Today's Day In Rock News!

Tweeter Vs Black Sabbath
(Classic Rock) It's not easy being pioneers of heavy metal four decades after you first got together. Just ask Black Sabbath. In recent months their anticipated reunion with Ozzy Osbourne has been blotted with the breakdown of relations between the band and original drummer Bill Ward.
Amid all the drama guitarist Tony Iommi insisted: ""We've had our ups and downs over the years, feuds, this, that and the other. It all sorts out and the friendship never goes away, whatever's going on. This band is strange like that."

Bassist Geezer Butler wasn't the first to call it a "soap opera". But one Sabbath fan has taken it a step further with a Twitter account called "Sabbath Soap Opera" – and the username @Back_Stabbath. If you haven't been following the story you may not appreciate the cruel but observant humor in the spoof tweets here.


Judas Priest Plan Farewell Tour DVD
(hennemusic) Just a few weeks ago, Judas Priest played the final show of their "Epitaph" world tour.

The final Epitaph show - at the Hammersmith Apollo in London - was professionally filmed for a 2013 DVD release.

The work on the project has already begun, according to guitarist Richie Faulkner. "Had a sneaky listen to the recording of the Hammersmith show with [producer] Tom Allom. Rearrange these words: Face your off it's tear gonna," posted Faulkner on his Facebook page. more on this story



Festival Crowd Surfing Stunt Ends in Broken Neck
(Classic Rock) Stand-up comedian Bob Slayer broke his neck during his Comedy Tent performance at Download on Thursday night – and didn't even realise.

It wasn't until he went to hospital after being injured at another show he discovered the damage he'd done during a wheelie-bin crowdsurfing stunt at the Donington festival.

Ominously, Slayer had started his performance by saying: "This is the last gig I'll ever do" before an assistant helped push his bin into the crowd. more on this story



Fleetwood Shocked Over Bob Welch Suicide
(Gibson) Mick Fleetwood and Stevie Nicks have issued statements paying tribute to former Fleetwood Mac guitarist Bob Welch. "He was an amazing guitar player -- he was funny, sweet and he was smart," Nicks recalled. "I'm so very sorry for his family and for the family of Fleetwood Mac. So, so sad."

Welch was found dead at his home in Nashville, Tennessee, on Thursday. A police spokesperson said the 66-year-old musician died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. A suicide note was found at the house.

"He was a very, very profoundly intelligent human being and always in good humor, which is why this is so unbelievably shocking," Fleetwood told Reuters. "He was a huge part of our history, which sometimes gets forgotten…. Mostly his legacy would be his songwriting abilities that he brought to Fleetwood Mac, which will survive all of us." more on this story





Metallica's Lars Ulrich Moved By New Documentary
(Gibson) Metallica's Lars Ulrich said he found watching the new movie about a disabled fan's mission to meet Metallica, 'deeply moving.'

According to the Daily Express, the movie, Mission to Lars, focuses on Tom Spicer, who has Fragile X syndrome, and his sister Kate as they attempt to meet the band and Tom's hero, Lars.

"I thought the film was deeply moving. Meeting Tom and Kate, when they came out to film, it was an experience in itself. But seeing the film and reconnecting with the team was another experience," Ulrich said. "It's not something we're directly involved in - it's their film, their journey. But we're supportive of their endeavor. We don't want to take it over and have it turn into some kind of vanity project.

"It's a great testament into a world I didn't know much about and a great testament to the importance of music and what it means to different people." more on this story





Collective Soul Live TV Special This Weekend
Collective Soul fans are advised to tune into HDNet this Saturday, June 16, to watch the band perform live to the Roseland Ballroom in Portland, Oregon.

"An Evening with Collective Soul: The Dosage 2012 Tour" will include their memorable 1999 album Dosage in its entirety, and several of their #1 radio hits including "Shine," "December," "World I Know," "Where the River Flows," and many others.

The band will also premiere new, never-heard-before songs from their forthcoming studio album, which they plan to release in the near future. Check out a preview here.



Slipknot's Corey Taylor Slams Media Over Metal Coverage
(Classic Rock) Slipknot and Stone Sour frontman Corey Taylor believes metal is the only genre in which musician keep trying to raise the bar and that's one of the things that makes it a unique art form.

His comments come during a Guardian discussion about why rock and metal is almost entirely ignored in mainstream media, despite a strong following and healthy sales.

Taylor argues that if the press are going to ignore the good points of the genre, they shouldn't keep digging up the bad points instead. He says: "The thing that really pisses me off is they only talk about metal in the sense: 'Metal is going to kill your children.' It would almost be better if they never talked about us at all." more on this story



Rock & Roll All Nite: A Tribute to KISS Coming
Versailles Records are eyeing a 2013 release for 'Rock & Roll All Nite: A Tribute to Kiss.'

The record will feature current/former members of Alice Cooper Band, Trans-Siberrian Orchestra, RATT, Keel, LA Guns, Megadeth, Metal Church, Dangerous Toys, Lillian Axe, White Lion, Slash's Snakepit, Richard Kendrick, and others to be announced.

This summer Versailles Records will also deliver star-studded tributes including 'No More Tears: A Tribute to Ozzy Osbourne- 1971 - 2012,' 'Take Your Whiskey Home: A Tribute to Van Halen- 1978 - 1984' and 'Two Minutes to Midnight: A Tribute to Iron Maiden.' more on this story



Le Butcherettes Hitting The Road With The Mars Volta
Le Butcherettes will be heading to Europe this week to kick off a tour where they will be The Mars Volta.

Le Butcherettes are currently at work on a followup to last year's breakout debut, Sin Sin Sin.

Omar Rodriguez Lopez -- who is also reprising his role as producer and bass player for the band's sophomore album -- will be pulling double duty for these shows, as the permanent bassist for Le Butcherettes in addition to his role as co-founder and guitarist in The Mars Volta. more on this story



Lucero Summer Tour
Lucero will be hitting the road for a North American tour which will kick off on June 20 in Carrboro, NC.

Lucero will be touring in support of their latest album, Women & Work on ATO Records Women & Work, the band's eighth album, is a love letter to their hometown of Memphis.

"Having a band in Memphis puts you through a tradition," says frontman Ben Nichols. The band immersed itself in Memphis' long skew of musical traditions: Sun, Stax, Elvis and Al Green, Jim Dickinson and Alex Chilton. more on this story



Nashville Pussy's First Ever Summer Rock n' Roll Showdown
Nashville Pussy will be playing a very special hometown show in Atlanta, Georgia on June 27th at The Star Bar.

The event which has been dubbed "Nashville Pussy's First Ever Summer Rock n' Roll Showdown", sees the return of bassist Karen Cuda who has been recovering from a neck injury. The show will feature support from The El Camino's and The Babyhaters.

Nashville Pussy recently released a live record recorded all over Europe in a special 2 CD re-release of their last studio album From Hell To Texas which was completely remixed for this edition. more on this story



Queensryche Members Debut New Band Rising West
(hennemusic) Queensryche members Michael Wilton, Eddie Jackson, Scott Rockenfield and Parker Lundgren debuted a new band Friday night in Seattle with vocalist Todd La Torre of Crimson Glory.

Rising West played their first show at the Hard Rock Café, where they performed rare and classic hits from the first five Queensryche albums; the set also included a cover of Iron Maiden's "Wrathchild."

Last week, the Rising West crew were denied access to Queensryche's social media platforms to promote their new project. Read more about that and watch video from the debut gig here.



Black Sabbath Rock Download Fest
(hennemusic) Black Sabbath headlined the closing night of the 10th annual Download Festival on Sunday.

It was Sabbath's second show of 2012 and, like last month's warm-up gig in their hometown of Birmingham, the band used fill-in drummer Tommy Clufetos in place of the absent Bill Ward, who continues to sit out the group's planned reunion due to a contractual dispute.

NME reports the metal pioneers came onstage at Donington Park on Sunday to a montage of vintage photos, opening the show with their eponymous track from their eponymous debut album. Guitarist Tony Iommi was in full force on a crucifix-adorned fretboard while frontman Ozzy Ozbourne played harmonica. More including video here.



Girl In A Coma Summer Tour
Girl In A Coma will be heading out on the road for a headlining summer North American tour.

The trek focused on the East Coast and Midwest will kick off in Madison, WI on June 16th and will wrap up on August 16th in Pharr, TX

Girl In A Coma is hitting the road in support of their latest album Exits & All the Rest. more on this story



Former Angel Dust Singer Dirk Thurisch Returns With Mercury Tide
Former Angel Dust singer Dirk Thurisch returns after almost a decade with his new band Mercury Tide.

Limited Access Records have announced a July 10th North American release date for the group's debut album, Killing Saw.

The band's website is listing a May 25th released date for the new album in Europe. You can learn more about them and trade a "tweet" for a song here.



Red Fang Deliver Pizza Picture Disc
Red Fang have delivered a limited edition Pizza Picture disc of their album Murder the Mountains.

The A Side of the disc features The "Red Fang" Pizza, which is actually available on the menu at Relapse Records owner Matt Jacobson's restaurant Sizzle Pie, which has two locations in Portland, Oregon.

The B-Side of the disc features Red Fang's drink of choice PBR, pizza crusts and bloody band-aids. more on this story



PiL Changed Steve Vai?
(Gibson) John Lydon says guitarist Steve Vai's work on Album, the full-length disc PiL released in 1986, may well have marked a shift in Vai's approach to playing. "I think he kind of altered his perspective after working with us," Lydon said, speaking to MusicRadar. "He did some wonderful stuff after that. He got out of just heavy metal, and that's a good, good thing. To this day, I rate the man very, very highly. Very highly!"

Lydon said he was already familiar with Vai's work before recruiting him for the project. "People think that I wouldn't be listening to stuff like that, but I listen to everything," he said. "It was great. It was [producer-bassist] Bill Laswell who put us together."

Lydon said he was seeking more than musicianship, at the time he approached Vai. "I have a keen ear for sheer bravery and audacity, and people who are prepared to stretch the boundaries of what most musicians call 'common sense,'" he said. more on this story





Ian Gillan and Bernie Torme Giving Business Seminar
(Gibson) Former Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Bernie Torme and Deep Purple's Ian Gillan will be teaching at a business seminar in Dartford, England on June 19.

The event, at the Hilton Hotel in Dartford on 19 June, says The Independent, is being put on by ex-manager the Peter Cook, a former manager who lectures on the parallels between music and business for corporate executives.

Cook said: "What we're teaching them is about balancing the need for order and structure with a little bit of creative spark which gives them the edge over their competitors."

