Today's Day In Rock News!

Aerosmith Delay New Album Release
(hennemusic) Aerosmith fans have waited 11 years for a new album of original music from the band, and now it looks like they'll have to wait a little longer.
The Boston rockers have moved the release date of "Music From Another Dimension" from August 28 to November 6.

"Too many people [other notable recording artists] are releasing [new albums] those weeks [in late summer/early fall]," lead singer Steven Tyler revealed on the Alan Cox Show on 100.7 WMMS Cleveland. "We don't wanna step on their release dates. So we just said, 'You know what?! We've got the goods… ain't no doubt about it. We'll wait another couple of months.'" more on this story



KISS Video App Released
Chris Gossett has followed up his Van Halen video app with a brand new KISS video app for Android.

Chris's Free App for Android called "KISS Videos App" features nearly 40 KISS videos (90% official videos, some TV appearances).

Videos begin with the first TV appearance of KISS on the Mike Douglas Show in 1974 and Gene Simmons' first public interview, also included are the official videos for "Rock and Roll All Night," "Detroit Rock City," "I Was Made For Lovin' You," all the non-make up KISS videos, "Psycho Circus," "Modern Day Delilah" and more, with "Monster" coming soon.

If you have Android, you can download the app here. For those without Android, you can access the content here.



Geoff Tate Vs Queensryche
It appears that Geoff Tate isn't taking his ousting from Queensryche without a fight as he says he has started legal action against the members of his formal group.

Rolling Stone conducted an extensive interview with Tate where he gives his side of the story. Tate tells them, " Well, we're in a lawsuit right now and it's probably gonna get ugly. I filed a claim a couple of days ago. So it's all going to the legal system now to sort out who is what, and who owns what, and that stuff."

He goes into great details about the differences between him and the other members of the group, debunks the internet "knife" rumor and explains when he thinks the rift began. He tells RS, " I think it really began around February of this year. It mainly started with a disagreement about economics, about moving our merchandising to a third party. We had control over our own merchandising company for years and years and we ran it ourselves. It's a very successful entity, and the other three guys wanted to take it out of our hands and hand it over to somebody else and pay them more money to operate it, which just seemed liked a ridiculous business idea to me. That's really where the disagreement started."

The story doesn't stop there. Read the full interview here.



Anthrax Settle With Former Singer
(Classic Rock) Anthrax have settled their lawsuit with former singer Dan Nelson. He'd claimed $2.65million in damages after departing the band in 2009, before they reunited with Joey Belladonna.

Details of the agreement are secret but an Anthrax representative had said before the ruling that a "small cash dollar" amount plus co-ownership of the tracks on new album Worship Music was on offer.

After the Manhattan Federal Court hearing bassist Frank Bello said: "I've got to put a band-aid on my tongue from biting it so much." More rock news



Lindsey Buckingham Expands North American Tour Plans
Lindsey Buckingham is extending his North American tour and has announced additional dates on the East coast, the Midwest and Canada He's also making a few stops in Canada, with more dates still to be added.

The new six-week trek begins July 26 in Birmingham, AL and lasts through September 8 in Rama, Ontario. We were sent these details:

In his intimate-one-man show, Lindsey will showcase his distinctive guitar picking style and instantly recognizable voice in his usual awe-inspiring form, captivating his audience with songs from his recent album, SEEDS WE SOW, as well as performing a combination of favorites from his previous solo albums, along with a variety of Fleetwood Mac classics. more on this story



Yes, Asia, Porcupine Tree and XTC Members Form The Prog Collective
Purple Pyramid have set an August 14th from the new supergroup project, The Prog Collective, which features five current and former member of Yes.

We were sent these details, along with a link to a preview track: The producer and guiding force of The Prog Collective is Billy Sherwood. A multi-talented musician, he has played in Yes (and several of its reconfigurations), Yoso, Toto, Circa, World Trade and others.

The luminaries he enlisted to perform the original songs on The Prog Collective include Chris Squire (Yes), Rick Wakeman (Yes), Alan Parsons, John Wetton (Asia), Tony Levin (King Crimson), Richard Page (Mr. Mister), Geoff Downs (Yes/Asia), John Wesley (Porcupine Tree), and Colin Moulding (XTC).

On "The Technical Divide," Squire, Parsons, and David Sancious (Bruce Springsteen, Stanley Clarke, Peter Gabriel) are featured. Said Sherwood in an interview with somethingelsereviews.com in May, it ended up sounding like "the Beach Boys meets Pink Floyd – with a Yes twist, of course." Listen to a track here.



Pelican Lose Founding Member
Pelican informed fans this week that guitarist and founding member Laurent Schroeder-Lebec is taking an indefinite hiatus from the band.

They had this to say: Many may have already noticed his absence from live shows over the last couple of years (he stopped traveling for out of town shows in 2010), his role as a composer is now also going on hold for the foreseeable future. The decision is not due to any internal turmoil or conflict - since our last full length album Laurent has made his family and career the central focus of his life, which the members of Pelican completely respect and honor.

In 2010, when his interest in playing out of town declined, Laurent was the first to suggest that we find a substitute guitarist and continue getting the music out to our fans. He continued to play local shows with us and rehearse (in the rare instances that all four of us were in Chicago), but after recording sessions for our last EP, Ataraxia/Taraxis, when we were ready to begin writing our next album and began planning the writing sessions it would entail, Laurent confided that his heart wasn't fully in it and, rather than deliver music that was half-hearted, he would rather sit it out. more on this story



Bloc Party Fall Tour
Bloc Party will follow up their summer North American live appearances with a string of live dates this fall that will feature support from Ceremony.

The dates take place in September and follow three sold out shows at NYC's Terminal 5 and a number of summer festival appearances.

Bloc Party will be touring in support of their forthcoming album, Four, which is set to hit stores on August 21st. more on this story



Chad Smith's Bombastic Meatbats Give Fans Live Meat and Potatoes
Red Hot Chili Pepper star Chad Smith's side project, the Bombastic Meatbats, have their first-ever live recording, 'Live Meat and Potatoes.' Chipster sent over these details:

Consisting of drummer Smith, guitarist Jeff Kollman (from Cosmosquad), bassist Kevin Chown (Uncle Kracker, Tarja Turunen), and keyboardist Ed Roth (Coolio and Ronnie Montrose), the band first formed in 2008, and hails from Los Angeles.

The third record in the evolution of the Meatbats sound, 'Live Meat And Potatoes' captures the band in their most natural environment: in front of a live audience in an intimate setting. The band has found its sound after its first two studio releases, 'Meet the Meatbats' and 'More Meat.' LIVE is where they shine the brightest, featuring long extended jams that take the audience on a roller coaster ride of funk, rock and experimental madness of all sorts. more on this story



Cradle Of Filth Plan New Album Release
Cradle Of Filth mainmain Dani Filth tells fans that the band's forthcoming 10th studio album is currently being mixed and will be released later this year.

Filth posted a lengthy update on his blog about the album: "The album has been split over two working studios; I have been based at Cradle's resident studio Springvale under the helmsmanship of Mark Harwood for the last month or so, whilst the music has been captured not ten miles up the road at Scott Atkin's Grindstone studio, enabling us to work parallel to one another and thus aid not only the creative itch, but the speed of the recording process too.

"There is little point describing the new tracks as such as it's downright obvious that the usual cliches of 'it's our best one yet', 'it's much harder, darker, faster' (been there, done that) and 'this is going back to our roots' may well apply, just be aware that, if anything, the album has a definite 'Midian' vibe to it, insomuch that it isn't a conceptual album full tilt but more like lots of fabulous little satellites orbiting a main overarching theme. And that theme on this particular slay-ride is one of demons and monsters, both personal and world-enslaving, and the music peoples it perfectly.

"Musically we have tried new things, expanding on our ever-increasing canon to greater, more unbiblical effect with all instruments. Hence the music is unique, almost experimental in its dark places, but at heart still the Cradle Of Filth people have come to know, love and hate! Hence also why it's almost impossible for me to paint this new pantheon in anything other than the absolute jet black that I usually do… for no matter how goresome it will inevitably be, we will always have our steadfast detractors like so many fat, unavoidable moths to our ever-growing flame (sits, sighs and weeps in a graveyard!)." Read more here.



Dispatch To Release New Album This Summer
Dispatch have set a August 21st release date for their new album, Circles Around The Sun.

Circles Around The Sun is the group's first studio album in twelve years and was produced by Peter Katis (Interpol, Jonsi, The National). You can watch the official video for their song "Not Messin'" here.

Dispatch will also perform this August at the Outside Lands festival in San Francisco and will embark upon the Circles Around The Sun Tour in September, the band's most extensive North American tour in over a decade. more on this story



Eve 6 To Rock U.S. Olympic Team Trials
Big news from the Eve 6 camp, the band has been invited to perform at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Track & Field at TrackTown Plaza on Friday, June 29 in Eugene, OR. We were sent these details:

The special entertainment event organized by USA Track & Field will bring Eve 6 to the stage as they tour in support of their new album, Speak in Code.

The group's set will begin following the conclusion of track competition, shortly past 5 p.m. PST. Admission is free and open to the public. more on this story



Van Morrison Sets New Album Release
(EMI) Van Morrison has set an October 2nd release date for his new studio album, 'Born To Sing: No Plan B.'

The release marks the legendary artists return to Blue Note Records which released the Grammy-nominated 'What's Wrong With This Picture?' in 2003.

Van says: "With most record companies being so corporate I am happy to be working with Don Was and the team at Blue Note. To have such a creative music person as the head of my recording label assures me that all the effort taken to write and record this new album will be rewarded with a music-based focus and marketing approach. I look forward to many recording projects with Don and Blue Note." more on this story



Jefferson Starship's Roswell UFO Set Being Released on 4-CD Set
Gonzo MultiMedia have set a July 2nd release date for Jefferson Starship's live 4-CD set 'Tales From The Mothership'.

Glass Onyon sent over these details: "Roswell UFO Parade & Festival Hosts Jefferson Starship Sci-Fi Extravaganza" read the headlines for the annual July 3rd event that took place in Roswell, New Mexico in 2009. Jefferson Airplane founder Paul Kantner and his legendary band Jefferson Starship and special guests, which included original Grateful Dead keyboardist Tom Constanten, performed a one-of-a-kind sci-fi concert at Pearson Auditorium in Roswell in honor of the town's famed annual parade.

