Today's Day in Rock News!

Today's Day in Rock


Black Sabbath Announce 'Farewell' Concert
"This will be Black Sabbath's farewell," proclaims Sharon Osbourne in the announcement video for Ozzfest Japan which will be taking place in Makuhari Messe on November 22nd.

The festival will feature Korn headlining on the first night and Black Sabbath taking the top spot on the second night. Sharon had this to say in the promo video, "Ozzfest will be back in Japan on Nov. 21 and 22 and this will be Black Sabbath's farewell. We're also announcing Korn, who are celebrating their 20th anniversary. Now you can't miss that."

While it sounds like Ozzy Osbourne's wife and manager was announced that this would be the final show in the legendary heavy metal band's career, media outlet are speculating that this will be their final Japanese appearance and part of their overall retirement tour plans.

Ozzy addressed the band's retirement plans in an interview with Metal Hammer last September. Speaking about the band's relationship for their latest studio album, 13, he also explained their final plans as a band would involve another album and tour.

"The whole Sabbath experience this time around was great We all made friends, we didn't f- around," Ozzy said, "We all knew that we had a job to do and we did it. It was a lot of fun. So we're going to do one more album and a final tour."

The next month, Ozzy told Times-Picayune, "I'm doing one more Black Sabbath tour, one more Black Sabbath album, and then we're disbanding the name, I believe. And then after that, I'll be doing my solo stuff."

He also expressed his hope that the farewell plans would involve original drummer Bill Ward. "It would be great for him to get it together and sort all the problems out for the next tour," Ozzy said. "It would be a great way for the four of us to end such a wonderful experience of being Black Sabbath, and what we achieved."





Slipknot Guitarist Criminally Charged For Knife Fight
(TeamRock Radio) Slipknot guitarist Mick Thomson and his brother Andrew have both been charged with disorderly conduct following a knife fight at the guitarist's home earlier this month.

The pair were hurt when a fight started indoors at the guitarist's home in Clive, Iowa in the early hours of March 11 before moving outside to the property's front yard in a struggle that left the musician with a stab wound in his head.

Both men, who police said were intoxicated, were taken to hospital with non life-threatening injuries before being released. According to The Des Moines Register, a police investigation has determined that both brothers were responsible for the assault, resulting in the pair being charged with disorderly conduct by fighting. Read more here.




Tom DeLonge Explains Blink-182 Drama, Plans 4 Albums This Year
Tom DeLonge won't be busy with Blink-182 this year but he has revealed his ambitious plans to release four new albums this year and explains in an online post why the "Blink stuff went haywire.'

DeLonge announced his album release plans via Twitter last week. He tweeted "I am putting out 4 albums in one year - this year." He then posted another message giving more details, "To clarify, 2 albums with Angels [and Airwaves], 2 albums from myself. 3 of them are released with novels. This has been in the works for a couple of years."

He followed up with a post on Intagram, providing more details and explaining that these new album commitments were the reason behind his inability to work with Blink-182.

He wrote, "One of the reasons all this Blink stuff went haywire was because I am in 6 contracts with Best Selling Authors that are co-writing 15 Novels with me personally. Each one has an EP soundtrack that launches with it.

"I told my manager the contract that was sent to me for the Blink deal contained weird new language that I had to drop all that music for almost a year. I said I couldn't, but I could record the album in and around those things that were already in the works.

"He wrote them an email saying I'm out- (I didn't know- and he was only talking about the deal) next thing you know, a press release saying things I didn't say. Here we are….. Well…. Read a f-king book- at least one of mine, please. Christ."

His first album release, entitled "To the Stars," is set to be released on April 20th in various formats. DeLonge is taking preorders here.




Original Santana Singer Gregg Rolie Joins Carlos Santana On Tour
Original Santana singer and keyboardist Gregg Rolie has reunited with Carlos Santana on the legendary guitarist's current tour of Mexico which kicked off on Saturday (March 21st).

The tour began on Saturday at Arena Monterrey in Monterrey, Mexico and continues tonight in Veracruz, Mexico at the Cumbre Tajin Festival: Parque Takilhsukut.

Thursday and Friday will find Carlos and Rolie sharing the stage with their former Santana bandmate Neal Schon when they play co-headline shows with Journey in Guadalajara and Mexico City. Rolie and Schon left Santana to form Journey in 1973.

Carlos Santana's website had this to say about these special shows, "We are proud to announce that Gregg Rolie will be joining Carlos and the Band on stage for 4 very special shows in Mexico this month.

"He will perform with Carlos and the Band in Monterrey, MX, Cumbre Tajin Festival and at 2 special co-headline events with Journey in Guadalajara and Mexico City." See the remaining dates here.




Vital Remains Frontman Breaks Two Ribs During Concert
Vital Remains frontman Brian Werner fractured two ribs during the band's concert in Santiago, Chile last Thursday night. Despite his injured he managed to complete the set.

On Thursday, Werner posted for the following message on Facebook, "Last show in Santiago last night and during the 3rd of 10 songs of the set the crowd dropped me and I hit the corner of a cement bench and broke two ribs.

"Then in absolute blinding pain and struggling to breathe I finished the set and went straight to the hospital, just to confirm two fractured ribs and 3 contusions. Man up."

On Friday he posted, "Back in the urgent care to get my ribs checked out. None of they pharmacies will fill my prescription from a Chilean hospital and I'm in blinding pain."






Late AC/DC Singer Bon Scott's Estate Refuse Story Rights For Biopic
The production company behind a planned biopic about late AC/DC singer Bon Scott is moving forward with their plans for the film, despite the refusal of the legendary singer's estate to sell them story rights, according to BraveWords.

A representative of the U.S. based production company High Voltage Productions, LLC, tells BraveWords, "The Bon Scott Estate is simply refusing any financial offer at all to option the story rights or cooperate in any way with the development of the film.

"Our company even offered participation in the project both creatively and financially upon agreement. Our legal team has made it quite clear that we do not even need to secure or option story rights as Mr. Scott is deceased and the Estate cannot preclude us from making an unauthorized biopic or docudrama. It was vetted through two lawyers at Stanford Law School, as well as our own legal team.

"They are cutting off their nose to spite their face. We have had threats of lawsuits, joinders, cease and desist orders, and threats against our star for God's sake! All in the name of making a movie…" Read the report here.




Mike Portnoy Helps Adrenaline Mob Pay Tribute To AJ Pero
(TeamRock Radio) Former Adrenaline Mob drummer Mike Portnoy rejoined his old bandmates to perform a show in New Jersey on Saturday following the sudden death of AJ Pero from an apparent heart attack on Friday.

Adrenaline Mob issued a statement announcing Pero's passing in Poughkeepsie, New York at the age of 55 while on tour on Friday. The band paid tribute to Pero with a performance close to the group's hometown of New York.

Ahead of the gig, Adrenaline Mob said: "Tonight we honor the passing of our beloved Adrenaline Mob brother AJ Pero by performing at Starland Ballroom in NJ. AJ put his heart and soul into Adrenaline Mob and would want nothing more than for the show to go on. Playing in memory of Anthony Jude Pero tonight will be Mike Portnoy and Chad Szeliga."

Portnoy added: "I will be sitting in this evening to help out my Adrenaline Mob brothers in their time of need to honour and pay tribute to our friend AJ Pero tonight at the Starland Ballroom in NJ." Read more here.





Faces Determined To Reunite This Year
(Classic Rock) Faces drummer Kenney Jones says his surviving colleagues are more determined than ever to reunite - and they want to do it this year. He insists their shows will feature the presence of a bartender on stage, harking back to their iconic performances of the 1970s.

And he believes the long-discussed move is more important than ever following the death of keyboardist Ian 'Mac' McLagan in December. Speculation has been circulating since 2008 that Rod Stewart would go back to work with Ronnie Wood, McLagan and Jones.

The closest a reunion has come was when Mick Hucknall fronted the band in 2010, then when Stewart bowed out of their Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction at short notice in 2012.

Jones tells the Austin Chronicle: "Rod, Woody and me are still going to do the Faces this year. When we do we'll have the bartender on stage again - and a coffee machine for Woody." Read more here.




Def Leppard To Embark On 'Hysteria on the High Seas'
Def Leppard is the latest band to launch their very own cruise. The veteran rock group announced on Friday that the inaugural "Hysteria on the High Seas" will be sailing from January 21-25 of next year.

The band revealed the following initial details, "You and Def Leppard will set sail from beautiful Miami, FL sailing 4 nights on the elegant MSC Divina. Your days and nights will be filled with music, theme nights, and special events.

"During your Caribbean adventure we will be stopping at Half Moon Cay (a private island), Freeport, Bahamas plus a full Day At Sea… Be prepared to get wet, wild and ready to rock!" See the full announcement here.



Amon Amarth Part Ways With Fredrik Andersson After 17 Years
(TeamRock Radio) Amon Amarth have split with drummer Fredrik Andersson after 17 years, he's confirmed. But they won't discuss the reasons behind the move, which takes place as they write the follow-up to 2013's Deceiver Of The Gods.

Andersson broke the news to fans with the following, "I am no longer the drummer in Amon Amarth. We have decided to part ways and I wish them all the best in future.

"I will not answer any questions about why or how, simply because it's private. I want to thank everyone that I've met through Amon Amarth. It's been a long sweet ride - but now it's time for something new." Read more here.




Devildriver Reveal New Guitarist
(TeamRock Radio) Devildriver have confirmed Neal Tiemann as the guitarist who's replaced Jeff Kendrick. The band lineup is now complete again, after departed drummer John Boecklin was replaced by Austin D'Amon.

The new guitarist, Tiemann, is a member of American Idol winner David Cook's band The Anthemic, and he has also worked with Midwest Kings and Burn Halo.

DevilDriver frontman Dez Fafara posted a picture of Tiemann on Instagram, along with the caption: "Ladies and gents, please welcome Neal to the lineup. Let the groove times roll." Read more here.




Zakk Wylde Plans Book Of Shadows Volume II
(Classic Rock) Zakk Wylde will release his second solo album next year, his wife and manager has revealed. The follow-up to 1996's Book Of Shadows - to be entitled Book Of Shadows Volume II - will be recorded this year, once Wylde wraps up his Black Label Society Unblackened acoustic tour.

