Today's Day In Rock

Queen Abandon New Freddie Mercury Album Plan
(Rock News Desk) Queen have shelved plans to make a new album featuring recordings of Freddie Mercury's voice before he died.
Guitarist Brian May last month said he and bandmate Roger Taylor were aiming to go through their archives in order to build a record based on tracks laid down by their iconic singer before his death in 1991.

But now Roger Taylor says it's not going to happen. "I've got to tell you: there won't be an album," The drummer tells Ultimate Classic Rock. "There's just not enough. And the last thing I want to do is have a sort of barrel-scraping exercise."

But fans may still hear new songs.

Hear Pink Floyd In The Studio Special
(hennemusic) For more than two decades, US radio show "In The Studio" has been serving up artist interviews, performances and cool rock talk.

Hosted by Dallas-based DJ Redbeard, the show recently offered up a 2-hour special on Pink Floyd's latest 'best of' collection, "A Foot In The Door."

The album presents a mix of Floyd material, representing albums from 1967's "The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn" to 1987's "A Momentary Lapse Of Reason," with emphasis on 1973's iconic "Dark Side Of The Moon."

The ITS special features interviews with David Gilmour, Roger Waters, Nick Mason, and comments from the late Rick Wright. Listen here.

Arctic Monkeys and The Black Keys Plan Arena Tour
Arctic Monkeys have announced plans to launch a North American arena tour with the Black Keys in March.

Kicking things off in Cincinnati on March 2nd, Arctic Monkeys will be criss-crossing the continent, playing some of the largest venues in America including a stop at New York City's famed Madison Square Garden.

Arctic Monkeys will be hitting the road in support of their latest album, Suck It and See, which was released by Domino in June. more on this story

Bruce Springsteen Jams With Bob Seger
(hennemusic) Bob Seger played Santa Claus to his fans Thursday night at Madison Square Garden in New York.

"Just because you've been good little boys and girls this year we have a little Christmas treat for you," Seger told the crowd. "Mr. Bruce Springsteen!"

The New York crowd reacts with huge applause and a round of "Bruuuuuuuuuuce!" before the two rock legends kick into Seger's classic, "Old Time Rock & Roll." Check out video of the jam here.

First Video From Metallica and Lou Reed's Lulu Released
(hennemusic) The Lou Reed/Metallica project "Lulu" has released its first video. Short of calling it a single, "The View" has been the band's focus track since the album launched, having performed the track live on various European tv and radio programs.

The black and white clip was directed by Darren Aronofsky, and shot at the Metallica HQ in the San Francisco Bay area.

"The first time I heard 'The View' I was stunned," Aronofsky said. "I had never heard anything like it. Half was all Lou. The other half all Metallica. It was a marriage that on the surface made no sense, but the fusion changed the way I thought about both artists and morphed into something completely fresh and new. I couldn't stop listening to it. Lou's crushing lyrics, and the band's incredible licks." Read more and watch the video here.

Limp Bizkit Leave Interscope
(Rock News Desk) Limp Bizkit have parted ways with record label Interscope after their comeback album yielded disappointing sales.

Gold Cobra was their first release in over six years and featured the return of wayward guitarist Wes Borland. Despite strong anticipation it hasn't lived up to expectations – but frontman Fred Durst says the band were right to do things their way. He tells Poolside With Dean Delray: "It was a record for us to do for ourselves, for core faces, for some of the people we know in the industry.

"It wasn't our step forward to make a big, pop, smash radio record. We didn't want to make that record at that time. We've been working to re-navigate where we're going to take Limp Bizkit.

"Finally we have been able to get off our label and become independent." more on this story

B.B. King Movie Coming
(Gibson) British director Jon Brewer is working on a full-length movie about the life of B.B. King. The blues legend, born Riley King, has sanctioned the project and given extensive input. B.B. King: The Life of Riley is due in theaters May 2012.

"B.B. is still giving everything to it, and he has a big history," Brewer tells Guitarist magazine. "It was an absolute privilege to be asked to make this film – it's B.B. King's life!"

Talking of B.B's life so far, Brewer says: "One aspect tops all others. There's this little boy who loved going to school, didn't so much love going to church, but so respected his mother and did what his mother told him. And suddenly she was fading; he saw his mother die, that then led to how he relied upon his grandmother and worked the land, who was also fading in years so they could eat. And then she died – as a nine or 10 year old, his life had been crushed. more on this story



Legendary Howlin' Wolf Guitarist Hubert Sumlin Dead at 90
(Rock News Desk) Influential blues guitarist Hubert Sumlin has died at the age of 80. Named the 43rd greatest player of all time by Rolling Stone, and Sumlin was best known for his years in Howlin' Wolf's band.

He kept touring after Wolf's death in 1976 and was on the road as recently as last month, when he celebrated his birthday at a show in New Jersey.

Those influenced by his work include Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, Jimmy Page and Stevie Ray Vaughan. Read more about Hubert's influential career.

Guns N' Roses Add Another Tour Date
Guns N' Roses have expanded their North America tour plans once again. This time added a new date in Vegas.

The band is set to ring in the New Year at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel on December 31st but Vegas fans that weren't able to score tickets to the show at the intimate venue are in luck.

The band has added a second show at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel that will take place the day before the New Year's Eve show. more on this story

Paul Bostaph Leaves Testament
Paul Bostaph has officially parted ways with Testament following his previously announced 'serious injury' which kept him from recording the band's next album.

Testament frontman Chuck Billy confirmed the departure and the possible reason: "I, Eric, Alex, and Greg want to congratulate our brother, forever, Paul Bostaph on his new band, BlackGates. And while 'The Hands of Mayhem' will be sorely missed from our band, we wish him the ultimate success in everything that he does in his future."

Testament is now actively seeking the heaviest drummer on the planet, reads a statement from the band. Details will be announced soon. Testament's new album, The Dark Roots of Earth, will be released next Spring and will featuring drumming from Gene "The Atomic Clock" Hoglan (Fear Factory, Dethklok), as well as Chris Adler (Lamb of God) on a couple of bonus tracks.

Former Shins Members Return With Sad Baby Wolf
Former members of the Shins have resurfaced in Sad Baby Wolf, who has released their first two singles. Here are the details we were sent:

At a point in every mans life, a crossroads will be met. In late 2010, Marty Crandall had been "let go" from the iconic indie-rock band the Shins and was met with the decision of either calling it a day or moving forward with this thing called music. Thankfully for us, he chose the latter. Touching base with some friends from his hometown (Albuquerque, New Mexico), that included fellow former Shins guitarist Neal Langford, brother Maury Crandall on drums, guitarist/vocalist Jason Ward and Sean McCullough on bass, Sad Baby Wolf quickly, and rather effortlessly came to life.

As their first release, the guys of SBW decided to release not one, but two singles in the same vein as a classic 7". On the front end is the boisterously rock-rooted stomper "8th Level," while on the flip side is the more psychedelic, drone-rock inspired "Survival Guide." Sad Baby Wolf is undoubtedly a project in and of itself, yet there may be some familiar harmonies and/or guitar tricks that are sure to make those nostalgic hearts grow fond.

Both songs are set to appear on Sad Baby Wolf's debut full-length, which is tentatively scheduled for release in early spring 2012.

Listen to the singles and learn more about the group here.

Beatles App Launched
(Gibson) Rolling Stone magazine has released an iPad app for The Beatles. It mirrors the paper book The Beatles: The Ultimate Album-by-Album Guide book, published in summer 2011 by Rolling Stone.

The Beatles app costs $9.99 ­– the same as the print version – and is not currently available on Android. The app contains the same content as the print book and has 122 pages with over 60 photos. However, it was redesigned for the iPad and as such, is not considered a "digital replica." The app contains 30-second sound samples (via iTunes) for every Beatles album song and the ability to purchase each song through iTunes.

It also features interviews from Jim James of My Morning Jacket, James Taylor, Liam Gallagher, Stephen Malkmus of Pavement, Stevie Nicks, Liz Phair, Steven Van Zandt, Colin Meloy of the Decemberists, Graham Nash, Bob Weir and others, as well as a guide to the best non-album Beatles tracks. more on this story



Kid Rock, The Fray and Death Cab for Cutie For Live From The Artists Den
Kid Rock, The Fray and Death Cab for Cutie are all set to rock PBS on the fourth season of Live from the Artists Den, which will premiere nationwide on public television beginning February 3, 2012

Aside from Kid Rock, The Fray and Death Cab for Cutie, the new season will also feature Adele, Iron and Wine, and Amos Lee with special guests Calexico.

There's something for every music fan in our new season," says Artists Den Creator and Executive Producer Mark Lieberman. "We kick off with a rare, intimate look at Adele, the biggest star in music this year, and finish with Iron and Wine reimagined as an 11 piece band in a historic Atlanta theatre. Generous invitations from such remarkable locations as Graceland, the Brooklyn Museum, and more helped inspire our best season yet." more on this story

Green Day Idiot For The UK
(hennemusic) Green Day's "American Idiot" musical will tour the UK in late 2012. The performance will visit eight cities on a tour that begins next October.

Things kick off October 9 at Southampton's Mayflower Theatre, and run until early December, with a final week-long stint at London's HMV Hammersmith Apollo. The musical will also have a two-week long run at Manchester's Palace Theatre.

The show is based around songs from Green Day's last two studio albums, "American Idiot" and "21st Century Breakdown." more on this story

Huge Metallica Fan Shakira Includes Cover on New DVD
(hennemusic) Shakira turned a lot of people's heads when she performed a Metallica cover during her last world tour.

The Colombian pop icon did a very subtle, quiet version of "Nothing Else Matters" in her set. The song originally appeared on Metallica's 1991-self titled "black album"

"I used to be a huge Metallica fan when I was 15, 16 years old," says Shakira. "I remember I was graduating from high school back then and I used to sing 'Nothing Else Matters' all day long. I am still a very huge Metallica fan, though. [And] I thought it would be kind of surprising to include it in my repertoire for this tour."

Shakira's verison of the Metallica track is featured on her new concert DVD, "Shakira, Live From Paris." Check it out here.

Sebastian Bach, Billy Idol and Steve Stevens Jam With Camp Freddy
(hennemusic) Camp Freddy have returned to The Roxy Theatre in West Hollywood for their annual Christmas residency. The jam band features Billy Morrison (Billy Idol/The Cult), Dave Navarro (Jane's Addiction/The Panic Channel), Matt Sorum (Guns N Roses/Velvet Revolver), Donovan Leitch (son of legendary folk singer Donovan), and Chris Chaney (Jane's Addiction/Alanis Morrisette).