The group was also bestowed the honor of being the parade's 'Grand Martians' that year and rode atop a special float especially built for them. The entire concert was filmed and recorded, and in addition to such iconic hits as "White Rabbit", "Somebody To Love", "Volunteers", "Wooden Ships" recorded by its forebear Jefferson Airplane (the last two penned by Kantner), a special programme of science fiction themed compositions and select recordings were performed, some for the first time ever! Now, much to the excitement of Jefferson Starship fans across the globe UK's Gonzo MultiMedia is releasing the entire concert in an extravagant 4-CD box set. (It's also being sold on their US site). more on this story



Artillery Replace Founding Member
Artillery have replaced founding member Carsten Nielsen with their new drummer Josua Madsen.

The band broke the news to fans via Facebook by saying, "We are proud to announce our new drummer, who will be Josua Madsen. Josua have been living the last couple of years in the US playing with different bands. Last Danish band Was Club Hell.

"We are looking forward to go on the road with Josua and first gig will be Headbangers open air in Hamburg, Germany: Thanx to former drummer Carsten for the 30 years of thrashing!" more on this story



The Darkness Release New Song
(hennemusic) The Darkness have released their new single, "Everybody Have A Good Time" which will be featured on the band's third studio album, "Hot Cakes," which will be released on August 21.

"Hot Cakes" is produced by the band's Justin and Dan Hawkins with longtime collaborator Nick Brine and mixed by Bob Ezrin.

The band has put together a behind the scenes look at the making of the "Everybody Have A Good Time" music video, which premieres June 28. Behind the scenes video for the new song.



Osada Vida Releasing Live DVD
Osada Vida will release their first live DVD, "Where The Devils Live," on July 2nd in Europe and July 24th in USA.

The material features the recording of their live appearance at the Wyspianski Theater in Katowice, Poland in November 2011.

Łukasz Lisiak, vocalist and bassist, comments the track: "The studio version of 'Everyday Ltd' was included on our debut album 'Three Seats Behind A Triangle'. 5 years after the release of the album, we still believe it contains really good tunes, interesting riffs and melodies… Just their performance was way too amateurish. We played the track 'Everday Ltd' just as a joke at one of our rehearsals, after 5 years of not playing it at all, and suddenly everything felt so right. We felt that this track had a huge potential. We decided to include it in our setlist as we have so much fun when playing it at our rehearsals. At the same time we wanted to make a connection with tracks recorded by SBB's classic line-up, which always inspired us a lot. It's all about this specific nerve which is so typical in improvisations. Bartek Bereska suggested that we should improvise in the middle of the song… And so we did! We had to shorten the track though. But it was so much fun to play 'Everyday Ltd'. I hope it will appeal to all listeners who like to mix music genres, and for whom the word "progressive" is not only synonymous of Marillion, Yes and Pink Floyd." more on this story



Heliosaga Recruit DesDemon's Chelsea Knaack
Heliosaga have recorded DesDemon lead vocalist Chelsea Knaack as their new frontperson.

Chelsea Knaack states "I was looking for a new chapter in my life with a new adventure and Heliosaga fit the plan. It was also the chemistry with the guys; we are all very similar in many ways. It will be a great adventure indeed."

Heliosaga adds "Chelsea's vocals are moving, her stage presence is captivating and she has an immense passion for this kind of music. Shortly after meeting we realized how well we click on personal and professional levels, so we can say that we have gained a great friend and an incredible band mate! We are eager to begin recording our debut album together, which will be released early next year."



B Sides


Robert Plant Band Of Joy DVD Preview Goes Online
(hennemusic) "Robert Plant & The Band Of Joy: Live From The Artists Den" will be released on DVD and Blu Ray on July 10 and a trailer for the release has now gone online.

The band was filmed at Nashville's War Memorial Auditorium for the music TV series. The DVD includes performances of three Led Zeppelin classics - "Black Dog," "Houses Of the Holy" and "Tangerine" - that were not part of the initial broadcast on public television stations.

Other songs included that did not make the initial cut are "In the Mood" from his solo disc "Principle of Moments," and the traditional "I Bid You Good Night." Watch the trailer



Anniversary of Elvis Presley's Comeback Special
(Gibson) On this day in 1968, Elvis Presley appeared on an NBC show that was billed as his "comeback special." The show featured the king performing on a small, square stage, surrounded by a mostly female audience. Presley was outfitted in black leather and performed many of his early hits. Gibson takes a look back:

As the '60s rolled in, Elvis Presley was still The King, but there were chinks beginning to appear in his armor. His music was still topping the charts, but a lot of that music – most of it, actually – came from the soundtracks of the profitable, yet cheesy, Hollywood films he was churning out. That's not to say that the music was lacking; some of his career-best songs came from that era, including "Can't Help Falling in Love" (1961) and "Return to Sender" (1962). Also, three of his movie soundtrack albums climbed to #1 in the first half of the decade. By anyone's standards, those are solid achievements. But Elvis wasn't just anyone.

Things were not as they used to be, and Elvis' slide into commercial mediocrity, if not downright obscurity, seemed to happen almost as quickly as his meteoric rise to superstardom a decade earlier. It didn't help that his core fan base was now a number of years older. They were getting married, having babies – growing up. Couple that with the overnight ascension of a certain mop-topped quartet from Liverpool, and just like that, the King of Rock and Roll was all but relegated to the "where are they now" file.

From 1964 through 1968, Elvis saw only one of his singles crack the top 10 – and that was the 1965's "Crying in the Chapel," which was actually recorded five years earlier. After the release of his '62 album Pot Luck, Elvis didn't put out another new studio album (not counting movie soundtracks) until 1967's gospel album How Great Thou Art, which brought him his first Grammy (for Best Sacred Performance).

Elvis seemed to hit rock bottom with the release of his 1967 Clambake movie soundtrack, which resulted in record-low sales. As historians Connie Kirchberg and Marc Hendrickx noted, "Elvis was viewed as a joke by serious music lovers and a has-been to all but his most loyal fans." Elvis' films were moving in the wrong financial direction, too, and his manager, Colonel Tom Parker, was finding it increasingly difficult to secure his usual million-dollar per film fee.

So, Parker turned to NBC and struck a $1.25 million deal for both a movie (Change of Habit) and TV special.

Today's Day In Rock News!

Van Halen Rumored For Super Bowl
(hennemusic) There's a buzz in the sports community that Van Halen could be on tap to play Super Bowl 47 next year in New Orleans.
NBC Sports first speculated on the band's involvement a few weeks ago following comments made by Eddie Van Halen regarding the group's touring plans.

On the heels of canceling a full run of summer US tour dates, Eddie told USA Today that "a lot of the canceled dates were in cities we already played. So in November we'll hit Japan, and in the new year we'll possibly do something special, but I can't talk about it."

On Monday, NBC Sports made more references to Van Halen's involvement in the 2013 event. more on this story



Rolling Stones Open To Jack White Producing Next Album
(Gibson) Keith Richards and Jack White go back a few years. The two worked on a few (unreleased) recordings in 2009 and the former White Stripe joined The Rolling Stones on stage in 2006 (as seen in Martin Scorsese's Shine a Light).

When asked by Rolling Stone magazine if Jack might be in consideration to produce his band's next album, Keef seemed into the idea. "That's always a possibility," Richards said. "The door is wide open."

It wouldn't be the first time White has worked his magic on a music legend's album, having produced LPs for Loretta Lynn and Wanda Jackson. more on this story





Geoff Tate Moving Forward Following Queensryche Departure
Last week Queensryche surprised fans by naming Todd La Torre their new frontman and now it looks like the band's original singer Geoff Tate is happy to move ahead with his solo career.

Geoff Tate has signed a worldwide multi-album deal with Insideout Music and is currently finishing production on his first album under the agreement which is expected to be released this fall.

"I'm very excited to join forces with InsideOut Music," says Tate. "They are very committed to progressive music and care deeply for their artists, working together with them to bring music lovers worldwide some of the most compelling rock music available."



Staind Live Album, DVD and Blu-Ray Coming This Summer
Staind will be releasing their very first live album next month, followed by a DVD and Blu-Ray.

Live From Mohegan Sun, will be released on CD by Eagle Rock Entertainment on July 10 and will be followed by the DVD and Blu-ray release on August 14.

This concert was recorded and filmed in high definition at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Montville, Connecticut on November 25, 2011, and the chords must still be echoing somewhere deep within the bowels of the building. more on this story



Slipknot Stars Start Horror Movie Co
(Classic Rock) Corey Taylor and Shawn 'Clown' Crahan of Slipknot have formed a horror movie production firm.

Living Breathing Films aims to create TV and cinema releases. Taylor says: "We want to do psychological thrillers, dramas.

"We don't want our company to be a machine to create bad horror films. We're really big fans of the movies and art." More rock news



Blur To Debut Two New Songs On Twitter
(Gibson) Blur will play two new songs on Monday, July 2 during a live performance to be streamed on Twitter.

The reactivated Britpop legends will play "The Puritan" and "Under the Westway." The tracks were written for their August 12 show at Hyde Park in London. The concert, coinciding with the closing ceremony of the London Olympics, will also feature New Order and The Specials.

To tune in to next week's performance, visit Twitter.com/blurofficial at 6:15 p.m. London time on Monday, July 2. The band will perform one of the two songs, with an interview taking place immediately afterwards. The second track will be played at 7:15, and then both will be made available for download. Fans who would like a physical copy of the songs can pick up a limited edition double A-side 7-inch single via Parlophone from August 6. more on this story





Car Ad Sparked Breakup of Bowie's Spiders From Mars
(Gibson) A chance conversation over a Lamborghini led to the dissolution of David Bowie and the Spiders From Mars, according to drummer Woody Woodmansey.

In an interview with the BBC for the Jarvis Cocker-narrated TV special David Bowie and the Story of Ziggy Stardust, Woodmansey says an offhand comment over a magazine advertisement for the sports car led to a discussion with Spiders keyboard player Mike Garson about wages, and uncovered a startling discrepancy between pay packets.

"…Mike said, 'Well, why don't you buy one?' I said, 'I wish,'" Woodmansey recalled. The two then discussed their earnings: "I went, 'What do you think I get?' He went, 'Well, I know what I get,' and he told me – and it was three times what I got."

Garson added, "I was getting a salary that seemed fair, and I just assumed the other guys were getting more because they'd been there several years." more on this story





Rush's Geddy Lee Receives Royal Honor
(hennemusic) Rush legend Geddy Lee has received another honor in his Canadian homeland.