The 2016 release will coincide with the 20th anniversary of the original Book Of Shadows album and will be followed with a solo world tour, Barbaranne Wylde tells The Examiner.

She says: "We are excited to announce that Zakk is entering the studio after this Unblackened spring 2015 tour to record Book of Shadows Volume II, which will be released early 2016." Read more here.



Former Ratt Frontman Stephen Pearcy Releasing Rarities
(Classic Rock) Former Ratt frontman Stephen Pearcy has announced that will be releasing a career-spanning compilation featuring tracks from all of his various projects down the years.

Pearcy revealed that he plans to release "Before & Laughter Part III (1977-2015)" on his own Top Fuel Records label in "the next few weeks." Pearcy says:

"I have literally hundreds of cassettes, CD and every format of recordings over the last 30-plus years and decided to really get into it and find the charms. I was surprised to find some great music with my bands and projects that should be heard." Read more here.




Jeff Beck Expands Live At Ronnie Scott's For Reissue
(Classic Rock) Jeff Beck is to release an expanded version of his 2007 live package recorded at Ronnie Scott's. The 2CD/3LP Performing This Week... Live At Ronnie Scott's - Special Edition is issued on June 1 via Eagle Rock and delivers full audio from the London shows for the first time, adding a pair of tracks with guest Eric Clapton as well as the full seven-song set with the rhythm and blues revival outfit The Big Town Playboys - previously only available on the 2009 companion Blu-ray release.

Guest appearances by Joss Stone and Imogen Heap are also featured, as they were on the original package, which won Beck a 2009 Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Rock performance for his version of The Beatles classic A Day In The Life.

Following the five-night run, Beck explained how he approached preparing a setlist for such an intimate venue. Beck said: "It was slightly modified from the big stage, in terms of length. We edited out some long-winded solos or extended them if they were too short, but mostly we just left out what we felt wasn't appropriate for Ronnie's." Read more including the tracklisting here.




Halestorm Receive Their First Gold Record
(Classic Rock) Halestorm were presented with the first gold record of their career on March 20 in Sweden for their single I Miss The Misery. They were handed the prize for the track taken from from 2012 album The Strange Case Of… as they prepared for their March 21 show in Stockholm.

I Miss The Misery followed the lead single Love Bites (So Do I), which earned the group a Grammy Award in the Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance category.

Frontwoman Lzzy Hale says: "We've never gone gold with anything, so that's awesome." The news is the result of The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) in Sweden changing its charts to include on-demand audio and/or video song streams, which are now also counted towards the threshold required for gold and platinum certifications. Read more here.




Nuclear Assault Releasing 'Old School Thrash' EP
(Classic Rock) Nuclear Assault will release a four-song EP entitled Pounder on June 1. The project marks the band's first EP since 1988's Good Times, Bad Times, and their first studio recording since 2005 album Third World Genocide.

The veteran thrash group described the new release as follows, "Brand New EP with four killer old school thrash tunes written by Dan Lilker and John Connelly."

The group was formed after Lilker left Anthrax in 1984, and late last year the bassist revealed his plans to wrap up the band's career after three decades with a final album and tour. It is not clear whether the Pounder EP will be the farewell record, or whether an album will follow.

Lilker said: "In 2015, it will be 30 years since Nuclear Assault solidified our lineup and started making a name for ourselves. To commemorate this, the band will write and record another album and play some shows for a final assault." Read more here.




The Dead Daisies Recruit Former Motley Crue Singer
(Classic Rock) Former Motley Crue singer John Corbabi has joined supergroup The Dead Daisies for their second album, Revolucion. He'll front the band, which will feature Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne drummer Tommy Clufetos, for their European tour supporting Kiss.

They extended an invitation to him after he appeared with them at a peace concert in Cuba, where writing sessions began. Recording is now underway in Australia, with the release planned for June 1 via INgrooves.

Corabi says: "The Dead Daisies have been an absolute blast for me so far. The guys are all great musicians, and also incredibly easy to work with." Read more here.




Beth Hart Plans Third Album With Joe Bonamassa
(Classic Rock) Beth Hart has revealed plans are underway for her to team up with Joe Bonamassa for a third album. The pair released Don't Explain in 2011 and Seesaw in 2013 - and now she's looking forward to doing it all again next year.

Hart tells The Blues Magazine in an exclusive interview and session: "I hear a rumour through my manager, and I've talked with our producer, Kevin Shirley. He and my manager have let me know there's a possibility Joe and I will be making another record together in 2016.

"This is something very exciting - every time I make a record with him I have the best time touring it." But she admits it won't be plain sailing when she returns to Shirley's studio. Read more here.




Jimi Hendrix Park To Break Ground Next Month
(The Blues Building work on a public park in Seattle, Washington devoted to the memory of Jimi Hendrix will begin next month, says the foundation behind the plans.

Approval was granted by local authorities in Seattle last year. Now the construction contrast has been awarded and the job is expected to be completed in the autumn.

Hendrix's sister Janie, who looks after his catalogue and is director of the park foundation, says: "This is the culmination of years of hard work, creative input and generosity.

"It's our hope that, for generations, it will exist as more than just a point of interest, but a place of homage to one of Seattle's own. The landscaping, the design and the ambience will all mimic the persona of Jimi." Read more here.




Mike Rutherford Agrees With Hackett's Criticism Of Genesis Documentary
(Classic Rock) Mike Rutherford says Genesis agreed with Steve Hackett when he said documentary film Together And Apart was a "biased account" of the band's history.

He's revealed they demanded changes after seeing the first edit to give him more screen time. But he rejects the idea that Hackett has any reason to feel marginalised from the band he left in 1977.

Rutherford tells TeamRock: "The BBC documentary was a nice thing to do, although I know it upset Steve, and I tend to agree with him. I emailed him to say that.

"That wasn't our fault. We weren't entirely in charge. The first cut was shocking - Steve was barely in anything. So we said it wasn't right and he's in the second version a lot more."

Hackett has suggested in the past that there was always some distance between him and the rest of Genesis. Read Rutherford's reaction to that here.




Motorhead Releasing Limited-Edition Vannen Watches
(hennemusic) Motorhead have partnered with Vannen Watches to launch a series of limited edition timepieces. The product line will be revealed on Thursday, March 26th.

Currently in a Los Angeles studio working on their 22nd album, Motorhead have just announced the lineup for the 2015 edition of their Motorboat cruise.

Motorhead will be joined by Slayer, Anthrax, Suicidal Tendencies, Hatebreed, Exodus, Crobot, Phil Campbell's All Starr Band, Motor Sister, Kyng, Fireball Ministry, Huntress and more for the event, which runs September 28 through October 2 aboard the Norwegian Sky. Read more here.




Anekdoten Releasing First Studio Album In Eight Years
(Prog) Anekdoten have confirmed the launch of sixth album Until All The Ghosts Are Gone next month, which will be the Swedish outfit's first studio title in eight years.

Nicklas Barker, Ann Sofi Dahlberg, Jan Erik Liljestrom and Peter Nordins have confirmed a number of guests who'll appear on the follow-up to 2007's A Time Of Day.

They include former Opeth keyboardist Per Wiberg, King Crimson and Steven Wilson collaborator Theo Travis, plus Marty Wilson-Piper of The Church and All About Eve fame.

Anekdoten bassist Liljestrom says: "Our ambition was to take things to a higher level - and I believe we succeeded. Listening to one song will take you to quite a few different places, and listening through the whole thing is quite a journey. I feel this is music to get excited about." Read more here.





Robert Plant and Jack White Jam Led Zeppelin Classic
(hennemusic) Robert Plant joined Jack White to perform the Led Zeppelin classic, "The Lemon Song", at Lollapalooza Argentina on Saturday. Both artists were on the bill on the opening day of the weekend festival in Buenos Aires.

Last fall, when Plant was launching his latest album, "lullaby and...The Ceaseless Roar", the singer said he was interested in working with the former White Stripes leader.

When asked by a fan during a Facebook chat if he would consider recording with White, Plant replied, "I love Jack White's buccaneer spirit, and the way he dodges through the musical horizons. I'd be happy to make a single with him."

"I'd like to do a track called 'Love Me' which was originally recorded by The Phantom," he added at the time. "In fact, I'm going to Nashville on Sunday and can do it on Monday morning! I've got lunch with Alison Krauss at 2pm and cocktails with Patty Griffin at 8pm."

While that schedule didn't work out for the pair, both are on the road supporting their latest projects: Plant with "lullaby.." and White with his second solo release, "Lazaretto."






Scott Weiland, Guns N' Roses, Disturbed Supergroup Preview Album
(Classic Rock) Art Of Anarchy have released a trailer for their debut album and confirmed it will be released on June 8 via Another Century. The band features Guns N' Roses guitarist Ron 'Bumblefoot' Thal, Disturbed bassist John Moyer, Jon Votta on guitar and his brother Vince on drums.

Vocals on the self-titled record are handled by former Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver frontman Scott Weiland, although he has since said he is not a member of he group and was only hired for recording purposes..

The band say: "We're all excited our album will be released worldwide on Century Media/Another Century and the public will finally hear what this band stands for."

Weiland moved quickly to distance himself from the band after it was initially thought he was onboard permanently. He said he was never a member and that his focus was on his own act, Scott Weiland And The Wildabouts. Read more and check out the preview here.




Korn Exited To Play Full Debut Album Live
(Classic Rock) Korn bassist Reginald 'Fieldy' Arvizu says performing the band's 1994 self-titled album in its entirety for its 20th anniversary is "kind of cool." Frontman Jonathan Davis last year revealed the group's plan to play Korn in full - including the controversial song Daddy, which Davis maintained would never be performed.

Following a 10-date UK tour with Slipknot in January, the nu-metal veterans launched their 20th anniversary trek in Las Vegas on March 13. Fieldy tells Heavy Metal Television: "This is our third show doing the first Korn album all the way through - from beginning to end, as it goes in order. I mean, just exactly like the way you listen to it.

"The more I've run into people, they're, like, 'Dude, I used to have your Korn cassette tape and it'd be in my car. I'd just listen to it over and over every day.' So, back in the day, people did that. So it's kind of cool." Read more here.




New Anthrax Song 'Soror Irrumator' Streaming Online
(hennemusic) Anthrax are streaming their new track, "Soror Irrumator", as featured on "Catch The Throne: The Mixtape Volume 2" from the HBO fantasy series Game Of Thrones.