CF play four Friday shows this month, and fired things up this weekend; as usual, the band sold out their residency shows quickly. "Well that didn't take long! 48 hours to be precise," writes Morrison. "If you didn't get a ticket, there's always next year, because we have now officially sold out all four residency shows at The Roxy for December. Now comes the task of putting together the set lists and making sure we blow the roof off the place every night. I know we are all really happy to be headed back to the Roxy for the fifth year in succession – we'll see some old faces, and hopefully some new ones as well. Come prepared to have a f**king good time – we want to see the place shake. Thanks to all for making it a huge success already and here's to a good Holiday season on the Sunset Strip."

Friday's opening night featured guests including Sebastian Bach, Mark McGrath (Sugar Ray), Frankie Perez, Billy Idol and Steve Stevens. Check out some video here.

KISS Kruise To Sail Again
(hennemusic) KISS have announced the return of the KISS Kruise. Scheduled for Halloween 2012, KISS will release more information in the next few weeks.

October 2011 saw the first-ever KISS Kruise set sail from Miami, FL, to Half Moon Cay and Nassau, Bahamas on board a well-known ship brand.

KISS hosted the recent trip, complete with a live show in an intimate indoor venue and an acoustic "Sail Away Concert" (no make-up!!) as the ship left port in Miami. more on this story

Sixx: A.M. Tease Next Move
(Banana 101.5) As guitarist D.J. Ashba told us recently, there is a lot of new music on the way from his band Sixx: A.M. Turns out we may actually hear some before year's end — the band just released a teaser trailer for what could be a remix or acoustic-style release.

Perhaps taking a page out of the his other band's playbook — Motley Crue also teased their just-announced residency at the Hard Rock in Vegas through social networking sites — Nikki Sixx and friends have been dropping clues about a mystery project via Facebook. First saying "Something is coming for you this December," then posting an image of the band's name with overshadowed by a red number seven, followed by a video of the image with a stripped-down piano-led version of their current single 'This Is Gonna Hurt.'

The video also spotlights the date 12/13/11, which falls on the typical day for new releases — Tuesday. What exactly fans will be getting that day is unknown at this time, but it's always fun to guess. more on this story

Springsteen, Elbow and Noel Gallagher To Rock Isle of Wight
(Gibson) More big names have been announced to play next summer's Isle of Wight Festival. Headliner Bruce Springsteen will be joined on the island by Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds, Elbow, Biffy Clyro, Example, Noah & The Whale, The Vaccines and Madness.

Elbow will play on Friday, June 22, while Saturday, June 23 features Scottish trio Biffy Clyro and Madness.

On Sunday, June 24, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds will play as special guests to Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, the day's headlining act. more on this story



Johnny Marr Banned From The Roads
(Gibson) Former Smiths man and guitar guru Johnny Marr has been banned from driving. According to the Daily Mirror in England, the king of the jangly guitar was caught speeding at 72 miles per hour in a 40 miles per hour zone.

Marr had been speeding through Manchester in his Audi A5 back in April when he was pulled over by police.

His lawyer, Gwyn Lewis, appeared in court on Marr's behalf, saying, "It was something he deeply regrets and it is the first time he has been banned from the roads." more on this story



Spawn Of Possession Complete New Album
Spawn Of Possession have completed work on their third full-length album, Incurso, which will be released by Relapse Records next Spring.

Earsplit sent over these details: Featuring current and former members of tech-titans Necrophagist and Obscura, Spawn Of Possession's excellent Cabinet debut was released by Unique Leader Records in 2003. But when Noctambulant followed three years later via Neurotic Records, the album's unabridged, relentless technical death metal urgency instantly made the name Spawn Of Possession stick into the minds of metallers worldwide like a rusty cleaver. It has now been over five years since the release of Noctambulant, and diehard fans are ravenous for the next installment of this now cult favorite act's expanding discography.

Earlier this year Spawn Of Possession entered Pama Studios in Kristianpoel, Sweden, with engineer Magnus Sedenberg, to track their debut for Relapse Records. Devastating riffs, jaw-dropping time-signatures and improbably complex songwriting coalesce to create an opus of next-level death metal on Incurso , which the band promises to be their most supreme work to date, and more devastating than ever.

BUCKCHERRY Ready To 'Push The Boundaries' On Next Record

According to The Pulse Of Radio, BUCKCHERRY guitarist Keith Nelson told Gibson.com that the band wants to "push the boundaries" of its sound on its sixth studio album, which the group is writing now and plans to record early in 2012. Nelson explained, "We're not going to make an experimental jazz record, but I don't think it's going to be anything like the last five records we've made. We want to push it. We want to make something different."

The guitarist added that BUCKCHERRY has big plans for its next effort, saying, "We're working out some stuff and really taking the idea of making a recording and encompassing a lot of different things. It's an ambitious effort on our part, but we're shooting for the stars on this with everything around the record, from the concept to the packaging. We're really just trying to take it to the next level."

Nelson said that the group hopes to have the album available by late spring.

Meanwhile, BUCKCHERRY recently did some dates opening for GUNS N' ROSES, which Nelson called "a phenomenal experience for us."

Asked about his favorite memory from the shows, Nelson recalled, "There were a lot of good memories, but Axl Rose — before they went on stage and after we were done — got us all together and gave us really nice gifts for being a part of the tour and was really gracious. He was really sweet and nice. So, actually, meeting him and his generosity was probably the most memorable thing."

BUCKCHERRY's next album will follow up 2010's "All Night Long".

The Los Angeles-based band recently teamed up again with Childhelp, a national non-profit organization dedicated to the prevention and treatment of child abuse, to shed light on the growing child abuse epidemic in the United States via a public service announcement called "Hope."

Also featured in the spot were Betty White and Shaquille O'Neal.

The band has been working with Childhelp since 2009, raising more than $10K for the organization's programs and services.

"All Night Long", sold around 28,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 10 on The Billboard 200 chart.

BUCKCHERRY's fourth studio CD, titled "Black Butterfly", opened with around 47,000 units back in September 2008 to land at No. 8.

Dokken signs with Frontiers, new record written.

Dokken signs with Frontiers, new record written.


Frontiers Records is excited to announce the signing of Dokken for the worldwide release of the band's forthcoming studio album in the spring of 2012.

The cooperation between Frontiers and Dokken started with the release of the band's CD Lightning Strikes Again in 2007. The album marked a return to Dokken's signature style with melodic hooklines and blazing guitar riffs that epitomized the band's sound on such records as Tooth & Nail, Under Lock & Key, Back for the Attack and Dysfunctional.

"So far we have written 10 songs in only 8 weeks." says singer Don Dokken. "Usually we spend a year or more on our music. I can't explain why this time it came so fast, it just happened. So far the music is very uptempo and heavy, of course we know our fans like the classic Dokken sound and this is where our new music is headed. It's been a band of brothers doing what we love: 'music'".

Dokken plans to finish their new recording by the end of February and go out on the road in June. In a perfect world we would like to release the new album before the summer and then play the festivals in Europe. "Then hopefully we can jump on a package tour in the US", tells Don Dokken. "We want to give everyone a great CD that will keep all music fans Rokkin' during these troubled times!"
Dokken is now formed by Don Dokken on lead vocals, Jon Levin on guitar, Sean McNabb on bass and Mick Brown on drums.

Formed in 1978, Dokken is one of the bands that defined the American Hard Rock trademark sound of the 80's. They have been nominated for a Grammy Award in 1989 and sold more than 10 million albums worldwide. Their next album will be their 11th original studio release.

WebLinks: www.frontiers.it / www.dokken.net.

Denver promoter details the story about him putting a gun to Axl Rose's head?

Thursday, 01 December 2011

Barry Fey on that time that he held a gun to Axl Rose's head and how the business has changed
By Dave Herrera

So what's your favorite story?

I guess my favorite story... oh, God, that's hard. Dave, that's really hard -- and I'm not being cool - but the one I had most fun with is debunking the story that's not true.

What's that?

The Axl Rose story, as told by Lars Ulrich. You've heard about that one, right? That story is, I guess, the most famous of the stories. We had Guns and Metallica at Mile High. And there was 48-49,000 people there. It was a big tour, and they alternated closing. One night, one band would close, and the other night the other one.

This one, Metallica opened, and... the whole story's in the book, but I'll tell you... Metallica opened, and I went out - it was a great set - I went backstage for the opening number of Guns. I went out, and they played "Welcome to the Jungle." I'm walking out - I'm going to give you the language, and you clean it up however you want; I'm just telling you how it happened - I'm walking backstage, and this guy comes running out and says, "Barry, Axl just left."

I said, "'The fuck are you talking about, 'Axl left'?" So I ran backstage, and I found out that he had come down off the stage, got into the limousine and left the site. So I said to... I went up to - his name was Big John; he was the guy who ran the limo company - and I said, 'You don't work for him; you work for me.' I said, 'You ever want to see another fucking dime of this company's money, you get that car back here.' And he said, "What?" I said, "Yeah. The only way he gets out of that car is if he jumps out. And if he jumps out, you leave him in the street. But you get that car back here."

So he gets on his little telephone. People are getting a little pissed by this time. Guns is up there just jamming, right? They played "Welcome to the Jungle," and then they didn't do anything; they were just jamming, and people were getting a little pissed off. In fact, I found out that they were taking their Guns N' Roses T-shirts back to the concession stand and throwing them at them and saying, "Give me a Metallica shirt."

So I went into the Guns and Metallica dressing room. So Guns sends down an emissary -- and this I know for sure because I was standing there within three feet - and he tells Lars, "Would you guys consider coming back up and jamming with us, because the crowd's going to get out of line?" So Lars tells him, word for word, "You bozos don't have enough money in your collective bank accounts for me to get back on that stage."

So at that point, I left the dressing room, went back out to the parking lot and got my .357 out of my glove box and put it in my back pocket. So I go out there, and I don't know what I'm going to do, because, you know, he had caused a riot in Montreal, I believe, by leaving and not coming back. Well, a few minutes later, the car comes back, and Axl gets out and talks to his manager - his name was Doug Goldstein; he was a glorified security guy; he use to do their security, and he took over their management. But how do you manage, manic depressive heroin addicts? That's a pretty good trick. I don't know how you do that.

