Today's Day In Rock News!

Today's Day in Rock Stories

Former Guns N' Roses Star Cut Ties To Axl Rose

Former Guns N' Roses guitarist Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal reveals that he has not spoken to Axl Rose since he left the group but he is happy to see the current reunion with Rose, Slash and Duff McKagan.
Thal has moved on since leaving the group in 2014 and is now part of the supergroup Art Of Anarchy. He was asked in a interview if he has spoken to Axl since his departure from the group.

He answered, "No. The relationship is over between me and them. They're doing fine and I'm doing fine and that's the way it's supposed to be. I don't regret leaving. I wish it could have smoother on a personal level.

"I'm happy to see what they're doing now and I'm glad I was able to be part of their world that makes people so happy at the shows. It was a gift. I'm grateful and I thank them for it."


Bauhaus's Peter Murphy Suffering Serious Vocal Cords Issues

Bauhaus icon Peter Murphy has revealed that doctors have discovered nodules on his vocal cords, which has forced him to postpone his upcoming Residency at the Chapel in San Francisco until early next year.
Murphy will be receiving treatment for the nodules but it will also require a lengthy recovery. He had this message for fans, "As you can see, I am not allowed to sing or speak for a while, doctor's orders. I must rest my vocal cords. See you when this is over. Love, Peter."

The residency has now been moved to January and February of 2018 and will include special shows that are each focused on a different album from his career.

Peter also announced that he has expanded plans for the series of concerts with two additional shows called Mr. Moonlight" which will focus of Bauhaus classics. Read more including the rescheduled dates here.



Darkest Hour Frontman Slams Victory Records

Darkest Hour frontman John Henry has criticized Victory Records and says that despite releasing five albums with the label and selling hundreds of thousands of copies, he has yet to see a royalty check from the record company.
Henry isn't the first artist to be critical of the Chicago based label. A Day To Remember won a lengthy legal battle against Victory last year with a jury awarding the band $4 million in alleged unpaid royalties, according to Altpress.

On a recent episode of the Lead Singer Syndrome podcast with Silverstein's Shane Told, Henry had this to say (via Lambgoat), "We were one of the few bands that completed a Victory contract. Five albums, yeah, ten years baby. Still haven't seen a royalty check. Hundreds of thousands of units SoundScanned, you know? Not one penny.

"So, maybe someday, we'll get something from them, I don't know... not that it's all about the money or anything … Feeding yourself is pretty tight." Listen to the full podcast here.


Mastodon Offshoot Arcadea Stream New Song 'Infinite End'

Mastodon star Brann Dailor's cosmic synth/psych side project called Arcadea have released an online stream of a brand new track entitled "Infinite End."
The song comes from the group's forthcoming self-titled debut album which is set to be released on June 16th. Aside from Dailor, the band also features Zruda's Core Atoms and Withered's Raheem Amlani/

The cosmic synth/psych collective known as Arcadea has premiered a new song called "Infinite End" today. The song is found on the band's debut, self-titled album that's set for release on June 16th via Relapse Records.

According to the announcement, the trio "tell the story of a future 5 billion years from now where galaxies have collided, leaving catastrophic disorder in its wake as war is waged among gods and planets, and Arcadea reign supreme as the last surviving space wizards since the final extinction." Stream the song here.



Avenged Sevenfold Release 'God Damn' Video

Avenged Sevenfold have released a new music video for their track "God Damn". The song comes from the group's latest album "The Stage", which they released last fall.
Frontman M. Shadows had these comments about the new Anders Rostad directed clip (via TeamRock), "There's a bunch of ideas that were thrown into the mixing bowl there - but the main idea was to get fans involved and make sure the kids knew this is a song full of energy first and foremost.

"But at the same time, we wanted the technological hint in there, so as the video progresses you start seeing things glitching out and all of a sudden the world turns digital."

He adds: "By the end, there's a little nod to the lyrics - you see an eyeball kind of in there as an Easter egg, which is kind of big brother watching what we do the whole time as the humans turn into a digital world." Watch the video here.





The Melvins Announce Massive North American Tour

The Melvins are in an epic mood lately. Not only will they be releasing a new double album this summer, they are planning to hit the road for a massive North American tour.
The tour will span the summer into the fall and is scheduled to kick off on July 5th in San Diego, CA at the Casbah and will run until October 3rd where it will wrap up in Flagstaff, AZ at The Green Room.

The band has recruited Spotlights to support them on the trek and The Melvins will also be taking part in Tool's special one-off festival like show at the Glen Helen Amphitheater in San Bernardino, Ca on June 24th.

The Melvins are launching the tour in support of their forthcoming double album "A Walk With Love & Death" which is scheduled to be released on July 7th. See the dates here.


Converge Begin Recording New Studio Album

Converge have entered the recording studio to begun work on their new studio album, according to a new social media post from drummer Ben Koller.
He took to Instagram on Wednesday and shared with fans, "Well this is intimidating. 0 down, 18 to go. Please post your favorite inspirational quotes to guide me through this difficult time. "

The new album will follow the group's 2012 effort "All We Love We Leave Behind". The band will also be hitting the road this summer for a series of music festival appearances and a short tour with Neurosis and Amenra. See the dates here.



