Today's Day In Rock News!

Today's Day in Rock


Scott Weiland Trying Something Different
(TeamRock Radio) Scott Weiland says his upcoming album with The Wildabouts has a different feel from his previous albums. The record, tentatively titled Blaster, has no firm release date, but the frontman says the material they've been working on is a "whole new experience" for him.

He tells Songfacts: "This album is different. When I was with Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver, one of the guys would have a song idea and we'd suss it out with the band. Then I'd write my melodies and then write my lyrics to the melodies.

"As a solo artist, I felt free to go off and explore different musical styles and find some sort of cosmic melting pot for it. That was fun, but it was more difficult to bring that to the stage because we had to have more players and a lot of effects.

"This is much more of an indie-sounding record but it still is very much a rock and roll record - there's big, fuzzy riffs and it's a whole new experience."

Read more here.



Former Korn Drummer Apologizes To Fans
(TeamRock Radio) Drummer David Silveria has apologized to fans ahead of Korn's winter tour. The band will play their self-titled debut in its entirety on their upcoming dates with Slipknot to mark its 20th anniversary. But, Silveria, who left the band in 2006, reveals he won't be able to take part in the celebrations.

He says on Facebook: "To all the Korn fans around the world, I want to thank you with all of my heart for all of the success. Without the fans Korn would just be a hobby.

"As we celebrate the 20th anniversary of our debut release, I'm sorry to all the fans that I couldn't be there on tour to celebrate - but that's just the way it goes."

Korn frontman Jonathan Davis previously said Silveria lost his passion for music, leading to his departure eight years ago. Read more here.




Superjoint Ritual Reunion A One Off
(TeamRock Radio) Phil Anselmo says the upcoming Superjoint Ritual reunion is "100% a one-off." The band split in 2004 after releasing two albums, and frontman Anselmo said as recently as 2011 that there was "no f***ing way" the group would get back together. The split was down to a disagreement between the Pantera and Down man and Superjoint Ritual drummer Joe Fazzio.

But Anselmo revealed in August that the band would reform - under the shortened name Superjoint due to an unspecified legal issue - for a performance at the Housecore Horror Film Festival later this month. A video of them rehearsing has been released ahead of the show.

Now Anselmo has confirmed the reunion will be short-lived. He tells Jack Antonio: "It is a one-off, 100%, as of right now. It's something that we get asked about quite a bit, but if you look at the guys that are in the band, original members, it's really me and Jimmy Bower and, of course, we've got Kevin Bond coming in on guitar and whatnot.

"But, really, if you look at just Jimmy and me alone, we're gonna be crazy busy coming up in 2015 as well, and Jimmy with Eyehategod and whatever obligations Down decide to take on." Read more here.




Backyard Babies Ending Hiatus
(Classic Rock) Backyard Babies have announced that they have ended their self-imposed hiatus and have returned to the studio with a new album next year due out next year.

The Swedish sleaze rockers called time on the band back in 2009 with guitarist Dregen telling Classic Rock they needed a break after 20 years - 10 of which he said were at an intense level.

But now the band have confirmed plans to return to the stage at next summer's Sweden Rock Festival on a star studded bill with Motley Crue, while a new studio album is also in the works. Read more here.





Led Zeppelin Preview Expanded House Of The Holy
(hennemusic) Led Zeppelin are sharing a video previewing the Super Deluxe Edition of the upcoming expanded reissue of their 1973 release, "Houses Of The Holy", due on October 28.

Released in March of 1973, "Houses Of The Holy" features legendary tracks such as "The Song Remains The Same" and "No Quarter" while also showcasing the continuing evolution of the band's signature sound with the reggae-tinged "D'yer Mak'er" and the funk jam "The Crunge". The album has been certified diamond by the RIAA for sales of over 11 million copies.

The seven unreleased tracks on the companion audio disc include rough and working mixes for "The Ocean" and "Dancing Days" that reveal a deeper look inside the recording sessions of these classic songs. Other standout recordings include the guitar mix backing track for "Over The Hills And Far Away" and a version of "The Rain Song" without piano.

The group are releasing both "Houses Of The Holy" and "Led Zeppelin IV" on the same day. Led Zeppelin kicked off their reissue series in June with the release of expanded editions of the band's first three albums - "Led Zeppelin I", "Led Zeppelin II" and "Led Zeppelin III" - each with a companion disc of bonus material.

Watch the preview video here.





David Crosby Confirms CSNY Over, Says Young Angry At Him
(Classic Rock) David Crosby has responded to comments by Neil Young that he will never again tour as part of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young and confirmed that the group is over.

Last week during a solo show in Philadelphia, Young showed the audience a guitar and said: "This was given to me by my good friend Stephen Stills. CSNY will never tour again, ever - but I love those guys."

On Friday, Crosby tweeted: "I hear Neil said 'there will never be any more CSNY shows.' That's like saying there are mountains in Tibet. We know, Neil. We already knew."

When questioned by fans as to an explanation for Young's comments, Crosby replied, "believe me, not going to happen", before adding, "he is very angry with me."

What caused that anger? Read one suggestion of what it was here.




Ozzy Osbourne To Receive MTV Honor
(hennemusic) Ozzy Osbourne will be honored with the Global Icon Award at the 2014 MTV EMA (MTV Europe Music Awards) next month. The Black Sabbath frontman joins the ranks of previous recipients Bon Jovi (2010), Queen (2011), Whitney Houston (2012), and Eminem (2013).

"Ozzy's impact on music and pop culture has been tremendous," says Bruce Gillmer, executive vp of talent and music programming/events at Viacom International Media Networks. "For over four decades (and counting!) he's entertained, influenced, inspired and sometimes shocked legions of diehard fans around the globe."

Hosted by Nicki Minaj, the 2014 MTV EMAs will take place on Sunday, November 9 at the SSE Hydro Arena in Glasgow, Scotland. Ozzy has just released a pair of career-spanning "Memoirs Of A Madman" collections. Read more here.




Diamond Head Singer Nick Tart Leaves The Group
(Classic Rock) Diamond Head singer Nick Tart has quit citing the band's reluctance to record a new album as one of the key catalysts in his departure. Tart also admits geography played its part in his decision, with his permanent residence in Brisbane, Australia, making tours and band get-togethers difficult.

A statement on the band's official Facebook page reads: "After 11 years of being the singer for Diamond Head I now feel it's time for me to move on.I was hoping to pen a third album, but making new music with the band became limited. Guitarist Brian Tatler mentioned he had no interest in making a new album, he didn't feel the urge, which I can totally understand.

"After living in Brisbane for nearly six years now, I've been very fortunate to still be able to fly to the UK and US for tours, thanks to hard work and determination of Karl Wilcox our drummer.

"When Diamond Head get offered work, festivals for example, they should be in a position to say yes, without worrying about all the hassle it will take to get me involved."

Read more and find out what the band is doing here.





Cannibal Corpse Say Technical Difficulties Not Protest Stopped Gig
(TeamRock Radio) Cannibal Corpse have blamed the cancellation of a gig in Russia on technical difficulties. The show in Moscow was pulled at the last minute in the wake of fierce opposition from the head of the God's Will movement which wanted to have the tour scrapped amid claims of blasphemy. But the band insist technical issues were to blame, and not the protests from the religious group.

A report in Interfax reports an eyewitness as saying: "Everything was fine, and all the equipment had already been set up on stage. However, a few minutes prior to the concert's scheduled start, the organiser came out and told the audience that the show was cancelled."

Guitarist Pat O'Brien tells C-Lebrity: "We played here several times before and there were no problems." Drummer Paul Mazurkiewicz adds: "Nobody cared ever. We figured this was our sixth time here. So the other five times were fine."

Read more here.




Volbeat Begin Work On Next Album
(Classic Rock) Volbeat have already started writing material for their sixth album, which they hope to release before the end of 2015. Frontman Michael Poulson says the band are toying around with some new songs during downtime on their current North American tour with Five Finger Death Punch.

Poulson tells ArtistDirect: "I'm actually working on new songs right now. I just need to put work into them. I have snippets for at least three other songs. When I get home, I'll start to put all of the pieces together. We'll probably try them out again next tour. I'm in the writing process now."

He adds that the group - who include former Anthrax guitarist Rob Caggiano - will look to progress their sound on the next record, without straying too far from what they are good at. Read more here.




Opeth Frontman 'Too Old' To Understand Modern Metal
(Prog) Opeth frontman Mikael Akerfeldt says he's "too old" to understand what metal means these days. The singer, who previously said he didn't feel an affinity with modern metal bands, is once again wrestling with exactly what the term means.

He tells Full Metal Jackie: "I'm sort of lost about metal, especially since I've done some interviews where I've just said what I thought, and people get upset, because they have different opinions on what metal really is.

"I think I might be too old, to be honest, to understand what the younger generation thinks metal really is these days." Although he feels cut off from the current scene, Akerfeldt insists that he loves its rebellious nature. Read about that here.





Sammy Hagar Releases Birthday Bash Preview Video
(hennemusic) Sammy Hagar has issued a video preview of his belated birthday bash concert, which is set to take place on October 18 at the Downtown Las Vegas Events Center.

The event will see Sammy Hagar & The Circle featuring Michael Anthony, Jason Bonham and Vic Johnson playing a setlist spanning four decades - including hits from Montrose, Hagar's solo career, Van Halen and beyond - and with Bonham on board, they can also expect a few Led Zeppelin classics. In addition, Joe Satriani and Chad Smith will join Hagar and Anthony for a special encore by Chickenfoot.

"The good news is we are gonna be recording this," says Hagar. "We're gonna film this...we're not gonna let this get away. Not this big bash. I wanna see all your faces out there… I wanna hear your voices singing along with all them hits. The greatest setlist of all time!"

Hagar, who will turn 67 on October 13, was scheduled to perform his annual birthday shows at his Cabo Wabo Cantina in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico on October 7, 9, 11 and 13.

The Red Rocker was forced to move the event following recent damage in Cabo caused by Hurricane Odile. Watch the birthday bash preview video here.





New Lunatic Soul Album Streaming Online
(TeamRock Radio) Riverside's Mariusz Duda has launched an exclusive stream of his Lunatic Soul album Walking On A Flashlight Beam via Prog. And he's admitted the fourth release under his alter-ego was one of his greatest challenges to date.

Duda tells Prog: "I thought I would never finish the album. I didn't have a coherent idea and I didn't want to copy myself. I started to panic. Everything seemed irrelevant and insignificant - there was no depth; the tracks sounded like rejects from previous albums."

He eventually concluded he wouldn't be able to complete the work this year. "I locked myself at home, closed the blinds and switched on my bedside lamp," he recalls. "I looked at my collection of music, films and books and started to watch and read.

"Then it dawned on me. I took the guitar and started to write. The theme was inspired by the life of some artists who escape reality and choose seclusion in order to create. It's probably my most mature album to date - it's also the most diverse and at the same time the most coherent."

Listen to the album here.





Dee Snider Celebrating 60th Birthday With New Song
(TeamRock Radio) Dee Snider will unveil three new songs as part of a career-spanning compilation due out next year. The Twisted Sister frontman will release Rock And Roll Ain't Dead - Dee Snider Essentials 1983-2015 next spring, featuring tracks from throughout his career.

Songs from Twisted Sister, Widowmaker, Desperado, Van Helsing's Curse and Dee Does Broadway will be included in the set, along with the three new tracks - his first in more than 20 years.

He tells Sleaze Roxx: "My writing partner, and inspiration really, is an amazing blues-rock guitarist named Nick Perri. I will be dropping the first single, Rock And Roll Ain't Dead, on March 15, 2015 - my 60th birthday - and the album after that." Read more here.




Snot Launching Their Very First UK Tour
(TeamRock Radio) US punk metal outfit Snot have lined up their first ever UK tour - 18 years after launching their debut album. Get Some was released in 1997 and the band - guitarists Mikey Doling and Sonny Mayo, bassist John Fahnestock, drummer Jamie Miller and vocalist Tommy Vext - will be playing the record in its entirety on the tour as a tribute to singer Lynn Strait, who died in a car crash in 1998.

Doling said: "I want to let you know we are ready to rock out as hard as humanly possible with all you Snot heads on our first world tour. I hope you're ready because we have a tonne of massive energy to bring you."

Frontman Vext adds: "Words cannot describe how excited I am to be getting back on the road with my brothers in Snot. I'm honoured to pay tribute to Lynn Strait and offer Snot fans on an international level the live experience they may not have yet enjoyed."

Check out the dates here.




In Flames Were Under Pressure With New Album
(TeamRock Radio) Swedish metal outfit In Flames say they needed to put themselves under pressure to complete latest album Siren Charms. Their 11th album launched in September and frontman Anders Friden says having just six weeks to write and record focused the band on the task ahead.

