Today's Day in Rock News!

Today's Day in Rock


Rolling Stones Announce First Tour Date For 2014
(hennemusic) The Rolling Stones have announced the first date of a 2014 tour of Australia and New Zealand. The band will open the redeveloped Adelaide Oval on March 22, 2014.
"It's great to be invited to Adelaide to open the historic Oval," says Mick Jagger. "We're really looking forward to doing this gig, it will be the first time we've been to Adelaide in nearly 20 years, so see you there!"

"Hi everyone down in Adelaide, it's been a while since we were in your back yard," adds Keith Richards. "See you on March 22 when we'll take over your new stadium and make it our own, look forward to it."

The Rolling Stones will announce more Australia shows, and one in New Zealand, in the next few weeks; the band has confirmed that Mick Taylor will be joining them for the tour. more on this story




Aerosmith Announce New Tour
(Gibson) Aerosmith have announced a new leg for their Global Warming Tour. Starting with a show in Moscow on May 24, the band will make their way through Northern Europe for the next month before finishing off with a show in Milan, Italy on June 25.

For now, nine dates have been announced, but looking at the tour schedule there are several almost week-long gaps, so the addition of more shows is likely. Aerosmith will visit the Swedish capital Stockholm for the first time since 1999, having only played a couple of festival gigs in the country since then.

The tour also includes a stop at the Download Festival in Derby, UK on June 15. Aerosmith released their 15th studio album Music From Another Dimension! last year, but expect the setlist to focus around the band's older material from the seventies, and hit albums like Pump and Permanent Vacation.

In related news Rolling Stone magazine report that Rick Rubin might be producing Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler's solo album. Said Tyler to the magazine over the weekend: "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." Rubin was instrumental in getting Aerosmith's career back on track when he got Tyler and Joe Perry involved in Run-D.M.C.'s cover of "Walk This Way" in 1986. more on this story






Jimmy Page Shares Led Zeppelin and Notorious B.I.G. Mash-Up
(Gibson) Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page's website feature a random Zeppelin-related news flash every day. On Friday last week (November 15), Page's official Twitter wrote "On this day Biggie Smalls" with a link to a mash-up of Led Zeppelin's "Ramble On" and Notorious B.I.G.'s "Hypnotize."

Called "Ramblize," the mash-up has basically put B.I.G.'s rap over Page's acoustic "Ramble On" riff, backed by a drum beat. The resulting track features the rap fitting in perfectly with the music that was created more than two decades before "Hypnotize."

Jimmy Page is currently busy remastering the entire Led Zeppelin catalog, which is supposed to contain unreleased versions of classic Zeppelin songs as bonus tracks. Last year Page told Rolling Stone magazine that one of the goals with the remastering process is to improve the digital listening experience:

"Everything is being transferred from analog to a higher-resolution digital format. That's one of the problems with the Zeppelin stuff. It sounds ridiculous on MP3. You can't hear what's there properly." more on this story






Bob Dylan Delivers 'Like a Rolling Stone' Video
(Radio.com) Bob Dylan wrote the timeless "Like A Rolling Stone" in 1965, and despite its chart-topping success and legendary status, the song of the '60s never truly given its complete due as a single, until now.

The official music video for "Like A Rolling Stone" premiered today on Bob Dylan's website, part of the campaign for the release of Dylan's The Complete Album Collection Volume 1.

Although the song is just a little under 50 years old, the music video manages to put the track under a modern light by incorporating interactive components.

Viewers can use their arrow keys on the keyboard to flip through 16 television channels featuring actors, reporters, and cartoons lip-syncing to the iconic song. Although the connection between Pawn Stars and a Dora The Explorer rip-off cartoons to Bob Dylan might seem a bit strained, there's some humor and playfulness flipping between your cliche food and business channel hosts mouthing the lyrics to the song. The music video also includes a channel dedicated to a vintage live performance of Bob Dylan himself. more on this story




Five Finger Death Punch and Daughtry Lead This Week's New Releases
(Radio.com) Radio.com's Dan Weiss takes a look at this week's biggest new album releases including Daughtry's Baptized and his pick of the week, Five Finger Death Punch's The Wrong Side of Heaven and the Righteous Side of Hell, Vol. 2.

