Today's Day in Rock News!

Today's Day in Rock


Blink-182's Travis Barker Calls On Tom DeLonge To 'Man Up'
(Radio.com) Blink-182's Travis Barker recently was interviewed by Alternative Nation, where he gave more insight into the whole fiasco over Tom DeLonge's status in the band, noting that he has no bad blood with his former bandmate.

"I think the right thing for him to do would just man up and quit the band instead of telling people he didn't quit and just be real with the fans," Barker said. "I think that would give him some closure too and really do what he's passionate about.

"Even amongst all the other projects I do, I can always find a way to prioritize and still be passionate about Blink-182 when it comes around. I love playing, listening, and everything about punk rock. It changed my life. I think for Tom, he doesn't like punk music and it was a phase for him."

Barker also says that this is the third time DeLonge has quit. Read more here.




Metallica 'Close To Being Done' Creating New Album Songs
(hennemusic) Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich says the band have written close to 20 songs for the follow-up to 2008's "Death Magenetic" and he says the "creative elements are getting close to being done".

Ulrich gave Rolling Stone an update on the progress of the songwriting for the new album, "We are f***ing in it. We've got lots of songs, and we're honing them and tweaking them. It's pretty close."

He then defined what he meant by close. "The creative elements are getting close to being done," the drummer says. "Just remember, this is still 'Metallica time.' When I say we're close to being done, it means the next month or so. There's a lot of stuff going on as life continues with family and personal events.... But we are certainly down there [writing] pretty much every day."

While the band has yet to choose a producer for the project, Ulrich reveals the group are likely to debut some of the new material during their 2015 live shows. Read more here.




Robert Plant and Alison Krauss Reuniting For Lead Belly Tribute Show
(Radio.com) Robert Plant seems determined not to get back with Led Zeppelin ever again, and but he's left the door open on a reunion with his other massively successful collaborator, Alison Krauss.

Although he nixed a planned follow-up to the duo's follow-up to the six time GRAMMY wining 2007 album, Raising Sand, he and Krauss will perform together at a tribute to folk blues icon Lead Belly (aka Huddie Ledbetter).

According to the Washington Post, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss will top a star-studded lineup for 'Lead Belly at 125: A Tribute to an American Songster" on April 25 at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. Read more here.




Megadeth Pay Tribute To Fans That Died In Car Crash
Megadeth paid tribute to Patrick Dubas, an Iraq war veteran who will killed in a car crash on Tuesday (March 3rd), whom band leader Dave Mustaine called one of their most "loyal fans and friend."

The band posted the following message, signed by Mustaine and the group's longtime webmaster Dave McRobb, on their Facebook page, "Pat lost his life in a fatal car crash Tuesday morning, March 3 near 186th & State Street in Bennington, Nebraska.

"Pat was a Staff Sergeant in the U.S. Army Reserves as a Transportation Specialist for 23 years. He had served two tours in Iraq from 2003-2004 and 2007-2008, and one in Kuwait from 2009-2010. He served with the 172nd Transportation Company (disbanded) and the 443rd Transportation Company. With serving honorably in the U.S Army Reserve, Pat was also a Military Technician for the Department of the Army as a Heavy Mobile Equipment Repairer and a Tool Room Specialist for 12 years.

"Pat was a loyal Megadeth fan, Cyber Army club member and friend. Every year he would be excited to submit his Christmas Card designs to the Megadeth Christmas Card Contest, and he holds the record for being in the Top 10, four times. He won the card contest in 2012 and was runner up in 2010, 2011, and 2014. He was already working on a Christmas Card design for 2015. Pat had attended meet 'n greets with Megadeth, would wear his Megadeth shirts proudly at home and overseas, would correspond with us here at Megadeth.com on a regular basis, and even had a tattoo of Vic Rattlehead with a Staff Sergeant insignia.

"Pat had this special ability to brighten the day of anyone he came in contact with. Whenever you were in a group with him, the laughter from his humor was infectious. He was a great Soldier, Non-Commissioned Officer, a loving husband and dedicated family man leaving behind his wife, Terri, his two sons and a granddaughter.

"Thank you for your service and for being such a loyal fan and friend. We will miss you, Pat." See the post, along with photos, here.




Kid Rock Kept From The Top Of The Album Chart
Kid Rock's latest album, "First Kiss", has debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard album sales chart behind "Dark Sky Paradise," the new release from hip hop star Big Sean.