The Afghan Whigs Release 'Oriole' Video

The Afghan Whigs have released a brand new video for their track "Oriole". The song comes from their forthcoming album "In Spades", which is set to hit stores on May 5th.
The NSFW video was directed by Amy Nicole Hood and can be streamed here. The new studio effort will be offered in a variety of formats including CD, a 180 gram vinyl and digitally.

The band has also revealed the first round of live dates in support of the new album, beginning with a sold out show at the famed Apollo Theater in Harlem on May 23rd, followed by a European tour. Read more here.




The Church Announce U.S. Summer Tour Dates

Alternative rock icons The Church have announced that they will be visiting the United States this summer where they will be launching a short series of live dates.
The run of summer dates is scheduled to begin on June 28th in Ann Arbor, MI at The Ark and will be wrapping up on July 8th in Pawling, NY at Daryl's House.

The trek will include a performance at this year's Summerfest in Milwaukee on June 29th, stops in Cincinnati, Nashville, a two night stand at the City Winery in Chicago, Richmond and Ardmore, PA. See the dates here.



Sevendust Announce 20th Anniversary Tour

Sevendust have announced that they will be hitting the road this summer for a short run of shows where they will be celebrating the 20th anniversary of their debut album.
The band released their self-titled album in 1997 and will now stage some special concert in the eastern U.S. this June where they will be performing the effort in full.

The shows are scheduled to kick off on June 21st in Baltimore, MD at Rams Head Live! and will be concluding on June 25th in Worcester, MA with a show at The Palladium. Read more here.


Halestorm's Lzzy Hale Warns Bands Of Wrong Motivations

Halestorm frontwoman Lzzy Hale says bands should pursue music because they love it and warns up and coming groups to avoid any other motivations including greed.
Hale was asked by Rawkus Radio (via NRT) what advise she would offer to young bands and she responded, "Number one is absolutely do it because you love it," said Lzzy. "Don't do it for any other reason. We've seen so many bands just crumble because their idea of success is money or getting people to know you and all this stuff.

"We're all perpetually, like, 14 inside; we haven't really grown up. And we still get that same feeling right before a show, and it's like we're 14 again. And it's because we love it. It has nothing to do with any of the petty things." Read more here.



In This Moment Announce North American Summer Tour

In This Moment appear to be having so much fun on their current North American tour that the band has announced plans for a new summer leg and revealed most of the new dates.
The run of shows are currently scheduled to kick off with a special show on June 19th in Mt Pleasant, MI at Soaring Eagle Casino where they will be supporting Avenged Sevenfold.

The final announced dates will be taking place on August 5th in Lincoln, NE at the Centennial Mall & M Street. In This Moment have recruited Motionless in White, former Slipknot star Joey Jordison's new band Vimic, and Little Miss Nasty as the support acts for the trek. Read more here.



Red Fang Star Intimidated Sharing Stage With Slayer

Red Fang's Bryan Giles was a featured guest on the latest Wikimetal podcast and revealed during the interview that he finds sharing the stage with Slayer intimidating.
Giles on what it is like to play a festival with Slayer and he responded, "There are Metal fans and there are Slayer fans. I love Slayer, I'm a huge fan. It's intimidating [playing with them] because if you ask me, they're the best Metal band in the world.

"They have consistently put out some of the best Metal records and they never compromised their sound for changing styles. They stayed true to what they're doing. Even the best Metal bands in the world, they moved with the fashion. And Slayer never did that." Listen to the full episode here.



Paradise Lost Reveal New Details For Forthcoming Album

Paradise Lost have revealed some new details about their forthcoming album, which they are planning to release towards the end of this coming summer and will be entitled "Medusa".
Greg Mackintosh promises, "The new album will be slower, sludgier and more doom filled than ever before. Eight riff laden monster tracks of sheer Northern misery."

The band is currently wrapping up work on the album which they recorded at the Orgone Studios in Woburn, England. It will following their 2015 record "The Plague Within" and the group plans to reveal more details soon.



Pearl Jam Announce Complete Scores Book(Gibson)

Pearl Jam announced the release of Pearl Jam Anthology -- The Complete Scores, a 800-page hardcover book with lyrics and instrument transcriptions for each one of the group's album tracks, all the way from "Ten" to "Lightning Bolt."
Pearl Jam Anthology -- The Complete Scores, which will run $75 retail, is available for pre-order on Pearl Jam's website and Amazon at lower price. The book will arrive next month.

In other news, Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready is gearing up to release a photo book, called of Potato Heads and Polaroids, on May 30. McCready will also host some live events to promote the book, including a date May 30 in Seattle and June 7 in New York City. Read more here.



Enslaved Enter The Studio For New Album

Enslaved have announced that they have begun studio work on their forthcoming 14th studio album, the follow-up to their 2015 release "In Times".
The group is recording the new effort at Duper & Solslottet Studios in the city of Bergen in their native Norway and mixing and mastering will be handled by Jens Bogren at Fascination Street Studios.