So he [Axl] comes and talks to his manager and goes right up on the stage and gets back into it. So I put three of my, what do you want to call 'em, security, goons, thugs -- the toughest ones I have - at the top of the stairs and three Denver cops at the bottom. My instructions are: "The only way he gets out, if he leaves again, is that way," and I point to the crowd. Doug Goldstein says, "Barry, you can't do that. Axl will get so pissed." I said, "I don't give a fuck about him, and I don't give the same about you. I care about them," and I pointed to the people.

So that, basically, is what happened. But Lars tends to tell a different story, and Lars has far more credibility out in the industry than I have. He swears I put the gun up to Axl's temple and said, "Get on that fucking stage or you're going to die." It [his .357] never left my pocket. But every time he sees me today, he says, "Barry, are you packing today?" So that was that story.

Of course, that also was Slash's bachelor party that night. It was downtown at the Embassy Suites, which is no longer there. They were handing out little tickets - a blue ticket, like if you wanted a blow job, a yellow ticket if you wanted to get laid, a red ticket if you wanted to do both. It was a crazy night. And it turns out, I found out later, the reason Axl left was because he had a fight with Slash on the stage. But you know, I didn't really care. I just... I wasn't going to let him get away with that.

And Lars says to me, "Don't tell me you wouldn't have shot him." I said, 'Oh if he's not going to go on, he's going to get shot." But it didn't have to happen. So that's a great story, but it's true. That's the way it is. If you hang up with me and call Lars, he'll tell you the story, "Yeah, Barry put this fucking gun to his head." Didn't happen.

We thank our friends at Denver's WESTWOOD blog. Go check out the entire story.

VAN HALEN demanded 'NO Brown M&Ms' find out why?

Thursday, 01 December 2011



Van Halen's 1980 Tour Rider:
Why They Demanded The Brown M&Ms Be Picked Out
By Ben Westhoff Wed., Nov. 30 2011 at 4:45 AM

Barry Fey is a Denver-based concert promoter who has booked just about every giant rock band you can think of, and often for the first time in America. His new memoir Backstage Past speaks on his efforts bringing groups like U2, The Who, and The Rolling Stones stateside.

It's also got plenty to dish, much of it concerning the temperamental and downright oddball behavior of rock stars. The below excerpt explores Van Halen's contract rider circa 1980, which delves into one of history's burning questions: Why didn't they want the brown M&Ms?

From Van Halen's 1980 contract rider:

Munchies
• Potato chips with assorted dips
• Nuts
• Pretzels
• M & M's (WARNING: ABSOLUTELY NO BROWN ONES)
• Twelve (12) Reese's peanut butter cups
• Twelve (12) assorted Dannon yogurt (on ice)

Supplies
• Forty-eight (48) large, bath-size cloth towels
• One hundred (100) cups for cold drinks (16 oz., waxed paper)
• Fifty (50) styrofoam cups (minimum 10 oz.) for hot drinks
• Forks, knives and spoons (metal, not plastic)
• Serving utensils, corkscrew, bottle and can openers
• Salt and pepper (in shakers)
• Tablecloths
• Napkins (paper)
• Two (2) large bars Ivory soap
• One (1) large tube KY Jelly

I did several shows with Van Halen over the years and in 1980, I had three shows in Colorado. The first one was at the University of Southern Colorado in Pueblo on March 30th which was a warm-up for the summer World Invasion Tour of Europe and North America. I brought them back in September for two shows at McNichols Arena on the 12th and 13th.

The Pueblo show was the first time I'd heard about the brown M&Ms. There are different stories about it, but one I was told is that the band wanted to make sure its contract rider, which detailed every little thing from trash bags to what kind of foods would be served to the roadies and at what time; virtually nothing was left to chance. So, someone suggested they put in "no brown M&Ms" as a gotcha; if there were brown M&Ms, then whoever was supposed to read the rider didn't and other important details, like the tube of K-Y Jelly, might have been overlooked.

In their Pueblo dressing room, the band found brown M&Ms and the boys, who had proven that they didn't need much of an excuse to damage hotel rooms and the like, tore up the college's dressing room. Tore it up so badly that the University banned not only Van Halen, but all rock concerts at the school.

Just because I enjoyed being a smart ass, I guess, four years later when I booked Van Halen to headline The US Festival (more on that in another chapter), I bought a big, silver chalice, had it filled with ONLY brown M&Ms, walked into Van Halen's dressing room and put it down on the table. The guys--Eddie and Alex Van Halen and David Lee Roth--laughed their asses off.

A great read from our friends at LA WEEKLY.

FOO FIGHTER SCORE DOUBLE AWARDS FROM NIELSON:

The folks from Nielsen's Entertainment division recently caught up with the Foo Fighters backstage at their sold-out Madison Square Garden concert last month to honor them with two awards – the first recognizes the band's more than four million (U.S.) radio plays, captured by Nielsen BDS: And the second is in recognition of the band's more than 10 Million (U.S.) album sales, tracked by Nielsen SoundScan.

DON'T BE SILLY!! BLAME IT ALL ON THE BEACH BOYS!!:

Ok, now it's just getting silly. Rolling Stone magazine journalist Andy Greene is reporting that the "iconic band" that was set to appear at the Grammy Nominations concert was infact the Beach Boys!
Here's what has been written today:
"What happened? "There was the expectation that the artist involved and we would be ready to announce," Grammy President Neil Portnow told the Telegraph. "We were genuine about the intention and discussion, but the time frame has moved."
Many people thought that Van Halen was supposed to be the band, largely due to the fact that the Grammys sent out this not-so-subtle Tweet on November 3rd: "Who do u predict the reuniting band will be @ GRAMMYnoms? Does this hint make u wanna 'Jump' & 'Dance The Night Away?'" This seemed to confirm beyond any doubt that Van Halen was the band, but what many people missed is that the Tweet also linked to a Hitfix story that guessed it was Van Halen. The fine folks at the Grammys merely sent out that Tweet to get people talking, and the Van Halen song titles were a reference to the HitFix prediction. They wanted to open up a whole Twitter-wide guessing game.
Unfortunately, all it did was make everyone think that Van Halen were locked in. According to industry sources I've spoken to, Van Halen were never - at any point - lined up to appear at the Grammys special.
It's hard to be 100 percent certain, but I'm extremely confident that it was supposed to be the Beach Boys. Their 50th anniversary reunion tour this summer is one of the worst-kept secrets in the music business right now. The Los Angeles Times agrees with my assessment. "Sources close to the show said that talks with the band – reportedly the Beach Boys – fell apart in the 48 hours leading up to the nomination show," the paper reported this morning. "There's hope, however, that the Beach Boys will still be available for the Feb. 12 Grammy Awards."
Read more: www.rollingstone.com/music/news/iconic-group-reunion-at-grammys-nominations-concert-doesnt-happen-20111201#ixzz1fKgd5QW6.

Give me a break!
The Beach Boys? Are you serious?!! I might be willing to accept this but for two glaring points that simply don't stack up.
1 - This rumor was widely reported in national and international press for weeks now. No one in the Van Halen camp thought it worthy of shooting down? Why not? They have shot down just about everything else in the past decade. Allowing this rumor to whip fans into a frenzy for so long without saying a word - if they were not ever involved - is simply a monstrous disrespect and dereliction of duty of care to long suffering fans.
2 - What of this Grammy sent tweet - "@ #GRAMMYnoms? Does this hint make u wanna 'Jump' & 'Dance the Night Away'?"
Now, forgive my possible ignorance here, but I'm not aware of ANY other act that has ever had two hit songs called Jump and Dance The Night Away! Now, if the tweet had read something like "Does this make you want to 'Dance, Dance, Dance'...'It's About Time'?", then one could be forgiven for mixing the two bands up. (Dance Dance Dance being a Beach Boys 1964 hit and It's About Time being a 1992 album cut, and a 2004 Van Halen w/Sammy cut!).

Like I said yesterday, this will al be brushed aside as if it was never planned. Van Halen are unlikely to appear at the Grammy's Feb 12, as why would that organization go through all this again? Ok, time to just accept this and move on...

Today's Day In Pop

Today's Full Report


Justin Bieber and Mariah Carey Release Christmas Video
(popmusiclife) Justin Bieber has issued the latest video from his "Under The Mistletoe" album. Justin teams up with Mariah Carey for a take on "All I Want For Christmas Is You," as the two romp around a department store at holiday time.
Mariah is seen wearing her best Santa outfit, revealing the trim figure she's regained since giving birth to twins Moroccan and Monroe earlier this year. Mariah originally recorded the track for her 1994 holiday record, "Merry Christmas," and then redid it for last year's sequel, the "Merry Christmas II You" album.

Bieber officially debuted the video during his appearance at Rockefeller Center on Wednesday evening. Check it out here.

Lady Gaga Releases Epic Marry The Night Video
(popmusiclife) Lady Gaga has released her new epic music video for the song "Marry The Night."

The 14-minute story begins with the previously-released teaser clip of a post-op Gaga entering a room at a clinic, and takes viewers on a wild ride from there.

We won't say much more so as not to provide spoilers….sit back and check it out for yourself here.

Anniversary of Michael Jackson's Thriller Video Premiere
(Gibson) On this day in 1983, MTV aired the full 14-minute version of Michael Jackson's "Thriller" video for the first time. Gibson takes a look back: The early years of MTV were an exciting time…well, for some. There were old school musicians who resisted it, claiming the music — and not image — should do the talking. Right or wrong, that mindset generally worked against established acts. Others, though, realized the potential of the music video and took advantage of, in essence, a three-minute commercial to run in an endless playlist for an entire generation of youth.

Michael Jackson was certainly among the latter group. While the cable channel's first year or so was largely devoid of artists of color, Jackson helped break down that wall with theatrical spectacles chock-full of elaborate choreography and sets, set ablaze by Jackson's own electrifying stage persona. Jackson exploded onto MTV in 1983 with "Billie Jean," followed in quick succession by "Beat It" and the Paul McCartney collaboration, "Say Say Say." As Jackson eyed the release of the last single from the Thriller album, he decided to do something more elaborate — much more elaborate.

The title track of the Thriller album was written by Rod Temperton, who had previously written the hits "Rock with You" and "Off the Wall," among other tracks, for Jackson. The song's horror-themed lyrics gave it an almost cinematic tinge from the outset. Producer Quincy Jones, Jackson and Temperton worked for eight weeks in the studio to do the composition proper justice, bringing in scream king Vincent Price to record the track's creepy voiceover. The result was a dance-funk masterpiece. But that was the music. The video would require an equally expansive eye. more on this story



The Battle for Bob Marley's Name
(TMZ) Bob Marley's widow is smoking mad over a relative pimping out the family name to sell everything from concerts to fish, poultry, energy drinks and booze -- and she's suing to stop him.

