Tim Abrigg Jr.'s Rock and Roll News Of The Day!: Today's Day in Rock News!

Tim Abrigg Jr.'s Rock and Roll News Of The Day!: Today's Day in Rock News!: Today's Day in Rock Megadeth Confirm Lamb Of God's Chris Adler On New Album (hennemusic) After months of rumors and spe...

Today's Day in Rock News!

Today's Day in Rock


Megadeth Confirm Lamb Of God's Chris Adler On New Album
(hennemusic) After months of rumors and speculation, Megadeth have officially confirmed Lamb Of God drummer Chris Adler will join the band as a guest player on their new studio album.

"Chris is a tremendous talent, and an amazing person," says leader Dave Mustaine. "He is going to bring a new level of excitement and energy to Megadeth that the fans are going to lose their minds over. I have nothing but respect for my previous drummers, but this is going to absolutely KILL!

"Back in 1989, Megadeth originally worked as a three piece - guitar, bass and drums - when we laid down the framework to our Grammy-nominated platinum album 'Rust In Peace'. I want to thank the other members of Lamb Of God for allowing this opportunity to take place for all of us in the metal community."

Bassist David Ellefson adds, "Chris has been an endearing friend to us in Megadeth for many years now, and he truly appreciates our music and its legacy. His drumming has forged such an innovative and ferocious path for metal music and I'm very proud that he is anchoring our rhythm section with us on this new album. I can clearly see a new dawn of 'utmost heaviness' unfolding in Megadeth's next chapter."

Adler expressed his excitement about working with a group that inspired his own musical direction. "Megadeth was the game changer for me," he explains. "Growing up, there was no other band that meant as much to my musical interest and direction. There is no doubt I would not be doing what I have been doing for the past three decades had I not stumbled across 'Killing Is My Business' and the bible of all metal, 'Peace Sells' in my formative years. About 10 years ago, Lamb Of God toured with Megadeth and I was able to share that story with Dave and David, and we have kept in touch ever since.

"When Dave called me a while ago and asked if I was interested in making a thrash metal album with him, I felt like I must've been on a hidden camera show. I was trying to play it cool, but I was speechless other than YES! Once I called my wife and my band guys to let everyone know, I had some time to really think about it and how I can best fit into this situation. I'm coming into this on fire." Read more here.



Gene Simmons Teams With WWE To Make Horror Movies
(TeamRock Radio) KISS star Gene Simmons has signed a deal with WWE Studios to co-produce three horror movies. And he's vowed the films will be "elevated" works - starting with Temple, which begins shooting later this year.

WWE Studios was launched in 2002 for WWE wrestlers and personnel. The company has produced more than 30 movies to date including The Scorpion King, Walking Tall and The Condemned. They'll work under the banner Erebus Pictures for the upcoming releases.

Simmons says: "The horror genre continues to fascinate me, as it proves to be endlessly thrilling and engaging for audiences. I'm so thrilled to be working with the masterminds from WWE Studios in launching Erebus Pictures." Read more here.




The Who May Make New Album
(Radio.com) The Who are reportedly in talks to make a new record. Roger Daltrey revealed that his bandmate Pete Townshend is already at work in the studio, in a new interview with Rolling Stone.

"I know that Pete wants to make another record," he said. "He's just talking about it. I've heard a couple of tracks, which are great." Daltrey isn't ruling it out, especially since he and Townshend have rekindled their friendship over the years, leading up to their recent 50th anniversary tour.

"After all the testosterone of youth, all of the problems and middle age and drugs and losing people we love, in the end you suddenly realize you deeply love each other," Daltrey said. 'We are like brothers. Family is like that, aren't they? One minute you love them, the next minute you can't stand them. But as soon as it looks like they're not going to be around, they're knocking on the door."

While Daltrey revealed that the band's anniversary tour will likely be their last string of shows on that level, he talked about the future of the band's live performance, saying that perhaps they'd embark on an acoustic tour. Read more here.




Sevendust Finish Recording New Album
(TeamRock Radio) Sevendust drummer Morgan Rose has confirmed the band have finished recording their tenth studio album, the follow-up to 2013's Black Out The Sun.

Last month, he revealed the band were heading into a New Jersey studio to work on the album without having written any songs in advance. Now Rose has tweeted: "10th studio record done! On my way home! Ready to squeeze my babies and smack my woman's bootay!"

He'd previously described the sessions as "heavy as f***" and "the most challenging record I've ever been a part of," adding: "Extremely excited for everyone to hear it." Read more including the tweet here.




Carcass React To 'Laughable And Embarrassing' Country Ban
(TeamRock Radio) Carcass have been forced to cancel a trip to Malaysia after government officials banned them from entering the country. The move affects a planned appearance in May - and comes a year after the band performed in the country without incident or intervention.

Carcass say in a statement: "Sorry, Malaysia. Seems like your government haven't updated their calendars to the 21st century. We've had our visas declined on the basis of our 'lyrical content'. Laughable and embarrassing."

Bill Steer and co add a note for officials: "If you're reading this you're too late, we already 'corrupted' your youth and played Kuching last year." Read more here.




Mudvayne and Skrape Members Form New Group Audiotopsy
(TeamRock Radio) Members of Mudvayne and Skrape have joined forces to form the band Audiotopsy, it's been announced. Guitarist Gregg Tribbett and drummer Matt McDonough, both of Mudvayne, along with frontman Billy Keeton of Skrape and bassist Perry Stern have completed recording their debut album and are aiming for a summer release once they've secured a deal with a label.

Tribbett says: "I'm extremely excited about Audiotopsy. The music is everything you want in a record - heavy, melodic, atmospheric, big hooky riffs and sing-alongs as well.

"The guys in the band are great and we all feel as if this was meant to happen. We all felt an energy from our first meeting and we can't wait for the world to hear Audiotopsy." Read more here.




Queen Manager's Freddie Mercury Movie Joke Taken Seriously
(Classic Rock) Reports that Queen's Freddie Mercury biopic was back on track with Sacha Baron Cohen leading the production are the result of a joke, guitarist Brian May has reported.

The band's manager Jim Beach did say Cohen had returned to the project after departing in 2013. But his quotes at a manager's convention on Thursday were meant in jest.

May says via his website: "Jim said that, in response to enquiries about progress on the Freddie film, that Sacha Baron Cohen had been re-engaged to write, produce and direct - as well as starring in all four major roles!

"I'm afraid some folks might have taken it seriously." Read more here.




Slayer's Tom Araya Reflects On Making Album Without Hanneman
(Classic Rock) Slayer frontman Tom Araya still can't get used to working without late guitarist Jeff Hanneman, he's admitted. The band are in the process of mixing and mastering their 11th album - their first without the co-founding guitarist, who died in 2013 after a two-year absence with health issues.

It was previously revealed that one track on the follow-up to 2009's World Painted Blood was written before Hanneman's death, and features his playing.

Araya tells Revolver: "The whole process of his album started three years ago, when Jeff was still a part of it. The track was completely done, except we hadn't finalised the vocals for it. So we're fortunate to have something he had participated in."

A total of 13 songs have been laid down by Araya, Kerry King, Gary Holt and Paul Bostaph, although it's likely only 10 will appear. Slayer have still to decide on the album title, artwork and other details.

Araya reflects: "Ever since Jeff's passing it's been just odd and strange - because he's never going to be there again, you know? Even when we were doing stuff without him while he was still alive, that felt strange. I missed him during the process. But the way things turned out, I think he was definitely a part of it, even if he wasn't there physically." Read more here.





Van Halen Sitting Out Tremonti Tour
(hennemusic) Tremonti bassist Wolfgang Van Halen will miss the band's upcoming tour in support of their forthcoming second album, "Cauterize", due to a scheduling conflict with Van Halen.

"I am still part of Tremonti and very excited for the release of Cauterize," explains Wolfgang, "but unfortunately am unable to participate in the upcoming dates due to my prior commitment with Van Halen for the summer tour in support of the Tokyo Dome Live In Concert album. Look forward to seeing all of the Tremonti fans on the road as soon as my schedule permits!"

Tremonti - led by Alter Bridge/Creed guitarist Mark Tremonti - will hit the road for a spring US tour starting April 25 in Orlando, Florida, while "Cauterize" will be released on June 9. Read more here.




Motley Crue's Vince Neil To Sing Anthem At Las Vegas Outlaws Debut
(hennemusic) Motley Crue frontman Vince Neil will perform the National Anthem at the Las Vegas Outlaws first game on Monday, March 30 at the Thomas & Mack Center as the team host the San Jose SaberCats in Arena Football League action.

Neil and his company, Rockstar Sports Group, were awarded the new AFL franchise last September. The ownership group includes former Florida Gator and Tampa Bay Buccaneer's quarterback Bob Hewko, aviation businessman Mark Daniels and technology businessman Sohrob Farudi.

"I'm going to perform the National Anthem in honor of the Outlaws first game, for the fans and families in attendance, and for our veterans and service men and women everywhere," says Neil. "The players and coaches are ready to get this season rockin' and to make Las Vegas proud of its awesome Arena Football team." Read more here.




Amoral Reunite With Original Singer Niko Kalliojarvi
(TeamRock Radio) Amoral have reunited with original vocalist Niko Kalliojarvi for the band's seventh album. He left in 2008 following the release of third record Reptile Ride, and was replaced by Ari Koivunen. The pair will now share vocal duties.

Kalliojarvi says: "The cameos at during the last few years have been fun. When I was asked to come back to the group I was both surprised and excited for musical reasons, but also since I've always been comfortable in said company."

Amoral are now working on the follow-up to 2014's Fallen Leaves & Dead Sparrows, expected next year. Guitarist Ben Varon reports: "Niko's company felt natural both on stage and backstage. Hearing his voice on those songs after a long time felt good." Read more here.





Photo Of Kim Fowley's Corpse On Magazine Cover
(TeamRock Radio) Fetish magazine Girls And Corpses have granted eccentric rock icon Kim Fowley his dying wish to be a cover star. The former manager of The Runaways who also wrote co-wrote songs with Kiss and Alice Cooper died aged 75 in January after a long battle with cancer.

It was reported after his death that Fowley had expressed an interest in appearing on the cover and indicated he wanted former girlfriend Snow Mercy to be involved in the photoshoot. However, publishers were unable to contact her and now claim they've gone ahead and given the icon his final wish.

They say in a statement: "This is a truly historic moment in publishing because it is the first time a corpse has been photographed in a body bag with a fetish model and put on a magazine cover.

"We also have the last mad writings of Kim Fowley which we have exclusively published in this diseased issue and it will make your head spin and pop off." See the cover here.




Def Leppard, Whitesnake, Black Star Riders Announce UK Tour
(hennemusic) Def Leppard and Whitesnake have announced a co-headline UK tour this winter. The pair will be joined by openers Black Star Riders for a triple bill for a 10-show run in December.

"I am very excited to be working with Whitesnake again, we had such a wonderful time when we did it back in 2008," says Leppard frontman Joe Elliott. "It's a great experience for rock fans to be able to see two great live bands on the same stage on the same night."

"Ohh, have you got trouble…Brother Joe & The Lepps?…D.C. & The Snakes?... Them Black Star Riders?…On the same night???…I can't wait!!...SEE YOU THERE!!!" added Whitesnake's David Coverdale. See the dates here.




