Today's Top Stories
Video From Rolling Stones Cuba Show Goes Online(hennemusic)
The Rolling Stones performed their first-ever concert in Cuba on Friday and video from the event has been posted online. The free show marked the first open air concert in the country by a British rock band.
The "Concert For Amity" saw the group play an 18-song set before an estimated crowd of 1.3 million fans on the Caribbean island. "Here we are finally!," Mick Jagger told the crowd. "We are sure that this night is going to be an unforgettable night, for you and for us.
"We know that years ago it was difficult to listen to our music here in Cuba, but here we are, playing for you in your beautiful land. I think that finally things have changed, haven't they?" Watch the videos here.
David Lee Roth Previews Unreleased Song 'Red Bull And Pop Tarts'(hennemusic)
David Lee Roth explores the Chinese strategy game Go, among others topics, on the latest episode of The Roth Show. The program also includes a snippet of an unreleased song, "Red Bull And Pop Tarts", and ends with Roth's cover of the 2013 Pharrell Williams hit, "Happy."
"Everybody in China plays it," explains Roth, "and, if they can afford it, they get tutors to come in and teach their kids every day of the week. You play chess? It's a little like chess but it's about four times as big the board and about four billion times the opportunities."
The singer's rambling on the game in the latest Roth Show episode blurs with talk of recording studios, websites and painting. Check out a stream of the new episode here.
Disturbed's David Draiman Rants Against Rude Fan(Classic Rock)
Disturbed frontman David Draiman verbally attacked a "rude" fan for texting throughout one of the band's shows last week. During their gig in Dallas, Texas, on March 23, Draiman turned his attention to a woman on the balcony of the House Of Blues venue. His rant was captured on video.
Draiman says: "What is so important going on in the world that you need to be texting the entire f***ing show? The whole show. You're right up front, I can see you clear as day. You've had your face in your f***ing phone the whole goddamn show. Are we that boring?
"Don't tell me to go f*** myself. You already did by looking in your phone instead of paying attention. It's f***ing rude. If you don't want to watch, don't watch. But don't stand there in front of the f***ing stage in the front row of the balcony where everybody can see you texting the whole f***ing time on your phone."
Draiman then asks the woman if he can have her "attention for the rest of whatever's left of the set?" He adds: "Now she's all pissed off. She thinks that I did something wrong to her. I love it. Welcome to the age of the internet, ladies and f***ing gentlemen." Watch it here.
Tom Petty's Mudcrutch Announces Album and Tour(Radio.com)
Before he fronted Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Petty led a Florida band called Mudcrutch. They only recorded a few songs before splitting, but decades later in 2008, they released a self-titled album that served both as their reunion album and their debut. And today, they announced the follow-up. The new record, 2, will be out May 20.
The album was produced by Petty and Mudcrutch/Heartbreaker member Mike Campbell along Ryan Ulyate, who has worked on several recent Heartbreakers projects. The album includes seven new songs written by Tom Petty, with band members Mike Campbell, Tom Leadon, Randall Marsh and Benmont Tench composing one each. Tench is also a member of the Heartbreakers.
Mudcrutch has also announced their first national tour, starting at Denver's Ogden Theater on May 26. Tickets for all headline shows go on-sale Friday, April 1st and every online ticket purchased for the headline tour includes a CD copy of the new album. See the dates here.
Latest News
Eddie Vedder Joins Bruce Springsteen For 'Bobby Jean'(Radio.com)
Last week in Seattle, Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder joined Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band onstage during the encore for a performance of the Born in the U.S.A. classic, "Bobby Jean."
Of course, the saxophone solo on the song is now handled by Jake Clemons, the nephew of the late E Street sax legend Clarence Clemons. Jake recently told Radio.com that Vedder and singer/songwriter Glen Hansard were instrumental in getting him back on stage after his uncle's passing.
