Today's Day In Rock

Van Halen Single and Tour Launch Details
(hennemusic) Van Halen returns next Tuesday with "Tattoo," the first single from their forthcoming album.
The VHND reports that one week from today, Van Halen will release "Tattoo" as the project's lead track.

The site also says the 2012 Van Halen tour starts in February, with opening night happening in Louisville, Kentucky. more on this story


Pink Floyd To Reunite?
(Gibson) More than a few legendary bands have been rumored to reunite for the opening and/or closing ceremonies at this summer's Olympic Games in London. Recent speculation has included the reformations of Queen, Led Zeppelin and some new version of The Beatles.

Now, the London Evening Standard is positing that the surviving members of Pink Floyd will team up for the big event. Roger Waters, David Gilmour and Nick Mason last got together at one of the London stops on Waters' The Wall tour. Of course, those three musicians and the late Rick Wright also reunited at 2005's Live 8 concert.

"Its long been made clear it would take something very special to get Pink Floyd back together again and it doesn't get any bigger than the Olympics," an insider said. "Like Sir Paul [McCartney, rumored to play at the opening ceremonies] they have been a major part of the nation's culture over the past 40 years and it will be very fitting that they're involved when London is on show to the world. It's hoped everything can be confirmed in the coming weeks." more on this story



Guns N' Roses Members Reaction To Rock Hall Reunion Speculation
(Banana 101.5) There are a lot of former and current members of Guns N' Roses and almost all of them are talking about the potential of a reunion at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in April. Here is the breakdown of what the involved parties have said in regards to the possible reformation of old school GN'R.

Dizzy Reed Keyboardist 1995-Present: "I haven't received any sort of schedule or itinerary yet, and I really don't know much about the whole process, but I'll do whatever, man. I always say that I'm always the last to know. I could be in Tahiti or something and get a phone call, who knows?" – Las Vegas Review-Journal

D.J. Ashba Guitarist 2009-Present: "I don't ever foresee that happening, to be honest just from what I know. But I would be the first person in line to buy a ticket, that's for sure. So I have no problem with it whatsoever." – Banana 101.5

Axl Rose Lead Singer 1985-Present: "Because, really, you can get guys from the ['Use Your Illusion'] thing, but the only thing that would make it would be Duff [McKagan] and Slash, really. It's nothing against Izzy [Stradlin] and it's nothing against Steven [Adler], or anything like that. Steven may want it, but these guys I'm working with right now, they work really hard and it's hard work…There is no plan yet. There really is no plan. We're still busy with this lineup." – Los Angeles Times

What about Duff, Matt, Steven and Slash?



Van Halen Vs Al Roker
(hennemusic) NBC's Al Roker wouldn't budge for Van Halen on a flight to New York this week. The New York Post reports Roker nearly "pulled an Alec Baldwin" on an American Airlines flight when he refused to give up his aisle seat for Alex Van Halen and his wife, Stine Schyberg, and remained glued to his phone after the gate closed to tune out the couple's protests.

On AA flight No. 4 to New York, the Van Halen co-founder and his wife complained to the gate agent that Roker was sitting between them as the plane sat on the ground.

Witnesses said Alex was seated by the right-side window, his wife in the center of the cabin, with Roker in the aisle seat between them. Alex's brother and Van Halen co-founder Eddie and his wife, Janie Liszewski, were seated in the row behind them. Find out why he wouldn't move

Shinedown Deliver New Song
(Banana 101.5) Shinedown spent the better part of 2011 recording the follow-up to their massively successful 2008 album 'The Sound of Madness' with producer Rob Cavallo.

The new album, 'Amaryllis,' won't be released until March 27th, but that didn't stop the band from unleashing their uncharacteristically to the point single 'Bully.'

For a band that usually speaks in metaphor, 'Bully' seems to deliver a fairly straight-forward message. Check it out here.



Joe Strummer Music Festival Planned
(Gibson) Joe Strummer, the founding member of U.K. punk icons The Clash who passed away in 2002, will be honored with a festival this summer.

The festival will be organized by the Strummerville charity and will take place around August 12, the day Strummer would have turned 60. The organization is calling the festival the Strummer of Love and the lineup will feature artists and bands influenced by The Clash.

A Strummerville spokesman told Mojo magazine, "None of the bands have been booked yet and the search is still continuing for a suitable site. But when we were discussing how to celebrate Joe's life, a music festival seems to be the most appropriate way." more on this story



Beatles and Eurythmics Stars Team Up For Musical
(Gibson) Ex-Beatle Ringo Starr is preparing to work with Eurythmics man and top producer Dave Stewart on a musical.

According to the U.K.'s Daily Express, Ringo collaborated with Stewart on material for his new album, Ringo 2012, and the writing sessions resulted in extra material, enough for stage show.

Starr told Mojo magazine, "Me and Dave wrote a musical, a complete thing – characters, story, a lot of songs. We wrote it for Broadway, but it will more likely end up [as] a movie... and I'm not telling you anything else. It's about other people." more on this story



Metallica Release Final 30th Anniversary Show Recap
(hennemusic) Metallica have released a video summary of the final night of their recent 30th Anniversary shows.

For the December 10 show, the band were joined by former Metallica bassist Jason Newsted, Dave Mustaine of Megadeth, producer Bob Rock, Lloyd Grant, Ron McGovney, Hugh Tanner and Black Sabbath legends Ozzy Osbourne and Geezer Butler.

Metallica rocked a 20-song set that included material from various points in their career, including a heavy dose of tracks from their 1983 debut, "Kill "Em All," and the band offered up the fourth previously-unreleased "Death Magnetic" track, "Rebel Of Babylon." Check it out here.

Bonnie Raitt To Release Comeback Album
(Gibson) Bonnie Raitt will release her first album in seven years and it's called Slipstream. The 12-track album features blues, rock and soul including a cover version.

USA Today is reporting that the renowned blues singer and guitarist has been taking a break for the past few years after losing her parents, brother and best friend.

"I took a hiatus from touring and recording to get back in touch with the other part of my life," Raitt, 62, said in a statement. more on this story



Dream Theater's James LaBrie Plans New Solo Album
Loudwire reports that Dream Theater frontman James LaBrie has told followers on his official Facebook page that he is beginning to write for his next solo album.

LaBrie's longtime writing partner Matt Guillory will once again lend his talents for the Dream Theater vocalist's third solo album.

Keyboardist Matt Guillory began working with LaBrie more than a decade ago in the progressive metal project MullMuzzler Read what he had to say here.

Historic Reunion For Peter Frampton
Peter Frampton has been reunited with his beloved and historic Gibson Les Paul after three decades. We were sent these details:

Peter Frampton's long-lost guitar was recently discovered after its disappearance in a plane crash 32 years ago. In 1980, a cargo plane carrying Frampton's equipment for an upcoming show in Panama crashed, supposedly destroying all of the instruments on board including Frampton's cherished 1954 Gibson Les Paul. Thanks to the unyielding work of two dedicated fans, one in Holland and one on the Dutch Caribbean island of Curaçao, as well as the CEO of the Curaçao Tourist Board, Frampton was reunited with the guitar in an emotional meeting last month in Nashville, TN.

The Curaçao Tourist Board helped acquire the guitar from an individual after hearing news that they may indeed have a lead on the long lost and beloved guitar. Together in Nashville, TN at the Gibson Custom Shop, with experts from Gibson Guitar and Peter Frampton, the team confirmed it was the original guitar long missing from Frampton's collection. more on this story

Onslaught To Launch Their First North American Tour This Spring
(ESM) North American Onslaught fans have waited three decades and it will finally happen this year as Onslaught will cross the Atlantic for their first ever tour of the continent in March and April.

The 20-date trek gets underway in Seattle on March 19th and tramples its way across the continent ending in Brooklyn on April 7th.

The band's exclusive set for the tour spans their full back catalog, including Power from Hell, The Force, In Search of Sanity, Killing Peace and their lauded 2011 release Sounds of Violence. more on this story

Corrosion Of Conformity Album and Tour Coming
Corrosion Of Conformity will be hitting the road for a North American headlining tour this March in support of their new self-titled album which will hit stores on February 28, 2012.

The tour kicks off March 1 at the Gramercy Theatre in New York City, the trek will hit 15 cities including two performances at this year's SXSW Music Conference in Austin. The band will be joined by Torche, Valient Thorr and A Storm Of Light.

Commented vocalist/bassist Mike Dean of the upcoming shows: "We think the lineup of music on this tour is really compatible without every band doing the same thing. We're really proud to be on this bill and touring on a new album." more on this story

Cursive Giving Away New Song
Saddle Creek are offering Cursive fans a download of "The Sun and Moon", the first track off the groups upcoming seventh album I Am Gemini.

I Am Gemini will be released February 21st, 2012 via Saddle Creek, but you don't have to wait until then to grab the download of the new song here.

Cursive has announced an additional four weeks of shows this spring, from March 22nd to April 21st. This new run of dates includes two shows in New York City on April 3rd and 4th at the Bowery Ballroom. more on this story

Cage The Elephant Release New DVD/CD
Cage The Elephant have released their first-ever live DVD: Live From The Vic In Chicago, which was released this week on DVD/CD, and as an iTunes DVD download and digital audio download.

In addition, Best Buy will release an exclusive Blu-Ray disc available in stores January 3rd, and it will be available at other retailers January 17th.

Directed by the famed lensman Wayne Isham, Live From The Vic In Chicago, was filmed amidst their spring tour during which Cage The Elephant had a two-night sold out run at The Vic Theatre in Chicago. more on this story

Dillinger Escape Plan, Mastodon, Jane's Addiction Supergroup Tap Mars Volta Drummer
One Day As A Lion, ex-The Mars Volt drummer Jon Theodore has been tapped for the new Dillinger Escape Plan, Mastodon, Jane's Addiction supergroup Giraffe Tongue Orchestra.

This official announcement refutes previous reports that Thomas Pridgen (ex- The Mars Volta) was the new drummer for Giraffe Tongue Orchestra which features guitarist Ben Weinman (Dillinger Escape Plan), guitarist/vocalist Brent Hinds (Mastodon, West End Motel, Fiend
Without A Face) and bassist Eric Avery (ex- Jane's Addiction).

Along with his repertoire of Jazz, Fusion and Rock styles, Theodore brings a heightened sense of enthusiasm to the project saying, "When I first heard some of the ideas these guys were working on I immediately knew this project was right up my alley. Both beautiful and technical but not spastic, thematic but not cheesy, hard but delicate." more on this story

Steven Tyler Walks This Way With Alice Cooper
(hennemusic) Steven Tyler made a surprise appearance on at Alice Cooper's New Year's Eve show in Maui, Hawaii.