Van Halen Preview Eddie's Solo From New Live Album
(hennemusic) Van Halen have released an audio preview of guitarist Eddie Van Halen's solo as they approach the March 31 release of "Tokyo Dome Live In Concert."

One of the featured spotlights in the band's live set sees Eddie showcase a montage of riffs and signature solos from his career, including the groundbreaking 1978 track "Eruption", "Cathedral", "316", the opening to "Mean Street" and more.

Van Halen recently announced dates for an extensive North American tour in support of the album, which was recorded in Japan in 2013 on the group's "A Different Kind Of Truth" tour.

The band will launch the project with a special concert tonight, March 30 for ABC-TV's Jimmy Kimmel Live on Hollywood Boulevard. Check out the solo preview here.




Genesis: 1983-1998 Box Set Coming In May
(Classic Rock) Genesis will release the third and final installment in their vinyl box set series with Genesis: 1983-1998, due on May 11 via Universal. The six-disc package includes the band's final four studio albums: Genesis (1983), Invisible Touch (1986), We Can't Dance (1991) and Calling All Stations (1997).

Genesis: 1983-1998 ("The Red Box") completes the vinyl box set trio that began with Genesis: 1970-1975 ("The Green Box") and Genesis: 1976-1982 ("The Blue Box").

The first two records in the latest set are single LPs while the others are presented in double-disc gatefold format, with Calling All Stations featuring music on three sides and an etching on side four. Read more here.




Porcupine Tree's Gavin Harrison Tried To Avoid Cheese On New Album
(Prog) Porcupine Tree and King Crimson drummer Gavin Harrison says he was careful to avoid sounding cheesy on his upcoming solo album. Harrison issues Cheating The Polygraph on April 13 via Kscope. It features reimagined, big band versions of eight classic Porcupine Tree songs.

The idea first came about in 2009 when he was asked to take part in a memorial concert for the late drum icon Buddy Rich. Rich's daughter Cathy planted the seed for what eventually became Cheating The Polygraph.

Harrison tells MusicRadar: "Cathy said to me, 'You're welcome to play any of Buddy's tunes, of course, but what would be really fun is if you did a song from your band.'

"My band's music isn't anything like Buddy's, obviously, so I thought about it, and then I got together with Laurence Cottle, a big band arranger, to see what might work.

"I told Laurence, 'I don't want this to be funny. It couldn't be comedy, cheesy, 'rock does swing' or anything like that. I thought it should be serious music. We went with that approach, and it came out great." Read more here.




Royal Thunder Streaming New Song 'Wake Up'
(Classic Rock) Royal Thunder have released an audio stream of Wake Up. It's taken from forthcoming album Crooked Doors, the follow-up to 2012's CVI. So what's Wake Up about?

"What do you want to change?" asks vocalist Mel Parsons in explaining the new song. "Then change it! Wake up and move forward. Looking back will hold you back."

The band will be joining Rival Sons and Halestorm for a brief Western United States tour in June. Check out the dates and listen to the stream of "Wake Up" here.




Tommy Bolin's Teaser Getting Deluxe 40th Anniversary Reissue
(Classic Rock) Tommy Bolin's debut solo album Teaser is being reissued in a deluxe vinyl package to celebrate its 40th anniversary. UDR will issue Teaser 40th Anniversary Vinyl Edition Box Set on May 18.

The one-time Zephyr and James Gang guitarist originally released the work in 1975 while he was a member of Deep Purple. He died of a drug overdose the following year, at the age of 25.

The 3-disc collection is accompanied by two live CDs featuring long-lost outtakes and alternative mixes. The live CDs are made up of performances from Ebbets Field, The Northern Lights, My Father's Place and Albany. More details here.




Purson Ink Deal For New Album Release
(Classic Rock) Purson have signed to Spinefarm Records for the launch of second album Desire's Magic Theatre, they've confirmed. The follow-up to 2013's The Circle And The Blue Door will be launched later this year, following a UK tour and an appearance at Download.

Vocalist Rosalie Cunningham says: "Our second album has turned out to be everything I'd imagined - and more. It's become a technicolour variety show; a playful display of the musical whims only briefly hinted at in our previous work; a psychedelic rock opera dedicated to Sarge Pepper and Zig Stardust.

"I give thanks to everyone who's bought a Purson record or been to our shows - and you have our promise that the best is yet to come." Check out the tour dates here.




The Graveltones Releasing New Album In May
(Classic Rock) The Graveltones will release their second album Love Lies Dying on May 31, they've confirmed. Before the May launch they will release album opener World On A String as a single on April 12.

It's the UK-based duo's follow-up to their 2013 full-length debut Don't Wait Down and will launch via Lagoon Dog Records. It was produced by Jaime Gomez Arellano at Orgone Studios, London.

Vocalist and guitarist Jimmy O says of the record: "When you record a bunch of songs and send them out there to play ball, you hope you've raised them up good enough to take care of themselves. All these songs seem to get along with each other real well." Read more here.





Steve Hackett Releases Wolflight Video
(Classic Rock) Steve Hackett has released a music video for the title track from his upcoming album Wolflight. The former Genesis man releases the album on March 30. It's his first original solo work since 2011's Beyond The Shrouded Horizon.

Wolflight sees him joined by guest musicians and longtime collaborators, including keyboardist Roger King, drummers Gary O'Toole and Hugo Dagenhardt, saxophonist Rob Townsend, bassist Nick Beggs and singer Amanda Lehmann.

Also joining Hackett on the project is Yes bassist Chris Squire, who plays on the track Love Song To A Vampire. Check out the track details and watch the new video here.



Nelson Reveal New Album Details
(Classic Rock) Nelson have detailed their upcoming album Peace Out to be released on May 15. The twin brothers will issue the record via Frontiers Music and they say they've pushed themselves to make the best album they possibly could.

Gunnar Nelson says: "We set a pretty high standard with our previous release with Frontiers - Lightning Strikes Twice. That record received by far the most critical acclaim of any Nelson record to date. Peace Out was expected to be even better, so the goal was to push ourselves to the very limit - past what we believed we could do.

"We wanted to write and record the most exciting, authentic, uplifting, and rocking Nelson record ever made. The mission - to make a classic." Read more here.




Archive's Dave Pen Releases Video From We Are Bodies Project
(TeamRock Radio) Archive vocalist Dave Pen has teamed up with French-based composer Robin Foster to create We Are Bodies, and they'll launch their self-titled debut album next month.

In the meantime, they've released a video for their track Capsize, which illustrates their take on music in the vein of Radiohead, Talk Talk and Tears For Fears.

Their work is is described as a "a true reflection of modern society, narrating the numb monotony of living in the unconscious conformity of the 21st century."

The duo previously worked together on Foster's second album Where Do We Go From Here? and on the award-winning soundtrack to feature film Metro Manila. Watch the video here.




Toto's Steve Lukather Explains Angry 'Holy War' Solo
(TeamRock Radio) Toto guitarist Steve Lukather has described a solo on latest album XIV as a "f*** you" to bandmate Dave Paich - but adds that it's all done with love. They recently launched a stream of their track Holy War, taken from the follow-up to 2006's Falling In Between, released this week.

Lukather tells MusicRadar: "Making the album was blood, sweat, tears, love, pain, laughter - it was all that. We had fun, but we kept pushing each other. We had a couple of times when we almost killed each other. But without any tension you make pussy music."

He adds of Holy War: "I was really pissed off at Dave. He kept messing with me, and I got pissed off and played that solo. You can hear it's like, 'F*** you, Dave!'" Read more and listen to the track here.




Marillion Frontman Steve Hogarth Announces Special Show
(Prog) Marillion frontman Steve 'h' Hogarth will appear on stage with his son for the first time in Gibraltar in May, he's confirmed. Entitled h Super Natural - A Special Evening With Steve Hogarth & Friends, the performance at St Michael's Cave also features Dave Gregory, formerly of XTC and now with Tin Spirits - and also a member of The h Band.

Hogarth says: "This will be my fourth time performing in my beloved Gibraltar. Last year's Literary Festival gig in the King's Chapel was truly special for me and I came home with that rare feeling that I had 'nailed it.' Must be something in the water...

"I immediately began hustling to return, so the chance to play once again in the unique space that is St Michael's Cave is, well, icing on the cake." Read more here.




Adimiron Release Animated 'Ayahuasca' Video
Adimiron have released an animated music video for the song "Ayahuasca." the track comes from their fourth studio album, "Timelapse," which was released in November of last year. We were sent these details about the new video:

Named after the hallucinogenic brew used by indigenous tribes of South America that allows them to commune with the 'spirits' and even to travel to different dimensions, the band describes ayahuasca as "the perfect concept for the final track of Timelapse, which was born with the desire to gradually carry the listener on a mystical and visual journey to the end of the album."

Czech artist Monika Janouchova, responsible for the "Ayahuasca" video animations, states: "'Ayahuasca is an inspiring song. It has the power to take us to unreal places, and I just wanted to transform its potential into images.

"Each scene and situation brings us, together with the music, to a long surreal trip. Our mind opens and we are enabled to see more...It's like a vivid dream in which we cannot tell whether it is real or not and if everything will be normal once woken up."

Watch the video here.




Ozzy Osbourne's Infamous Haircut Minimation Video Released
(Radio.com) In Radio.com's Minimation, where they comb through the archives of legendary New York radio station WNEW-FM and animate interviews with legendary rock artists, they revisit a 1987 interview where Ozzy Osbourne explains why he'd gotten a crew cut a few years earlier.

In the 1980s, being shocking was part of Ozzy Osbourne's bag of tricks. There was the bats, the doves, not to mention lots of drugs and alcohol. But one of the most shocking things he did, at least as far as the metal community was concerned, was to cut his hair. And he was asked about that in this interview (by which point, his long locks had returned).

"At the end of the tour, I was so down and miserable," he said, and he decided to go on a road trip across America. Of course, that's easier said than done if you're the Prince of Darkness, Ozzy Osbourne.

He, quite reasonably, figured that if he cut his hair, no one would recognize him. And to hear him tell it, his trip - which took him to Toronto, Minneapolis, Seattle and Los Angeles, undisturbed by fans.





Singled Out: The Breton Sound's Illuminate
Today The Breton Sound singer and guitarist Jonathan Pretus tells us about the song "Illuminate" from their forthcoming EP "Don't Be Afraid of Rock & Roll, Vol. 1." Here is the story:

"Illuminate" is one of those songs that just kind of fell out of the sky and into our laps one day during a rehearsal. Just playing with melody and different feels, it just appeared. Within about 15 minutes, the bones of everything was there, melody, arrangement moods. Some of my favorite songs happen like that, just a lightening quick moment of inspiration.

We've been playing it live for a while and it's always gotten a great response. Our bassist Joe [Bourgeois] was kind of a hero on this record. He joined the band a week before we went to Ardent Studios to start working on the record. He learned the song as we'd been doing it, but once we got working in the studio, he really rebuilt the part completely and put a great groove into it that wasn't there before.

The lyric of the song is about feeling trapped, frustrated, and beat down where you are, and looking to that person next to you that you love and saying "wouldn't it be great to just run away and get the hell out of here together?" There's a real tension in the verses musically, especially in the 2nd verse where the drums, bass and guitar lock in a driving, pushing groove, and then as it gets to the chorus (the escape), the playing opens up, it's a really neat movement we put together that we're really proud of.

