Today's Day in Rock News!

Today's Day in Rock


Rolling Stones Release Limited Edition Hyde Park Live Album
(hennemusic) The final shows of the Rolling Stones' 50 & Counting tour have been released as "Hyde Park Live" exclusively via iTunes for a limited time.
The album will be available for just four weeks – from July 22 to August 19 – following the band's two sold out concerts in London's Hyde Park on July 6th and 13th.

The shows marked the Stones first appearance in Hyde Park in 44 years - since the group's free concert on July 5, 1969; just two days after the death of founding member Brian Jones, that show marked the live debut of his replacement, Mick Taylor.

Both of the Stones' Hyde Park shows were reportedly filmed and a DVD is expected to be released in the near future, as well. Check out the set list and some videos from the show.



Def Leppard's Vivian Campbell Cancer Fight Update
(hennemusic) Last month, Def Leppard guitarist Vivian Campbell revealed that he has been diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma, and he is now sharing an update on his battle with cancer.

"I'm doing very well all things considered, you know?," Campbell tells Mark and John at the Talking Metal podcast. "I am taking it as it comes and the treatments are doing their job and they are not adversely affecting me too much.

"I had to get a radical new hairstyle and it's coming out fast still but other than that no real problems. The two or three days around the chemo treatments are a little rough but nothing I can't handle."

The treatments have left the guitarist with a new look. "Oh yeah, in a few weeks it's going to be no hair," he laughs. "I am leaving most of it on my pillow in the morning. It is coming out fast. Anyway, it's all good. I needed a grown-up haircut." more on this story





Slash To Stream Final Show Of His Tour
Slash has announced that he and his solo band Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators will be streaming the final concert of their summer tour online.

Fans will be able to watch the final stop of the Apocalytpic Love summer tour stream live from Las Vegas via EvntLive starting at 9PM PT/Midnight EST this Thursday, July 25th here.

The Las Vegas show appears to be the final concert for Slash and his band's world tour in support of the album "Apocalyptic Love," which was produced by Eric Valentine.

Slash will then turn his attention to promoting his upcoming feature film release from his Slasher Films. Slash co-produced the film, "Nothing To Fear," which will begin a limited theatrical engagement on October 4th ahead of the DVD, Blu-Ray release on October 8th.




Paramore Launching North American Tour
(Radio.com) It must have been a very busy day for Paramore on Monday. The band had to squeeze in a North American tour announcement while making breakfast.

The Tennessee-based rockers will launch a 27-stop arena tour to support their self-titled album released earlier this year. Kicking off October 15 at Seattle's Key Arena and wrapping up November 27 in Duluth, Ga., the Self-Titled Tour will also include a detour for New Orleans' Voodoo Music & Arts Festival from November 1-3.

Paramore will be accompanied by Metric, supporting their fifth album Synthetica, and synth-poppers Hellogoodbye, who are promoting their recently released Did It Kill You live album.

To make their announcements, Paramore frequently opts for lo-fi videos shot in and around their homes. Monday's breakfast-themed announcement is no different. Watch here.





Sacha Baron Cohen Quits Freddie Mercury Biopic
(Classic Rock) The long-awaited movie based on the life of Queen frontman Freddie Mercury has run into more problems. Borat creator Sacha Baron Cohen, who'd been hired to play Mercury in the biopic, has quit the project after becoming unhappy with developments.

Deadline.com reports: "The reason is that the band wanted to make more of a PG movie about Queen, while Cohen was counting on a gritty tell-all centered round the gifted gay singer.

"Given the astonishing physical resemblance, it's hard to imagine anyone else playing Freddie but Sacha." more on this story





Spinal Tap Eyeing A Return
(Gibson) Brace yourselves: the mighty Spinal Tap are ready for 'a reinsertion.' The news came at the end of an interview with filmmaker/actor Christopher Guest, who revealed that while Tap is asked to play shows on a regular basis - and last reunited in 2009 - "We're in the midst of talking about something for next year."

That would place the next reunion at the 30th anniversary of the film This Is Spinal Tap. Guest didn't give any clues as to what the reunion might entail, so it really could be anything - a single, an album, a new film, a tour… it's fun to speculate, but Guest seems to be playing his cards pretty close to his chest regarding what form this potential Tap activity might entail.

Guest also reflected on what has happened to the band since the release of the film: "…we've gone on tour, playing Wembley, the Albert Hall, Carnegie Hall… It's weird but great. The fiction became real."

If you can't get enough of the mighty Tap and you would like to see some of this real fiction, you owe it to yourself to check out The Return of Spinal Tap, a 1992 sequel of sorts to the original film which includes performance footage from the Royal Albert Hall as well as a look at the band's history, as well as 'where-are-they-now?' scenes. It hasn't quite attained the legendary stature of This Is Spinal Tap but it's well worth a look. more on this story







Paul McCartney Explains How Nirvana Reunion Jam Happened
(hennemusic) Paul McCartney is raving about the Nirvana reunion (Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic and Pat Smear) that joined him Friday night at his Out There tour stop in Seattle.

"They're powerful, you know," McCartney tells Rolling Stone. "It's a great power to have them on stage with you. I mean, my band's great – but when you augment it with Nirvana, that's greater."

Nirvana's Grohl, Novoselic and Smear teamed up with McCartney at Safeco Field to perform an encore set of songs that included their original collaboration, "Cut Me Some Slack" (from the Sound City soundtrack), along with Beatles gems "Get Back", "Long Tall Sally", "Helter Skelter" and show closer, the "Golden Slumbers" medley.

"We hatched that plan a couple of weeks ago," McCartney tells Rolling Stone. "Dave was going to come up to Seattle with his family, and I said to him, 'Do you think there's any chance the guys would fancy [a reunion]?' He said, 'Well, let me ask.' And they fancied it. So we thought, 'Let's go and flip 'em out.'" more on this story




Last In Line Will Mostly Avoid Dio's Third Album During Tour
(Classic Rock) Dio offshoot band Last In Line will play most of the band's first two albums but not much of third release Sacred Heart – because the material carries too many bad memories.

Guitarist Vivian Campbell, now with Def Leppard, last week told Classic Rock he aimed to reclaim his heritage by playing songs he co-wrote for the first time since being sacked by Ronnie James Dio in 1986. But he's not ready to extend that to the album he was touring at the time he was fired.

Talking Metal asked Campbell about of their setlist and he said, "Well, we haven't completely finalized it yet but it's basically going to pick itself. There are only nine songs on Holy Diver and I think there's only nine songs on the Last in Line album too.

"The thing about this band was that the Sacred Heart album was very difficult for us all. That's when things really started to go wrong with the band and no one wanted to be in the studio with Ronnie.

"We would literally just come in and do our parts and we wouldn't really hang where as with Holy Diver & Last in Line we were in the studio 24/7 and everyone was committed to making those records. So the Sacred Heart record, we don't look upon it as favorably. We probably won't play too much from that." more on this story




Alice Cooper Announces Fall Tour Dates
(hennemusic) Alice Cooper has announced a series of fall dates as part of his ongoing Raise The Dead tour. The October/November US shows start October 13 in Port Chester, NY and run to November 6 in Idaho Falls, ID.

Cooper recently revealed plans to record an album of covers for release next year, and says he's "three-quarters of the way through" the project.

The focus of the covers set is material from the late 60s/early 1970s, including songs originally released by The Beatles, The Doors and Jimi Hendrix.

Bob Ezrin, who produced several of Cooper's 70s best-sellers as well as 2011's "Welcome 2 My Nightmare," is working on the set. more on this story





Ace Frehley Recording New Album
(Gibson) Original KISS guitarist Ace Frehley is in the studio working on a new solo album, the follow-up to his 2009 solo album release, Anomaly, according to a musician working on the effort.

Ace is recording with members of his live band, drummer Matt Starr and bass player Chris Wyse. Starr posted a pic of himself and Ace in the studio on his blog with the caption: "Had a great week in the studio with Ace Frehley and Chris Wyse making some great new music Ace's new record. Stay tuned."

Wyse added "Had a blast these last few days playing with Ace Frehley and Matt Starr!!! Exciting new record coming from Ace!"

When pressed for further details on his official Facebook fan page, Starr said "No details yet. Just that we're working on it & it's gonna ROCK!"

Starr is a busy guy right now: in addition to stepping into the drummer spot in Ace's band last year when Scot Coogan departed to join Lita Ford, Starr plays with Whitesnake guitarist Doug Aldrich's band Burning Rain and has toured the U.S. and U.K. with Love/Hate. As for Wyse, he's worked with Jerry Cantrell, The Cult, Ozzy Osbourne and Mick Jagger, and is vocalist and bassist of his own band, Owl. He was also one of the bassists who auditioned for Metallica in 2003. more on this story






Ian Anderson Working On What May Be New Jethro Tull Album
(Prog) Ian Anderson will release a new album next year – but he's not sure whether it will appear under the Jethro Tull name. He describes the work as "more aggressive" than his last outing, Thick As A Brick 2, and says it's likely to appear next spring.

He surprised fans by launching TAAB2 in his own name, even though the 1972 classic was billed as a Tull record, and last year reported he didn't know whether the band entity had a future.

Now he says: "A new album is in the works for recording in December-January. The release of this concept album – no, I am not going to tell you the title – is scheduled for Easter 2014.

"'Is this to be an Ian Anderson album or a Jethro Tull album?' I hear you ask. 'Not sure, really,' I reply, somewhat evasively…" More details.





Rush Offer Special Edition T-Shirt For Flood Relief
(hennemusic) Rush's July 24 show in Calgary was cancelled due to recent heavy flooding and damage in the Canadian city, so the band rescheduled the concert on the same day in nearby Red Deer that will benefit Alberta Flood Relief.

All proceeds from Rush's show at the Enmax Centrium in Red Deer will go to Alberta Flood Relief, and now the band is also raising funds with the sale of specially-designed t-shirts for the event.

For the Clockwork Angels tour date, Rush will be donating their fee and paying for all their expenses; promoter Live Nation will also be donating their time and fees towards this cause, and the venue will be donating goods and services to the event, as well.