Sean sold 139,000 copies of his album, just two thousand more than Rock's 137,000 in actual sales. The new Billboard 200 album chart also accounts for streaming in the tally, with Rock coming in at 146,000 to Sean's sales and streams of 173,000.

hennemusic reports that the follow-up to 2012's "Rebel Soul" was produced by Rock - with the exception of two songs which were co-produced by Dann Huff - and was recorded at his studio in Michigan. Read more here.




Anthrax's Scott Ian Says It 'Wasn't Great' For Bands in 80s
(Classic Rock) Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian accepts that bands trying to find success in the modern world face an uphill struggle - but says it wasn't necessarily easier back in his day.

He and his contemporaries faced their own battles to find their way to the big time in the 1980s, even though those battles were different to the ones faced today.

Ian tells Musician's Friend: "I can't say it was great in the 80s. It's the music business - it's never been populated by like-minded individuals, meaning the people running the business aren't your bros in the bands."

He argues that one positive was the way artists were funded. "The philosophy was, you developed the band over a course of four or five records, and then hopefully you'd have a gold record.

"None of these bands made it on their first album, or even mostly their second. It was on their third or fourth that most bands started their careers - then people would go back and buy the earlier stuff.

"It was few and far between that bands blew up on their first record, and never looked back." He goes on to talk about how things have changed. Read that and watch the video here.




Led Zeppelin Learned From Vanilla Fudge
(Classic Rock) Vanilla Fudge mainman Mark Stein says he gave Led Zeppelin valuable advice when the rock icons were supporting his band in the 60s. The group have just released covers album Spirit Of '67 via Purple Pyramid Records, with bassist Pete Bremy joining original members Stein, drummer Carmine Appice and guitarist Vince Martell on the album

And while looking back at the late Sixties, Stein recalls Zeppelin supporting Vanilla Fudge - and he remembers having a few words of wisdom for the fledgling rockers.

He tells the Broward/Palm Beach New Times: "The first big tour we did was with Jimi Hendrix in 1968 and it was amazing. I got to hang out with Hendrix and to know him pretty well.

"When Led Zeppelin first came out in 1968, we broke them in. We headlined and they opened for us because we were label mates so we really got to know each other."

He continues: "They were learning things from us. I remember telling Robert Plant to move around more and I suggested to Jimmy Page that he get some bigger amps. It may sound a bit condescending, but it's a fact. " Read more here.



Black Sabbath's Iommi Pleads For The Lives Of Two Drug Convicts
(Classic Rock) Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi has pleaded for the lives of two Australians sentenced to death in Indonesia, by writing a letter to the country's President Joko Widodo - a heavy metal fan.

Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran were arrested in 2005 over their involvement in a smuggling group known as the Bali Nine. They were later convicted and await execution.

The letter, dated March 3, was delivered to the president, known as Jokowi, in Jakarta today. Iommi writes: Your Excellency, I understand and respect your efforts to combat drug abuse in Indonesia. I have seen first-hand the negative impacts that drugs can have on people and their families. That is why I understand your strong views on this issue."

He continues: "The Indonesian prison system has had great success in transforming Andrew and Myuran. I appeal to you, as a forgiving man, to take note of their transformation. They are reformed men, who are making a positive difference to the lives of their fellow prisoners." Read more here.




Grohl Stops Foo Fighters Show For Blind Fan
(Classic Rock) A video clip shot last week shows Foo Fighters mainman Dave Grohl interrupting his band's performance to grant a request to fan. The audience member in Sydney, Australia, is holding up a sign that asks for a memento from the show - and the bandleader obliges.

Grohl tells the crowd: "We love coming here to play shows for you people." He turns to Hawkins and says, "Give me a drumstick," then hands it down from the stage.

He explains: "There's a guy in the front row, he's got a sign that says, 'Drum stick for a blind guy.'" He then carries on with the show. Check out the video clip here.




Former Broken Hope Star Ryan Stanek Dead At 42
(TeamRock Radio) Former Broken Hope drummer Ryan Stanek has died at the age of 42, former bandmate Jeremy Wagner has reported. Stanek co-founded the death metal band in 1998 and left in 1997 and appeared on their first four albums Swamped In Gore, The Bowels Of Repugnance, Repulsive Conception and Loathing.

Wagner says: "Though Ryan and I didn't talk that often since he split from Broken Hope, we did correspond once in a while, and we always wished each other well.

"Ryan's artistic talents went beyond drums - he also played acoustic guitar incredibly well, wrote some of the segues on the earlier albums, contributed his own lyrical parts. He became a singer-songwriter post Broken Hope, where he expressed his art his own way, and very well."

