Today's Day In Pop

X Factor No Match For Idol- Michael Jackson Death Case Jury Selected- Bruno Mars Twilight- Kelly Clarkson's New Album Coming Next Month- Kiefer's Next Role- more


(BBC) The first episode of X Factor USA draws in 12.1 million viewers but is beaten in the ratings by Modern Family which drew 14.3 million viewers. In contrast, Last year's American Idol season finale was watched by 24 million viewers. And there is a bit of controversy already from the kick off. Read about it here.
(BBC) A 12-member jury has been chosen for the trial of Michael Jackson's personal doctor - more than two years after the pop star's death. more

(FMQB) Bruno Mars has nabbed the lead single for the upcoming Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 1 soundtrack. The track, "It Will Rain," will be released tomorrow. here

Check the behind the scenes for T-Pain's latest visual off the forthcoming "rEVOLVEr" album for the new single "5 O'clock" featuring Wiz Khalifa & Lily Allen. The video for the T-Pain produced track gets brought to life by director Erik White. Watch it here

(FMQB) Kelly Clarkson's fifth studio effort, Stronger, is due on October 24, and the singer says the album is a blend of "very soulful, rhythmic pop rock." However, there also will be songs to get people dancing. more

In related news, ASB had this: Kelly Clarkson's music video for her brand new single "Mr. Know It All" has just arrived in its entirety for fans' viewing pleasure. In the clip, the singer who won the inaugural season of "American Idol" takes no more "craps" from people who thought they knew all about her better than anyone else. more

Lady Gaga released the third fashion video for her single "Yoü and I" yesterday. The clip entitled "HAUS OF Ü ft. YÜYI" was directed by Inez+Vinoodh and can be seen here

(FMQB) Now that Tha Carter IV is finally in stores, Lil Wayne is turning his attention to I Can't Feel My Face, his collaboration album with Juelz Santana that has been in the works since 2006. more

(NME) Kiefer Sutherland has announced his first TV role since hit show 24 came to an end. The long-running counter-terrorism drama came to an end in 2010 after eight action-packed series. Sutherland, who starred as the show's near-invincible hero Jack Bauer, confirmed he's accepted a job on new series Touch. Find out the details here

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R&B Singer Vesta Williams Found Dead
(TMZ) R&B singer Vesta Williams -- best known for her 1989 hit "Congratulations" -- was found dead in an L.A. hotel room last week ... TMZ has confirmed.

Loads of Vesta's celebrity friends have posted messages on Twitter about the news -- including actress Jackeé Harry who wrote, "...just received truly devastating news: R&B great, and my friend of many yrs, Vesta Williams (@vesta4u), has passed away. #RIPVesta"

48-year-old Williams had a string of R&B hits in the 80s and 90s including "Once Bitten, Twice Shy" and "You Make Me Want To (Love Again)."

UPDATE: Law enforcement sources tell us ... Vesta was discovered in a hotel in El Segundo. We're told officials do not believe foul play is suspected. more on this story

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$20 Million Dollar Kim Kardashian's Sex Tape Offer Rejected
(TMZ) The mystery buyer gunning for Kim Kardashian's sex tape came up short where it matters most ... in the wallet ... because Vivid Entertainment has officially REJECTED his $20 million offer to take the tape off the market.

Vivid honcho Steve Hirsch tells us, "We were offered $20 million for the Kim tape but have decided that we are going to hang on to it ... for now."

He adds, "Although the offer that we ultimately received was substantial, when I realized that it wasn't Kim it became less appealing. Kim is a superstar and if it were to be sold, it should be to her." more on this story

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LeAnn Rimes and Burt Reynolds Reel Love Coming Soon
The CMT Original Movie, Reel Love, starring LeAnn Rimes and Burt Reynolds is set to premiere on Sunday, November 13 at 7:00 p.m. ET/PT on CMT.

Movie Synopsis: When Holly (LeAnn Rimes) finds out her father Wade (Burt Reynolds) has suffered a heart attack, she drops everything and rushes back to her small Southern lake town to help him. Cantankerous Wade doesn't want to rest, or take his meds, or eat healthy – all he wants to do is fish. And all Holly wants to do is return home, but what she doesn't count on is developing an attraction for Jay (Shawn Roberts) -- the new guy in town.

And once she gets back into small town living and reconnects with her old friends and the joys of walking around barefoot, she also doesn't count on seeing her stuffy lawyer boyfriend in a different light…one that makes her realize that perhaps she really doesn't want all the trappings of a big city life but instead wants the simple joys of a smaller one.

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The X Factor Dong Dancer Wasn't Naked
(TMZ) The contestant who dropped trou on "The X Factor" last week tells TMZ, he wasn't naked ... he was wearing a g-string.

The singer -- Geo Godley -- tells us, his outfit was nothing worse than what you see at the beach -- insisting his performance was inspired by his Greek Island culture ... "We always dance in g-strings." Godley adds, "G-Strings are legal. The PTC have no complaint to make."

But Godley admits, he still got a little carried away -- adding, "I apologize to anyone that was exposed to my behind ... I had no intention of showing it and it was an accident when I fell. I was caught up in the moment." more on this story

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New Life For Monica
RCA have set a November 29th release date for Monica's seventh studio album, New Life.

The album's first single "Until It's Gone," was written by Jazmine Sullivan and produced by Missy Elliott and Lamb and is set to impact Urban Mainstream and Adult radio on October 3rd and 4th.

Monica kicked things off with the single and video, "Anything (To Find You)" featuring Rick Ross, which pays homage to the 90's and her musical idol and friend Mary J. Blige. more on this story

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Swedish House Mafia Announce Special Shows
EMI sent over word that Swedish House Mafia have announced two 'One Night Stand' shows on both sides of the Atlantic.

They will headline New York City's famed Madison Square Garden on Friday, Dec. 16th, 2011 and the UK's legendary 65,000 capacity Milton Keynes National Bowl on July 14th, 2012.

These two milestone shows will see Swedish House Mafia - Axwell, Steve Angello and Sebastian Ingrosso - make history by becoming the first dance act to have headlined both venues. more on this story

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Beats Antique To Deliver Elektrafone Next Month
(SC) Beats Antique are set to release their fourth full-length album Elektrafone on October 4 on the band's own Antique Records.

The new album follows their 2010 album, Blind Threshold, which debuted at #2 on iTunes electronic charts and was praised by MXDWN as "meticulously crafted with an array of sounds and a variance of melody."

Earlier this year, Beats Antique premiered their latest video for the song "Revival," off their latest album Blind Threshold, on the YouTube Music Homepage. Created by director and animator Ivan Landau, who called the experience, "a collaborative dream" and illustrator Leighton Kelly, the short film travels through surreal landscapes meeting mythical creatures that depart on a far-reaching journey to revive dance from the dead. Landau comments, "This video started as a little dream. It's been amazing watching it materialize from subconscious to screen." more on this story

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Justin Bieber Goes on Titanic Date With Selena Gomez
(TMZ) Justin Bieber corralled the entire Staples Center in L.A. for a screening of the movie, "Titanic," for just him and his girlfriend Selena Gomez.

Sources connected to the Biebs tell us .. Justin hatched the idea after seeing the movie "Mr. Deeds" -- where Adam Sandler surprises Winona Ryder with a date at Madison Square Garden.

Here's how it went down tonight ... Justin took Selena to the Demi Lovato concert at neighboring Nokia Theater. He then said, "Come with me" -- and took her underground to Staples Center to watch the biggest shipwreck of all time.

And if you don't hate him enough already -- Justin didn't have to pay a penny for Staples. We're told since he sold out the venue 3 times, and it was empty tonight ... they gave him the entire arena for free. more on this story

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Hospitalized Biggest Loser Contestant Now Stable
(TMZ) "Biggest Loser" competitor Sam Poueu -- who was listed in critical condition after falling several stories from a fire escape this month -- is making some serious progress in his recovery and has been upgraded to stable, TMZ has learned.

We're told doctors are still wary because Sam's status could change at any moment -- but overall, everyone's excited by his progress.

As we previously reported, Sam was celebrating a friend's birthday when he accidentally locked himself on the roof -- and fell several stories while trying to climb down a fire escape.

Sam suffered a pelvic injury, torn ligaments, a punctured lung, and a broken leg during the accident. more on this story

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Mariel Hemingway Trying To Restrain Sexual Actions From Ex Manager
(TMZ) Mariel Hemingway's lawyer made a beeline for court this week, asking a judge to restrain her former business manager from using vulgar and offensive language, and making inappropriate sexual comments.

Hemingway claims Mike Wittlin also sent her sexually-charged texts and was "often time overly aggressive and hostile in his manner.

Hemingway says she's deeply afraid for her safety and is afraid Wittlin will show up and hurt her.

