Today's Day in Rock News!

Today's Day in Rock


Robert Plant Rejected $800 Million Led Zeppelin Reunion?
(hennemusic) Robert Plant turned down an $800 million offer from Virgin head Sir Richard Branson for a Led Zeppelin reunion tour, according to a report based on an unnamed source.

The Mirror reports Plant reportedly ripped up Branson's contract for 35 dates in three cities - London, Berlin and in New Jersey - in front of promoters after the other members of the band had signed on to green light the project.

The group were also promised £70million of the profit from merchandise and there was an option to do 45 additional shows in five venues. The offer was to be split three ways between Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones, while Jason Bonham - son of late drummer John - would have been paid a wage to perform.

"Jimmy, John and Jason signed up immediately," said a source. "It was a no-brainer for them but Robert asked for 48 hours to think about it. When he said no and ripped up the paperwork he had been given, there was an enormous sense of shock. There is no way they can go ahead without him."

Read more here.




The Osbournes Returning To TV With New Episodes
(hennemusic) Ozzy Osbourne's wife and manager, Sharon, has announced that the reality series, "The Osbournes", will be returning to TV. The Osbournes originally aired on MTV from 2002 to 2005, becoming the highest rated original program in MTV's history.

"Ozzy has decided that he wants to do another few episodes, not a whole season, about eight episodes, of 'The Osbournes'," she revealed on the UK show, "Loose Women", reports The Mirror. "He said that for the whole three years that we did it he was drunk the whole time. But he would like to do one where he's completely sober, as he is now."

"Hopefully [we'll start filming] in January," added Sharon, "but, as I say, it's not forever, no more than eight episodes. Because it's been 13 years and our lives have changed so much than it's a kind of catch-up, like, 'What are they doing now?'"

Read more here.




Sammy Hagar Predicts Original Van Halen Reunion
(hennemusic) Sammy Hagar predicts bassist Michael Anthony will rejoin Van Halen for a reunion of the band's original lineup. Anthony was famously removed from the Van Halen lineup by guitarist Eddie Van Halen sometime in 2002 because he remained friendly with Hagar after his stint in the band. The guitarist brought in his son, Wolfgang, to handle bass duties in 2006 as the group prepared for a reunion tour with David Lee Roth.

"I don't know what's going on," Hagar told VH1 Radio Network's Dave Basner when asked about reports of a new Van Halen album. "I couldn't even tell you. I could speculate all day long but I always get in trouble for doing that, so I'd rather just say I would love to hear some new music from those guys - and I don't care if I'm in the band or not, that doesn't mean anything to me. Right now, I'm really happy. I can play any song I want and I can sing it and I can rock it and I've got musicians that can do it and me and Mikey are having the time of our life."

"My guess is, if you want me to make one prediction," Hagar continued, "I think that Michael Anthony will be back in that band because they really need to do that. If they're going to serve the fans and ever do what the fans really want right now, if it's going to be Dave, then it's gotta be Mike, too."

"It's gotta be the original band, and that's the way it should be," he added. "Nothing against Wolfie - I love the guy; he was a sweet kid, grew up, I saw him when he was born for God's sake - but they need to do that and my prediction is they will." Read more here.





Beatles, Rolling Stones Turned Down Bob Dylan's Album Idea
(Radio.com) Glyn Johns has one of the more amazing careers in rock history. He worked huge albums for some of the biggest names in the rock canon, including the Who, the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, Led Zeppelin and The Band - to name only a few. From the '60s until today (he's also worked on recent releases from Ryan Adams and Band of Horses), Johns is one of the men who has seen it all.

In his forthcoming memoir, Sound Man: A Life Recording Hits with The Rolling Stones, The Who, Led Zeppelin, The Eagles, Eric Clapton, The Faces…, he drops a big reveal, recounting the time Bob Dylan told him he wanted to record an album with both the Beatles and the Rolling Stones.

