Today's Day in Rock News!

Today's Day in Rock


Scott Weiland In War Of Words With Filter's Richard Patrick
Former Stone Temple Pilots frontman Scott Weiland has fired back at comments that Filter frontman Richard Patrick made about him in a recent interview.

Patrick was once in the band Army of Anyone with Dean and Robert DeLeo of Stone Temple Pilots and was asked in an interview with MusicFrenzy about STP's decision to fire Weiland and move on with Linkin Park's Chester Bennington.

According to a transcription from Blabbermouth, Patrick told the site, "The amount of sh*t that [the fans] give the band for trying to have a normal life… [The fans are] just sticking up for Scott, and they have no idea of [what is going on] behind the scenes," Patrick said. "They're pushing him into his death, because they're making him believe that, 'Whatever I did is acceptable. And I can be as high as I want. And I can do as much drugs as I want.'"

He added, "[Some STP fans say], 'He's a badass rock and roll star. You can't have STP without Scott Weiland.' Okay, well, you're gonna get what you want - he'll be a rock-star legend that died in a hotel room with a needle sticking out of his arm, and it will not be a cool thing, and it will be sad, and his kids will be traumatized." Read more of his comments here.

Weiland fired back at Patrick's comments in the following statement that he sent to Blabbermouth: "Hey, Richard - thanks for your thoughts and opinions on my life. Just so you know, and others do as well, I haven't had a needle in my arm in thirteen years. Overcoming my addiction to heroin was the hardest thing I've ever done, and I'm damn proud of the fact that the time in my life when drugs were stronger than my commitment to my health is so far behind me, and always will be.

"By the way, man, I recall when I DID do drugs, and you were one of the guys getting high with me. It's behind you, please note and respect that it's behind me too. As for my issues with my former band - just remember the old adage that there are two sides to every story. I haven't been late for a show in a very long time. I have worked hard to be present and on time for my fans.

"I'm not perfect - no one is - but I have worked my ass off to repair the reputation I created by being thoughtless years ago. Why you felt the need to attack me is unclear but I am happy to set the record straight. Best regards to you." here.




Jack Bruce's Final Recording Part Of Acoustic Beatles Tribute
Keep Calm And Salute The Beatles, an all-star acoustic tribute to the Fab Four will be released on April 28th and features the final recording by Cream legend Jack Bruce.

The 16-track project was spearheaded by Yes star Billy Sherwood and features an eclectic mix of music stars including Heart's Ann Wilson, 80s popstar Howard Jones, iconic singers Judy Collins and Helen Reddy, as well as Asia's John Wetton and more.

Jack Bruce's contribution, described as "a devastating interpretation of the mournful" Paul McCartney classic "Eleanor Rigy" was recorded by Bruce just prior to his death late last year. See the track and singer list here.



Creed Saw Scott Stapp Meltdown Coming Says Tremonti
In a new interview with Loudwire, Mark Tremonti reflects on how the pressures of Creed's success had a negative impact on frontman Scott Stapp, who had a public meltdown last year.

Tremonti says, "Probably towards the end of 'Human Clay', the second record, I think with all the pressures of 'you gotta come out with your next single', 'your sophomore album is going to be a failure if you don't do this,' 'your next single is not gonna do this,' 'you gotta stay on tour'... It was always... if you don't do this your career is going to be over kind of thing. So we were always pressured to stay on tour and put out this music... some people deal with that better than others.

"When you're the frontman of a band that's always in the spotlight and on top of it you are getting.. you know people are taking pot shots at you. I think it just kind of weighed on him and drinking turned to pills, turned to this and whatever.

"He was never really open about it. I think he would do his own thing and party but wouldn't tell us what he was doing. To me, I always thought he was drinking or on a painkiller because his back hurt. I think the painkillers because his back hurt turned into just doing what he got his hands on."

He adds, "I would say we all got along until the pressures got heightened towards the end of 'Human Clay'... So I think the last, really the last year and half, we saw it coming." Watch the full interview here.




Tool Poke Fun At U2's Record Store Day Mixup
Tool have poked fun at U2 after a number of "lucky" fans who bought the Irish band's special Record Store Day release were given a Tool EP by mistake.

