Today's Day in Rock News!

Today's Day in Rock


Motley Crue Wanted Sebastian Bach To Replace Vince Neil
(hennemusic) Sebastian Bach has revealed that he was asked to join Motley Crue following the band's split with Vince Neil in 1992. When asked by a fan on Twitter if he was ever considered to replace Neil, Bach replied, "Not considered. Asked."
During a series of follow-up questions, Bach explained the reason he passed on the gig: "The short answer is that I actually thought at the time this band Skid Row was better," adding, "Gee I sure know how to pick 'em."

Motley Crue brought in John Corabi and released a self-titled album in 1994; despite a #7 debut on the Billboard 200 and critical acclaim, the project had disappointing sales and mostly negative fan reaction over the group continuing without their original singer, who ultimately returned in 1997. more on this story




Steven Tyler Jams Aerosmith Classic With Keith Urban
(hennemusic) Steven Tyler was a surprise guest on Friday night in a small Nashville club as he joined Keith Urban for a bluesy rendition of the Aerosmith classic, "Walk This Way", and video of the event has surfaced.

Urban began jamming the riff to ZZ Top's "La Grange" during his stop at Tootsie's Orchid Lounge, telling the crowd, "I'm going to attempt an experiment right now. I'm going to predict that if we play this riff long enough, we might find a singer in the crowd who knows how to sing this song," adding, "If you happen to be a bit of a bad ass blues legend singer, this might be your cue," as Tyler climbed onto the small stage.

Tyler scatted a bit over the ZZ Top riff before shifting gears into "Walk This Way" as Urban and his band kept a bluesy vibe underneath. Tyler's appearance came during one of three club stops in about an hour for Urban, who is creating a buzz for Tuesday's release of his new album, "Fuse." Check out video of the jam here.




Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young, Queens of the Stone Age For Bridge School
(Radio.com) The 27th Annual Bridge School Benefit show has announced its initial lineup, featuring Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young, Queens of the Stone Age, Elvis Costello, The Killers (Saturday only), fun., Diana Krall, Heart, and Jenny Lewis. This will be CSNY's first major show since their Freedom Of Speech tour in 2006.

The benefit concert will take place over two days — Saturday, October 26 and Sunday, October 27 — at Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, CA.

The concert is, and has always been, 100% acoustic sets, making for unique performances from previous artists such as Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen, Pearl Jam, the Who, Metallica, David Bowie, R.E.M., Arcade Fire, Tom Petty, Simon and Garfunkel and many more. more on this story




Stone Temple Pilots Founder Opens Up About Scott Weiland Firing
(Gibson) Stone Temple Pilots bassist Robert DeLeo spoke to Rolling Stone about the band's decision to fire their original frontman Scott Weiland and how the band is doing with their new singer, Linkin Park's Chester Bennington.

Speaking to Rolling Stone, bassist Robert DeLeo explained: "It was a very difficult decision to terminate the face of your band. But we really didn't have any other choice. I don't want to get too into that right now because of legal things, but Dean, Eric and I have been saddled by someone for a long time.

"We've always looked out for Scott's best interests and tried to be a great friend to someone who really didn't care to be friends with us…. I don't think we had any other choice. We knew that was what we wanted before we thought about getting another singer."

The band's forthcoming EP, High Rise, features Linkin Park's Chester Bennington as frontman. Bennington told Rolling Stone he's transitioned smoothly into the new role.

"I'm just coming in here and doing the same things I would do normally, only I'm writing different music with different guys. STP is moving forward without Scott 100 percent, whether I say yes or no. So I'm just glad that it's me, because I am such a big fan of the band." more on this story






Unreleased Beatles Let It Be Era John Lennon Interview Uncovered
(Gibson) A John Lennon audio interview with Village Voice journalist Howard Smith that was recorded shortly after The Beatles had finished work on the "Let It Be" album has been uncovered. The tape lay forgotten in Smith's attic for nearly 40 years but will now be put up for sale by RR Auction.

