Today's Day in Rock News!

Today's Day in Rock


Original Guns N' Roses Reunion Predicted by Axl's Former Manager
Axl Rose's personal manager during Guns N' Roses' Use Your Illusion tour, Craig Duswalt, says that he and others in the old school GNR camp see a strong possibility of the classic lineup of the group reuniting "in the next two years."

Duswalt, who is making the media rounds to promote his new memoir, "Welcome to My Jungle," says that Duff McKagan could pave the way for the band reuniting. McKagan has recently rejoined the band live, filling in for Tommy Stinson who has had live commitments with The Replacements.

"Duff is paving the way to open the gates again," Duswalt said to ABC News Radio. "Axl and Duff are really getting along well at the concerts, so there's an opening."

However, Duswalt also admits that there is bad blood between Axl and Slash, but he and others that were associated with the band in the past feel that Duff could bring the former members together.

Duswalt tells ABC News Radio that he knows "for a fact [Axl and Slash] hate each other right now. It's bad. Axl is a loyal guy and you get on his bad side and some people don't come back, but Slash and him were so close. We [in the old-school Guns camp] all have a feeling it will happen. It's gonna happen in the next two years...there's an opening because of Duff playing with Axl."

He also went into some details about where the rift between Axl and Slash originated. "It was a thing that happened at the end of [Use Your Illusion]," he said. "There were also the differences in music," Duswalt adds, "like Slash wanted to do more hard rock stuff and Axl wanted to do more ballads, rock ballads. There was that difference, but there was a specific thing that happened that both of them are at odds over."

Read the full report here.




Motley Crue To Continue Beyond Farewell Tour Says Neil
(Classic Rock) Vince Neil has emphasized that Motley Crue aren't going to end their career when they complete their farewell tour, which starts this month. They signed a high-profile contract in January meaning that they'd be sued if they ever hit the road after their world trek ends in 2015.

The farewell plans include a single called All Bad Things Must Come To An End and a movie based on their biography The Dirt. But Neil tells TNTRadioEmpire: "The band isn't over. Here's the thing - Motley Crue is a business and there's different parts of the business. There's merchandising, there's music and there's touring.

"We're just ceasing the touring part. But there's still going to be music coming from Motley Crue for different types of things, and still merchandise and stuff like that," he said. "We're just saying we won't tour any more - that's really kind of it." What's Nikki's take on the band's future beyond the tour?





Plant Slams Page Over Led Zeppelin Reunion Remarks
(hennemusic) In a new interview with The National, Robert Plant has responded to some negative comments made by bandmate Jimmy Page about his role in preventing a Led Zeppelin reunion.

"I was told last year that Robert Plant said he is doing nothing in 2014, and what do the other two guys think?," Page told the New York Times last month. "Well, he knows what the other guys think.

"Everyone would love to play more concerts for the band. He's just playing games, and I'm fed up with it, to be honest with you. I don't sing, so I can't do much about it. It just looks so unlikely, doesn't it?"

"I think he needs to go to sleep and have a good rest, and think again," Plant told The National. "We have a great history together and like all brothers we have these moments where we don't speak on the same page but that's life." more on this story




Phil Anselmo Admits He 'Sucked' On Zakk Wylde Pantera Jam
(TeamRock Radio) Phil Anselmo says he "sucked" during a recent live performance of Pantera classic I'm Broken. The modest Down frontman joined Black Label Society on stage to perform the track and later said Zakk Wylde's band "played the f*** out of it" in New York last month. But it appears he wasn't as impressed with his own contribution.

On a YouTube video of the performance, a comment was posted by 'Phil' under the Housecore Records account. It reads: "Dear lovers and haters. I adore you all, and I must admit one thing here and now: my voice was fried.

"Too many reasons to list here, but I did the Down set, waited an hour, drinking and smoking reasonably, and basically, I sucked. I admit it completely, you are correct."

It appears Anselmo was responding to some negative comments from fans, and he did say that when he is properly rehearsed, he is capable of singing Pantera's post-Cowboys From Hell material.

More including video of the performance here.





Don Henley Vs Frank Ocean Over Unauthorized Use of Eagles Classic
(Radio.com) Frank Ocean knew this day was coming when he preemptively posted back in March of 2012 on his Tumblr that Rhino Records threatened to sue him over his track "American Wedding" from his nostalgia, ULTRA mixtape, which samples the Eagles hit song "Hotel California." On the track, Ocean takes the master recording of "Hotel California," using the music but putting his own lyrics over them.

Eagles' Don Henley, who sings the song, is not a fan and has now spoken publicly about it. "I heard it, I was not impressed," Henley told the Daily Telegraph. "He needs to come up with his own ideas and stop stealing stuff from already established works."

Henley goes on to suggest that Ocean doesn't understand U.S. copyright law, which prohibits unapproved use of copyrighted works such as this, even when they are distributed for free as his mixtape originally was.

For his part, Ocean seems to understand perfectly. He just doesn't care. "If I don't show up to court, it'll be a judgement against me & will probably show up on my credit report. Oh well. I try to buy my s- cash anyway," Ocean wrote on his Tumblr back in March of 2012.

Ocean's attitude toward Henley and the Eagles is another burr in Henley's saddle. "[Ocean] was quite arrogant about it," Henley said. 'We tried to approach him calmly to talk reason to him via his managers and his attorneys and he wouldn't listen. So finally we threatened to bring legal action against him. He was clearly in the wrong. I wouldn't dream of doing something like that. What kind of ego is that? I don't understand it." Ocean isn't the only one that Henley has a problem with.






The Angels Frontman Doc Neeson Dead At 67
(Classic Rock) The Angels frontman Doc Neeson has died at the age of 67 after fighting a brain tumour for a year and a half, it's been confirmed. Angels bassist Chris Bailey died of jaw cancer 13 months ago.

In 2013 Neeson vowed he'd be among the 20% of sufferers who beat the disease - and appeared to have done so until the cancer returned earlier this year.

Drummer Buzz Bidstrup announced on Wednesday: "It is with deep sadness that we say goodbye to Bernard 'Doc' Neeson. He left the world early this morning. I join music lovers everywhere in mourning this great man." more on this story





Jack White Releases Lazaretto Video
(Radio.com) No modern rock star does eccentric as convincingly as Jack White - and so he delivers exactly what is expected with his video for "Lazaretto." It is a work of postmodern art, hitting all the hallmarks of the genre: ironic, referential and highly staged. Those attributes, executed in concert, are a delight to watch.

Directors Jonas & François (Iggy Azalea, Kanye West) made their name as post-production effects specialists with Justice's "D.A.N.C.E." They pull off some stunners in this gravity-defying video in which broken glass never hurts a fly and exploding guitars are just part of a day's work.

The b-shots give us a collection of outsiders, reflective of Jack White's perceived image of himself. We get snakes (not, coincidentally, the animal that had humanity kicked out of heaven on Earth), a transgender person and a bull.

Watch the video here.





Metallica Release Video Of Frayed Ends Of Sanity Live Debut
(hennemusic) Metallica played their 1988 track, "The Frayed Ends Of Sanity", for first time ever at the Sonisphere Festival in Helsinki, Finland on May 28, and now the band have released pro-shot video of the performance.

The "…And Justice For All" tune had been teased in concert before, but the band dug it out for a fan request at the show, one stop on their "By Request" European tour.

Metallica headlined Sonisphere, which also saw performances by Slayer, Mastodon, Ghost and Gojira. Metallica's video package from the event also includes soundcheck from the day before the show, tuning room footage and "Enter Sandman" from the concert.

Check out the video here.





Judas Priest Preview Another New Song
(hennemusic) Judas Priest are giving fans yet another taste of their forthcoming album, "Redeemer Of Souls," with the release of a new preview clip of the song "Crossfire".

"Crossfire has an acknowledgement to the blues," says singer Rob Halford. "It starts off in a very kind of mesmerizing way, but then when those drums kick in, it just gives another tone and atmosphere to the record that doesn't exist elsewhere."

Due July 15 in North America, "Redeemer Of Souls" will be issued in a standard version and a deluxe edition with five bonus tracks. The project marks guitarist Richie Faulkner's studio debut with Priest; he replaced founding member K.K. Downing following his retirement in 2011. Check out the clip here.





Soundgarden May Give Badmotorfinger Deluxe Anniversary Reissue
(Classic Rock) Soundgarden are looking at the possibility of making a deluxe 25th anniversary edition of Badmotorfinger, says guitarist Kim Thayil. It would follow the 20th anniversary version of Superunknown, released this week - although it won't happen until 2016.

Thayil tells Billboard: "We have discussed giving the treatment to Badmotorfinger - there are some B-sides, there's some live material, and I believe they may be rehearsal material.

"Badmotorfinger had an impact with listeners, but also with guitarists, drummers and singers - people who started bands. It definitely deserves the same kind of treatment we're giving Superunknown."

Meanwhile, Thayil admits his long-planned compilation of B-sides and rarities is still something he wants to do, but the band have other priorities. more on this story





Bret Michaels Had To Be Talked Out Of Playing When Sick
(Classic Rock) Poison singer Bret Michaels had to be talked out of trying to play solo shows while fighting a serious virus, his solo band guitarist Pete Evick has reported.

The diabetic vocalist was forced off stage after three songs last week as his blood-sugar level plummeted. He was rushed to hospital where he was diagnosed with a severe form of flu, and later cancelled two further shows.

And Evick - who's been present while Michaels fought off a brain haemorrhage, heart disease and emergency appendectomy in recent years - says he's never seen his bandmate in such a bad condition.

He reports: "It took a team of doctors, friends and family to convince Bret not to return to the stage. He doesn't believe it's right, but those close to him would rather have him miss one more day than to cause more problems by pushing himself.

"Most non-diabetics take a week off work when they contract a flu like this, so two days is still pretty crazy." He goes on to describe Michaels' illness




Deke Leonard Recalls Unusual Jimi Hendrix Experience
(Classic Rock) Former Man guitarist Deke Leonard has recalled the night his band played a show for an audience of one - but the single listener was Jimi Hendrix. The once-in-a-lifetime experience took place at the iconic Speakeasy club in London in 1967, when Leonard was playing with his three-piece outfit Lucifur and the Corncrackers.

Leonard and his colleagues were one of the many bands who performed as many as four sets on the same evening, with the earlier shows often poorly-attended as many of the regulars were in other parts of the country playing their own shows.

Leonard tells WalesOnline:: "We played our first song, and when it had finished the figure in the darkness applauded. We turned to him, bowed and told him he was a wonderful audience - and the largest crowd we'd played to in some time!"

When the set was over he went over to thank the listener. "It was Hendrix," he recalls. "He was dressed in a black military jacket. My heart stopped, my mouth went dry and I broke into a cold sweat.

"He stretched out a huge bony hand for me to shake and said, 'Far out, man.'" More details here.




Rise Against Releasing New Album Next Month
(Radio.com) Rise Against announced the release of their seventh album, titled The Black Market, hitting hits stores July 15. The album's first single, "I Don't Want To Be Here Anymore," which can be heard in the form of a video snippet on the band's website, will be available for digital download and streaming via digital subscription services next Tuesday (June 10).

"Rise Against has always been a political band, but also a personal band," said frontman Tim McIlrath in a release. "We've always had songs that have a foot in both worlds. This album is a lot more introspective to me."

Last year the Chicago-based punk band released a rarities and greatest hits album titled Long Forgotten Songs, B-Side & Covers 2000-2013. Among the album's classic covers are Springsteen's "Ghost of Tom Joad," Dylan's "Ballad of Hollis Brown," Nirvana's "Sliver," and Journey's "Any Way You Want It." more on this story





Alice Cooper Comeback Fueled By Sobriety
(Classic Rock) Alice Cooper says he would have made many more hit albums if he had stayed sober. The shock rocker says he made four unsuccessful albums when he was in the grip of alcohol addiction and only made another hit record - 1989's Trash - when he quit drinking.

