Monday, February 2, 2015

Today's Day in Rock News!




Today's Day in Rock


Alice Cooper Offers To Kill Motley Crue
(TeamRock Radio) Alice Cooper has offered to end Motley Crue's final show by killing all four members of the band. The shock-rocker - who dies in a variety of ways during his own set - remains as special guest act for the last leg of Crue's farewell world trek.

Motley Crue last year signed a legally-binding deal to ensure they could never hit the road again. Cooper told Triple M about his offer to help the band live up to the agreement.

"They finish up in the United States on New Year's, and that's their last gig. I told them, 'Why don't you let me kill you on stage? That finishes everything.' Four guillotines, floomp! Done! Auction off the heads on stakes." Read more here.




Travis Barker Talks Tom DeLonge Blink-182 Controversy
(Radio.com) Fans knew little of the troubles brewing within blink-182 until drummer Travis Barker attempted to assemble the threesome for a performance at his annual Musink Music & Tattoo Festival, March 20-22 in Costa Mesa, Calif.

And now, Barker has shed a little more light on what happened. Minutes after the announcement that blink-182 would headline the show with Alkaline Trio's Matt Skiba filling in for Tom DeLonge, a follow-up press release was issued by the band's publicist declaring that DeLonge was leaving the band "indefinitely."

"We [blink-182] had agreed to do this show," Barker explained Friday morning on the Kevin & Bean show on KROQ (a CBS Radio station). "We had planned this in the end of October. We had all agreed to do it. It was concrete, blink was headlining. Then the day before New Year's Eve we got an email saying Tom is indefinitely taking a leave of absence. He doesn't know how long. It could be forever. More than likely it's forever and will not be doing anything blink-related, meaning live shows, recordings. And we were set to go in studio on Jan. 5. Managers had studios rented, equipment was moved over. Everyone was raring to go. And this is the fourth time it's happened."

Barker echoed the same thoughts in his Rolling Stone interview earlier this week, saying that this series of events has a precedent. "This is exactly how it went down 10 years ago. No phone call from Tom. It was always just his management saying, 'Don't bug Tom. Tom's out. Leave him alone.'

"You know, the way we see it is, you know when it happened 10 years ago we had this big tsunami benefit that we were supposed to play and we pulled out. It sucked for everyone. It sucked for the fans. It sucked for us. And it was kind of the same this for this Musink show. Let's get through this show. We committed. We said we play it, let's play it."

Barker explained that the band's last reunion, which happened in 2009, may have been for the wrong reasons. "From the time my plane crash happened and I survived, it was like, 'Dude you almost died. I have to play music with you again,'" he said. "Then it turned into interviews where he was like, 'I was on a plane when Travis got in a plane crash and everyone was talking to me and it felt weird and poor me.' He took it to a weird place."

But no worries, they're still friends--or, at least Barker considers them such. Read more here.



Slayer Frontman Slams Online Fan Group
(TeamRock Radio) Slayer frontman Tom Araya has publicly withdrawn his support for a group of his band's fans operating via a Facebook page, branding them rude, disrespectful cyberbullies.

Last year he took a picture for the group, named the F***ing Slayer Gang (FSG), after his wife asked him to. But since then she's decided "it was best to leave their group."

Araya says in a statement: "They made up a sign and approached my wife Sandra under the guise of a family asking for support. After a few months my wife didn't like how this group was managing their page. The conduct this group was showing is distasteful, rude and disrespectful to all Slayer and metal fans." Read more here.



Megadeth To Begin Recording New Album Next Month
(Classic Rock) Dave Mustaine has confirmed Megadeth will start recording their 15th album in March - even though he hasn't revealed who'll be in the band. Guitarist Chris Broderick and drummer Shawn Drover left in November and they've since confirmed the formation of their own project, who began tracking their debut record this weekend.

And Mustaine - who's only said that fans would be happy with the duo's replacements - has vowed to stick to his own vision over the follow-up to 2013's Super Collider.

He tells Full Metal Jackie: "I'm going in the studio March 2 no matter what. It's set right now. I told the label I'm not making another radio song ever, cause you know that's what record companies want. It was the bane of Megadeth's existence.

"When 1992's Countdown To Extinction came out, we had so many radio songs - from Countdown to Youthanasia to Cryptic Writings to Risk and down and down and down. It was more radio, radio, radio. I love all those songs, but it's not what Megadeth fans want to hear." Read more here.




The Who Reissuing Catalog On Vinyl
(Classic Rock) The Who will re-release all 11 studio albums on vinyl as part of their 50th anniversary celebrations. My Generation (1965), A Quick One (1966), The Who Sell Out (1967), Tommy (1969), Who's Next (1971), Quadrophenia (1973), The Who By Numbers (1975), Who Are You (1978), Face Dances (1981), It's Hard (1982) and Endless Wire (2006) have all been remastered and pressed on 180g vinyl.

They will be released in North America on March 24th, along with a double-vinyl edition of their recent The Who Hits 50! compilation. Tommy, The Who Sell Out, Quadrophenia and Face Dances will all come bundled with extras, including posters and booklets. All are currently available to pre-order here.

They're followed on April 7th by The Brunswick Singles Box 1965-1966. It contains seven heavyweight vinyl singles from The Who's early days, including I Can't Explain, Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere, My Generation, Circles, A Legal Matter, The Kids Are Alright and La-La-La Lies. The box is the first of a four-part set, complete with color booklet and liner notes. Read more here.




Def Leppard's New Music Is A Mixture Of Styles
(Classic Rock) Def Leppard's Rick Allen says their latest material is a "wonderful mixture" of styles. They're currently working on the follow-up to 2008's Songs From The Sparkle Lounge and hope to release their 11th album later this year.

And the drummer reveals the new tracks encapsulate everything they've done before while still paying tribute to their musical influences.

On the subject of album he tells Talking Metal Digital: "We continue to pay homage to our roots - a lot of the bands we grew up listening to during the 70s. I think it's a wonderful mixture of everything that inspired us and everything we've done. I think people will hear many different influences."

Allen says the majority of the 16 tracks they've been working on are almost finished and reveals some are "just about ready to present."

He continues: "We've carved out three good long sessions where we all got together. And within those time periods we were able to put about 16 songs together and as of right now, they're more or less about 85-90% finished - some of them even more so. Some are just about ready to present, so we're really excited about it. It's been a really nice project. " Read more here.


Slash Has Four Films In The Works
(Classic Rock) Slash says his film production company, Slasher Films, currently has four films in various stages of planning and production, with one set to be released by the end of 2015.

The guitarist formed Slasher Films in 2010; he produced the company's debut flick, Nothing Left To Fear, in 2013 and recorded a companion soundtrack album for the project.

Last year, Slash teamed up with Universal Studios Hollywood to compose music for a theme park attraction entitled Clowns 3D as part of their annual Halloween Horror Nights event.

Slash recently attended the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, where he shared some of his movie plans and his long-standing love of the horror genre.

He tells Billboard that he's been a fan "ever since I was really, really young, as far back as I can remember. But I'm producing now. I'm into bringing back the psychological, the super scary. Especially the things you can't see going on… character-driven, plot-driven kinda things." Read more here.



Iron Maiden's Steve Harris Voted Greatest Bassist
(TeamRock Radio) Metal Hammer readers were asked to vote on who is the greatest bassist of all time? And after thousands of fans voted. But there was one clear winner... Iron Maiden's Steve Harris.

Metal Hammer writer and resident Maiden superfan Dom Lawson says of Steve's win: "He's been the driving force behind the greatest metal band of all time for more than 35 years. He's an icon, a hero and a living testament to the power of ambition, determination and humility. But more important than that, Steve Harris is an absolute beast of a bass player.

"There are undoubtedly more technically gifted bassists in the rock world, but the sounds Steve conjures from four strings provides Maiden with a precise and propulsive backbone; that unmistakable, clattering pulse, as essential to the band's music as Bruce Dickinson's voice or those seminal twin guitar harmonies.

"Throw in the fact that H is also a truly great songwriter and it's not hard to see how he topped our poll. The image of Steve Harris, foot on monitor and Fender Precision aimed, machine-gun style, at the first few rows of baying acolytes is simply the visual essence of Iron F***ing Maiden. And furthermore, how the f*** do his fingers move that fast? Steve's playing style is so unique that, surprisingly, it has never been credibly emulated by anyone. Perhaps metal musicians just instinctively know that you don't mess with the master."




Bullet For My Valentine Begin Recording New Album
(TeamRock Radio) Bullet For My Valentine have finally begun recording their fifth album, they've confirmed. Writing has been underway for more than a year, with frontman Matt Tuck saying in October that they'd written 11 tracks for the follow-up to 2013's Temper Temper.

BFMV report: "We have the most songs we've ever had before recording sessions - now begins the difficult process of choosing the best of the best to make the cut.

"We couldn't be more excited to have our man Colin Richardson behind the desk again. We worked with Colin on our first two records, and as we listened back to those during the writing process, we released what a special vibe they have." Read more here.



Queen's Roger Taylor Solo Albums Expanded For Reissue
Queen drummer Roger Taylor's solo albums "Fun in Space" and "Strange Frontier" have been expanded for reissue on March 24th in both CD and vinyl formats. Conqueroo sent over these details:

In between legs of Queen's tours in 1980, drummer Roger Taylor spent time at Mountain Studios in Montreux, Switzerland, making his first solo recordings since the release of the 1977 single "I Wanna Testify." Those recordings would make up his first solo album, 1981's Fun in Space.

The Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame member produced, wrote and performed the entire project himself, with only "approximately 50 per cent of keyboards" being handled by engineer David Richards.

The Fun in Space LP will be reissued on vinyl for the time since its 1981 release. The first run will be on clear vinyl (with black vinyl to follow) and contains a reproduction of the original album's full color inner sleeve with lyrics. The CD version, housed in a digipak, contains three bonus tracks: both sides of Taylor's 1977 solo offering ("I Wanna Testify" b/w "Turn on the TV") and the U.K. single version of the album's "My Country I & II" (issued as "My Country").