"I had a hard time coming out of my bedroom after Clarence passed away, it was a really difficult time, and I certainly wasn't looking at playing my saxophone," he said. 'Through the kindness of their hearts and their care for me, Glen Hansard and Eddie Vedder [who toured together in 2011] gave me a call and asked me to come out of my room and bring my sax. There was a moment on stage when I played with them in Philadelphia where' I always understood the saxophone as an extension of myself and a communication device, but that night it became something enormously bigger than that. I was able to have this euphoric sense of being with my uncle again [they all covered Springsteen's 'Drive All Night" together that night], and that sense of healing was something I was desperate for."
Watch Springsteen and Vedder, with Clemons on sax, perform "Bobby Jean," here.
Sammy Hagar Won't Follow-Up Eddie Van Halen Tweet(Classic Rock)
Sammy Hagar says he has no plans to follow-up a recent birthday tweet to Eddie Van Halen because he senses it would be misinterpreted as more than a gesture of simply trying to re-establish a friendship.
Prior to the January exchange as Eddie turned 61, the pair had not been in touch in a dozen years following a 2004 reunion tour. Hagar tells Rolling Stone: "It would be misinterpreted.
"I know the way those guys think. 'Oh, he wants something! He wants back in the band. He must be broke.' I'm sorry, but unless they've changed drastically, which when I've talked to people that do know them it sounds like they haven't changed at all, it would be misinterpreted. I also don't want to provoke that. That's not what I'm looking for in my life now." Read more here.
Metallica Stream Classic Performance Of 'Seek & Destroy'(Classic Rock)
Metallica are streaming a 1984 live recording of their classic track Seek & Destroy as featured on the upcoming deluxe edition of their 1983 debut album Kill 'Em All.
The rare audio captures Metallica performing at J Bees Rock III in Middletown, NY, without their own equipment after it, along with their rental truck, were stolen during a blizzard in Boston the week before.
The band say: "This was recorded at the first gig that we played after having our gear ripped off in January of '84. Anthrax was cool enough to lend us their equipment for the night."
Expanded and remastered versions of Kill 'Em All and 1984's Ride The Lightning will be issued on April 15 to tie-in with Record Store Day and will be available on vinyl, CD, and limited-edition box sets. Check out the song stream here.
Rob Zombie Announces Release Of 31 Film(TeamRock Radio)
Rob Zombie will release his latest horror film 31 on September 16 via Saban Films. Written and directed by the rocker, the project stars Malcolm McDowell and Sheri Moon Zombie alongside a cast that includes Richard Brake, Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs, Jeff Daniel Phillips and Meg Foster, among others.
The film's official description reads: "The day before Halloween, five carnival employees are kidnapped and held hostage in an isolated compound known as Murderworld.
"On Halloween, they are thrown into a sadistic game called 31 where they must survive 12 hours against a gang of maniacs dressed like clowns. However, the clowns aren't the only ones they need to worry about - a grand scheme of satanic rituals and a much more sadistic plot awakens. It's time to play 31." Read more here.
Voivod Announce North American Tour
Voivod have announced that they will be embarking on a North American tour this spring to promote their "Post Society EP" that will feature support from King Parrot and Child Bite.
The tour is scheduled to kick off on May 19th in Dallas, TX at Gas Monkey and they will be wrapping up the trek on June 21st in London, ON at Call The Office.
Voivod's drummer Michel "Away" Langevin had this to say about the tour, "After an exciting North American East Coast tour with Vektor, Eight Bells and Black Fast, we are thrilled to tour the West Coast of USA and across Canada with King Parrot and Child Bite.
"We have updated the set list, so be ready for a few classics mixed with new songs from the 'Post Society @ EP'. In the meantime, well...we're still working hard on the next album!" See the tour dates here.
Stone Temple Pilots and Chester Bennington Reunite For Benefit Show(hennemusic)
Stone Temple Pilots reunited with singer Chester Bennington of Linkin Park on Saturday for a one-off performance at From Classic To Rock, a charity concert to benefit public schools in Rancho Palos Verdes, California.