Cooper is the subject of current documentary Super Duper Alice Cooper which charts his career up until the 1980s. He tells Guitar International: "I got to a point where we made three or four albums in a row that didn't do anything. My real fans loved those albums, but they were so experimental and different from Billion Dollar Babies and School's Out which were both number one and Welcome to My Nightmare which was in the top five. Those were the albums that were huge. Then I had four albums and they were cool but non-existent.

"I think in that period of time from a career point of view, I said I'm never going to make another hit album again. Trash came after that and it sold five million copies. As soon as I got sober all of a sudden things got okay again. It took me going into a hospital and getting sober before I made another hit album." more on this story





Touchstone Cancel DVD Release Shows
(Prog) Touchstone have been forced to cancel their planned live DVD launch shows later this month. A family illness has meant the gigs at London's Borderline on June 20, Chesterfield's Real Time Live on June 21 and Bilston's Robin 2 on June 22 have had to be called off.

But the band have vowed to make amends to disappointed fans hoping to support the release of Live Inside Outside, which will appear on July 4. Touchstone say in a statement:

"This has been a very tough decision to make - we have never had to cancel any gigs before. We don't want to let anyone down. Unfortunately, it is the only decision we could make when it involved supporting one of our band members through an unforeseen family illness." more on this story





Dave Grohl Describes Reconciling With Courtney Love At Rock Hall Event
(Classic Rock) Dave Grohl describes finally burying the hatchet with Courtney Love as "beautiful". The Foo Fighters frontman and former Nirvana drummer brought an end to years of feuding with Kurt Cobain's widow when he embraced Hole singer Love onstage at April's Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony.

Grohl tells The Hollywood Reporter: "The wonderful thing about that night was the personal side of it. It was the Hall Of Fame ceremony, but it meant so much to all of us personally that sometimes you forgot about the other stuff, like the arena and the trophy, and focused on real, personal things.

"I saw Courtney walking past and I just tapped her on the shoulder and we looked at each other in the eyes and that was it - we're just family. We've had a rocky road. We've had a bumpy past, but at the end of the day we're a big family and when we hugged each other it was a real hug.

"And after we walked off stage, we just walked down the hallway together, it was almost like no time had passed at all. Those things are real and no matter what it looks like in a magazine or on a website. That's real sh*t and I was very, very happy that we had those moments. It was beautiful." more.





Black Sabbath's Tony Iommi Becomes Visiting Professor Of Music
(hennemusic) Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi has taken up teaching at Coventry University. Last month, Iommi carried out his first official engagement on campus as a Visiting Professor Of Music.

The guitarist visited the performing arts department's facilities and spent the afternoon talking to students and staff, answering questions about his legendary career as one of the founders of Black Sabbath.

"To watch Tony interact with the students was an absolute privilege," said Dr. Geoff Willcocks, Coventry University's Director Of Arts And Culture. "He was incredibly generous and open with them about all aspects of his work. Tony is without doubt a rock icon and he's an inspiration to so many people around the world. It's wonderful to have such an important and respected international figure working with us." more on this story





Steve Harris, Geddy Lee and Geezer Butler Father Figures To Frank Bello
(Classic Rock) Frank Bello says the fact he looked up to his bass playing heroes, Steve Harris, Geddy Lee and Geezer Butler, as father figures meant he was only ever going down one career path.

The Anthrax bassist grew up without a father and instead saw Steve Harris, Geddy Lee and Geezer Butler as surrogate dads. With the Maiden, Rush and Sabbath stars as childhood heroes, Bello says he was never going to be anything else other than a bassist.

He tells Ultimate Guitar: "My heroes were bass players. I guess everybody needs somebody to look up to. I didn't grow up with a dad so my heroes or father figures, guys to look up to that gave me a goal were my bass player guys.

"Steve Harris, Geddy Lee and Geezer Butler. Those guys made me want to play bass. And as far getting onstage, Kiss made me want to play onstage. So it was all these things. I really am very, very thankful for having music in my life because it's pretty easy to go a different way. more on this story





Brother Firetribe Fine With Working Around Nightwish
(Classic Rock) Brother Firetribe have no complaints over the fact their careers are linked entirely to the schedule of Nightwish. Formed by Nightwish guitarist Emppu Vuorinen as a side project in 2002, Brother Firetribe have been at the mercy of Vuorinen's other commitments ever since.

There was a six year delay between Brother Firetribe's third album Diamond In The Firepit - released in May - and 2008's Heart Full Of Fire. But according to singer Pekka Ansio Heino, it's a situation the other band members are all happy with.

He tells Bravewords: "The band was born with that cross to bear. Back in 2010 we did the last gig for the previous album and then Nightwish went on their way touring the world again, so we agreed on taking a break and it was a much needed break." More.






Chuck Ragan & The Camaraderie Release New Video
(Classic Rock) Chuck Ragan has released a video featuring live footage of Chuck Ragan & The Camaraderie that reveals how he benefitted from a break from life on the road.

"It definitely takes its toll in you. I took some time off from doing any heavy touring, and spent a lot of time at home", says Chuck, "working on the house, spending time with my wife and dogs… and it was really healing, very rejuvenating. And that's where a lot of the songs on the new record began".

Till Midnight is Ragan's fourth solo album, and knits punk, folk, rock'n'roll and bluegrass together in a way that's perhaps more mature than his previous work.

"You never really know how long it's going to last", says the singer, "and that's the reason why it's so important to be appreciative for the time that you have, and for the opportunity to do this, and for the people who come and support you."

Watch the full video here.




Arthur Brown Uses His Pychosonic Helmet In New Video
(Classic Rock) Arthur Brown makes full use of his "pychosonic" helmet in the video for his latest track Unknown. He debuted the sound-creating headgear at Hard Rock Hell last year.

He explained at the show, "It won't just trigger sounds that are preset - it will create sounds in real time. Then it will develop to include body energies; next will come the energy of feeling, then the sexual energies will be accessed.

"After that, the energies of the spirit and soul will become instigators of sound - and the whole human being will be used." Unknown is taken from upcoming album Zim Zam Zim, which is described as "a genre spanning, time travelling, world bending, heavy grooving and massively eclectic collection of songs." It's set for release on July 28.

Watch the video here.





Synaesthesia Reveal Temporary Guitarist
(Prog) Synaesthesia have confirmed American guitarist Joey Frevola as the man who'll replace Ollie Hannifan until the end of the year. Hannifan has taken a leave of absence from the band to concentrate on a touring project.

As a result they recently launched a hunt for a stand-in to appear with them at the Night Of The Prog festival and contribute to their second album. They report: "As with all applicants we told Joey to pick a song and learn the top line of the guitar parts. He chose all 22 minutes of Time, Tension And Intervention."

Frevola says: "I'm currently scrambling to learn all my parts and get my things packed for the trek to London. My head is still spinning - it all feels a bit surreal."

More including his audition video here.






The Nighthawks Releasing New Album This Month
(The Blues The Nighthawks will release their latest album, 444, on June 17, featuring tracks they've spent a year "test-driving" at concerts. The 13-track follow-up to 2012's Damn Good Time contains original material plus covers of songs made famous by Muddy Waters and Elvis Presley.

Ellersoul Records, the band's new label, say: "Now in their fifth decade of recording and live performing, the 21st-century Nighthawks are a tight, cohesive unit - the kind that comes only from years and miles. The nightly consensus from fans is that this version of the Nighthawks is the best ever.

"Almost every recording has featured at least one Muddy Waters tune and 444 is no exception. This time the band showcase their acoustic version of Louisiana Blues, staying close to the country blues of Muddy's original version." more on this story





Collibus Release 'The Fallen' Video
(Prog) Collibus have released a new music video for their track The Fallen, which appears on debut album The False Awakening. The clip can be viewed online.

The Manchester five-piece last year made history by becoming the first heavy band to perform in the House Of Commons, and they've received compliments from Brian May of Queen and Luke Appleton of Iced Earth.

Collibus have made three tracks available as free downloads - The Fallen, The Hunted and Dead Inside. They can be seen at the Download festival later this month and at Sonisphere next month.

Grab the download link and check out the video here.




Dave Kerzner Recruits Floyd Vocalist For New Song
(Prog) Former Sound Of Contact man Dave Kerzner has recruited Pink Floyd vocalist Durga McBroom for a track on his upcoming solo album and a preview clip is available online.

In the newly released online clip she sings a section entitled "A Wave Of Evolution Moves Across The Sand" taken from the work-in-progress record New World.

Kerzner, who last year left Sound Of Contact to concentrate on his own projects, says: "Durga is a great friend and I'm thrilled to have her backing harmonies and soulful lead vocals on my album.

"The song features Nick D'Virgilio on drummer, Fernando Perdomo on guitar and bass - and it will also feature guest guitarist Steve Hackett."

Today's Day in Rock News!

Today's Day in Rock


Walter Trout Receives Liver Transplant
(Classic Rock) Walter Trout has undergone a liver transplant at last - and wife Marie reports he's doing well after the life-saving surgery. He's been on the waiting list since it was reported in March that he had 90 days to live unless the operation took place.

Marie reports: "Walter made it through the surgery with an A+. They are now just watching and cleaning up. Heart and lungs held up great. New liver was a 'great fit' and is doing well. Dr Mercer confirmed that they rocked out to Walter's music throughout the surgery!

"In an hour I can visit with him in the ICU, then I will turn my entire attention to Walter. Thank you for walking this road with me. I have felt your love, energy and support throughout. Now let the healing begin." more on this story




Led Zeppelin Release 'Whole Lotta Love' Rough Mix Video
(hennemusic) Led Zeppelin have issued an official video for an unreleased version of "Whole Lotta Love" that will appear on the forthcoming expanded reissue of their 1969 sophomore album, "Led Zeppelin II."

The "Rough Mix with Vocal" version of the iconic song - featured on the companion disc of bonus material from the sessions for the album - is different than the one fans have known for decades.

"You realize just how important all of those additional layers and the filigree work is," guitarist Jimmy Page told the BBC recently. "There's all manner of bells and whistles to make it the song Whole Lotta Love as we all know it."

Due June 2 (June 3 in North America), the band are also releasing reissues of "Led Zeppelin I" and "Led Zeppelin III" the same day. Watch the video here.





Angus and Malcolm Pre-AC/DC Song Streaming Online
(hennemusic) A preview of one of the first recordings made by AC/DC's Angus & Malcolm Young, set to be reissued on June 2nd, is now streaming online. The song "Natural Man" appeared on Marcus Hook Roll Band's 1973 release, "Tales Of Old Grand Daddy."

The group was put together by Harry Vanda and George Young of The Easybeats (and, later, Flash And The Pan). The main sessions for "Tales Of Old Grand Daddy" took place during July/August 1973 in Sydney, Australia.

The members of AC/DC are currently in a Vancouver recording studio working on a new album. Guitarist Malcolm Young is sitting out the sessions due to health issues, and there's speculation that his nephew, Stevie, is helping out during his absence.

Check out the song here.




Rolling Stones Made Over 1.5 Billion From Touring
(hennemusic) The Rolling Stones lead a new list of the top 25-selling live acts of the past 25 years, according to music industry magazine Billboard. The UK rockers top the list after grossing more than $1.5 billion on the road since 1990, playing more than 500 shows to almost 20 million fans.

"Mick Jagger is always going to be the role model," Jon Bon Jovi told Billboard in a recent interview. "Until [Jagger] hangs up the retirement number, I don't know where the end zone is. I just keep running the ball until Jagger says, 'Here's the goal line.'"

U2 lands in second place, with roughly the same numbers as The Stones; Bruce Springsteen is in third with a $1.2 billion gross over 700-plus shows to 15 million fans; rounding out the top ten are Madonna, Bon Jovi, Elton John, Dave Matthews Band, Celine Dion, Kenny Chesney and The Eagles. more on this story






Slash's New Album Coming A Month Early Via Classic Rock
(TeamRock Radio) Classic Rock magazine will release World On Fire, the new album from Slash with Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators, as a special Fanpack edition on September 15, a full four weeks ahead of the album's regular release date.