This was the first song we did for this EP, and the first thing we recorded in Studio A at Ardent. It's the room where all the Big Star records were done, which are some of my favorite albums. I actually ended up using the old Hi Watt amp and cabinet that was used on "Radio City" and "Third", which was a thrill in and of itself, but it's one of the best sounding guitar tones I've ever had. That room has an amazing vibe and sound, and we tracked live in there, so the energy really comes out in the recording. It's one of the best things we've ever done, and we're so proud of how it came out.

As a side note, playing this song live taught me a great lesson. A few people had come up to me and said how much they liked our song "Lemonade." The first time I heard that, I had to stop and think about what they were talking about it. Then I realized that maybe I ought to annunciate better when I sing.

Tim Abrigg Jr.'s Rock and Roll News Of The Day!: Today's Day in Rock News!

Tim Abrigg Jr.'s Rock and Roll News Of The Day!: Today's Day in Rock News!: Today's Day in Rock Ozzy Osbourne Cancels Festival Due To Surgery (hennemusic) Ozzy Osbourne has cancelled Ozzfiesta, a 5-day...

Today's Day in Rock News!

Today's Day in Rock


Ozzy Osbourne Cancels Festival Due To Surgery
(hennemusic) Ozzy Osbourne has cancelled Ozzfiesta, a 5-day event scheduled for this May in Mexico's Mayan Riviera, due to an upcoming surgery. What type of surgery the Black Sabbath frontman is scheduled for has not been revealed.

Organizers revealed the news in a released statement, saying "Cool Breeze Concerts regret to inform you that Ozzfiesta is cancelled. Like you, we were very excited about the event.

"However, Ozzy is having surgery, scheduled for May, following his South American tour. He requires at least four weeks of recovery time. We are very disappointed that we need to cancel.

"We will be offering refunds which will be processed in the next 4-6 weeks. If you decide that you would still enjoy an all inclusive vacation at the Hard Rock, Riviera Maya, Mexico please send us an email, and we can make the arrangements." Read more here.



Gene Simmons Slams U2, Stones For Something KISS Also Did
(hennemusic) Gene Simmons is slamming artists that use pre-recording backing tracks in performances, despite the fact that KISS have done so at least twice in the past six months.

"I have a problem when you charge $100 to see a live show and the artist uses backing tracks," Simmons tells Australia's News.com.au. "It's like the ingredients in food, if the first ingredient on the label is sugar that's at least honest. It should be on every ticket - you're paying $100, 30 to 50 per cent of the show is (on) backing tracks and they'll sing sometimes, sometimes they'll lip synch. At least be honest. It's not about backing tracks, it's about dishonesty."

"There's nobody with a synthesiser on our stage, there's no samples on the drums, there's nothing," he added. "There's very few bands who do that now - AC/DC, Metallica, us. I can't even say that about U2 or the Stones. There's very few bands who don't use (backing) tracks."

65-year old Simmons and KISS have performed with backing tracks twice in recent months. Last month, KISS admitted to using backing tracks while performing its new single, "Samurai Son", during a 5-date Japanese tour. Read more here.




Original Guns N' Roses Breakup Sparked By Michael Jackson?
(Radio.com) Guns N' Roses' former manager Doug Goldstein alleges in a new interview that Axl Rose and Slash's long-running tension reached a breaking point when the guitarist agreed to play a concert with Michael Jackson, reports Radio.com.

"In 1991, we were on the road, and Slash went to my office and said 'I'll be leaving tomorrow to play with Michael Jackson on a tribute concert,'" Goldstein recalled in the interview with Rolling Stone Brazil. "I told him not to do it because Axl was molested by his father when he was two and he believed the charges against Michael Jackson."

Goldstein also discouraged Slash from playing the show because he felt that Jackson's compensation wasn't fair. "Everyone knew Eddie Van Halen received $1 million to play in 'Beat It.' So I asked Slash, 'how much are you receiving? Can I manage this to you?' and he said, 'I'll just receive a big screen television.' When Axl found out Slash was gonna play with Michael Jackson and that the payment was a big screen TV he was devastated. He thought Slash would support him and be against all abuse. From Axl's point of view, that was the only problem. He could ignore the drugs and the alcohol, but never the child abuse."

Twenty-four years later, Goldstein believes that Rose and Slash's friendship could still be mended with an apology. 'Slash would have to apologize for the Michael Jackson episode," Goldstein said. Read more here.




Judas Priest's Rob Halford Releasing Anthology
(Classic Rock) A Rob Halford anthology featuring some of his work outside Judas Priest will be released next week. The 30-track set, entitled The Essential Rob Halford, is issued on March 31 as part of the singer's deal with Sony Music Entertainment and Legacy Recordings.

The contract gives Sony access to Halford's side projects since 1992, including Fight and Two as well as his solo work. Next week's release will be followed by a Playlist collection and a definitive Complete Albums Box. Video releases are also expected.

Alluding to the new deal with Sony, Halford said last month that he would be open to making more music with Fight, saying: "My solo back catalogue is being put back out there. And, if the opportunity arises, I would love to do that again." Read more here.





System Of A Down Have Written Music For Possible New Album
(TeamRock Radio) System Of A Down have written material for their long-awaited sixth album and they could start recording work soon. But bassist Shavo Odadjian says the band are trying to avoid revealing information about the follow-up to 2005's Mesmerize and Hypnotize records.

Odadjian tells Madcap Music Review: "There's a very good chance. We've written some songs. We're keeping it to ourselves - we're getting back to the bullsh*t of being together."

Last month he said SOAD wouldn't reveal a timescale for the project, adding: "I don't want to be false. But when it's ready, people will hear it." Watch the full interview here.




Ringo Believes Beatles Could Have Reunited
(Classic Rock) Ringo Starr believes the Beatles would have reunited if only all four of them had discussed it together - instead of only talking in pairs. The Fab Four officially split in acrimony in 1970, but speculation over a return persisted after John Lennon and Paul McCartney settled their differences several years later.

The chance of a return ended with Lennon's murder in 1980, while George Harrison died in 2001. Starr tells Rolling Stone: "We did it in twos - we talked about it.

The stumbling block was sitting around and saying, 'Okay, let's do it.' I think if we'd just relaxed behind it long enough, we still had the songs and we could still play. We could have put it together." Read more here.




Decline Of Western Civilization Box Set Coming This Spring
(Classic Rock) Penelope Spheeris' iconic Decline Of Western Civilization documentaries focusing on the US punk and metal scene are to be released as a box set in on June 30.

The original Decline Of Western Civilization was released in 1980 and highlighted the hardcore-punk scene in Los Angeles. Second installment The Decline Of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years followed in 1988 featuring artists including Megadeth, Alice Cooper, Aerosmith, Faster Pussycat, Poison and Kiss.

The film famously featured W.A.S.P. guitarist Chris Holmes drinking in his mother's pool and Ozzy Osbourne cooking bacon in a leopard-print dressing gown.

The final film followed 10 years later and concentrated on homeless gutter punks in LA. The anthology will be released on DVD and Blu-ray via Shout! Factory and comes with a bonus disc. Read more here.




Dave Grohl Reaches Out To Dying Foo Fighters Fan
(Classic Rock) A Foo Fighters fan with terminal cancer looks set to get his wish to meet the band after Dave Grohl heard his story. Australian Ken Powell, 56, put meeting the band on his bucket list when he was diagnosed with melanoma in 2009.

The band toured Australia recently, but cancelled all meet and greets due to a bout of food poisoning. Ken had tickets for all six Australian dates and was devastated when he didn't get the chance to meet his heroes.

But by chance, one of his friends works for Qantas airlines, and was on board the Foos' flight home. Grohl was moved after being told Ken's story - and he's sent a personal photo greeting as well as a bunch of merchandise.

He's also offered him VIP passes for a show in Los Angeles, which Ken is now raising funds to attend. Read more here.





Rush Announce 'The Art Of Rush' Book
(Classic Rock) A book celebrating the relationship between Rush and artist Hugh Syme is to be published on May 1, it's been announced. The Art Of Rush: Serving A Life Sentence will feature original illustrations, paintings and photos by Syme, who's designed all the band's artwork since 1975's Caress Of Steel.

The 272-page coffee table volume was penned by music journalist Stephen Humphries and includes interviews with Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart, along with Syme himself.

The book will be available in three versions: a Classic Edition, a signed, individually numbered Special Edition limited to 250 copies, and a Roadcase Deluxe Limited Edition featuring custom slipcase, signed lithograph and metal-plated casing. Only 100 of these will be available and all will be autographed by Syme and band. Read more here.




Pentangle Founder John Renbourn Dead At 70
(Prog) Pentangle founder John Renbourn has died at the age of 70. His body was found Thursday morning at home in Hawick, Scotland, after he missed a concert in Glasgow Wednesday night. It's suspected he suffered a heart attack.

Renbourn began his career as a solo artist before starting work with Bert Jansch in 1963. They put Pentangle together four years later along with Jacqui McShee, Danny Thompson and Terry Cox.

His manager, Dave Smith, said: "John was larger than life - game for anything. He was just finishing off a tour with Wizz Jones and looking forward to the next. He was always running weekend workshops all over Europe." Read more here.




Dave Ellefson Lays Out Megadeth's New Album Plans
(Classic Rock) Dave Ellefson says having unexpected free time in the coming months will make Megadeth's next album even better. The band lost drummer Shawn Drover and guitarist Chris Broderick last year and rescheduled a string of tour dates as a result. But the setback will likely mean their new material is given more attention than usual in the studio.

The bassist tells Hot Metal Online: "We're just returning to the studio, rehearsals are continuing before the final stages of the pre-production. The writing is pretty much done - that can always change in the studio.

"We'll go into the recording, probably, in early May. We had some tour dates in August. Those tour dates got moved, which quite honestly is a good thing because it frees us up and gives us time to make the record with a schedule that's a little more appropriate for how we want to make a great record.

"So some time within the next year, we will get the Megedeth record out. I'd like to think it's not going to be a stinker. I'd like to think it's going to be a pretty kick-ass record. There are a couple of things on there that are very heavy but they're very forward-thinking for Megadeth - in a good way. Not some sort of pop right turn or anything like that." Read more here.




AC/DC's Malcolm Young Buys $10M Waterfront Home
(hennemusic) Retired AC/DC guitarist Malcolm Young and his wife, Linda, have reportedly purchased a AU$10 million waterfront home in the Sydney suburb of Palm Beach.

The Daily Telegraph reports the five-bedroom home is on an absolute beachfront site of about 520sq m and is among many multimillion-dollar properties in the street.

The sale is the biggest on the northern beaches this year. Palm Beach is Sydney's northernmost stretch of sand, a 50-minute drive from the Sydney city centre. here.




Nightwish Explain New Album Concept And 24 Minute Song
(Prog) Nightwish album Endless Forms Most Beautiful is only a concept album in the loosest sense, says mainman Tuomas Holopainen in an exclusive Prog interview video.

In the interview video, he explains that while the follow-up to 2011's Imaginaerum was inspired by Charles Darwin's theory of evolution, there's more to the 11-track release than that.