Building on the success of Volume 1 - with over 2.5M streams to date - Volume II features Method Man, Snoop Dogg and Yandel and transcends genres by adding metal bands Anthrax, Killswitch Engage, Mushroomhead and Mastodon to the mixtape lineup.

Produced by Launch Point Records, the 15-song mixtape features diverse artists representing Game Of Thrones families, leveraging themes and highlights from Season 4. The Anthrax tune can be heard here.




Coverdale Tried To Be Respectful With New Deep Purple Tribute Album
(Classic Rock) Whitesnake frontman David Coverdale says the band's forthcoming Deep Purple tribute record, The Purple Album, delivers on his plan to honour the group that gave him his first big break.

Set for a UK release on May 18, the project presents a collection of reimagined tracks from Coverdale's time fronting the Mark III and IV versions of Purple from 1973 to 1976.

The singer says he executed his planned tribute to each of his former bandmates with Whitesnake, which features new addition Joel Hoesktra from Night Ranger following the departure of longtime guitarist Doug Aldrich - now with Revolution Saints.

Coverdale tells Billboard: "Everyone did their homework, and every performance is done respectfully in honour of Deep Purple's musicians. Though I focused on the twin-guitar attack of Whitesnake, we had a guest keyboard player because a huge part of the Deep Purple sound was Jon Lord playing that amazing Hammond organ.

"There were respectful nods to the original musicians throughout the album, and it has come out delightfully. It's a tribute to Jon Lord, Ian Paice and Ritchie Blackmore, who gave me my break in the first place." Read more here.





In Flames' Anders Friden Makes Metallica Confession
(TeamRock Radio) In Flames singer Anders Friden skipped school to buy Metallica's ...And Justice For All - but he fears the excitement of similar experiences has been lost in the digital age.

Friden recalls the thrill of waiting for new music in the days before the web made it almost impossible to keep anything under wraps. He tells The Rave TV: "I skipped school just to be there when they released …And Justice For All. It was so important. You couldn't get it in advance - you might have heard some songs on the radio. Being Swedish, we didn't have that many radio shows anyway."

But he adds: "It's hard for us to get into the minds of young people today. We started before the internet, which is pretty crazy to say. Kids today have a different way, and for them, that's their way.

"I could go to record stores and stand there for hours and hours with a pile of vinyls, just listening through. I bought one, maybe two, if I was lucky. It was such a great feeling going home with that vinyl, instead of today when everything is out there for anyone to grab. The magic is gone somehow."

Read more and stream the full interview here.




Paul Di'Anno Talks Metal and Chaoz
(TeamRock Radio) The latest episode of Talking Metal features special guest co-host Victor Ruiz and includes new interviews Mark Strigl conducted with ex-Iron Maiden vocalist Paul Di'Anno and Full Devil Jacket vocalist Josh Brown.

Di'Anno talks about his band Architects of Chaoz, his new cover of Deep Purple's Soldier of Fortune, Whitesnake's Purple album, his upcoming knee surgery, Iron Maiden royalties and his plans to tour the US later this year.

The podcast also features a new song by Paul Di'Anno' Architects of Chaoz who will be releasing their new full-length album this May. Listen to the episode here.




Tony MacAlpine Streams Title Track To New Album 'Concrete Gardens'
(Prog) Tony MacAlpine has trailed the release of solo album Concrete Gardens with the stream of its title track. It's released on April 21 in a range of editions. MacAlpine tours the US in May and June, with more dates to be added.

The guitarist is joined by bassist Sean Delson and drummer Aquiles Priester on the 12-track work, which also includes guest appearances by guitarist Jeff Loomis and bassist Pete Griffin.

MacAlpine says: "Concrete Gardens is the culmination of a year of writing and performing in different lineups, allowing me to bring to you what I feel is my most valuable and honest musical effort to date."





IZZ Stream New Song 'Can't Feel The Earth, Part IV'
(Prog) New York prog ensemble IZZ have launched a stream of their track "Can't Feel The Earth, Part IV" from upcoming album Everlasting Instant. The follow-up to 2012's Crush Of Night completes a trilogy concept begun with 2009's The Darkened Room when it's released on April 7.

Mastermind Tom Galgano is joined on the album by vocalists Anmarie Byrnes and Laura Meade, guitarist Paul Bremner, bassist John Galgano and drummers Brian Coralian and Greg DiMiceli.

Galgano recently said: "Many of the melodies, rhythms and lyrics in Everlasting Instant began as seeds on the two previous albums, and they've come to fruition on this release.

"Listeners will recognize the subtle variations on prior themes, and they'll also be presented with an exciting collection of new musical ideas." Stream the song here.




Singled Out: S.O.G. (Rigor Mortis and Hallows Eve)
Doyle Bright of Rigor Mortis and Hallows Eve has a new band called S.O.G. (Special Operations Group) and today he tells us about the title track to their forthcoming debut album "If It Bleeds" which they expect to release mid-summer. Here is the story:

The subject of the SOG song "If It Bleeds" deals with the media and the title has a double meaning for sure. First of all the term if it bleeds has been used throughout the news industry for a long time now. In TV, radio, on the web and not to forget the old standard news paper or magazine. The term basically means... if a story contains blood, violence or any kind of tragedy then it leads news headlines.

Secondly, as some of the public are aware I was diagnosed with an incurable, inoperable brain tumor in 2005. One day while seeing my doctor I jokingly asked him "So doc... how long til I die"? With a calm wit he answered... "That depends on if it bleeds". So we really have two songs in one here.

The verses tell of both subjects I inner twined together. First, a numbed out, dumbed down, told what to do and completely programmed society. Only to be mirrored by myself from constant medications over the past ten years. In the song chorus I used the term "the feed" to describe the actual data being supplied by the media to the world. Therefore, "we call it the feed".

That's the song "If It Bleeds" in a nutshell... no physics here. "Whay do ya say"!

Tim Abrigg Jr.'s Rock and Roll News Of The Day!: Today's Day in Rock News!

Tim Abrigg Jr.'s Rock and Roll News Of The Day!: Today's Day in Rock News!: Today's Day in Rock Van Halen To Do Rare TV Performance (hennemusic) Van Halen will launch their latest release, "Tokyo ...

Today's Day in Rock News!

Today's Day in Rock


Van Halen To Do Rare TV Performance
(hennemusic) Van Halen will launch their latest release, "Tokyo Dome Live In Concert", with a rare TV performance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on Thursday, April 2nd and the show's promotion for the appearance hints at an upcoming tour.

"In a daytime exclusive, the California rockers will take over Ellen's stage to perform one of their favorite songs as they embark on their Greatest Hits Tour!," reads the listing on the program's website. "They're some of the most talented, wildest and most exciting musicians of all time.

"Nearly all of Van Halen's albums have gone triple platinum, featuring iconic records like 'You Really Got Me,' 'Runnin' With The Devil' and 'Dancing In The Street.' Ellen and her audience will be dancing through the aisles when Van Halen brings the heat to the room!"

The rare TV appearance comes just two days after the March 31 release of the group's first live album with David Lee Roth. Recorded live at the Japanese venue on June 21, 2013, the package features a 25-song set delivering material from the band's original, classic era and 2012's "A Different Kind Of Truth", the group's first studio album with Roth in almost 30 years.

Van Halen have issued an audio stream of their 1981 classic "Unchained" as a preview to the new album. Check it out here.




Metallica Offering Free Download
(hennemusic) Metallica are offering a free audio download of a corporate show that they played in San Francisco for cloud computing company Salesforce.com on February 9.

The band's career-spanning 14-song set is available at livemetallica.com. Metallica have previously shared video from the event, including a performance of their 1986 classic, "Master Of Puppets", and fan-filmed video from the show can be viewed here.

The group played the same event in 2011 when the company's chief executive officer, Marc Benioff, asked his neighbor - Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett - if they would perform. Read more here.




Rolling Stones Fans Don't Get What They Want On SatisfactionThursday
Rolling Stones fans didn't get much satisfaction on Thursday as the band failed to announce a North American tour as many expected when the legendary group started teasing an announcement with the hashtag
#‎SatisfactionThursday‬ late last week.

As we reported on Monday, the band began hinting at a big announcement via teases posted to their Facebook page with the hashtag #SatisfactionThursday, and a link to the website www.justakissaway.rocks which featured a video with footage of the band touring set to the their classic hit "Miss You" playing in the background. The site also featured the band's lips and tongue logo above the words "Get What You Need" and the #SatisfactionThursday hashtag, as well as a signup box for email alerts.

There was speculation that the band planned to announced the details to their rumored North American tour on Thursday, but instead the band removed the video and posted a contest sign up that said "Here's your chance to utter the immortal words, 'LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THE ROLLING STONES!' Grand prize includes a TRIP FOR TWO to an undisclosed location and a COMMEMORATIVE VIDEO shot by the Stones' official videographer."

So it appears they are giving a fan the opportunity to announce the band at a live performance. To add fuel to the tour rumor fire, the small print for the contest includes tour promoters AEG Live, LLC.

As for the tour announcement, WKRN reports that "the nationwide promoter's ticketing is being blamed for the delay" and the mayor of Nashville was forced postponed a planned announcement of a local show on Thursday.

Mayor Dean hinted at what the announcement would be on Wednesday when questioned by WKRN. "Let's just say, don't start me up on that topic," he joked. "I can't give you any satisfaction today answering your questions. And if you're gonna bug me about it, I'm gonna tell you to get off my cloud." Watch the video and read their report here.





Motley Crue's Vince Neil In Legal Battle Over Social Media Accounts
(hennemusic) Motley Crue frontman Vince Neil has found himself in a legal dispute over the control over his social media accounts and filed a lawsuit to get them back.

The Las Vegas Review Journal reports Neil has filed a lawsuit against an Oregon woman, Kristy Sinsara, in an effort to have her relinquish control of his social media accounts.

An agreement between the two gave Sinsara administrative control of his accounts while Neil retained ownership; while the singer's complaint confirms Sinsara created content for Neil on his behalf for a period of time, he claims she is making unauthorized posts that the public and his fans believe are being made by him. Read more here.