Also on the bill were "Weird Al" Yankovic, Pat Simmons and Michael McDonald of the Doobie Brothers, and Bob Rock; the event was emceed by comedian Tom Arnold.

Tyler turned up for a few songs, including "Walk This Way" and "Sweet Emotion," as well as joining Alice and Weird Al for a cover of The Beatles' classic, "Come Together". Check out video here.

Jay Frank To Tell You How To Hack Your Hit
Jay Frank has set a February 1, 2012 release date for "Hack Your Hit," which is billed as the definitive, do-it-yourself marketing guide for artists seeking success in the digital age. We were sent these details:

Hack Your Hit will hit the shelves the same week that Frank's new model record label, DigSin, releases its first round of single songs for free to subscribers.

"With over 3,000 albums released weekly, marketing new music properly becomes increasingly crucial," said author Jay Frank. "Hack Your Hit shows that there are easily implemented strategies to work through the noise and allow new music to be found and heard."

Van Halen to Perform at New York’s Cafe Wha? This Thursday

Van Halen to Perform at New York’s Cafe Wha? This Thursday
JANUARY 2, 2012

This story sounds too good to be true, but we confirmed it with the band – it’s true!

From RollingStone:
By Andy Greene
January 2, 2012 7:55 PM ET
Journalists across New York have been invited to a Van Halen concert at the Cafe Wha? in Greenwich Village this Thursday. Though nothing is official, word is the band are going to perform a 45-minute set. The group hasn’t played in public since the end of their 2007/’08 reunion tour with original frontman David Lee Roth, though they have been rehearsing for their upcoming world tour at the Roxy in Los Angeles for the past few months. A new album is in the works, and a new image released by the band has the date 2.7.12 on it. A new video and single is expected to hit sometime this month. The tour goes on sale January 10th.
The 250-seat Cafe Wha? may seem like an unlikely place for Van Halen to launch their new tour, but the club has an important family connection to David Lee Roth. His uncle Manny Roth owned and operated the venue, providing a stage to then-up-and-coming acts such as Jimi Hendrix, Bill Cosby, Bob Dylan, Richard Pryor and many others.
While the Van Halen camp has been extremely quiet about the band’s plans for 2012, they recently put up a giant billboard in Times Square and teaser footage showing the band rehearsing at the Roxy. They have also given the fansite VHLINKS two exclusive videos of the band reminiscing about Eddie Van Halen’s old Volvo and judging wet T-shirt contests back in the Seventies. The site also says that a “trusted source” tells them the band has been “busy booking rehearsal space and hotel rooms for the band and their crew for [this] week in NYC.”

Today's Day in Rock

Velvet Revolver To Reunite With Scott Weiland Next Week
(Banana 101.5) Scott Weiland has apparently buried the hatchet with his former bandmates in Velvet Revolver and they have agreed to perform together for a one-off show honoring late composer John O' Brien.
While it may not be the reunion news involving Slash and Duff McKagan you were hoping for, the one night only reformation of VR is surprising considering how things ended for the supergroup that formed in 2003.

Blabbermouth reports that Weiland will return to front Velvet Revolver for a brief performance on January 12th at the House of Blues in West Hollywood. The event titled 'Love You Madly: A Concert For John O' Brien' will honor the recently deceased film/TV composer. more on this story


Van Halen Playing Club Show This Week
(hennemusic) Journalists across New York have been invited to a Van Halen concert at the Cafe Wha? in Greenwich Village this Thursday.

Rolling Stone reports that, although nothing is official, word is the band are going to perform a 45-minute set.

The group hasn't played in public since the end of their 2007/'08 reunion tour with original frontman David Lee Roth, though they have been rehearsing for their upcoming world tour at the Roxy in Los Angeles for the past few months. more on this story



Alice Cooper, Steven Tyler and Weird Al New Year's Jam
(hennemusic) Alice Cooper rocked his way into 2012 with a New Year's Eve show in Maui, Hawaii where Aerosmith's Steven Tyler turned up for a few songs.

Cooper played at the Mala Wailea, the famous oceanfront restaurant that is lobby level at Wailea Beach Marriott Resort & Spa. Also on the bill were "Weird Al" Yankovic, Pat Simmons and Michael McDonald of the Doobie Brothers, and Bob Rock; the event was emceed by comedian Tom Arnold.

Tyler joined Alice for a few songs, including "Walk This Way" and "Sweet Emotion" and they were also joined by Weird Al for a cover of The Beatles' classic, "Come Together," which Aerosmith recorded, themselves, many years ago. Check out video here.



Slash Says New Album is Raw
(Gibson) Slash has been talking about his new in-progress album. It will feature singer Myles Kennedy for all tracks. After the festive break, Slash and Co. return to the studio to continue recording and mixing the as-yet-unnamed album, and the Les Paul-toting star predicts an April release.

Slash tells Total Guitar magazine, "We're just going for the one take that sounds good, so my solos are more raw, probably sloppier in a way, because they're very spontaneous to the point where it's in the heat of the moment."

Of the completed individual songs, Slash says, "There's one song at this point called 'Bad Rain' which is a mid-tempo, very heavy and dark song. It's in a drop-D tuning – and we're already playing a half-step down – and the solo has a kinda chromatic feel.

"There's one very uptempo song with a cool riff called 'Halo.' The third song is called 'Standing in the Sun' and it's very melodic, mid-to-uptempo… just a rock 'n' roll song! All three of these songs are relatively short, they're all in a rock mold, and I guess I always come from that pentatonic point of view. For me, any time you go too far out of that, it ceases to be rock. It has to have a basis around that, otherwise it no longer has any essence of that Chuck Berry kinda deal." more on this story



Deep Purple Legend Jon Lord Updates Fans on Cancer Fight
(hennemusic) This past summer, former Deep Purple keyboardist Jon Lord announced that he is fighting cancer and would be taking a break from performing while getting treatment.

This week, Lord offered his best wishes to fans and says he is "doing well." Here's Jon's post: Happy New Year to all of you and thank you so much for your wonderful, kind and inspirational messages over these last few difficult months.

I have been mightily sustained by reading them and will continue to be so. You are a very special lot indeed. I am doing well and I will be back with more news and updates in the next week or so. more on this story


Metal Star Restrains Aspiring Model That Trashed His Apartment
(TMZ) Meeting a chick on Facebook sounds good in theory ... but former Danzig bassist Jerry Montano says his experience left him with a series of harassing calls and messages ... and a trashed apartment.

According to papers filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, Montano says he was introduced to Priscilla Caputo through friends and they spoke on Facebook. He claims he met Caputo on December 5 when "she came to my place around 4 AM and stayed the night."

Montano says Caputo spent another night at his house on December 11. Two days later, Montano claims he turned down Caputo's offer to hang out again ... which he says caused her to "freak out."

Montano claims she sent him harassing texts all night and eventually showed up at his place -- when he wasn't there -- and after one of his roommates let her in, Montano claims she kicked in his bedroom door and "trashed the place."

Montano says he filed a police report and when he told Caputo about it, he claims she replied by saying if he filed charges against her, she would tell the cops he raped her.

A few days later, after he claims he received even more harassing messages, Montano requested and received a restraining order against Caputo ... ordering her to stay 100 yards away from him and his roommates.

There is a hearing scheduled on January 6 where a judge will decide whether or not to make the restraining order permanent. more on this story



Guns N' Roses Wrap Up Chinese Democracy Tour
(hennemusic) Guns N' Roses wrapped up their "Chinese Democracy" tour with two shows in Las Vegas during the holiday weekend at The Joint, at The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.

Friday's concert was available as an online pay-per-view event via iClips; they also delivered GNR's December 21 Los Angeles show the week before.

GNR posted notes to fans before their Saturday show, writing, "Happy New Year To The Mountainous Time Zone...we are about to get things Rocking here in Fabulous Las Vegas! TO ALL OF YOU FROM ALL OF US Happy New Year and may 2012 bring you everything you want that you haven't had yet and then some!" Check out video footage from the gig here!



Allman Brothers Band's 2012 Plans Includes Grammy and Live Shows
The Allman Brothers Band have announced a busy kick off to 2012 including their annual Beacon Theatre dates, a Grammy honor, this year's installment of the Wanee Festival and The Year of the Peach, which celebrates the 40th anniversary of their 1972 live album Eat A Peach. MSO sent over these details:

The band will start the year with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, which "honors performers who have made contributions of outstanding artistic significance to the field of recording." That event will take place Saturday, February 11 during Grammy Week in Los Angeles and the group will be mentioned on the Sunday, February 12 national TV broadcast.

"It's shaping up to be a great year," says Butch Trucks, who co-founded the band in 1969 with Gregg Allman, drummer Jaimoe, guitarist Duane Allman, bassist Berry Oakley and guitarist Dickey Betts. "We just wanted to make music that was honest and play it for friends, which is pretty much what we've done. It's an honor to be able to be recognized like this." more on this story



Claypool Discusses Primus Break Up
(Gibson) Primus sure did take their sweet time between recording their latest album (2011's Green Naugahyde) and its predecessor (1999's Antipop). Now, frontman Les Claypool has revealed that the band actually broke up for a while during that interlude, although they didn't tell anyone.

Claypool told Spinner that Primus broke up "for about three years. Then we came back and did the nostalgia thing, in '03, with a pretty big tour. And then in 2006 we did another round. But those tours, they were just – they were what they were.

"We're kind of under-the-radar guys. We've got to go out and work. So for us to stop like we did – we weren't even talking. We definitely broke up. We broke up but we didn't want to tell everybody, so we said 'Well, we're on hiatus.'" more on this story



Queensryche's Geoff Tate Was James Durbin's Wedding Singer
(hennemusic) Rocker James Durbin married longtime girlfriend Heidi Lowe on New Year's Eve.

Queensryche singer Geoff Tate surprised the couple with a performance of his band's 1984 classic "Take Hold of the Flame" – one of Durbin and Lowe's favorite tunes.

"We are so in love and happy that we got to share our special day with our closest family and friends," the couple tells People. "This wedding was the perfect way to kick off the New Year. We are looking forward to living happily ever after." more on this story



Van Halen Billboard at Times Square for New Year's Eve
(hennemusic) Anyone who was in New York's Times Square for New Year's Eve – and those watching one of the TV broadcasts – would have seen a large Van Halen billboard promoting the band's new album.

The train image, with the VHII-era logo, was displayed prominently near one of the live music stages in the square.

The VH graphic was be televised on the ABC electronic billboard between 9 and 10pm (eastern) and the Clear Channel electronic billboard between 10 and 11 pm. Check out a photo of the billboard here.