Holopainen says: "Not all the songs deal directly with the issues of nature and science. But there is a pro-life thread going through the album." He, Floor Jansen and Marco Hietala also explain why the final track, The Greatest Show On Earth, had to be 24 minutes long. Check out the video here.




Abbath Disbands Immortal and Launching New Band
(TeamRock Radio) Immortal's founding member Abbath has given Metal Hammer the exclusive announcement regarding the future of Immortal, a forthcoming record and London show.

He says, The name of Immortal, for the time being, will rest; the essence, the power, the music - and Abbath - will not." He says that he "has been writing and rehearsing fervently, with a deluge of new material ready to be recorded; unable to come to an agreement in order move forward with the other members of the band, he has formed a new line up. Whilst grateful and respectful for the contributions of Demonaz, Horgh and Apollyon, the time is now right for Abbath to present his art to the world and continue to evolve the legacy.

"The next two years will see the release of a new album alongside select live performances - the first of these to be announced is The Forum in London on Friday 18th September. This will be Abbath's first time back on stage in the UK since triumphantly headlining Bloodstock Festival in 2011 alongside W.A.S.P and Motörhead. Following this, February 2016 will see a return to playing on home soil as the headliner for the prestigious Blastfest in Bergen - on top of a 100% Norwegian line up." Read more here.




Therapy? Postpone Tour Kick off Due To Illness
(Classic Rock) Therapy? have postponed the first two dates of their UK tour as mainman Andy Cairns recovers from illness. The show at The Marble Factory in Bristol on March 27 has been moved to May 9 while the gig at Gloucester Guild Hall on March 28 will now take place on May 8.

All tickets for the original dates will remain valid and returns are available from point of purchase. The band say: "As lead singer and guitarist Andy Cairns is suffering from a combination of flu and a chest infection he has been advised bed rest for the week by his Doctor. Accordingly Therapy?, with regret, must postpone the first two shows of their forthcoming tour.

"Therapy? of course regret having to take this action and apologise for any inconvenience it may cause, but we look forward to an exciting and rocking Disquiet tour which will now start at The Concorde in Brighton on March 31." Read more including the rescheduled tour dates here.




Van Halen Preview Two More Classic Songs From New Live Album
(hennemusic) Van Halen have released previews of their performance of their 1984 hit, "Jump", and the cover of The Kinks classic, "You Really Got Me", from their forthcoming live album "Tokyo Dome Live In Concert", ahead of it's March 31st release.

The lead single from the band's sixth album, "1984", delivered the band their first and only US No. 1 hit, which topped the US Billboard Hot 100 chart for five weeks, leading the album to sales of more than 12 million copies in the States alone. Check out the preview here

"You Really Got Me", the super-charged lead single from Van Halen's groundbreaking 1978 self-titled debut introduced the California band to the world, delivering a US Top 40 hit on its way to selling more than 10 million albums in the States alone. Check out the preview here.




Judas Priest To Receive Honorary WAMI Hall Of Fame Induction
(hennemusic) Judas Priest will be inducted into the Wisconsin Area Music Industry Awards (WAMI) Hall of Fame during a ceremony at the Turner Hall Ballroom in Milwaukee on April 19.

The event, which recognizes achievements in 34 music categories, will see Priest honored as the first recipient of a Global "Honorary" WAMI Hall Of Fame induction.

"In keeping with WAMI's mission to promote music and the accomplishments of musicians," says WAMI President Zoy Begos, "we're stepping beyond state boundaries by recognizing Judas Priest's contributions to the local, national and international music scenes.

"WAMI is proud to have Judas Priest as our first ever Global Honorary inductee into the WAMI Hall of Fame. When I contacted the band several months ago, their reaction was enthusiastic. We'll formally acknowledge their induction during the 35th Annual Awards Show, April 19 at Turner Hall." Read more here.




Tarja Turunen Previews New Live Package
(Prog) Former Nightwish singer Tarja Turunen will release Luna Park Ride on May 29, she's announced. The performance was recorded by fans in Buenos Aires in March 2011 - and she's issued a trailer for the live package which will launch on 2CD, 2LP, DVD, Blu-ray and on digital formats via earMusic.

A statement reads: "Imagine an enchanted audience in front of an enormous stage in Argentina. Thousands of fans screaming just for her. Having their cameras and cell phones ready to film what will become one hell of a performance, Tarja finally appears. Let the show begin."

Along with the 15-track performance, the CD, DVD and Blu-ray editions come bundled with over 70 minutes of bonus material taken from her live gigs between 2010 - 2014, including her appearance at last year's Summer Breeze festival in Germany. Check out the track details and the preview trailer here.




Palm Reader Will Play Five Shows On The Same Day
(TeamRock Radio) Palm Reader will play five shows in one day as part of what the band call their "most ambitious challenge yet." The British hardcore outfit release second album Beside The Ones We Love in the spring and have just completed a headline tour of the UK.

Now they'll play five venues in and around London on the same day - Bank Holiday Monday, May 4. They will be joined by various guests acts at each show.

Frontman Josh McKeown says: "Everything about this band revolves around us pushing ourselves and this insane day will encapsulate our approach. It's by far the most ambitious challenge we've ever set ourselves and is undoubtedly one of the hardest things we'll ever try to pull off as a band. That said, it's going to so much fun, so get your Oyster cards topped up and we'll see you there." Check out the details for the shows here.




Exodus' Souza and Gary Holt Have Mended Fences
(Classic Rock) Steve 'Zetro' Souza says his relationship with Exodus mainman Gary Holt has never been stronger. Almost a decade after his second spell in Exodus came to an end, the singer was brought back into the band to replace Rob Dukes as they were recording latest album Blood In Blood Out last year.

And while he admits tensions were high between himself and guitarist Holt for a long time, he says the pair's respect for each other has grown in the year since his return.

Zetro tells The Great Southern Brainfart: "There was about 10 years of mudslinging back and forth but Gary and I have a really great relationship now.

"We can tell each other anything. Being back in Exodus, there's a lot more respect between everyone. We're all pretty much into our 50s now. I think with age we've come to respect who we are as musicians and being in the business."

Zetro believes that with age comes maturity and he says he's happy to accept the decisions made as a group. Read more here.




The Helmholtz Resonators Streaming New Song 'Vermillion Hue'
(TeamRock Radio) London-based psychedelic garage rockers The Helmholtz Resonators will release their album, 'The Mystery Of Woolley Mountain' on April 13 via Proving House Digital.

The album will be preceded by a single, Vermillion Hue, on April 6 - but you can listen to an exclusive stream of the track online. Say the band of the single: "The tumbling clouds filled with a halcyon vermillion hue, and the lonely trees standing solitary in the vast rolling fields. Just makes you think doesn't it? Reminisce and think of times gone by; sacred moments in your life…The profundity and hopeless enormity of it all...

"Vermillion Hue is a feeling experienced by Garland Vanderbilt, one of The Helmholtz Resonators, whilst aboard a train, on a physical and spiritual journey from the musical adventure; The Mystery Of Woolley Mountain.

"The music echoes the emotion and sentiment felt - a mesmeric bassline flows hypnotically along the drum track, like the train rumbling gently along its rails, as electronic droplets of rain trickle across its path." Read more and stream the song here.




ZZ Top Now Understand Method To Rick Rubin's Madness
(Classic Rock) Billy Gibbons says producer Rick Rubin's notoriously painstaking approach to recording made ZZ Top's last album the best it could be. Work on La Futura began in 2008, but the album didn't see the light of day until 2012 - a delay of nine years since 2003's Mescalero.

In 2011 the guitarist admitted: "The band is wondering, 'When is this thing? When do we hear it?'" Previously, Graham Nash had accused the producer of ruining an abandoned Crosby, Stills And Nash album, while Slipknot's Corey Taylor said he'd never work with the producer again.

Now Gibbons tells Shepherd Express: "Rick is in no way going to get set into motion, when it may be hasty or hurried. He really is sincere when he works with any artist.

"Rick said, 'Let's keep working on it until it's right.' You find yourself returning to a particular track - it may be months tucked away in the can - and you say, 'Let's come back to that.'"

He admits Rubin's approach presented issues, saying: "It can be challenging to listen to the same song for two hours and then say, 'I want to sing it again.' Then you say, 'Would this word be better here? Let me sing it again.' After a full day you're just toast."

But he adds: "I really think Rick is one of the rare individuals who's willing to let the material develop and reach a logical zenith." Read more here.




Matt Skiba And The Sekrets Announce New Album
(TeamRock Radio) Matt Skiba And The Sekrets will release their second album on June 1st in Europe and June 2nd in North America, they've announced. Skiba has replaced Tom DeLonge for Blink-182's live dates in the US and will return to Alkaline Trio for their upcoming run of shows - but he's still found time to record Kuts with AFI bassist Hunter Burgan and drummer Jarrod Alexander.

He says: "The writing style and entire approach to this was a stronger desire to do something fairly different from my other band. We used sounds hugely influenced by early David Bowie and took more chances.

"I knew that the playing of Hunter and Jarrod would bring new elements to the songs that would help shape them and influence ideas I would never have thought of on my own." Read more here.




The Fall Of Troy, Judge and Ignite Added To Hevy Fest
(TeamRock Radio) The Fall Of Troy, Judge and Ignite lead the latest additions to the bill for this year's Hevy Fest. They'll appear under headliners The Dillinger Escape Plan, Coheed And Cambria and Thrice at Port Lympne Wild Animal Park on August 14-15.

Also added are A Wilhelm Scream, Teenage Bottlerocket, Arcane Roots, Crooks, Broken Teeth, Hang The Bastard, Black Peaks, Blood Youth, Trash Boat, Youth Man and Press To Meco.

Reunited trio The Fall Of Troy's original lineup are to perform 2005 album Doppelganger in full, 10 years to the day since its release. Other special sets include Thrice's only UK appearance of the year, Coheed playing In Keeping Secrets Of Silent Earth: 3 in full. Read more here.




Radiohead Classic Added To Library Of Congress Recording Registry
(Prog) Radiohead's classic album OK Computer has been added to the US Library Of Congress National Recording Registry as a result of its cultural importance.

Featuring the singles Paranoid Android, Karma Police, No Surprises and Lucky, the chart-topping follow-up to The Bends received almost universal critical acclaim on release.

The album has been compared to the Beatles' Sgt Pepper album and Pink Floyd's The Dark Side Of The Moon in terms of musical concept and influence. Read more here.




Singled Out: The Singularity's Wetter
Today electro-rocker The Singularity aka Julian Shah-Taylertells us about the song "Wetter" from the recently released "Weta" EP. Here is the story:

I had just moved to LA after a 5 year on again off again continual tour with my old band "Whitey" in the UK, a series of unproductive stints working with Courtney Love, Joaquin Phoenix followed courtesy of an introduction from Alan McGee who was considering managing either or both of the projects so I had gone into a kind of studio hermit phase writing songs for films and being a backroom guy collaborating with friends and writing for other artists.

A friend of mine, David Maurice introduced me to JC Chasez, ex NKOTB with whom he was writing an album. We got into the studio together to write, and the enthusiasm that JC exhibited was so infectious and joyful, that I went back to the studio I was living in and wrote the basic track and lyric in 15 minutes on a nord lead, borrowed from my housemate "Jawnee" of "that noise" and my other band "Piel" in Koreatown, LA with the intention always of presenting the tune to JC for inclusion on his album, although when Tiki (my other housemate and the utterly brilliant singer/songwriter in Piel) heard it, it became clear that I should not even think of sharing it with JC.

