Today's Day in Rock News!

Today's Day in Rock


Bobby Womack Dead at 70
(Radio.com) Bobby Womack, one of the most enduring spirits of soul and R&B, has died. His label, XL Records, has confirmed the news, but has not yet released the cause of death. He was 70.

Born in Cleveland, Womack cut his teeth early on when he joined with his siblings Cecil, Curtis, Harry, and Friendly Jr. to form the gospel quintet the Womack Brothers.

From there, under the tutelage of the forefathers of soul music like Sam Cooke, Sly Stone, and Wilson Picket, Bobby Womack's talent grew. It was the heyday of American soul in the '60s music, and success found Womack after he penned the song "It's All Over Now," which was swiftly picked up and made famous by the Rolling Stones. Soon after, controversy brewed when Womack married Cooke's widow, Barbara Campbel. He became a pariah in the R&B community, seen as an opportunist to cash in on Cooke's success.

Undeterred, Womack continued playing guitar for major artists in the late '60s, including Ray Charles, Joe Tex, King Curtis and Aretha Franklin. He embarked on a solo career in the early '70s with his debut Communication followed by a string of successful albums including 1972′s Understanding and Across 110th Street.

He would admit in his 2007 memoir Midnight Mover that cocaine addiction took over his life in the late '70s, and reached a low point after the sudden death of his son in 1976. While still putting out classic albums, his career wavered in the '80s and '90s as Womack adjusted to the shifting musical landscape. more on this story





Man Detained By Police After Mentioning Nickleback In Public
(Radio.com) While Canadian rockers Nickelback might be one of the most popular (not to mention divisive) bands in the world, mentioning the group's name in public could be cause for police detention, interrogation and being handcuffed.

That was the case in Idaho recently, when two officers overheard 23-year-old Dylan Swinford and 22-year-old Riker Morrow talking about the band, but mishearing it as "nickel sack," which the officers considered a marijuana reference.

Morrow recorded the incident, which can be seen in a YouTube video. The situation seems almost comical, until it escalates to the point of Swinford being taken out of the vehicle and placed in handcuffs.

The incident occurred in the city of Cour d'Alene, where the influx of media attention has resulted in the detention being examined. "It's being internally investigated. It's a personnel issue," Lt. Stu Miller told CDA Press. "We take this type of thing very seriously and we tell our people all the time to do their job as though someone is always watching, and they are always watching."

More including the video here.




Metallica's Full Glastonbury Festival Set Goes Online
(hennemusic) Metallica made history on Saturday as the first metal band to headline the legendary Glastonbury Festival, and fans can now watch video of their full performance.

Metallica opened their 14-song set with the 1984 classic, "Creeping Death", blazing through songs spanning their full career. A pair of encore tunes included "Whiskey In The Jar" and "Seek & Destroy."

In the weeks leading up to the event, the band faced some backlash from traditional Glastonbury supporters who felt heavy metal didn't fit in with the vibe of the festival, and frontman James Hetfield addressed the issue early in the show.

"Metallica is grateful to be invited to such an event as the Glastonbury Festival," said Hetfield. "We are very proud to be here and be representing, shall we say, the heavier sides of music. I know it's all represented here, so why not heavy rock/heavy metal, huh. It's about time."

Watch the performance here.




TesseracT Reunite With Singer Daniel Tompkins
TesseracT had big news this past week with the announcement that they have reunited with vocalist Daniel Tompkins following the departure of Ashe O'Hara.

The band put out this statement: "We have amicably parted ways with Ashe as we have found ourselves in different places, creatively. Ashe is a fantastic talent and will continue to be successful in his career and we wish him the absolute best!

"Moving forward for TesseracT - Daniel Tompkins will be rejoining us as a full time member of the band. Starting from our main stage performance at Sonisphere, UK on 05.07.14. We are also looking forward to starting writing and recording album three with Daniel, which will begin later this year."





Designs Of Chaos' Chris Crammond Killed In Accident
(TeamRock Radio) Designs Of Chaos drummer Chris Crammond has died in a tragic accident at work. Crammond, who turned 40 last Monday, was fatally injured in Kent on Thursday while carrying out his work as a telephone engineer.

His death has left the other members of Designs Of Chaos "shattered" as they try to come to terms with his passing. The London band had only just completed the recording of a new EP and they featured on the cover CD of the July edition of Metal Hammer Magazine.

Singer Jay Shields says: "We don't really know what happened, all we know is there was an accident at work and he's gone. We got a message yesterday telling us that.