Tormé said: "I have worked with a fair mix of Class A rock stars. The music business is a great teacher of life skills such as negotiating, marketing, teamwork, high performance and so on, both how to do them well and occasionally the dark side of the force. Big companies are far more complex, although it's not as different as you would think." more on this story





Download Got Off To Rainy Late Start
(Classic Rock) The tenth Download Festival was forced to start two hours late Friday amid worsening weather conditions that caused traffic chaos and forced organisers to cut bands from the bill.

Headliners The Prodigy closed out the iconic event's first day following performances by Machine Head, Slash, Nightwish, Little Angels, Terrorvision and many others.

But Europe, Cancer Bats, Rise to Remain and Six Hour Sundown were amongst those to miss their sets – although Cancer Bats managed to make two appearances later in the day. more on this story



Black Tusk Map Out Headline Tour Dates
Black Tusk will follow up their current North American tour with Municipal Waste and 3 Inches of Blood with their first ever European headlining tour.

Support on the tour will come from Okkultokrati. The tour is scheduled to begin July 8th in Köln, Germany and run through July 20th in Tonsberg, Norway with an appearance at Slottsfjell Fest.

Black Tusk will also be taking part in the "Orion Music & More Festival" curated by Metallica. The event is set for Saturday June 23rd and Sunday June 24th at Bader Field in Atlantic City, NJ. Black Tusk will be featured on the "Damage Inc" stage on Saturday June 23rd alongside label mates RED FANG and many others. more on this story



Natur Hit The Road With Occvlta
Natur kicked off a mini East Coast tour yesterday, ahead of the release of their debut album, Head Of Death.

Natur hit the road with Occvlta for the run of dates, which begins in Baltimore, Maryland at the Talking Head Lounge.

Natur drummer Tooth comments: "Finally! Our German brothers in Occvlta will be coming to our side of the planet! Very excited to hit the road and play some new places. This will be a great week for sure! After seeing them kill London two years in a row at the Live Evil Festival it was certain we had to host them in the States. Can't wait to bang skulls side by side again! Heavy metal is our way!" more on this story



Titans Eve Announce Tour With Anvil
Titans Eve have a set July 13th release date for their second full-length album, 'Life Apocalypse'.

In support of the effort, the band plan a Western Canadian tour with legendary Canadian metal band Anvil.

"Our album 'Life Apocalypse' drops on July Friday the 13th, just in time for our tour with Anvil!!! We are all very excited to start playing for you guys again and to be able to join Canadian metal legends this time!." says vocalist/guitarist Brian Gamblin. more on this story



Auroch Plan Summer Album Release and Tour
Auroch have officially named their debut full length album, 'From Forgotten Worlds,' which will be released in July.

"At long last we're excited to reveal the name of this first full length release and the songs that lie therein. This has represented a lot of work, sweat and blood and it is reflected in the music. Prepare for a total death metal onslaught!" comments Auroch vocalist/guitarist Seb Montesi.

Auroch are gearing up for their 'Canadian Abomination Tour' which will kick off on July 13th. more on this story



B Sides


Dee Snider Jams Skid Row Classic With Sebastian Bach
(hennemusic) Sebastian Bach played the Sweden Rock Festival Thursday night, and had a little help along the way.

Sebastian was joined by Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider for the Skid Row cut, "Youth Gone Wild."

Bach is currently on the road promoting his latest effort, "Kicking & Screaming." Watch the Dee/Bach jam



The Hives Deliver Go Right Ahead Video
The Hives have released their official music video for their single "Go Right Ahead" online.

According to the announcement, the concept is: Howlin' Pelle Almqvist & the gang take charge of a Gotham-esque city with their very own Hives blimp. There's chaos & confusion, plenty of top hats, and possibly even some space exploration.

"Go Right Ahead" comes off the band's new album, Lex Hives, which was released last week. Watch the video here.



Van Halen Light Up The Sky In St. Paul
(hennemusic) Van Halen have been mixing up the setlists on their current "A Different Kind Of Truth" tour, giving fans a chance to hear some classic deep cuts that haven't been played live in many years.

Video shot during a recent soundcheck in St. Paul, Minnesota captured the band playing the 1979 track, "Light Up The Sky," with background vocals by Wolfgang.

The video was shot by a fan who was in the venue early as part of a VIP package; occasionally, VIP ticket holders have been able to sit in on soundcheck during the tour. Watch the video here.



Duane Allman Taught Joe Walsh Slide Guitar
(Gibson) Joe Walsh has revealed it was Duane Allman who showed him the basics of slide guitar.

In an interview to be published by M – Music & Musicians, Walsh said, "The James Gang played lots of shows with the Allman Brothers Band, back when it was common to have two headliners on the bill. At some point I sat down with Duane backstage, and he showed me the basics – things like proper tunings to use, based on what you're trying to accomplish. He showed me how you put the slide directly over the fret, instead of between them, like you do when you're normally playing. And he stressed using a very light touch. Duane taught me these things out of the goodness of his heart. I've always tried to keep his tradition going, because he was such a good guy and such a great player."

Analog Man, Walsh's first solo album in 20 years, was released on Tuesday (June 5). more on this story





Terror Post Documentary Online
Terror posted their full, uncut version of their documentary about front-man Scott Vogel and Terror on YouTube.

Originally posted as a series, fans can now view the entire movie from start to finish. Focusing on Vogel's early bands, plus the history of Terror from the band's formation through the making of their latest album, Keepers Of The Faith. Watch it here.

Terror will be on tour in North America, Australia, New Zealand and Europe this summer, appearing at various festivals as well as hitting the road with BANE, NAYSAYER, and ROTTING OUT in July/August.

MATCHBOX TWENTY HEADING NORTH IN SEPTEMBER:

Matchbox Twenty will release their brand new single She's So Mean next week - June 12. Their new studio album North is due out September 4. These guys are one of the most consistent bands of the modern era and nay new material is highly anticipated. Check out a 'in the studio' preview of the new single via: www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=IMM-GGstvYQ.
The track listing for North is: 1. Parade 2. She's So Mean 3. Overjoyed 4. Put Your Hands Up 5. Our Song 6. I Will 7. English Town 8. How Long 9. Radio 10. The Way 11. Like Sugar 12. Sleeping at the Wheel.
WebLink: matchboxtwenty.com.

Today's Day In Rock!

Former Fleetwood Mac Frontman Dead From Apparent Suicide
(Classic Rock) Former Fleetwood Mac guitarist and vocalist Bob Welch has been found dead after shooting himself at his Nashville home. He was 66.
Welch, who was with the band from 1971 until 1974, was discovered by his wife with a suicide note left nearby. He'd pulled the trigger around 12.15pm.

Law enforcement officials say the musician had been experience health issues in recent months. Don Aaron of Metropolitan Nashville Police Department reported last night: "Officers discovered Mr Welch with a single gunshot wound to the chest. There was a suicide note found at the residence. There was no evidence of foul play." more on this story



Muse Tease New Album
(Gibson) This week Muse posted a trailer online for their upcoming sixth studio album and announced the title: The 2nd Law.

The clip is classic Muse fare in its drama, offering a faux news broadcast that depicts scenes of stock market crashes, rising gas prices and other calamities. New for Muse, the video also offers some dubstep-seasoned music blended in with footage of the group rocking out live. Watch it here.

Muse's last album, 2009's Resistance, debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 128,000 copies, according to Neilson Soundscan. more on this story





Van Halen Go Bottoms Up For The First Time Since 1983
(hennemusic) Van Halen's "A Different Kind Of Truth" tour is in the middle of a swing through the band's home state of California.

Tuesday night, Van Halen rocked the HP Pavilion in San Jose, and the band dug out a rare track from 1979's "Van Halen II" album.

"Bottoms Up!" made its first appearance of the new tour and, in fact, it was played for the first time onstage since 1983. The classic deep cut replaced "The Trouble With Never," from the new album, in Tuesday's setlist. Watch it here.



Guns N' Roses Frontman Axl Rose Comments On Jewelry Theft
(hennemusic) Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose has thanked the woman who walked off with $200,000 worth of his jewelry for their safe return.

"Got my things back (really just an excited fan.) Thank you to the person for returning them n' big thanks 2 the Paris police," Axl tweeted.

Rose's jewelry - three gold-and-diamond necklaces – went missing following a concert in Paris. The woman was placed under formal arrest after she returned the items to a police station in central Paris. more on this story



Def Leppard Club Gig Streaming Online
(hennemusic) On Wednesday, Def Leppard played a rare club show at the House Of Blues on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood.

The event was captured for a "YouTube Presents" special, featuring a live performance and a Q&A session hosted by Rockline's Bob Coburn.

The band invited fans to submit question in advance, which they handled in an extensive interview segment. Watch it here.



Ozzy, Metallica's Hetfield, U2's Bono, Gene Simmons, Dave Grohl Big Daddy's
(Gibson) Father's Day is this weekend, so it's an appropriate time to pay homage to all the great dads out there.

On the Line, a national prostate cancer awareness campaign, is celebrating fatherhood with the Big Daddy Awards, which has celebrity fathers contending for top honors in 33 creative categories. A few of the musical men nominated this year include Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl, U2's Bono, Aerosmith's Steven Tyler, Kiss' Gene Simmons, Ozzy Osbourne, Lenny Kravitz, Metallica's James Hetfield and Jon Bon Jovi. Other categories pay tribute to dads from the sports, movie, TV and radio fields.

Fans can vote for their favorite celebrity fathers through June 17 via BigDaddyAwards.com, and the winners will be announced June 18, the day after Father's Day. more on this story




Queensryche Members Vow To Go On
(Classic Rock) Queensryche splinter group Rising West disappointed fans last night by refusing to go into detail about their current relationship with singer Geoff Tate.

Last week Michael Wilton, Eddie Jackson, Scott Rockenfield and Parker Lundgren announced they'd hired frontman Todd La Torre of Crimson Glory and would perform material from the prog metal giant's early years at two show in Seattle this weekend.

Speaking to 99.9 KISW they avoided in-depth discussion about rumoured fall-outs with Tate, and didn't even elaborate on their statement they'd been banned from Queensryche's website and Facebook page. Guitarist Wilton said: "We still very much are Queensryche, and Queensryche will be continuing on. We want to just have some fun, play some old 'Ryche, bring back some memories and just kick it."

Asked if he'd learned anything from their current position he replied: "Make a band agreement." They go into more details, read that here.



Elvis To Be Resurrected
(Gibson) Elvis Presley will soon be immortalized with his very own hologram. Digital Domain Media Group, the same company that recently created a hologram of late rapper Tupac Shakur that debuted at last spring's Coachella festival, has teamed up with the company that owns the rights to Presley's likeness and is working to produce a holographic Elvis for use in a variety of Elvis-related projects.

