Today's Day In Rock News!

Eddie Van Halen Wanted To Join KISS
(Classic Rock) Gene Simmons is proud of what he told Eddie Van Halen when the guitarist begged to replace Ace Frehley in Kiss.
Simmons says events unfolded in 1982 when Kiss parted ways with guitarist Frehley. Van Halen appeared in the band's studio, where they were working on new material, and played the main theme from future hit single Jump on a synth.

Simmons spoke about it on Nikki Sixx's radio show, "So I take him to lunch across the street and he actually tells me: 'I want to join Kiss. I can't take Roth – he's driving me nuts. We're not getting along. I've got this sound in my head that I want Van Halen to do, and Roth doesn't want to do it, and we're just getting to a point where he's believing his own hype.'," Gene said. "I remember feeling proud of what I said. I said: 'Don't do it. Stay with the band you started. There's no role for you – you're too big. You cast too much of a shadow to be the guitar player in Kiss.' That's not all.



Coheed And Cambria Replace Michael Todd
(Classic Rock) Coheed And Cambria have named Zach Cooper as their new bassist after sacking Michael Todd following his arrest for armed robbery on tour last July.

Todd is awaiting trial after witnesses say he entered a drugstore and showed staff a message on his phone, saying he had a bomb which he'd detonate if they didn't give him the drugs he asked for.

He jumped in a taxi with six bottles of pills and returned to the Comcast Center, Mansfield, Massachusetts, where Coheed And Cambria were to support Soundgarden. He was arrested moments before he went on stage after the taxi driver identified him. The band dismissed him immediately.

Now they've unveiled Cooper, who's already working with them on their upcoming album. more on this story



Gregg Allman Delays Book Tour For Medical Reasons
(hennemusic) Gregg Allman has postponed the start of a book tour to promote his new memoir, "My Cross To Bear," which is due May 1.

Rolling Stone reports Gregg will undergo diagnostic cardiac testing Friday (today) at the Mayo Clinic's campus in Jacksonville, Florida to determine whether he needs additional care stemming from his recent hernia operation. Allman received a liver transplant at the same facility back in 2010.

"I've been working on the book for years and am grateful for all the support I've received in putting it together," said Allman in a statement. "As soon as doctors give me the thumbs up to go back on the road, I will be heading out onto my book tour and I can't wait to meet all of my fans." more on this story



Motley Crue Releasing New DVD
(hennemusic) A new Motley Crue live DVD is on the way. "Motley Crue – Kickstart Live 2011" was recorded at various venues across North America last year.

The DVD will be released by Showlight/IDS/Fontana North on June 5; the same day, the Crue launch their 2012 series of dates with a show in Moscow.

After 6 weeks in Europe, the Crue team up with KISS for a North American summer tour that starts July 20 in Bristow, VA. more on this story



Jack White Already Ready For Next Album
(Gibson) Jack White's solo debut, Blunderbuss, just came out this week, but apparently the indie guitar star already has his eyes set on the follow-up. White spoke to BBC Radio 1's Zane Lowe (via NME) about his stash of new tunes.

"We had enough for an album at one point, but I just kept going… I've got another 12 songs that I haven't finished yet," he said.

White is promoting Blunderbuss with a big tour, which he said is allowing him to perform all sorts of different material. "There's songs that White Stripes never really played live, or Raconteurs never really got that into, or songs that I brought to the table in a band – songs like 'Buffalo' – and now I can elaborate on them," he said, before clarifying that the tour has nothing to do with nostalgia. "It needs to be alive in the moment. It has to be something new to everybody on stage, it can't be some recreation of something from years ago. I don't wanna waste my time doing that." more on this story





Alice Cooper Voicemails Inspired Dee Snider Broadway Album
(Classic Rock) Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider was inspired to record his Broadway album after a series of missed phone calls with Alice Cooper.

They entertained each other so much with their answerphone messages it led to a demo – and it's now resulted in Dee Does Broadway, out next month.

Snider tells BackstageAxxess: "Me and Alice Cooper kept missing each other. I don't know who sang the first show tune – 'Hey Alice please call me!' – but I said, 'Dude, we should do a record.' more on this story



Life Celebrating Rolling Stones 50th Anniversary With New Book
LIFE Books is commemorating the Rolling Stones' 50th anniversary with the May 22 release of 'The Rolling Stones: 50 Years of Rock 'n' Roll.'

Fifty years after they first got together, the immortal Rolling Stones are still on top, still selling out arenas around the world. It's a feat that is unparalleled in the history of rock and roll. The Rolling Stones: 50 Years of Rock 'n' Roll chronicles the rise—and the occasional dramatic tumbles—of the group that's been called "the greatest rock and roll band in the world, music's original bad boys.

In this deluxe book, LIFE's editors tell the story of the Stones in more than 140 pages of remarkable photos and narrative. It begins with the band's founding—not, in fact, by Mick and Keith, who were recruited by the founders of the original "Rollin' Stones"—by the little-known figures who got the group off the ground and ultimately faded into obscurity. more on this story



Lemmy Says Motorhead Lyrics Underappreciated
(Classic Rock) Motorhead icon Lemmy Kilmister admits he'd love his lyrics to be appreciated as much as his music.

Lemmy says he's got used to people failing to appreciate the value of his words – but he still hankers after appreciation for the nuances of the verses he writes.

"Does anyone appreciate anything?" he asks. "It would be nice to be more appreciated. But it's nice to be known for anything really. Also, by now I'm used to it." more on this story



Unreleased Beatles Hard Day's Night Photos To Be Auctioned
(Gibson) Beatles fans will have a chance to get their eyes on some previously unreleased band photos that have been sitting in a family album for nearly a half-century, according to the BBC.

The photos – which include 20 black and white images – were shot in 1964 in London, while John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and George Harrison filmed their movie A Hard Day's Night. Studio props manager Peter Allchorne shot the photos, ignoring the fact that photos were banned on the set. Now, Allchome, who is 87 years old, is offering up his collection for auction starting on May 19 via Omega Auctions in Cheshire, England.

Apparently, Allchome didn't even realize he was sitting on a goldmine. His daughter, Jacqueline Griffin, says her dad was never a big Beatles fan. "He doesn't have any sentimental attachment," she told BBC.com. "They're just dad's pictures. He didn't like the music, he was into jazz." more on this story





Twin Atlantic Added To Reading and Leeds Festivals
Twin Atlantic are set to perform at Reading and Leeds festivals this summer. They will be performing on the NME / BBC Radio 1 stage (Reading August 25th, Leeds August 26th).

Currently enjoying enormous support from BBC Radio 1 with their latest single - "Make A Beast Of Myself" (out now!) - Twin Atlantic recently completed a sold out UK tour and this week has seen the second biggest week of album sales since "Free" came out in the UK a year ago

UK fans will also be able to catch the group on tour with Blink-182 and All American Rejects in June. more on this story



Paul McCartney Is The Richest Music Maker in UK
Sunday Times sent us over this preview of their music millionaires list which will be published in a special edition of the paper this Sunday: Sir Paul McCartney, Britain's richest performer, moves up to third place in the latest Sunday Times Rich List Music Millionaires Top 50, thanks largely to his marriage in October to Nancy Shevell..

The chart of The Top 50 Music Millionaires in Britain and Ireland is included in The Sunday Times Rich List 2012, the definitive annual guide to wealth in Britain and Ireland to be published in an extra 104-page magazine free with The Sunday Times this weekend. The richest sportsmen will appear in The Sunday Times Sport Rich List 2012 published on May 6. Additional guides to wealth will appear at thesundaytimes.co.uk/richlist from April 29, with the Richest 2,000 people in Britain available from May 13.

The family fortune of Sir Paul McCartney has gone up by £170m in a year – from £475m to £665m – thanks largely to the personal wealth of his new wife Nancy Shevell, who has a £150m stake in New England Motor Freight, the haulage business led by her father. Nancy Shevell is vice-president of the New Jersey-based business. Performing and album sales account for the other £20m added to the McCartney fortune in the last year. more on this story



Demon Hunter Summer Tour Plans
Demon Hunter will be hitting the road this summer for two North American tours following their and European trek this spring.

The band will be on the road in support of their recently released new album, True Defiance.

Demon Hunter will headline select dates of the upcoming Scream The Prayer tour this June with support by Emery, Sleeping Giant, Mychildren Mybride, Close Your Eyes, Hundredth, The Great Commission, Gideon, A Bullet For A Pretty Boy and Your Memorial. more on this story



This Is Hell Summer Tour
This Is Hell have mapped out another round of North American headlining tour dates for this summer.

"Great American Thrash," beginning June 15th in Whitehall, Pa. and wrapping up in Ottawa, Ontario, Can. on July 22nd. The Greenery, Xerxes, Waster and Hollow Earth will support on select dates.

"North American touring in the summer is always difficult due to everyone and their mothers' band wanting to go out during summer break and hit the festivals," said guitarist, Rick Jimenez. "So we put together a super diverse package of bands we really like joining at different times throughout the tour to keep it fresh." more on this story



Lostprophets Invading North America With Album and Tour
North American Lostprophets Weapons fans be advised that the band will be releasing their new album and touring stateside this summer.

The band's new album, Weapons, will be released in North America on June 19th, 2012. The album was recorded in North Hollywood, CA at NRG Studios with producer Ken Andrews (A Perfect Circle, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club).

In support of the new album, the band is currently on a European headline tour, with support from Modstep and Young Guns, respectively, and will be touring North America throughout the summer on the Warped Tour 2012 from July 12 - Aug 5. more on this story



Van Halen Guitar Tab Book Released
(hennemusic) Van Halen fans who play guitar and want to learn their new album now can with help a guitar TAB songbook released by Alfred Music Publishing.

The book includes complete note-for-note guitar TAB transcriptions of every song on "A Different Kind Of Truth."

Released this past February, the album is the band's first with original lead singer David Lee Roth since 1984, and their first full project since 1998. more on this story



Cannibal Corpse To Torture Australia and America
Cannibal Corpse are heading Down Under this fall for a Australian tour in support of their latest album, Torture.

The trek kicks off on October 4 and will hit five cities: Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Perth.

Cannibal Corpse are currently nearing the end of their U.S. Torture Tour with Exhumed, Abysmal Dawn, Arkaik but they will again tour North America when they headle the upcoming Summer Slaughter Festival 2012 which will also feature Between The Buried and Me, The Faceless, Periphery, Veil of Maya, Job For A Cowboy, Goatwhore, Exhumed, Cerebral Bore. more on this story



Gyroscope To Play Hometown Benefit Show
(CM) Gyroscope will perform live at The Benefit Show For Dana, which will take place at The Rosemount Hotel in Perth on Friday 1st of June.

The benefit show is in aid of 26 year old Dana Vulin, who two months ago fell victim to a horrendous crime in her hometown of Rivervale, Perth. An intruder broke into Dana's home confronting her and dousing her body in methylated spirits, then setting her alight. This premeditated attack has left Dana with burns to 60% of her body.

