Today's Day in Rock News!

Today's Day in Rock


Van Halen Split Explained
(hennemusic) Bassist Michael Anthony is revisiting his split from Van Halen in a new interview with Eddie Trunk and reveals he hasn't spoken with the Van Halen brothers in a decade.

Anthony was famously removed from the Van Halen lineup by guitarist Eddie Van Halen sometime in 2002 because he remained friendly with Sammy Hagar after his stint in the band. "I think it was actually when Sammy asked me to come out and guest at some shows when he did the Hagar-Roth tour [in 2002]," Anthony tells Eddie Trunk. "I don't think that sat too well with some people. [Laughs] And it was really odd, because I thought that I'd be out there… Sammy asked me, 'Hey, you wanna come out and maybe jam a couple of Van Halen tunes?' whatever. Not do the whole tour, but just do a few shows. And I thought, 'God, that'll be great. I'll go out there and I'll wave the VH flag high. And I'll also let people know that I'm not dead, that I'm still around. And, unfortunately, Eddie didn't see it that way."

"What actually happened was I hadn't really decided to do it, and Eddie and Alex [Van Halen] knew about it, and Eddie called me," he continued. "And I really don't wanna get into that conversation, but to put it in a nutshell, he didn't want me to be a part of that circus. But then Van Halen wasn't doing anything, and I was just so frustrated because I was tired of sitting home on my hands. My wife wanted me out of the house, 'cause I was driving her nuts also. [Laughs] But I just wanted to get out and play. And I thought, you know, it's, like… OK, he's not in the band, but it's, like… I don't know… I guess it was more of, like, 'You're with us or you're not. You're in or you're out.' There's no area… It's cut and dried. And what happened was [Eddie] actually kind of backed me up against the wall and he gave me an ultimatum: Are you gonna go out and you're gonna play this or whatever?' And it really upset me; he pissed me off. And I said, 'I'm gonna go out and play.' And that was kind of the end of that conversation. Then I got a call back from Alex about a half hour later saying, 'Oh, well, you know Ed. You know how Ed is. He's like that,' or whatever. And at that point, I was just, like, 'You know what?! I'm…' As much as I love those guys and the band and whatever, we had just all of a sudden been through so much, after Sammy was out of the band, and I think all of the drama with Gary [Cherone] and whatever, I wanted to get out and play. So I don't know if you would call that me quitting the band or just…? I was backed up against the wall. And I wanted to get out and play."

The bassist tells Trunk that he has had no contact with the Van Halen brothers in the past decade. "You know what?! The last time that I actually spoke to either one of 'em was the last show of our 2004 tour," says Anthony. "And it's really sad too. I've heard from different people… I know a lot of people that work with them, like the crew guys and stuff like that. So I always hear stuff from them." More with Anthony here.



Lamb Of God Including Lots Of Extras On As The Palaces Burn DVD
Lamb Of God fans will soon be able to watch the documentary "As The Palaces Burn," as it was released in theaters and also watch material from the alternative version that the band originally intended to release.

The feature length film will be released on DVD on October 14th and will include the theatric release on one disc and a bonus disc that will feature lots of bonuses including footage from the original fan focused version of the film that the band originally intended.

The theatric version was focused on Lamb of God frontman Randy Blythe's arrest, trial and ultimate acquittal on manslaughter charges over the death of a fan that was injured during one of the band's concerts in the Czech Republic.

According to the band, they originally intended the documentary "to follow the heavy metal band Lamb Of God throughout the world to demonstrate music's potential to tie culturally diverse fans together."

In addition to the alternative documentary footage, the DVD release will also include footage that didn't make the final theatrical cut, and unreleased "making of" footage.




Slipknot Plan To Cover The Planet On Upcoming Tour
(TeamRock Radio) Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor has confirmed the band will "cover the planet" on tour next year, following the release of long-awaited album .5: The Gray Chapter.

And his comments about his lyrics seem to confirm speculation that lead track The Negative One could be about departed drummer Joey Jordison. The vocalist says it's a relief to see light at the end of the tunnel after the death of bassist Paul Gray in 2010, and the internal turmoil that led to Jordison's dismissal last year.