"After seeing the devastation from the recent floods, we felt compelled to do what we could," said bassist Geddy Lee. "While we had hoped to avoid cancelling the Calgary show, venue safety concerns have closed the venue. Our apologies to all of the fans that bought tickets to the Calgary show for any inconvenience. More including photos of the shirts and ordering info.





Anathema Releasing Concert Film and Live Album
(Prog) Anathema will release a live film and album entitled Universal on September 23rd in various configurations via Kscope, the band have confirmed.

It was recorded during their tour in support of ninth album Weather Systems, which drew critical acclaim with Prog Magazine declaring: "Anathema continue to make music that glows with meaning and a love for art's external power to touch the soul. Still special, increasingly extraordinary, the band and this album will be cherished."

Film-maker Lasse Hoile captured the band's one-off show in September 2012 with the Plovdiv Philharmonic Orchestra at the ancient Roman theatre of Phippopolis, Bulgaria. The various configurations details.




Midnight Oil Shoot Down Reunion Rumors
(Gibson) The former members of Aussie rockers Midnight Oil have shot down speculation that they were planning to reunite now that frontman Peter Garrett has announced his retirement from politics.

Garrett had been a minister in the current Australian government, most recently as Minister for School Education, Early Childhood and Youth. Garrett resigned and moved to the backbench a few weeks ago after a leadership and announced he would not contest his seat at the next federal election.

This led to speculation that Garrett would return to his old gig. But the band's longtime manager Gary Morris has announced he's ending his current arrangement with the band as a sign that there are no stirrings of activity within the midnight oil camp.

"Midnight Oil's legacy is undeniable, we have achieved great things together, there is much to be proud of in the band's list of achievements, we are brothers in arms and I will always be there for them," Morris said. "However, in light of recent speculation as to whether the band will reconvene now that Peter is quitting the political arena, now is the time to make my own position clear as to my future involvement with Midnight Oil."

Drummer Rob Hirst added, "This news comes with mixed emotions: quiet reflection, warm affection and misty nostalgia for our shared history, alongside a real sense of achievement and well-deserved pride." And Peter Garrett said, "We truly did accomplish amazing and enduring things working together and we should treasure that, now and in the future." more on this story







Paul Stanley of KISS Throws First Pitch At Toronto Blue Jays Game
(hennemusic) KISS frontman Paul Stanley threw out the ceremonial first pitch Monday night in Toronto as the Blue Jays played host to the Los Angeles Dodgers at the Rogers Centre.

Stanley and KISS are currently in the middle of an extensive Canadian summer tour in support of their latest album, "Monster." The month-long trek wraps up with two dates at Mile One Stadium in St. John's, Newfoundland in early August.

"Monster", the 20th studio album from KISS, sold 56,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 3 on The Billboard 200 chart. Check out video of the pitch here.




Delta Blues Icon T-Model Ford Dies
(The Blues Delta blues icon 'T-Model' Ford has died after a series of health problems. His birth date is unknown, but he was thought to be around 90 years old.

Real name James Lewis Carter Ford, he began playing guitar in his late 50s when his fifth wife gave him an instrument as a parting gift ahead of their divorce.

He came to prominence with his first album, Pee-Wee Get My Gun, in 1997. He delivered another four albums via Fat Possum Records before moving to Mudpuppy for 2008's Jack Daniel Time, then to Alive Naturalsound for 2010's The Ladies Man and 2011's Taledragger.

Ford spent two years in jail for killing a man in self-defence and had scars on his ankles from serving in a chain gang. more on this story





Karnivool Streaming Their New Album Online
(Prog) Karnivool have streamed upcoming third album Asymmetry in full via GuitarWorld. It's the Australian outfit's first record since 2009′s Sound Awake.

Guitarist Drew Goddard explains: "We wanted this record to be a natural evolution; It needed to be more honest and raw, sound-wise and song-wise, exploring uncharted territory for the band while holding true to the things that make Karnivool Karnivool."

Frontman Ian Kenny sees it as a less direct progression. "Each time we walk into another record, we all want to explore new ground," he reports. "We want to open the door to our musical basement, switch the light off and tumble down the stairs into god knows what. Each time we switch the light on again we're a different band." Check out the album stream.





Devin Townsend Releases Retinal Circus Preview Video
(Prog) Devin Townsend has released a clip from his upcoming live DVD The Retinal Circus. The clip features the performance of Grace, featuring Anneke Van Giersbergen.

The show took place in London's Roundhouse in October last year, and sold out a year in advance. It included 25 songs plus sketch scenes, an art exhibition and performance art, and Townsend called it "the most definitive Devin show to date – a culmination of my entire career with a star lineup and full supporting cast."

Now, after nearly eight months of work, the recorded version is nearly ready to be launched in double-DVD, Blu-ray and double-CD formats, with a five-disc special edition and a "Diehard Deluxe" fan box set. The release date will be confirmed in due course.

Towsend comments: "It's been a huge amount of work for everyone, but we're almost there – and when watched in its entirety, it's really a heck of an experience. When the final products have been produced, we'll let you know. Fun – whew!" Check out the video here.





Anneke Van Giersbergen Releasing New Solo Album
(Prog) Anneke Van Giersbergen has signed to InsideOut for the release of her fifth solo album. The former vocalist with The Gathering – also known for her work with Ayreon and Devin Townsend – will release Drive on September 23, followed by an extensive European tour including a show at the Jazz Cafe, London, on October 19.

Van Giersbergen says: "I look forward to a long and prosperous collaboration with InsideOut. We share a genuine passion for music, and it's great to become label mates with my friend Devin, and many other talented musicians.

She's released a video clip covering her tour in support of previous record Everything Is Changing, plus the making of her latest record. Watch the video and grab her tour dates here.





Joe Satriani Performs National Anthem At U.S. Grand Prix
(hennemusic) Ahead of his upcoming North American tour in support of "Unstoppable Momentum," guitarist Joe Satriani performed the national anthem at the U.S. Grand Prix in Laguna Beach, California on Sunday.

The ninth consecutive year at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca for the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix also saw a concert featuring the original members of Bob Marley's The Wailers, as well as a wide assortment of activities over the 3-day weekend event.

Satriani launches his North American dates in San Diego on August 29. This spring, "Unstoppable Momentum" debuted at #42 on the Billboard 200 charts with first-week sales of around 11,000 copies, marking Satriani's highest US chart debut in over 20 years. Check out video of his anthem performance.





Springsteen & I Director Avoided 'God Like' Stories For The Film
(Radio.com) Springsteen & I, which opened last night (July 22), focuses on Bruce Springsteen fans and their devotion to the man, four decades into his career. It's a documentary about Bruce, in which his songs and fans do the talking, so Springsteen himself only appears in live concert footage. In fact, director Baillie Walsh didn't shoot a minute of footage or record any voiceovers. The entire movie is comprised almost entirely of fan testimonials, shot by the fans themselves and submitted for inclusion.

Walsh told Radio.com that after putting the call out to fans for self-shot testimonials in November of 2012, he quickly received about 300 hours of material. He actually watched every single submission.

"I felt very much a responsibility to do so," Walsh explained. "Enormous effort went into [filming those submissions] from thousands of people. I was worried that we were going to get 4,000 hours, that would have been a real problem. Three hundred hours was manageable. Every day we saw something new. Every day was exciting."

Directing the film was mostly an exercise in editing. Walsh spent six months in an edit, and had lots of decisions to make when putting together the final cut. While there's certainly a lot of love for Bruce in the documentary, there were some things that he steered away from.

"There were stories about how generous he is, stuff about 9/11, and he comes off a bit god-like, and I didn't feel comfortable with those stories," Walsh said.

"I think this film doesn't build Bruce to be a god. There's an undercurrent that he's a very decent man, and that does come across in the stories that are told. It's just very heartfelt stories of people talking about how Bruce and his music has affected their lives. One guy from Israel says, 'Bruce taught me how to be a man — a decent man.' That's who Bruce is.

"I really tried not to make it heavy-handed. I didn't come to the film as a Bruce Springsteen fan. I'm leaving it as a great admirer. I think his career is astonishing. I think the fact that he's still producing relevant music — the fact that [in 2012 he released] Wrecking Ball at the age of 60, that's an amazing achievement." Read more from the interview.





Ratt Singer Shares Backstage Photos With Van Halen
(hennemusic) Van Halen played their first US show of 2013 Saturday as they closed out the RockUSA Festival in Oshkosh, WI, and a few backstage photos have surfaced online.

Ratt frontman Stephen Pearcy tweeted separate shots of himself with David Lee Roth (above) and Eddie Van Halen (below) at the final night of the 4-day event, which also saw performances from Godsmack, Anthrax, Buckcherry and many others.

"Great shows past wkend, except for the travel, we had a good time. Thanks for those who enjoyed. w/Dave backstage," wrote Pearcy.

"Ed VH backstage yesterday, the band kicked ass! The mighty EVH looked and sounded great," posted the Ratt singer. See the photos here.





Singled Out: Hey! Hello! (Ginger Wildheart)
Ginger Wildheart has a new collaborative band with Victoria Liedtke called Hey! Hello! and they are releasing their self-titled album today. To celebrate we asked Ginger to tell us about the first single, "Swimwear." Here is the story:

So, I'm walking around Asda, St Helens branch, when a familiar feeling hits me. "INCOMING..." And there it is, another song in my head, or at least the bare bones of one.

I think I'll call this one 'Enter The Dragon' being as I was born in 1964, a year of the Dragon, plus my eldest is also a Dragon (2000) and has just started his first band. What a wonderful year for us dragons this 'un has turned out to be.

It's also the title of the rather excellent Bruce Lee fight-flick that took the UK by storm when I was a kid, turning everyone my age into kicking, screaming mad ones, but I digress.

Anyway, "nice tune", I think to myself. "Think I'll keep hold of it unless Michael Monroe calls and wants me to write something on his new album". It would sound great with him singing it.

He never called.

Cut to Atherstone, UK where I'm mixing a couple of songs for my 555% album, and the chorus fully presents itself in blatant technicolour, 3D and Sensurround, insisting I change the title 'Enter The Dragon' to 'Swimwear'. Not being one to wrestle with my muse I allow the switch.