In the interview, Lennon says of working on Let It Be: "We were going through hell. We often do. It's torture every time we produce anything. The Beatles haven't got any magic you haven't got. We suffer like hell anytime we make anything, and we got each other to contend with. Imagine working with The Beatles, it's tough."

Lennon added: "There's just tension. It's tense every time the red light goes on." Lennon described the LP as a "strange album." "We never really finished it. We didn't really want to do it. Paul [McCartney] was hustling for us to do it. It's The Beatles with their suits off."

The audio interview tape has a reserve of $300, but will surely sell for much more. more on this story






Slash Explains Forthcoming Movie and Album
(Gibson) Slash spoke to Megan Friend (via the Huffington Post) about his upcoming movie and album "Nothing Left To Fear" which will be the debut release from his new film company.

Slash says, "It's a simple story where less is more. It's not an action movie. We're exploring the environment of the macabre - of what's in the dark. What we can't see. That's what's intriguing about it. Chainsaws are just brutal. I wanted to expose the weird twisted nature of the characters and society. I wanted to do something that goes back to what I think is really scary."

In the interview, Slash salutes the literature of Edgar Allan Poe, H.P. Lovecraft and Ray Bradbury, and the movies of Stanley Kubrick, Alfred Hitchcock and George A. Romero as a big influence. "My natural tastes have always been dark… not that I'm a dark person, but I'm drawn to things that aren't necessarily soft and fluffy. When I was a kid, I bought a Grateful Dead record because of the skull on the cover, not knowing what kind of music was inside."

He continues, "My real passion has always been the more dark, sexy kind of rock. "Whole Lotta Love" is one of the nastiest, most sensuous songs ever recorded. Black Sabbath brought the texture of horror to music in a melodic, fantastical way. Rock'n'roll and the darker side of things just naturally go together, in heavy metal especially. Even the Stones have dabbled in the darkness. The heavier the music, the more they paint with that satanic brush."

Slash developed the score for the movie in conjunction with renowned composer, Nick O'Toole. Myles Kennedy also contributed to the project by writing the lyrics for the moody title track. "It's an amazingly haunting piece," says Slash. "There's no bass and drums - just guitar and vocals. Nothing like you've heard before from us.

"It was an interesting process. I learned that writing with a visual in mind is a completely different experience. There are no rules, no boundaries or arrangement limitations." more on this story






Rock Hall Plan Rolling Stones Event
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame have announced that 1989 inductees The Rolling Stones will be the focus of their 18th Annual Music Masters series this fall.

The special has been dubbed "It's Only Rock 'n Roll (But I Like It): The Music of The Rolling Stones" and will launch on October 21st and conclude with a tribute concert on October 26th.

The concert will take place at 7:30 p.m. at PlayhouseSquare's State Theatre in Cleveland and will feature music artists that have performed with the Rolling Stones including Ian McLagan, Lisa Fischer, Bernard Fowler, Bobby Keys, Trevor Lawrence, Steve Madaio, Ivan Neville, Waddy Wachtel and Willie Weeks.

Organizers will be announcing additional guests leading up to the special as well as details about the schedule of events. They have announced that the special will include interviews, panels, films and educational programs and a keynote lecture at Case Western Reserve University.

"We are very excited to expand the stories we tell in the Music Masters program," said Lauren Onkey, vice president of education for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. "Rock and roll caught fire around the world, and we want to reflect that in this program. The Rolling Stones were inspired by so many great American artists in creating their own original brand of rock and roll--it's an incredible story. We have an outstanding band to showcase the music of the Stones."

"The Museum is proud to be honoring the Rolling Stones during their 50th anniversary year," said Greg Harris, president and CEO of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. "In addition to our blockbuster exhibit, which has attracted hundreds of thousands of visitors from around the world, we will take this opportunity to dig deeper into the story of this groundbreaking band that challenged and changed the face of rock and roll."

Visit the Rock Hall's official site for more details here.