Video Of Blink-182's First Show With Matt Skiba Goes Online
(Radio.com) Blink-182 performed their first show in front of live audience last night with Alkaline Trio's Matt Skiba filling in for Tom DeLonge. "Meet your new mommy," Mark Hoppus said to the audience as he pointed at Skiba.

The normally brooding Alkaline Trio singer appeared to be very in-the-moment, smiling and playing off both Hoppus and Barker. And when it came time to sing lead vocals, Skiba delivered DeLonge's lines with relative ease, with a delivery similar enough to DeLonge's to keep the songs from sounding jarringly different yet with enough of his own personality injected to let the audience know he wasn't trying to be DeLonge.

Absent was the funny back-and-forth between the co-frontmen that fans are accustomed. But Hoppus made sure to deliver up a healthy does of potty humor leading sing-alongs for both "Happy Holidays, You Bastard" and, well, the other song that can't be described without being completely censored. You know the one. It's the one written to upset your mom.

Being the first show with Skiba, no professional video was permitted at the show, however, there was no shortage of fans holding their phones above their heads. The confetti cannons at the end made for a colorful finale to a pretty special evening. Enjoy some samples and the full setlist here.




Kurt Cobain Documentary To Hit Movie Theaters
(hennemusic) "Kurt Cobain: Montage Of Heck" director Brett Morgen has revealed the new documentary about the late Nirvana frontman will debut in three US cities in advance of its premiere on cable channel HBO on May 4.

"4/24 Montage of Heck will open in Los Angeles, Seattle, and New York City," tweeted Morgen, who oversaw the project with executive producer - and Cobain's daughter - Frances Bean.

Morgen has also announced a series of international cinema debuts, including Germany, Austria and Switzerland (April 9), the UK (April 10), Sweden (April 27), Italy, Australia and New Zealand (April 30).

A soundtrack album will feature unreleased material, including an epic, 12-minute acoustic song by the Nirvana frontman. Listen to the song, read more and see the trailer here.




Foo Fighters May Make Second Season Of Sonic Highways In The UK
(Classic Rock) The Foo Fighters could make a follow-up to their Sonic Highways documentary series - and it could focus on the UK. The eight-part run was created alongside the band's 2014 album, and it's set for a DVD release next month. The band used eight US studios to record their tracks, and produced a film about each location.

And although the Foos aren't likely to make an album the same way, there's no reason they can't make another set of TV shows - and drummer Taylor Hawkins could be the leading light.

Mainman Dave Grohl tells Billboard: "There might be a season two - there are a lot of studios." He adds: "Taylor is one to ask about UK studios. He's been to them all, even if they're kebab shops now.

"He'll show up and be like, 'You guys know that they f***ing recorded Queen's The Game in here, right?'" Taylor says: "They're hallowed ground. I think they're churches, man." Read more here.




Failed Deep Purple Reunion Attempt Inspired New Whitesnake Album
(Classic Rock) David Coverdale has explained how plans for a reunion with Deep Purple colleague Ritchie Blackmore led to the creation of Whitesnake's upcoming Purple Album.

The tribute work is released on May 18, and it's the first Whitesnake album to feature guitarist Joel Hoekstra in place of Doug Aldrich. Coverdale exclusively told Classic Rock how late Purple keyboardist Jon Lord had wanted the Mark III version of the band to reunite, and discussions took place after his death.

Now he says in an EPK video: "A lot of the ideas weren't appealing to me, unfortunately. But I was already doing preparatory work on these songs, hoping Ritchie would be open to bringing them up to date and reappraising some of them."

When he told his wife it was a shame that his work had been wasted, she asked, "Why don't you do it under the Whitesnake banner?"

Coverdale continues: "I took a little time to think about it, I spoke to my musicians and everybody was incredibly positive, so it was all systems go." Read more and watch the video clip here.




Cockney Rebel's Best Years Lineup Reunites
(Classic Rock) Steve Harley has reunited the surviving members of Cockney Rebel's Best Years Of Our Lives lineup for a 16-date UK tour. The shows will be the first time the lineup has played together with Harley since 1976.

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel's 1975 album Best Years Of Our Lives, guitarist Jim Cregan, drummer Stuart Elliot and keyboard player Duncan Mackay will join Harley on the tour, which kicks off in Manchester on November 2.

Harley says: "The three guys are still my mates. The fun we had back then, when we toured and recorded together, holds fabulous and special memories. I take life on the road a lot more seriously now, though, so they'd better be prepared.

"I'm thrilled to think they'll be up there on the great UK concert hall stages with me once again." Read more and see the dates here.




Jake E. Lee's Red Dragon Cartel Replace Lead Singer
(Classic Rock) Jake E Lee's Red Dragon Cartel have split with singer DJ Smith and replaced him with Michael Beck. Smith was part of the lineup put together by former Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Lee when he decided to come out of retirement in 2013.

The frontman's time with the band was overshadowed by negative reviews for their first-ever show, in which he appeared to be drunk and under-rehearsed. Lee later laughed off the incident.

Smith says: "It's true I left Red Dragon Cartel. It's kind of complicated, but I think it was the right thing to do. One day I'll comment more - for now, that's all, folks!" Read more here.




Paul Stanley Has 'Too Much Pride' For Original KISS Reunion
(Classic Rock) Paul Stanley has likened playing live with former KISS members Peter Criss and Ace Frehley to "spending a night with your ex wife." The frontman insists there was no way he was going to perform with the pair at last year's Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction.

Stanley tells News.com.au: "I enjoyed the Hall Of Fame in a twisted way. It was a terrific night but there was no way I was going to play with them. Frankly, I have too much pride in what I do than to create a moment of nostalgia for someone else. To get on stage with Ace and Peter was an interesting, surreal moment - but nothing I wanted to prolong.

"Someone asked me before the Hall Of Fame, 'Couldn't you just play with the original lineup for one night?' I said, 'How about spending a night with your ex wife? What's the point?'"

Stanley, 63, admits he's had to face the issue of his voice changing over the years, making it more difficult to perform tracks he first sang in the 1970s. Read what he had to say about that here.




Juliette Lewis To Front Mastodon, Dillinger, Mars Volta Supergroup
(TeamRock Radio) The Dillinger Escape Plan's Ben Weinman has confirmed actress Juliette Lewis will front supergroup Giraffe Tongue Orchestra, also including Brent Hinds of Mastodon, Pete Griffin of Deathklok and Thomas Pidgen of the Mars Volta.

Weinman has been teasing the project for some time, along with the fact that he was working with Lewis, who has her own band Juliette And The Licks. Now he tells SiriusXM (via Revolver): "It's something we've been working on for a long time. We finished all the music and we're finalising the vocals now.

"Juliette is singing, along with some other guest people. Me and her have become pretty close friends." But he admits he was skeptical when he first heard of Lewis' band. "I was like, 'Oh, another acts that has a vanity project,'" he recalls.

His attitude changed after he saw her perform. "I saw this person putting all her energy and spirit into music. I thought this was almost more real than most bands - because she doesn't need this." Read more here.




Killer Be Killed's Curb Crusher Video Features Footage For First Shows
Metal supergroup Killer Be Killed have released a music video for the track "Curb Crusher" which comes from their forthcoming album and features footage from their debut performances that took place at the Soundwave festival in Australia.

The band features The Dillinger Escape Plan vocalist Greg Puciato, Mastodon bassist Troy Sanders, and Soulfly, Cavalera Conspiracy and ex-Sepultura frontman Max Cavalera.

The band posted the following intro for the video on their Facebook page, "So....a few weeks ago we took a little trip to Australia, and let's just say we got a bit of it on film(by a bit we mean every damn second unless we told the dudes to stop). Didn't want any of you to miss out on our first EVER shows, ya know? So here you go, we'll just leave this right here. If you were there, thanks, if not, we wish you would have been....there will be a next time....somewhere...."

The group will be releasing their debut album on May 13th in North America, May 12th in the UK and May 9th in Europe. Watch the new music video here.




Janis Joplin Biopic Hits Another Major Setback
(Radio.com) It's still going to be a while before anyone sees the Janis Joplin biopic, Get It While You Can, which has been in development for half a decade. The film, for which Amy Adams signed up back in 2010, was slated to start filming this year but now it's been hit with another setback.

This time, it's not finding a director--Dallas Buyers Club auteur Jean-Marc Vallee is still on board--the snag is instead a lawsuit, The Hollywood Reporter reports.

The film's producers LKL Productions and Silver Reel have filed suit against writer Ron Terry, his affiliate companies and his investment firm Chesterton Capital for breach of option agreement, unfair competition, interference with contract and prospective economic advantage.

LKL and Silver Reel apparently purchased the rights to the project for $117,000 last August but they claim that Terry and his affiliates have still been shopping around the script.





Slipknot Hopes To Live On With New Members Forever
(TeamRock Radio) Slipknot percussionist Shawn 'Clown' Crahan hopes the band will keep going after all the original members are gone. And he suggests the lineup could consist of the current men's sons.

Two new touring members - not named but believed to be drummer Jay Weinberg and bassist Allessandro Venturella - were brought in ahead of the release of .5: The Gray Chapter last year.

Clown tells the BBC: "Don't be surprised if, one day, nobody in the band will be in the band. It'll all just be new people. I'll be 80 and there'll be a whole Slipknot thing moving.

"I mean, we've got two new guys now, man. You never know - my son might take over." Read more here.




Meshuggah Update Fans On New Album, Preview Song
(Prog) Meshuggah are aiming to release their eighth album next year, drummer Tomas Haake has revealed. And he's offered a sneak preview of one of the band's songs in progress.

Haake says in the studio video: "Right now we're writing for an album that will hopefully be out in 2016. Sometimes a song idea comes from a guitarist or a bass, sometimes it's from me as a drummer. When it's my song, it starts with me messing around at the kit."

Hakke then demonstrates what he calls "more of a rhythmical idea" and shows how it proceeds to the songwriting stage. Check out the new studio video here.




Former Slayer Drummer Joins Meshiaak
(TeamRock Radio) Former Slayer drummer Jon Dette has joined Australian newcomers Meshiaak. Dette, who also plays with Iced Earth and had spells with Anthrax and Testament, joins a lineup including ex-4arm frontman Danny Tomb, Teramaze guitarist Dean Wells and bassist Nick Walker.

Meshiaak say: "Yes, the Jon Dette joins the guys on what promises to be a blistering must-have album for 2015. The debut will feature nine tracks mixed and mastered by UK's Matt Hyde."