Suddenly a writing opportunity crops up with Courtney Love, for which I write 2 songs ('The Thrill Of It All' and 'Feral Days', both of which also appear on Hey! Hello!), and I keep 'Swimwear' stuffed firmly in my back pocket should the other two songs be gleefully accepted with open arms.

She never called.

Cut forward to a silly, semi-drunken conversation about making a noisy pop record where I play all the instruments. These kind of conversation are pretty dangerous for me as I react very positively to challenges.

For me songs typically breed, and it wasn't long before my recent, and so far unheard little compositions started to multiply.

First there were four, soon there were eight, and in no time I was demo-ing ten new sonic babies, bashing on an electronic d-drum kit in a small studio deep within the Midlands.

Armed with a ten song demo, with drums extracted and a click track installed, I went about learning how to play the drum tracks on an actual kit, starting with a kiddies scaled down set (belonging to my youngest, who incidentally named Hey! Hello!) and ultimately graduating to a full scale, shiny, big-boy drum kit.

I have to say that I had more fun recording these backing tracks than I can ever remember having in a studio, carving out not only sounds but personalities for the different players (being a multiple personality schizo certainly came up trumps on this occasion) and wrapping up the entire recording process in two weeks, before sending the tapes Stateside for Victoria to add her trans-Atlantic magic in time for a breath-takingly loud mixing session with Russ Russel.

And that, my friends, is the story of Hey! Hello! and 'Swimwear', in a nutshell.

And to think that if people wanted to hear my songs in the first place it would never have happened.

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




Voivod Release Target Earth Video
(Prog) Voivod have released a music video for their track "Target Earth." It's the title piece of their 13th studio album, which was released back in January.

The 3D graphics are based on artwork by drummer Michel 'Away' Langevin, after he met multimedia artist Nicola Piovesan at a Voivod show last year.

The band – who had to cancel a series of shows in February after vocalist Denis 'Snake' Belanger was diagnosed with digestive disease – recently revealed they have a batch of unreleased songs recorded with late guitarist Denis 'Piggy' D'Amour.

Belanger said: "There's a couple of things we could release one day, but it's a touchy thing at this point." Watch the video here.




Orphaned Land Release All Is One Video
(Prog) Orphaned Land have released a video for their track All Is One. It's the title piece from the Israeli outfit's recent fifth album, launched via Century Media in June.

Frontman Kobi Farhi says the record's name is deliberately misleading. He tells JPost.com: "What's ironic is that while the title is All Is One, the lyrics reflect the complete opposite.

"The front cover is some kind of utopian dream, showing the small movement we've succeeded in forging in Turkey and other places, but if you look at the big picture, nothing is really changing – there's no coexistence or peace and barely any talking going on.

"Our message is one of hope, showing how we succeed where politicians fail, but the lyrics on the album focus on the opposite – a tragic and bitter path." Watch it here.





Haken Premiere New Song Atlas Stone
(Prog) British prog rock band Haken have premiered a brand new track, Atlas Stone. It is taken from the band's forthcoming third album, The Mountain, the first to be released on the InsideOut label.

"Atlas Stone has a delicate mix of soft chiming passages, jazzy interludes and crunching riffs and encapsulates the spirit of the The Mountain perfectly" say the band.

"The song is exhilarating and uplifting but is tinged with a sense of urgency and desperation which reflects one's journey to the peak of the mountain. We can't wait to play it on our upcoming tour in September!" Check out the song here.





Tedeschi Trucks Band Premiere New Song Idle Wind
(The Blues Tedeschi Trucks Band have released new track "Idle Wind" via Elle magazine. It's taken from Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi's upcoming second album.

The album, Made Up Mind, is due out on August 19, described as a continuation of their trademark blend of "blues rock and dirt-stained back porch roots rock."

TTB have confirmed a headline show at London's Albert Hall on July 19 as part of this year's Bluesfest London, where they'll be supported by special guests Mavis Staples. Check out the song here.





Metallica Release Master of Puppets Video From Orion Fest
(hennemusic) Metallica have released live footage of their performance of their classic track "Master Of Puppets" at last month's Orion Music + More festival.

The title track from the band's classic 1986 album was featured in Metallica's headlining set, which closed out the festival at Belle Isle in Detroit, MI.

The group have also released video of "For Whom The Bell Tolls" , "…And Justice For All" , "Harvester Of Sorrow" , "I Disappear" , and "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)"

This Week In Rock News!

Slash Announces Soundtrack To His Debut Film Release
(hennemusic) Slash will release the soundtrack album for the first-ever motion picture he has co-produced, "Nothing Left To Fear", on October 4, the same day the film opens in select theaters.

Slash had this to say about the soundtrack, "It's been equally intriguing for me to be involved with producing, writing and performing the music in Nothing Left To Fear.

"Film scoring prompts me to engage different styles of writing and guitar playing that don't always present themselves when I make Rock n Roll records."

The "Nothing Left To Fear" original motion picture soundtrack was written and produced by Slash and Nick O'Toole. It includes the film score plus two original songs: "Nothing Left To Fear", which features vocalist Myles Kennedy, and the instrumental "Welcome To Stull".

"Nothing Left To Fear" is the first film from Slash's production company Slasher Films, and was written by Jonathon W.C. Mills and directed by Anthony Leonardi III.

"As a longtime fan of the horror genre, I want to produce films that are in an older tradition of the genre," says Slash. - More including a video promo




Slipknot's Shawn 'Clown' Crahan To Direct Film
(TeamRock Radio) Slipknot percussionist Shawn 'Clown' Crahan will be entering another entertainment realm by making his movie director debut with his adaptation of graphic novel Officer Downe.

The film, written by comic author Joe Casey, tells the story of the "perfect cop" who gets reanimated by his masters every time he's killed in the line of duty.

Clown – who's directed a number of his band's videos over the years – recently said Slipknot will release a new album next year after coming to terms with the death of bassist Paul Gray in 2010. - Find out when fans can expect it.




Rob Zombie's Current Tour Being Filmed For DVD
(hennemusic) Rob Zombie guitarist John 5 says the rocker is filming his current run of concerts for an upcoming live DVD release, which will be Zombie's very first live DVD release.

"This is big news. I haven't talked about this," John tells Absolute Punk. "30 years, Rob Zombie, White Zombie – never done a live DVD. We're doing one this year. The show's so big. It can't get much bigger, so I'm like, 'We better record this!'"

Zombie is currently on the road headlining the 2013 Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival; he's playing the shows to promote his latest album, "Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor." - more on this story




Ozzy Osbourne In Shock That Black Sabbath Went To No. 1
(hennemusic) Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne says he and the band were in shock when their new album, "13", debuted at the top of the charts in several countries last month.

"I can't believe it," Osbourne told Sky News at the time. "We were number one all over the place: America, England, Germany, New Zealand, Canada…it's amazing. I don't know what suddenly turned this around. We were all in shock here."

"13" is Sabbath's first studio album with Ozzy since 1978's "Never Say Die," and the singer explained why it took so long to get off the ground. "It's been in the cards for many years but for some reason or another it's never materialized," says Ozzy.

"I've been doing my solo stuff and they've been doing whatever they've been doing. I knew in the back of my mind that one day I wanted to do this. But it's probably the best thing that ever happened to us, to break up all them years ago. This proves that we had something going for us." - Watch the video interview here.




Peter Frampton Helps Philharmonic Reinterpret Fleetwood Mac's Rumours
Peter Frampton is a special guest on London's Royal Philharmonic's new album where they reinterpret Fleetwood Mac's monster hit album "Rumours" in its entirely.

Glass Onyon sent over these details: Recorded at the historic Abbey Road studios, this release marks the first time the RPO have taken on an entire album, from opening note to closing refrain.

The roughly 50+ musicians who comprise the orchestra were aided in their quest by the guiding hands of arrangers James Graydon and Richard Cottle as well as very special guest appearances by the legendary Peter Frampton and steel guitarist Sarah Jory.

Released in 1977 and considered the high water mark not only of Fleetwood Mac's extraordinary career but of '70s rock in general, Rumours produced a string of hits including "Go Your Own Way," "Don't Stop," "The Chain," and "Gold Dust Woman." - more on this story




Scorpions' Moment Of Glory Coming To Blu-Ray
(hennemusic) The Scorpions 2000 release, "Moment Of Glory," is coming to Blu-ray on July 30. The project captures the Scorpions backed by the world famous Berliner Philharmoniker Orchestra in concert during Expo 2000 in Hannover, Germany.

In addition to the concert, part of Berlin's millennium celebrations, the Blu-ray includes bonus band interviews and director's cuts of "Hurricane 2000", "Moment Of Glory" and "Here In My Heart."

The setlist features a variety of the band's hits, including "Still Loving You," "Big City Nights" and "Wind Of Change." - more on this story




AFI Release First Song From Forthcoming Album
(Radio.com) AFI are teasing fans with "I Hope You Suffer," the first single from their upcoming as-yet-untitled ninth album, due out in September. The industrial-influenced song, which was posted to the band's website on Thursday (July 18).

The new song comes nearly four years after their last effort, 2009's Crash Love. Frontman Davey Havok provides emotional lyrics over an unconventionally punchy drum rhythm, while big guitars and deep bass fill out the chorus.

Havok dedicates his vocals to an ex-lover, singing, "I faced destruction and you just killed me and walked away/I gave my heart to the cruel now it will not beat again/I hope you do/I hope you suffer/I hope you do/Just like I suffered."

Screaming vocals and abstract layers of synths give a harder dynamic to the track, which is a far cry from Crash Love's pop-rock attitude. "I Hope You Suffer" is a dark love ballad, echoing the albums of AFI past like 2003′s Sing the Sorrow and 2006′s Decemberunderground, which initially thrust the group into the spotlight with singles like "Girl's Not Grey" and "Miss Murder."

Drummer Adam Carson delivers a beat more Nine Inch Nails than Fall Out Boy, while guitarist Jade Puget's chords race through the four-and-a-half minute song with '80s metal influence. - Listen here




God Forbid's Doc Coyle Seeks Guitarist For New Project
God Forbid's Doc Coyle has teamed up with Phyllotaxis' Ravi, drummer Moe Watson and multi-instrumentalist Aden Oxenreider for a new as-yet-unnamed band, and they are looking for a guitar player.