Rita Marley and nine of Bob's kids filed a federal lawsuit against Richard Booker -- Bob's bro from another father ... for trademark infringement and unauthorized use of Marley's likeness.

According to the suit, Booker's been real busy -- registering the trademark "Mama Marley" to sell ... among other things ... fish, fish and chips, fish cakes, fish croquettes, fish fillets, fish mousse, and fish sausages. Yes, Bob loved him some fish.

In addition, the suit claims Booker is using Marley's name and image to market an annual concert in Miami, known as the 9 Mile Music Festival. For those not in the know ... 9 Mile is the Jamaican town where Bob was born and buried.

Bob's family says they have the rights to all things Marley and want all of Booker's profits. They also want a judge to order Booker to stop all future use of the name.

Interestingly, next year's headliners at that 9 Mile Music Festival include Stephen, Damian and Julian Marley -- all plaintiffs in the suit. more on this story

Hear Tori Amos' Latest In A New Way
Tori Amos has set a December 13th release date for Sin Palabras, the instrumental version of this year's Night of Hunters album.

It will be available at all digital retailers. On Night of Hunters, Tori created a 21st century song cycle with variations on themes by Satie, Granados, Chopin and other great composers.

Sin Palabras provides a completely new listening experience and perspective on the compositions by stripping the vocals and putting Tori's adventurous arrangements and virtuosic playing, along with that of The Apollon Musagete Quartet and the Berlin Philharmonic clarinet soloist Andreas Ottensamer, at the forefront. more on this story

Soulja Boy Facing Eviction
(TMZ) A rough year for Soulja Boy is about to get rougher -- he's been served with an eviction notice, TMZ has learned.

Soulja's 2011 has included ... lying about buying a private jet, pissing off the military with one of his songs and getting arrested for allegedly carrying weed and a gun in a briefcase.

Now TMZ has learned the rapper, real name DeAndre Way, has not paid his November rent for his Atlanta pad -- a whopping $4,725 -- so he's been served with eviction papers. Soulja has until December 5 to pay up, or risk getting thrown out.

A rep for Soulja had no comment. more on this story

Bruno Mars Scores Six Grammy Nominations
Bruno Mars has scored six nominations for the upcoming 54th Annual Grammy Awards.

The evebt will be held on Sunday, February 12th, 2012 at Staples Center in Los Angeles and will be broadcast live on CBS from 8-11:30 pm (ET/PT).

His 24x-worldwide platinum debut album, "Doo-Wops & Hooligans," was nominated as "Album of the Year" and "Best Pop Vocal Album," while the #1 smash hit, "Grenade," was named in both the "Record of the Year" and "Song of the Year" categories, as well as for "Best Pop Solo Performance." more on this story

Vh1 Plan TLC Movie
VH1 will kick off a new series of biopics with a feature film about R&B/hip-hop/pop trio TLC.

They sent over these details: The two surviving members of the group, Chilli and Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins, have signed on as consultants and executive producers for the movie. Acclaimed screenwriter Kate Lanier ("What's Love Got To Do With It" and "Beauty Shop) has signed on to pen the bio-pic.

The gifted trio TLC, which was comprised of Chilli, Watkins and the late Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, achieved instant commercial success with their first album, Ooooooohhh… On The TLC Tip in 1991 which sold over 6 million copies worldwide and spawned numerous Top Ten singles. But it was the release of their second album; CrazySexyCool in 1994 that elevated them to superstar status, that album sold over 22 million albums worldwide to date and propelled TLC to become the most successful female group in history. They went on to record Fanmail selling over 10 million albums and 8 Grammy nominations before Lopes' untimely death in 2002. more on this story

Kesha Releases Stray Dogs PSA
(popmusiclife) Kesha is lending her support to help street dogs. The pop star has recorded a PSA (public service announcement) for Humane Society International as they work together to help better the lives of stray dogs.

"I'm a street dog defender and I hope you will become one too," says Kesha. "Most of us has seen them hiding under parked cars or running out of the way of traffic. Millions of stray dogs roam the streets looking for food, shelter and a kind hand. Mother dogs not only struggle to feed themselves, but also their whole litter of puppies. These dogs too often are treated like they're a nuisance, becoming victims to poisoning, electrocution, and shootings."

"Humane Society International works with local organizations and governments in the developing world to create humane and effective animal control programs, putting an end to the ongoing cycle of cruelty towards these animals. Join us in being a voice for these dogs around the world." Check out the PSA here.

Steve Aoki Plans Deadmeat Tour
Steve Aoki will be hitting the road this winter for his Deadmeat Tour in support of his forthcoming album Wonderland.

The Deadmeat Tour has AOKI partnering with dubstep's hottest new producer and Dim Mak label mate Datsik.

The pair will travel across North America throughout winter 2012 and perform at some of the most renowned theaters and concert arenas, including the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco, the Fillmore in Denver, Boston's House of Blues, Montreal's Metropolis and New York City's legendary Roseland Ballroom (Los Angeles details are forthcoming). more on this story

SL Jones Offers Up Free MP3 Ahead of New Mixtape
SL Jones has set a December 14th release date for his latest mixtape project entitled, Flight Risk.

The 12-track project will serve as a follow-up to the Little Rock, Arkansas, rapper's Don Cannon-hosted mixtape, The Number 23, and will serve as SL's most cohesive, focused effort to date. While guests will be light, the mixtape will include production from a list of A-grade producers, including Lex Luger, Shawty Redd, Sonny Digital, Honorable C.N.O.T.E., Metro, and more, including Young L, who lent his production efforts to the mixtape's first leak, "Gas Station."

While SL hails from the Rock, it was his occasional stints out in the Bay that influenced the title and direction of this latest track. "'Gassing' in the Bay Area, that's just some slang, the same way someone might say, 'Oh, you're going in on that track'," notes SL. "With Young L being from the Bay, and the song just being straight bars, it made perfect sense."

With the beat, something of a minimalist masterpiece, Young L highlights the low end sparingly – but when it does hit, it hits hard, a concoction of 808's and distorted, rumbling bass that lets SL get creative with his dexterous, winding delivery. "The beat is so wide open, so I just decided to use different flows," explains SL. "F**k a hook; this is the kinda beat where everything sounds good on it."

Download "Gas Station" here.

Luke James Announces Dates With Robin Thicke
Luke James has been added as support on several dates of Robin Thicke "Love After War" Tour.

Luke James is set to join "Love After War" Tour at stops in New York, Philadelphia, Chicago and Los Angeles.

Luke James will release a free pre-album entitled #LUKE on December 22, 2011, followed by the release of his debut solo album, Made To Love, in 2012. more on this story

Kim Kardashian Angry Over Kris Humphries' Made For TV Marriage Claims
(TMZ) Kim Kardashian is telling friends ... she's incredulous over Kris Humphries' claim that she used him as a disposable groom just to get a pop on her reality show.

Kim is bragging -- and on this one she has a right to brag -- she and her mom are marketing geniuses, so why would she set herself up to be skewered in the media by dumping her husband after only 72 days? Kim acknowledges the split has been rough on her image and she would never have intentionally self-destructed.

And, Kim says, if this were really a wedding truly made for TV, she would have made it "way better," telling friends, "I'm no dummy. The divorce would have been just as dramatic and dragged out as the wedding."

Kim is telling friends Kris' latest move is "pathetic," adding, "Why fight over any of this?" more on this story

Judge Gives CSI Star Ultimatum In Domestic Violence Case
(TMZ) An angry judge just ripped Gary Dourdan a new one ... after learning the former "CSI" star illegally texted his former GF ... allegedly.

Dourdan pled not guilty to felony domestic violence charges for allegedly breaking Nicole Vail Cannizzaro's nose.

Immediately after Dourdan was arrested last month, the police got a restraining order which prohibited the actor from contacting his ex, but the D.A. claims Dourdan violated that order by texting her.

Judge Keith Schwartz told Dourdan, "I don't mess around with domestic violence cases ... You understand?"

The judge issued a 3 year restraining order and gave Dourdan an ultimatum -- stay the hell away from her, or he's going to jail ... NOW. more on this story

Comic Writer Goes After Cowboys & Aliens
(TMZ) You can't legally own the exclusive right to produce a cowboy movie. And you can't legally own the right to produce an alien movie. But a comic book writer claims he does own the combo and that's why he's suing the producers of "Cowboys & Aliens."

Steven Busti claims he created the concept for "Cowboys & Aliens" way back in 1994 -- 17 years before the movie was produced.

Busti wrote a comic called "Cowboys and Aliens" that was published in a comic book called, "Bizarre Fantasy." Busti's story line goes like this ... aliens landed on planet Earth and invaded the Old West. That's pretty much the same concept for the 2011 movie and the graphic novel published by the film's producers 5 years earlier. Busti alleges many other similarities as well.

So the question -- Did the producers know about Busti before they penned the graphic novel and the movie? Well, according to a lawsuit filed today in federal court in Texas, Busti notes back in 1994, his "Cowboys and Aliens" was featured in Comic Shop News on the same page that also featured a story about Scott Mitchell Rosenberg -- who produced the 2011 film. So there!

Busti is suing for copyright infringement and is seeking unspecified damages. Worth noting ... as poorly as it was reviewed, the movie made over $100 million.

So far, no word back from any of the producers. more on this story

Kate Major Won't Be Prosecuted For Battery
(TMZ) Michael Lohan's Achilles' Heel, Kate Major, will NOT be prosecuted for battering a passenger on a Delta flight ... TMZ has learned.

Sources tell us ... the L.A. City Attorney had a meeting with Kate's lawyer, Trent Copeland, today and prosecutors decided not to file the case. We're told the City Attorney was impressed that Kate was trying to solve her problem by checking into rehab. Copeland also made it clear ... Kate was apologetic for her conduct.

As we first reported, Kate was arrested and escorted off a flight from LAX to Tampa after accosting another passenger in first class. We're told Kate was drunk.

And get this ... Kate was on her way to Tampa, because she had a court date over a restraining order she sought against Michael Lohan for allegedly beating her up. more on this story

The Deadly Spawn Millennium Edition Coming To Blu-ray
MVD announced that the cult classic film The Deadly Spawn will see a "Millennium Edition" debut on Blu-ray this January 24th courtesy of Elite Entertainment.