He tells the Artisan News Service: "We had a big bag of riffs which were excellent, but they needed structure. We put the framework of the songs together for the first two weeks and that was really exciting.

"We put a lot of pressure on ourselves with this album because we decided to record it in six weeks and last album Sounds Of A Playground Fading was done in twice that time.

"I think we needed that pressure to get this album the way it's supposed to be." Read more here.




Skid Row Singer Releasing Country EP
(Classic Rock) Skid Row vocalist Johnny Solinger has announced he will release a country EP later this month. The EP will be a digital-only release and will launch on October 28.

Titled Scrappy Smith, the recording is a tribute to the frontman's grandfather, who Solinger reveals will hit a milestone birthday next year.

He tells Billboard: "My grandfather's name is Willard Jesse 'Scrappy' Smith, and he turns 100 in April. He still drives down the mountain for coffee every day and he's still kicking. He also goes to the recreational centre to flirt with all the 80 year old girls, so I decided out of love and respect to name the EP after him."

Read more and find out where you can hear it ahead of release here.




Raven Crowdfunding New Album
(Classic Rock) English thrash outfit Raven have launched a crowdfunding campaign for their upcoming album ExterminNation. They say the album is written but are asking fans to fund its recording via Kickstarter. They're looking for $15,000.

They say: "We're not willing to cut any corners or sell you, the fans, short, so we're asking for your help to cover the expense of extra pre-production, rehearsal, travel and studio time. Our promise to you is an uncompromising album that will tear your head off."

Along with incentives including vinyl pressings, exclusive tracks, online bass lessons and album credits, Raven are offering their covers album Party Killers exclusively to backers. More details here.




Massacre Announce Tour Dates
(TeamRock Radio) Florida death metal outfit Massacre will tour Europe early next year. They released Back From Beyond earlier this year - their first studio offering in almost 20 years - now they'll hit the road with Death, Abysmal Dawn and Loudblast across Europe.

Bassist Terry Butler says: "This is a great opportunity for us to bring Florida death metal to the masses and show people what Massacre are all about. With the history that Rick Rozz and I have with Death, we feel this will only add to the excitement and atmosphere of the shows."

The band have also announced they'll release a limited-edition clear vinyl pressing of Back From Beyond. Only 300 copies will be issued and it's due for launch on October 27. Check out the album tracklist and the UK and Ireland tour dates here.





Rob Halford Sees Himself At The Perry Como Of Heavy Metal
(TeamRock Radio) Rob Halford says he loves getting old and that he sees himself as the "Perry Como of heavy metal." The Judas Priest frontman shows no sign of letting up, despite suffering from back problems that have resulted in him using a walking stick in the past.

"Creaking out of bed at 63 is not as easy as leaping out of bed at 16. But I love it. I love getting old, I really do," Halford tells The Morning Call. "I just think that I embrace it because I'm a lucky guy. What a joy - a man of my generation being able to do this sort of thing. It's just remarkable.

"I've had a few health hiccups the last few years, but nothing as dramatic as some people go through in life and I'm grateful that I can still get up and do my work. I do it because they keep coming back. I'm more like the Perry Como of heavy metal." He the came out with a different comparison, read that here.







Nickelback Hit Goes To Hell
(TeamRock Radio) The rowdy Watford punks The Hell won the internet with their cover of Nickelback's How You Remind Me last week that was dedicated to their recently deceased dog Tulisa.

The Hell have released this cover version of Nickelback's breakthrough record How You Remind Me. Of course this being The Hell, there are some differences in the lyrics.

But now it seems Nickelback have seen the video and aren't pleased - as their Twitter account allegedly stated. Although it appears the tweet has now been deleted, The Hell took a screengrab and posted it on their Facebook for all to see.

See the post, The Hell's response and their cover of the song here.




Foo Fighters & Zac Brown Rock Black Sabbath Classic on Letterman
(hennemusic) The Foo Fighters launched a week-long residency on The Late Show with David Letterman on Monday by performing the Black Sabbath classic, "War Pigs", with guest Zac Brown. Video from the performance has gone online.

The band's appearance is to launch their 8th album, "Sonic Highways", due November 10. A companion, 8-part HBO series of the same name premieres October 17; the project chronicles the making of the album.

The Foo Fighters recorded the project in eight American cities - Austin, Chicago, Los Angeles, Nashville, New Orleans, New York, Seattle and Washington, D.C.

Both the series and the album feature local music legends from each city, some of whom will be joining the band during their week-long Late Show visit.

Watch the Letterman jam and an interview with Dave Grohl here.




David Bowie's New Song Streaming Online
(Radio.com) David Bowie's new track is a doozy. As in, it's a sizable song length-wise. You're going to want to sit down to listen. The rocker shared "Sue (Or In a Season of Crime)," one of two new songs from his upcoming Nothing Has Changed compilation, over the weekend.

For fans who were worried that just two new tracks wouldn't be enough to quench their appetite for new material, fear not: it's nearly seven-and-a-half minutes long.

"Sue" finds lush, jazzy instrumentation beneath Bowie's vocals, which at least feel as freeform as much of what's going on around him. Swift percussion keeps the beat as saxophones, bass, trumpets and other instruments - all part of the Maria Schneider Orchestra - both solo and provide a bass framework for the track.

"Sue" will be flanked by the song "Tis a Pity She's a Whore" as its B-side. Both will be included on a 10-inch single for Record Store Day on Nov. 28, following the full release of Nothing Has Changed on Nov. 18. The album includes new and unreleased material from Bowie's decades-long career.

Check out the song here.




Corey Taylor Explains Difference Between Slipknot and Stone Sour
(TeamRock Radio) Corey Taylor has bemoaned suggestions that Slipknot and Stone Sour sound too similar. The frontman of both bands says there is a trend for fans to follow the pack rather than make an independent judgement on the music, which he insists is clearly identifiable.

Speaking to his namesake on Las Vegas show Corey Taylor Talks, he says: "I think a lot of it comes down to my voice. Like, there's a lot of people that think when I sing heavy with Stone Sour that I'm trying to do Slipknot. And then vice versa - when I sing more melodic with Slipknot, I'm trying to be more Stone Sour."

He adds: "And it's, like, but you're not hearing the music, you're putting everything together. Like The Devil In I, a lot of people compared it to Stone Sour because a lot of it is melodic until it gets to that chorus and it punches.

"And I'm, like, 'Not really.' It's Slipknot music so it's a Slipknot song. And I think it's because a lot of people, for better or for worse, choose the easy way to figure out what they're thinking about, or what their opinion is." Read more here.




Bob Seger Streaming New Song Ride Out
(hennemusic) Bob Seger is premiering the title track to his new album, "Ride Out", due October 14. The project is the Detroit rocker's first studio album in 8 years, since 2006's "Face The Promise."

"I feel really good about this record," says Seger. "This album touches on how I think a lot of us feel about finding our place in a more complicated world - from how we appreciate things as simple and pure as love, to navigating through the corruption and violence that permeates the news. It sums up a lot of feelings I have about a variety of subjects."

The singer will launch a North American tour November 19 in Saginaw, Michigan, with shows scheduled through to February 2015. The J. Geils Band will join Seger as a special guest in select markets.

Seger will launch the album with a performance on ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live tonight (Oct 14). Check out the new song here.




Lenny Kravitz Goes Behind The Scenes Of The Chamber Video
(hennemusic) Lenny Kravitz has released some behind-the-scenes footage of the making of his music video for the song "The Chamber", the lead single from his new album "Strut."

The clip was filmed in Paris and directed by Anthony Mandler. "Strut" is Lenny's tenth studio album and first since 2011's "Black And White America."

Kravitz has also announced that he will be launching a world tour in support of "Strut" in Moscow on October 22. Watch the making of The Chamber video footage here.




Billy Idol Unplugs At CBGB Music Festival
(hennemusic) Billy Idol and guitarist Steve Stevens performed an acoustic set for a sell-out crowd in New York City to kick off the 2014 CBGB Music & Film Fest on October 9.

The unplugged set featured "White Wedding", "Kiss Me Deadly", "Eyes Without A Face" and "Rebel Yell." Prior to the performance, Idol was interviewed on stage by Timothy Sommer about his newly-released autobiography, "Dancing With Myself."

During the interview, the singer recalled the era of CBGB and the punk scene that was happening in NYC in the mid '70s through early '80s. "When I first saw The Sex Pistols they were doing a Tuesday night residency some place with hardly anyone there!", said Idol. "They were doing mostly covers then, mostly The Who songs or Small Faces, and Johnny would take the lyrics and instead of singing 'I want you to know that I love you baby' he'd sing 'I want you to know that I hate you baby'. And I think it just revolutionized how songs could be presented, and how you could make negativity positive, it was fantastic."

"We had really been into Velvet Underground and The New York Dolls, who were influencing artists like David Bowie and then Iggy & The Stooges and MC5," he continued. "So I knew about all that. By the late '70s we would hear and see The Ramones, Blondie, and The Talking Heads at CBGB. We loved what was going on in New York. That's why we wanted to get into punk rock because we knew very much it was all being inspired by what was going on in New York. New York was not only the mecca of punk and music, but living in England, you knew this is where so much great music had come from."

Watch the 4-song unplugged set here.




The Who Release Preview Video For Farewell Tour
(hennemusic) The Who's Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend have released a preview video of the band's 50th anniversary farewell tour. "The Who Hits 50!" will see the group present an overview of their career, from The High Numbers to today.

The show, which guitarist Townshend describes as 'hits, picks, mixes and misses', will see the band play all the classic anthems as well as deeper cuts from their extensive catalogue.

The Who will kick off their farewell with an 11-date UK tour starting November 26 in Dublin, Ireland; shows will wrap up December 17 at the 02 in London.

The group will launch a series of North America dates in Tampa, Florida on April 15. Watch the video here.




Prog Supergroup Flying Colors Release New Video
(TeamRock Radio) Flying Colors have premiered the video for their track A Place In Your World with TeamRock. It's taken from the prog supergroup's latest album Second Nature - the follow-up to their 2012 self-titled debut - on sale now via Mascot Label Group.

Neal Morse, Steve Morse, Mike Portnoy, Dave LaRue and Casey McPherson play their only UK show of the year at London's Islington Assembly Hall on October 13.

Drummer Portnoy recently said: "The first album was very much a blind date. This time there was an existing chemistry - we not only had the prior experiences of making the debut album, but also the 2012 tour as well. Direction was never discussed; we just did what we do."

Watch the video here.




Royal Blood Release Ten Tonne Skeleton Video
(Classic Rock) Royal Blood have released a music video for their latest single. The song Ten Tonne Skeleton comes from their self-titled debut, which launched earlier this year via Warner Bros. It will be released on December 1 and comes backed with B-side You Want Me.

Bassist/singer Mike Kerr and drummer Ben Thatcher use no guitars on the album, with Kerr feeding his bass through multiple amps to achieve their sound - something he previously insisted wasn't a new technique.

He said: "The bass and drum thing isn't new and neither is using more than one amp. Even with people I look up to like Jack White or Josh Homme, their sounds and a big portion of what they do is borrowed. They put their own stamp on it and that's what makes a good idea. That's something I still aspire to be able to do."

Watch the video here.




Jimmy Barnes Previews New Album
(TeamRock Radio) Jimmy Barnes has launched a set of preview clips for all 15 tracks on upcoming 30th anniversary album Hindsight. The former Cold Chisel singer revisits some of the most important songs of his career, with assistance from guests including Journey's Neal Schon and Jonathan Cain, Joe Bonamassa and others.

Barnes recently said: "These songs are important to me. I wouldn't change the essence of them - but I didn't bring in all these great artists to tell them what to do. It was like, 'What are we going to do with this and have fun?' They sound like new songs; they're fresh to sing."

Hindsight is released on October 27 via Provogue Records in standard CD and digital formats, plus a 180g vinyl edition limited to 1000 pressings. Listen to the preview here.




Robert Plant Performs On The Colbert Report
(hennemusic) Robert Plant was the featured guest on The Colbert Report last Thursday. The Led Zeppelin singer joined host Stephen Colbert to discuss his new album, "lullaby and...The Ceaseless Roar."

"My quest is a long one and it has no end. It's a wonderful thing to do and it's surrounded by great people. And I brought you a little present from our stock room," says Plant as he dips into his front shirt pocket and pulls out what looks like a joint. "I think it's one of the accessories of not quite being a knight in the British Empire, but on the way."

"What is that?" asked the Comedy Central host. "I'm not… let's find out what this is later, shall we? And for the purposes of my lawyer and the network, this is a cigarette."