"We're all absolutely destroyed and shattered. He was heart and soul and backbone of the band. Chris was a giant, the gentlest giant with the biggest heart." more on this story





Michael Schenker Denies Trying To Take Over Aerosmith
(Classic Rock) Michael Schenker has denied attempting to "take over" Aerosmith. The German guitarist auditioned to replace Joe Perry back in 1979, but he claims that both parties were too spaced out to make anything of the liaison.

According to Tyler in the official Aerosmith book Walk This Way, Schenker strolled into the rehearsal room and greeted himself, guitarist Brad Whitford, bassist Tom Hamilton and drummer Joey Kramer with the immortal announcement: "Hello, I'm taking over. Before I join your band, I want it clear I'm taking over right now. Here - my jacket - take and hang up."

"No, no, no… it wasn't like that at all," he protests. "I wasn't trying to take over their band. How could I do that? This is Aerosmith. They have Walk This Way, it's an all-time great rock song. They're fantastic.

"What happened was that Peter [Mensch] flew me to New York. Steven wasn't doing so good at the time, and I wasn't in the best shape either. I ended up sat in my hotel room for five days waiting for something to happen. And when it did… it was worthless. Nobody was in a fit state to make it work.

"But later, when I started the Michael Schenker Group [in 1980], Joey Kramer and Tom Hamilton wanted to be my rhythm section," he continues. "We did some rehearsals but then just as we were getting somewhere Steven got better, so they went back to Aerosmith." More.





Duff McKagan Open To Being Velvet Revolver's Singer
(Classic Rock) Duff McKagan says he would consider fronting Velvet Revolver, but admits he'd rather bring in a specialist singer. The bass player revealed the band - in which McKagan and former Guns 'N' Roses colleague Slash both star - are still looking for a replacement for Scott Weiland, who was sacked in 2008.

McKagan sings in his own project Loaded and wouldn't rule out taking over main mic duties in Velvet Revolver too.

He tells TotalRock Radio: "I would consider it, but I think it's the type of band that it's best if we have a lead singer. I like rocking with Slash. When we play, I like rocking with the guitar players and the drummer and being able to fly around.

"When I sing with Loaded, I can't move at all. I'm playing guitar and I'm singing. I wrote too many lyrics in the songs. There's just too many goddamn lyrics, and you can't ever move away from the mic, except when I jump into the crowd, and then the band's playing and I get back up and I have to sing more."

More including a stream of the interview here.





Defiant Jack White Plays On After Power is Cut
(Radio.com) Your silly curfews and speakers cannot contain Jack White. The rocker recently performed a long, career-spanning set with The Kills at the Royal Hospital Kilmainham in Dublin, Ireland, that saw him play on well into the night - so late, in fact, that he ran up against the venue's curfew.

In he and his band's final song, a cover of "Goodnight, Irene," White brought out Kills frontwoman Alison Mosshart and dived into the classic tune. But in the middle of the song, the venue finally pulled the plug on the late show, cutting all power to the speakers - something that might cause most acts to finally give up the ghost and thank the audience for coming.

White, however, did not flinch. As the power cut out, White and band instead continued to play, the frontman stepping out to the front of the stage, strumming his guitar and belting out the final lines of the song at the top of his lungs.

Watch the video here.





New KISS Related TV Series Coming This Summer
(hennemusic) KISS members Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons are featured in a new AMC series, "4th And Loud", which focuses on the launch of the pair's Arena Football League team, the L.A. KISS. The show will premiere on AMC on Tuesday, August 5 at 10/9c.

The 10-episode series will follow the duo, along with fellow co-owners, long-time KISS manager Doc McGhee, managing partner/owner Brett Bouchy and president/owner Schuyler Hoversten as they and the players and coaches work to turn L.A.'s first professional football team in years into a winning franchise.

As part of the 14-team Arena Football League, the L.A. KISS are the fourth AFL team to represent Los Angeles and the second to play at the Honda Center in Anaheim.

"We are thrilled to partner with AMC in bringing our show to the viewing public," says Stanley. "Anyone who knows Gene and I know we have never played by the rules. This opportunity to see the making of our team of rebels, the LA KISS, from behind the scenes will once again show everyone that we play to win."

Check out a preview here.





Aerosmith's Joe Perry Says Slash's New Album Is Really Rockin'
(Gibson) Aerosmith's Joe Perry just had a tough week, with the band having to cancel shows in Turkey and Ukraine. The latter was due to security concerns due to civil unrest in the country. Perry said that show is the first one Aerosmith have ever had to cancel "because of politics".

