Today's Top Stories
Bad Brains Frontman Diagnosed With Rare Disorder(Classic Rock)
Bad Brains frontman HR - aka Paul Hudson - has been diagnosed with a rare headache disorder which leaves him living in "almost constant pain." His wife Lori Hudson, who is also his full-time caregiver, has launched a $50,000 crowdfunding campaign to help pay for medical expenses and care.
She says: "He has a neurobiological disorder and has also had severe headaches for years, but the headaches have gotten progressively worse. In November, he began living with almost constant pain.
"He has been diagnosed with a rare type of headache called SUNCT, a trigeminal neuralgia that is similar to cluster headaches. There is no known cure and no reliable medical treatment. To give you an idea of what he's dealing with, cluster headaches are nicknamed 'Suicide Syndrome.'
"The headaches come randomly, with no warning, at all hours of the day and night; but for him, they are much worse at night. The intensity of the headaches is so great that he yells, cries out, groans, and sobs - repeatedly, every few minutes, for most of the night.
"He can't work. He has no quality of life. If you call him and ask how he is, he will say, 'Everything's okay,' because that's just how he is. But everything is not okay." Read more here.
AC/DC Considering Bon Scott Biopic Star As New Singer
AC/DC singer rumor roulette continues as there appears to be another name in the mix to replace frontman Brian Johnson, who the band says faced complete hearing loss if he had continued with their previously scheduled tour commitments.
Rob Liotti, the former Honeygun singer and the actor who has been selected to portray Bon Scott in a biopic about the late AC/DC frontman, says that he has been in contact with the band about replacing Johnson, according to BraveWords.
They report that Liotti had this to say, "Yes, I will confirm that I have had contact with the band - both directly and through third parties close to the AC/DC camp, but that's really all I can say."
He added, "I received a call from a fan in France today who said he felt I was the guy for the job. He is friends with a Young family member and insisted that he was making a call to recommend me. You have to love people that dedicated."
Liotti also had this to say about Krokus singer Marc Storace, who is also said to be in consideration for the job, "Marc is a good vocalist and I personally like his work. Ironically, I know former Krokus drummer, Steve Pace, and we have jammed together. The night we met, Steve was quick to say that Marc and I reminded him of one another.
"I think I'm a bit grittier than Marc to be honest. I've had a lot more practice with the Bon Scott era stuff, but he can clearly pull that off. It's the music post-Bon that is the issue. I can do both..."
It is unclear what direct contact he has had with the band about the possible gig. He says that he has "not been contacted about an audition. They do have sound files of me singing a few of their songs. They clearly know who I am given the Bon Scott film project.
"At this point, it is up to Angus Young. If he feels like I'm the guy, I'm happy to help complete their tour dates. Hopefully they can get over the fact I'm 6'2 and American."
Keith Emerson's Death Officially Ruled A Suicide(Classic Rock)
Keith Emerson's death has been ruled a suicide by investigating authorities. The Emerson, Lake and Palmer keyboard icon was found dead at his home last week, aged 71, after what was described as a self-inflicted gunshot wound to his head.
The County Of Los Angeles Department of Medical Examiner's coroner report lists other significant causes of death as heart disease and depression cause by chronic use of alcohol. The case has been closed.
Emerson's girlfriend said at the weekend that he'd become "tormented with worry" about upcoming show in Japan, after suffering a nervous problem that made it difficult for him to play.
Mari Kawaguchi told the Daily Mail: "His right hand and arm had given him problems for years. He had an operation a few years ago but the pain and nerve issues were getting worse.
"Keith was worried - he read all the criticism online and was a sensitive soul. Last year he played concerts and people posted mean comments such as, 'I wish he would stop playing.'" Read more here.
Metallica To Play Inaugural Concert At US Bank Stadium(hennemusic)
Metallica will headline the first rock concert at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, MN on Saturday, August 20 as part of the opening weekend festivities.
The new home of the Minnesota Vikings will host a triple-bill with guests Avenged Sevenfold and Volbeat prior to the proper kick-off to the new NFL season.