ALBUM OF THE WEEK: Five Finger Death Punch – The Wrong Side of Heaven and the Righteous Side of Hell, Vol. 2 (Prospect Park): The only album this week that delivers what it promises—Five Finger Death Punch sound like a five-finger death punch. That is, an uncreative but reliable blunt force, with the occasional guitar harmony, impressive Chinese Democracy guitar solos, melody and lyrics that vary things up without distracting from the skull-cracking, Meshuggah-learned motor-propellor of the dual kick drum. And if Ivan Moody's melisma on the piano and strings-heavy tear-vehicle "Cold" has far too many James Hetfield-isms in it, Jeremy Spencer's hypnotizing stutter-rolls on "Matter of Time" make up for it by earning the "groove metal" tag more accurately than Pantera ever did.

Daughtry – Baptized (RCA): Chris Daughtry could win big in the long run — over Boston or even Back in Black. This is a guy who turned down an offer to join his favorite band Fuel after they lost a singer because he could make more on his own, and he was right: his debut album is the biggest-selling rock debut since Soundscan began. But we all know that's because it wasn't really his debut, and like Rick Springfield, he was a TV heartthrob with rock dreams. This includes joining his fellow D-heads Dokken, Dio and Danzig in a surname brand, er band, whose name has its own section on Wikipedia: "We could've come out with a really obscure name, but coming from the TV show and having name recognition, it was easier just to go with my last name."

There are the usual pros and cons to his Idol roots, with his clean and s4lick voice occasionally trailing off in interesting ribbons, over some of the least interesting music ever made. His too-big-to-fail stature keeps it from being wholly unlistenable, and since it's his fourth album, enough boredom has set in for him to Add Other Things. He challenges Katy Perry on the synthable "Waiting for Superman," (which you bet her label wishes was on the fast-sinking Prism) and Nashville on the only thing here you might actually remember in 2014, a "Long Live Rock and Roll" that claims he prefers bad-for-business David Lee Roth to corporate-penguin Sammy Hagar. Far more believable is when, on "Long Live Rock and Roll", the heartthrob can't possibly conceive that Courtney Love (a woman!) wrote her own songs. See who else made the list.




Trent Reznor FaceTimes Cancer-Stricken Photographer During NIN Show
(Radio.com) Typically a man of few (spoken) words on stage, Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor delighted a Las Vegas audience this weekend with a surprising act of kindness.

During the middle of Saturday's show at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Reznor dialed up OC Weekly's cancer-stricken photographer Andrew Youssef for a FaceTime session, then dedicated "In This Twilight" to the diehard Nine Inch Nails fan.

"I want to have a Bono moment and try to FaceTime him," Reznor said to the crowd before calling Youssef. "Listen, I just wanted to tell you that I miss you man. I wish you were here," said Reznor over the 'Andrew' chants coming from the crowd.

Youssef, formerly a pharmacist by day and concert photographer by night, has stage four colon cancer, and has chronicled his experiences in his OC Weekly column, Last Shot. more on this story




U2's Sunday Bloody Sunday Video From US Festival DVD Released
(hennemusic) U2 are among the acts featured on the upcoming DVD release, "US Festival 1983: Days 1-3", due December 3 and a preview video of their performance and a video trailer for the release have been posted online.

Held on Memorial Day of 1983, the US Festival (US is an acronym for "Unite Us In Song") was a massive three-day celebration of music and culture sponsored by Steve Wozniak, formerly of Apple Computer. Wozniak financed the follow-up to the 1982 inaugural event himself, to the tune of approximately 10 million dollars.

A pre-cursor to festivals held today, the US Festivals were intended to be the celebration of evolving technologies, including a marriage of music, computers, television and people.

"Us Festival 1983: Days 1 – 3" includes the 3 days of New Wave, Heavy Metal and Rock in 1983 with performances from U2, The Clash, Judas Priest, Scorpions, Stevie Nicks, INXS, Men At Work, Stray Cats, Triumph, Missing Persons and more.

The DVD includes the legendary U2 performance of "Sunday Bloody Sunday", The Clash's final performance with Mick Jones, a seminal performance for INXS in the US, and many other landmark moments in music history.

Watch the Sunday Bloody Sunday Performance here.