Coyle had this to say, "I started working on material with Ravi almost 2 years ago by trading files over the internet. I was tied up with God Forbid, but now we finally have the time to put together a full band. We've included a small music sample and you will hear that it is not metal, although there are some heavy overtones.

"I am very picky about what kind of guitar player I want in this project, so I will lay out some guidelines. You need to live in the area between New York City, Central New Jersey, and Philadelphia. Rehearsing and playing gigs will require travel so the person must have a car. You need adequate and professional equipment including effects. The band is very ambient and will need someone who understands and likes to create soundscapes. There are some technical aspects to the music as well so you will need some chops. I have to emphasize that this is a rock band, not a metal band. I would prefer a non metal guitar player, but I'm fine with anyone as long as you understand it's not about sweeping picking at 220 BPM and playing 8 string guitar breakdowns. Our influences for this band are Tool, Muse, Deftones, Radiohead, Pink Floyd, Karnivool, etc.

"It's also important that I emphasize that this is a passion project. We are here for music and art first, and being signed or getting on the radio takes a back seat to doing something that is meaningful and being part of something that is special."

If you are guitarist and are interested, you can send a written or video statement about yourself, a photo of yourself, along with any examples of any music you've created or videos of live performance if these requirements apply to doc4bid@gmail.com -





Virtual Smashing Pumpkins Concert Set For This Weekend
The Smashing Pumpkins will be hosting a free virtual and interactive concert this weekend from their upcoming "The Aeroplane Flies High" CD/DVD release.

Fans will be able to check out the online concert for 24 hours on-demand, starting at 6:00PM PDT/9:00PM EDT on Saturday, July 20 on the band's Facebook page here.

The stream will be powered by Milyoni's #SocialVideo Platform which will offer fans the ability to connect with other viewers for an interactive experience featuring live chat and time-released Social Widgets, delivering exclusive images, trivia, polls and video clips that can be shared via social networks.

The stream will feature the fully re-mastered July 4, 1997 concert from Belfort, France, and the online event is to celebrate next Tuesday, July 23rd released of the deluxe reissues of the 1996 box set "The Aeroplane Flies High."

The new version of the box set will be released in four separate versions, all fully remastered. The configurations include a 6-CD +1 DVD version, a 5-LPs version plus Deluxe Digital and Standard Digital editions. -





Making Of Pink Floyd's Dark Side Of The Moon Blu-Ray Coming
(hennemusic) The Classic Albums special, "Pink Floyd: The Making Of Dark Side Of The Moon," will see its release on Blu-ray on August 27. Originally released in 2003, the program traces the creation of Pink Floyd's iconic 1973 album, which went on to become one of the biggest selling records in music history.

Classic Albums features interviews with Pink Floyd band members Roger Waters, Richard Wright, David Gilmour and Nick Mason, engineer Alan Parsons, the late designer Storm Thorgerson, and others involved to unveil the creative process behind the project.

Bonus features on the Blu-ray include 40 minutes of additional footage not seen in the original 50-minute television version and - more.




Sex Pistols Frontman To Receive Icon Award
(Gibson) Sex Pistols and Public Image Ltd frontman John Lydon is being honored for his legacy as a songwriter. BMI will present the veteran rocker--also known by his Sex Pistols stage name, Johnny Rotten—with its prestigious Icon Award at its BMI London Awards ceremony in October.

"John Lydon is a true icon whose influence on music, fashion and art has been felt around the world," said Del Bryant, president of BMI. "We are very pleased to recognize his impact on popular culture and his outstanding musical contributions with the BMI Icon Award."

Previous recipients of the award include Ray Davies, Van Morrison and Bryan Ferry. The awards ceremony will take place at London's Dorchester Hotel on October 15. - more on this story





Rolling Stones' Stones In Exile Film To Be Released on Blu-Ray
(hennemusic) The Rolling Stones documentary, "Stones In Exile," will see its release on Blu-ray on August 27. Directed by Stephen Kijack and originally issued in 2010, the film chronicles the story behind the Stones' monumental "Exile On Main Street" album.

Recounted in the band's own words, the documentary explores the spring of 1971, when the Stones fled the UK as tax exiles, settled into Keith Richards' French villa Nellcôte in Villefranche-sur-Mer, and proceeded to create the double-album masterpiece.

The Blu-ray includes extensive bonus footage, interviews with all band members (as well as some well-known Exile fans) and a featurette of Mick Jagger and Charlie Watts visiting Olympic Studio and Jagger's Stargroves country house, where most of the early work on the album was done. - more on this story




Robert Plant To Headline Bluesfest
(TeamRock Radio) Robert Plant and his Sensational Space Shifters, Bobby Womack and Van Morrison are the lead names on the bill for the third annual Bluesfest London at the Royal Albert Hall.

Festival director Leo Green says: "I'm thrilled the lineup includes some true icons of blues and soul, as well as some of the greatest artists the following generations have to offer."

Also listed are Georgie Fame, Dr Feelgood, Marcus Bonfanti, Chris Rea, among many others. - Check out the full lineup and ticket information.



Skid Row Cancel Show And Announce Tour With Ugly Kid Joe
Skid Row have been forced to pull out of their concerts in Panama City this weekend for an undisclosed reason and the band have also announced a European co-headline tour with Ugly Kid Joe for this fall.

Skid Row frontman Johnny Solinger explained the canceled shows, "Well mi Amigos, due to issues which could not be resolved, the Panama City, Panama shows this weekend have been pulled (cancelled).

"We are definitely bummed out, but rest assure it had nothing to do with the band. These things sometimes, though rarely occur. Major apologies to those disappointed and who planned to travel and attend these shows.

"So, an unexpected Summer Weekend off it shall be. Laze by the pool and have some laughs... grillin' too. Be safe everyone."

The Skid Row and Ugly Kid Joe co-headline tour of Europe will kick off in England on October 22nd and will conclude on November 26th in Austria. - more on this story




Asking Alexandria Release Stream of New Song Killing You
(TeamRock Radio) Asking Alexandria have released new track "Killing You" from upcoming studio album From Death To Destiny, which is set to be released on August 5th.

Guitarist Ben Bruce recently admitted it had "taken long enough" to finish the album. He said: "It wasn't because we were being lazy, but because we wanted it to be perfect."

They've already launched a ten-minute album preview featuring clips from all 13 tracks – but Killing You is the first song to appear in full. - Check out the new song here.





Kyuss Lives On With Vista Chino, New Song Streaming Online
(Classic Rock) Vista Chino, formerly known as Kyuss Lives, have released a new track entitled "Barcelonian", which comes from their upcoming studio album Peace.

John Garcia and Brant Bjork's upcoming album Peace is due out on September 2nd, ahead of a UK tour starting the following month.

The name change came about after legal action between the former Kyuss bandmates and ex-frontman Josh Homme, who was happy for them to tour as Kyuss Lives but didn't want them to record under the title.

Check out the song, album tracklist and tour dates - here.





Rise Against Streaming Their New Journey Cover Online
(Radio.com) Rise Against have announced a September 10 release date for Long Forgotten Songs: B-Sides & Covers 2000-2013, a 26-song collection that includes previously unheard music that dates back to before the band signed a record deal with label Fat Wreck Chords.

The album even includes their punk rock cover of Journey's 1980 hit, "Any Way You Want It," which the band has made available to listen to via an online stream.

"In the last thirteen or so years Rise Against has put out six records, each one we are proud to put our name on," Rise Against frontman Tim McIlrath said in a press release.

"But we are just as proud of these 26 songs that slipped through the cracks and never ended up on any of our full lengths. In various ways, most of these songs saw the light of day at some point, but we thought we would spare you the digging and put them all on one record." - Listen to the Journey cover here.





Serj Tankian, Isahn and Devin Townsend Release Charity Song
(TeamRock Radio) Serj Tankian, Isahn and Devin Townsend have released a new collaborative song entitle "We Are," a charity single, under the title Revolution Harmony.

System Of A Down frontman Tankian and Isahn recorded vocals while Townsend laid down a guitar solo. The music was created by Ray Holroyd of 12 Ton Method and Needleye.

We Are is on sale now, and all proceeds will be donated to Buskaid, an organisation which provides instruments and music lessons to underprivileged children in South Africa. - Check out the song here.





Remembering Duane Allman
(Gibson) Few musicians affected those close to him as profoundly as Duane Allman did. Time and again, surviving friends and musician-peers remember him not just for his prowess on guitar, but also for his personal charisma, his leadership skills and his devotion to those who comprised his inner circle. Below we've collected some of the more incisive remembrances about Allman and his lasting impact.

Johnny Sandlin (producer/musician), on Duane's ability to bring out the best in his fellow musicians (as told to Swampland.com): He was one of the most interesting, exciting and alive people that I ever knew. He was one of the most intelligent as well. Most of the time he was great to be around and he was so dedicated to music and it was a central thing in our lives. Whenever anyone played with Duane he would bring out the best in them. Not that it was a competition, but he was an inspiration. He was one of the best that there ever was.

Dickey Betts (guitarist), on how Duane developed his style on slide guitar (as told to Jasobrecht.com): Well, Robert Johnson. You've heard that name a million times, but he's influenced so many people. I guess that he was probably one of the biggest influences on Duane. [And] who's the guy, the slide player? Elmore James! He got really into Elmore James a lot for the electric part of it. You know, Robert Johnson never played any electric, of course. So Elmore James was a big influence on his electric slide.

Tom Dowd (producer), on Duane's diplomatic skills in the studio (as told to Swampland.com): [Duane was] a pussycat, an absolute humble, soft spoken, brilliant leader. He never provoked anyone in the band. He was never demonstrative, but he was in charge and he got everyone to go the right way, whether he did it by playing them something or saying something to them.

John Hammond (guitarist), on what it was like to record with Duane (as told to HittinTheNote.com): Everybody just fell all over themselves for Duane, you know. He was their idol. All of a sudden these [session] guys knew exactly what I wanted them to do. From having not understood a thing before, everybody understood what the deal was. Duane was the catalyst completely for that. To play with him was like feeling almost invincible, because he played everything right. He was just terrific. It was more inspirational than actually learning notes and stuff. He was a good friend. - more.





Lemmy From Motorhead 'On The Mend'
(hennemusic) Motorhead guitarist Phil Campbell has issued an update on the band following the cancellation of a series of summer concerts while frontman Lemmy deals with some health issues.