"His lifelong fans will be thrilled all over again, and new audiences will discover the electric experience of Elvis the performer," Elvis Presley Enterprises president Jack Soden said in an official statement.

"We are thrilled to have been chosen to bring new performances and original shows where fans can have their own, new experiences of Elvis," Digital Domain Media Group chairman and CEO John Textor added. "This agreement enables us to participate in the success of any number of potential virtual Elvis appearances." more on this story





New Found Glory's Chad Gilbert Releasing New What's Eating Gilbert EP
New Found Glory's Chad Gilbert side project What's Eating Gilbert will be releasing a new five-song EP CD and 7inch, entitled Cheap Shots, on July 31st.

Gilbert commented, "I'm excited for people to hear my songs on this EP. As my solo song writing develops, it's showing more and more my goal: to create modern 50's pop rock throwback… a style of music I heard around my house being played by my parents when I was a baby." This is one of many collaborations with Chad Gilbert and the label on various platforms, between his bands New Found Glory, International Superheroes of Hardcore, and What's Eating Gilbert. Chad continued, "So happy for another release with Bridge Nine - a label I admire that works hard and has the same roots in hardcore and punk rock as I do."

What's Eating Gilbert has released albums and EP's on labels like Epitaph, Paper and Plastick, and Bridge Nine Records. Cheap Shots, Chad's fifth solo release, was recorded earlier this year at Buzzbomb Studios and produced by Chad Gilbert and Paul Miner. more on this story



Steve Vai Plans North American Tour
Steve Vai will be hitting the road in August for a two month long North American Tour.

Vai will be touring in support of the upcoming release The Story of Light, a new solo album of original material, to be released on August 14th.

The tour kicks off the next day, August 15, at Ft. Lauderdale, Florida's Revolution, and ends October 13 in Agoura Hills, CA. more on this story



Beatles Museum Shutting Down
(Gibson) NME is reporting that the Beatles museum in Hamburg, Germany, will shut down at the end of June due to a "lack of interest."

The famed museum opened its doors on the Reeperbahn strip in Hamburg in 2009 -- right near the Cavern Club, where the guys played many of their early shows -- and offers over 1,000 pieces of Beatles memorabilia. Even with everything a Beatle fan could ever imagine inside its doors, the museum has attracted an estimated 150,000 visitors over the past three years, far fewer attendees than expected by museum operators.

Speaking with German newspaper Hamburger Morgenpost, museum manager Folkert Koopmanns explained that he believes closing the museum is the responsible thing to do. "In view of the high deficits, there is no solution left but closure, if you want to act responsibly. A privately run museum as big as Beatlemania is condemned to fail without public support. That's a fact that we fought against until enthusiasm turned into resignation – a bitter experience." more on this story





Linkin Park To Broadcast Upcoming Concert on MTV Channels Globally
MTV sent over word that Linkin Park will visit Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico for the first time ever to perform live at MTV World Stage Monterrey.

This international music event will be taped entirely in high definition at Arena Monterrey in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico on September 12th and will be broadcast throughout the region on October 8th by MTV Latin America. The event will also be seen on more than 63 MTVs around the world, exact dates to be confirmed.

"It's been so long since the last time we performed in Mexico. We cannot wait to celebrate the launch of our new album with our fabulous Mexican fans," commented Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park. more on this story



Capt. Beefheart's Lost Broadcasts Coming To DVD
Rare TV performances by Capt. Beefheart and his Magic Band 'The Lost Broadcasts' is set to be released on DVD on June 18th. Glass Onyon sent over these details:

Don Van Vliet, (1941-2010) better known to his legions of fans as 'Captain Beefheart' was one of the most enigmatic figures in rock music. Unashamedly an artist, rather than a pop star, he forged his own idiosyncratic furrow through popular culture, producing some of the most innovative and uncompromising music ever committed to recording tape. From the age of three he painted and sculpted, and had an obsession with animals and the natural world. As a teenager he was friends with Frank Zappa, and as early as 1963 they recorded a demo under the name 'The Soots'. Sadly this was unsuccessful, and the world would have to wait a few more years before Beefheart's own unique take on the blues would be heard by anyone outside his own particular circle of friends. His first album, 'Safe as Milk' came out in 1967, and Hunter Davies' eponymous biography of The Beatles notes that John Lennon was an early fan. It is not surprising considering that the primal rock and roll that Lennon idolized and the pioneering surreal blues of Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band, had much the same cultural genesis. Probably the most important album of the Captain's career was the Zappa produced 'Trout Mask Replica' which was released in 1969. Its mixture of blues, free-form improvisation and heavily structured Van Vliet avant-garde compositions proved too much for many listeners but eventually ensured him a place in the history books. High profile fans of this album include the late John Peel, who would remain a champion of Beefheart's until he died.

In 1972 Captain Beefheart released two albums; 'The Spotlight Kid' and 'Clear Spot'. He also toured the UK and Europe with the Magic Band, even performing two concerts at London's famed Royal Albert Hall. On April 12th , in the middle of the European leg of the tour, Captain Beefheart and The Magic Band stopped off at the Beat Club studios in Bremen, Germany to film a session for later transmission. Of the four songs filmed that day only one track has ever been broadcast. The band at that time included: Captain Beefheart (Don Van Vliet) vocals, harp; Rockette Morton (Mark Boston) guitar and bass; Zoot Horn Rollo (Bill Harkleroad) guitar; Orejon (Roy Estrada) bass; Ed Marimba (Art Tripp) drums; and Winged Eel Fingerling (Elliot Ingber) guitar. Author Jon Kirkman describes the recordings: "The session kicks off with a bass solo entitled 'Mascara Snake'. This short piece was named after a former member of the Magic Band Victor Hayden (Don's cousin), who had appeared on the 'Trout Mask Replica' album. The solo is played by Mark Boston, although at this point former Mothers of Invention bassist Roy Estrada had joined The Magic Band following his departure from Little Feat in early 1972. The other songs in the set here include a track dating back to 'Trout Mask Replica' ('Steal Softly Thru Snow') and also a track that would be featured on 'Clear Spot' some eight months later ('Golden Birdies'). more on this story



Grave Set For New Album and Tour
Century Media will release Grave's tenth studio album Endless Procession Of Souls on August 27th in Europe and on August 28th in North America.

Recorded at Studio Soulless, Endless Procession Of Souls, featuring nine tracks of death metal, executed by the survivors of the legendary Swedish Dödsmetal scene.

In support of this upcoming release, the band will be touring North America with Morbid Angel and Dark Funeral this September/October. In regards to the album and tour, founding member Ola Lindgren (vocals/guitar) comments: "Grave will return to North America in September, sharing the madness with our comrades in Morbid Angel and Dark Funeral. After the successful 'Into the Grave' sets we did in September last year, it will be very exciting to come back to promote the new album 'Endless Procession of Souls', which will be released August 28th in North America (Aug 27th in Europe) through Century Media Records. This killer bill is in extremo deluxe and will show you what brutality is all about...Beware the Winds of Chains!" more on this story



The Dear Hunter Premiere Never Forgive, Never Forget Video
The Dear Hunter have premiered a new music video for the song "Never Forgive, Never Forget," which comes off of the Color Spectrum - Black EP collection.

The fan-made video was brought to the attention of frontman Casey Crescenzo via Twitter: "I received a twitter alert to my phone mentioning @therealtdh and a new 'official' video from the band. Before this we had decided to throw in the towel on making a video, so this news was a bit confusing. I followed the links and watched in disbelief as the video played... About 10 seconds in, I called out to the rest of my band, who was still in the other room rehearsing, and asked them to come in the control room and watch the video with me. About 5 minutes later we were all sitting with our jaws on the floor.

"I immediately reached out to the production company, and professed my love and admiration for what they created. Now I am excited to share with everyone what these incredibly talented people crafted." more on this story



Dropkick Murphys Announce Initial Halfway To St. Patrick's Day Tour Date
Dropkick Murphys have announced the initial date for their upcoming their "Halfway To St. Patrick's Day Tour."

The band will be playing Boston's Bank Of American Pavilion waterfront amphitheatre on September 21 as part of the tour. Additional September tour dates will be announced soon.

They are touring in support of their Going Out In Style and Going Out In Style: Fenway Park Bonus Edition CDs, both released via the band-owned Born & Bred Records. more on this story



Danko Jones Set DVD Release
Danko Jones have set a July 3rd U.S. release date for their very first official DVD, entitled Bring On The Mountain. We were sent these details:

The two-disc DVD features a comprehensive 90 minute documentary spanning the band's incredible career, including a slew of exclusive live clips from some of their most memorable performances from around the world. In order to give their fans the best viewing experience possible, the band has blended the greatest clips and moments captured on video throughout their career—forming the outstanding DVD that rabid Danko Jones fans have been clamoring for. Shot by the Diamond Bros., the documentary offers a unique insight into the ups and downs of one of the hardest working bands around today.

An extra special treat for fans comes in the format of a short film titled The Ballad of Danko Jones. Based on Danko Jones' most recent video trilogy, the film features actors Elijah Wood, Selma Blair, Ralph Macchio, Jena Malone, musicians Lemmy (Motorhead), Mike Watt (Minutemen, fIREHOSE), and many other familiar faces. All 19 music videos the band has ever made, including videos that have not been available in over 10 years, are also included. more on this story



B Sides


New Rush Clockwork Angels Songs Streaming Online
(hennemusic) The new Rush album, "Clockwork Angels," is being released next Tuesday. Now, tracks from the new album are surfacing online.

The thematic project has been billed as following the story of a young man's quest across a lavish and colorful world of steampunk and alchemy as he attempts to follow his dreams. The tale features lost cities, pirates, anarchists, an exotic carnival, and a rigid Watchmaker who imposes precision on every aspect of daily life.

Listen to the full-length preview of the album's title track, which clocks in at seven and half minutes and other new tracks from the album here.



The Whigs Give Fans A Listen To New Song
The Whigs are giving fans a first taste from their new album "Enjoy The Company," which comes out September 18th on New West Records.

The album was written in Nashville, TN and Athens, GA, and recorded in Woodstock, NY with producer John Agnello (Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr.).

Drummer Julian Dorio says "we looked back at our first three albums and saw what we liked and didn't. We thought about the songwriting, playing, production - taking the best elements to make a record - a bunch of songs, that we're really proud of."

See what he's talking about on new song "Summer Heat" here.



Metallica's Lars Ulrich Compares Arctic Monkeys to Rush
(Gibson) Lars Ulrich is an Arctic Monkeys fan. According to NME.com the Metallica drummer wanted the U.K. indie band at his band's Orion Festival in New Jersey.