U2 issued Songs Of Innocence on vinyl for Record Store Day at the weekend. But some fans who bought the 2014 album at stores including Banquet Records in Kingston, London, discovered Tool's 1992 Opiate EP inside the sleeve instead.

On their website, Tool say: "Some very lucky people who purchased U2's 'Songs Of Innocence' during a recent record store release found instead a copy of TOOL's 1992 "OPIATE" EP inside. Kind of makes you believe in mysterious higher powers doesn't it." Read more here.




The White Stripes and Metallica Dominate Record Store Day
(hennemusic) The White Stripes and Metallica topped sales on Record Store Day last Saturday. BuzzAngle Music reports The White Stripes' fifth album, 2005's "Get Behind Me Satan", led the way with vinyl sales, while Metallica's 1982 cassette demo tape, "No Life 'Till Leather", came in second place with a non-vinyl release.

"Get Behind Me Satan" was issued on vinyl for the first time on Record Store Day to mark the album's 10th anniversary. A limited-edition multi-colored version was available, with disc one on red vinyl and disc two on white vinyl. The project won a 2006 Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album.

Held the third Saturday of every April, Record Store Day is a celebration of the culture surrounding 2000 independently owned record stores around the world. White Stripes RSD promo video and the list of Top 100 sellers here.




The Grateful Dead's Final Shows To Be Broadcast On Pay-Per-View
(Radio.com) The Grateful Dead's "Fare Thee Well" final shows keep getting bigger. With the originally announced Chicago dates at Soldier Field on July 3-5 expanded to include two Bay Area performances at Santa Clara's Levi's Stadium on June 27-28, now everyone will be afforded the opportunity to take in the Dead via Pay-Per-View.

In the spirit of bringing the event to anyone wanting to see it, the Pay-Per-View special, distributed by MultiVision Media, will be available on most satellite and cable providers, to watch in your home, on mobile devices, in venues, bars, and movie theaters nationwide (through Fathom Events).

As stated in the press release, "virtually anywhere with access to a screen."The special will run 15 hours over the three days in Chicago, and the Santa Clara shows will also be featured in a webcast. Read more here.




Original Santana Returning For 'World Domination' Says Schon
(TeamRock Radio) Santana aim to take over the world again with their reunion album, says guitarist Neal Schon. The Journey man has reunited with Carlos Santana and original members Gregg Rolie, Michael Carabello and Michael Shrieve for an album that's nearing completion.

And he wants to take the project as far as it can possibly go. Schon says via Facebook: "We are wrapping up Santana IV this week. Sounds amazing!

"This record is going to take over the world. I hope management gets it together for us to tour - I will tour with Carlos either way. It's way too happening not to. World domination once again." Read more here.





Slash Aims To Deliver Authentic Rock Show In Age Of Trickery
Former Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash spoke with Al.com ahead of his concert with his solo band Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators in Alabama next week and he explained that fans can expect to see an authentic show without backing tapes and other trickery when they see them perform in concert.

Al.com asked "In your audience you've got everything from Guns 'n' Roses diehards to guitar nerds who are there to watch your fingers. For the audience as a whole, what kind of overall experience do you try to create?"

Slash respond, "It's a very high-energy, loud, rock and roll band. I wouldn't say that it's necessarily what you'd call a retro thing. We're not trying to you know, sort of revel in old school for old school's sake. But it's stripped-down, it's not taking too much advantage of all the sort of new technology. We're not playing to any loops, we're not doing any kind of pre-recorded this, that and the other. It's just, we go out and actually play. But people seem to really dig it, and the new material goes over great.

"I think when we first started, a lot of people weren't sure what to expect. But we do sort of a mix of all the stuff from my whole catalog. And now that we've been doing it for the last five or so years, we've amassed a lot of fans of what this entity is, as opposed to seeing it because I'm going to play this song from the past, or whatever.