The album, the follow-up to 2010's Slash and 2012's Apocalyptic Love (Featuring Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators) - both of which were released with Classic Rock in Fan Pack form - features 17 new songs and has been described by Slash's bassist Todd Kerns as "sleazier, tougher and more dangerous" than its predecessors.

Classic Rock's Slash Fan Pack includes the World On Fire album, a metal pin badge plus an in-depth, 116 page full-colour magazine dedicated to every aspect of how the album was written and recorded. The magazine will feature exclusive new interviews with Slash, Myles Kennedy, the band members, the album's producer Michael Baskette and Slash and Myles' full track by-track breakdown of the new release. More details.




Dimebag Darrell Tribute Song On Hellyeah's New Album
(TeamRock Radio) Chad Gray says a song on Hellyeah's upcoming fourth album is a tribute to late Pantera guitarist Dimebag Darrell. Black December is the last track on Blood For Blood, released on Monday, June 9. Hellyeah singer Gray says it is a tribute to Dimebag, whose brother Vinnie Paul is Hellyeah's drummer.

Gray tells Metal Sickness: "I didn't really know Dime, but he inspired me and his band inspired me. A lot of people I have a brotherhood with were really close to him.

"I've heard just about every story you can hear about him. He lived in the moment and that how I strive to be. He very much lived for right now and it was awesome, he loved to put smiles on people's faces."

Dimebag was shot and killed while onstage with his band Damageplan in Columbus, Ohio, in December 2004. Gray adds that Blood For Blood "feels right", giving a lot of the credit to producer Kevin Churko.

More including a stream of the video interview here.





Paul McCartney Leaves Japan After Hospitalization
Paul McCartney has left Japan after he was discharged from a hospital for treatment of a virus that caused the former Beatle to cancel his tour of the country and a show in South Korea.

The promoters in Japan issued a statement on Tuesday that said McCartney left Japan on a charter flight on Monday and they added, "Paul McCartney himself hopes to return to Japan for more concerts as soon as possible," according to Reuters.

As previously reported, a statement was issued on McCartney's website last Thursday (May 22) that said, "Since contracting a virus last week that led to the postponement of tour dates, Paul received successful medical treatment at a hospital in Tokyo.

"He will make a complete recovery and has been ordered to take a few days rest. Paul has been extremely moved by all the messages and well wishes he has received from fans all over the world."

McCartney's website lists his next scheduled concert to take place on June 14th in Lubbock, TX at the United Spirit Arena, which will the kick off of his North American summer tour.





Motley Crue's Vince Neil Now Part-Owner Of Pro Football Team
(hennemusic) Motley Crue singer Vince Neil has signed on as part-owner of the Jacksonville Sharks of the Arena Football League. Neil's ownership venture into the AFL follows the recent purchase and launch of the LA KISS by KISS members Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons.

"As an owner, I'm just here to cheer on the team, you know," says Neil about his new role in an interview with First Coast News. "…and get some new fans in the seats - people who are maybe thinking about going to the game but really haven't committed to it - get off the couch and come down to the game. It's something really, really exciting and I think once you go, you'll be hooked."

Vince and Motley Crue will launch their farewell trek - billed as "The Final Tour" - on July 2 in Grand Rapids, Michigan with guest Alice Cooper. The band will release a new song, "All Bad Things Must Come To An End", as part of a new greatest hits package that will surface in sync with the tour.

Check out the video interview here.





GWAR-Themed Restaurant Opening This Summer
(Radio.com) One of the dreams of fallen GWAR frontman Dave Brockie (aka Oderus Urungus), according to his bandmates, involved opening a GWAR-themed restaurant. Now, months after his death, Brockie posthumously realizes that dream.

According to a release, the band will open their own restaurant and bar that features menu items designed by band member BalSac himself. GWARbar, based in Richmond, Va., will open this summer.

BalSac, the band's guitarist and creator of the group's GWAR-B-Q Sauce, invented the menu. "My mother taught me the endless secrets of intergalactic cooking," he said in a statement. "And then I ate her."

GWARbar will move into a location previously operated by another entrepreneur. The band is raising funds via Indiegogo to help renovate the space. The $50,000 goal includes various tiers of prizes for donations, including $1,000 that gets one a barstool at the restaurant with one's name engraved on it. more on this story






The Offspring's Dexter Holland Sued For Unpaid Plane Payment
(Radio.com) Come out and pay, Dexter Holland - that's what bringers of a new lawsuit against the Offspring frontman, who allegedly owes nearly $800,000, are saying.

In court documents filed last week, Cessna, an aviation company based in Wichita, Kan., sued Holland for not fully paying for one of the planes he purchased through the company when he bought it years ago.

Holland's company, Jet Racers, Inc., currently owes the amount due under the Promissory Note, which, as of April 21, 2014, totals $782,422.43 and includes principal in the amount of $734,794.43, interest in the amount of $31,887.04, late fees in the amount of $15,740.69 with daily interest accruing at a rate of $80.32.

Unable to make the payments on his third and newest plane, a Cessna, Holland received authorization from the manufacturer to put the aircraft up for sale and offered up his two others, a Czech made Aero Vodochody and a Texas built Mooney M20R, as collateral. Selling the Cessna for less than he owed, Holland signed a new loan for the two remaining planes and the unpaid balance of the Cessna. The singer was to pay 71 monthly payments of $8,726.00 with one final balloon payment of $395,244.26.

But according to court documents secured by Radio.com, Holland ceased making payments in April of 2013. More.





Mark Tremonti Almost Snubbed Eddie Van Halen
(Classic Rock) Mark Tremonti almost missed out on meeting his guitar hero Eddie Van Halen - because he was too caught up in a band meeting. The Creed and Alter Bridge guitarist recalls the night in May, 1997, when Creed were supporting Van Halen at Madison Square Garden in New York. The Creed members were holed up in their dressing room and ignored repeated knocks on the door as they were deep in discussion.

It turns out they were snubbing Eddie Van Halen himself, who was only trying to hand over a guitar to the young Tremonti. Tremonti tells Fanpass: "The biggest memory I have of that day is getting the guitar from Eddie. He came in the room and was knocking on the door, but we were having a private band discussion and didn't answer it.

"He knocks again and we don't answer it, then finally he comes in and he's like 'here's your guitar.'" The pair have remained friends ever since, and Eddie's son Wolfgang now plays bass in Tremonti's solo project.

In the rest of the video interview, Tremonti and Creed/Alter Bridge drummer Scott Phillips discuss their festival highs and lows and their careers with the two bands. Check it out here.




Slash Reveals European Headline Tour Plans
(hennemusic) Slash has followed up news regarding the release of his new album, "World On Fire", with the release of dates for a headlining tour of Europe that will be taking place this fall.

Slash will hit the road for dates across Europe starting November 10 in Dublin, Ireland. The guitarist will wrap up the trip with a 3-show series in the UK, finishing up in Birmingham on December 1.

Due September 15 (September 16 in North America), "World On Fire" sees Slash working with his touring band, Myles Kennedy And The Conspirators, and producer Michael "Elvis" Baskette. more on this story





Metallica Release MusiCares Event Behind The Scenes Video
(hennemusic) Metallica have released some behind the scenes video of the band's May 12th appearance at the MusiCares MAP Fund Benefit honoring Ozzy Osbourne.

Footage includes the band rehearsing on stage and in the dressing room, plus clips of each of the four songs that made up their acoustic set ("I Just Want To Celebrate," "When A Blind Man Cries," "In My Life" and "Diary Of A Madman").

Metallica have just released the audio of their four-song acoustic set from the evening to help further raise funds for the charity.The 10th anniversary event saw Osbourne presented with the Stevie Ray Vaughan Award in recognition for his dedication and support of the MusiCares MAP Fund, and for his commitment to helping other addicts with the addiction recovery process.

The rocker joins the list of previous honorees including Anthony Kiedis, James Hetfield, Chris Cornell, Alice Cooper and Jerry Cantrell. Check out the video here.





Floor Jansen Appears On New Timo Tolkki's Avalon Song
(TeamRock Radio) Nightwish singer Floor Jansen is the guest vocalist on the latest track from Timo Tolkki's Avalon - she fronts Design The Century from their album Angels Of The Apocalypse.

Former Stratovarius man Tolkki gathered with former colleagues Antti Ikonen and Tuomo Lassila on the record, which also features guests Simone Simons (Epica), Fabio Lione (Rhapsody Of Fire), Zachary Stevens (Circle II Circle) and others.

Tolkki says of the follow-up to 2012's The Land Of New Hope: "I am following a specific storyboard in a musical format, and this time the musical direction is heavier and darker - the apocalyptic scenes described in the lyrics demanded that." Check out the song here.




Mastodon Recorded New Album At 'Devil Went Down To Georgia' Studio
(TeamRock Radio) Mastodon's Brann Dailor says he will always be a fan of studios with history over modern alternatives. The drummer and his bandmates recorded upcoming sixth album Once More 'Round The Sun with producer Nick Raskulinecz at Rock Falcon Studios in Tennessee.

Dailor tells Fanpass: "Nick's our buddy and we had a lot of fun doing the record. We did it at a place called Rock Falcon which is the studio where The Devil Went Down To Georgia was recorded.

"I love the history, I love being in all the rooms where all that stuff took place. I'd rather be there. A lot of those studios, they can't support it and they're closing because kids are producing stuff out of their bedrooms that sounds just fine.

"I like saying 'okay we're gonna make an album and it's gonna be special. We're gonna do the drums in this special room and we're gonna do it for real.'"

In the rest of the interview, Dailor discusses Mastodon's plans over the coming months and spending time with Metallica. Check it out here.





Bernie Marsden Releasing Solo Album
(Classic Rock) Former Whitesnake guitarist Bernie Marsden has confirmed the release of solo album Shine in August - and it features a long-awaited guest appearance by David Coverdale.

The former colleagues worked together again on a version of early Whitesnake track Trouble, which they co-wrote for the band's debut album in 1978.

Shine also includes contributions from Joe Bonamassa, Ian Paice and Don Airey of Deep Purple, Jimmy Copley of Jeff Bekc's band and Mark Feltham of Nine Below Zero.

Last year Coverdale said: "I've just done a song for Bernie. I want him to tell people what it is, but it was one of the songs that we wrote together many years ago in the early days. That was a lot of fun for me to do and it took no time at all." more on this story





Soundgarden Says Opening For NIN Makes Sense
(Classic Rock) Soundgarden will open for Nine Inch Nails on the bands' upcoming double-header US tour - and Kim Thayil believes it makes perfect sense. The outfits recently confirmed plans to hit the road together, with a string of shows kicking off in Las Vegas on July 19 and ending in Hollywood on August 25.

Now Soundgarden guitarist Thayil has explained why the running order will see his band playing ahead of Trent Reznor and co. He tells DC101 (via Blabbermouth): "It makes sense. Nine Inch Nails is a production-heavy band - amazing lights, lasers. They use a lot of production both in the audio performance and the visual performance.

"We're more of a live rock act. If we were to play after them it would be a long wait while they struck all their gear and cleared the stage for us. It's a lot easier to play before them." more on this story






Anathema Discuss Musical Direction Of New Album
(Prog) Anathema's Daniel Cavanagh says the band let their music dictate its own direction on upcoming album Distant Satellites - and one of their only deliberate moves was to introduce more electronic sounds to their tracks.

Their tenth studio record is due for release on June 9 via Kscope. Cavanagh says in a documentary clip: "What we try to do is be intuitive about it all. If a melody comes down from wherever, we try to let the music guide us, rather than the other way round.

"Sometimes we'll have to take the music in a certain direction - but more often you're listening rather than guiding; you're listening to where the music wants to go."

He hails bandmates John Douglas and Vincent Cavanagh for their "penchant and talent for electronica," adding: "It's something they've done really well."

Read more and watch the video here.