The band have penned a deal with Mascot Label Group. They'll set up in Green Day's Jingeltown studios in California this month to begin recording their debut album, Alliance Of Thieves. Check out a video here.




Fans Made Blink-182 Gig Easy For Matt Skiba
(TeamRock Radio) Matt Skiba has described the challenge he faced with replacing Tom Delonge in Blink-182 - but says says Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker made it easy for him.

The Alkaline Trio frontman filled in for DeLonge in Los Angeles on Wednesday, and he'll step up again in San Diego on Friday and Orange County on Sunday.

And despite the massive task of learning 25 songs in a short space of time, he says the experience has been fun from the outset. Skiba says on Hoppus' podcast: "You guys made it very easy for me to just have fun with it and make it great. The vibe has been amazing.

"I couldn't be more excited. We've been rehearsing a lot and it just gets better and better and more and more fun." Read more here.




Randy Bachman Releases 'Heavy Blues' Video
(hennemusic) Randy Bachman has released a music video for the title track to his forthcoming album, "Heavy Blues", which is due for release on April 14 in North America.

It will be released a day earlier in the UK. Produced by Kevin Shirley, the new album sees the Guess Who/BTO rocker teamed with bassist Anna Ruddick and drummer Dale Anne Brendon.

Special guests on the album include Peter Frampton, Joe Bonamassa, Neil Young, Robert Randolph and the late Jeff Healey. A North American tour in support of "Heavy Blues" starts April 1 in Milwaukee, WI. Watch the video here.




Steve Hackett Wanted To Explore The Evolution Of Music On New Album
(Prog) Steve Hackett hopes listeners don't recognise the sounds they hear on upcoming album Wolflight - because that's the way he intended it. The former Genesis guitarist set out to explore the evolution of music in his first solo original work since 2011.

Hackett has previously revealed that he'd learned to play the Iraqi oud while preparing to record, and that Wolflight includes a range of ancient instruments.

In the new promo video, Hackett says: "I was playing it to Nick Magnus and he said, 'I don't recognise what half the instruments are.' I said, 'That's good - that's what we wanted, to go through that reinvention.'

"It was made so you can go from genre to genre. There's not too many difficult time signatures in here." He adds: "I'd like to think Darwin would be proud of this; it's a journey that goes through a lot of different places and times." Watch the video here.




The Hoodoo Gurus Reveal Mark Kingsmill's Replacement
(hennemusic) The Hoodoo Gurus have named Nik Reith as their new drummer following the retirement of Mark Kingsmill after 30 years with the group who announced his retirement plans last month.

Reith's long history on the Australian music scene includes stints with New Christs, The Celibate Rifles, Tumbleweed and, most recently, punk legends Radio Birdman.

"Nik kept Deniz and Rob from Birdman fully informed about his audition with us," says frontman Dave Faulkner, "and he apparently has their blessing (and we thank them for being so generous of spirit about that). Nik will still be touring Europe with Radio Birdman in June, then he will be ready, willing and able to perform with us.

"Our first gig with Nik will be in August. Before then there will be a lot of rehearsal as we bring Nik up to speed on more than 30 years of Gurus music! Our other priority is to begin working on new material for the NEXT Hoodoo Gurus album." Read more here.




Toto Didn't Expect To Record Their New Album
(Classic Rock) Toto's David Paich has revealed the band didn't expect to record their latest album - until they discovered they owed their label one. They release Toto XIV in the UK on March 23 (Monday) via Frontiers Records, ahead of their return to the UK in May.

Paich tells Songfacts: "In 2006, when Falling In Reverse was released, we thought that might actually be our last album. To our pleasant surprise we still owed our record company one more. You don't know until you actually check."

The next problem was to decide its content. "You go, 'Do we just put together a lot of odds and neds that we haven't already recorded?'" says the keyboardist and vocalist.

"We started pulling out our little pieces and everything - and realised that we wanted to get in and write an organic, homegrown Toto record from scratch and really make it count. That's exactly what we did." Read more here.




John Mayer To Induct Stevie Ray Vaughan Into Rock Hall
(hennemusic) John Mayer has been selected to induct Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble into the 2015 Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame during the ceremony in Cleveland on April 18.

The late Texas blues legend Stevie Ray Vaughan topped the fan ballot for the event with more than 18 million votes - more than 5 million ahead of the next nominee.

The Rock Hall announced its list of presenters on Wednesday, which include Paul McCartney inducting fellow Beatle Ringo Starr; Fall Out Boy inducting Green Day; the late Lou Reed will be honored by fellow New York music legend Patti Smith; Stevie Wonder will introduce soul singer Bill Withers; Peter Wolf of the J. Geils Band will honor the Paul Butterfield Blues Band; and, Steve Cropper will induct the 5 Royales. Read more here.




Danzig Recording New Album
(Classic Rock) Glenn Danzig has confirmed that he is at work recording the follow-up to 2010's Deth Red Sabaoth. The former Misfits frontman made the announcement via a Facebook posting.

The frontman reports that guitarist Tommy Victor and drummer Johnny Kelly have been laying down tracks in Los Angeles with producer Chris Rakeshaw. Its release is planned for late 2015 or early 2016.

A separate covers album has been completed and should be launched in the near future. Danzig revealed last year that he was also working on an EP of Elvis Presley cover versions. Read more and see the Facebook post including photos here.




Soundgarden's Chris Cornell Finishes Recording Solo Album
(hennemusic) Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell has revealed that he has finished recording his fourth solo studio album, which follows "Euphoria Morning" (1999), "Carry On" (2007) and "Scream" (2009).

Cornell began recording the project in mid-January before heading to Australia last month with Soundgarden to perform as part of the Soundwave Festival series, which wrapped up a few weeks ago.

"Last day of recording solo album!," Cornell told fans in an online posting on Thursday. "Thanks Brendan, Tom and Kyle. We made the magic happen." Read more here.




Fozzy's Chris Jericho Wouldn't Mind Never Wrestling Again
(TeamRock Radio) Fozzy frontman Chris Jericho says he'd be happy if he never wrestles again. The singer and WWE superstar balances his musical career with his stints in the ring, but says the band is now his priority.

He tells GetYourRockOut: "If I never wrestle another match again, I'm happy with it. I've done all that I ever wanted to do and more. I still like going back from time to time, because it's fun.

"I've been very smart over the last 10 years in building the Chris Jericho brand, and wrestling is a part of what I do. But it's not by far the biggest thing of what I do.

"When I was a kid, I wanted to be in a rock band and I wanted to a wrestler, so I've always done both. It's just that wrestling took off first." Jericho insists he's never based a career choice on a paycheck. More here.




Dez Fafara Wouldn't Change Coal Chamber Past
(TeamRock Radio) Dez Fafara says he regrets nothing in his career - even the angry Coal Chamber split in 2003. He's gearing up for the release of the band's comeback album Rivals and recently had to deal with Jeff Kendrik and John Boecklin leaving Devildriver, the band he formed after pulling the plug on Coal Chamber.

He tells The Age Of Metal: "Even with the tumultuous break-up, I wouldn't have done anything different. It gave me a chance to do Devildriver - and that's its own beast now.

"You can't drive everything. I'm a believer in 'Let the movie play itself out.' Life is that way." Fafara plans to turn his focus back onto DevilDriver after Coal Chamber complete their tours of the US, South America, Europe and Australia. Read more here.




Singled Out: Southern Front's Face Down
Today Zak Ward from Southern Front tells us the story behind the song "Face Down", which comes from the group's brand new album "Death Throes". Here is the story:

The song Face Down had been one that survived the creative process as an incomplete song for a couple years. It was about half of a song (the first half) and even that was morphed a good amount into what it eventually became. The basic parts stayed the same, just modified and refined. It began as a couple riffs that we jammed on in practice a few years back. It was one of those things where Jason had a riff, Jon came up with another on the spot, then a couple more and suddenly we had half a song. The problem was that we soon moved out of that practice spot, played a bunch of shows and got off track with the creative process until we had to stop playing shows for a couple months to focus solely on creating new music.

Once we were able to kick back into high gear with the creative process, we decided to try all different forms of writing songs. Through that effort, the vast majority of the material was created for our new album "Death Throes", as well as the EP that preceded it titled "Seasons of Hate". During that time, we finally got back to work on Face Down and decided to make the second half completely different with the goal to make it still work as a cohesive song. We did all we could with the ideas we had in the first half so we broke it off and took a sharp turn to jam-town. That's where the guitar break comes in before the solo section. Jason and Jon trade off a few solos and it goes into a heavy groove until the song fades.

Lyrically, the song is intense and very aggressive. The topic of the song is revenge and there's a lot of raw emotion in it because it is a sensitive topic. More specifically, it's about revenge on a person or persons that did you wrong. Of course there are certain people (that shall remain unidentified) that helped inspire the lyrics. That being said, the lyrics are also meant for the listener to connect in their own personal way. If we take that angle and write about a personal experience, maybe others can relate to having been screwed over and tasting revenge. It's an outlet to release that aggression instead of through the means of actual revenge because there's always consequence and karma swings both ways. Our music video for the song captures this concept perfectly and there's a strong message in it.

What really makes the essence of this song is the strong collaborative effort between all the band members to give it that Southern Front sound and feel, as well as the heavy lyrical theme that is often associated with our music.

Tim Abrigg Jr.'s Rock and Roll News Of The Day!: Today's Day in Rock News!

Tim Abrigg Jr.'s Rock and Roll News Of The Day!: Today's Day in Rock News!: Today's Day in Rock Original Guns N' Roses Members Record New Song (hennemusic) Duff McKagan has revealed that he and his...

Today's Day in Rock News!

Today's Day in Rock


Original Guns N' Roses Members Record New Song
(hennemusic) Duff McKagan has revealed that he and his former original Guns N' Roses bandmate Izzy Stradlin hooked up to record a new song in the studio last month.

McKagan first shared word that he was recording on his 51st birthday on February 5 with Stradlin and his longtime drummer Taz Bentley, tweeting "Spent the first part of my birthday with @tazbentley and Izzy...rocking!"

Now, McKagan shares more details in a new interview with Argentina's Vorterix. "[Izzy and I] recorded a song that day," says the bassist. "We were talking on the phone, and he said, 'Let's go record a song.' And we used Josh [Homme] from Queens of the Stone Age's studio; it was open.