Flaw Reunite
Flaw has announced that their original lineup has reunited and the group has scheduled their first live appearance and they are also working on new music with an eye toward a release next year.

The lineup features Chris Volz (Vocals), Jason Daunt (Guitar), Lance Arny (Guitar), Ryan Jurhs (Bass / Backing Vocals) and Chris Ballinger (Drums). Daunt had this to say about the reunion:

"After several years apart to work out personal issues we have reunited. The time apart has given us clear heads and a new appreciation for the music we are capable of creating together. We are currently writing new material which is a modern throwback to our original Flaw material. We are stoked about our renewed musical relationship and can't wait to share it with the world."

Volz adds, "I am extremely excited and recharged to have the original lineup back in Flaw. I've conquered many demons and am ready to share my strength and hard fought battles with the world. We're back!!"

Flaw's first live appearance since the reunion will feature the band as headliners of WTFX 93.1 The Fox's annual Gobblestock on November 28 in Louisville, KY. The station has a long history with the band offering support during their early days, according to SKH.




New Bruce Springsteen Single Leaks
(hennemusic) While it isn't due for release until next Monday, Bruce Springsteen's new single, "High Hopes", was leaked online Tuesday, according to Rolling Stone.

The track was recorded during Springsteen's Australian tour in March. "We've never had a recording session during a tour in our lives," revealed Springsteen of the Sydney studio visit.

"We did a couple of things that I wanted to put down. So that was very exciting. And being with Tommy was exciting. The band – Steven, Nils [Lofgren], all those guys – continues to be a source of inspiration for me."

Originally recorded by Los Angeles band The Havalinas, a version of the song appeared on Springsteen's 1996 documentary and EP, "Blood Brothers." The track also features a special guest.




Slayer's Kerry King Feels Bad For Dave Lombardo
(TeamRock Radio) Slayer guitarist Kerry King says he feels sorry for dropped drummer Dave Lombardo. And he's vowed that the band will keep going until either he or frontman Tom Araya want to stop.

The thrash giants have endured a difficult year after dropping founding member Lombardo in February when he called for changes to his contract. In May they lost co-founder Jeff Hanneman, who died after a two-year illness.

But the band are back in action with drummer Paul Bostaph confirmed as Lombardo's full-time replacement, and Exodus axeman Gary Holt remaining in place as stand-in for Hanneman.

"I feel bad for Dave to this day. I really feel bad for him because he shot himself in the foot," King tells The Steve Austin Show (via Blabbermouth). "He got some bad advice and gave us an ultimatum ten days before we went to Australia. I said, 'I can't have this over my head' and before I got home I knew exactly what I was going to do for Australia." more on this story




Rush Stamps Get Special Limited Edition Autographed Covers
(hennemusic) Toronto's First Post Office has created its own day-of-issue covers for the Rush stamp released by Canada Post earlier this year. There are, and will only ever be, ten of these envelopes in existence and each is personally autographed by all three members of the band.

Originally printed in an edition of 100, all unsigned copies of the first-day covers have been destroyed as per an agreement with the band's management.

Each 4" x 7 ½" cover is printed on 100% cotton paper and shows the band in an earlier era with the "star man" logo as a watermark. Each is numbered out of ten and comes with a certificate of authenticity signed by both the band's management and the museum's curator. The text on the back celebrates Rush's induction, in April of this year, into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame:

"On April 18, 2013, the Canadian band Rush was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. To celebrate that event, and to coincide with the release of a Rush stamp by Canada Post on July 19, 2013, Toronto's First Post Office has created a limited number of these commemorative covers. Toronto's First Post Office is a National Historic Site and museum operated by the Town of York Historical Society." more on this story




Soundgarden's Sub Pop Reissues Streaming Online
(hennemusic) The forthcoming November 26 reissue of Soundgarden's debut Sub Pop EPs, 1987's "Screaming Life" and 1988's "Fopp", are both now streaming online ahead of next week's release.

Remastered by producer Jack Endino, the reissue marks the first time these tracks will be available digitally, and their first appearance on vinyl since the original, late-80s pressings (notwithstanding a long-gone, late-'90s repress of "Screaming Life").