In an excerpt on Rolling Stone, Johns recounted running into Dylan circa 1969 in a New York Airport. "He said he had this idea to make a record with the Beatles and the Stones," Johns recalled. "And he asked me if I would find out whether the others would be interested. I was completely bowled over. Can you imagine the three greatest influences on popular music in the previous decade making an album together?"

Johns delved into getting the parties together and immediately faced conflicting opinions, he writes. "Keith [Richards] and George [Harrison] thought it was fantastic," John said. "But they would since they were both huge Dylan fans. Ringo, Charlie [Watts] and Bill [Wyman] were amicable to the idea as long as everyone else was interested. John [Lennon] didn't say a flat no, but he wasn't that interested. Paul [McCartney] and Mick [Jagger] both said absolutely not."

Read more here.





Black Tusk's Jonathan Athon Dead At 32
Black Tusk announced on Sunday that bass player Jonathan Athon died after being removed from life support for a coma that he went into from injuries that he suffered during a motorcycle accident. He was 32 years old.

The band made the following statement. "It is with deep regret and saddened hearts that we must tell you that Athon passed away this morning from injuries sustained from his motorcycle accident.

"Doctors told us that he suffered irreparable brain damage shortly after the accident. He has been in a coma and sustained by life support until now. As per his wishes, we removed Athon from his life support systems and his organs will be donated. His body will be cremated and a memorial is being planned for family and friends in Savannah.

"He was 32 years old and will be forever missed. Thank you all for your support during this devastating time for us, it would have made him proud."




Slash Tributes Ozzy Osbourne At MTV EMAs
(hennemusic) Slash paid tribute to Ozzy Osbourne by closing the 2014 MTV Europe Music Awards (EMAs) Sunday night with a live performance of his 1980 classic, "Crazy Train."

Slash was joined by Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators and Simon Neil of Biffy Clyro for the tune at the annual event, which saw Slash present Ozzy with the MTV Global Icon Award earlier in the evening.

"I don't know where they got this icon sh*t from!," said Ozzy. "Good to be here tonight. Want to thank MTV and all you people in town tonight. God bless you all and thanks for coming." Read more here.




Uncensored Foo Fighters Track Causes Radio Controversy
(TeamRock Radio) Foo Fighters track Something For Nothing has landed the BBC in trouble after the corporation broadcast the uncensored version twice within 12 hours.

The song, from upcoming album Sonic Highways, includes the word "f***" twice, which is cut out of the radio-friendly version. But Radio 1 aired the prime edition on Zane Lowe's show on Wednesday night, then again on Nick Grimshaw's breakfast show on Thursday morning.

Both Lowe and Grimshaw issued apologies soon after the track had been played. A spokesman later said: "We take these situations seriously. Having looked into it, the track was played due to human error. We are very sorry for any offence caused." Read more and listen to another new track here.





Papa Roach Frontman Sorry For Wayne Static Tweet
(TeamRock Radio) Papa Roach frontman Jacoby Shaddix has apologized for an online comment he made following the death of Wayne Static. Shaddix thought the Static-X frontman died from an overdose and posted on Twitter: "RIP Wayne. This is so sad. Too many musicians are dying from drug overdoses."

However, Static's widow Tera Wray said narcotics were not to blame for her husband's death. Now Shaddix has issued a statement on Facebook apologizing for his rash comment and says he should have checked his facts first.

He says: "I feel terrible about my post about Wayne's passing. I had a few friends hit me up and said he died from an overdose. I should have checked my facts first.

"My heart goes out to his family and friends. My heart is heavy. Wayne, I always had respect for you and didn't mean to disrespect you and your family like I did." Read more here.




Mick Jagger Addresses Rolling Stones Concert Cancelation
(hennemusic) Mick Jagger has issued an apology over the cancellation of Saturday's scheduled Rolling Stones concert at Hanging Rock - near Melbourne, Australia - after he developed a throat infection this past week.

"I am very sorry we had to cancel the show at Hanging Rock and disappoint so many of you that had planned to come," posted Jagger. "Thank you for all your supportive messages over the last few days, I really appreciate it."