Cashbox Canada reports Lee was among 600 Ontario residents to receive a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee commemorative medal on Monday, June 18 at Toronto's Roy Thomson Hall.

The special medal was created to mark the 60th anniversary of the Queen's accession to the throne. more on this story



Metallica Play Escape Live For the First Time
(hennemusic) There were at least a couple of firsts for Metallica as they rocked Day 1 of their Orion Music + More festival on Saturday.

The band's headline set at Bader Field in Atlantic City featured the very first performance of their "Ride The Lightning" album in its entirety. Saturday's set also included the very first performance of "Escape" from the 1984 release.

Frontman James Hetfield recently explained the album's significance to the Philadelphia Inquirer. "'Ride the Lightning' started to splinter us off from your Slayers and other thrash bands," explained Hetfield. "A song called 'Fade to Black' was an instant thorn in the side of the metal community. It was the first veering off the studded path." Watch the jam here.



London Olympics Trying To Not Pay Musicians?
(Classic Rock) Organisers of the London Olympics are trying to make professional musicians perform for free, using the tired old excuse they should "do it for the exposure."

Management committee Locog are already a laughing stock in rock music quarters after asking whether long-dead Who drummer Keith Moon was available to appear at the event. And they recently drew the ire of live music fans by confirming all acts that play at the opening and closing events in London will be miming.

Corporate Watch say they've seen an email which instructs Locog staff not to spend money on music "across the board." more on this story



Warrant's Cherry Pie Video Girl Bobbie Brown Writing Autobiography
(Gibson) Model Bobbie Brown (immortalized as "The Cherry Pie Girl" thanks to her involvement in the video for the Warrant classic) is wrapping up work on an autobiography.

Titled Sex, Drugs and Cherry Pie, the book is scheduled for release early in 2013. Meanwhile, Brown has just finished filming a new reality television series titled Ex Wives Rock, which begins airing on August 29 on the Slice network.

The program is co-produced by Loraine Lewis with narration by Shannon Tweed-Simmons – of course, the co-star of her own reality show, Gene Simmons Family Jewels. more on this story





Atheist Reunite With Tony Choy
Atheist have reunited with bassist Tony Choy ahead of a hometown headline show and Death To All tour date.

The show will be June 29th in the band's hometown of Sarasota, Florida at Jake's Tavern and will mark the return of Choy to the band.

Atheist founder Kelly Shaefer commented: "We're very excited to announce that Tony Choy will be appearing on our upcoming dates; a headlining club gig and the Orlando date of the Death To All Tour 2012. It's been more than two years since Tony has played live with us. Just having him along will make this Death To All show with the Cynic guys, Gene Hoglan, Steve DiGiorgio, and everyone else a night to remember." more on this story



Green Day Releasing New Song Next Month
Green Day have set a July 16th release date for "Oh Love," the debut single from their upcoming album trilogy ¡UNO! ¡DOS! ¡TRÉ!

Produced by Rob Cavallo and being released by Reprise Records, ¡UNO! will street September 25th, ¡DOS! November 23rd, and ¡TRÉ! January 15, 2013.

Look for Green Day this summer headlining music festivals this summer and fall including headlining at Summer Sonic in Japan and Voodoo Festival in New Orleans, Louisiana this October. more on this story



Slash Scores His First No. 1 Hit
Slash has scored his very first no. 1 hit at rock radio as "You're A Lie" vaults to the top spot this week at Active Rock.

The song is the first track from Slash's second solo album Apocalyptic Love, which was released May 22 and entered the Billboard Top 200 Albums Chart at #4, marking the top rock debut that week. Watch the video for "You're A Lie" here.

Slash Featuring Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators will launch a summer headlining tour July 12 in Portland, OR and on July 10 Slash will receive his own star on the Hollywood Blvd Walk of Fame. more on this story



The All-American Rejects and Eve 6 Summer Tour
The All-American Rejects will be hitting the road for a North American summer headlining tour with support from Eve 6.

The tour is set to kick off on August 8th in Costa Mesa at the OC Fair and wraps August 30th in Louisiana.

The All-American Rejects have been busy performing at European festivals as well as accompanying Blink-182 on their International tour. "After spending the summer overseas, we're looking forward to coming home and having a little fun this August playing... Couldn't ask for a better summer vacation," said Nick Wheeler. more on this story



12 Stones, Digital Summer, Blameshift and Throwing Gravity Tour
Blameshift will be hitting the road with 12 Stones, Digital Summer and Throwing Gravity next month for a North American tour.

The trek is set to kick off on July 6th in Merriam, KS and will come to a close a month later on August 7th in Marietta, GA.

Amidst the tour, Blameshift will break off for two dates in Pecatonica, IL at Rock'n the Valley 2012 at the Winnebago Fairgrounds. These two festival dates also feature Skid Row, Warrant, Trixter, and more. more on this story



Exhumed Frontman Matt Harvey Added To Death To All Tour 2012
Exhumed frontman Matt Harvey will be replacing Obscura vocalist Steffen Kummerer as a lead vocalist to the Death To All Tour 2012 after Kummerer had to drop of the all-star tour due to visa issues.

Matt Harvey will be joining drummers Gene Hoglan (Individual Thought Patterns/Symbolic) and Sean Reinert (Human), bassists Steve DiGiorgio (Human/Individual Thought Patterns) and Scott Clendenin (The Sound of Perseverance), guitarists Paul Masvidal (Human), Shannon Hamm (The Sound of Perseverance) and Bobby Koelble (Symbolic), and vocalist/label-mate Charles Elliott of Abysmal Dawn/Bereft.

Harvey only 9 days to learn his entire set. Matt Harvey elaborates on the opportunity: "To say that I'm excited about hitting the stage with such amazing musicians would be a massive understatement. To say that I'm overwhelmed standing in Chuck's spot singing his songs would be the understatement of the century. Phrases like 'it's an honor' get tossed around pretty casually, but taking part in this unique celebration is truly exhilarating, humbling and magical for me. Even though the name of the band is Death, this event is a celebration of Chuck's life and the vitality and staying power of his work. To be able to share what Death's music has meant to me this way is a truly once-in-a-lifetime opportunity I am incredibly grateful to have." more on this story



Success Sunk The Eagles
(Gibson) The archetypal west coast band of the '70s, the Eagles reached a creative and commercial peak in 1976 with their Hotel California album.

Looking back, Glenn Frey, according to the Daily Express, feels the magnitude of their success brought too much pressure on the group.

He told BBC News: "If I had known what I know now, I would have just had the Eagles have a vacation for a while, we're getting on each other's nerves, that's what the Stones used to do... It's not really ego, it's the pressure to follow 'Hotel California.' Trying to get better every time out, and you just can't be better every time out, every record can't be 'Hotel California,' every song you write can't be 'Desperado.'" more on this story





This Or The Apocalypse Ink New Deal
This Or The Apocalypse will be releasing their next album under a new deal eOne Music in North and South America.

"On behalf of This Or The Apocalypse Enterprises, I'm proud to let everyone know that our new American home is located at eOne Music. Please make a note on all outgoing packages. Honestly, I couldn't believe we would be making one signing announcement, so the third feels pretty surreal. It's humbling and a reminder that hard work pays off," says vocalist Ricky Armellino.

The band is on tour with Norma Jean and will head over to China for a short batch of dates.



B Sides


Singled Out: Ninth Moon Black's Animus Lumino
Today Eric from Ninth Moon Black tells us about the song "Animus Lumino" from their new album "Chronophage". Here is the story:

"Animus Lumino" is the longest track on Chronophage, and bits and pieces of it came together in a number of different ways over a period of time. It would seem a track like that would be difficult to record, and I certainly thought it would take a lot of time however we ended up getting it on the first take. At almost 16 minutes, we were pretty happy with that, and I think it was the complexity of it that actually helped track that quickly, we were all pretty focused. I did have to overdub the Wurlitzer part, and I think Atom did his solo over later, but everything else was there.

I remember writing the guitar part for the longest section, towards the end, that starts with my just my guitar. It had morphed out of something completely different. I had been working on an acoustic part, kind of a minor country blues finger picking thing, on a slow day at the music store I worked at. The melody that's in the song now came really quick, with the four different parts and a tormenting flatted 5th at the turn-around. I was having trouble fitting the bass part in with the fingering, so I put it in a drop-d, which forced me to change the key. It was pretty cool, but nothing Ninth Moon Black would use. It was dark, but had almost a waltzy groove.

I played with it like that for a couple of weeks and was at home one day when my roommate, Jamie Hartley of Parade of Storms, came in and wanted to play along. We moved to the studio and I was playing it on an electric guitar for the first time, a little delay and reverb. I ended up dropping the bass parts I was playing and let him do his thing on the bass, which was a lot different. As we played, the waltz swing disappeared, and I found myself playing the low D throughout, underneath the melody. It was awesome. It became this hypnotic, sweeping part. The turnaround had to go as well, but the flatted 5th stayed right there at the end of the last riff, giving this sense of interruption, which sounded great.

When I brought the part to the band, it went really smooth. I had this idea of guitars swimming on top of the riff, interlacing with each other and building, but I expected nothing close to what those guys came up with; really epic sounding. That first practice I just played the part over and over and everyone did their thing until it started to take shape. I remember the first few times we played that song live the part was almost twice as long as it is on the record, waaaay too long; but we liked the build and just kept going. By the time we had everything really dialed, we could follow the patterns Kasey was building with her drums, and we shortened it.

It's really cool to look back at what the part was and then listen to the recording now. I remember sitting in the studio for the mix, in disbelief of how epic it had become. And then when we named the track, "Animus Lumino", which means luminous mind, I couldn't have written a part more fitting to the feel and spirit of the song after the fact, it was just baffling at how perfect it all came together. Maybe sometime, as a joke, we should jab at where this part came from: Ninth Moon Black, "Blackened Country Blues!" Seriously though, I think the forging of this part speaks to our process as a whole; that somehow we're able to take our wide swath of influences as individuals, and work them into a cohesive but diverse sound. It makes me hopeful, like it might be impossible for us to run out of good ideas.

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



Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder Jams With Tom Petty
(Banana 101.5) While in the midst of their summer European tour, Pearl Jam crossed paths with classic rockers Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers in Amsterdam on Sunday (June 24).