"We had such an amazing time playing in our hometown stadium the night before the Super Bowl," says Metallica, "that when asked we couldn't say 'no' to another chance to be a part of a very special weekend. We'll be hitting the stage for the first ever rock show at the stadium as part of the opening weekend festivities featuring Luke Bryan the Friday before." Read more here.
Latest News
Tool 'Can't Seem To Move Forward' On New Album Says Maynard(Classic Rock)
Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan says in a new interview that work on the band's long-awaited fifth album, the follow up to 2006's 10,000 Days, has ground to a halt again.
They've been working on the new album for several years, with guitarist Adam Jones predicting last year that an end to a legal battle meant progress would speed up. But Keenan tells PE.com: "We've found a common ground - we just can't seem to move forward."
In November, Jones described their work to date as "amazing," adding: "Things are really flowing and going really well. I'm just blown away at the stuff that's coming together. I can't wait for it to be done." Read more here.
Slayer Release Action-Packed 'You Against You' Video(Classic Rock)
Slayer have released an action-packed video for their track You Against You. The promo is described as a prequel to the band's previous video for Repentless - the title track to their latest album.
It is directed by BJ McDonnell, who was also the man behind the Repentless clip. Guitarist Kerry King tells Rolling Stone: "It's really cool being part of a video that's not just some crappy music video from the 80s or 90s.
"It's from a real Hollywood director who has a lot of friends in the biz who stepped up and wanted to be in a Slayer video. That's what makes it cool to me." Watch the new video here.
Killswitch Engage Recap Their Week-Long Residency In NYC(TeamRock Radio)
Killswitch Engage have released a video recap of their NYC week-long residency to launch forthcoming album Incarnate. The promo includes footage from sold-out gigs at Gramercy Theater, Bowery Ballroom, Saint Vitus, Marlin Room at Webster Hall and Rough Trade NYC.
Each night they played a different song from their latest release, which can now be purchased via Roadrunner Records. The band say: "This week has been the time of our f***ing lives. Thank you so much for partying with us.
"We cannot do what we do without you. You buy our records, you buy our tickets, our t-shirts. We owe everything to you, so thank you so much for supporting this band." Watch the video here.
Taking Back Sunday Working On New Album(TeamRock Radio)
Taking Back Sunday have revealed they'll release their seventh album this year. The follow-up to 2014's Happiness Is is expected via Hopeless Records in the autumn, with the band planning to wrap up recording sessions ahead of their run on the 2016 Taste Of Chaos tour with Dashboard Confessional.
They are working with producer Mike Sapone and engineer Mike Pepe in Charlotte, North Carolina. Taking Back Sunday say: "During this process we've been discovering and surprising ourselves in realising how good of a band we've become. Not to go full Kanye but none of us can believe, when we're listening back during tracking, that this is our band.
"It's incredible. The timing also worked perfectly, we'll basically be going straight from the studio to Taste Of Chaos where we'll have the opportunity to let these new songs out of their cages." See their upcoming dates here.
Bring Me The Horizon Release Gore-Filled 'Follow You' Video(TeamRock Radio)
Bring Me The Horizon have released a gore-filled video for their track Follow You. The song is taken from the Yorkshire metal outfit's latest album That's The Spirit, released last year.
The video is directed by frontman Oli Sykes and Frank Borin and features a young man cheerfully singing along to the track as he walks through scenes of widespread chaos that include zombies, plane crashes, murderous clowns and collapsing buildings.
It launches with the statement: "Love is blind, deaf and f***ing dumb." BMTH are on a widespread tour that includes shows in the US and the UK. See the dates and watch the video here.
Dream Theater Release Official Trailer For The Astonishing Album(Prog)
Dream Theater have released a further trailer for their latest album The Astonishing. The video features a narration explaining the album's concept. The Astonishing was released in January with an earlier trailer issued that same month.
In the video, the narrator says: "For generations, the Great Northern Empire of The Americas remained unchallenged. The mock elegance of an elite aristocracy in the illusion of comfort, they provided conjured a medieval-like feudalism from within the ruins of societal collapse.