The Benefit Show For Dana will raise much needed funds to aid Dana and her family with the expenses of medical treatment, legal fees and further rehabilitation costs. Tickets for the show are $35 and go ON SALE on Monday May 30 at 9AM. All proceeds from the show to be donated to the Foundation For Dana Vulin. more on this story



Write This Down Set New Album Release
Tooth & Nail Records have set a June 5th release date for Write This Down's new album, Lost Weekend.

Hailing from Minneapolis, Johnny Collier (vocals), Chad Nichols (drums), Nate Rockwell (guitar) and Nick Lombardo (bass) released their debut self-titled album in 2010.

"There's a huge difference between our two albums, starting with the fact that the first disc was just all over the map and we were still trying to find our identity," recalls Collier. "With this one, we sat down and consciously decided to have me sing a bit grittier and not so clean, plus we've always loved having dual vocals. That turned into me doing a lot of the screaming and [guitarist] Nate [Rockwell] doing the choruses with me singing along. We found our formula on how to work and build our sound, which led to this album having a true identity." more on this story



B Sides


Adler Releases Debut Music Video
(hennemusic) Original Guns N' Roses drummer Steven Adler, has launched the first video for his new project, Adler.

"The One That You Hated" hit iTunes on April 10, timed to sync up with the media attention Adler would receive from the Rock Hall induction with his former group.

Steven's new band features frontman Jacob Bunton (Lynam, Mars Electric), guitarist Lonny Paul (Adler's Appetite) and bassist Johnny Martin. Check out the video here.



Jack White The Featured Guest On The Colbert Report
(hennemusic) Jack White was the featured guest on Thursday's edition of The Colbert Report.

Jack joined the host to talk about his new album, "Blunderbuss," and to perform his latest single, "Freedom At 21."

White kicks off a series of US dates that begin Friday at New York's Webster Hall. Watch it here.



Queen Return To American Idol
(hennemusic) Queen were on hand Thursday for the second of back-to-back nights on American Idol.

The group's official tribute band, The Queen Extravaganza, opened the show with a performance of "Somebody To Love," and they were joined by guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor for the last half of the song.

Roger is the producer and musical director for the tour, while word is that Brian will be involved at some point. Check it out here.



Jack Makes Ozzy A Grandfather Once Again
(hennemusic) Ozzy Osbourne has become a grandfather for the fifth time. On Tuesday, Ozzy's son Jack and his fiancée, actress Lisa Stelly, welcomed a daughter named Pearl at a healthy 8 lbs., 6 oz. The couple were engaged last September.

Ozzy already has four grandchildren; two each from daughter Jessica and son Louis from his previous marriage to Thelma Riley.

Proud sister – and Aunt - Kelly Osbourne tweeted, "thank you so much for your congratulations but they realy should be gonig to @lisamarstelly & @mrjacko! I am one proud Auntie!" more on this story



Garbage Plan To Stick It Out
(Gibson) Garbage will break their seven-year hiatus next month with a fresh studio album, Not Your Kind of People. Speaking with Billboard.com, frontwoman Shirley Manson promised that Garbage are back in full force and have no plans to take another long break.

"I don't think it would be good for any of us," Manson said. "I think right now everyone feels in a very good place, creatively. How long everyone will have the stomach for the road I'm not sure, but I do know everybody is excited about making music, so we'll see."

Producer and drummer Butch Vig seconded her statement, insisting that Garbage "won't be going on hiatus, at least not any time in the near future. We were all pretty excited about this recording process, and I think there are a lot of ideas that are still percolating in our brain space as a band." more on this story





Singled Out: San Francisco Music Club's Te Quiero
Jimmy Dillon, who was Clarence Clemmons' guitarist and has played with Springsteen and Robert Cray, has teamed up with Lorin Rowan in San Francisco Music Club who have released their new album, 'Love and Freedom.' Today Jimmy tells us about the track "Te Quiero".

This song has a colorful history as I wrote it with my partner Lorin Rowan here in San Francisco and then had the idea of going to Havana,Cuba to record and capture the true flavor of this magical place.

Having visited the now infamous Egrem Studios on a previous trip, where Buena Vista Social Club recorded their Grammy award winning album produced by Ry Cooder, my dream was to record Te Quiero at Egrem.a

I made the journey to Cuba with my guitar and dreams of playing with some Cubanos to capture the vibe of Old Havana…as it turned out the experience was mind blowing and far exceeded my expectations!

I was introduced to drummer and band leader Geraldo Piloto by a mutual friend, Chuck Silverman who teaches at Blue Star Music Camps, a non profit kids program I run in summertime.
Geraldo is a monster drummer and director of Havana Jazz Festival.

So, I landed in Havana and felt myself transported back to the 1950's…the old vintage Chevy's, waves breaking on the Malecon and everywhere the sound of Musica de Cuba…the divine decadence of a long forgotten time when gangsters and Mambo Kings
mingled with the great jazz players from America.

I went to Geraldo's modest home in Marianao and we sat down to speak the universal language of music…. I played him "Te Quiero" and we wrote the arrangement together on the back of an old cardboard box…
Geraldo helped me with some of the lyrics and I learned a bit of "Ritmo de Cuba" from a true master.

We set the time for the following sunday 6pm at Egrem. My dream was coming true…

I arrived early and checked out this classic studio in the old, still elegant section of Miramar. One by one the musicians arrived and I realized how incredibly fortunate I was to be recording where not only the Buena Vista Social Club had made history, but was also told of many rum soaked sessions in the 40's and 50's that were also epic jazz collaborations. If the walls could talk!

The band is called "Klimax" one of the hottest in Cuba. We cut the basics in classic Cuban style with timbales, congas, upright "Baby Bass" and acoustic piano, and I played nylon string. Once we got a take that felt right we overdubbed the trumpet solo, Geraldo played some brilliant brushes on the trap set and we added a string flourish on the chorus.

I have some video footage of the session and a great reel of the whole band dancing to the track. Luckily we had it all on pro tools so I was able to "smuggle" the tracks back into the US and add vocals to the final mix.

I will never forget my experience in Cuba and playing with so many fantastic musicians and singers…I was truly humbled by the virtuosity of the players and their generous spirit to collaborate with a "gringo" from "Yuma" as they call America.

Thanks for listening to my story and I hope you enjoy "Te Quiero" and our new CD "Love and Freedom"

Abrazos,
Jimmy Dillon

NEW BOSTON ALBUM...IN 2013:

NEW BOSTON ALBUM...IN 2013:
Plenty of folks have been asking about any studio updates on the band Boston. Well, good news and bad. Good news is that yes, the band has recording plans for a new studio album, but won't look at completing the album until next year. All that is on the schedule for 2012 is the upcoming 40 date tour run. Stay tuned.

Today's Day In Rock News!

Jimi Hendrix, Elvis and Kurt Cobain For Hologram Resurrection?
(Classic Rock) One of the chiefs behind the controversial Tupac hologram says he'd love to bring back big rock icons in the digital interactive format in the future.
Crowds at the Coachella Festival were shocked earlier this month when a computer-generated version of the rapper, murdered in 1996, performed on stage with Dr Dre and Snoop Dogg.

But Sanj Surati of Musion Technology tells the NME: "Putting Elvis on stage with Justin Bieber would be a cool thing." Asked who else he'd like to bring back he says: "Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain – and Michael Jackson would be the ultimate one. This is obviously a historic and exciting initiative."

More rock news including Dream Theater and Def Leppard album news and more. more on this story



Slash Is Done With Guns N' Roses
(hennemusic) Less than two weeks after Guns N' Roses were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame, Slash has offered his thoughts on the event.

Speaking with Rolling Stone from Europe, where he continues his worldwide promotion of the May 22 release of his sophomore solo album, "Apocalyptic Love," the guitarist talked openly about his pre- and post-induction impressions and that the Rock Hall experience has brought some closure for Slash.

"Yeah, I think it did that for all of us. I didn't have any illusions or delusions of GNR getting back together for anything," he says. "I maybe tried to see it happen for this one particular event, I didn't have high hopes for that, I didn't feel confident it was going to happen, but having done this one gig, and for the event itself, when it was all said and done, it really felt like closing the book on the whole thing." A lot more from Slash here.



Beach Boys Preview New Song
(Gibson) The Beach Boys have unveiled a clip of the first single from their forthcoming reunion album. Titled "That's Why God Made the Radio," the retro-sounding song harks back to the harmony-laden pop formula the band forged in the mid-'60s.

"It's a sentimental thing for me," says Brian Wilson, speaking in the clip." We've been together 50 years – that's a long time." Mike Love adds: "Conceptually, the album is not going to be anything outlandish or silly, like Smiley Smile. It will be like the Beach Boys circa '65. I'm trying to write lyrics that fit the music without making it sound like you're writing from a hospice."

The Beach Boys split acrimoniously in the '90s, and went on to tour in separate configurations. Last year, they agreed to put aside their differences and stage a reunion tour. On Tuesday (April 24), the band's Brian Johnston announced the band will release a new studio album on June 5. To watch a clip featuring the new single, click here.





Deftones' Chino And Isis Members Form Palms
Deftones' vocalist Chino Moreno has teamed up with three former members of Isis (Aaron Harris, Clifford Meyer and Jeff Caxide) to form a new group called Palms who will be releasing their debut album this year.

"Clifford, Jeff and I started Palms a little over a year ago out of a desire to continue making music together after ISIS ended," explained Harris. "Chino joined shortly after and our sound took shape from there. We've worked really hard on this first release and are excited for people to hear it. It's nice to be back behind the drum kit, and with this line up."

"Being a huge ISIS fan I've always dug the moods these dudes convey with their sound," added Moreno. "I am excited to combine my sense of creativity with theirs, and to have fun doing so." more on this story



Great White Accuse Jack Russell of Lip-synching
(Classic Rock) Great White's Mark Kendall, Michael Lardie and Adie Desbrow have filed a counterclaim against frontman Jack Russell, alleging he forced them to mime shows on a European tour because he couldn't carry out singing duties well enough.

Russell last month served papers against his former colleagues for continuing to use the band name while he was working on a project called Jack Russell's Great White. Later he said: "That's not Great White – who are they kidding? I fired them all on December 10."

The three long-standing musicians hired XYZ singer Terry Illous to carry out a 30th anniversary tour and later decided to start creating new material, following a number of incidents which left Russell too ill to work.

Responding to their ex-singer's lawsuit, they've now filed their own 30-page document.... read their claims here.



Iron Maiden May Take Different Direction
(Classic Rock) Iron Maiden guitarist Adrian Smith says the band might abandon their recent trend of writing long prog-rock style tracks, and return to creating material that could be released as singles.

Maiden's 15th studio release, 2010's The Final Frontier, featured 10 tracks of which The Alchemist was the shortest at 4.29 – but the average song lasted 7.40 with When The Wild Wind Blows clocking in at 10.59.

Smith says he's not sure how that happened, but it might be because he, Dickinson and bassist Steve Harris stopped composing separately. He tells VH1's That Metal Show: "On the last couple of albums Steve, Bruce and me have written together, which is a new thing. Steve used to bringing three, four, five completed songs. But now he's doing more arranging, production, overseeing. We sit down and write, and that's reflected in the slightly different stuff." More including his retelling of how the band's plane was diverted from the Japanese tsunami.