But Perry is looking forward to Aerosmith's tour with Slash band starting July 2014. Perry told 100.7 WZLX, "I've seen Slash's shows, and I've heard some of the new album - it's really rockin'" Slash famously credits Perry with inspiring him to play guitar because of Aerosmith's Rocks album.

Steven Tyler recently revealed on Ellen that the history between the two camps goes back further than you'd imagine - a drawing of Aerosmith made by a young Slash can be found on the inside of the group's most recent album. Perry had previously teased the upcoming tour and the announcement of the planned dates by spray-painting a number of walls in Los Angeles. more on this story







Robert Plant's Glastonbury Set Streaming Online
(hennemusic) Robert Plant performed at the Glastonbury Festival on Saturday, and video of his full set is available online. Plant and The Sensational Space Shifters' appearance featured a mixture of Led Zeppelin classics and solo tracks, including two tunes from his forthcoming album, "lullaby and… The Ceaseless Roar."

Due September 5 in Europe, September 8 in the UK and September 9 in North America, the project was recorded at Helium Studios in Wiltshire and Peter Gabriel's Real World Studios in Bath, UK.

The Led Zeppelin singer has just released "Rainbow" as the lead single from the album. Plant and The Sensational Space Shifters are currently on the road playing shows across Europe this summer.

Watch the performance here.





Jerry Only Moves To Have Danzig's Misfits Lawsuit Dismissed
(Classic Rock) Misfits bassist Jerry Only has called for Glenn Danzig's lawsuit against him to be dropped, arguing it has no basis in fact. The pair's years-long argument over merchandises rights went to court last month after Danzig filed papers claiming he'd created the band's Fiend Skull character, but had been bypassed when Only trademarked the device and cut his own merch deals.

Describing himself as the "creative heart of the Misfits," Danzig also stated that a 1994 contract between he and Only meant he was entitled to a share of all merch income.

Only's lawyer recently said: "Danzig's lawsuit can only be described as a sour-grapes tantrum based on outrageous allegations - the majority of which are completely false, while others a ill-conceived and grossly misguided."

Now Re-tox.com reports the bassist has filed a motion to dismiss the complaint "with prejudice." More details.






Metallica's Lars Ulrich Is The Ringo Of Metal Says A7X Drummer
(TeamRock Radio) Avenged Sevenfold drummer Arin Ilejay has hailed his Metallica counterpart Lars Ulrich as "the Ringo of metal" - saying he's one of the most underrated musicians in the world.

And his appreciation of Ulrich's approach served him well when he joined A7X and was asked to "dumb down" his performance for latest album Hail To The King.

Ilejay tells MusicRadar: "In so many ways Lars really is the best metal drummer. He doesn't have the crazy chops but he has the best stage presence. He's out of his mind, but writes incredible parts for the music. Ringo and Lars get the least amount of credit, but they're absolute geniuses."

He admits that he and A7X fans had expected to hear him go crazy on Hail To The King, following in the footsteps of late drummer Jimmy 'The Rev' Sullivan and stand-in Mike Portnoy. "But the band wanted me to create my own sound and legacy," Ilejay says. "They wanted me to dumb it down and play caveman-like. I was bummed at first - but it helped to have heard drummers like Lars." more on this story





Alice Cooper Debuts New Guitarist Nita Strauss
(hennemusic) Alice Cooper debuted his new guitarist Nita Strauss during a series of three solo dates in Michigan as he and the band warm up for the launch of the Motley Crue farewell tour in Grand Rapids on Wednesday.

Formerly of the all-girl tribute band The Iron Maidens, Strauss recently replaced Orianthi in Cooper's band and the Crue trek will be her first with the group.

Earlier this month, the shock rocker released the new documentary film, "Super Duper Alice Cooper." Available on DVD, Blu-ray and Deluxe Limited Edition box, the project tells the tale of how preacher's son Vincent Furnier went on to strike fear into the hearts of parents as Alice Cooper.

Watch video of Nita performing with Alice here.






Accept Release 'Stampede' Video
(Classic Rock) Accept have released a video for their track Stampede - the first to be revealed from upcoming album Blind Rage. It's set for launch in July via Nuclear Blast, and guitarist Wolf Hoffmann recently said it had a more classic feel than their previous two outings with vocalist Mark Tornillo.

"Something happened to us - something subliminal and impetuous. It's wild and scary, and it's called Blind Rage," Hoffmann reported. "Wherever we go, whenever you turn on the TV there's blind rage in the works - natural catastrophes or man-made madness."