The band announced Thursday that Jagger was under strict doctor's orders to rest his vocal chords for a few days in order to recuperate for the remainder of the tour. Read more here.





Neil Young Bassist Rick Rosas Dead At 65
(hennemusic) Longtime Neil Young bassist Rick Rosas has died at the age of 65. Young fan site Thrashers Wheat reports Crazy Horse drummer Ralph Molina broke the news on Facebook Thursday evening.

"This I truly hate to say," wrote Molina. "Another brother, friend, gentleman … has passed … lord… RIP … Rick Rosas…god bless and keep you my brother…"

More details, including a cause of death, had not been revealed at press time. Rosas' lengthy career includes work with Joe Walsh, Ron Wood, Johnny Rivers and Jerry Lee Lewis, among others. Read more here.





Jeff Lynne Working On New ELO Album
(TeamRock Radio) Jeff Lynne has revealed he's working on new ELO material. And he says he's planning more live dates following his appearance at London's Hyde Park earlier this year - an event he feared could have been a disaster.

Lynne picked up the Outstanding Contribution award at the Classic Rock Roll Of Honour event in LA this week and had previously hinted at bringing ELO back. Now he's confirmed future plans are in place.

He tells Billboard: "I had so much fun in Hyde Park with 50,000 people. First time I've played in 28 years and it was fantastic and I loved every minute, so I'm going to come here and play.

"I'm working on a new album and that'll be involved in the new times when we play." Read more here.




Thunder's Ben Matthews Gets Good News In Cancer Fight
(TeamRock Radio) Thunder guitarist Ben Matthews has been given the all-clear following cancer treatment. The 50-year-old was diagnosed in July after malignant cells were discovered during tonsil surgery. He'd been replaced by Pete Shoulder of The Union for the band's appearance at the Calling festival.

Now frontman Danny Bowes reports: "You'll be pleased to hear that Ben saw the oncologist on November 4 and was given the all-clear. It means his treatment worked.

"He's over the moon, as we are. He's still quite poorly; but all he has to do is concentrate on recovering his energy and strength. The side-effects will hopefully subside quite soon." Read more here.





Atreyu Release New Track and Ink New Album Deal
(TeamRock Radio) US metalcore outfit Atreyu have signed a deal with Spinefarm Records in Europe, they've confirmed. The band returned following a three-year hiatus in September with a performance at the Aftershock festival, California and made comeback track So Others May Live free to download via Music Glue.

They'll now release their sixth album, the follow-up to 2009's Congregation Of The Damned, next year on the new label. And drummer/vocalist Brandon Saller says the deal will give them creative freedom.

He says: "We're truly excited for this union. Signing with Spinefarm will allow us to create without restraint. We're looking forward to the future." Read more and grab he song download link here.




King Crimson Working On New Songs
(TeamRock Radio) Robert Fripp has confirmed King Crimson are working on three new tracks in the studio. Pictures on the band's Facebook page show Fripp and colleague Jakko Jakszyk collaborating on recording work, and the mainman says they're "mapping out ideas for three new pieces."

Last week he revealed plans to bring the latest incarnation of the band to the UK in 2015. Now he says the prospective run of shows might not include London, because he wants to avoid insulting the rest of Britain.

Fripp tells TeamRock: "We're looking actively at possible venues in the UK and maybe just a few in Europe - but very limited.

"What we're not looking at doing is one or two shows in London, which is the conventional approach. It's always struck me that to do a tour of England that only takes place in London is an insult. It's an insult to the country, if you like. So my idea of an English tour would be to actually avoid London."

Read more here.





Machine Head Refuse To Play Music Festivals
(TeamRock Radio) Robb Flynn says Machine Head have refused every festival offer they've had for 2015 including Download and Sonisphere - because the band are "burnt out" by playing the events.