A Lot Like Birds Announce North American Tour Plans
A Lot Like Birds have mapped out a series of North American tour dates in support of their 2011 release 'Conversation Piece'.

The band will be co-headlining shows over the next few months with Just Like Vinyl and Decoder.

I The Mighty will be playing on select dates as well. The band will then go out on tour with Dance Gavin Dance. more on this story


Members of Guns N' Roses, Down and Shadows Fall Tribute Judas Priest Classic
The latest edition of Mars Attacks Classic Albums Column focuses on Judas Priest's Painkiller Album.

The special features written commentary from special guests including former Judas Priest lead singer Tim "Ripper" Owens, the producer of Painkiller, Chris Tsangarides, Kirk Windstein of Crowbar and Down, Jason Bittner of Shadows Fall, Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal, and a slew of others.

The podcast portion of the column contains comments from Doro Pesch, Iced Earth's Jon Schaffer, legendary drummer Gene Hoglan, Hade's lead singer Alan Tecchio, Glen Drover, Dave Reffett, author Martin Popoff and members of Talking Metal, Metal Assault, and Iron City Rocks. Check it out


Bob Wayne Releases 2012 Video and Plans Next Album
Bob Wayne will enter the studio this month to begin working on his fifth studio album, but he has marked the New Year with the release of a new video for the song 2012.

Bob says of the album plans, "Well folks, here we go! It's been a long haul the last year! Been on the road since October 2010 and it's now December 2011... and I'm still out here on the road!! But no rest for the wicked!!! As soon as this tour with Scott Kelly (Neurosis) and Jay Munly (Slim Cessnas Auto Club) ends I'll be going immediately to Nashville to begin recording the next album!! It's gonna be rippin!! See you all next year with a new record in my hand and a big shout out to all that came out and supported!!"

Bob Wayne will once again be teaming up with Andy Gibson of Hank III to produce the record. Gibson also produced Bob Wayne's previous album, Outlaw Carnies that was released earlier this year. The new album will be out in 2012 via Century Media Records / People Like You Records. While we wait check out the video for 2012.



The Man Who Inspired Bob Dylan's Mr Tambourine Man Release Debut
(Gibson) Bruce Langhorne, the man who inspired Dylan's classic song "Mr. Tambourine Man," has finally released a solo album.

According toMusic-News.com, the album is appropriately titled Mr.Tambourine Man.

Langhorne, a top '60s session player who played guitar on Dylan's original brought a tambourine (actually a Turkish frame drum with bells attached that made it jingle like a tambourine) to the session and Dylan has credited Langhorne as an inspiration for the track. more on this story




New Smashing Pumpkins Compares To Mellon Collie?
(Banana 101.5) The Smashing Pumpkins are taking a detour from their massive 44-song project 'Teargarden by Kaleidyscope' to bring you a full album called 'Oceania.' Frontman Billy Corgan says it's their best since 'Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness' — hopefully we'll be able to confirm that this Spring.

Speaking to Sterogum recently, Corgan went as far as comparing the new record to one of their most beloved previous releases:

"I mean it's been a long time since I made a record where you play it for fifty people and fifty people say 'this is a great record.' I haven't had that since Mellon Collie where fifty people go 'OK, that's a great record.' That's a long time. That's fifteen, sixteen years between that feeling of 'OK, now you've got one here.'" more on this story


Klogr Debut Coming This Month
(Glass Onyon) Italian Alternative-Metal rockers Klogr will be releasing their debut album, 'Till You Decay' this month on Valery Records.

Described as "an alternative rock/metal album in which both the instrumental and the vocal lines are delivered very heavily at times and more melodic at other times creating the sound of Klogr", fans of the band and music press worldwide have been anticipating the CD release.

The album is based on the concept that the society around us controls us, judges us, conditions us and ultimately suffocates us. A psychological game of massacre, control and power over the masses, in which they use fear and anxieties to destabilize a person into something more fragile, more controllable and more subservient... till you decay. more on this story


I See Stars Tour Kicks Off This Week
I See Stars will hit the road for North American headlining "The Leave It 2 The Suits Tour" on January 6th.

The trek will also feature Stick To Your Guns, Memphis May Fire, Our Last Night and Make Me Famous (from the Ukrainian who will make their North American touring debut on this trek).

I See Stars will be on the road ahead of the March 13th release of their new full-length album.

Van Halen Rehearsals!

THURSDAY, 29 DECEMBER 2011

From TheROXYonSunset.com:

For the past 2 months VAN HALEN has been rehearsing here 2-3 times a week!!!!!!
Do you have any idea how hard that was to not tell you?? When you come in at 10:00AM and David Lee Roth, Eddie Van Halen, Alex Van Halen, and Wolfgang Van Halen are on stage with 3 other people in the room playing “Running With The Devil” and you can’t say anything?! It’s tough, to put it simply.

It all began with a 3 day video shoot for their newest single that you don’t know about yet (shhh) and we were all geeking out like never before. Little did we know, the guys had fallen in love with the room and decided to rehearse for their upcoming unannounced tour for the next 2 months!

We couldn’t film it for obvious reasons, so we’ve decided to share some of our favorite VH moments that happened for the next 2 months.
“My favorite Van Halen moment was when I came out of the kitchen and they were doing Panama. I was one of the only people standing in the room by the stage. David Lee Roth looked at me, smiled, and waved. I thought to myself “that is the only time in life I will know David Lee Roth was actually singing to me.” – @LizzyDStadler

“It was so nice being at my desk listening to “Jump” & “Panama”, the songs I grew up with by the actual Van Halen. I mean, really – it’s the actually f**king Van Halen!” – Tina

“Watching David Lee Roth film the opening part of this video was one of the most awesome things. He was standing there smiling with a gigantic grin on his face for at least 5 minutes and HeKo & I were standing off to the side trying not to laugh (or get in the shot), but it was incredible. The week they finally brought in the synthesizers and played the opening to “Jump” over & over made it really difficult to not jump out of my seat accordingly with the song. JUMP!” – @toneyeah

“What was my favorite part about it? Everything. I know it sounds stupid, but I can’t put it any other way. To walk through the club and have Eddie Van Halen smile at me or pat me on the back, the guys were so nice, it was unbelievable. In my 9 years at the club, this is by far one of the best things that’s happened.” – Scotty

“The positive energy VH brought to the daytime was fantastic. During the day, it’s always so quiet and work, work, work and even when a band does rehearse, it’s always so serious. Van Halen was having fun the entire time and we could feel it throughout the building.” @Heko310

“I just loved the first time they played “Running With The Devil” it sounded exactly like it did when I was working box office at The Whisky.” – Kathy
Party on, dudes.

Today's Day In Rock!

Led Zeppelin Reunion Rumor Addressed
(Gibson) Led Zeppelin has been rumored to be planning a reunion at next year's opening ceremonies for the Olympics. So will it happen? Probably not, according to Jason Bonham, son of original drummer John Bonham, who subbed for his late father when Led Zeppelin played a one-off reunion show at London's O2 in 2007.
Speaking to U.K. newspaper The Sun about Olympics rumors, Bonham said it was unlikely that Zeppelin would perform at the ceremony in London next summer. "I haven't spoken to Robert [Plant] for about six months but he is really enjoying himself," he said.

"For me, you can never say never. If you ask me today is it gonna happen immediately, well no, there is no talk of it. But if you said to me in 2007 I would play with Led Zeppelin in December that year I would say you're nuts, so you never know." more on this story



Tonight's Guns N' Roses Concert To Be Webcast
If you are not lucky enough to be Las Vegas this New Year's weekend or even luckier to have tickets to see Guns N' Roses perform at The Joint, you do have the opportunity to catch one of the shows online.

That's the good news. The bad news is the stream isn't being offered for free. The pay-per-event event is for tonight's show at The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel and Casino (December 30, 2011).

The promo says: Playing for over 2 ½ hours at each of its US tour stops, the first of 2 final shows in Vegas promise to feature classics including Sweet Child O' Mine, Paradise City, November Rain, and Welcome to the Jungle.

The pay-per-view stream will be available LIVE from approximately 11 PM US Pacific Time and available to stream for a 24 hour period following the performance. Check it out here.

Metallica Going Old School On New Album?
(Banana 101.5) Metallica are working with producer Rick Rubin on their next proper studio album. You never know with Metallica, but there's a good chance we will see the follow-up to 'Death Magnetic' in 2012.

'Death Magnetic,'s return to form was generally well-received by critics and fans who had felt neglected by their turn to mainstream rock around the time of the "Black Album." Bassist Robert Trujillo gave a hint at the direction of the new material speaking to Gulfnews.com in October:

"We've been busy writing and recording. We've got a couple of new songs we have been working on the past couple of weeks. The writing process for the new Metallica album has begun. We've been in the studio with Rick Rubin, working on a couple of things, and we're going to be recording during the most of next year. We've got a lot of work ahead of us. But the great thing is that we have sort of already jumped off the launch pad and we're swimming. It's happening. It's reality. It's a lot of fun, there are a lot of ideas, and we're really excited about the new record. For me, personally, 'Death Magnetic' was the launch pad for the next record. This is the beginning of something very, very cool." more on this story

Iron Maiden Number of the Beast Narrator Dies
Loudwire had this sad news for Iron Maiden fans: Barry Clayton, the man behind the spoken word introduction to iconic song 'The Number of the Beast,' has died at the age of 80.

Clayton was a quintessential part of Maiden lore, as his deep, booming voice is forever etched in the minds of headbangers, thanks to the way he spoke those famous, ominous words that start the song.

The Islington Tribune reported Clayton's death. He was a resident of the region, which is in Greater London, England, for 40 years. more on this story



Van Halen Rehearsal Secret Revealed
(hennemusic) The Roxy Theatre in West Hollywood have spilled the beans on their website about Van Halen's recent activities at the famed club: "For the past 2 months Van Halen has been rehearsing here 2-3 times a week!!!!!!

Do you have any idea how hard that was to not tell you?? When you come in at 10:00AM and David Lee Roth, Eddie Van Halen, Alex Van Halen, and Wolfgang Van Halen are on stage with 3 other people in the room playing "Running With The Devil" and you can't say anything?! It's tough, to put it simply.

It all began with a 3 day video shoot for their newest single that you don't know about yet (shhh) and we were all geeking out like never before. Little did we know, the guys had fallen in love with the room and decided to rehearse for their upcoming unannounced tour for the next 2 months!

We couldn't film it for obvious reasons, so we've decided to share some of our favorite VH moments that happened for the next 2 months. Read that here.