"But now, from the distant village of Ravenskill, a magnificent power threatens the false tranquility enforced by the ever-watchful Nomacs. A literal force stirs the people and the heavens, threatening the very deepest of slumbers with the awakening power of artistic expression." Watch the trailer here.
Mastodon Working On New Album(Prog)
Mastodon have revealed that they're about to start writing their seventh album and discussed the 'healing power' of music. In an interview with LiveNation, drummer Brann Dailor reveals that writing sessions for the follow-up to 2014's Once More 'Round The Sun are due to begin shortly.
He says: "We're about to go into writing. With a new record looming, I just want to be able to do something different and not be stagnant with my playing. Every new album is another opportunity to do more better. Because we should do more better, shouldn't we?"
Guitarist Bill Kelliher adds that one of the most satisfying things about being a musician is learning that their work can sometimes help people who are in distress. And he says music has also helped him to deal with issues, including his mother's recent cancer diagnosis.
Kelliher says: "I've got so many emails from people, and it seems like we've done a lot more healing with a lot of our records. How much better a compliment can it be that you are actually helping someone who's hurting.
"My mom has terminal cancer and I just found out. When I'm on stage every night her image goes through my head and I play and say,' I'm doing this for her. I'm gonna make her proud.'
"Music is healing. It's healed me. I've been in dark, deep places and I've put a record on and, I might no know what they're saying, but they're talking to me. It's like 100 Band Aids all over your body." Watch the full interview here.
David Gilmour To Play Pompeii For The First Time in 45 Years(Radio.com)
This summer David Gilmour will return to the Roman town of Pompeii for the first time in 45 years. The guitarist will perform two shows in the historic city in July, which will be his first shows there since Pink Floyd recorded Live at Pompeii back in 1971.
Pompeii Culture Minister Dario Franceschini took to Twitter today to make the official announcement writing, "Agreement reached. After 45 years David Gilmour will play again at Pompeii on July 7 and 8." See it below.
Back in 1971, Pink Floyd filmed their classic Live at Pompeii concert over four days, where the band played at the Amphitheater of Pompeii without an audience. The psychedelic rockers performed blistering versions of "Careful with That Axe, Eugene," "One of These Days" and "Echoes." Watch a clip from the film in the player here.
Panic Room's Anne Marie Helder Streaming New Solo EP Online(Prog)
Panic Room singer Anne Marie Helder has made her live solo EP available to stream. Her acoustic performance was recorded at the sold-out Portsmouth Guildhall show while she supported Ultravox on their Return To Eden Tour in 2009.
Helder says: "This is a live recording, but it sounds so warm, intimate and full of atmosphere - despite the fact I was playing in a massive hall, to a fun house of 2500 people.
"This recording feels like a little 'lost diamond' that has been found in a cave, but we've polished it and rediscovered its original beauty. It's a lovely piece of history." Check out the album stream here.
Black Veil Brides Frontman Andy Biersack Announces Solo Album(TeamRock Radio)
Andy Biersack will release his debut solo record The Shadow Side under his moniker Andy Black on May 6. The Black Veil Brides frontman also announced his UK solo tour last week.
The album was produced by John Feldmann and includes guest appearances from artists including Patrick Stump, Gerard Way, Quinn Allman, Ashton Irwin and Rian Dawson.
Biersack previously said of The Shadow Side: "Sonically, the goal was to really play with music and a lot of different stuff - to have a lot of odd instrumentation and to have a lot of programmed stuff, keyboards and more classic, almost pop-rock guitar. It's more U2 than Megadeth.
"There are no guitar solos on the record. There's a lot of drumming styles - there's some weird sleigh bells." See the tracklisting and his upcoming tour dates here.
Anderson Ponty Announce North American Tour(Prog)
The Anderson Ponty band have announced a North American tour for this spring. The band, which includes former Yes vocalist Jon Anderson and violinist and jazz fusion violinist Jean-Luc Ponty, will embark on an 18-date trek in the US and Canada in April and May.