Magnum Plan To Keep Turning Out New Music On Schedule
(Prog) Magnum's Mark Stanway says there is no sign of the band's prolific output slowing down. The keyboard player says a follow-up to Escape From The Shadow Garden - released in March this year - will be out within 18 months, insisting that an album every year and a half is the target going forward.

And he adds that live material and possibly a DVD is in the cards over the coming months. Stanway tells MyRockWorld: "In the 80s we had a schedule to release an album as soon as we could, every 12 months. The record companies wanted this.

"So 18 months is a good gap and at our age we can't wait that long before we put another one out. We'll have another one in 18 months. Next year we're going to release some live stuff off this tour." more on this story





Black Crowes' Rich Robinson Streaming New Album Online
(hennemusic) Black Crowes guitarist Rich Robinson is streaming his new solo album, "The Ceaseless Light", in advance of its official release next week on June 3rd.

Robinson, who produced the set, primarily recording the project with a trio of drummer Joe Magistro and keyboardist Marco Benevento; vocalist Amy Helm sings on two tracks.

The guitarist recently released "In Comes The Night" as the lead single from the package. Robinson will launch the album with a live performance at The Satellite in Los Angeles on May 27.

Check out the stream here.





Led Zeppelin Discuss Expanded Album Reissues With The BBC
(hennemusic) Led Zeppelin members Jimmy Page and Robert Plant continue to make the rounds to promote the band's upcoming expanded album reissues project, which launches next week with the re-release of the band's first three albums.

Page and Plant recently sat down separately with the BBC's Rebecca Jones to talk about the reissues. The guitarist spent two-and-a-half years combing through the vaults, listening to hundreds of quarter-inch tapes before choosing the best material for the series.

Asked why he felt the need to be hands-on with this, Page explained, "I don't want to die and have somebody else do it. I'm authoritative about what was done in the first place."

Deluxe editions of the group's first three albums are the initial projects announced as part of an extensive reissue program that will see all nine of the band's studio albums reissued in chronological order, each remastered by Page.

Stream the interview here.





Judas Priest Appear On Later With Jools Holland
(hennemusic) Members of Judas Priest recently appeared on the BBC's Later With Jools Holland program to promote the forthcoming release of their new album, "Redeemer Of Souls."

Singer Rob Halford, bassist Ian Hill and guitarist Richie Faulkner were on hand to talk about the project, while also confirming that they intend to tour to support the album.

Due July 15 in North America, "Redeemer Of Souls" will be issued in a standard version and a deluxe edition with five bonus tracks. The project marks Faulkner's studio debut with Priest; he replaced founding member K.K. Downing following his retirement in 2011.

Watch the Later With Jools Holland appearance here.





Singled Out: Mark Jones & 20 Paces' Fast and Free
Today Mark Jones, frontman of the alt-country stars Mark Jones & 20 Paces tells us about "Fast and Free" from their brand new album "Breaking Even," which was released this week. Here is the story:

"Fast and Free" is a tribute my childhood. It's a compilation of the things I did as a growing up. Living in four different houses in the same neighborhood, the people and scenery didn't change much and we became very familiar with both. It really speaks to the innocence of youth and how every day was full of exciting and new experiences.

Now that I'm older, and bombarded with the responsibilities of being an adult, the lyrics just came out while reminiscing about the good old days when life was free and easy. As a child you are always in such a hurry to grow up you don't take the time to enjoy life's defining moments. This song is an attempt to allow the listener to reflect on the simplistic beauty of those situations.

It also touches on the motif that as much as young people attempt to walk their own path in life, many of us follow in the footsteps of our parents. The nostalgia of returning to my roots and moving back home after college is what drove me to write this song. It's a song that all of us can relate to and we are proud to have released it as our first radio single.

Today's Day in Rock News!

Today's Day in Rock


Guns N' Roses' Axl Rose Has World's Greatest Vocal Range
A new study finds that Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose has the greatest vocal range among a host of popular singers including acclaimed pop stars Mariah Carey, Christina Aguilera and Beyonce.

On the other end of the spectrum, some of today's most popular pop and country stars landed at the bottom of the vocal range chart, including Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift among the bottom five with Luke Bryan coming in dead last.

Concert Hotels published the results of the study in an interactive chart labeled "The Vocal Ranges of The World's Greatest Singers" with Rose capturing the top spot followed by Carey at no. 2 and Prince at no. 3.

The study measured the highest and lowest notes that the singers achieved in the recording studio and the interactive chart shows the songs where they hit specific notes. Axl Rose came out with the highest range, covering over five octaves. The highest was on the track "Ain't It Fun" from 'The Spaghetti Incident" and the lowest was on "There Was A Time" from 'Chinese Democracy'.

Aerosmith's Steven Tyler came in 4th place, followed by James Brown, Marvin Gaye, Christina Aguilera, David Bowie, Paul McCartney, Radiohead's Thom Yorke and late Queen frontman Freddie Mercury.

Most of today's biggest pop stars didn't come close to the top of the chart with Beyonce coming in at No. 22, Miley Cyrus at no. 31, Justin Timberlake at no. 32, Rihanna at no. 43, Lady Gaga at no. 48, Lana Del Rey at no. 49, Lorde at no. 52, Bruno Mars at no. 56, Katy Perry at no. 68, Justin Bieber at no. 73, Taylor Swift at no. 76 and Luke Bryan concluding the list at no. 77.

Among rock singers Elvis was no. 12, John Lennon landed at no. 13, The Who's Roger Daltrey came in at no. 17, Bruce Springsteen was no. 19, Bono was no. 21, Jim Morrison was no. 23, Led Zeppelin's Robert Plant was no. 24, Rolling Stones' Mick Jagger was no. 25, Bob Dylan was no. 33, Nirvana's Kurt Cobain was no. 34, Bad Company's Paul Rodgers was no. 35, Lou Reed was no. 40, John Fogerty was no. 55, Chuck Berry was no. 64, Fleetwood Mac's Stevie Nicks was no. 71 followed by Jerry Lee Lewis at no. 72.

Check out the interactive chart here.




Rock Hall Sued by Snubbed Heart Members
(Classic Rock) Former Heart bassist Mark Andes and drummer Denny Carmassi have launched a lawsuit against the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. They were left out of the band's induction ceremony last year - but their photographs were used in promotional material.

And they say they were left "humiliated" when they had to respond to colleagues' congratulations by explaining that only members of the original line-up were being honored.

Andes and Carmassa spent nine years with Heart from 1982 and appeared on all their Grammy-nominated tracks and half their total of 20 hit singles. They say in legal papers: "Plaintiffs are not asking that defendant Rock Hall induct them into the Hall of Fame. Instead, this is an action to protect the rights, reputations, and likenesses of Mark Andes and Dennis Carmassi through the causes of actions false light invasion of privacy, misappropriation of name and likeness invasion of privacy, injurious falsehood, libel, slander, and right of attribution falsification of rock and roll history for Defendants' wilful and unauthorised use of Plaintiffs' images and likenesses." more on this story





Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers Announce Album and Tour
After Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers teased fans on Facebook this past weekend with a photo of a map of North America, they have now confirmed a tour and the release of a new album.

The band's new studio album, entitled "Hypnotic Eye," will be released on July 23rd by Reprise Records and is the group's first new studio album in four years.

The album will be released in various formats including traditional CD, digitally, as a high-resolution Blu-Ray audio disc. It will also be offered in two different vinyl configurations; a traditional one LP version and 2-LP version featuring an exclusive bonus track.

The band will be supported on the late summer/early fall North American tour by Steve Winwood, and the trek features the group's very first performance at Fenway Park in Boston.

The tour will be kicking off on August 3rd at the Viejas Arena in San Diego and will conclude the trek on October 10th at the newly renovated Forum in Los Angeles. more on this story







Sammy Hagar Tour To Include Van Halen and Led Zeppelin Classics
(Classic Rock) Sammy Hagar's upcoming tour will include Van Halen and Led Zeppelin material according to bassist Michael Anthony - but don't count on it being particularly well rehearsed.

Anthony - who worked with Hagar in Van Halen and Chickenfoot - joked that he, Hagar, drummer Jason Bonham and guitarist Vic Johnson will likely meet up and goof around rather than rehearse for A Journey Through The History Of Rock tour of the US this summer.

Anthony tells Ultimate Classic Rock: "Don't let the title mislead you, because it's not like we're the historians and we're going to take you through a journey of the whole rock and roll spectrum. Most of it is just kind of the history as we've lived it. We might throw some stuff in from bands that we grew up listening to, but of course we're going to cover all of the snippets from Montrose, Sammy's solo stuff, Van Halen and with Jason in the mix, we're throwing in some really cool Zep stuff too that I'm really enjoying playing." more on this story






Pink Floyd Releasing Division Bell Anniversary Box Set
(hennemusic) Pink Floyd will release a 20th anniversary box set edition of their 1994 album, "The Division Bell", on June 30 (July 1 in North America). The release was was Pink Floyd's 14th and final studio album.

The 6-disc box set features a new double-LP vinyl gatefold edition of the album remastered from the original analog tapes, a red 7-inch vinyl replica of the single "Take It Back," a clear 7-inch vinyl replica of "High Hopes," a 12-inch blue vinyl replica of "High Hopes" a with reverse laser etched design, the 2011 Discovery remaster of "The Division Bell" and a Blu-ray disc including "The Division Bell" album in HD Audio, a previously unreleased 5.1 surround sound audio mix of the album by Andy Jackson, and a new music video for the Grammy-winning track "Marooned."

The package also includes a set of art prints designed by Pink Floyd collaborators Hipgnosis and Storm Studios, in addition to a companion booklet. more on this story






Historic Beatles Guitar Fetches More Than Expected At Auction
(Classic Rock) The Rickenbacker 425 guitar played by George Harrison on Beatles hit I Want To Hold Your Hand has sold at auction for $657,000. The sale beat the estimated price of between $400,000 and $600,000 when it went under the hammer in New York at the weekend.

Harrison bought the instrument in the US while visiting his sister, then used it on the other side of the Atlantic as the Fab Four recorded the 1963 single that would break them in the States.

He later gave it to his friend George Peckham of the Fourmost, who sold it in 1999. Confirming the guitar was genuine ahead of an auction 15 years ago, the Beatle's wife Olivia said: "Mr Harrison was disappointed that George decided to sell it. It discourages him from giving away anything in the future." more on this story






Judas Priest Announce U.S. Festival Appearance
(hennemusic) Judas Priest have announced their first US concert date of 2014. In support of their forthcoming new album, "Redeemer Of Souls", the UK metal legends will perform at the Fun Fun Fun Fest in Austin, Texas this fall.

Set for November 7-9 at the city's Auditorium Shores and Butler Park, the 9th annual festival features dozens of acts, including Death Cab For Cutie, Gary Numan, Death From Above 1979 and Dinosaur Jr.

Due July 15 in North America, "Redeemer Of Souls" will be issued in a standard version and a deluxe edition with five bonus tracks. The project marks guitarist Richie Faulkner's studio debut with Priest; he replaced founding member K.K. Downing following his retirement in 2011. more on this story






Jimmy Page Amused By Early Led Zeppelin Critics
(Radio.com) In 2012, Jimmy Page told Rolling Stone that his primary job these days is guardian of Led Zeppelin's legacy. The job, it turns out, has taken up much of his time in recent years, as Page has been remastering the band's entire studio catalog, from 1969′s Led Zeppelin through the posthumous outtakes collection Coda.

"I was the authoritative one," Page explained to Radio.com about his role as Zeppelin's chief archivist. "I was there before the group started, and I know exactly what was recorded."

The remastered albums are part of a massive reissue program that pairs each original Led Zeppelin album with a second disc of extra material. The discs will also come in "super-deluxe" editions packaged with lavish coffee-table books, including era-appropriate photos and other archival material. The reissue versions of Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin II and Led Zeppelin III hit retailers on June 3.

During his conversation with Radio.com, Page spoke about the critical slamming Led Zeppelin got during the band's formative years, particularly from Rolling Stone. Every negative review aimed at Zep still stings and annoys him, seemingly more now than in 1969.