Joe Perry Addresses Classic Sound of New Aerosmith Album
(hennemusic) Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry hosted his first Twitter chat Thursday night, taking questions from fans around the globe. As expected, there were lots of questions about the new album and upcoming tour, Steven Tyler, guitar gear and favourite places to play, and eat at, on the road.

Perry was asked which vintage Aerosmith album does the new recording remind him of, to which he replied, "people have said when we play the rough tracks it sounds like it's from the 70s but for me, it's too early to tell."

As for hitting the road to support the new disc, "we are planning on touring this summer in the US and Canada," writes Joe, and "we plan on coming back to South America in 2013, but we have to plan around my lead singers day job." more on this story

Chimaira Announce New Lineup
Chimaira announced on Thursday that Matt Szlachta of Dirge Within and Jeremy Creamer of Daath have become official members of the group.

They also had a post Christmas gift for fans in the form a free EP download. The band explains the new lineup and download: The plan was to build an undeniable string section and we have done just that. Jeremy will be pounding on the bass, and Matt shredding alongside Emil on guitar.

As a way to say hello to the Chimaira fans, Jeremy recently remixed a couple of tracks from The Age Of Hell.
Go here and download the FREE EP and listen to the Allinaline mixes. (We'd also like to thank Dubba Jonny for remixing Year Of The Snake!) More from the band here.



Cheap Trick To Webcast Dream Police Performance for New Year's
Cheap Trick have announced a live New Year's Eve pay-per-view webcast of a live performance of their classic Dream Police album.

The show will be broadcast from the Jannus Live courtyard in St Petersburg, Florida. For this New Year's Eve production, the band will perform their classic Dream Police album in its entirety, as well all the classic hits from their extensive catalogue.

Dubbed the "Best Show of 2011" by Ken Sumka of 93XRT Chicago, this production has pleased audiences in select high-profile venues around the U.S. The production includes an 18-piece orchestra, an ensemble of backup singers, and a lights-and-effects display. More details here.

Rare Pantera and Slayer Jam Goes Online
(The Metal Den) TMD has obtained enhanced audio of Pantera performing the Judas Priest song "Metal Gods" with Slayer's Kerry King during a rehearsal on May 18, 1989 in Fort Worth, Texas.

Basically, this was a a super rare jam session or "warm-up" for their legendary live show together that took place May 19, 1989.

This smoking cover version of the classic Judas Priest cut features all four members of Pantera: Philip, Rex, Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie Paul. more on this story

Steve Jones Slams Original Sex Pistols Bandmate as a Mommy's Boy
(Gibson) Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones has been talking about the '70s glory days with U.S. magazine Hustler. According to NME.com, Steve Jones called original Pistol Glen Matlock a "middle-class mommy's boy."

He also said he was "tired" of Matlock talking about writing "God Save the Queen," "Anarchy in the U.K." and "Pretty Vacant." He said, "I'm tired of Glen Matlock saying he was the songwriter for the Sex Pistols. I co-wrote as many songs… but I don't go shouting about it… At the time he hated the words, which John [Lydon] wrote. Glen's mom didn't like it… He was a bit of a middle-class mommy's boy, really…"

Recently, Matlock has been serving as the bass player in the Faces, standing in for the late Ronnie Lane. more on this story



Coldplay Making 1.5 Million Dollars For New Year's Gig
(Gibson) Coldplay have lined up an impressive payday for a New Year's bash, picking up a cool $1.5 million for one concert in the United Arab Emirates.

According to the Daily Express, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan booked Chris Martin and Co. to play the Volvo Ocean Race venue in Abu Dhabi on Saturday, December 31.

Having visited the United Arab Emirates before, guitarist Jonny Buckland is especially excited about the luxurious lifestyle on offer, saying, "I've never stayed anywhere like the hotel they put me in and probably never will again. It made Buckingham Palace look like a two-bed semi." more on this story



Tesla Star Rocks National Anthem at NBA Game
(hennemusic) Tesla guitarist Frank Hannon handled the anthem duties on Monday at the Sacramento Kings vs Los Angeles Lakers basketball game.

The event was held at Power Balance Pavilion in Sacramento, California, the band's hometown.

It was Tesla Day earlier this month in Sacramento, as the band received the key to the city from Mayor Kevin Johnson, who praised the band for raising the city's profile worldwide. Read more and check out video of the Anthem here.

Thrash In The New Year With Metal Evolution
Thrash metal fans tune into VH1 Classic on New Year's Eve at 10 PM PST for the Thrash metal episode of the Metal Evolution documentary series.

Shockwaves Podcast sent over these details: Metal Evolution a new series directed by the great Sam Dunn (director of Iron Maiden's Flight 666 movie and Rush's Beyond the Lighted Stage movies).

The episode will be aired all throughout January on VH-1 Classic if you happen to miss the debut on New Year's Eve. more info and previews

New Editions of Ultimate Live Sound Operator's Handbook Released
Hal Leonard Books sent over word that they have just published a second edition of The Ultimate Live Sound Operator's Handbook by Bill Gibson. They provided these details:

The book is an updated second edition with new text, photos, illustrations, and video examples to specifically address the important, cutting-edge concerns faced by modern sound operators of all types.

High-quality audio is increasingly imperative, whether you're running sound for a rock, country, punk, or jazz band performing in clubs, arenas, or outdoor parks. With the advent and implementation of large-budget multimedia presentations, along with high-resolution multichannel audio for movies, television, and downloads, any live act must sound great to be well received by today's increasingly savvy audience members.
more on this story

Family Angry About Steven Tyler's Engagement
(TMZ) Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler's big engagement news did NOT go over so well with several members of his family ... who are telling friends they simply don't like his new fiancee ... TMZ has learned.

Sources connected to the Tyler clan tell us ... several family members have clashed with Erin Brady for years ... and have told friends, "She's just not nice."

One source tells us, "She's just been mean to the family." And to make matters worse -- we're told several family members have griped that they had no idea about Steven's proposal plan until AFTER he popped the question to 38-year-old Brady last weekend ... and they felt slighted by the omission.

Sources tell us ... the family members were hoping they could eventually repair the relationship with Erin, but now, they feel Steven has only widened the divide.

VAN HALEN Has Been Rehearsing At The Roxy In West Hollywood

Dec. 29, 2011

The web site of The Roxy Theatre, a famous nightclub on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood, California, has been updated with the following message:

"For the past 2 months VAN HALEN has been rehearsing here 2-3 times a week!!!!!!

"Do you have any idea how hard that was to not tell you?? When you come in at 10:00 a.m. and David Lee Roth, Eddie Van Halen, Alex Van Halen, and Wolfgang Van Halen are on stage with three other people in the room playing 'Running With The Devil' and you can't say anything?! It's tough, to put it simply.

"It all began with a three-day video shoot for their newest single that you don't know about yet (shhh) and we were all geeking out like never before. Little did we know, the guys had fallen in love with the room and decided to rehearse for their upcoming unannounced tour for the next two months!

"We couldn't film it for obvious reasons, so we've decided to share some of our favorite VAN HALEN moments that happened for the next two months."

"My favorite VAN HALEN moment was when I came out of the kitchen and they were doing 'Panama'. I was one of the only people standing in the room by the stage. David Lee Roth looked at me, smiled, and waved. I thought to myself that is the only time in life I will know David Lee Roth was actually singing to me." – @LizzyDStadler

"It was so nice being at my desk listening to 'Jump' and 'Panama', the songs I grew up with by the actual VAN HALEN. I mean, really — it's the actually f**king VAN HALEN!" – Tina

"Watching David Lee Roth film the opening part of this video was one of the most awesome things. He was standing there smiling with a gigantic grin on his face for at least five minutes and HeKo and I were standing off to the side trying not to laugh (or get in the shot), but it was incredible. The week they finally brough in the synthesizers and played the opening to 'Jump' over and over made it really difficult to not jump out of my seat accordingly with the song. JUMP!" – @toneyeah

"What was my favorite part about it? Everything. I know it sounds stupid, but I can't put it any other way. To walk through the club and have Eddie Van Halen smile at me or pat me on the back, the guys were so nice, it was unbelievable. In my nine years at the club, this is by far one of the best things that's happened." – Scotty

"The positive energy VAN HALEN brought to the daytime was fantastic. During the day, it's always so quiet and work, work, work and even when a band does rehearse, it's always so serious. VAN HALEN was having fun the entire time and we could feel it throughout the building." @Heko310

"I just loved the first time they played 'Running With The Devil' It sounded exactly like it did when I was working box office at The Whisky." – Kathy

Days after VAN HALEN confirmed that it will head out on a world tour in 2012, the Van Halen News Desk has posted more information regarding the tour and the band's first new studio album since 1998. Next Tuesday (January 3), the dates and venues for the tour will be unveiled, with tickets going on sale January 10. January 10 will also see the arrival of the first single and music video from the long-awaited album, which itself is set for release on February 7.

Although the rumored title of the record was "The Future", this is apparently not the case. The band has posted an image of a train, the VAN HALEN logo and the release date online, but the record's actual name remains a secret for now. The set will be the group's first all-new collection since "Van Halen 3" was issued 13 years ago, and its first with original singer David Lee Roth since 1984's "1984".

VAN HALEN posted a video trailer online earlier this week announcing the tour. The two-minute clip was shot on November 14 at the Roxy in West Hollywood, California during the shoot for the upcoming new music video.

VAN HALEN reunited with Roth in 2007 for a successful year-long world tour, minus founding bassist Michael Anthony, who was replaced by guitarist Eddie Van Halen's son Wolfgang.

VAN HALEN RELEASE DATES!!!!

The Van Halen News Desk (VHND.com) has breaking news on all things surrounding the much anticipated new Van Halen album! Here’s the schedule of events leading up to the new album’s release:
JANUARY 3rd:
*CONCERT DATES & CITIES ANNOUNCED for first wave of tour
JANUARY 10th:
*FIRST SINGLE PREMIERE
*FIRST MUSIC VIDEO PREMIERE
*CONCERT TICKETS GO ON SALE
FEBRUARY 7th:
NEW ALBUM RELEASE DATE
ALBUM TITLE: “The Future” is not the album title, as rumored. Stay tuned to VHND.com for an update on the actual album and song titles.
EXCLUSIVE PHOTOS: We have the first official photos from the band! These are from their video shoot at the Roxy. We’ll be posting one each day until the new single drops on Jan. 10th.

Today's Day In Rock

Metallica's James Hetfield Throws Rocks At Photographers?
(hennemusic) Metallica's James Hetfield let loose on some paparazzi over the Christmas holidays.
Starfeine reports Hetfield and his family were vacationing in Punta del Este, Uruguay for Christmas when the rocker got annoyed and confronted a few photographers.