My mind always wants to twist the meanings of things, and convey something beyond and behind the lyric, so I wanted it to come across as a terrible creepy Hollywood party predator in one of the Hollywood hills parties that we had been attending regularly where everything is provided, and the girls are either insanely beautiful and a little vapid, or brilliantly strange and paradisiacal.

The norm in those circles is this odd cocaine fueled personality which overruns any sense of humanity. It is sad to say depending on your perceived "status", you can use these hackneyed old pick up lines and awful creepy come ons to persuade certain of the girls to join you for whatever debauched ideas you might have.

The video we made intends a certain creepy feel, and the dancing girls are these ghostly shades captured from the ether by my central lothario/alien spirit.

The final thing is the water theme which was inspired by the ubiquitous pools in la, and my sign, which is water. The symbol of sexuality, and the eternal feminine from which everything is born. I also sweat a LoT on stage!

Tim Abrigg Jr.'s Rock and Roll News Of The Day!: Today's Day in Rock News!

Tim Abrigg Jr.'s Rock and Roll News Of The Day!: Today's Day in Rock News!: Today's Day in Rock Metallica and Paul McCartney Lead Lollapalooza Lineup Metallica, Paul McCartney, Florence and the Machin...

Today's Day in Rock News!

Today's Day in Rock


Metallica and Paul McCartney Lead Lollapalooza Lineup
Metallica, Paul McCartney, Florence and the Machine have been announced as the headliners for this year's Lollapalooza which will be taking place at Grant Park in Chicago on July 31st-August 2nd.

Metallica had this to say about their headlining slot, "It's been nearly 20 years since we've been lucky enough to take the stage at Lollapalooza, so we are over the top that we've been asked to play this year at the now annual extravaganza held at Grant Park in Chicago. We'll be hitting the stage on Saturday, August 1st."

This year's lineup also includes Sam Smith, Charli XCX, Bassnectar, The Weeknd, Of Monsters and Men, Kid Cudi, Alabama Shakes, Alt-J, Tyler the Creator, Philip Selway, Death From Above 1979, Hot Chip, TV on the Radio, Brand New, Gary Clark Jr., Gogol Bordello, and more. See the lineups for each day here.



Jefferson Starship's Paul Kantner Hospitalized For Suspected Heart Attack
Jefferson Airplane and offshoot Jefferson Starship founding member Paul Kantner has been hospitalized after suffering a suspected heart attack. He celebrated his 71st birthday on March 17th.

Jefferson Starship broke the news to fans via their Facebook page and also revealed that they will be continuing their current North American tour without him.

The band wrote on Wednesday, "Hey everybody, Paul's health took a bad turn this week. He's in the hospital, stable and undergoing tests to find out exactly what's going on but doctors suspect he had a heart attack. He is in the best possible care and we are sending him all of our best wishes, good thoughts and healing vibes.

"We're continuing the tour without him, as most of the shows are sold out or close to it and we have to honor our contracts and our fans who bought tickets and put on the best show possible. We will dedicate every show to Paul until he is well enough to rejoin us onstage. Thank you for your continued support during this difficult time."




Deep Purple Announce Summer Tour Dates
Hard rock legends Deep Purple have announced dates for a North American summer tour with some media outlets reporting that the band is expected to announce additional dates soon.

The announced dates kick off on July 14th in Lewiston, NJ at Art Park Amphitheatre and conclude on August 15th in Indio, Ca at the Fantasy Springs Casino.

The band has also previously revealed a spring tour of Mexico that will be launching on May 27th in Puebla at Centro Expositor and wrapping up on June 7th in Ciudad Juarez at Estadio Carta Blanca.

Deep Purple will also be launching a European tour this fall, kicking things off in Lodz, Poland on October 25th at Atlas Arena and concluding the tour on December 3rd in London at the O2.

In late August the group will make two European music festival appearances; the first in Arbon, Switzerland at the Summer Days Festival and the second at the Summer Nights festival in Singmaringen, Germany. See the tour dates.




Megadeth Release Video Featuring New Member
(hennemusic) Megadeth have posted a new online video featuring their new drummer recording in the studio as the group work on the follow-up to 2013's "Super Collider."

The band have yet to confirm their replacement for Shawn Drover, who left in November on the same day as guitarist Chris Broderick announced his exit from the group.

A few weeks ago, former Megadeth drummer Nick Menza revealed the drummer's identity as Chris Adler from Lamb Of God. "Well since (Chris) Adler is playing on the new Megadeth album, do I get to play on Lamb of God new album?," posted Mena. "I'm down for it ....Chris you rock ! one of my favorite drummers. good luck bro ....." See the video here.





Rock Supergroup Kings Of Chaos Announce May Shows
Kings Of Chaos, the all-star Guns N' Roses, ZZ Top, Cheap Trick, Deep Purple super jam band, has announced two shows in the United States that will taking place in May.

The current incarnation of the all-star group features former Guns N' Roses members Duff McKagan, Matt Sorum and Gilby Clarke, ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons, former Deep Purple star Glenn Hughes, Billy Idol's Steve Stevens and Cheap Trick's Robin Zander.

They will be performing in Hollywood, Florida at Hard Rock Live on May 16th and in Mashantucket, Connecticut at The Grand Theater at Foxwoods Resort Casino on May 16th.

Check out their Facebook page here.




Sworn In Frontman Tyler Dennen Drops Off Chelsea Grin Tour
Sworn In frontman Tyler Dennen has been sidelined by bronchitis and laryngitis, forcing him to leave with Chelsea Grin's Ashes To Ashes tour, which also features Carnifex, Black Tongue and The Family Run.

Dennen provided these details to fans, "As some of you may know I've been very sick for the past two weeks. On March 6th I came down with severe strep throat, which subsided and as soon as that happened turned into bronchitis and laryngitis.

"As I continued to push myself to keep touring and playing these shows I've damaged myself very badly. I am a Type One juvenile diabetic which means my immune system is extremely poor, so I quickly picked up more illnesses.

"After visiting an urgent care clinic in Dallas the recommendation was to go to an ENT and my actual doctor to get blood work done. As of now I still have no voice and feel like absolute death, so I took the suggestion and unfortunately had to fly home.

"What this means is I will not be able to perform for the rest of the Ashes To Ashes tour, and that breaks my heart. Fortunately enough I have amazing friends who are willing to fill in for me until I recover, so please I urge you to still come see Sworn In on the rest of this tour while I work on recovering. Thank you all for understanding, and I will see you all soon."

He later reassured fans that the band plans to move forward with their headline tour which kicks off on March 29th. He wrote, "Tyler here again. just to make it clear our headlining tour is NOT cancelled. I am only missing the ashes to ashes tour to ensure that I will be healthy enough to play these headlining sets. don't worry. I'll see you all soon."

The Ashes To Ashes tour will be concluding on March 28th in Sacramento, CA at Ace of Spade.




Former Death Bassist Scott Clendenin Dead At 47
(TeamRock Radio) Former Death bassist Scott Clendenin has died at the age of 47. The musician - who appeared on a number of recent Death To All (DTA) tours and also played with late Death mainman Chuck Schuldiner's band Control Denied - had been dealing with a number of unspecified issues in recent years.

Death's former manager Eric Greif released the following comments, "Scott had some health challenges in the last few years but was optimistic about his prospects.

"Of course he was the skilled player on The Sound Of Perseverance Death album, and recently participated in two DTA live runs, in 2012 and 2013, including the highlight of his acoustic guitar in a poignant rendition of Voice Of The Soul." Read more here.




Nirvana's Krist Novoselic Guests On New Modest Mouse Album
(Radio.com) Modest Mouse are making up for lost time. They may have taken eight years to release their follow up to 2007's We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank, this year's Strangers to Ourselves, but they're already on track to release their next album.

Apparently the Pacific Northwest indie outfit started working on their next full-length while recording the recently released Strangers to Ourselves, according to frontman Isaac Brock.

In an interview with Hot Press, Brock revealed that, 'We basically made two records at the same time. Which, if people look at it that way, cuts down the amount of time it took us to make this record in HALF, man!"

They had help on their next album from Nirvana's Krist Novoselic. 'We ended up finishing tracking with one of his songs that will end up on the next record," Brock said, also mentioning that Novoselic's contribution is impossible to miss. 'You'd recognize it," he added. 'It sounds like a bunch of boulders falling down a mountain!" Read more here.




Iron Maiden's Bruce Dickinson 1st Post Cancer Photos Surface
(Classic Rock) Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson has been pictured for the first time since his cancer treatment - with a moustache. He underwent seven weeks of medical attention after a tumor was discovered on his tongue, forcing the band to postpone plans to release their 16th album.

Dickinson returned to action this week when he attended a press event for his aircraft firm Cardiff Aviation Ltd. Pictures from the event were posted by Iron Maiden Spain.

He shot a video to promote their hybrid Airlander vehicle, sporting the facial hair. Maiden's plans remain on hold until the results of an upcoming MRI scan are known. The band said this week: "Typically, Bruce's reaction was to be as active as feasibly possible, taking in a couple of visits to the Maiden office, one to the Hybrid Air Vehicle hangar to see latest progress, and a brief trip to his local pub - much to the surprise and delight of all his friends there."






Former Smiths Guitarist Johnny Marr Releasing Memoir
(Gibson) Former Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr is telling all in a new memoir. Marr is currently working on his autobiography, which is set to arrive on Century in the fall of 2016. A paperback version will follow in 2017.

"For the past few years as I've been out on tour promoting my solo work fans and journalists have been asking me when I'll write my book," Marr said on his official website. "I'm very happy to say that the time has come to tell my story."

Ben Dunn, publishing director of Century, added, "It's the book Smiths fans have been waiting their whole lives and the early material that Johnny has written is utterly breathtaking." Read more here.






Robben Ford Streaming New Album 'Into The Sun' In Full
(Classic Rock) Robben Ford is streamed his new album "Into The Sun" in full via TeamRock. It's released via Mascot Label Group on March 30, complete with guest appearances by Warren Haynes, Keb' Mo', Robert Randolph, Sonny Landreth, ZZ Ward and Tyler Bryant.

Robben tells The Blues Magazine: "There's a broad range of music on this record - but if I were to put it in a nutshell, it's very uplifting, it's fun, and it's got great energy.

"The rhythm section is really strong. You really get to hear and feel the drums and bass, but then there is all this beautiful colour. And of course we have all our guests to enhance the record."

Check out the album stream here.



Twisted Sister May Not Continue Following AJ Pero's Death
(Classic Rock) Twisted Sister could call an end to their career following the death of drummer AJ Pero, guitarist Jay Jay French has said. The sticksman died while on tour with Adrenaline Mob in the US last week. And despite frontman Dee Snider saying the band will play on in his memory, French reveals they were already thinking about bowing out before news of Pero's death reached them.

The guitarist will now sit down with Snider to discuss future plans - including whether 2016 will be the band's swan song. French says, "We're going to discuss the near term which is the concert in Vegas on May 30, then we'll discuss getting through the shows in Europe this year.