"If they only had a short time to review the album, along with three or four other albums, and this is their allotted [time] because they have to get their copy to print, well, of course they would have great difficulty" with an album like Led Zeppelin, Page seethed. "And because we weren't in the singles market, where there's an immediate point of reference all the time, by the time the third album comes out they're going, 'Well, they've gone acoustic, because Crosby, Stills and Nash are acoustic,' or whatever. It's just nonsense. But it's quite amusing!"

Page laughs as he says this, but you get the distinct impression he still doesn't actually find it amusing. He's a serious man. Read the full interview with Page here.





Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young Box Set Finally Coming?
(Classic Rock) The long-awaited Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young live box set CSNY 1974 has appeared on Amazon's UK site without announcement - and it's set for release on July 7.

Rhino Records have revealed the 48 songs that make up the collection, all of which were recorded during the band's notorious 1974 US tour. David Crosby last year told Rolling Stone: "If you're listening you would think we were really, for a moment, the best band in the world."

Despite their debauched behaviour on the road 40 years ago, he insisted: "The only reason the tour wasn't great is because we were ripped off. It made, like, $12 million - and we each got less than half a million." more on this story





Adrian Vandenberg Open To Reuniting With Whitesnake
(Classic Rock) Adrian Vandenberg says he's open to the idea of returning to Whitesnake - but there would be one important condition attached. The Dutch guitarist became David Coverdale's right-hand man in the mid-80s and left when the band split in 1997. He was replaced by Doug Aldrich when Whitesnake regrouped in 2002 - but Aldrich announced his departure earlier this month.

Vandenberg recently returned to action with his new band Vandenberg's Moonkings. "David and I will do something in the future, whether it's with the two of us acoustically, or whether it's a blues album, a rock album or a tour," He tells Radio Fireball. "We're too good friends not to do it, and we have much fun working together."

He describes his time with Whitesnake as "a great period of time," adding: "We were really successful - but the most important thing for me is enjoying making music in a great band. That's what we did." more on this story






Rotten Little Things On The Way
Former Wonderlove and Johnny Jones and the Suffering Halos guitarist Bryan McIntyre now wants to take fans on a journey to the land of Rotten Little Things.

McIntyre, who aside from being a guitarist, has also worked at the stop-motion animation studio Laika (including their upcoming feature film "The Boxtrolls"), is now using his unique talents to produce a "book unlike anything that you have ever seen."

Instead of using illustrations, McIntyre will be making the book's images by creating the characters and scenes by hand, similar to what you find in films like "The Nightmare Before Christmas."

McIntyre says that the story will be "about what happens when a creepy old codger moves in to a little town and turns its pint sized citizens into adorable candy staved zombies!!!"

He expects the project to take a year to complete due to the time involved in hand crafting the artwork. He is inviting fans that pledge support through his Kickstarter campaign to gain exclusive access to the project as it unfolds.

The Kickstarter campaign was launched earlier this month and so far has reached 10% of its goal, but it has also attracted some attention in the rock world with Rival Sons posting about it on their Facebook page.

Fans can get a feel for what the final product will look like with photos of some proof of concept figures and background scenes along with the introduction video for the project and a lot more details here.





Jimi Hendrix Live At The Isle Of Wight Coming To Blu-Ray
(hennemusic) "Blue Wild Angel: Jimi Hendrix Live At The Isle Of Wight" will be issued for the first time on Blu-ray on June 17. Originally released in 2002, the film documents the guitar icon's August 1970 performance before an audience of 600,000, the largest show attendance-wise he would ever play … just 18 days before his untimely death in London.

England's Isle of Wight Festival, which had its original run from 1968 to 1970, could be considered the Woodstock of Europe, and it provided the perfect setting for Hendrix's return to the country that birthed his career, after an 18-month hiatus. This was the first time his new band, consisting of bassist Billy Cox and original drummer Mitch Mitchell, performed on UK soil.

In depth interviews with Cox, Mitchell, and others set the stage for the concert footage that follows. The Blu-ray version of "Blue Wild Angel" contains all of the outstanding extra features included in the DVD, such as footage of "Hey Joe," which was not in the original release, a behind the scenes interview with Murray Lerner, rare artifacts and memorabilia, including reproductions of original tickets, festival posters, and even Hendrix's own handwritten directions to the festival site. more on this story





Yes Reveal Details About New Album 'Heaven & Earth'
(hennemusic) Yes have unveiled details of their forthcoming new album, "Heaven & Earth." Due July 8, the prog-rock legends have revealed the track listing and cover artwork for the project.

The 8-song release was produced by Roy Thomas Baker (Queen, The Cars, Foreigner, Alice Cooper.) Longtime Yes associate Roger Dean handled the cover art for the band's first record with singer Jon Davison, who joined the lineup in 2012.

Yes are currently playing shows across Europe, and the group will kick off a US tour on July 5 in Nichols, New York. The US dates will see the band performing two albums in their entirety - 1971's "Fragile" (for the first-time ever) and a repeat performance from last year's tour of 1972's "Close To The Edge" - followed by an encore of their greatest hits.

See the cover art and tracklisting here.





Queen's Roger Taylor Says Freddie Would Love Adam Lambert
(Classic Rock) Queen's Roger Taylor says Freddie Mercury would approve of the man who is filling in for him on the band's US tour. Drummer Taylor and guitarist Brian May are in America for a series of Queen dates, with Adam Lambert on vocal duties.

And while Taylor insists they could never replace Mercury - who died from Aids-related complications in 1991 - he is certain Queen's legendary frontman would love American Idol runner-up Lambert's style.

Taylor tells Germany's Bluewin: "When Brian and I give concerts as a Queen, we don't want anyone to imitate Freddie - because no one can replace him for us.

"That would be the wrong message. Adam Lambert is an independent artist. It fits us perfectly, because he is so theatrical, a true diva. Freddie would love him." more on this story





Neal Schon Discusses Journey's New Album Plans
(hennemusic) Journey guitarist Neal Schon says the band is planning to make a new album, their first since 2011's "Eclipse" release. "We are talking about doing another record," Schon told KLOS 95.5 FM Los Angeles on Monday.

"One of the main reasons that we haven't done a record is we go, like, 'How do you get it out anymore?' It's very difficult. If you make a new record today, it's basically because it's something that you need to do and wanna do. And we certainly wanna do that, but pooling us all together… I mean, Arnel [Pineda, vocals] is in the Philippines and everybody is all over the place, and it's not as easy if we all lived in San Francisco, like we used to. But we are talking about doing another record before next year, and definitely I'm doing a record with the Santana guys; we've been in the studio already. And I wanna come out with a new Journey record as well."

"I think it's all challenging, you know what I mean?!," the guitarist continued. "You have to think about when you go in and make a record, I don't think you're ever gonna see the money back, ever. It's kind of, like, out of pocket, but you've gotta do it just for the art. Otherwise you've got attorneys sitting on duty all day long and all night long just taking down links of everybody downloading it for free. And that's been happening forever. I mean, it's, like, you've gotta just say, 'Well, I want new music out there.' And we've got some new ideas of getting it out there and making sure we get a little residual from it. So I think we're ready to check it out again." more on this story





Ethan Brosh Added Carmine and Vinny Appice's Drum Wars
Carmine and Vinny Appice have recruited metal guitarist Ethan Brosh to join them at upcoming Drum Wars events in New York City and Poughkeepsie next month.

The Drum Wars appearances will be taking place shortly after Brosh hosts his own CD release event for his new instrumental album, "Live The Dream", on May 31 at The Hard Rock Cafe in Boston.

"I am honored to be joining two of the biggest drumming legends for a few shows!" says Brosh. "Carmine and Vinny Appice have been in some of rock's biggest groups. Both have influenced generations of drummers. I've been to one Drum Wars concert and loved the intensity and craziness that goes on throughout the whole show!"

"It is all backed up by a never-ending amount of talent on stage," adds Brosh. "Lots of my favorite songs by Ozzy, Dio and more are played in a very cool way! I will be joining Carmine and Vinny in New York City and Poughkeepsie, NY, close to where I was born. To me, these shows will be very special. I can't wait to play these songs onstage with two of the greatest drummers in the world! I would urge anyone in the New York area not to miss these awesome shows!"

Carmine Appice is excited to get a chance to play with Brosh. "Ethan is one of the best young guitar slingers of today," says Carmine. "His style techniques are awesome. Not many can play like him!"

Brosh also had this to say about his record release show, "Finally, on May 31st, the CD release show for 'Live the Dream' will take place at the Hard Rock Cafe in Boston!" he said "I'm very much looking forward to having such a special show in my home town of Boston!

"It's been five years since my last album. I can't wait to be back on stage with my instrumental band at the Hard Rock and play this new material to some of my fans and friends so close to home!

"This will be a real fun night to everyone who will show up. My instrumental band is the most powerful band I've ever been in. People can expect a very intense show on the 31st! Bringing HARD ROCK back to the HARD ROCK!!!"

Drum Wars dates:
June 20, 2014 - Poughkeepsie, NY - The Chance
June 21, 2014 - New York City - The Iridium (two shows)

Check out Brosh's Space Invaders video here.





California Breed Release 'The Way' Video
(hennemusic) California Breed have issued a video for "The Way", a track from the band's just-released self-titled debut album. It's the second video from the project, following the lead single, "Sweet Tea."

California Breed is the new band formed by Glenn Hughes and Jason Bonham - with guitarist Andrew Watt - from the ashes of supergroup Black Country Communion.

Hughes was introduced to Watt through mutual friend Julian Lennon. "This kid is amazing," says Bonham. "The first time we met, I thought he looked like the white Jimi Hendrix. And he plays in the studio like he's on stage!"

Check out the video here.





Bon Jovi Plan 30th Anniversary Deluxe Reissues
(Classic Rock) Bon Jovi are to release deluxe special editions of some of their back catalogue as part of the band's 30th anniversary celebrations. Further 30th anniversary releases are promised for later in the year.

First up, in June, comes a reissue of the band's fourth album New Jersey. A remastered CD, a double deluxe CD and and a three-disc super deluxe version with DVD will be available.

Five singles were pulled from New Jersey, including Bad Medicine and Living In Sin. It has sold more than 10 million copies worldwide. Bon Jovi originally envisioned it as a double-LP, using the working title Sons Of Beaches. But Mercury Records released the album as a 12-track single LP and the band renamed it New Jersey, after their home state. According to the band, with the new deluxe and super deluxe editions, "the New Jersey originally imagined by Bon Jovi can finally be shared with fans." more on this story





Alice In Chains' Jerry Cantrell Discusses New Album Jitters
(Classic Rock) Alice In Chains guitarist Jerry Cantrell admits he's scared as he begins to think about their next album - but it's nothing new to him. He says he's felt the same way about their five records to date, including last year's The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here - and he's taking confidence from the fact that they've all seemed to work out.

Cantrell tells the Lansing State Journal: "We approach all our albums the same way. I like to think that's why you get what you get with this band. We take our time; we're lucky enough to work at our own pace and make music we care about and how we want to make it. That's why you get quality music from this band."

But he continues: "It's always scary - you don't know if people are going to go along with you. All you can do is make the best record you can for yourself, and hopefully other people like it. We're fortunate that we've been doing that for a long time and had quite a lot of people dig our tunes." more on this story





Singled Out: Tempt's Under My Skin
Tempt will be performing at the Rocklahoma festival this weekend and the celebrate we asked the band's principle songwriters Harrison Marcello and Zach Allen to tell us about the song "Under My Skin". Here is the story:

Zach: I remember Harrison originally playing me the chorus for Under My Skin in the key of E minor. The verse riff that he had come up with was cool, but both of us felt like it didn't really explode like we knew it should.

Harrison: Under My Skin was one of the first songs that Zach and I wrote together. I had come up with the chorus lyric and hook. I showed it to him during one of our writing sessions. Originally the song was in e minor, but there were a few issues with how high that sat in Zach's voice. We decided that it would be best to drop it a half step, and in order for us to preserve the pedaled tonic on the low E string in the verse riff we decided it would be cool to have a song in drop D.