James and his son Castor were taking a moped ride in the countryside and were being followed by paparazzi, so he took it upon himself to try and stop them.

Hetfield reportedly confronted a few, and even threw some rocks at some out of frustration. more on this story


Van Halen Mystery Solved: Album, Tour Dates and Video Release Dates
One of the most solid sources for Van Halen information, Van Halen News Desk, has solved the mystery surrounding the February 7, 2012 date on a promotional graphic from the band.

The site confirmed that the February 7, 2012 date is indeed the release date for the band's new album, their first with David Lee Roth since 1984.

VHND also reports that the band's 2012 tour itinerary will be announced next week on January 3rd followed on January 10th by the premiere of the first single from the new album along with the video and the initial tickets go on sale for the tour.

VHND also have the first official photos from the band. These are from their video shoot at the Roxy and they will be posting one each day until the new single drops on Jan. 10th. more at VHND

Coldplay's Chris Martin Has Unusual Encounter With Intruder
(Gibson) Coldplay's Chris Martin was forced to defend his property when an intruder decided to stage an impromptu performance of Coldplay material at Martin's residence. As reported by London's Daily Mirror, Martin first gave singing tips to the aspiring vocalist before asking him to leave the premises.

"I had a guy the other day who climbed over the gate of our house and started singing Coldplay songs to his friends on the street," Martin said.

The Coldplay frontman told the uninvited visitor, who had climbed a garden wall at the residence, that he wasn't singing the songs correctly. "Listen, you're just not doing that right," he said. The trespasser complied without argument when Martin asked him to leave. "He politely left," Martin said. "It was bordering on intrusion. Still, it's nice that people like the songs." more on this story



Red Hot Chili Peppers To Rock World's Most Expensive New Year's Eve Bash
(Gibson) The Red Hot Chili Peppers are set to perform at perhaps the world's most expensive New Year's Eve bash, London's The Telegraph has reported.

Roman Abramovich, the billionaire Russian oligarch known for throwing extravagant parties, has hired the veteran rockers to entertain at the exclusive event, which will be held at Abramovich's estate on the Caribbean island of St Barts. The 45-year-old Abramovich, who owns the Chelsea football club, is spending more than 5 million pounds (approximately $7,850,000) to entertain the 300 guests expected to attend. Those invited have been told to wear "island chic" to the celebration, which will run from 10 pm to 4 am.

The Chili Peppers take-home pay for the performance has not been revealed. In other news, however, the New York Post has reported that Stevie Wonder will be compensated $1 million to sing at this year's New Year's Eve celebration at the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas. more on this story



Alice in Chains Hope To Release New Album in 2012
(Banana 101.5) Last we heard, Alice in Chains were hard at work on material for their second album since the death of original vocalist Layne Staley. There's no doubt the album will be one of the year's best — the only question we have is will we hear the album in 2012?

Last July, Heart vocalist and longtime friend of the band, Ann Wilson said she had heard some "amazing" new Alice in Chains material and added they were at work on their next album. The reports were later confirmed at one of Alice in Chains only 2011 gigs when guitarist/vocalist Jerry Cantrell ended their set by saying, "Time to head back to the studio and finish that record." Earlier this month Cantrell was asked by ESPN (via Grunge Report) when the new album would be finished, he replied:

"Whenever we're done. Schedules in music, I know people have done it and say you need an album out by this date and you're talking about album tour, it can burn you out quickly. It did with our band. We've been fortunate to be partnered up with companies that respect the process. We're never really forced to make music. If it doesn't happen, then it doesn't. We've been writing a lot. I also had shoulder surgery earlier this year. I'm at the tail end of rehabbing that. That put us back a little bit. But we have some stuff. We'll do some writing. Hopefully we'll have it out next year. We'll put it out when we feel that it's worth putting out." more on this story

Peter Frampton Launches Digital Battle
(hennemusic) Peter Frampton is suing his record label over unpaid digital music royalties.

The Tennessean reports Frampton has filed suit against Universal Music Group for a half-million dollars in unpaid digital music royalties and for unspecified damages, making him the latest artist to take a label to court on such claims.

Rapper Eminem's producers prevailed on similar claims earlier this year. Frampton filed suit Friday afternoon in a Los Angeles federal court. more on this story

The Doors Five Disc Box Set Shelved
Ultimate Classic Rock has bad news for fans of The Doors: The 'L.A. Woman' five-disc Super Edition is no longer on tap for release.

Bumped from its initial release date of Nov. 24, 2011 and despite the hundreds of pre-paid advance orders, Rhino Records has decided that it's not a commercially viable project.

Doors' Manager Jeff Jampol explains that "there are concerns at [Rhino's] end" and "they want to be sure that not only is the market there, but do we have a place to distribute them?" The two-disc 'L.A. Woman' 40th Anniversary special edition remains on schedule with a Jan. 24 date, but now it appears that a three-disc set (previously unreleased alternates/outtakes/chatter) will later accompany it. more on this story

Lou Reed Says Working With Metallica Was Like Getting A Free Ferrari
(Gibson) Lou Reed says that making Lulu, his collaborative album with Metallica, wasn't as odd as it appears from the outside.

In a just-published interview with M – Music & Musicians, the legendary rocker revealed that the disc, which is based on two century-old German plays, also involved a lot of improvisation. "[Working with Metallica] was all instinctual," Reed said. "Nobody thought about anything. It was just a great opportunity to play together. I had a certain sound in my head that I wanted to try to get, and I got it. The way we did this is that if everybody didn't agree, we didn't do it. It wasn't majority rules—it was all together or nothing."

Reed was also asked if Metallica pushed him into musical terrain that was different from his usual style. "They're into heavy metal, I'm into heavy guitar, so it was no big stretch," he replied. "They were so ready to go, it was thrilling. It's like someone gave you a Ferrari for free." more on this story



Behind The Scenes With Aerosmith
(hennemusic) Hot on the heels of their South and Central American shows, Aerosmith rocked Japan for 7 dates this fall.

Aerosmith are now sharing some videos of their Japanese trip. Bassist Tom Hamilton plays tour guide through Osaka, Tokyo and Fukouka, wandering the streets to show off some interesting sights.

There's also some backstage and pre-show footage, giving fans some private access and views most wouldn't otherwise get to see. Check out the video here.

Me Talk Pretty, Hawthorne Heights, Madina Lake, and The Young Electric Tour
Me Talk Pretty have announced details for the second leg of their first national headline tour.

The second part of The Wake Up Tour is set to feature support from Hawthorne Heights, Madina Lake, and The Young Electric.

According to the initial dates that have been announced, he tour gets underway on January 19th in Virginia Beach and will wrap up on February 13th in Amityville, NY. However, more date are expected to be announced soon.
more on this story

Sam Rivers RIP
(Gibson) Jazz saxophonist Sam Rivers, a leading figure during the strikingly innovative post-World War II jazz period, died on Monday from pneumonia, the New York Times has reported.

Rivers was 88. A multi-instrumentalist, Rivers zeroed in on the tenor saxophone in the mid '40s, and soon became an integral part of the then-thriving Boston jazz scene. During the '60s he played with such seminal artists as Miles Davis, T-Bone Walker and Billie Holiday.

In the '70s, working out of his loft-apartment studio in New York's East Village, he made a series of albums that solidified his reputation as a central figure in New York's avant-garde jazz "loft scene." Later Rivers work extensively with trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie, who had been an early influence. more on this story



The Trews Announce U.S. Dates
(TGS) The Trews completed their US Residency Tour in the tail end of 2011 as they continue touring behind Hope & Ruin, their fourth full-length studio album.

Feedback was amazing and the quartet doubled the crowd every week in each room they played.

Now they're coming back Stateside in January to hit the markets they missed. more on this story

Disturbed Guitarist Recalls Most Important Christmas Gift
(Gibson) 'Tis the season to charm little ones with gifts of Christmas cheer, and Disturbed guitarist Dan Donegan clearly remembers the most important Christmas gift of his life: his first guitar.

"My first electric guitar, it was like from Sears – it was a [Gibson] SG…" he said. "My parents just didn't really seem too supportive of it in the beginning, because they figured it's either gonna sit in the closet and collect dust, or 'he's gonna play it and it's gonna be loud and annoying.' It was kind of a difficult thing to convince them that I was gonna be serious about it, and I wanted this…" He added that, yes, he still has that guitar!

Donegan earlier this year told Gibson.com that classic metal guitarists inspired him to delve into guitar playing in the first place: "I can't really single out any player, but I liked going to concerts and the idea of being in a band where you see the impact four or five guys on stage have over thousands of people. So, that power and the scenario of the lead guitar just pummeling through the speakers were two things that caught my attention. Early on, I got into a lot of the classic metal players: Tony Iommi and Black Sabbath; the guitarists in Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Queensryche, Pantera. These bands all had great guitar players, so it definitely inspired me to go down that road."




Red Fang Announce Mastodon Off Dates
(Freeman) Red Fang have confirmed a string of European headlining dates to coincide with their tour of Europe with Mastodon.

Red Fang are hitting the road in support of their album 'Murder The Mountains' which was recorded The Decemberists' Chris Funk and the album was mixed by three-time Grammy Award winner Vance Powell (White Stripes, The Raconteurs).

Red Fang will also be taking the stage again in their hometown of Portland, OR this New Year's Eve at Star Theater. more on this story

Steven Tyler Shocked Aerosmith Only Had One No 1
(hennemusic) Given all the amazing songs they've produced over their career, it's hard to believe Aerosmith have only had one #1 hit single.

The Boston band's "I Don't Want To Miss A Thing" hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on September 5, 1998, and stayed there for four weeks. Ironically, the tune wasn't written by anyone in the band; the songwriter was Diane Warren.

Steven Tyler talks about the song's success as part of Billboard's 1000 No. 1's series: "It was a shock, not because we had our first No. 1," said Tyler. "But because it was our only No. 1. I thought that [of] all those other Aerosmith songs, at least one or two did." more on this story

Decrepit Birth's Samus Guests on New Neologist Project
This bit of news was sent over to us: The Neologist have announced their "mystery drummer" on the upcoming first track of the bands new Soilwork cover album as none other than the multi-faceted Samus (Decrepit Birth, ex-Mutiny Within, ex-Abigail Williams, ex-Suspyre).

The Neologist have collaborated with Samus for their first release, "Shadowchild".

Coming off the heels of their debut album, The 26 Letters of Your Universe, The Neologist also released a full length In Flames cover album titled In Flames We Trust: Volume I.