Plant and The Sensational Space Shifters then played the album's lead single, "Rainbow", on the program and recorded a web-exclusive performance of "Little Maggie."

The singer wrapped up an 8-date theatre tour of North America in New York on Thursday. Watch video of Plant's appearance on Colbert here.




Lonely The Brave Release The Blue, The Green Video
(TeamRock Radio) Lonely The Brave have released a music video for their track The Blue, The Green. It comes from their debut album The Days War, which launched last month via Hassle Records.

Guitarist Mark Trotter says of the track: "Our favourite songs are the ones that you take as your own. Songs that remind you of a place, a time, or a moment."

The band recently asked fans to contribute to an alternative take on the new single. They posted tab and sheet music on their official website and wanted people to record individual sections. These will now be mixed to create a new version of the track which will launch on November 10.

The band are currently on tour with Marmozets across the UK. They'll then hit the road with Deaf Havana for seven dates in December.

Today's Day in Rock News!

Today's Day in Rock News!


Rock Icon Paul Revere Dead at 76
Paul Revere, the iconic leader of the band Paul Revere and the Raiders, has died at the age of 76. A cause of death has not been revealed but Revere has reportedly been in poor health and he announced his retirement from the group in July.

The band's official site broke the sad news to fans with a tribute letter to Revere singed by "Everyone who has ever met you." Here is part of the letter, "Dear Paul, Where do I begin? How do I tell you how much I love you and what you have meant to me? Have you ever met a person and felt like you've known them your entire life, sensed a familiarity and warmth? That's how I felt the very first time I met you, and the feeling only grew stronger the more I got to know you.

"Like most people, my initial introduction to you was on television, radio and records, but none of those mediums gave me a real clue to the one-of-a-kind life force that was Paul Revere.

"Sitting in an audience at my first Paul Revere and The Raiders concert introduced me to a larger-than-life dynamo of high-energy slapstick, outrageous and spontaneous humor and a genuine child-like joy. Everyone in attendance just knew that you MUST be a wonderful person offstage too, no doubt about it.

"Meeting you after a show in the autograph line cemented the deal for everyone. Just as fun, funny and spontaneous as you were onstage, extremely nice and accommodating to everyone who waited in the long lines to meet you. Take a picture - 'SURE, take TWO!' Sign these 20 albums? 'Why NOT, you helped pay for my first house, and my first wife!'

"Generous to a fault with your family, your friends and your band, there seemed to be no limit to your kindness. When you turned your attention towards someone, you made that person feel special and in your spotlight. You had a pet name for each person, and you never hesitated to tell them how exceptional they were. You appreciated the talent, beauty, skills and uniqueness you found in others, and you were never shy about telling them so. All the more reason for people to feel wonderful in your presence."

Read the rest of the letter here.



Aerosmith's Steven Tyler Going Different Direction With Solo Album
(hennemusic) Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler shared an update on plans for his debut solo album during a video Q&A with Twitter Music at Twitter's headquarters in San Francisco this past week.

"I'm going down to Nashville [in] January, February, March, April to write and see what we get," Tyler revealed. "You know, doing an album is kind of like panning for gold. You get so much sand and dirt until you find a little nugget and you work on the nugget. I always go backwards, you know? 'Living on the Edge,' why? Or 'Janie's Got a Gun,' why? Who's Janie? And then it works. You fill in the blanks."

"I grew up with the Everly Brothers," Tyler continued. "So even 'Cryin"s got a little [sings with an exaggerated twang] "There was a time when I was brokenhearted." It started like that - of course I had to do it Aerosmith-ish, which was more rocked out - but there's a piece of me that just loves country so much. And I'm not sure what kind of country that is, but it's got the fifth harmony, and anyone who knows who the Everly Brothers is - it's those kinds of melodies that are just so, so good."

In 2011, Tyler released a single, "(It) Feels So Good", which debuted on the US Billboard Hot 100 at No. 35, the highest charting song by any member of Aerosmith since 2001's "Jaded".

Last fall, the singer said he was in talks with Rick Rubin to produce his solo debut. Read what he had to say here.




B.B. King Cancels Tour Due To Illness
(The Blues B.B. King has cancelled the rest of his current US tour after falling ill on stage, it's been confirmed. The 89-year-old veteran bluesman became unwell during a show in Chicago. Unconfirmed reports suggest he may have fallen or collapsed on stage.

It follows a series of negative reviews and at least one controversial show where the 89-year-old veteran was booed by audience members. A brief statement reports:

"Mr. King was evaluated by a doctor and diagnosed with dehydration and suffering from exhaustion, causing the eight remaining shows of his current tour to be cancelled."

Read more here.




Black Crowes RIP?
(hennemusic) Black Crowes drummer Steve Gorman is sharing an update on the band's current hiatus in a new interview with Rolling Stone and he believes that the band will never work together again.

"I've said in the past, 'I know we'll work again' or 'there's no way we'll work again,' and I've been wrong. But right now, the likelihood of us doing anything again is as low as it's ever been," says Gorman. "We could obviously all see things differently in a year, but I'll be surprised if the Black Crowes do something again. Ever."

"You know, 2015 is the 25th anniversary of our first album release and we're not working," he adds. "You could certainly make a strong case that we should tour next year, but we're all doing our own projects."

Read more here.





Pink Floyd Continue To Preview New Album The Endless River
(hennemusic) Pink Floyd have issued a third audio preview of their first new album in 20 years, "The Endless River." Due November 10 (Nov 11 in North America), the project features material recorded by Floyd members David Gilmour, Nick Mason and Rick Wright 20 years ago.

"'The Endless River' has as its starting point the music that came from the 1993 Division Bell sessions," explains Gilmour. "We listened to over 20 hours of the three of us playing together and selected the music we wanted to work on for the new album.

"Over the last year we've added new parts, re-recorded others and generally harnessed studio technology to make a 21st century Pink Floyd album. With Rick gone, and with him the chance of ever doing it again, it feels right that these revisited and reworked tracks should be made available as part of our repertoire."

The album is a tribute to keyboardist Wright, who died from cancer in 2008 at the age of 65. Produced by Gilmour, Phil Manzanera, Youth and Andy Jackson, its being billed as a four-sided instrumental album with one song, "Louder Than Words", to include new lyrics by Gilmour's wife, Polly Samson.

Check out the preview here.




Thom Yorke Has Over A Million Album Downloads In 1st Week
(TeamRock Radio) Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke's solo album has notched over a 1.2 million downloads since he launched it via filesharing service BitTorrent last week.

And while some of those are the cut-down free version of Tomorrow's Modern Boxes - rather than the full version that costs money - BitTorrent bosses say they're "very happy" with the results.

Yorke described the launch as an experiment, saying: "If it works well it could be an effective way of handing control of internet commerce back to people who are creating the work." here.





Steve Hackett Unhappy With Genesis Documentary
(Classic Rock) Steve Hackett has slammed the Genesis documentary that brought the five classic-era members back together, calling it a biased piece of work. He says the on-screen version of Together And Apart, broadcast over the weekend in the UK, failed to live up to the description he'd been given before he took part.

The guitarist understood the film would give equal coverage to his band and subsequent solo career, along with those of Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins, Mike Rutherford and Tony Banks.

"It's certainly a biased account of Genesis history, and totally ignores my solo work. It does not deliver the theme of 'together and apart.'," Hackett says. "In interview I spoke at length as much about my solo career as my time in Genesis, but was not given any editorial involvement. I know the documentary will soon be on sale, but I don't be selling it via my own website."

Read more here.





Behemoth Speak Out After Another Concert Ban
(TeamRock Radio) Behemoth have slammed bosses of a Polish university after their concert was cancelled for what the band say were political reasons. It follows Nergal and co's arrest and deportation from Russia in May.

They were set to perform at Poznan tonight (Monday) after their show was moved from last week. But their promoted received a letter stating the event would not go ahead due to "a concern for the safety of students and campus workers."

Behemoth say: "We have no doubt it is a political decision. It's not the first clampdown on national artists. Poznan, instead of being a free culture centre, begins to resemble Russia.

"Article 73 of the Constitution of the Republic of Poland says: 'Everyone has the freedom of artistic creation.'" Read more here.





Robert Plant To Appear On The Colbert Report This Week
(hennemusic) Led Zeppelin legend Robert Plant has announced that he will be the featured guest on The Colbert Report during the episode that will air this Thursday, October 9.

The singer will join host Stephen Colbert on the program to promote his new album, "lullaby and...The Ceaseless Roar" and his current North American tour.

Plant recorded the project with his band, The Sensational Space Shifters, at Helium Studios in Wiltshire and Peter Gabriel's Real World Studios in Bath, UK.

Read more here.





Aerosmith's Joe Perry Joining Band On The Tonight Show Tonight
(hennemusic) Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry has announced that he will be appearing on NBC-TV's The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon tonight, Monday, October 6.

Perry will sit with The Tonight's Show's house band The Roots during the program, as he makes the rounds to promote his memoir, "Rocks: My Life In And Out Of Aerosmith."

Due October 7, Perry opens up for the first time about the wild, inside story of his life in the legendary band he co-founded in 1970. The guitarist will promote "Rocks" with a book signing tour - see dates here.




Rush Launch Grapes Under Pressure Charity Auction
(hennemusic) Rush members Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson are offering fans the chance to score rare items with the launch of the Grapes Under Pressure 3 charity auction.

The 10-day auction of rare, vintage and signed (mostly) Rush memorabilia on eBay is part of the pair's Grapes Under Pressure (GUP3) initiative in support of Grapes for Humanity.

Lee and Lifeson have offered up a diverse collection of auction items including some never-before offered gems to help to raise funds to benefit humanitarian causes around the world with the assistance of the international wine community. Read more here.




Brett Michaels Wants Mega Poison Summer Bash
(TeamRock Radio) Poison frontman Brett Michaels says he can't see the band touring next year unless it involves the original lineup. They've been the subject of speculation in recent weeks after Michaels talked up the chances of hitting the road for the first time since 2012 - despite the suggestion that one of the four was making things difficult.

Drummer Rickki Rockett said in February that someone was "making it a problem" but recently revealed: "There are a few things being thrown around by our management for next spring."

Now Michaels tells News 13: "I'm not officially going on record, but rumouring - I'm thinking of reuniting all of the originals. We can't go out without all of the original guys. It's got to be CC, Bobby and myself."

While he's not specific he adds: "I think we're going to have to throw a mega Poison summer bash next year." What did he have to say about a new album? Find out here.




Untimely Demise For Megadeth Star
(TeamRock Radio) Megadeth drummer Shawn Drover will guest on Untimely Demise's upcoming album. His brother Glen, who is also part of Dave Mustaine's lineup, is producing the album for the Canadian thrashers - the follow-up to 2013's Systematic Eradication. And the sticksman has released a clip from the studio.

He tweeted: "Having a blast recording some real thrash metal at Glen Drover recording studio in Southern Ontario for a band called Untimely Demise. These kids totally kick ass."

Meanwhile, guitarist Shawn, who recently recorded Discordia with Queensryche vocalist Todd La Torre, will release a single on Halloween with Untimely Demise frontman Matt Cuthbertson.

He says: "I've decided to stay on this fun and productive path of doing singles for a little while. I'm super excited about this new single called Walls Of Blood with Matt Cuthbertson - he is an awesome singer. I did all the guitars, brought in a session drummer and Matt did all the vocals.

"If you thought the last song was heavy, wait until you hear this one." Check out the video and read more here.





AFI Reveal Side Project Album Details
(TeamRock Radio) AFI men Davey Havok and Jade Puget have announced details of their XTRMST side-project's debut album. It launches on November 18 via Dim Mak Records and to mark the announcement, the band have released a stream of the track Words For The Wanted. Hear it on their official website.

Havok says: "Jade and I have been talking about starting a straight-edge hardcore band for years. We started writing and recording in early 2012 and chose the name XTRMST because it expresses the messages represented on the record. The straight-edge movement is not one of moderations - it's based in undeniable truths."

Puget adds: "These songs are the purest expression of emotion, with no thought towards commerce or accessibility. The album was made with the amount of money you have in your pocket right now."

Read more here.




Peter Gabriel Receives Prog God Award
(TeamRock Radio) Comedian Bill Bailey presented music legend Peter Gabriel with Prog God Award at Prog Awards 2014. Gabriel is a multi-million selling musician and one of the most innovative and inspirational people in rock and prog alike.

He is a double inductee of the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame, both as a member of Genesis in 2010 and again as a solo artist this year. He is co-founder of world music festival WOMAD, the founder of Real World Studios, and a renowned Human Rights activist. In celebration of the 25th anniversary of his seminal album So, he has been playing shows throughout Europe, with more dates added for later this year. And so, it is with great joy and respect that we presented him with the top award of the night, the Prog God.