"Hey everyone out there," posted Campbell. "Better prepare yourselves big time, cos our mindblowing new record 'Afterschock' will be coming out! Lemmy is on the mend and we are gonna be touring our asses off!!! Business as usual real soon!"

Motorhead canceled the remaining shows on their summer European festival tour following doctor's orders as Lemmy recently suffered a haematoma (where blood collects outside of a blood vessel) and needed to address the issue; the bassist had previously been fitted with a defibrillator because of heart problems. - more on this story





Lamb Of God, Killswitch Engage, Testament Tour
The rumors turned out to be true as Lamb Of God and Killswitch Engage have announced that they will be teaming up for a North American tour this fall.

Lamb Of God and Killswitch Engage will be joined on the 28-date trek by thrash legends Testament and Huntress (except at the Hollywood Palladium where Testament will be not be on the bill and another act will be announced soon.)

The tour is set to kick off on October 22nd in Toronto at Kool Haus and will be concluding on November 26th in Silver Spring, MD at The Fillmore Silver Spring. - more on this story





Megadeth's Gigantour Derailed By Extreme Weather
(hennemusic) Megadeth were forced to cancel their Gigantour set Tuesday night as Oklahoma City was hit by extreme weather. Intense rain and lightning forced Device to skip their set, and then shortly before Megadeth were to take the stage, a bolt of lightning struck an Oklahoma City transformer, cutting power to the Zoo Amphitheatre entirely.

Dave Mustaine kept fans up to date on Twitter, writing, "OKC just can't get a break. It's pouring down rain & lightning is everywhere. Device was pulled. This sucks!"

"I give up...lightning hit a city transformer and the city went dark," wrote Mustaine later, followed by "We are trying to wait it out, but they say it will be hours, if not days until it's fixed."

After a 45-minute wait, the audience was advised that Megadeth would be unable to perform. - more on this story




Stone Temple Pilots Explain Why They Fired Scott Weiland
(Banana 101.5) Stone Temple Pilots' DeLeo brothers, Robert and Dean, were recently interviewed by Banana 101.5 out of Flint, Michigan and covered a lot of topics including their new singer Chester Bennington, their new music, and why they parted ways with Scott Weiland. That part of the interview is below:

The DeLeo brothers were asked, "I know you probably don't want to talk about Scott much, but I was curious as to what the final straw was that made you guys decide to bring it to an end with him?" and Robert responded, "Well, I think it's a well publicized series of events…" to which Dean added, "Twenty years worth [laughs]." Then they both went into more details:

[Robert] I think you get to a point in your life where your BS meter starts running down to a certain kind of tolerance. It wasn't just a musical decision or a business decision it was a quality of live decision and that really what it's about. That's where we wanted to be. Chester is a person that's really surrounded by good fortune and that's something you want to be around. It's no longer three guys in a room, trying to make a record or trying to get a tour together – it's four guys in a room.

[Dean] We want to be able to fulfill our commitment through the band too. Robert, Eric and I, we want to be able to come to town and give you everything we've got and it was getting to a point where we were unable to do that.

[Banana 101.5] Scott Weiland came here to Flint on the first night of his solo tour, just two days after you parted ways with him, and I think you guys made the right move because Chester is going to come out and deliver every night and, as much as I love Scott, I can't say that he did that when he was here.

[Robert] We're gonna be able to do material that we weren't able to do and I think from seeing what you saw with Scott — I think you know what I mean. We're gonna be able to perform stuff that we've been dying to perform for a long time.

[Dean] I don't know if the fans want to hear this kind of stuff, they probably want to hear more about music, but our band means a lot to us. It never wavered or diminished in any way. Robert and Eric and I are really filled with gratitude. There's a lot that comes along with being in a successful band and it's all luxurious. Really. It really is. With that said, it means so much to us and it's such a big part of our life… I'm gonna say it doesn't define us, but it's a big part of our life. It comes into our homes! It really lives and resides in our homes — in our bedrooms, around our children and when a toxic orbit or environment steps into my house… would you wanna do that?

[Banana 101.5] No.

[Dean] It's like what Robert said, man. It's more about quality of life. You know, I'm gonna say something that's not slighting Chester in any way, but I would've loved for [the Scott Weiland] lineup to have gone on forever [or] until we were taken out by our elbows and heels, but it just… we did not dictate where we're at now. By any means. - Read more of the interview or stream it here.





Kings of Leon Return With New Song
(Radio.com) After a tumultuous hiatus, which included a cancelled 2011 tour, Kings of Leon is back with "Supersoaker," the first single from their upcoming album, Mechanical Bull (due out September 24).

Their latest single–their first since releasing Come Around Sundown in 2010–is a return to their early days of energetic, kick drum heavy country rock. On the chorus, Caleb Followill growls,"I don't mind sentimental girls at times," as his bandmates join in, guitars a blazing.

Mechanical Bull was recorded at the group's home studio in Nashville, TN, and was produced by longtime KOL collaborator, Angelo Petraglia. "I thought we were going to make a really mature album but I'm amazed how youthful it sounds," bassist Jared Followill told NME. "It's like a mix of Youth & Young Manhood and Because Of The Times."

As for the record's album title, Caleb says it was inspired by the wild, wild, west. "Every record has to have five syllables," he told Norway's NRK P3. "For some reason we kept watching all these old cowboy clips when we listened to our songs and it was just kinda something that was sticking in our heads and I felt like the further we got into the record, the more tracks, it really did feel like it was a bit of a roller coaster ride."

He added, "A lot of the time we like our record titles to be a bit of a thinker - for people to try to decode. But for this [album] it was like, 'Man, we're havin' fun with this record. It feels like something that should be fun so let's just go against the grain and go against what we normally do and call it that.'" - Check out the new song and read more here.





Alice Cooper Says Current Generation Is Not Rock
(Gibson) Veteran shock rocker Alice Cooper doesn't understand how this new crop of acoustic performers can be, well, so safe, and still be under the label of rock.

"I just feel like this whole generation maybe all need to eat a steak," Cooper said in an interview with Fuse. "Maybe they need to quit eating…vegetarian food and get out there and get some blood pumping in their system."

He added that being a rock musician means that "you're an outlaw" and that rock 'n' roll comes from your guts as opposed to your brain. "It's sexual," he said. "It's tribal."

He added that, "rock bands don't have accordions or lutes or flutes, unless, maybe, you're Jethro Tull." - more on this story





Nine Inch Nails Plan Four Different Covers For Hesitation Marks
(Radio.com) With Trent Reznor's current Nine Inch Nails revival in full swing, the band's mastermind has revealed four separate album covers for Hesitation Marks, the group's first new studio release since their 2008 full-length, The Slip.

All four mixed-media images (including actual blood on two of them) were created by artist Russell Mills, who's no stranger to making art for Nine Inch Nails, having crafted the cover art for the group's famed 1994 release, The Downward Spiral.

Each piece is specific to a particular album format: "Turn and Burn" (digital), "Cargo in the Blood" (deluxe CD), "Time and Again" (standard CD) and "Other Murmurs" (vinyl).

"The artworks, (30 mixed media pieces) that I eventually produced towards uses in the Hesitation Marks releases, evolved out of lengthy exchanges between myself and Trent and in response to the conceptual ideas that thread through the tracks and to the sonic territory that the album explores," Mills explained in a statement on the official Nine Inch Nails website.

"I've tried to lock into the album's prevailing mood and echo the album's essence. The ideas are not communicated in a literal or easily digested form, as this would be boring for me and would insult the intelligence of a potential audience. I've tried to make works that obliquely allude to the essence of the subject matter, to its emotional core." - Check out the artwork here.





U2's Bono Receives France's Highest Cultural Honor
(hennemusic) U2 frontman Bono has received France's highest cultural honor for his contribution to music and commitment to humanitarian causes, according to the BBC.

Bono was presented with the Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters by French Culture Minister Aurelie Filippetti in Paris. Bono said the award belonged to his band. "I've got the biggest mouth and the loudest voice but the music we make comes from each other," he said.

Mr Filippetti praised the singer saying: "You committed yourself and dedicated your fame and career to wage some of the greatest wars of our time. Not for charity's sake but in the name of justice." - more on this story




Johnny Marr Kicking Off Solo Tour On Halloween
Johnny Marr, the former guitarist for The Smiths, has announced plans to launch a North American tour this fall in support of his recently released debut solo album.

Marr will be launching the tour on Halloween, October 31st, in Anaheim, Ca at the House of Blues and will stay on the road for the month of November before concluding the trek on November 26th in Fort Lauderdale, FL at Culture Room.

The tour follows Marr's performance at this year's Coachella Festival and includes a new festival stop, this time at the Fun Fun Fun Festival in Austin, Tx on November 8th.

Johnny is hitting the road in support of his debut solo album, The Messenger, which was released earlier this year by Sire/ADA. - more on this story




Wilko Johnson Wonders 'What's The Point' About Final Album
(Classic Rock) Wilko Johnson sometimes find himself wondering "What's the bloody point?" when he thinks about his final album. The terminally-ill guitarist is working on one more batch of new music before he bows to the inevitable, after confirming in January that he'd decided not to undergo chemotherapy for his pancreatic cancer.

He was forced to cancel the last few shows of his farewell tour earlier this year due to an unrelated illness – but after realising he felt more healthy than he'd expected to, he's added more live dates. He performed in a home crowd at Southend-on-Sea at the weekend.

Wilko tells the Guardian: "I thought I should try to get an album out before I die. But this is a rather indeterminate time for me, so sometimes I do wonder what the bloody point is.

"The last songs, strangely enough, contain a lot of metaphors for death. It's not too heavy, though – don't worry." - more on this story





Slade Having Trouble Finding A New Singer
(Classic Rock) Slade are struggling to find a replacement for outgoing frontman Mal McNulty, they've admitted. He wants to bow out because he doesn't feel able to deliver the kind of performance the glam rock icons need.

And since there's no chance of persuading Noddy Holder to return to the mic, guitarist Dave Hill and drummer Don Powell have been engaged in a series of auditions with other singers.