Taylor tells 94.3 KILO: "There's a handful of songs on the album that are about Paul. There's a bunch of songs about the band and everything we've been through in the last four years; all the emotions we've had to deal with, the reaction from the world.

"A lot of people have no idea what it's been like. You don't understand. For me as a lyricist, being able to tell the story as honestly and darkly as I've been able to - I'm stoked for people to hear it."

More with Taylor here.




Bruce Springsteen Bitten By Acting Bug?
(Radio.com) Has Bruce Springsteen been bitten by the acting bug? Last week, Deadline's Nellie Andreeva reported a rumor that Steven Van Zandt has roped in a pair of his buddies to play roles on his Netflix series Lilyhammer. His Sopranos co-star, Tony Sirico, will join the upcoming third season in a recurring role, and Springsteen will be making a guest appearance.

"In episodes filmed in New York," Andreeva writes in the report, "I hear Sirico plays a priest, while Springsteen has been tapped to play the owner of a mortuary."

This would be one of a few Springsteen acting performances. Most well known was his half-minute cameo in 2000's High Fidelity. In that scene, he played himself, as a figment of Rob Gordon's imagination, giving Rob advice about his "top five" exes. (Gordon was played by John Cusack).

More here.




Foo Fighters Tease Club Shows
(hennemusic) The Foo Fighters are teasing a series of three club shows in the UK that will take place ahead of their appearance on Sunday at London's Invictus Games' closing ceremony.

Over the past few days, the band has tweeted hints and news about the dates. "Michael and Freddy think it would be a shame to just do one show while we're in the UK..." began the series, complete with an image of Queen's Freddie Mercury and pop icon Michael Jackson on their drum kit.

"Sure missed you...now, let's do 3 club gigs this week..." was the second message, followed by a third that read, "It's so good to know there's still a little magic in the air…I'll weave my spell", along with a reference to the Queen song, "Brighton Rock."

See the teases here.



Metallica To Be Artists In Residence At Film Festival
(hennemusic) Metallica have been named Artists In Residence for Mill Valley Film Festival 37, the 2014 edition of the annual event in the California city. Running October 2-12, the festival will see each of the members of Metallica host a screening of a film they have selected for inclusion at the event.

On October 3rd, noted horror movie aficionado Kirk Hammett will host a late-night screening of the 1971 favorite, "Dracula Vs. Frankenstein." October 6th will see Robert Trujillo hosting a sneak peek at "Jaco", the new documentary he co-produced that brings the story of legendary bassist Jaco Pastorius to the screen.

Drummer Lars Ulrich will host an October 7th viewing of "Whiplash", an indie feature about an aspiring drummer and his ruthless teacher that won multiple awards at Sundance this year. Following the screening, director-screenwriter Damien Chazelle will join Lars on stage for a conversation.

Find out what James will be doing here.




Johnny Marr Launching North American Tour
Former The Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr have announced that he will be launching a North American headline tour this fall in support of his forthcoming album.

The new album, "Playland," is set to be released on October 7th and a little more than a month later Marr will be hitting the road for the supporting tour of the U.S. and Canada.

The trek is scheduled to kick off on November 9th in Washington D.C. at the 9:30 Club and will conclude with a two night stand in Los Angeles at the El Rey Theatre on December 19th and 20th. See the tour dates here.




Marshall Tucker Band Releasing Live Album From Famed Show
(Classic Rock) Southern rockers the Marshall Tucker Band are set to release a recording of one of their most famous gigs. Live From Englishtown was recorded at Raceway Park, New Jersey on September 3, 1977 in front of 150,000 people.

The show came on the back of their Carolina Dreams album, which spawned Heard It In A Love Song, which became their highest-charting single, reaching No.14 in the US. Now they will release a CD of the concert on September 30.

And while the quality of the audio isn't perfect, frontman Doug Gray says they wanted to release it to mark the occasion and give fans a trip down memory lane.

He says: "The Englishtown concert was one of the largest shows in the history of the Marshall Tucker Band. This album was made from a copy of the original 37-year-old recording. Although the audio quality isn't perfect, we wanted to make it commercially available to our fans."

More including the track details here.




Billy Idol Reveals Book Signing Tour Details
(hennemusic) Billy Idol will publish his self-written memoir, "Dancing With Myself", on October 7, and the rocker has just announced a series of dates for a book-signing tour to launch the project.

