Today's Day in Rock News!

Today's Day in Rock


Zakk Wylde, Bootsy Collins, Buddy Guy Lead Experience Hendrix Tour
(Radio.com) Radio.com is proud to announce 2014′s Experience Hendrix Tour, the guitar-centric tribute to Jimi Hendrix that's run on and off since its first incarnation as the Jimi Hendrix Guitar Festival at Bumbershoot '95.
This year's tour will feature Buddy Guy, Bootsy Collins and Zakk Wylde, along with a busload of other guitar legends including Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Jonny Lang, Dweezil Zappa, Eric Gales, Eric Johnson, Serbian blues-rocker Ana Popovic, Doyle Bramhall II, Mato Nanji of Indigenous, and Los Lobos co-frontmen Cesar Rosas and David Hidalgo.

The tour is set to kick off March 11 in Dallas and run through April 3′s Detroit show. Other than Wylde and Popovic, the other artists have played the tour in the past. John McDermott, one of the tour's organizers, told Radio.com that while Wylde, Hildago, Guy, Zappa and Collins may be an odd combination, the goal of the tour is to show the scope of Hendrix's musical influence.

"We try to follow the roots to the fruits," McDermott said. "Before he passed away, we had [blues legend] Hubert Sumlin, who was a favorite of Jimi's. We have Buddy Guy, who is a favorite of Jimi's. We like to have a variety of [younger] players to show how broad and deep the influence is. "

While Wylde spends most of his time on the road playing to all-metal audiences, it's not all that surprising that he signed on for this tour given his fandom (one of his sons is named Hendrix). As for the other tour rookie, Popvic, she first came to the attention of Hendrix fans via a cover of "Belly Button Window" on the 2000 tribute album Blue Haze. "Ana is somebody who we had seen, we saw a performance of 'If 6 Was 9,' which was great, so she was a no-brainer for us," McDermott said. more on this story




Rush On Hiatus
(hennemusic) As Rush release their new "Clockwork Angels Tour" DVD this week, guitarist Alex Lifeson tells Billboard that the band will be on hiatus for most of 2014 but assures fans it will only be a short break and they will return.

"We've committed to taking about a year off," says Lifeson. "We all agreed when we finished this tour (in early August) we were going to take this time off and we weren't going to talk about band stuff or make any plans. We committed to a year, so that's going to take us through to the end of next summer, for sure. That's the minimum. We haven't stopped or quit. Right now we're just relaxing. We're taking it easy and just enjoying our current employment."

That said, Lifeson acknowledges that he and singer/bassist/keyboardist Geddy Lee - who both live in the Toronto area while drummer Neil Peart resides in California - "typically get a little bored, and so we enjoy writing and working together and I wouldn't doubt that some time in the new year we'll probably gravitate towards each other and start doing some writing."

"It's going to be interesting to see where we do go next," he continues. "You know, the album is dying as a format. We're so used to it and we're so old school in that format, but will we get more mileage by doing a few new songs at a time, or do we do another album? It's hard to say what the future holds, and it's just changing so rapidly. It's always hard to speculate where you're going to go." more on this story





Sammy Hagar and Motley Crue's Vince Neil Planning Tour
While Motley Crue has announced their intentions to retire, their frontman Vince Neil has revealed that he plans to continue performing and even broke news about a tour with Sammy Hagar.

Neil was recently interviewed by Vegas Rocks! Magazine and was asked about what he intended to do following the band's retirement and revealed that he is already working on a big tour with Sammy Hagar for next year.

The singer told the publication, "I have my own stuff. I have my solo band, and we have a lot of touring coming up. And actually, it looks like me and Sammy Hagar are gonna go out together for a long tour next year. I'll be carrying the torch for Motley Crue when Motley Crue is done." more on this story



Aerosmith's Steven Tyler Wants Rick Rubin To Produce Solo Album
(hennemusic) Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler has been meeting with Rick Rubin to see if popular producer will sign on produce his debut solo album, tentatively due next spring.