"It's the hardest job in the world to fill because Noddy was such an incredible singer," Powell tells the Birmingham Mail. They'd tried to secure the services of Almost Slayed tribute vocalist Danny Devil, who's regarded as a "carbon copy" of Holder, but it hasn't worked out because he's based in Australia.

"On paper it sounds great," says Powell, "but his partner is in the band and he's in Australia. in reality it's a bit silly. It may have caused too many problems." - more on this story





The Almighty Expanding Albums For Reissue
(Classic Rock) The Almighty will re-release their first two albums in September, with another batch due early next year. And the band haven't entirely given up on plans to write new music, and possibly even tour.

Ricky Warwick, now fronting Black Star Riders, co-formed the Scottish-based outfit in 1988. They split in 1996, then again in 2002 after a reunion.

During their first stint they released five acclaimed studio albums: Blood, Fire And Love, Soul Destruction, Powertrippin', Crank and Just Add Life. They later added a self-titled record in 2000 and finally Pyscho-Narco in 2001.

The first two will see the light of day on September 30 under the title Re-F**kin'-Issues. Each album will come complete with bonus material including additional tracks, liner notes and commentary. - more on this story





Bob Dylan Bootleg Series 10th Installment Details
(Gibson) Bob Dylan is set to release the 10th installment of his Bootleg Series on Aug. 27, and the set will celebrate the musician's performance period from the late-1960s into the '70s.

The Bootleg Series, Vol. 10 -- Another Self Portrait (1969-1971) offers a mix of never-before-released demos and additional recordings around the release of Dylan's studio albums Self Portrait and New Morning.

Another Self Portrait will arrive as a two-CD set and a four-disc collection, the latter that also includes a re-mastered edition of Self Portrait and a CD of Dylan's Aug. 31, 1969, performance with the Band at England's Isle of Wight Festival.

The Bootleg Series, Vol. 10: Another Self Portrait (1969-1971) [Disc One]: "Went to See the Gypsy" (demo)
"In Search of Little Sadie" (without overdubs, Self Portrait)
"Pretty Saro" (unreleased, Self Portrait)
"Alberta #3" (alternate version, Self Portrait)
"Spanish Is the Loving Tongue" (unreleased, Self Portrait)
"Annie's Going to Sing Her Song" (unreleased, Self Portrait)
"Time Passes Slowly #1" (alternate version, New Morning)
"Only a Hobo" (unreleased, Greatest Hits II)
"Minstrel Boy" (unreleased, The Basement Tapes)
"I Threw It All Away" (alternate version, Nashville Skyline)
"Railroad Bill" (unreleased, Self Portrait)
"Thirsty Boots" (unreleased, Self Portrait)
"This Evening So Soon" (unreleased, Self Portrait)
"These Hands" (unreleased, Self Portrait)
"Little Sadie" (without overdubs, Self Portrait)
"House Carpenter" (unreleased, Self Portrait)
"All the Tired Horses" (without overdubs, Self Portrait) - Check out the rest of the tracklisting here.




Elvis Presley's Last Two Recorded Concerts To Be Auctioned
Tapes containing footage of the very last known time Elvis Presley ever appeared and performed on camera with hours of never-before-broadcast material are set to be auctioned.

The tapes will be part of the inaugural Mecum Celebrity Items Auction that will be taking place on July 26-27 in Santa Monica, California, which will feature more than a dozen Elvis items. We were sent these details:

The original video and audio footage comes from Elvis' last two recorded live concerts - including one in Omaha, Neb., on June 19, 1977, and one in Rapid City, S.D., on June 21, 1977. The tapes include Elvis performing live onstage as well as footage from backstage and behind-the-scenes. Following these two live dates, Elvis would go on to perform a handful of additional shows, with the final curtain call coming at Market Square Arena in Indianapolis on June 26. Not long after these shows Elvis would unexpectedly pass away on August 16, 1977.

The uncirculated tapes, totaling approximately four-and-a-half hours, contain the unedited, multi-camera professionally filmed concert footage with the original audio mix. The electricity and excitement is utterly phenomenal during two concerts that include approximately 27 different songs sung by Elvis. The tapes also include intimate backstage scenes, candid dressing room footage and hallway shots of Elvis, his then-girlfriend, Ginger Alden, and his father, Vernon Presley. The Elvis tapes are being sold solely as a cultural collectible intended for the personal enjoyment of the successful bidder. View the lot details for the tapes here.

The Mecum Celebrity Items Auction also includes the sale of several additional pieces of Elvis Presley memorabilia and history. Highlights include Elvis Presley's personal vehicle, a 1972 Cadillac Custom Estate Wagon (Lot S119), 1958-1960 U.S. Army Induction and Discharge Papers (Lot S207) and a 1958 lot of rare Presley photographs in the Army (Lot S200). Additional items for fans of 'The King' include rare autographs from the late 1950s and early 1960s; slides of Presley at his Graceland mansion in 1958; photos of Presley on active duty in Germany and at play with the Memphis Mafia in Paris. -





Joe Satriani To Publish His Musical Memoirs
(hennemusic) Joe Satriani will publish his first book, "Strange Beautiful Music: A Musical Memoir", next spring. "I'm excited for my fans, through this musical memoir, to get a deeper look inside my creative process in the studio and the stories behind the songs," says Satriani. "We have a great publisher in BenBella and I look forward to the book hitting shelves next year!"

Published by BenBella Books and told over hours of firsthand, exclusive interviews, the book is co-written by Satriani and award-winning music biographer Jake Brown (Heart, Motorhead, Kenny Aronoff, Rick Rubin) and takes fans on their first authorized tour of the story behind his climb to worldwide stardom.

Featuring a foreword by legendary Queen lead guitarist Brian May, this memoir is filled with pages and pages of never-before-seen photos as well as exclusive, firsthand interviews with former student and fellow guitar icon Steve Vai, Chickenfoot bandmates Sammy Hagar, Michael Anthony, Chad Smith, legendary producers Glyn Johns, the late Andy Johns, AC/DC producer Mike Fraser, and Satriani/Dead Kennedys producer John Cunniberti, among others. - more on this story





Freddie Mercury Gorilla Returns After Facelift
(hennemusic) The Freddie Mercury gorilla has returned to Norwich following a facelift requested by the estate of the late Queen singer. The gorilla has retained his original clothes but his face has been changed to resemble that of a real-life gorilla, according to Norfolk Eastern Daily Press.

The Freddie gorilla was removed last week after organizers of Go Go Gorillas! were contacted by the Freddie Mercury Estate; the two parties have since been in discussions to resolve the situation.

"It will be nice to have him back out there," said organizer Martin Green. "We have worked with the Freddie Mercury Estate to make some alterations.

"Our artist has carried out the work and design which was agreed by all parties, and we have got the best outcome possible which considers the wishes of the Freddie Mercury Estate." - Check out before and after photos here.




Soundgarden's Live From The Artists Den Performance Goes Online
(hennemusic) Soundgarden are featured on the latest episode of the public television series Live From The Artists Den, and video of the full program has surfaced.

Soundgarden were filmed in concert at The Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles on the final date of the first leg of their North American tour in support of "King Animal."

The February 17th performance mixed brand new songs with classics, radio hits, and rarities. If you missed the broadcast you can watch the episode online - here.




Rob Zombie Releases American Band Lyric Video and Calls On Fans
(hennemusic) Rob Zombie has released a lyric video for his cover of the Grand Funk Railroad classic, "We're An American Band, " from the "Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor" album.

Zombie is asking fans to be a part of the video for his cover of the track. "We want singers, bands, cheerleaders, athletes, hard-working, hard-drinking, hard-rocking people!" Your submission just might end up in a special fan version of the "American Band" video created by Rob Zombie."

Zombie worked on the album with producer Bob Marlette; it's the first release on Rob's new label, Zodiac Swan, through T-Boy Records/UMe. - more on this story





Metallica Release Welcome Home (Sanitarium) Video From Orion Fest
(hennemusic) Metallica have released video footage of their performance of the classic track "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)" at last month's Orion Music + More festival.

The tune, from the band's 1986 album, "Master Of Puppets," was featured in Metallica's headlining set, which closed out the festival at Belle Isle in Detroit, MI.

The group have also released video of "For Whom The Bell Tolls" , "…And Justice For All" , "Harvester Of Sorrow" and "I Disappear". - Check out the video here.





Five Finger Death Punch Almost Fired Singer Over Alcoholism
Five Finger Death Punch frontman Ivan Moody reveals in a new interview with Revolver Magazine that he came close to being fired by the band last year over his alcoholism, reports Team Rock Radio.

"When I sang, I was a totally functional alcoholic," Moody said. "I could do my job. But then half of the tour for 'American Capitalist', I couldn't even tell I had been onstage. I would literally wake up the next day and say, 'Where the hell are we? What did we do last night?' And someone would go, 'Well, we played a show in front of 20,000 people.' And I'd go, 'F**k, I wish I remembered.'"

Things soon became so bad that it that his bandmates were running out of patience and had even threatened to replace him with another singer, according to Blabbermouth.

"While I was drinking myself into oblivion, I lost all contact with my three kids and my family," Moody said, "God, I can't believe I'm telling you this. I got to a point where I wouldn't wake up in the day at all. I'd just sleep through it and then wake up and go to the bar and then go back to bed. I had just gotten divorced, so I was going through women like water and it just turned into a pattern. I felt gross. I felt like a junkie. My own bandmembers wouldn't return my calls and I lost multiple tour managers, crew members. I can't tell you how many friends stopped talking to me. It's really sad sometimes that you have to go to that extreme bottom to find your way back up, but it's true."

However, Moody explains that it was Korn frontman Jonathan Davis, who had his own struggles early in his career, that helped him come to his senses. "I went on his bus and he sat there," Moody said. "He lit me a cigarette and he looked me in the eyes and said, 'First things first, dude. You need to get off the juice. You've got the most talented band and you're a great performer, but you're f**king up and I've been there.' What he was saying was so potent because he was someone I had looked up to my entire life. I was crying when I walked off the bus. It hurt me because I knew he was right." - Read the Team Rock Radio report here.





Avenged Sevenfold, Deftones and Ghost Announce Fall Tour
Avenged Sevenfold have revealed some of the details for their upcoming North American Fall headline tour that the band will be launching in October.

