Today's Day In Rock News!

Scott Weiland Says He Has Reunited With Velvet Revolver, Slash Say No Way
(Classic Rock) Slash reacted in shock yesterday when faced with Scott Weiland's claims that he was back with Velvet Revolver.
Weiland told ABC News Radio: "They gave me a couple of songs, and myself and Dave and Duff are going to be getting together for a songwriting session next week. Slash is going to do some touring then we're going to do some shows in the later part of summer into early fall."

Slash heard the comments during a live interview on Minnesota's 93X radio station. "He's out of his mind!," He exclaimed. "There's been a common rumor going around. I know he's been positive about that subject. Maybe they know something I don't know. I have absolutely no intention of going back to that." more on this story


Jimi Hendrix Movie Going Forward
(Classic Rock) Filming for the Jimi Hendrix biopic is going ahead despite protestations from the late guitarist's estate, according to movie director John Ridley.

CMU reports today that Ridley will definitely begin filming his Hendrix movie in Ireland later this month, with Outkast rapper Andre 3000 (aka part-time actor Andre Benjamin) in the lead role.

Called All Is By My Side, it's set in England in 1966 and tells the story behind the recording of Hendrix's debut album Are You Experienced. more on this story


Mustaine Sorry About Metallica and Megadeth Supergroup Speculation
(Classic Rock) Dave Mustaine has apologized to James Hetfield for suggesting plans were being made for a Metallica-Megadeth supergroup.

Last year Mustaine said he was hoping to record an album with his bassist Dave Ellefson alongside Hetfield and Lars Ulrich from the band that sacked him in 1983.

Classic Rock last week reported the Metallica frontman's reaction to the Megadeth mainman's comments: "I do see a lot of stuff in the press with him talking about jamming with us and making an album. All this other crazy stuff. I read it and say to myself, 'Hold on. This is the Dave that we kind of wanted to forget about. You know, the big mouth that wants to just go-go-go.'"

Now Mustaine tells Artisan News: "I probably shouldn't have said stuff like that. I guess some people may think I'm trying to use that as a way to get publicity. So I can see where there would be some feelings about it. That wasn't my intention."

A lot more from Dave here and find out what he told Hetfield.


Van Halen Add Even More Tour Dates
(hennemusic) Following news that Van Halen have added five new dates to their current US tour, the band announced several more additions to the "A Different Kind Of Truth" trek on Monday.

Eight (8) more concerts are now on the schedule, including stops in Spokane, Portland, Albuquerque, El Paso, Austin, Oklahoma City, Moline and Milwaukee.

The new dates are a part of the second leg of the tour, which Van Halen announced last month. The full series of summer shows start July 7 in Uncasville, CT. more on this story


Dew-Scented's New Lineup Announced
Dew-Scented sent out word that they have solidified a new band lineup that features: Rory Hansen – Guitars, Marvin Vriesde – Guitars, Leif Jensen – Vocals, Joost van der Graaf – Bass and Koen Herfst – Drums

Here is the official word: Dew-Scented vocalist Leif Jensen comments as follows: "I'm more than proud to be able to present you a new chapter in the history of Dew-Scented! By early 2011, after 4 weeks of European touring with Nile, it showed clearly that our previous "Invocation" line-up was collapsing and one member after another left the fold for different reasons. We decided to play some final festival shows together in the summer and then after Party.San Open Air and Brutal Assault Festival, Dew-Scented went away from the spotlight in order to re-group and regain new focus. And here we finally are again, back with an improved line-up and a really strong new album coming up in July: "Icarus"!"

The new line-up (re-)introduces Marvin Vriesde (Severe Torture, ex Blo.Torch) as main guitarist and songwriter. Not a stranger to Dew-Scented's path of life, Vriesde's ties with the band go as far as back as 1996, when he played lead guitars for Dew-Scented on the band's first ever proper tour (with Edge Of Sanity, Lake Of tears and Sadist), as well as for some additional shows supporting Morbid Angel. He later on returned, among other occasions, as live-session guitarist for a European tour with Cannibal Corpse in 2002 or also for runs in Europe, Japan and North America all throughout 2005, as well as appearing with guitars-leads on the "Issue VI" album and also performing on the "Turn To Ash" video clip. more on this story


The Black Keys Set For Another Round of U.S. Tour Dates
(Banana 101.5) The Black Keys have announced more 2012 U.S. tour dates that will bring them back out on the roads of America in October.

The brief West Coast trek in support of their latest album, last year's 'El Camino,' kicks off on Oct. 1 in Fresno, Calif., and currently is scheduled through an Oct. 10 gig in Las Cruces, N.M., with Canadian duo Tegan and Sara slated to open all stops.

The Black Keys currently are winding down their first-ever arena tour — its final date is Saturday (May 19) in Atlantic City, N.J. — and will take a break before heading to Dover, Del., for the previously announced Firefly Music Festival, which takes place July 20-22. More including the dates.


Rush Plan UK Tour
(Gibson) Rush have announced a five-date U.K. arena run in support of their forthcoming album Clockwork Angels – but the shows aren't for another year.

The dates will be two years after the band's last U.K. tour, the 3-1/2 hour Time Machine show. A pair of German dates also have been announced, with more to follow.

The band had already announced their North American tour, which begins in Manchester, New Hampshire on September 7 and wraps up on December 2 in Houston, Texas. more on this story





Keith Richards Won't Jam With Mick Jagger on SNL
(hennemusic) Now that Saturday Night Live has confirmed the musical guests for this week's season finale with Mick Jagger, Keith Richards tells Rolling Stone that he won't be involved.

"I spoke to Mick and he said it's something that he said yes to many months ago, so he's just doing it," Richards says. "He's on his own."

In addition to his hosting duties, Jagger will perform with Arcade Fire and the Foo Fighters with Jeff Beck. more on this story


Jane's Addiction Add Third Theatre of the Escapists Tour Leg
Jane's Addiction have added a third additional North American leg to their "Theatre of the Escapists" tour.

Mutemath, Band of Skulls and Die Antword will each open select dates of the trek which

The band embarked on the second leg of the tour last week and it set to hit venues in Florida, North Carolina, Tennessee, Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona. more on this story


Vixen Member Reunite Under New Name
(Gibson) Janet Gardner, Roxy Petrucci and Share Ross, three quarters of the classic lineup of '80s hard rockers Vixen, have reunited in a new band called VXN.

Singer Gardner, drummer Petrucci and bassist Ross, along with guitarist Gina Stile (Vixen's Tangerine album), will play at a number of festivals and showcase dates in 2012 to mark 25 years since the release of the first Vixen single, "Edge of a Broken Heart."

The first confirmed engagement is as part of the Monsters of Rock Cruise on March 16-20, 2013, sailing out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, bound for CoCoCay and Freeport, Bahamas. more on this story




KISS Comic Book Series To Feature Limited Editions
(hennemusic) Back in April, IDW Publishing unveiled four covers of their new KISS comic book series.

The company is issuing "Dressed To Kill, part 1" as the first in a new series, set to be published on June 13.

Now, IDW has provided an update on the KISS feature as they reveal an additional two covers for the project. Details and photos of the covers here.


AC/DC's Angus Young Named Top Guitarist From Down Under
(hennemusic) Australian Guitar magazine has named AC/DC's Angus Young as the greatest guitar player in Australian music history.

The Daily Telegraph reports Angus was #1 on the magazine's Top 50 list, ahead of Tommy Emmanuel (2), Cold Chisel's Ian Moss (3), The Living End's Chris Cheney (4) and The Angels' Rick Brewster (5).

It was an AC/DC double-shot on the list as Angus' brother, Malcolm, landed at #11. more on this story


Twin Atlantic Map Out UK Tour
Twin Atlantic are already looking ahead to this fall and have announced a ten-date UK tour which will take place in October and November.

Tthe tour follows an arena tour with Blink-182 round the UK in June and a 4 week run on the Van's Warped Tour in the US.

The band will also be performing at this year's T In The Park and Reading and Leeds Festivals. more on this story


Rival Sons Set To Support Guns N' Roses
(EAR) Rival Sons announced that they will be the main support act for Guns N' Roses for two European shows in this summer.

Rival Sons will be joining Guns N' Roses at Ahoy in Rotterdam, Netherlands on June 4th, and then at the Warsteiner Hockey Park in Mönchengladbach, Germany on June 8th.

Rival Sons guitarist Scott Holiday comments: "What a great, great opportunity to get these shows supporting Guns N' Roses! Germany has been great to us, and this will only help us reach out to so many more people over there. As far as Guns goes... I remember the first time those guys were ever on MTV, me and my best mate were watching. A total shock to the system, and to me and my friends' lives. We were really young little dudes, but we already loved our rock 'n' roll, and Guns just reeked of reality and grit... I mean they were literally very dirty. And we LOVED it. They ushered in a lot more 'real' and dirtiness to a scene that had become way too fruity-pants. As a wee guitar-playing lad, I couldn't get enough of Appetite For Destruction and Lies. Ready to see and hear some of those first tunes played live!" more on this story



58 Early Frank Zappa and Paul Buff Rarities Set For Release
(Glass Onyon) Crossfire Publications have set a May 28, 2012 release date for a 5-CD set of recordings from the pre-Mothers era, with many tracks making their CD debuts.

The set is entitled "Paul Buff Presents Highlights From The Pal And Original Sound Studio Archives." Paul Buff, owner of Pal Recording Studio in Cucamonga, California from 1957-1964, first opened up his archives in 2010 for a large series of download-only releases.

This 156-track collection features 58 early masters by the late Frank Zappa, recorded at Pal and Original Sound Recording Studios. These recordings feature Zappa as performer, writer and/or producer. more on this story



Rose Tattoo Live DVD Coming Next Week
MVD have set a May 22nd DVD release date for the Rose Tattoo' "Live In 1993 From Boggo Road Jail."

MVD sent over these details: Rose Tattoo have remained the bad boys of Australian rock since the late 70s when they ignited Australian audiences with the hits 'Bad Boy For Love' and 'Rock'n'Roll Outlaw'. After the release of their third album, 'Scarred For Life', and the chart-topping anthem 'We Can't Be Beaten', Rose Tattoo became one of the biggest, and most infamous, hard rock bands in the country.have remained the bad boys of Australian rock since the late 70s when they ignited Australian audiences with the hits 'Bad Boy For Love' and 'Rock'n'Roll Outlaw'. After the release of their third album, 'Scarred For Life', and the chart-topping anthem 'We Can't Be Beaten', Rose Tattoo became one of the biggest, and most infamous, hard rock bands in the country.

Performing here in front of a huge crowd at Boggo Road Jail (the original line-up of Angry Anderson, Peter Wells, Geordie Leech and Mick Cocks reunited to celebrate the closing of the jail) alongside the Divinyls and Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs, Angry Anderson and the band deliver a thumping set of seminal Oz rock, rolling out all their big hits - including 'Assault & Battery', 'Tramp', 'Out of This Place' - and a rousing rendition of the Rolling Stones classic 'Street Fighting Man'. more on this story



Braid Plan Summer Tour
90s rockers Braid will be hitting the road this summer for a headlining tour of North America.