The guitarist adds a personal message to his old friend: "If you can hear my words, please know that I'll never forget you. You enriched and changed my life for the better." Read more here.




Exodus's Souza Predicts Partial Dublin Death Patrol Reunion On Tour
(Classic Rock) Exodus frontman Steve Souza predicts his band's tour dates with Testament are likely to feature a partial live reunion of Dublin Death Patrol. He co-founded the supergroup with Testament counterpart Chuck Billy in 2006, alongside other musicians who'd made it out of Dublin, California - including Machine Head's Phil Demmel and Tesla's Troy Luccketta.

Souza, who returned to Exodus last year in time for tenth album Blood In Blood Out, tells The Metal Hammer Radio Show: "Alex Skolnick of Testament came up to me at a show and said, 'You know we're going to have to throw Alone In The Dark or something in there.

"I go, 'I'm sure!' Between Chuck and myself there's going to be some kind of vocal collaboration going on." The pair's friendship goes back to their childhood. "Chuck's father was a baseball coach in little-league, so if you played baseball you knew the Billys," Souza says. "I was more friends with his younger brother Andy, because Chuck was two years older than me." Read more here.




Hawkwind Releasing 11-Disc Box Set Of Their Formative Years
(Classic Rock) Hawkwind have confirmed plans to release an 11-disc box set covering their formative years. Due later this month, "This Is Your Captain Speaking… Your Captain Is Dead" contains their first five studio albums, two live albums and a compilation of singles.

Parlophone Records say: "On January 28, 1970, Hawkwind - Dave Brock, Mick Slattery, Nik Turner, Terry Ollis, Dik Mik, and John A. Harrison - signed to Liberty Records. Slattery left soon after, to be replaced by Huw Lloyd-Langton, and the banded record their first, self-titled, album at Trident Studios in London.

"The period from 1970 to 1974 proved to be a busy time, seeing several lineup changes, the rise to prominence of a certain Ian 'Lemmy' Kilmister, the ingenious Space Ritual Tour - and a peculiar ban from BBC recording sessions. This box set celebrates that period."





Judas Priest's Rob Halford Thinks Artists Will Win Streaming Battle
(Classic Rock) Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford has called for fairness to prevail in the battle over streaming services in the music industry. He believes firms like Spotify should rethink their relationship with artists - and hopes that common sense will prevail in the long term.

His comments come after figures showed that, for every €10 spent on streaming subscriptions, just 68c are paid directly to musicians. Halford tells 3News: "The big ones like Spotify appreciate the position they're in. They've got buckets of money. I think you've just got to be 'fair's fair' here. Without us, you don't have a streaming company - that's it, plain and simple."

He says the argument will play out the way the one over iTunes did in the last decade, adding: "It's a struggle. It's a battle. But I think the artists will prevail. I'm hoping we'll see some common sense from Spotify and the others to make it all work for everybody." Read more here.




Six Feet Under Set Release Of New Album 'Crypt Of The Devil'
(TeamRock Radio) Six Feet Under have announced that they will release their 11th album, entitled "Crypt Of The Devil" on May 5th in North America and on May 4th in the UK and they have released a track from the effort.

Mainman Chris Barnes says the work continues his theme of seeing the world from a serial killer's viewpoint. The former Cannibal Corpse vocalist was joined by Cannabis Corpse's Phil 'Landphil' Hall on writing duties. The band's live lineup is completed by guitarist Steve Swanson, bassist Jeff Hughell and drummer Marco Pitruzella.

Barnes says: "The songs paint a picture that's not necessarily liner - rather meandering back and forth through a dark soul. It's a winding journey through his mind." Read more and check out the song "Open Coffin Orgy" here.




Former White Lion Singer Mike Track Working On New Album
(Classic Rock) Former White Lion frontman Mike Tramp has confirmed he's at work on the follow-up to 2014 album Museum. And he says the material will be solid classic rock, more akin to 1997 debut Capricorn, without the acoustic elements that featured in his recent output.

Tramp tells Classic Rock: "It's the completion of a trilogy that I call, 'This Is Me, Take It Or Leave It - I Ain't Going Nowhere Else.' It's a natural progression from 2013's Cobblestone Street and 2014's Museum, but it's for sure a pure rock album. The word 'acoustic' will not be part of the description."

He's working with long-time producer, engineer and guitarist Soen Andersen, their Rock'n'Roll Circus drummer Morten Hellborn, old-hand keyboardist Morten Buchholz and bassist Jesper Haugaard. Read more here.