Judge Carol Boas Goodson rejected the petition for the restraining order, on grounds the level of threats and harassment was not sufficient, and that Hemingway could handle everything by simply filing a civil lawsuit. more on this story

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Corey Feldman Child Support Trouble
(TMZ) Corey Feldman's Playboy model ex-wife claims her famous baby daddy left her high and dry with their 7-year-old son -- and now she's enlisted county officials to force him to pay child support.

Susannah Feldman's local child support agency filed legal docs on her behalf in L.A. County Superior Court -- asking a judge to order Corey to cough up $307 a month to help take care of the kid.

The figure is based on Corey's monthly income -- which, according to the docs, is only $1,387.

Susannah -- who divorced him in 2009 -- also wants Corey to provide health insurance for the child, and pay half of his medical expenses. more on this story

Today's Day in Rock

Coal Chamber Reunion Announced
DevilDriver frontman Dez Fafara announced plans to reform Coal Chamber specifically for Soundwave shows in Australia.
Dez says, "Coal Chamber is playing Soundwave Down Under! These reunion shows are for the fans that want to see us again as well as all the people that never got to see Coal Chamber.

"It is and always will be a very special part of my life, so these few shows are for those people and for us. If you're not from Australia, better get a ticket now to come see this event!" more on this story

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Zakk Wylde Restrains Obsessed Fan
(TMZ) Former Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Zakk Wylde obtained a long-term restraining order against an obsessed fan -- who allegedly left a creepy sacrificial offering outside Zakk's home.

Zakk was in court Friday in L.A. -- where he testified his 20-year-old neighbor John Radich knocked on his door one day, shirtless, wanting to talk.

Zakk says he sent the guy home -- but the next morning, he noticed Radich had left behind a "sacrifice" containing several bizarre objects, including a guitar covered in Sharpie marker and a boxcutter.

Zakk cited another instance -- claiming Radich also broke into his home studio recently, proclaiming, "I must assert my dominance!" more on this story

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E Street Band Ponder Their Future
(Gibson) Steve Van Zandt, guitarist with Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, has been talking about the recent death of bandmate Clarence Clemons and upcoming plans for the E-Street Band.

Van Zandt told Pollstar that the members would meet in a few weeks to discuss their future and that the band could never be the same with Clemons. However he did say that the band would probably continue since "that's what we do."

Sax legend Clarence Clemons died at the age of 69 after suffering a stroke at his home in Florida in June. more on this story



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Joey Belladonna Was Anthrax's Second Choice?
(hennemusic) In a recent interview, Joey Belladonna was surprisingly frank, and realistic, about his current place in Anthrax and the revolving door of vocalists.

"I wasn't their first choice to come back into this thing," said Joey. "Put it this way: If John said he wanted to do it, they probably would have taken him. If they would have done the Big 4 with him and it would be successful? Who knows? Would they finish the record? Who knows? If they didn't have a fight with a guy they first had to finish the record (Nelson) and would have put it out, they would have done that. To me, you got what you got."

Acknowledging the often complicated relationship with the rest of the band, Joey said, "We are a unique package of musicians and there's no band out there that has a lineup that, if you're trying to recreate it, you're not going to have much luck. For Anthrax, it's hard for us to pull it off. This thing is a little more intricate." more on this story

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Chickenfoot Road Test Tour
(hennemusic) Chickenfoot has announced The 2011 Road Test Tour - the first live performance dates in support of the band's forthcoming "Chickenfoot III," due September 27.

Chickenfoot will play five US concerts in support of the new project, kicking off November 1 in San Francisco, and taking them through Los Angeles, St. Louis, Chicago and New York – all during the first week of November. Venues and ticket on-sale information will be announced October 3rd.

The shows will give 'Foot fans the first live look at drummer Kenny Aronoff with the band, as he fills in for Chad Smith, currently doing his day job with The Red Hot Chili Peppers. more on this story

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Chevelle Releasing New Album Soon
(Banana 101.5) Chevelle has announced that their next record will be in stores late this year, while their new single 'Face to the Floor' will impact radio in October.

Chevelle broke the news via Facebook: "Hey everybody. 'Face to the Floor' will officially be our first single, and it will be released Oct. 10th to radio. We are also releasing the record on Dec. 6th. and we are looking forward to finally playing some new music on tour. We are working on a video concept right now and we will hopefully have it finished in a few weeks. See you all soon, back on tour starting Sunday."

The tour they are referring to is their opening slot for Bush on the fall tour which also features Filter. Get a taste from the new album and read more here

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Axl Rose Settles Battered Bentley Case
(TMZ) Axl Rose will fork over $53,000 to cover some serious Bentley damage -- but even though it seems like a lot ... the "Guns 'N Roses" singer actually got a nice discount.

Axl was sued by Bentley Financial Services last year -- which claimed Rose leased a $192K Bentley Flying Spur back in 2005, and proceeded to beat the crap out of it ... eventually returning it with damages and fees totaling $73,000.

But last week, Axl finally settled the case -- agreeing to cough up $53,000 to call it even. Which is a great deal -- because if you do your math, that's a 27% discount. more on this story

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Michael Schenker, Uli Jon Roth and Leslie West Tour Postponed
The 3 Guitar Heroes Tour featuring Michael Schenker, Uli Jon Roth and Leslie West has apparently been partially postponed.

The tour's official site had this update on Friday: "It is with regret that we have to announce that some shows on the 3 Guitar Heroes tour have been postponed."

The tour section on the site is now completely blank and simply reads "Itinerary to be updated soon". more on this story

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McCartney Flop?- Late KISS Drummer Eric Carr's Unfinished Business To Be Released- Lagwagon Revisited- The Flaming Lips Streaming 6 Hour Song- LA Guns Singer Quits- more
(Reuters) Paul McCartney's ballet debut writing an orchestral score and tale of love about an ocean dwelling princess received poor, early reviews on Friday that called his music agreeable but the story and staging bland. more

(The 1st Five) On November 22, 2011 Fat Wreck Chords will reissue Lagwagon's first five albums in remastered and expanded editions, including 2xLPs for the first time. The sets will also include almost every b-side and outtake the band was able to find in their archives more

(MU) Vocalist Brian Fair of Shadows Fall has issued the following brief update via Twitter about the band gearing up to enter the recording studio next month: 'Lots going on in Oct. @ShadowsFallBand will be in studio." more

(Classic Rock) The Flaming Lips are currently streaming a new song online – and it's six hours long. No, this isn't a wind up. It's called I Found A Star On The Ground more

(SRX) 'Unfinished Business', a 20th anniversary commemorative CD to KISS drummer Eric Carr, featuring unreleased music, live songs and more, will be released on November 8th. more

(Classic Rock) The Smashing Pumpkins have issued details on upcoming album Oceania. Although there's no release date as yet, the full track listing is here

(A.I.R.) Underoath have announced the release of a special, triple-CD set, Play Your Old Stuff, featuring all the songs from three of their most popular albums more

(BW&BK) Unearth are about to embark on a short headlining tour of Japan with openers Every Time I Die and Acacia Strain. more

(Lambgoat) Wolves in the Throne Room will tour Europe with support from Wolveserpent. more

(MU) Malevolent Creation bassist Jason Blachowicz (a/k/a Jay Black) has created a new old-school death metal project called Murder Suicide. more

(SRX) L.A. Guns' live album 'Acoustic Gypsy' is slated for release on September 27th, but already vocalist Jizzy Pearl has announced he will be leaving Tracii Guns' version of the band after two years. more

(PNO) With their 10th Anniversary tour set to kick off in October, Minus The Bear has announced plans for some reissues as they celebrate their diamond anniversary. The band's label, Suicide Squeeze Records will be repressing the currently out-of-print Highly Refined Pirates and This Is What I Know About Being Gigantic on vinyl and producing a limited number of cassettes. more

(BW&BK) Opeth's new album, Heritage, has landed at the #22 position on the Official UK Top 40 albums and #1 on the UK Top 40 Rock Albums. more

(NME) Kasabian's fourth album 'Velociraptor!' has gone straight in at No 1 on the Official UK Albums Chart. more

(Lambgoat) Following several weeks of pre-production, Job For A Cowboy has entered the studio to commence tracking their next full-length. more

(BW&BK) Thin Lizzy have announced three off-date headline shows due to take place during their North American support tour with Judas Priest through October and November. more

Ulrich Wild (Static-X, Zombie ,etc) is set to produce/mix/engineer the new NYC CD. "I think Ulrich is the Perfect Producer to Capture all the Intensity and Insanity of NYC and bring the Absolute Best Focus to the Guaranteed Sonic Madness of this New Disc" states NYC's Tommy Bolan. Watch him shred here to get an idea of what's to come.