The show at the Norris Theater and Pavilion mixed rockers with world-renowned classical musicians to take the audience on a journey from 17th century to today's modern hits, with proceeds to be donated to the Peninsula Education Foundation (PEF).
In addition to STP, other performers included Gary Wright ("Dream Weaver"), Yutong (Pacific Symphony, LA Phil, Hollywood Bowl Orchestra), Chas West (Bonham, Foreigner), Marten Andersson (Lizzy Borden, George Lynch), Monte Pittman (Madonna, Solo Artist), Stan Sharp (Long Beach Symphony, Hollywood Bowl Orchestra) and Jane Lee (accomplished pianist).
A charity auction at the event included signed items from Slash, KISS, Def Leppard, Peter Frampton, Foo Fighters, The Doors and Joe Walsh, among others. Read more and watch a video from the show here.
David Gilmour To Rock Jimmy Kimmel Live(hennemusic)
David Gilmour will perform on ABC-TV's late night series Jimmy Kimmel Live tonight, March 28. The Pink Floyd guitarist will appear in support of his latest album, "Rattle That Lock."
The project was recorded at various places, including Gilmour's Astoria houseboat studio and in Hove, Sussex, UK. He worked on the record with co-producer Phil Manzanera and wife and lyricist Polly Samson.
The guitarist launched a series of spring North American dates this past weekend with three shows at the Hollywood Bowl; he'll play a pair of concerts in Toronto, ON later this week before performing multiple dates Chicago, IL and New York, NY next month. Read more here.
The Ghost Inside Name Permanent Guitarist(TeamRock Radio)
The Ghost Inside have added guitarist Chris Davis as a permanent member of the band. The former Texas In July man has been a touring member of The Ghost Inside in the past, and is now included full-time.
As members of The Ghost Inside continue their recovery from a horrific road crash, they say in an Instagram post: "Us playing shows again is the furthest thing from our minds at the moment while we focus on our recovery, but none of us could ever imagine playing again without Chris.
"He's been such an awesome guy to have on the road, he's been so rad to have around off stage, and he loves Batman - almost a scary amount." Read more here.
Todd Rundgren Releases Limited-Edition Box Set Details(TeamRock Radio)
Details of a Todd Rundgren live box set have been revealed. The Boxx O' Todd limited-edition package features previously unreleased live in-studio recordings from the early 1970s, all of which were originally broadcast on radio.
It is out now on Purple Pyramid Records and features both stripped down solo performances by Rundgren as well as full band recordings with The Hello People. It includes some of Todd's most well-known songs including Hello, It's Me, I Saw The Light and It Wouldn't Have Made Any Difference.
The 3CD set comes with a 20-page booklet featuring a full set of insightful liner notes by Dave Thompson and full color photos plus, a signature guitar pick, three collectible pins and a backstage pass. Read more including the track details here.
Five Finger Death Punch Sad Over The End Of Black Sabbath(New Rock Times)
Five Finger Death Punch drummer Jeremy Spencer says he is 'bummed' over Black Sabbath's impending retirement but he understands why the veterans are bringing the black curtain down on a legendary career.
The metallers are Down Under as support for the Sabbath's 'The End' tour. An invitation Spencer and the band were thrilled to accept. "We're huge Ozzy fans and Sabbath fans, we've been listening to them forever," continues Spencer.
"Part of the reason we do what we do, I mean we're big fans and to be able to finish our show playing for a huge audience and then get to watch them do their thing every night is going to be a whole lot of fun man, because it's their last tour so it's a really special thing because we'll never get to see them again."
On the forthcoming end of Black Sabbath he says: "Well there's always a time, they've been doing it so long, I can see why they're ready to not keep doing the grind of the road. But it's a bummer, it's part of my whole upbringing of music.