Here is the synopsis: In The Deadly Spawn, two campers in the New Jersey woods have their outdoor fun interrupted by the arrival of a meteorite crashing nearby. They go to investigate the crater, but are suddenly attacked and devoured by alien parasites who have hitched a ride to Earth.

After finishing off the campers, the hungry space monsters head for a nearby town, where they make their domain in the basement of an old house and soon begin polishing off one hapless inhabitant after another. Four young teenagers, plus one pre-teen boy, try to find a way to stop the angry space monsters before they reproduce and literally eat humanity.

Today's Day In Rock

Motley Crue Going Vegas
(hennemusic) It's been rumored for weeks since Vince Neil's pal Robin Leach broke the news, and on Thursday, Motley Crue appeared briefly (hope you didn't blink) on tape on CNN's Piers Morgan Tonight to announce their Las Vegas residency in 2012.
The Crue will become the first hard rock band to sign a short-term residency at the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas.

As Leach reported, the band will play a three-week series of three-and four-night concerts a week at the HRH starting February 3. more on this story

Metallica Announce More Black Album Anniversary Shows
Metallica have expanded their plans to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Black Album with two additional dates for their 2012 European Vacation tour with a promise of more to come.

The band's official site had this update on Wednesday: As promised, we're back . . .with two more shows that are part of our 2012 summer run in Europe. First up is Oslo, Norway at Vallehovin on May 23 and then two weeks later in Denmark in Horsens on June 6 at "The Prison" (really a former state prison!!) and we are proud to be playing at the first show ever at this new venue.

Those of you have been following along know that this year's European vacation features 'The Black Album' in its entirety to celebrate the 20th (ish!!!) anniversary of its release in August of 1991. We just can't stay away from this anniversary stuff!! We're not done yet . . . more on this story

Grammy Response To Van Halen No Show
(hennemusic) After weeks of teasing, The Grammys failed to deliver on their promise to have Van Halen on Wednesday's Nominations Concert special.

Reuters.com reports The Recording Academy Pesident Neil Portnow did not confirm it was Van Halen that the teases were hinting at but had the following to say:

"In the world of creativity, everything is fluid," he said. "In the process of discussions that we had been having with an expectation that perhaps we would be at a point tonight where the artist involved and we, moving forward, would be ready to announce [a reunion], they weren't quite at that point. So it's live television, we go on to the next act. It's rock and roll and so on. That being said, we were genuine about the intention and we are genuine about the discussion." more on this story

Thy Will Be Done Head Dimebag Tribute Event
Thy Will Be Done are set to headline the inaugural late "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott tribute event 'Strength Beyond Strength' on December 8th at the Palladium in Worcester, MA.

A tribute to the late "Dimebag", the proceeds from the event will be donated to help after-school music programs in the Worcester area.

The Palladium has been the home of the annual New England Metal and Hardcore Festival for thirteen years, of which Thy Will Be Done has been a part of four. "We were honored when the Palladium promoters asked us to headline such an event. Conceptually, its a wonderful sentiment to Dime's legacy.", says vocalist J. Costa. "What better way to keep that flame burning than by celebrating life and helping provide a creative environment for the youth after school." more on this story

Bruce Springsteen To Keynote SXSW
Bruce Springsteen has been named as the keynote speaker for the 2012 South By Southwest Music and Media Conference and Festival.

The keynote will take place on Thursday, March 15, 2012 at the Austin Convention Center, the hub of SXSW Music events.

In the tradition of legendary artists delivering the main event at SXSW, Springsteen joins notable keynote alumni including Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Lucinda Williams, Robert Plant, Pete Townshend, Smokey Robinson and Neil Young.

Tool Recording New Album
Tool fans will be very thankful for the news that the group begin tracking their new album over the Thanksgiving holiday.

The band's latest newsletter had there humorous details: At a time when the headlines are dominated by frenzied Amish beard clippers, whooping cough and Occupy Wall Street (Forget that - how about Occupy the Playboy Mansion, all you 69 per centers!), rather than discuss the thawing permafrost, Sandusky, or baffling Gamma ray bursts, how about some exciting TOOL-RELATED NEWS... That's right - while most of you were still digesting your Thanksgiving bird, highly acclaimed recording engineer and producer (not to mention vintage candy aficionado!) 'Evil' Joe Barresi was seated at the mixing console in the band's home studio - the only evidence of the holiday being a bowl of pumpkin-pie cheesecake Kit Kats that was placed there by one of the girls from Tool's business management. Believe it! Hours after your cranberry sauce was still jiggling, members of the band had gathered at the loft to begin tracking.

For these VOLTO! sessions, the place looked like a gear-junkie's wet-dream, and with the 'evil' one deftly punching in bars on the remote control, as the night wore on, song after song -in all their musical complexity - were being captured on tape (Yes, tape! For this record, a Studer A827 "Gold Edition" analog tape recorder had been trucked in.) By the time of my much-anticipated arrival on Tuesday, almost all of the tracks were finished, as were the holiday confections. With the loft now littered with empty Tommy's burger wrappers and spent cans of Red Bull, as guitar riffs processed through an antique Echoplex wailed over the KRKs, stories were being told about Danny recently making a daring escape in his orange Lambo from Mastros steakhouse in Beverly Hills (where a side of lobster mashed potatoes goes for $30.00) - the entire thing caught by TMZ's cameras... although the crowd cheers are probably still lying on the proverbial cutting room floor. And now, with you being down to your last leftover turkey sandwich, with but a few overdubs to add, you can bet that the boys will be back at it tonight... Read more of the fun tale on the band's site

Kid Rock To Rock CNN Heroes Special
CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute is now set to feature Kid Rock performing his song "Care" from the "Born Free" album.

The special will be hosted by Anderson Cooper live from the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, CA, on CNN, Sunday, December 11, 2011 at 8:00 PM ET.

CNN has also announced that Miley Cyrus has also been added as a celebrity presenter along with Dancing with the Stars winner, J.R. Martinez, The Black Eyed Peas' will.i.am, global maternal health advocate and founder of Every Mother Counts, Christy Turlington Burns, and NFL Super Bowl champ and MVP quarterback Kurt Warner, all of whom were confirmed last week. more on this story

Corey Taylor Talks New Slipknot and Stone Sour Albums
(Banana 101.5) Corey Taylor opened up about the status of new albums from both of his bands (Slipknot and Stone Sour) to Fasterlouder.com . After admitting that talking about the passing of his friend and Slipknot bassist Paul Gray is helping him deal with the loss, Taylor said that he's hesitant to rush back into the recording process with Slipknot:

"You know, I'm not even thinking about writing another [Slipknot] album right now. I'm just not there yet you know. But I mean, we're going to put together a really good set, but right now, it just makes more sense to trample together with the band, and not run into a studio, and do things for the wrong reasons, let's put it that way."

Stone Sour has been at work on a new project that Taylor previously said may become a double-disc concept album. The singer shed a little more light on the shape that their latest endeavor has been taking. Read about it here.

UFO Set New Album Release
UFO has set a February 28th North American release date for their new studio album, Seven Deadly.

The album will be released as a limited edition digipak (incl. 2 bonus tracks), a Double Gatefold LP with printed innersleeves and coloured vinyl, standard edition and download.

We were sent these details: What is this bold thesis based on - in view of the countless classics the band has produced throughout its history? Not only on the fact that UFO have that perfect mix of talent, charisma and experience, but also on each individual band member, who currently all seem to be bursting with a zest for action and a wealth of ideas. Seven Deadly is an atmospherically dense fabric consisting of classy guitars, tight rock grooves and vocals which are unique to UFO. So it's no wonder that sound engineer Tommy Newton, in whose Area 51 studio in Celle, Germany, the new tracks were recorded, commented: "I've never heard a better Phil Mogg!" more on this story

Anthrax To Get Icon Release
(Gibson) Anthrax will be highlighted in a new series of albums, called Icon, that will strive to feature, "the greatest hits, signature tunes and fan favorites of the most popular artists in music history," according to a release.

The series was initiated by Universal Music Enterprises (UMe) in 2010, and now, the run is ready to bring fans the best of Anthrax.

Set to drop on January 10, 2012, the 11-track Anthrax Icon compilation (Island/UMe) features Anthrax tunes "Madhouse," "A.I.R.," "Armed and Dangerous," "I Am the Law," "Got the Time" and more. more on this story



Of Mice & Men Member Sidelined By Illness
Of Mice & Men has announced a temporary lineup change for As I Lay Dying's A Decade of Destruction Tour with The Ghost Inside, iwrestledabearonce and Sylosis.

The tour kicked off their week but without bassist/vocalist Shayley Bourget who is sitting out the tour due to illness. Joel Piper (solo artist/Confide) will be stepping in as a replacement.

Of Mice & Men frontman Austin Carlile explains, "Unfortunately Shayley will be unable to perform with us on our upcoming tour with As I Lay Dying, but we are very excited to announce that our good friend, solo artist Joel Piper, will be filling in for Shayley on bass guitar and vocals for the remainder of 2011." more on this story

Biohazard Map Out North American Tour Dates
Biohazard have announced the first North American leg of their world tour in support of their forthcoming album Reborn In Defiance.

The string of northeast shows starts on January 15th in Albany, New York and ends February 18th in Sayreville, New Jersey.

The run includes a hometown show at NYC's Gramercy Theater on January 17th which will celebrate the release of their new album Reborn In Defiance. More details on this show are forthcoming. more on this story

Slash 2nd Chapter
(hennemusic) Slash's bassist Todd Kerns checks in with an update on the progress of the former Guns N' Roses guitarist's new solo album.

"I'm back in LA, two weeks or so into the 2nd chapter of the new Slash record," writes Kerns. "The first three songs we did some time ago are recorded, mixed and mastered."

"'Bad Rain' is a sexy drop D number with me on 8 string bass and squawking along with Mr Kennedy. 'Standing In The Sun' crept up from behind to be my favorite of the 3 and if you're gonna listen to 'Halo,' make sure you have your home insurance paid up cuz it'll rip the roof off. All of these will be out into the public consciousness in the spring of 2012." more on this story

The Stone Roses Add More Reunion Concerts
(hennemusic) The Stone Roses 2012 reunion tour has added more shows. Six weeks ago, following their official press conference announcing the reunion, the band initially sold out three homecoming dates at Manchester's Heaton Park next June.