Vocalist Eddie Vedder stepped onstage during Petty's show at the Heineken Music Hall, lending his pipes to the band on 'The Waiting' and 'American Girl'

While Eddie handled a majority of the vocals on their first song of the night — Petty added backup vocals on the hook and sang the song's bridge — the same was not the case when he reappeared to split vocal duties on the set closing tune, 'American Girl.' Vedder's second verse added vitality to the 1976 track and totally redeemed his drunken rendition of the song from the infamous 'Birdman Sessions' bootleg. Check it out here.



Rush's Geddy Lee Explains How He Sings Neil's Lyrics
(hennemusic) Rush's new album, "Clockwork Angels," debuted at the top of the Canadian charts and at #2 on the Billboard 200 albums chart last week.

Lyrically, the album chronicles a young man's quest across a lavish and colourful world of steampunk and alchemy as he attempts to follow his dreams. The story features lost cities, pirates, anarchists, an exotic carnival, and a rigid Watchmaker who imposes precision on every aspect of daily life.

In a new video session, bassist Geddy Lee discusses the dynamics involved for him singing lyrics written by drummer Neil Peart. "It's an interesting dynamic because it's a relationship we've had for over 30 years," explains Geddy. "Obviously, me being the spokesperson for his lyrics is an intimate and difficult relationship just in the sense that I have to really believe what I'm singing – because if I don't, you can tell. You can't fake something like that."

"So, for me," continues Lee, "I have to try and get into his headspace and I have to try and understand the lyrics from a point of view that's meaningful to me even if it's not always the same as the writer's intent." Watch the video here.



Sebastian Bach Joins Guns N' Roses at Gods of Metal Fest
(hennemusic) Guns N' Roses continued their European tour with an appearance at Italy's Gods Of Metal festival.

GNR headlined the second night of the three-day event; among the artists joining them was Axl Rose's pal Sebastian Bach, who is touring in support of his latest album, "Kicking & Screaming."

Sebastian joined GNR during their set for a performance of "My Michelle." Watch video of the jam here.



Devin Townsend Project Release Planet Of The Apes Video
Devin Townsend Project has released a new video clip of "Planet Of The Apes" from the new DVD box-set, By A Thread - Live in London 2011.

By A Thread - Live in London 2011 contains a 4-DVD set with footage from the unique, sold-out UK shows from last fall where Devin performed all four DTP albums (Ki, Addicted, Ghost, Deconstruction), along with a 5-CD set with the four DTP albums and one disc of encores.

In addition to the 4 DVDs and 5 CDs, the deluxe edition of By A Thread - Live in London 2011 also includes an exclusive 7" with take 2 of the track "Coast" (Devin's hand-drawn etching is on the B-side), plus an autographed and numbered collector's certificate of authenticity.

Today's Day In Rock News!

Family Killed Going To Van Halen Concert
(hennemusic) A family was killed in car crash on their way to a Van Halen concert in Dallas last week.
The Victoria Advocate reports Tuesday afternoon's three-vehicle crash claimed the lives of Felipe Garcia, 39, and his two children - Brandon, 9, and Anthony, 10, as well as Garcia's girlfriend, Christine Salazar, 42.

Garcia lost control of his 2003 Ford Explorer on the wet roadway and crossed into the southbound lane; the vehicle was struck by a tractor-trailer driven by Thomas Jimenez, of Yoakum, according to the Texas Department Of Safety report. more on this story



Black Keys Vs Pizza Hut and Home Depot
(hennemusic) The Black Keys are suing Pizza Hut and Home Depot, alleging the companies used the rock duo's songs in commercials without authorization.

The group claims Pizza Hut's commercial for their Cheesy Bites Pizza "prominently features significant portions" of their song "Gold on the Ceiling," according to here

The band also sued Home Depot over a commercial for their Ryobi brand of power tools that used parts of their song "Lonely Boy". more on this story



Metallica Ride The Lightning Live
(hennemusic) Metallica pulled out a very rare and special treat for fans on Day 1 of their Orion Music + More festival on Saturday.

The band's headline set at Bader Field in Atlantic City featured the very first performance of their 1984 album, "Ride The Lightning," in its entirety.

Metallica switch things up on Sunday when they play the "Black" album it its entirety for the first time ever in the U.S.; they performed it nightly on their recent European tour. Watch the Ride the Lightning set here.



Radiohead Postpone Tour Following Fatal Stage Collapse
(Gibson) In the wake of the stage collapse that caused the death of Radiohead drum tech Scott Johnson and injured three other crew members, Radiohead have postponed several upcoming European tour dates.

In a prepared statement, the band said new dates for the postponed shows would be announced on June 27. The collapse also destroyed the band's light show and other stage components, which the group indicated would be difficult to replace.

The statement goes on to say: "Whilst we all are dealing with the grief and shock ensuing from this terrible accident there are also many practical considerations to deal with & consequently we have to try and reschedule [shows through July 9th].

"We aim to announce the new dates for these shows on Wednesday 27th of June and will also supply information on how to obtain refunds on tickets if you cannot come to the show on the new date. We will start playing live again at Les Arenes Nimes, Bilbao BBK festival and Lisbon Optimus Alive festival. We will make every effort to offer the fans the very best show possible under the circumstances – thanks for your understanding and support." See the list of shows here.





Thin Lizzy Enter Recording Studio Today
(hennemusic) A Thin Lizzy member announced over the weekend that the band is hitting the studio today to record some new music.

"Thin Lizzy enters the recording studio tomorrow with electric guitars and amps a'blazin'; and Brian Downey's full drum kit!" tweeted guitarist Damon Johnson on Sunday.

The band is fresh off playing the Graspop Festival in Dessel, Belgium on Saturday; they'll perform a full series of European dates throughout the summer. more on this story



Godsmack Cancel Dates Due To Illness
Godsmack announced on Friday that they had to pull the plug on a few concerts on their current European tour while frontman Sully Erna recovers from an illness.

The band told fans: "Erna has been advised by doctors to not sing for the next five days. Their performance at Luxembourg's Rock a Field Festival, The Bataclan in Paris France for Sunday June 24th, and Zurich Switzerland at Komplex 457 on June 26th will unfortunately all be cancelled. Information regarding ticket refunds can be found at the box office for each venue."

The 26th date still shows on their official website, but going by the above it appears the tour will resume on Thursday when they play Wien, Austria. Get the latest here.



Jack White Voodoo For Halloween
Jack White has been confirmed as the final headliner at this year's Voodoo Music And Arts Experience.

This year's Voodoo will take place this Halloween weekend in New Orleans, Friday, October 26, Saturday, October 27 and Sunday, October 28-- and will mark its 14th consecutive year. In addition, for the first time, this year's Voodoo will offer on site camping.

White joins previously announced headliners Green Day and Neil Young & Crazy Horse. The Avett Brothers; Kaskade; Justice; Silversun Pickups; JFK of MSTRKRFT; AWOLNATION; Étienne De Crécy; K'Nann; Dave Stewart; The Gaslamp Killer; Thomas Dolby; Borgore; Nervo; and Supagroup round out the developing 2012 Voodoo line-up that features artists from a variety of musical genres. more on this story



Kamelot Announce New Lead Singer
Kamelot have announced Seventh Wonder frontman Tommy Karevik as their new lead singer.

Guitarist Thomas Youngblood says: "We had around 800 candidates for the vacant position, among them a number of really renowned musicians, and having to reject them really wasn't easy. We want to thank all the applicants, thank you for your understanding and we wish you all lots of success in the future!"

In their search for a new singer, Thomas Youngblood found YouTube to be an amazing tool: "I listened to a clip of a studio production featuring Tommy and have to confess that his performance really amazed me. His approach to melodies and themes suits KAMELOT perfectly, and during our European shows we had plenty of opportunity to find out what a great guy he is." more on this story



Tom Waits Going Late Night in July
(hennemusic) Tom Waits has announced the rescheduled dates for appearances on The Late Show with David Letterman and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.

Waits was originally scheduled to be on both shows in late April, and new dates have been confirmed. Tom will appear on Letterman July 9 and Fallon on July 10.

The music legend will be talking with the hosts and giving the first live performance of songs from his latest recording, "Bad As Me." more on this story



Alez Lifeson Discusses Setlist For Upcoming Rush Tour
(hennemusic) Now that Rush's 20th studio album, "Clockwork Angels," is out, the band is turning its attention to planning for their upcoming tour, which kicks off September 7th in Manchester, NH.

In a new interview with Rolling Stone, Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson explains the challenge the group has creating a setlist when they have such a huge catalogue of material to choose from.

"It's very difficult," says Lifeson. "We want to play the new material. We sort of go back and forth. 'Should we play the whole thing? Or should we play most of it, or some of it, and mix it up?' It's always very difficult, and having come off a tour where we featured an album in its entirety, it makes the idea of featuring the whole of 'Clockwork Angels' that much more appealing."

"I think for the first leg of the tour, at the very least, we'll do most of the record – not all of it, but we'll do most of it," Alex continues. more on this story



Steve Winwood Surprise Jam With Tom Petty
(Gibson) Fans of Steve Winwood received an unexpected treat on Wednesday night (June 20) when the former Traffic star joined Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers onstage at London's Royal Albert Hall.

Winwood, who shared tour dates with Petty & The Heartbreakers during their 2008 and 2009 North American appearances, joined the headliners for renditions of his songs, "Gimme Some Lovin'" and "Can't Find My Way Home."

The Albert Hall appearance was Winwood's first live performance in the U.K. since he performed at a tribute for George Harrison in 2002. more on this story





Fans Prevent Elvis Crypt Auction
(Classic Rock) The crypt where Elvis Presley's body lay before it was moved to his Graceland home has been pulled from a celebrity auction following a fan backlash.

Supporters erupted in fury after Julien's Auctions announced the empty tomb in Forest Hill Cemetery, Memphis, was to go under the hammer with a starting price of $100,000.

The end price was to include a memorial inscription, use of the cemetery chapel for a service and the opening and closing of the crypt for burial.

The sale was called off before yesterday's event as a result of fan activity. more on this story



Iron Maiden Celebrating Seventh Son Era With New Tour
(Classic Rock) Iron Maiden have kicked off their new retro tour and they're preparing for the barrage of complaints from some sections of their vocal fanbase. But it's business as usual for guitarist Adrian Smith, who insists anyone who's unhappy about their 1980s-themed setlist just needs to look at things the other way.

The band's Maiden England tour focuses on and around their Seventh Son of a Seventh Son era with no up-to-date material making an appearance.