Idol will be appearing for in-store autograph sessions in New Jersey, New York, Los Angeles and Tempe, Arizona in the first week of the book's release.

"Dancing With Myself" is billed as delivering a brutally honest account of Idol's journey to fame - from his early days as frontman of the pioneering UK punk band Generation X to his international solo career.

Two weeks after the book hits shelves, Idol will release his first new album in almost a decade, "Kings & Queens Of The Undergound", on October 21. Check out the dates here.




Poison May Return Next Year
(Classic Rock) Poison drummer Rikki Rockett says he's grateful to be able to make a living in the modern music industry. And he reports the band are considering hitting the road in 2015 for their first tour in several years.

His comments come after Kiss star Gene Simmons became the latest big name to claim the rock scene was dying. Rockett tells Iron City Rocks: "I feel very blessed to be an older rock guy able to get out there and play, and make a living at this. I consider it to be an awesome thing.

Poison have only played together recently at private events. "They're fun and they pay very well," Rockett says. "It gives us a chance to get together and play. But they're the only shows Poison is doing this year. A few things are being thrown around by our management for next spring. We'll have to see."

More about from Rikki about making it in today's music business here.




Bernie Torme Returning With New Double Album
(Classic Rock) Former Ozzy Osbourne and Gillan guitarist Bernie Torme has confirmed the launch of Flowers & Dirt, his first solo album in 15 years - and it's a double-length release.

It was recorded after he secured more than four times the backing he needed in a Pledge campaign. Supporters have already heard the finished work. Torme recently told TeamRock:

"I wanted to do an album now because it's been so f***ing long since the last one. Admittedly there were three Guy McCoy Torme records in between, but even the last of those was a while ago.

"I've got some really cool tracks: rockers, cosmic stuff, bluesy things. Stuff I really like to play. The Pledge thing is just brilliant - there's no Mister Man telling you what you 'ought' to be doing."

More details here.




Nachtmystium Dropped By Label Amid Controversy
(TeamRock Radio) Nachtmystium have been dropped by Century Media in the aftermath of unfulfilled album orders, the label have confirmed. Fans began to express frustration in early August when frontman Blake Judd, who'd taken money for limited-edition bonus packages, claimed he couldn't deliver because he hadn't received copies of their seventh album from the company.

Judd said on August 16 that the continuing delay was a result of incorrect paperwork, and insisted: "No one is going to be ripped off." But he then took down the band's Facebook page, and their website is now offline too. Another Facebook page aiming to "raise awareness of Blake Judd's illegal actions" has received over 1000 likes.

Century Media say in a statement: " Many people have not received their copies of 'The World We Left Behind' even though they pre-ordered the album directly from front-man, Blake Judd.

"We know that this is not only frustrating but also a let down to the fans of the band. So, we'd like to help out in this situation and deliver the fans their pre-ordered copies on the format that they ordered." More details here.




T. Rex Vinyl Box Set Coming This Fall
(Classic Rock) An eight-disc vinyl box set of T. Rex's albums will go on sale in November. T. Rex: The Vinyl Collection features all eight of the band's albums, starting with 1970's T. Rex and ending with 1977 album Dandy In The Underworld, and will be released via Edsel on November 3.

Two versions of the box set will be launched: A standard 180g black vinyl collection and a limited edition coloured vinyl compilation, which is limited to 500 units worldwide.

A CD version will also be released, featuring all eight studio albums plus two bonus discs of singles and non-album tracks. Check out more details for the box set here.




Savatage's Chris Caffery Hopes To Release Birthday Song Today
(Classic Rock) Savatage and Trans-Siberian Orchestra guitarist Chris Caffery hopes to release his new single on his birthday this week. He says he is working on the track titled My Light and hopes to release it on his Bandcamp page today (Tuesday) on the day he turns 47.

He says in a statement: "I still have a bit of work to do on my new single but I'm hoping to have it ready by my birthday on September 9. I want to do exactly what I did last year, which is to give it as a present to my friends on that day. I have some lead vocals and guitar work left before I can mix."

Caffery also released the artwork for the single, which he composed himself - a project he says he had fun on.