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Chris Cornell Plans Live Album From Acoustic Tour
(Banana 101.5) Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell will hit the road to continue where he left of with last spring's solo acoustic tour.

According to Blabbermouth , Cornell said in a recent interview that he plans to release a live album in November featuring 15 tracks from his solo outings.

Cornell frontman most recently contributed the acoustic based track 'The Keeper' to the 'Machine Gun Preacher' soundtrack. Check out a live performance here

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W.A.S.P. Plan 30th Anniversary Tour
(Kayos) Twenty Nine years ago this month, on September 21st 1982, W.A.S.P. played their first show at the Troubadour in Los Angeles.

On September 21st 2012 W.A.S.P. will begin the "30 Years of Thunder" anniversary Tour starting in the United Kingdom and continue Worldwide!! This World Tour will be the biggest spectacle W.A.S.P. have ever created. The two hour show will consist of three parts. A one-hour set contains songs from the first four albums.

The second set will be a 25 minute shortened version of "The Crimson Idol" complete with the movie accompaniment. A third set will consist of material from the New Studio Album, older material and everything in between. more on this story

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Anthrax and Testament Expand Fall Tour
Anthrax have announced three additional dates for their upcoming North American fall tour.

Anthrax will co-headline the 27-date trek with Testament with Death Angel openings all shows including the newly announced stops in Sayreville, NJ, Huntington, NY and Cleveland, OH.

Anthrax's new album, Worship Music, debuts at no 12 on Billboard's Top 200 Albums chart this week, making it the band's highest chart debut in 20 years. more on this story

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R.E.M. To Look Back
(Gibson) Recently R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe, Peter Buck and Mike Mills announced that after 30-plus years of making music, they were going their separate ways.

That sad news was tempered by word that the band will release a career-spanning retrospective set on November 15.

As reported by Rolling Stone the set, titled Part Lies, Part Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage: 1982-2011, will include several tracks recorded after the completion of R.E.M.'s final studio album, Collapse Into Now. Details are sketchy, but it is presumed that the release will be a multi-volume set, given the size of the band's catalog. more on this story



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The Day Iron Maiden Found Their Voice
(Gibson) On this day in 1981, Bruce Dickinson joined Iron Maiden, (Dickinson had been the vocalist with Samson). Gibson takes a look back: Steve Harris had almost sorted it out. Six years after he formed Iron Maiden, whose name was inspired by a film adaptation of The Man in the Iron Mask, Harris was still looking for that final piece to the puzzle. Having gone through three singers, twelve guitarists (of which, two remained), four drummers (of which, one remained) and a keyboard player, the bassist-songwriter-bandleader had almost dialed up the perfect combination. But he still needed a frontman.

When Iron Maiden signed to a major label in December 1979, it seemed like they were just about there. The line-up of Harris, guitarist Dave Murray, second guitarist Dennis Stratton, drummer Clive Burr and singer Paul Di'Anno was a pretty fearsome group. Stratton and Murray provided a complementing, give-and-take twin-guitar attack. Burr was a more-than-solid drummer. Harris was quickly developing into the best bassist in heavy metal. And Di'Anno…well, Di'Anno was something else.

Paul Di'Anno was not your prototypical singer. His voice was raspy and harsh, though he could fire off a top-shelf scream when necessary. But Rob Halford he was not. Di'Anno, though, brought a toughness to a band that was built for menace. In songs like "Phantom of the Opera" and "Murders in the Rue Morgue," you get the feeling you're hearing the story from the killer himself. The rest of the tale here



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Napalm Death Re-ink With Century Media for New Album Release
Napalm Death finished recording their upcoming 14th studio album earlier this year at Parlour Studio in Kettering, UK with long-time producer Russ Russell and have just announced that they have re-inked a world wide deal with Century Media Records.

Napalm Death vocalist Mark 'Barney' Greenway says of the deal, "We're very happy to be re-signing to Century Media. In fact, I think it's the first time we've actually re-signed on a longer term deal with anybody since the days when we didn't strictly know that we could be digging ourselves a big hole with labels...It's important for NAPALM to stay with an independent, and Century proved to us with their overall enthusiasm and attention that this is where we needed to be. There's a perfect balance of getting the band out there in people's faces whilst still understanding the point that not everything is acceptable or 'ethical' promotion. It's more like working with friends who actually care, and who could argue with that?"

Jens Prüter (Head of A&R, Century Media Records) comments, "NAPALM DEATH is not only one of the most important and influential extreme metal bands, they are also a band that always raises their voice against social ills-- and even against record companies (remember 'Enemy Of Music Business'). Therefore I'm even more glad about NAPALM DEATH re-signing to Century Media for more great albums of intelligent and meaningful noise. And have you ever seen a weak NAPALM DEATH show? I haven't, and I have seen them MANY times and will never get tired to see them again and again. Thanks to Mitch, Danny, Shane and Barney for their resilience and resistance-- and a special thanks to Marc from MAD for fighting on their side." more on this story

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Lowbuz's Mike Koenig Loses Cancer Battle
A reader sent us the sad news that Lowbuz guitarist Mike Koenig has died following a long bout with brain cancer.

Information about his passing was sparse at press time, but a Facebook posting credited to the New Jersey metal band had this to say about their late bandmate:

"R.I.P. Mike Koenig. For those of you that knew him, you were blessed. Those that didn't, it's a shame you never will. There wasn't a nicer, more generous person I've ever encountered. We'll miss you Mike."

Facebook link

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Beth Hart and Joe Bonamassa Giving Away New Song
(Gibson) Marking the release of their Don't Explain album, singer-songwriter Beth Hart and the guitarist Joe Bonamassa are making their version of Delaney & Bonnie's classic "Well, Well" available as a free MP3 download single.

All you have to do is sign up to http://jbxp.net and input your email address to receive the free download.

Produced by Kevin Shirley (John Hiatt, The Black Crowes, Joe Bonamassa, Black Country Communion), Don't Explain sees Hart's raw vocals and Bonamassa's blues guitar combining on a set of classic soul tracks from the likes of Gil Scott-Heron, Tom Waits, Etta James, Billie Holiday and Aretha Franklin. more on this story



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Boots Electric Announces U.S. Dates
(GEE) Eagles of Death Metal frontman Jesse "The Devil" Hughes is taking his solo band Boots Electric on the road for some US dates including a stop at the Voodoo Music Festival in New Orleans, LA.

After creating three albums of dirty and danceable garage rock anthems, Honkey Kong is his first solo outing, out now on Dangerbird Records. Honkey Kong was produced by Tony Hoffer (Beck, Depeche Mode) and co-written with legendary keyboardist Money Mark, best known for his many collaborations with the Beastie Boys.

The album is not short on guest appearances; Brody Dalle of The Distillers, Killswitch Engage singer Howard Jones, Josh Homme, Troy Van Leeuwen and Juliette Lewis add fire to Boots' flair. more on this story

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Sol Invictus The Killing Tide 20th Anniversary
(PP) Sol Invictus will celebrate the twentieth anniversary of their album "The Killing Tide" with a limited edition extended version on October 7th, 2011.

This new edition will be enhanced by seven bonus tracks: in addition to an old DAT recording of "The World Turns" and a version of "Somewhere In Europe" that was originally released on the Shock 7", you will also find five live recordings from Sol Invictus' concert at Frankfurt's Sound Depot back in 1991.

The second Sol Invictus re-release this October is "The Blade" which was originally released back in 1997 and has been deleted for a long time. This work is considered as one of Sol Invictus' greatest albums by many fans, and apart from the original album, this new edition comes with four bonus tracks: "Time To Meet The King", which was first released on "In Europa" but originated in times of "The Blade"; an early mix of "Nothing Here & Remember And Forget"; an originally discarded version of "Only I Know"; plus an unreleased version of "In God We Trust." more on this story

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Arsis Announce Touring Lineup
Arsis have announced who will be filling guitarist/vocalist Jim Malone's shoes on the "Frets of Fury Tour" this October. The band had this:

"Mike Parks will be performing vocals for the tour in October," commented the band. "He's the obvious choice as he has helped us out in the past when Malone lost his voice, and was actually the singer of the band that became Arsis. He is a long-time friend and an extremely strong singer, and we're happy to have him with us.

"We'd also like to introduce Brandon Ellis. This is something incredibly special. He is a young guy who plays with the kind of maturity that has become rare in the modern metal and shred scene. His presence will take the guitar chops in Arsis to a new high. Talk is cheap, so see for yourself. more on this story

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Animals As Leaders Preview New Album
Animals As Leaders are giving fans a preview of their forthcoming album, "Weightless," which is set for release on November 8th in North America.

The band's label is currently streaming the album's lead track "Isolated Incidents" online.