A few months after Queen released The Works (featuring the Roger Taylor-penned smash "Radio Ga Ga"), Taylor unleashed his second solo album, Strange Frontier. While pieces were recorded in Munich while Queen was recording The Works, Taylor also worked on the material in Switzerland. He once again handled the vast majority of instruments and vocals, but took advantage of the time in Munich with Queen, with his three bandmates making guest appearances on tracks. Strange Frontier also contains a co-write and guitar work from Status Quo's Rick Parfitt, plus covers of Bruce Springsteen's "Racing in the Street" and Bob Dylan's "Masters of War." Production duties were handled by Taylor, engineer David Richards and Mack - with whom Queen had worked since 1980's The Game.

Strange Frontier will be reissued on translucent red vinyl for the first pressing (black vinyl for future runs) with all original packaging elements replicated. The CD, contained in a digipak, features five bonus tracks: remixes of the album's singles "Man on Fire," "I Cry for You (Love, Hope and Confusion)" and "Strange Frontier." It also contains the B-side to the title cut, "Two Sharp Pencils (Get Bad)."

With this material currently only available in the 10 CD/1 DVD collection The Lot, this is the first time versions of the individual albums will be offered outside of that package. Track details here.




Backyard Babies Releasing New Album This Year
(Classic Rock) Backyard Babies will release their 7th album this summer after signing a deal with Gain Music Entertainment. The band regrouped last year following a self-imposed 5-year hiatus after more than 20 years on the circuit.

Backyard Babies will return with a single in May - prior to their early June appearances at the Sweden Rock Festival and Download - with an album due in late August.

Singer Nicke Borg says: "We are extremely pleased to continue our career together with Gain/Sony Music Sweden. It's partly our history together, through the RCA, but above all it is the common love of real rock that makes this cooperation will become a success story."

"Here we go another 25 years, at least!" Read more here.



Trauma Releasing New Album This Month
(Classic Rock) San Francisco Bay Area outfit Trauma will release their 2nd album, Rapture And Wrath, on February 27 via Germany's Pure Steel Records. Trauma is known historically as the band bassist Cliff Burton was in prior to joining Metallica.

Legend has it that James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich were so impressed with seeing Burton perform with Trauma in Los Angeles in 1982 that they scooped him for their own group.

Trauma released their debut album, Scratch And Scream, in 1984 - it was reissued in 2013 - and they return in 2015 with only singer Donny Hillier remaining from the original lineup.

Hillier is joined by guitarist Kurt Fry, bassist Steve Robello and drummer Kris Gustofson for Rapture And Wrath. Read more here.




Dream Theater and Devin Townsend Inspired Periphery's New Album
(Prog) Periphery guitarist Misha Mansoor says his love of concept albums by Dream Theater and Devin Townsend helped inspire his band's Juggernaut: Alpha and Juggernaut: Omega twin releases.

Launched last week via Century Media, the project follows 2012's Periphery II: This Time It's Personal and 2014's Clear EP. Mansoor - who received the Dimebag Darrell Shredder Award at the 2014 Metal Hammer Golden Gods - tells Ultimate Guitar: "Some of my favorite albums are concept records. Like Dream Theater's Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes From A Memory, for example. That's just such an awesome record. It's one of my favorite albums ever and I love the use of themes. And a lot of the stuff Devin Townsend does also has a lot of really cool use of themes.

"It's a way to look at an album differently in my opinion. It's a way to look at it rather than a collection of really cool songs, now it's one entity and the songs representing that entity and working within that."

He believes Periphery found a chance to reinvent their creative process through the Juggernaut concept. "It gave us a chance to be more theatrical and adventurous," he says. "I think it was a way to shake up our process, which I didn't want to become routine." Read more here.



Rush's Manager To Be Honored
(hennemusic) Rush manager Ray Danniels will be honored by The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) as the recipient of the 2015 Walt Grealis Special Achievement Award at the 2015 Juno Gala Dinner & Awards on Saturday, March 14 in Hamilton, Ontario as part of Juno Week festivities.

The award recognizes individuals who have made an impact on the Canadian music industry. Danniels is the CEO/President of SRO (Standing Room Only) Management Inc. and of independent record label Anthem Entertainment Group.

"I am grateful to be recognized by my peers for doing something I've loved and been passionate about since I was a teenager," says Danniels. "I share this honour with those that have been with me since the beginning - the members of Rush - Geddy, Alex and Neil."

Danniels began his career as an agent in the music business when he was a teenager, first booking bands and then moving on to promoting concerts in his hometown of Toronto. In 1971 he took on both agent and manager roles with a rock band from Willowdale called Rush. Read more here.

More on Rush - Rush Music, DVDs, Books and more - Rush T-shirts and Posters
Dream Theater, Saxon, BOC Added To Ramblin' Man
(Classic Rock) Dream Theater, Saxon, Blue Oyster Cult, FM and Not Hot Ashes have been added to the Ramblin' Man Fair line-up. Created by The Rock Collective and sponsored by Team Rock, the event will take place at Mote Park, Maidstone, Kent on July 25-26.

"We are excited about playing Ramblin' Man," says Saxon's Biff Byford. "It will be the last show of the 35th anniversary tour, so make sure you bring your denim and leather."

They join headliners Scorpions, Gregg Allman, Camel and Marillion - all festival exclusives - along with Ian Anderson, Pendragon, Riverside, The Pineapple Thief, Messenger, Shooter Jennings, Hayseed Dixie, Joanne Shaw Taylor and Aaron Keylock. More acts will be announced at 9am on Monday. Read more here.



Idlewild Releasing Their Own Limited Edition Beer
(TeamRock Radio) Indie rockers Idlewild have launched their own craft ale. Titled Scottish Fiction IPA, it was made in conjunction with Edinburgh brewers Barney's Beer and is limited to just 1250 bottles. It will be sold in independent beer and wine stores throughout Scotland.

Every bottle of the beer, which is named after their track from 2002 album The Remote Part, comes with a download code for an acoustic version of A Film For The Future.

Frontman Roddy Woomble says: "Idlewild are a band of committed and enthusiastic craft beer and ale drinkers and Barney's Beer has been a favourite for quite a while." Read more here.




The Dillinger Escape Plan To Headline ArcTanGent Festival
(TeamRock Radio) The Dillinger Escape Plan have been named as first headliners for this year's ArcTanGent festival - and bosses have vowed it'll be the biggest and best event to date.

65daysofstatic, Vennart, Talons, Her Name is Calia, British Theatre, The Algorithm and Rolo Tomassi are among the other acts confirmed for Fernhill Farm near Bristol on the weekend of August 20-22.

ArcTanGent aims to be the "ultimate music festival for connoisseurs of math-rock, post-rock, noise-rock, alt-rock and everything in between." Organiser James Scartlett says: "This year we were keen to come back bigger and better than ever and I think announcing the likes of The Dillinger Escape Plan and 65daysofstatic is a big statement of intent." Read more here.




Korpiklaani Announce New Album
(TeamRock Radio) Korpiklaani will release their 9th album, Notia, in May as part of re-signing a new deal with Nuclear Blast Records. The follow-up to 2012's Manala was recorded at Finland's Petrax Studio with producer Aksu Hanttu, and is the first album to feature new accordionist Sami Pertulla, who played an active role in the folk arrangements along with fiddler Tuomas Rounakari.

Vocalist Jonne Järvelä says: "We have finally managed to create the balance between folk and metal in the way I've always dreamt it to be. Thanks to Sami's arrangements and Tuomas's crazy shredding of the violin."

Bassist Jarkko Aaltonen explains the meaning behind album's title. He says: "Noita in the traditional Finnish meaning is different than what people associate it with nowadays. 'Noita' is a person with wider knowledge and understanding of the nature and who also was believed to possess paranormal or unnatural abilities. 'Noita' is someone that you turn to when you need help of some kind." Read more here.





The Agonist's New Singer Changed Band's Approach
(TeamRock Radio) The Agonist guitarist Danny Morino says new singer Vicky Psarakis changed the way the band writes music. Morino says Psarakis brought a collaborative approach to songwriting sessions that was lacking when previous vocalist Alissa White-Gluz was at the helm.

White-Gluz left The Agonist last year to replace Angela Gossow in Arch Enemy. And The Agonist's upcoming album Eye Of Providence is the first to feature Psarakis, who Morino says was a breath of fresh air in the studio.

He tells Metal Wani: "The way we approached the songwriting process on this record was really different. The other three were all written in the same method. I would write a song and bring it to Alissa and she would write the lyrics and vocals. There was zero communication. No collaboration. There was no room for discussion with Alissa.

"After Vicky joined we took a much more collaborative approach. Everyone's viewpoint on this album was what's best for the song. Whereas on previous albums people got a little selfish thinking, 'What about my vocal part,' or, 'What about my guitar part.' Vicky lived with me, basically for the period that we wrote and recorded the album.

"So the songs ended up coming across like one piece of art, rather than different parts glued together." Read more here.




Korn Seek Inspiration From Streaming Sites
(TeamRock Radio) Korn guitarist James 'Munky' Shaffer says the band trawl streaming sites to be inspired by new music. Munky says the group - who re-released latest album The Paradigm Shift in an expanded package last year - prefer to listen to current acts rather than harking back to older influences when it comes to writing new material.

He tells Rock Sins: "We try to constantly look on SoundCloud or whatever it is and try to see what people are doing. Or just try to get inspired by music that's yet to be discovered. We have always done that.

"I think we've always tried to stay on the cutting edge of recording techniques and technology and like, 'Oh listen to this sound. Listen to these sounds.' I think that's where the dubstep came into play was we've always tried to capture that low-end, that big, heavy bass.

"And the electronic stuff was that extra branch to the tree that needed to grow a little bit and see where it took us." Read more here.






Slipknot Release Live 'Custer' Video
(TeamRock Radio) Slipknot have released an official live video for the song "Custer" via their Facebook page which was recorded during the band's appearance at their Knotfest music festival.

The track comes from their latest album .5 The Gray Chapter which launched last year - their first release since the death of bassist Paul Gray in 2010 and the departure of drummer Joey Jordison in 2013.

They've just announced a run of North American shows with Lamb Of God, Bullet For My Valentine and Motionless In White starting in July. Before that, they'll headline the main stage at Download at Donington Park on June 12. Watch the video here.