"I'm working on it," Tyler tells Rolling Stone. "I just got back from Russia. Tour was over last week, so I set up my studio, and I had dinner with Rick Rubin last night."

While their working together is not yet confirmed, Tyler seemed confident about Rubin's involvement when asked about the likelihood. "We did do 'Walk This Way' with Run-D.M.C.," he said. "That was his idea." more on this story





The Doors Surviving Members Plan Q&A At Special Event
(hennemusic) The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is hosting "An Evening With The Doors" on December 5, an event which will feature a screening of "Mr. Mojo Risin: The Making of L.A. Woman" and a Q&A with surviving band members Robbie Krieger and John Densmore.

The 2011 documentary "Mr. Mojo Risin: The Making of L.A. Woman" looks at the creation of The Doors' sixth album, offering a detailed perspective of the intense recording sessions that produced one of the group's most memorable records.

Krieger and Densmore will be on hand for a Q&A following the screening to discuss the band's legacy and their own careers. Check out the trailer for the film here.





R.E.M. Members Reunite
(Gibson) There was a partial reunion of R.E.M. last week when drummer Bill Berry and bass player Mike Mills joined guitarist Peter Buck on stage during one of his solo shows at the 40 Watt Club in Athens, Georgia.

The former bandmates performed R.E.M.'s 1984 track "(Don't Go Back To) Rockville." According to reports, former frontman Michael Stipe was in the audience too. So if he happened to be singing along, a case could be made that R.E.M. performed together, right? Right?

R.E.M. called it quits following the release of the album Collapse Into Now in 2011, an album which they chose not to tour for. "As lifelong friends and co-conspirators, we have decided to call it a day as a band," they sad by way of explaining the break. "We walk away with a great sense of gratitude, of finality, and of astonishment at all we have accomplished."

However, comments made by Mills to Rolling Stone in May seem to indicate that this onstage jam is as close as we're going to get to the real thing. "We said we're done and we're done," he said at the time "If we honestly thought there was a chance of a reunion tour, we might have said so at the time."

During that May interview, Mills explained that there was no animosity among band members: it was simply time to bring the band to an end. "There were no real factors other than deciding it was time to break up," he said. "There's no drug abuse. There's no in-fighting. There's no legal problems. It was time to break up. That's never really been done before. The idea of breaking up and not reforming for a reunion tour is kind of attractive to us. I doubt you'll see us touring as R.E.M. again."

Check out video of the reunion performance here.






Bruce Springsteen Releasing New Single Next Week
(hennemusic) Bruce Springsteen has announced that he will be releasing a new single, "High Hopes", on November 25. Originally recorded by Los Angeles band The Havalinas, a version of the song appeared on Springsteen's 1996 documentary and EP, "Blood Brothers".

Bruce and The E Street Band performed the song during their March tour of Australia this year, along with special guest Tom Morello of Rage Against The Machine, who was filling in on guitar for Steve Van Zandt.

In January, Springsteen will perform in South Africa for the very first time before kicking off a month-long tour of Australia and New Zealand in Perth on February 5. Hear the original version here.





Queens of the Stone Age Get Interactive In New Video
(Radio.com) For "Vampyre of Time and Memory," Queens of the Stone Age have crafted a surreal interactive music video that allows fans to peruse the hallways of a rather creepy mansion.

The clip–directed by Kii Arens, Jason Trucco with help from the tech company Darknet–lets fans lead the way threw the gothic house only to end up in an ever-changing grand ballroom with a very well-manicured Josh Homme and the rest of the band playing the song in dapper suits and ties.

While interacting with the clip, users can find QOTSA performing in three different settings, as well as access song lyrics and a direct link to purchase …Like Clockwork by clicking on various onscreen "Easter eggs" like the very cool poster for the band's show at the Brooklyn Masonic Temple leads to La-La Land Posters, which is home base for the artwork of director Arens.

The elaborate clip can be accessed through its own dedicated website. But for fans who prefer to just sit back and relax, the band has also provided a director's cut of the video, which merges the various scenes and settings of the interactive clip into one fluid visual. Watch it here.