The arena trek will feature support from Deftones and Ghost (aka Ghost B.C.) and Avenged Sevenfold have revealed the dates and cities for the tour but have yet to release venue information.

Avenged Sevenfold will be launching the tour, their first full North American tour since 2011, in support of their new album, Hail To The King.

The new album was produced by Mike Elizondo and is set to be released on August 27th and yesterday the band gave fans a taste of what is come by releasing an online stream of the album's title track here.

Avenged Sevenfold have also announced a special free Hail To The King record release show on August 26th at the Hollywood Palladium. The band will be releasing information about how fans can obtain tickets to show soon. - more on this story





How Linkin Park's Chester Bennington Joined Stone Temple Pilots
(Classic Rock) Stone Temple Pilots guitarist Dean DeLeo didn't realize how easy it was going to be to persuade Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington to join the band.

He'd known that Bennington was a fan – but he didn't know how much of a fan. And after Bennington had accepted the role that became available when STP sacked Scott Weiland, he told DeLeo the whole story.

The guitarist tells Nikki Sixx on his Sixx Sense radio show: "I was on a European tour, in my room, late at night. I turn on the TV and there's Linkin Park doing this massive festival, and Chester's hitting it with a Stone Temple Pilots shirt on. It put a smile on my face, it brought me back to home, and I could feel my heart again.

"When the time came to think about a singer we reached out to him."

Bennington, who readily describe accepting the invitation as a "no-brainer," went on to record the track Out Of Time with STP, who launched it in May as their first musical act without Weiland.

It was around that time the singer told DeLeo: "When I was dating my wife, about eight, nine years ago, I said: 'One day, they're going to call me to be in the band.'" - more on this story





Mazzy Star Releasing First New Album In 17 Years
Mazzy Star have set a September 24th, 2013 world wide release date for their first new album in seventeen years, and fourth studio album overall, Seasons Of Your Day.

The band is teasing the album's release with an online streaming preview of the first single "California." Mazzy Star will be releasing a music video for the track in August, but you can listen to it right now at this location.

The new album features the original Mazzy Star lineup and will also feature special guest appearances including My Bloody Valentine's Colm O'Ciosoig and the late Bert Jansch (Pentangle).

Seasons Of Your Day was produced and co-written by David Roback and Hope Sandoval and will be released on their own label, Rhymes Of An Hour Records, in CD, 180g vinyl double LP, and digital download formats. - more on this story





The Cult Reuniting With James Stevenson For Electric 13 Tour
(hennemusic) The Cult have announced that guitarist James Stevenson will be joining them on the band's upcoming Electric 13 tour. Stevenson, who previously toured with The Cult in the mid-90s, is replacing Mike Dimkich, who has left the band to play with Bad Religion.

The Electric 13 tour, which kicks off in San Diego on July 25, coincides with the release of the new 2-disc set, "Electric Peace", on July 30.

"We stared of rehearsals as a trio with me, Chris [Wyse, bass] and Johnny [Tempesta, drums] as we felt like we just wanted to get a bit of the rust off as we haven't played together for a while," says guitarist Billy Duffy.

"Obviously, 'Electric' is very much a two-guitar album, one rhythm and one lead, so with Mike moving on, we've decided to welcome back James Stevenson back into the fold to play rhythm for the tour. As a Cult alumni of 94/5, James was the obvious choice."

"The plan is to play the 'Electric' album in order then break and play a bunch of other stuff from the other eras, similar to the 'Love Live' tour from a few years back," added Duffy. - more on this story





Dave Grohl Takes Part in Grease Sing-A-Along
(Radio.com) At famed Los Angeles venue the Hollywood Bowl, the Grease Sing-A-Long has become an annual tradition, with fans packing the amphitheater to belt out the hit songs from the enduring 1978 movie musical starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John. This apparently now involves Dave Grohl.

To mark the film's 35th anniversary for the 2013 event (July 13), the Hollywood Bowl secured actress Didi Conn (she played "Frenchie" in the original movie) and the band Sha Na Na, who were cast as the band Johnny Casino and the Gamblers in Grease and are featured on six songs from the soundtrack.

During Sha Na Na's warm-up set, the Foo Fighters frontman, resplendent in a shiny red blazer, joined the band on drums during a cover of Little Richards' 1957 Grease-era hit, "Lucille."

In fan-shot video from the moment, Grohl can be seen rocking out with the band, with singer John "Jocko" Marcellino shouting-out Grohl's jacket at the song's conclusion. - more on this story





Panic! At The Disco Announce Album and Fall Out Boy Tour
Panic! At The Disco has announced an October 8th release date for their forthcoming studio album, "Too Weird To Live, Too Rare To Die!" and they will be launching two tours prior to the release.

The album's first single "Miss Jackson," was released exclusively to iTunes this week and the band premiered the music video, which was directed by Jordan Bahat (Grouplove, Fitz and The Tantrums) and stars 30 Rock's Katrina Bowden. You can watch the clip here.

Ahead of the album release, Panic! At The Disco will be hitting the road for a short North American headline tour that will be visiting intimate venues and they will then hit the road with Fall Out Boy.

The headline tour will be kicking off on August 4th in Norfolk, Va at Jewish Mother and will conclude on August 24th in Salt Lake City, UT at the Gallivan Center.

The band will then begin the Fall Out Boy Save Rock And Roll Arena Tour 2013 on September 5th in Uncasville, CT at Mohegan Sun. That tour will conclude on September 29th in Tampa, FL at the USF Sun Dome.

Panic! At The Disco's new album, "Too Weird To Live, Too Rare To Die!," was produced by Butch Walker and Urie offered up these comments about the effort. "I had these sounds in my head," he said. "I just had to figure out how to get them out.

"So I just kept writing, writing, and writing until eventually we had all these songs and I was like, 'This is it. This is the record I want to make.' I knew it would happen, and finally it's here." - more on this story





Vivian Campbell Reclaiming Dio Heritage With Last In Line
(Classic Rock) Last In Line is all about reclaiming lost heritage for guitarist Vivian Campbell. The Def Leppard axeman has reunited with fellow founding Dio members Vinny Appice, Jimmy Bain and Claude Schnell. Together with singer Andy Freeman they're gearing up to tour the UK, playing the tracks they wrote as part of the late Ronnie James Dio's band.

And Campbell – who was fired by Dio in 1986 – asserts the move to reclaim material he co-created is long overdue. He tells Classic Rock: "I've got a different way of looking at it now than I've had for almost 30 years.

"I was fired, then I was portrayed as the one who'd turned my back on the band. It wasn't true: I never wanted to leave Dio," he said. "I will admit that, at the time, I was experiencing growth and I wanted to try different kinds of music.

"That obviously rubbed Ronnie the wrong way. Perhaps that's what he construed as me not wanting to be in the band – but I certainly did not want to leave."

As a result of the experience, Campbell turned his back on the music he'd written with Dio, and he's still upset about the way he and his bandmates were treated. - more on this story




The Joy Formidable Announce Fall Tour With Passion Pit
The Joy Formidable will be celebrating the release of their new EP by extending their upcoming live plans into the Fall by joining Passion Pit on the road.

The North American tour will be kicking off on September 29 in Charlottesville, VA and will be concluding on November 10th in West Palm Beach, FL.

The Joy Formidable will be embarking on the tour in support of their brand new "The Silent Treatment EP," which they released digitally yesterday (July 16th).

The new EP features 4 tracks, including a new mix of the title track done by William Orbit (Blur, Madonna, Pink), a live version of "Tendons" recorded at London's Roundhouse, and previously unreleased song "All This Promise" from the sessions that produced the band's most recent album, Wolf's Law. - more on this story





Elvis Costello, Glenn Hughes, Dave Matthews On New Gov't Mule Album
(Radio.com) "Gov't Mule is almost finished with a new release that we're hoping to have out in September. The upcoming tour is called 'Prepare To Shout,' the record is called Shout. I also think–at the risk of sounding cliche–this is possibly the best record we've ever done. The band feels great, sounds great. The significance of the title, Shout, is that we are going to create a bonus disc with alternate versions of the same songs with a bunch of different singers. The alternate versions will be someone other than myself singing."

When Gov't Mule frontman Warren Haynes told us this a few weeks back, we were certainly curious over the identities of said guests. If a band could pick any artists to cover them, who would they pick?

Not that Haynes would reveal his big secret — and for good reason. The guest list, as Gov't Mule just recently revealed, is a formidable one, including: classic rock legends Elvis Costello and Steve Winwood, reggae icon Toots Hibbert of Toots & The Maytals, New Orleans royalty Dr. John, along with Ben Harper, former Deep Purple member Glenn Hughes, Myles Kennedy from Alter Bridge and also Slash's band, Dave Matthews, Grace Potter and Ty Taylor of Vintage Trouble.

The unconventional concept apparently began when Haynes asked Costello for microphone advice. One of the new songs, "Funny Little Tragedy," reminded him of the Clash or Elvis from his Attractions era. So he asked Costello what kind of mic he should use to get the late '70s/early '80s vocal sound.

"Elvis sent me a very elaborate response explaining how he recorded this vocal and how he recorded that vocal, going all the way back to My Aim is True," Haynes said in a statement. - more on this story




Bob Dylan Classic 1969 Performance With The Band Set For Release
(Classic Rock) Bob Dylan's set with The Band at the Isle Of Wight Festival in 1969 is to be released in full for the first time. Columbia Records are promising to offer a "new perspective" of the iconic artist in upcoming rarities collection The Bootleg Series Vol 10: Another Self Portrait (1969-71).

The live recording, remixes from the original source, is among 35 rarities and previously unreleased tracks which will be made available on August 26. It's accompanied by a new painting by Dylan himself.

The collection includes an unheard version of Only A Hobo and a demo of When I Paint My Masterpiece. Liner notes are provided by journalist Greil Marcus, who, in 1970, reviewed Self Portrait in an article that started: "What is this sh*t?"

The Isle Of Wight show appears on the four-disc deluxe edition, packed in a slipcase and featuring two hardback books, and a remastered version of Self Portrait. A two-disc standard configuration will also be on sale, along with a three-disc vinyl set. - More details and tracklisting.