On the opening night of the US leg in Charlotte, North Carolina, Maiden's set list was Moonchild, Can I Play With Madness, The Prisoner, 2 Minutes to Midnight, Afraid to Shoot Strangers, The Trooper, The Number of the Beast, Phantom of the Opera, Run to the Hills, Wasted Years, Seventh Son of a Seventh Son, The Clairvoyant, Fear of the Dark, Iron Maiden, Aces High, The Evil That Men Do and Running Free. more on this story



Children of Bodom Return To Nuclear Blast For Next Album
Children of Bodom have returned to Nuclear Blast Records and plan to release a new studio album next year under the deal.

"We had a good, productive and long run with Spinefarm Records for fifteen years and now it's simply just time for a change." said Children of Bodom front man / guitarist Alexi "Wildchild" Laiho. "I'm absolutely stoked to start the new chapter of COB's career with Nuclear Blast and look forward to working with them."

"Personally, I am so excited to get to work with Nuclear Blast again." adds COB bassist player Henkka T. Blacksmith. "We have such good memories from the beginning of our career with them. We know the people already and we know how committed they are in doing metal!" more on this story



The Offspring To Rock Jimmy Kimmel
The Offspring are set to perform on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" tonight, Monday June 25th.

The Offspring set will be part of the Jimmy Kimmel Live! summer concert series on the outdoor stage.

The band will be performing their new song "Days Go By," which is the title track and first single from their new album due out tomorrow, June 26 (Columbia Records).



Flaming Lips Aiming For New Album Release This Fall
(Gibson) Flaming Lips leader Wayne Coyne says the band has nearly finished recording their next studio album, with a release tentatively planned for this fall. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Coyne said he "honestly [thinks] it might be the best Flaming Lips record that we've ever made."

Coyne went on to say many of the songs for the album were composed during the sessions for the group's recent collaborative work, Flaming Lips and Heady Fwends. That album, which saw the band team with such artists as Bon Iver and Coldplay's Chris Martin, received a limited release in April, in conjunction with Record Store Day. A proper release is set for June 26.

"Things happen when you're making lots and lots of music and working with lots of freaky people," Coyne said. "It sends you off in directions that you would not think of. That's the magic of music."
more on this story





Sylosis To Release New Album in September
Sylosis have set a September 7th release date for their new studio album, entitled Monolith, which will be released by Nuclear Blast Records.

"Monolith" was recorded with Romesh Dodangoda in Wales at Monnow Valley Studio. Vocalist and guitar player Josh Middleton commented:

"Some people might not have expected us to come out with a new album so quickly but we already had a few songs written for this album by the summer of 2010. We've spent as much time writing this album as any of the others and I think we're all the most proud we've ever been. Monolith is the best representation of us as a band in terms of our diverse influences and stylistically it's what we've always been aiming for. A mixture of thrash, big doomy riffs and dark atmospherics and ambience. more on this story



B Sides


Singled Out: Argonaut's Touch Electric
Today Nathan Lyons from Argonaut tells us about their brand new single "Touch Electric" which is being released today and will be on their forthcoming album. Here is the story:

The title was inspired by a friend of ours who was continually getting electric shocks – he claims to have been struck by lightning a number of times. I'm not so sure, but all that I know is that he would yelp in pain every now and again and claim to have had a shock off the TV, the stereo, even the fridge. Some people say that you get a static shock off him whenever you touched him but I can't verify that!

It was one of the first songs we ever gelled with. Like most of the songs then, it is a love song. It's the story of two people with an over-whelming, all-consuming love for each other. The adrenalin and nervous energy literally make them sick. The emotions are so strong, every touch feels charged, like an electric shock – 'the touch electric'

The music came instantaneously. Music and lyrics probably took an hour to write and record. The guitar riff is a grunged up T-Rex meets the Kills kind of thing. The chorus has the chukka chukka chukka chukka break a bit like in The Breeder's Cannonball – one of the best songs ever written! There's a touch of Mudhoney in the words too – we were listening to a lot of grunge at the time and these things seep through the subconscious.

The bass line wrote itself but was always going to be the driving force. I also love the noise break/ anti solo – great fun to play live. The synths were added by our producer, and sound amazing – they sneak up on you , sometimes they sound like an alarm or phone going off – but they really drive the chorus. There's some great backing vocals too, that Lorna could hear every time she sang. They work really well in the final version and with Abby singing live.

We are really chuffed to have Touch Electric as our first single from the album. It's something that we all agreed with as a band, and were fully backed by Criminal Records. It's loud, heavy and noisy and I think it captures the spirit of some of our influences."

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



Van Halen's Full Manchester Concert Streaming Online
(hennemusic) Van Halen are currently winding down the first leg of their "A Different Kind Of Truth" tour.

The band wraps things up on Tuesday in New Orleans before taking a summer break, with a November series of Japanese dates appearing to be next on their schedule.

"The band is getting along famously, better than we have in quite some time, and I think the shows reveal that through the miracle of YouTube," frontman David Lee Roth recently told fans. "I think we're one of the few bands who relishes you bringing whatever camera — if you can carry it in and pull the trigger on it yourself, then please do. And through the eye of YouTube, you can see that we're having ourselves a hell of a time, and I think that translates into the music."

Plenty of fans have taken Van Halen up on the offer, including some newly-posted footage of their complete March 13 show in Manchester, NH. Watch it here.



Behind The Scenes With Megadeth
(hennemusic) Megadeth rocked the second day of the Graspop Metal Meeting in Dressel, Belgium on Saturday.

The band played on a bill with Thin Lizzy, Twisted Sister, Limp Bizkit, Trivium, Adrenaline Mob and Powerwolf.

The festival appearance was part of Megadeth's "Thirteen" world tour, in support of their 2011 album of the same name. Bassist David Ellefson is sharing behind-the-scenes footage from the June 23 event. Watch it here.



Sebastian Bach Loses His Microphone
(hennemusic) Sebastian Bach has been winding his way across Europe while he tours to promote his latest release, "Kicking & Screaming."

Last Friday, Bach rolled into the Gods Of Metal festival in Milan, Italy to perform on the second day of the three-day event. During his opening number, Skid Row's "Slave To The Grind," Bach lost his microphone while spinning it in the air over his head, ala Roger Daltrey of The Who.

Sebastian had his solo band stop the set, and returned to the stage a few minutes later to restart things once the technical issue was addressed. Watch it here.



Def Leppard Rock Of Ages 2012 Lyric Video
(hennemusic) Def Leppard released newly-rerecorded versions of two of their classic hits from the 1980s: "Pour Some Sugar On Me" and "Rock Of Ages," and have now released a new a lyric video for the 2012 version of "Rock Of Ages."

As to why the band rerecording the classics: "It was, well, let's just say a sensible business decision on our part," Leppard vocalist Joe Elliott tells MTVHive.

"How can I put this politely? We were having a major disagreement with our ex-record label about the digital rights for our back catalog. We couldn't come to a mutual understanding that seemed fair for both sides. So we finally just decided to re-record all our hits. We started with 'Sugar' and 'Rock of Ages,' and I think we did a pretty good job. It's hard work trying to recreate something you did 30 years ago." Watch the lyric video here.



Steve Vai Special Edition of Classic Rock Coming
(Classic Rock) The next issue of Classic Rock (No.174) will be available as a Steve Vai variant edition, featuring his brand new solo album The Story Of Light.

The issue will feature: * The full new album from Steve Vai: The Story Of Light * A 12-page feature on the making of the album – exclusive and unique to this limited-edition version of Classic Rock

* Exclusive interview with Steve Vai unavailable elsewhere * A collector's edition of Classic Rock with an exclusive variant cover featuring Steve Vai more on this story



Anniversary of The Beatles All You Need Is Love Broadcast
(Gibson) On this day in 1967, 40 million people saw The Beatles perform "All You Need is Love," live via satellite as part of the TV global link up, Our World. Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, Graham Nash, Keith Moon and Gary Leeds provided backing vocals. Gibson takes a look back:

On June 25, 1967, the BBC put on the world's first global satellite television broadcast. The program was called Our World, and consisted of five different segments from five continents, a tremendous technological undertaking in 1967.

Selected countries were to produce two items that best symbolized the their life and culture. The BBC chose to produce a four-minute report on Scottish town Cumbernauld and also asked The Beatles to come up with a special song that would reflect the times and the occasion and be understandable by all watching nations. As an incentive, The Beatles would receive £2,000 for their performance.

John Lennon, always good for a slogan, as he'd show consistently post-Beatles, came up with a perfect summer of love peace anthem, "All You Need is Love."

The ambitious satellite link-up was devised by the BBC and executed by the pioneering producer Aubrey Singer, who pulled in an incredible lineup of contributing countries and networks: Australia (ABC), Austria (ORF), Canada (CBC), Denmark (DZR), France (ORTF), Italy (RAI), Japan (NHK), Mexico (TS Mexicana), Spain (TVE), Sweden (SRT), Tunisia (RTT), United Kingdom (BBC), United States (NET) and West Germany (ARD). Our World was also shown Belgium, Bulgaria, Finland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Monaco, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal and Switzerland, although those countries did not provide content. It would have been more, but just a week before the planned broadcast, the Soviet Union and several Eastern Bloc countries backed out

Today's Day In Rock News!

KISS Def Leppard Deep Purple Supergroup Promoter Trouble
(Classic Rock) The Rock'n'Roll All Stars' promoter is being sued by a venue in Venezuela over claims $270,000 was paid for a cancelled event and never returned.
The eleven-man superstar outfit –including Gene Simmons, Joe Elliott, Glenn Hughes, Sebastian Bach – called off six of their planned nine shows in South America during April and May.

Evenpro, organisers of the event at Campo De Futbol Universidad, Caracas, say they paid up front for a two-hour performance and meet-and-greet session. When it was cancelled Gabe Reed Productions didn't return the cash. more on this story



Why Slipknot Are Hiding Their Bass Player
(Banana 101.5) Slipknot percussionist Shawn "Clown" Crahan talks about his disdain for greatest hits albums and why their forthcoming retrospective 'Antennas to Hell' is so much more. In his typically candid fashion, Crahan also talks about why temporary bassist Donnie Steele will remain off stage while playing with the band.

After doing so for their first performances following the death of founding member and bassist Paul Gray, the band will again employ former guitarist Donnie Steele to play bass — from backstage. "What gives him the right to be onstage with us right now?" Clown explains. "When we're going through an experience like this with our fans, they need to concentrate on the eight members that are grieving, not on someone new.