The Flaming Lips Have Major Plans For Black Friday
(Gibson) The Flaming Lips will mark this year's Black Friday edition of Record Store Day by participating in a trio of interesting projects and creating a chocolate skull and a toy frog.

The band has curated a covers album of the entire first Stone Roses LP along with bands including Peaking Lights, Stardeath, White Dwarfs, New Fumes, Def Rain, Poliça, Foxygen's Jonathan Rado and Spaceface. They've also recorded a collaborative EP with Australian neo-psychedelic rockers Tame Impala where they cover each other's songs, and will release a vinyl edition of their Peace Sword soundtrack EP for the film Ender's Game. And frontman Wayne Coyne tells Rolling Stone the band also hopes to have an edible chocolate head ready in time too.

"It's all made out of chocolate, it's a life-size human skull, a life-sized human brain, and the brain is actually sliding out of the skull made with this brain fluid flavored hard-candy," Coyne says. "And there's a little magic coin inside that brain that you're supposed to dig out. I think it's supposed to get you into any Flaming Lips show in the world. I think that's our intention." If the Oompa Loompas haven't sorted out the chocolate head by Black Friday, the band will aim to have it out for Christmas.

Perhaps even more bizarre though is [Expletive] You Frog, a toy frog which contains a recording of the band's first demo. "That is our very first demo that we ever recorded that's never been released before," Coyne says. "So you get that in this packet. This little frog that's kind of a recorder that you can manipulate the sound on." more on this story







Stevie Nicks Releasing In Your Dreams Documentary Next Month
(hennemusic) Stevie Nicks will release her 2013 documentary, "In Your Dreams", on December 3. The project shows a behind-the-scenes look at the Fleetwood Mac singer as she created her 2011 solo album of the same title.

Co-produced and co-directed by Dave Stewart, "In Your Dreams" shows the musical journey that the two artists embarked on in Nicks' Los Angeles home as they wrote and recorded an album during what Nicks called "the greatest year of my life".

For "In Your Dreams", Nicks allowed cameras inside her mansion high above L.A. with a wild cast of musicians and friends. The inner life of the legendary Nicks has by her design long been kept at a distance from the public. We learn in "Dreams" that her world features costume parties, elaborate dinner feasts, tap dancing, fantasy creations and revealing song writing and recording sessions all of which are captured on film. more on this story




Stryper Score Top 40 Debut With New Album
(Gibson) It's a chart result that's pretty much unprecedented in the modern era for 80s hard rock acts, especially those with a Christian element: 80s rockers Stryper have landed at a very respectable #35 on the Billboard Top 200 with their new album No More Hell To Pay.

The album also landed at #2 on the Contemporary Christian Albums chart, #3 on the Current Hard Music Albums chart, #3 on the Top Hard Music Albums chart, #3 on the Billboard Top Christian/Gospel Albums chart and #6 on the Top Current Rock Albums. The album sold over 9,500 copies in its first week.

Hailed by fans as a return to their classic sound, No More Hell To Pay features the original lineup of Michael Sweet (vocals/guitars), Oz Fox (guitars), Tim Gaines (bass) and Robert Sweet (drums), and was produced by Michael Sweet.

"We're humbled to be charting alongside some of the biggest and best in music today," Michael Sweet said. "We've worked hard to deliver the best Stryper record to date and we couldn't be more proud of "No More Hell To Pay"! The Yellow & Black Attack is back (well, we never really left). Here's to 30 more years and we'll see you on the road in 2014."

Second Coming, an album of re-recorded Stryper classics, sold less than half the number of copies of No More Hell To Pay in April and handed at #117. Their 2011 covers album The Covering sold 4,600 copies to hit #175, and their previous album of new material, Murder By Pride, reached #73 in 2009. more on this story






Roger Waters Reflects On Original Pink Floyd Frontman Syd Barrett
(Gibson) Roger Waters reflected on the legacy of original Pink Floyd frontman Syd Barrett at the recent Billboard Touring Conference, describing the troubled songwriter as "very talented" but "only incandescent for a year or two maybe."