The award was presented to Gabriel by comedian Bill Bailey, who delivered a hilarious speech that had the audience, and Gabriel, in stitches. Mixing humour, good grace and plenty of insight, Bailey's speech was the perfect introduction for the Prog God to accept his award.

Check out video here.




Nightwish Fans To Be Startled With New Album?
(TeamRock Radio) Troy Donockley has predicted some of Tuomas Holopainen's material on the next Nightwish album is going to startle fans. The band are currently at work recording the follow-up to Imaginaerum, their first with Donockley and vocalist Floor Jansen confirmed as full-time members.

In the latest studio update video Donockley says: "Tuomas writes really challenging parts, especially for the pipes. It's always nice to push the boundaries.

"It's progressive in its outlook. It's a lot different to Imaginaerum, although it's still absolutely Nightwish. There's probably some parts that will startle people - but it's not going to be cheesy. It sticks to its roots."

Jansen praises bandleader Holopainen's ability to bring the best out in his colleagues, saying: "He's triggering me to do new things, to find new sounds and borders. Usually it just fits - you can hear it in your head, as he must have when he was writing it. That's what's so great about him - he can do that in his mind."

More including video here.





Napalm Death Frontman Reassures Fans
(TeamRock Radio) Napalm Death frontman Barney Greenway says fans who fear they've taken too long over their 16th album have nothing to worry about. They've been working on the follow-up to 2012's Utilitarian for over a year - but he insists there's a good reason for spending the time, and the results will be worth waiting for.

Greenway says: "People might be thinking this all sounds a bit extravagant for grindcore. The full story, though, is that we've been recording in segments to achieve varying types of sonic assault.

"There's a belief in certain quarters that you can only do so much with our strain of music - we think otherwise. So as well as a few stylistic quirks on the album, it's rawer, looser and always dense, nasty and invigorating. It's certainly not more polished."

Read more here.




Nick Cave Adds New Tour Date
(TeamRock Radio) Nick Cave has added a second London date to his 2015 solo UK tour. Cave will be joined on stage by four of the seven members of his band, the Bad Seeds.

Cave comes to the UK in April next year as part of a wider European tour and has confirmed he will play London's Hammersmith Apollo on May 2 as well as the previously announced show at the Royal Albert Hall on May 3.

The Australian will perform in Edinburgh, Gateshead, Nottingham and London before playing shows in Europe and Russia. Check out the tour dates here.





Exodus Star Stepped Into New Role To Complete New Album
(TeamRock Radio) Exodus bassist Jack Gibson says time constraints led to him exercising his studio engineering skills on the band's new album. Gibson had only recorded demos before he got behind the desk for recording sessions on Blood In, Blood Out. But with guitarist Gary Holt called up by Slayer and producer Andy Sneap a victim of his own busy schedule, Gibson took his chance.

He oversaw recording sessions before sending the files to Sneap for final mixing - which Gibson describes as a whole other skill set. In the fourth installment of Exodus' studio update videos, he says: "I just decided to take a class and learn how to do it - learn what all the buttons actually were. Then it came about that with Gary doing the Slayer stuff, our time is a little bit shorter because he's gone a lot of the time.

"We were really getting down to the wire when we were going to need to make this record in this window of time. We were having a bit of trouble getting Andy Sneap who is also busy all the time. So I just stepped up and said, 'I'll do it, we need to get this done.' We were gonna track it and send it to Andy and he'd mix it. A lot of bands do that."

More including the full studio update video here.




John Mellencamp Meets Doctor That Saved His Life
(hennemusic) John Mellencamp recently met the doctor who saved his life more than 60 years ago. Born with spina bifida, a birth defect that causes an opening of the spinal column that can sometimes allow the spinal cord to grow or extend outside of the body, Mellencamp received a pioneering operation at the Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis in an attempt to correct the issue.

Last month, after more than 60 years, the singer finally met the doctor who saved him, reports CBS News correspondent Anthony Mason. "I didn't even know I had the operation until some kid, I was about nine or 10, said 'what's that big scar on the back of your neck?' and I went home and asked my parents," said Mellencamp. "They said, 'oh, don't worry about it. You had an operation."

Last month, Mellencamp met Dr. Robert Heimburger, now 97, the neurosurgeon who performed the life-saving operation in 1951. "He remembered it 'cause it was the first one they'd ever done," Mellencamp said.

In 1951, the singer was one of three babies at Riley with spina bifida. "They did three operations," he recalled. "One died on the table. Another girl lived, I think, 'til she was 14, and then she died. And then me." Dr. Heimburger's highly risky procedure took 18 hours.

Mellencamp and the doctor who saved him 62 years ago sat together for about an hour last month. Check out video here.








Ozzy Osbourne TV Network Special Preview
(hennemusic) VH1 Classic are previewing "Night Of The Ozz", an evening of programming featuring Ozzy Osbourne. On Saturday, October 11, the US music network will broadcast 5 hours of Ozzy material.

At 8 PM ET, VH1 Classic will run the "God Bless Ozzy Osbourne" documentary produced by his son, Jack; the Black Sabbath "Live..."Gathered in Their Masses" concert DVD at 10 PM ET, followed by an hour of classic Ozzy videos at midnight.

The network event is scheduled to promote Ozzy's career-spanning "Memoirs Of A Madman" collections, due on October 14. The "Memoirs Of A Madman" CD features 17 of Ozzy's greatest hit singles compiled in one place for the first time, and will be available in a single CD, 2-LP set and 2-LP picture disc set configurations.

The "Memoirs Of A Madman" DVD is a definitive visual two-disc DVD set which includes classic music videos, along with unreleased and out-of-print live performances, plus interviews from his solo career.

Check out the video promo for Night Of The Ozz here.




Guns N' Roses Preview DVD Release
(hennemusic) Guns N' Roses have issued a video preview for the international release of "Appetite For Democracy 3D: Live From The Hard Rock Casino - Las Vegas."

Available internationally on DVD and Blu-ray on November 3, the package features the band filmed in concert on November 21, 2012 during their first residency in Las Vegas.

The Blu-ray includes the complete concert film in both 3D and 2D plus an interactive 3D photo gallery, and the standard DVD presents the 2D version of the film.

Both releases are mixed in 5.1 Surround Sound and feature bonus interviews with the band. "Appetite For Democracy 3D" was initially released in North America on July 1. Watch the video here.





Pixies' Signature Sound Inspired By Star Wars
(TeamRock Radio) Pixies guitarist Joey Santiago says the band's signature loud/quiet/loud sound was inspired by Beethoven and the Star Wars theme tune. The Boston rock icons are often credited with creating the dynamic sound that inspired Nirvana and countless other acts.

But Santiago says they didn't invent it - they simply adapted it from other sources. He tells Skindie: "I don't know, that thing... we took it from Beethoven. And the Star Wars theme. That's loud/quiet/loud right there."

Drummer Dave Lovering adds that he only realised how much of an influence Pixies wielded when they reformed in 2004 after a 10-year hiatus.

He says: "At Coachella in 2004 that was the first time the realisation for me, when we went out and played there was a sea of kids who weren't even born when we were a band. And yet they would sing along to every word. It was quite a surreal experience.

Stream the full interview here.





Whitesnake Preview Anniversary DVD
(hennemusic) Whitesnake have issued a video preview of "Live In '84 - Back To The Bone", a collection of material from the period set to be released on November 11 in North America (Nov 7 in Europe).

Available on DVD and Deluxe CD/DVD packages, the project is being issued in sync with the 30th Anniversary of Whitesnake's multi-platinum "Slide It In" album.

"Live In '84" has been culled from audio and video recordings and unheard demos from the private collection of Whitesnake leader and vocalist David Coverdale. The set presents an ultra-rare collection of material performed by the band's acclaimed 83-84 line-ups.

Featured on the record are drummer Cozy Powell (Jeff Beck Group, Rainbow, MSG, Gary Moore, Black Sabbath), bassist Neil Murray and guitarist John Sykes, whom Coverdale credits with inspiring a whole generation of musicians after his work on the band's 1987 self-titled album.

Bonus content includes legendary keyboardist Jon Lord performing his last show ever with Whitesnake. Watch the preview here.




Phil Anselmo Talks Jazz and Funk Influence On NOLA Metal Scene
(TeamRock Radio) Phil Anselmo has hailed the jazz and funk influence on New Orleans metal bands in the latest episode of a series exploring the area's heavy music scene. NOLA: Life, Death & Heavy Blues From The Bayou is a seven-part series looking at the history of Pantera, Corrosion Of Conformity, Down, Goatwhore, Acid Bath and others as they cemented a heavy metal genre from the culture of New Orleans.

In episode four, the Down and former Pantera frontman hails New Orleans drummers and the way they embrace jazz and funk influences of bands like The Meters.

Anslemo says: "I think that there's a certain groove here. Homegrown drummers specifically have that behind the beat feel. Like The Meters, the funky, funky Meters. If you look at the funk and groove within that genre, if you pull it off in heavy metal - boom, it's super effective. It's showstopper, it's badass."

Read more and watch the episode here.





Sanctuary Release Frozen Video
(TeamRock Radio) Sanctuary have released a video for their track Frozen. The song is taken from the Seattle band's upcoming album The Year The Sun Died, released this week via Century Media.

It's their first album since 1990's Into The Mirror Black. They previously released a lyric video for at the track Exitium (Anthem Of The Living) and made album opener Arise And Purify available to stream.

Guitarist Lenny Rutledge says: "This video shoot was a blast. The location was an abandoned coal mine processing plant near Essen, Germany. "You can see many bizarre birdcage-size baskets hanging from the ceiling. There were thousands of them. We were told they were some type of 'laundry management devices'. They appear as something much more creepy and ominous in my opinion. Almost as if they were some sort of medieval torture devices. The entire building seemed to have a very haunting vibe."

Watch the video here.




Rolling Stones Release Video Promo For Upcoming 14 On Fire Show
(hennemusic) The Rolling Stones have released a new promotional video to promote their return to New Zealand as part of the 14 On Fire tour next month that will also hit Australia.

The band will perform at Auckland's Mt. Smart Stadium on November 22 with special guest Hunters & Collectors; the concert follows 8 dates in Australia that begin October 25 at the Adelaide Oval in Adelaide.

The fall shows were rescheduled from this spast spring following the sudden passing of Mick Jagger's longtime girlfriend, L'Wren Scott. Check out the promo video here.





Billy Idol Guests On CBS Sunday Morning
(hennemusic) Billy Idol was a featured guest on CBS Sunday Morning over the weekend as he promotes his self-written memoir, "Dancing With Myself" and fans can watch the appearance online.

Due October 7, the autobiography delivers a brutally honest account of Idol's journey to fame - from his early days as frontman of the pioneering UK punk band Generation X to his international solo career.

"It's taking the best of punk rock, the best of rock 'n' roll -- you're taking the best of everything and somehow cross-pollinating it," Idol tells CBS Sunday Morning about his sound. "So you have a bastard child, really, and the bastard child is my music."

Idol will appear on a book-signing tour to launch the project; he will host in-store autograph sessions in New Jersey, New York, Los Angeles and Tempe, Arizona in the first week of the book's release.

Two weeks after the book's release, Idol will issue his first new album in almost a decade, "Kings & Queens Of The Underground." Watch the CBS appearance here.





Slash Rocks Australia's National Rugby League Grand Final
(hennemusic) Slash performed at the Grand Final of Australia's National Rugby League (NRL) in Sydney on Sunday, and video from the event is available for fans to view online.

In front of 80,000 fans at ANZ Stadium, the guitarist played "Bent To Fly" from his newly-released album, "World On Fire", before teasing parts of the Guns N' Roses classic, "Sweet Child O' Mine."

Slash recently landed a US Top 10 debut with "World On Fire." The project entered the Billboard 200 at No. 10 last month with opening week sales of 29,000 copies.

Watch the video here.




Hurtsmile Reveal Another New Song
(TeamRock Radio) Hurtsmile have made a track from their upcoming second album available to stream. Hello I Must Be Going is taken from the album Retrogrenade, due out this week on Slipkid Records.

The band is led by Extreme and former Van Halen frontman Gary Cherone and his brother Mark. Gary Cherone says: "The strength of this record is that all the members of the band contributed to the songwriting process which resulted in a wonderfully creative diversity.

"This second effort has been a natural progression and we've yet to repeat ourselves musically." Joe Pessia and Dana Spellman are the other members of Hurtsmile, who released their self-titled debut album in 2011.

Check out the song here.