"This isn't a diss on Donnie. I love Donnie, but we chose to tour for just one reason — to share the tragedy, pain and grief of what happened to Paul with our fans instead of going through it alone." Now about that greatest hits collection...



Story Behind The Who's Quadrophenia Hitting Movie Theaters
Fathom continue to bring rockin' films to movie theaters with the latest, "The Who: Quadrophenia- Can You See The Real Me?" The Story Behind The Album set to premiere as a one-night in-theater event on Tuesday, July 24, at 8:00 p.m. local time nationwide. Fathom sent over these details:

Beginning with a special welcome message from lead guitarist Pete Townshend, "The Who: Quadrophenia – Can You See the Real Me?" The Story Behind The Album event will give fans an in-depth, behind-the-scenes look into one of rock's most influential bands – Roger Daltrey (lead vocals, harmonica and guitar), Townshend (guitar, keyboards and vocals), John Entwistle (bass guitar, brass and vocals) and Keith Moon (drums and percussion) – and the creation of their celebrated album, "Quadrophenia," originally released in October 1973.

Tickets for "The Who: Quadrophenia- Can You See The Real Me?" The Story Behind The Album are available at presenting theater box offices and online at www.FathomEvents.com. For a complete list of presenting theater locations and prices, please visit the website (theaters and participants may be subject to change). more on this story



Minus The Bear Preview Forthcoming Album
Dangerbird Records have set an August 28th release date for Minus The Bear's fifth studio album, Infinity Overhead.

The band reunited with former member and longtime producer Matt Bayles (Mastodon, Isis, Cursive) to create the guitar-laden 10-track record. The band is giving a sneak peek into the album with a minute-long trailer you can watch here.

"We wanted to branch out on the last record and explore some more musical directions and work with someone we didn't know," says guitarist Dave Knudson about the band's 2010 LP, Omni, produced by Joe Chiccarelli. "That was very educational and eye opening but at the same time we weren't in our wheel house." Drummer Erin Tate adds: "I look at it like when we started this band we were building a house with the first three records, then with Omni we decided to go to a beach house. Now, with Infinity Overhead, we are back working on our house." Bassist Cory Murchy succinctly exclaims: "We didn't go anywhere, but we're back."
more on this story



Anthrax Covering AC/DC, Journey, Rush and Boston on New EP
(Gibson) To celebrate the one-year anniversary of the release of their most recent album, Worship Music, Anthrax is planning a special EP of covers.

Drummer Charlie Benante broke the news during an interview with Loudwire. "To commemorate the first year of 'Worship Music' being out, we're putting together a little companion EP with some fun s--t on it," he said. "It started out as what I call 'The '70s EP.' It's made up of some cover songs from our favorite bands – consisting of Rush, Thin Lizzy, Boston, Journey… We're still working on it now, but I think it's gonna be really cool."

Fan can expect to hear Anthrax's takes on AC/DC's "T.N.T.," Boston's "Smokin'," Journey's "Keep on Runnin'" and Rush's "Anthem." The EP is due around September 13. more on this story





Incubus HQ Live Set For Release
Big news from the Incubus camp this week, the band has the announced the release of Incubus HQ Live in multiple configurations. Here are details they put out:

In summer of 2011, celebrating their 20th year together, Incubus turned a Los Angeles storefront space into a low-key, hi-tech residency that resulted in six nights of free performances and fan encounters now chronicled on Incubus HQ Live.

The celebration takes place across three separate multi-disc packages released by Legacy Recordings: INCUBUS HQ LIVE (16-track CD + DVD, available August 14th); other package details.



Rare AC/DC Item Fetches Big Price Online
(Classic Rock) A rare AC/DC tour program has sold on eBay for $1500. The 1976 souvenir was produced for the band's Giant Dose of Rock'n'Roll tour of Australia.

But the program was withdrawn midway through the 20-date trip because authorities deemed it "a case for the moral decline in the nation's youth."

The action is thought to have stemmed from a "politically incorrect" comment on bassist Mark Evans' page about Swedish actress Britt Ekland. More rock news here.



All That Remains Finish Recording New Album
All That Remains have finished recording their new album, A War You Can Not Win, which is expected to be release in September 2012.

A War You Can Not Win sees ATR reunited with longtime producer Adam D. (The Devil Wears Prada, As I Lay Dying, Killswitch Engage).

The record is the culmination of an intense writing period for the group that began shortly after their 18-month tour in support of For We Are Many. "So we're gonna release a new disc in the fall and it's called 'A War You Can Not Win'. We really busted our asses and tried to do some new stuff (like we always do) and we're really happy about what came out of it. Some of it is pretty different and is REALLY gonna blow you guys away. Some of it is gonna sound just like what you expect from ATR. And I'm sure all of it is gonna make the internet have a conniption fit! Release is gonna be this fall and we're already working on a co-headline tour to show some of it off! Get into it," comments All That Remains frontman Phil Labonte. more on this story



Former These Arms Are Snakes Frontman Returns With Crypts
Former These Arms Are Snakes frontman Steve Snere returns with Crypts who have set their debut album release and lineup some live shows.

Crypts self-titled debut will be released on LP, CD and download via Sargent House on September 4th, 2012.

Crypts are also planning some live shows include a night supporting Russian Circles and a run in September with Chelsea Wolfe -- dates to come. The also play their hometown at Seattle's Capitol Hill Block Party on July 20th. more on this story



Reminder: Metallica Orion Festival To Stream This Weekend
(Gibson) While it's pretty killer to see Metallica putting together their own music festival this year – Orion Music + More – unfortunately, tons of fans won't be able to trek out to Atlantic City to take part in the metal fun.

Thankfully, Fuse TV has announced they will webcast select performances from the event all weekend long, starting on Saturday (June 23) at 5:30 p.m. ET.

Fuse will stream Metallica's Friday and Saturday night headlining sets, where the guys will perform Metallica (the Black Album) and Ride the Lightning from front to back. In addition, Fuse's YouTube channel will highlight performances by Gaslight Anthem, Modest Mouse and Best Coast, among other acts. more on this story





Duff McKagan Receives High School Diploma
(hennemusic) Duff McKagan is now a high school graduate. On Tuesday, the former Guns N' Roses bassist received his diploma during the Class Of 2012 graduation ceremony at Seattle's Roosevelt High School.

Duff had previously dropped out of the school while in 10th grade; he later went on to take his General Educational Development (GED) tests, which is widely accepted by employers as an alternative to a traditional high school diploma from an accredited high school. "Finally got my high school diploma today. I did the not-so-popular 48-year plan," tweeted Duff.

McKagan's previous education included a basic finance course at Santa Monica Community College in 1994; in the early 2000s he enrolled full-time at Seattle University's Albers School of Business and Economics. more on this story



Alice in Chains' Jerry Cantrell Receives Stevie Ray Vaughan Award
(Banana 101.5) Alice in Chains co-founder Jerry Cantrell was honored with the Stevie Ray Vaughan award for his contributions to the MusiCares MAP fund at an event on May 31. In a new video, you can hear Cantrell, former Guns N' Roses bassist Duff McKagan and more talk about their struggles with sobriety.

Alice in Chains has had many substance abuse problems over the course of their 20+ year history, ultimately losing two of their original members — singer Layne Staley in 2002 and bassist Mike Starr in 2011 — to addiction. They weren't the only band members with problems though, "I'm as imperfect as they come," said Jerry Cantrell at the podium for the MusiCares MAP benefit. "I just try to do what I can to not get high today, you know. And that's pretty much gotten me to where I am today."

Rocking a sweet 'stache, Cantrell even gave the details of his, literally, rocky road to sobriety. "Shawn [Kinney, Alice in Chains' drummer] was at the door with my brother. So my choices were open the door and go to rehab or jump out the back window, down down a cliff, into some blackberry bushes. That's the choice I took." said Cantrell. "And I ended up here. So, I didn't intend to get here but I'm very grateful that I am here and it took a lot of people to help me get here." Check out the video here.



All Else Fails Replace Tom Wolf
All Else Fails have announced that they have replaced drummer Tom Wolf with Shane Tym and plan to begin recording a new album. We were sent these details:

Tym who has been drumming for the last 15 years and was born in Edmonton but grew up in Chilliwack, BC and has played in multiple bands, will be making his AEF debut at this year's Normfest in Fishing Lake, AB on August 4th.

"I'm super pumped to be a part of such a wicked band with such great (and kinda weird) dudes, and am really looking forward to creating some sexy sexy music together!' says new drummer Shane Tym. more on this story



Kill Devil Hill Summer Tour Plans
Kill Devil Hill have mapped out some late summer North American tour dates which will kick off on August 1st in Las Vegas, NV.

Kill Devil Hill is the new project featuring drummer Vinny Appice (Black Sabbath, Heaven and Hell, Dio) and bassist Rex Brown, (Pantera, Down) guitarist Mark Zavon and lead vocalist Dewey Bragg.

The group's self-titled debut album was released May 22nd via Steamhammer/SPV and landed at #9 on the Billboard Top New Artist Albums (HeatSeekers) Chart, #41 on the Top Hard Music Chart and #50 on the Independent Album Chart. more on this story



Halestorm Kicking Off Headline Tour This Weekend
Halestorm will be kicking off their summer headline tour tomorrow, June 23rd, in Portland, ME.

The band is hitting the road once again in support of their latest release, "The Strange Case Of…"

Halestorm also recently made history with their new single, "Love Bites (So Do I)" when the track ascended to #1 at Active Rock radio outlets nationwide, marking the first ever female-fronted group to top the format's airplay ranking. more on this story



Alastor Albums Gets Remastered
Remastered versions of Alastor's first two albums will on September, 3rd in Europe and September, 11th in USA (via MVD).

The material will be remastered using tube technology and released in a limited digipack edition.

Their debut album entitled "Syndroms of the Cities" from 1989 will be available for the first time in CD format, while their previously unreleased second studio album "Destiny" (1190) will have its official premiere. more on this story



B Sides


Iron Maiden World Tour Kick Off Footage Online
(hennemusic) Iron Maiden kicked off their "Maiden England World Tour" Thursday night in Charlotte, NC and some footage has appeared online.

The tour will closely mirror, in terms of production and content, the original 1988 concert video of the same name, shot on the "Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son Tour."

Maiden were joined in Charlotte by special guest Alice Cooper, who opens shows through to July 21. The North American tour will hit more than 30 cities before it wraps in Houston, TX. on August 18. Watch the footage from the kick off here.