Joining Braid on the entire tour will be Owen as well as Aficionado and TS & The Past Haunts on select dates.

The tour will begin on Tuesday, August 7 in Cleveland, OH, and culminate in a performance at Slim's in San Francisco, CA, on Sunday, August 19. The tour will also be visiting a handful of major markets including Philadelphia, PA, on Friday, August 10, New York City on Saturday, August 11, Boston, MA, on Sunday, August 12, and West Hollywood, CA, on Saturday, August 18. more on this story



B Sides


Manager Thought AC/DC Wanted To Fire Bon Scott
(Sub) Former AC/DC bassist Mark Evans recently sat down with Ultimate Classic Rock to discuss his acclaimed new insider account of life in the band, Dirty Deeds: My Life Inside/Outside of AC/DC (Bazillion Points). Detailing his work on five early albums including Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, Evans reveals that his 1977 dismissal from the band came as a complete surprise to longtime AC/DC manager Michael Browning:

Evans says: "To the point of me being sacked from the band, when Angus and Malcolm called Michael Browning to a meeting the night before I got sacked, Michael told me the next day he assumed it was going to be Bon who was fired. These days you look back, you think that's preposterous. The way it was abrupt, that's the way the guys are-Angus and Malcolm. I don't think it's any real revelation that they can make some very strong and sudden decisions."

Mark Evans' gripping first-ever memoir of life in the classic AC/DC band includes countless tales of life on the road and at home with Bon Scott, Angus Young, Malcolm Young, and Phil Rudd, as the band rose from the barrooms of Australia to the palatial theaters of Paris, London, and Stockholm. more on this story



Paul McCartney Saved Mark Ronson's Life
(Gibson) Mark Ronson almost didn't get to grow up and become a hip producer and multi-instrumentalist. When Ronson was a kid, he was rescued from drowning by none other than Paul McCartney… or so it seems.

According to Spinner, Ronson was too young at the time to remember the incident, but his mother has told him the story many times. "That sounded like one of my mum's crazy stories," Ronson told Live Magazine.

"But then I did a song with Paul McCartney a few months ago. After a couple of days in the studio, he came in and said, 'Your mum's Ann, right? Me and Linda would always run into your parents on the beach in Long Island.'

"I told him about my mum's story that he saved me from drowning one time, and he said he vaguely remembered something like that. So maybe he backed up her claim, which means I can't really tease her about it now."





Ripper Owens Says Iced Earth Handled Firing Poorly
(Classic Rock) Tim 'Ripper' Owens says he always understood why Judas Priest had to fire him, and they did it decently – unlike Iced Earth, who "handled it poorly."

The singer knew he'd have to leave the British metal giants if Rob Halford wanted to return, and that's what happened in 2003.

Four years later Iced Earth mainman Jon Schaffer dumped him by email just before they started work on a new album, and at the same time announced Matt Barlow had returned to the mic. He has a lot to say, read it here.



Sex Pistols' Steve Jones Kicks Off Scotland Week on Craig Ferguson
(hennemusic) Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones was on hand to help kick off Scotland week on The Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson Monday night.

Ferguson and his cast of characters romped through a punked up version of "Scottish Rite Temple Stomp."

Written by John Crozier, the song was originally recorded by Ninian Hawick, a collective of musicians who churn out an experimental take of lo-fi power pop. Formerly of Shebrews, the Hang Ups, and the Legendary Jim Ruiz Group, Crozier got together with vocalist Heather McElhatton for a collaboration of guitars, bagpipes, and piano, releasing "Steep Steps" in 1998. Watch it here.



Queensryche's M3 Rock Festival Set Streaming Online
(hennemusic) Queensryche continue their 30th Anniversary tour this spring. Queensryche rolled into Maryland over the weekend to play the M3 Rock Festival, and professional video of their full set has surfaced.

The band is also promoting its latest release, 2011's "Dedicated To Chaos." The album was recorded in the group's hometown and produced by Kelly Gray. "It's kind of like an 'Empire' record set 25 years in the future," singer Geoff Tate told U.K.'s Rock Radio upon its release.

"It's a very listenable record, I think. I think people will find it interesting to listen to on headphones, especially. There's a lot going on with it. And there's definitely an emphasis on the rhythm section. Eddie [Jackson, bass] and Scott [Rockenfield, drums] have written a lot of the songs on this particular record, so it really showcases what they do, which is something very special. This record is definitely a boundary-pusher in a lot of respects, I think. It's always difficult to describe music; it's better to experience it. So I'll let people hear it and make up their own minds.

Today's Day In Rock!!

AC/DC Plan New Album
(Classic Rock) AC/DC mainman Malcolm Young discovered he's less famous than his folk musician relative when he took his family to explore their roots on a remote Scottish Island. He discussed his trip to Scotland and AC/DC's future with Classic Rock's Eric Mackinnon.
He confirmed they're working on a potential follow-up to 2008′s Black Ice. But he warned fans are in for a longer wait than expected, after singer Brian Johnson suggested there would be new material next year.

"You know what Brian's like. He just says things and then walks away. It'll be a little while – a year or two anyway," Young explained. "I've been doing some jamming on some song ideas but I do that all the time, as do the rest of the band. We are still working. But we had a long rest between Stiff Upper Lip and Black Ice, so I think we need a couple of years to recuperate and work on it a bit more." And what about a massive world tour?



Mick Jagger, Jeff Beck, Foo Fighter and Arcade Fire for SNL Jam
(hennemusic) After a few days of rumors, Saturday Night Live has confirmed the musical guests that will be joining Mick Jagger on the show's season finale this week.

In addition to his hosting duties, Jagger will perform with Arcade Fire and the Foo Fighters with Jeff Beck.

Rumors surfaced a few days ago that the Rolling Stones have been rehearsing secretly in New York, prompting speculation that the band will make a surprise appearance on the program with their frontman. more on this story



Van Halen Expand North American Tour
(hennemusic) Van Halen have added more dates to their "A Different Kind Of Truth" North American tour.

Five new shows have been announced, including stops in Sacramento, CA, Fresno, CA, Reno, NV, Salt Lake City, UT and Wichita, KS.

The new dates are a part of the second leg of the tour, which Van Halen announced last month. The full series of summer shows start July 7 in Uncasville, CT. more on this story



Aerosmith Almost Done With New Album
(Gibson) Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry has confirmed that the band's new album is almost finished. In an interview with Rolling Stone he says the band are working on mixing the new tracks this week.

Perry says: "It's really close. We've started to mix. We've mixed a couple of the songs already, but I guess this week we're really kind of rolling into mix mode. We have a couple of tracks left to finish up, just to put some overdubs on, but we're kind of going from the final, final recording tracks to mixing this week."

Perry also confirmed that the band will release a new single "in three or four weeks." It will be the first release from their 15th studio album – the follow-up to 2004's Honkin' on Bobo – which will be produced by Jack Douglas, the man behind 1975's Toys in the Attic.

Speaking of the new material, Perry said: "The record's gonna sound modern and hi-fi. We're not sitting around going, 'We're gonna do Night in the Ruts again or Rocks again.' We want to make a modern sounding record, but the main thing is the energy that the early records had." more on this story





Joey Ramone's Birthday Bash To Feature Live Preview of Forthcoming Album
We received some big news about a special feature to this year's Joey Ramone's Birthday Bash: This year's event will be held on Saturday, May 19, will include a very special addition to the format of the past 11 years.

In anticipation of the forthcoming posthumous new Joey Ramone CD, "...ya know?," the event will culminate in a live performance of the entire album in advance of its actual release. The set will feature a band of renowned punk musicians, led by Ramone's brother Mickey Leigh.

Participants include the following musicians who appear on the "...ya know?" album: Richie Stotts, JP "Thunderbolt" Patterson, Jean Beauvoir, Ed Statium, Al Maddy, Amy Hartman, and Mickey Leigh. Performing at the event will be The Threads, The Brats, The Indecent, Ivan Julian, and The Bullys. Furthermore, special guest appearances are expected by Tommy Ramone, Ross the Boss, Joey Lanz, Mick Stitch, Walt Stack, Yoav, Alex Holyboy, Tish & Snookie, Bebe Buell, Tina Ingrid, Louisa Bradshaw, and George Tabb. more on this story



Blues Brothers' Donald 'Duck' Dunn Dead at 70
(Classic Rock) Respected soul and blues bassist Donald 'Duck' Dunn has died at the age of 70. He's remembered for being a member of Dan Akroyd and John Belushi's comedy revue outfit the Blues Brothers and for his long-term membership of session stars Booker T and the MGs.

With that band he laid down bass lines on Otis Redding's Respect, Sam and Dave's Hold On I'm Coming and Albert King's Born Under a Bad Sign, among many others. He went on to play with Muddy Waters, Eric Clapton, Neil Young, Rod Stewart, Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, Jerry Lee Lewis, Levon Helm and Freddy King.

Dunn was semi-retired, partly caused by back problems which made walking painful. But he had just completed a five-night tour of Japan, ending with two shows in the Blue Note Night Club in Tokyo. He'd been playing as part of the Stax Show with MGs guitarist Steve Cropper and Stax singer Eddie Floyd. more on this story



Former Iron Maiden Singer Paul Di'Anno Pondering Retirement
(Classic Rock) Paul Di'Anno knows how he'll spend his retirement but he's given himself at least two years to decide when to do it.

And he's still upset over the "official" reason given for his departure from Iron Maiden in 1981.

He's back on the road after serving a prison sentence for benefit fraud. Last year he pled guilty to claiming over £45,000 through being unable to work because of back problems – even though he was playing gigs all over the world at the time.

But his thoughts are beginning to move beyond the live arena. He tells Let There Be Rock: "It's what I do, and it's what I love, but it's not everything. The everything is my family. When I leave this, there's no return for me – I'm done.

"I am tired. I work very hard." . Find out what he plans to do in retirement



Guns N' Roses Kick Off 2012 Tour
(hennemusic) Guns N' Roses kicked off their 2012 European tour Friday with the first of back-to-back nights in Moscow.

Following their weekend shows in Russia, the band will team up with Thin Lizzy for a string of dates across the UK, starting on May 17 in Dublin and wrapping with a two night stand at London's 02 Arena on May 31 and June 1.

From there, Guns N' Roses will play shows across the European mainland for almost six weeks. Check out video here.



Lita Ford Not Allowed To See Her Children
(Classic Rock) Lita Ford has a song on her new album written to her kids but her former bandmate husband won't let them hear it. Living Like a Runaway is her first record since splitting with Jim Gillette, a prominent force in her comeback release Wicked Wonderland.

She later said that album was too much about Gillette and not enough about her – and now they've split up, her latest work is closer to the music she wants to create. But one track, called Mother, is a personal message to her two sons with Gillette – and Ford is worried they'll never be allowed to hear it.

She tells Decibel: "My kids are with their dad. He brainwashed them and took them from me, telling them, 'Oh, you don't want to go with Mommy. Mommy's bad.' He put the entire weight of the divorce on my kids, which is the worst thing any parent could do to their child." A lot more here.