"So we just went it - Izzy and I and Taz - and just had a blast. We recorded a song. I have it. It just got mixed. It's a super kick-ass song. And we just had fun, and we'll probably do it some more."

"We've always kind of done [stuff like that], but usually on his records," McKagan continues. "This was just like this open thing. And I had a riff, and he had an idea, and we recorded it in half a day." Read more and see a photo here.




Blink-182's Travis Barker Not Angry At 'Childish' Tom DeLonge
(TeamRock Radio) Travis Barker insists he is not angry with Blink-182's estranged frontman Tom DeLonge - but he feels the singer's actions are "childish." DeLonge walked away from the band in January, leading his former colleagues to bring in Alkaline Trio's Matt Skiba for the Musink festival on March 22. They last week confirmed Skiba would also play with them on March 20 in San Diego.

Barker tells Yahoo: "I'm in no way, shape, or form mad at him. If anything, I just wish he would own up to not wanting to be in the band and go do his other stuff.

"There's a sympathy card he's pulling right now. And that doesn't even really piss me off, it's just kind of childish. But if years down the line it makes sense, I'll never say never."

The drummer says he changed his attitude to such situations after surviving the 2008 plane crash that killed four others. Read more here.




Scott Weiland Previews Two More Songs From Forthcoming Album
(hennemusic) Scott Weiland And The Wildabouts are sharing a preview of "Way She Moves" and "Hotel Rio", two tracks from their forthcoming debut album, "Blaster."

Due March 31, the 12-track set was produced by Rick Parker (Black Rebel Motorcycle Club) and recorded at Weiland's Lavish Studios and the Sandbox in Los Angeles.

The band have previously debuted the video for "Modzilla" from the package, as well as previewed "White Lightning" and "Circles." Joining Weiland in The Wildabouts are guitarist Jeremy Brown, bassist Tommy Black and drummer Danny Thompson.




Robert Plant Announces Tour Dates With Pixies and JD McPherson
Led Zeppelin legend Robert Plant has announced that he will be hitting the road this summer for a North American tour with his current band the Sensational Space Shifters.

The tour will be kicking off on May 24th with an appearance at the Sasquatch! Festival in George, WA and will be concluding on June 17th in Philadelphia, PA at the Mann Center.

The tour will feature headline shows and festival appearances and five of the headline shows will feature support from the Pixies and four of the shows will be supported by JD McPherson four.

The Pixies will be opening the shows in Toronto, ONT on June 7th, Rochester Hills, MI on June 9th, Chicago, IL on June 10th, Raleigh, NC on June 15th and the final show in Philadelphia.

JD McPherson will be the opening act in Salt Lake City, UT on May 27th, Las Vegas on May 28th, Santa Barbara on May 31st and in Los Angeles on June 2nd.

Plant and his band are launching the tour in support of their latest studio album, "lullaby and… The Ceaseless Roar." See the tour dates here.




Jack Bruce Sunshine of Your Love Tribute Concert Announced
Organizers have announced details for the Jack Bruce tribute and benefit concert 'Sunshine of Your Love' which will be taking place on October 24th at The Roundhouse in London.

A number of artists have been confirmed for the event which will pay tribute to the late Cream icon including his Cream bandmate Ginger Baker, Joss Stone, Roxy Music's Phil Manzanera, Jethro Tull legend Ian Anderson, Living Colour's Vernon Reid, Level 42's Mark King, Liam Bailey, Fiona Bevan and Jack Bruce's Big Blues Band

The event's musical director Nitin Sawhney had the following to say, "Jack Bruce was one of my biggest heroes when I was growing up - a consummate musician, composer and all round rock genius with a killer voice and one of the most creative and versatile musical minds of his generation.

"Being asked to musically direct this show celebrating his life and work is a great honour and privilege and I look forward to working with an amazing line up of contemporary artists and rock legends."

Organizers also announced that the event will benefit one of Bruce's favorite charities, East Anglia's Children's Hospices (EACH).




The Offspring's Smash Producer Thom Wilson Dies
Thom Wilson, who produced The Offspring's first three albums including their multi-platinum album "Smash," died on February 8th, according to Epitaph Records.

A cause of death has not been revealed. In addition to the six-times platinum "Smash," Wilson also produced albums for T.S.O.L., Bouncing Souls, Iggy Pop, Dead Kennedys, The Aquabats, D.I., The Vandals, and more.

Epitaph CEO and Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz had the following to say in a statement, "In '82 when I was just getting started Thom Wilson was a guy all the bands in the scene looked up to.

"He was the pro in our midst who loved punk and was willing to take kids under his wing to help them sound great. His work with TSOL and The Adolescents set the bar for everything that came after, including The Offspring's multi-platinum LP Smash, which was the best-selling independent release of all time. Thom was a friend, a teacher, and a great producer. He'll be missed."




Skinless Classic Lineup Releasing New Album
Skinless have announced that they will be releasing their new album, "Only The Ruthless Remain", the group's first new studio effort in almost a decade, in June.

The album follows 2006's "Trample the Weak, Hurdle the Dead" and will be released in various formats including digitally, CD and vinyl LP on June 2nd in North America, June 1st in the UK and the various countries in the EU and May 29th in Benelux (Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg), Finland, and Germany.

"Only The Ruthless Remain" was produced by Tom Case by the classic lineup of the band: vocalist Sherwood Webber, guitarist Noah Carpenter, bassist Joe Keyser, drummer Bob Beaulac, as well as guitarist Dave Matthews.

The group has also announced appearances at this year's Maryland Deathfest on May 21st and the 2015 Hellfest in France on June 21st, with additional lives dates to be announced soon.



Black Rebel Motorcycle Club Announce Live Release
(Classic Rock) Black Rebel Motorcycle Club are to release a DVD of their 2014 show in Paris. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Live In Paris is issued on May 4th in the UK and May 12th in North America.

It was recorded at the Theatre Trianon on February 24, 2014, during BRMC's sold-out tour of Europe. As well as the concert DVD, the package will also include the documentary film 33.3% by Yana Amur and a 2CD audio version of the set. It will also be available in a DVD/2LP vinyl version.

Frontman Robert Levon Been says: "It was a little over a year ago while sitting in the back of a passenger van outside Tokyo, all of us covered in sweat and half-cocked grins trying to catch our breath after having just walked off stage, I remember someone uttering the idea that we might actually really want to think about filming one of these shows before it's all over.

"I guess my first reaction was that we could all use a very long hot shower much more than another live DVD at that exact moment. My second was that it might be a shame if we reached the end of that tour without capturing any of the beauty and even brutality of it. But a lot of the music we create is not only where we exist, but also where we escape to." Read more here.




Judas Priest's Rob Halford Uncovers Novel He Wrote In The 1970s
Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford reveals in a new interview that he recently uncovered a novel that he wrote in the 1970s called "Library of Tears."

Halford explained finding it and gives some background on the story to Classic Rock Revisited. "Until recently, I was searching my house in the UK to try to find it, and I actually found it. I found the actual book, the manuscript I put together.

"I wrote it out longhand and then I typed it. I haven't re-read it yet--I read the first few pages. It's very childlike, but I'm just pleased that I was able to find it. I don't know if anything will come of it. I am just relieved that having thought it was completely lost, I now have it.

"It's a pretty cool story. It's about this evil kind of guy who steals people's emotions by capturing their tears. He has this library and instead of books he has these little glass vials of humanity. He has a room full of these things and it is called The Library of Tears. I've now discovered it, and who knows what will happen to it. I am not sure."




KISS Producer Discusses Band's Controversial Grunge Album
KISS producer Toby Wright was a special guest for a two part special from Decibel Geek podcast where he discussed the band's controversial final album from the unmasked period "Carnival of Souls".

The album was recorded as a follow-up to the band's acclaimed 1992 album "Revenge", featuring the same lineup of Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Bruce Kulick and Eric Singer but the album was shelved when the original lineup of the group reunited. It was later officially released in late 1997 after it was leaked.

The show sent over these excerpts from the interview: Recommended by producer Bob Ezrin, Wright remembers his initial meeting with Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, which took place at A&M Studios: "They kinda put it in my ear why I was there. They wanted to follow a little hip trend going on at the time called Grunge music. The bottom line was, like all artists, they wanted to sell records. Y'know, they want to be on top of the pile. Gene has a big competitive personality so he's all about being on the top of the pile and whatever it takes to get there."

Then-guitarist Bruce Kulick was a large creative force during the making of the album. Wright shares his memories of Kulick's importance as well as a directive from him during pre-production meetings about how to get the most out of Simmons and Stanley for this very different album for KISS. "Bruce and I got really close during that whole record because he played most of the record. Without Bruce, this record wouldn't exist, ever. During those initial "nobody's around" conversations, I got inspiration from Bruce and instructions from Bruce that were like "You are gonna have to push the f*** out of these guys (Simmons & Stanley). Don't be afraid."

Other advice came from Ezrin who had worked with KISS on their previous album Revenge, "Bob's told me some stories about Gene. He's like "Watch out. One f***ing smell of weakness and he'll be all over you." I'll always remember that comment. So, I was like "Okay. I'm never gonna show any fear whatsoever that I'm in a room with one of my heroes. He'll never know that." He'll take advantage; big time. He'll smell fear in your eyes, it's over for you as far as having any kind of control over a situation; especially in a producer situation where I'm in the studio co-producing with he and Paul (Stanley) and it's the three of us "making decisions." Who has the last say? Depends on what the issue is. If it's something sonically, it's usually me. If it's something musical, it's usually them. It just depends on how the conversation was going and who was the bolder lion that day (laughs)."

Wright was tapped to produce Carnival of Souls, in part, due to his previous work with Alice in Chains. In this 2 part special, Wright details how he pushed the members of the band to attempt harmony vocal takes that mirrored the Seattle quartet's and how it, ultimately, would fall short in comparison, "It's just an effect that I use, harmony vocals. I hear all the harmonies in my head like Layne (Staley) did. I do that on a lot of records I produce…..Layne and Jerry (Cantrell), they had something special with it because they used notes that people don't use, typically speaking. …Layne and Jerry, they just did it. That was a part of their art just like Van Gogh picking up a f***ing paintbrush. That was their sound. With Gene and Paul, that's stuff that's songwriter-forced. There's more movement in what Layne and Jerry would've done instead of these guys (Simmons & Stanley).