Flaming Lips' Wayne Coyne Releasing Limited Edition Comic Book
Flaming Lips frontman Wayne Coyne will be releasing a special limited edition of his very first comic book release, The Sun Is Sick, at this year's Comic-Con.

The extremely limited print edition will be sold at Comic-Com 2013 which will be taking place at the San Diego Convention Center on July 18th through 21st.

The adult themed comic features 40 6 ½" x 8 ½" full-color pages. Coyne will also be making the comic book available at the Flaming Lips webstore beginning on July 22nd. - more on this story




Sammy Hagar's New Single To Feature Kid Rock and Joe Satriani
(Gibson) The Red Rocker Sammy Hagar is getting ready to release his next album. This time it's not a Chickenfoot album, and not quite a solo album either. The album, which is called Sammy Hagar and Friends, is collaboration between Hagar and a multitude of his musician buddies.

The first single to be released is "Knockdown Dragout," on which Hagar collaborates with Kid Rock, Joe Satriani, and drummer Denny Carmassi from Hagar's first band Montrose.

Aside from Satriani, Hagar's other two Chickenfoot bandmates, Chad Smith and Michael Anthony, also appear on a couple of tracks. Along with Journey guitarist Neal Schon, the pair rock out with Sammy on a cover of Depeche Mode's "Personal Jesus" and the track "Going Down."

The album will be released on September 24 through Frontiers Records. Other guests on the album include Nancy Wilson of Heart, and the members of Hagar's backing band The Waboritas - David Lauser, Mona Gnader and Vic Johnson. - more on this story




Steely Dan Kicking Off Mood Swings Tour This Week
Steely Dan will be kicking off their North American tour on Friday where the veteran band will be playing various albums in full at select stops on the tour as well as some additional special shows.

The "Mood Swings 2013: 8 Miles To Pancake Day" tour will be kicking off this Friday night, July 19th, in Atlantic City, NJ at Revel Ovation Hall and will conclude with a string of shows at the Beacon Theatre in New York City from September 30th through October 8th.

The Beacon Theatre shows will feature special sets each night including full performances of the Aja, Royal Scam and Gaucho albums, two greatest hits set nights and an audience request night.

The band will also be playing special format shows in Los Angeles, Atlanta, Bristow, Va and Boston. The band explained each special concert set as follows:

Audience Request Night (NY): Becker and Fagen have built fan-pleasing sets for decades. But for tonight, they want to hear directly from the hometown faithful. Attendees are asked to submit their top song request on Ticketmaster's checkout page (one request per purchase).

Classic Album - Plus Selected Hits: Setlist is one of three classic Steely Dan albums — Aja, Gaucho, or The Royal Scam — performed in its entirety, start-to-finish. The evening then continues with additional selected favorites, making for a wide-ranging, hit-strewn ramble through Steely Dan's extraordinary catalog.

Greatest Hits: An evening of ... well, this one pretty much speaks for itself, doesn't it? - more on this story



Springsteen & I Is An Unconventional Documentary
(Radio.com) Springsteen & I has been billed as a documentary about Bruce Springsteen's fans. It is that, though as documentaries go, it's unconventional. The film is made almost entirely of clips shot by fans who submitted them for inclusion in the documentary, likely making it one of the first crowd-sourced feature-length films with actual distribution in history.

To be clear, the filmmakers shot no footage, nor did they record any voiceovers. Other than some performance clips, it is really the fans telling their own story. Over 2,000 fans around the world submitted their own video testimonials, not counting the thousands more whose stories did not make the cut (if you search "Springsteen & I" on YouTube, there are millions of results).

How you actually like the film depends on a) your definition of the term "documentary" and b) how much you appreciate Springsteen and the devotion he gets from his fans. That level of devotion can sometimes inspire eye-rolls from non-believers, and director Baillie Walsh gives a non-fan some airtime in the film as well (having been dragged to Springsteen shows by his significant other, he laughably asks Springsteen to make his concerts shorter). Walsh himself has said he isn't a fan, and the film probably benefits from his more objective eye.

The documentary lacks any real narration, and at first plays like a YouTube playlist. But as the film goes on, the clips tell their own story. Even the biggest Springsteen cynic may give the man a listen after watching the film. At the very least, they'll walk away with more appreciation for his bond with fans. - more on this story




Led Zeppelin 2 Launching Summer Tour
Led Zeppelin 2, the tribute band led by Yakuza's Bruce Lamont, have announced a series of North American tour dates where they will be hitting various major markets beginning this month.

The band will be kicking off the string of live dates with a special set at Chicago's Ben Fest this Saturday, July 20th, which is being billed as the group's only Chicago area appearance this year.

The band will then kick off a series of dates on August 15th in Sacramento, Ca. The tour will feature stops in Las Vegas, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Cincinnati and Detroit. - more on this story





Curved Air's Darryl Way Releases New Solo Album
Curved Air founding member Darryl Way has released his first solo album in 20 years, 'Ultra Violins,' digitally on iTunes, Amazon.com as well as a traditional CD format. Glass Onyon sent over these details.

'Ultra Violins' features Darryl's own interpretations of several well-known classical pieces, as well as a re-recording of Curved Air's classic hit "Vivaldi".

Says Darryl, "The motivating force behind creating 'Ultra Violins' was to introduce some new material for solo violin that came from the vocal repertoire and the world of orchestral music, rather than music specifically for solo violin." - more on this story




Motley Crue's Vince Neil Plans Tatuado Vodka Event
(hennemusic) Motley Crue singer Vince Neil will showcase his Tatuado Vodka brand at the San Diego Spirits Festival next month. Initially released in Las Vegas last fall, the San Diego Spirits Festival will mark the official California launch of the brand; it is already available in Nevada and Texas, with new States opening soon.

Tatuado Vodka is billed as a five times-filtered pure spirit. Given the Spanish word tattooed, Tatuado represents a libation that is simply about fun, enjoyment and making good memories.

Vince Neil will be at the San Diego Spirits Festival hosting a two-day meet-and-greet with a taste extravaganza on Saturday, August 24 and Sunday, August 25 between 1:00 p.m. and 5 p.m. - more on this story




Video From Pearl Jam's Summer Shows Kick Off Posted Online
(hennemusic) Pearl Jam returned to live action Tuesday night at the Budweiser Gardens in London, Ontario and several video clips from the concert have made their way online.

The event marked the band's first show since spring, and only one of two scheduled this summer (the other is Chicago's Wrigley Field on Friday); a North American tour is set for the fall.

The London Free Press reports massive singalongs marked the early going after Pearl Jam opened with "Present Tense" (from 1996's "No Code").

Read more and watch the video clips - here.




Dream Theater's James LaBrie Releases Lyric Video For Solo Song
Dream Theater's James LaBrie has released a new a lyric video for the song 'Back On The Ground,' which comes from his forthcoming solo album "Impermanent Resonance".

LaBrie's new solo album, "Impermanent Resonance", will be released on July 29th, 2013 in Europe and August 6th, 2013 in North America. You can watch the lyric video for 'Back On The Ground' here.

The album will be released in standard CD and digital formats. In Europe, the album will also be offered as a special limited edition Digipak that will feature alternate artwork and two bonus tracks ("Unraveling" and "Why") as well as on limited LP version (with the full album as bonus CD).

The previous James LaBrie album, "Static Impulse" from 2010, will also be released for the first time as LP (with the full album as bonus CD) on the same street date of the new album.

Both LP's will be available on 180gr. black vinyl but also on strictly limited clear vinyl (only 200x copies each). - more on this story




Soundgarden's Ben Shepherd Previews Another Solo Song
(hennemusic) Soundgarden bassist Ben Shepherd is previewing "Collide," a new track from his forthcoming debut solo album, "In Deep Owl," due August 27. The song follow's the project's lead single, "Baron Robber."

Billed as HBS (Hunter Benedict Shepherd), the album is a collection of songs recorded in the industrial neighborhoods of Georgetown and Interbay in Seattle, Washington.

Produced by Shepherd, Dave French, Chad MacMurray and Nathan Yaccino, "In Deep Owl" features guest appearances by Soundgarden drummer Matt Cameron and former Pearl Jam drummer Matt Chamberlain.

Shepherd's debut solo album hits stores a week before Soundgarden kick off a series of European dates as part of their "King Animal" world tour. - Check out the new song here.




Baby Bee Release High Heel Leather Boots Video
Baby Bee have released a new music video for the song "High Heel Leather Boots," which is the first single from the brotherly duo's self-titled debut EP.

The band features brothers Joe Stark [vocals, guitar] and David Stark [drums] and their debut EP was produced by Brendan O'Brien [Pearl Jam, Neil Young, Stone Temple Pilots].

Joe had this to say about the EP, "It tells three different stories. The first is about a kid who's getting his ass handed to him and growing up like every kid has to do. Then, it tells the story of somebody becoming an adult and wanting to fall in love but not knowing how.

"Finally, it expresses where we are now as young men chasing down this dream and desiring to live in some f**ked-up pseudo responsible way. Still, we've got to satisfy this longing to play music. You've just got to do your thing." - Check out the video here.




Metallica Release I Disappear Video From Orion Fest
(hennemusic) Metallica have released video footage of their performance of their "Mission Impossible II" soundtrack song "I Disappear" at last month's Orion Music + More festival.

The tune was featured in Metallica's headlining set, which closed out the festival at Belle Isle in Detroit, MI. The group has also released video of "For Whom The Bell Tolls", "…And Justice For All" and "Harvester Of Sorrow".

Up next, the band will make an appearance at Comic-Con in San Diego this week – and play a secret show in the city; the group will launch an 8-date Asian tour on August 10 in Tokyo, a trip that will see Metallica's first shows in China. - more on this story



We The Kings Play Acoustic Show For Gibson
(Gibson) Florida based rock outfit We The Kings kicked off a mega summer tour last week alongside Breathe Carolina, T Mills, The Ready Set & Keep It Cute.

The day before the band played in Austin, TX, a tweet was sent to fans that said: "Ticket holders of tomorrow's show in Austin come to Gibson's Austin Showroom at 1:00pm for an acoustic pre show and meet the band."

People started lining up outside the Gibson Showroom early in the morning in 114-degree heat. WTK gave them a blistering 4-song set before signing autographs and meeting fans for a couple of hours.