"They were some of the first heavy music I ever got into as a kid so it's kind of weird to see that chapter in my life, but they are a phenomenal band and their history speaks for itself and they are certainly legends and we can't wait to share a stage with them, it's going to be great." Read more here.
Mike Portnoy To Celebrate 50th Birthday With Cruise To The Edge(Prog)
Mike Portnoy will celebrate his 50th birthday with a rock cruise featuring live performances from throughout his career. The Winery Dogs, Metal Allegiance, Neal Morse Band and former Dream Theater drummer turns 50 on April 20 next year and plans a celebration to remember.
He says: "April 20, 2017, is my 50th birthday. If I could have any wish, any birthday gift to celebrate half a century on Earth, it would be to gather all of my family, friends, bandmates and fans on a ship sailing across the ocean and celebrate my 50 years of life and 30 years of making music with all my loved ones.
"Thank you to Larry Morand and Cruise To The Edge for granting me this wish and enabling me to share this gift of life and music with my family, friends, bandmates and fans on next year's Cruise To The Edge." Read more here.
The Word Alive Release 'Trapped' Video(TeamRock Radio)
The Word Alive have released a video for their track Trapped. It features on the US outfit's fourth album Dark Matter, which they delivered earlier this month via Fearless Records.
Vocalist Telle Smith tells Billboard: "Trapped is about the inescapability of our overthinking and progress-restricting behaviour. We all have something we struggle with internally, and sometimes we have to realise our mind can be a strange dark place, and our own worst enemy."
The band shot the video the day before filming last single Sellout - but Smith insists this promo is the best they've ever done. He adds: "While filming the music video for Trapped with director Marcus Eden, we knew instantly that it would be our favorite video to date.
"It's able to capture a depth to our band and the meaning behind the song in a way we've never accomplished before." Watch the new video here.
Goo Goo Dolls Announce New Album, Single, Tour Dates(Radio.com)
Goo Goo Dolls announced details about their new album, titled Boxes, as well as the first single, "Over and Over." The 11-song album is set for release May 6.
Frontman John Rzeznik, who was honored with the Songwriters Hall of Fame Hal David Starlight Award, called on a few of his songwriters and producers, including Gregg Wattenberg (with whom Rzeznik wrote four songs on the Goos' 2013 album Magnetic), Wattenberg's production partner Derek Fuhrmann, and Drew Pearson (who has worked with Phillip Phillips and OneRepublic).
The New York band will tour the album this summer with support from Collective Soul and Tribe Society. Kicking off July 8 in Portland, the tour will wrap up in Sin City September 16. Stream the single and check out the tour dates here.
Joe Bonamassa Releases 'Mountain Climbing' Studio Video(The Blues)
Joe Bonamassa has released a studio clip for his track Mountain Climbing. The song features on the guitarist's latest album Blues Of Desperation which was released last week via Provogue.
Bonamassa said of the album: "I want people to hear my evolution as a blues-rock musician - somebody who isn't resting on accomplishments and who is always pushing forward and thinking about how music can evolve and stay relevant.
"Lyrically, you'll hear the proverbial trains, mountains, valleys and other blues references about heartbreak and loneliness. But there are also some poignant moments about getting away from the stressful, crazy demands of life and losing yourself with your special someone." Watch the video here.
Halestorm's Hale Says Metal And Rock Can No Longer Be Pigeonholed(New Rock Times)
Halestorm's Lzzy Hale says metal and rock bands can't be pigeonholed anymore as the lines between genres and sub genres have become blurred. Hale, and guitarist Joe Hottinger, also discussed the Grammy Awards - an honour Halestorm have on their rock mantelpiece following a 2013 win for 'Best Hard Rock/Metal performance.
In an interview with Russia's Classic Rock, Hale says: "I think it's getting harder and harder to categorize anything anymore, just 'cause everything is… there's so much out there, and it's so broad. If you say 'rock music,' it's so all over the place. And same thing with metal - same thing. Depending on your spectrum of heaviness and your opinion of it, it's getting harder and harder to categorize."