Ulrich told Rolling Stone: "For me, having the Arctic Monkeys on there is big. I think they're a heavy metal band disguised as an indie band…. there's almost a Rush element in there.''

The Orion Music festival is set for June 23 and 24 near Atlantic City in New Jersey. more on this story





Wolves At The Gate Streaming New Song Online
Wolves At The Gate are giving fans a first listen to their new song "Dead Man," which comes from their forthcoming album, Captors, which is set for release on July 3rd.

"We chose 'Dead Man' as our first single because of how well it encompasses the entity of our band," explains guitarist/vocalist Stephen Cobucci. "As a song it has sort of a youthful energy about it that we really enjoy playing and a really solid melody that we feel will draw in new fans and appease long time fans."

"Writing this song quite easily took longer than anything else on the album. I heard in my head how I wanted the song to sound, but it took about a month's worth of work to get everything to the point where it flowed musically and lyrically. I record all of our preproduction on my computer and there's a folder I like to call the 'riff graveyard' which contains all the riffs I wrote for the record that never made it... 'Dead Man' easily had the largest riff graveyard of any song on the record." Listen here.



Singled Out: Spider Rockets
Today Helena Cos from Spider Rockets tells us about the songs "Going Down" and "Gasoline" from their brand new album "Bitten". Here is the story:

Our song "Going Down" was first called "Bitch Slapped" and I remember sitting with Eric Rachel, our producer and showing him the idea for the song. He just looked at me and said, "you may want to change the title of that one." I thought that was funny as hell, but it got me thinking. The song is about power but I didn't want it to be predictable. I toyed with having a double meaning take place in the lyrics and liked the way it was coming out. The double meaning brings out two polar opposite emotions. As it turns out "Going Down" became our active rock single.

Our other single in the metal market, "Gasoline," had a working title called "Razor Blade Kisses." I am not sure even why except I liked the way it sounded. The song is about what makes someone tick, what gives them fuel. It comes out in a personal struggle in the song. The emotion behind the song is like gasoline to a car. We tried working the chorus in a few different ways to make the song come to life. Finally, our producer, Eric Rachel suggested dueling male/female vocals. That made all the difference and the tension in the verses explodes into the vocals in the chorus.

Today's Day In Rock News!

Model Arrested For Major Axl Rose Theft
(Classic Rock) An unidentified model has been arrested in France following the theft of three necklaces worth $200,000 from Guns N' Roses singer Axl Rose.
The event unfolded during a private party after GnR played in Paris on Tuesday night. Rose and some of his bandmates were performing for 130 invited guests when the woman took the jewellery. He was not wearing the items at the time.

She voluntarily reported to police yesterday morning, admitting she'd had too much to drink but saying she wasn't sure how the necklaces wound up in her possession. more on this story



Megadeth's Dave Mustaine Hit In The Head
(Classic Rock) Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine was forced to cut a festival set short in Croatia after being struck on the head with a stone thrown by angry rock fans.

The band were playing at Metalfest 2012 but had to endure catcalls and chants of "We want WASP" after it was rumoured Blackie Lawless had refused to perform following an argument with Mustaine.

Those rumours were not confirmed – but fans took matters into their own hands by bombarding Megadeth with whatever they could find. Matters came to a head about 40 minutes into the thrash giants' set. Bassist David Ellefson and guitarist Chris Broderick left the stage while Mustaine made a difficult-to-hear statement to the crowd and followed them off. Drummer Shawn Drover appeared not to have been told what was going on – he seemed to begin the next song on the band's set before grinding to a halt and disappearing. more on this story



AC/DC Plan New Album and Tour
(Gibson) On 5 June 5 AC/DC vocalist Brian Johnson was interviewed by Bay Area rock station 107.7 The Bone. When asked about when fans can expect to hear a new studio album from AC/DC, Johnson said, "I'll be getting together with [AC/DC guitarist Malcolm Young] in a couple of weeks, and then we're going to London to meet up with Angus [Young, AC/DC lead guitarist], hopefully. And that's usually how we'll start.

"We're just a bunch of pals from the projects, still. Even though we've done well, we still have the same roots that we stick by that we did when we had nothing, basically. And that's the work ethic. And it has to be right for the boys to do anything. When we're sitting down and [we're talking about], 'Can we do this? We're not gonna be a pale shadow of our former selves?' We'll talk about it and make sure that we've all got it. We're just five pieces of a card, and if one of us is not really [able to perform at 100 per cent], the whole thing would just collapse, I think."

AC/DC also plan to tour, but maybe not as before. "Well, I think it wouldn't be like the last one," Johnson says. "That was two years… just nuts. For guys our age at the time, to tour the world to sell-out audiences everywhere, it gives you a good feeling. And the great thing was to look out into the audiences and have a look at the generations of people… I mean, it was unbelievable… Kids there that were 7-8 [years old], teenagers…" more on this story





Sammy Hagar Wants Van Halen Apology
(Classic Rock) Former Van Halen singer Sammy Hagar says he's no longer interested in working with the band again in the future but he still wants Eddie Van Halen to apologise for his behaviour on their 2004 tour. And he insists he can't open the conversation because the guitarist would become convinced he was trying to force a reunion.

David Lee Roth is back behind the mic for Van Halen's new album A Different Kind of Truth while Hagar – who once said a reunion was "inevitable" – is touring with his supergroup Chickenfoot.

But he says he finds all the creative satisfaction he needs in his new outfit, and all he needs from his previous squad is closure. Read what he had to say here.



Black Sabbath Have Not Spoken Directly With Bill Ward About Disputes
(Classic Rock) Tony Iommi admits the members of Black Sabbath have not talked to drummer Bill Ward about the contract negotiations which sidelined him from the band's reunion.

Ozzy Osbourne adds he doesn't know exactly what led to Ward announcing he couldn't sign up for an album and tour – but insists there's still a chance things could be sorted out.

The singer tells NME: "The door is open. As far as I know, his requests were very unreasonable. Nothing would have been better than if he would have been here. I don't know – I don't deal with the business."

Guitarist Iommi adds: "We've tried everything will Bill at the moment and it's just not happening. Our legal people are dealing with his legal people. It's all nonsense. more on this story



U2 Star Seeks Justice For Seven Figure Housekeeper Theft
(Classic Rock) U2 bassist Adam Clayton appeared in court yesterday at the trial of his former housekeeper, who's accused of stealing nearly £2.5m from him.

Carol Hawkins is alleged to have committed the offences on multiple dates between 2004 and 2008, stealing amounts ranging from £800 to £250,000 at a time.

The trial is expected to last six weeks. Read more breaking rock news including news about Fear Factor, Ratt, Elvis and more here.




Stone Temple Pilots DVD and Blu-Ray Coming
Eagle Rock have set a June 26th DVD and Blu-Ray release date for Stone Temple Pilots' Alive In The Windy City, the first-ever concert to be authorized by the band for commercial video release.

Filmed in state-of-the-art high-definition, recorded in DTS-HD Master Audio and LPCM Stereo, Stone Temple Pilots performed a high-octane show at the sold-out Riviera Theatre in Chicago, IL.

This March 2010 concert blended new songs from their self-titled sixth album with classic hits from the inception of their career. Vocalist Scott Weiland, bassist Robert DeLeo, guitarist Dean DeLeo and drummer Eric Kretz erupted with a stop-on-a-dime tight, blistering set that included "Interstate Love Song" "Plush" "Vasoline" "Creep" "Sex Type Thing" and "Big Empty." more on this story




Darkest Hour Replace Member
Darkest Hour have replaced bass player Paul Burnette with Aaron Deal. The band posted the news via their official site as follows:

It's with a heavy heart that we announce the official departure of long time friend and bassist, Paul Burnette. Paul's presence on the stage, in the jam room, and everywhere in between will be missed. He has helped us to both conquer the world and develop the sound of the band. For that we'll be eternally grateful.

Although Paul will continue with the new powerhouse, Iron Reagan, his musical footprint will remain with us forever. We love you, dude! more on this story




Former Oceano Guitarist Joins Straight Line Stitch For Tour
Andrew Mikhail of Oceano fame has joined Straight Line Stitch for the second leg of their North American headlining tour. The band sent out these details:

The band just kicked off the second leg this week in Austin, TX and will continue through the western portion of the US until the tour closes on July 9th in St. Louis, MO. The second leg of the tour features openers Blameshift and Sever This Illusion on several dates, as well as individual appearances by Clutch, ChokeOut, and more.

Andrew Mikhail, formerly of metal band Oceano, is currently filling in as touring guitarist on the second leg of the tour. Straight Line Stitch singer Alexis Brown adds, "The first leg of tour was awesome and we had a blast with Kris Norris (ex-Darkest Hour). It feels like the shows just keep getting better! We're definitely geared up for the second part of the tour with Andrew Mikhail. Should be good times!" more on this story




Billy Corgan Making Wrestling Reality Show
(Gibson) Smashing Pumpkins mastermind Billy Corgan is making a reality show with his wrestling organisation. Yep, the guitar maestro is so into pro-wrestling he says he has now signed a deal with a "big reality show producer" who has "an incredible track record."

According to ProWrestling.net, Corgan says, "We believe that wrestling is fascinating on many, many levels. Socially, politically, even economically. The struggles independent wrestlers go through to try to find work. Those are real struggles that anybody can identify with. We want to show what goes on in a wrestling company behind the scenes.

"I've had like nine or ten meetings so far about it. With different people. A lot of them wanted to know if this would be your typical manufactured reality show and I told them that with a wrestling company, you don't have to manufacture reality. There's plenty of it to go around." more on this story






Lamb of God Release Movie Trailer
Lamb of God have released a trailer for their upcoming feature film release, As The Palaces Burn.

The film, directed by award winning documentary filmmaker Don Argott and produced by 9.14 Pictures (Last Days Here, Art of the Steal, Rock School), examines the impact that music and particularly heavy metal music has made on people around the globe as they live in a 21st century world full of economic uncertainty, political unrest, social injustice, and under a constant fear of war and violence. Filming has taken place to date in Colombia, Venezuela, Mexico, India, and Israel. Filming in the United States will take place over the summer months.

Embedded in the trailer is the video for the band's second single from the Resolution CD, "Desolation." The video was shot at shows in South America and Mexico and is the follow up to the animated video for the track "Ghost Walking." Watch the trailer here.




Crosby, Stills & Nash Kick Off Summer Tour
Crosby, Stills & Nash will kick off their North American summer tour tonight in Philadelphia.

The trek is set to run over 60 dates across the United States before concluding with a two night stand in San Diego at the end of Septemebr.