Today's Day In Rock

Van Halen Tease Album Release Date?
You can always count on Van Halen to keep people guessing and that's just what they did with their tour announcement over Christmas weekend.
Ultimate Classic Rock reports that in addition to announcing plans to hit the road in 2012, Van Halen have also seemed to hint at details of their reunion album. The disc could very well hit stores Feb. 7, if the graphic [released by the band] is any indication of what the band has in store for fans.

Then again, maybe not. It's really not clear exactly what the "2.7.12″ refers to — album release date? single release date? something else? — but some news outlets are interpreting a mass email mailed out [on Monday] with the subject "The Future" as the actual title of the VH album. More details here.

Steven Tyler Engaged?
(hennemusic) It hasn't been confirmed by official sources, but it's possible that Aerosmith's Steven Tyler got engaged to longtime girlfriend Erin Brady over the holidays.

TMZ reports the couple were photographed in Maui on Christmas Day and that Brady was sporting a new diamond ring on her finger.

TMZ says that sources close to the Aerosmith singer tell them that it is, in fact, an engagement ring. more on this story

Backlash Against Bon Jovi Death Hoaxer
The musician who started the death rumors about Jon Bon Jovi earlier this month is suffering a backlash from Jovi fans.

Ultimate Classic Rock reports: The rumor was started by Jeffrey Goho of Fairless Hills, Pa. Following the phony report that claimed he was in Jersey Shore University Medical Center with hundreds of reporters awaiting word on his condition, JBJ posted a photo to his Facebook page of himself holding a sign which read "Heaven looks a lot like New Jersey."

Within 24 hours of his false tweet, Goho's email account was "slammed" with hate mail. Find out what his motivation was for the hoax.

Not So Merry Christmas For The Osbournes
(Gibson) Christmas is supposed to be a joyful time of year, but for Ozzy Osbourne's daughter Kelly and the rest of the Osbourne family, this Christmas brought some sad news. Kelly revealed via her Twitter page that the family's cherished chihuahua Martin passed away on Christmas day!

She tweeted Sunday (Dec. 25): "Today is a sad day in the Osbourne family house hold we lost R dog martin of 14 years. Devastated does not quite sum it up! #NotSoMerryXmas."

Martin often appeared on the Osbourne family's reality TV show, The Osbournes, and Ozzy's wife and manager Sharon described the pup as "a sophisticated little creature" in the "pets" section of her personal web site. more on this story



Matt Sorum Recounts Split With Guns N' Roses
(hennemusic) Matt Sorum has shared the inside story of his final days with Guns N' Roses. Sorum recounted his tale of the original GNR's demise in an interview with Sydney, Australia's Triple M, when the drummer was in the city to play at the opening of a new Hard Rock Café. "The very, very end of it was us trying to make this record [what would go on to become 'Chinese Democracy'] that came out 15, 16, 17 years later," began Sorum. "There was a certain style of music that… Axl was always trying to push the envelope. Even with 'Use Your Illusion I' and 'II', we moved forward and people always go back to 'Appetite For Destruction'. But if you look at 'Use Your Illusion', it was more of an epic kind of undertaking. Axl, in his mind, would want it to be this epic, stadium, worldwide-renowned supergroup, and he looked at bands like Queen and Led Zeppelin and The Rolling Stones as, sort of, the benchmark for that. So we created these opuses, these epic numbers like 'November Rain', to really, sort of, become this bigger thing."

"When we went into the next particular record," he continued, "Axl really wanted to take it to another level, he wanted to experiment with electronics and stuff like that, and we were like, 'Oooh… Now we're getting into a little bit of a grey area.' He was really into Nine Inch Nails, and we were starting to get a little bit uncomfortable with the musical direction. And at that point, we had written a bunch of songs that were more like 'Appetite For Destruction' — stripped down, raw rock and roll; we almost wanted to go back to our roots. But Axl was really pushing to go someplace else. [He] was so obsessed with where the music was going."

"And I remember it was [after] about four or five years of rehearsals," Matt explained, "and Axl came in and said, 'I think we've got one good verse.' [Laughs] And we all looked at each other. And at that point, me and Slash had written a bunch of songs together, which became the first Slash's Snakepit album. Slash said, 'Matt, let's just go do a tour and make a record.' 'Cause Slash said, 'Axl doesn't like the songs.' So we made a record, we put it out, and Slash went on tour. And that was the straw that broke the camel's back."

"In retrospect, Slash was out doing a bunch of stuff. If the band would have stepped closer together, maybe we could have figured out what to do, but we were starting to divide; there were solo projects going on, me and Duff did Neurotic Outsiders. But we were all sort of frustrated; we couldn't get moving again. They had a bit of a blowout, and I was there, sitting right there on the couch, and I listened to them going through this whole shenanigans. And that was it. And it was over. It was horrible." There is more to the story here.

Summers Says The Police Have Unfinished Business
The Police guitarist Andy Summers isn't ruling out the famed trio working together again, saying they have some unfinished business. Ultimate Classic Rock reports:

During a recent chat with Guitar International, Summers said, "I always think it's unfinished business. Why does it have to end? People always want to hear the band and want to hear those songs.

"We haven't killed each other. We made it through the tour. It was the third biggest tour of all time, only because we decided not to go on forever, otherwise it would have been the biggest. It was just a phenomenal success on all levels." more on this story

Slash Says Les Paul Singled Handedly Created Popular Music
(Gibson) It's well known that Slash is a Les Paul guy, and in a recent Esquire feature the top hat-sporting, slick six-stringer explained his experience meeting and getting to know the musician and inventor.

"I used to think Les Paul was a guitar. I didn't know he was a real guy," Slash said. "When I got to know him, I found out that if you're really obsessed, he was the guy you'd want to be like. He was always trying to find an answer for what he was looking for in his mind. If things didn't exist, he built them himself. He single-handedly created what I consider 'popular music.'"

As for guitar playing, Slash says it simply comes naturally: "Guitar is the best form of self-expression I know. Everything else and I'm just sort of tripping around, trying to figure my way through life." more on this story



The Flaming Lips Offer Up Trippy Beatles Cover
(hennemusic) The Flaming Lips will wrap up 2011 with their 5th annual New Year's Freakout. In advance of Freakout 5, the group has recorded a trippy, guitar-free version of The Beatles' "I Am The Walrus."

The Lips will host the evening at the Bricktown Events Center in their hometown of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, where they'll be joined by special guests Yoko Ono Plastic Ono Band, and Phantogram.

The band promises to pull out all the stops with more of everything! More confetti, more balloons, massive volume, and maximum weirdness. Check out the cover here.

Metallica Release Video Recap of 30th Anniversary Concert Night 3
(hennemusic) Metallica have released a video summary of night no. 3 of their recent 30th Anniversary concerts.

For the December 9 show, the band were joined by several special guests, including former Metallica bassist Jason Newsted, Rob Halford (Judas Priest), Jerry Cantrell (Alice In Chains), Gary Rossington (Lynyrd Skynyrd), Glenn Danzig (Danzig, Misfits, Samhain), Pepper Keenan (Down, Corrosion Of Conformity) and Nick "Animal" Culmer (Anti-Nowhere League).

Metallica rocked a 21-song set that included covers, material from various points in their career, and the debut of a (then) third previously-unreleased "Death Magnetic" track, "Hell And Back." Check it out here.

A Pale Horse Named Death Lineup Change And Webcast
A Pale Horse Named Death announced a lineup change and will be streaming their first show of 2012 online.

The special hometown show will take place January 6th in Brooklyn, NY at The Knitting Factory. The show will be streaming in full courtesy of The Knitting Factory and LiveStream.com.

In other Aphnd news, the band has parted ways with guitarist Bobby Hambel, and has announced a replacement. Frontman Sal Abruscato commented about the lineup change. "Due to conflicting schedules with Biohazard, Bobby Hambel is unable to tour any further with A Pale Horse Named Death. We wish Bobby and Biohazard all the great success they deserve on their upcoming release in January 2012. Eddie Heedles has been chosen as the new replacement for Bobby. Eddie is a shredding guitarist who has worked with the likes of Corey Glover (Living Colour), T.M. Stevens, Vernon Reid (Living Colour), Sekond Skyn and The White Chocolate Experience." more on this story

Free Book For Metalheads!
This sounds like it could be akin to "On The Road" for metalheads. You will have to read and decide for yourself, nevertheless it sounds like a very interesting read. We were sent this info: Ryan Bartek has published Chapter One of his forthcoming book "Fortress Europe (The Big Shiny Prison Vol. II)" as a Free PDF Download.

This document "Fortress Europe: London" features interviews with members of industrial legends Killing Joke, funeral doom godfathers Pantheist, sXe titans Hello Bastards, weirdo punk crushers Armed Response Unit, progressive black mettalers Fen & hardcore champs Flowers Of Flesh & Blood, as well as a barrage of industry insiders & renowned metal/punk journalists.

Also included in this PDF Download is the Prologue to "Fortress Europe" which was released earlier this year & features face-to-face interviews with Polish death metal legion HATE, Grecian black metal kingpins Rotting Christ, & the USA's own blackened extreme metal machine Lecherous Nocturne. more on this story

The Dead Lay Waiting Streaming New Songs Online
(APR) The Dead Lay Waiting (TDLW) are streaming two more U.S. exclusive tracks from their upcoming album.

The new album, Almost Heaven, will be released in the U.S. via Rising Records on January 24th, 2012.

PureGrainAudio.com is currently streaming the track 'Look At Us Now' here, and PureVolume.com is streaming the track 'The Voices' here.

Vanna and A Loss For Words Featured On H.E.L.L Benefit Compilation
(CMGT) Vanna and A Loss For Words Contribute to H.E.L.L Benefit Compilation, which is being released as a 2xLP record with 28 songs (limited to 500 copies), a cassette tape with 28 songs (limited to 100 copies), and as a 70 song digital compilation.

In 2007, Gordon Riker & Kelly Wallace both tragically passed away in bike accidents in Boston, MA. Shortly after, friends of their's started a non-profit organizaiton titled H.E.L.L. (Helping Everyone Live Longer) - http://helpingeveryonelivelonger.org/ .

H.E.L.L. is a DIY group that primarliy operates in Boston's Punk/Hardcore scene that both Riker & Wallace were heavily involved in. Get Stoked! Records and H.E.L.L. have been working on a project for over a year and are excited to bring it to light.

It's Official: VAN HALEN To Hit The Road

It's Official: VAN HALEN To Hit The Road - Dec. 26, 2011
VAN HALEN has released a video trailer confirming that it will tour later in the year, with the first tickets scheduled to go on sale on January 10. The two-minute clip (see below) — which was shot on November 14 at The Roxy Theatre in West Hollywood, California — apparently features visuals of the VAN HALEN bandmembers performing a brand new song (taken from the yet-to-be-released track's official video) set to the audio of several David Lee Roth-era VAN HALEN classics.