"Ah, Screaming Life, Soundgarden's debut, and one of the first real records I made for anyone outside my own band," said Endino. "I already knew Soundgarden pretty well, since they and Skin Yard had shared the stage many times in Seattle's tiny club scene circa 1985-1986."

"Soon after opening Reciprocal Recording in July 1986, there I was with Soundgarden, trying to make the most of our eight tracks," he continued. "Somehow, we found room for all of Matt Cameron's 'bonus tubs,' Hiro's primordial Fender bass, and a whopping four tracks to share between Kim Thayil's mad guitar psychedelia and Chris Cornell's still-expanding voice. 'Nothing To Say' was the song that made us all look at each other and go, 'uh, holy crap, how did we do this?'" Check out the streams here.




Sebastian Bach's New Album 'In Final Stages'
(hennemusic) Sebastian Bach has issued an update on his new album project, working alongside producer Bob Marlette. "Mix time!!," writes Bach. "We are in the final stages of the new album. We are mixing all the ingredients with precision & care in pursuit of the ultimate tasty treat for your precious earhole!"

"Trying to deliver a classic sounding record in the age of MP3s & compression is a challenge because all the records I love were records long before iTunes, Spotify , & the like," he adds. "My album is designed for big ass speakers on the living room floor on a hot summer night with the windows open cranking the tunes with your friends or the one you love ... do y'all do that anymore?"

The follow-up to 2011's "Kicking & Screaming" will feature guest appearances by Duff McKagan, John 5 (Marilyn Manson, Rob Zombie) and Steve Stevens (Billy Idol) on the project, along with new guitarist Devin Bronson and longtime drummer Bobby Jarzombek. more on this story





Grand Magus Reveal New Album Details
(TeamRock Radio) Grand Magus have confirmed that their seventh album will be called Triumph And Power, and it's set for release in January via Nuclear Blast Records.

They say: "It's a metal triumph of Viking power! This is our strongest album yet. It has the northern feel, it has the power and the melody that has become our mark of excellence. Fans of true metal will take this album to their hearts."

The Swedish outfit say Anthony Roberts' cover art "perfectly captures the work on this album and Grand Magus as a band." Check out the artwork and tracklist here.




Iron Maiden's Trooper Ale Gets Expanded Distribution
(hennemusic) British beer maker Robinsons Brewery has expanded the distribution of Iron Maiden's Trooper ale to nearly 300 Sainsbury's stores across the UK.

Drinks Business Review reports the latest move by the brewery follows its milestone of reaching one million pints of Trooper exports globally. "Establishing a new beer in the UK alone is a long and difficult process," says Robinsons Brewery beer division managing director Oliver Robinson.

"But we feel that with two national listings in two of Britain's favourite supermarkets, and export orders with over 30 countries worldwide, in just six months, we are off to a great start." more on this story




Acoda Kicking Off Headline Tour
Alternative metallers Acoda will be kicking off their UK headline tour tonight (November 20th) in Northampton. The tour will feature support from Vera Cruz.

The group is launching the tour in support of their debut album, 'Yours To Defend', which was released on October 28th and was produced by Dan Lancaster (Lower Than Atlantis, Don Broco, Mallory Knox). The band has also just released a music video for the song 'The Ludovico Technique'. Check it out here.

"We're on a mission to connect with music lovers who want to bang their heads and scream their hearts out, the same way we do!" says singer and guitarist, Damon Tang.

He had this to say about the album, "Lyrically, the record's a bit of a social commentary. I feel very lucky and I don't want to feel sorry for myself over small things."

He continues, "That said, I worry about the way the world seems to be going. There's violence caused by miscommunication, mistrust, ignorance and deceit. In some parts, I'm being sarcastic/satirical... indifferent even. Things look pretty bleak, but I still feel like I can make a difference, however naive it may seem." more on this story




Ben Poole Humbled By Praise From Guitar Legends
(The Blues Rising-star young bluesman Ben Poole is determined to ignore the distractions of media attention and remain focused on making good music.

The 25-year old has been receiving acclaim, not only from the press, but from big-name musicians including Richie Kotzen, Bernie Torme and Guthrie Govan.

"I try not to think about it, to be honest, and just do my thing," Poole tells Your Local Guardian. "I personally don't think my guitar playing is particularly virtuosic. I think what comes across is the passion and soulfulness of what I play and sing, rather than technical ability."