Primus Taking Their Willy Wonka Show Across The Pond
(Classic Rock) Primus have announced they'll bring their Willy Wonka-themed show to the UK in June. It will mark the first time the classic-era lineup of mainman Les Claypool, guitarist Larry LaLonde and drummer Tim 'Herb' Alexander have played in Britain for 18 years.

The shows are based on last year's Primus & The Chocolate Factory With The Fungi Ensemble - a reimagining of the soundtrack to the 1971 Wonka movie starring Gene Wilder. They'll play two sets each night.

Last year Claypool told Metal Hammer: "We plan on pounding out old tunes - stripped-down, bare bones 1990-era Primus. Then the curtain opens and all of a sudden you're in the Chocolate Factory and we do the whole project from start to finish. Read more here.




Pink Floyd's David Gilmour Announces European Tour
(Classic Rock) Pink Floyd legend David Gilmour has announced a short European tour in September. The dates are in support of the guitarist's as-yet-untitled fourth solo studio album, his first since 2006's On An Island.

Last October Gilmour talked about his new album, saying, "It's coming along very well. There are some sketches that aren't finished and some will be started again... Then I'm hoping to do an old man's tour, not a 200-date sort of thing."

In December, the guitarist performed at the final concert at London's Earls Court venue, joining Bombay Bicycle Club onstage to perform the classic Pink Floyd classic Wish You Were Here. Check out the dates here.




Emerson, Lake & Palmer Releasing Four-Disc Live Set
(Prog) Emerson, Lake & Palmer live recordings from South America are to be released in a four-disc set next month. The tracks are taken from four concerts in the 1990s - three in April 1993 and one in August 1997.

Label Manticore Records had the following to say about the release, "Featuring extended workouts of their best-known tunes, this value-priced collection comes in a wallet pack.

"The specific concerts are Estadio Chile in Santiago, April 1, 1993; Obras Stadium, Buenos Aires, Argentina on April 5, 1993; and Metropolitan Theater, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on August 16, 1997." Read more including track details here.





Nickelback Show Their Funny Side In 'She Keeps Me Up' Video
(Radio.com) In "She Keeps Me Up" Nickelback does a wardrobe 180 that will challenge everything you think you know about Nickelback and their sense of humor. No longer Canadian rockers, the members don suits that are meant to evoke the J. Geils Band but land more like the Dick Clark Five and take the stage in an underground disco club.

In this magical alternate universe, their whole audience is women. Women with the hair of Diana Ross circa "Love Hangover" and the outfits of extras from Austin Powers: Goldmember. Women who are, inexplicably, breathlessly happy to be there.

Coca-Cola and monkeys are name checked in the chorus, which is a real speedy tongue twister, while the bartender does his best impression of Tom Cruise in Cocktail.

What do all these B-movie, forgotten culture references add up to? An actually funny video. Watch the video here.



Eddie Van Halen Studio 'Eruption' Video Goes Online
(hennemusic) A new video of Eddie Van Halen jamming his 1978 classic, "Eruption", at his 5150 studios has surfaced. Son and bassist Wolfgang Van Halen recently shared footage of the action via Instagram.

This week, Van Halen issued "Runnin' With The Devil" and "Panama" as a preview to the upcoming release of "Tokyo Dome Live In Concert", their first-ever live album with original frontman David Lee Roth.

Due March 31, the project features the band recorded live at the Japanese venue on June 21, 2013 as part of their tour in support of 2012's "A Different Kind Of Truth."

The package will be available as a double CD, four-LP set on 180-gram vinyl, and digitally. Watch the "Eruption" video here.




Homer Simpson Predicted 'God Particle' Mass Says Scientist
(Radio.com) At first glance a scene from a 1998 episode of The Simpsons may not seem like anything particularly notable, but a closer look suggests Homer Simpson may have predicted the mass of the Higgs boson.

A new book released on the math featured in the popular cartoon series draws attention to an equation shown in an episode from the late '90s. The episode 'The Wizard of Evergreen Terrace" features an inventive Homer Simpson in front of a blackboard with an anything but ordinary equation.

'That equation predicts the mass of the Higgs boson," Dr. Simon Singh, author of The Simpsons and their Mathematical Secrets, told The Independent.

'If you work it out, you get the mass of a Higgs boson that's only a bit larger than the nano-mass of a Higgs boson actually is. It's kind of amazing as Homer makes this prediction 14 years before it was discovered." Read more here.




Van Morrison Streaming Duet With The Late Bobby Womack
(The Blues Van Morrison has released an online stream of his new duets version of the song "Some Piece Of Mind," which he recorded with the late Bobby Womack.