Since then, Stone Roses have been confirmed as headliners for three festivals: Spain's Benicassim, Scotland's T In The Park and Japan's Fuji Rock Festival.

Now, the band has announced another two festival appearances for next summer, and the shows will actually precede the homecoming gigs be a few weeks. The Roses will play Denmark's NorthSide festival (June 15–17) and Sweden's Hultsfred festival (June 14-16). more on this story

Jimmy Page Limited Edition Release
(Gibson) Jimmy Page's Death Wish II Collectors' Edition album was released yesterday, December 1, exclusively through JimmyPage.com.

Explaining his reasons for re-releasing this classic record, Jimmy Page said: "In 1981, Michael Winner asked me if I would compose the soundtrack to Death Wish II. The songs with vocals were only going to appear in the film for a matter of seconds but I had recorded full versions of them anyway – which is how I ended up doing my first soundtrack and soundtrack album. I've re-released this because I wanted it to be available again."

According to Page's website, there are just 1,000 individually numbered copies available, with Page personally signing the first 30 copies. more on this story



Hawthorne Heights Ink Twilight Deal For Hate
Hawthorne Heights has inked a new deal with Twilight Records in Japan who will release the band's Hate EP in January with bonus alternate versions of "Hate" and "Oceans."

Hawthorne Heights will be announcing dates for a Japanese tour which is tentatively scheduled for April 2012.

The band is currently on a UK/European co-headline tour with Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. more on this story

Foo Fighters Domination Grammy Nominations
(Gibson) The Grammy Awards committee has spoken, and Foo Fighters are on top. Dave Grohl and the Foos scored a whopping six Grammy nominations for the 54th annual event, including Best Rock Album for Wasting Light, Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance for "White Limo," Best Rock Performance for "Walk," Best Rock Song for "Walk," Best Long Form Music Video for "Back and Forth" and the coveted Album of the Year for Wasting Light. Fingers-crossed Grohl and the guys take home all six!

Foo Fighters producer Butch Vid is up for Producer of the Year (non-classical) for his work on Wasting Light, and Deadmau5 is nominated for Best Remixed Recording (non-classical) for "Rope."

Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder also is earning some fanfare this year, with a nomination for Best Folk Album for Ukulele Songs. Who would have thought back in the '90s that Vedder would ever be mentioned in a Best Folk Album category? more on this story



Megadeth Reacts To Grammy Nomination
Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine has issued his reaction to the group's tenth Grammy nomination.

The band received a "Best Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Performance" nomination for their current single "Public Enemy #1" off their latest album Th1rt3en (Roadrunner Records). Megadeth PR people point out that the "Best Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Performance" category is, eerily, category #13.

Of the nomination, Mustaine says, "In such uncertain times, it's just an honor to be recognized by our peers, and anything above that is remarkable."

The 54th annual Grammy Awards will take place in Los Angeles on Feb. 12, 2011. The event will broadcast on CBS. Check out the song's video here

Kasabian North American Tour
Kasabian have announced a North America tour for next spring in support of their latest album Velociraptor.

The tour will kick off on March 12th at South Side Music Hall in Dallas, TX and will wrap up on April 22nd at The Summit Music Hall in Denver, CO.

The trek follows Kasabian's current European tour, which includes two nights at the O2 Arena in London on December 13th and 14th. more on this story

Sting Bringing Music To Disadvantaged Kids In His Home Town
(Gibson) Sting is about to give something back to his home city of Newcastle in England. The Daily Express reports that Sting is backing a new£1.3 million music center for disadvantaged kids.

Sting said, "Having grown up on Tyneside, I'm pleased to support this appeal for The Arches project and The Sage Gateshead's ongoing commitment to creating opportunities for today's young musicians and music lovers in the North East."

Lord Puttnam of Queensgate, Chair of the Sage Gateshead, said, "Sting has always been a great friend to this organization so for him to cement his support by becoming patron of this hugely important project is a milestone for The Sage Gateshead and greatly appreciated by all the people connected to it." more on this story



Girl On Fire Hitting The Road With Rev Theory
Girl On Fire will hit the road this month for a series of North American tour dates with Rev Theory.

The will return to the road to support their debut EP, Revenge, which was produced by WiL Francis - front-man of Aiden and William Control.

"We're excited to announce our upcoming tour with Rev Theory that starts early December!" says vocalist Austin Held. "We'll be playing mostly west coast to mid-west cities and we're very excited to spend the better part of this holiday season with an incredible rock band and everyone who's planning on coming out to the shows. It's been a little over a month since we've been back from our first national tour that ended in mid October. We hope to make some new friends and see some familiar faces while we take another trek through this awesome country. Make sure to check out the dates and rock out the end of the year with us! We'll see you soon." more on this story

In Flames To Headline Wacken
In Flames are ending the year with big news for next year. The band has been confirmed as a headliner for Germany's Wacken Open Air 2012.

"We are happy to announce that we will headline the Friday night at Wacken 2012. It's gonna be great. Expect loads of pyros, loads of good music and five beer drinking heavy metal guys on stage."

The band's newest release Sounds Of A Playground Fading was just certified Gold in their native home of Sweden, the band is currently on a highly successful tour with Trivium, Ghost, Rise To Remain and Insense

Enuff Z' Nuff Kick Off Tour and Plan Anthology
(superLOUD) Enuff Z' Nuff kick off their 2011-2012 North American tour tonight, December 2nd in Janesville WI.

Enuff Z' Nuff (who's current lineup includes original founding members Donnie Vie and Chip Z'Nuff) has also announced that they will be releasing a best of anthology next year.

The release will include all of the bands best known songs including "Fly High Michelle", "New Thing" and "Baby Loves You" as well as over 20 previously unreleased tracks. more on this story

The Naked And Famous Score KROQ No 1
(Sub) The Naked And Famous are making waves at rock radio with their debut single, "Young Blood", claiming the no 1 spot this week at KROQ in Los Angeles.

Beating out heavyweights including Foo Fighters, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Bush, the band continues to infiltrate their beyond-catchy synthtastic sound across America, via radio and touring.

Touring in support of their debut album "Passive Me, Aggressive You", The Naked And Famous will be touring the country till the end of 2011 including an appearance at KROQ's legendary Almost Acoustic Xmas concert and once again in Spring 2011. more on this story

Make Do and Mend Plan Next Release
Make Do and Mend have inked a deal with Rise Records and will begin recording their label debut full-length in February with producer Matt Bayles (Mastodon, Rocky Votolato, Minus The Bear, Botch). T

he forthcoming LP will serve as the follow-up to the band's End Measured Mile, which was released in October 2010. Watch for a summer 2012 release date.

Drummer Matthew Carroll says, "So it is true, we have signed with Rise Records. We are so excited to be a part of the hardest working record label in music today. We are going to go into the studio in February and make the best MDAM record to date for you all. Thank you so much for your continued support." more on this story

The Library Is On Fire To Deliver New Album Next Month
The Library Is On Fire have set a January 31, 2012 release date for their new album, Works on Paper.

Culminating from a studio session with famed producer Perry Margouleff (Rolling Stones, Page/Plant, Aerosmith, Brian May, Soundgarden), who took an instant liking to the band for their hard working, no-nonsense studio ethic, he invited the band back to record the album, sharing production duties with Todd Tobias (Guided By Voices, Robert Pollard) in their native Ohio where the other half was recorded during an especially brutal Winter.

No strangers to artistic collaborations with some of rock n' roll's finest, including poetry swaps with Tom Verlaine of Television and whiskey-soaked art shows with Guided By Voices (the bands' greatest inspiration) and support from the legendary Lou Reed on his infamous "New York Shuffle" radio show on The Loft SIRIUS and XM Channel 30 with Hal Willner, Works on Paper features a smattering of appearances including: Ian McDonald (King Crimson), Matt Mottel (Talibam!), William Whitman (Cyndi Lauper) - to name a few. more on this story

More on Library Is On Fire - Library Is On Fire Music - Library Is On Fire Tour Dates/Tickets - Library Is On Fire CDs, vinyl and rarities
Daylight Debut New Video and Set EP Release Date
Daylight have set a January 3rd release date for their new EP, The Difference In Good And Bad Dreams.

But you don't have to wait until then to get a taste as a music video for the track "Damp" is premiering exclusively on Altpress.com here.

The Difference In Good And Bad Dreams is Daylight's third proper EP in as many years and a precursor building up to next year's debut full-length.

Suffocation To Headline Manitoba Metalfest
Suffocation has been tapped as a headlining act for the 11th annual Manitoba Metalfest.

The music festival is set to take place at The Zoo on Friday, February 24th and Saturday, February 25th.

Suffocation will close out the festivities on Saturday night, while Into Eternity will headline Friday's show.

Cerebral Bore Kick Off Mini Tour
Cerebral Bore kicked off a mini UK tour last night at The Borough in Sunderland.

The four-date mini tour marks the last shows that Cerebral Bore will play this year, before returning in full force in 2012. Joining Cerebral Bore on the road are Scordatura and Laceration.

Cerebral Bore guitarist Paul Mcguire had this to say: "This is our last tour of 2011 and it's great to do it alongside a couple of up-and-coming Scottish bands. It's usually pretty hellish touring at this time of year in a sh*t van, sleeping on floors and dealing with the freezing wet weather. But we will bring the metal regardless, and hopefully the other bands will supply some good local banter and keep the spirits up."

UPDATED: VAN HALEN NO SHOW AT GRAMMY NOMINATIONS:

Wow...I know...shocking! There was no mention of anything Van Halen at tonight's Grammy Nomination Concert - no hint, no surprise and no video....no nothing! Once again, Van Halen fans were left sucking lemons and wondering why they even bothered tuning in.
But wait...Van Halen never said they would appear right? Well, sure...but Van Halen never say anything. Period.
It was in fact the Grammy's that started this bullshit rolling.

From The Grammy Press Release:
"The GRAMMY Nominations Concert Live!" will feature a special, live announcement from a truly iconic group regarding their historic band reunion set to take place on the GRAMMY stage on Feb. 12, 2012."

That was followed up by this now infamous tweet:
"Who do u predict the reuniting band will be @ #GRAMMYnoms? Does this hint make u wanna 'Jump' & 'Dance the Night Away'?"

Ok, so you just don't make this shit up for the sake of it. Something has gone wrong along the way. So why not correct everyone's assumptions?