UFO's Phil Mogg Hopes For Reunion With Pete Way
(Classic Rock) UFO's Phil Mogg hopes bassist Pete Way will return to the fold and if he doesn't, the frontman hopes his old friend will fight his through his health issues.

Way has been suffering from the effects of addiction issues for several years – but on the few occasions he manages to get on stage, close friends say he can still deliver the goods.

That's enough for Mogg to keep believing. And now his band has replaced some newer faces with members of the old guard, he's hoping that Way can return at some point. more on this story



Author Discusses Rush' Clockwork Angels Novel
(hennemusic) Colorado-based sci-fi author Kevin J. Anderson has teamed up with Rush drummer Neil Peart to create a novelization of the new Rush album, "Clockwork Angels."

"Most of you are aware of my long-standing friendship with Neil Peart, the drummer and lyricist from the legendary rock band Rush, as well as how much Rush has influenced my work," announced Anderson a few months ago. "My first novel, 'Resurrection, Inc.', was closely inspired by the Rush album 'Grace Under Pressure', and I can point to dozens of other novels and stories that bear a clear Rush influence."

"For more than twenty years, Neil and I have wanted to collaborate on something MAJOR, a way we could tie together our imaginations, and at last that's happening."

"I'm writing the novelization of Rush's forthcoming album, 'Clockwork Angels', their first new CD in five years. Imagine if someone had written the novel of 'The Wall', 'Tommy', or 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' when those classic albums were released. For Rush fans, 'Clockwork Angels' is that project." more on this story



Zakk Wylde Explains Upcoming Ozzy Trek With Slash, Geezer, Etc.
(Gibson) The original lineup of Black Sabbath have put tour plans on hold, while guitarist Tony Iommi recovers from treatment for lymphoma.

So, Ozzy Osbourne (and Friends) will tour instead. Sabbath bassist/lyricist Geezer Butler will join Ozzy for a Sabbath-songs set. Zakk Wylde is onboard to play guitar. In addition, Ozzy will be accompanied by Slash at select shows, with other "special guests" set to join the tour at various stops along the way. The tour will take place this summer, only in Europe.

Wylde says, "[Current Ozzy band members] Gus G., Blasko and Tommy [Clufetos] are coming out and doing a bunch of tunes, then I come out with Blasko and Tommy and we end up doing a bunch of stuff from the era when I was with 'the boss' [Ozzy], from No Rest for the Wicked.. all the way through everything I've ever done with him. Then Geezer comes out and we do a bunch of Sabbath stuff and at the end, Slash and everybody – Geezer, Slash, Gus – and we all play 'Paranoid'." more on this story





Staind's Aaron Lewis Focused on Country
(Gibson) Aaron Lewis has signed with Blaster Entertainment as he continues to grow his country music career.

Lewis received rave reviews for his inaugural country music project, Town Line, a solo EP that debuted at #1 on the Billboard Country Albums chart last year. In addition, his debut single, "Country Boy" has been certified gold and had multiple award nominations.

"Aaron Lewis is a great musician," said Tom Porter, CEO of Blaster Entertainment. "His songs relate true country values and life experiences. We're excited about having him on the Blaster team."

"Country music was the first music I ever listened to," Lewis said. "I sat on my grandfather's lap listening to his country records and I grew to love them. The country audience has been so accepting of my music and I'm excited about working with the Blaster team to put out the new record this summer." more on this story





Manowar Set New Album Release
(Gibson) According to Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet, Manowar's new studio album The Lord of Steel, will first be released worldwide on June 16.

It will be available exclusively on iTunes and on the band's own online store, The Kingdom of Steel. On the same date, U.K. magazine Metal Hammer will release a special "Steel Edition" of Metal Hammer #233, including the CD and a digital copy of the album.

The Lord of Steel has tracks called "Annihilation" and "Hail, Kill and Die!" Bassist Joey DeMaio says in the interview that fans should expect to have "their heads completely blown off. This album is all about brutality and raw power." more on this story





B Sides


Singled Out: Leigh Marble's Jackrabbit
Today Leigh Marble tells us about the song "Jackrabbit" from his brand new album "Where The Knives Meet Between The Rows". Here is the story:

As with many of my songs, "Jackrabbit" started with a lyrical fragment - in this case, the first few lines of the song. I don't want to give too much away, but I'll say that those initial thoughts were written about a friend who was a sex worker, and my trying to understand how she balanced the pressure and compromise that were part of her chosen profession.

Then I started to flesh out the rest of the song. The verses wound up retaining that up-close-and-personal perspective, while on the chorus it's kind of zooming out to a wider take on the situation: "Who's bought up shares of your loyalty? Let's follow the dollar and see." It's sort of like, well here's this heated scene, now let's pause for a bit of Marxist analysis, to see the economic underpinning of what's going on here! And through that wider perspective, you can see how the idea applies to different people and professions. "Who's waiting in the wings to collect?" - you could picture a stripper *or* a politician getting off the stage, being met by an eager fan who has thrown money their way and now expects favors in return.

Musically, I had the chugging guitar rhythm in mind right away, and as the lyrics notebook shows, I knew where I wanted the drums to come in even at that early stage. The next part of the song that took shape was the pre-chorus/break (where I'm singing "something that feels like you"). As a goof, I tried doing those high guitar bends over that section, and my drummer Jason Russell liked them. He was calling it the "passion lady" part, after the Sugarloaf song "Green Eyed Lady" that has a similar screechy guitar sound. So those wound up staying, and influencing the direction of the production towards something a bit 70's rock. The bass player, Peter David, was a fan of fuzz pedals, so we tried out a bunch of them to find a fat bass grind for those instrumental breaks where the bass steps forward. And Ben Macy, on organ, found some subtle ways to add texture and propel the groove along.

So, we recorded it, and I added some extra guitars and percussion bits. It was all working pretty well musically, but the choruses were still lacking punch. I was playing the recording for my friend Matt Harmon of The Ascetic Junkies, and he suggested trying a big "gang vocal" sound on the choruses. So Matt and his bandmate Kali Giaritta came by the studio, and we all sang over the choruses together. That was the final piece of the puzzle, and the choruses now had the "lift" they needed.

In all, I think "Jackrabbit" is a good example of how a little idea can grow into a fully realized production, with enough care and attention!

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



Sebastian Bach Rocks Classic TV Theme Songs
(hennemusic) Sebastian Bach continues to play shows in support of his 2011 release, "Kicking & Screaming."

Friday night, Bach and company rolled into Cincinnati for a gig at the Inner Circle, and the singer lightened the mood of the show with a little jam.

"Had some serious fun onstage last night," Sebastian posted on Saturday. "Jammed on the theme songs to WKRP In Cincinnati and The Jeffersons! Movin' on up, muthertruckers! Haha! Special Thanks to our new guitar player Andy Wood, who learned the whole set in five days and is kicking some serious a**!" Watch it here.



Evanescence Deliver New Lyrics Video
(hennemusic) Evanescence have just released the lyric video for "Lost In Paradise." The track is the next single from their 2011 self-titled album.

The band's first album in five years, it debuted at #1 back in October, after selling 127,000 copies in its first week.

Evanescence continue their extensive world tour with shows starting next week in Morocco, followed by a month-long series of dates across Europe. Check out the video here.



Megadeth Release Whose Life (Is It Anyways) Lyrics Video
(hennemusic) Megadeth recently released the lyric video for "Whose Life (Is It Anyways)," the latest track from their "Thirteen" album.

Friday night, Megadeth played opening night of a two-week co-headlining tour with Rob Zombie.

The trek marks the first time the two bands have toured together. It's Zombie's first concert tour since last summer's "Hell On Earth" co-headline trip with Slayer, while the shows come on the heels of Megadeth's critically-acclaimed return of the traveling festival Gigantour, created and curated by frontman Dave Mustaine. The festival also featured Motorhead, Volbeat and Lacuna Coil. Watch the video here.



Mick Taylor Rocks Rolling Stones Classic on Fallon
(hennemusic) Former Rolling Stones guitarist Mick Taylor appeared as a special musical guest on Jimmy Fallon's show last Wednesday night.

Taylor sat in with The Roots all evening, playing snippets of tracks and even taking some playful abuse from guest Howard Stern.

Before the show, Taylor and the band warmed up the studio audience with the Stones' classic, "Can't You Hear Me Knocking." Watch it here.



Video From Chickenfoot's Tour Kick Off Online
(hennemusic) Chickenfoot kicked off their 2012 Different Devil tour with two shows in Lake Tahoe on May 4 and 5.

The band has offered up some video from opening night, giving fans a chance to take a peek inside the soundcheck, the show and aftershow at Harrah's Lake Tahoe Casino.

This week, Chickenfoot play gigs in Detroit (Mon), Boston (Wed), Atlantic City (Fri) and Uncasville, CT (Sat). Check out video from the opening night here.



Neil Young and Crazy Horse Release New Video
(hennemusic) Neil Young and Crazy Horse's new album, "Americana," will be released on June 5. The tunes on are all covers of classic American folk songs, including "This Land Is Your Land," "Gallows Pole," "Tom Dooley" and "Clementine."

Neil recently issued the first video for the project; it's for "Oh Susannah" Now, a second track has been released: "Jesus' Chariot (She'll Be Coming Round The Mountain)."

"Written in the 1800s based on an old Negro spiritual, this song refers to the second coming of Jesus, and "she" is the chariot Jesus is coming on," writes Neil in the album's liner notes. "Some interpret this as the end of the world. Others have said that "she" refers to union organizer Mary Harris "Mother" Jones going to promote formation of labor unions in the Appalachian coal-mining camps. The Americana arrangement continues the folk process with a new melody, a new title and a combination of lyric sources." Check it out here.


Remembering Yardbirds' Keith Relf
(Gibson) On this day 1976, Keith Relf, former lead singer for The Yardbirds, was electrocuted while tuning a guitar which was not properly grounded. He was 33. The accident happened in his West London home where he was found by his eight-year-old son, still holding the plugged-in electric guitar. Gibson takes a look back:

When the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted '60s greats The Yardbirds in 1992 they made the following statement: "In addition to their six Top 40 songs, the Yardbirds will be remembered as having produced the top three English blues-based guitarists of the '60s: Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page."

True enough, but that sentiment did overshadow the contribution of the band's founder, lead singer and exceptional harmonica player Keith Relf, who sadly passed away in tragic circumstances on this very day in 1976.

The story starts at the Crawdaddy pub in Richmond, just outside London, in 1963. When The Rolling Stones left their residency there for bigger and better things, the club needed a replacement – another young blues band fronted by Keith Relf alongside Top Topham (very quickly replaced by Eric Clapton), Chris Dreja, Paul Samwell-Smith and Jim McCarty. Originally called the Metropolitan Blues Quartet, the band had wisely changed their name to The Yardbirds (after Charlie "Yardbird" Parker).