He continues: "I did the cover when I returned home from the Bowers Pepperfest. I enjoy doing the covers for these singles. For my new album, I will hire an artist. However, the last few singles I released I had fun putting some meanings from the individual songs into their digital release covers."

More here.





Lordi Releasing New Album and Halloween
(TeamRock Radio) Lordi have confirmed they'll launch seventh album Scare Force Once on Halloween - and they've a clip from its lead single. Nailed By The Hammer Of Frankenstein will be the first song to appear from the follow-up to 2013's To Beast Or Not To Beast.

The Finnish outfit say in a statement: "Plane refuelled, seatbelts broken and an hour or so of pure turbulence coming up when Scare Force One sees the light of day."

The album will be available via AFM in standard CD and digital formats, plus an orange vinyl edition limited to 500 pressings. Check out the new song and the track details here.




Tim Ashton Reunites With Galahad For 30th Anniversary Tour and Album
(Prog) Bassist Tim Ashton has returned to Galahad after a 22-year break, in time to join their 30th anniversary celebrations. The news comes as the band gear up for the release of the third EP of a trilogy series.

Vocalist Stuart Nicholson reports: "Tim played bass for the band in the late 1980s and early 1990s. His final gig the first time round was at the London Astoria in 1992. He's spent many years in Japan and the Philippines, but he's always remained in touch. He's settled in again 22 years later and it feels as if the circle is complete."

Ashton will appear on 30th anniversary album When Worlds Collide, set to include new versions of old tracks, with recording planned for later this year. Meanwhile, Galahad will launch their third and final EP of 2014 on October 6. More details here.





Nightwish Making Progress On New Album
(Prog) Nightwish's Emppu Vuorinen has laid down the guitar work for their upcoming album. The as-yet-untitled record is due to launch in spring 2015 via Nuclear Blast and will be the follow-up to 2011's Imaginaerum.

In a studio update, the band say: "The recording of the album is going great. Today we can announce that all rhythm and lead guitars are now recorded. Missing just a couple of solos, to be recorded after the vocals. On to keyboards and vocals next."

In the most recent studio update video, the band's main composer, keyboard player Tuomas Holopainen revealed he has a cinematic approach to writing, saying he sees each song like "short movie."

More on that here.




The Pretty Reckless' Taylor Momsen Has Put Acting In The Past
(Classic Rock) The Pretty Reckless frontwoman Taylor Momsen says she has no plans to act again and reveals her time in front of the camera was just "something that paid bills."

She starred in various movies and TV shows, most recently US series Gossip Girl in 2011, but since the band got together, she's left her acting career behind to concentrate on music - something she has no plans to change.

Momsen tells Music Radar: "Acting isn't something I'm pursuing. I quit acting almost five years ago and you could say that was always my intention. It was always a day job - something that paid bills.

"I never considered myself an actor - I was a musician who just happened to be on a TV show. I haven't acted since the band's been together. We've made two records, toured a lot and established ourselves. I think the TV stereotype has gone away.

"People at the shows are there for the music. They've bought the records and listened to the songs. That's all you can ask for." She had a lot more to say here.





Amplifier Streaming New Album Mystoria Online
(Classic Rock) Amplifier have launched an exclusive stream of fifth album Mystoria via TeamRock. The new album went on sale in the UK yesterday via Superball Music.

Guitarist Sel Balamir has described the ten-track work as a return to the band's core values, saying: "We've gone back to just trying to write great songs and melodies, and that's where we've decided to stay."

Amplifier launch a European tour next month, including two UK shows with Kerbdog and others - one at the Ritz in Manchester on November 15, and the other at the Forum in London on November 16. Check out the album stream here.




Mike Portnoy and Pete Rinaldi On New Haken EP
(Prog) Haken have confirmed the release of a three-track EP featuring reworked materials from their 2008 demo, featuring guests Pete Rinaldi and Mike Portnoy.

Entitled Restoration, it's set for launch on October 27 via InsideOut, midway through the band's Prog-sponsored UK tour with Leprous and Machine. Vocalist Ross Jennings says: "Redoing a few of our favourite tracks from the demo is something we've talked about doing for ages and the fans have been asking for it constantly. We were also excited about working creatively with our new bassist Conner Green, so this seemed like the perfect way to welcome him aboard."