During the 80-minute discussion, Waters also recalled Floyd's 1967 U.S. debut performance at San Francisco's Winterland, saying Janis Joplin pilfered a pint of Southern Comfort he had just purchased just before the show.

Earlier this week, Waters spoke with Rolling Stone about his forthcoming solo album--his first "rock" effort in 20 years. "I finished a demo of it last night," he revealed.

"It's 55 minutes long. It's songs and theater as well. I don't want to give too much away, but it's couched as a radio play. It has characters who speak to each other, and it's a quest. It's about an old man and a young child trying to figure out why they are killing the children." The veteran rocker went on to say he isn't sure whether he'll support the disc with a tour. more on this story






Robert Plant Releases Second Episode of New Web Series
(hennemusic) Robert Plant has posted the second episode in his new 8-part web series, "Zirka", which documents his 2003 trip to perform in Mali and the Festival In The Desert.

Plant appeared at the famed festival alongside Ali Farka Toure, Tinariwen and many others. "It was a journey of revelation — one of the most illuminating and humbling experiences of my life," Plant explained recently to Rolling Stone.

"[The trip] took us from the scurry and bustle of our world into the homeland of the Tuareg, the Sahel of Mali, Timbuctoo, and north to Essakane. A journey that could only reinforce the power and the great gift of music across and between cultures. . . sharing outside of language." Check out the video here.





Black Sabbath React To Living Legend Award
(Gibson) Black Sabbath were the big winners at this year's Classic Rock Roll of Honor ceremony in London. The heavy metal pioneers picked up three prizes, including the coveted Living Legend award, reports NME.com.

"I didn't even expect to live this long," said Ozzy Osbourne, accepting the awards. "When I was 21 I thought I would be dead by 40. That was alright until I was 39." He later added: "I never thought 43 years ago I'd be standing here. We're in shock--this year has been an incredible event for us."

Guitarist Tony Iommi and bassist Geezer Butler attended the event as well. "It's fantastic to get the awards," said Iommi. "When we started out we never thought about it, you just wanted to play. Even this time, we never thought for a minute [the new album] would get to number one. We just wanted to make an album."

In other Sabbath news, the band has just announced another round of North American live dates, kicking off at the end of March. more on this story






The Wildhearts Planning Spring Tour With Ginger's New Band
(Classic Rock) The Wildhearts have announced that will be heading out on tour in April 2014, with support provided by Classic Rock Award nominees – and another Ginger project – Hey! Hello!

This tour will see Ginger reunited with his bandmates CJ & Ritch, and will welcome the return of Scott Sorry on bass. Says Ginger: "The Wildhearts always seem to regroup when the timing is absolutely right for everyone. I absolutely cannot wait to get back onstage with the lads, and we're all excited to be playing with our brother Scott again."

Scott Sorry had this to say about the reunion, "After a four year long break, I am excited as hell to hit the road again with The Wildhearts. April couldn't come soon enough." more on this story




Nine Inch Nails Announce UK Spring Tour
(Classic Rock) Nine Inch Nails will be heading across the pond to launch a tour of the UK next year, where they will be performing six shows in May, it's been confirmed.

It's a continuation of the first world tour since Trent Reznor reactivated the band he'd shut down in 2009. Their eighth studio album, Hesitation Marks, was released in September.

NIN performed at this summer's Leeds and Reading festivals, but the upcoming dates mark their first full UK tour in six years. The shows will feature the full arena production they've been using across the US. more on this story




Roy Harper Appears In Court On Alleged Child Sex Charges
(Classic Rock) Roy Harper appeared in court on Monday (November 18) for a hearing. The iconic folk musician has been charged for allegedly sexually abusing an underage girl.

He's accused of two charges of sexually assaulting a girl under the age of 13 in the 1970s, plus three charges of indecent assault and four of gross indecency. All charges relate to one alleged victim.