The German veterans' 14th studio album will be released in standard formats plus a limited-edition digipak including a full live concert from last year. Watch the new video here.





Danko Jones Reunite With Producer Eric Ratz For New Album
(Classic Rock) Danko Jones have reunited with producer Eric Ratz for their seventh album, due next year. Ratz oversaw their breakthrough 1999 EP My Love Is Bold, which earned them a Juno nomination - and they were the first band to work with them at his Vespa Studios.

Jones says: "Working with Eric again has been a long time coming. It's been a great reunion, something we all wanted to do again. It's been most fortuitous to record some of the best songs we've written with him at the helm."

Ratz adds: "I've always felt they were one of the best hard rock bands to come out of Canada. Danko has amazing stage presence that fuels their live shows - our goal is to capture that with this recording." more on this story





Foreigner Unplug For TV Appearance
(hennemusic) Foreigner stopped by Good Day New York! on Friday to promote their current tour and to perform an acoustic version of their 1977 smash, "Feels Like The First Time."

Guitarists Jeff Pilsen and Thom Gimbel joined singer Kelly Hansen for the TV appearance. The Soundtrack Of Summer Tour sees Foreigner, Styx and Don Felder playing shows across the US this summer.

The three acts released a companion CD of the same name to support the run; the package includes a newly-recorded version of The Eagles' "Hotel California" (which Felder co-wrote) featuring all three artists.

Watch the TV performance here.





David Lee Roth and the Kabuki Orchestra Get The Blues
(hennemusic) Van Halen frontman David Lee Roth has posted video of an acoustic blues performance recorded at a studio in Tokyo, Japan. Billed as "The Oo-oka River Blues", Roth can be seen playing slide on his acoustic guitar while sitting on the floor of Onkio Haus studios, interspersed with footage of the rocker performing some of his martial arts moves.

The song is attributed to David Lee Roth and the Kabuki Orchestra. Roth became a resident of Tokyo in 2012; he continues to maintain homes in New York City and Pasadena, California.

Reports indicate Van Halen are actively working on a new album, the follow-up to 2012's "A Different Kind Of Truth." In a recent episode of The Roth Show, the singer revealed that he has been working on a secret Van Halen project.

"Doing some catching up here, a little bit of a scrapbook," said the singer. "We've been doing a lot of travelling. [I've been] working on a great Van Halen project - can't announce anything … or I'd have to come find you and swear you to secrecy."

Watch the new acoustic performance here.






Jack White's Entire Glastonbury Set Streaming Online
(hennemusic) Jack White played the Glastonbury Festival on Saturday, and video of his complete 75-minute performance is available online. White's 16-song set featured a mixture of White Stripes tunes, solo tracks and cuts from his new album, "Lazaretto."

The festival was the second stop on a week-long series of dates the rocker will play across Europe before kicking off a US tour on July 19 in Louisville, Kentucky.

On Thursday, White performed a show at Dublin's Royal Hospital Kilmainham alongside The Kills. The event made headlines when the power was cut during White's set due to local bylaw curfew issues, and the singer was forced to finish his set without it.

Watch the Glastonbury performance here.




Singled Out: Not In The Face's Brass Tacks
Today Not In The Face lead singer Jonathan Terrell tells us about the title track from their brand new "Brass Tacks" EP. The band is currently on a U.S. tour in support of the release. Here is the story:

I went to a Christmas party and ran into, Stephanie, the drummer of the Black Angels. They were toying around with starting a new side project with a few of the members and bringing in some outside people in from the local Austin scene. I left the party with them and went to a rehearsal space. We jammed until the early hours of the morning and when we went our separate ways, my homework was to write a song for the band and if they liked it, then we'd move from there.

I was working as a valet at the time and I have kinda long legs, so the beat came from my long stride when I was running to get cars. I came up with the whole song that night and wrote it on 2 valet tickets. I knew I wanted it to push and pull and feel really greasy. "I want to see the look on your face when you find out that love is a lie" I don't know. I remember the words just kind of flowing out with the rhythm while sitting in some strangers car. The Angels we're just finishing up the album Phosphene Dream at the time and they took off for several tours so the side band and the song never happened. We recorded a version of it on our 1st LP, "Bikini" but wanted to give it a real shot when we teamed up with Bob Ezrin and GGGarth Richardson for this EP. Garth felt like it needed one last verse.

We were in rehearsals with him and he sent me off to write the last verse. I retreated to the bathroom to do my business and hashed out the last of the lyrics on a paper towel. I washed my hands.