Heart In Hand Reveal Poison Pen Letters
(TeamRock Radio) Heart In Hand have issued a lyric video for Poison Pen Letters as a preview to their forthcoming album A Beautiful White. The album launches on November 3 via SOAR/Century Media Records. It's the UK melodic hardcore band's third full-length studio outing and the follow-up to 2013's Almost There.

Singer Charlie Holmes says: "Poison Pen Letters is a song about overcoming bad things in life - coming out on top and proving to yourself you can achieve anything you want."

Heart In Hand join The Amity Affliction for a European tour that take in five UK dates in November. Check out those tour dates and watch the new lyric video here.




Singled Out: Yumi And The System's Day Of The Tiger
Today Amy Wright from Yumi And The System tells us about the song "Day Of The Tiger" from their brand new album, "Wonders Of Origin", which was largely produced by Lincoln Parish of Cage The Elephant. Here is the story:

We are very excited about our single "Day Of The Tiger" that was co-written between myself, Amy Wright, and guitarist Ben Wright. Even though we've had our band name chosen for a few years, there wasn't an album or honed in sound til this year. Much credit is given to our producer Lincoln Parish (Cage The Elephant) for helping us to get our wheels on.

In writing this particular song, there is a level of spitfire and classic romantic pursuit. The names of our songs are usually chosen out of thin air before we develop any concept for it. Part of the title came from years of wanting a tiger tattoo. Still haven't completed that goal.

During the recording process, I found myself spinning a good amount of vinyl at home for inspiration. There's something classic and treasured with the sound of a record player. Nancy Sinatra was a bit of influence of this particular song. On the opposite spectrum, The Black Angels got their vinyl time in my living room also.

To give another interpretation of this song in more of a visual format, please check out our music video of Day Of The Tiger directed by Seth Graves.

Today's Day In Rock news!

Today's Day in Rock


AC/DC Announce New Album
AC/DC have revealed that Columbia Records will be releasing their new studio album, entitled "Rock or Bust," on December 2nd and fans will be getting a little taste on TV.

Turner Sports have announced that they will be previewing the song "Play Ball" on TBS during the Major League Baseball Postseason, beginning on September 27th, when they will be exclusively covering the American League Postseason. The ad will also air on other Turner stations.

The album marks the first time in 41 years that the band has recorded without cofounder Malcolm Young, who had to take a break from the band due to illness.

In his place, the band recruited Malcolm and Angus Young's nephew Stevie Young to record rhythm guitar on the new album and he will also be performing on the upcoming tour in support of the release.

AC/DC recorded the album this past spring in Vancouver, BC with producer Brendan O'Brien and mixer Mike Fraser.



Def Leppard's Vivian Campbell Having Stem-Cell Surgery
Def Leppard frontman Joe Elliot revealed in a new radio interview this week that guitarist Vivian Campbell will be "out of action" until Christmas as he will be undergoing stem-cell surgery in his cancer fight.

Campbell is officially in remission for the second time and will be receiving the treatment in hopes that it will prevent the cancer from returning. Elliot told Las Vegas radio station KOMP 92.3's '92 Minutes of Hair With Mel' show (via Loudwire), "Vivian, for the second time, is now in remission.

"The first time we were told he was in remission and he was, but it didn't take. It didn't stay; it came back. But this time, through clever management with his doctors, they were able to monitor him through the whole tour, so he could do the tour with KISS this summer."

Elliot went on to say, "As we speak, he's getting ready to go in to have stem-cell surgery, which will hopefully get rid of this thing once and for all. So, up until Christmas, he's gonna be kind of out of action, because once they start on this, they have to keep him so locked down and away from germs and stuff.

"I think anybody visiting him has to put on one of those nuclear suits. He'll be locked away and he'll be the boy in the bubble, but he's very confident that he can do this and his spirits are great."

There is no word is Vivian will be joining the band this Sunday when they perform the pregame show at the NFL game between The Oakland Raiders and the Miami Dolphins in London.

Elliott had this to say about the show, "Having most recently visited Wembley in May to watch Sheffield United in the FA Cup semi-final, I know what the atmosphere in the ground is like for 'our' football so I'm really looking forward to performing there before the NFL game and of course soaking up the excitement of the actual match. I can't wait!"

Listen to the full interview at Loudwire here.




Slipknot's New Album 'Almost Like A Tarantino Movie'
(TeamRock Radio) Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor says long-awaited album .5: The Gray Chapter is more like a Quentin Tarantino movie than a concept album. And while the lyrical content tells the story of the band's struggle for survival after the death of bassist Paul Gray in 2010, it doesn't tell that story directly.

Taylor - whose new mask was revealed in the video for The Devil In I earlier this month - tells 98 Rock: "I didn't want to do a concept album because we'd already done one with Stone Sour. It's autobiographical. Some of the songs are about Paul and some are about the hell we've had to go through.

"There's a story there but there's no outline. It's almost like a Tarantino movie, when he jumps around in time and shows you what's going on. It doesn't start with one period and go in a linear fashion. Each song tells a different little part, but you have to kind of look at it as a whole."

The phrase that hangs heaviest in his mind over the turmoil is "war of emotions," he admits. "There's a lot of guilt - survivor's guilt. There's a lot of anger towards the person you lost. There's a lot of anger towards yourself. You have to reach that point of, 'Okay, everything that needed to happen happened, and there's nothing I can do about it.' And that's what this album is."

More including a stream of the interview here.





Journey Warns Fans That Tickets Are Not For Their Show
(Radio.com) Hopefully you aren't in possession of tickets to see Journey between now and the end of the year. Because, according to the band, those tickets aren't actually to see them.

Journey, who finished touring recently, took to their Facebook page to break the news that they've been victims of a tour scam. "Attention CAUTION fans. Someone is selling tickets that are phony and a rip off. WE ARE DONE WITH OUR TOUR … THIS IS NOT REAL," they wrote, adding a screenshot of the promo.

As it turns out, the new Journey tour isn't a scam - rather, it seems to be a simple mixup. Journeys, the mall retailer, has its own tour going on with bands I Killed the Prom Queen, Ghosttown, Marmozets and Nightmares, which has apparently been confusing people.

Read more here.




The Replacements May Make New Album
(Classic Rock) The Replacements are considering making a new album, mainman Paul Westerberg has said. But the most important thing to him about his reunion with bassist Tommy Stinson is that they've rekindled the friendship they'd lost.

The pair got back together in 2012 to make a fundraising covers EP for guitarist Slim Dunlap, who'd suffered a severe stroke. That led to their live return last year, and more shows are on the cards.

Westerberg tells Rolling Stone: "We were talking to Slim when he was in the hospital and I was like, 'Should we play?' And he said, 'Yeah, play.'" It's proved to be more fruitful than he could ever have imagined. "It's good to wake up and go, 'God, I'm late - I have somewhere to go,'" he reflects.

Read more here.




Ace Frehley Launching Fall Tour
(hennemusic) Former KISS guitarist Ace Frehley has announced the first series of dates for a fall US tour that he will be launching in support of his new album, "Space Invader."

Ace will kick off his first US shows in four years on November 13 in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Frehley recently revealed the lineup for his touring band, which will include guitarist Richie Scarlet, bassist Chris Wyse and drummer Scot Coogan.

"I can't wait to hit the road again with this new lineup," says Ace. "I'll be performing Ace classics as well as songs off my new CD Space Invader for the enjoyment of the fans. Let There Be Rock!"

Frehley recently scored a US Top 10 debut with "Space Invader." Check out the initial dates here.




Sixx A.M. To Broadcast First Show In 5 Years
Sixx A.M., featuring Motley Crue's Nikki Sixx, Guns N' Roses' DJ Ashba, and vocalist James Michael, have announced that they will be playing their first concert in five years.

The concert will be taking place on October 7th at the iHeart Theater in Burbank and will celebrate the release of the group's third studio album "Modern Vintage" which will be hitting stores that day.

In addition to the concert, the band will also be hosting a Q&A session with fans about the new album and their upcoming plans. Both the concert and the Q&A will be broadcast live on iHeartRadio and select Clear Channel radio stations.

According to the announcement, the band is also expected to make a special announcement during the broadcast. The show will air beginning at 7PM PST on October 7th. Fans can listen online here.




Jim Root Speaks Out Over Stone Sour Firing
(Classic Rock) Jim Root has admitted he was angry, hurt and depressed after being fired from Stone Sour by Slipknot bandmate Corey Taylor. He's revealed the departure came about months before it was made public - but he now believes it was for the best.

The guitarist joined Stone Sour in 1996, just before the band split. He signed up for Slipknot in 1999 then returned to Stone Sour in 2001, remaining until he was dismissed last November towards the end of their touring duties for The House Of Gold & Bones. The lineup change wasn't confirmed until May.

Despite saying he was "not happy" about the move, the additional free time gave him the opportunity to focus on material for Slipknot's long-awaited album .5: The Gray Chapter.

Root confirms the situation had been playing on his mind. He tells Revolver: "Slipknot made it possible for Stone Sour to have everything that is has. And there were people in Slipknot sitting idly, waiting to do a new album. I had fans asking me every day, 'When are you doing Slipknot?' It just seemed like it was in the air.'

"It became apparent to me near the end of the album cycle for The House Of Gold & Bones that it had run its course. The band kept pushing for more dates and I was like, 'It's time to stop.'

"Essentially, in November I found out that Stone Sour wanted to do some more shows, and they didn't want me to be a part of it. I guess you could say I was given the opportunity to start the Slipknot album, to put it nicely."

He continues the story here.




Weezer Premiere New Song and Announce Tour
(Radio.com) Weezer are about to release their ninth studio album Everything Will Be Alright In The End through Republic Records, and in preparation, they've released yet another new track from the album that's sure to keep fans satiated for the moment.

Titled "The British Are Coming," the song is, like many of the other songs shared from the new album, vintage Weezer, with Rivers Cuomo brattily sneering undeniable hooks over surging guitars.

Meanwhile, guitar solos and anthemic choruses evoke the revolutionary spirit of the song's title. Additionally, the band announced a short U.S. tour for October and November, during which they'll play the entire new record in its entirety. Check out the tour dates and the new song here.




Bob Dylan To Receive MusiCares Person of the Year Honor
(Radio.com) Fifty-some years into his career, Bob Dylan is still racking up awards. His most recent accolade? MusiCares Person of the Year, bestowed on him by the Recording Academy.

Even though the award was just announced, the songwriter won't be officially honored for it until Feb. 6 at a gala held a couple of days before next year's GRAMMYs. It will likely be worth the wait, though, as at that event, Dylan, along with all of the other attendees, will be treated to performances by a myriad of popular artists.

Among them: Beck, the Black Keys, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Norah Jones, Tom Jones, Los Lobos, John Mellencamp, Willie Nelson, Bonnie Raitt, Eddie Vedder, Jack White, Neil Young and John Doe. Read more here.




L.A. Guns Lose A Member
(Classic Rock) L.A. Guns have parted ways with bassist Scott Griffin, the band have reported. He joined in 2007 following the departure of Adam Hamilton, but left two years later to be replaced by Kenny Kweens. After Kweens quit in 2011, Griffin returned to the lineup - and now Kweens is back in the band for the first time in three years.

LA Guns say in a statement: "Scotty Griffin and the band have decided to part ways. As our bassist off-and-on for the past seven years, including our latest release Hollywood Forever, Scotty has been a true road warrior, a stellar musician, and a better friend. We wish him all the best in his future endeavours."

They add: "We'd like to welcome back Kenny Kweens and look forward to rocking' out the rest of 2014. Make sure to come out and support our newest member - you're guaranteed a kick-ass time."

Read more here.




The Pretty Reckless Unplugging For New Music
(Classic Rock) The Pretty Reckless have confirmed they are working on an acoustic album. The band made history earlier this month, when they became the first female-fronted band to reach the top spot in the US charts with their first two singles Heaven Knows and Messed Up World.

Now they've revealed they are working on acoustic material and have recorded a medley. Frontwoman Taylor Momsen tells North Carolina radio station Rock 105.5:

"I don't have dates yet but we just recorded an acoustic version of a medley. It's how we originally wrote the songs, so it's an inside look into how the album Going To Hell actually started.

"If you can't play it all the way through on an acoustic guitar, then it's not a good enough song to bring in the band." Read more here.




Faith No More Reveal Comeback Single Details
(Classic Rock) Faith No More have unveiled the cover for their comeback single, set for launch at the end of the year. Motherf***er will be made available as a limited-edition vinyl disc for Record Store Day's Black Friday event on November 28. It's to be followed by a digital release on December 9.

FNM reunited in 2009 for a run of festival shows - and despite speculation they'd wound down two years later, bassist Billy Gould this month confirmed plans to end their 18-year studio silence.

He said: "We've been working on this idea for probably a year and a half. I think what we're doing reflects where we've gone since we made our last record. I think this kicks things up a notch."