The Offspring Release New Song 'Coming For You'
(Radio.com) The Offspring have new music in the work and the first taste of it is the appropriately titled comeback track, "Coming for You." It's a drum-heavy stadium-bound anthem that arrives with a video montage of footage of their live shows.

As for whether or not more music will follow? The band hasn't said yet. They simply dropped "Coming for You" with a note that said "We are excited to announce the release of our brand new song."

But given that their last album Days Go By was released in 2012, it seems likely that more music will follow. Aside from the time in between their 2003 album Splinter, 2008's Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace, and 2012's Days Go By, the band has stuck to a relatively regular release schedule, dropping an album every few years or less.





Protest The Hero Frontman Pokes Fun At Asking Alexandria In Spoof
(TeamRock Radio) Protest The Hero frontman Rody Walker has created a spoof 'audition' tape for the vacant vocal slot in Asking Alexandria. Walker's video includes a song he wrote especially for the occasion, making fun of AA's sound and featuring the singer's bewildered pet dog watching as he frantically cleans his house.

English metalcore outfit Asking Alexandria split with singer Danny Worsnop last week and it has been speculated that Down & Dirty frontman Denis Shaforostov is to be named his replacement.

But Walker took the opportunity to put himself forward for the job, saying he could cook and clean for the band and describing himself as "a stay-at-home boyfriend." He also insists AA is his favourite band, before admitting he'd never heard any of their songs.

Walker's track includes lyrics such as "I can sing high, I can sing kinda low..I can't sing that low," and "If I was in Asking Alexandria I might actually be okay, I won't default on my mortgage when I'm finally getting paid."

Watch the video here.




The Black Keys' Austin City Limits Performance Goes Online
(hennemusic) The Black Keys were featured on the latest edition of the legendary PBS series Austin City Limits and video from the full episode is now streaming online.

The band's 6-song, 30-minute set included three tunes from their current release, "Turn Blue" - "Weight of Love", "Fever" and "Gotta Get Away." Recorded on November 17, The Black Keys were paired on the January 31 episode with a set by J. Roddy Walston & The Business.

The Black Keys recently cancelled their upcoming UK and European tour dates following an injury sustained by Patrick Carney over the holidays that saw the drummer dislocate his shoulder when a wave slammed him to the ocean floor on the island of Saint-Barthélemy.

The group are planning to resume the Turn Blue World Tour on April 2 in Brisbane, Australia. Watch the Austin City Limits video here.




At The Gates In Latest Ghost On The Road Episode
(TeamRock Radio) Swedish metal outfit At The Gates are the latest band to feature on FreqsTV's Ghost On The Road documentary series. Previous artists to appear in the series which gives a behind-the-scenes glimpse of what life is like for groups on tour include Gotthard and Protest The Hero.

In the latest short film, guitarist Anders Bjorler reflects on seeing bands live when he was younger, treating fans the right way and why they decided to keep their day jobs outside of the group.

He says: "We don't tour that much any more. This was a compromise since vocalist Tomas Lindberg and bassist Jonas Bjorler still have their day jobs and we work around that.

"I do some film - advertising stuff, Jonas is an accountant, guitarist Martin Larsson does bookings for our small rock club and drummer Adrian Erlandsson has a big photo studio in London, so we all have things apart from At The Gates.

"We decided to keep our day jobs to have some kind of security and let music be a professional hobby for us. It's very hard to make a living through music and we realised that pretty early. It's good to have your feet in the normal world to connect with real people."






Guy LeMonnier Explains Trans-Siberian Orchestra Cow Costume
Guy LeMonnier, former lead vocalists for Trans-Siberian Orchestra, recent spoke with Music & Art Interviews by Dan Roth and discussed a variety of topics including his dismissal from the band and the infamous time that he appeared on stage in a "cow costume". Here are those excerpts from the interview.

Question: One event that seems to have gone down in TSO lore is your appearance on stage in a cow costume. For years, TSO fans talked about this as one of the funniest things ever witnessed on the TSO stage. Tommy talked a bit about it in my interview with him. Can you explain how you wound up on stage wearing a cow costume? [Laughs]

Guy: Well, I found a cow costume in my size and it was all over from there, Dan. [Laughs] When you find an XXXL cow costume, you hang on to it!

Part of the reason that the audiences loved us so much is because we were always taking it to the next level and hamming it up. Audiences like to feel that they are being let in on something or they are part of a joke. During the introductions, we would really ham it up and show the charisma of this group. Those kinds of actions were very much frowned upon by the organization.

Anyway, I had found this cow costume and I brought it with me to rehearsals as a joke for Halloween, but never used it. So now, I had this costume in my luggage. We let Tommy know what was up, but we didn't tell him when. We get to Omaha for a show and I decided that I was going to get into this costume for the intros. I walked out on to stage in this head-to-toe cow costume, with a straight face as if nothing was wrong. Tommy basically spit water across the stage. [Laughs] He put a towel over the udders, which made it look like a bunch of erections. Everyone on stage and in the audience was cracking up - it went on forever. I just walked to the mic with a complete straight face and said "What?". The crowd roared. It was a lot of fun. Of course there was a phone call from the office waiting for us after the show.

I got gifts for years from fans: cowbells, cow statues, anything cow related. It was good times, a lot of fun.

Question: Can you talk about the circumstances that led to your separation from TSO in 2007?

Guy: My ending was horrendous and life-changing, like many peoples were. All I want to say about it - and I do want to say this - is that I was fired over hearsay. And the hearsay came from an unreliable source, especially in light of the behavior that occurred afterwards. There was enough drama to fill a reality show.

I had just bought a house down the street from where Al Pitrelli owned a compound of six houses with Jane. I did this because I, along with the rest of the TSO cast, were all invited to stay up there and live there and contribute to and write the next TSO album.

Question: They asked the cast for creative input?

Guy: That sweetens the pot a little bit, right? I was a single guy and didn't want to live in their house with the others, so I bought my own place down the street. I was working for this multi-million dollar organization and it was great to be brought even more so into the fold - and with the promise of helping to create the next album. Of course, that promise never came through, and I was let go.




Dee Snider's Harley Show Performance Goes Online
(hennemusic) Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider performed at the 2015 Harley Show in Montreal, Quebec on January 24th and video of his performance is now streaming online.

Snider rocked classic tracks by Twisted Sister, AC/DC as well as Steppenwolf at the event, where he was joined by openers The Dawn Truth and Eagle Tears.

The 36th Harley Show saw over 50 Harley-Davidson and custom motorcycles riding around in the Bell Centre, a presentation of the most spectacular custom bikes in America and the 2015 Harley-Davidson apparel collection.

Last month, the singer wrapped up performances of "Dee Snider's Rock & Roll Christmas Tale", a play running at the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place in Chicago.




Confessions Of A Traitor Release 'The Wolf, The Pack' Video
(TeamRock Radio) Metallic hardcore upstarts Confessions Of A Traitor have premiered their new music video for the song "The Wolf, The Pack" with TeamRock's Metal Hammer.

"The Wolf, The Pack" is the final video to be taken from the band's latest EP Seasons available now from their Bandcamp. Speaking about the song, the band say:

"The song is about Confessions Of A Traitor's formation and the sacrifices we make for the band to work. But the main theme is the support we have from our fans, friends and family."

The band are also heading out on a UK tour with Malefice and Chapters. Check out the dates and watch the video here.



Black Peaks Streaming New Single 'Glass Built Castles'
(TeamRock Radio) Brighton UK-based post-rockers Black Peaks have released their latest single Glass Built Castles via their Bandcamp page. And along with launching the track, they've announced a headlining gig at London's Barfly on April 8.

Glass Built Castles follows the release of Say You Will from their as-yet-untitled album which is due to see the light of day later this year. Frontman Will Gardner says of Glass Built Castles: "It's the third part of a four-part, four-track story on the Black Peaks debut album. The song deals with a fictitious individual's thirst for revenge and the consequences of his actions viewed by an outsider."

Gardner, who is joined in the band by guitarist Joe Gosney, drummer Liam Kearley and bassist Andrew Gosden, previously released the three-track Closer To The Sun EP last year.




Singled Out: Crash Midnight's 151
Today Alex, Bo and Shaun from Crash Midnight tells us about the song "151" which is their first single to radio (add date 2-10-15) from their debut album "Lost In The City". Here is the story:

Shaun: It's funny, this song wasn't really intended to be a real song. We were out partying and pouring through bottles of 151. That song Nightrain came on by Guns n' Roses and we kind of were joking around like, "those guys were some of our biggest heroes and here we are drinking even harder stuff than them."

We thought we were being really cool and so we started spoofing on that song, singing about 151. The song was originally kind of a joke on that and then so many people kept telling us how much they liked it, we decided to make it into an actual song.

Bo: The stuff is jet-fuel!

Shaun: Yeah and we'd be going out emptying a bottle of it every night.

Alex: We started signing a bunch of empty bottles and giving them away to people.

Shaun: Even though we gave a lot of them away, we still had stacks of those bottles in our apartment. We found a place that would sell it for like $16 bucks and we pretty much ran them out of stock each week.

Alex: My uncle owns a bunch of bars in Columbus and when he heard about this song he said "You know that 151 is something you're only supposed to have a little of once every couple months or it destroys your body?" We probably went through a lifetime supply about every week, but I love this song, and I love this spirit. I remember being 18, in this band, and drinking nothing but 151 for a year. And that's About all I remember.

Shaun: This was the stuff that was the root cause of a lot of stories for this band. Bo passing out in the Boston Commons comes to mind.

Bo: I drank a lot of that

Soho: At this point, the song has more meaning to us. It brings back a lot of memories of the early days of this band when we were just carving out these songs. Five guys all crammed into a little two bedroom apartment in Boston's Kenmore Square with a real "us against the world" mentality.

Alex: And it's a cool nod to a band that was a big influence of ours, kinda carrying that torch in a way I guess

Bo: It's rock n' roll and the perfect Friday night song

Friday, January 30, 2015

Tim Abrigg Jr. Rants/Raves:: Today's Day in Rock News!

Tim Abrigg Jr. Rants/Raves:: Today's Day in Rock News!: Today's Day in Rock Scott Weiland Changes Direction With New Album (Classic Rock) Scott Weiland says his new project has mor...