"And then we'll talk about the long term which is - Is 2016 going to be a statement year for us? It's the 40th anniversary of me, Dee and Eddie Ojeda getting together. It may be time. It may be."

He continues: "We are trying to confront the reality of it because I don't want to be in this forever. We could - some bands are forever in that ozone area and continue to play on.

"But we need to look at this and say to ourselves, as a live entity, on which our reputation rests, how do we honor that history? How do we honor AJ? And how do we honor the fans' loyalty?" Read more here.




Atreyu Release 'So Others May' Video
(TeamRock Radio) Atreyu have released a new video for their brand new track "So Others May Live which was filmed live at The Observatory in their native Orange County, California.

The band have also announced that they will be releasing the song as a special 7" vinyl single for Record Store Day on Saturday 18th April, via Spinefarm Records.

And they're marking their UK return with a special one-off date at the Underworld in London on 29th April - followed by an appearance at Groezrock in Belgium on May 1st. Watch the video here.




Billy Corgan Says Smashing Pumpkins' Future Is 'Murky'
(Radio.com) With the touring now complete, Billy Corgan has expanded on quotes that the Smashing Pumpkins might be on the outs in his mind, noting that fans might be too fixated with the past.

"I've only committed to the idea of the Smashing Pumpkins through, pretty much, the end of this year," Corgan told Peru's Radio Oasis (via Rolling Stone). "After that, I'm gonna see how it goes…the future of the Smashing Pumpkins is kind of murky."

Corgan went on to clarify his comments, placing some blame on fair weather fans. "I feel like I really need to evaluate the musical purpose of the Pumpkins because more and more of the audience is fixated on the past," Corgan said. "I know a lot of the audience will say, 'Well, I like your music better from the Nineties, than, say, the music you're making today.'

"But I know they're not listening to the music of today, as much as they were listening to that music' I'm the type of artist that I don't wanna exist in something that is sort of fading like an iceberg into the past."



Van Halen Preview 'Pretty Woman' From New Live Album
(hennemusic) Van Halen have issued audio of their Roy Orbison cover "(Oh) Pretty Woman" as a preview to the upcoming release of "Tokyo Dome Live In Concert", their first-ever live album with original frontman David Lee Roth.

The lead single from 1982's "Diver Down" peaked at No. 12 on the US Billboard 100, delivering the second US Top 40 hit for the band following 1979's "Dance The Night Away" from "Van Halen II."

Van Halen have just announced dates for an extensive North American tour in support of the live album, which was recorded in Japan in 2013 on the band's "A Different Kind Of Truth" tour.

The group will launch the March 31 release of "Tokyo Dome Live in Concert" with a special concert for ABC-TV's Jimmy Kimmel Live March 30 on Hollywood Boulevard. Read more and check out the song preview here.




Bruce Springsteen Releases Classic New Year's Eve 1980 Concert
(hennemusic) Bruce Springsteen has released a New Year's Eve 1980 show from the Nassau Coliseum in Long Island, NY as the fourth offering in his new archival concert series.

The package features the 38-song concert, which clocks in at almost 4 hours in length - typical of shows from the era and the tour in support of his 1980 double album, "The River."

The complete concert is now available for download in high resolution 24 bit / 192 kHz formats, as well as CD-quality and MP3 downloads; it is also available for pre-order as a 3 CD set, shipping late April. Read more here.




The Doors Debut Added To Library Of Congress Registry
(hennemusic) The Doors seminal 1967 self-titled debut album is among 25 new additions selected for induction into the Library Of Congress' National Recording Registry.

Works by Radiohead ("OK Computer"), Sly And The Family Stone ("Stand!"), The Righteous Brothers ("You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'"), Steve Martin ("A Wild and Crazy Guy") and Tennesse Ernie Ford ("Sixteen Tons") and more are being recognized for their cultural, artistic and/or historical significance to American society and the nation's audio legacy.

Under the terms of the National Recording Preservation Act of 2000, the Librarian, with advice from the Library's National Recording Preservation Board (NRPB), is tasked with annually selecting 25 recordings that are "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" and are at least 10 years old.

"Congress understood the importance of protecting America's aural patrimony when it passed the National Recording Preservation Act 15 years ago," says Librarian of Congress James H. Billington. "By preserving these recordings, we safeguard the words, sounds and music that embody who we are as a people and a nation."

The new selections bring the total number of recordings on the registry to 425, a small part of the Library's vast recorded-sound collection of nearly 3 million items.

The Doors debut is considered one of the most influential albums in the progression of psychedelic rock, featuring instant classics like "Break On Through (To The Other Side)", "Soul Kitchen", "The End" and the No. 1 single, "Light My Fire."

The record remains the band's most successful studio release, selling more than 4 million copies in the States alone and over 17 million worldwide.




Joe Satriani and Steve Vai Announce A Benefit For Cliff III
Joe Satriani and Steve Vai have announced "A Benefit For Cliff III" concert for Cliff Cultreri, their friend and the A&R executive that gave them both their big breaks.

The concert will feature performances from Satriani, Vai and Animals As Leaders and is scheduled to take place on June 12th at the Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles.

According to the announcement from MAD Ink, "Cultreri is suffering from a host of Auto-Immune and Connective-Tissue disorders that are simultaneously attacking his immune system, a 1 in 100 million occurrence that causes severe pain and physical debilitations".

Satriani had this to say about the event, "I'm looking forward to sharing the stage with my good friends Steve Vai and Animals as Leaders for a night of unforgettable music."

Vai adds, "It's a great privilege to take to the stage with my friends Joe and Tosin (of Animals As Leaders) in support of our dear buddy Cliff. It's a great cause and will be a magical evening of guitar extravaganza."



AC/DC Announce New Deal Ahead Of World Tour
(hennemusic) AC/DC have signed a multi-year deal with Perryscope Productions and Epic Rights to develop an all-new global merchandising, licensing, retail and ecommerce programs for the band prior to the kick off of their 2015 Rock Or Bust world tour.

"AC/DC has always been the top seller of band merchandise and has an incredible archive of artwork, photos, tour logos and imagery," said Perryscope President Norman Perry and Epic Rights CEO Dell Furano in a joint statement. "AC/DC merchandise designs are some of the most famous in rock, including 'Highway To Hell', 'Back In Black', 'High Voltage' and 'For Those About To Rock', among others.

"These designs are the favorites of rock fans worldwide, and we are very excited about designing and selling great new AC/DC merchandise at their concert venues, online and at retail." Read more here.




Devin Townsend Writing A Symphony
(TeamRock Radio) Devin Townsend's next project will be a symphony, he's announced. He previously revealed he was planning on moving away from his alien creation Ziltoid, after earlier hinting at a work to be entitled Garden Music.

Now Townsend tells Kaaos TV: "I'm writing a symphony, and I'm going to record it in Belgium in Surround Sound with a visual counterpart. It's going to have a lot of instruments that are not typical for orchestral stuff - a combination of everything.

"I want to have something that goes between the extremes of beautiful to total chaos, like hellish apocalypse. I'd like to have a point to it that isn't a story - to do with human things, emotions that I currently struggle with because I don't find myself emotionally very intelligent."

He says much of the inspiration has come from "things in my life that forced me to learn" and adds: "My plan is to make something that is massive in scope, but is not bombast totally." Read more and watch the full interview here.



Royal Thunder Streaming New Song Forgive Me, Karma
(Classic Rock) Royal Thunder are streaming their new track "Forgive Me, Karma" exclusively with TeamRock. The track comes from the group's forthcoming album "Crooked Doors."

Speaking about the track, vocalist/bassist Mlny Parsonz says (in suitably cryptic fashion): "When your intentions are pure, and yet you find yourself hurting everything and everyone around you you can only hope that the universe doesn't make you pay for it.

"But alas, you always do. You will always reap what you sow. That being said, learn something from it in the meantime. Pain is an opportunity to grow." Stream the song here.




Muse Frontman Explains New Album's Theme
(Classic Rock) Muse frontman Matt Bellamy has revealed more about the theme of upcoming album Drones - and warned about the dangers of carrying out military attacks by remote control.

The band's seventh record is released on June 8, before their headline appearance at the Download festival on June 12-14. He's previously explained that the follow-up to The 2nd Law explores a "world run by drones, utilizing drones to turn us all into drones."

Now Bellamy tells the BBC: "Through modern technology, and drone warfare in particular, it's possible to do horrific things at a great distance - without actually feeling any of the consequences, or even feeling responsible.

"The next step in drones is going to be autonomous drones, which actually make 'kill' decisions themselves, with no humans involved." Read more here.




Prophet Omega Releases New Album 'Going Out To Slab City'
(Fresh Tracks) Prophet Omega has just released the new one-man, home recorded concept album "Going Out To Slab City," which is New Yorker Joe Magistro's neo-psych rock follow up to his EMI/Astralwerks debut album "The Natural World."

Written, performed and recorded by Magistro at his home in the Catskill Mountains of New York State, Going Out To Slab City takes the listener song by song on an American road trip from east to west in search of the American Dream.

A journey of yearning, Manifest Destiny and an existential crisis played out on a backdrop of early 70s inspired guitar riffs, tape delay feedback and memorable melodies propelled by the gritty drum beats that made Prophet Omega's debut a favorite with music supervisors.

Prophet Omega recently embarked on a successful North American tour in support of The Black Crowes founder Rich Robinson. Joe has also done occasional stints as a side-man in The Black Crowes, playing on tours and albums, as well as with Tracy Bonham, Robby Krieger, Shivaree, and many others.





Singled Out: Lancer's Behind the Walls
Today Lancer frontman Isak Stenval tells us about the song "Behind the Walls" from their forthcoming sophomore album, "Second Storm," which is set for release on April 10th. Here is the story:

'Behind the Walls' was the last song that was written for this album. I wanted to create a fast speed/thrash song, with a really insane chorus, but still make it sound like LANCER. The song is very inspired by the German heavy metal bands from the 80's, like Accept and Helloween.

My favorite part of the song is the down tempo bridge after the solos. The thundering drums together with the soaring vocal melodies made the bridge sound very Judas Priest-sque, another band that's a big influence of mine. In the bridge I wanted to create a Judgement Day feeling, and the whole mood blends perfectly together with the terrifying lyrics about God's wrath, hordes of evil angels and rain of fire. The lyrical theme of the song is about the city of Gomorrah, about lust and sin. And the conclusion of it all is that God is a real party killer.

When I write songs, I often try to complete the songs as much as possible before I present them to the band. After that, I either get a thumbs up or a thumbs down. They really liked 'Behind the Walls' and so do I. Emil (Öberg, bass) and Sebastian (Pedernera, drums) were most thrilled about the song. Both of them are into more extreme metal, and they really liked the attitude in this song.

When the band listens to my demo recordings, most of the songs are pretty much done, such as the structure, harmonies, melodies and lyrics. When we start to rehearse the songs everyone adds their own personal sound and ideas to the songs, the arrangements and all the details fall into place and the songs start to sound even more LANCER than my demo recordings.

After the songs are finished our producer, Gustav Ydenius, enters the process. He came to listen to our rehearsals and shared his ideas and his touch to the songs. It's always scary to put your work into another person's hands, but it's also fun to see what can be done beyond your own imagination. Since we really trust Gustav it's always nice to have a producer like him involved as much as possible. The production is really cool, straight heavy metal in your face!

