Today's Day In Rock News!

Today's Day in Rock Stories

Tool's Maynard James Keenan Updates Fans On New Album

Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan took to social media to update fans on the progress for the band's long awaited follow-up to their 2006 album "10,000 Days".
The update follows the news that drummer Danny Carey recently shared that he expects the new studio effort to be released sometime this year. Keenan posted the following on Twitter:

"Started getting music files from the boys with the word 'final' in the title a few months ago after 11 years of begging. That in theory means the tracks won't change out from under me while I'm trying to write stories and melodies to them. In theory.

"Still waiting for the final on one... but way ahead. Words and melodies [are] 100% done on all but one. Someday we'll track them. Long way from the finish line, but at least we're closer."



Marilyn Manson Has Bizarre Onstage Meltdown(Radio.com)

Marilyn Manson stumbled through an abbreviated set at The Paramount in New York last Thursday night (Feb. 15), where he rambled through songs, trashed the stage and begged the crowd to say they loved him (via Brooklyn Vegan).
"Marilyn Manson put on the WORST show I have ever seen," groused one fan in attendance on Twitter. "Played 5 songs, bitched about people not saying 'I Love You' and walked off."

"Marilyn Manson ended the show by dropping the mic mid-song, pushing over a speaker, and falling off stage," shared another fan on Twitter. "There's no more to it. I had the meet and greet. He was wasted. He was worse on stage. Rambled on and on about us loving him," another explained on Reddit. adding that Manson and the band struggled through ragged versions of "The Reflecting/Deep Six," "Disposable Teens," " Saturnalia," "Lunchbox" and "God's Gonna Cut You Down" before the show was abruptly ended.

Watch a fan video of Manson' bizarre onstage behavior in New York here.



Metallica Release Birthday Tribute To Cliff Burton(hennemusic)

Metallica are streaming a February 10 performance of the "Master Of Puppets" instrumental, "Orion", at Pala Alpitour in Turin, Italy as a tribute to their late bassist Cliff Burton on what would have been his 56th birthday.
"Turin! Thank you so much for helping us celebrate #CliffBurtonDay," says the band. "Also, a huge thank you to the fans around the world who continue to honor him in their own special ways."

The late rocker was honored by his California hometown with "Cliff Burton Day" on February 10 after fans started a Changeorg petition to recognize the Metallica legend, who died at the age of 24 in a tragic tour bus accident in Sweden during the group's 1986 tour in support of "Master Of Puppets."

Formed in Los Angeles in 1981 by drummer Lars Ulrich and guitarist James Hetfield, the pair pursued Burton after seeing him in performance with his band Trauma at the Whisky A Go Go on the Sunset Strip in late 1982; they famously relocated Metallica's home base to the San Francisco Bay Area the following year on Burton's request as a condition of him joining the lineup. Read more here.



Muse To Stream Special 'By Request' Show Live(Radio.com)

Muse is back with a provocative new single titled "Thought Contagion" and a new album is on the way. As they return to the spotlight, the band announced a one-off live show at La Cigale in Paris.
The concert will be structured as a "by-request" engagement and tickets are exclusively available to Muse digital community members. The February 24 concert will be livestreamed on the band's social channels for fans around the world to enjoy

The "by request" format allows attendees to select their five favorite Muse songs, which will then be tabulated to produce the set list. Viewers at home can't cast votes but they can watch the show on YouTube, Periscope and Facebook. Read more here.



Paramore's Hayley Williams Explains Postponed Tour Dates(Radio.com)

Paramore are currently on tour promoting their album After Laughter, but unfortunately for fans in Jakarta and Manila, the band had to nix some of the scheduled shows. Vocalist Hayley Williams shared that she's battling a throat and upper respiratory infection and her voice is gone.
After two days of treatment, Williams and company pulled the plug. "Unfortunately, my throat hasn't loosened up and the rest of my symptoms have only gotten worse," she posted. Williams said the "dry, recycled air" on planes has taken a toll on her voice and that she's currently taking antibiotics to beat the germs.