Jack Blades Wants To Record Album With Cheap Trick Frontman
(Classic Rock) Jack Blades had so much fun in a four-hour studio session with Robin Zander that he wants them to do a full album together.

The Night Ranger and Cheap Trick frontmen got together one afternoon to collaborate on a track for Blades' new solo record, Rock'n'Roll Ride.

But the afternoon went so well they came up with three songs – and now Blades, who also fronted 'supergroup' the Damn Yankees, wants to do more. more on this story



Dio Disciples Singer Apologizes To Fans After Festival Falls Apart
(Classic Rock) Dio Disciples singer Toby Jepson says he's sorry for fans after his band travelled 15,000 miles to play the Metal Open Air Festival in Brazil last weekend – only to discover 30 bands had pulled out and even the sound and light companies had gone home.

The three-day event was billed as South America's answer to the successful Wacken Open Air extravaganza in Germany.

But a stack of big names – including headliners the Rock-N-'Roll Allstars plus Saxon, Anthrax and Blind Guardian – subsequently refused to appear, reporting they hadn't been paid. Another headliner, Venom, said their South American work visas had been mistakenly sent to Africa! After a handful of acts including first-night headliners Megadeth had performed seven hours late, the plug was finally pulled. more on this story



Jack White To Score Disney's The Lone Ranger
(Gibson) Jack White has been hired to write, produce and perform the score for an upcoming film adaptation of The Lone Ranger, Variety.com has reported. The Walt Disney Pictures project is being produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, who said, "Jack's an amazing songwriter with a unique style. We're thrilled to hear his fresh take on the 'William Tell Overture.'"

Bruckheimer said the idea to recruit White came from actor Johnny Depp and film director Gore Verbinski. "Gore hatched the idea and Johnny was thrilled with it," Bruckheimer said. "We're all very excited to have [White] on board."

White has never scored an entire film, but he did write a song for the 2008 James Bond movie, Quantum of Solace, and performed a track for 2007's Cold Mountain. Starring Depp and Armie Hammer, The Lone Ranger is currently being filmed in New Mexico. The film is slated for release on May 31, 2013. more on this story





Singer Angry at Quiet Riot Over Firing While He Was In The Hospital
(Classic Rock) Former Quiet Riot singer Mark Huff insists he deserves more respect than the band showed by sacking him while he was fighting for his life.

He was diagnosed with a brain disorder after collapsing in January, four months after he'd signed up to front the band following the 2007 death of original singer Kevin DuBrow. By the time Huff left hospital two weeks later, he'd been dismissed – but he only found out through online news reports.

In a statement that caused controversy among fans, drummer Frankie Banali said: "Mr Huff's medical condition had nothing to do with the decision that was made, though it's unfortunate that it comes at such a time. A certified letter was sent informing Mark of the decision and why it was made. Unless he decides to make the reason public, which I believe would be counterproductive for him, I will not go tit-for-tat. If certain persons wish to villainies me that is their prerogative."

Now Huff tells Sleaze Roxx: "I had been signed on for the year. I had dates, I had flight itineraries and I was ready to go. This came out of nowhere. I understand people need to get back to work but I'm not happy at how they went about it." more on this story



Van Halen Release Limited Edition
(hennemusic) Van Halen have just released a limited edition 7-inch vinyl single of their new song, "She's The Woman."

The vinyl single will be available for free starting Friday May 4, with purchase of the band's new album "A Different Kind of Truth" at participating record stores around the U.S.

Van Halen continue their tour in support of the album; this week, the band plays Charlotte, NC (Wed), Nashville (Fri) and St. Louis (Sun). more on this story



Foo Fighters and Pearl Jam To Headline Music Midtown Festival
(Gibson) Foo Fighters and Pearl Jam are among the acts slated to headline this year's Music Midtown festival in Atlanta. The two-day event, which also features Ludacris and T.I. as headliners, will take place in downtown Atlanta's Piedmont Park.

Pearl Jam's appearance is expected to be the only U.S. concert the band will perform this year. Other acts on the bill include Joan Jett and The Blackhearts, Florence and the Machine and The Avett Brothers. Tickets are priced at $55 for one day and $100 for both days, with VIP packages ranging from $250 to $1,000.

Speaking to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Live Nation Atlanta president Peter Conlon said, "The thing we didn't have time to do last year was [work on] diversification. This year we have a very diverse lineup. I also wanted an Atlanta feel because this is an Atlanta festival." more on this story





Phil Lesh & Friends, Gov't Mule Lead Telluride Blues & Brews Festival
Phil Lesh & Friends, Gov't Mule, and the B-52s are set to headline the 19th Annual Telluride Blues & Brews Festival.

The festival is set to take place September 14-16, 2012 and will also feature performances from Chris Robinson Brotherhood, MarchFourth Marching Band, Tab Benoit, Little Hurricane and The Lee Boys, with many more acts to be announced.

"We are extremely excited with the lineup this year in Telluride," said Steve Gumble, Festival Director. "The festival weekend boasts amazing and legendary musical talent with much more to come!" more on this story



The Acacia Strain Release New Song
The Acacia Strain self released their new song, "Servant In The Place of Truth," digitally on iTunes and Amazon.com this week.

With thier recent signing to Rise Records, the band wanted to put out something new in between labels for fans to enjoy. "As you can see, we aren't changing at all, only working harder to write the best tunes that we are proud of that the fans enjoy." states guitarist Daniel "DL" Laskiewicz. "We are really stoked on this song and are glad people are liking it."

The band will continue to write and will be recording over the next few months with a release scheduled for October on Rise Records. More importantly, where will they be recording and with who? Daniel "DL" Laskiewicz will be producing, engineering and mixing the album in his studio in Western Mass. more on this story


Singled Out: Well Excuse Me, Princess's Bang Head Here
Today Well Excuse Me, Princess frontwoman Jess Goldey tells us about their debut single "Bang Head Here". WEMP is a new band featuring members of My Turn to Win, District 9/Fahrenheit 451, Dominican Day Parade, and Gorilla Biscuits. Here is the story:

Right from the start it's blatantly obvious that "Bang Head Here" is about a boy I've had interest in at some point in my life. I actually wrote it about my ex-boyfriend and shortly thereafter he broke up with me. He lived in Florida and I lived in Philly, and he gave me some cowardly reason for wanting to break up (don't they always?) instead of just shooting me straight by saying he didn't have an interest in being in a relationship with me. He blamed it on his mom and dad not wanting to help him pay for college if he moved out of state, and said he wanted to do an aid-relief program that pretty much required a college degree so he needed to finish school. At the time I understood and supported that, but I realize now that it was just an excuse to make breaking up with me "easier" for him.

So here I was playing the role of idiot that thought, "Gee golly this boy sure is special!", and wrote this song about him and how amazing he was. He was the ambitious but stubborn type, so I made some hogwash up in my head that he just didn't want the hassle of trying to make our long distance relationship work. I thought if I could show him it would be fun and easy then we could be together and it would be perfect. I borrowed the last line of the song from Jawbreaker's "Ache" not only because it's fitting, but because he put that song on a mix CD he made and told me it was his favorite. I'd like to think that the lyrics to this song are extremely straightforward. "Hidden meanings" are cool for philosophy class but when I write/hear music I like it to be fairly straight to the point. Life would just be so much easier if everything and everyone were straight forward--always.

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



B Sides


Queen Bring Some Rock To American Idol
(hennemusic) Queen were on hand to bring some rock to American Idol Wednesday night. The band's Brian May and Roger Taylor opened the show by performing a medley of Queen classics with the top 6 Idol contestants.

The group ripped through abbreviated versions of "Fat Bottomed Girls," "Another One Bites The Dust," "We Will Rock You" and "We Are The Champions."

Each of the Idol hopefuls also sang a Queen track during the first hour of the show. Check out video here.



The Cult Release For The Animals Video
(hennemusic) The Cult have released the music video to "For The Animals," the new single from their forthcoming album, "Choice Of Weapon."

The album will be available May 22 in North America. Three days later, the band kicks off a North American tour, starting May 25 in San Diego.

The 20-date tour will include openers Against Me! and The Icarus Line. Until then, check out the new video here.



Mick Jagger Saved Joe Satriani's Career
(Classic Rock) Joe Satriani was ready to abandon the music industry when Rolling Stones singer Mick Jagger hired him.

The guitar virtuoso was losing $8,000 a week on a failing tour in 1988 as he struggled to promote his album Surfing With The Alien – then Jagger added him to his touring band. The six-stringer has never looked back from there.

Satriani, now with supergroup Chickenfoot, tells Noisecreep: "They're some of the most fantastic memories I have in life – and it actually pretty much may have saved my career. Talk about a random event you'd never expect to happen. more on this story


Sebastian Bach Appears In Adults Only Season Finale
Sebastian Bach returns to Jason M. Burns's web TV comedy series "Adults Only" this week.

The season finale went online this week (on YouTube and funnyordie.com) and Sebastian Bach makes his second appearance in it.

Today's Day In Rock News!

Limp Bizkit's Borland Vs Dream Theater
(Classic Rock) Limp Bizkit guitarist Wes Borland has wound up red-faced and awkward after he unleashed a barrage of tweets slamming Dream Theater – then former drummer Mike Portnoy replied.
Borland called the prog metal giants "Cheese Theater" and described them as mathematicians and not musicians. He insisted he was entitled to say what he wanted as a member of the world's most hated band… ie. Limp Bizkit.

The eccentrically-clad axeman – who wouldn't look out of place in some of the prog world's most outrageous stages – started his rant three days ago by tweeting: "Please explain to me what there is to like about Dream Theater. Please."

Then he continued: "I know I'm in Limp Bizkit, one of the most hated bands in the world. But these guys can NOT write songs. Not a band. Musicians are not mathematicians. Feeling and soul over technique and speed. Not buying it, and never will." But things take a strange twist once Portnoy gets involved!



Kiss, Def Leppard, Guns N' Roses Rock 'N' Roll Allstars Cancel Concerts
(hennemusic) The Rock 'N' Roll All Stars have canceled their series of Central and South American concerts, with the exception of an April 27 show in Lima, Peru.

The All Stars are made up KISS' Gene Simmons, Joe Elliott of Def Leppard, Sebastian Bach, three former members of Guns N' Roses, and players from The Cult, Alice In Chains, Collective Soul and Black Country Communion.

The rock supergroup have released the following statement: "Rock 'N' Roll Allstars regret to inform our fans that the shows we had scheduled in Ecuador, Colombia, Costa Rica, Panama, Guatemala and Venezuela have been cancelled. An incredible effort was made to work with local promoters to bring our show to the fans but they made it impossible for us to do so. We are saddened that we will not be coming to Central America and will do everything possible to ensure that our fans receive refunds for all tickets purchased. more on this story



Soundgarden Box Set Coming
(hennemusic) While the reunited Soundgarden continue to work on their first new album in more than 15 years, the band is offering up a new box set next month.