With Clapton on board, the band issued Five Live Yardbirds in December 1964 with a bunch of hardcore American blues, but broke through into the U.K. charts the next year with the poppy "For Your Love" (written by Graham Gouldman, later of 10CC). After that commercial success, Clapton left to be replaced by another gifted young guitarist Jeff Beck, and the hits continued with "Heart Full of Soul," "I'm a Man" and "Shapes of Things."

When original bass player Samwell-Smith left in the summer of 1966, another guitar player joined, one Jimmy Page who played on the band's last hit record, "Happenings 10 Years Time Ago." Beck left next, in 1966. When Relf and McCarty decided to leave Page and the boys behind to play folksy acoustic music, The Yardbirds transformed into something even more powerful: Led Zeppelin.

Today's Day In Rock News!!

Blink-182 Cancel Tour Dates For Medical Emergency
A medical emergency has forced Blink-182 to cancel all of their May 2012 tour dates. The band explained to fans via Facebook. They wrote:
Blink-182's drummer, Travis Barker, requires an urgent tonsillectomy with a recovery period expected to extend beyond the scheduled tour dates. The band apologizes for any inconvenience as a result of these cancelations and thanks their fans for their ongoing support.

The May 10th and 11th concerts at the Winstar Casino in Thackerville, OK have been rescheduled for September 13 and 14, 2012. All previously issued tickets will be honored on the new dates respectively. more on this story


Metallica Frontman Addresses Megadeth Collaboration Idea
(Classic Rock) Metallica frontman James Hetfield says speculation about a studio collaboration between his band and Megadeth is crazy talk on the part of Dave Mustaine. He wishes his ex-bandmate wouldn't keep making such statements to the press – but believes there's no malice involved when he does.

His comments appear in a special edition of Metallica fan magazine So What, created by Classic Rock's sister publication Metal Hammer to mark the thrash giants' 30th anniversary. In the feature he discusses rekindling his relationship with Mustaine, who was fired in 1983, but in 2009 was invited to Metallica's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction. "I think especially with Dave, with all of his struggles," says the frontman. "I see him healthier now. I see him as less of a bitter guy.

"But I do see a lot of stuff in the press with him talking about jamming with us and making an album. All this other crazy stuff," he said. "I read it and say to myself, 'Hold on. This is the Dave that we kind of wanted to forget about. You know, the big mouth that wants to just go-go-go.' A lot more here.



Jimi Hendrix Estate Vs Biopic
Earlier this week a report originated out of Ireland that a new biopic of Jimi Hendrix was being planned and would star Outkast's Andre 3000. But now the Hendrix estate has issued a statement making clear they are not involved in any such film and have not given permission for it. Here is what they had to say:

Various media outlets have recently published accounts that indicate a feature length Jimi Hendrix biographical film is nearing production. Experience Hendrix, LLC, the family-owned company entrusted with safeguarding the legacy of Jimi Hendrix and administrator of the Jimi Hendrix music and publishing catalog has made it known many times in the past that no such film, were it to include original music or copyrights created by Jimi Hendrix, can be undertaken without its full participation.

Experience Hendrix CEO Janie Hendrix, sister of Jimi Hendrix, and the EH board have not ruled out a "biopic" in the future though producing partners would, out of necessity, have to involve the company from the inception of any such film project if it is to include original Jimi Hendrix music or compositions. Read the original report from Ireland that sparked this response.



Gene Simmons' Wife Vs Groupies
(Classic Rock) Shannon Tweed has declared war on Kiss groupies after realizing how bad their behavior could be once she'd seen them in action on her own TV show.

She stars in Gene Simmons Family Jewels with her husband and their two kids. But it wasn't until she'd seen the more extreme Kiss fans in action that she decided to take action of her own.

"I never noticed it much before our TV show. You know, you're living your life and you just don't notice as much. But when the reality show kicked in, looking at so much of the footage, I started seeing things that were not so cool," Tweed tells Noisecreep. "You think most of what you hear is just bravado – but then you see it on tape and it is very real and something has to give. Why all of this groupie talk? Is she promoting a product?



Steven Tyler Thrilled With New Album
(hennemusic) Steven Tyler was the featured guest on The Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson Tuesday night.

Steven then updated fans on the new Aerosmith album. "We just finished an album with Jack Douglas that is beyond my wildest expectations," said the singer. "Aerosmith is back."

"I mean, he [Joe Perry] plays his ass off, Tom [Hamilton] Joey [Kramer] and Brad [Whitford] play so good. Everybody's sober," adds Tyler. "It comes out in September." Watch the clip here.



Vinny Appice Thinks Bill Ward Should Do Black Sabbath Reunion Tour
(Classic Rock) Drummer Vinny Appice believes the Black Sabbath reunion is descending into a soap opera and insists Bill Ward should be behind the kit for what's likely to be their last tour.

The band last year announced they were regrouping as the original lineup of Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Ward, and had begun work on their first album together since 1979. Later Ward announced he didn't feel able to participate because he wasn't being offered a contract he regarded as "signable."

Speculation increased that Appice, who played with Black Sabbath when Ronnie James Dio fronted them, and later appeared in offshoot band Heaven and Hell, would replace Ward. But he's previously stated he was never asked – and now insists Ward is the only man for the job. He has a lot to say, read it here.



Korn Map Out Tour Dates
Korn will be hitting the road next month for a string of North American tour dates which will hit the Northeast, Midwest and Canada.

The dates will kick off with a festival appearance at the Montebello Festival on June 15th and will wrap on June 30th at the Boonstock Festival.

Openers on the tour include Korn frontman Jonathan Davis DJing as his alter ego J Devil, as well as dubstep talent Sluggo. more on this story




Jimmy Page Photo Makes National Portrait Gallery History
(hennemusic) A 2009 photo print of Jimmy Page has become the 100,000th portrait to be archived by the National Portrait Gallery in London.

The signed, limited edition print of Page, photographed in 2009 by Ross Halfin, was recently donated to the Gallery by Dave Brolan on behalf of the legendary guitarist.

The photograph forms part of a limited edition portfolio of five images of the rock star signed by the photographers and the sitter. More including the photo here.




Gregg Allman's Last Words To Duane Was A Drug Lie
(Classic Rock) The last conversation between the Allman Brothers was an argument over cocaine, singer Gregg Allman has revealed.

He stole drugs from guitarist Duane then lied about it the morning before his older sibling died in a motorbike crash in 1971, aged 24. And in his book My Cross to Bear, the musician admits he'll never forgive himself.

Allman explains he'd given Duane $100 to buy him a gram of coke, but the drug didn't arrive. In retaliation he went to his brother's house the next day, let himself in and located his stash. The singer "poured out about half a gram and snorted it up."

When he got home an angry Duane called him and accused him of stealing. He writes: "That last thing I ever said to my brother was a f***ing lie, man: 'No, I did not,' I told him." more on this story




Members of Journey, Aerosmith, Ozzy, Black Sabbath To Tribute Van Halen
Take Your Whiskey Home: A Tribute to Van Halen 1978 - 1984 is set to be released on July 10th, 2012 by Versailles Records.

The album is set to feature covers featuring Jeff Scott Soto (Journey), Jake E. Lee (Ozzy Osbourne Band / Badlands), Jimmy Crespo (Aerosmith), Stephen Pearcy (RATT), Frankie Banali (Quiet Riot), Vinny Appice (Black Sabbath / Heaven & Hell / DIO), Rowan Robertson (DIO), American Dog (featuring members of Dangerous Toys / Salty Dog), and others.

The album will feature members of newer rock acts including Leaving Eden, Takara, Richard Kendrick, Electric Sister, Iconic Tonic, Bugsy Parker, Erling Solem, Inside Moves, Touch 2 Much, Steve Pugh, Adventures of Leonid, Fair Warning, MYSTIC FORCE, American Hellbilly, Skyscreamers, Lee Thompson, Fan Halen, Marko Pukkila, Andy Endberg, Martian Honey, Fran and the Love Buzzards, Sinful Lilly, and Loaded Gun.




Slash Kicks Off This Season of Guitar Center Sessions
Former Guns 'N Roses guitarist Slash will be the featured guest on the season three premiere of Guitar Center Sessions.

Guitar Center Sessions featuring Slash with Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators airs on May 18, at 9pm in 2D hi-definition on Directv's The Audience Network (channel 239) and in 3D on Directv's n3d .

Guitar Center Sessions is hosted by music journalist Nic Harcourt and features live performances and interviews. This season will feature Megadeth, Switchfoot, Alanis Morissette, All American Rejects, and more. See who else is on this season and when they will be on.




Anthrax Modeling Mayhem Set After The Ramones
Anthrax are gearing up to headline the second stage at this summer's Mayhem Festival tour. Their camp sent over word of what fans can expect from them on trek.

Anthrax's Charlie Benante, "We decided to pattern the Mayhem set on the kind of shows The Ramones used to do: a high-energy, non-stop barrage of hit, hit, hit, hit, hit. No lulls, no filler, totally in your face. We're going to be playing a supersonic-paced set loaded with the best of our best."

"We really like the idea of not 'playing to seats,'" added Scott Ian, "and we want our crowd to have the freedom to move around, to go crazy with us. Plus, we've been on the road together now for about two years, so we're tighter as a band than we've ever been. Our Mayhem set will be a fun, fast and furious 45-minutes, so they'd better have the EMTs on hand."




Rush Producer Comments On New Album
(Classic Rock) Rush producer Nick Raskulinecz admits he had to fight against his own passion for the band in order to get the best out of them in the studio. But the results – their upcoming release Clockwork Angels – was worth the effort, he believes.

"Yes, I'm a Rush fan. I f**king love Rush. But if I let that get in the way I'm not doing my job. I can't let that taint my objectivity as a producer," Raskulinecz tells MusicRadar. "Sometimes it's hard, especially when you become friends. Things get more emotional when you know the guys. But you have to do what you're supposed to do, with the right amount of passion.

"I do just that. I feel this music. I feel it in my heart. There were definitely moments when I had to walk in the room and tell Alex Lifeson that his guitar part could be better. There were other times I would stand in the drum room with Neil Peart, a drumstick in my hand, and I'd talk to him about certain fills and licks. Same thing with Geddy – I just did it." more on this story



Pendragon DVD/Blu-Ray Delayed
The release of the new Pendragon live DVD and Blu-Ray, Out Of Order Comes Chaos, has been postponed.

The release marks the band's first release on Blu-ray and is now set to be released on June, 18th in Europe and June, 19th in USA.

'Out Of Order Comes Chaos' contains a show recorded in Katowice during the Polish leg of the tour promoting the band's most recent album "Passion". DVD / Blu-Ray also includes bonus features: "...Some of the Chaos" video documenting the band's life on tour, "...Some of the Order" video featuring behind the scenes footage filmed on the day of the DVD/Blu-Ray recording, an interview with Nick Barrett and more. more on this story



Liverpool Music Documentary Coming
(Gibson) A film documentary chronicling the rise of Liverpool as a music mecca is nearing completion, Beatles historian Bill Harry has reported.