She continues: "We know a lot of the people at The [Recording] Academy [which oversees the Grammy Awards] now, and it must be such a hard job to try to narrow all of that down and choose the best one. So, yeah, there's always things that, like, you personally are, like, 'Ah, I would have voted for that. I would have done that.' But, you know, at the end of the day, it is what it is."
Continuing on the theme of the Grammy Awards, Hottinger reveals: "It was interesting to see who won. I'm glad everyone who wins wins. You never know how it's gonna go. It was neat that Sevendust got their nomination, and we were pulling for them." Read more here.
Asking Alexandria As Excited As Their New Singer(New Rock Times)
Danny Worsnop 'didn't give a sh*t anymore' says his former Asking Alexandria bandmate Ben Bruce as he reflected on the vocalists exit from the British metallers.
It is over a year now since Worsnop announced his departure on his Twitter page after eight years fronting the band. Now Asking Alexandria guitarist Bruce has opened up on the final months with Worsnop admitting they were 'difficult' as he praised new singer Denis Stoff.
In an interview with Australia's The Rock Pit, Bruce recalls: "We hadn't really rehearsed or hung out that much before we even hit the stage together but I think the first show we did together, we headlined a festival in Austria I believe and there was 30 thousand people there," says Bruce.
"Before we went on stage it was like, 'F***, what's going to happen? Are they going to bottle us off the stage because they miss our old vocalist? Is he going to be booed off stage? What the hell is going to happen?' But everyone was just excited, everyone welcomed him with open arms.
"It was good for us as we spent the last few years touring with a vocalist that didn't give a sh*t anymore so we lost all drive and all passion for touring because it was a nightmare being up on stage with someone like that who didn't give a sh*t and when Denis came along, here's this young kid who is stoked to be up there and he's smiling." Read more here.
Dream Theater Take Fans Behind-The-Scenes Of The Astonishing Tour(Prog) Dream Theater have released a behind-the-scenes video showing how their production partners brought latest album The Astonishing to life for the supporting tour.
The band worked with Lucion Media to create the multi-screen visuals and animations that play a leading role in their stage show, which just completed a European run.
The Astonishing, released in January, has been described by Dream Theater as "a sonic story that is our most ambitious creative work to date." They launch a North American tour next month. Watch the video here.
Doro Pesch Releases 'Love's Gone To Hell' Video(Classic Rock)
Doro Pesch has released a video for her track Love's Gone To Hell. It features on her upcoming maxi-single of the same name which will include three versions of the song along with live cuts. It's out on April 1 and is available for pre-order via Nuclear Blast.
Speaking of the shoot, Pesch tells Femme Metal Webzine: "Me being from the 80s, I like big productions. We've always had really high class, top-notch videos back in the 80s and I wanted to do something like that for that song.
"For a normal rock song maybe it's cool to be in a rehearsal room or on stage just shooting a little video but I feel that this is a big song and it deserves the best."
Pesch will release the DVD Strong And Proud: 30 Years Of Rock And Metal in June which will celebrate the former Warlock singer's career. Read more and watch the video here.
Testament Add Thrash'N'Bowl Event To Upcoming Tour Dates(Classic Rock)
Testament have announced two extra appearances in the UK for later this year. Chuck Billy and co were already down to play in Leamington on June 21 and Southampton the following evening - but they've added a show at Oxford's O2 Academy on June 19 and a Thrash'N'Bowl event at London's Brooklyn Bowl on June 23.
Tickets for the London bash are on sale via the official Brooklyn Bowl website, which states that along with entry to the show on the night, fans will get an hour's worth of bowling with the band.
The group are currently working on what will be their 11th album, which frontman Billy recently hinted would be called The Brotherhood Of The Snake. Read more here.