In addition, this July, CSN is releasing "CSN 2012"—­their first live video in over two decades. Recorded in HD earlier this spring, the release will be available digitally, on Blu-Ray, as well as a DVD/2CD combo. more on this story




Robert Cray Sets New Album Release
Robert Cray has set an August 28th release date for his sixteenth studio album, Nothing But Love. Provogue Records sent out these details:

roduced by famed rocker Kevin Shirley (Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin) Nothin But Love captures Cray at his finest with material from all four Robert Cray Band members; Cray (vocals/guitar), Jim Pugh (keyboards), Richard Cousins (bass) and Tony Braunagel (drums) that blends blues, rock, soul and jazz.

Recorded at Revolver Studios in LA, the ten song CD features the soaring breakup blues of "Won't Be Coming Home," the jazz chops of "I'll Always Remember You," the soul-drenched ode to repossession "Great Big Old House" and the frantic '50s-flavoured rocker "Side Dish." more on this story




Emberghost Tap Abigail Williams and Winds of Plague Star
Kristen Randall, keyboardist and backing vocalist for metal bands Abigail Williams and Winds of Plague, has joined Emberghost.

Emberghost lost its female keyboardist and co-vocalist Sarah Jennings to cancer in 2010. And while she can never be replaced, Kristen's passion, style, talent, and dedication make her a worthy addition to the band, and she understands fully the large shoes she is filling.

Kristen is already collaborating with Emberghost on their current project, Not Long for This Earth, which is an acoustic retrospective celebrating their work with Sarah. Upon completion of the project, for which the band is currently raising money on Kickstarter, Kristen will join the new lineup (some new members are yet to be announced) as they write, record, and perform brand new material. Kickstarter link




Vernon Reid Starstruck Playing With Cream Legend Jack Bruce
(Classic Rock) Living Colour founder Vernon Reid says he can't shake being starstruck when he's playing with Cream icon Jack Bruce but insists it's no bad thing.

The pair are the driving force behind jazz-rock supergroup Spectrum Road, along with John Medeski and Cindy Blackman Santana. Their self-titled debut album was released yesterday and the band hit the road this weekend.

"The 'Oh my God, I'm playing with Jack Bruce' thought never goes away. And that's fine. It's okay to stay a little bit in awe of these people," Guitarist Reid tells Music Radar. :You get past the whole legend thing, but then you don't. I revere Jack Bruce – but I also see him as a dude. He's fun, and he's humble too. He doesn't want to be this guy that people have to bow down to. That would be a horrible way to carry yourself, I would think." more on this story



Spiders From Mars Guitarist Mick Ronson Didn't Have Ego For Stardom
(Classic Rock) Spiders From Mars guitarist Mick Ronson didn't have the ego required to become a star in his own right, says producer Ken Scott.

Scott worked with David Bowie and the band on iconic album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars, which was release 40 years ago today.

When Bowie moved on Ronson failed to capitalise on his own acclaim to the extend many think he could have done – but the producer says that's not a bad reflection on the guitarist. more on this story



B Sides


Hear Tom Cruise Sing Def Leppard Hit
(hennemusic) Def Leppard fans know 2012 is the summer of Rock Of Ages. The UK rockers have issued a newly-recorded version of their hit of the same name from 1983's "Pyromania," they've used the song to name their summer tour with Poison and Lita Ford, and the Broadway play-turned-movie Rock Of Ages - starring Tom Cruise, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Russell Brand and Julianne Hough - hits theatres June 15.

The film is a love story told through the music of Bon Jovi, Journey, Poison, Twisted Sister and other artists from the 1980s.

Cruise plays Stacee Jaxx, the biggest rock star in the world; in the film, he sings renditions of Def Leppard's "Pour Some Sugar On Me" and Guns N' Roses' "Paradise City."

The Cruise version of the Leppard classic "Pour Some Sugar on Me" is now available as a single. Listen to it here.



Full Slash Concert Streaming Online
(hennemusic) On Tuesday, May 22 - the day his new album, "Apocalyptic Love," was released - Slash rocked New York's Irving Plaza with a concert performance that was also streamed live to the world.

The gig was part of Slash's US dates to help launch the new project; the guitarist heads to the UK and Europe for shows starting June 6 at London's Hammersmith Apollo.

A North American summer tour starts July 12 in Portland, OR. Video of the full New York webcast can be viewed here.



Metallica Share More Concert Footage
(hennemusic) Metallica has offered up more video from their 2012 European Summer Vacation tour.

The band played Werchter Boutique Festivalpark in Werchter, Belgium on May 28. Metallica are performing their 1991 self-titled ("Black") album in its entirety for the first time on this tour, and the band plays it in reverse order - so they can end the regular set with "Enter Sandman."

Metallica are now sharing some footage from the Belgium event, including video of the pre-show meet and greet, photo shoot, tuning room and "The Unforgiven" from the concert. Watch it here.




Queensryche's Full Rocklahoma Concert Streaming Online
(hennemusic) Queensryche rolled into Rocklahoma recently to play the festival's closing night, which was headlined by Chickenfoot. Professional video of Queensryche's full set has surfaced.

In band news, singer Geoff Tate is working on a solo album, while other members of the group are launching a new project called Rising West.

The new band features Michael Wilton, Eddie Jackson, Scott Rockenfield and Parker Lundgren of Queensryche, along with vocalist Todd La Torre of Crimson Glory. Watch the live footage here.




Bret Michaels Releases New Music Video
(hennemusic) Bret Michaels continues doing double duty these days as he juggles his schedule between solo projects and work with Poison.

Poison are gearing up for the Rock Of Ages tour this summer with Def Leppard; the pair will be joined by Lita Ford for dates starting June 20 in Salt Lake City.

Bret is also launching his new solo album, "Get Your Rock On." "I put a lot of hard work into this," Bret told AZCentral earlier this spring. "And everyone that's on it, I'm not only friends with but fans of. I've got Ace Frehley from Kiss and Michael Anthony from Van Halen. I redid [Poison's] "Nothin' But a Good Time" and played everything on it but the lead guitar and bass - Ace Frehley plays the solo and Michael Anthony plays bass. "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" has Joe Perry from Aerosmith and Hugh McDonald from Bon Jovi. And it's got Loretta Lynn singing it with me. Then, Jimmy Buffett, me and him did "Margaritaville" live."

Michaels has just issued the video for the album's title track; filmed during Bret's 2011/2012 solo tour, it features Phil Collen of Def Leppard/Manraze and Sal Coz Costa of My Darkest Days. Watch it here.



Def Leppard Play Rock of Ages On Leno
(hennemusic) Def Leppard have just released newly-recorded versions of "Pour Some Sugar On Me" and "Rock Of Ages." Monday night, Leppard stopped by The Tonight Show to perform "Rock Of Ages."

The UK band have hitched their train to the Rock Of Ages promo juggernaut, as the Tom Cruise film of the same name hits theatres this month.

Leppard have billed their summer tour as Rock Of Ages, after their 1983 hit; the group will be joined by Poison and Lita Ford for a trek that begins June 20 in Salt Lake City. Watch the Leno performance here.



Watch Tenacious D's Rock Am Ring Concert
(hennemusic) Tenacious D are on the road promoting their newly-released album, "The Rize Of The Fenix."

The duo of Jack Black and Kyle Gass performed at the Rock Am Ring festival in Nurburgring, Germany on Saturday on a bill headlined by Metallica.

The D start a week-long UK tour on Tuesday when they play the first of three dates in London.

Today's Day In Rock News!

Today's Day in Rock


Linkin Park Plan Movie Theater Event
Linkin Park plan to celebrate the release of their new album, Living Things, by bringing their live show to nearly 500 movie theaters nationwide.
Linkin Park One Night Concert Event: Recorded Live in Berlin will hit select theaters on Monday, June 25 at 7:30 p.m. local time.

The evening will begin with a special welcome from the band, and follow with a performance of both their new songs and chart-topping hits. more on this story


Queensryche Vs Geoff Tate?
(Classic Rock) Queensryche splinter group Rising West say they've been locked out of the band's website and Facebook page.

The prog metal giants' fan network is loaded with reference to singer Geoff Tate's solo tour and wine business – but carries no mention of Rising West's upcoming live debut.

Four fifths of Queensryche – Michael Wilton, Eddie Jackson, Scott Rockenfield and Parker Lundgren – last week announced their new outfit, fronted by Crimson Glory singer Todd La Torre, and said they'd focus on performing material from their first five albums. But both camps are telling quite different stories.


The Melvins Attempting World Record
The Melvins want to set a Guinness World Record as the first band to tour the full United States and D.C. in 51 days with a tour kicking off Sept. 5 in Anchorage, Alaska and wrapping up Oct. 25 in Honolulu, Hawaii.

"We figured it was time for us to do something REALLY crazy," said Osborne. "51 shows in 50 states plus 1 on D.C. and all in 51 days? Jeez! I wonder if we can do it?"

The tour, which will feature the Melvins Lite line-up of Buzz Osborne, Dale Crover and Trevor Dunn, also marks the first time in the band's near 30-year history that they will perform in Alaska, New Hampshire, Delaware and Hawaii. more on this story



The Beatles Officially Rule
(Gibson) The Official Charts Company in the U.K. has announced that The Beatles are Britain's biggest selling singles act in the past 60 years.

NME.com reports that the Liverpool group toppled Elvis into second place with British favorite Cliff Richard coming in third.

The Top 5: 1. The Beatles 2. Elvis Presley 3. Cliff Richard 4. Madonna 5. Michael Jackson.

Check out the full Top 60 here.





Foo Fighter To Play Iggy Pop In New Movie
(Gibson) Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins has agreed to play rock icon Iggy Pop in the new CBGB movie.

As we reported last week, Harry Potter actor Rupert Grint will play Dead Boys guitarist Cheetah Chrome with Rock of Ages actress Malin Akerman talking on the role of Blondie's Debbie Harry.

The famed New York music club that played such a pivotal in nurturing punk talent in the '70s and '80s, finally closed in 2006. more on this story





Metric Plan Intimate Fan-Only Shows For New Album Release
Metric will release their new album, Synthetica, next week and will play three intimate fans-only shows to celebrate the release.

Tickets for the private underplays--June 13 at the Music Hall of Williamsburg in New York, June 19 at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco and June 20 at the El Rey Theater in Los Angeles--will NOT be made available to the public. Details on obtaining tickets will be announced later this week on ilovemetric.com.