Speaking to Beatlesnews.com, Harry said, "Garry Popper, a documentary producer and fellow Liverpudlian, approached me in 2008 with his concept of a film about the Mersey music scene and its origins. …When my book, Liverpool – Bigger than the Beatles, was published, it became obvious that the documentary should cover the music scene from the '50s to the present day. Sound City's managing director Dave Pichilingi was brought in as Associate Producer dealing with the music scene from the '70s onwards."

Titled The City That Rocked the World, the film will be shown in theaters and as a television special, and will be released as a DVD. One goal of the filmmakers was to look deeper than The Beatles, at worthy artists who hadn't been recognized internationally. "This is the first dynamic film of why Liverpool became known as 'The World Capitol of Music' in the Guinness Book of Records," Harry said. more on this story




B Sides


Metallica's Summer Vacation Tour Full Kick Off Show Video Online
(hennemusic) Metallica opened their 2012 European Summer Vacation Tour in Prague on Monday night.

The event – at the city's Synot Tip Arena - marked the first time Metallica performed their 1991 self-titled ("Black") album in its entirety.

The band delivered their album classic with a twist: they played the songs in reverse order, closing their regular set with "Enter Sandman."

Video of the full Prague concert has surfaced, watch it here.



Singled Out: Unleashed's Odalheim
Today Unleashed vocalist and bassist Johnny Hedlund tells us about the title track to their new concept album, Odalheim. Here is the story:

Odalheim is the title track of our first conceptual album. It is also a book I have been working on for almost 7 years and never seem to have the time to finish. So we decided to release the "Chapters" as songs on this new album. In fact, the idea behind Odalheim came to me long before the idea about the book but it never took this form until now. I have always had an urge to continue the Viking tradition with something more than just a number of songs about the past, present and future. And more like a story line. The reason for this is the word "mythology" that is often used to describe any and all things Viking. My personal views of this is that the "Norse mythology" is about sagas and…. "mythology" mostly. Not necessarily the "tradition" like it is performed today. The tales of the Norse Mythology ends with Ragnarök and very little is written about what happens after the end of the world. There are a few ideas written down of course in the doctrine….but again….very little.

Unleashed introduced the Viking traditions and values into death metal music back in 1989. We are of course heavily influenced by the Norse tales of old but we also acknowledge the fact that it is the "tradition" that keeps it all alive and that will carry on what's important to the next generations. Therefore, Odalheim is all about the Midgard Warriors that survive Ragnarök and carry on the Viking tradition into the new world. (I call this new world Odalheim). Odal- is the runic letter O, and means land you inherit from your fathers. Heim- means world. So "Inherited World" would be the correct translation.

In the early stages of this new world…..(looking much like the previous one although things are not the same of course in the aftermath of the Fimbulwinter) The Midgard Warriors are constantly fighting the armies of White Christ (the political and religious power of the world) The Midgard Warriors lose greatly in the first couple of battles against the enemy until they finally decide that the only way to survive in the long run is to gather the Battalions of the world. And build an army big and strong enough to go against White Christ in the final stand. The set out on a journey across the world for a number of years, (just like their forefathers the Vikings) to gather the Battalions. Through Scandinavia, North America, Central America and from the very south of the European wastelands to finally march up north again for the final great war of our time. (song nr 11; The Great Battle of Odalheim).

On the fields of Upsala is where the great battle of our time will take place. The outcome of the battle, will show on the next album in two years or so….

Hail Odin!
Johnny

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



Watch Robert Plant Debut His New Band
(hennemusic) Robert Plant returned to live action Tuesday night and debuted his new band in the process.

Robert Plant Presents Sensational Space Shifters played their first show at the Gloucester Guildhall in Gloucester, England.

Sensational Space Shifters includes Band Of Joy singer Patty Griffin, Strange Sensations alumni Justin Adams on guitar, keyboardist John Baggott and bassist Billy Fuller, plus drummer Dave Smith and Juldeh Camara. Watch video here.



1993 Video Interview with Depeche Mode Debuts Online
Warner Brothers just posted an unreleased video interview with Depeche Mode from 1993, as part of their From The Vaults series on The Warner Sound.

Radio DJ Paul Gambaccini interviews the members of Depeche Mode at home and in the studio in episode 1 of this exclusive documentary footage for this new series.





Jack White's Spaced Out Dream
(Gibson) Jack White's latest ambition is to have music played - on vinyl - in outer space. In an interview with Interview magazine, the former White Stripe told astronaut Buzz Aldrin he's working on a "secret project" to achieve that goal. The song he has in mind, "A Glorious Dawn," features lyrics written by world-renowned physicist Stephen Hawking that pay tribute to the late astronomer Carl Sagan. The song was released on White's Third Man Records label in 2009.

"That's one of the records that I'm proudest of having released," White told Aldrin. "Carl Sagan was a huge influence. We want to launch a balloon that carries a vinyl record player, and possibly that Carl Sagan record, and figure out a way to drop the needle with all that turbulence up there and ensure that it will still play."

White went on to say he was saddened by the breakup of The White Stripes, but felt the split was necessary. "I didn't want to go out and make solo records if The White Stripes still existed," he said. "I thought that people would be too confused by the two ideas and a lot of people wouldn't be able to get their head around it." more on this story





Bret Michaels Thanks Hospital For Saving His Life
(hennemusic) The Phoenix hospital that saved Poison frontman Bret Michaels' life is being thanked by the rocker as part of the hospital's 50th Anniversary.

In April of 2010, after experiencing a life-threatening brain hemorrhage, Michaels was rushed to Barrow Neurological Institute at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix for treatment.

In a new video posted to Barrow50.org, Michaels shares his gratitude to the staff and hospital for all their efforts during that critical time. "I want to thank all of my good friends [at Barrow] for saving my life," says Bret. more on this story



Mars Attacks Overkill and Angelus Apatrida
Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth of Overkill and Guillermo Izquierdo of Angelus Apatrida are the featured guests on the latest episode of the Mars Attacks podcast.

Blitz discusses Overkill's new album The Electric Age, the uniqueness of the band's current lineup, what it was like to be honored in Decibel Magazine, among other things.

Among the items discussed with Guillermo are his band's new album The Call, being the only band from Spain in any genre that can tour Europe, advice David Ellefson gave the band while opening for Megadeth, etc.

During the episode you'll hear snippets of songs by Overkill, Angelus Apatrida, Crisix, Bonded By Blood, Gojira and Huntress.

Today's Day In Rock News!!

Opeth Frontman Suffers Serious Head Injury
Opeth frontman Mikael Akerfeldt suffered a serious head injury this week which sparked rumors across the web.
Akerfeldt took to the band's Facebook page to fill fans in on what happened and to dispel the rumors. He wrote:

"Hi guys! I'm writing from beyond the grave. Seriously, I was not in a car crash and I haven't broken my arm. All that happened is I hit my head in mastodons tour bus as I was getting a new pair of (red) underwear out from my suitcase. Wish the story was more rock and roll, believe me. Anyways I split my head open down to the skullbone and had to be taken to the emergency. They gave me a bunch of shots in the wound, cleaned me up and stapled my head shut with 8 metal staples. Head is sore and if I smile it feels like the wound is gonna burst open again, but I'll be on stage by tomorrow again. I feel extremely disappointed that we couldn't play at the myth in Minneapolis, but paramedics told me I couldn't. We will reschedule the show for our next trip to the USA. So all rumors of me being in a car crash are false. I did crash my head into a car though, well…a bus really. Sorry for disappointing our fans in Minneapolis but I hope you understand. See you next time. Best. Mikael Facebook link.



McCartney, Springsteen and Vedder Guest On Jimmy Fallon Album
(Gibson) How many people can say they've released an album that included contributions from Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen, Eddie Vedder and Dave Matthews? Not to mention Justin Timberlake, Big & Rich?

Perhaps the only person who could pull together this impressive and eclectic lineup is Jimmy Fallon, who has performed with each of the stars on his NBC talk show, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. The comedian/musician is compiling those collaborations into a new album, Blow Your Pants Off, according to Rolling Stone.

In additions to team-ups with McCartney (on "Scrambled Eggs") and Timberlake ("History of Rap"), the album will feature Fallon's rock parodies, such as his version of "Charles in Charge" as Bob Dylan and his David Bowie/Tim Tebow mash-up "Tebowie." The album will be released on June 12. more on this story





Axl Inspired Guns N' Roses Rock Hall Jam
(hennemusic) When Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose issued a public statement last month declining his participation in the band's induction into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame, it upset longtime fans, made headlines, and – according to Slash – motivated the former members of the group to get up on stage and play the event.

In a new interview with Madison.com, Slash discussed the Rock Hall experience. "It was a really nice event all around, and it was a special moment for all the guys that showed up," said the guitarist. "It was a nightmare going into it, but when it actually happened it was like, 'This is pretty cool.'"

Asked about his initial reaction to Axl's letter, Slash revealed "The funny thing is we never would have played had he never written it. I think at one point he alluded he was at least going to go, and so we hadn't really prepared to play at all. We were just going to show up as almost an obligatory thing — more for the fans than anything. But that letter set a fire that was like, 'Okay, (bleep) it. We're going to go play.' So it really almost didn't happen. And if it hadn't been for that special letter it wouldn't have." more on this story



Metallica Want Rick Rubin For New Album
(Classic Rock) Metallica aim to stick with producer Rick Rubin to work on the album they'll record in 2013.

He wasn't involved in Lulu, last year's collaboration with Lou Reed, but he worked on 2008′s Death Magnetic and its little-brother follow-up Beyond Magnetic.

"He's a different kind of producer. He's challenging. He's a very cut and dried, to-the-point kind of producer – but he's also very open to lots of ideas." Frontman James Hetfield tells Metal Hammer. "The main thing for us was getting to the core and essence of Metallica, and that's the reason we chose to work with him. He gets the best out of artists who have been around for a while, I believe. That's what we wanted him for." more on this story



ZZ Top Preview New Song In Eliminator Era Styled Commercial
(hennemusic) ZZ Top has partnered up with Jeremiah Weed to bring fans a glimpse of the band's first new single in nine years.

The Texas band is seen playing "I Got To Get Paid" in the new campaign for the Connecticut-based Jeremiah Weed Distilling Company.

The commercial has the look, sound and feel of a vintage 1980s ZZ Top video, complete with flashing lights and plenty of girls dancing around. Check it out here.



Ozzy Osbourne Diary Of A Madman Tour DVD Coming
Eagle Rock has set a July 17th release date for a new DVD release of Ozzy Osbourne's Speak of the Devil.

This show was filmed at Irvine Meadows Amphitheater in California on June 12, 1982 as part of the delayed continuation of the "Diary Of A Madman" tour following the tragic death of Randy Rhoads a few months earlier.

