial plan was to build 50. They're quite rare and tend to change hands for a lot of money today.

Slash Les Paul Standard (2004): The guitar most commonly associated with Slash's Velvet Revolver period, this Custom Shop model features Seymour Duncan Alnico II Pro humbuckers, a Dark Tobacco Sunburst finish, and a piezo pickup system which allows Slash to access acoustic-like tones at a flip of the mini-switch located between the two rear control pots.

Slash Les Paul Standard (2008): This Gibson USA model again uses Alnico II Pro pickups - a consistent theme for Slash until Seymour Duncan made the guitarist his own signature set - and a Tobacco Burst finish over a flame maple top. Also used in the Velvet Revolver era.