Instead, they'll concentrate on their own headline shows, and aim to offer fans a full-value experience by performing without the aid of support acts. Speaking ahead of the release of Bloodstone & Diamonds on Monday, Flynn says: "We're really excited about the idea, playing longer sets, throwing in some deep cuts and just having our own world. Promoters seem really stoked about it - some have said it feels like an 'event.'

"As it stands we've passed on a headline slot on Wacken, Soundwave in Australia, Download UK, Sonisphere UK, Knotfest, Hellfest and a plethora of others.

"In fact, we've made the decision not to do any festivals for the entire album cycle. We've been doing festivals since 1995 - we're burnt out on them." Read more here.




Matt Sorum Has No Problem With Scott Weiland
(TeamRock Radio) Velvet Revolver and Kings Of Chaos drummer Matt Sorum says he has no problem with former VR frontman Scott Weiland. The pair met at this week's Classic Rock Awards ceremony in LA - and Sorum insists he just wants to enjoy life and make music.

He tells VH1 Radio Network: "At this point in my career I just want to have fun. I've got a beautiful wife, I just for married - I just want to be a kid again, play rock and roll, make a couple of bucks and just enjoy life.

"That wasn't always so enjoyable. We made good music and this life's so short you just want to have the most amount of fun as possible. That's what I'm doing with Kings Of Chaos."

Read more here.





Butcher Babies Going More 'Thrashy' On New Album
(TeamRock Radio) Butcher Babies have revealed their next album will have a more 'thrashy' sound compared to their 2013 debut Goliath. And they credit producer Logan Mader who worked with them on their recent Uncovered album for giving them more urgency in the studio.

The band's Carla Harvey tells Revolver: "This time we're taking a different approach and working with producer Logan Mader. We recorded Uncovered with him and it was almost scary for me because Logan works so fast. I'm like, 'Wait! Are you sure it's good enough?' But it's nice to capture that because I know Heidi and I are best live on stage and he captures that raw energy.

"He already knows our strengths, weaknesses having worked with us before. I'm really thankful for that. We can go in and just kick ass with him on this one."

More including the interview video stream here.





Shinoda Admits Disappointment With Linkin Park Game
(TeamRock Radio) Mike Shinoda admits Linkin Park's Guilty All The Same video game could have been better - but he's still glad they made it. And he's continuing work on what he hopes will be Windows' answer to Apple's GarageBand music app.

Guilty All The Same - one of several LP games over the years - was released earlier this year alongside the track of the same name from sixth album The Hunting Party.

Shinoda tells the Metro: "Our experiment didn't go as well as we'd hoped. We probably needed another year to program something awesome. But the fact fans could remix our music and mess around with our stuff was really cool."

It hasn't put him off further experimenting. Read more here.




Black Veil Brides Plan Their First Live DVD Release
(TeamRock Radio) Black Veil Brides will release their first live DVD next year, they've announced. The performance was filmed at the Wiltern Theatre in their hometown of Los Angeles on November 1 and is set for launch in June 2015. It was directed by Casey Tebo who previously worked with Aerosmith on the 2013 documentary Rock For The Rising.

The gig was part of the group's inaugural Halloween weekend, which made up a portion of their The Black Mass tour supporting this year's self-titled fourth album. It launched at the end of October and debuted in the US Billboard chart at no.10 in the States.

And frontman Andy Biersack says they drew on the negativity directed towards the band to make their most aggressive to date. He tells Revolver: "It's very angry. I feel like in a lot of ways I had a lot of aggression towards the state of how we were perceived. We made Wretched And Divine so large in scale and it had a grand story. There was a certain amount of frustration when you do this thing so large and great but there were so many people who just refused to listen to the songs, like, 'They're a faggy makeup band.'

Read more and check out the tracklisting here.





Opeth Announce One-Off Show
(TeamRock Radio) Opeth will play a one-off show at the London Palladium next year, they've announced. The gig will take place on October 18 and the band have issued a poster to promote the date. And the design bears a striking resemblance to the cover of 2005's Ghost Reveries, which celebrates its 10th anniversary next year.