Joe Walsh Talks Hotel California and Eagles Flight Plans
(Gibson) Joe Walsh talked to Gibson about making his new album with producer Jeff Lynne, his distinctive guitar style and how he and Don Felder pushed one another during the recording of the Eagles' classic, "Hotel California."

People always want to know about the guitar interplay on "Hotel California." Did you and Felder spend a great deal of time working out your parts? Not a great deal. Once Don [Henley] had figured out the words, and once the vocal was sung, so we knew where not to play, Felder and I decided we would have multiple guitars playing together, doing the same thing, in different voices. We wanted to build that up within the body of the song, so that it would gradually become more complex. And we decided that, at the end of the song, we would have a go at one another. Felder and I pushed each other. It was competitive. It was like, "Okay, watch this!" We did that on purpose, because it created tension, that effort to be the tougher guy. You can hear that in our performances.

How far along are The Eagles' plans for next year? We're working on a documentary. We've looked at all our archives – lots of archived video and interview footage that dates back even before I joined the band. It's going to cover the entire lifetime of the band. Everybody on the perimeter is interviewed, and we're all interviewed. We've got great people producing and directing it. My best guess is that it will come out around the end of the year. The plan is to put together a new show based on the theme of it being our 40th anniversary as a band, and based on the documentary project. With all that content, we'll go out and have a "Happy Birthday" tour sometime next year. Read the full interview here.





Green Day Preview Second Installment of Album Trilogy
(hennemusic) Green Day have unveiled a preview of the second part of their forthcoming album trilogy.

The band has been in the studio recording not one, but three albums – a trilogy entitled ¡Uno!, ¡Dos!, and ¡Tré!. The projects will be released in stages, on September 25th 2012, November 13th 2012 and January 15th 2013 respectively.

Last week, Green Day offered up the preview trailer for "¡Uno!" – now, they've issued an advance look at "¡Dos!" Watch it here.



Anniversary of The Glastonbury Festival
(Gibson) On this day in 1971, Melanie, Quintessence, The Edgar Broughton Band, Pink Fairies, Terry Reid, Gong, David Bowie, Hawkwind, Arthur Brown, Brinsley Schwarz, Fairport Convention and Family all appeared at the second Glastonbury Festival in England. Gibson looks back:

Current Glastonbury Festival chief Michael Eavis put on a small music festival at Worthy Farm in Somerset in September 1970. The following year, the same location saw another more ambitious, more magical festival, where ancient ley lines met in some mystical pattern and which organizer Andrew Kerr and his cohorts called the Glastonbury Fayre, setting the spiritual tone for Glastonbury festivals to come.

Eavis, writing an obituary for Arabella Churchill (granddaughter of Winston Churchill and one of the Andrew Kerr gang) for the Independent newspaper remembered the 1971 organizing team as a "crowd of upper-crust hippies … who wanted me to let them have the farm to put on a free festival to coincide with the 1971 summer solstice."

Bill Harkin, who would design the original giant wooden pyramid stage that was designed to focus the energy of the solstice, met the upper-crust hippies while out walking on Glastonbury Tor (hill). He writes on pyramidstage-glastonburyfestival.co.uk:

"I found myself at the foot of Glastonbury Tor at about midnight and on making a brew of tea on my Primus in the back of the van, I was surprised to see a group of freaks, big hats, long scarves and cloaks stumbling down the Tor path towards me with shrieks of laughter.

"They said that they were meeting a farmer the following day, Michael Eavis who had staged a small music event, Worthy Farm Pop Festival some weeks before … they wanted to rent a farm for a free festival the following year. They had all been so horrified by the steel fences and commercialism of the Isle of Wight Festival and wanted to do something very different."

Eavis was happy for the plan to take place and explained in his Independent piece why he was not actually involved in 1971. "When I had a disagreement with them they threw a load of Tarot cards on the kitchen table. The message read: 'No one with the name of Michael should be involved with the festival.' And I said: 'Hang on a minute, isn't this my farm?'"

Today's Day In Rock News!

Queensryche Replace Geoff Tate
(Classic Rock) Queensryche have split with singer Geoff Tate, and will continue with Todd La Torre in his place, the band have confirmed.
Speculation had been strong in recent weeks that a parting of the ways was on the cards, with the rest of the band revealing they'd formed a splinter group called Rising West featuring Crimson Glory frontman La Torre at the mic.

Drummer Scott Rockenfield says in a statement: "Over the past few months there have been growing creative differences within Queensryche. We want our fans to know that we hoped to find a common resolution, but in the end parting ways with Geoff was the best way for everyone to move forward in a positive direction.

"We wish him the best of luck with all of his future endeavours. We can't wait to bring Queensryche to our fans with Todd behind the microphone." more on this story



Ozzy Osbourne Cancels Show At Last Minute Over Vocal Concerns
(hennemusic) Ozzy Osbourne canceled a show in Mannheim, Germany Wednesday night due to "vocal concerns."

TMZ reports the singer pulled out of the Ozzy Osbourne & Friends show at the SAP Arena at the last minute. The concert is one of the several that were scheduled as make-up dates when the Black Sabbath reunion tour was canceled.

Sources on site tell TMZ that Ozzy was supposed to take the stage after Black Label Society finished their set. But instead, the crowd was advised that Osbourne would be unable to perform due to a medical condition. more on this story



Metallica To Stream Orion Fest
(hennemusic) Metallica launch Orion Music + More at Bader Field in Atlantic City, New Jersey this weekend.

In addition to more than 30 artists on the bill, Metallica will headline both nights, each with its own cool angle: they'll play their classic "Ride The Lightning" album in its entirety on Saturday and, for the first time ever in the U.S., perform the "Black" album on Sunday.

Metallica has announced that select performances will be streamed live via Fuse, including the band's closing set on Sunday evening. more on this story



Guns N' Roses' Axl Rose Takes Another Fall
(hennemusic) Last month, Guns N' Roses Frontman Axl Rose suffered a leg injury when he fell off a table while partying at a club after a show in Moscow; a week later, he fell on stage in Liverpool while saying goodnight to the crowd.

Now, a third Axl fall has been captured on video. At France's Hellfest last weekend, Rose tripped while jumping on a platform on stage during "Sweet Child O' Mine."

Axl did a face-plant and hit the stage when he was just about the sing the song's opening line; he got up right away and delivered the vocal on time while his bandmates played on. Watch it here.



Green Day Cancel Secret Show
(hennemusic) Green Day is making headlines this week as news surfaces that the band's "secret" show, set for this Friday, has been canceled after the city of Burbank denied them the necessary permits due to concerns over crowd control.

Green Day have now announced "permits needed for the show were denied by the city due to crowd control issues.

"The anticipated turnout was well into the thousands, and after monitoring the situation, fears were the number would dramatically swell and pose serious concern for safety of concert-goers once the location was made public." more on this story



Rolling Stones Meeting Next Month To Plan Future
(Gibson) Hot off the rumors that The Rolling Stones were going to play their final gig at 2013's Glastonbury Festival (which was denied by the band's reps), Keith Richards says the boys will get together in July to set their 50th anniversary plans. Keef told Rolling Stone magazine that, ideally, he'd like to play at least one show by the end of the year. "I'd like to get a couple of shows down and see how it goes," Richards said. "But I'd love it."

Although "it's all very hush-hush," the guitarist said that the band members will meet next month in London, following a New York-based jam session in April. He said that the gang will decide if they will be making a new record – which would be their first since 2005's A Bigger Bang.

"We're going to talk about that in July and see. I mean, I'd love to get some tracks down and see what songs we've got," he said. "And that goes along with part of getting the band back together and getting things moving. So I'd love to cut some tracks, yeah." more on this story





Royal Thunder Guitarist Hospitalized
Royal Thunder guitarist Josh Coleman has been hospitalized for an undisclosed illness forcing the band to cancel a couple of dates on their current trek with Valient Thorr and Holy Grail.

The band issued the following: "Royal Thunder's guitar player Josh Coleman has been sick for a few days. We were driving down the road in Indiana and he woke up saying 'pull over, pull over,' he puked up blood and then passed out. He is very sick. The ambulance came and got him and now he's resting at Cameron Hospital in Indiana. He is our brother and our family. We will be by his side for the next couple of days, in hopes that he recovers. He is receiving blood transfusions and waiting on results.

"We need to cancel our next two shows, Wednesday and Thursday. We deeply apologize and regret it. Sorry for any disappointments. We wish we could be there. We hope you all can understand. Thank you for your support and we look forward to meeting back up with our tour buddies, The Kick Ass, Holy Grail ,and Valient Thorr! Peace!"

More on Royal Thunder - Royal Thunder Music - Royal Thunder Tour Dates/Tickets - Royal Thunder CDs, vinyl and rarities
Uriah Heep Manager and Producer Gerry Bron Dead at 79
(Classic Rock) Producer and band manager Gerry Bron has died at the age of 79. He worked closely with Uriah Heep for many years. He gave the band their name, managed their affairs and served behind the desk for their 1970 debut album Very 'Eavy, Very 'Umble, then every subsequent release until 1980′s Conquest.

His label Bronze Records was home to acts including Heep, Motorhead, Colosseum and the Damned. Bron also worked in the mainstream pop arena with acts such as Manfred Mann and Gene Pitney.

His son Richard tweeted: "Very sadly my father passed away yesterday morning very unexpectedly. Rest in peace Dad – we all love you." more on this story



Iron Maiden Kick Off Tour Tonight
(hennemusic) Iron Maiden kick off their "Maiden England World Tour" today in Charlotte, NC. Maiden have offered up some video from rehearsals for the trek to give fans a behind the scenes look at their preparations for today's launch.

The tour will closely mirror, in terms of production and content, the original 1988 concert video of the same name, shot on the "Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son Tour."

The North American tour will hit more than 30 cities before it wraps in Houston, TX. on August 18. Maiden will be joined by special guest Alice Cooper on shows to July 21, and then Coheed and Cambria step in to open the second half of the trip. Watch the video here.



Rush Top The Charts With New Album
(hennemusic) Rush's new album, "Clockwork Angels," has debuted at the top of the Canadian charts.

The project enjoyed first week sales in excess of 19,600 in the band's homeland, marking Rush's first #1 debut for a studio album in the SoundScan era.

Stateside, "Clockwork Angels" entered the Billboard 200 albums chart at #2, with sales of 103,000 copies. more on this story



Metallica's Kirk Hammett Plans To Release Book
(Gibson) Most Metallica fans know that guitarist Kirk Hammett is an avid collector of all things horror-related. Now, he's ready to share his assembly of rare items with the world via a new book, Too Much Horror Business – The Kirk Hammett Collection, due out this October.