But he allows: "I can pull out some fast runs if needed. I try to play to the song, try not to overplay too much – although as a guitar player I'm guilty of that sometimes." more on this story




Johnny Winter Shares His Golden Rule
(The Blues Johnny Winter may have been hailed as one of the greatest guitarists of all time but the 69-year-old doesn't believe he's educated himself a great deal since he was a teenager.

He tells the Journal Gazette: "I don't know if I can say I've learned much. I still play the same way I did when I was 15." He says he'd been happy playing ukulele before picking up guitar, but had to make the change when the rock'n'roll revolution came and he couldn't make the new music sound right on a uke.

Asides from that, it's been business as usual – although there's one golden rule he's established from early on. "It's no fun playing with guys that aren't any good," he reflects. "I've always worked with good musicians." more on this story




Soundgarden Add More Tour Dates For Spring Tour
(hennemusic) Soundgarden have announced three more live dates for 2014 in support of their latest album, "King Animal." The Seattle band will play two shows in the Netherlands and one in Luxembourg next June.

The news follows recently-revealed dates opening for Black Sabbath in Germany, as well as three Lollapalooza shows in South America in the spring.

The concerts will not feature drummer Matt Cameron, who will be touring throughout the year with Pearl Jam; Soundgarden have yet to announce a replacement for Cameron. more on this story





Boston Streaming Life Love & Hope Online
(hennemusic) Boston are premiering the title track from their forthcoming album, "Life Love & Hope", due December 3. The song follows the release of the project's lead single, "Heaven On Earth".

"Life Love & Hope" includes lead vocals from the late Brad Delp, Tommy DeCarlo, Kimberley Dahme, David Victor and Tom Scholz, and features tracks with the classic Boston sound, as well as the latest in the evolution of Scholz' musical artistry.

"I probably would have kept going," Scholz tells Billboard. "But it was getting a little long. It was very, very hard work. All of these songs, they're basically done when I don't think I can express myself any better with the music for whatever I was trying to say.

"That might be because I'm so burnt on it that I don't think I can do any better or because I think it would be really dangerous to try to change it any more - that I just might make it worse or lose something. So I stop when I don't think I can do any better, and it was the same with this album. I stopped when I thought it was as good as it's going to get." Listen to the song here.




Video of Black Sabbath's Iommi Receiving Honorary Degree Goes Online
(hennemusic) Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi received an Honorary Doctorate of Arts from Coventry University on Tuesday and video of the event has been posted online.

The BBC reports Iommi was on hand for the ceremony, saying "It's brilliant. I couldn't believe it." The university announced the degree has been awarded "in recognition of his contribution to the world of popular music; in particular being recognised as one of the founders of heavy metal music and one of the greatest and most influential musicians of all time".

Iommi headed straight from the graduation ceremony to join Black Sabbath in Helsinki for the start of their latest European tour, which begins Wednesday. Check out the video here.




Living Sacrifice Singled Out Week: Screwtape (Featuring Ryan Clark)
Living Sacrifice have released their new album "Ghost Thief" and to celebrate we asked Bruce Fitzhugh and Rocky Grayto tell us about some of the new songs. Today they tell us about "Screwtape" which features a guest appearance from Ryan Clark. Here is the story:

Bruce: The lyrics for this song came about with the idea of temptation and the thought processes that we allow to take us down that path. The proverbial "devil on your shoulder". I did not have the lyrics for this until after the song was recorded. We had discussed having Ryan Clark guest on a song for the record early on because we are friends and I did a guest vocal on the Demon Hunter song "Sixteen". As "Screwtape" came together and I started writing the lyrics for it, I felt it was the perfect song for Ryan to sing on.

For the intro to the song, I wanted to do something cool because it had that epic sounding guitar intro and I did not want to just fade those in. boring. so we tried a low rumbling organ with some reverse guitar stuff for effect. All of that came out cool and then the producer, Jeremiah, added the piano and acoustic guitar to it for more layers.

Rocky: Like most of the songs on the record this one has several influences in the riffs. You've got some Metallica and In Flames with some hints of Down. This is the third song I started writing for this record (the first one being "Sudden"). I'm just going for it. No rules.