VAN HALEN's new record deal with Interscope was finalized last month and marks the first time the band has recorded away from Warner Bros. Records, which signed the group in 1977.

The new VAN HALEN album, its first with Roth since "1984" was released on the last day of 1983, will reportedly come out in 2012, possibly in February (as the graphic below seems to suggest).

ALTER BRIDGE guitarist Mark Tremonti recently said in an interview that he had gotten an opportunity to hear new VAN HALEN music through his friendship with bassist Wolfgang Van Halen (guitarist Eddie Van Halen's son), saying it sounded like "vintage VAN HALEN."

Producer Ross Hogarth spoke with Ultimate-Guitar.com about the work he did on the project, saying, "The whole VAN HALEN record has been recorded and we're all excited. I'm really stoked about it, as it is the original band, Eddie and Alex with Wolf playing bass, and David Lee Roth singing, it's the killing side of VAN HALEN at the top of their game again with Diamond Dave, and the band on fire."

VAN HALEN reunited with Roth in 2007 for a successful year-long reunion tour — minus original bassist Michael Anthony, who now plays with ex-VAN HALEN singer Sammy Hagar in CHICKENFOOT.

Eddie Van Halen Auctions Guitar For Charity

FRIDAY, 23 DECEMBER 2011
Eddie Van Halen is donating one of his guitars to raise money for the charity Drop In The Bucket, a Los Angeles based water charity that constructs wells and sanitation systems at large rural schools in sub-Saharan Africa..
This is not just any guitar – This is one of the first Wolfgang guitars ever produced and was owned by Eddie from 1999 to 2011. The guitar comes complete with a Certificate of Authenticity signed by EVH himself. Eddie will personalize the guitar for the successful bidder.
Bid on this One of a Kind Autographed and personalized Guitar from Legendary Rocker Eddie Van Halen! Bid here.
Fans should note what the auctions says here: “Terms: Guitar in condition as donated. Please allow additional shipping time for this item as Eddie Van Halen will personalize it while touring.”
Another glimpse into a great 2012!

Nikki Sixx Hints At Ending Motley Crue After 'The Dirt' Movie Is Completed

December 23, 2011



The bass wielding baron of rock n rolla is sitting opposite Sleaze Roxx writer Eric Mackinnon and looking incredibly youthful, energetic and literally half his age. An intricately and expertly crafted cake on the dressing room table, shaped like Sixx's camera with edible Polaroid style snapshots of his band's history, reveals it is the Motley main man's 53rd birthday in two days but Sixx is burning with the excitement and passion of a rock rookie and not one of the genre's legendary four stringers and a mouthpiece for an entire generation.

Motley Crue blew like a hurricane force, literally, into Glasgow on December 9th and left their indelible musical footprint on the eardrums of their ever-faithful Scottish fans. Sixx has plenty to say on the much anticipated movie adaption of must-read biopic 'The Dirt', their forthcoming Las Vegas residency, the pretenders to the Crue throne and even the end of the legendary band - which may not be as far off as people think.

"I don't think this band was meant to last and we've lasted way longer than anyone ever expected us to," smiled Sixx, leaning back in his dressing room. "For us it's about trying to find the right time to end it (the band) correctly. We've had that talk as a band and even in the last year or so we've spoken that at some time we're going to want to wrap this up. I feel really proud of the band but we are taking steps to finish the movie and when we do we'll look at that time. When the movie comes out it'll be time to finish on a high note, on a positive, and not like we're breaking up. I think that's a good thing and will probably put us about 35-years which is a long time for a rock band which is cool. We're not sad, we're happy."

It is ten years since 'The Dirt' hit stores as a blockbuster collective autobiography which immediately saw the Hollywood studios circle the wagons but the project is now picking up speed to hit the big screen says Sixx.

"Everything is moving forward really quickly," he insists cautiously. "The best thing I feel would be to find a young, hungry bunch of actors which want to go all the way out and they will own it. People always say how great it would be to have 'so and so' in the movie but I think the actors should be unknown names instead of seeing an actor who you recognise from playing several parts and then you could see them as one of us. It won't be easy to get everything from the book into the movie and that's where we're at right now. We've met with the director and the production company and we're very excited but it's nothing I can really talk about right now but when we get the green light to talk about it we'll talk about it all day long."

One of the underlying themes from 'The Dirt' is surviving, perilously at times, a decadent and destructive lifestyle, peppered with close calls with mortality, drug and alcohol abuse and more than a few run ins with the police. But fast forward to the modern rock scene and Sixx confesses the new media driven age and renewed awareness would make it difficult for modern bands to follow their trail of hell, fire and brimstone but he has hopes that one will separate from the herd and step up to the lofty benchmark set by the Crue.

"No, I don't think bands now could do what we did and I don't think society is geared towards that anymore," he mused. "I remember saying to my girlfriend one day, we were at a pool around noon somewhere, I think we were on the road, that nobody would be sober and someone would be in the bathroom doing blow and fucking fighting and throwing up. Nobody at this party would be sane and not just the bands as society was also completely off the rails. Then came the onset of HIV, political correctness, alcoholism, death, destruction and people began to think what could happen to them. Society started to change and campaigns like don't drive and drive started as the new generation came up and then being drunk wasn't seen as fun it was seen as being stupid and it kinda changed in a healthy way and I don't think we could have gone on much longer. We have the scars and the wounds from our time and we can't take back what we did as it makes us what we are. It was a rough one (laughs)."

"There has to be another band like us sometime again," Sixx continued. "When we came up in the 80s it was all boring fucking bands and boring fucking record companies, boring radio and boring press so we had nothing to lose and thought we'd crash and burn but that worked. We're in another place right now but a lot of bands are still really fucking boring. I'm trying so hard to find new bands and bands that can play and out of all this someone is going to come up, throwing up, fighting and its going to be good for the music industry. Now we have Lady Gaga, and God bless her, as at least she is fucking different and says fuck you. It'd be great to have a rock version of her and we will."

There is one band bubbling under the radar who could pick up the baton from Motley Crue but only if they can find their anthem.

"There are a few sparkling out there," insisted Sixx. "I think BlackVeil Brides are cool but I've told them they are missing one thing and they need to write 'Schools Out' or 'Shout At The Devil.' They've got to write that anthem to unify everyone as everyone wants to like them but they just haven't proven themselves yet. BVB have good songs but they don't have THE song yet but that takes time. Some people have it but some don't."

Motley Crue are heading for Sin City next year after making more history after penning a residency deal at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas for a three-week series of four-night concerts a week at the off-Strip casino starting on February 3 and running through February 19. It is another milestone for a band who have conquered everything in the music world and Sixx admits to being excited to find out, and experiment, to see what they can do with a residency.

He continued, "We're going to do the Vegas residency next year which will be cool. We're building the show now and have so many ideas. Fans can come from all over the country and stay at the hotel and be interactive with the show. It's very exciting to see what we can do with a residency. I mean we barely got in here today (Glasgow) with the weather and distance. We have two big sets with Motley and Def Leppard so we finally make it but to be able to stay in one place we think 'well we don't have to tear down so what more can we do and bring in' which is where we're at just now which will be very fun."

Motley almost didn't make Glasgow after Scotland was battered by a hurricane, dubbed Hurricane Bawbag (ball bag) by the natives but it'll take more than that a blustery storm named after a hairy nut sack to deny the legendary rockers the chance to play in a country Sixx is keen to explore further - starting with the famous Necropolis graveyard in the city centre.

"We were in Nottingham last night (Thursday, December 8) and Mick (Mars) drove to Leeds and stayed there and drove to Glasgow. We were all on call if the plane wasn't going to be able to make it in so we were ready to drive up if required but we lucked out and the weather got good and we flew in. I just got here but I'm planning to go around the city a little in the morning. We're pushing back heading to Manchester tomorrow as much as possible to do that. I start with graveyards and I've been told to check out the Necropolis here which is one with so much history and I'm really looking forward to that. I want to stay here as long as I can. I have been to the UK a lot but I haven't spent a lot of time in Scotland as we're in and out all the time."

"As an artist 'Too Fast For Love' is so different to 'Shout At The Devil' and it's the same with my photography," concludes Sixx. "I've just done a fashion shoot with New York Post based on 70s British Glam Rock which was a different experience. Then taking bits of architecture too. Early in my photography I thought 'pfft, architecture' but now I find it really interesting. As an artist I like expressing myself in different ways and as a musician it's nice to have done different side projects. I was never going to do Twitter or Facebook or be as open on the radio but as I go I wanted to be as transparent as possible and let people see through me and start to realise that's what being an honest artist is really about to make people happy."

Guns N' Roses to reunite for Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction?

By: Sterling Whitaker - Classic Hard Rock Examiner



The CEO of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame claims that all of the classic members of Guns N' Roses will appear at their upcoming induction ceremony.

“Who will be invited, obviously, is the original five and [keyboardist] Dizzy [Reed] and [drummer]Matt [Sorum]," CEO Joel Peresman said in a radio interview on Eddie Trunk Live. “All have RSVP’d that they will show.”

But that's not wht the band members are saying. "For the record, I didn't RSVP, or in any way commit to attending the RRHF," Slash posted to Twitter on Tuesday. "I don't appreciate people putting words in my mouth."

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times on Tuesday, singer Axl Rose said he still hasn't decided. "There is no plan yet. There really is no plan," he stated. "We're still busy with this lineup. We're gonna be busy - we're gonna be busy all next year. We'll be putting out new stuff as soon as we can figure out what our deal is with labels, blah blah blah."

For his part, drummer Matt Sorum predicted that any potential reunion will go badly. "It’s going to be as big of a train wreck as The Sex Pistols, Blondie, or any of those other bands," he said in an interview with The Vine in Australia. "That’s my prediction. Or Van Halen, which I don’t know if you saw that, but we [Velvet Revolver] were involved in that. Train wreck; it was a complete train wreck.

"But maybe it won’t; maybe it will be a miracle; I hope for that and put out the positive vibrations. But it’s coming up pretty quickly – that’s in March, so we’ll see."

A shout out to the EXAMINER for the above article.

Today's Day In Pop

Today's Full Report


Free Lady Gaga For Christmas
(popmusiclife) Lady Gaga has a very special present for fans this Christmas. "Been racking my brain on what to get Little Monsters for Christmas!! I finally figured it out!!" tweeted Gaga on Thursday.
"On Christmas Day I will leak to you an unreleased Song off Born This Way! It was recorded live, in one take, on the tour bus. Uncensored."