It's taken from his album Duets: Re-Working The Catalogue, also featuring guest appearances from Steve Winwood, Mark Knopfler, Taj Mahal, Mavis Staples, Georgie Fame and others.

The 16-track title is launched on March 24, and it's described as "songs from the artist's fruitful repertoire, redone with partners." Listen to the new version of "Some Piece Of Mind" here.




Judas Priest Stream Live 'Some Heads Are Gonna Roll' From 1984
(hennemusic) Judas Priest are previewing the upcoming 30th anniversary expanded edition of "Defenders Of The Faith", with streaming audio of "Some Heads Are Gonna Roll" from a 1984 concert recording included in the forthcoming package

On March 9 (March 10 in North America), the 3CD set will include a remastered version of the album along with a complete live recording from the 'Defenders' tour from the Long Beach Arena in California.

This week, Judas Priest announced a series of spring US concert dates. Following their previously confirmed May 16 appearance at the Rock On The Range festival in Columbus, OH, the band will perform shows in Cincinnati, OH (May 17), St. Charles, MO (May 19), Council Bluffs, IA (May 20) and Rosemont, IL (May 21).





John Mitchell's Lonely Robot Releases 'Are We Copies?' Video
(Classic Rock) John Mitchell has released a video for his Lonely Robot track Are We Copies? from debut album Please Come Home. The It Bites, Frost* and Arena man launched the record last week via InsideOut, complete with guest appearances by Steve Hogarth, Jem Godfrey, Nik Kershaw, Kim Seviour, Heather Findlay and others.

Mitchell says of the track: "Are we all actually unique? Are We Copies? is a nagging doubt I have in my subconscious in this age of synthesised society and Xerox mentality."

He adds: "The video was a jolly good excuse to go bounding around Beachy Head at six o'clock in the morning. I hope you like it!" Watch the new music video here.



Learning Music Improves Communication Skills Says Study
(Classic Rock) A scientific study has suggested there's a strong link between children learning to play a musical instrument and developing better communication skills.

The research implies that a musical education could be more valuable to educational development than many authorities believe.

The study was carried out by Northwestern University, who took high school students from Chicago and placed half in a standard course, and the rest in a musical training program.

The results indicate that those who were taught to play music showed faster response times when it came to interpreting speech - and also showed improved reading ability. Read more here.



Katatonia Premiere Video From Upcoming DVD
(Classic Rock) Swedish metallers Katatonia will release 'Sanctitude' on March 30 through Kscope on Blu-ray, CD and DVD, double vinyl and download formats. Ahead of the release, TeamRock is streaming the video for Day, which was originally from the band's 1996 album, Brave Murder Day.

The 80-minute set was filmed at London's Union Chapel and features a special guest appearance by The Gathering's vocalist Silje Wergeland on The One You Are Looking For Is Not Here.

Says guitarist Anders Nyström had the following to say about the song featured in the video clip, "We have always felt that if there's a need, we're entitled to the freedom to give our old songs a makeover in the now rather than the never. So, in the making of Sanctitude there was one song in particular that meant a great deal to us.

"In fact, [Day] was our first song ever to feature entirely clean vocals accompanied by clean guitars and it was written and released right in the peak of our death metal years. The song stood out, but isolated itself into oblivion in the climate of heavier music.

"Therefore we wanted this song to get a second chance, to be re-discovered. Even 20 years later when performing it live for the first time, it appears the parks are still grey and look the same." Watch the video here.




Gov't Mule Premiere Their Live Jam Of Rolling Stones Classic
(Classic Rock) Gov't Mule have premiered their live version of Rolling Stones track Monkey Man with TeamRock. It's taken from upcoming vinyl-only title Stoned Side Of The Mule, which is released on April 20 via Mascot Label Group.

The set of Stones covers, recorded in 2009, includes guest appearances by Jackie Greene and Steve Elson, and continues the band's 20th anniversary celebrations.

Mainman Warren Haynes recently explained: "These archive releases allow us to highlight some of our influences - as well as how far we've come since our first album." Check out the song here.




Beth Hart Releases 'Mechanical Heart' Video
(Classic Rock) Beth Hart has premiered her video for Mechanical Heart via TeamRock. The track appears on her album Better Than Home, to be released through Provogue Records on April 13.

Hart recently revealed her watchwords for the music she creates, saying: "Keep working on telling the truth - that's my mantra for the music. Tell the truth, work your ass off, and keep going there. I've got four things I have to do and the rest I leave to the wind - pray, work out, eat right, and keep in contact with my doctor."