Due May 21, "The Classic Album Selection" will contain the original A&M recordings of Soundgarden's seminal albums, "Louder Than Love" (1989), "Badmotorfinger" (1991), "Superunknown" (1994) and "Down On The Upside" (1996) plus last year's live record of the band's 1996 West Coast tour, "Live On I-5" (2011).

The albums will be presented as a set of mini-LPs in gatefold wallets with booklets and exclusive new artwork designed by widely acclaimed designer and long-term Soundgarden collaborator Josh Graham. more on this story

More on Soundgarden - Soundgarden Music - Soundgarden Tour Dates/Tickets - Soundgarden CDs, vinyl and rarities
5FDP, Killswitch Engage, Trivium and More For Trespass America Festival
Five Finger Death Punch, Killswitch Engage, Trivium, Pop Evil, Emmure, God Forbid and Battlecross will be teaming up this summer for a North American tour dubbed the Trespass America Festival.

The tour is set to kick off on July 13 at the 1st Bank Center in Broomfield, Colorado, and will cover 31 cities in two months between July and August.

The idea for Trespass America came about as a way to bring heavy music to big venues across the country. Five Finger Death Punch's Zoltan Bathory explained, "When you walk through the Trespass America gate, you will be in a different territory, a new environment. You're not just coming to see a band. It's going to be a traveling circus that has all the attraction and excitement that creates an experience. We wanted to build the biggest stage we could and make this festival as visually unforgettable as possible, really give fans their money's worth, give them an experience where they will want to say, 'I was there.' We also wanted to play as many indoor venues as possible so all bands on the bill, no matter how early they play, would have a full light show with full production. We want to make Trespass America a theme-park-thrill-ride for metalheads." more on this story



Aerosmith Star Questions 60 Minutes Editing
(Classic Rock) Aerosmith bassist Tom Hamilton has accused TV producers of carefully editing band interviews in order to trap frontman Steven Tyler.

He's branded the people behind CBS flagship news magazine 60 Minutes as "brutal" for their work – and says he and his colleagues were forced into a state of nerves because of presenter Lara Logan's low-cut top.

The feature saw Hamilton, Joe Perry, Joey Kramer and Brad Whitford listing the things they didn't like about Tyler, who was then shown edited footage, leading him to say: "I think my busting everyone's chops is what got this band to where it is. I get the hits. Yeah, I'm that good."

The bassist insists their quotes were taken out of context. read more here.



Flying Burrito Brothers' Chris Ethridge Dead at 65
(Gibson) Chris Ethridge, best known for his work with the Flying Burrito Brothers, has passed away. Billboard reported that Ethridge, the seminal country rock band's bass player, died after a spell in a hospital. He was 65.

Ethridge was an original member of the Flying Burrito Brothers alongside Gram Parsons, Chris Hillman, and "Sneaky" Pete Kleinow. Hillman, who was in The Byrds before forming the Burrito Brothers said via e-mail:

"Chris was multi-talented; a great bass player, and a great songwriter. His collaborations as co-writer, with Gram Parsons, on 'Hot Burrito 1,' 'Hot Burrito 2' and 'She,' are classics. He was a joy to work with and a joy to know." more on this story





Motorhead and Anthrax Team Up For New Tour
Motorhead's The World Is Your 2012 Tour including a spot on this year's Mayhem Festival with Slipknot, Slayer and Anthrax and now the band has mapped out an additional trek with Anthrax.

Motorhead have announced plans to reunite with Mayhem tourmates Anthrax this fall for a European tour.

The trek kicks off on November 5th in Wolverhampton, England and will hit cities in the UK, France, Holland and Germany. more on this story



The Buzzcocks To Play With Howard Devoto For The First Time Since 1977
(Gibson) The Buzzcocks have revealed they will reunite on stage with founding member Howard Devoto. It will be the first time Devoto has played with the band since he quit in 1977 and formed Magazine.

Co-founder Pete Shelley told Mojo magazine: "We've been discussing it for two-and-a-half, three years. I remember talking to our promoter, and he said that if you have a story, it's possible to do bigger venues. And a good story was to get back with Howard. We thought, that's something for when hell freezes over!"

Devoto thinks it will be a "blast." He told Mojo: "Will it be a strict four songs and off? We'll see. I'm from the side of the fence that says you should never overlook an opportunity to be brief. It's going to be the best kind of blast – a brief one."

[Day in Rock extra} The band's website confirms where it will happen with this: Two very special shows featuring Howard Devoto, John Maher, Steve Garvey, and of course the current lineup of Pete Shelley & Steve Diggle, Danny Farrant & Chris Remington!

Manchester, May 25 | London, May 26, 2012 more on this story





The Beatles: The Lost Concert Coming To Theaters
The Beatles first concert in the United States, which hasn't been seen in over four decades, is the focus of "The Beatles: The Lost Concert" which will be hitting theaters on May 17 & 22. Screenvision sent out these details:

Limited Engagement Features Interviews with Aerosmith's Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, Chuck Berry, Duffy, Mark Ronson, Promoter Sid Bernstein, Louise Harrison and Many More

The story of their historic arrival in America and the impact they had is revealed through new interviews with more than 20 Beatles' associates, journalists, disc jockeys, concert attendees, historians and music luminaries and archival footage of the Fab Four. The list includes Aerosmith's Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, rock pioneer Chuck Berry, super producer Mark Ronson, journalists Maureen Cleave, Larry Kane and Ed Rudy, concert promoter Sid Bernstein, Beatle George's sister Louise Harrison, The Strokes' Albert Hammond Jr. and Nick Valensi, chart-topping U.K. songstress Duffy, renown Beatles historian Bruce Spizer, and Mike Mitchell, whose recently unearthed photos of the event are seen throughout the movie. more on this story



New Scott Weiland Song For Avengers Assemble
Stone Temple Pilots frontman Scott Weiland has contributed a brand new song to the Avengers Assemble compilation inspired by the film "Marvel's The Avengers."

The track, "Breathe," was co-produced by Weiland's long-time collaborator Doug Grean, marks the release of Weiland's first solo material since last year's surprisingly light-hearted Christmas album, The Most Wonderful Time of the Year.

Avengers Assemble is set for release on May 1st on Marvel Music/Hollywood Records and also features music from Soundgarden, Shinedown, Rise Against and Pusherjones, and more. "Marvel's The Avengers" opens in theaters nationwide on May 4th. more on this story



Heart Giving Fans Led Zeppelin Bonus
(Gibson) Fans who purchase Heart's new Strange Euphoria box set via Amazon will get a special bonus. The classic rockers have included five of their infamous Led Zeppelin covers on an extra disc – in addition to the set's three CDs and one DVD.

Ann and Nancy Wilson – who are famous Zep fans – cover "Going to California," "Battle of Evermore," "What is and What Should Never Be," "Immigrant Song" and "Misty Mountain Hop" on the "Heart Zeppish" CD, according to Ultimate Classic Rock.

The rest of the Strange Euphoria set (due June 5) contains demo and live versions of songs from Heart's four-decade history, including many of their biggest hits, from "Crazy on You" to "Barracuda" to "These Dreams." A DVD features the band's 1976 Dreamboat Annie TV performance. more on this story





The Cory Smoot Experiment Coming in June
Metal Blade Records have set a June 5th release date for late Gwar guitarist Cory Smoot's solo project, with all proceeds set to benefit the Smoot Family Fund. We were sent these details:

The Cory Smoot Experiment was recorded in 2010 at Cory's Karma Studios, where Gwar, Municipal Waste, and many others have laid down tracks. The songs were originally meant for a concept album called "Religion is Fiction". Cory was going to lay down all the tracks and then get some of his favorite singers from the internationally-acclaimed Richmond metal scene to do the vocals, including Gwar lead singer Dave Brockie and Lamb of God's Randy Blythe. Unfortunately this didn't happen due to scheduling problems but that didn't mean the end of the project. Cory went ahead and recorded the vocals himself and re-named the project The Cory Smoot Experiment, completing the entire package just before his final tour with GWAR in the fall of 2012.

After his passing, Gwar and Metal Blade set up the Smoot Family Fund to help provide for Cory's family. All proceeds from this album will be donated to this fund. more on this story



Afghan Whigs Announce US Show With Eagles Of Death Metal
The Afghan Whigs will be playing a special show at Terminal 5 in New York City on October 5th with special guests Eagles Of Death Metal. SKH provided these details:

The Afghan Whigs (who have reunited after a 13 year hiatus) have announced 23 worldwide shows to date for 2012 including performances at Lollapalooza, ATP's I'll Be Your Mirror (London & NJ), Primavera Sound (Barcelona & Portugal) among numerous others.

The New York City show is the first non-festival appearance going on sale in North America. more on this story



Ume and Life and Times Tour
Ume will be teaming up with Life and Times this June for a coheadlining tour of North American.

The tour is set to kick off in Ume's hometown of Austin, TX on June 8th and wind down in Denver, Colorado on June 19th.

Ume continue to tour in support of Phantoms, their full-length album which was released in August of 2011. more on this story



Nile Set New Album Release
(Fresno) Nile have set a July 3rd release date for its their new studio album, At The Gate Of Sethu.

Neil Kernon (Cannibal Corpse, Macabre) handled production duties for Nile's seventh full-length.

Nile recently wrapped up a U.S. tour in support of The Black Dahlia Murder, which concluded with a performance at the New England Metal and Hardcore Festival on Friday night.



Clutch, Prong and Lionize Summer Tour
(Freeman) Clutch will be hitting the road this summer for a North American headlining tour with Prong and Lionize.

The tour is scheduled to kick off July 11th in Fayetteville, AR and currently scheduled to wrap up on July 22nd in Richmond, VA.

Clutch will also be returning to Europe this festival season. The band has been confirmed for the Sonisphere Festival in Madrid Spain on May 26th and the Peace and Love Festival in Borlänge, Sweden on June 29th. more on this story



Joe Satriani Delivers Satchurated: Live in Montreal
This week Joe Satriani delivered his Satchurated: Live in Montreal on 3D Blu-ray, DVD and Soundtrack CD. We were sent these details:

The live recordings for Satchurated were produced by Satriani and Mike Fraser while the concert was filmed by Pierre & François Lemoureaux.

Satchurated was recorded and filmed in front of a live audience during Satriani's "The Wormhole Tour", supporting his studio album Black Swans and Wormhole Wizards, at the Metropolis in Montreal, Canada. The December 12, 2010 concert was filmed by Grammy and Emmy award-winning concert filmmakers Pierre and Francois Lamoureux. Satchurated: Live in Montreal was recently released for a limited engagement on March 1, 2012 to select theatres throughout the country. The high-definition recording makes Satriani's performance as much a pleasure to see by DVD, as it is to hear by CD.