Guitarist Charlie Griffiths adds: "The band's sound has evolved considerably in the last few years, so we used the demos as a starting point, and gave ourselves free reign to reimagine them and make them relevant to who we are today. These are now the definitive versions."

More details here.







Slash Releases Track-By-Track Video For New Album
(hennemusic) Slash and singer Myles Kennedy are sharing a track-by-track preview of the guitarist's new album, "World On Fire", in a new video interview with Total Guitar.

Due September 16, the project is the guitarist's third solo effort, following 2010's self-titled album and 2012's "Apocalyptic Love" release. On Tuesday, Slash will wrap up his North America dates with Aerosmith as part of the Let Rock Rule tour, before turning his attention to launching the new album.

The guitarist will play a series of three concerts in Hollywood's most legendary clubs later this month introduce the new music to fans while also celebrating the Guitar Center's 50th anniversary. Check out the track-by-track video here.

More on Slash - Slash Music - Slash Tour Dates/Tickets - Slash CDs, vinyl and rarities
Paul McCartney Releases Half Hour Video Featuring Johnny Depp
(Classic Rock) Paul McCartney has released behind-the-scenes footage from the video shoot for his single Early Days. And, along with a number of local musicians, the former Beatle is joined on the 30-minute session by actor Johnny Depp.

The original video was released in July, with the track lifted from McCartney's 2013 album New. The shoot in Los Angeles led to an on-set jam, with the former Beatle joined by Roy Gaines, Al Williams, Dale Atkins, Henree Harris, Motown Maurice, Lil Poochie, Misha Lindes and Depp.

Included in the session are snippets of Charlie Campbell's Goin' Away Blues and Carl Perkins' Matchbox, which the Beatles covered on-stage and recorded during their early career.

McCartney told Rolling Stone: "I happened to ring Johnny Depp. I said, 'Come along and we'll sit around and jam with these blues guys.' He said, 'Yeah, OK, count me in, man.' I knew it was an offer he couldn't refuse."

More details and the video here.




Weezer Go Old School With New Song Cleopatra
(Radio.com) After finding some success with "Back to the Shack," Weezer have revealed their second single (one of many they previously teased) from upcoming album, Everything Will Be Alright in the End, and it is something perhaps unexpected from the group: a throwback to their classic sound.

Opening with ramshackle acoustic guitar strums, "Cleopatra" begins with a stomp-clap sound similar to what The Lumineers and Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros have brought to alternative radio in recent years.

But Rivers Cuomo's subdued vocals in the verse give way to a chorus that is simple in its repetition of the title's namesake. By the time the song builds to Cuomo reaching for higher notes and rap-rock second refrain (a la "Buddy Holly"), the song has painted a portrait of vintage Weezer. More hear here.




Mastodon and Butthole Surfers Frontman Release New Song
(TeamRock Radio) Mastodon have collaborated with Butthole Surfers frontman Gibby Haynes on a track called Atlanta, which is available for streaming now and for download later today.

The fast-and-furious piece sounds more like Haynes' outfit than anything the prog metal band are usually associated with. It's the latest in a series of tracks launched by Adult Swim, with two more to come.

Mastodon, who launched sixth album Once More 'Round The Sun in June, tour the UK starting in November. Check out the dates and stream the new song here.




Fall Out Boy Go A Little Suzanne Vega In New Song Centuries
(Radio.com) Fall Out Boy have released "Centuries," the first single from their upcoming and yet-to-be-titled sixth album. Already masters of catchy choruses, the band reached way back to 1987 for inspiration.

In an interview with Kat Corbett of KROQ in Los Angeles (a CBS Radio station), Patrick Stump and Pete Wentz explained how the hook from Suzanne Vega song "Tom's Diner" made its way onto the new track. "It was something that kind of came up between us and JR, who produced the track," explained Stump.

"It seems very right for the pickin', right?" added Wentz. "To me, what people are thinking about what culturally, are so into right now. You've got Girl Meets World on TV, like it just feels like, pick it off."

"I feel like it was so ubiquitous when we were kids," Stump chimed in. "I mean, that song was absolutely everywhere and it just kind of disappeared. I haven't heard it in a minute. And I was like that's a shame. That was such an amazing song. I would love for that to get some kind of tip of the hat."