Sepultura Preview 'Under My Skin' Mini-Series Documentary(TeamRock Radio)
A trailer has been released for a six-part mini-series documenting the 30th anniversary tour by Brazilian metal heroes Sepultura. Shot over four days during the 2015 run, the film captures the band on the road reflecting on their storied history.
Frontman Derrick Green says: "The hardest thing is definitely being away from my son - it's always top of the list. It's such a tough sacrifice doing what we do on the road and being away from family and everything, but it's for the betterment of our family."
Under My Skin takes its title from a 2015 EP of the same name, which included the title track and a live version of Kairos, and a cover featuring artwork of fan tattoos. Read more and watch the trailer here.
Grand Magus Stream New Song 'Varangian'(TeamRock Radio)
Grand Magus have released a lyric video for their track Varangian. The song is taken from the Swedish metal outfit's upcoming eighth album Sword Songs, released on May 13 via Nuclear Blast.
Singer Janne 'JB' Christofferson had the following to say: "Metalheads. Grand Magus are back. We are proud to unleash this iron-clad anthem, we give you...Varangian."
The song is available as a digital single. Sword Songs is available for pre-order on vinyl now. Grand Magus have a number of tour dates lined up for 2016. See the dates and stream the new song here.
Singled Out: Lee Aaron's Tom Boy
Multi-platinum Canadian rocker Lee Aaron just released her brand new album "Fire and Gasoline" and to celebrate we asked to tell us the story behind the song "Tom Boy". Here is the story:
"Tom Boy" was inspired by my ten year old daughter, Angella, who'd asked if I would write a song for her whilst working on material for Fire and Gasoline. In a distracted moment I said yes, I would, and immediately regretted making this promise, because I realized I'd trapped myself. What on earth would I possibly write that wouldn't be sappy as heck?
I've always felt that the best songs write themselves. There is something inherently magical when a song idea arrives in your psyche almost fully formed and gets stuck there. When this happens, I almost feel like I should give writing credit to someone else, some spiritual force, some Bob Dylan in the cosmos. Well, "Tom Boy" was one of those experiences for me.
A few nights later, while getting ready for bed, the chorus and first verse literally landed in my head like a lightning bolt (thank you Lord!). I ran for my phone (I must say that iPhone memo feature has become my best friend) to record the melody and words. Over the next week, while vacationing, I fine tuned the lyrics and wrote the bridge section on my acoustic guitar by the lake. By the end of the week everyone was singing it, ha, ha... so I knew I was on to something.
"Tom Boy" was initially inspired by the free-spirited energy and spitfire attitude that young girls have before they hit their teen years and start becoming self conscious. There's purity there, idealism about the world and a real love and acceptance of themselves that I adore. They're in touch with their truest selves and aren't yet weighed down with the trappings of a photo shopped 'beauty culture' that our media foists upon young women. My daughter, of course, is a tom boy and completely comfortable in her own skin. I was a tom boy growing up too (still am actually) so there were a lot of connections for me too. I asked Angella to contribute her own ideas to the song, hence the lines: "don't girlie, girl me," "I'd rather shoot and arrow than have a tea party," and "I'm not into fuchsia..."
The rhythm and changes in the song lent itself really well to fun, precocious word play, so I had a blast writing the lyrics. The geek in me had always wanted to fit 'quantum physics' into a song somewhere and finally I had a chance to do it.
The video features Angella on guitar and her school friends as the backing band. I loved the idea of doing a modern emulation of Elvis' Jailhouse Rock video with school girls. The girls totally rose to the challenge and gave amazing performances brimming with pre-teen, sassy attitude.
Songs often evolve, and it became apparent after a while that "Tom Boy" had taken on a life of its own. The song had a much more universal theme - one of individual empowerment for anyone feeling pressured to conform to a persona that wasn't authentic for whatever reason: societal, religious or parental pressure. "Tom Boy" is meant to be a positive message to young girls but even more so, it's a shout out to all of us who want to be loved and accepted for who we really are. I hope that's the message that really resonates.