Scorpions To Debut New Songs at Unplugged Shows
(hennemusic) The Scorpions will debut new songs at their upcoming MTV Unplugged concerts in Athens, Greece this week. The German rockers will perform three shows under the open skies at the Lycabettus Theatre in Athens, set for September 11, 12, and 14.

"Of course we will play many of the Scorpions classics, but, we will also visit many of the songs we have wanted to play from the past but just haven't had the opportunity," drummer James Kottack tells Rock Overdose. "There will also be debuts of a few brand new songs as well! we are soooo excited!"

"MTV Unplugged - Scorpions Live In Athens" will be released at the end of 2013 on CD, DVD and Blu-ray disc. MTV will world premiere the event, while the shows will be broadcast for free in Germany by VIVA. more on this story




Shooter Jennings, Leif Garrett and More Guest on New Tantric Album
Tantric continue to show their eclectic side with their forthcoming album "37 Channels" which is filled with special guests from across various genres. For the first single they pack an all-star guest list.

"37 Channels" is set to be released on September 17th and the first single release for the album, "Mosquita" features guest vocals from Shooter Jennings and David "2B" Mouser (KNOXX, The Villebillies).

The track also features guest appearances from guitarists Kenny Olson (Kid Rock) and Kevin McCreery (Uncle Kracker), drummer Greg Upchurch (3 Doors Down) and pedal steel guitarist Gary Morse.

"I've known Hugo Ferreira and Kenny Olson for nearly 15 years and to hear they were collaborating on the new Tantric record was dirty scumbag music to my ears. I had a blast singing on 'Mosquita' and I'm proud to have finally worked with two old friends. Hopefully we can get together and do a few live shots at this." Shooter Jennings

"Hugo is a super creative and intuitive guy to have thought of putting steel on 'Mosquita'. I wouldn't have thought of that myself but now that I hear it it's hard to imagine it without the steel parts. Love it!" Gary Morse

In addition to the above mentioned guest stars on the single, the new album also features appearances from Austin Winkler (Hinder), Scott Bartlett (Saving Abel) and 70's Teen Idol, Leif Garrett.

"It was great working with somebody that I respect as a songwriter and artist. When people listen to the lyrics of 'My Turn', they will see how poignant they are. I think the song turned out great and I can't thank Hugo enough." Leif Garrett

Watch the official lyric video for "Mosquita" here.




Smile Empty Soul Announce Fall Tour
Smile Empty Soul has announced that they will be hitting the road in Rocktober for a two and half month North American headline tour that will feature support from Acidic.

The 'Merican Chemicals Tour," will be launching on October 1st at Guitars Rock and Country Bar in Joplin, MO and will conclude on December 13th at the Whiskey in Los Angeles.

Smile Empty Soul Sean Danielsen had this to say about the tour, "Our upcoming ''Merican Chemicals Tour' is gonna be great! We're hitting pretty much every area of the country, and we'll be playing these songs from our new record Chemicals that we're so excited about."

The tour launch will coincide with the North American release of the band's latest studio album "Chemicals". "Chemicals still has our signature sound," Danielsen adds, "but it has its own feel apart from our other work. It's a very raw album for today's standards." more on this story




Billy Joel's 52nd Street 35th Anniversary In The Studio Special
The syndicated radio program In The Studio celebrate the 35th anniversary of Billy Joel's blockbuster 1978 album "52nd Street" in their latest episode which is streaming online.

The "52nd Street" album had a tough act to follow, Joel's seven million seller "The Stranger" but it lived up to expectations by spawning three top 40 singles, "Big Shot", "Honesty", and "My Life", and earned two Grammy Awards for Album of the Year and Best Male Vocal performance.

In the special, Joel reveals to the show's host Redbeard the concepts of his albums. "It would be easier if people would stop thinking about my work as isolated pop songs that are kinda shoved together on a record, but to think of each album as almost like a musical or a movie or a Broadway show." Stream the special here.




Dream Theater Reveal Live At Luna Park Details
Eagle Rock has revealed the details for the forthcoming Dream Theater: Live At Luna Park 2DVD, Blu-ray and digital video that will be released on November 5th.