Fans unable to score tickets to the June 20 L.A. show will have a second chance to see the band on June 21, when Metric makes its debut appearance on the outdoor stage at Jimmy Kimmel Live. Following that televised performance, Metric will spend the rest of the summer touring the world making only one U.S. appearance--August 3 at Lollapalooza in Chicago--before its full scale American tour commences September 6 in upstate New York. more on this story



Neil Young Leaves Door Slightly Open To Buffalo Springfield Tour
(Gibson) Neil Young may have cancelled a planned 30-gig Buffalo Springfield tour last year, after just seven shows, but he's not opposed to trying again in the future.

Young told Rolling Stone that there could be another tour:"That could happen, but it's not happening now. I'd be on a tour of my past for the rest of (expletive deleted) time, which I can't do. I have to be able to move forward. I can't be relegated. I did enough of it for right then, but there is this seed of something great still there. It's worth exploring again."

Buffalo Springfield were one of America's premier bands in the mid-'60s till they split in 1968. Young organized a reunion in 2010 for his Bridge School Benefit concert. more on this story





Heavy Weight Reissue For Yes
MVD will release Yes' classic album "Open Your Eyes" for the very first time on 180 gram heavy-weight vinyl on July 10, 2012. They sent over these details:

Open Your Eyes is the seventeenth studio album by progressive rock band Yes, released in 1997. The follow-up to the twin projects Keys to Ascension and Keys to Ascension 2, Open Your Eyes marked Billy Sherwood becoming an official member of Yes, following Rick Wakeman's departure.

Sherwood had previously been involved with Yes as a backup keyboard player and guitarist on the Talk tour, as a potential new lead singer during Yes rehearsals circa 1990 and as engineer and producer for part of the band's Keys To Ascension project. During this period he had formed a strong working relationship with Yes bassist Chris Squire. Open Your Eyes initially began as an outside collaboration between Sherwood and Squire with its material intended for the two men's duo project The Chris Squire Experiment (later to become Conspiracy). more on this story



The Sword To Begin Recording New Album This Month
The Sword will follow their appearance at Metallica's Orion Music & More Festival on June 23rd in Atlantic City, NJ, by entering the studio to begin recording their fourth album and first for their new label partners Razor & Tie.

The album, to be entitled Apocryphon, will be produced and engineered by J. Robbins (Clutch, Jawbox) and recorded at Magpie Cage Studios. Apocryphon is scheduled for an early fall release.

The album will feature cover art by famed comic book artist J.H. Williams III (Batwoman, Promethea). more on this story



Ziggy Stardust Turns 40
(Gibson) Hard to believe, but this month marks the 40th anniversary of David Bowie's glam rock masterpiece, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. Powered by one of rock's tightest-ever ensembles – Trevor Bolder on bass, Woody Woodmansey on drums, Mick Ronson on guitar and Bowie himself of rhythm acoustic – Ziggy Stardust remains an essential touchstone for any up-and-coming four-piece rock band.

To commemorate the album's 40th year, EMI has just released a special newly-remastered edition of the disc, with a 5.1 mix. The release is available on CD, on limited edition vinyl and on high-resolution DVD, with bonus tracks.

Producer-engineer Ken Scott, who produced the Ziggy Stardust album alongside Bowie, has also just published a remarkable book detailing his experiences recording Bowie and other rock greats. Titled Abbey Road to Ziggy Stardust: Off-the-record with The Beatles, Bowie, Elton, and So Much More, the book offers behind-the-scenes looks at the making of The Beatles' White Album, Elton John's Honky Chateau, Jeff Beck's Truth and many other classics.

From his home in Los Angeles, Scott spoke with Gibson about Bowie's work methods, how Mick Ronson achieved his distinctive glam-era tone and why pressure in the recording studio can be a good thing. Check it out here.





Atreyu and Bleeding Through Supergroup I Am War Plan Limited Edition
I Am War plan to release a limited edition 7" vinyl on June 26th ahead of their full album release.

The 7" will include "Bat Out of Hell" (off their forthcoming album) and "Call Me Slugger" (vinyl exclusive).

A limited number of the vinyl has been pressed in both white and hot pink, with 225 only available of each color. more on this story

More on I Am War - I Am War Music - I Am War Tour Dates/Tickets - I Am War CDs, vinyl and rarities
Prong Excited About Knotfest Appearance
(Freeman) Prong frontman Tommy Victor commented on being selected to play on the first "Knotfest" hosted by Slipknot.

The two date festival will take place August 17th in Pacific Junction, IA and August 18th in Somerset, WI.

Victor says, "Prong is unbelievably honored and flattered to be a part of the first ever Knotfest! We want to thank our friends in Slipknot and the organizers for giving us the opportunity to be on this bill with all these incredible bands. All the festivities included are going to make this very special for everyone involved. It's amazing!" more on this story



Bachman & Turner's Live At The Roseland Ballroom DVD and Blu-Ray Coming
(Kayos) Eagle Rock have set a June 26th DVD and Blu-ray date for Bachman & Turner's Live At The Roseland Ballroom, NYC.

Bachman & Turner features Randy Bachman and Fred Turner, the musicians at the heart of legendary band Bachman-Turner Overdrive. Marc LaFrance (drums, percussion, vocals), Brent Howard Knudsen (guitars, vocals), and Mick Dalla-Vee (guitars, vocals) join them on songs from their recent self-titled album along with their rock n' roll anthems "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet" "Takin' Care Of Business" "Hey You" "Blue Collar" "Roll On Down The Highway" "Let It Ride" and "Lookin' Out For #1." A hit-laden throwback to Bachman's early days with The Guess Who including their take on Johnny Kidd's "Shakin' All Over" and the band's US No.1 hit "American Woman" rounds out the set.

Over the course of a four-year run, Bachman-Turner Overdrive sold in excess of 30 million records, earning a staggering 120 platinum, gold and silver discs, and notching up hits in more than 20 countries. The iconic duo shared duties on the lead vocals with Bachman contributing lead guitar and Turner the bass. Reuniting at the end of 2009 they released an eponymous album in 2010 and in November of that year they performed at the famous Roseland Ballroom in New York City as part of their North American tour. more on this story




Paul McCartney Rocks The Diamond Jubilee Concert
(Gibson) Paul McCartney played some of his '60s classics as he closed the star studded Diamond Jubilee concert in London.

He performed "Magical Mystery Tour," "All My Loving, "Let It Be" and "Live And Let Die" before the closing the celebrations with an and all-star sing-a-long version of "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da."

Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee concert featured a host of top pop and rock acts including Elton John, Grace Jones, Annie Lennox, Madness, Cliff Richard, Shirley Bassey, Tom Jones, Will.I.Am and Stevie Wonder. more on this story





Early Graves Plan New Album Release
(SSPR) Early Graves will enter the studio to record their third full-length album in July, which is due out later this fall on their new label No Sleep Records.

Early Graves formed in the Bay Area in early 2008 and released two full length albums, We: The Guillotine (2008) and Goner (2010), on Metal Blade Records' imprint, Iron Clad Recordings. The band's sound has been described as a mixture of old school Swedish death metal and American hardcore punk and have drawn comparisons to Napalm Death, Carcass, Tragedy and Testament among others.

In the summer of 2010, tragedy struck when Early Graves was involved in a van accident, which resulted in the death of singer Makh Daniels. After about a year of contemplation, the band decided to continue on, with close friend, John Strachan, of the Funeral Pyre (who were in the same van during the accident) stepping in for Daniels. more on this story



My Own Chaos Plan Chaos For Their Homeland
My Own Chaos have mapped out the tour dates for their upcoming "Chaos Across Canada Tour".

The trek will see them venture across the Canadian provinces, kicking off their tour in Vancouver, BC on June 26th and going east to return west on July 28th for a tour wrap up show in Innisfail, AB.

The band will be touring in support of their debut "My Own Chaos", a concept album that has charted in the top 10 Loud College Radio Charts across the country. The album features a who's who of guest stars like Jello Biafra (Dead Kennedys/Lard), Joey Keithley (DOA), Ani Kyd (Alternative Tentacles Recording Artist Fuel Injected.45), Steve Jack (Rockhead) and Brian Langley (Infernal Majesty). more on this story



The Deep Blues Festival Lineup Announced
The Deep Blues Festival lineup has been announced for the 2012 event which will take place June 29-July 1 at Bayport BBQ, 328 5th Ave. N., Bayport, MN.

This year's three-day music fest includes nearly 3-dozen music acts from around the globe, including the U.S. debut of Welsh duo Henry's Funeral Shoe, as well as the feature film debut of "Put A Stamp On It: The T-Model Ford Story."

Other acts include Alive Naturalsound recording artists Buffalo Killers, Radio Moscow, Brian Olive, James Leg, Left Lane Cruiser, and newcomers John The Conqueror and Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires. more on this story



Joe Walsh Explains Why It Took 20 Years To Release New Album
(Gibson) Joe Walsh says his twenty year break between solo albums can be traced back to two events in 1994: the Eagles' decision to get back to work and release Hell Freezes Over, and his own decision to get sober.

In an interview with Classic Rock Revisited, Walsh said that after the Hell Freezes Over tour, he never gained momentum at starting a solo record. "I also decided that it was time to get sober," he said. "I had to reinvent and start from scratch and learn to do everything sober – that took a lot of time. It opened up a whole life and a way of looking at things. I was able to get healthy again and I wanted to go check that out and see what it was all about."

But now Walsh is back as a solo artist with a new album, Analog Man, and a new way of working. "The last album I made was on recording tape and there were knobs; now there is a mouse," he said. "Those of us who were analog guys had to make some adjustments with this new technology." The title track refers to the digital world and the disconnect people experience when they begin to live a large amount of their time online. "There are people who are texting and they smash into the car in front of them because they didn't look up. There are people who are trying to do things in both worlds and it doesn't work too well." more on this story





B Sides


Singled Out: Morglbl
Today Christophe Godin from Morglbl tells us about the song "Gnocchis on the Block," the opening track of their brand new album "Brutal Romance," which was released this week. Here is the story:

"Gnocchie on the block is representative of what Mörglbl's style has been for 15 bloody years : a mix of anything with no boundaries! The groovy intro featuring a cheesy bass solo turns into the main riff, full of guitars on steroids !

The melody of the theme has a cartoonesque vibe, and it's supposed to be not too serious. I try to make it a little different on each verse adding some funny licks and grotesque variations here and there.

We wanted this song to be a sum up of most of the styles we like to incorporate in Mörglbl's universe. That song, in a way, is a good introduction to our music for those not really knowing what our "jazz for the deaf" label stands for. I remember being asked by this guy on US radio about how I would describe our music, and I replied "this is just jazz for deaf people !". That song proves how much sense this makes I guess !
Actually, there are heavy riffs, jazzy chords, groovy patterns, cartoon inspired sections, and a long improvised guitar solo.