In 2010 they performed a landmark gig at London's Royal Albert Hall where they played their Blackwater Park album in its entirety to mark its 10th anniversary.

Opeth wrapped up a UK tour in October supporting this year's Pale Communion release. It was a hit in the UK, entering the mainstream charts at no.14, although frontman Mikael Akerfeldt admitted commercial success meant nothing to him.

Read more here.





KISS Have Their Own Day In Las Vegas
(hennemusic) The Clark County Commission has declared Friday, November 7 as "KISS Rocks Vegas Day" in the city in honor of the band's 9-show residency at The Joint inside the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.

"What happens in Vegas will not stay in Vegas, not if we have anything to do with it," said bassist Gene Simmons when the residency was announced in July. "We intend to blow the roof off the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino."

The series kicked off on November 5th and fans can check out video from opening night that has been posted online here. "KISS Rocks Vegas" runs to November 23. Read more here.




Motley Crue's Vince Neil Helps Raise $100K For Rehab
(hennemusic) Motley Crue singer Vince Neil was one of the featured guests at a recent gala event that raised more than $100,000 for Turning Point, a drug and alcohol rehab facility in Paterson, New Jersey.

TMZ reports Neil and ex-NBA player Chris Herren were on hand for the facility's 13th annual Rock The Night-themed gala at the Crystal Plaza on October 27.

Neil reportedly helped raise funds by donating a pair of floor seats and backstage passes for the Crue's final concert in New York City, which were auctioned off to the highest bidder.

"I've had problems in my life, so has everyone in the band," said Neil, "and I just want to support everyone that's involved." Read more here.






Foo Fighters Streaming New Album Sonic Highways Online
(Radio.com) This weekend The Foo Fighters released an online stream of their entire new studio record, Sonic Highways, ahead of its official release today (November 10th).

The album, which features the band traveling to different music cities around the country to record one song, features Zac Brown, Joan Jett, Joe Walsh, Ben Gibbard and Cheap Trick's Rick Nielsen. Listen on iTunes Radiohere

This week's episode of the band's HBO series chronicled the making of the album had the guys taking a trip down to Austin, TX to record "What Did I Do? / God as My Witness," featuring Gary Clark, Jr. Read more here.




AC/DC Tease Play Ball Video
(hennemusic) AC/DC are sharing photos from the video for their new single, "Play Ball", ahead of its release this week. The clip for the lead single from the band's forthcoming album, "Rock Or Bust", was directed by David Mallett and shot in London in early October without drummer Phil Rudd, who singer Brian Johnson told fans had been called away at the last minute to deal with a family emergency.

AC/DC brought in Bob Richards (Shogun, Adrian Smith Band) to handle drum duties for the shoot for "Play Ball" and the album's title track. "They have never come out with any pretense to be anything else than the best rock and roll band in the world," said Mallet.

Due December 2, "Rock Or Bust" is the first AC/DC album in 6 years and first without founding member Malcolm Young, who retired from the group to deal with ongoing health issues related to dementia.

Check out the photos here.



Bruce Springsteen Unplugs For Heroes
(hennemusic) Bruce Springsteen unplugged for his performance at the 8th annual Stand Up For Heroes charity event at New York's Theater at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday and video of the performance has been posted online.

Organized by the Bob Woodruff Foundation, the evening at the Theater at Madison Square Garden raises funds for injured service members, veterans and their families.

For his traditional headlining set, Springsteen played five tunes, including "Working On The Highway", "Growin' Up", "If I Should Fall Behind", "Born In The USA" and "Dancing In The Dark."

The 2014 event raised more than $6 million to assist military families, including a substantial sum brought in by Springsteen himself. Watch the video of Springsteen's performance and read more about the event here.




Video From Metallica's BlizzCon Performance Goes Online
(hennemusic) Metallica performed the closing concert at the BlizzCon 2014 gaming convention in Anaheim, California on Saturday and video from the event has surfaced.