The band have been performing the track live in recent months during their tours with Deftones and Between The Buried and Me, as well as their summer North American headlining tour, now you can hear the studio version here.

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Atomic Tom Hit The Road With Switchfoot and Anberlin
Atomic Tom kicked off a tour with Switchfoot and Anberlin last night in their hometown of New York City.

Atomic Tom are touring in support of their new digital EP In Parallel and the 16-city trek across the U.S. will have them visiting markets such as Philadelphia, PA, San Francisco and Los Angeles, CA and Austin, TX.

Lead vocalist Luke White states, "We're beyond excited to be sharing the stage with Switchfoot and Anberlin, two incredible bands with equally incredible, passionate fans. We're looking forward to sharing our music with them, as well as reuniting with Atomic Tom fans across the country." more on this story

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The House Of Capricorn Streaming New Song Online
(ESP) The House Of Capricorn are giving fans a taste of their forthcoming album by streaming "Illumination In Omega" on their official Facebook page.

"Illumination In Omega" is the eighth track off their soon-to-be released sophomore full-length, In The Devil's Days, which is set to hit stores on October 13, 2011.

Commented vocalist Marko Pavlovic of the track: '''Illumination In Omega' is the near-catalyst of the trek into the abyss... an arms-open hymn, a prayer for illumination, and a plea for enlightenment at the foot of the Devil's throne." Check it out here


George Lynch Guests on Andrea Balestra's New Album
Instrumental guitarist Andrea Balestra has set an October 4th release date for his new album, Fine Arts Avenue.

The album is billed as a showcase of his ambitious mix of progressive rock and experimental/improvisational guitar tones.

The new CD includes special guest appearances by rock guitar hero George Lynch and blues all-star organist "Deacon" Jones. Andrea will celebrate the release of his new CD with a series of live shows at several venues in the Los Angeles area, to be announced shortly. more on this story

GUNS N ROSES TO JOIN 2012 TOUR CIRCUIT:

Van Halen on tour in 2012 was going to keep train-wreck watchers busy, now there's also Guns N Roses to watch too. It promises to be an interesting year ahead. GNR tour info via Rolling Stone: www.rollingstone.com/music/news/guns-n-roses-announce-more-cities-for-u-s-tour-20110921.

Today's Day In Pop

Simon Cowell Mocks American Idol Scotty McCreery
(Taste of Country) 'X Factor' creator and judge Simon Cowell has made it clear he wants to top 'American Idol,' and it looks like he's willing to play dirty to get there.
When asked if he could do an American accent outside of late night host Jimmy Kimmel's studios, the former 'Idol' judge turned on his faux-southern charm and offered, "Y'all gonna love this," before coming back with: "I love you this big."

TMZ caught the incident on video, and it's clear by his cocky smirk and the broader context of the unspoken competition of the two singing reality shows that Cowell was not trying to flatter Scotty McCreery. Find the offending comment in the video here

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Rihanna Fans Unlock Her New Song
Last night Rihanna premiered her brand new single "We Found Love" feat. Calvin Harris on radio and her Facebook page.

The global launch of "We Found Love" kicks off the new "Rihanna: Unlocked" campaign, leading up to the release of her upcoming sixth Def Jam studio album on November 21st (title to be announced in the weeks ahead).

"We Found Love," sets the stage for Rihanna's forthcoming new album, the follow-up to Loud. Now that the new song is unlocked, check it out here

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Beyonce Wants A Boyband
(PopCrush) Beyonce is starting her own label and hopes to create a boy band, too. Beyonce as music industry boy band Svengali? Yes, it's true.

In an interview with the Associated Press (via That Grape Juice) Beyonce opened up about her career goals, especially since she started to manage herself after splitting with her "dadager" Mathew earlier this year.

"I am still working on balance and still growing," she admitted. "I am starting my company, my label. I want to create a boy band. I want to continue to produce and do documentaries and music videos." She has more to say here

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Pepsi Recycles Michael Jackson, Britney, and Mariah Carey
(PopCrush) We all know how important it is to recycle, and that's exactly what Pepsi has done with their latest commercial, which shows footage from their old television spot starring Britney Spears and other pop stars as a new song — 'Tonight is the Night' by Outasight — plays on top of them all.

Clips from earlier commercials featuring Michael Jackson, Ray Charles, and Mariah Carey are also shown, but it's Spears at her limber, not-so-innocent best who commands the most attention via this revisiting of her red, white and blue group dance routine.

As for Outasight, well, shocker: That's not his real name. It's Richard Andrews, and he's a rapper and singer from Yonkers who's been making a good name for himself through a series of mixtapes and the 2010 'Further' EP. See the video here

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John Legend Sitcom
(PopCrush) John Legend is expanding his artistic palette and adding a few new credits to his already impressive resume.

The singer is working on developing a new comedy for NBC called 'Mixed Blessings.'

Many musicians – LL Cool J and Reba, to name a few — have gone on to enjoy incredible success on the small screen so there is no reason that John Legend can't replicate that model, whether or not he is behind the camera or in front of it! Find out when it might hit the small screen

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Kenny Rogers Announces 2011 Christmas & Hits Tour
(SKH) Kenny Rogers will celebrate the 30th Anniversary of his Christmas & Hits Tour in 2011 with a festive show featuring live performances of holiday classics and his biggest hits.

Rogers will perform at venues across America, joined by special guest Billy Dean, beginning on November 25th in Columbus, Ohio and wrapping December 23rd in Westbury, New York.

"Thirty years is a long time to do anything, but a Christmas show seems to get easier every year, especially when I get a chance to work with friends like Billy Dean," says Rogers. "He always brings a great energy and beautiful music to the event. Have a Merry Christmas, and enjoy the show." more on this story

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Taylor Swift Does All-American Rejects
(PopCrush) Taylor Swift continued her covers tradition in Tulsa, Okla. on Wednesday when she performed a rendition of the All-American Rejects' 'Swing Swing' during her Speak Now tour.

The country star wore her now-famous lilac dress during the acoustic performance, however, only a portion of the audience was singing along.

Despite being the hit debut single from the Stillwater natives, the tune was released nine years ago when T-Swift fans were presumably too young to care. Watch it here

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Hugh Jackman WWE Injury Story Wasn't Real
(TMZ) Some big media outlets got snookered yesterday by reporting that Dolph Ziggler -- the WWE wrestler whom Hugh Jackman "punched" on Monday Night Raw -- sustained a hairline fracture.

Ziggler tweeted he suffered the injury and got an MRI to confirm the fracture.

But sources close to the wrestler and others in the know tell TMZ .... the whole thing was made up by Ziggler. There is no MRI and no fracture, although we are told Hugh really did pack a punch and Ziggler was in pain.

We're told the WWE wasn't in on the scam.

A scam in wrestling? Get out. more on this story

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Tareq Salahi Escorts Manhattan Madam Kristin Davis
(TMZ) Tareq Salahi is mending his broken heart the old fashioned way -- partying with an infamous madam and her porn star pals in NYC ... TMZ has learned.

Michaele Salahi's estranged hubby not only gave a birthday party last for Manhattan Madam, Kristin Davis -- he's going as her date.

Davis famously setup escorts for former NY Governor Elliot Spitzer -- and says she's really looking forward to having Tareq as her escort.

Madam D tells TMZ, she's well aware Tareq's wife/groupie slut recently ran off with Journey's guitarist ... but adds, "I can assure you there's no better place to meet beautiful women than my birthday party!"

Looks like Tareq's marriage is going out with a bang. more on this story

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NBA Star Marcus Camby Surprised At Weed Bust
(TMZ) Marcus Camby swears he had no idea there was weed in his car when police booked him for marijuana possession Monday, sources close to the NBA star tell TMZ.

According to sources, Camby says the pot wasn't his. In fact, they say Camby doesn't smoke pot... at least not since his last arrest for pot possession in 1997.

So where, pray tell, did the pot come from? Our sources say Camby is dumbfounded ... and was shocked when police pulled the stash out from under the passenger seat. One little problem.

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Air Force Investigating 16 and Pregnant Star
(TMZ) Life is about to get very real for reality star Josh Rendon ... he could be kicked out of the Air Force.

TMZ has learned the "16 and Pregnant" star is currently under investigation by the military for his conduct leading up to his arrest earlier this week on charges of endangering the welfare of a child and drug possession.

A rep for Little Rock Air Force Base, where the incident took place, tells TMZ ... Rendon could be court-martialed, or face other administrative action. In other words, he could be discharged.

If he gets kicked out of the military, Rendon and his wife, Ebony Jackson, will lose their home -- because they live on the base.

On Tuesday, police raided Rendon and Ebony's pad, after someone complained about living conditions in the house. Police found the place covered in feces.

The couple's 2-year-old daughter was taken away by the Department of Human Services.