She ended her message to fans on a funny note. "Last thing, to lighten the mood, if that's at all possible: google 'The Cryptkeeper – Crypt Jam'… a frightening resemblance to what I sound (and look) like right about now." Read more here.





Singled Out: Jay Katana's When She Dies

Jay Katana (Pool Of Thorns and Bleeding Boyfriend)
recently released his debut solo album "Brighter Than Your Future" and to celebrate we asked him to tell us about the song "When She Dies". Here is the story:
It's a dark acoustic track where the name directly represents the events that inspired me to write it. After you break up with a person who was close to you at some point - you both may live different lives away from each other.

You may never see each other in many ears. And while you know that that person is still alive somewhere - there's still a chance that you'll meet at some point and, who knows, you may be together again, no matter what happened before. But when one of you dies - it's an official ending - a real point of no-return for what you once had.

It was a girl from my past that I haven't seen or spoken to in 15 years. And now that she's gone - I'll never have a chance to tell her anything. Maybe something I wanted to say, or something she deserved to hear…

My feelings were not necessarily - grief or pain. It's just a pure sadness. Something you may feel only when it happens, not when you think that it may happen, or when somebody tells you - "appreciate the ones you loved, while they're still alive"….

Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen for yourself and learn more about the album right here!



Smashing Pumpkins' D'arcy Wretzky Calls Out Billy Corgan(Radio.com)

Original bassist D'arcy Wretzky is not involved in the Smashing Pumpkins reunion, but the details why are still murky and the accusations being flung by both sides are getting ugly.
On February 12, Smashing Pumpkins released a statement, insisting that they wanted Wretzky to be involved in the reunion and that she turned them down. "Ms. Wretzky has repeatedly been invited out to play with the group, participate in demo sessions, or at the very least, meet face-to-face, and in each and every instance she always deferred."

The next day (Feb. 13), Wretzky responded by sharing text messages between her and Corgan, which indicated that she wanted to be involved in a reunion tour and that Corgan was interested in having her along. Then, the frontman seemed to back off, stating that she could be involved in a limited capacity, taking the stage for some songs, but not performing as the band's main bassist.

On Valentine's Day (Feb. 14), an in-depth interview with Wretzky (the first in 20 years) has been published by Alternative Nation, and she pulls no punches, attacking Corgan for being "incredibly abusive" in the past and adding that he "loved to humiliate people and shame people in front of other people."

Throughout the interview, Wretzky was fired up and, at times, indirect. She started by addressing her 18-year absence from the band: "[Billy] has been telling people, 'Well [The Smashing Pumpkins] haven't played with [D'arcy] at all in 18 years." "Right dumba–, because then it wouldn't be a reunion! He says that he's invited me to come out and play for all of these things, which is a complete lie. He's never invited me to anything."

"In fact, my feelings were a little bit hurt because he did the solo album tour, and he didn't tell me when it started," she added. "I was texting him saying, 'Where the f— are you dumba–?' He's like, 'Oh, I'm in New York. The tour started. Then I'm like, 'Where are you?' [He'd reply,] 'Oh, the tour ended, you missed it.' He thinks it's a privilege for anyone to be in his presence, so therefore he shouldn't have to tell me, and I shouldn't have to be invited." Read more here.



Steve Miller Band Announce Special 50th Anniversary Box Set(hennemusic)

The Steve Miller Band are marking their 50th anniversary with the May 18 release of a vinyl box set entitled "Complete Albums Volume 1 (1968-1976)."
The set presents remastered editions of the group's first nine studio records - from 1968's "Children Of The Future" to 1976's "Fly Like An Eagle" - on 180-gram vinyl; they'll also be available individually on the same day of the project's spring release.
The albums have also been newly-remastered for HD digital audio (96kHz/24-bit and, starting February 16, will be released weekly in chronological order ahead of the box set's arrival.

The Steve Miller Band will begin a 50th Anniversary summer US tour with guest Peter Frampton in Evansville, IN on June 12. The three-month run of mostly amphitheaters - similar to the pair's 2017 trek - will see both acts perform sets, with Frampton to join Miller onstage for some mid-set jamming along the trek.