Singled Out: The ColourSound's Guilty For The First Time
Today Doug Batt, the frontman for indie band The ColourSound, tells us about the band's new single "Guilty For The First Time". Here is the story:

I wrote Guilty for the First Time in the first person (but it's not autobiographical) and it only refers to the stumbling drunk/drug abuser/liar as "you" to keep it universal. I really don't know if the drunk or speaker is male or female nor does it matter. It is a relationship in which two people love each other. I think the speaker is an adult because he/she is canvassing guys in the bar room for information. A child may not have that access, but envisioning the speaker as a fairly precocious child adds innocence and even more sadness. It is a dark tune after all. One reviewer described it using the word "prog" (I'm sure to mean progressive rock) but the verb really means to skulk around in search of something - which I thought was just the perfect imagery for the mood of this song. If the double meaning was intentional – cheers! For the sake of this piece, I'll refer to the speaker as male just because I am singing and the drunk as female just because I don't think I'd get that bent out of shape about a male friend coming home drunk all the time.

I was raised in a catholic household, so religious imagery often insinuates itself into my lyrics. I try to temper my treatment of it out of respect. The bible being fingered while the abandoned one waits is an allusion to the broken promise (probably more than once) both to the speaker and to God. The drunk does try to sneak in, so she is not overtly flaunting this destruction, and the speaker straightening his posture indicates readiness – prepared to express something long overdue.

The second verse backtracks into the speaker's head. It shows what led to this plan of attack. He has found out the necessary information and is willing to admit that he has been in denial but has had enough.

For me, the key to this song – what makes it a little different from the traditional "drunk destroys family" story - is not the fact that the drunk got called out for the first time, it's that she feels guilty for the first time – and the speaker recognizes that. For the first time this woman, for whom he has eagerly waited to come around, has seen the error of her way. So while the concept is still depressing, perhaps there is still hope in the fact that one of these times may be the last time . . . but probably not.





B Sides


Vocalists Alter Slash's Style
(hennemusic) Slash visited was CBC Radio's cultural affairs show, "Q." The guitarist sat down with host Jian Ghomeshi to discuss a variety of topics, including how Slash's style works with the variety of singers he's partnered with through the years.

"I would think that my style changes a little bit to fit with the accompanying vocal," Slash explains. "I have a certain whatever [sound] that's me, but I think my approach alters a little bit depending on who I'm working with."

"Guitar, for me, is actually its own version of singing," he adds, "And so it has to interact with the person who's doing the actual, verbal singing…so it really influences the notes you pick in certain places." Watch the interview here.



The Name Is Alice Cooper
(Classic Rock) Alice Cooper and Tommy Clufetos share their frustrations over what people call them in trailer for guitarist's upcoming TV show. Alice Cooper gets frustrated when people shout his real name… and Tommy Clufetos wishes his bandmates could just get his right.

Their admissions come in a trailer released by Alice guitarist Ryan Roxie, who's gearing up to launch his TV show, All Excess.

In the light-hearted clips the shock-rock pioneer, who's currently Roxie's boss, discusses the fact his real name is Vincent Furnier, saying: "Even my mum is wrong when she calls me Vince. When I'm walking through the mall and you go, 'Hey, Vince,' I stop and go, 'If Elton John was here would you go, Hey, Reggie?'" More including a video preview



Remembering Albert King
(Gibson) Albert King was born on this day in 1923. Gibson takes a look back: Known as one of the "Three Kings of the Blues Guitar" (along with B.B. and Freddie), he was a hero to such titans of the instrument as Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan, and he brought the Flying V to prominence with his beloved "Lucy." But the circumstances of his early years were hardly regal.

King was born under the name Albert Nelson on a cotton plantation in rural Indianola, Mississippi. Somehow he managed to feed himself well enough, at a table shared with 12 brothers and sisters, to grow to a robust size of 6'4" and 250 pounds. It was a frame built on hard work in the family fields, especially after the Nelsons moved to Forrest City, Arkansas in 1931. But amid the blisters and sweat of everyday life there was music—blues and gospel music. Young Albert learned to sing in the fields and at church, where he performed with a family gospel group. And then there was the music he loved, the guitar-based music of Blind Lemon Jefferson and Lonnie Johnson. Piercing slide, powerful bends, single notes that spoke volumes—these were the things that the young man they would later call "King" picked up in the fields and, later, in the juke joints of the South and Midwest.

Young Albert Nelson had taught himself to play on a homemade, cigar-box guitar, upgrading to the real thing around the time the Nelsons moved to Arkansas. Being left-handed, he found it a challenge learning on a right-handed guitar—strung for a right-handed player. But he stuck with it and eventually started sitting in with Yancey's Band in Forrest City.

As he grew older (and larger), Nelson began to get work on construction sites, where he acquired the nickname, "The Velvet Bulldozer." Moving around the Midwest in search of work, he played in clubs whenever he could, first in St. Louis and later in South Bend, Indiana, where he sang in a gospel group called The Harmony Boys.

Today's Day In Rock News!

System Of A Down and Deftones Tour
System Of A Down are back. The band plans to hit the road for a summer tour with the Deftones.
Deftones camp sent over the dates, news on their upcoming album and these details: The two-week summer jaunt kicks off on August 2nd in Philadelphia, PA and wraps August 15th in Chicago, IL.

Deftones are currently in Los Angeles, CA recording their seventh studio full-length with producer Nick Raskulinecz (Alice In Chains, Foo Fighters, Rush) who also produced Diamond Eyes. The album will be released via Reprise Records later this year. more on this story



Adler Gives Up Guns N' Roses Reunion Hopes
(Banana 101.5) Ex-Guns N' Roses drummer Steven Adler is done talking about Axl Rose aka 'the redhead,' saying the singer's letter to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame exposed the singer's "true colors." Even though Adler spoke at length about Axl and the current incarnation to Loudwire, after all the drama, mudslinging and the ensuing media firestorm, he has given his final interview where Rose's name will be mentioned.

He likened the Hall of Fame event and playing with Slash and Duff McKagan once again to "letting go" and that it felt "a huge weight was lifted off my body." He considers all hopes of a GN'R original lineup reunion to be squashed for good, too. "That's done," Adler told Rolling Stone. "That's totally out of my system. I was hoping that the five of us would have been there to play and show our respect to the fans."

He continued, "If it was going to happen, that's when it was going to happen, and in Axl's letter, he showed his true colors to the world," he said, referring to the induction. When pressed to clarify what he meant about "true colors," the kit minder said, "I think it's disrespect. He's not for the fans, which is everybody in the world. Basically, he told everybody in the world, 'F— you, I don't give a s— what you think.'" more on this story



Gene Simmons, Joe Elliott, Sebastian Bach's Rock 'N' Roll All Stars Video
(hennemusic) The Rock 'N' Roll All Stars are currently touring South American and the 11-piece supergroup treated fans to an intimate club show in Buenos Aires Sunday night.

The All Stars are made up KISS' Gene Simmons, Joe Elliott of Def Leppard, Sebastian Bach, three former members of Guns N' Roses, and players from The Cult, Alice In Chains, Collective Soul and Black Country Communion.

Sunday's club gig delivered an abbreviated 10-song set that featured the biggest hits from all the musicians involved. Check out video from the show here.


Rick Rubin Is Why ZZ Top's New Album Is Delayed
(Gibson) ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons says the delay in releasing the band's new album is not the fault of him and his cohorts: producer Rick Rubin is behind the long gap between releases.

Speaking to Noise11's Paul Cashmere, Gibbons said everything is still "buzzing" in ZZ Top land. "I guess the irony of the whole picture is that the band is wondering. Where is this thing?" Gibbons said. "When do we hear it? Rick's funny. We've been friends for as long as I can remember. Triple decades and this is the first time we have broken the mold as business pals."

Gibbons admits that fellow beard icon Rubin has an unorthodox approach to working but, "has a sense of intuition that can't be beat. …The only real directive was 'don't change much' and I said 'okay' and he said 'listen, if we stumble into something that's really insane and it works I'm going to keep it' and I said 'that's good.'" more on this story





Croucier Reunites With Ratt
(Classic Rock) Juan Croucier has rehearsed with Ratt ahead of hitting the stage with the band he left in 1992, singer Stephen Pearcy has confirmed.

The "other voice of Ratt" will appear with Pearcy, Warren DeMartini, Bobby Blotzer and Carlos Cavazo at the M3 festival on May 11-12 in Columbia, Maryland.

The only thing to prevent a full-on Ratt reunion is the absence of guitarist Robbin Crosby, who died from a heroin overdose in 2002. more on this story


Metallica Bringing Back The Snake Pit
Metallica plan to bring back their famous Snake Pit for their upcoming summer trek where they will celebrate the Black Album's 20th anniversary. They tells fans:

As you may have heard, the theme of our summer trek through Europe is celebrating the 20th anniversary of the release of the Black Album by playing it in its entirety at all 16 shows. And what would a tour of the Black Album be without a snake pit????

For those of you who were with us almost 20 years ago for the summer of '92-'93 tours, you might recall that diamond shaped pit extending from the middle of the stage, well it's baccccckkkk for our little summer vacation! more on this story




Guns N' Roses, Bad Brains, Ours, Alberta Cross Stars To Play Lucinda's Kids Benefit
Members of Guns N' Roses, Bad Brains, Ours, and Alberta Cross are just a few of the musicians who will be coming together later this week for a special benefit concert.

antiMusic's Tony K had these details on his site The Screen Door: Last December, our close community of friends, musicians, and music lovers lost one of its own when Lucinda Gallagher took her own life. Lucinda was kind and generous, and would give anything she had to anyone in need. She loved music, her friends and family, but more than anything in this world, her two amazing children. The children, now in the care of Lucinda's dear friend Jamie, both have their mother's rock and roll spirit. Like her, they are bright and soulful, and have a deep appreciation for music. Young teenagers, both are gifted budding musicians.

This benefit will include live shows on April 29th and 30th at the Bowery Electric, as well as an auction and raffle that will raise money to be put in trust for Lucinda's children. All artists and persons involved have generously donated their time and talents, as well as items for auction and raffle. With the advisement of Bob Benjamin of the Light of Day charity, we will ensure that 100% of the proceeds are placed into a trust for the children. Read more and see the full lineup.



Iggy Pop Releasing Covers Album
(Gibson) The Beatles, Frank Sinatra and Edith Piaf all get the Iggy Pop treatment on the veteran rocker's new album, Apres, to be released May 9.

Tracks includes Pop's take on Sinatra's "Only the Lonely," The Beatles' "Michelle" and a version of Edith Piaf's "La Vie En Rose."

"All popular music forms of today get their strength from the beat. Rap, hip-hop, metal, pop, and rock producers will tell you that the beats they use imitate the human heartbeat and that is where the power lies," Iggy said. "I wanted to sing some of these songs myself, hoping to bring the feeling I felt as a listener to my listeners through my voice. Many of these songs are in French, probably because it is French culture which has most stubbornly resisted the mortal attacks of the Anglo-American music machine." more on this story





Dream Theater's Petrucci and Steve Morse For Satriani's G3 Tour
(Gibson) Joe Satriani has confirmed that Dream Theater's John Petrucci and Deep Purple's Steve Morse will join him on a South American edition of the G3 tour.