TMZ spoke to Rendon. He had no comment. more on this story

Today's Day in Rock

Roger Waters To Jam Pink Floyd With Foo Fighters
(Loudwire) 'Late Night with Jimmy Fallon' will host a weeklong musical tribute to legendary rockers Pink Floyd that will feature performances by Foo Fighters, Pearl Jam and other acts on Sept. 26-30.
Foo Fighters will be joined by Floyd singer-bassist Roger Waters himself on Tuesday, Sept. 27, for a performance of 'In the Flesh' from the 'The Wall.'

On Friday, Sept. 30, Pearl Jam will bring Floyd Week to a close with 'Mother,' which is also from 'The Wall.' more on this story

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Exodus Almost Joined The Big Four
(RockAAA) Megadeth mainman Dave Mustaine almost had to bail on last week's Big Four gig at Yankee Stadium due to neck problems he attributes to "years of headbanging."

Dave's specific health issue, stenosis, is a neck and spine condition that is actually an abnormal narrowing of the blood vessel or organ. The show went on and Mustaine, risking paralysis if things went wrong, played through the pain to get through the band's set.

Waiting in the wings to jump in if Megadeth's plug had been pulled were San Francisco metallers Exodus. This news was revealed during an interview at the stadium with Slayer guitarist Kerry King, who commented on the close call, and the effort Exodus made to make it happen, if it was going to happen. more on this story

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Disturbed Set New Release
Disturbed make it official: they will release their first ever B-sides collection, entitled The Lost Children, on November 8th on Reprise Records.

The set includes a previously unreleased track, "Mine," and "3," which was released exclusively on the band's website in April with all proceeds donated to the Damien Echols Defense Fund benefiting the West Memphis Three. A single from The Lost Children, "Hell," which appeared as a bonus track on the UK tour edition of the 2005 album Ten Thousand Fists, goes to all Rock Radio formats October 3rd.

Other tracks on this B-side collection include "God of the Mind" and "A Welcome Burden," which appeared on the 2010 reissue of the band's 2000 debut album The Sickness; "Monster," "Two Worlds," and "Sickened," which were included as bonus tracks on the UK tour edition of Ten Thousand Fists; "Run," which was featured on a limited-edition version of 2008's Indestructible; and "Parasite," which appeared on the Japanese edition of Indestructible. more on this story

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Nickelback Streaming Two New Songs
(hennemusic) Nickelback have offered up the first two singles from their forthcoming album, "Here And Now," due November 21.

"Here and Now" is Nickelback's seventh studio record and is the follow up to 2008's "Dark Horse," which has been certified 3-times platinum, racking up over five million digital single sales and more than 52 million video plays over the course of the album's campaign.

To launch the new record, Nickelback will release two singles simultaneously. "When We Stand Together" and "Bottoms Up" will ship to Pop and Rock radio stations respectively on September 26 and will be available for sale digitally the following day. Listen to both here

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Panic! At The Disco, Patrick Stump and Foxy Shazam Tour
Panic! At The Disco will be hitting the road this fall to headline a North American tour that will feature support by Patrick Stump and Foxy Shazam.

The trek gets underway October 9th at Reno, Nevada's Knitting Factory and then continues through mid-November.

Panic! At The Disco's will also be releasing their "iTunes Live" EP, which is available for pre-order exclusively on the iTunes Store. more on this story

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17 Rare Billy Joel Recordings To Be Released
(Ultimate Classic Rock) Billy Joel commemorates 40 years as a solo artist on Nov. 8 with two historic releases. Sony / Legacy will issue a limited edition boxed set entitled 'Billy Joel – The Complete Albums Collection,' as well as a deluxe double-disc version of his 1973 'Piano Man' album.

'Billy Joel – The Complete Albums Collection' is packaged in an elegantly designed box and houses Joel's complete catalog from 1971's 'Cold Spring Harbor through 2001's 'Fantasy & Delusions.'

All the albums have been recently remastered in 24-bit audio and the cardboard jackets replicate the original album covers and sleeves. Also included are two 60-page booklets, printed lyrics to every song and a new Q&A with Joel. The cherry here, is the bonus disc of 17 rare and non-album recordings more on this story

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Alter Bridge Special Edition Coming
(Banana 101.5) Alter Bridge may be taking the upcoming year off, but they've prepared a nice little parting gift for fans with the newly expanded version of their latest album 'AB III'.

Alter Bridge are pumping the breaks in 2012. The hiatus is planned in order to make room for a Creed album and tour, a possible Mark Tremonti solo album, and vocalist Myles Kennedy's work on Slash's upcoming solo record.

The band has just announced the October 25th release date for the special edition of their latest album, 'AB III.5′. The new additions to the disc include three bonus tracks, some of which were included on different versions of the original album. More details here

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Dream Theater To Make Blu-ray Debut Next Month
Eagle Rock will release Dream Theater Live At Budokan, the band's first ever Blu-ray release, on October 18th.

Filmed in high-definition in 2004, Live At Budokan captures the dean of progressive modern rock bands in support of its Train Of Thought album.

The 18-song concert– captured in DTS-HD Master Audio and Dolby Digital 5.1 sound–reprises most of that album, as well as a generous portion of the band's most cherished material, including their 1992 breakthrough single "Pull Me Under." Over four hours long, Live At Budokan will be cause for celebration amongst the band's rabid international fanbase. The release follows the new Dream Theater studio album A Dramatic Turn Of Events, out September 13 (Roadrunner Records). more on this story

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Elton John The Movie
(Gibson) Sir Elton John is working on a movie musical about his life with producer David Furnish and the writer of hit musical Billy Elliott, Lee Hall.

According to U.K. newspaper the Daily Express, the movie will tell Elton's life story and the singer will act as executive producer.

Producer Steve Hamilton Shaw told Deadline.com, "Rocketman will be a radically different kind of biopic. It will be as unique as Elton's life, told in a non-linear and hyper-visual manner that will transport people through the many intense experiences, some wonderful, some not, that helped define Elton as an artist, musician and man." more on this story



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Radiohead Tour Coming
(rock nyc) Thom Yorke has spoken (on BBC radio), people have listened, and the news has spread everywhere since: Radiohead will tour in 2012.

No tour dates yet, but these are Yorke's own words: 'The idea is to go out and play next year on and off during the year', the idea? Just call it a tour Thom!

That will be the band's first tour since the release of their latest album 'The King of Limbs'. more on this story

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Testament and Megadeth Retreat
(AMM) Alex Skolnick of Testament and Chris Broderick of Megadeth have joined forces to create the first annual Skolnick & Broderick's Winter Guitar Retreat.

This unique experience offers a select group of guitarists of all talent levels the opportunity to expand their horizons while spending four days and five nights studying and jamming with Broderick and Skolnick in a relaxed setting at Full Moon Resort in New York's Catskill Mountains from December 26-30, 2011.

While best known for their work with Testament and Megadeth, Skolnick and Broderick are diverse, well rounded musicians with backgrounds and training in rock, jazz, classical and blues. more on this story

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Trip Out On New Mastodon Video
(Banana 101.5) Grab an axe and lace up your boots because Mastodon is about to take you on a drug-fueled logging trip through the forest in the brand new video for 'Curl of the Burl'.

Mastodon recently posted a video to accompany each song on their album 'The Hunter'. Those videos, along with the songs, are streaming ahead of it's September 27th release. Where those play more like audio visual companions to the song (and good ones at that), the new video for 'Curl of the Burl' trades the metaphorical drug-induced hallucinatory imagery for actual drug-induced hallucinatory imagery.

Watch as a dirty old lumberjack shares lines of blow with his hand, grows extra arms, eats some shrooms, kills a cougar with a boulder, and becomes the Brawny paper towel guy. Trip out on it here

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Motley Crue Shoot Down Show Rumor
(Loudwire) Bassist Nikki Sixx and drummer Tommy Lee recently hopped on Twitter to shoot down reports that Motley Crue would be playing their first ever Indonesian show as part of their October tour.

"We looked into the show but had to pass … Sorry," Sixx posted on his Twitter account.

Lee, was even more explicit. "No Indonesia? NOPE!!" Lee Tweeted in reply to several questions from fans. He added, "[S]hady promoter f—ed that one up!!"

They also had an official statement, read that and see where they are playing here

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Mutemath Release Blood Pressure Video
Mutemath premiered their brand new music video for the song "Blood Pressure" across the MTV world yesterday.

Mutemath conceived, coordinated and shot the "Blood Pressure" clip in less than 24 hours. It was edited entirely by drummer Darren King.

"Blood Pressure" is the first single off MUTEMATH's new album Odd Soul, due out October 4th on Teleprompt/Warner Bros. Records. Check out the video here

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Rush Taking Over VH1 Classic For Rush Hashanah
(Sub) VH1 Classic will again ringing in the Jewish New Year with a 24-hour marathon of Rush.