Today's Day in Rock News!





Today's Day in Rock


Scott Weiland Changes Direction With New Album
(Classic Rock) Scott Weiland says his new project has more of an 'indie rock' feel than anything he's worked on in the past. The former Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver frontman's new group is called Scott Weiland And The Wildabouts and he says it will appeal to fans who found some of his solo work, like 2008's Happy In Galoshes, a little too experimental for their taste.

The band release debut album Blaster on March 31 via Softdrive Records following a successful PledgeMusic campaign. And the singer says he's not been this happy musically since STP's debut album Core.

Weiland tells Mitch Lafon: "It's different than both of the rock bands I've been in. It's more of a garage rock, indie rock kind of feel. But it is still rock. So I think STP fans and Velvet Revolver fans who weren't into an experimental record like Happy In Galoshes will definitely be into this because it's got some big riffs on it." Read more here.




Black Sabbath's Geezer Butler Posts Message About Arrest
Black Sabbath bass player Geezer Butler on Thursday (Jan. 29) made his first public comments since he was arrested after an alleged bar fight in Death Valley on Tuesday (Jan. 27).

As previously reported, Butler was arrested on charges of misdemeanor assault, public intoxication and vandalism after he reportedly got into an altercation at the Corkscrew Saloon where an unnamed individual was "struck" and a window was broken, according to a statement issued by the Inyo County Sheriff's department.

On Thursday, Butler acknowledged the arrest with two posts on his Facebook page. In one post he told fans "Thx for your messages & support following the unfortunate altercation that occurred."

Five hours later he posted a picture himself in the desert under the heading of "After that little distraction" showing him sitting on a platform in front of ghostly figure holding a bicycle. See the photo here.

Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne also posted a message of support for Butler on his Facebook page on Thursday. Osbourne wrote, "Sending my love and support to Geezer Butler. I'm here if you need me."




Tom Petty Has No Hard Feelings For Sam Smith
Tom Petty has released a statement about the recent decision to add him and Jeff Lynne to the songwriting credits of Sam Smith's Grammy nominated track "Stay With Me" because of its similarity to Petty's hit "I Won't Back Down."

Petty had the following to say about the situation, "About the Sam Smith thing. Let me say I have never had any hard feelings toward Sam. All my years of songwriting have shown me these things can happen.

"Most times you catch it before it gets out the studio door but in this case it got by. Sam's people were very understanding of our predicament and we easily came to an agreement.

"The word lawsuit was never even said and was never my intention. And no more was to be said about it. How it got out to the press is beyond Sam or myself.

"Sam did the right thing and I have thought no more about this. A musical accident no more no less. In these times we live in this is hardly news. I wish Sam all the best for his ongoing career. Peace and love to all."



ZZ Top and Weezer To Do Live TV Mash-Up
(hennemusic) ZZ Top will staging an unusual performance with Weezer as ABC-TV's Jimmy Kimmel Live for the debut installment of the late night talk show's Mash-Up Mondays on February 2.

Billed as "Wee-Z Top", the Texas trio - who just played on the show this week - will join the alternative rockers for the first edition of a month-long series on the late night program.

Other musical pairings in February include Morris Day and The Time (featured in Prince's film Purple Rain) and HAIM (Feb. 9), and Aloe Blacc and Blackstreet (Feb 16). Read more here.



Nick Menza Sidesteps Megadeth Reunion Question
(Classic Rock) Former Megadeth drummer Nick Menza has stopped short of confirming or denying whether he's returning to the band. Speculation has been rife in recent weeks that the sticksman, who left in 1998 after a five-album stint in Dave Mustaine's outfit, could be set to come back after the departures of Shawn Drover and Chris Broderick in November.

Megadeth last month released a teaser video showing bassist David Ellefson playing in their studio with an unidentified drummer. He and Menza attended the NAMM industry show in California at the weekend.

But Menza would only tell Examiner.com: "It'll be final when it's final," then asked: "What do you think are the chances of me coming back?" Read more here.




Slipknot Star Frustrated By Censorship
(TeamRock Radio) Slipknot percussionist Chris Fehn says he's tired of his band's lyrics being censored for broadcast on TV and radio. He believes the laws that make it necessary for acts to provide alternative versions of strongly-worded songs are only in place because control freaks want them to be.

And he argues there are much worse things in the world than heavy language. Fehn tells Rock Sins: "There's so many songs that they'll blip. I hate that. The worst is when they redo it with a different word.

"I'm like, 'Come on, man.' Even with the internet and how exposed kids are to things in this world? To me it's the least of the problems we have.

"But I guess that's the world we live in. It's just control - people want control." Read more here.




Michael Sweet Wanted To Help Sebastian Bach Reclaim Skid Row Glory
(Classic Rock) Michael Sweet says he was tapped to produce a Sebastian Bach solo album that would have gone back to the sound of early Skid Row. The Stryper frontman claims Bach got in touch over an idea to work on the album, which Sweet would have co-written and produced - only for the former Skid Row frontman to go silent on the issue.

Sweet was asked for his view on Bach's comments that he has 800,000 Facebook followers yet sold only 5000 copies of his latest album Give 'Em Hell in the first week.

And according to Sweet, the answer is simple - Bach's fans want the Sebastian of old. He adds: "This isn't a bash against Sebastian at all, it's just my opinion. I think people wanna hear Sebastian of old. They wanna hear the Skid Row Sebastian. They wanna hear the hits. And he's giving them modern rock.

"It's a good album, it's a good-sounding album, but it's not the glory days." He also discussed the album project. Read about that here.




Ringo Starr Reveals New Album Details and Tour Dates
(Radio.com) 2014 was a great year for Ringo Starr--he reunited with his former Beatles bandmate Paul McCartney at the 56th Annual Grammys and again a few days later at the Grammys Beatles tribute The Night That Changed America: A Grammy Salute. He also had an exhibit in his honor at the Grammy museum, and and usual, he toured with his latest All-Starr Band.

And 2015 looks to be just as busy for the legendary drummer: he's going to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for his solo work, he's just announced his latest album, Postcards From Paradise and he's going to be hitting the road again.

Postcards from Paradise sees him working with the above-mentioned All-Starr Band who he's been touring with. That includes Toto guitarist Steve Lukather, guitarist Todd Rundgren, founding Santana keyboardist/singer Gregg Rolie, Mr. Mister bassist Richard Page, drummer Gregg Bissonette and former All-Starr and multi-instrumentalist Warren Ham.

Read more including tour dates here.




Behemoth Releasing Their Official Biography
(TeamRock Radio) Polish death metal outfit Behemoth will release their official biography Devil's Conquistadors next month, they've confirmed. The 490-page book, which was written by Lukasz Dunaj, will launch on February 24 via Metal Blade Records and details the rise of the band in their homeland, their influences and will also feature interviews, photos and printed lyric sheets.

Frontman Adam 'Nergal' Darski, who will release his memoirs Confessions Of A Heretic: The Sacred And Profane, Behemoth And Beyond in English on March 19, reveals in the book that he bought his first guitar with money he was given for his first communion.

He says: "The first communion was a very important moment for me. I know this sounds ridiculous, but it's true. Of course, not as a religious experience - I didn't understand anything and couldn't care less. Same as all the other kids. " Read more here.




Limp Bizkit's Wes Borland Slams Upcoming Shiprocked Cruise
(TeamRock Radio) Limp Bizkit guitarist Wes Borland has released an Instagram rant about the band's cruising festival appearance next week. They're headlining the 2015 edition of Shiprocked, which sets sail from Miami on February 2 and arrives at the Bahamas on February 6.

But Borland isn't looking forward to the experience. He says: "Can't wait to see some roided-out, tribal-tattooed, spray-tanned, Jell-O shot-filled bohunks do their best drunk MMA impressions in the top-deck moshpit.

"Whenever we aren't on stage I'll be curled up foetal-position in my cabin, palms up, while I desperately cling to the last week of my thirties as it slips through my hooked fingers." He had more to say. Read it here.




Genesis Film Shows Why Band Won't Reunite Says Hackett
(TeamRock Radio) Steve Hackett believes the reason why a Genesis reunion can't take place is clear to see from the 2014 band documentary Together And Apart. In October he appeared alongside Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins, Mike Rutherford and Tony Banks in a BBC film that he described as "biased."

Now Hackett tells ABC News Radio: "When people ask me, 'Is there going to be reformation?' I say, 'Look at the documentary and you'll get an idea of the priorities that come across.' I think it's probably extremely unlikely."

But he'd still take part if the opportunity arose, he adds: "It's been decades I've been saying, 'Call me if you need me.' My door is open to that, certainly." Read more here.




Damn Yankees Celebrate 25th Anniversary In The Studio
A special online edition of the syndicated radio show In The Studio: The Stories Behind History's Greatest Rock Bands celebrates the 25th anniversary of supergroup Damn Yankees with Tommy Shaw, Jack Blades, Michael Cartellone, and Ted Nugent. The show sent over these details:

The Nineties' first supergroup actually lived up to the hype. The Damn Yankee's self-titled debut sold a whopping two million copies off the backs of melodic rockers "Coming of Age", "Runaway", "Come Again" and the soaring # 3 hit single "High Enough". But how did these guys come together in the first place?

Each frontman had a successful rock pedigree: Motor City MadmanTed Nugent, STYX singer/songwriter/ guitarist Tommy Shaw, and Night Ranger singer/songwriter/bass player Jack Blades. InTheStudio host Redbeard gets the full story on how the group united and spent the next five years making records and touring constantly. It was a unique musical partnership that worked both personally and professionally.

Jack Blades : "When Tommy & I first started singing, suddenly we realized that we were phrasing the same, harmonizing, coming up with the same vocal ideas. It was if we had sung together for ten years."

Tommy Shaw: "The first day of recording Nugent announced that he was taking all of us to hunt bear. So the next morning we showed up bare…naked."

Ted Nugent: "I'm from the Motor City. We're the 'Murder Capital of America' not because we're more violent. It's because we're better shots."

Stream the episode here.