In addition to Petrucci, who has appeared on several G3 tours, previous participants include Steve Lukather, Steve Vai, Eric Johnson, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Yngwie Malmsteen, Robert Fripp, Paul Gilbert, Uli Jon Roth, Michael Schenker, Adrian Legg, and special guests, including Tony MacAlpine, Johnny Hiland, Morse, Keith More, Chris Duarte, Andy Timmons, Neal Schon, Gary Hoey, Brian May, Billy Gibbons, Johnny A, George Lynch, Patrick Rondat, Herman Li, Alejandro Silva and Eric Sardinas.

The most recent G3 tour was an Australia/New Zealand run featuring Satriani, Steve Vai and Steve Lukather, including a massive set as part of the four-day Bluesfest festival at Byron Bay. more on this story






Ian Anderson Releases Thick as a Brick 2 Widget
(Gibson) Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson has made available a special web widget containing musical selections from his new Thick as a Brick 2 album, as well as interview footage.

The widget is available now courtesy of EMI Records and North American syndicated rock radio show In The Studio: The Stories Behind History's Greatest Rock Bands.

"We snack on music these days," Anderson says. "We don't sit down to a banquet and take two hours of it, we tend to snack and so I think it's a change in culture that I have to recognize. It's gonna have about a 50 percent chance of getting approval, and that, in this day and age, is just fine by me. If I can please half of the people, all of the time, I'd be a happy man." more on this story





Journey Documentary Premiered at Tribeca
(hennemusic) A new Journey documentary has premiered at New York's Tribeca Film Festival. "Don't Stop Believin': Everyman's Journey" debuted last Thursday. It's the story of how the band found singer Arnel Pineda online and into the group.

In 2007, Arnel's friend began uploading videos of the aspiring Filipino singer covering classic rock songs onto YouTube. One of them was seen by Neal Schon, guitarist for Journey. Blown away by Pineda's talent and uncanny vocal similarity to former Journey front man Steve Perry, Neal flew Arnel from Manila to San Francisco to audition for the band, and the rest is history.

But Arnel's personal journey had just begun. Having lived life on the street since age 13 with no classical music training, he was anything but prepared for the grueling physical and emotional strains that come from fronting a rock band on a whirlwind world tour. more on this story



Cannibal Corpse, Between The Buried and Me and More For Summer Slaughter
The 6th annual Summer Slaughter Tour will feature Cannibal Corpse, Between The Buried and Me, The Faceless, Periphery, Veil of Maya, Job For A Cowboy, Goatwhore, Exhumed and Cerebral Bore.

The trek which is slated to run from July 20th through August 25th, will also feature special guests TBA in each city such as The Contortionist, Rings of Saturn, Fallujah and more.

Ash Avildsen (Summer Slaughter Founder) states: "Without a doubt, this is the biggest year in the history of the tour. We are honored to have such an incredible, diverse group of musicians all on the same bill. It's brutal, classic, progressive, fresh and still the most extreme tour of the year. Drink lots of water before you show up and get ready to rage!" more on this story



Puscifer Plan North American Tour
Puscifer will be hitting the road in June for the third time in support of their sophomore album Conditions of My Parole.

The trek will kick off on June 9 at Bonnaroo with a three week tour to follow including a stop at the River's Edge Music Festival in St. Paul, Minn.

An ever-evolving performance troupe, Puscifer performances mix music, sketch comedy and video elements to create what The Boston Globe referred to as "musical theater," the San Francisco Chronicle called "a free for all comedy rock extravaganza." more on this story



Nightwish and Kamelot North American Tour
Nightwish have announced plans for a rare North American tour that is set to take place this fall and will feature support from Kamelot.

The band will hitting the road in support of their recently released album Imaginaerum, and Roadrunner advises that this is the band's only planned North American tour.

The tour will be kicking off on Sept. 12 in Atlanta before snaking through the rest of the country and wrapping in Florida on Oct. 14. more on this story



TSOL's Jack Grisham Going Pop
TSOL's Jack Grisham returns with his new group, the Manic Low, who will be releasing their debut album on June 12th.

The Manic Low's debut release, Songs For An Up Day, shows punk legend Grisham's pop sensibilities with guitar-driven tunes.

MediaLab sent over these details: Drawing heavily from Grisham's 60's & 70's musical upbringing, combined with an infectious guitar-driven, garage rock pulse, the Manic Low offer up 14 warm and undeniably catchy tracks that will leave listeners craving more. the Manic Low's "Songs for an Up Day," features several notable punk rock veterans including Sean Greaves (The Joykiller, Mike Ness Band), Paul Roessler (The Screamers, 45 Grave, and Nina Hagen) and Rob MiLucky (Devil's Brigade). Also appearing on the record is Steve Soto (Agent Orange, Adolescents, Manic Hispanic). more on this story



Melvins Lite Release and Tour Coming
Melvins Lite will be hitting the road in July in support of their debut release, Freak Puke, which is set for release on June 5th.

Melvins Lite is billed as the additional incarnation of the Melvins which features Buzz Osborne, Dale Crover and Trevor Dunn (Mr. Bungle, Fantômas).

The upcoming trek kicks off on July 1st in Rochester, NY and has been dubbed Melvins Lite Canada +. more on this story



Peter Gabriel's New Blood Live in London Double Album Out Today
Today Eagle rock will release Peter Gabriel's newly remixed and re-mastered live 2-CD of New Blood Live in London.

The release follows the release of New Blood Live in London DVD, Blu-Ray and 3D Disc which was recorded at London's iconic Hammersmith Apollo on March 23rd last year.

Dispensing with the usual rock armory of guitars and drums, Peter Gabriel and the 46-piece New Blood Orchestra re-imagine some of Peter's best known songs with breathtaking orchestral arrangements that include "In Your Eyes" "Red Rain" "Rhythm of The Heat" and "Biko" - written in honor of anti-apartheid activist Stephen Biko (1946-1977). In addition, there are interpretations of Paul Simon's "The Boy in the Bubble" and Lou Reed's "The Power of the Heart". more on this story



The Zombies Plan Summer Tour
The Zombies will be hitting the road this summer for a North American tour and have announced the initial dates.

The initial dates start on July 28th in Fayetteville, GA and hit Oshkosh, WI, New York City, Uncasville, CT and Washington D.C. with the promise of more dates to come.

Last year the band, helmed by founding members Rod Argent and singer Colin Blunstone, celebrated their 50th anniversary with a tour and the new album, Breathe Out, Breathe In. more on this story



Bachman & Turner Live Album Coming
Eagle Records have set a May 29, 2012 release date for Bachman & Turner's new 2CD live album, Live at the Roseland Ballroom, NYC. Kayos sent over these details:

Bachman & Turner features Randy Bachman and Fred Turner, the musicians at the heart of legendary band Bachman-Turner Overdrive. Live at the Roseland Ballroom, NYC includes songs from their recent self-titled album along with their rock n' roll anthems including "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet" "Takin' Care Of Business" "Hey You" "Blue Collar" "Roll On Down The Highway" "Let It Ride" and "Lookin' Out For #1" plus a hit-laden throwback to Bachman's early days with The Guess Who including their take on Johnny Kidd's "Shakin' All Over" and the band's US No.1 hit "American Woman."

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



Ephel Duath Set New EP Release
Agonia Records will release Ephel Duath's new EP, On Death and Cosmos, on June 21 in Europe and August 14th in the United States.

According to the label, On Death and Cosmos is a 20 minute mini concept EP that develops through three songs: Black Prism, Raqia and Stardust Rain, creating some of the most intense and mournful music Ephel Duath has ever offered.

The main lyrics line is about death and abandonment, loss and self- transforming will: a dive into the darkness, that can reveal a new birth in light.



Hot Head Show Release Live EP and Kicking Off European Tour
Hot Head Show will be kicking off their European tour with a run of UK shows starting tomorrow (April 25th).

To give fans a taste of what they can expect, the band is offering out a live EP recorded in Rome last year whilst touring Europe with Primus.

The first track (Payload) is available as a free download and you grab that and the rest of the EP here. more on this story



Singled Out: Smash Palace's Do It Again
Today Steve Butler from Smash Palace tells us about the title track from their brand new album "Do It Again," which was released today! Here is the story:

The inspiration for the song "Do It Again" from the new Smash Palace CD "Do It Again" had to do with reminiscing about the past and those musical events in your life that shape who you are and the music you play and write.

I wrote all the songs on the new CD with my brother Brian. Our usual routine is, he's playing drums and I'm playing guitar and we just jam around and come up something that we like musically. No lyrics, just a hummable tune. When we start creating lyrics, we'll just open up and let the words come. Back and forth we'll go till one of us comes up with a line that we both like and we'll take it from there.

On "Do It Again", I kept singing the line " That was back in '64" and we liked the way it sounded. Then we talked a bit about the year 1964 and all the Beatles and remembering the first time we heard them on the radio. We're brothers, Brian and I, and I remember getting up for school in the morning and our transistor radio was playing, and Brian telling me about these guys from England with long hair and the song " I Want To Hold Your Hand" sounded like nothing I'd ever heard before.
After seeing The Beatles on Ed Sullivan, I was relentless about wanting a guitar and bugging my mom to buy me one. The first verse of "Do It Again" was about that experience.
Once we had that done, we plotted out the rest of the song: why not write it about those big musical moments in our life. The next verse was about The Stones and Mick in '69 and how he really became the first big arena size rock star. At least to me he was. The top hat, the strutting and jumping around on the stage and how rock n roll had changed. It wasn't about pop music so much anymore. It was changing with the Vietnam War and politics. It was a scary time worrying about getting drafted and sent to some war in a far off land.

The last verse is about our CBGB days in NYC. When our first band Quincy, went to NYC ( we're a New Jersey band) and how the music we heard knocked us out. Music was pretty bland in the mid to late 70's. Disco was king and most rock bands were so corporate and laid back that I had little interest in their music. I felt so out of it musically till I went to NYC and saw all those New Wave and Punk bands. Changed my musical world.

I guess we could have kept on writing verse after verse because lots of great music has come along since then but I wanted to write a 3 minute rock n roll song, not a 10 verse Bob Dylan song.

It's a different type of song for Smash Palace. More groove oriented and more bluesy than our other stuff. It's all part of my DNA. Cut my musical teeth playing all that white English blues stuff so it all comes from that I suppose.

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



B Sides


Original Asia Lineup Return With New Video
(hennemusic) The original Asia lineup of Geoff Downes, Steve Howe, Carl Palmer and John Wetton will be releasing their new album XXX in July. The first single is entitled "Face On The Bridge"; the group issued a new video for it on Monday, and the single will be released digitally worldwide on Monday, May 14.

"We're very pleased with, and confident about, XXX," says Wetton. "It encapsulates, lyrically and instrumentally, the essence of the band today. However, it is the very same four people that gave you the original, iconic album 30 years ago. If you loved it then, you will love it now."

"We wanted to recapture the energy of the first album," added guitarist Steve Howe. "Asia has always been about great songs, fantastic musicianship and I am sure fans of the first album, will fall in love with XXX." Check out the video here.



Kataklysm Deliver Iron Will Video
Kataklysm have released their new music video for "Iron Will" from their upcoming 2CD + 2DVD, The Iron Will: 20 Years Determined, which will now be released on July 3rd in North America and July 6th in Europe via Nuclear Blast.