"Music is ethereal - it moves back and forth between the past and the future," says Miller. "I'm very excited to announce that 2018 is our 50th anniversary of recording and touring together as the Steve Miller Band, and we plan to travel between the psychedelic sixties through the future with a vengeance!" Read more here.



The Doors Release Live 'Light My Fire' Video(hennemusic)

The Doors are streaming a performance of their 1967 classic, "Light My Fire", as the latest preview to the February 23 release of "Live At The Isle Of Wight Festival 1970."
The second single from the band's self-titled debut delivered the group their first US No. 1 hit while the project reached No. 2 on the US Billboard 200 on its way to worldwide sales of more than 20 million copies.

The festival set by The Doors, which landed in the middle of frontman Jim Morrison's trial for indecent exposure and obscenity during a 1969 concert in Miami, captures a unique moment in the band's performance history.

"It was a nervous time for us," guitarist Robby Krieger tells Billboard, "and it was pretty different than any of our other shows. Jim was in the midst of the Miami thing, so he wasn't in the best of moods, and we were into the part of his career where he was way overweight and had the beard.

"He didn't really do a great show; He sang well, but he didn't move an inch, and usually he was real animated and all over the place, depending on how much drugs he had in him. And he insisted on green light only. He wanted it as dark as possible on stage, so they're lucky they got anything, really. But other than that, it was pretty fun."

"Light My Fire" follows "Break On Through (To The Other Side)" as the second song previewed from the forthcoming live package, which captures the historic last concert ever filmed of The Doors. Watch the video and read more here.



Liam Gallagher Unplugs For Oasis Classic and Solo Song(hennemusic)

Liam Gallagher performed a mix of Oasis classics and material from his solo debut, "As You Were", during an intimate rooftop set for Radio X in London's Leicester Square on February 12, and video from the event is streaming online.
The stripped-down, acoustic-based appearance included the 1995 Oasis hit, "Some Might Say", and the 2017 solo track, "Paper Crown." "Thank you to all at Radio X, well not all," posted Gallagher on social media, "Good little gig that."

Produced by Greg Kurstin (Adele, Beck) and Dan Grech-Marguerat (Radiohead, Mumford And Sons), "As You Were" recently topped the UK album charts and hit No. 30 on the US Billboard 200. Watch the videos here.



Myles Kennedy Releases 'Devil On The Wall' Video(hennemusic)

Alter Bridge and Slash singer Myles Kennedy is streaming a lyric video for the track "Devil On The Wall", from his forthcoming debut solo album "Year Of The Tiger."
The tune follows the title track and "Haunted By Design" as the third song previewed ahead of the project's release on March 9. Working with longtime Alter Bridge producer Michael "Elvis" Baskette, Kennedy's solo debut sees the rocker embracing musical elements and influences he hasn't explored until this point in his career. The singer plays banjo, lap steel, bass, and mandolin in addition to guitar throughout the album, whose theme is inspired by the loss of his father when he was a child.

Kennedy will launch "Year Of The Tiger" with a pair of dates in South Africa early next month alongside a European tour that includes a 7-show UK trek and then a spring US run in May. Watch the video here.




The Cars Stream Demo Version of 1984 Classic 'Drive'(hennemusic)


The Cars are streaming a demo of their 1984 classic, "Drive", as a preview to their forthcoming March 30th release of an expanded edition of "Heartbeat City."
The third single from the band's fifth album was their highest-charting US hit, reaching No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 alongside three other Top 20 tracks from the project - "You Might Think", "Magic" and "Hello Again."

Produced by Mutt Lange, "Heartbeat City" peaked at No. 3 on the US Billboard 200 while selling more than 4 million copies.

The demo of "Drive" is one of seven unreleased versions of songs featured on the 2018 reissue, which will arrive in sync with an expanded edition of 1981's "Shake It Up."

Available on CD, 2LP and digital formats, both projects will be issued two weeks ahead of The Cars' induction into the 2018 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame during an April 14 event at the Public Auditorium in Cleveland, OH. Read more and stream the song here.