"As far as guitar nerds go, that's the worst. When you're standing on stage and you look down and there's people that are standing there expecting you to blow their minds with your guitar playing tricks. It's not that, necessarily. That's not exactly what my M.O. is. I mean, I'm a player and I can play, but it's all within the context of the music, the songs. So it's sort of interesting that you do get those guys who sort of analyze you from a technique point of view. It happens." Read the full interview here.





Slayer's Kerry King Reflects On His Time With Megadeth
Slayer's Kerry King recently took part in Loudwire's Wikipedia: Fact or Fiction? where artists discuss things that are posted about them on the "open source" encyclopedia site.

During part one of the two part special with King, he discussed his involvement with Megadeth during their early days and while he heaped praise on Megadeth founder Dave Mustaine's talent, he also explained that he "had Slayer's best intentions in mind" while playing with Megadeth.

King told Loudwire (as transcribed by Blabbermouth), "I was one of the lucky people - and there's certainly no offense against [current Metallica guitarist] Kirk Hammett; Kirk's a wonderful friend of mine - but I was lucky enough to see Metallica with [Megadeth mainman Dave] Mustaine. And I say that because it's just a rare thing to be able to say that. I saw them play with Woodstock [in Los Angeles], and I was so intringued by Mustaine, because he was just ripping on guitar and looking out that way somewhere. And I can't do that to this f***in day.

"So I was just blown away at his guitar playing. And to find out - I think it was through B.C. Rich, 'cause we all played B.C. Rich back then… I think it was through B.C. Rich I found out that Dave was inquiring if I would play [with Megadeth]."

He then explained his motivation for taking the gig, "At the end of the day, I thought, 'This is a gigantic learning situation.' And I also thought people would see me and know me from Slayer. 'Cause, I mean, we only went to the Bay Area; we only got up there. So I think if people saw me, it would at least make 'em think, 'Slayer.' So I had Slayer's best intentions in mind. I didn't go and say, 'Hey, I wanna be in Megadeth.' I don't know how anybody can be in Megadeth for more than a couple of hours, 'cause that guy's crazy."






Hard Rock Supergroup Dead Daisies Streaming New Song
(Classic Rock) The supergroup Dead Daisies have released a stream of the song "Mexico" which comes from the band's forthcoming studio album, the follow up to their 2013 self-titled debut.

The band now features former Motley Crue singer John Corabi, Guns N' Roses pairing Richard Fortus and Dizzy Reed on guitar and keyboards, guitarist David Lowy, bass player Marco Mendoza - who's previously played with Thin Lizzy and Ted Nugent - and drummer Brian Tichy (Whitesnake, Foreigner, Ozzy Osbourne).

Mendoza had this to say, "When we were in the writing process, the idea came up to write a song about Mexico and all the experience of it, having spent the first 15 years of my life there, I was obviously exited.

"The result was a rocking in your face anthem with a very strong melody and hook!! ''MEXICO.'' We had a chance to play it live a few times and you could see the positive reaction on the fans faces, this is a winner in my opinion!!"

Check out the track here.




Moody Blues' Justin Hayward Announces Solo Tour Dates
Moody Blues legend Justin Hayward has announced that he will be hitting the road this summer to launch a brief solo tour across the northeastern United States this August.

The announced dates for the trek will kick off on August 20th in Salisbury, MA at Blue Ocean Music Hall and conclude on August 30th in Morristown, NJ at the Mayo Performing Arts Center.

Hayward's tour will also be making stops in Boston (August 21st), Harford (Aug 25th ), Bethlehem (Aug 26th), Alexandria (Aug 27th) and Annapolis (Aug 29th).

He had this to say about the tour and his band, "We are so looking forward to this tour. Julie Ragins [keyboardist/background vocalist], Mike Dawes [acoustic guitar], and I have been overwhelmed by the reception of our live shows during this last year in the USA.

"To hear every nuance of my acoustic guitars (they are on the road for the first time) and our voices in these venues is a joy. And the USA, like me, is discovering what a fabulous guitar player Mike Dawes is, and I look forward to hearing him play every night too."

Hayward will be touring in support of his live DVD, CD, and Blu-ray "Spirits…Live - Live At The Buckhead Theatre," which was released this past summer by Eagle Rock and premiered on PBS last month and is scheduled for re-airings for the rest of the year.