The Poodles Streaming First Song From New Album
(Classic Rock) Swedish rocker The Poodles will launch their sixth album in March, they've confirmed. Titled Devil In The Details, it will be released on March 25 via Gain Music and will be the follow-up to 2013's Tour De Force.

They have also released an online stream of a song called "The Greatest" - the first track from the record which the band describe as "rock 'n' roll straight up, no chaser."

They parted ways with bassist Pontus Egberg last year. He left to join King Diamond as a permanent member after touring with the Danish mainman. The band unveiled their new bass player Johan Flodquist earlier this month.

Check out the new song here.




Y&T Crowdfunding Career Spanning Documentary
(Classic Rock) Y&T have launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund the making of a career-spanning documentary. And mainman Dave Meniketti hopes fans will step up so the band can tell their own story their own way.

The movie is to be built out of the hundreds of hours of personal footage shot over the years. It's set to cover their earliest days of rehearsing in Leonard Haze's grandmother's house, then move through the first two albums, touring with Journey, Boston and Queen, to their big breaks with AC/DC, Ozzy Osbourne and Dio.

It's also designed to be a tribute to bassist Phil Kennemore, who died in 2011. Meniketti says: "In the past we'd ask a record company or a big corporation for funding - and in exchange, sign away our rights and artistic control." Read more here.




Black Crowes Singer Says Breakup Reasons Were Complicated
(hennemusic) Singer Chris Robinson says the breakup of The Black Crowes is "complicated." Brother and guitarist Rich Robinson broke the news on January 15, saying "It is with great disappointment and regret that after having the privilege of writing and performing the music of The Black Crowes over the last 24 years, I find myself in the position of saying that the band has broken up."

The guitarist also revealed details regarding some controversy within the group that fueled his decision not to return. "I love my brother and respect his talent," he noted, "but his present demand that I must give up my equal share of the band and that our drummer for 28 years and original partner, Steve Gorman, relinquish 100% of his share, reducing him to a salaried employee, is not something I could agree to."

Now, Chris responds to the official statement, telling Billboard "it's way more complicated than Rich's public outburst" while declining to elaborate. "I'm going to keep my personal, private family business personal and private," he says, "and I'll focus on all the other things that are important. The ideas, I think, are more important than the drama."

"I have too much stuff going on that's progressive and positive to dig through sordid family history and stuff. I don't think that's interesting at all -- maybe in a tabloid kind of culture we live in, but I've never been part of that. I've never dealt with my personal, private life in a public forum, so I'm not going to drag myself though the mire now." Read more here.




Crippled Black Phoenix Members Reveal New Prog Band VLY
(Prog) Crippled Black Phoenix members Karl Demata and Chris Heilmann have unveiled their new prog band VLY. They've launched a stream of their track Circles, taken from upcoming debut album.

The guitarist and bassist are joined by vocalist Keith Gladysz (Diet Kong, Typical Reptiles), keyboardist Elisa Montaldo (Il Tempio Delle Clessidre) and drummer Mattias Olsson (Anglagard, White Willow, Necromonkey).

The band describe themselves as "a multifaceted beast where suggestions from progressive rock, classic rock and folk meet with early-Floydian psychedelia, intimate pop melodies, massive walls of epic guitar riffage, post-classical, post-rock and electronic music."




Linkin Park, Rob Zombie and Weezer Lead Loudwire Music Festival
Linkin Park, Rob Zombie and Weezer have been announced as the headliners for the very first Loudwire Music Festival which will be taking place this summer.

Organizer have also revealed that the three-day festival will also feature performances from Halestorm, A Day to Remember and Hinder, with more acts still to be announced.

The multi-stage rock festival is scheduled to take place on Friday, June 26, Saturday, June 27 and Sunday, June 28 festival at Jam Ranch in Grand Junction, CO.

Halestorm's Lzzy Hale had this to say about being added to the lineup, "The boys and I are so stoked to be coming to Colorado for Loudwire Music Festival! This is one of the events we are looking forward to the most this summer! Prepare yourself for some crazy new tunes and your faces to be melted into your shoes!"





Magma Announce North American Tour
(Prog) Magma have announced a tour of North America to take place before they visit the UK. Christian Vander and co will perform eight shows in the US and Canada in April.

The journey is followed by appearances at Manchester's RNCM on May 7 and London's Cadogan Hall on May 8. It's part of the French collective's 45th anniversary celebrations, which continues into 2015.

Vander says: "Magma is happy to return to the United States - we know you are passionate, respectful and curious about music. We find you generous and open. It will be a joy for us to see you this year." See the dates here.





Stone Temple Pilots Streaming 'High Rise' Demos
(hennemusic) Stone Temple Pilots guitarist Dean DeLeo has posted online stream ofemos from the band's 2013 EP "High Rise." The project delivered the debut of singer Chester Bennington from Linkin Park, who joined the band after original frontman Scott Weiland was fired in February of 2013, leading to a series of public statements and lawsuits by both parties.

DeLeo has posted material from demos for three tracks on the EP, including "Out Of Time", "Cry Cry" and "Same On The Inside", as well as "The Hotel On The Hill."

"Howdy ya'll," says DeLeo. "I thought I'd start these new 'memo:demos' to share some audio clips that are recorded on my phone which include anything from alternate solos, songs from the point in time of their conception and some new ditties. Have fun and stay tuned for more."

"High Rise" debuted at No. 24 on the US Billboard 200 chart following first week sales of 12,000 copies. Check out the demos here.




Classic Albums Selling More Than New Albums
(Classic Rock) 'Old' albums outsold current releases on iTunes in America last year, new figures reveal. Music Business Worldwide reports that it is the first time catalogue releases have sold more than new albums over the course of a full year - with a previous victory for old records during one month in 2012 considered a "momentary blip."

One example of a catalogue album selling well is Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers' Greatest Hits - originally released in 1993 - which is currently in the iTunes top 100 albums chart.

Industry expert Tim Ingham says it's a worrying trend for the music business and adds that it's only a matter of time before catalogue records outsell new releases on physical formats such as CD and vinyl as well as online.

He says: "Such data asks two very clear questions of record labels: are people merely starting to consume their new music on streaming services rather than buying it in album form? Or are they increasingly less impressed with the new album releases that arrive year-in, year-out?" Read more here.


Lemmy Feels Vindicated By Motorhead's Grammy Nomination
(Classic Rock) Lemmy Kilmister says that Motorhead's 2015 Grammy nomination gives him the chance to stick his middle finger up that those who said he'd be dead by now.

Motorhead are nominated in the Best Metal Performance category for their track Heartbreaker, taken from latest album Aftershock. And while the frontman is more interested in what the fans think than what Grammy judges ultimately decide, he does admit the nomination validates his decision to keep going after his recent health problems.

On the Grammy nomination, Lemmy tells Mitch Lafon: "It's always nice to stick your middle finger up and say, 'Ha ha you bastards, six months to live ey?'

"I don't see why you should stop when it gives you so much pleasure." Read more here.




Alice Cooper Announces Austin City Limits Live PPV Broadcast
(hennemusic) Alice Cooper is offering his upcoming Austin City Limits Live concert to fans as a pay-per-view event. Cooper's February 12 show at The Moody Theater in Austin will be presented via cable TV and streamed online.

The Austin date is part of Cooper's Raise The Dead Tour; the rocker will rejoin Motley Crue as the opening guest on the North American run of their farewell tour this year.

The concert will be available at 9 PM ET; more details regarding delivery channels will be issued soon. In the meantime, fans can watch the promotion video for the event here.




Randy Bachman Streams New Song With Peter Frampton
(hennemusic) Randy Bachman has released an audio stream of the title track to his upcoming album, "Heavy Blues", which sees him team up with Peter Frampton.

Due April 13 (April 14 in North America), Bachman is joined by guests including Neil Young, Joe Bonamassa, Robert Randolph and the late Jeff Healey for the project, alongside new band members Anna Ruddick on bass and Dale Anne Brendon on drums.

"Heavy Blues" is produced by Kevin Shirley (Iron Maiden, Rush, Led Zeppelin), who Bachman says influenced the heaviness of his latest solo album.

"I've known Kevin for many years and watched his producer credits grow to include many rock legends," explains Bachman. "I knew that he could push me past my limit, pull me onto new paths and direct me down new roads."




Barren Earth Reveal First Song With New Singer
(Prog) Barren Earth have released a stream of On Lonely Towers, the title track from their upcoming third album - and their first song revealed with vocalist Jon Aldara.

He replaced Mikki Koramaki, who'd fronted the Finnish prog metal outfit for 2010 debut Curse Of The Red River and 2012 follow-up The Devil's Resolve.

Bassist Olli-Pekka Laine says: "During the writing process we did many things from a totally new perspective. Many other things changed too - new production team, new frontman, new record label; the list goes on."

He adds of the track: "Instead of putting out a song in a typical verse-chorus form, we thought this three-piece boulder would represent the album better. It demands some concentration from the listener - but patience is rewarded in the end."




Angels & Airwaves Release 'Tunnels' Video
(Radio.com) In an interview with Radio.com, Angels & Airwaves frontman Tom DeLonge proclaimed "Tunnels" the song he's most proud of writing, next to "The Adventure," the band's first big hit, and blink-182's "I Miss You."

In the video, released Thursday (Jan. 29), the band performs in what appears to be someone's living room with a huge video screen behind them displaying spacey environments, while clips of The Dream Walker anime film are interspersed.

"The Dream Walker is a multi-year project launching with the album and a short anime film, followed by graphic novels, a novel, then a feature film," explained DeLonge. A full-length feature film is also in pre-production, as well as a novelization and various iconic collectibles and attire, because what would a film be without merchandising?

"It's gonna be a long process but there will be stuff rolling out continuously. The book is so good. The novel is f–king awesome. It's a New York Times best-selling author writing it."




Neil Young Announces Appearance On The Tonight Show
(hennemusic) Neil Young has announced that he will appear as a guest and performer on NBC-TV's The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon next Tuesday, February 3.

The episode marks Young's return to the program following his spring performance with Jack White, where the guitarist recorded a live record on the show.

Fallon's Tonight Show will be broadcast from Los Angeles next week following a special post-Super Bowl edition on Sunday from Phoenix, Arizona.

Thursday, January 29, 2015

Tim Abrigg Jr. Rants/Raves:: Today's Day in Rock News!