The Iron Will: 20 Years Determined will feature a documentary and bonus CD materials, depicting the ups and downs of the band's long, turbulent career, as well as footage of Kataklysm's performance at last year's Summer Breeze festival. Check out the new video here.

Kataklysm has also announced a North American summer headlining tour, Kataklysm "The Iron Will Tour 2012." The run will kick off in mid-August, and features Origin, Fleshgod Apocalypse, Rose Funeral, Vital Remains and more in support. more on this story



Agnostic Front Add More 30 Years of NYHC Shows
(Fresno) Agnostic Front has announced two additional '30 Years of NYHC' shows this June.

The show are designed for the band to celebrate three decades of New York hardcore by performing the classic Live At CBGB set in its entirety.

New dates have been added in Clifton, N.J. and Peekskill, N.Y. in addition to the recently announced Frederick, M.D., Reading, P.A. and Rochester, N.Y. shows. more on this story



The Day Beatles John and Paul Almost Reunited On Saturday Night Live
(Gibson) On this day in 1976, Paul and Linda McCartney spent the evening with John Lennon at his New York Dakota apartment and watched Saturday Night Live on TV. Producer of the show, Lorne Michaels, made an offer on air asking The Beatles to turn up and play three songs live. Lennon and McCartney thought about taking a cab to the studio, but decided they were too tired. Gibson looks back:

From the time The Beatles broke up in 1970, promoters from all corners tried to entice them into reuniting. The most famous of these was New York impresario Sid Bernstein, who tried to convince the former Fab Four to reunite for one benefit concert to end world hunger. Ironically, for all the legitimate promoters (admittedly, an oxymoron), the man who came the closest to reuniting The Beatles—or at least, John and Paul—wasn't a concert promoter at all, but instead the producer of a late-night, counter-culture phenomenon.

The Canadian-born Lorne Michaels broke into TV as a comedy writer for Laugh-In and The Beautiful Phyllis Diller Show in the late '60s. In 1975, Michaels developed a sketch show to run on NBC-TV in the barren television wasteland of late Saturday night. Michaels' Saturday Night Live was a surprise hit when it aired in October of that year (originally titled, NBC's Saturday Night). The show's early cast, featuring Chevy Chase, John Belushi, Dan Ackroyd and Gilda Radner, among others, were counter-culture heroes, thumbing their noses at authority and good taste. Within months, they were the coolest thing on TV.

On April 24, 1976, Michaels appeared on the program with an offer that drew plenty of laughs in the Rockefeller Center studio audience: "The National Broadcasting Company has authorized me to offer [The Beatles] this check to be on our show: a certified check for $3,000. Here it is, right here. A check made out to you, The Beatles, for $3,000. All you have to do is sing three Beatles songs. "She Loves You, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah." That's $1,000 right there. You know the words—it'll be easy. Like I said, this is made out to The Beatles— you divide it up any way you want. If you want to give less to Ringo, that's up to you. I'd rather not get involved. I'm sincere about this. If this helps you to reach a decision to reunite, it's well worth the investment. You have agents—you know where I can be reached. Just think about it, okay? Thank you."

Fans laughed at the camera zooms on the $3000 check and the Ringo barb, but on the far side of Central Park, two very famous men took notice. By 1976, John Lennon and Paul McCartney weren't the hostile antagonists the public generally believed. Years had passed since the "How Do You Sleep?" days. In the meantime, the two had hung out, particularly while Lennon was on his "Lost Weekend" in Los Angeles. By this time, John was back in New York, living with Yoko in The Dakota on Manhattan's Upper West Side. On the night of April 24, Paul McCartney had popped in to hang out with his old friend—and they decided to kick back and watch a certain Saturday night comedy show.

Today's Day In Rock News!

Queen Return To American Idol This Week
(hennemusic) Queen are returning to American Idol this week. Yahoo Music reports Queen's Brian May and Roger Taylor will be on hand to perform with the top six Idol finalists next Wednesday, April 25.
Then, to promote Queen's official tribute band, The Queen Extravaganza will perform on the results show next Thursday.

Hitting the road across North America this summer, The Queen Extravaganza is a touring concert show designed to take the music and the live experience of legends of rock Queen to generations of fans. Check out video of their previous appearance.



Aerosmith Album Pushed Back
Canadian radio station 97-5 K-Rock caught up recently with Aerosmith's bassist, Tom Hamilton and we learn some interesting things in the chat about the band's forthcoming album and their recent 60 Minutes piece.


In an interview Hamilton says that the band's new album will be pushed back to September.

He also commented that 60 Minutes interviewer Lara Logan distracted the band with her 'low cut top' and their piece was edited to 'nail' Steven Tyler'. Listen here



Metallica To Tribute Ronnie James Dio
(hennemusic) Metallica will be appearing on two upcoming tribute albums. One for Deep Purple and one for Ronnie James Dio that will also feature Anthrax, Rob Halford, Lemmy and more.

"We reached out to Wendy Dio [wife of Ronnie] about wanting to be a part of the Dio tribute that's getting put together," says singer James Hetfield in the latest issue of Metal Hammer. "We're very honoured to be a part of that, and to be a part of a celebration of Ronnie's life and his great contribution, man."

"We're definitely looking to do the record Wendy's putting together for Ronnie," adds drummer Lars Ulrich. "We were asked if we'd contribute to the anniversary of [classic Deep Purple album] 'Machine Head', too – we can't turn that down." more on this story



Slash TV
(hennemusic) HDNet will deliver the US broadcast premiere of Slash's 2011 concert DVD, "Slash featuring Myles Kennedy Live: Made In Stoke" on Sunday, May 13 at 8:00 PM EDT.

Slash and his band tear through cuts spanning his 20-year career with Guns N' Roses (nine GNR songs will be featured) as well as songs from Velvet Revolver, Slash's Snakepit and Slash's first solo album.

Songs performed include "By The Sword," "Back From Cali," "Slither," "Sweet Child 'O Mine," "Paradise City," and more that rock through the rafters of the sold-out Victoria Hall in Stoke-on-Trent, England, Slash's birthplace. more on this story



John Fogerty Joins The Black Keys For Levon Helm Tribute Jam
(hennemusic) The Black Keys headlined the first day as the second weekend of Coachella got underway on Friday.

The Black Keys paid their respects to Levon Helm, The Band's drummer, who passed away on Thursday at the age of 71 after a lengthy battle with cancer.

The Keys' frontman Dan Auerbach was joined onstage by Creedence Clearwater Revival singer John Fogerty, dueting on a performance of The Band's classic "The Weight." Watch it here.



Rare Van Halen Rehearsal Footage Goes Online
(hennemusic) Months before hitting the road in support of their new album, "A Different Kind Of Truth," Van Halen were tucked away in a secret Los Angeles location in full rehearsal mode. Two clips have recently landed online and are being eaten up by the hardcore VH community.

The first video shows someone secretly recording footage of the band's room while band and staff are not around. It opens with the camera man flipping through a couple of pages of song titles, presumably those being worked up for the (then) upcoming road trip; a few of these tunes have yet to be played on the current tour. The videographer then walks the room, stopping by Eddie's pedalboard before scanning across stacks of speakers and Alex's drum setup. No date is listed or mentioned with the uploaded video.

The second clip was recorded December 14, 2011 as VH were in the room rehearsing "China Town" from the new album. The video does not show any of the band members; because it was recorded secretly, viewers will only be able to hear audio of the song itself. The performance of the new track does sound impressive, two full months before the record's release and the tour began. Check them out here.



Agnostic Front Plan 30 Years of NYHC Shows
(Fresno) Agnostic Front has announced a trio of commemorative shows to celebrate 30 years of NYHC.

The hardcore punk pioneer will perform the classic Live At CBGB set in its entirety to pay homage to the passionate New York hardcore subculture that has stood the test of time – a movement Agnostic Front has led since the early 1980s.

Agnostic Front have also teamed up with ASG Guitar to launch the limited-edition "Stigma" series guitar, complete with Agnostic Front body artwork, NYHC fretboard inlay and more as part of the celebration. more on this story



Stone Roses Tap Sex Pistol's Daughter For Comeback Tour
(Gibson) Stone Roses frontman Ian Brown has chosen the support act for the Stone Roses' comeback tour. Her name is Hollie Cook and she's the daughter of Sex Pistols drummer Paul Cook. The former Sex Pistol invited Brown to see his daughter play and the deal was done.

According to The Sun newspaper, Hollie Cook said: "It's the most exciting and terrifying opportunity. It's such an honor."

As for Hollie's rock and roll pedigree: not only is Paul Cook her father but her mother Jen was a member of Culture Club and her godfather is Boy George. more on this story





Asia Plan New Album, Reissue and World Tour for 30th Anniversary
Asia are celebrating their 30th anniversary this year and plan the release of a new album, a world tour and collectors' edition of their debut.

Noble sent over these details: Asia, featuring the original line-up of Geoff Downes (keyboards), Steve Howe (guitar), Carl Palmer (drums) and John Wetton (bass, lead vocals), will release a new studio album entitled "XXX" on Monday July 2nd (in the UK).

The new album dovetails the news of the band's upcoming 30th Anniversary World Tour and the collectors' edition of their eponymous debut album. more on this story



Thrice Add More Farewell Tour Dates
Thrice have added two additional dates to their upcoming farewell tour which is set to take place this spring.

The band's final shows in Anaheim and Los Angeles sold out within hours but fans will now have two more chances to the see the band in Anaheim and Santa Ana, California.

After thirteen years together and eight full-length releases to their name, Thrice will begin their final tour together on May 4 in San Diego, California. Supporting Thrice on all dates will be Animals As Leaders and O'Brother. more on this story



Grateful Dead Launch Video Game
(Gibson) For Grateful Dead fans, Jerry Garcia's death in 1995 marked the end of the band's special magic. The Dead's legendary live shows with Garcia are consigned to history, but a new video game is said to capture something of what made those performances such momentous events.

Released on April 20, Grateful Dead Game: The Epic Tour is based on 10 especially memorable Dead shows staged between 1970 and 1990. Adam Blumenthal of Curious Sense, the digital media company that created The Epic Tour, spoke with Reuters about the game's development.

"What we're doing is creating an adventure by traveling through Grateful Dead history, Grateful Dead time and space …," he said. "The objective is to keep having fun rather than get to the end." more on this story





Preview Motley Crue Frontman's Ghost Adventure
(hennemusic) A preview has been posted online of Motley Crue's Vince Neil's appearance in this Friday's season finale of "Ghost Adventures," the paranormal series airing on The Travel Channel.

Vince joins the show's team of paranormal investigators — Zak Bagans, Nick Groff and Aaron Goodwin – as they investigate The Riviera Hotel, which some say is haunted.

"Built in 1955, it's one of the oldest hotel and casinos still standing on the Vegas strip," according to a synopsis of the episode. "Filled with history, the hotel has had a roster of celebrity clientele and was formerly connected to the Chicago Mafia — needless to say, the hotel has had its share of good times and bad. Perhaps its most well-known guest was Frank Sinatra, who had his own penthouse suite where he often threw lavish parties." Read more and watch the preview here.