The 72-year-old progressive folk musician, best known for his guest vocals on Pink Floyd track Have A Cigar, entered no plea during a short hearing at Hereford Magistrates' Court. more on this story




Monster Truck and Scorpion Child Team For Lords Of The Riff Tour
(Classic Rock) Classic Rock is proud to present the Lords Of The Riff UK tour, featuring a double-whammy of rising star acts Monster Truck and Scorpion Child, in association with their sister title Metal Hammer.

Highly rated by both magazines, the bands will deliver nine shows in March next year, taking turns at closing the show. Canadians Monster Truck have been in existence for four years.

The four-piece released their debut album Furiosity earlier this year and won a Juno Award in their home country. Frontman Jon Harvey says: "We can't wait to get back over to the UK with Scorpion Child. It's going to be a certified rock'n'roll roadshow that will melt your face off…"

Texan outfit Scorpion Child launched also launched their first album this year. The self-titled opus led to their nomination in the Best New Band category at the Classic Rock Awards. Vocalist Aryn Jonathan Black enthuses: "We are super excited to rejoin our European family, along with Canadian brethren Monster Truck." more on this story




Threshold Working On Next Album
(Prog) Threshold are at work on what will be their tenth studio album and guitarist Karl Groom hopes the change of pace between new albums will be permanent.

Their previous studio outing was 2012′s March Of Progress, their first with vocalist Damian Wilson since his return in 2009. Fans had been forced to wait five years for the sequel to Dead Reckoning.

Groom reports that he and keyboardist Rich West started thinking about new material during their last stint on the road. "Our touring for the March Of Progress album inspired Rich and I to get writing not long after the main set of dates," he says. more on this story





Eric Clapton Releases Tears In Heaven Video From Crossroads DVD
(hennemusic) Eric Clapton is sharing video footage of a performance of his 1992 hit, "Tears In Heaven", from his new live package, "2013 Crossroads Guitar Festival."

Due for release Tuesday in North America on DVD and Blu-ray with highlights on digital and CD, the set features nearly 5 hours of music across 45 tracks, plus conversations with the artists and other behind-the-scenes footage from the event.

On April 12 and 13 in New York City, Clapton assembled an unparalleled lineup of the world's most celebrated guitarists for the fourth incarnation of his legendary festival, where the world's greatest players perform together to raise funds for the Crossroads Centre in Antigua. Clapton founded this treatment and education facility in 1998 to help people suffering from chemical dependency. Check out the video here.




Dregen Reveals Bald Look in New Music Video
(Classic Rock) Former Backyard Babies guitarist Dregen has released a video for his track Flat Tyre On A Muddy Road and it's the first time fans will have seen his bald look.

The guitarist, who's taken a break from Michael Monroe's band to promote his self-titled solo debut, explains that his hair started to fall out as he worked his way through a hectic year.

"Here's the answer to all of you who have asked why I've been wearing a hat or bandana for the last six months," Dregen says. "I became a dad. I was writing and recording my solo album. I was writing and recording the Michael Monroe album. I wrote a 330-page autobiography. I was touring. All at the same time.

"So my hair fell off – overnight. All of it. The doctor called it 'post traumatic stress disorder.'" But he's pleased to report he'll soon be sporting a head of hair again, and reflects: "Luckily I don't play or write with my hair… It could have been worse. I could have lost my fingers." Check out the video here.




Blitz Kids Release 'Sometimes' Video
(TeamRock Radio) Blitz Kids have released a video for their track Sometimes. It's taken from the band's upcoming album The Good Youth, which is set for launch on January 20.

Frontman Joe James asserts living in the past two decades has been a massive boost for the Crewe four-piece. He recently told the Plymouth Herald: "We grew up in what I think was true best era of music ever. People still play System Of A Down and Green Day. It was a golden age."

But he cites Queen frontman Freddie Mercury as one of his biggest influences, saying: "I'm a real introvert. I always admired Freddie but I never saw myself in that role. Then I realised even he had insecurities – but he just got on and did it."

James describes writing material for Blitz Kids' next album as "a bit like self-therapy." Check out the video here.