The song builds up to an apocalyptic end, with very heavy guitars and double bass drum sequences!

What I love about that song, and most of Brütal Römance in general, is that we achieved a goal: when you listen to that album, you never really know whether it's serious or not. We hopefully found the right balance in between playing seriously a not so serious music !"

Learn more about the album right here!



Watch Jesse Leach Rock Once Again With Killswitch Engage
(Banana 101.5) Vocalist Jesse Leach officially reunited with Killswitch Engage after a ten year absence in February. While we still have to wait on new material from the band, we can check out this video from their recent performance at the Rock Am Festival in Germany.

Leach sounds better than ever on tracks from both his time with the band and after in this pro-shot footage of their June 1st gig in Nürburgring, Germany. The show marked their third performance since reuniting with their former singer, the first being their set at the April 22nd New England Metal & Hardcore Festival. The band is currently touring overseas, which will serve as a warm-up for their upcoming trek across the U.S. with Five Finger Death Punch, Trivium and Pop Evil for the Trespass America tour.

Leach rejoined Killswitch as vocalist when Howard Jones — the band's vocalist for the ten year stint after Leach's departure — parted ways with the band due to a combination of health issues and a lack of drive to continue in the business. The band currently has a new album in the works that is expected to be released at some point in 2012. Watch the video here.



Hawthorne Heights Give Fans Hope
Hawthorne Heights have released their new Hope EP yesterday via their label Cardboard Empire Records.

The band has posted a lyric video for the track "New Winter" which can be viewed right here.

Hope is the second album in a three-part trilogy that began last year with, Hate, the first release on Cardboard Empire Records. Hope includes eight brand new, energetic songs and promises to have to you singing along, stage-diving and screaming your lungs out like no other Hawthorne Heights album before it. more on this story



Dew-Scented Streaming Sworn to Obey
Dew-Scented have released a stream of their new song "Sworn to Obey" from their upcoming album "Icarus."

Dew-Scented vocalist Leif Jensen commented about "Sworn To Obey" as follows: "'Sworn To Obey' was an obvious candidate to open up the new album and it was actually one of the very last tracks we finished in the songwriting sessions for 'Icarus'. Already when working on the final arrangements for the song, we knew it would become an extremely heavy and catchy piece! Kicking in after the anthem-like 'Hubris' instrumental intro, 'Sworn To Obey' is a sweet punch in the gut in true Dew-Scented style and smoothly helps to set the album's pace in the right fashion! I simply love the lead-guitar part and the crazy bass-lines afterwards. I'm sure this one will be real fun to play live…" Listen to the song here.

The album, which will be released via Prosthetic on July 31st in North America, will feature the following track listing:

DEW-SCENTED – "Icarus":
01. Hubris (Intro)
02. Sworn To Obey
03. Thrown To The Lions
04. Storm Within
05. Gleaming Like Silver
06. By My Own Hand
07. The Fall Of Man
08. Reawakening
09. Destined To Collapse
10. A Final Procession
11. Perpetuated



Iwrestledabearonce Release New Video
(Sub) Iwrestledabearonce just played their first ever shows in Guadalajara and Mexico City and received an overwhelming response from fans. Both shows were completely sold out with insane mosh pits and crowds singing along every night.

To highlight the dates, Iwrestledabearonce has released a performance video for their track "I'm Gonna Shoot" off their most recent album, Ruining It For Everybody. The footage used in the video is taken from the recent sold out dates in Mexico. Watch it here.

Iwrestledabearonce will be performing on the full Warped Tour this summer. For Warped Tour attendees located in San Diego, CA, fans have the chance to go bowling with the band and raise money for Cancer research at the same time.

Today's Day In Rock News!

Wanna Hear Tom Cruise Sing Guns N' Roses Classic?
(hennemusic) The "Rock Of Ages: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack" is due for release on Tuesday.
The upcoming Broadway play-turned-movie starring Tom Cruise, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Russell Brand and Julianne Hough hits theatres June 15.

The movie is a love story told through the music of Bon Jovi, Journey, Poison, Twisted Sister and other artists from the 1980s.

Tom Cruise plays the role of Stacee Jaxx, the biggest rock star in the world; in the film, he sings renditions of Def Leppard's "Pour Some Sugar On Me" and Guns N' Roses' "Paradise City." Audio of Tom's GNR cover has surfaced. Listen here.


Slipknot's Knotfest Music Fest To Feature Deftones, Lamb Of God and more
Slipknot are launching their very own hard rock and heavy metal music festival that will take place naturally enough in America's heartland.

The first-ever Knotfest will feature Slipknot, Deftones, Lamb Of God, Dethklok, Serj Tankian, Cannibal Corpse, The Dillinger Escape Plan, The Urge, Prong, Gojira and more.

Knotfest will debut on Friday, August 17 in Council Bluffs, IA at Mid America Motorplex and Saturday, August 18 in Somerset, WI/Minneapolis, MN at Somerset Amphitheater. more on this story


New ZZ Top Songs Online
(hennemusic) After nine years, ZZ Top finally issue new music on Tuesday as their "Texicali" EP is released.

Produced by Rick Rubin, the four-song set offers a preview of the group's full-length album, as yet untitled, that will be released late this summer or early fall. Fans purchasing the four songs will benefit from a pro-rated discount on the purchase of the full album when it is released.

"Texicali" features "I Gotsta Get Paid," "Chartreuse," "Over You" and "Consumption." Hear some of the new tracks here.


Hatebreed Plan 10 Years of Perseverance Tour
Hatebreed will be hitting the road this fall for the North American "10 Years of Perseverance" tour.

The trek will commemorate the 10th anniversary of the band's 2002 major-label debut, Perseverance.

The tour features direct support from Whitechapel and special guests All Shall Perish and Deez Nuts, and kicks off on September 13th in Clifton Park, NY. more on this story



Five Finger Death Punch Launch Suicide Prevention Initiative
The Five Finger Death Punch camp sent over word that the band has launched a suicide prevention initiative promoting the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.

In cooperation with the Lifeline, the band has filmed a public service announcement, which will be placed on all broadcast, cable and web outlets interested in supporting the initiative. The PSA can be screened here:

In addition, Five Finger Death Punch has independently filmed a visually arresting video that accompanies the single release of "Coming Down," which will premiere on VEVO on June 12 at 9:00AM Pacific. more on this story



Neil Young and Crazy Horse American Tour
(hennemusic) Neil Young and Crazy Horse have announced a North American tour, with shows kicking off October 3 in Windsor, Ontario.

They will be touring in support of their new release, "Americana," which hit stores today. It's the group's first album together since 2003's "Greendale," and their first with the full Crazy Horse line-up of Billy Talbot, Ralph Molina and Frank "Poncho" Sampedro since "Broken Arrow" in 1996.

The songs on "Americana" are all classic American folk songs, including "This Land Is Your Land," "Gallows Pole," "Tom Dooley" and "Clementine." more on this story


Jack White Expands North American Tour
(hennemusic) Jack White has announced the addition of a handful of US shows to his August tour in support of his new release, "Blunderbuss."

The album debuted last month at the top of the Billboard 200 chart with first-week sales of 138,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Tickets for the newly-announced dates below go on sale to the general public on Friday, June 8th at 10 AM local time. more on this story


Stone Sour Recruit Skid Row Member For New Album
(Gibson) Skid Row bass player Rachel Bolan is laying down the bass on the forthcoming album by Stone Sour.

In an interview with TheBackstageBeat.com, Bolan said the call from Stone Sour/Slipknot vocalist Corey Taylor came out of the blue one morning. "He's like, 'Would you be interested in playing bass on the new Stone Sour record?' So, of course, I said yes, 'cause I'm a huge fan of the band and they're all really, really great guys."

Bolan is recording 23 songs for the double-disc concept album, which is the follow-up to 2010's Audio Secrecy. The band officially split with bass player Shawn Economaki a few months ago, after he left mid-tour in 2011 to tend to personal issues. His replacement at the time was Jason Christopher, who ironically has now joined the touring band of former Skid Row singer Sebastian Bach. more on this story




Fuel and Smile Empty Soul Supergroup World Fire Brigade Set Debut
Fuel and Smile Empty Soul supergroup World Fire Brigade will release their debut album, Spreading My Wings, worldwide on August 28th.

World Fire Brigade at its core is veteran songwriting trio Brett Scallions (frontman of Fuel, as well as lead vocalist with Ray Manzarek and Robby Krieger of The Doors), Sean Danielsen (lead singer/guitarist of Smile Empty Soul) and Eddie Wohl (producer/mixer for Anthax, Ill Nino, Smile Empty Soul, Jesse Malin, 36 Crazyfists and more).

Of Spreading My Wings, Scallions commented, "This is a record filled with all emotions, songs that fall back and forth from major to minor. I love that it's a heavy record with sing-a-long melodies. You don't hear that too much in this style of music." more on this story


Fountains of Wayne, Dr. John and Other Guest On New Harry Shearer CD
Harry Shearer (This Is Spinal Tap, The Simpsons, A Mighty Wind) has set a August 27 release date for his new album, Can't Take a Hint, which features a all-star cast of musical collaborators.

Due out on Courgette Records through The Orchard on August 27, 2012, the set features giants of pop, R&B and jazz whom Shearer has gotten to know in his travels: Dr. John ("Autumn in New Orleans"), Glee's Jane Lynch ("Like a Charity"), the Fountains of Wayne ("Celebrity Booze Endorser"), Jamie Cullum ("A Few Bad Apples"), Alice Russell ("Trillion Dollar Bargain") and Judith Owen ("Your Thing"), and others. Shearer himself plays the bass on many of the songs.

Supporting these vocalists is a who's who of instrumentalists and producers: guitar stars Jeff "Skunk" Baxter and Steve Lukather, Beach Boys/Brian Wilson musical director Jeffrey Foskett, producer John P. Fischbach, guitarist Bruce Gaitsch, trumpeter Nicholas Payton, session ace CJ Vanston and Memphis artist Charlie Wood. more on this story



Fear Factory Streaming New Album Online
Fear Factory release their new album, The Industrialist, in North American today and are currently streaming the effort online.

The Industrialist is the second album written by vocalist Burton C. Bell and guitarist Dino Cazares since reuniting in 2009 after a seven-year split. Listen to the album stream here.

The Industrialist is a conceptual record based around a short story written by Bell. The record again pairs Fear Factory with producer Rhys Fulber and was mixed by Greg Reely (Paradise Lost/Skinny Puppy/Machine Head), with additional tracking by Logan Mader (Gojira/Divine Heresy). more on this story



Beach Boys Reunion Album Released Today
(Gibson) The Beach Boys today release That's Why God Made The Radio, their first album in decades to feature all surviving original members.