While loved by a core group of KISS fans, the album overall was not embraced by the KISS Army stylistically. Wright remembers, "To be brought into a situation where I'm trying to make someone sound unlike themselves is difficult. I would have rather had this KISS album be entirely them and just do what you do; because that's what you do. I think a larger number of their fans would have embraced it instead of fighting about "that sucks" or "that's good."

While in production, the band were very excited about the prospects of this change in sound and, according Wright, putting a lot of eggs into the Grunge basket, "I was already slated to produce the next one …..It was in my contract. If this one had shipped platinum, I was to produce the next KISS album."

As many now know, everything came to a halt one day in the studio when Simmons and Stanley called a meeting with Wright and the rest of the band to make an announcement that would have a major impact on the album as well as two of the band members, "We were about done with the record. Gene got the call. Somebody offered him 100 million to put back on the makeup with all the original members. And that announcement in that room; holy sh*t….We all knew right as the words came out of his mouth that we were done…."Paul didn't really look around much. Gene, he was Paul Revere. He was the messenger that should've gotten shot (laughs)."

Carnival of Souls would soon thereafter leak on the internet and become a widely distributed bootleg album, with KISS fans snatching it up online as well as at KISS conventions. Rumors swirled that a member of the band may have been responsible for leaking the album. In this 2 part discussion Wright reflects, "I do remember getting questioned, big time. Who knows who did it? I have great ideas on who did it. If it was a band member, I'd just say it was for his personal gain and I'm sure he made a lot of f***ing money."

The album would finally get a proper release in October of 1997 when it was issued by Mercury Records with very little fanfare. Wright remembers the experience being very bittersweet, "I was thinking that I'm working on another multiplatinum album, and it should've been, and then all of a sudden they shelve it. 2 years later, now they're releasing it and didn't put any marketing push behind it and it's like "Why did you bother?""





Slipknot Clown Says Mask Has Been Trying To Kill Him
(TeamRock Radio) Slipknot percussionist Shawn 'Clown' Crahan admits he's never been happy wearing his mask on stage. And he's explained why the band have never recorded a cover version, or invited guests to appear on their albums.

Asked if he ever gets irritated by his headgear, Clown says in a Live Nation Q&A: "Every night for the last 20 years. It has always been trying to kill me." He prefers the one worn by bandmate Chris Fehn, explaining: "I made it with my wife."

Slipknot haven't yet put their latest masks on sale, but he says that will happen after a gallery exhibition once their current tour is complete. On the subject of covers, Clown says: "We've kicked the idea around - but always pride ourselves on original music."

See what he said about special guests here.


36 Crazyfists Release 'Swing the Noose' Video
36 Crazyfists have released a new music video for the track "Swing the Noose", which is the latest single from the band's most recent studio album "Time and Trauma."

The band premiered the new Swing the Noose" video, which was directed by Kevin Custer, yesterday via Vevo's Metal Mondays. Watch the new video here.

The group has also announced a new string of North American headline tour dates which will take place this May and will feature support from Toothgrinder in addition to Sleepwave who will perform on select dates.

The tour will be kicking off on May 9th in Lansing, MI at The Loft and will conclude on May 26th in Salt Lake City, UT at In The Venue. See the tour dates here.




Comeback Kid Release 'Losing Sleep', Announce RSD Release
Comeback Kid has released a new music video for the song 'Losing Sleep' and they have announced their plans for a special release for this year's Record Store Day.

'Losing Sleep' comes from the band's latest album "Die Knowing" and the video features footage from live appearances across the globe as well as studio footage with guest vocalist Poli Correia of Devil In Me. Watch the video here.

Comeback Kid frontman Andrew Neufeld had this to say about the new video, "This video is a compilation of the last two years of our life and 'Losing Sleep' is one of the hardest hitting songs we've ever wrote."

The band has revealed that they will be releasing a 10 inch colored vinyl entitled "Rain City Sessions +1" for this year's Record Store Day on April 18th.

"Rain City Sessions +1" will include a studio cover of Nirvana's 'Territorial Pissings' and six previously unreleased live tracks.




Original Lynyrd Skynyrd Celebrated In The Studio
Syndicated radio show In The Studio: The Stories Behind History's Greatest Rock Bands celebrates the original Lynyrd Skynyrd with a two-part special that includes interviews with Gary Rossington, Ed King, Johnny Van Zant, and archival comments from the late Allen Collins, Billy Powell, and Leon Wilkeson. The show sent over these details:

In an early '70s soft rock musical scene, Lynyrd Skynyrd was a welcome dose of rowdy. The Lynyrd Skynyrd legend was made with the six albums they released between 1973 and 1977: Pronounced , Second Helping, Nuthin' Fancy, Gimme Back My Bullets, the live One More from the Road ,and Street Survivors all chronicled a band with humble roots slugging it out (literally in some cases) to get to the top.

But there's more to the story. There is the hilarious story by Gary Rossington of the formation of the band on a Jacksonville Florida baseball diamond; the hiring of Ed King after extracting him in a backstage fight from a rival bar band; the discovery that their roadie (soon to be band member) Billy Powell was a classically trained pianist; numerous brawls on both sides of the Atlantic; the notorious 1975 "Torture Tour"; multiple defections by original members; and like a Greek tragedy, the tragic plane crash that would put an abrupt stop to one of the most influential Southern Rock outfits of all time.

Ironically, the story doesn't end there. In part two, Gary Rossington and Ed King's revelation is Ronnie Van Zant's stated desire to stop performing with the band prior to the plane crash; and Van Zant's youngest brother Johnny describes filling his brother's shoes in 1987 in the story of Lynyrd Skynyrd's rebirth.

Check out part one here and part two here.




The Church Announce New Studio Album
(Prog) Australian neo-psychedelic veterans The Church have confirmed their 21st album, Further/Deeper, will be released on June 8 in the UK. The launch comes after a European tour including two British dates - at London's Islington Academy on June 4 and Brighton's Haunt on June 5.

The 12-track title was boiled down from an eight-day writing session that resulted in a crop of 26 songs. Vocalist-bassist Steve Kilbey says: "The magic started on day one.

"Someone strummed a chord and we were off. We wrote and recorded like demons - it was inspiring to feel every member using all his resources in the service of this record."

It's The Church's first album with former Powderfinger guitarist Ian Haug. Read more here.





Idlewild Recruit Robocop Star Jay Baruchel For New Video
(TeamRock Radio) Idlewild have called on actor and longtime fan of the band Jay Baruchel to star in the video for their next single. The Robocop, This Is The End and How To Train Your Dragon star will appear in the promo for Every Little Means Trust, which is out on April 27 via Empty Words.

After discovering the Canadian was a fan, the band invited him to Scotland to film for their first music video in more than eight years. Baruchel says: "Idlewild have been the soundtrack of my life since I first heard them in Bristol when I was 19. I was lucky enough to be near the radio when You Held The World In Your Arms came on and it was epic and anthemic and that was it.

"It was like hearing a favourite band that I'd somehow never heard before. At turns, violent and melancholy and crystalline and triumphant. I very quickly fell down the rabbit hole of melody, intention, and poetry that is Idlewild's art." Read more here.




Bad Company Reveal Alternative 'Whiskey Bottle'
(Radio.com) Most Bad Company fans are familiar with "Whiskey Bottle." For the uninitiated, it's a song that never made it to an album, but was the b-side to "Good Lovin' Gone Bad" from their second album, 1975's Straight Shooter, which came out 40 years ago next month.

However, a different tempo often changes a song's vibe completely and that's definitely the case here. The recently unearthed version, which we are proudly premiering here, has a more Stonesy swagger to it. If the take that originally appeared on the flip side to "Good Lovin' Gone Bad" felt like closing time at the pub, this one is more like the first one you hear when you step in the door for a long night and many pints of bitter.

This version was recorded at Island Studios in Basing Street by Richard Digby Smith; the rest of the album sessions were recorded by Ron Nevison (the band self-produced the album). According to our friends at Rhino Records (who administer the Bad Co. catalog), it was marked as a master, but unused until now.

"Whiskey Bottle" will be included on the deluxe reissue of Straight Shooter, which will be reissued April 7 as a Deluxe Edition, along with the band's 1974 self titled debut. Both will include a full disc of bonus tracks; Straight Shooter will include both versions of "Whiskey Bottle."

Check out the alternate take of the song here.




Steel Panther, Lita Ford and Fozzy Added To KISS Kruize V
(hennemusic) Steel Panther, Lita Ford and Fozzy are the first acts revealed to join KISS for Kiss Kruize V this fall. The annual trek will sail from Miami to Jamaica between October 30 - November 3, 2015 aboard the Norwegian Pearl.

The cruise will see KISS perform their breakthrough album, 1975's "Alive!", in its entirety during the indoor show. "HELL YES we're going on @TheKISSKruise!!!," tweeted Steel Panther. "Is it October yet??"

Fozzy also shared their excited via Twitter, "PEEPLE!!! Another dream comes true...we will be sailing with the #KISSNAVY on The KISS Kruise V!!!" Read more here.




Teen Rock Band Unlocking The Truth Want To End $1.8 Million Sony Deal
(Classic Rock) Teen trio Unlocking The Truth are taking legal steps to break free from their $1.8 million record deal with Sony. The Brooklyn band last year signed the impressive deal after a video of their performing in New York's Times Square went viral.

Malcolm Brickhouse, 13, Jarad Dawkins, 12, and Alex Atkins, 13, were handed a six-album contract that meant they would be advanced $60,000 for their debut record. If that sold more than 250,000 copies, they were to be handed $350,000 for its follow-up.

On the back of the deal, Unlocking The Truth played shows all over the US, appeared at festivals and opened for Guns n' Roses. But they are now seeking to end the agreement without having released any material, according to Billboard. Read more here.




Wilko Johnson Was Reluctant To Hear Life-Saving Advice
(Classic Rock) The man who saved Wilko Johnson's life nearly couldn't pass on his urgent message to the musician because bouncers wouldn't let him backstage. And even once he'd made his way through, the former Dr Feelgood guitarist told him he didn't want to listen.

But the efforts of photographer and doctor Charlie Chan paid off, and Johnson last year underwent a pioneering procedure that cured him of terminal cancer.