A Look Back At Led Zeppelin III
(Gibson) Led Zeppelin III often has been tagged the group's "folk album." But how folkie is a tune like the operatic "Immigrant Song" or the charging "Out on the Tiles" or the epic blues "Since I've Been Loving You" or the wailing "Celebration Day?"

What the album actually represented was the band's arrival at the height of their compositional powers and the apex of their ability to distill their primary influences (folk, rock and blues) into something grander that faithfully encompassed elements of all three genres. And to do that, they had to go "country" – or at least into the countryside.

Until mid-1970 the group hardly had time to plan its moves. Less than two years in existence, Led Zeppelin had already made two albums and toured the U.S. – where Page acquired his storied "Number One" Gibson Les Paul Standard from Joe Walsh – five times, rising from clubs to arenas as their guarantees swelled from $1,500 to $100,000 a show. The modus operandi had been to grab their blues roots hard and hit the ground running, and it was only when they stopped in July for a five-week break in the action that Led Zeppelin III crystallized as something more.

Before that the group had tried to record "Since I'd Been Loving You," which appears in a pre-Led Zeppelin III live version on the Royal Albert Hall concert DVD, but couldn't nail its radical shifts in dynamics and intensity in the studio.

The acoustic "Friends," inspired by Page's tinkering with open C tuning, and "Immigrant Song" were also written, or at least ready to get crunched out in jams and on tape.

But sometimes the vibe just isn't right. Maybe, for Led Zeppelin in 1970, it was a matter of finding the right headspace. The group's most recent tour of the States had been a challenge. On the plus side, they set attendance records wherever they traveled and grossed well over a million dollars at a time when concert tickets were about the same price as a fast-food meal today. But the minuses included conflicts between the police and Led Zeppelin's counter-culture audiences in Baltimore, Vancouver, Pittsburgh and other cities. In Georgia and Texas, Plant and Page were taunted by rednecks when their bus stopped, and in Texas they were refused service at a restaurant because of their long hair and had a pistol pulled on them. Worse, in Canada, Page's beloved three-pick-up 1960 Gibson Les Paul Custom Black Beauty was nicked at an airport and still has never been recovered. He'd played the instrument since his years in the Yardbirds.

So when Plant suggested a July retreat to the ancient Welsh cottage Bron-Yr-Aur that he'd visited as a lad, he and Page packed up their families and headed to the country to find some peace.

After 18 months on the road playing at teeth-rattling volumes, the tranquility of the unelectrified cottage was welcome. It also seemed to be a perfect segue for the music they'd been listening to, which included a big helping of acoustic open-tuning wizards John Fahey, Burt Jansch and Davy Graham.

"That's the Way" ended up becoming a turning point in the upcoming album's direction. After Page and Plant mapped the song out at Bron-Yr-Aur it became a touchstone, dictating further acoustic explorations for Led Zeppelin III. Page developed the song in open G tuning, inspired by Muddy Waters and Robert Johnson, and that, in turn, fueled a search for new textures when they returned to the studio. When the song was recorded John Paul Jones shifted from bass to mandolin, and Page took turns at pedal steel and dulcimer.

"That's the Way" was actually the only song written during the idyll in the countryside, but, Page says, it opened up the approach that made Led Zeppelin III a landmark recording in the group's history.






Singled Out: Echotape's Far From Heaven
Today Echotape's Mike Burford tells us about the song "Far From Heaven" which comes from their brand new album "Collective". Here is the story:

"Far From Heaven" was one of the quickest songs we've written! We wrote it in around an hour after a jamming session with Youth, who ended up producing our album. He invited us to his house in London after hearing an old demo and got the best out of us in that short afternoon collaboration!

It was a real spontaneous track that was born from our subconscious. Youth likes to get you working as fast as possible and to not think about what you're coming up with so all the guitar lines were written on the spot along with the main melody line.

On the strength of this song, Youth offered to record our debut album. We did this, recording the final version of the song, at his studio in the south of Spain. It was a picturesque surrounding on top of a mountain with the most amazing view. It was nice for the song to be recorded in such a perfect location!