The label announced that a deluxe edition will be released as an 11.5" square 60 page hardback photo book that will include the Blu-ray, 2 DVDs and 3 CDs (the CDs only being released as part of the deluxe package).

Live At Luna Park will include the 160 minutes of footage from the concerts which were recorded over two nights last August during the final leg in South America of Dream Theater's "A Dramatic Tour Of Events".

In addition to the concert footage, the release will have bonus features including six live bonus tracks of "These Walls"; "Build Me Up, Break Me Down"; "Caught In A Web"; "Wait For Sleep"; "Far From Heaven"; and "Pull Me Under".

The release will also feature a bonus Live At Luna Park documentary, the trailer for the cinema release of the film, a "Behind The Scenes" feature and the cartoon intro from the concerts. The Blu-ray version will also include 6 multi angle options on "Outcry." more on this story




Black Sabbath Release Halloween Maze Preview Video
(hennemusic) Black Sabbath are sharing a behind-the-scenes preview of an all-original 3D maze, "Black Sabbath: 13 3D", which opens September 20th at Universal Studios Hollywood's Halloween Horror Nights event.

"Very few bands can claim to have defined a genre of music but Black Sabbath's remarkable influence in the evolution of heavy metal will go down in history," said John Murdy, Creative Director for Universal Studios Hollywood.

"Tony Iommi's dark, iconic riffs, Ozzy Osbourne's haunting vocals and Geezer Butler's foreboding lyrics provide the perfect soundtrack for 'Halloween Horror Nights' and endless inspiration for our new haunted attraction Black Sabbath 13 3D."

Black Sabbath just completed a North American trek in support of their new album, and will start a Latin American tour in Santiago, Chile on October 4. Check out the video here.




Serpentine Singer Matt Black Leaves The Group
(Classic Rock) British rockers Serpentine have released a statement confirming that their singer Matt Black has left the band due to musical differences between the band and the singer.

The statement reads: "Serpentine, the British melodic rock quintet currently in pre-production for their third album with producer and songwriter Gary Hughes [of Ten] have parted company with lead vocalist Matt Black, who wishes to move into a different direction musically, away from the melodic rock sound the band are associated with.

"The band, who were initially fronted by Shy/TNT vocalist Tony Mills, burst on to the scene in 2010 with their critically acclaimed, and Japanese charting, Touch Of Heaven album, and went on to release their second full album Living And Dying In High Definition, in 2011.

"Mills, who departed in 2011 to concentrate on TNT, was replaced by the hitherto unknown Matt Black and a series of UK tours with the likes of Crashdiet, Ten, FM and Romeo's Daughter cemented Serpentine's reputation as an exciting live band, which led to appearances at many major festivals at home and abroad.

"This decision was reached while writing for their next record, when it became apparent that the music the band was composing was at odds with the direction Matt wanted to take." Read more here.




Voodoo Festival Announce Daily Lineups
Organizers of the 15th Voodoo Music + Arts Experience have revealed the lineup and the daily schedule for this year's event that will be taking place on November 1st, 2nd and 3rd in New Orleans.

The festival will kick off on Friday night with a headline set from Pearl Jam, as well as performances from Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Calvin Harris and Preservation Hall Jazz Band.

The second night of the festival will include performances from Nine Inch Nails, Paramore, Afrojack and Big Gigantic and the final night will include sets from The Cure, Kid Rock, Bassnectar, Beats Antique and Matt & Kim. Schedule





Jon Anderson To Join Raiding The Rock Vault Cast
Original Yes frontman Jon Anderson has announced that he is going Vegas. He will be a guest star in the Las Vegas show Raiding The Rock Vault for five nights from September 20th - 24th at the Las Vegas Hotel & Casino.

"Jon Anderson is an icon," said Raiding The Rock Vault creator, director and producer John Payne. "He is one of the biggest names in the history of progressive rock and I'm really excited for him to lend his voice to the show."