Check out the cover art here.





Jeff Lynne May Continue ELO
(Gibson) Electric Light Orchestra mastermind Jeff Lynne was so happy with the band's one-off show in London last weekend that he's considering a proper return to the live stage, The Telegraph reports.

ELO played an open-air concert at London's Hyde Park, the first ELO show in almost 30 years. And he told the paper that modern technology had really taken the pressure off in terms of bringing the band's layered sound to the stage. "With all these great string samplers and synths, it wouldn't be such a drag for me, 'cause the sound would be perfect, everything would be sweet," Lynne said. "So never say never." Although he added, "…But it would be nice to find a way of doing it without going anywhere."

The Hyde Park performance featured a one-off line-up including former ELO keyboard player Richard Tandy, members of Take That's backing band and the BBC Concert Orchestra, who convened for a month of rehearsals to be ready to headline Radio 2's Proms in the Parks.






Testament Returning To The Gathering's Sound For New Album
(TeamRock Radio) Testament frontman Chuck Billy has revealed he wants their upcoming album to sound like 1999's The Gathering. Billy says that album cemented the band's style, producing tracks that "will stand the test of time." And he insists they're focusing on something similar in the studio this time around.

He tells Shor Bazaar: "We don't know until it's complete, but we've talked about what we would hope it would be. I would like it to sound along the lines of The Gathering, because it was such a turnaround record for the band.

"We really found our style and place, and the songs, to me, are probably gonna be songs that stand the test of time. We started experimenting with blast beats and a different style of guitar rhythms and picking on the guitars." Read more here.





Devon Allman Bids Farewell To Mike Zito
(The Blues Devon Allman has marked the end of Mike Zito's membership of Royal Southern Brotherhood with an affectionate farewell - and he's predicted they'll work together again in the future.

Zito decided to bow out of the blues supergroup because he felt his solo career was suffering. He's just completed his final UK tour with them, and plays his last shows on next month's US Blues Cruise. He's being replaced by Bart Walker.

Allman says on his Facebook page: "Mike and I first met in 1999 at Guitar Center, St Louis. We sold guitars and dreamed the big dream. We played sh*tty gigs for sh*tty pay - and we loved every second of it.

"Now we've played 25 countries, sold tens of thousands of records and jammed with our heroes. We've even appeared in the guitar mags we used to sell in that shop. It's been a hell of a ride.

"We did the work to make the dreams happen. Constant work - that's why we don't sell guitars any more, and that's the only reason." Read more here.





Children Of Bodom React To Canceled Tour
(TeamRock Radio) Children Of Bodom have issued a statement after Machine Head pulled the plug on their US tour. They, along with Epica and Battlecross, had been due to support the American outfit on 21-dates in October. However, Machine Head decided to concentrate on completing upcoming album Bloodstone & Diamonds rather than hit the road.

And with tour plans now in tatters, Children Of Bodom frontman Alexi Laiho says he plans to use the time to sit down and write "angry sh*t." He says in a statement: "Our North American tour with Machine Head has officially been cancelled - this had nothing to do with me or COB.

"Sh*t f***in' happens, life goes on, and at least now we have an extra month and a half to write new COB sh*t. So instead of focusing on the negative, I'm gonna start to write music and it will be some angry sh*t."

Read more here.




Touchstone Reveal Plans For Christmas Shows
(TeamRock Radio) Touchstone plan to put a difficult year behind them with two celebratory Christmas shows in December. The first takes place at London's Borderline on December 12, featuring special guests Symphony Of Pain.

The second will be a double-header with IOEarth at the Robin 2 in Bilston on December 14. The events follow the cancellation of Touchstone's DVD launch shows in June as a result of a family illness.

The band's schedule had already been kept light while bassist Paul 'Moo' Moorghen underwent spinal surgery. The band say: "Our Borderline special guests, the glorious Symphony Of Pain, bring their unique, eclectic blend of hard, melodic rock, laced with dark gothic overtones, fused with the dynamism of classical instrumentation."

Read more here.





Avatarium Releasing New EP This Fall
(TeamRock Radio) Candlemass mainman Leif Edling's Avatarium have confirmed the release of a new EP that is entitled "All I Want". It's set to be released on November 14 via Nuclear Blast.

The material reflects their desire to "break new musical ground" after Edling and Evergrey guitarist Marsuc Jidell wrote the title track. Jidell had this to say:

"Psychedelic percussionist Michael Blair guests on All I Want. He showed up at the studio with a big bag of tricks - metals, shakers and strange things which he made sound like a punk rocker at Woodstock fed with pills.

"We tried to keep things single and spontaneous during recordings, which I hope people will be able to hear." Read more here.






Anna Phoebe Releases New Album Trailer
(TeamRock Radio) Anna Phoebe has released a trailer for upcoming album Between The Shadow And The Soul. It's set for release on October 20 - and the former Roxy Music, Trans Siberian Orchestra and Jethro Tull violinist reports she's excited to have concentrated fully on her own project.

Phoebe says: "I've been co-writing with Nicolas Rizzi for four years now. He and the other members of the band have expanded my playing. It's been a real collaborative effort - we've all drawn on our musical experiences ranging from North Indian classical, jazz, rock and metal, and my own more Eastern style."

Between The Shadow And The Soul follows four-track EP Embrace, released last November. You can watch the EPK/trailer video for the new album here.





Empty Yard Experiment Streaming New Album Online
(Prog) Post-prog outfit Empty Yard Experiment are streaming latest album Kallisti via TeamRock, ahead of its release on September 29. The lineup consists of vocalist-guitarist Bojan Preradovic, guitarist Mehdi Gr, bassist Kaveh Kashani: Bass // Vocals Gorgin Asadi and drummer Josh Saldanha.

Citing Tool, Porcupine Tree, Mogwai and other as influences, they say: "This band has always been about setting ourselves apart musically as much as possible, and trying to make a difference.

"We provide our audience with our unique perspective on the world without spoon-feeding, and encourage them to construct their own as a result of that interaction."

Listen to the album here.







Avenged Sevenfold Release Chapter Four Video
(TeamRock Radio) Avenged Sevenfold have released an archive video for their track Chapter Four from their reissue Waking The Fallen: Resurrected. The album, launched in August, is a new look at their 2003 record Waking The Fallen.

Guitarist Johnny Christ recently said the process of curating the 2014 edition had been a bittersweet experience as they recalled life with late drummer Jimmy 'The Rev' Sullivan.

The three-disc edition includes 11 B-sides, live and alternative versions of songs, music videos, unseen live clips and a 30-minute documentary. A7X recently confirmed the release date for their Deathbat mobile game.

Guitarist Zacky Vengeance has reported the band have been inspired by "over the top and slightly offensive" music for the follow-up to last year's Hail To The King.

Watch the video here.





Stevie Nicks Delivers 24 Karat Gold
(Classic Rock) Stevie Nicks has released the title track from her upcoming album 24 Karat Gold - Songs From the Vault. The record will launch on October 6 via Warner Bros and features recordings of tracks from the Fleetwood Mac singer's back catalogue.

Nicks says: "Most of these songs were written between 1969 and 1987. One was written in 1994 and one in 1995. I included them because they seemed to belong to this special group. Each song is a lifetime. Each song has a soul. Each song has a purpose. Each song is a love story. They represent my life behind the scenes, the secrets, the broken hearts, the broken-hearted and the survivors."

Nicks and Fleetwood Mac will reunite with keyboardist Christine McVie for a North American tour this later this month, starting September 30 in Minnesota. The band are also working on a new record, which guitarist Lindsey Buckingham indicated could be a double album.

Stream the new song here.




Exodus Premiere Blood In, Blood Out Title Track
(Classic Rock) Exodus have released a lyric video for Blood In, Blood Out - the title track from their 10th album, which will be released on October 14th in North America and a day earlier in Europe.

It features the return of classic-era vocalist Steve 'Zetro' Souza, while previously-launched number Salt The Wound includes a guest appearance from Kirk Hammett, who left to join Metallica in 1983 without having had the chance to record.

Guitarist Gary Holt - who's currently working on Slayer's 15th album - says: "Time to let a fast one out of the bag! It's fast, raging thrash. One of many on the new disc. Bay Area sickness to slap you upside your face!"

Watch the video here.




Robert Plant's Appearance On CBS This Morning Goes Online
(hennemusic) Robert Plant was a guest on CBS This Morning this week and video of the full interview is available onlne. The singer is in New York this week to promote his new album, "lullaby and...The Ceaseless Roar", with the launch of a 7-date theatre tour of North America.

The Led Zeppelin singer will play three shows in New York starting September 25th, before hitting Toronto, Chicago and Denver, wrapping the run up in Los Angeles on October 7th.

Plant is also scheduled to perform on The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon on Friday, September 26. Watch Plant's CBS This Morning appearance here.





Between The Buried And Me Release Clip From Live DVD
(Prog) Between The Buried And Me have released another video clip from their forthcoming live studio DVD, featuring their performance of Extremophile Elite.

Future Sequence: Live At The Fidelitorium contains a full performance of recent album the Parallax II: Future Sequence. It's set for launch on September 30.

Frontman Tommy Rogers explains: "You can watch us play any of our songs live online, so we wanted to give our fans something a little different - an intimate live performance in a studio. We wanted something that made them feel a little closer to us, almost feel like they're at practice with us."

Watch the video here.




At The Gates Streaming New Song At War With Reality
(TeamRock Radio) At The Gates have released an online stream of At War With Reality, the title track from their comeback album, due next month. At War With Reality is set for release on October 27 via Century Media.

The Swedish outfit confirmed they'd decided to complete a new studio project, despite previously saying it wasn't on the cards since their 2007 reunion.

The band said: "What we learned from the last couple of years is that we enjoy what we do to the fullest extent. We love playing music together, and we love to hang out as friends.

"We are fully aware that we have made some very drastic statements about the longevity of At The Gates - but things change, situations change and people change."

Listen to the new song here.





Bush Premiere New Song 'Man On the Run'
(hennemusic) UK rockers Bush are premiering the title track to their forthcoming new album, "Man On The Run." Due October 21, the band's sixth release was produced by Nick Raskulinecz (Rush, Alice In Chains, Foo Fighters, Mastadon) at Studio 606, the Northridge, California-based studio owned by Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl.

The band spent two years touring in support of their 2011 album, "The Sea Of Memories", before returning to the studio last year to work on new music.

The group has also teamed with PledgeMusic to crowdfund the record, a part of a special campaign that offers fans a chance to take a behind-the-scenes look at the new album, along with a number of Pledge exclusives including limited-edition vinyl, hand-written lyrics, pre-order opportunities and more.

Listen to the song here.





Slash Rocks New Song Stone Blind At Special Show
(hennemusic) Slash performed "Stone Blind" from his new album, "World On Fire", last week in New York on the eve of the record's release, and video from the show has surfaced online.

The tune was part of a set the guitarist played September 15 at an exclusive invitation-only concert for SiriusXM listeners at Santos Party House in New York City.

"World On Fire" was recorded with Slash's touring band, Myles Kennedy And The Conspirators, and producer Michael Baskette. The guitarist's third solo effort follows 2010's self-titled album and 2012's "Apocalyptic Love."

Check out the video here.





Amon Amarth Release Video For Deceiver Of The Gods
(TeamRock Radio) Amon Amarth have released a video for the track Deceiver Of The Gods, lifted from their ninth studio album of the same name. The promo features clips from upcoming movie Northmen - A Viking Saga, which stars the band's frontman Johan Hegg as the warrior Vali.

And Ralph Dietrich, chief executive of the film's production company Ascot Elite Entertainment, recently revealed Hegg was a "fitting addition" to the project, which launches on October 23.

He said: It is an honour to have metal icon Johan Hegg set sail with us and we could not be more excited. Such a fitting addition, Johann's music is synonymous with the Viking experience."

Watch the video here.





Status Quo Premiere It's Better Now Lyric Video
(Classic Rock) Status Quo have issued a lyric video for And It's Better Now. The track originally featured on Hello, the band's sixth album in 1973. It now appears along with 24 other Quo classics on upcoming acoustic album Aquostic (Stripped Bare).

And mainman Rick Parfitt, who has recovered following heart surgery in August, exclusively told Classic Rock that fans will be "taken aback" when they hear what they've done to some of their best-loved tracks.

He said: "The new arrangements of most of these songs are vastly different to the ones Quo fans will already know. People will be taken aback, and pleasantly so."

Frontman Francis Rossi also revealed he initially wasn't keen on re-recording the tracks, but changed his mind after hearing an early acoustic demo of And It's Better Now.

Read more and watch the lyric video here.