The Neighbourhood Release New Song and Announce Album, Tour Dates(Radio.com)


The Neighbourhood are coming back, and they're coming back strong. Jesse Rutherford and company have announced a new self-titled album, scheduled for release on March 9th.
The album news was accompanied by the new song, "Void," which will be included in the release. The moody and atmospheric new wave ballad is a throwback to '80s synth-pop love songs, with an extra existential kick, courtesy of Rutherford.

The Neighbourhood will support the new record with a 15-date North American tour, which kicks off April 6 in Denver. See the tour itinerary below.

They're also set to hit the late-night circuit, with a performance of "Scary Love" scheduled for The Late Late Show with James Corden on Feb. 20. Listen to "Void" and see the tour dates here.




Joseph Arthur And R.E.M. Star Form Spontaneous New Band(Gibson)


With R.E.M deciding to call time while still at the top of their game, it's always good to hear of new music from the band's members. Guitarist Peter Buck's latest creative outing is unplanned and spontaneous, but still very welcome.
It turns out that Buck bumped into Joseph Arthur - a prolific singer-songwriter who'd opened for R.E.M in the past - in the small Mexican town of Todos Santos. (In addition to releasing a constant stream of solo albums and EPs, Arthur has also been part of the the bands Fistful of Mercy - with Dhani Harrison and Ben Harper - and RNDM - with Richard Stuverud and Pearl Jam's Jeff Ament.)

Buck and Arthur got jamming and according to Rolling Stone, came up with eight songs in eight hours. A few days later they demo-ed the tunes live for a local audience and now they've got record label attention. In fact, the new band - they're calling themselves Arthur Buck - will release a new album and tour North America and Europe this year.

Both Buck and Arthur's most recent material had been more intense before this, so both musicians were surprised with the upbeat optimism of the songs they'd written together. According to Arthur, "All of a sudden it was like I had this musical partner and friend, and that relieved the music of the burden of the self, if that makes sense," while Buck says the new album is, "a very forward-looking record, lyrically. The music has a questing kind of feel. We were making it up as we went along." Read more here.



Sufjan Stevens And Jonny Greenwood Will Attend Oscars(Gibson)

Unlike most of us unknowns, who'd drop everything for a chance to rub shoulders with the superstar contingent at the Academy Awards, artistes like Sufjan Stevens and Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood can pause to think about whether they really want to be there.
Both musicians had previously indicated that attending the Oscars wasn't exactly unmissable for them and that they'd have to think about it. In fact, Stevens even stated that he'd have to get into a tuxedo for the first time in his life, if he did attend. This year, Stevens is nominated in the Best Original Song category for 'Mystery Of Love' from the Call Me By Your Name soundtrack, while Greenwood is up for Best Original Score for his work on Phantom Thread.

We now know, thanks to an article in The New York Times, that Steven will, indeed, be attending and that he's sorted out his tuxedo as well. Greenwood's attendance was confirmed by Phantom Thread director Paul Thomas Anderson, who emailed Associated Press to say, "He's coming!" Read more here.




Metallica Release Live 'Creeping Death' Video(hennemusic)


Metallica performed their 1984 classic, "Creeping Death", at the WiZink Center in Madrid, Spain on February 5, and the band are streaming professional footage from the show.
The clip from the second of two concerts in the Spanish capital follows footage of the group's 1983 classic, "Seek & Destroy", from a February 3 date at the same venue, one of the early stops on the latest leg of Metallica's WorldWired tour in support of "Hardwired…To Self-Destruct."

Metallica's tenth release recently landed at No. 3 on the Top Rock Albums of 2017 in a year-end review by Nielsen Music, behind projects by Imagine Dragons ("Evolve") and Twenty One Pilots ("Blurryface").

The global measurement and data analytics company named Metallica as the No. 1 Rock Artist of 2017, ahead of Imagine Dragons, The Beatles, Linkin Park and Twenty One Pilots after delivering a combined total of 1,836,000 album sales, TEA (track-equivalent albums, a unit of measurement where 10 paid downloads equal one album) and SEA (on-demand audio streaming-equivalent albums, another unit of measurement where 1,500 streams equal one album). Watch the video and read more here.