Zach: Harrison had a catchy melody and lyric for the chorus. We wanted a song that people could easily sing and chant with us at our shows. The chorus lyrics are easy to remember even after the very first time hearing them; people really seem to catch on by the second chorus at our shows and sing along!

Harrison: In our first draft of Under My Skin we opened with the verse riff as the intro accompanied by a cool almost tribal like drum pattern. However, when we transposed the song to drop D the verse riff in the beginning came off as too heavy. The song is an upbeat rocker and we needed to convey that right from the start. We decided that we would lead with the chorus progression so the song would start off with a bang and draw you in.

Zach: The concept for the verse lyrics came to me when I was thinking about a girl I met during my freshman year of high school. I vividly remember seeing her for the first time and being blown away not only by her physical attractiveness, but the cool, "not-giving-a-sh*t" attitude she possessed. I knew right then that it was going to be extremely difficult to get her off of my mind,. She stood out in a sea of new faces: "Stopping, starting many years ago, you was a looker that I got to know"

This chick crawled "under my skin" and stayed there for way too long. Her playful teasing drove me to my knees! I refer to her in the bridge as "Miss Agony". I wanted everything and nothing to do with her at the same time. "Under My Skin" is a way for me to share my experience through a fun, catchy song. I wanted to write something that people could relate to, and I know tons of people who have gone through what I did. Oh, and I hope she hears the song.

Harrison: When it comes to writing lyrics Zach and I take a similar approach. One of us will usually have a concept for the song that often takes shape as a chorus first, We will then write the verse melody and lyrics together around that concept. We demo the songs in my home studio and this allows us to work on the instrumental and vocal arrangements. We then play the demo and show the song to Jimmi and Zak so that they can add their flavor to it.

Zach: When I was recording the vocals in the studio, I originally sang the verses an octave lower than I do now. Our producer Tag suggested that I double the melody with a high octave as well, and I'm really glad he did. It definitely gave the verses the energy they needed to get the message of the song across. In the recording, you will hear both the high and low octaves!

Harrison: We cut this track live at an amazing studio in Vermont called Guilford sound. Everything is live with no Pro Tools trickery. I used my Suhr Modern guitar and Friedman Amplification and a Fractal Audio Axefx II for all of the guitar sounds

Zach: The song was a blast to write and record, and I could not be more proud of the final product!

Harrison: Under My Skin is one of our favorite songs, and we hope you enjoy it!

Today's Day in Rock News!

Today's Day in Rock


Black Sabbath's Final Concert?
(Classic Rock) Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi has told Metal Hammer that Black Sabbath's headline appearance at the Barclaycard British Summer Time festival at London's Hyde Park might be the British metal institution's final gig.

The July 4 show, the closing date on the band's summer 2014 tour, will see Sabbath headline above Soundgarden, Faith No More, Motorhead and Soulfly on the festival's main stage. And according to Iommi, it could be the end of the road for the legendary band.

"It could be the last ever Sabbath show," the guitarist admits. "I don't want it to be, but there's nothing really planned touring-wise after that show, so for all we know that could be it really. To be honest I don't want to be touring to this extent too much longer, because it makes me feel so bad." more on this story




Dave Grohl Gets His Own TV Series
(Radio.com) Dave Grohl is coming to your TV set again, this time with his own show. Classic Rock magazine reports that Grohl will be given his own series on HBO. The program will expand on the feel of the Foo Fighters frontman's Sound City documentary, finding Grohl traveling to recording studios across the world.

Grohl will also conduct various interviews at each studio, going head to head with some of the other musicians who have recorded there - making it more than a mere excuse to watch him flex his musical muscle in each recording studio.

Already, the series is set to feature Steve Albini's Electrical Audio in Chicago, Washington, D.C.'s Inner Ear (Don Zientara) and Rancho De La Luna in California, with interviews featuring Kiss' Paul Stanley, Joe Walsh of the Eagles and Heart's Nancy Wilson, among others. more on this story




Geezer Butler Offers Reward To Catch Cat Killer
(Classic Rock) Black Sabbath bass player Geezer Butler is offering a reward for information on a "heinous" crime which saw 25 cats killed and left swinging from trees in New York.

Butler has pledged $1000 to the reward fund on offer to anyone who can provide information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible. The cats were put in plastic bags and left swinging from trees in Yonkers, New York. The total reward now stands at $25,000.

In a statement released via the Westchester SPCA, Butler says: "It is so tragic that we have human beings among us that are capable of committing such a heinous and heartless crime. Surely there is someone out there that knows who has done this. Please do the right thing and come forward to get this coward off the street." more on this story




Aerosmith Cancel Turkish Debut After Mining Disaster
(hennemusic) Aerosmith have cancelled Wednesday night's concert in Istanbul following Tuesday's coal mine disaster in Soma. At press time, news reports indicate a fire at a mine in the western Turkish city has resulted in the death of 245 miners in what is expected to be the country's worst industrial disaster. 120 miners remain trapped while 450 were rescued after the fire.

Turkey has declared a three-day mourning for the victims of the incident while rescue efforts continue. Aerosmith members released statements sharing their condolences and prayers for those affected in the incident and for the nation as a whole.

"I woke up this morning to the horrific news of the mining disaster in Soma, Turkey," said singer Steven Tyler. "My heartfelt prayers go out to those who have died, those who are still trapped, and their families. We are holding the people of Turkey close to our hearts and respecting the three days of mourning for a saddened nation." more on this story





United's Akihiro Yokoyama Dead at 49
(Classic Rock) Akihiro Yokoyama of Japanese metal band United has died suddenly at the age of 49. The bassist, who was also their main creative force and manager, passed away on Tuesday, it's been confirmed.

A statement says: "It happened totally out of the blue and it is very hard for his family, United and the staff to accept it, but we wanted to share the news with everyone who has strongly supported both himself and United over the years."

Yokoyama joined the band in 1983 when they were a Black Sabbath and Judas Priest tribute outfit. After he joined they began writing original material and released nine albums, their most recent being 2011's Tear Of Illusions. more on this story





Judas Priest Preview New Song
(hennemusic) Judas Priest are previewing a clip from "March Of The Damned", one of the tracks found on their forthcoming album, "Redeemer Of Souls." The group recently released the title track as the album's lead single.

Due July 15 in North America, the project will be issued in a standard version and a deluxe edition with five bonus tracks. "Redeemer Of Souls" marks guitarist Richie Faulkner's studio debut with Priest; he replaced founding member K.K. Downing following his retirement in 2011.

"We feel 'Redeemer of Souls' reinforces our passion for what we believe in from the Judas Priest style heavy metal," said the band. Check out the new song preview here.





Roger Daltrey Wants To Make Another Album With Wilko Johnson
(Classic Rock) Roger Daltrey has vowed he'll make a second blues album with Wilko Johnson if the cancer victim recovers enough to make it. And he's suggested they'll take more time over recording if they get the opportunity to track a follow-up to Going Back Home, which was released in March.

Wilko Johnson, 66, expected to be dead by October last year after doctors found a tumor in his stomach and he opted not to receive chemotherapy treatment.

He underwent a new surgical procedure last month, after a physician friend became intrigued as to why Johnson appeared to be suffering no ill effects - despite the tumor continuing to grow. more on this story





Stevie Nicks Working On New Album
(hennemusic) While Fleetwood Mac work on new music, Stevie Nicks is also working on a new collection of rare songs that she hopes to release this October, according to Billboard.

The set, tentatively titled "24 Karat Gold: Songs From the Vault", will feature lost and stray songs that she's written and recorded through the years, but never made it onto an album.

The selections for "24 Karat Gold" were all newly recorded in Nashville, and co-produced by Nicks, Dave Stewart and Waddy Wachtel. Nicks says that she just recorded "18 tracks in three weeks" for the album, saying that it's the "fastest I have ever recorded." more on this story





Metallica Frontman Featured In Guitar Center Commercial
(hennemusic) Metallica frontman James Hetfield is featured in a new commercial for music instrument retailer the Guitar Center. The ad actually stems from an extended video interview that Hetfield did while in the chain's San Francisco store earlier this year.

In a small room, Hetfield recounted tales of his first guitar, becoming a musician, rising to fame, and he played a few riffs during the session. In the meantime, customers continued to shop in the store, having no idea it was Metallica's frontman playing.

This Friday, May 16, Metallica will team up with the Major League Baseball's San Francisco Giants for the 2nd annual Metallica Night at AT&T Park.

Check out the GC ad here.




Chris Cornell Was Offended By Temple Of The Dog Critics
(Classic Rock) Chris Cornell says he was "offended" when critics expressed surprise at his vocal range on 1991's Temple Of The Dog album. The Soundgarden frontman says the album - on which he sings alongside Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder as part of a grunge supergroup - eventually led to him changing up his style for Soundgarden's seminal fourth album Superunknown.

Cornell tells Radio.com: "When Temple Of The Dog came out, and I was getting a reaction from people...'wow, we didn't know you could sing', I was a little bit offended. How did you not know - are you stupid? And then I had to stop and think, 'wow I'm doing a lot of screaming and I'm avoiding singing.

"But that was based on the music. I was careful from the very first song that we wrote together, Kim Thayil and Hiro Yamamoto and I, to support the music. Ultramega OK, Louder Than Love and Badmotorfinger was not music that was asking for that kind of singing." more on this story




Dan McCafferty Helped Out His Nazareth Replacement
(Classic Rock) New Nazareth singer Linton Osborne has hailed Dan McCafferty as a "class act" after the retired vocalist helped his replacement through the ordeal of his first show.

Osborne was given the job in February, months after the original frontman was forced to quit three songs into a gig in Switzerland, leaving his bandmates fearing that their careers were over.

But with McCafferty's blessing, Nazareth powered on and hired their second-ever vocalist, who was previously a club singer - and once regularly dressed as a vampire Elvis character in a previous band.

He made his first appearance with the Scots veterans last month in Inverness. Just before he went on his predecessor left a message on his phone.

Osborne, who's known Naz for years, says: "I've still got the message. How much nicer can a man get? There's no way he would have wanted to give this job up. Not a chance. But he obviously had to, and he did it with such class. more on this story





Iron Maiden's Trooper Beer Sells 5 Million Pints In First Year
(hennemusic) UK's Robinsons Brewery have announced that Iron Maiden's Trooper Beer has sold 5 million pints in its first year. The company revealed the news last Friday, on the brand's first anniversary.

Launched in the UK in the spring of 2013, the beverage is named after the classic Iron Maiden song of the same name. Trooper was personally designed and developed as a top quality Premium British Beer by Iron Maiden vocalist and real ale enthusiast Bruce Dickinson with Robinsons' Head Brewer Martyn Weeks.

Since Trooper's launch, the beer has expanded its global coverage and is currently distributed in 40 countries. "When asked a year and a half ago if we wanted to enter into a partnership with the respected Robinsons Brewery to design and brew a real ale for ourselves and our fans, we leapt at the chance," says Dickinson. "What has been particularly encouraging, over and above the international sales success and even over the tremendous reaction from our fans, is how it has been so warmly welcomed by serious beer aficionados outside the Iron Maiden community." more on this story





Yes Reveal New Album Details
(Prog) Yes have unveiled the cover art and tracklist for Heaven & Earth, their first album with vocalist Jon Davison. The eight-track record is described as a continuation of their classic prog sound, but also featuring a "timelessly fresh and innovative" edge.

The sleeve art was once again created by long-time collaborator Roger Dean. Davison last month admitted recording sessions had been completed "just in time," but said there was enough overflow material that could be used in a later release.

He said: "We were doubling up in the studio. Chris Squire and I were working on background vocals and Steve Howe was finishing guitars. Geoff Downes was in Wales, Alan White was in Seattle and they were both sending tracks.