Ivar Bjornson had this to say, "It is absolutely fantastic to be in the studio with these new songs. So many doors were opened with In Times and the times (sic) that followed; for us as a band, for me as a composer and I guess for us all on a personal level." Read more here.



Mark Slaughter Launches 'Halfway There' Video Series

Mark Slaughter has launched a new video series where he is offering fans a behind the scenes look at his forthcoming solo album "Halfway There", which is set to be released on May 26th.
The first episode of the new in-studio video series gives fans a look at a song called "Conspiracy". The new album was produced and co-mixed by Slaughter with John Cranfield (AFI, Andy Grammer).

Fans can also catch Slaughter live this spring with appearances at some of the leading music festivals including Rocklahoma and the Outer Banks Music Festival. Watch the new video clip here.



Justin Symbol & The God Bombs Release 'Godhead' Video

Justin Symbol & The God Bombs has released a music video for their new track "Godhead". The song is the title cut from their forthcoming sophomore album, which they plan to release in October.
The new clip is said to be "an homage to 70s psychedelic/occult film makers such as Alejandro Jodorowsky and Kenneth Anger" and was filmed in Joshua Tree last June.

According to the announcement, the song "tells the story of Justin Symbol's quest for a mystical cactus shaped microphone atop a mountain in Joshua Tree. He is challenged along the way by various evil forces attempting to thwart his conquest." Watch the video here.




Skillet's John Cooper Takes Part In Marvel's Playback

Skillet's John Cooper is featured in a new installment of Marvel's Playback series where he shares his love for comics, and the revealed lessons he's learned from their stories and heroes.
"What makes a hero is someone who does something selfless…Someone who stands up for someone who is weak," says Cooper. "Working in rock and roll is good, but being a hero is better."

In other Skillet news, the band's latest single "Back From The Dead" is set to be used in SyFy's new series, Blood Drive. The episode featuring the Skillet track will be the premiere of the show on June 14th. Watch the Marvel's Playback video here.



Singled Out: Onesie's Daytime King

Onesie just released a video for their song "Daytime King" and to celebrate we asked the group's mastermind Ben Haberland to share the story behind the track with us. Here is the story:
Like most Onesie songs, "Daytime King" one was born from a guitar idea I stumbled on while noodling around on my couch. The cyclical, climbing riff was likely inspired by Blur's "There's No Other Way", a song I've loved for many years. I wanted to evoke a loose kind of shuffling feel with that guitar hook weaving around a repeating bass and drum groove. It needed a twist, so In the verse there's a wall of Big Muff guitars that sort of interrupts the flow ands disappears pretty quickly. I made a casual bedroom demo of the song back in 2013. I remember overdubbing the shaker and really getting into "snare hunter" mode to stay on beat. There's that great moment in the Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers doc where he talks about how vital the shaker was in mixing "Refugee". I have a tendency to write too many parts but thankfully the shaker helped temper that and glue the disparate pieces together. I was worried that the overall feel landed somewhere between Kool and The Gang and Spin Doctors but when the band played it we really dug into the dynamics and enjoyed how different it was than the rest of the songs.

I keep an ongoing notepad file of lyrical ideas on my phone. When I'm demoing, I'll pull out a line that works with the music and it generally flows from there. Though this set of lyrics are kind of random and whimsical, the line "you're right there with me, jingling the keys" is pretty close to my heart. It was inspired by working on photo shoots and watching the trick of the jingling keys to make toddlers look in the direction of the camera. The same trick actually terrifies my cat into coming back into our apartment when she gets too curious about the hallway. Life is constantly sending you distractions that make you second guess your choices. You can either react to the jingling keys or you can put on your blinders and persevere. It's an ode to staying focused on your own long game through the ceaseless noise.

Since the guitar/bass relationship was kind of busy, I went for a vocal cadence that is less lyrically dense than than something I would typically write. With vocals piping in and out like horns over the groove, I got into the frame of mind of Steely Dan and layered in some harmonies that made everything smoother. The actual phrase 'Daytime King' became lodged in my brain after going to a Late Show with David Letterman taping a few years ago. Regis Philbin was the guest, and it was great because he was not promoting anything. It was a very relaxed, friendly visit, with stream of conscious chatting. At some point the term "King Of Daytime" came up and I wrote it down. It's one of those perfectly hollow titles of celebrity nobility. I mean, I associate daytime TV with boredom or failure- something negative. He was just so self-assured and charming about accepting his role as THE Daytime King. A few weeks later there was a big Winter storm in New York, and as the song says they did indeed "close the city".

This song has a fun extended breakdown with both two of my favorite things happening at once- a mosh beat and a harmony solo! I have a tendency to go crazy with layering those Thin Lizzy guitar parts. They're just so tasty. I'll end with a little trivia. The spoken line in the bridge right before the solo is pretty much a direct quote from a moment of punk rock triumph in a lesser celebrated John Hughes movie. It's one of those lines that drifted around my subconscious for decades and it just came out when we were overdubbing and sounded right.