The story is told in upcoming documentary The Ecstasy Of Wilko Johnson, created by Julien Temple, who also made Feelgood movie Oil City Confidential.

Temple tells Fox: "He was living vividly in the moment. He accepted his fate in a very inspiring way and kept on playing. He didn't want to poison his last 10 months.

"After about 18 months a photographer in the pit at one of his concerts, who had a medical background, said, 'This guy's got too much energy - what's going on?'

"It's a typical rock'n'roll thing. He tried to get backstage and couldn't. He was blocked, but forced his way thought and said, 'Wilko, you've got to listen.' Wilko was saying, 'No, I've accepted everything. I'm beyond worrying about this.' The guy had to really insist." Read more here.





Deep Purple's Ian Paice To Give Free Lessons
(Classic Rock) Deep Purple's Ian Paice is to give free drum lessons this weekend as part of National Learn to Play Day in the UK. The drummer will be teaching at DrumWright drum store in Woodley, Berkshire, on Saturday from noon.

As well as Paice's lessons for more experienced drummers, the store will also be giving introductory tips to new drummers between 10am and 5pm as part of the event.

All sessions are open to anyone, with no need to book. Paice promises to give advice on his favorite techniques, including the one-handed drum roll for which he is renowned. Read more here.




Sweet Billy Pilgrim's New Album Title Inspired By JFK Assassination
(Prog) Sweet Billy Pilgrim will release fourth album Motorcade Amnesiace on May 25 via Kscope, they've confirmed. And the title was inspired by the assassination of US president John F Kennedy in 1963.

Frontman Tim Elsenburg says: "When it came to making the record, all the songs started to form around the struggle against the cynical heart. I wanted to find a symbolic moment in our history, where it felt a little like innocence was lost and something ugly and hopeless started to creep in.

"I thought of JFK - as we followed that motorcade through the streets of Dallas, in post gunshot-shock, maybe we forgot how to hope for something better, just a little." Read more here.





Public Service Broadcasting's 'Go!' Gets Remixed
(Prog) Public Service Broadcasting have released a stream of their single Go! as remixed by Errors. The variant version is described as a "spectral disco" take on the track from second album The Race For Space.

The Race For Space, which follows 2013 debut Inform - Educate - Entertain, was released last month via Test Card Recordings. A video for the original version of Go! was also launched last month.

Mastermind J Willgoose Esq said of the album: "I find it a particularly sad indictment of our species that arguably our greatest technological and spiritual achievement - leaving our own planet and walking on another celestial body - is viewed by the more cynical as a colossal waste of money or, worse, as the greatest hoax ever perpetuated." Check out the remix here.




InMe Giving Away Song From Forthcoming Album Trilogy
(TeamRock Radio) InMe have made a track from their upcoming trilogy of albums available as a free download. The song "Trauma: Door Slam Crescendo" can be streamed and downloaded via Soundcloud.

The track was taken from their forthcoming trio of concept albums, The Trilogy: Dawn, for which the band are set to released via a Pledgemusic campaign on April 3rd.

The trilogy will be the Essex outfit's first new material since 2014 EP The Destinations. Their last album was 2012's The Pride. InMe will tour the UK in May, with support from The Dirty Youth. See the tour dates and stream or download the song here.





Also Eden and Silhouette Team Up For Spring Tour
(Prog) Also Eden have confirmed a May mini-tour of the UK alongside Silhouette. The trek is entitled Wings Unfurled, reflecting Also Eden's recent demo release Altitude and Silhouette's single Wings To Fly.

The British and Dutch outfits will play Winchester, Bolton, Glasgow and Bristol, after having shared stages together in the Netherlands in 2009 and 2012.

The shows, which include both bands' Scottish debuts, will be Also Eden's last with drummer Lee Nicholas, who will bow out following a three-year stint with the band, during which he appeared on their albums Think Of The Children! and [Redacted].

Also Eden say: "Lee's near-flawless work and awful jokes will be much missed." See the dates here.



Jeff Beck's 'Blow By Blow' Album Turns 40
(Gibson) What does a rock guitar god do when he's reached the pantheon? The answer for Jeff Beck was "play jazz," and he trumpeted it with his classic album Blow By Blow, which was released 40 years ago, on March 29, 1975.

The album remains a fusion classic, although Beck managed to blend more than jazz and rock, with Blow By Blow's reggae-infused take on the Beatles "She's a Woman," the funky "Constipated Duck" and his tribute to Roy Buchanan in the epic blues excursion "'Cause We've Ended As Lovers."

By 1974, when Blow By Blow was recorded at London's AIR Studios, Beck had already been a member of the Yardbirds and made two classic blues-rock albums with his Jeff Beck Group: 1968's Truth, featuring Rod Stewart on vocals, and 1972's The Jeff Beck Group. While recording the latter in Memphis, Beck wandered into a guitar shop and found a 1954 Gibson Les Paul that had been built as a Gold Top with a trapeze tailpiece, but had been modded with replacement tuners, bigger frets and humbuckers, and refinished in an oxblood shade.

That Les Paul became one of Beck's primary stage instruments from 1972 to 1977. And it played an important role in The Jeff Beck Group, which featured Beck's ferocious version of Don Nix's "Going Down," as well as Beck, Bogert & Appice, the debut album by the short-lived super group that also included bassist and singer Tim Bogert of the Vanilla Fudge and über drummer Carmine Appice. The guitar also appears in the portrait of Beck on the front cover of Blow by Blow and provides the gorgeous tones on 1977's Jeff Beck With the Jan Hammer Group Live. The Gibson Custom Shop immortalized this singular guitar in 2009 as the Jeff Beck 1954 Les Paul Oxblood.

Clearly Beck used a variety of guitars to record Blow By Blow, given the album's wide array of six-string tones perfectly captured by Beatles producer George Martin. And Beck was a perfectionist while crafting the tracks, often returning to re-cut solos and add overdubs to tunes that seemed completed. One legendary tale involves Beck phone up Martin a few months after the sessions to tell him he'd like to recut a solo, and Martin replying, "Sorry, Jeff, but the record is in the shops."

Beck assembled a crack band for the album, holding over the Jeff Beck Group's keyboardist Max Middleton and recruiting the rhythm section of bassist Phil Chen and drummer Richard Bailey. Despite Beck's fastidious desire to craft an epic creative statement, they created the tune "Air Blower" out of a jam in the studio, earning a four-way credit for the tune. Stevie Wonder joined on clavinet for "Thelonious," a tribute to the jazz great Thelonius Monk written by Wonder for his wife at the time, singer Syreeta Wright. Read more here.





The World According to Kid Rock
(Gibson) Kid Rock is getting ready to hit the road this summer with another installment of his $20 ticket tour. As the name suggests, tickets will be only $20, and better yet - the beer is only $4. Rock released his latest album First Kiss back in February, with the catchy title track receiving plenty of radio airplay. Let's take a look at what this rapper turned country rocker also known as Bob Ritchie has had to say about his music and fans over the years!

Rock spoke to the New York Times about the inspiration behind the title track from his new album First Kiss, a song romanticizing those adolescent years when the world was still at your feet:

"I'm always complaining about where rock music has gone, with this new metal feel. You can hear the kick and the snare and everything shaved perfectly. But that classic feel of good blues-based rock and roll - we dig for inspiration by listening to music, and then we go, 'Let's write one.' We know how to write songs. I've been doing this long enough."

Kid Rock is a huge fan of Hank Williams Jr., and over the years the two have become great friends. Here ' s what Williams had to say about Rock in an interview with MLive:

"Well, Bobby and I are really close. He and his family are just like family to me. It all started years ago when my manager Merle Kilgore got a call about Bobby coming to one of our shows. When we met on the bus, I was shocked at how many songs of mine that he knew. Then we ended up doing a 'CMT Crossroads' special and our friendship became stronger and stronger. We now both own several hundred acres across the road from each other in Alabama, and we both have places down in Florida."

With his $20 ticket tour Kid Rock has proved that you don ' t have to charge outrageous ticket prices in order to make a profit. In an interview with Fox News Rock explains how it is that he ' s still able to make money without charging the promoter up front:

"The first part is I don't take a guarantee… I said no, I'll set my own ticket prices, I won't take anything upfront. I said but I want to be rewarded for getting people in there. So when they do buy the beer and the popcorn and the hotdogs and the parking and my tickets and the T-shirts, we put that in a big pot and we'll split it up… All the fans have to do is know that they're getting a great deal." Read more here.





Singled Out: Moonspell's Extinct
Today Fernando Ribeiro from Moonspell tells us about some of the tracks from their brand new studio album, "Extinct", which was released today in North America by Napalm Records. Here is the story:

It's a terrible thing to choose a single when you come from the gothic metal genre as we do. Some of the singles around do not just represent the album and they lead people to jump to conclusions. It's like the avante garde expedition crew you send in few numbers to face a much larger army.

We really do prefer people to get into all songs off the album, as we treat them as finely individually for them to stand out in themselves but naturally they belong to a certain groove. Like if you just stopped to watch a beautiful little bay at a river and forte to go down the stream. It's that contrast that makes it work.

So we do release a couple of songs before the whole album hits the street. This time around we got a first premiere on Portuguese national radio with the song "The Last Of Us" and we were met with a good response when it leaked on-line. It's a straight goth-rock song, catchy and dark.

Then we released the title track "Extinct." It is a more powerful tune, with heavy guitar metal riffing and a strong chorus that breaks it into a more melodic thing which sounds great to us, that contrast. Our fans really digged that one, always a killer feeling.

Finally, we will release the album-opener "Breathe (Until We Are No More)" which really sums up the album in a way, it's a song with many moods and we added a Turkish orchestra section into it which really made the song bigger and more exuberant.

All in all, I do have a problem in putting out a single and people spoiling it as a favorite child or scald it as a bastard. Fortunately our fans are album people and so are we. After all if the album is good enough it's like listening to a longer single. That can make it special for all.

Tim Abrigg Jr.'s Rock and Roll News Of The Day!: Today's Day in Rock News!

Tim Abrigg Jr.'s Rock and Roll News Of The Day!: Today's Day in Rock News!: Today's Day in Rock Rolling Stones To Announce Tour This Week? This weekend The Rolling Stones started hinting at a big annou...