They're touring to promote their 2015 CD/DVD Better Late Than Never, which was recorded at the Aspen Wheeler Opera House in Colorado in 2014.
Ponty said: "Collaborating with Jon is unlike any project I have done before. The result is way beyond my expectations - we are not just rehashing the past, but giving a new life to the music we started developing decades ago."
Meanwhile, Anderson and his former Yes bandmates Trevor Rabin and Rick Wakeman are currently writing material for their unnamed supergroup project. See the tour dates here.
Metallica Streaming Classic Live Performance From Lighting Reissue(hennemusic)
Metallica are streaming a pair of tracks from the forthcoming expanded reissue of 1984's "Ride The Lightning." The band have shared audio of a March 15, 1985 performance of their Diamond Head cover of "Am I Evil?" and "Motorbreath" as captured at the Kabuki Theatre in San Francisco, CA.
Due April 15, multiple remastered versions of "Ride The Lightning" and 1983's "Kill 'Em All" will launch a massive catalog reissue campaign by the band.
Both projects will be available in three formats - CD, vinyl, and as a limited edition deluxe box set that includes original source material from the band's personal collection with many never before heard or seen recordings along with books including rare photos and essays from those who were there.
With classics like "Creeping Death" and "For Whom The Bell Tolls", "Ride The Lightning" sold 85,000 copies in Europe in its first year as it increased Metallica's profile abroad. Check out the song streams here.
In This Moment Part Ways With Tom Hane(TeamRock Radio)
In This Moment have split with drummer Tom Hane, as he goes in search of creative happiness. He replaced original member Jeff Fabb in 2011 and appeared on their last two albums, 2012's Blood and 2014's Black Widow.
Hane confirmed the move after having kept quiet at the request of Maria Brink and co - now he says: "Seeing how it's out in the open now, I'll explain. I have had an amazing four years with some amazing people, and I wouldn't trade it for anything.
"However, I have struggled to be truly happy creatively. The reason I started music was because it made me happy. I didn't want to stay for the wrong reasons."
He adds: "This will not be a departure from music for me. I have some great things on the horizon and I hope you will join me in my new journey. I'd like to thank every single person, fan and colleague that made the years so special. You all mean the world to me." Read more here.
KISS Look Back At Destroyer 40 Years Later
KISS cofounders Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons and producer Bob Ezrin have taken a look back at their landmark album "Destroyer", which celebrated its 40th anniversary this week.
Simmons had the following reflection (via BraveWords): "Destroyer was ultimately a major leap forward for us because of Bob Ezrin. We were basically a garage band. We were just knuckleheads, guys who turn it up to 11 just because we can. We didn't know anything. We could barely tune our guitars. Before Destroyer, we just did what we did: We played, we wrote songs up to the level of our musicianship, and that was about it."
Paul Stanley said, "Preproduction consisted of us sitting in a circle, and Bob would say, 'Who's got an interesting piece of music?' And someone would play something, and he'd say, 'No,' and someone else would play something. Ultimately, he would say, 'I like that, who's got a piece to go with that?' Some of the songs were pieced together like that. Other times, someone might come in with a song, and Bob would fine-tune it.
Legendary producer Bob Ezrin added, "Many people have asked me who the studio guys were that I used on Destroyer, and I have to say to them, they were Peter Criss, Ace Frehley, Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley. They played that well on that record. The key to this record was we really rehearsed a lot, and we really knew the material. So by the time they got to the studio, it was just about getting a great performance."
Brian 'Head' Welch's Love And Death Stream New Song(TeamRock Radio)
Brian 'Head' Welch's band Love And Death have released a stream of their song Lo Lamento. The Korn guitarist and Love And Death vocalist also announced that the track will be available as a free download for everyone who pre-orders his book, With My Eyes Wide Open: Miracles And Mistakes On My Way Back To Korn, via his official webstore. It's due out on May 17.
He tells Loudwire: "Lo Lamento is a song that came from an idea producer Jasen Rauch and writer Mark Holeman had on our last album, Between Here And Lost. It was actually the original chorus for our song I W8 4 U, but it sounded way too melodic for that crushing song, as you can imagine.