Tim Abrigg Jr.'s Rock and Roll News Of The Day!: Today's Day in Rock News!

Tim Abrigg Jr.'s Rock and Roll News Of The Day!: Today's Day in Rock News!: Today's Day in Rock Van Halen Announce North American Tour and TV Appearance Van Halen has announced that they will be launc...

Today's Day in Rock News!

Today's Day in Rock


Van Halen Announce North American Tour and TV Appearance
Van Halen has announced that they will be launching a massive summer and fall tour of North America and to celebrate they will be shutting down Hollywood Boulevard next week for a Jimmy Kimmel Live concert.

The legendary band will be kicking off the tour on July 5th in Seattle, WA at White River Amphitheatre and will conclude the trek on October 2nd in Los Angeles at the Hollywood Bowl. Kenny Wayne Shepherd will be the support act for the trek.

The special Jimmy Kimmel Live concert will be taking place on March 30th and portions of the performance will be broadcast on the late night TV show on March 30th and 31st.

The Kimmel performance will also be historic as it will be Van Halen's first time playing on U.S. television with band's founding frontman David Lee Roth.

The tour and Kimmel performance will be promoting the release of the band's new live album "Tokyo Dome Live In Concert", which will be released on March 31st and features the group's performance from June 21st, 2013 in Tokyo. See the tour dates here.



Scott Weiland Apologizes To Fans
Former Stone Temple Pilots frontman Scott Weiland has issued a public apology to fans over his behavior toward VIP ticket holders at the final stop of his recent Scott Weiland And The Wildabouts tour.

Several fans recounted their unpleasant encounters with Weiland during a meet-and-greet session in Boston where the fans paid extra money to meet Weiland and take a photo with him.

One fan posted on the Stone Temple Pilots Below Empty forum that Weiland said "Let's get this s-t done with" when it came time to take a photo with the singer. Other fans posted about similar experiences.

Now Weiland has posted an apology on Facebook for his behavior. He writes, "I would like to make a sincere apology to the fans that were at the meet and greet in Boston.

"I'm embarrassed by my behavior and some of the things that I said. Fans don't deserve that. Without our fans and supporters, we would not be able to do what we're doing.

"I put my all into the show that night and honestly was just beyond exhausted…either way, I acted like a total a-hole and for that I'm truly sorry. - Scott".





Tom DeLonge Reveals New Song 'The Invisible Parade'
Estranged Blink-182 star Tom DeLonge has released "The Invisible Parade," a new song from his forthcoming debut solo album, "To the Stars...Demos, Odds and Ends."

DeLonge's new solo album is set to be released on April 20th in various formats and "The Invisible Parade," follows the release of "New World," the first song revealed from the effort.

The new track shows his more acoustic side and is a personal track from DeLonge as it was inspired by his brother Shon, who Tom has previously revealed is a member of Naval Special Warfare. DeLonge explained the inspiration on Twitter. He wrote, "I wrote this song about my brother coming home to San Diego after the war."

As we reported earlier this week, the new solo album will not be the only new album that DeLonge plans to release this year. Last week he tweeted "I am putting out 4 albums in one year - this year." He then posted another message giving more details, "To clarify, 2 albums with Angels [and Airwaves], 2 albums from myself. 3 of them are released with novels. This has been in the works for a couple of years."




Iron Maiden Optimistic About Bruce Dickinson's Cancer Fight
(hennemusic) Iron Maiden has issued an update on singer Bruce Dickinson's health status as he recovers from recent cancer treatments. The band announced Dickinson's cancer diagnosis on February 19, saying a small cancerous tumor at the back of his tongue was discovered during a routine visit to the doctor just prior to Christmas; a seven week course of chemotherapy and radiology treatment was completed and the prognosis is for a full recovery by late May.

"Over the last few days, Bruce has been to see his specialists and following examinations, including visual, we're delighted to update everyone that the situation remains extremely optimistic for a full recovery," says the group.

"We will still not have final confirmation that the cancer has been completely eradicated until Bruce can have an MRI scan in May, as previously advised in manager Rod Smallwood's recent message to fans, and the period to full recovery will continue for a few months yet.

"Typically, Bruce's immediate reaction to the specialists' good news was to be as active as feasibly possible, taking in a couple of visits to the Maiden office, one to the Hybrid Air Vehicle hangar to see latest progress, and a brief trip to his local pub, much to the surprise and delight of all his friends there!" Read more here.




Metallica Album Secret Revealed By Mixing Engineer
(Classic Rock) Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich was responsible for turning down the sound of Jason Newsted's bass on 1988's ...And Justice For All, according to mixing engineer Steve Thompson.

Thompson was behind the desk at Bearsville Studios, New York overseeing the final stages of the album, which has often been criticized for its lack of audible bass.

And Thompson insists that while he was happy with the bass sound when mixing the record, it was Ulrich who wanted it reduced. He tells Ultimate Guitar: "What I wanted to do and what Lars wanted to do was totally different, which kind of upset me a little bit. I loved Metallica and was very familiar with them.

"I listened to the tracks and said to myself, 'These sound like ass.' I chased everybody out of the room and redesigned the drum sound and brought the guitars up. Jason Newsted killed it on bass. Perfect marriage with Hetfield's guitars.

"Lars comes walking in a couple of minutes later and listens to about a minute of it and goes, 'Turn that off. What happened to my drum sound?' We had to get the drum sound up the way he had it. I wasn't a fan of it. So now he goes, 'See the bass guitar?' and I said, 'Yeah, great part, man. He killed it.' Lars said, 'I want you to bring down the bass where you can barely, audibly hear it in the mix.' I said, 'You're kidding, right?'" Read more here.



Peter Hook To Play Entire Joy Division Catalog At Special Show
(Radio.com) Peter Hook has announced that he plans to perform the entire Joy Division catalog of songs at a very special show that will be called "So This Is Permanence" in May.

Radio.com reports:As for what the Joy Division catalog refers to, it means the band's two proper releases, 1979's Unknown Pleasures and 1980's Closer, both of which have been performed in completion plenty of times.

But, it also refers to 1981's Still, a collection of unreleased Joy Division tracks that came out a year after Curtis' death. This will be the first time that Still will be performed live in its entirety.

"So This Is Permanence" will take place on May 18 at the Christ Church in Macclesfield, England, the city where the band's legendary frontman grew up and eventually took his own life in 1980. Read more here.




Creed's Scott Stapp Completed Rehab Program
Creed guitarist Mark Tremonti reveals in a new interview that his Creed bandmate Scott Stapp completed treatment in a rehab facility following his disturbing behavior last fall.

Stapp made headlines in November that began when posted a video online that claimed he was homeless and he was eventually placed on psychiatric hold after threatening to kill himself, leading many to believe he was no longer sober.

Tremonti now tells Loudwire that Stapp sought treatment. "Thank God he got through it all and his family got him into treatment. I think he went through a 90-day program. I know he went to get help and now he's out of the treatment, so hopefully he stays sober."




Tesseract Forced To Cancel U.S. Shows
Tesseract announced on Tuesday that they have been forced to cancel their planned performances in the U.S. next month due to "visa issues and unlucky timing".

The band was scheduled to perform at the Texas Independence Festival in Austin on April 10th and follow up the next day with a concert at The Bomb Factory in Dallas.

Here is what the band had to say about the cancelations, "It's with the deepest regret that due to reasons outside of our control, Tesseract are no longer able to play the Texas Independent Festival in Austin or The Bomb Factory in Dallas next month.

"A combination of visa issues and unlucky timing have meant that despite our hardest efforts, it is simply not possible for us to get to the USA for these shows. We are totally gutted as we've been looking forward to playing with some of our really good friends, drinking lonestar and eating Texan steak, but most importantly playing to you guys.

"We will however be touring the US later this year with dates in both cities and we may have some new music to play you by then too. Once again, we are very sorry for any disappointment caused, but we'll make it up to you in the fall."




Lynyrd Skynyrd Look Back With 'Sweet Home Alabama' Live Album
(hennemusic) Lynyrd Skynyrd will release an expanded version of audio from their 2008 live DVD, "Sweet Home Alabama", on CD and digital formats for the first time, on June 2.

The updated package presents the original 14-track set by their mid-90's lineup in concert at Rockpalast's Loreley Festival in 1996, and adds three songs recorded live at the Hamburg Musikhalle on December 5, 1974 with the band's original lineup: "Working For MCA," "Free Bird" and "Sweet Home Alabama."

The group are currently playing shows across North America and recently announced dates for a European tour, which opens April 21 in Glasgow, Scotland. Check out the tracklisting for the new release here.




Sugar Ray, Uncle Kracker, Better Than Ezra and Eve 6 Under The Sun Tour
Sugar Ray and Uncle Kracker have announced that they will be teaming up again this summer for the next installment of the Under The Sun Tour which will also feature Better Than Ezra and Eve 6.

The tour is scheduled to get underway on July 17th at the Wildhorse Casino in Chandler, AZ and will cross the U.S. before conclude in Atlanta, GA at the Delta Classic Chastain Park Amphitheater on August 26th.

Sugar Ray frontman Mark McGrath, had this to say about the trek, "It's that time of year, my friends. The time when the Under the Sun 2015 Tour comes into your town to bring you some of the biggest bands and biggest hits of a decade we all know and love: The 90's!

"So grab a cold one, call some friends -- or come make some new ones! -- and enjoy some of the music that's become the soundtrack of our lives. It's gonna be a rad summer!" See the tour dates here.




Whitesnake Stream New Version Of Deep Purple Classic 'Burn'
(hennemusic) Whitesnake have revealed an online audio stream of the classic Deep Purple track, "Burn", as a preview of their upcoming May 19 release, "The Purple Album."

The group's 12th album sees frontman David Coverdale re-recording classic songs from the Deep Purple's Mark 3 and Mark 4 records he appeared on: "Burn" (1974), "Stormbringer" (1974) and "Come Taste The Band" (1975).

"It's a tribute. A homage," explains Coverdale. "It's a huge thank you from me to Deep Purple for the opportunity I was given over 40 years ago. As I said to Ritchie, you guys set me on an incredible journey that continues today and I couldn't have asked for better teachers."

Whitesnake recently announced the first series of dates for a North American tour in support of the project, with shows set to begin May 28 in Airway Heights, Washington. Read more and stream the song here.




Tremonti Release 'Another Heart' Lyric Video
(hennemusic) Tremonti, led by Alter Bridge/Creed guitarist Mark Tremonti, have issued a lyric video for the track, "Another Heart", from their forthcoming second album, "Cauterize."

Due June 9, the follow-up to 2012's "All I Was" was produced by Michael "Elvis" Baskette (Alter Bridge, Slash). "Another Heart" is the latest tune previewed from the project, following "Flying Monkeys" and several other songs from the upcoming release.

Tremonti now features bassist Wolfgang Van Halen, who joined the group at the start of their fall 2012 tour - on 24 hours notice - to fill in on bass for Brian Marshall. Check out the video here.




Deep Purple's Ian Gillan Makes Ritchie Blackmore Admission
(Classic Rock) Deep Purple singer Ian Gillan has recalled how he used to go to the pub during bandmate Ritchie Blackmore's guitar solos. And the only thing that stopped him was the group's success as the 1960s and 1970s progressed, making it more difficult to pull off the sneaky feat.