Pete Townshend Autobiography Coming
(Gibson) The autobiography of Pete Townshend is available for pre-order ahead of its October release.

The book, Who I Am, records the life of one of Britain's most important rock voices.

The memoir will cover all areas of his life from childhood, through his glory days with The Who to the present day. more on this story





Ted Nugent Makes Plea Agreement For Bear Hunting Charge
(hennemusic) Ted Nugent has agreed to plead guilty to transporting a black bear he illegally killed in southeast Alaska.

USA Today reports Nugent made the admission in signing a plea agreement with federal prosecutors that was filed Friday in U.S. District Court.

The plea agreement says Ted illegally shot and killed the bear in May 2009 on Sukkwan Island days after wounding a bear in a bow hunt, which counted toward a state seasonal limit of one bear. more on this story



Kris Norris Returning To Straight Line Stitch For New Tour
Straight Line Stitch will be hitting the road for a North American tour which kicks off tomorrow, April 24th in Bowling Green, KY!

Fresh off of their successful 2011 album, The Fight of Our Lives, the band hits the road again through the beginning of June.

Joining them on the road is former Straight Line Stitch guitarist Kris Norris (ex-Darkest Hour), back with the group for two months. more on this story



Play in a Day Guitarist Bert Weedon Dead at 91
(Gibson) Guitarist Bert Weedon, whose Play in a Day tutorial manual served as an early guide to such greats as Paul McCartney, Eric Clapton and Brian May, died Thursday (April 19) after a long illness. He was 91.

Weedon was an orchestral guitarist during the post-war big band era, and later played on countless pop hits by the likes of Cliff Richard and Billy Fury, but it was his famous instruction guide for which he will be best remembered. Published in 1957, Play in a Day went on to sell more than two million copies, and was translated into dozens of languages.

McCartney, George Harrison and John Lennon all said Play in a Day was instrumental to their early development as musicians. Clapton said Weedon's tips and encouragement gave him the motivation to press on, when he was first learning to play. May was even more effusive in his praise, calling Weedon "a legend" and a "guitar wizard." Weedon remained in Great Britain throughout his life. He was awarded an OBE – Order of the British Empire – in 2001 for his services to music. more on this story





Arcane Saints Cancel Canadian Tour
(Sub) Australia's Arcane Saints have been forced to postpone their Canadian tour dates due to an unexpected circumstance.

"We regret to advise that due to unforeseen situation beyond our control we have had to postpone our Canadian tour. We are devastated and would like to apologize to our friends and fans that were coming to see us. We will advise our new tour dates asap. Please accept our apologies." comments Arcane Saints vocalist / guitarist Michael John.

The band recently released their new single "Never Say Die" in support of the tour and has released two EPs along with an appearance on MTV's "Up and Coming Bands" documentary. more on this story



Singled Out: Hurt's How We End Up Alone
Hurt are currently out on the road and we caught up with frontman J. Loren to tell us about their current hit single "How We End Up Alone," from their forthcoming album, "The Crux" which will be released May 1st.

The inspiration behind "How We End Up Alone" was, unfortunately inspired by personal narrative - one that I was going through at the time of its conception. I found myself thinking the same cyclical thoughts that we all do when in the throes of watching your world get turned upside-down.

While it was impossible to look on the bright side, I found the irony in the situation in that it has happened before in nearly the same way in the past and its subject matter was the topic of the majority of American blues (a style we surprisingly rarely borrow from, despite the fact that we are a rock band). I used a common blues progression to begin the song in an effort to subconsciously bring listeners into the mindframe and then went with the 6/8 progression to mimic the actual events of every failed relationship. During that same section, there is musical reference to "Et Al" (vol.2) because I was referencing the similarities between the two situations. Behind the violent rhythm is a full orchestral composition not prominently heard, which is in fact a typical movie style masquerade waltz (think "Carmen" by Bizet). 3/4 and 6/8 timing are an easy fit and I thought it deepened the sense of familiar irony. I am proudest of the back and forth lyrical and melodic simplicity juxtaposed with a few eloquent passages, which both musically and lyrically captured the state of affairs and mindframe.

For me, the pivotal statement "see it from my way" said as much as I could hope to explain with any amount of a more flowery rhetoric. The inflections are meant to portray how a discussion becomes a heated/forceful life changing argument because of its very approach and progression of the narrators' hidden intent. It is my hope that the next time you find yourself going through the identical stages and headed for inevitable disaster, you will be reminded by this song before you complete your part in this comical play and take ten seconds to think before you get your all important way. Because this is, after all, how we end up alone.

Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen for yourself as you check out the video right here!



B Sides


Jack Douglas Tells The Story Behind John Lennon's Double Fantasy
(Gibson) During his long career as a sound engineer and producer Jack Douglas has worked with some of rock's most elite musicians – Alice Cooper, Miles Davis, The Who and Cheap Trick.

He produced Aerosmith's blockbuster '70s albums and is again collaborating with the rock legends on their forthcoming record. Among his crowning achievements was his work helming John Lennon and Yoko Ono's Double Fantasy album – the last record to be released during Lennon's life.

Douglas stopped by Gibson's New York City Showroom and spoke about his trip to Liverpool as a young man, discussed how he and Lennon became friends and told the story behind Double Fantasy. Check out the video here.





Jack White Switches Up Bands On German TV
(hennemusic) Jack White's solo debut, "Blunderbuss," is out this week. The former White Stripes man has been spreading the word on his new release, and this week, Jack appeared on German TV to play a couple of tracks from the project.

On the German tv program Die Harald Schmidt Show, White performed a rocking version of his latest single, "Sixteen Saltines," with an all-female band, before switching gears and doing "Freedom At 21" with an all-male backing group.

White kicks off a series of US dates that begin this Friday at New York's Webster Hall. Watch the TV performances here.



Metallica's Lars Ulrich Dreams of Noel Gallagher Jam
(Gibson) It turns out Lars Ulrich is quite a fan of Noel Gallagher and his High Flying Birds. Speaking to New Musical Express, the Metallica drummer said, "I'm hard pressed to think of anyone I would rather drum with than Noel Gallagher, [although] I have to say the fellow with the Clockwork Orange get up at the back is doing a stellar job.

"When I saw them in L.A in December it was fabulous. You know, if … the other 37,000 drummers on this planet turn him down, I'll certainly play with him."

Ulrich went on to say he wasn't sure Gallagher would take him seriously, but he had little doubt the musical fit would be a good one. "I'm certainly not sure he would ever want to pick me, but I'd put together a pretty solid groove thing back there," he said. "I would make the songs bounce to the best of my ability." more on this story





Aerosmith's Steven Tyler Walks This Way With Young Cancer Patient
(hennemusic) Aerosmith's Steven Tyler continues to spread goodwill amongst his fans. WPRI-TV Rhode Island reports Tyler recently connected with Cole Grace, a 10-year-old from West Warwick, RI who was hospitalized with a brain tumor that was identified as a Grade IV Glioblastoma.

Since his January 27 hospitalization, young Cole has had three brain surgeries.

While in the hospital, Cole was able to Skype with his hero, Steven Tyler. Steven and Cole had a long conversation and sang Aerosmith's "Walk This Way" together. Check out video here.



Gibson Tribute Levon Helm With Classic Interview
(Gibson) Few artists more fully embodied the spirit of rural America than Levon Helm did. From his work in The Band to his staging of Midnight Ramble concerts at his barn-like studio in Woodstock, New York, Helm was an authentic spirit who captured something deep in the heart of small-town life. Helm, who died Thursday, April 19, at age 71, was also one of the most beloved figures in contemporary music. Speaking to USA Today in the wake of Helm's passing, Warren Haynes, who played with Helm many times, said his friend's voice "personified Americana," adding that it was "one of the great voices, and not just in rock 'n' roll."

In 2000, not long after Capitol Records reissued The Band's entire catalog, Helm's agreed to be interviewed about the making of the group's second album, titled, simply, The Band. A masterpiece that weaved folk, gospel, country and R&B into a seamless tapestry, the album also was an epic portrait-in-song about frontier America. In the interview, Helm talked about The Band's musical dynamic and their work with Bob Dylan, and shared his feelings about the group's legacy. As a tribute to the memory of a great artist, we present that interview here in its entirety, for the very first time.

You recorded The Band in Los Angeles at Sammy Davis Jr.'s house. That must have been a strange experience. We liked how we had worked at the Big Pink [a house shared by Rick Danko, Richard Manuel and Garth Hudson in West Saugerties, New York]. The Basement Tapes, Music from Big Pink and probably the better part of a couple of other albums for Bob [Dylan] all came out of those Basement Tapes sessions. That was such a fun, kind of "workshop" situation that we always looked to do that again, as opposed to going into a cold studio, where the clock is ticking away. It's better to create your own space.

We went out to California and rented Sammy Davis Jr.'s house, which had a pool house, and we turned the pool house into a studio. It wasn't hard to do that. We boxed in some of the windows, and taped down the metal fireplace so it wouldn't rattle, and brought in some tape machines and other gear. We didn't perform for a long time. We cut Music from Big Pink, and then we went right ahead and started cutting The Band, and just about the same thing with the third album. We played shows a bit between the second and third album, but not much. Read the full interview here.





Remembering Roy Orbison
(Gibson) "Roy Orbison was the only act that The Beatles didn't want to follow," said Ringo Starr, recalling the 1963 tour the Beatles made with Roy Orbison in England.

Born in Texas on April 23, 1936, Orbison was a rock and roll original who became an international cross-over superstar thanks to his unique vocal powers and unusual songwriting style. He'd go on to win Grammys in pop, rock and roll and country categories with hits like "Ooby Dooby," "Oh Pretty Woman," "Only The Lonely," "Blue Bayou," "Crying, It's Over," "In Dreams," "You Got It" and "Handle with Care" (as a Traveling Wilbury with Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, George Harrison and Jeff Lynne). His early days, however, were tough and trying, which, perhaps, prepared him for the terrible personal tragedies that would darken the incredible highs his musical career would achieve.

Raised in the wilds of west Texas, Orbison had his own band when he was 13. He was eventually spotted by Buddy Holly producer, Norman Petty, who recorded some sides that, sadly, went nowhere. Undeterred, Orbison, whose style was already proving difficult to pigeon hole, headed to Memphis on the recommendation of Johnny Cash and impressed rock and roll icon Sam Phillips enough for him to sign Orbison to Sun Records. It all looked good when Orbison had a quick hit with "Ooby Dooby," in 1956. But Phillips didn't fully understand the music Orbison wanted to pay. He moved to RCA briefly, and then to Monument Records in 1960, where' he'd finally make it big after several years on the bread line.

Out of nowhere, in the summer of 1960, "Only the Lonely" announced Orbison as the ultimate tragic balladeer. The record made it to #2 in the U.S. and #1 in the U.K., where it stayed on the chart for over 6 months.

Sadly, life soon began to imitate art as the singer who expressed sadness and tragedy so powerfully was faced with his own personal horrors