"Rush Hashanah" begins Wednesday, September 28 at 7PM* and features the world premiere of "Rush: Time Machine." Live from Cleveland, "Rush: Time Machine" delivers the first live performance of the entire "Moving Pictures" album and other fan favorites from their many celebrated albums. The Rush extravaganza will include unforgettable concerts, performances and a behind-the-scenes look into the phenomenal 40-year career.

Beginning Wednesday, September 28 at 7 PM* and ending on Thursday, September 29 at 7PM* the Rush takeover on VH1 Classic will give viewers the opportunity to immerse themselves in all things Rush. With a glimpse into the renowned band's life with the award-winning VH1 Rock Doc "Rush: Beyond The Lighted Stage" and Classic Albums "2112" and "Moving Pictures," there is no portion of Rush's legacy that will go unseen. Relive throwback hits with memorable concerts including the world premiere of "Rush: Time Machine" and other hit concerts including "Rush in Rio" and "R30." more on this story

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Nirvana and Red Hot Chili Peppers Score Best Covers of the 90s
(Gibson) With the breakthrough of Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Soundgarden in the 1990s, grunge and alternative rock arrived at the musical mainstream in a way that '80s underground acts such as Dinosaur Jr. had never enjoyed. Along with the new, raw musical approach came album art that clearly contrasted the covers of '80s hair metal gems. Love or hate grunge, it's impossible to refute the influence of these benchmark album covers.

2. Red Hot Chili Peppers, Blood Sugar Sex Magik: The sketched black, white and red cover art for the Red Hot Chili Peppers' Blood Sugar Sex Magik is the work of indie filmmaker Gus Van Sant. The artwork of the LP showcases the four band members' mugs, their tongues stretching to the middle of the frame, centered around a red rose. The eye-catching image became iconic, as the album spawned mass hits for the Peppers, from the plaintive "Under the Bridge" to the rockin' "Give It Away."


1. Nirvana, Nevermind: Nirvana's Nevermind album art is the universal symbol for grunge and a generation of sounds that transformed the face of rock music. The now-iconic baby gracing the cover, swimming in an aqua paradise, was a sharp contrast to the '80s metal albums of the day, which largely glorified band members. With the 20th anniversary of Nevermind on September 24, it's the perfect time to recognize the music – and the album art – behind this grunge-rock masterpiece. more on this story



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Black Sabbath's Tony Iommi Add Tour Date
(hennemusic) Following news of London and Birmingham stops, Tony Iommi fall tour has added another date.

The Black Sabbath guitarist will appear in Sheffield as part of his book-signing tour to promo his upcoming memoir, "Iron Man: My Journey Through Heaven And Hell With Black Sabbath."

The book will be released in Europe on October 13 through Simon & Schuster, and in the United States on November 1 in hardback by Perseus Books/DeCapo Press. more on this story

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Steven Tyler and Oprah
(hennemusic) Oprah hanging out with Steven Tyler? It happened Wednesday in Tyler's part-time home of Sunapee, NH.

The Union Leader reports Oprah visited the New Hampshire town to see the Aerosmith singer, causing enough fuss and attention that Sunapee police escorted Winfrey at times, according to Officer Tim Therrien. "They went to Steve Tyler's childhood home. They walked around there for a while, and then went to his home," Therrien said. Tyler lives on Lake Avenue in a home that overlooks Lake Sunapee.

Therrien said he believes that Winfrey had a camera crew with her. She was interested in Tyler because of a recent book he wrote, mentioned the officer. more on this story

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Paul McCartney Explains Ocean's Kingdom
(42W) Paul McCartney is giving fans a unique look into his creative process for his forthcoming album, Ocean's Kingdom, in an online interview on YouTube.

To summarize his latest project McCartney says, "What was interesting was writing music that meant something expressively rather than just writing a song. Trying to write something that expressed an emotion – so you have fear, love, anger, sadness to play with and I found that exciting and challenging."

Ocean's Kingdom is the first time Paul has written an original orchestral score or any kind of music for dance and is the result of a collaboration between Paul and New York City Ballet's Master in Chief Peter Martins, who have worked together to present the world premiere of a new ballet for the company's 2011/2012 season this September. Check out the interview here

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Willie Nile's The Innocent Ones Getting U.S. Release
Good news for American Willie Nile fans, his acclaimed album, The Innocent Ones, is finally coming to America.

"This is as good a record as I've ever made," Willie Nile says of The Innocent Ones. That's saying a lot, considering the amount of indispensable music that the tenacious New Yorker has produced over his long and eventful career.

The CD, which long eluded the American market except as an import and the odd merch table, has a U.S. brick-and-mortar street date of November 22, 2011. more on this story

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Staind's Aaron Lewis Scores Country Gold
Staind frontman Aaron Lewis' debut solo single "Country Boy" has just been certified gold, after selling in excess of 500,000 copies.

The song is featured on Lewis' debut solo EP Town Line released earlier this year on Nashville's R&J Records.

"This is a really pleasant surprise for me," says Lewis of the gold certification for "Country Boy." "It's the first thing I recorded as a solo artist and it's just a very honest record about who I am. It's great that so many people related to it. I'm looking forward to getting back into the studio to make a full record." more on this story

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Anberlin Singled Out Week: We Owe This To Ourselves
Anberlin kick off a coheadlining tour with Switchfoot this week and to celebrate we asked frontman Stephen Christian to tell us about some of the songs from their latest album "Dark Is A Way Light Is A Place". Today he tells us about "We Owe This To Ourselves":

This song was written about one of my heroes, Martin Luther King Jr. This song was originally supposed to be called 'King' but universal thought different. It should have been called 'King' and still is on our set lists at night.

I was listening to the radio on a drive home from a show and heard this NPR report about the end of MLK's life. He felt lonely and isolated and basically predicted his own death at one of his speeches.

I was so inspired, and on that drive home jotted down the line 'if every man became a king, then we could do more than just dream'. I feel that our generation can not let up on the fight to end racism. We must continue along the path of the trail that has been etched out for us by such great men.

*if you turn up 'You Belong Here' in the beginning, you can hear talking. We actually tell the world the meaning of life, so turn it up and you will have it all figured out.

LIVE FROM DARYL'S HOUSE MAKES BROADCAST TV DEBUT THIS SATURDAY NIGHT:

New York, Sept. 21, 2011—Born on the Internet four years ago as a “light bulb moment” for Daryl Hall, Live from Daryl's House, the Webby and MTV O Music award-winning webcast, will make its broadcast premiere nationally with two back-to-back half-hour episodes featuring Train and Fitz & the Tantrums, on Saturday, Sept. 24. The show will be syndicated nationally by Good Cop Bad Cop Productions in association with Scott Sternberg Productions and distributor Trifecta Entertainment & Media. Executive producers for the show include Hall and Scott Sternberg along with Daryl Hall manager Jonathan Wolfson.
Live from Daryl's House marks the first full-length music web show to successfully cross over into the television syndication marketplace. LFDH has been a hit monthly live-performance web series since 2007, featuring Daryl Hall jamming (and cooking and drinking) with friends, musicians and guest artists. The 30-minute broadcast version is a performance reality series which takes place in the intimate setting in Daryl Hall's home.
“This is a dream come true for me,” said Daryl. “When I first had the idea for this series four years ago, I was hoping to reach a wide audience, and this is just another step in that plan. We're all raring to go.”
“It's been a delight and a reward for me to work with the legendary Daryl Hall, who has truly reinvented himself in the digital age,” said Sternberg, CEO of Scott Sternberg Productions. “Other than the regular late-night shows, there isn't a weekly performance series currently on the air where the top bands, artists and musicians can perform their songs and reach audiences nationwide. We look forward to helping fill that void, and we thank all of our station partners who are on board for the premiere.”
“I am amazed at the metamorphosis of the show. From being able to go from a small flip cam operation to an 8 camera, High Definition production that has marquis talent jam in Daryl's living room is incredible. We've been able to establish this series on the web thanks to the fans, and now to cross mediums, represents a tremendous opportunity,” added Wolfson. “We couldn't ask for better partners in doing so than Scott Sternberg and Trifecta Entertainment & Media.”
Added Tribune Programming President Sean Compton: “Live from Daryl's House is the perfect blend of new and classic acts bringing music programming back to broadcast television. Tribune's stations provide a great environment for LFDH on weekends.”
Live from Daryl's House has been cleared in nearly 80% of U.S. homes in the nation's top 200 media markets, as well as all of the top 10, including New York (WPIX), L.A. (KTLA), Chicago (WGN), Dallas (KDAF) and Houston (KIAH). The show has also cleared in such key markets as Philadelphia (CBS-owned KYW), Boston (KBIN) and Atlanta (WATL), and is set to premiere on a number of NBC, Fox and CBS-owned affiliates across the country. Most stations will air a full hour with two original shows back to back on Saturday nights.
“My time at Daryl's House was incredible,” said Train lead singer Pat Monahan about the experience. “Daryl's bandmates were super-seasoned pros and Daryl was gracious and right on with what I hoped such a legend would be like. Thanks all!”
“To get to play with one of my biggest influences and idols was a dream come true,” raves Fitz's Michael “Fitz” Fitzpatrick. “Daryl and the guys put it down and we all left it on the floor! We went pretty deep into the Daryl Hall catalog to sing the first song Daryl ever recorded. It was a day we will never forget!”
Live from Daryl's House made its broadcast debut on WGN America last year to impressive ratings, which spurred interest in syndication. The past four years have marked a steady stream of superlatives and recognition for Live from Daryl's House, with Hall receiving a Webby Award for Best Variety series at the 14th annual ceremony at N.Y.'s Cipriani Wall Street before garnering an O Music Award from MTV earlier this year. The shows have been edited into two 30-minute-long episodes which, in most cases, will air back-to-back.