The hardback book will include 300 images of items from Hammett's stash, with captions written by the guitarist and a three-part interview about his passion for horror.

"This is my gift to all the other horror nerds out there who are just like me," Kirk said in a press release. "It's been made with great love for all the many characters and movies which guided me through childhood, into adulthood and which still keep me on track today." more on this story





Black Crowes' Rich Robinson Produces New Sandi Thom Album
Sandi Thom has set an August 14th release date for her fourth studio album Flesh and Blood.

Produced by the Black Crowes' Rich Robinson, and featuring a rare duet with Buffy Sainte-Marie, the album was recorded at 16 Tons studio in Nashville, Tennessee.

"Sandi really stretched herself and made a bold new album," reflects Rich Robinson, "Her songs are honest, vulnerable and very strong. Her vocal abilities are showcased really well, as is her guitar work, and harp playing. I think Sandi's made a great record. It was a joy to work with her." more on this story



The Gates Of Slumber Welcome Back Former Member
The Gates Of Slumber are reuniting with former drummer "Iron" Bob Fouts for their upcoming North American tour.

The band has parted amicably with their friend J. Clyde Paradis, who recorded and toured behind last year's album, The Wretch (Rise Above Records).

Fouts drummed for the band on previous Gates albums Conqueror (2008) and Hymns of Blood and Thunder (2009). more on this story



ZZ Top's Gibbons, MGMT, The Kills and More Tribute Fleetwood Mac
(Gibson) ZZ Top's Billy F. Gibbons, The New Pornographers, The Kills, MGMT, and Marianne Faithful are among the artists to take part in a new tribute to Fleetwood Mac.

The U.K. blues pioneers, then led by Peter Green, were an early guitar influence on Gibbons, as well as on Aerosmith's Joe Perry. Fleetwood Mac later became pop/rock stars with Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks as frontpeople.

Gibbons is returning a favor – drummer Mick Fleetwood and bassist John McVie appeared on a ZZ Top tribute earlier this year. Sonic Youth's Lee Ranaldo and Dinosaur Jr.'s J Mascis also duet on the album.

The as-yet-untitled album will be released in the U.S. on September 14. Check out the tracklist here.





Classic Muddy Waters and Rolling Stones Show Set For Release
Eagle Rock have set a July 10 release date for the DVD and special two-disc DVD/CD package of Muddy Waters & The Rolling Stones Live At The Checkerboard Lounge Chicago 1981.

They will also be releasing the classic live package as a DVD/2LP vinyl set on September 11.

On November 22, 1981, the Rolling Stones were criss-crossing America on one of their mammoth tours when they had a night off in Chicago, Illinois. What to do? The decision was a no-brainer. Muddy Waters (1915-1983) was in town that night performing at his own juke-joint, The Checkerboard Lounge. It didn't take long before The Master called up to the stage his students, vocalist Mick Jagger, guitarists Ron Wood and Keith Richards and piano player Ian Stewart. The four Stones wound up jamming with Muddy and his band to the absolute delight of the lucky patrons there that night and, man, they raised the roof. more on this story



Stone Temple Pilots, Deftones, Chevelle For Aftershock Festival
Aftershock Festival is set to debut this year on Sunday, September 23 at Discovery Park in downtown Sacramento, CA.

The initial lineup for the full-day rock festival includes Stone Temple Pilots, Deftones, Bush, Chevelle, Hollywood Undead, Theory of a Deadman, Oleander, Escape the Fate, Otherwise, Gemini Syndrome and more.

Discovery Park is located in downtown Sacramento, where the American River meets the Sacramento River. "When you're bringing a new rock festival to any city, it's important to have a great local radio partner, and a strong feeder system of stations to support the show," says festival creator/producer Danny Wimmer of Arms Division Concerts/DWP/Right Arm Entertainment. "Sacramento has this and more. Its deep foundation in rock – including bands like Deftones and Oleander, music executives coming out of the area, and vital stations like KDOT, KBRE, and our partner station 98 Rock – proves that rock is a mainstay in Northern California." More details.



Tarja Turunen Returning With Act I
Tarja Turunen has set a September 4th North American release date for, Act I, which will be released in 2-CD, 2-DVD and Blu-Ray format.

The first ever live audio/video offering from the former Nightwish soprano, Act 1 was recorded and filmed with 10 HD cameras at the breathtaking Teatro El Círculo in Rosario, Argentina in March 2012.

With an track listing of solo tunes, Nightwish classics and various covers including a rendition of Andrew Lloyd Webber's "The Phantom Of The Opera," Gary Moore's "Over The Hills and Far Away," Whitesnake's "Still Of The Night" and a variety of video extras, Act I provides a full-fledged bill of fare to every diehard Tarja fan. more on this story



Robert Cray Album and Tour Coming
Robert Cray will release his brand new studio album "Nothin But Love" on Monday August 27th in the UK.

He will precede the effort with a UK tour which kicks off on June 26th with a date at the Shepherds Bush Empire (as part of London Blues Fest).

In addition to his London Blues Fest concert at the Shepherd's Bush Empire on June 26th, Robert Cray other UK dates include; Glasgow 02 ABC (June 28), Birmingham Town Hall (June 29), Warrington Pyramid & Parr Hall (June 30), Holmfirth Picturedrome (July 2), Reading Sub89 (July 3) and Brighton Concorde 2 (July 4). more on this story



Prong Expand Summer Tour Plans
Prong have added a handful of headlining dates to their summer tour plans with Clutch and Corrosion of Conformity, as well as two more festival appearances.

The first is at the "Slang Metalfest" in Danville, IL on August 25th and the second is an appearance at the "Bumbershoot" in Seattle, WA on September 1st.

Prong has been selected as one of the bands to play on this year's inaugural "Knotfest" hosted by Slipknot. The two date festival will take place August 17th in Pacific Junction, IA and August 18th in Somerset, WI. more on this story



Jane's Addiction, Florence and the Machine and Weezer For SoundTown Fest
Jane's Addiction, Florence and the Machine and Weezer are set to headline the SoundTown Music and Camping Festival.

The event will take place on July 27-28, 2012, with a kickoff party on Thursday, July 26, at Somerset Amphitheater in Somerset, Wis.

"We are thrilled to announce a lineup that will be sure to draw music and camping fans from across the country," Somerset Amphitheater General Manager Matt Mithun said more on this story



Threshold Reveal March Of Progress Details
Threshold have set an August 31st release date for their new studio album, entitled "March Of Progress."

"March Of Progress" was recorded and produced in Thin Ice Studios (Dragonforce, Pendragon) by band members Karl Groom and Richard West with additional production at Eightspace Studio (League of Lights, The Morning After).

Vocal duties on "March of Progress" have been performed by Threshold's original front man Damian Wilson (Star One, Headspace), who's been back touring with the band since the release of "Dead Reckoning." more on this story



B Sides


Singled Out: Cory Branan's Bad Man
Today Cory Branan tells us about the song "Bad Man" from his brand new album "Mutt". Here is the story:

This one definitely came from living in Memphis where people are all up in your business. It's about maybe deserving a bad reputation but for far more interesting reasons than small town gossip mongers are aware of. The "you aint afraid of no alleyway when you are the thing in the dark" line came directly out, bad grammar and all, while I was taking a seedy shortcut with a friend.

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



Bruce Springsteen Movie Hits The Web
(Gibson) CNN has released a new film that sees Bruce Springsteen talking about the making of his latest studio album, Wrecking Ball.

The candid film is based around an interview that Springsteen conducted in front of a live studio audience earlier this year. You can watch the movie, Bruce Springsteen and The Working Man, at CNN here.

U.K. magazine Uncut has also launched an iPad app dedicated to the history of "The Boss." It chronicles the history of the man from the early to mid-'70s, right up to the release of Wrecking Ball in 2012. more on this story





Halestorm Release Flint Focused I Miss the Misery Video
(Banana 101.5) Halestorm love playing Flint, Michigan so much, they shot their entire music video for 'I Miss the Misery' there.

Halestorm's video for the new single features many recognizable Flint landmarks, most notably The Machine Shop.

The footage of their performance was shot during a very special sold out concert on May 18th, the day before their set at Rock on the Range. Watch it here.



New Green Day Somewhere Between AC/DC And The Early Beatles?
(Gibson) Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong had described the band's new trilogy project, iUno! ¡Dos! ¡Tré!, as a crazy idea that's working well.

Musically, he told Rolling Stone, it's power pop. "We wanted something punchier, more power pop – somewhere between AC/DC and the early Beatles," he said.

Armstrong also described the recording process this time around. "The last two records were studio albums," he said. "This one – we started rehearsing every day, constructing these songs together. It felt like we were all in a room jamming – everyone in the mix, throwing out ideas. If you listen to it, it feels grand. But it also feels like a garage band." more on this story





Arjen Lucassen Releases Pink Beatles in a Purple Zeppelin Video
(InsideOut) Arjen Lucassen has released a new music video for the track "Pink Beatles in a Purple Zeppelin," taken from his recently released concept solo album, Lost In The New Real.

The video was mainly shot where Arjen grew up, near the sea in Holland. In regards to the video, Arjen comments: "It's a very 'Dutch' clip, windmills and all! So you could say this clip goes back to my roots, also musically. It features many visual links (at least 10!) to the bands and albums that I grew up listening to. Peace, man!" To watch it here.

Featuring artwork created by Arjen and renowned designer Claudio Bergamin, plus an appearance by legendary actor Rutger Hauer as the album's narrator, Lost In The New Real is a double-CD that tells the story of Mr. L, a 21st century man who was cryo-preserved at the moment of clinical death from a terminal disease. more on this story



Grumpy Old Punks Deliver Anarchy in the Prostate
(APR) Grumpy Old Punks have released a new EP, Anarchy in the Prostate, via iTunes and a limited edition vinyl 45rpm.

It's made up of songs inspired by the daily struggles and frustrations faced by the middle age band members who use punk rock as a vehicle to humorously voice their frustration at the adult toils they must endure.

"What the hell does an eighteen year old know about anger or angst?" barks lead singer LouB. "They live at home and have nothing worse to sweat than term papers or the occasional STD. Pure punk rock wrath can best be musically manifested by those who know the mundane, commonplace horrors of the real world: balding, paunchy, frustrated, middle age guys."