He had this to say about the broadcasts, "It is a privilege and honor that PBS is broadcasting my live show as part of their pledge drives. PBS has always meant a lot to me - not only for the quality of its programming but for its news, independence, and integrity…a true great comfort to me while I'm on the road." See the tour dates here.




Bret Michaels Previews 'Girls On Bars' Video
(hennemusic) Bret Michaels has issued a preview of the video for his new single, "Girls On Bars." The country-rock crossover is the lead single from Michaels' forthcoming collection, "True Grit", featuring 21 tracks by the Poison frontman.

"It is a very Americana, fun summer song that reminds me how much I love music with a sublime video feel of hanging with the fans," says Michaels. "I wrote this song with my good friend and fellow Pennsylvanian, Luke Laird, who is a Grammy Award-winning songwriter of hits like Little Big Town's 'Pontoon', Eric Church's 'Talledega' and Luke Bryan's 'I See You.'"

The full video for "Girls On Bars" will be released on May 12. Michaels is currently on the road across the US playing dates on his True Grit tour. Watch the video preview here.




Funeral For A Friend Announce 'Hours: Live At Islington Academy'
(TeamRock Radio) Funeral For A Friend have announced that they will be releasing their new live package "Hours: Live At Islington Academy" on June 12th and they have released a video of their performance of "Streetcar" from the package.

The show was directed by Ryan Mackfall, mixed by Lewis Johns and was recorded at the London venue on April 24 2014 where they played their 2005 album in full.

The package will be issued on CD/DVD, vinyl/DVD and on digital formats via End Hits Records, with those pre-ordering digitally gaining instant access to Streetcar. Check out the tracklisting and the video here.




Ancient VVisdom Release 'We Are Damnation' Video
(Prog) Ancient VVisdom have launched a silent-movie styled music video for their track "We Are Damnation," which comes from their third studio album "Sacrificial."

The album, their first with drummer Mitch Keith Morris, was released in October via Magic Bullet Records. Frontman Nathan Opposition said the follow-up to 2013's Deathlike would "enlighten the fools and give the enlightened something to listen to."

He added: "Where there is chaos you will find us. Where there is disorder, others find discomfort but I find salvation. Lead me not unto anything. I am my own." Watch the video here.





Spock's Beard Releasing New Album 'The Oblivion Particle' In Aug
(Prog) Spock's Beard will release their 12th album "The Oblivion Particle" in August, it's been announced. In addition, they've lined up five UK dates to support the follow-up to Brief Nocturnes And Dreamless Sleep as part of a wider European tour.

Alan Morse, Dave Meros, Ryo Okumoto, Ted Leonard and Jimmy Keegan will be supported on the dates by UK outfit Synaesthesia - who are working on their second album - and Hungarian band Special Providence.

A finalized release date, along with album artwork and tracklist will be revealed soon. Check out the band's previously mentioned upcoming UK tour dates here.




Kingcrow Finish New Album Eidos and Release Teaser Video
(Prog) Italian prog outfit Kingcrow have completed their sixth album, Eidos, which they will be releasing on June 23rd and they have also released a teaser video for the album.

It's described as the latest part of their trilogy about life that started with 2010's Phlegethon, dealing with childhood, and continued with last year's In Crescendo, which looked at the end of youth.

Label Sensory Records say: "Musically it sees the band exploring new territories and pushing the extremes of its sonic soundscape, with a darker atmosphere and a more progressive attitude.

"Eidos will open the doorway for what lies in wait for them." Read more and watch the album teaser video here.




R.E.M. Documentary Coming To Movie Theaters For One Night
(hennemusic) The Alexander Young documentary, "R.E.M. By MTV", will screen in US theaters next month ahead of its DVD/Blu-ray release on June 2. Fathom Events will screen "R.E.M. By MTV" in more than 300 U.S. movie theaters on Tuesday, May 19 as a part of their "Classic Music Series."

The project traces the career of the Athens, Georgia band who formed in 1980 and helped bring alternative rock into the mainstream. The group tells their story in their own words, through three decades of performances and interviews R.E.M. gave to MTV channels in the USA and around the world. "It was a typical Athens story," says drummer Bill Berry. "Four guys meet at a party and want to play other parties and drink beer and have fun."