"To me, Lo Lamento paints a picture lyrically about infidelity and a once picture perfect relationship left in ruins." Check out the stream of the new song here.
Moreland & Arbuckle Announce New Album 'Promised Land Or Bust'(TeamRock Radio)
Moreland & Arbuckle have confirmed the launch of their album Promised Land Or Bust on May 6 via Alligator Records. It's their debut with the label, who say the Kansas blues trio have applied "musical muscle and fifth-gear urgency" to the work.
Guitarist Aaron Moreland says: "The album is consciously traditional - but still has the signature drive and power that we've crafted over the past 13 years."
Vocalist and harpist Dustin Arbuckle adds: "We continue to evolve outside the box we started in. But the bedrock - the blues - is always there." Read more including tracklist here.
The Raven Age Release 'Angel In Disgrace' Video(Classic Rock)
The Raven Age - featuring Iron Maiden leader Steve Harris' son George on guitar - have released a video for their track Angel In Disgrace. The Raven Age EP is on sale now. The band's debut album is expected before the end of the year.
The seven-year-old band are currently on tour with Maiden and Anthrax in South America, with future world dates including an appearance at this year's Download festival.
George Harris says: "This track has gained a lot of attention across the world - it's nice to be able to illustrate the story behind the song." Watch the new video here.
David Lee Roth Releases Tattoo Themed Roth Show Episode(hennemusic)
Van Halen frontman David Lee Roth serenades legendary horishi tattoo artist Horiyoshi III on the latest episode of his online video series The Roth Show.
Roth picked up his acoustic guitar to provide some music before the Yokohama-based artist, who specializes in Japanese traditional full-body tattoos, created some new ink on the singer's body…including a dragon on his back and a flower on his arm.
In additon to some background music, Roth also delivered a version of John Brim's "ice Cream Man" with some new lyrics for the occasion.
Roth became a resident of Tokyo in 2012, while maintaining homes in New York City and Pasadena, CA.
Last year, Roth and Van Halen released their first live album together, "Tokyo Dome Live In Concert," and supported the project with a 3-month summer tour of North America.
Things have been quiet in the Van Halen camp since they closed out their 2015 tour with a pair of shows at the Hollywood Bowl in early October. Watch the Roth Show episode here.
The Cadillac Three Go Behind The Scenes Of Graffiti Video(Classic Rock)
The Cadillac Three have released a behind-the-scenes look at the shooting of their video for Graffiti with TeamRock. The band filmed the Graffiti promo in London earlier this year. The track is a taster of what's to come from their upcoming second album.
In the behind-the-scenes video, the band joke: "I think our director might be a gangster. I'm gonna do whatever he says. I was about to start bitchin' but I've turned it off.
"East London is a lot like East Nashville. I think you guys say dodgy. Up-and-coming, perhaps. This town is so old, the buildings are older than our country."
The Cadillac Three have a string of dates in North America starting this month, with an appearance at Ramblin' Man Fair in the UK also on the cards. Watch the video here.
Nirvana Nevermind Producer Reflects On Kurt Cobain's Mood Swings(Classic Rock)
Nevermind producer Butch Vig has told of Kurt Cobain's mood swings in a discussion about upcoming documentary about Smart Studios. The Smart Studios Story is set to be screened at a string of film festivals in the coming months and premieres this week at South By Southwest.
A new trailer features members of Nirvana and L7 talking about the studio's impact on the music scene in the 90s. And in an interview with Billboard, Vig recalls the sometimes tense moments in the studio as Nirvana recorded the 1991 smash hit record.
He says: "There were moments that were hard. Kurt would have intense mood swings and just shut down. He would just go sit in a corner and disappear into his own space.
"Krist Novoselic would say, 'He just goes into these moods and he'll come out in a while.' So we'd find something to do for a couple hours, tweak the drums or work on bass sounds, and all of a sudden Kurt would pick up his guitar, 'Let's go.' He'd be back, fully engaged. I just had to gauge when the timing was right to go for takes."
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