Russell Allen and Jorne Lande Release Lady Of Winter Video
(Classic Rock) Russell Allen and Jorne Lande have released a lyric video for their track Lady Of Winter. It's taken from the singers' fourth collaborative album The Great Divide, set for launch on October 17 via Frontiers Music.

Allen, of Symphony X and Adrenaline Mob, tied up with Masterplan and Yngwie Malmsteen's Lande to create their first record with ex-Stratovarius man Timo Tolkki.

He played all instruments except drums, provided by Jami Huovinen. The Great Divide follows 2010's The Showdown.

Today's Day in Rock News!

Today's Day in Rock


Van Halen Split Explained
(hennemusic) Bassist Michael Anthony is revisiting his split from Van Halen in a new interview with Eddie Trunk and reveals he hasn't spoken with the Van Halen brothers in a decade.

Anthony was famously removed from the Van Halen lineup by guitarist Eddie Van Halen sometime in 2002 because he remained friendly with Sammy Hagar after his stint in the band. "I think it was actually when Sammy asked me to come out and guest at some shows when he did the Hagar-Roth tour [in 2002]," Anthony tells Eddie Trunk. "I don't think that sat too well with some people. [Laughs] And it was really odd, because I thought that I'd be out there… Sammy asked me, 'Hey, you wanna come out and maybe jam a couple of Van Halen tunes?' whatever. Not do the whole tour, but just do a few shows. And I thought, 'God, that'll be great. I'll go out there and I'll wave the VH flag high. And I'll also let people know that I'm not dead, that I'm still around. And, unfortunately, Eddie didn't see it that way."

"What actually happened was I hadn't really decided to do it, and Eddie and Alex [Van Halen] knew about it, and Eddie called me," he continued. "And I really don't wanna get into that conversation, but to put it in a nutshell, he didn't want me to be a part of that circus. But then Van Halen wasn't doing anything, and I was just so frustrated because I was tired of sitting home on my hands. My wife wanted me out of the house, 'cause I was driving her nuts also. [Laughs] But I just wanted to get out and play. And I thought, you know, it's, like… OK, he's not in the band, but it's, like… I don't know… I guess it was more of, like, 'You're with us or you're not. You're in or you're out.' There's no area… It's cut and dried. And what happened was [Eddie] actually kind of backed me up against the wall and he gave me an ultimatum: Are you gonna go out and you're gonna play this or whatever?' And it really upset me; he pissed me off. And I said, 'I'm gonna go out and play.' And that was kind of the end of that conversation. Then I got a call back from Alex about a half hour later saying, 'Oh, well, you know Ed. You know how Ed is. He's like that,' or whatever. And at that point, I was just, like, 'You know what?! I'm…' As much as I love those guys and the band and whatever, we had just all of a sudden been through so much, after Sammy was out of the band, and I think all of the drama with Gary [Cherone] and whatever, I wanted to get out and play. So I don't know if you would call that me quitting the band or just…? I was backed up against the wall. And I wanted to get out and play."

The bassist tells Trunk that he has had no contact with the Van Halen brothers in the past decade. "You know what?! The last time that I actually spoke to either one of 'em was the last show of our 2004 tour," says Anthony. "And it's really sad too. I've heard from different people… I know a lot of people that work with them, like the crew guys and stuff like that. So I always hear stuff from them." More with Anthony here.



Lamb Of God Including Lots Of Extras On As The Palaces Burn DVD
Lamb Of God fans will soon be able to watch the documentary "As The Palaces Burn," as it was released in theaters and also watch material from the alternative version that the band originally intended to release.

The feature length film will be released on DVD on October 14th and will include the theatric release on one disc and a bonus disc that will feature lots of bonuses including footage from the original fan focused version of the film that the band originally intended.

The theatric version was focused on Lamb of God frontman Randy Blythe's arrest, trial and ultimate acquittal on manslaughter charges over the death of a fan that was injured during one of the band's concerts in the Czech Republic.

According to the band, they originally intended the documentary "to follow the heavy metal band Lamb Of God throughout the world to demonstrate music's potential to tie culturally diverse fans together."

In addition to the alternative documentary footage, the DVD release will also include footage that didn't make the final theatrical cut, and unreleased "making of" footage.




Slipknot Plan To Cover The Planet On Upcoming Tour
(TeamRock Radio) Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor has confirmed the band will "cover the planet" on tour next year, following the release of long-awaited album .5: The Gray Chapter.

And his comments about his lyrics seem to confirm speculation that lead track The Negative One could be about departed drummer Joey Jordison. The vocalist says it's a relief to see light at the end of the tunnel after the death of bassist Paul Gray in 2010, and the internal turmoil that led to Jordison's dismissal last year.

Taylor tells 94.3 KILO: "There's a handful of songs on the album that are about Paul. There's a bunch of songs about the band and everything we've been through in the last four years; all the emotions we've had to deal with, the reaction from the world.

"A lot of people have no idea what it's been like. You don't understand. For me as a lyricist, being able to tell the story as honestly and darkly as I've been able to - I'm stoked for people to hear it."

More with Taylor here.




Bruce Springsteen Bitten By Acting Bug?
(Radio.com) Has Bruce Springsteen been bitten by the acting bug? Last week, Deadline's Nellie Andreeva reported a rumor that Steven Van Zandt has roped in a pair of his buddies to play roles on his Netflix series Lilyhammer. His Sopranos co-star, Tony Sirico, will join the upcoming third season in a recurring role, and Springsteen will be making a guest appearance.

"In episodes filmed in New York," Andreeva writes in the report, "I hear Sirico plays a priest, while Springsteen has been tapped to play the owner of a mortuary."

This would be one of a few Springsteen acting performances. Most well known was his half-minute cameo in 2000's High Fidelity. In that scene, he played himself, as a figment of Rob Gordon's imagination, giving Rob advice about his "top five" exes. (Gordon was played by John Cusack).

More here.




Foo Fighters Tease Club Shows
(hennemusic) The Foo Fighters are teasing a series of three club shows in the UK that will take place ahead of their appearance on Sunday at London's Invictus Games' closing ceremony.

Over the past few days, the band has tweeted hints and news about the dates. "Michael and Freddy think it would be a shame to just do one show while we're in the UK..." began the series, complete with an image of Queen's Freddie Mercury and pop icon Michael Jackson on their drum kit.

"Sure missed you...now, let's do 3 club gigs this week..." was the second message, followed by a third that read, "It's so good to know there's still a little magic in the air…I'll weave my spell", along with a reference to the Queen song, "Brighton Rock."

See the teases here.



Metallica To Be Artists In Residence At Film Festival
(hennemusic) Metallica have been named Artists In Residence for Mill Valley Film Festival 37, the 2014 edition of the annual event in the California city. Running October 2-12, the festival will see each of the members of Metallica host a screening of a film they have selected for inclusion at the event.

On October 3rd, noted horror movie aficionado Kirk Hammett will host a late-night screening of the 1971 favorite, "Dracula Vs. Frankenstein." October 6th will see Robert Trujillo hosting a sneak peek at "Jaco", the new documentary he co-produced that brings the story of legendary bassist Jaco Pastorius to the screen.

Drummer Lars Ulrich will host an October 7th viewing of "Whiplash", an indie feature about an aspiring drummer and his ruthless teacher that won multiple awards at Sundance this year. Following the screening, director-screenwriter Damien Chazelle will join Lars on stage for a conversation.

Find out what James will be doing here.




Johnny Marr Launching North American Tour
Former The Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr have announced that he will be launching a North American headline tour this fall in support of his forthcoming album.

The new album, "Playland," is set to be released on October 7th and a little more than a month later Marr will be hitting the road for the supporting tour of the U.S. and Canada.

The trek is scheduled to kick off on November 9th in Washington D.C. at the 9:30 Club and will conclude with a two night stand in Los Angeles at the El Rey Theatre on December 19th and 20th. See the tour dates here.




Marshall Tucker Band Releasing Live Album From Famed Show
(Classic Rock) Southern rockers the Marshall Tucker Band are set to release a recording of one of their most famous gigs. Live From Englishtown was recorded at Raceway Park, New Jersey on September 3, 1977 in front of 150,000 people.

The show came on the back of their Carolina Dreams album, which spawned Heard It In A Love Song, which became their highest-charting single, reaching No.14 in the US. Now they will release a CD of the concert on September 30.

And while the quality of the audio isn't perfect, frontman Doug Gray says they wanted to release it to mark the occasion and give fans a trip down memory lane.

He says: "The Englishtown concert was one of the largest shows in the history of the Marshall Tucker Band. This album was made from a copy of the original 37-year-old recording. Although the audio quality isn't perfect, we wanted to make it commercially available to our fans."

More including the track details here.




Billy Idol Reveals Book Signing Tour Details
(hennemusic) Billy Idol will publish his self-written memoir, "Dancing With Myself", on October 7, and the rocker has just announced a series of dates for a book-signing tour to launch the project.

Idol will be appearing for in-store autograph sessions in New Jersey, New York, Los Angeles and Tempe, Arizona in the first week of the book's release.

"Dancing With Myself" is billed as delivering a brutally honest account of Idol's journey to fame - from his early days as frontman of the pioneering UK punk band Generation X to his international solo career.

Two weeks after the book hits shelves, Idol will release his first new album in almost a decade, "Kings & Queens Of The Undergound", on October 21. Check out the dates here.




Poison May Return Next Year
(Classic Rock) Poison drummer Rikki Rockett says he's grateful to be able to make a living in the modern music industry. And he reports the band are considering hitting the road in 2015 for their first tour in several years.

His comments come after Kiss star Gene Simmons became the latest big name to claim the rock scene was dying. Rockett tells Iron City Rocks: "I feel very blessed to be an older rock guy able to get out there and play, and make a living at this. I consider it to be an awesome thing.

Poison have only played together recently at private events. "They're fun and they pay very well," Rockett says. "It gives us a chance to get together and play. But they're the only shows Poison is doing this year. A few things are being thrown around by our management for next spring. We'll have to see."

More about from Rikki about making it in today's music business here.




Bernie Torme Returning With New Double Album
(Classic Rock) Former Ozzy Osbourne and Gillan guitarist Bernie Torme has confirmed the launch of Flowers & Dirt, his first solo album in 15 years - and it's a double-length release.

It was recorded after he secured more than four times the backing he needed in a Pledge campaign. Supporters have already heard the finished work. Torme recently told TeamRock:

"I wanted to do an album now because it's been so f***ing long since the last one. Admittedly there were three Guy McCoy Torme records in between, but even the last of those was a while ago.

"I've got some really cool tracks: rockers, cosmic stuff, bluesy things. Stuff I really like to play. The Pledge thing is just brilliant - there's no Mister Man telling you what you 'ought' to be doing."

More details here.




Nachtmystium Dropped By Label Amid Controversy
(TeamRock Radio) Nachtmystium have been dropped by Century Media in the aftermath of unfulfilled album orders, the label have confirmed. Fans began to express frustration in early August when frontman Blake Judd, who'd taken money for limited-edition bonus packages, claimed he couldn't deliver because he hadn't received copies of their seventh album from the company.

Judd said on August 16 that the continuing delay was a result of incorrect paperwork, and insisted: "No one is going to be ripped off." But he then took down the band's Facebook page, and their website is now offline too. Another Facebook page aiming to "raise awareness of Blake Judd's illegal actions" has received over 1000 likes.

Century Media say in a statement: " Many people have not received their copies of 'The World We Left Behind' even though they pre-ordered the album directly from front-man, Blake Judd.

"We know that this is not only frustrating but also a let down to the fans of the band. So, we'd like to help out in this situation and deliver the fans their pre-ordered copies on the format that they ordered." More details here.




T. Rex Vinyl Box Set Coming This Fall
(Classic Rock) An eight-disc vinyl box set of T. Rex's albums will go on sale in November. T. Rex: The Vinyl Collection features all eight of the band's albums, starting with 1970's T. Rex and ending with 1977 album Dandy In The Underworld, and will be released via Edsel on November 3.

Two versions of the box set will be launched: A standard 180g black vinyl collection and a limited edition coloured vinyl compilation, which is limited to 500 units worldwide.

A CD version will also be released, featuring all eight studio albums plus two bonus discs of singles and non-album tracks. Check out more details for the box set here.




Savatage's Chris Caffery Hopes To Release Birthday Song Today
(Classic Rock) Savatage and Trans-Siberian Orchestra guitarist Chris Caffery hopes to release his new single on his birthday this week. He says he is working on the track titled My Light and hopes to release it on his Bandcamp page today (Tuesday) on the day he turns 47.

He says in a statement: "I still have a bit of work to do on my new single but I'm hoping to have it ready by my birthday on September 9. I want to do exactly what I did last year, which is to give it as a present to my friends on that day. I have some lead vocals and guitar work left before I can mix."