The band's 14-song set opened with "Hit The Lights" before running through tracks from their 30-plus year career. The annual BlizzCon features developer panels, exclusive interviews, intense eSports tournaments and the legendary Friday night contests.

Up next, Metallica will be featured among the artists to perform at The Concert For Valor on Tuesday, November 11, a first-of-its-kind event to honor America's veterans and their families.

The live three-hour concert on Veterans Day will include a wide variety of diverse artists including Bruce Springsteen, Eminem, Dave Grohl, Rihanna, Chris Rock, Jamie Foxx and Carrie Underwood, among others.

Watch the BlizzCon video here.




Def Leppard Singer Previews Paul McCartney Cover
(hennemusic) Def Leppard singer Joe Elliott's version of the Paul McCartney and Wings classic, "Hi, Hi, Hi", is the latest preview issued from the forthcoming tribute album, "The Art Of McCartney."

Originally released as a single in 1972, "Hi, Hi, Hi" was banned by the BBC for its sexually suggestive lyrics. Elliott and Def Leppard also cover the 1973 Wings single, "Helen Wheels", on the project.

"The Art Of McCartney" features a variety of artists joining the former Beatle's long time band to perform songs from the bassist's legendary songwriting catalog.

Guests include Alice Cooper, Roger Daltrey, Paul Rodgers, Bob Dylan, The Cure, Brian Wilson, KISS and many more. Check out the song clip here.




Brian May Surprised To Be Playing Arenas With Queen Again
(TeamRock Radio) Brian May thinks it's incredible that Queen are about to play an arena tour of the UK so many years after the death of Freddie Mercury. And he says there's no way he and Roger Taylor would have started working with singer Adam Lambert if he'd been "a sh*t" of a person.

The lineup was named Band Of The Year at the Classic Rock Roll Of Honour in Los Angeles last week. Speaking at the gala event, May told Nicky Horne of the Classic Rock Magazine Show:

"I would go to shows and think, 'Well we used to do that - we used to play in arenas and whatever, but that's never going to happen again.' I didn't feel it in a terribly sad way. I just thought, 'We did that, and now we do something different.'

"Suddenly we're in the same arena again, if I can use the metaphor. How incredible that we can still do that and people still want to come and fill those arenas, and we can still rock the hell out of them. It's very uplifting."

Read more here.




Megadeth's Dave Mustaine Dreams Of Playing The End Of The World
(Classic Rock) Megadeth mainman Dave Mustaine has revealed he endures a recurring nightmare about the world ending while he's playing a show. He received the Metal Guru award at the Classic Rock Roll Of Honour in Los Angeles last week.

Mustaine tells Guitar World: "I have a recurring nightmare where I go onstage and pick up my guitar and it's strung upside-down. I have to play left-handed.

"Or - and this is the big kahuna - I dream that I'm playing and the end of the world happens right there." And he says he only took up guitar in the first place because of his sister. "She sucked at piano, so I just did it to drown her out," he explains. "It's the truth. My ex-brother-in-law had a guitar and loaned it to me one day, and I knew that's what I wanted to do."

Read more here.




Classic Rock Release Wilko Johnson and Roger Daltrey Acceptance Video
(TeamRock Radio) At Tuesday's Classic Rock's Roll of Honour ceremony in Los Angeles, Wilko Johnson and Roger Daltrey's Going Back Home won the coveted Album Of The Year trophy.

As the pair were unable to be at the show to collect the award in person, they videoed their acceptance speech. Only problem? The video did not get shown at the event

TeamRock says: On a night when most things ran to schedule, we're not quite sure what happened. A host neglecting to read his cue card? Perhaps. The video operator failing to press the right button at the right time? Who knows? Either way, we got it wrong, and we'd like to apologise. Watch the video here.