Tim Abrigg Jr. Rants/Raves:: Today's Day in Rock News!: Today's Day in Rock Black Sabbath's Geezer Butler Arrested After Bar Fight Black Sabbath bass player Geezer Butler was rep...

Today's Day in Rock News!




Today's Day in Rock


Black Sabbath's Geezer Butler Arrested After Bar Fight
Black Sabbath bass player Geezer Butler was reportedly arrested on charges of misdemeanor assault, public intoxication and vandalism after he was allegedly in a bar fight in Death Valley, Ca on Tuesday (Jan. 27).

A man matching the description of the metal legend, real name Terence Michael Butler, reportedly got into an altercation at the Corkscrew Saloon where an unnamed individual was "struck" and a window was broken, according to a statement issued by the Inyo County Sheriff's department.

The department's Public Information Officer Carma Roper released the following details, "Shortly after midnight on January 27th Sheriff's Dispatch received a call regarding a verbal and physical altercation that took place at the Corkscrew Saloon located at the Furnace Creek Ranch property in Death Valley National Park.

"After the Inyo County Sheriff's Deputy arrived on scene and interviewed witnesses it was determined that there had been an argument that escalated into a physical confrontation - resulting in an individual being struck, and a broken window.

"Terence Michael Butler a 65-year old man from Beverly Hills, CA was arrested for misdemeanor assault, public intoxication and vandalism. Butler was booked into the Inyo County Jail and released after detox and citation."

As you can see from the statement, while the age and name of the person arrested does match the Black Sabbath star, the department did not confirm that it was indeed Geezer Butler, who lists his Los Angeles area residence as being in Hollywood, Ca on his Twitter account.

At press time there was no word from Geezer or the Black Sabbath camp about the arrest and his last social media posts confirmed that he was in Southern California earlier this week.




Zakk Wylde Open To Reuniting With Ozzy Osbourne
(Classic Rock) Zakk Wylde says he would play with Ozzy Osbourne again if he was asked. Osbourne recruited the axeman in 1987 to replace Jake E. Lee - a move which sparked a long and fruitful relationship between the pair.

And Wylde says the love he has for the rock icon and his manager and wife Sharon, who he calls "mom," is "unconditional." When asked if he would be open to recording or playing live with Osbourne again, the Black Label Society man tells My Global Mind:

"Yeah, I mean, for whatever. If Ozzy needs me to go and pick up some milk and eggs and take them to the house I will do it. That's how my relationship is with Oz and mom.

"My love for them is unconditional so whatever they need me to do I will do it." Read more here.




Fall Out Boy Score Another No. 1 Album
Fall Out Boy have scored their third No. 1 album after their new studio effort, "American Beauty/American Psycho," debuted in the top spot on the Billboard 200 album chart.

"American Beauty/American Psycho," topped the album chart after it sold over 218,000 copies in the United States during its first week in stores and at digital retailers following its released on January 20th.

The album also went to No. 1 on the iTunes chart in 22 countries and topped the albums charts in Canada and Japan. It also scored Top 5 debuts in the UK and Australia.

The band will be hitting the road in support of the album with Wiz Khalifa for the Boys of Zummer tour, which is scheduled to kick off on June 10th in Camden, NJ and conclude on August 10th in Los Angeles at the Hollywood Bowl. See the tour dates here.



L7 Announce First Reunion Shows
(TeamRock Radio) L7 have confirmed their mooted reunion and launched a crowdfunding campaign for an upcoming documentary. The all-girl grunge band said late last year that they needed the help of their fans to launch a comeback and they have now confirmed two European festival dates with further shows promised.

And they have also given more details on their documentary, L7: Pretend We're Dead. They have opened a Kickstarter fund in the hope of raising $97,000 by February 26.

The film is to be directed by Sarah Price and promises to take fans "on an all-access journey into the 1990s grunge movement that took the world by storm, and the band that helped define it as the genre of a generation."

So far, June appearances at Spain's Azkena Rock Festival and Hellfest in France have been confirmed, with more to follow. Read more here.




Blink-182's Hoppus Addresses Travis Barker Replacement Claim
(TeamRock Radio) Blink-182's Mark Hoppus has played down Tom DeLonge's claim that the pair spent a week discussing the replacement of Travis Barker. The suggestion appeared as part of the public meltdown since DeLonge distanced himself from the band, with an official statement - which he disagreed with - stating that he "didn't want to participate in any Blink projects indefinitely."

In a tweet this week, quickly removed, DeLonge said: "A year ago Mark and I spent a week on the phone with managers debating parting with Travis. Don't pretend there isn't more to this story."

Now Hoppus confirms there was a conversation after Blink toured Australia without Barker - but says it grew out of the drummer's continued problems with flying after the 2009 plane crash that nearly killed him.

Hoppus tells AltPress: "Travis didn't go on that tour, which was a possibility that we'd known about from day one. When we agreed to tour Travis said, 'If it gets to the day and I'm not ready, we need a backup plan.'"

When Barker told his bandmates he couldn't fly, they brought in Brooks Wackerman as a stand-in. But that led to an argument between Barker and the band's Australian rep.

"The promoter thought Travis has never intended to come to Australia, and felt he'd been duped," says Hoppus. "That wasn't the case. After the tour, Tom was very upset about being put in that position. Tom was having these calls, 'Can we replace Travis? Can we do whatever?' But it was really just Tom blowing off steam. I listened, commiserated, called my manager and said, 'Tom's upset right now - he's talking about trying to replace Travis, but that's not going to happen.'

"Sure enough, after a month Tom was like, 'I was just angry. It was a bad situation. Of course I don't want to kick Travis out the band.'" Read more here.




Ellefson On Why He Thinks Megadeth Members Quit
(Classic Rock) Megadeth bassist David Ellefson believes former bandmates Chris Broderick and Shawn Drover left because they were facing nearly a year without playing live.

The guitarist and drummer will this weekend start recording with their as-yet untitled band, featuring former Scar The Martyr singer Henry Derek Bonner and Shadows Fall's Matt Bachand on bass.

Ellefson tells Loud: "I think Shawn should be remembered for some great stuff - the guy bleeds metal, that's for sure. But I think, with him, knowing there was going to be almost a year off the road; I sensed he wanted to get moving on some other things."

The bassist admits there seemed to be little advance notice of the lineup change, but thinks he knows why. "While we were on the road I didn't see any chinks in the armour," he says. "But once you get off the road, seeing there was going to be a year off - actually a little more, maybe - that's a long time." Read more here.



Devin Townsend Disowns Collaboration With Nickelback Producers
(Prog) Devin Townsend says he wishes he'd never collaborated with Nickelback's producers - and has vowed never to let the resulting track see the light of day.

The prog icon wrote a song with the people behind Nickelback, Daughtry and a string of American Idol winners - but he says he'll never release it as he finds it "f***ing disgusting."

After the release of his Z2 album, Townsend was encouraged to write with others, but he has described the experience as "everything I dislike about music."

Townsend tells Decibel: "I went to LA and I wrote with a team who produced all the Nickelback stuff recently, Daughtry, all the American Idol people who win, and I wrote a song with them.

"And I hate it in such a way that is hard for me to quantify. I really like the guys, I think they're really talented, but I told them yesterday or the day before that I'm not putting it out. There's no f***ing way I'm putting it out.

"I can't spend 25 years sticking to my guns to try and sell people this. It's everything I dislike about music, with my voice on it. It's f***ing disgusting. It's not their fault, but with my voice on it, it's just not where I'm at." Read more here.




Incubus Set to Premiere New Single 'Absolution Calling'
(Radio.com) After premiering the first single from their new upcoming EP at the KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas last month, Incubus are back with another single that they will be debuting on KROQ on February 5.

The new track, "Absolution Calling," will hit the radio at 7:30am PST on the Kevin and Bean Show. This follows the previously shared song, "Trust Fall." The band will be on air for the debut.

Incubus was once a record-releasing juggernaut, finding much success on albums Make Yourself in 1999 and Morning View in 2001. Recent years have seen albums become more scarce from the California natives, with their last coming in 2011, titled If Not Now, When? Read more here.



Amon Amarth Begin Work On New Album
(TeamRock Radio) Amon Amarth have started writing material for their 10th album, bassist Ted Lundstrom has reported. The Swedish outfit intend to concentrate on the follow-up to 2013's Deceiver Of The Gods as soon as they've completed their current tour, and hope to set a release date in early 2016.

Lundstrom tells Metal Recusants in a new video interview: "We started very recently - we have some ideas for songs and lyrics, but we haven't sat down to put it together yet.

"After this tour that will be our main focus. Hopefully we can record it after the summer. I hope we can release it early next year, but it depends on so many factors. But early next year would be our plan."

Watch the full interview here.



Iron Maiden's Dave Murray Launching Signature Fender Guitar Line
(hennemusic) Iron Maiden guitarist Dave Murray has announced that he has teamed with Fender to launch his own signature guitar line as part of the company's Artist Series.

The Dave Murray California Series Stratocaster is inspired by Murray's longtime onstage go-to guitar, combining Strat tradition with three Seymour Duncan humbucking pickups, the fast feel of a compound-radius fingerboard, and the high performance reliability of a Floyd Rose bridge and nut.

The new guitar line will be available starting February 17. Murray and Iron Maiden have been off the road since they wrapped up their Maiden England world tour last summer. Read more here.



Slash Jams With Richie Sambora, Jeff 'Skunk' Baxter For Les Paul Award
(hennemusic) Slash was honored with the Les Paul Award at the 30th annual NAMM Technical Excellence & Creativity (TEC) Awards in Anaheim, California on January 24.

The guitarist was joined for a performance by Richie Sambora, Orianthi and Jeff "Skunk" Baxter and video of the jam has been posted online. The event honors individuals and companies for outstanding achievement in professional audio technology and production.

The Les Paul Award, named for the revolutionary inventor and esteemed musician, honors individuals or institutions that have set the highest standards of excellence in the creative application of audio and music technology.

Instituted in 1991, the honor has been awarded to influential artists including Pete Townshend, Paul McCartney, Brian Wilson, Stevie Wonder, Neil Young, Todd Rundgren and Peter Gabriel. Watch the video of Slash's jam here.