"And, it's definitely a song people know but they know [only] that part and they don't necessarily know the artist or the rest of the song or any of that. It's kinda cool to re-inject that into pop culture," Wentz said.

Interestingly, the band didn't use Vega's original vocal track. Read more and listen here.




John Mellencamp Premieres New Song Sometimes There's God
(hennemusic) John Mellencamp has released an online premiere of the song "Sometimes There's God", which is a new track from his forthcoming album, "Plain Spoken."

Due September 23, the project is the Indiana rocker's first release under a newly-signed and unprecedented lifetime recording contract with Republic Records.

Produced by Mellencamp, it's also the singer's first release of new material since 2010's "No Better Than This." The rocker recently issued the album's lead single, "Trouble No More".

Mellencamp recently wrapped up a summer tour of North America; next, he'll perform at Farm Aid 2014 in Raleigh, North Carolina on September 13. Check out the new song here.





Julian Casablancas Premieres New Song Where No Eagles Fly
(Radio.com) Julian Casablancas' second solo album, Tyranny, arrives at the end of the month and, so far, it's remained pretty mysterious. We've only heard "Human Sadness" and now today brings another glimpse of it, "Where No Eagles Fly."

On a Strokes continuum - the seminal NYC garage rock band Casablancas fronts - "Where No Eagles Fly" is possibly the furthest from center track of Casablancas' that we've heard.

Unlike "Human Sadness," which wouldn't be out of place in the Strokes' discography, "Where No Eagles Fly" is a frenetic, scruffy guitar freakout that verges on being screamo.

The song starts out normal enough and then a rocky chord change sets it into a completely different direction. To be fair, it sounds like what you'd expect from an album named Tyranny. More including a link to listen here.




Interpol Rock The Bowery Ballroom
(Radio.com) Last week, under a wash of bright red lights, Interpol strode briskly on to the stage of the Bowery Ballroom for the first time in seven years. This was once a kind of home base for them - along with the Mercury Lounge - back in the early aughts, when the band was thrust into the post-punk revival synonymous with icy, cool Lower East Side bands like the Strokes and Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Back then, the dingy rock club Baby Jupiter was still around, and back when the dive bar Max Fish was in its original location with its original ur-hip clientele, back before the Whole Foods and luxury apartments sprung up all around Alphabet City. But the world changes, as Paul Banks says, and people change with it.

The sold-out crowd packed in tight to see a new lineup for Interpol, one without their founding bassist Carlos D., who left the band just before the release of Interpol in 2010. The touring bassist Brad Truax, whose long, thin hair seems straight out of Heavy Metal Parking Lot, opened the show with the first riff of "Evil," a bass line so instantly recognizable in the band's catalog that the scream of the crowd made it so you couldn't hear anything but the first two or three notes. Banks, guitar strung low, stepped up to the mic, to sing about Rosemary.

It's six days before the release of the band's fifth album El Pintor, and a lyric in "Evil" rings in a new way. Banks writes famously inscrutable lyrics, often fodder in conversations for fans and detractors of the band, but here something was highlighted anew for three guys pushing forward and growing older in New York City: "You're coming with me/ through the aging, the fear, and the strife."

Cut back to 2013, away from lights of all intensities and colors, when Banks decamped to a secluded beach on the Pacific coast of Panama to write the bulk of the lyrics to El Pintor. As he talks about his island getaway, the sun sets over Manhattan in a conference room in the Time-Life building in Midtown, surrounded by windows that look south toward the Empire State Building and further, to the Lower East Side where Interpol formed in 1997. He wears a backwards fitted hat and a remarkable button-down shirt.

"I once heard the RZA talk about this idea of like, there's too much electromagnetic waves in his urban environment and so sometimes you gotta put yourself out, and go somewhere where you're in isolation, to just sort of get all these energies that are bouncing off you all the time, away from you."

Banks has been surfing for almost four years now, his ribs calloused, his duck-diving technique on point. He says that he's been writing away from the city for a while now, in the "middle of f-king nowhere." For a man who writes songs that have a symbiotic relationship with New York City, he finds most of his clarity away from the hum of Manhattan.

"I think the urban setting is great for generating fuel," he says, "but then you also gotta get away from all those electromagnetic waves of people, and more toward those ocean waves." He gives a big, knowing grin.