Today's Day In Pop

Lady Antebellum Own The Charts
(TGR) Lady Antebellum made a strong No 1 debut on the Billboard Top 200 with their third studio album Own The Night.

The disc enjoyed sales of over 347,000 for the week, the biggest first week debut by a country artist this year.

Own The Night also took the No. one position on Canada's Neilson SoundScan Top 200 Albums chart. more on this story

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The Story Behind Rihanna's Coldplay
(Gibson) Chris Martin says Coldplay's new record is "dangerously close" to a musical. The album Mylo Xyloto is out in late October and the tracks have a related theme. Rihanna guests on the song "Princess of China" and Martin has told MTV News why the group needed a female vocalist for the song.

"Our new record is sort of a story. It's not quite a musical, but it's dangerously close. There's a bit of a love-story thread, so we really needed someone to sing even higher than me. You need to be a female really. For all [drummer] Will Champion's good intentions, he can't do it…"

Martin claims he even wrote "Princess of China" with Rihanna in mind. "We had a song that I'd secretly kind of written to see if Rihanna would want to sing it. We came up with the idea of asking her to sing it with us, and, to our great surprise, she said OK." more on this story

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Taylor Swift To Release CD and DVD This Fall
(Taste of Country) While Taylor Swift may be between albums, the singer has found a way to bring a new experience to her fans by recording a live CD and DVD from her 2011 Speak Now Tour.

Swift announced this week that the project will be in stores on November 21, but it's available for pre-order now.

Swift breaks the news in a video that hopefully sets the pace for the type of backstage footage fans will get on the DVD. As she's walking and talking, she describes how she's about to crawl beneath the stage to an elevator that will lift her up for the opening number. Then we see her hunched down as the elevator slowly pushes her up. Check out the video and get more details here

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B.o.B's Manager Agrees To Pay Bar Tab
(PopCrush) B.o.B recently skipped out on a $1,060 bar tab after a concert at Cornell University. Now, after receiving lots of bad press over the incident, the rapper's manager is looking to right the wrong by paying the hefty bill at Level B bar in Ithaca, N.Y.

B.o.B's manager Brian Richardson stepped in, saying that he doesn't want to have any hard feelings within the Cornell community.

"I just want to make it right by Level B, and I want the people of Cornell to know that we're a class act," Richardson said (via W.E.N.N). more on this story

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Owl City Announces North American Tour
Owl City announced the third leg of the All Things Bright and Beautiful world headlining tour that features a string of Stateside dates in November with support from pop-rockers Days Difference.

These shows will bring Owl City to new places and smaller cities for an opportunity to get up close and personal with old and new fans alike. Tickets for all dates went on sale September 10th and are already going fast. The tour begins in Flagstaff, AZ on November 2nd and will wind its way through the country until November 19th, where the tour will wrap up in Minneapolis, MN.

Young, the mastermind behind Owl City, released All Things Bright and Beautiful early this summer on Universal Republic. The album was the follow up to his hugely successful 2009 album Ocean Eyes, which featured the quadruple-platinum hit single, "Fireflies." more on this story

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Future of Tim McGraw's Dancehall Doctors Unclear
(Taste of Country) When Tim McGraw tours Australia with wife Faith Hill next March, it's not clear which (if any) of his longtime bandmates will be joining him.

A message left on McGraw's Facebook page has left fans wondering about the future of the Dancehall Doctors.

"As some of you might know, there have been some recent changes in my band," McGraw writes. "Change can be hard, and it's not something you come to lightly. I couldn't be more proud of the music we've created together over the years, and I'll treasure the memories." Read more of what he had to say here

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Court Warns Michael Jackson Fans
(TMZ) Some Michael Jackson fans who want to see their brand of justice meted out against Dr. Conrad Murray just got a stern warning from the judge's staff -- they'll be thrown out of court if they don't shape up.

Dr. Murray was in court today on some pretrial matters. At one point the lawyers and Judge Michael Pastor went into chambers for a chit chat. While they were gone, some MJ fans were staring Murray down and giving him dirty looks.

Murray then complained to the bailiff, who walked over to the fans and made it clear -- if they do it again they'll be thrown out of the courtroom. more on this story

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Gym Class Heroes Set A Date
Gym Class Heroes has set a November 15th release date for their new album, "The Papercut Chronicles II."

The album includes the top 10 smash, "Stereo Hearts (Feat. Adam Levine)." Decaydance/Fueled By Ramen promise that new songs from the album will be revealed online shortly. Here is what they have to say about the single:

"Stereo Hearts" is shaping up as another massive hit for the alternative hip-hop superstars. The track – produced by Benny Blanco (Katy Perry, Wiz Khalifa, Ke$ha) and Robopop – is blowing up at multi-format radio outlets nationwide. In addition to its top 10 success at CHR/Top 40, "Stereo Hearts" is currently poised to enter the top 20 at Rhythmic while also making a top 40 debut at Hot AC. The single is also a top 10 sensation on Billboard's "Hot 100" and a top 5 triumph on the "Digital Songs" chart, with total sales now exceeding 1 million. here

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Taylor Swift Takes On Britney Spears
(PopCrush) If you're familiar with Taylor Swift's tendency to perform cover songs by local artists, you might have seen this one coming.

This week, Swift took her Speak Now Tour to Louisiana, and that meant it was her chance to honor one of the state's most famous pop music exports, Britney Spears, with a cover of Brit's 'Lucky.'

Swift performed at the CenturyTel Center and played 'Lucky' during her solo acoustic portion of the set. Her fans joined in as Taylor sang the chorus from the 2000 hit song by Spears, who grew up in Kentwood, La.: "She's so lucky, she's a star / But she cry, cry, cries in her lonely heart / Thinking, if there's nothing missing in my life / Then why do these tears come at night?" Check it out here

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Good Times Coming For The Little Willies
(EMI) The Little Willies have begun recording For The Good Times, the follow-up to their eponymous 2006 debut, which will be released by EMI's Milking Bull Records in January 2012.

The band will be previewing songs from the new album at a few select shows this fall: The Bell House in Brooklyn on October 26, the World Cafe 20th Anniversary Tribute Concert with John Hiatt and the Indigo Girls in Philadelphia on October 28 and the Westhampton PAC in Westhampton, NY on October 29.

The Little Willies – Lee Alexander (bass), Jim Campilongo (guitar), Norah Jones (piano, vocals), Richard Julian (guitar, vocals) and Dan Rieser (drums) – first formed in 2003 as an excuse for the five friends to spend a night playing music together at The Living Room on New York's Lower East Side, but the gig proved too fun for both the musicians and audience for it to remain a one-off. Despite hailing from the far corners of the country – California, Massachusetts, Texas, Delaware – the members of band all grew up listening to a certain breed of classic American music, and relished the opportunity to perform some of their favorite country classics and lesser-known gems. more on this story

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Toby Keith Tops Forbes List
(Taste of Country) Toby Keith may have been left off ballots for the upcoming CMA Awards in Nashville, but the 'Made in America' singer has plenty of reasons to still feel good about where his career is headed.

More specifically, he has 50 million reasons to smile. That's how much money Keith earned between May 2010 and May 2011, making him the highest paid country star in the world, according to Forbes Magazine.

Touring and album sales make up a large portion of the singer's income, but so do his ventures into the restaurant and liquor business. Read more and find out who else made the list here

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Sean Kingston's Near-Fatal Jet Ski Accident Due To Inexperience
(TMZ) Sean Kingston's near-fatal jet ski accident could have been avoided if he had bothered to take a boating safety class, or at least read the manual... according to a newly released police report obtained by TMZ.