The classic rock based production takes the audience on a journey from the 1960's through the 1980s and features songs from The Rolling Stones, The Who, The Doors, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, the Eagles, Queen, Van Halen, AC/DC, Journey, Free, Bryan Adams, Supertramp, Toto, Deep Purple, and more.

The show's all-star lineup features Howard Leese [Guitar] (Heart), Tracii Guns [Guitar] (LA Guns, Guns n' Roses), Robin McAuley [Lead Vocals] (MSG, Survivor), John Payne [Lead Vocals and Bass] (Asia), Paul Shortino [Lead Vocals] (Rough Cutt, Quiet Riot), Jay Schellen [Drums] (Badfinger, Asia), Andrew Freeman [Lead Vocals and Guitars] (Lynch Mob, The Offspring), and Michael T. Ross [Keyboards] (Lita Ford, Hardline). Get more details about the show here.




The Temperance Movement Release Free EP
(Classic Rock) The Temperance Movement have made a three-track live EP available for free download for UK fans to celebrate being featured in the Amazon Artist Lounge.

The rising-star outfit are nominated in this year's Classic Rock Roll Of Honour awards in the category of Best New Band. Get the free download here.

Their debut album, also called The Temperance Movement, is released on September 16th in the UK and the five-piece head out on a tour of Europe the following day, including an extensive series of shows in the UK. more on this story




Carcass Couldn't Record Again Until Amott Left
(TeamRock Radio) Carcass weren't able to start work on their first album since reuniting until guitarist Michael Amott left and returned to his own band Arch Enemy, says fellow axeman Bill Steer.

The veteran metal outfit got back together in 2007, but Amott didn't want to be any part of new record Surgical Steel, due out September 16. Steer tells Decibel (via Blabbermouth): "Once Michael had stepped out of Carcass again, that's when we could entertain the idea of doing a new record.

"He'd made it clear from the outset that he'd no interest or believe in a new record. Once the reunion shows were over he said, 'I'm going to be busy for a few years – you guys do whatever you're going to do.' That meant we could talk seriously about doing material."

When Amott went back to concentrate on Arch Enemy, drummer Daniel Erlandsson went too – but there are no hard feelings. Read more and stream the album here.




Lollapalooza Headed To Argentina
(Radio.com) From the time he created it back in 1991, Jane's Addiction frontman Perry Farrell has always had big ambitions for Lollapalooza. Having evolved from a traveling music and culture tour in the '90s into the annual Chicago music festival that's already expanded to Chile and Brazil, Lollapalooza is ready to extend its' international reach to Buenos Aires, Argentina, next year.

"In the same way that each child is unique born into a family, each Lollapalooza that we spawn is unique," Farrell said of the latest expansion via Billboard. "I look forward to getting to work with the newest members of our musical family — Argentina!"

The 2014 launch in Argentina would be the third such expansion in just four years, following the Santiago, Chile, debut in 2011 and Sao Paulo, Brazil in 2012 (a planned move to Tel Aviv, Israel, for summer 2013 was scuttled back in January). more on this story





Singled Out: Satellite's Say The Words
Today Steven McMorran from alt-rockers Satellite tells us about their new hit single "Say The Words" which comes from their debut album "Calling Birds" that was released this Spring. Here is the story:

"Say The Words" is about looking yourself in the eye. If thoughts only have real substance once put into words, then admitting what you believe about yourself is the first step to finding out if it's true. I say that with certainty because again, IF thoughts only have substance in words, that means you don't even know what you believe about yourself until you say it.

"Say The Words" was my way admitting I was shutting down inside, and watching other people do the same. Like looking in the mirror to say, "Why? Because you aren't where you thought you'd be when you were 17? Join the club." Admitting it created the decision of what to do about it. For me, growing up has meant letting go of the defense mechanisms I learned as a child; and maybe even the desire to defend myself all together, eventually.

For now, a toast: May we welcome the realization that the lives we lead bleed into one another. Let it be honest. Let it be real. Let it be a beautiful history ahead of us.