UPDATE: Hollywood Reporter's Music Editor Shirley Halperin has helped clarify the situation - sending out this tweet from backstage at the post-show press briefing - @shirleyhalperin - "Van Halen "weren't quite ready" to make big announcement they promised, says Grammy president Neil Portnow."
followed by: "@darylecardone he said to reporters in press room."

So the blame has been laid squarely on the shoulders of the band. Just why they pulled out will just have to become Van Halen Conspiracy #312. But someone needs to explain.
Why did NO ONE from their camp hose this down in the week/s leading up to the event?? Why does this band treat fans with such arrogant disregard? Simply unbelievable!

Not to mention why release that publicity shot a week or two back without ANY press release or statement to accompany it?
How hard is it for 4 guys to get together and send out a statement? Anything!!! It looks like we are all back on ice until January....when we may or may not be blessed with another tidbit of info or a stupid picture.


UPDATE 2: Neil Portnow, chairman of The Recording Academy, who run the Grammys, made this statement:
“In the world of creativity, everything is fluid. In the process of discussions that we had been having with an expectation that perhaps we would be at a point tonight where the artist involved and we, moving forward, would be ready to announce [a reunion], they weren’t quite at that point. So it’s live television, we go on to the next act. It’s rock and roll and so on. That being said, we were genuine about the intention and we are genuine about the discussion.”


On a somewhat brighter note - it is nice to see Eddie Van Halen ranked at #8 on the new Rolling Stoned Magazine 'Best Guitarists Of All Time' list. I'm not even going to start debating the merits of this list. At least it is less retarded than their last attempt when they listed EVH at #70. And still no mention of Neal Schon? WTF?

In their mighty wisdom, Rolling Stoned have printed up 4 special edition covers - featuring the top 3 place getters and then Eddie at #8. Are RS trying to angle for that first big reunion interview one could ask??! Still, nice to see EVH in vintage pose on the cover of any magazine.

I got this press blub on the Poll earlier today:

"Rolling Stone magazine has once again compiled their "100 Greatest Guitarists Of All Time" list, and this time around Eddie Van Halen is ranked #8. And for this special issue, they have printed four separate covers, one of which Eddie adorns (Issue 1145/Dec. 8, 2011).
The last time the publication issued this list (2007), Eddie Van Halen was ranked #70. For this year's list, Rolling Stone "assembled a panel of top guitarists and other experts to rank their favorites and explain what separates the legends from everyone else." Obviously, the voting panel improved since 2007 (see below).

*THE VOTERS: Trey Anastasio, Dan Auerbach (The Black Keys), Brian Bell (Weezer), Ritchie Blackmore (Deep Purple), Carl Broemel (My Morning Jacket), James Burton, Jerry Cantrell (Alice in Chains), Gary Clark Jr., Billy Corgan, Steve Cropper, Dave Davies (The Kinks), Anthony DeCurtis (Contributing editor, Rolling Stone), Tom DeLonge (Blink-182), Rick Derringer, Luther Dickinson (North Mississippi Allstars), Elliot Easton (The Cars), Melissa Etheridge, Don Felder, David Fricke (Senior writer, Rolling Stone), Peter Guralnick (Author), Kirk Hammett (Metallica), Albert Hammond Jr. (The Strokes), Warren Haynes (The Allman Brothers Band), Brian Hiatt (Senior writer, Rolling Stone), David Hidalgo (Los Lobos), Jim James (My Morning Jacket), Lenny Kravitz, Robby Krieger (The Doors), Jon Landau (Manager), Alex Lifeson (Rush), Nils Lofgren (The E Street Band), Mick Mars (Motley Crue), Doug Martsch (Built to Spill), J Mascis (Dinosaur Jr.), Brian May, Mike McCready (Pearl Jam), Roger McGuinn (The Byrds), Scotty Moore, Thurston Moore (Sonic Youth), Tom Morello, Dave Mustaine (Megadeth), Brendan O'Brien (Producer), Joe Perry, Vernon Reid (Living Colour), Robbie Robertson, Rich Robinson (The Black Crowes), Carlos Santana, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Marnie Stern, Stephen Stills, Andy Summers, Mick Taylor, Susan Tedeschi, Vieux Farka Tour, Derek Trucks, Eddie Van Halen, Joe Walsh, Nancy Wilson (Heart)."

Signing off from the latest chapter of The Days Of Our Van Halens.

Today's Day In Rock

Van Halen Disappointment at Grammy Show
Van Halen and rock music fans, we have some good news and bad news about last night's prime time Grammy nomination special.
The bad news is that despite organizers hyping an appearance by Van Halen (with Twitter hints containing classic Van Halen song titles) they were no where to be seen on the narrowcast.

The good news is that there is still no real reason for rock fans to bother to care about the Grammy awards, which have consistently treated the biggest selling genre of music as an afterthought. (The same artists that are always nominated were once again nominated, provided they put something out this past year.) The blow by blow on the Van Halen rumor drama

Ricky Skaggs Drummer Found Dead On Tour Bus
(Gibson) Tom Roady, drummer and percussionist for Ricky Skaggs, was found dead on the band's tour bus prior to a show at Clemson University on Monday. He was 62. Members of Skaggs' touring band found Roady unresponsive after parking their tour bus at a hotel near the university.

"[Roady] was sleeping on the bus," said local coroner Kandy Kelley. "The other band members had gone in to get the motel rooms. Then they went to wake him up." Roady had been battling stomach cancer for five years, but cancer is not believed to be the cause of death. "We believe Tom suffered a heart attack as he slept," Skaggs said. "At least he can say he beat cancer."

Skaggs and the remaining members of the band went on to perform Monday night at Clemson's Brooks Center, the first stop on the bluegrass star's Christmas tour. Roady, who had also served as drummer for such legendary figures as Emmylou Harris, Wilson Pickett and James Brown, was a resident of Kingston Springs, Tennessee. more on this story



Corey Taylor Slams Scott Weiland
(Banana 101.5) Corey Taylor continues his pull-no-punches approach to the Q&A portion of his solo shows. At Monday's gig the Slipknot vocalist called Stone Temple Pilots singer Scott Weiland "a lazy piece of s—" and ridiculed his recently released Christmas album.

Just a few shows after he verbally assassinated mega-producer Rick Rubin for being "overrated," "overpaid," and "lazy," the outspoken Corey Taylor began disassembling Scott Weiland without even being prompted by the audience. Taylor started talking about commercials and movie remakes and eventually began warning the audience to be cautious of those looking to cash in on their curiosity and give them nothing in return. His first example ended up being the man whose old job (as Velvet Revolver's vocalist) he recently auditioned for: "I'll give you another example. Does anyone know who Scott Weiland is? Do you know that Scott Weiland has a Christmas album now? Oh, it's bad. It's bad. Let me f—ing explain to you how bad it is. There is a video online of him singing, and he's very serious. 'Cause Christmas is serious. His hair is all slicked back and he's in his f—ing s–-ty tuxedo."

Taylor began his lifeless impression of Weiland's take on 'Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas' which ended with him attempting to swallow the microphone mid-lyric. He then further explained his beef with Weiland. Read what that was and check out video of Corey's rant here

Nickelback Barely Miss The Top
Nickelback's new album, "Here and Now," had a strong first week of sales and just barely missed out on debuting at the top of the Billboard 200 charts.

The trade magazine reports that Nickelback's new effort debuts at No 2 after selling 0.18% less than Michael Buble's "Christmas". Nickelback's label reports that the album sold 226,714 units and missed the top of the chart by just 419 copies.

Hits Double Daily places the new Nickelback effort as a solid No 1 with reported first week sales of 225,325 units vs Buble's 218,815. Billboard reports that the last time there was such a narrow margin between no 1 and no 2 albums was in 2007 when Bruce Springsteen's "Magic" beat out Kid Rock's "Rock N Roll Jesus" by a margin of 0.3%. more on this story

Chevelle Previewing New Songs Online
(Banana 101.5) Chevelle are powering back with their sixth full-length studio album 'Hats Off to the Bull,' which is in stores next Tuesday. With just a week to go, the band decided to give fans a sneak peek at things to come.

The band has kept a pretty tight lid on the new material until now — while touring with Bush and Filter the only song they performed from the new album was the already released 'Face to the Floor' .

Clearly ready to kick the anticipation into full-on frenzy mode, Chevelle have leaked previews of two songs which hearken back to the heavier early days of the band — check out the title track 'Hats Off to the Bull' and 'Same Old Trip' here.

Megadeth Members Revisit Peace Sells
The Mars Attacks podcast latest Classic Albums special focuses on Megadeth's classic "Peace Sells….But Who's Buying."

The album is discussed by founding and current member of the band David Ellefson along with former members of the band, Chris Poland and Glen Drover.

The special is split into a podcast and written portion, where you can either listen to read comments from Gene Hoglan, Doro Pesch, Jon Schaffer, Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal, Jason Bittner, Tim "Ripper" Owens, Alan Tecchio, Dan Lorenzo, Dave Reffett, Jorge Salan, members of Sacred Reich, Death Angel, Madball, This Or The Apocalypse, Cancer Bats, Benedictum, Bonded By Blood, DC4, Gypsyhawk, Vindicator, White Wizzard, and Angelus Apatrida, along with various authors, as well as hosts and contributors to sites/podcasts such as Talking Metal and more.

You can listen and find the Q&A with David Ellefson, along with all of the other comments here.

Amp Used on Beatles Revolver and Sgt Pepper's Up For Auction
(Gibson) An amplifier used by George Harrison during the recording of The Beatles' Revolver and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band is expected to fetch between $80,000 and $110,000 when it goes on the auction block next month.

As reported by Reuters, the rare Vox UL730 amp and cabinet was only recently discovered to have a Beatles connection, when an engineer repairing the amp noticed that Harrison's name was etched on the chassis.

Subsequent research confirmed that Harrison indeed had owned the amp, and that he had used it on two of The Beatles' most important albums. "Very few amps used by The Beatles have come to auction before, and to find one that was used on two such significant albums is truly rare and exciting," said Stephen Maycock, a consultant to Bonhams, the company conducting the auction. The sale will take place in London December 15. more on this story



It's Christmas for The Polyphonic Spree
The Polyphonic Spree have released a recently unearthed Christmas song as their new single, "It's Christmas," via their Good Records Recordings label.

"It's Christmas" is an original song composed by Spree leader Tim DeLaughter and recorded in 2003 during early sessions for the band's second album, "Together We're Heavy."