"We were just kind of throwing everything in at the last minute, then we only had two or three days before we had to start this tour."

Check out the cover and the tracklist here.




Jimmy Page's Berklee Music Commencement Speech Goes Online
(hennemusic) Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page delivered the commencement speech at Boston's Berklee College Of Music on May 10, and video from the event is now available.

On hand to receive an honorary degree from the prestigious music school, Page was asked to deliver the address to the 2014 graduates at Boston University's Agganis Arena.

"This is absolutely so amazing and it's such a privilege to be part of this and to feel all the energy from you graduates," began Page. "Congratulations to all of you."

Caught up in the spirit of the event, the guitarist discarded his planned speech, saying, "Here I am, a busking musician trying to busk my speech."

Page went on to discuss some of his personal history of learning music (self-taught), the relevance of studying music and his impressions of Berklee.

Watch the speech here.





Keith Emerson Pays Tribute To HR Giger
(Prog) ELP keyboardist Keith Emerson has paid tribute to HR Giger, who died on Tuesday. The Swiss painter, sculptor and set designer died after he failed to recover from injuries sustained by falling down a flight of stairs. He was 74.

Keith Emerson has recalled how Giger, who created the artwork for ELP's 1973 album Brain Salad Surgery, always seemed destined for greater acclaim.

He says: "Giger was an extraordinary character. His paintings always looked like photos. He used airbrushing to come up with art that looked like it was part of a movie image.

"I suppose that's why he ended up going into movies - and he always wanted to have a wider audience to admire his work." more on this story




Nash the Slash Dead at 66
(Prog) Jeff Plewman, better known as Nash the Slash, has died at the age of 66, it's been confirmed. The Canadian experimental musician was noted for appearing on stage wrapped in bandages, before he retired two years ago.

In 1976 he was a co-founder of Canadian prog outfit FM and appeared on their debut album Black Noise. He rejoined the band in 1983 and remained until 1996. As a solo artist he's best remembered for 1981 mini-album Decomposing, which was designed to be played at any speed.

He played violin, mandolin, harmonica and glockenspiel, among other instruments. His compositions include soundtracks for silent movies, audiovisual collaborations with surrealist artist Robert Vanderhorst - who confirmed his colleague's death. more on this story




Decade Release Coffin Video Ahead Of This Week's Tour Launch
Decade have released a new live music video as they prepare to launch their own headline tour of the UK at the end of the week with support from Only Rivals and Brawlers.

The new live video is for the track "Coffin" which comes from their debut album "Good Luck." The band filmed the video during their tour with Mayday Parade back in January. Watch it here.

Frontman Alex Sears had this to say about the tour, "We're especially excited about this tour, as we'll be playing the entirety of 'Good Luck' live for the first time, as well as a few oldies. Joe reckons he's going to stage dive at every show too, so that alone is worth coming down to see..."

Following the headline tour, the band have lined up appearances at several summer music festivals in the UK including 2000 Trees, Nass, Boardmasters and all five dates of Slam Dunk's UK run. more on this story





John Illsley Previews New Album With Live Session Footage
(Classic Rock) John Illsley's new album isn't out until next month, but he's giving fans an early hint of what to expect with the release of a low-key live video. When God Made Time is the first single from John Illsley's new the album Testing The Water, which is out on June 16. It's the former Dire Straits bassist's first full-length release since 2010. The album will be launched with a show at London's Jazz Cafe on June 19.

"I was missing being in the studio and playing music seriously," says Illsley. "This record was an important one for me to make. The last few years have been so turbulent politically, militarily and personally, and I wanted to try and create some songs that reflected these strange times and perhaps were worthy of sharing with others."

The video, which features a live performance of the song filmed at British Grove studios in West London, is a Classic Rock exclusive. Watch it here.




The Osiris Club Premiere New Song Blazing World
(Prog) London four-piece The Osiris Club set out their stall with the premiere of Blazing World, the title track of their upcoming debut album. The four-piece started out in 2010 with the aim of melding horror-movie soundtracks with prog metal.

They've been drawing strong reactions from live crowds with shows that feature occult symbolism, film backdrops and theatrics. Guitarist Raf Ruett says: "They tend to react with either religious fervor or complete confusion - and we wouldn't have it any other way."

Fellow guitarist Chris Fullard says of recording work: "We tracked at the renowned all-analogue Orgone Studios in London. We moved to Seattle and began mixing at Avast studios with Randall Dunn, who's previously produced Sunn O))), Earth and Wolves In the Throne Room."

Check out the song here.



The Birds Of Satan Rock Kimmel
(hennemusic) The Birds Of Satan, a new band featuring Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins, will perform on ABC-TV's Jimmy Kimmel Live last Wednesday, May 14.

The group recently released their self-titled debut album. Joining Hawkins in The Birds Of Satan are guitarist Mick Murphy and bassist Wiley Hodgden, who regularly perform together as 70s cover band Chevy Metal.

Produced by John Lousteau, the project includes guest appearances by fellow Foos Dave Grohl and Pat Smear, as well as Drew Hester, Rami Jaffee, Butch Vig, and current Yes frontman Jon Davison.

Watch the performance here.




David Lee Roth Streams A Capella Take On Happy
(hennemusic) In the latest episode of The Roth Show, Van Halen frontman David Lee Roth reveals he is in a Yokohama, Japan studio recording an a capella version of the Pharrell Williams hit, "Happy."

Roth recently hooked up with New York a cappella group Naturally 7 at their recent show in Tokyo and participated in an impromptu backstage performance of the song from the "Despicable Me 2" soundtrack album.

The rocker further explains that Tokyo has become his first home (he still maintains property in New York and California) and that he'll be spending 6 months of this year in the Far East country.

Check out the episode here.




Singled Out: Sworn Enemy's Do Or Die
Today Sworn Enemy frontman Sal LoCoco tells us about the song "Do or Die" from their brand new album "Living On Borrowed Time," which was released this week. Here is the story:

I've always been one to pretty much write all the lyrics myself on past albums but this one was kinda different I actually had a lot of help with it. Do or Die was the first song on the new record that me and Matt collaborated on.

He basically gave me a page worth of his ideas on how the song should be and I just worked them in my own way to fit to the music. I have to say it was a masterpiece after we were done with it, because of how good that worked we did a few other songs on the new record the same way.

Now I know I have a collaborator to work with on the future records. That's definitely a great feeling to know that the pressure for writing all the lyrics isn't put solely on me

Today's Day in Rock News!

Today's Day in Rock


Judas Priest's Rob Halford To Undergo Surgery
As Judas Priest prepare to release their first new studio album in six years, "Redeemer of Souls," frontman Rob Halford reveals that he plans to have a hernia operation.

Halford tells ABC that he is not having the umbilical hernia operation because he is in pain, but he will instead be undergoing the procedure because "it looks like the alien just burst forth!"

He tells them, "My doctors always said, 'We can take care of it,' and I said, 'I'll get around to it.' [The doctor said,] 'If it's not giving you any discomfort then you should leave it as it is,' but it's not very appealing to look at, is it?"

The operation will follow the back surgery that he had last year. ABC reports that he taking his aging in stride. "That's life," he says. "The wonderful thing about heavy metal music is that it's immortal. The music is immortal, but the creators are not bestowed with that attribute."

Read the report here.




Ozzy Osbourne Faces New Problem With Bats
(Classic Rock) Ozzy Osbourne once again has a problem with bats - after their presence in his countryside barn led to council bosses refusing his application to convert it into a home.

The Black Sabbath frontman - who famously bit the head off a bat while onstage in 1982 - applied for permission to turn a building on his Buckinghamshire property into a two-bedroom house.

But Chiltern District Council refused, saying there was evidence that bats, a protected species in the UK, live in the barn's rafters. The authority will not consider any application for the conversion until Ozzy can prove the animals' welfare will be protected. more on this story





Page and Plant Agree That Led Zeppelin Is Over
(Gibson) With the Led Zeppelin remasters and expanded deluxe album editions starting June 2014, there have been more persistent rumors the band may reform. Forget it.

Singer Robert Plant, who has been very vocal about his lack of interest in going back, has emphatically told Rolling Stone magazine. "You're going back to the same old s-. A tour would have been an absolute menagerie of vested interests and the very essence of everything that's s-ty about about big-time stadium rock. We were surrounded by a circus of people that would have had our souls on the fire. I'm not part of a jukebox!"

Of other (un-named!) reunion acts, Plant jibes "Good luck to them," he says sarcastically, "I hope they're having a real riveting and wonderful late middle age. Somehow I don't think they are."

Jimmy Page continues. "People ask me nearly every day about a possible reunion. The answer is 'no.' It's been almost seven years since the O2 (show). There's always a possibility that they can exhume me and put me onstage in a coffin and play a tape."

Page adds that the forthcoming Zeppelin archival releases have been a lot of work. "There's certainly more things that can be done," he says. "But this took a lot of time and I don't want to start proposing another project because it will take me another six months or a year."

Still, Jimmy Page may not be done onstage. He cryptically concludes, "I'd rather spend time practicing my guitar and going out to play." more on this story







Peter Gabriel Cancels Kiev Show Over Safety Concerns
(Classic Rock) Peter Gabriel cancelled a planned performance in Kiev after deciding he couldn't guarantee the safety of his band and crew, he's confirmed. The move comes amid continuing violence unrest across Ukraine as opposing political forces fight over the nation's future.

Aerosmith, Motorhead and Depeche Mode have recently called off planned appearances in Ukraine. Gabriel said in a statement at the weekend: "The security of the touring personnel and equipment cannot be guaranteed during the planned visit to the country. This has presented us with significant logistical difficulties that we have been unable to resolve.

"Any delays or damage as result of the situation in Ukraine would not be insured, and would also potentially jeopardise future shows on the tour - something which we feel we also have to consider." more.





Mark Tremonti Planning New Solo Album
(Classic Rock) Recording of Mark Tremonti's second solo album is due to get started this year. The follow-up to 2012's All I Was is well underway, with 10 songs already written, according to the Alter Bridge and Creed guitarist, who also fronts and sings in his own Tremonti project.

After the success of the debut album, the hard-working axeman is keen to put out a second batch of songs as soon as possible, on the back of a busy summer with Alter Bridge.

He tells The Front Row Report: "I'm working on that now. I've got about 10 songs ready for pre-production. Slash and Myles are going out with Aerosmith in July and August so I'll take that time to get back into writing more. Then we'll go back on tour with Alter Bridge in September and October and later his year we'll finish up tracking the new Tremonti record." more on this story




Prog Cover Artist Patrick Woodroffe Dead At 74
(Prog) Prog sleeve artist Patrick Woodroffe has died at the age of 74, his friends in Pallas have confirmed. Renowned for his fantasy-themed work in paintings, etchings and sculpture, he created covers for Pallas' The Sentinel, the Strawbs'_ Burning For You_ and Stratovarius' Fright Night.

He enjoyed a long collaboration with Greenslade mainman Dave Greenslade, which culminated in the release of The Pentateuch, a double-album complete with 48-page book of illustrations.

Pallas say in a brief online statement: "We have some very sad news from the family of Patrick Woodroffe: 'After a short illness, Patrick died before 3am in the early hours of Saturday morning.' Our thoughts are with his family. We are honoured to have been associated with his amazing artwork." more on this story






Robert Plant Reveals New Album Release Plans
(hennemusic) Robert Plant has revealed that his new solo album will be released on September 9th. The Led Zeppelin singer worked on the project with The Sensational Space Shifters at Peter Gabriel's Real World Studios in southwestern England.

"It's really a celebratory record, but it's very crunchy and gritty, very West African and very Massive Attack-y," Plant tells Rolling Stone. "There's a lot of bottom end, so it might sound all right at a Jamaican party, but I'm not sure it would sound all right on NPR."