The audio has been digitally restored and remastered and is now available in DTS and Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound for the first time. Speak Of The Devil includes the classics "Mr Crowley" "Over The Mountain" "Crazy Train" "Flying High Again" "Iron Man" "Paranoid" "Goodbye To Romance" and many more. more on this story



The Afghan Whigs Reunion Show Details
The Afghan Whigs have announced the location of their first show together in 13 years and announced a late night TV appearance. We were sent these details:

On tour in support of their album 1965, The Afghan Whigs rolled into New York City on September 29th 1999 for a private show at the club Hush. No one knew it at the time, but it turned out to be the band's last show ever, until now…

The Afghan Whigs will come full circle and make their return to the stage back in New York on May 23rd at the Bowery Ballroom. Very special guest Joseph Arthur will open the show. more on this story



Free Pondered Olympic Reunion
(Classic Rock) Free considered reuniting for the London Olympic Games this summer, Paul Rodgers has confirmed.

If they'd regrouped for the opening ceremony it would have been the first time he, drummer Simon Kirke and bassist Andy Fraser shared a stage since 1972. But the singer doesn't believe it will take place because of difficulties replacing guitarist Paul Kossoff, who died in 1976.

In the next edition of Classic Rock, due out on May 23, Rodgers says: "There was talk of possibly something connected with the Olympics, but I don't see it coming together now." more on this story



Soundgarden Eye New Album Release This Fall
(hennemusic) Soundgarden fans are enjoying "Live To Rise," the band's first new song in 15 years. The tune is featured on the soundtrack for the film, "The Avengers," which opened this past weekend.

Now, Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell gives Rolling Stone an update on the band's full new album, their first with new material since 1996's "Down on the Upside."

The as yet-to-be-titled album will be mastered in a week's time so, in Cornell's mind, "it's done. It'll be out in probably October," he says. "I would say September but I'm just guessing October. We're pretty much done with everything." "Live to Rise," a riff-heavy rocker, while not necessarily representative of the entire album's sound, the singer says, would "work just fine on it." more on this story



Vernon Reid and Jack Bruce Supergroup
(Gibson) Living Colour guitar virtuoso Vernon Reid has formed a new group, and it includes some pretty impressive names.

Spectrum Road, which specializes in jazz-rock, also features Cream bassist Jack Bruce, Medeski Martin and Wood keyboardist John Medeski and Santana drummer (and Carlos's wife) Cindy Blackman Santana. Their self-titled debut comes out on June 5.

Reid spoke about the group's unique sound with Rolling Stone. "[It's] definitely a jazz-rock thing but it has a rock edge, because one of the architects of modern rock [Bruce] is in the band and he's singing these tunes," Reid said. "It's kind of an odd combination of jazz-rock as we know it. John Medeski is such an odd keyboardist and so quirky, and one of the beautiful things is his use of the Mellotron on the record, because the Mellotron is not associated with jazz-rock and fusion to a large degree. It's more associated with King Crimson, Yes and the Moody Blues. It gives the thing a different feel and sonic signature."

Spectrum Road will play Bonnaroo on June 9, followed by sets at the Playboy Jazz Festival and the North Sea Jazz Festival. more on this story





Megadeth's Dave Mustaine Forced To Adjust His Headbanging
(Classic Rock) Last year at the age of 49 Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine found himself struggling with a back problem that left him in agony and has limited his ability to keep headbanging on stage.

"Something had broken in the back of my neck," he recalls. "I had a bone fragment in my spinal column the size of an eraser. The pain had me on my knees, sobbing. My hand went numb. My ring and pinky finger were not communicating with my brain. But the surgery was a complete success.

"The act of headbanging, when it started, was to play guitar, stand in a wide posture and move your head up and down. Now I move my torso a little bit more and get the desired effect. I make the necessary adjustments I need to keep myself healthy. It's been a blessing in disguise." more on this story



Blur Frontman Damon Albarn Plans New Solo Album
(Gibson) While Blur frontman Damon Albarn ponders the future of Blur, he has been talking about a new solo album project. NME reports that the singer told the BBC's Front Row that the project will be "under his own name."

Albarn said: "This week we're mucking around with these Russian synthesizers in a very loose mind of doing some kind of record under my name. I suppose you could call it a solo record, but I don't like that word. It sounds very lonely – solo. I don't really want to be solo in my life. But yeah, I'm making another record."

In the same interview he explained that while he finds the Olympics experience "too corporate," Blur are playing the Hyde Park Olympics show for London. more on this story





Halestorm Make Chart History
Halestorm have become the first female fronted band to score a number 1 hit on the Active Radio charts.

The band claimed the top spot with their new single, "Love Bites (So Do I)," which comes from their new album, "The Strange Case Of…".

Halestorm will be hitting the road this summer for a North American headline tour, festival appearances, a series of European dates, and a number of support slots alongside Avenged Sevenfold. more on this story



Between The Buried And Me Planning Evolutionary New Album
(MetalSucks) MetalSucks have published a new interview with Between The Buried And Me bassist Dan Briggs about his new jazz-fusion project Trioscapes, which hit stores this week.

Towards the end of the interview, Briggs elaborated on what the next BTBAM record, which has now been completely written, will sound like:

I think when people hear what we've been writing for the last few months, they're going to realize that we have evolved. [Laughs] It's really hard to describe this record because I'm still taking it all in. Good lord, it was a lot of fun to write. We pushed it. We pushed it pretty hard. The Trioscapes stuff really helped me because I feel like it unlocked me back into the world of really, really pushing myself and opening myself up to new ideas.

Walter, the saxophone player in Trioscapes, is 20 (seven years younger than me) but he's a wealth of musical knowledge far beyond the influences of what I have. I've showed him a lot of stuff, but it's different stuff. It's stuff that people in our world are very accustomed to. He's never heard of Meshuggah, for example. He blows my mind with some afro-beat stuff that's out of this world that I've never heard before. It gets me thinking in a new way and all of a sudden I'm hearing rhythms a little differently and melodies a little differently. I can bring that to Between the Buried and Me and raise a few eyebrows with those guys. They're like "why not? Let's try it". It's pretty cool stuff.

Read the full interview here.



Stryper Add North American Tour Dates
Stryper have added a couple of North American dates to their upcoming world tour.

The tour will kick off tomorrow, May 10th at Tailgaters in Bolingbrook, IL just outside of Chicago.

The new dates will take place in Orlando, Florida on July 26th and in Nashville on July 27th. more on this story

More on Stryper - Stryper Music - Stryper Tour Dates/Tickets - Stryper CDs, vinyl and rarities
Neil Peart Drums Vol. 2 The Grooves Released
(Sub) Rush drummer Neil Peart and producer Nick Raskulinecz have teamed up with music software developer Sonic Reality to create the new "Neil Peart Drums Vol. 2 The Grooves" sound collection.

Over 600 grooves performed by Peart are now available in a variety of loop formats such as Rex, Apple Loops, Acidized Wave, R.A.W., Stylus RMX and more to come. Musicians can use these drum grooves to write their own music, practice, jam or play Rush covers inside their computer recording software or iPads and mobile devices.

"When we did the Neil Peart Drums Vol. 1 Series we wanted to present a digital recreation of Neil's amazing DW kit so it could be played from any midi controller such as a keyboard or an electronic drum kit" says Sonic Reality CEO Dave Kerzner "But for Vol. 2 we now also have the isolated drum tracks of Rush songs performed by Neil and cut up into 1-2 bar patterns that can be re-arranged and used in new music made by any musician or songwriter." more on this story



InAeona Kicking Off Spring Tour
InAeona will be kicking off their North American spring tour tomorrow night in Hamden, Ct.

The six week tour will wrap up with a home town show on June 16th, at Radio in Boston.

InAeona are touring in support of their latest release, a split 12" with Seattle's, He Whose Ox is Gored. more on this story



Royal Thunder, Valient Thorr and Holy Grail Tour
Royal Thunder will be hitting the road for a tour with Valient Thorr and Holy Grail this Summer.

The band is hitting the road in support, CVI, the band's debut album, which will be released on May 22 via Relapse Records.

"Finally! We get to tour with our new album,CVI, coming out before we hit the road," said Parzonz about the six-week U.S. trek. "I've seen Valient Thorr several times and every time they make me smile from ear to ear. To be doing this run with them , the Kick Ass and Holy Grail is sure to be a good time." more on this story

More on Royal Thunder - Royal Thunder Music - Royal Thunder Tour Dates/Tickets - Royal Thunder CDs, vinyl and rarities
Rival Sons Release CD/DVD Deluxe Edition of Latest Album
Earache have released a special CD/DVD deluxe edition of Rival Sons latest album, Pressure & Time.

The Pressure & Time deluxe edition comes housed in a newly designed slipcase and features a host of extra material, essential for die-hard fans and newcomers alike.

Included are two incredible bonus tracks, "Company Man" and "Life For This Road", plus a bonus DVD more on this story



B Sides


Alice Cooper, Johnny Depp, Steven Tyler and Joe Perry Jam
(Gibson) If you're one of the lucky few in attendance at Monday (May 7) night's Dark Shadows premiere party in Los Angeles, you got to see a one-of-a-kind performance. Three rock legends and one rock star actor teamed up to play some rock classics for a VIP audience, according to a post on Alice Cooper's website.

Alice Cooper (who has a small role in Dark Shadows) and pals served as the house band for the party, joined by Dark Shadows star Johnny Depp on his TV Yellow Les Paul Special. Before long the gang was playing Cooper's biggest hits, with Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry joining in on his Gibson Les Paul.

As if that wasn't enough star power, Perry's pal Steven Tyler hit the stage to lead the whole group through "Come Together" and "Whole Lotta Love." Check out fan-shot footage of the band playing the Led Zeppelin classic here.





Elvis Costello & The Spinning Songbook Premieres
Elvis Costello & The Spinning Songbook premiered this week in High Definition PPV and starts May 24 on VOD.

The PPV concert will be available throughout May and June at various times in both SD and HD.

Elvis Costello and The Imposters' unique concert style wows audiences when he allows his set-list to be chosen by The Spectacular Spinning Songbook, a monumental game-show type wheel spun by fans. more on this story



Kasabian Guitarist, Will Ferrell, Gerard Butler, Mike Myers For Soccer Aid
(Gibson) Kasabian guitarist Sergio Pizzorno will play at the hallowed Manchester United Stadium, Old Trafford, for the Rest of the World in a celebrity charity soccor game against England.

Soccer Aid raises money for UNICEF U.K. and was put together by Robbie Williams and Jonathan Wilkes in 2006. Soccer stars and celebrities from England and around the world will play on May 27 and the game will be will be broadcast live on ITV in the U.K.

Music-News reports that Pizzorno will be in a squad alongside celebrities
Will Ferrell, Gerard Butler, Mike Myers, James McAvoy, Patrick Kielty and Gordon Ramsay as well as ex-soccer stars Edwin van der Sar, Roy Keane, Ruud Van Nistelrooy and Jaap Stam. more on this story





The Day The Guess Who Took American Woman To The Top
(Gibson) On this day in 1970, The Guess Who started a three-week run at no. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "American Woman."

It was the group's sixth Top 30 hit and only chart topper. The song was born by accident when guitarist Randy Bachman was playing a heavy riff on stage after he had broken a string, the other members joined in on the jam.

A fan in the audience who had recorded the gig on tape presented it to the group after the show and they developed it into a full song.

Today's Day In Rock News!!