Gaga is currently in Japan, where she updated fans with this Tuesday tweet: "Sipping tea in Japan with Haus. Feeling so grateful. We sold about 1 million albums a month worldwide since the release of BORN THIS WAY." more on this story

Melanie Amaro Wins First American X Factor
(superLOUD) Melanie Amaro was announced as the winner of the first season of X Factor in a 2-hour finale episode on Thursday night.

She will receive a $5 million dollar recording contract as well as star in an upcoming Pepsi commercial.

The runner up was the soulful Josh Krajcik, mentored by Nicole Scherzinger in the "over 30's" category. Chris Rene of L.A. Reid's "boys" team rounded out the top 3.

Melanie Amaro was originally cut from the X Factor competition by Simon Cowell before the live shows began. more on this story

Michael Jackson's Brothers Plan Tour?
(TMZ) Michael Jackson's brothers Marlon, Tito and Jackie Jackson were so thrilled with the way they performed during a recent concert in Japan ... they've decided to take their show on the road ... TMZ has learned.

Jackson family sources tell us ... the brothers will be embarking on an 18-20 show concert tour that will span across Europe.

We're told the idea came together just two weeks ago ... when the guys were performing in Tokyo with a Japanese pop star named A.I.

The brothers had such a good time on stage together ... that when the idea of a tour came up, they all jumped at the opportunity!

Plus, the guys were so impressed with A.I., they've invited her to join them on the road.

Sources tell us the Jacksons are hoping to get the tour launched by next month -- but we're told their team is still trying to nail down the schedule ... so it could be pushed back by a few weeks.

So far, we're told Jermaine will not be joining the rest of the family ... but we're guessing he could change his mind ... if the price is right. more on this story

Britney Spears Scores Rolling Stone's Top Song of 2011
(popmusiclife) It wasn't a single, but Britney Spears' "How I Roll" has been named Top Song of 2011 by Rolling Stone.

The track, from Britney's "Femme Fatale" album, took top spot in the magazine's Pop Life column by Rob Sheffield.

The list is made up of Sheffield's "25 favorite songs of 2011, including but not limited to: hits, obscurities, disco jams, guitar monsters, boof-boof chants, pelican-fly rappers and karaoke-room-clearers. And Stevie Nicks, obviously." more on this story

Brigitte Nielsen Hospitalized After Crash
(TMZ) "Rocky IV" star Brigitte Nielsen was rushed to the hospital after a 3-car smash-up in L.A. Wed night -- and cops believe the person who caused the wreck was driving while hammered.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Nielsen was a passenger in a 2006 Porsche Cayenne ... which was struck from behind around 10:20 PM by a woman driving a Toyota Matrix.

We're told the Porsche was knocked forward ... striking the car in front of it. Cops and paramedics were called to the scene -- and the Matrix driver was arrested for DUI. Sources tell us the woman blew WELL ABOVE .08 on a breathalyzer test.

Nielsen -- who sustained injuries to her neck and back -- was transported to a nearby hospital, where doctors performed X-rays.

A rep for Nielsen tells us ... "She is back home. She's sore and resting." more on this story

'Just the Two of Us' Song Writer Ralph MacDonald Dead at 67
(Gibson) Ralph MacDonald, an esteemed percussionist and composer who co-wrote the hits "Just the Two of Us" and "Where is the Love?," died on Sunday (December 18) of lung cancer. The Connecticut resident was 67.

Born in New York City, MacDonald played steelpan percussion in Harry Belafonte's band for a decade before striking out on his own. His big break came in 1971, when Roberta Flack scored a hit with "Where is the Love?" – a song MacDonald had written with William Salter. Ten years later, Bill Withers and Grover Washington Jr. reached #2 on the Billboard charts with "Just the Two of Us," another co-write of MacDonald's and Salter's, which went on to win a Grammy.

MacDonald's recording credits numbered in the hundreds. His distinctively Caribbean-flavored percussion work can be heard on such tracks as David Bowie's "Young Americans" and Jimmy Buffett's "Margaritaville." Despite being in-demand among such stars, MacDonald remained true to his roots, and often traveled to his ancestral home of Trinidad and Tobago. His devotion to calypso remained evident in his work throughout his career. more on this story



My Sharona Digital Battle
(TMZ) Music doesn't pay like it used to -- at least according to the sister of deceased Knack drummer Bruce Gary ... who is now suing Capitol Records, claiming the company is screwing her out of hard-earned digital download money.

Gary's sister -- Felice Catena -- inherited the rights to Bruce's music after he passed away in 2006.

Now, she's filed a lawsuit in L.A. County Superior Court, claiming Capitol is shafting her ... paying only a teensy-weensy fraction of what she's owed on download proceeds for Knack hits like "My Sharona" and "Good Girls Don't."

According to the complaint, Capitol owes Catena not 12% ... not 25% ... but 50% of net receipts from sales of his music by iTunes, eMusic, Amazon, and others.

You see, back in the day -- recording contracts didn't contain provisions for digital downloads (obviously) ... so once iTunes came around, it wasn't clear whether to pay the artist their sale fee (around 12%-18%) or their licensing fee (around 50%).

Felice claims sales through digital distributors are actually licenses -- and she should be paid accordingly. Eminem infamously sued his record label for the same thing back in 2007 ... and won.

Good news for Ms. Catena. more on this story

Hype Jones Remixes Jessie J
(popmusiclife) Jessie J has a new remix track on her hands. Hype Jones has reworked the UK singer's "Domino," morphing the pop song to a full-on dance club rave-up.

The original song is featured on Jessie's "Who You Are" album.

Jessie recently joined Kelly Clarkson, Mary J. Blige, Jennifer Hudson and more at the VH1 Divas Celebrates Soul concert special; the event was recorded at New York's Hammerstein Ballroom. Listen here.

Pink Saves Puppy
(TMZ) Pink just came through with a canine Christmas miracle -- shelling out $5,000 to pay for emergency life-saving surgery on a puppy that had been tossed in the L.A. river and left for dead.

Sources tell TMZ ... P!nk was surfing the Internet recently, when she stumbled upon a story about a puppy that had been thrown off an L.A. overpass ... and suffered 3 broken legs when it landed in the L.A. river.

We're told the dog was in bad shape ... and required major surgery FAST ... or else. That's when Pink sprung into action -- contacting the Ace of Hearts animal rescue organization and offering to pay for any medical expense it took to save the dog's life.

$5,000 later ... the dog went under the knife -- and recovered!!

And it gets better -- we're told the dog has since been adopted by a loving family ... and will probably get a big, juicy bone for Christmas. more on this story

Nedry Giving Away Two Tracks From Forthcoming Album
Nedry have set a worldwide March 12, 2012 release date of their sophomore album In A Dim Light via Monotreme Records.

But as a early treat to fans, two album tracks, "Float" and "Post Six" are available to stream/download here.

Drawing on the gothic undertones of David Lynch - and at points, absorbing T.S. Elliot's 'Four Quartets', vocalist Ayu Okakita revels in ruminations urging acceptance of the shadows; to permit the darkness to settle around her. more on this story

Feds Vs Sons of Guns
(TMZ) The star of the Discovery reality show "Sons of Guns" has been forced to surrender his Federal Firearm License after government officials discovered a bunch of his weapons had mysteriously gone missing ... TMZ has learned.

The man caught in the crosshairs is a famous gunsmith named William Hayden -- who founded Red Jacket Firearms in Baton Rouge Louisiana ... and hired his daughter Stephanie to help run the business.

Things went swimmingly until 2009 ... when the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms conducted a routine inspection of RJF and discovered 10 guns registered to the company could not be accounted for ... a big, BIG problem.

We're told the feds pinned the blame on William and Stephanie -- and were looking to take serious action that could have resulted in the end of RJF.

But law enforcement sources tell us ... the Hayden's struck a deal with feds in 2010, in which the two agreed to surrender their gun-making licenses ... and in exchange, they could appoint a LICENSED person to take over the company.

It didn't take long for William and Stephanie to pick their successor ... they went with Vincent Buckles -- another gunsmith often featured on the reality show.

William and Stephanie went back to work for the company -- but since they are no longer allowed to own the gun business, they are working as employees.

Reps for the Haydens, RJF and Discovery all had no comment.

TMZ has learned Vincent Buckles has since left the company -- and two other licensed people are currently in charge of the business. more on this story

Mario Batali's Restaurant Hit With Sexual Harassment Case
(TMZ) Mario Batali's name has been dragged into a sexual harassment lawsuit in New York -- in which an ex-waiter claims the famous chef stood by for months ... while his fellow workers tortured him with butt slaps and masturbation stories.

Eugene Gibbons filed the suit in NY Supreme Court, claiming several co-workers ruthlessly harassed him while he worked at Batali's Babbo Restaurant in NYC -- co-owned by "MasterChef" judge Joe Bastianich. (Batali and Bastianich were not named as defendants.)

According to the suit, Eugene's co-workers "smacked his buttocks on a weekly basis," repeatedly grabbed his genitals, and made crude sexual comments ... including one instance when an employee told Eugene he masturbated to Eugene's pictures after his wife went to sleep.

Eugene claims Batali and Bastianich were fully aware of the harassment -- butt did nothing to stop it ... the suit claims ... by their inaction the two chefs condoned the campaign of humiliation.

Eugene ultimately quit -- he's now suing his former co-workers and the restaurant for unspecified damages. Calls to Mario and the restaurant were not returned. more on this story

Toddlers & Tiaras and Hooker Insults
(TMZ) Humanity reached a new low this week ... when a 5-year-old "Toddlers & Tiaras" star TRASHED a rival 3-year-old beauty queen ... saying she DRESSES LIKE A HOOKER.

5-year-old Isabella Barrett was leaving a spray tanning sesh in NYC -- again, she's 5 -- when she went off on 3-year-old Paisley Dickey for allegedly copying her spray tan ways.

Barrett (presumably with her mother's coaching) told TMZ ... "Last time I was here, Paisley was trying to copy me ... but MY mom doesn't dress me up as a hooker."

Barrett (and her mother) are referring to the infamous "Toddlers" episode ... when Paisley dressed up like Julia Roberts as a prostitute in "Pretty Woman" for a beauty pageant.

But Barrett's insult raises some questions -- namely, how the hell does a 5-year-old know the word "hooker"?

Based on how Isabella looks to her mother for approval throughout the video, you'd think her mom coached her to say it ... but that's ridiculous, right?

What mother in her right mind would teach her 5-year-old daughter ... to say another little girl dresses like a sex worker?