Caffery also released the artwork for the single, which he composed himself - a project he says he had fun on.

He continues: "I did the cover when I returned home from the Bowers Pepperfest. I enjoy doing the covers for these singles. For my new album, I will hire an artist. However, the last few singles I released I had fun putting some meanings from the individual songs into their digital release covers."

More here.





Lordi Releasing New Album and Halloween
(TeamRock Radio) Lordi have confirmed they'll launch seventh album Scare Force Once on Halloween - and they've a clip from its lead single. Nailed By The Hammer Of Frankenstein will be the first song to appear from the follow-up to 2013's To Beast Or Not To Beast.

The Finnish outfit say in a statement: "Plane refuelled, seatbelts broken and an hour or so of pure turbulence coming up when Scare Force One sees the light of day."

The album will be available via AFM in standard CD and digital formats, plus an orange vinyl edition limited to 500 pressings. Check out the new song and the track details here.




Tim Ashton Reunites With Galahad For 30th Anniversary Tour and Album
(Prog) Bassist Tim Ashton has returned to Galahad after a 22-year break, in time to join their 30th anniversary celebrations. The news comes as the band gear up for the release of the third EP of a trilogy series.

Vocalist Stuart Nicholson reports: "Tim played bass for the band in the late 1980s and early 1990s. His final gig the first time round was at the London Astoria in 1992. He's spent many years in Japan and the Philippines, but he's always remained in touch. He's settled in again 22 years later and it feels as if the circle is complete."

Ashton will appear on 30th anniversary album When Worlds Collide, set to include new versions of old tracks, with recording planned for later this year. Meanwhile, Galahad will launch their third and final EP of 2014 on October 6. More details here.





Nightwish Making Progress On New Album
(Prog) Nightwish's Emppu Vuorinen has laid down the guitar work for their upcoming album. The as-yet-untitled record is due to launch in spring 2015 via Nuclear Blast and will be the follow-up to 2011's Imaginaerum.

In a studio update, the band say: "The recording of the album is going great. Today we can announce that all rhythm and lead guitars are now recorded. Missing just a couple of solos, to be recorded after the vocals. On to keyboards and vocals next."

In the most recent studio update video, the band's main composer, keyboard player Tuomas Holopainen revealed he has a cinematic approach to writing, saying he sees each song like "short movie."

More on that here.




The Pretty Reckless' Taylor Momsen Has Put Acting In The Past
(Classic Rock) The Pretty Reckless frontwoman Taylor Momsen says she has no plans to act again and reveals her time in front of the camera was just "something that paid bills."

She starred in various movies and TV shows, most recently US series Gossip Girl in 2011, but since the band got together, she's left her acting career behind to concentrate on music - something she has no plans to change.

Momsen tells Music Radar: "Acting isn't something I'm pursuing. I quit acting almost five years ago and you could say that was always my intention. It was always a day job - something that paid bills.

"I never considered myself an actor - I was a musician who just happened to be on a TV show. I haven't acted since the band's been together. We've made two records, toured a lot and established ourselves. I think the TV stereotype has gone away.

"People at the shows are there for the music. They've bought the records and listened to the songs. That's all you can ask for." She had a lot more to say here.





Amplifier Streaming New Album Mystoria Online
(Classic Rock) Amplifier have launched an exclusive stream of fifth album Mystoria via TeamRock. The new album went on sale in the UK yesterday via Superball Music.

Guitarist Sel Balamir has described the ten-track work as a return to the band's core values, saying: "We've gone back to just trying to write great songs and melodies, and that's where we've decided to stay."

Amplifier launch a European tour next month, including two UK shows with Kerbdog and others - one at the Ritz in Manchester on November 15, and the other at the Forum in London on November 16. Check out the album stream here.




Mike Portnoy and Pete Rinaldi On New Haken EP
(Prog) Haken have confirmed the release of a three-track EP featuring reworked materials from their 2008 demo, featuring guests Pete Rinaldi and Mike Portnoy.

Entitled Restoration, it's set for launch on October 27 via InsideOut, midway through the band's Prog-sponsored UK tour with Leprous and Machine. Vocalist Ross Jennings says: "Redoing a few of our favourite tracks from the demo is something we've talked about doing for ages and the fans have been asking for it constantly. We were also excited about working creatively with our new bassist Conner Green, so this seemed like the perfect way to welcome him aboard."

Guitarist Charlie Griffiths adds: "The band's sound has evolved considerably in the last few years, so we used the demos as a starting point, and gave ourselves free reign to reimagine them and make them relevant to who we are today. These are now the definitive versions."

More details here.







Slash Releases Track-By-Track Video For New Album
(hennemusic) Slash and singer Myles Kennedy are sharing a track-by-track preview of the guitarist's new album, "World On Fire", in a new video interview with Total Guitar.

Due September 16, the project is the guitarist's third solo effort, following 2010's self-titled album and 2012's "Apocalyptic Love" release. On Tuesday, Slash will wrap up his North America dates with Aerosmith as part of the Let Rock Rule tour, before turning his attention to launching the new album.

The guitarist will play a series of three concerts in Hollywood's most legendary clubs later this month introduce the new music to fans while also celebrating the Guitar Center's 50th anniversary. Check out the track-by-track video here.

More on Slash - Slash Music - Slash Tour Dates/Tickets - Slash CDs, vinyl and rarities
Paul McCartney Releases Half Hour Video Featuring Johnny Depp
(Classic Rock) Paul McCartney has released behind-the-scenes footage from the video shoot for his single Early Days. And, along with a number of local musicians, the former Beatle is joined on the 30-minute session by actor Johnny Depp.

The original video was released in July, with the track lifted from McCartney's 2013 album New. The shoot in Los Angeles led to an on-set jam, with the former Beatle joined by Roy Gaines, Al Williams, Dale Atkins, Henree Harris, Motown Maurice, Lil Poochie, Misha Lindes and Depp.

Included in the session are snippets of Charlie Campbell's Goin' Away Blues and Carl Perkins' Matchbox, which the Beatles covered on-stage and recorded during their early career.

McCartney told Rolling Stone: "I happened to ring Johnny Depp. I said, 'Come along and we'll sit around and jam with these blues guys.' He said, 'Yeah, OK, count me in, man.' I knew it was an offer he couldn't refuse."

More details and the video here.




Weezer Go Old School With New Song Cleopatra
(Radio.com) After finding some success with "Back to the Shack," Weezer have revealed their second single (one of many they previously teased) from upcoming album, Everything Will Be Alright in the End, and it is something perhaps unexpected from the group: a throwback to their classic sound.

Opening with ramshackle acoustic guitar strums, "Cleopatra" begins with a stomp-clap sound similar to what The Lumineers and Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros have brought to alternative radio in recent years.

But Rivers Cuomo's subdued vocals in the verse give way to a chorus that is simple in its repetition of the title's namesake. By the time the song builds to Cuomo reaching for higher notes and rap-rock second refrain (a la "Buddy Holly"), the song has painted a portrait of vintage Weezer. More hear here.




Mastodon and Butthole Surfers Frontman Release New Song
(TeamRock Radio) Mastodon have collaborated with Butthole Surfers frontman Gibby Haynes on a track called Atlanta, which is available for streaming now and for download later today.

The fast-and-furious piece sounds more like Haynes' outfit than anything the prog metal band are usually associated with. It's the latest in a series of tracks launched by Adult Swim, with two more to come.

Mastodon, who launched sixth album Once More 'Round The Sun in June, tour the UK starting in November. Check out the dates and stream the new song here.




Fall Out Boy Go A Little Suzanne Vega In New Song Centuries
(Radio.com) Fall Out Boy have released "Centuries," the first single from their upcoming and yet-to-be-titled sixth album. Already masters of catchy choruses, the band reached way back to 1987 for inspiration.

In an interview with Kat Corbett of KROQ in Los Angeles (a CBS Radio station), Patrick Stump and Pete Wentz explained how the hook from Suzanne Vega song "Tom's Diner" made its way onto the new track. "It was something that kind of came up between us and JR, who produced the track," explained Stump.

"It seems very right for the pickin', right?" added Wentz. "To me, what people are thinking about what culturally, are so into right now. You've got Girl Meets World on TV, like it just feels like, pick it off."

"I feel like it was so ubiquitous when we were kids," Stump chimed in. "I mean, that song was absolutely everywhere and it just kind of disappeared. I haven't heard it in a minute. And I was like that's a shame. That was such an amazing song. I would love for that to get some kind of tip of the hat."

"And, it's definitely a song people know but they know [only] that part and they don't necessarily know the artist or the rest of the song or any of that. It's kinda cool to re-inject that into pop culture," Wentz said.

Interestingly, the band didn't use Vega's original vocal track. Read more and listen here.




John Mellencamp Premieres New Song Sometimes There's God
(hennemusic) John Mellencamp has released an online premiere of the song "Sometimes There's God", which is a new track from his forthcoming album, "Plain Spoken."

Due September 23, the project is the Indiana rocker's first release under a newly-signed and unprecedented lifetime recording contract with Republic Records.

Produced by Mellencamp, it's also the singer's first release of new material since 2010's "No Better Than This." The rocker recently issued the album's lead single, "Trouble No More".

Mellencamp recently wrapped up a summer tour of North America; next, he'll perform at Farm Aid 2014 in Raleigh, North Carolina on September 13. Check out the new song here.





Julian Casablancas Premieres New Song Where No Eagles Fly
(Radio.com) Julian Casablancas' second solo album, Tyranny, arrives at the end of the month and, so far, it's remained pretty mysterious. We've only heard "Human Sadness" and now today brings another glimpse of it, "Where No Eagles Fly."

On a Strokes continuum - the seminal NYC garage rock band Casablancas fronts - "Where No Eagles Fly" is possibly the furthest from center track of Casablancas' that we've heard.

Unlike "Human Sadness," which wouldn't be out of place in the Strokes' discography, "Where No Eagles Fly" is a frenetic, scruffy guitar freakout that verges on being screamo.

The song starts out normal enough and then a rocky chord change sets it into a completely different direction. To be fair, it sounds like what you'd expect from an album named Tyranny. More including a link to listen here.




Interpol Rock The Bowery Ballroom
(Radio.com) Last week, under a wash of bright red lights, Interpol strode briskly on to the stage of the Bowery Ballroom for the first time in seven years. This was once a kind of home base for them - along with the Mercury Lounge - back in the early aughts, when the band was thrust into the post-punk revival synonymous with icy, cool Lower East Side bands like the Strokes and Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Back then, the dingy rock club Baby Jupiter was still around, and back when the dive bar Max Fish was in its original location with its original ur-hip clientele, back before the Whole Foods and luxury apartments sprung up all around Alphabet City. But the world changes, as Paul Banks says, and people change with it.

The sold-out crowd packed in tight to see a new lineup for Interpol, one without their founding bassist Carlos D., who left the band just before the release of Interpol in 2010. The touring bassist Brad Truax, whose long, thin hair seems straight out of Heavy Metal Parking Lot, opened the show with the first riff of "Evil," a bass line so instantly recognizable in the band's catalog that the scream of the crowd made it so you couldn't hear anything but the first two or three notes. Banks, guitar strung low, stepped up to the mic, to sing about Rosemary.

It's six days before the release of the band's fifth album El Pintor, and a lyric in "Evil" rings in a new way. Banks writes famously inscrutable lyrics, often fodder in conversations for fans and detractors of the band, but here something was highlighted anew for three guys pushing forward and growing older in New York City: "You're coming with me/ through the aging, the fear, and the strife."

Cut back to 2013, away from lights of all intensities and colors, when Banks decamped to a secluded beach on the Pacific coast of Panama to write the bulk of the lyrics to El Pintor. As he talks about his island getaway, the sun sets over Manhattan in a conference room in the Time-Life building in Midtown, surrounded by windows that look south toward the Empire State Building and further, to the Lower East Side where Interpol formed in 1997. He wears a backwards fitted hat and a remarkable button-down shirt.

"I once heard the RZA talk about this idea of like, there's too much electromagnetic waves in his urban environment and so sometimes you gotta put yourself out, and go somewhere where you're in isolation, to just sort of get all these energies that are bouncing off you all the time, away from you."

Banks has been surfing for almost four years now, his ribs calloused, his duck-diving technique on point. He says that he's been writing away from the city for a while now, in the "middle of f-king nowhere." For a man who writes songs that have a symbiotic relationship with New York City, he finds most of his clarity away from the hum of Manhattan.

"I think the urban setting is great for generating fuel," he says, "but then you also gotta get away from all those electromagnetic waves of people, and more toward those ocean waves." He gives a big, knowing grin.