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




Korn Release 'Never Never' Video
(TeamRock Radio) Korn have released a video for their track Never Never. It's the first track taken from upcoming album The Paradigm Shift, which features the return of guitarist Brian 'Head' Welch after he bowed out in 2005.

"Back then I was just up to no good, up to no good at all, to the point where I really just ended up sick," He recently said. "Not necessarily sick in the sense of throwing up but just feeling sick and ill every night, towards the end of every night on tour back in the day.

"Now I really feel like we are having a better experience overall. It's such a contrast from how it used to be – it's a total 180." Watch the new music video here.




Queens Of The Stone Age Cover Arctic Monkeys' New Song
(Radio.com) "Why'd you only ever phone me when you're high?" It's a reasonable question that the Arctic Monkeys ask on the debut single from their new album, AM (out now). But when Josh Homme from Queens Of The Stone Age asks it, well, it's a bit more sinister sounding.

On BBC Radio One Live Lounge, QOTSA covered the Arctic Monkey's "Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High?" turning it into a bluesy fingerpicking lament to making bad decisions.

Homme, wearing his sunglasses the whole time, perfectly throws off lines like, "Now it's three in the morning/And I'm trying to change your mind/ Left you multiple missed calls/And to my message you reply/Why'd you only call me when you're high?" With a well-placed laugh, it's clear Homme probably isn't going to stop making those late night calls anytime soon.

QOTSA taking on an Arctic Monkeys track isn't that farfetched, especially being that the Monkeys frontman Alex Turner makes a cameo on the band's recent album, …Like Clockwork.

In an interview with Radio.com, Homme talked about working with Turner, along with other artists like Trent Reznor, the band's former bassist Nick Oliver, and Elton John, who all appear on …Like Clockwork, explaining that to him they're not well-known musicians, but friends.

"It dawned on me after we did the first interview [for the new album], people were so kind of like entranced by the marquee value of all these [guest artists]," Homme explained. "I didn't think about that, you know? We forget that for you it's Dave Grohl, Nick Oliveri, Alex Turner, but for us it's just Dave, Nick and Alex." Check out the video here.




Pixies Release Indie Cindy Video
(Classic Rock) Pixies have released a four-track EP entitled Brand New Pixies Songs. The band released a new music video for one of those, Indie Cindy, which can be seen online.

It's a more robust declaration of their return than the surprise launch of standalone track Bagboy, which came out in July. The band return to the UK in November with new bassist Kim Shattuck, who replaced Kim Deal earlier this year.

Frontman Black Francis recently said: "Along with everyone's favourites we'll be playing songs we haven't played in ages, or never played live before. We've probably rehearsed 80 songs, so we'll be able to change the set at the last minute if we all feel like it." Check out the video here.




Glamour Of The Kill Release Second Chance Video
(Classic Rock) Glamour Of The Kill have revealed the first official video to be taken from forthcoming album Savages. The video for the track Second Chance was filmed in LA with director Robby Starbuck (Asking Alexandria, Escape The Fate).

Quoth GOTK bassist/vocalist Davey Richmond had this to say,"Working with Robby on the video was such a great experience and having the opportunity to shoot it in LA definitely had the added bonus of standing outside in sun with an ice cold beer between takes.

"The heat turned out to be our enemy though as we all just looked like melting pale Yorkshiremen (The band actually hail from York. – Ed.) the second we started the performance part to the video. Fortunately we had a great make-up team who managed to disguise this!

"We all had such big ideas on how we wanted the video to look and Robby managed to capture that spot on." Watch the video here.




Metallica Release Sad But True Video From in Kuala Lumpur Show
(hennemusic) Metallica's recent Asian tour featured the band's first-ever show in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and now the band is sharing video from the August 21st event at Stadium Merdeka.

The new video footage features behind the scenes coverage of the band in the Tuning Room, and a performance of the song "Sad But True" from the concert.

Up next, Metallica will play the Rock In Rio festival on September 19. The Rio show comes a week before the launch of Metallica's 3D film, "Through The Never."