Many of the musicians on the disc played with Plant on his 2005 album, "Mighty ReArranger", including keyboardist John Baggott, bassist Billy Fuller and guitarist Justin Adams. more on this story





Rex Brown Says There In No Bad Blood With Appice Over Kill Devil Hill
(Classic Rock) Kill Devil Hill's Rex Brown insists there has been no fall-out with drummer Vinny Appice. The former Pantera man says Appice was unavailable to tour with Kill Devil Hill and all parties were happy enough for Johnny Kelly to take over the sticks.

Brown tells Metal Nation Radio: "It was kind of a mutual thing where Vinny had some other stuff he wanted to do and we wanted to go tour. So everything was cool, there was no problems."

The band announced in March that founder member Appice had left, to be replaced by former Type O Negative drummer Kelly. Appice can still be heard on the band's latest album Revolution Rise. The former Black Sabbath man is working on a new project called WAMI, with an album due out this year. more on this story





Julian Lennon Introduced Glenn Hughes To California Breed Guitarist
(Classic Rock) Glenn Hughes says Julian Lennon introduced him to the young guitar wizard who would go on to join his new band California Breed. Andrew Watt was introduced to Hughes by John Lennon's son and he impressed the former Black Sabbath, Deep Purple and Trapeze man right from the off.

Frontman Hughes and drummer Jason Bonham decided to continue working together after their previous band, Black Country Communion, called it a day in 2013 when guitarist Joe Bonamassa walked out. And rather than go down the expected route of calling on one of his many famous guitar playing friends, Hughes wanted to bring in someone relatively unknown and who wouldn't leave them high and dry to pursue other projects.

Hughes tells Planetmosh: "Julian Lennon, one of my dear friends, was in LA in February 2013, the day before the Grammys and I was with him. He said 'there's someone here I'd like you to meet, a young man called Andrew Watt from New York city'. Andrew came over and spoke about his love of how this guy plays, or how this guy writes a lyric. I gave him my email and said to send me some music.

"It was not California Breed's type of music, but more Americana singer solo songwriter stuff, and I heard a good writer, a good guitar player, and a good singer, three things that are important. So Jason and I thought it would be a good idea to choose him instead of choosing a famous guitar player, who would bring into the band baggage of his own band and the unavailability to play." more on this story


Nightwish Star Writes Song For Finnish Live Aid
(Prog) Nightwish mainman Tuomas Holopainen has written a single for the Finnish Live Aid project. Lohtu - translated as "Comfort" - has been recorded by a group of his country's leading musicians with the aim of raising €3m for a children's hospital to be built in Helsinki.

But it retains many of the trademark styles that Holopainen has put into Nightwish, and recent solo album Music Inspired By The LIfe And Times Of Scrooge.

He says: "Life is a miracle of the greatest privileges, and nurturing it is a shared responsibility among all of us. I wanted to capture something which every listener, regardless of age, would be able to empathise with."

Read more and check out the track here.




Eric Burdon, The Yardbirds Added To British Blues Fest
(Classic Rock) Eric Burdon, The Yardbirds, Groundhogs, Dr Feelgood and many others have been lined up for the 25th annual Great British Rhythm And Blues Festival, which takes place on August 22-25.

They're joined on the bill by the Band Of Friends, Lucky Peterson, Eric Sardinas, Otis Grand, Mike Sanchez, Andy Fairweather Low, the Martin Barre Band, Caravan, Grainne Duffy and the Yardbirds, with many more besides.

An additional feature of this year's event is the headline appearance of the Snake Davis Jazz Band on a new jazz stage. A total of 600 artists will perform over the four-day festival in Colne, Lancashire, which last year won Best Blues Festival at the European Blues Awards 2013. more on this story





Billy Corgan Compares Tommy Lee To John Bonham
(Classic Rock) Smashing Pumpkins mainman Billy Corgan says working with Motley Crue's Tommy Lee has given him a new appreciation of the drummer's abilities.

And he's said the only other man who could play like Lee is late Led Zeppelin icon John Bonham. Corgan revealed last week he'd brought in the sticksman to play on Monuments To An Elegy, one of two Pumpkins albums under production.

Now he says: "I've had the fortune of being in the room with some of the all-time greats, and when you're that close to someone who is the best at what they do, you gain insight into the way they are able to communicate to so many.

"Let's call it a universal language - which music is, obviously. In applying it with heart and soul they present intangibles that give dimension and depth to a composition which otherwise would not be as kaleidoscopic.

"Tommy hits the drums in a crushing manner; but as many fans know, this is not without nuance or reaction. He has a fantastic ear for music and plays with the songs in a means that only enhances excitement. The only other place I've heard this phenomena is with John Bonham, where heavy drums can sound soft and expressive. Good company indeed!" more on this story






Neal Schon Wants To Make Another Journey Album
(Classic Rock) Neal Schon wants to make another Journey album - but first the guitarist has to persuade his colleagues to get on board with the idea. Frontman Arnel Pineda has previously stated he'd like to do more.

However, keyboardist Jonathan Cain last year said he thought their studio career was over following 2011's Eclipse, saying: "We're not convinced the market will bear another CD from us."

But Schon wants to keep writing new material. He says: "Nobody's really all that jacked up about recording new songs right now. I am - but I'm trying to get everyone else motivated.

"We'll have to see what happens. I know Arnel is game for anything. We'll have to see where Jonathan is at. For Journey, it's a different beast."

Schon has another idea if his bandmates don't want to write new music.






White Stripes' 'Seven Nation Army' Covered by Cruise Ship
(Radio.com) The White Stripes' 2003 single, "Seven Nation Army," has evolved from one of the band's biggest hits into something of a cultural phenomenon. Now a bona fide "jock jam" that's routinely chanted by sports fans at events around the world, the tune has been covered and played around the world.

Apparently, that includes cruise ships - and not the cruise ship band, either. An ominous and unconventional take on the song by the MSC Magnifica occurred last week (May 9) in Hamburg, Germany, during celebrations for the 825th birthday of the city's port, with the annual event billed as "the greatest Harbour Festival in the World."

As the ship floats past onlookers, its horn blares the infamous bassline from the song - three times in all. Those watching from the crowd cheer on in support. Check it out here.





Metallica's Kirk Hammett Releases Daisy Bell Video
(hennemusic) Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett has issued a video for his performance of the 19th century pop standard "Daisy Bell (Bicycle Built for Two)", as featured on the new limited-edition charity album release, "The Gay Nineties Old Tyme Music: Daisy Bell."

The project includes different versions of the 1982 song, which was later popularized in the 1968 film "2001: A Space Odyssey", in which it is sung by the HAL 9000 computer.

Other artists appearing on the CD include "Weird Al" Yankovic, Tyler The Creator, Nick Cave, Katy Perry, Devo's Mark Mothersbaugh and ex-Oingo Boingo mastermind Danny Elfman.

Watch the video here.





The Black Keys Perform On Live On Lettterman
(hennemusic) The Black Keys performed on the Live On Lettterman online series Monday night from just outside the Ed Sullivan Theatre on the eve of the release of their new album, "Turn Blue."

The band ripped through an 8-song set comprised of three tunes from the new project and five from their catalog, including rock radio hits "Howlin' For You" and "Gold On The Ceiling."

"Turn Blue" was recorded last summer and co-produced by Danger Mouse and the band. The Black Keys will kick off a European tour at the Southside Festival in Neuhausen, Germany on June 20.

Watch the Letterman performance here.





Chris Cornell Looks Back At Soundgarden's Superunknown
(Radio.com) Superunknown was both Soundgarden's most commercially successful album, and their most highly acclaimed. In an era obsessed with stringent notions of underground credibility, the band took risks by bringing a new sense of melody into the mix. Also helping: Chris Cornell added singing to his previously abrasive vocal repertoire. Soundgarden achieved the rare combination of sales and respect: Superunknown debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard charts in the spring of 1994, going on to sell five million copies in the U.S. It got five-star reviews in Rolling Stone and metal mag Kerrang!; even the mainstream-leaning Entertainment Weekly gave it an A.

This year marks the album's 20th anniversary, and to celebrate the occasion, the band is releasing deluxe editions of the album on June 3. This summer, they're co-headlining a tour with fellow alt-rock legends, Nine Inch Nails. Cornell was thoughtful in discuss both subjects, including why the he doesn't appear on the album track "Half," why "Mailman" still resonates today, and how NIN influenced his band.

Radio.com: You recently performed Superunknown from start to finish at South By Southwest. Did you enjoy it?

Cornell: That's a pretty dramatic concentration of songs. [South By Southwest] was the first time we ever played them in a row. As we performed it live, every song was in a different turning, so we had to swap guitars after every song. That kind of gets in the way of the flow, but it was OK, it worked.

Radio.com: Does the fact that you're coming off of a very strong and well-received album, [2012's] King Animal, make you more enthused about a reissue project?

Cornell: I think that there's some validity to the idea that, had we not made a new album, we wouldn't be so happy about anniversaries and re-releases and repackaging. But in the back of my mind, I always knew that if we got back together, we're gonna start creating something new.

Radio.com: Superunknown was very different from your previous albums. Do you feel that you were progressing as a lyricist?

Cornell: I think I was changing my focus a little bit. I wasn't a lyricist when the band formed, it kind of happened out of default because I was singing. I don't think that I had a lot of confidence as a lyricist, and I don't think that I really wanted to tell my story. To me, Soundgarden was its own entity, this weird, gloomy, psychedelic creature. My lyrics, early on, were more atmospheric and were there to support the atmosphere that the music created. As time went on, I think I yearned to do more with it, and that's when I started opening the door into who I am. Had that not worked, I would have slammed that door. But it worked! I think at some point you have to do that to really connect with your audience, that's a very powerful thing as well. By the same token, always wanting it to be something not so specifically about me or what I think about things, so that whoever is listening to it can adapt it to their life.

Radio.com: "Mailman" was unlike anything you had written before.

Cornell: I think it's like this tiny voice of a forgotten person, or a person who feels forgotten or powerless. I think that there are bedrooms full of those people in the world, and especially here in the U.S., this is a culture that thrives on making a name for yourself, a face for yourself, we're goal oriented, we're achievement-oriented. And so we're growing up in this culture feeling that we have to do something to distinguish ourselves in a country full of 350 million where it's impossible for everyone to distinguish themselves somehow. That is one of the main reasons why we have these horrible incidents of somebody walking into a public place and shooting everyone. What happened to John Lennon was that. This kid that wanted to make a name for himself, he figured out that that was a quick way to do it, at he wasn't wrong. It worked.

Radio.com: When Superunknown came out, some fans didn't like "Half," which [bassist] Ben Shepherd sang. I remember someone saying, it sounds like a B-side.

Cornell: That's what an album is, it's not sixteen singles for radio! It was one of my favorites. I remember getting into a discussion with Ben, where I had to convince him to sing it. He sang the demo and played everything on it. And it was amazing and we all loved it, but I didn't feel like I was going to capture what he was trying to do on it. He said, "If you don't sing on it, and you're not playing guitar on it, then it's a Soundgarden song that you're not even on." And I remember thinking, "That's what we should be trying to do," which is make the song the best song it can be and not worry about anything else.

Read the rest of the interview here.





Singled Out: Prong's Turnover
Today Tommy Victor from Prong tells us about the song "Turnover" from their brand new album "Ruining Lives," which was released in North America today (May 13). Here is the story:

This song was the very last idea for our "Ruining Lives" lp. As usual with how song ideas and riffs are brought into this realm , it started with a click track or a metronome running. The riffs and arrangement came about miraculously in about an hour. It was as some external force dictated the creation of this song. The "Art Gods", as I sometimes refer to this power, were in full effect.

So in conjunction with the ease and flow of this process, I needed to honor this Great Spirit in the lyric. I wanted to express my belief in the potential to tap into this energy. When you surrender, and let the creative realm work through you, without question, you can be sure you'll have success and enjoy the experience considerably.

Left to my own designs, I would fumble around and rework, revisit, and actually disrespect these initial ideas sent to me to be materialized. By letting go and letting this massive engine, "turnover" and start empowering, great results are possible. With incredible quickness and a deafening roar. So, bypass the obstacles and detours and turn it over !