That's Why God Made The Radio features the current line-up of Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine, Bruce Johnston and David Marks. Marks joined the band at age 13 in February 1962, playing rhythm guitar and singing harmony on their first four albums before departing in October 1963.

The new album, the band's 29th, is the band's first record to feature original material since 1992's Summer In Paradise, and the first to feature guitarist/vocalist David Marks since 1963's Little Deuce Coupe. Additional musicians to appear include guitarists Jeff "Skunk" Baxter and Tom Bukovac and songwriter Jim Peterik (who collaborated on several songs and famously co-wrote Survivor's "Eye Of The Tiger"), while the album closer, "Summer's Gone," is a co-write between Brian Wilson, producer Joe Thomas and Jon Bon Jovi. more on this story





Fitz and The Tantrums Kick Off American Tour Tonight
Fitz and The Tantrums are kicking off their extensive North American tour tonight at WorkPlay Soundstage in Birmingham, AL.

In addition to its headline dates, the band will play a two-night stand with Dave Matthews Band at New York's Jones Beach Amphitheater (6/12 & 13), join Ben Harper at the Santa Barbara Bowl (6/30) and the Hollywood Bowl (7/1), and make its return to Colorado's Red Rocks Amphitheatre for a Fourth of July show with Blues Traveler.

Fitz and The Tantrums will also perform at numerous festivals (including Bonnaroo and Outside Lands). more on this story



Lionheart Launching The Lifer Tour
Lionheart will be hitting the road later this month for a North American headlining tour titled, "The Lifer Tour".

The tour kicks off on June 24th in Soledad, Ca and the band will be joined on the trek by Thick As Blood and Dead Icons.

The band will be touring in support of their recently released new record, "Undisputed" which came out on May 8th via Mediaskare Records more on this story



Jane's Addiction Expand Theatre of the Escapists Tour
(hennemusic) Jane's Addiction have announced additional summer dates for their "Theatre of the Escapists" tour.

The newly-announced shows make up the third leg of the band's current tour in support of their latest album, "The Great Escape Artist.">

New dates include stops in Indianapolis (Aug 23), Omaha, NE (Aug 25), Colorado Springs (Aug 26), Magna, UT (Aug 28), Vancouver (Aug 31), Portland (Sep 4) and Las Vegas (Sep 7). more on this story


Johnny Depp Jams With The Black Keys
(Gibson) Actor and musician Johnny Depp made another surprise guitar playing appearance, this time at the MTV Movie Awards in Los Angeles.

NME.com reports that Johnny Depp and his beloved Les Paul Special jumped on stage with The Black Keys to play on their songs, "Gold On the Ceiling" and "Lonely Boy."

Depp was also presented with the prestigious MTV Generation Award at the ceremony. After viewing a montage of his movies, Depp said: "This is the get out of the business award. Based on watching all of those clips there is clearly something wrong with me." more on this story





The Cult Make Top 40 Return
(Gibson) The Cult had burst back into the Billboard Top 200 chart with their new album, Choice of Weapon.

The album debuted at #36 their best effort since 1991. Choice of Weapon also entered the Billboard Rock album chart at #17.

Gibson guitar great Slash debuted his new album, Apocalyptic Love at #4. One other notable debut this weeks sees the posthumous Ya Know? album, from punk icon Joey Ramone, enter the Top 200 chart at #180. more on this story





Joe Lynn Turner Made Joe Bonamassa A Singer
(Classic Rock) Joe Lynn Turner has taken credit for coaching blues star Joe Bonamassa into his singing role.

The former Rainbow vocalist, who later performed with Yngwie Malmsteen and Deep Purple, hired the young guitarist to appear on his 1985 solo debut Rescue You – but reveals Bonamassa was too scared to approach a microphone.

"Not many people realise this now he's huge: Joe was on my first solo album. He was 16, I think," Turner tells Geeks of Doom. "I had to kick his ass to sing. I was like, 'Come on,' like a coach, you know. I was like, 'You've got the tone, you've got the blues, you've got the soul. You got it! Just keep singing.' more on this story



Stuart Adamson Wanted Mike Peters To Front Big Country
(Classic Rock) Big Country mainman Stuart Adamson suggested Mike Peters should front the band long before his tragic suicide, says the Welsh singer and guitarist.

He remains proud to be fronting his old friend's outfit – and he's also preparing a unique movie-and-music tour with his own squad, the Alarm.

Peters was named as Adamson's replacement in 2010 when Big Country returned. But he says the idea was discussed before the Scotsman hanged himself in a Hawaii hotel in 2001. more on this story



Dr Feelgood Members Missed Out On Wilko Cash
(Classic Rock) Former Dr Feelgood guitarist Wilko Johnson was about to sign a deal giving his bandmates a share of his songwriting royalties when they fell out and split up.

It's one of many anecdotes that appear in his just-published book Looking Back At Me, which started as a collection of photos but has become much more as the musician – who's enjoying a new lease of life as Ilyn Payne in the TV series Game of Thrones – shared his memories with co-author Zoe Howe.

Johnson says: "I had got quite rich because of songwriting. Before we'd done the last album I had gone to the publishers at United Artists and said to them, 'I've made a fair bit of bread from these songs, and I'd never have written them if it hadn't been for the others, and I think they should share it. Can you write up some kind of contract where we share out the publishing money for this album?'

"They were a bit taken aback but it just seemed reasonable to me. Fortunately, we hadn't sorted that out by the time we broke up, so they never got their share." more on this story



B Sides


Singled Out: XFactor1
Today Ricky "Qball" Wolf from XFactor1 tells us about three songs from their brand new album "famous.last.words", which was unleashed today. Here is the story:

Bring It On. - ....was one of the those songs that just really came together nice and easy. Everyone in the band really understood that it was supposed to be fun like a real rock anthem song always is. We ripped right through it in the studio because everyone was so comfortable. We'd love to see this song find its way to the MMA arena. This song screams "I challenge you....to an ass kickin' and a cold beer"!

The Stroke - I've always loved this song because you could dance a little and still get the rock too. Of course it was the ladies getting busy that was always a plus. I know the band wasn't exactly crazy when I suggested it as a cover for us to record. But that didnt last long. LOL! Since the guys understand the music biz a little better than most bands it was the message/meaning about the song that helped win them over. Rock is raunchy, decadent, and at times, bittersweet. Just how we like it.

Over & Out - Everyone knows the best songs are the storys of our lives. Real passion, pain and emotion bring out the feeling. We've all been there and felt the pain of a break up. Thats how we write. From the heart. We thought this song came out great in the studio and it was the last one written for this record. Like pappy said "if the ladies aint payin attention, you aint pulled the right heart strings". Pappy was a wise man.

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



Aerosmith Satisfied With American Idol Jam
(hennemusic) Aerosmith have a new single, "Legendary Child," to promote, and the band did just that last week when they performed the track on the American Idol season finale.

In addition to the new tune, the Boston band also rocked Idol with their classic, "Walk This Way." Aerosmith's Tom Hamilton, Joey Kramer and Brad Whitford spoke with Access Hollywood following the Idol finale about the experience.

"It was a moment we've been looking forward to," explains Hamilton. "The opportunity - no matter where it is - to bring the news that we've got a new record out, a new song 'Legendary Child.' I can't believe it – it's up on iTunes, and it's just an unbelievably exciting satisfying moment." Watch it here.



Sebastian Bach Releases I'm Alive Video
(hennemusic) Sebastian Bach has released the video for "I'm Alive," the new single from his 2011 release, "Kicking & Screaming."

Directed by Devin DeHaven, the "I'm Alive," video is for the third single from the Bach solo effort.

Sebastian is currently playing shows in Europe; this week, he's set to perform at the Sweden Rock Festival (Thu), Hamburg, Germany (Fri) and the Download Festival (Sun). Watch the video here.



Life After Guns N' Roses For Slash
(hennemusic) Slash recently sat down with Time magazine to discuss his past, the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame event, and the difference between his first solo album and the new one.

"[The first solo] record was what I would consider an isolated, one-off project, that's something I think I had in the back of my mind for a while. When I finally had the opportunity to do it, I did it," explains Slash. "What happened was I met Myles Kennedy and he sang a couple of songs, and so we did a tour to support that record, and it was during the tour that I thought I should make another record and just do it with just him."

Slash kicks off a series of UK and European dates starting June 6 at London's Hammersmith Apollo. Watch the interview clip here.



Anniversary of Stiv Bators' Death
(Gibson) On this day in 1990, American punk rock singer Stiv Bators of the Dead Boys and The Lords of the New Church died after being hit by a taxi in Paris, France. Gibson looks back:

It was June 5, 1990 and Stiv Bators, a cult hero from the New York punk scene was wandering the streets of Paris. For an outrageous rock and roll talent talent, known for his full-throttle performances that included self-mutilation, Iggy and Sid Vicious-style, his end was eerily unremarkable.

A little intoxicated as he strolled, Bators was hit by a car. Nothing too serious it seemed, or maybe his threshold for pain simply disguised the extent of his injuries. He casually mentioned the accident to his girlfriend Caroline t but said he didn't need medical treatment. Later in the evening, however, Stiv Bators began to have problems breathing. His girlfriend called for an ambulance but it was too late. Bators died from a blood clot and internal bleeding.

Which is where rock and roll legend and myth come into play. Stiv Bators was a massive Jim Morrison fan and had just visited the Doors enigma's grave in the Pre Lachaise Cemetery. Some say that Bators had told his girlfriend that he'd like his ashes scattered over Jim Morrison's grave in Paris and that she complied with his wishes. However, film director John Waters, who directed Bators in the movie, Polyester, claims in the director's commentary on the DVD that Stiv Bators' girlfriend instead snorted his ashes.

Bators had exploded on the New York punk scene in the Dead Boys alongside Cheetah Chrome, Jimmy Vero, Johnny Blitz and Jeff Magnum when they opened for Brit punks The Damned at CBGB in April 1977. Signed by Seymour Stein to Sire Records (Stein had previously signed The Ramones), they released Young Loud and Snotty, an outrageously powerful slice of NYC punk, but the album failed to sell. As the label tried to move the band ever pop-wards, the Dead Boys split.

After some solo adventures, Bators found his greatest success when he moved to England and formed Lords of the New Church with The Damned's Brian James, Sham 69's Dave Tregunna and Barracudas' drummer Nicky Turner. The band released three albums and an EP, but it was Bators' post-Iggy stage antics that draw the band their cult following. One night, Bators almost hanged himself on his microphone cord and was recorded as clinically dead for two minutes.