The track was lost in the shuffle of recording a new album at the time, but it was recently unearthed and mixed, and is now available for the first time. more on this story

All Time Low Deliver Time-Bomb Video
All Time Low have released a new music video for their latest single, "Time-Bomb," off of their album, Dirty Work.

The clip was directed by K. Asher Levin and features the band performing on a Los Angeles rooftop while a SWAT team tries to stop a guy from saving his girlfriend—Vampire Diaries' Malese Jow -- using an artificial heart he created himself.

You can see how it all plays out with the official video stream on the All Time Low Vevo channel here.

Caliban Set I Am Nemesis Release Date
Century Media Records has set a February 28, 2012 release date for Caliban's eighth studio album, I Am Nemesis.

After spending 10 months writing new material, the band is very excited to get the record out to fans. "It was important to us to have an elaborate album without any fillers," says lead guitarist Marc Görtz. "Additionally, the sound of the album is the best we've ever had by far: it is heavy and brutal without being chaotic."

Lyrically, I Am Nemesis is a continuation of the band's last record, Say Hello To Tragedy and focuses on controversial and often overlooked world issues. Musically, Görtz says, "The album breaks new soil without forgetting our roots. There are new influences such as shimmering guitar melodies and technical grooves with Meshuggah-like heaviness." more on this story

Public Image Ltd To Deliver This is PiL
(Gibson) John Lydon has revealed that the title of the new Public Image Ltd album will likely be, simply, This is PiL.

Speaking to BBC 6 Music, Lydon said lack of financing has been the main hindrance in releasing new PIL material. "I was always full of ideas, but I had to wait until I had enough money to release an album," Lydon explained. "Everybody thinks I made such a fortune with the Sex Pistols. Well, unfortunately that is not true. To make this record we had to tour extensively for two years."

Lydon added that he and his PIL bandmates knew, as soon as the reconvened in 2009, that they would eventually record a new album. more on this story



The Felice Brothers Announce New Year's Shows
The Felice Brothers have announced plans for two New Year's shows in the northeast this year.

They will be performing on December 30th at Daniel Street in Milford, CT and on December 31st for a hometown show at Club Helsinki in Hudson, NY.

The band, who are currently overseas at the start of a 17-date European tour, wrapped up their eight and a half week long national US tour on November 19th. more on this story

August Burns Red Release Christmas Song
August Burns Red are once again in the Christmas spirit, giving fans their rendition of a Christmas classic, this time they take on the holiday favorite, 'God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen'.

"The past few years the annual ABR Christmas songs haven't been nearly as 'metal' as 'Carol of the Bells' was," explains guitarist JB Brubaker. "When writing our rendition of 'God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen' I wanted to write a more traditional metal song. Something less artsy and more in your face. I am confident that 'God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen' is easily the most metal Christmas song we've ever done. While recording it I was thinking 'this song sounds straight 80's metal' which amused me greatly."

The track is available now as a digital single or a limited edition colored vinyl 7" through the band's former label, CI Records, and can currently be previewed at the band's Facebook page here.

Corrosion Of Conformity One Night Stand
Corrosion Of Conformity will follow-up their tour with Clutch with a one-off show at the Orange Peel in Asheville, North Carolina on January 22.

The special performance will coincide with a screening of Slow Southern Steel, the southern metal documentary produced by Rwake vocalist, CT. Hail! Hornet will also appear on the bill.

Corrosion Of Conformity -- featuring the Animosity line-up of vocalist/bassist Mike Dean, guitarist Woody Weatherman, and drummer/vocalist Reed Mullin -- have been working with long-time producer John Custer and will release their eighth studio album via Candlelight Records on February 28, 2012. The record will be self-titled. more on this story

Unchained Voted Top Van Halen Song
(Gibson) "Unchained," from the 1981 album, Fair Warning, has emerged as the victor in a Rolling Stone readers' poll that asked fans to name their 10 favorite Van Halen songs. With the group set to make a comeback with original singer David Lee Roth in tow, the magazine said it "figured it was a good time for such a poll."

Perhaps not surprisingly, 80 percent of the top picks were from the Roth era, 20 percent were from the Sammy Hagar era and none were from the Gary Cherone era.

Commenting about "Unchained," Rolling Stone wrote: "It's not quite as famous as 'Jump' or 'Hot for Teacher,' but 'Unchained' has frequently been voted the favorite song of Van Halen fans. During the interlude, producer Ted Templeman breaks in and says 'Come on, Dave, gimme a break!' Dave responds with, 'One break, coming up!' According to legend, Ted felt that Dave was being too over the top and he scolded him. The band liked the moment and kept it in. Recent evidence suggests that the bit was rehearsed, but it's hard to say for sure. Like most things in the Van Halen world, there are two competing narratives of one event."



Dawes Alex Casnoff Returns With Harriet
Alex Casnoff of Dawes fame has announced the debut release from his latest band, Harriet, and is previewing a new track online.

Harriet will self-release their debut EP, Tell The Right Story, on January 31, 2012. The EP's opening track "I Slept With All Your Mothers" is currently premiering at PasteMagazine.Com here.

"I wanted it to feel big... cinematic. I wanted every song to be a movie, " said Casnoff. "I wanted it to feel like an occasion. I wanted it to feel like a wedding." more on this story

Captain, We're Sinking and Tigers Jaw Tour
Captain, We're Sinking are hitting the road right after Christmas with Tigers Jaw for a Winter tour of North America.

Starting in Detroit, the tour will make it's south through Alabama then head back north to their home state Pennsylvania. Midway through, the group will be joined by Balance and Composure.

Earlier this month, Steadfast Video posted an acoustic video of singer Bobby Barnett playing a new song. The track, "Montreal," comes from the group's sophomore full length which is due out next year. more on this story

Starseed Releasing New Song Next Week
Starseed are releasing their new single, "Shine" in the U.S. on December 6, 2011 through iTunes.

The US release of Starseed's album, Peace Machine, will be released early 2012. Starseed will also be in the U.S. for promotion early January.

According to their PR, their music grasps many elements of the post grunge scene drawing influences from early Pearl Jam and Alice In Chains to the power and torment of Soil. More recent comparisons include the tenacity and energy of Stone Sour and intense melody of Alter Bridge. more on this story

Young Man and Givers Tour
Colin Caulfield's Young Man plans to follow up tours with Cold War Kids and Grouplove this January with a new trek with Givers.

Young Man's second full-length album, part two of a trilogy on Frenchkiss Records that began with Caulfield's recent debut LP Ideas of Distance, will be released in May 2012.

The forthcoming album was produced by John McEntire (Broken Social Scene, Tortoise, The Sea and Cake); Young Man recently premiered an alternate take of the Ideas of Distance track "Then & Now," recorded with McEntire during the new album's sessions at Tortoise's Chicago-based Soma Electronic Music Studios, via IFC.com here.


Paul Gilbert's Great Guitar Escape
Mr. Big and Racer X guitarist Paul Gilbert will launch the first annual Paul Gilbert's Great Guitar Escape on July 9-13 at Full Moon Resort in Big Indian, NY.

Guitar players of all ages, levels and styles are invited to join Paul Gilbert and other expert musicians for this 5 day experience focused on the techniques, styles, and life of the modern working musician.

"The concentrated guitar-power that I have assembled for The Great Guitar Escape could light a city the size of San Antonio for the next 1000 years," says Paul Gilbert. "But more importantly, the workshops, nightly concert jams, and interaction with the pro musicians and fellow music lovers will give you inspiration and memories to last a lifetime. If you are a guitarist, bassist, drummer, or thinking about becoming one, don't miss this amazing camp!" more on this story

Asphyx To Deliver Deathhammer Early Next Year
Asphyx have set a February 27th, 2012 European and February 28th, 2012 North American release dates for their 8th studio album, Deathhammer.

Deathhammer features artwork by the band's long-time partner in designs, Axel Hermann. Hermann has not only worked on all of the early Asphyx artwork (and most recently on their Live Death Doom release), but is also responsible for a lot of the classic Century Media artwork by bands like Morgoth, Unleashed, Samael, or Grave.

In regards to their newfound collaboration, both parties comment: "Asphyx and Axel Hermann is a fusion that has always functioned perfectly...from the days of 'The Rack' back in 1991, 'til 'Deathhammer' in 2012. Like others such as Dan Swanö, Axel may be considered as an external member of the band and when we asked him to do the 'Deathhammer' cover--and as usual we would leave him free in his expression--we were very pleased to hear he was willing to take it on. more on this story

Final Queen Auditions Sets
Queen's Roger Taylor has announced the final auditions for musicians to fill the Queen Extravaganza Tour. Here is the official word with the details:

Over the course of the past 10 weeks, vocalists, guitarists, drummers, bassists and keyboard players from across the U.S. and Canada have auditioned online at www.queenextravaganza.com, hoping to become part of "The Queen Extravaganza Tour," a major production launching in 2012 featuring performances of Queen's biggest hits.

The contestants performed such Queen classics as "Killer Queen," "Somebody To Love," "Bohemian Rhapsody," and "Another One Bites The Dust," among others. Fans had until November 28th to vote to determine the 21 finalists (6 vocalists, 6 guitarists, 3 drummers, 3 bassists and 3 keyboard players with Taylor picking an additional five wildcard finalists). more on this story

Mutilation Rites Ink With Prosthetic
Prosthetic Records have announced the signing of a new deal with Brooklyn's Mutilation Rites.

The filthy black metal band was conceived by Michael Dimmitt and Justin Ennis in January 2009 and after various incarnations, solidified with the addition of George Paul and Iain Deaderick. Members have done time in acts such as Tombs, Heuristic and Curendera.

They cite influences including, but not limited to, Darkthrone, Discharge, Dissection and Weakling. The band commented on the signing and upcoming plans: "After a quick east coast run we will begin recording our full length debut for Prosthetic Records with Kevin Bernsten (TRIAC) at Developing Nations in Baltiomore, MD. We couldn't be more excited about our new relationship with Prosthetic Records. Expect us to be touring heavily beginning spring 2012." more on this story

Eric Bibb Eyes New Album Release
Stony Plain Records will release Eric Bibb's label debut, Deeper in the Well, in March 2012.

Deeper in the Well features Eric Bibb on vocals and guitar backed by multi-instrumentalist Dirk Powell, guitarist Cedric Watson, drummer Danny Devillier and harmonica player Grant Dermody.

Special guests on the CD include Michael Jerome Browne, Jerry Douglas and Christine Balfa