Outkast's Andre 3000 To Play Jimi Hendrix in Biopic
(Classic Rock) A biopic telling the story of Jimi Hendrix's rise to fame is set to start shooting in Ireland this month, starring Outkast rapper Andre 3000.
A report by the Irish Film & Television Network says the movie will be called All is By My Side. It will document the guitar icon's move to England during 1966 and 1967.

It covers the period from Hendrix being discovered in a New York club by Keith Richard's girlfriend Linda Keith and his tie-up with manager Chas Chandler, through to the recording of debut album Are You Experienced. more on this story



Head Reunites With Korn
(Gibson) Former Korn guitarist Brian "Head" Welch recently rejoined the band on stage to perform the song "Blind." It's the first time he's performed with the band in seven years.

Vocalist Jonathan Davis introduced Welch on Saturday by telling the audience at the Carolina Rebellion festival that the space to his right on stage had been lonely for a long time. "I want to bring out one of my dearest, oldest and most beloved old friends to come out and have some fun with us," he said, before Welch strode out on stage with his guitar held over his head.

Welch left Korn in 2005 to focus on his sobriety and his faith. Since leaving the band, he has released two autobiographies and released a solo album, Save Me From Myself. more on this story





Original Dio Band To Reunite?
(Classic Rock) Former Dio guitarist Vivian Campbell has revealed plans to reboot the original lineup of Dio with new singer Andy Freeman, who he vows will "do justice" to the fallen frontman's legacy.

The Def Leppard and Thin Lizzy axeman had a rocky relationship with the former Black Sabbath frontman, who passed away in 2010. But the guitarist has always insisted he was proud of the work he did on the first three Dio albums.

Now he's confirmed a reunion with drummer Vinny Appice, bassist Jimmy Bain and keyboardist Claude Schnell, two months after they jammed together. That was brought about when Campbell jammed Rainbow in the Dark with Steel Panther in January. Details here.



Def Leppard and Poison Tour Expanded
Def Leppard have expanded their summer Rock of Ages tour plans with Poison and Lita Ford.

The band have added six additional dates to the North American trek with new dates set for Omaha, Buffalo, Dallas, Santa Barbara, plus Mexican dates in Monterrey and Mexico City.

The tour is set to kick off on June 20th in Salt Lake City, Ut and will wrap up on September 15th in Santa Barbara, CA. more on this story



Former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Angry About Rock Hall Dishonor
(Classic Rock) Former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Jack Sherman has slammed his ex-bandmates for freezing him out of their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction. And he insists the decision not to invite him and Jane's Addiction axeman Dave Navarro was taken by the band rather than event organisers.

Sherman appeared on the Chilis' first album and contributed material to their second. Navarro later spent five years in the band and recorded One Hot Minute with them.

But it seems that wasn't enough to have them inducted into the Hall of Fame – only late founding guitarist Hillel Slovak, veteran John Frusciante and current six-stringer Josh Klinghoffer were included.

"That's being dishonoured. I'm being dishonoured. And it sucks," he told Billboard. More details and the reported reason for the snub.



Wolfgang Making A Lot of Van Halen's Decisions
(Classic Rock) Wolfgang Van Halen may be only 21, but he calls a lot of the shots in his dad's band. A rare interview with the bassist reveals how he's responsible for a wide range of decisions including rehearsal sessions and live set lists.

Wolfgang started working with father Eddie in 2005, a year before he became the official replacement for original Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony.

"I kind of come up with the set lists. When we've got a song that we haven't done, it's like, we should probably run through this before the show and figure out the count of it. Because Dad, for some reason, counts in odds. He'll land on three instead of four. I have to look at him sometimes.," he tells Esquire. more on this story



Slash Launching Summer Tour and Performing on Jimmy Fallon
Slash has announced plans to hit the road this summer for a North American tour and also an appearance on Jimmy Fallon.

Slash will be touring in support of his new album, Apocalyptic Love, which will be released on May 22nd.

The tour is set to kick off on July 12 and will conclude August 4 and will feature support from Monster Truck. more on this story



Guns N' Roses Kick Off New Tour Leg This Week
Guns N' Roses will kick off a European tour leg this Friday with back to back nights in Moscow.

The band will then team up with Thin Lizzy for a string of dates across the UK starting on May 17th in Dublin and wrapping with a two night stand at London's 02 Arena on May 31st and June 1st.

From there, Guns N' Roses will hope over to the European mainland for almost six weeks of dates.
more on this story



Madina Lake Attacker Found Not Guilty
(Classic Rock) Chicago rock band Madina Lake have been left "baffled and shocked" after the man accused of nearly killing their bassist was found not guilty in court.

Matthew Leone has required two years of near-constant medical attention following the brutal beating he received in June 2010, when he went to help a woman who was being assaulted herself. He had to have part of his skull removed and lost most of his teeth. He expects he'll experience symptoms, including vertigo, for the rest of his life.

Justin Pivec, her husband, was found not guilty of attempted murder by Cook County Judge Vincent Guaghan. Matthew's brother, frontman Nathan, says: "We're utterly baffled and shocked." He has a lot strong words



Dream Theater's Petrucci Reveals Solo Band Lineup
(Gibson) Dream Theater guitarist John Petrucci will perform with bandmate Mike Mangini on drums and Dixie Dregs bass player Dave LaRue on the South American G3 tour in October with Joe Satriani and Steve Morse.

It will be a G3 homecoming of sorts for LaRue, who performed with Joe Satriani during the Super Colossal era, and has worked with Morse since 1988.

LaRue is also a member of progressive rock supergroup Flying Colors, who count among their ranks Morse and – how's this for a small world – former Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy. more on this story






Into Eternity's Former Guitarist Rob Doherty Dies
Into Eternity revealed to fans that their former guitarist Rob Doherty had died. The cause of death was not mentioned.

On Sunday band's website updated fans with the following: He played on the band's 2004 album Buried In Oblivion. Into Eternity mainman Tim Roth says that "he was a special part of our band. Our condolences go out to all of Rob's family and friends, and to all those, who Rob's music touched."

Doherty's band mates in Final Darkness issued the following statement: "It is with incredible sadness that we must say good bye to our brother Rob – you will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved you…thank you for being a part of our lives. May you find peace my friend…" more on this story



Sick of It All Lead CBGB Fest Lineup
Sick of It All are set to lead the lineup for the CBGB Fest, which will take place this summer.

The event will take place at Webster Hall New York City on July 6th and will celebrate the famed New York City venue.

Webster Hall announced via Facebook that the festival will also feature Cro-Mags, Vision of Disorder, Absolution and Sai Nam.




Judas Priest' Ian Hill Also Pondered Retirement
(Classic Rock) Judas Priest bassist Ian Hill has considered following guitarist KK Downing into retirement – and the band's last remaining founding member says he'd give them his blessing if they went on without him.

Downing's departure came as a bombshell to fans when it was announced last April, four months after he'd made his decision. Priest brought in Richie Faulkner as his replacement and announced their current world tour would be their last.

The bassist says his ex-bandmate's decision to retire caused him to think along similar lines – but like many musicians from his era, the idea frightened him. "I thought of not doing it, not playing," he reports.

"It terrifies all of us, I think... more on this story



Pantera's Rex Brown Completes Black Sabbath Circle With New Band
(Classic Rock) Former Pantera bassist Rex Brown is enjoying life as a member of Kill Devil Hill and for him it completes a circle that opened twenty years ago.

Back then he stood offstage and watched in awe as drummer Vinny Appice performed with Black Sabbath. Now he's onstage with his friend after Appice invited him to record a few tracks with Kill Devil Hill, but he joined the band full-time instead.

"What's crazy about the whole thing is the first time I met Vinny was at the 1992 Monsters of Rock tour. That was the first time I met Dio too," Brown tells SkullsnBones.com. "I remember Pantera went on and did our thing, and then it was someone like Warrant or something, then Black Sabbath. You got to remember what year it was, but it was just unfair for them to have Warrant in between our two bands. Fans were throwing bottles at them – it got ugly." more on this story



Famed Rock Photographer Jim McCrary Dead at 72
(Gibson) Top rock photographer Jim McCrary, best known for his iconic Tapestry album cover for Carole King, died on April 29. He was 72.

Billboard reports that while he was a staff photographer for A&M Records, McCrary took photographs of numerous rock and pop legends such as Cat Stevens, Joe Cocker, Phil Ochs and B.B. King.

He also took the famous Nudie suit shots of country rock cult band The Flying Burrito Brothers. more on this story





Johnny Ramone Decided When To Die
(Classic Rock) Johnny Ramone decided the moment to let himself succumb to cancer, says his widow. The punk outfit's founding guitarist, one of only two members to appear in all its lineups, died in 2004 surrounded by his closest friends.

His wife Linda Cummings Ramone recently helped publish a book made out of his final recorded conversations, when he knew he wasn't going to survive his illness.

She tells Fuse: "The day Johnny died, he still knew exactly what was going on. Eddie Vedder was sating at the house and Johnny said to me that morning: 'I don't want you and Eddie to go to lunch. I want you to be here.'" A lot more here.



Movie Helping Soundgarden Comeback
(Classic Rock) Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell says there's no credibility issue with licensing tracks to movies and in fact it's the future for any band who wants their music to be heard.

The band's new song Live to Rise features in the soundtrack of superhero blockbuster The Avengers (Avengers Assemble in some markets). Cornell says it's an illustration of the "new landscape" facing modern artists.

He tells Rolling Stone: "It has become kind of the cheap way that bands with any version of credibility have to get their songs out in front of people." more on this story



B Sides


Video From Metallica's 2012 Summer Vacation Tour Opener Posted Online
(hennemusic) Metallica rocked Prague Monday night on the opening date of their 2012 European Summer Vacation Tour.

The event also marked the first time Metallica performed their 1991 self-titled (aka "Black") album in its entirety.

Metallica delivered their album classic with a twist: they played the songs in reverse order, closing their regular set with "Enter Sandman." more on this story





Watch Wolfgang Van Halen Play Eruption
(hennemusic) More video from Eddie and Wolfgang Van Halen's photo shoot for Esquire magazine has surfaced.The father/son duo were interviewed by the magazine while in New York early this spring to play two shows at Madison Square Garden.

While two of the three new clips feature some guitar noodling by the guys, there is video of Wolfgang playing his father's iconic guitar solo, "Eruption."

Granted, the guitars aren't plugged in, so it's a video camera microphone picking up the audio, but you can hear the younger Van Halen tapping his way through the legendary piece while Eddie looks on. more on this story



Chickenfoot Share More Rehearsal Footage
(hennemusic) Chickenfoot launched their 2012 Different Devil Tour Friday night at the first of two shows in Lake Tahoe.

Last week, the band shared some rehearsal video. Monday, Chickenfoot issued some more rehearsal footage from singer Sammy Hagar's studio, The Foot Locker.

The video features some live material, plus a band meeting with their new E.D.C.F.R.N.R. (Environmental Design Coordinator For Rock And Roll) about the tour's stage production. more on this story




Starbucks Customers Inspire Walter Trout Song
(Classic Rock) Walter Trout was inspired to write a song on a napkin in a Starbucks' branch when he realised no one in the room was talking to each other.