Navarro Surprised By Jane's Addiction Success
(TeamRock Radio) Dave Navarro admits he was as surprised as anybody when Jane's Addiction hit the big time. The guitarist recalls having no expectations when the band recorded their self-titled debut album live at The Roxy Theatre in Los Angeles in 1987. But within a year they had released their major label debut Nothing's Shocking and were on their way to stardom.

Navarro tells Ultimate Guitar: "There might be a pessimist side of me that didn't even believe it would ever really come out. Growing up in LA, I'm very familiar with people who have lots of big plans and not very much outcome. A lot of people talk about the things they're gonna do and then at the end of the day don't deliver. So I was aware of that at that young age and just prepared for us to be one of those groups.

"I don't think anybody really foresaw us becoming anything more than an underground college radio band. I don't think we did and I know I certainly didn't. There was a radio station here KXLU that was a big supporter of alternative scenes back in the day.

"In my head, if we were played on KXLU, we had made the big time. That was it. We had recorded demos together as a band by the time we did that record. Also I was so young and I was just like a young, drunk kid. I don't even know if I was really thinking about it."

Read more here.




Volbeat Not Impressed With Sound Alike Bands
(Classic Rock) Volbeat frontman Michael Poulsen says a glut of sound-a-like American bands has helped the Danish rockers strike gold in the US. The singer/guitarist believes his band have taken inspiration from American groups and given it their own Scandinavian spin.

He tells Toddstar: "It's a little bit weird when you turn on the American radio that a lot American bands sound pretty much the same. Very good songwriters and good songs, nothing wrong with it, but they sound a little bit the same.

"I guess the American listeners and even the radio stations can hear it's a European band being inspired by American music. I guess somehow that has a charm.

"Coming from small country like Denmark where I can hear that's definitely some American inspiration here, but it's also somehow something else." Read more here.



Soundgarden Release Cover Of Sly and the Family Stone Classic
(Radio.com) Soundgarden will release Echo of Miles: Scattered Tracks Across the Path later this month. While the compilation, which includes unreleased songs, covers and demos taken over the span of their 26-year career, doesn't drop until Nov. 24 the band keeps revealing previews of what to expect.

Their latest hint of what's to come from the three-disc release is an angsty cover of Sly and the Family Stone's "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Again)." Soundgarden's cover was recorded during the taping of their John Peel BBC Session.

On their cover, gone is the funk of the 1969 hit. Instead, Soundgarden lays on the rock with grunge guitars and Chris Cornell's familiar scream. While the baseline remains, it is Cornell's guttural growl that leaves the greatest mark.

Listen here.



Singled Out: The Wild Beyond's Reflex Driver
Today Max Hodes from space rockers The Wild Beyond tells us about the song "Reflex Driver" from their brand self titled debut EP, which is being released by The End Records today (Nov 11). Here is the story:

Reflex Driver began to take it's current shape during the editing and mixing phase. I scrapped the mid-song jam we recorded as a band and began cutting and pasting choice moments from the session warm ups. I overdubbed several million layers of guitar. Kevin Corcoran slathered on the keys until we had two choirs, two orchestras, seven pianists, a pipe organ and some industrial padding all aimed at making this thing sound stupidly overblown. After all, it's a song about masculinity as an illness. I think my favorite thematic element in the arrangement is the vocal harmony lifted from "She's So Heavy." Which is appropriate, I think, given the subject matter.

I tried to make each individual track overblown in its own way before mix down. The kick sound, for example, is made of five elements: the original recordings of Charles Goold playing the drum (recorded at close and far distances), a sampled kick, a triggered sine wave, and the triggered sine wave running through a distortion pedal. The sine-triggered-by-kick is a familiar hip-hop low-end method. It sounded like sh*t on Charles' kick, because of the nuance in his playing. But I did it anyway, because Reflex Drivers only care about themselves. While forcing the sh*tty and synthetic low end through a distortion pedal and into the mix, it occurred to me that Reflex Drivers probably shouldn't produce records. Reflex Drivers are a big problem in general and I didn't want to be a Reflex Driver. I just wanted to go home. But I was already at home. There was no place to go.