Blackmore bowed out of Purple in 1993. Recent attempts by David Coverdale to reunite the MkIII lineup as a tribute to late keyboardist Jon Lord failed to work out.

Gillan tells Radio Rock: "I love extended solos. I used to like them in the old days a lot - because it used to give me time to go to the pub for a drink. I used to have to tell one of the roadies, 'When Ritchie looks like he's nearly finished, come to the pub and let me know.' Every night; I'm serious."

He describes Blackmore's solos as "his personal orgy" and adds: "In England there used to be pubs near the stage door. But when we started playing bigger places, of course, you can't leave the building." Read more here.



AC/DC Thought AC/DC Bandmates Were Boring?
(TeamRock Radio) AC/DC icon Bon Scott asked to travel with Y&T in 1976 because he wanted to escape from his "boring" bandmates, Dave Meniketti has recalled. And the veteran mainman admits to regrets over laughing at Motley Crue when they played their debut show with his outfit in 1981.

Scott, pictured above in 1976, asked to share a basic van with Y&T that didn't have enough seating, meaning he had to sit on the floor. Meniketti tells 93.3 WMMR: "The very first day we did soundcheck together, Bon came back he was like, 'What are you guys travelling in?' We showed him, and he was like, 'Would you mind if I come with you?

"'These guys are really boring. They won't let me drink. They won't let any groupies on the bus.' He figured he was going to have more fun with us - and I'm absolutely certain he did." Read more here.



W.A.S.P. Releasing New Album This Summer
W.A.S.P. has announced that they will be releasing their new studio album, entitled "Golgotha", this August under a new worldwide deal that they just signed with Napalm Records.

W.A.S.P. frontman Blackie Lawless had this to say about the new deal, "W.A.S.P. are excited to announce they have signed an exclusive recording contract with Napalm Records.

"We chose Napalm for their personal belief and professional commitment to our career. We're looking forward to years of great success together starting with the release of our upcoming album Golgotha".

Napalm Records' Thomas Caser adds, "It is a true honor to announce this signing today, a dream has come true. With their impressive career and ability to create musical masterpieces W.A.S.P have always been one of the most influential Metal bands out there since the beginning of their career. We are thrilled about the upcoming album Golgotha which will be released this summer!"

"Golgotha" follows the veteran metal band's 2009 album "Babylon."




Bernie Torme Crowdfunding New Album
(Classic Rock) Bernie Torme has launched a crowdfunding campaign for his next solo album. The Irish icon - known for his work with Ozzy Osbourne and Ian Gillan - issued Flowers & Dirt last year after a crowdfunding campaign which smashed its target in 24 hours.

It was his first album in 15 years and he's moved fast to outline his plans for the follow-up. Torme says: "I am really so delighted to be doing another album with PledgeMusic.

"Last year when I did a PledgeMusic campaign for the first time I really had no idea what was going to happen or how it would all pan out. Suffice to say it went absolutely brilliantly, lots of pledges, lots of pledgers, by the end I had received over 400% of my goal." Read more here.




Saxon Mixing Things Up On New Album
(Classic Rock) Saxon frontman Biff Byford says the band's 21st album will have a "brutal" sound. They've started work on the follow-up to 2013's Sacrifice with drummer Nigel Glockler.

He was allowed to leave hospital last month following brain surgery in the wake of being diagnosed with an aneurysm during Saxon's winter UK tour.

Byford tells Metal Wani: "He's just done the drums on the album. He's doing good, he's working out and getting fit. I'm writing lyrics now and doing melodies.

"It's a mixture of rock and roll and heavy metal, as always. Some tracks are going to be brutal and other tracks are going to be about driving motorcycles and having sex and fun. So it's a mixture again." Read more here.




Mastodon Excited By Game Of Thrones Involvement
(Prog) Mastodon's Brann Dailor says they couldn't turn down the opportunity to contribute a track for the second volume of the Game Of Thrones mixtape as they're such big fans of the show.

They selected White Walker for the Catch The Throne compilation which also features artists including Anthrax, Killswitch Engage and Mushroomhead.

And Dailor says it was an easy decision to make as it gave them a chance to show another side to the band. He tells FasterLouder: "We're big fans of the show, and the writer is a big metal fan. Brent Hinds met some of the cast and one of the writers at Sonisphere, and we just kept in touch. They told us about this mixtape.

"Last year it was kind of a hip-hop thing, and they said they wanted to branch out and make it more of a mixtape and have other kinds of music involved. One of the styles they wanted was to include some metal bands.

"We get together and watch it - we're big fans. So when the opportunity presented itself we were excited to be a part of it. We're excited with what we were able to come up with, even if it's not a metal song per se." Read more here.




Floor Jansen Puts ReVamp On Hold To Focus On Nightwish
(Prog) Floor Jansen says she is so busy with Nightwish that she has "no time" for her other band ReVamp. Confirming that ReVamp are officially on hiatus, Jansen admits she would fear for her health if she were to work full-time with both bands.

Jansen tells Metal Blast: "It's inevitable, and from the day I joined Nightwish it has affected ReVamp. I found it very difficult to do both things at the same time.

"When I joined Nightwish, we were in the middle of the writing process, we had just planned to go to the studio, and we had to postpone the release. In between tours I was recording an album, promoting an album, and then when I started to tour with Nightwish, I was also touring with ReVamp, which was just a lot.

"This is not something that I wish to do, if only because of my own sanity and health, and because I feel that both bands need 100% of your devotion and time, and doing both at the same time just isn't possible for me.

"So now it's full-on Nightwish time, and there's no time for ReVamp." Read more here.




Origin and Morgoth Added To Neurotic Deathfest 2015
Origin, Morgoth, Centurian and Korpse are the final acts announced for the Neurotic Deathfest 2015 which will be taking place on April 17-19 in Tilburg, the Netherlands.

The new additions take the total band count for the 12th annual installment of the festival to 42 bands. Bloodbath, Obituary and Entombed A.D. lead the lineup.

The lineup also includes Devourment, Nader Sadek, Broken Hope, Pyrexia, Tribulation, Internal Suffering, Benighted, Internal Bleeding, Dead Congregation, Sinister, Disavowed, Soulburn, Liquid Graveyard, Mass Infection, Gorod, Kronos, Ingested, Holocausto Canibal, Jig-Ai, Nominon, Unfathomable Ruination, Acranius, Cardiac Arrest, Incinerate, Regurgitate Life, Hideous Divinity, Contrastic, Perfecitizen, The Walking Dead Orchestra, Near Death Condition, Bleeding Utopia, Abhorrent Decimation, Neuroma and Slaughter To Prevail.





Van Halen Stream 'Hot For Teacher' From New Live Album
(hennemusic) Van Halen have released an online stream of their 1984 hit, "Hot For Teacher", as a preview to "Tokyo Dome Live In Concert", ahead of its release on March 31.

The fourth single from the "1984" album peaked at No. 56 on the US Billboard 100 following the band's first (and only) No. 1, "Jump", and follow-up tunes "I'll Wait" and "Panama."

Van Halen frontman David Lee Roth recently delivered the introduction for a new video featuring a cover of "Hot For Teacher" by YouTube personality Trisha Paytas.

Van Halen's first-ever live album with Roth will be available as a double CD, four-LP set on 180-gram vinyl, and digitally. Stream the song here.




Dan Patlansky Release 'Backbite' Video
(Classic Rock) Dan Patlansky has released a new music video for "Backbite," taken from his forthcoming album Dear Silence Thieves, the follow-up to 2013's Wooden Thoughts.

Patlanksy, who's supported the likes of Bruce Springsteen and Everlast, will play London's Borderline venue on the day the album is released in the UK, April 27th.

The will be the kick off of a short national tour. He returns to the UK in November as the main support on Joe Satriani's Shockwave tour. See the dates and watch the video here.




Gary Clark Jr. Reunites With Friend That Inspired Him
(The Blues Gary Clark Jr. has appeared in a documentary where he meets up with the friend who got him into blues music. The guitarist last year hailed Eve Monsees, the childhood companion who took him to his first-ever concert.

Speaking while accepting his Grammy award for Best Traditional R&B Performance, Clark said: "I wouldn't be playing guitar, I wouldn't be playing music, if it weren't for her."

The Rolling Stone video includes a clip of Clark and Monsees, both in their teens, performing Stevie Ray Vaughan's Pride And Joy at a talent show they went on to win. Watch it here.




Singled Out: Young Guns' Rising Up
Today Young Guns singer Gustav Wood tells us about "Rising Up" from their forthcoming album "Ones and Zeros," which will be released on June 9th in North America. Here is the story:

Like most of our songs "Rising Up" spent a long time being written, changed and then changed again. We decided to move ourselves to a different location as we had hit a creative wall, and so packed some bags and studio gear and stayed in John and Fraser's parents house while they were away for a few weeks.

We'd been working on what would become "Rising Up" but were having trouble making all of our ideas and things that we wanted out of the song to sit together and make sense. There were a few key things that we liked, which were; the big stomping heavy riff that kicks the song off, the fact that the chord progression was the same throughout the whole song (an idea we'd tried many times before but had never been able to get onto a recorded album track so far), and the general attitude of the song itself. It felt lairy and raucous and heavy but in a really interesting way.

We had decided, as we had with everything on the album, that whatever we did we wanted it to be new and interesting creatively speaking, and not a repeat of ideas we had already done in the past.

To that end, if something was to be heavy, like the riff was, the challenge was how to make it heavy without doing what we would usually do, so the 'chorus' riff was played on single strings in drop-B tuning with an octave pedal to add even more low end and heaviness without having to track loads of guitars and doubled it up with a super distorted low synth that slid between the notes and really added a modern feel.

We had Ben play hi-hats consistently throughout the whole song, instead of the standard crash and ride style that we would have traditionally gone to. We used synths for extra atmosphere in the verses to open them up and contrast the tightly coiled nature of the chorus and sequencing for more rhythm and melody moments which was really exciting for us.

We liked the attitude and swagger that the song had and so for the vocals we channeled Michael Jackson and that's where the opening line of 'yeah, they say that your best ain't good enough' comes from. We could really imagine him singing that and so that was the vocal that stuck (out of the countless ones I'd written for the song previously).

We also liked the contrast of the big riff and groove contrasting with the air-y nature of the back half of the vocal melody with the falsetto arrangement, and didn't try to 'over-hook' the chorus so that the main melody in the bridge between chorus and verse two would stand out which again has more of a pop sensibility to it.

When it came to the middle 8, we talked for a long time about the hip hop sequencing pattern, as there are elements to it (and the whole song in general) that we hadn't attempted before. There is always the discussion of balancing who you are as band, or rather what people's perceptions of your band is, and what you want to do to be creatively satisfied, but for us this album had to be about taking risks and pushing ourselves into new places sonically and so we decided to keep it in.

There's a defiance and a swagger to the song and we felt that, as we have done since day one, the best course of action was and always is to be true to yourself creatively and do what feels right and is therefore the most honest.

We took it into the studio in Bath to do the album and as soon as the riff dropped in our producer Steve stood up and put his fists in the air and we knew we'd achieved what we wanted to.

I'm glad the track made the cut because it's super fun to play live and feels like a fresh exciting rock song and I love hearing it super loud when we play it, even in soundcheck.