Avenged Sevenfold Have Left Metalcore Behind
(TeamRock Radio) Avenged Sevenfold have left their early metalcore sound behind for good, insists frontman M Shadows. And he says none of the band have anything to do with the genre that was the staple of 2001 debut Sounding The Seventh Trumpet.

Shadows tells the Jakarta Post: "The metalcore has been left behind. It's not something that any of us find enjoyment in listening to, so it's not the direction we would write songs in.

"I wouldn't hold my breath for a comeback. We are ever-evolving and never repeat ourselves. I want to stay away from trends and do what we want to do musically." Read more here.




VoiVod Streaming New Song 'We Are Connected'
(Prog) Veteran Canadian outfit VoiVod have launched a stream of We Are Connected. The track is one half of a split release with Century Media labelmates At The Gates which will be issued on April 7 on 7-inch vinyl. It will be made available directly through the label's store.

Voivod, who recruited Dominic 'Rocky' Laroche last year to replace outgoing bassist Yves 'Blacky' Theriault, began their Through Space And Grind tour across North America earlier this week.

The shows also feature Napalm Death, Exhumed, Iron Reagan and Black Crown Initiate. Ringworm, Dayglo Abortions and Phobia will also hook up with the main artists for select shows. Stream the new song here.



Zac Brown Band Release 'Live From The Artists Den' Preview
(Radio.com) Zac Brown Band will launch the ninth season of Live From the Artists Den this Friday (Jan. 30) on PBS, and days before the show airs, fans can get a preview.

In the newly released video, Zac Brown Band perform their poignant song "Free," which segues effortlessly into an impressive cover of Van Morrison's "Into the Mystic." In the clip, violinist Jimmy De Martini appears alone on the stage before the curtain lifts to reveal the rest of the band.

Frontman Zac Brown, dressed in a top hat, kicks off the first verse as the crowd at Forest Hills Stadium sing along word for word. The band's performance was taped from their concert at Forest Hills Stadium in Queens, New York and their set list includes hits like "Jump Right In," "Colder Weather" and "Day for the Dead."

Live From the Artists Den hosts hour-long performances by artists in unconventional venues. In addition to watching this season on PBS, Live From the Artists Den will be available for mobile streaming via Samsung's Milk Video service. Previous episodes will also be watchable and shortened into 30-minute segments.



The Agonist Release 'My Witness, Your Victim' Video
(TeamRock Radio) Canadian melodic death metallers The Agonist have premiered their new music video for the song "My Witness, Your Victim" with TeamRock's Metal Hammer.

Taken from their upcoming album Eye Of Providence, it's another high octane bout of screamy heaviness - and directed by bassist Chris Kells, who shoots music videos while not on tour. It will also be the first full-length with new frontwoman Vicky Psarakis.

Speaking out the music, guitarist Danny Marino says: "Lyrically this song dives into the album theme of the Eye Of Providence. We live in a world where everything is being tracked and the more we interface with technology the more we lose our humanity. We're really happy with how the video turned out and believe it or not the actor was not harmed (too much) during the shoot!"




Periphery Release 'Alpha' Video
(Prog) Periphery have released a music video for their track Alpha. It's taken from their dual album release Juggernaut: Alpha and Juggernaut: Omega which launched this week via Century Media.

The band previously said they decided to split the album into two separate discs as they wanted to listeners to fully appreciate the complex story and musical themes.

Drummer Matt Halpern said: "Because Juggernaut is very detailed and dense in terms of character development, peaks and valleys, climaxes and resolutions, we've divided the story and music in two.

"Although the albums are split in two physically, the story is only complete when the albums are digested consecutively. This allows the listener to recognise and hear the lyrical and musical overlapping themes, foreshadowing, and connected ideas."

The band will take to the road with Devin Townsend for three dates in March and have lined up a headlining show in London in April. See the dates and watch the video here.



More To Come From King Crimson Says Tony Levin
(Classic Rock) King Crimson bassist Tony Levin believes there's a lot more to come from Robert Fripps' reactivated band. And he's so delighted that the mainman came back from self-enforced retirement that he'd be happy to lend his support even if he wasn't part of the lineup.

Crimson recently released Live At The Orpheum, recorded last year during their comeback US tour. Fripp confirmed in November that they were working on three studio tracks.

Leven tells Vintage Rock: "I'm thrilled that King Crimson is back doing stuff, and doubly thrilled that I'm in it - although as a fan of the band, I would be happy even if I wasn't in it.

"It seems like every year we're going to do something. It's on the table, the possibility that we'll come up with some new music - and maybe, eventually, a new album. That would be great." Read more here.



In Flames, L7, Testament Lead Latest Additions To Download
(Classic Rock) Andrew WK, In Flames, Testament, We Are Harlot and L7 lead the latest addition to the bill for this year's Download festival. A total of 23 acts have been named for the June 12-14 event at Donington, also including Ace Frehley, Tremonti, Black Star Riders, Thunder, King 810 and more.

They join headliners Slipknot, Muse and Kiss plus Judas Priest, Faith No More, Motley Crue and others. Andrew WK will make his first Download appearance this year. He says: "I'm totally chuffed about playing and partying at my first ever Download. I've no doubt that it will be partier than even the partiest party I've ever been to."

In Flames singer Anders Friden adds: "It will be fantastic to be back on UK soil. Download has always been a great festival. We're looking forward to meeting friends and playing our take on heavy metal in front of some of the greatest fans that there is." Read more here.




NWOBHM Band Mythra Plan First Show In Over 30 Years
(Classic Rock) Influential NWOBHM outfit Mythra will play their first gig in more than 30 years at next month's Brofest festival. The band have reunited for the event in Newcastle, which runs from February 27 to March 1 and also features Blitzkrieg, High Spirits and Avenger.

Mythra won critical acclaim for their debut EP, Death And Destiny, released in 1979. They were cited as influences by Metallica and others, but after an initial flurry of support, they suffered a number of blows which prevented their promising career from taking off.

Death And Destiny was later expanded into a full album, which was never given an official release. Record company disputes and bad luck contrived to break the spirit of the group, who called it a day in 1983.

Singer Vince High says: "There has been continued interest in Mythra over the years and the promoters of Brofest invited us to perform last year, but work commitments from some of our guys meant it couldn't happen.

"We are, however, playing on Friday, February 27. It is our first gig in over 30 years and we're all really looking forward to it and sounding great in rehearsals." Read more here.




Renaissance Reissuing Classic Live Albums
(Prog) Two Renaissance live albums from the 1970s will be re-released by Cleopatra Records in the coming months. DeLane Lea Studios, from 1973, appears on February 3. It was recorded in the iconic premises before a small gathering of the band's friends and features seven tracks with guest appearances by Andy Powell and Al Stewart.

Academy Of Music, originally launched in 1974, will follow on March 31. Taped in New York during the band's Ashes Are Burning tour, the double-disc title contains nine tracks.

Renaissance last year launched latest album Symphony Of Light, a revised version of 2013's Grandine Il Vento. It was their final work with guitarist Michael Dunford, who died after its completion. Read more here.




The Gentle Storm Go Behind The Scenes In New Video
(Prog) The Gentle Storm have issued a behind-the-scenes clip from the making of their upcoming album The Diary. The collaboration between Ayeron mastermind Arjen Lucassen and The Gathering singer Anneke van Giersbergen launch the record in Europe on March 23 via InsideOut.

They premiered the lyric video for the track Endless Sea exclusively through Prog and TeamRock earlier this month. Now they've released the first update video from the recording process.

Lucassen says: "The moment I first heard Anneke singing with The Gathering back in the 90s I have loved her voice and knew I just had to work with her.

"Back then she was super busy so it took some persuading to get her to guest on my Ayeron album Into The Electric Castle. As I was working on this album and the tracks were slowly taking shape, I realised there was only one singer I knew could do the job - Anneke."

And Lucassen explains that before he could ask her if she wanted to take part in the project, van Giersbergen got in touch first to ask about a collaboration new material.

He continues: "Before I could even fire off an email to her, she actually emailed me and asked if I felt like writing a few tracks together with her - talk about an amazing coincidence. We got together and right from the start we were on the same wavelength and complemented and inspired each other." Read more and watch the video here.




Vardis Announce New Member
(Classic Rock) Vardis have named Joe Clancy as their new drummer after the departure of Gary Pearson. And the veteran NWOBHM outfit say they're dedicated to ensuring they don't become a nostalgia act following their reunion in 2013 after splitting in 1986.

Guitarist Steve Zodiac and bassist Terry Horbury say: "Gary has indicated he can no longer continue as a member of Vardis, and we wish him luck in his future endeavours.

"It won't be the same, but nor should it be - rock 'n' roll has always embraced change, and so do we. We didn't reform this band for a nostalgia trip, like some West End jukebox musical or an overdue testimonial, but because we love the music and still have unfinished business with it." Read more here.



LongFallBoots Streaming New Album Online
(TeamRock Radio) LongFallBoots are exclusively streaming their new full-length album, "Wait For The Echo," with TeamRock's Metal Hammer. Taking influence from the likes of Melvins, Kyuss and Deftones, LongFallBoots create one heavy, distortion-fuelled racket.

Speaking about the album and the recording process, the band say: "We spent the first year and a half of the band's existence locked away in the studio releasing a bunch of EPs, with our 'write it in a night, record it in a weekend' regime.

"As we were starting to prepare our live show our friend persuaded us (after a lot of arguments) to put out a full-length album. He got the timing about right because after we'd put in the hours really understanding what our sound is, Wait For The Echo is the truest representation of what we're about: keeping it heavy and fuzzy, but working in that melody with it."





The Cadillac Three Announce UK Tour
(The Blues The Cadillac Three have announced a six-date UK tour starting in March. The US band were in the country for three shows in December to support the release of single Get Your Buzz On. And as they take in the news that they've been nominated for two Grammy awards, the group also reveal they'll be back for a longer run of shows.

Singer/guitarist Jaren Johnston, who is nominated in two categories for production and songwriting at next month's 57th Grammy Awards, says: "What a great honour. I got urgent calls from my family just as soon as we landed in Europe before Christmas, and when that happens you're always worried that bad news might be coming. I couldn't have been more wrong. Good times."