And the bluesman says it's the perfect illustration of his theory that communication technology actually makes it more difficult for people to express themselves.

Trout sketched the idea for the song Lonely on his 21st album Blues in the Modern Daze during a coffee stop with his band. "I was standing there waiting and there people standing beside me, and they're yelling in my ear. I thought they were all mentally ill, talking to themselves, before I realised they were all talking on phone implanted in their ears," He tells Classic Rock Revisited. "I looked around – nobody else in the place was talking. They were all staring at computers. No one was talking to person next to them."

Today's Day In Rock News!

Black Sabbath's Iommi and Deep Purple's Gillan Releasing Album
(Gibson) Last year, rock heavyweights Tony Iommi (Black Sabbath) and Ian Gillan (Deep Purple) teamed up to form WhoCares and release a pair of songs to raise funds to rebuild a music school in Armenia. Now, the guitarist and singer have set a release date – June 22 – for an entire WhoCares album, according to Ultimate Classic Rock.

The album will feature the two WhoCares tracks (which also feature Jason Newsted, Nicko McBrain, Linde Lindstrom and Jon Lord), along with rareities from Iommi and Gillan's vaults. Other songs include a Deep Purple studio jam, an unreleased song from Gillan's band Repo Depo, two unreleased songs from Iommi and Glenn Hughes, b-sides and radio performances.

"As I said once in the song 'Razzle Dazzle' – 'It's a real fine line between an orgy of destruction and a wonderful time,'" Gillan said. "The destruction of conformity in this case: Some of these pieces never really fit into their contemporary program and got sidelined or forgotten, and some of the album tracks never had much exposure. As the tracklisting for this album came together I noticed many of the titles had character similarities; a combination of freshness as they finally felt the sun on their backs and rebellion in a 'yeah told you so' kind of way. And that adds up to a wonderful time. And that adds up to more money for the music school we are building in Armenia." more on this story





Aerosmith Film New Video
(hennemusic) Aerosmith's Steven Tyler continues to juggle his American Idol gig with his band duties.

Tyler was on hand for both Idol shows last week, as usual, but his weekend plans were focused on Aerosmith, according to a tweet by the rocker late last week. "Shooting our first video (in a while) tomorrow," Steven wrote, as the band were set to team up with director Casey Patrick Tebo on Friday.

Tebo got in the act, as well, expressing his thoughts via Twitter: "Huge shoot tomorrow with @IamStevenT @JoePerry @joeykramer @THaerosmith. Gonna show the world who's still the baddest band in the land." more on this story



Coldplay's Chris Martin Has Hearing Disorder
(Gibson) Coldplay's Chris Martin has revealed that, like fellow rock star Pete Townshend, he's been suffering from a hearing disorder for the past 10 years.

Gwyneth Paltrow's rocker husband told the Daily Mail that he suffers from tinnitus (a ringing sensation brought on by loud noises damaging cells in the ears). And he wants to warn others of the danger of loud music. "Looking after your ears is unfortunately something you don't think about until there's a problem.

"I've had tinnitus for about 10 years, and since I started protecting my ears it hasn't got any worse – touch wood. But I wish I'd thought about it earlier." more on this story





Video of Slash Debuting New Song Is Posted Online
(hennemusic) Slash launched his US tour Thursday in Baltimore; the trek is in support of his new album, "Apocalyptic Love," which is due May 22.

The 20-song set at Rams Head Live! featured a cross-section of tracks from Slash's career, including his new single, "You're A Lie."

The show also featured the live debut of "Standing in The Sun," a tune from the forthcoming release. Check out video here.



Ska Pioneer Lloyd Brevett Suffers Fatal Stroke
(Gibson) Lloyd Brevett, who co-founded the influential ska band, The Skatalites, died Thursday (May 3) at age 80, BBC News has reported. The legendary double bassist passed away in his native Jamaica after suffering a stroke.

Formed in 1964, The Skatalites forged ska from elements of R&B, jazz and mento (a Jamaican brand of folk music). The distinctive style, for which Brevett provided the backbone, laid the groundwork for reggae.

Spokesperson and friend Maxine Stowe told the Jamaican Observer that Brevett's health had deteriorated rapidly following the tragic death of his son, Okeene Brevett, in February. The younger Brevett was shot and killed outside the family home, just hours after accepting a Jamaican music industry award on his father's behalf. more on this story





Black Sabbath Sell Out Home Town Show in 10 Minutes
(hennemusic) On Saturday, May 19, the mostly-reunited Black Sabbath will play their first hometown show in 13 years at Birmingham's 02 Academy.

The date serves as both a warm-up for the band's June 10 date at Download, while also helping deliver proceeds from the event to the Help for Heroes project.

The Sunday Mercury reports the heavy metal legends sold out their homecoming show in 10 minutes. more on this story




New Song Didn't Come Easy For Soundgarden
(Gibson) Soundgarden Frontman Chris Cornell told The Hollywood Reporter that "Live to Rise," from the soundtrack to the film, The Avengers, the band's first new song in 15 years did not come easily.

"This song came arduously," he said. "It's different, because it has to be a Soundgarden song. It has to resonate with every band member. Writing a song for the Avengers film, it has to be lyrically not specific to the movie or the story, but it has to work with it. It wasn't so easy. But it turned out absolutely a Soundgarden song."

Cornell went on to explain the impetus behind writing songs for films. "In this day and age, you don't have the monolithic record company with seemingly limitless resources and multimillion-dollar profits," he said. "They don't exist. Which is why a partnership like this exists. The movie company does have that, and they will promote it." more on this story





South Park's Matt Stone Give Rush Canadian Honor
(hennemusic) Rush were among the honorees at the 20th Anniversary Governor General's Performing Arts Awards Gala in Ottawa this weekend.

The Ottawa Citizen reports South Park co-creator Matt Stone took to the stage to recognize Rush members Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart. Stone grew up in Littleton, Col. idolizing the rock band from "this far off land called Canada."

"I remember buying their cassettes, tearing home on my BMX, running inside and throwing them into my Walkman, and sitting down to my drum set and just destroying my mom's afternoon," Stone recalled. "Rush was definitely the first band I ever loved." more on this story



The Cult To Perform On Jimmy Kimmel
(hennemusic) The Cult return May 22 with their new album, "Choice Of Weapon." On Friday, May 18 - four days before the new project hits stores - The Cult will perform on Jimmy Kimmel Live!

Then...three days after "Choice Of Weapon" is available, the band kick off a North American tour, starting May 25 in San Diego.

The Cult are currently promoting "For The Animals," the new single from the forthcoming album. more on this story




The Black Keys To Play 'Dirtbags' On Comedy Central Show
(Gibson) The Black Keys are set to guest star in a forthcoming episode of Comedy Central's Workaholics. As reported by Entertainment Weekly, the rock duo's Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney will play a couple of "dirtbags" waiting for their case to be heard in small claims court.

Their characters will be fitted with "oddly long ponytails," sources told EW. Auerbach and Carney are fans of the slacker comedy and befriended actor Adam Devine, one of the show's stars.

Devine, in turn, is an avid fan of the Black Keys' music. The duo's song, "Lonely Boy" was featured in an episode last fall. The episode guest starring Auerbach and Carney is set to air sometime this summer. more on this story






Singled Out: CrashScene
Today Jacen Ekstroms and Troy Healy from CrashScene tell us about "I Fall Apart" and "Don't Tell Me What To Do" from their new self-titled album. Frontman Jacen Ekstroms starts us off with the current single "I Fall Apart". Here is the story:

T-Roy went in to the studio early in the day with Jason Darr ( producer) and showed him the guitar riffs and song idea he had. When I showed up later in the day they were working on the chorus, and as fate would have it I had been working on a chorus and some lyrics for another song. The second I heard what they already had I knew this chorus idea I had would work with this song.

The song I Fall Apart is about a relationship that ends abruptly without one of the parties being emotionally ready for it to end, either because of infidelity or circumstance and for that reason one of them have a hard time getting over it. All it takes is seeing that other person out at a club or a Facebook post about them or someone letting you know what they have been doing to make you relapse and puts you back in the messed up state you were in when the relationship ended, like another personality. And as everyone knows the only way to heal a broken heart is time. It will get easier and easier until you no longer "Fall Apart" when their name is on your heart .....

Now guitarist Troy Healy tells us about "Don't Tell Me What To Do":

This song I believe was the identifying moment when Jacen and myself realized that we both jell well together and really compliment each others writing style. This was our first song together. Jacen already had a plethora of songs ready for the record. I wrote the guitar parts in California and then flew to Vancouver Canada to start tracking. Jacen happened to be flying into Vancouver from a Bif Naked tour, so he came straight from the airport to the studio. We started to write the vocal parts and it was going great but the pre-chorus needed some loving. It just wasn't coming together, so we decided to do a complete turn around and came up with that awesome hook. That was a defining moment for that song, and it made all the difference in giving it that creepy crazy out of control vibe that we were looking for right into that big chorus. I Love those moments!

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




The Day The Rolling Stones Gave Us Brown Sugar
(Gibson) On this day in 1971, The Rolling Stones released "Brown Sugar" in the U.S., where it went to #1. The track, recorded at the Muscle Shoals Sound Studio in Alabama, went to #2 in the U.K. Gibson takes a look back:

"I never would write that song now. I would probably censor myself. I'd think, 'Oh God, I can't. I've got to stop.'I can't just write raw like that." – Mick Jagger to Rolling Stone, 1995

In a songwriting career filled, to that point, with lyrics about spending the night together, trying to "make some girl," little chemical helpers for mother and giving a wee bit of sympathy to old Lucifer himself, this may have been the single where Mick Jagger went too far. "Brown Sugar" hit on everything from slavery to rape to oral sex to BDSM to (then-taboo) interracial sex, but it has somehow managed to endure, nonetheless, as one of the most popular tracks in rock and roll history.

Usually, the Glimmer Twins of Jagger and Richards were true partners at songwriting, with Richards doing much of the music and Jagger the lyrics, though the lines have often blurred in both directions. "Brown Sugar" was different. For one thing, Jagger was half a world away from his counterpart when he came up with the idea. Sitting in his hotel room in Braidwood, New South Wales, Australia, Jagger was nursing a hand injury caused by a backfiring pistol on the set of the film, Ned Kelly. With some discomfort, he began strumming the chords that would eventually form the musical backbone of "Brown Sugar."

The original rough lyrics were about a white woman who has sex with one of her black servants, but Jagger wasn't happy with them. By this point, the Stones had convened at the legendary Muscle Shoals Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. It was early December, 1969 and Jagger was, by now, deeply involved with actress-singer Marsha Hunt. Whether or not she was his inspiration for the lyrics of "Brown Sugar," we may never know (it's also been theorized that the real "Brown Sugar" was the lovely Ikette, Claudia Lennear). Whatever the spark, Jagger wrote the final lyrics in a heartbeat inside the studio