"R.E.M. By MTV" was originally issued as part of 2014's "REMTV" box set; it premiered on MTV, VH1 and Palladia last November and the forthcoming release marks the first time it will be available as a standalone film. Check out the trailer here.




Trent Reznor Selling His Multi-Million Dollar Home
(Radio.com) Trent Reznor's California home has hit the market and it's not at all what you'd expect from the frontman of Nine Inch Nails. It's bright and airy, and not at all walled off like a dark castle you'd assume from his industrial electro music and all of the crazy fans he has to fend off.

One thing you might not be surprised by however is the steep price tag of $4.495 million, according to the Trulia listing, where you can also take a virtual tour.

Purchased in 2007 for $4.1875 million, the house is a dream retreat with an infinity pool, zen-like patios, a big green lawn, and views of the hills. There's also a soundproofed music studio in the garage and an on-site backup generator, because inevitably fuses have been blown. Read more here.





Lee Bains III and The Glory Fires Streaming New Song
(Classic Rock) Lee Bains III and The Glory Fires have announced details of a new single, "Sweet Disorder!" and they are streaming the new track exclusively on TeamRock.com.

Sweet Disorder! - which was produced by Tim Kerr at Battletapes in Nashville, Tennessee - will be released on July 24 through Sub Pop. It comes backed with the B-side, Stars.

Says frontman Lee: "This song is about disrupting systems that have proven to fall short of, if not completely undermine, their purported missions - criminal justice, mental health, the church, language - for the sake of realigning them with those missions.

"The song developed out of months spent revisiting the Objectivist poets, binging on early Clash albums, and observing the Atlanta actions surrounding the deaths of Michael Brown, Eric Garner and other unarmed people of colour. The song is the first completed work in a group of songs, tentatively titled Juvenile Detention, aimed at investigating questions of socialization, youth, identity, law, privilege, religion, culture, place, causality and memory." Stream the song here.




Singled Out: O.R.k. (Porcupine Tree, King Crimson, Marta Sui Tubi)
Today Lorenzo Esposito Fornasari from O.R.k., which also features Porcupine Tree's Colin Edwin, King Crimson's Pat Mastelotto, and Marta Sui Tubi's Carmelo Pipitone, tells us about "Pyre" from their forthcoming debut album "inflamed rides". Here is the story:

There is some disagreement among us as to wether "Pyre" is an optimistic song or not. The main character in the song and the video is a man without a face and playing an old, ruined guitar, just the body and the instrument. He's an archetypal everyman, a nobody but someone we can all imagine, perhaps a busker, who is also an observer and social commentator and aside from the crowd.

The scene is very dark, dusty air. Underneath his paper bag with smiling mouth and eyes painted on, but do we know how he really feels? The main guitar figure has a flavour of Morricone's old Western soundtracks, so in the video we see the action play out in an old Wild West type American town.The people surrounding our main man, they're also wearing a paper bags although unlike him, they wear unhappy depressed expressions.

They start to chase him unrelentingly "chase tight as if I'm gold" as they can't stand his shining smile. Imprisonment, physical pain and public disapproval don't stop him smiling. The people, with faces twisted in rage, cart him away to a dark square with a pyre burning at its centre. "They usher me off to the place of my end, though still can't help laughing through the crowd".

They push him toward the pyre, still smiling, he starts walking into the fire. Among the assembled people someone starts smiling because of the presumed man's death. So it starts a massacre between those with the angry look and those who start smiling in a weird manner. The night falls. They're all dead, the smoke has almost completely dispersed.

We see the pyre surrounded by hundreds of ember-looking-alike corpses. The man is sitting on a ash heap, playing his guitar and singing "night buries shame in the corner where liars kneel and pray until there's nothing more to hide".

There are few interpretations of the song, most obviously our brave hero stuck to his smile, beat the odds and won out in the end, while those in the crowd all died, but we'd like to also entertain the idea that he might have been a dangerous and provocative figure, creating dischord/division and bringing out the worst in people.