The tour starts at the Slade Rooms, Wolverhampton on March 4 and culminates at Dingwalls, London on March 10. Drummer Neil Mason says: "We ended 2014 with some great shows in the UK, and we promised to keep coming back as long as y'all will have us." Read more including the dates here.



E Street Band Member In The Dark About Bruce Springsteen's Plans
(Classic Rock) The E Street Band's keyboardist Roy Bittan says he knows as much as fans do about future live dates with Bruce Springsteen. And he says there's no point asking him as he's in the dark and waiting for The Boss to reveal his plans.

He tells Rolling Stone: "People always want to know what we're doing. I understand that. The music business is generally one in which people make plans far in advance, and they don't veer from their plans.

"But with Bruce, it's just simply that he writes songs, he makes an album and then he figures out where he wants to go and play. There's always some plans in the mix but until he says, 'The album is done, let's go,' I don't ever really know.

"It's kind of been that way for 40 years. I just go along with it and I'm sure at some point he's gonna say, 'OK, this is what I want to do," and it'll happen. But until then, it's just as much a waiting game for me as it is for the fans." Read more here.




Singled Out: Pryti's Insomnia
Today Pryti tells us about her new single "Insomnia" from her forthcoming album "Tales Of A Melancholic," which is set to be released on February 16th. Here is the story:

When I was writing "Tales of a Melancholic" I was working on a lot of song ideas and chord progressions. I had three songs left to write Bitter Pill was pretty much done and one day I decided I wanted to write a song called Insomnia. I took a day to build the story in my head. Insomnia is about losing something, looking back and realising what you have lost and not being able to get over it. I always have a scene in my head when I write a song like it could be in a film. One of the chord progressions I was working on then became the chorus and I started singing "Say you'll be here tonight, cause there's been too much plaguing my mind…" The chorus is about wanting to talk things over and to get closure so you can move on.

Part of the first verse then came to me. The first verse is about being stuck in a good memory but in reality it's not like that anymore. I was getting writers block so I decided to watch some TV and after that I finished Bitter Pill and nearly finished Angst. The next day I sang the chorus for Insomnia with my guitar and I went into the bridge and started singing 'I can't tell you I can't tell you what I really want to say…' The bridge is about not having the courage to say what you want to say. I finished writing the rest of the song that day which was awesome and a relief. The second verse is about wondering how you got to this place and starting to get over things. The end of the song is about not having courage and walking away.

I always write the basis of my songs first and then I write all the riffs once everything else is recorded. When I was in the studio with my producer Justin Hill he put some delay on my guitar and I was playing a couple ideas and then the main riff came out. I love moments like that studio magic does exist. The main riff at the beginning brings the drama and helps the song to build and the riff at the end adds to the drama of whats going to happen oh she gave in.

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






Aerosmith Preview Concert Film Ahead Of Theatrical Release
(hennemusic) Aerosmith are sharing a preview of "Aerosmith Rocks Donington 2014", a new live DVD that will premiere in US cinemas on February 26. The package features Aerosmith's headline performance on June 15, 2014 as they closed the final night of the Download Festival in Donington Park.

"It's always an absolute hoot that leaves me howling at the moon, performing at Donington we couldn't have had a better time on stage that night," says Steven Tyler. "I could feel the vibes of all the greats pulsing through the stage like AC DC, Rage Against the Machine, Metallica and so many more."

"We have played Donington many times but this performance was one of our best," said Joe Perry. "Thanks to our fans who were there who helped us make it a night to remember. We are proud to have it be part of this theatrical series and it will give our fans who weren't there around the world a chance to relive an ass kicking night of rock and roll."

Watch the preview here.

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Blackberry Smoke Stream New Song 'Rock And Roll Again'
(The Blues Blackberry Smoke have released a stream of their track Rock And Roll Again. It's taken from their album Holding All The Roses, set for launch on February 9 via Earache.

Frontman Charlie Starr has explained the title by saying: "If there's a feeling of competition and you feel like you're winning, what is it that you actually win? We're all winners - but if we all win, who cares?"

Blackberry Smoke have also announced that they will be supporting the album release with the launch of a US tour on February 6 and remain on the road until May 9.

Stream the new song here.

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Fall Out Boy Admit They're 'Too Pop For Rock And Too Rock For Pop'
(TeamRock Radio) Pete Wentz says Fall Out Boy's joint tour with rapper Wiz Khalifa makes sense as both acts find themselves wedged between genres. The bass player says FOB are "too pop for rock and too rock for pop" and believes Khalifa is in a similar situation in the hip hop world.

And he reveals the band expect to write and record new music with Khalifa, which could see the light of day before the Boys Of Zummer tour begins in June. Wentz tells Canoe.ca: "It feels sometimes like Fall Out Boy is an island right now. We're too pop for rock and too rock for pop. Where do we fit into the whole thing?

"And looking at Wiz Khalifa, it kind of looks like a similar situation to him as far as hip hop and where he stands within it. He's kind of in hip hop but he's kind of in pop, and when you have a foot in both worlds it's like you have a foot in neither.

"So it just made sense for us. And we're going to do some music together that will hopefully get out before summer." Read more here.

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ZZ Top Rock Jimmy Kimmel
(Radio.com) If, for some reason, you missed ZZ Top's excellent 2012 album, La Futura, that's your bad. But the legendary Texan trio hit the stage of Jimmy Kimmel Live on Monday night to remind you of the centerpiece of that record, "I Gotsta Get Paid."

You might remember the song from its use in a memorable commercial for Jeremiah Weed, a company that specializes in whiskey-based drinks. But the song itself has its origins with a substance even more mind-altering than booze.

It's not quite a cover, but "I Gotsta Get Paid" draws heavily from "25 Lighters," a song by Texas hip-hop artist DJ DMD, an ode the practice of gutting Bic lighters to hide crack cocaine in them. DJ DMD and his collaborators on the track, Fat Pat and Lil Keke, each got co-songwriting credit on the ZZ Top track. The song, and the entire La Futura album was produced by Rick Rubin, someone who knows a little something about combining rock and hip-hop.

ZZ didn't just sing about the joys of crack espionage on Kimmel, though. For those who aren't familiar with their newer material, they also rocked their ode the female booty, "Tush."

Watch it here.

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Pre-Yes Band Mabel Greer's Toyshop Share Behind The Scenes Video
(Prog) Mabel Greer's Toyshop have released a behind-the-scenes rehearsal video as they prepare for the release of their debut album. A New Way Of Life will be issued on March 9 and will feature new versions of early Yes tracks Beyond & Before and Sweetness.

The band - which formed in 1966 and morphed into Yes two years later - announced they had reformed last year and that they planned to release what will be their first album under the Mabel Greer's Toyshop banner.

The new video footage shows founding members Clive Bayley and Robert Hagger in rehearsals in France. It features the track Electric Funeral, which was previously made available to stream.

Watch the video here.

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JJ Grey & Mofro Preview New Album Ol' Glory
(The Blues JJ Grey & Mofro have launched a stream containing clips from all 12 songs on upcoming album Ol' Glory. The follow-up to 2013's This River is released on February 23 via Provogue Records.

The label reports: "Ol' Glory contains 12 new songs that feature the deep, soulful blend of blues, rock, folk, funk, gospel, gritty R&B and personal, Southern-inspired narratives that have become synonymous with JJ Grey & Mofro. "The material reflects two themes that run through their entire body of work - a strong sense of place, and finding happiness with where you are in life."

JJ Grey & Mofro will tour the US in February and March, then kick off a European journey with an appearance at London's Islington Academy on March 18.

Check out the preview here.

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Glass Hammer Preview New Album 'The Breaking Of The World'
(Prog) Glass Hammer have released a new video trailer for upcoming 17th studio album The Breaking Of The World, and confirmed its release date of March 31st.

The follow-up to last year's Ode To Echo will be available to pre-order on March 1 via the band's website. Mainmen Steve Babb and Fred Schendel are joined by Kamran Alan Shikoh, Carl Groves, Aaron Raulston and Susie Bogdanowicz.

Babb tells Prog of the nine-track release: "We've just wrapped up what has to be the best-sounding Glass Hammer album in years. We're all very happy with this one!"

Watch the trailer here.

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Rush's Neil Peart Teases R40 Icon Snare
(hennemusic) Rush drummer Neil Peart has released a preview video for the new R40 Icon snare drum in advance of the band's R40 40th anniversary tour. The R40 Icon snare is expected to be available this spring.

Peart teamed with DW Drum Designer John Good to create a one-of-a kind R40 kit crafted from Romanian River Oak and a plethora of intricate laser-cut exotic woods.

To commemorate Rush's 40th Anniversary and the making of the R40 kit, a limited number of 250 replica Icon snare drums will be produced. The 6.5x14", 13-ply VLT Oak shell is sealed in clear, high-gloss lacquer and complemented by gold-plated hardware.

A signed-and-numbered certificate of authenticity and deluxe carrying bag will accompany each drum and a percentage of the proceeds will benefit Neil's charity of choice. Read more and watch the video here.

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Beth Hart Previews New Album 'Better Than Home'
(The Blues Beth Hart has confirmed the launch of seventh album Better Than Home on April 13 via Provogue - and she's also revealed a trailer video to preview the release.

The 11-track title is described as "highly emotional" but it's not an exploration of Hart's notoriously troubled life, which has seen her fighting against bipolar disorder, drink and drug addictions and a difficult upbringing.

Provogue say: "Instead, Beth chooses to find the good things that have been there all along - accepting and loving her parents for who they really are, appreciating a good husband, facing her fears head-on, and ultimately finding ways to heal and convert that positive energy into music that moves people.

"This is an incredibly moving record that's going to reach people on a very personal level, because a one-of-a-kind artist found the perfect formula for exposing her very private inner voice and empowering it with her legendary outer voice."

Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Tim Abrigg Jr. Rants/Raves:: Today's Day in Rock News!

Tim Abrigg Jr. Rants/Raves:: Today's Day in Rock News!: Today's Day in Rock Tom DeLonge Addresses Blink-182 Controversy Tom DeLonge has released a letter to fans explaining his side...

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