Investigators say Kingston's "inexperience" and "inattention" were solely to blame. The cops specifically called him out for not understanding basic boating safety procedures. They believe Kingston stupidly released the throttle while turning the steering wheel at the same time, causing him to lose control over the watercraft.

As we reported in May, the "Beautiful Girls" singer was critically injured when he crashed his brand new jet ski into a bridge in Miami Beach.

The three-month police investigation reveals just how close Kingston was to dying. According to the report, Kingston crashed into the bridge with such force, his head, arms and upper chest, left an imprint in on the cement (see photo below).

Kingston was cited for "careless operation in an accident" and fined a whopping $180. more on this story

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RZA, Chuck D, Bootsy Collins Come Together in New Exhibit
(DDP) "Come Together" exhibit showcases RZA, Chuck D, Bootsy Collins' collaborative artwork with SceneFour through November 1 at Andrew Weiss Gallery in Beverly Hills.

RZA's canvas sits on the wall facing a display case full of original Picasso plates. Chuck D's takes its place beside Salvador Dali's celebrated Surrealist Piano sculpture. The Art Of Drums collection occupies the interior wing across from the Marilyn Monroe prints. This is the world-famous Andrew Weiss Gallery in Beverly Hills, home to "Come Together", a two-month exhibition of the artwork of Los Angeles creativity house SceneFour and its iconic collaborators: RZA of the Wu-Tang Clan, Chuck D of Public Enemy, Bootsy Collins of Bootsy's Rubber Band, P-Funk and the JBs, Hieroglyphics Crew, DJ Qbert, Shavo Odadjian from System of a Down, George Lynch, Matt Sorum from Velvet Revolver/Guns N Roses, Frankie "Kash" Waddy from Parliament-Funkadelic, Angelo Moore of Fishbone and Page Hamilton of Helmet.

With the help of their legendary friends, SceneFour partners Ravi Dosaj and Cory Danziger are spearheading a new movement in the art world: collaborative art. And based upon the September 14th opening night party, a kick-off to the exhibit which runs until November 1 at Andrew Weiss Gallery in Beverly Hills, the exhibition is set to be a blockbuster. more on this story

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Hunter Hayes Declines American Idol's Prom Invitation
(Taste of Country) Lauren Alaina is a high school junior who has yet to attend a prom, and 20-year-old Hunter Hayes never got to go to his prom, either, so it would seem to be the ideal situation for them to go together, right?

In a new interview with 100.7 the Wolf, the 'Storm Warning' singer caught wind that the 'American Idol' star had extended an invitation to her prom to him, but unfortunately, he had to decline the offer.

"Oh gosh," Hayes said, obviously embarrassed to be put on the spot as the deejays replayed Alaina's interview. "How much did you pay for her to do that?"

As the deejays continued to pester the young hitmaker, he kept his game face on, sharing the story of his own high school experience with an awkward laugh. Read about that here

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Child Services Raid 16 & Pregnant Family Home
(TMZ) The home of the "16 & Pregnant" family that was raided this week by child services was covered in dog and human feces ... this according to the arrest report obtained by TMZ.

Police executed a search warrant on the property after someone called the Department of Human Services, complaining about the living conditions in the house -- and according to their report, "Every room inside the residence had human and dog feces on the floors, walls, and clothing."

The report goes on in horrific detail: "The house was full of flies and in some areas, maggots" -- and police claim they also found evidence of "synthetic marijuana."

The "16 & Pregnant" couple's daughter was taken away by DHS -- and animal control even stepped in ... rescuing three dogs in the house.

Josh Rendon and Ebony Jackson were booked on charges of endangering the welfare of a minor and drug possession. more on this story

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Lady Gaga's Little Sister Taking Her Own Path
(PopCrush) Lady Gaga's little sister Natali Germanotta recently chatted with Teen Vogue (since she's only 19) about working on forging her path in the fashion world.

While there is a natural curiosity about the girl who has been dubbed "Baby Gaga" in the press, Germanotta isn't riding her sister's leather-studded, jewel-encrusted coattails. She is building her reputation in the fashion world based on her own merits.

Natali, who calls Gaga "Stefi," since the 'Born This Way' diva's real name is Stefani Joanne Angelina Gemanotta, says they talk often, except "when she's in Japan and doesn't have service." A lot more here

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Cops Turn Kobe Bryant Church Assault Case Over To Prosecutors
(TMZ) San Diego police are referring the battery investigation involving Kobe Bryant to prosecutors ... TMZ has learned.

A parishioner at the St. Theresa of Carmel Church filed a police report last month against the L.A. Lakers star, claiming Kobe ripped a cell phone out of his hand in church, accusing the man of trying to take Kobe's picture.

Law enforcement sources tell us ... the case will be referred to the San Diego City Attorney, but cops think at best it would be filed as a misdemeanor battery, which carries a maximum sentence of 6 months in jail.

Calls to Kobe's people were not immediately returned. more on this story

Today's Day In Rock!

Guns N' Roses To Play For 2 and Half Hours on U.S. Tour
Following a series of leaked dates, Guns N' Roses have officially announced a fall tour of the North America, their first tour state-side in five years.

The band promises that the 30 concerts will each last two and a half hours and will kick off on October 28th in Orlando, Florida.

The initial dates and routing has been announced with a promise of more to come. The tour is set to conclude with a New Year's Eve concert in a yet to be announced location. more on this story

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RIP For R.E.M.
(Gibson) R.E.M. have decided to "call it a day as a band." After 30 years together, singer Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck and bassist Mike Mills have had enough. Founding drummer Bill Berry left in the mid-'90s.

In their own words: The guys share their thoughts on ending the band. Mike Mills: "During our last tour, and while making Collapse Into Now and putting together this greatest hits retrospective, we started asking ourselves, 'what next?' Working through our music and memories from over three decades was a hell of a journey. We realized that these songs seemed to draw a natural line under the last 31 years of our working together.

"We have always been a band in the truest sense of the word. Brothers who truly love, and respect, each other. We feel kind of like pioneers in this – there's no disharmony here, no falling-outs, no lawyers squaring-off. We've made this decision together, amicably and with each other's best interests at heart. The time just feels right."

Read the rest here

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Megadeth, Motorhead, Volbeat and Lacuna Coil Tour Coming
(Loudwire) Dave Mustaine is rarely at a loss for words. With the Big 4 at Yankee Stadium show behind him and a new album on the horizon, the Megadeth leader is already talking about touring plans down the road.

"This year coming up we're gonna be having us, Motorhead, a great band that's coming up called Volbeat and Lacuna Coil," the frontman revealed in a video interview with Street Date (watch here).

Megadeth toured as part of the Mayhem festival over the summer. It was while on that package tour alongside bands like Disturbed and Godsmack where Mustaine sustained a neck injury which required surgery. More including the video

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Pearl Jam Raring To Go Forward With New Music
(Banana 101.5) Pearl Jam hasn't let all the self-reflection involved with their 20th anniversary celebration turn them in to a nostalgia act, they are still looking to the future.

Prior to drummer Matt Cameron's touring obligations with Soundgarden, the members of PJ hit the studio with longtime friend and producer Brendan O'Brien to record some songs for what will become their tenth studio record. Bassist Jeff Ament recently told Rolling Stone how the album is coming along and how recording was a much needed break from memory lane.

While Pearl Jam is hoping to be finished by early 2012, Manager Kelly Curtis wouldn't be surprised if we hear more new music soon: "They knocked out a bunch of songs in just a couple weeks with Brendan, and everybody was blown away. It's hard for them to sit on that sh*t. They're raring to go forward." Read Ament's comments about the new music here

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Aerosmith Working Towards Spring Release
(hennemusic) Last week, Aerosmith bassist Tom Hamilton checked in with an update on the band's new project in a video message for fans. He's back with another update.

"We're at the point now where Jack [Douglas], our producer, and our engineer, Warren [Huart], are compiling all kinds of stuff from all summer, just taking all the bits and pieces that we recorded for the last two and a half months and assembling it, so we can then go and put more guitars on, and more vocals and whatever else we think [we may need to do]," says Tom.

"I know I have a couple of little things to do before I'm done, but I'm mostly finished and I'm looking forward to the whole thing being put together and the vocals going on," he continues. "Next spring, baby — that's what we want. I know you've been waiting a long time; we've been waiting. We're excited. A lot of people that we know and trust who have come and heard what we're working on think we're doing something really cool. So I hope you'll think the same thing." check out the video here

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Chris Cornell Announces New U.S. Acoustic Tour
(hennemusic) This past spring, Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell went out on his first-ever solo acoustic "Songbook" tour, and now he's back for more.

Having already announced dates in Australia, New Zealand and South America, Cornell has added another run of U.S. shows to his solo acoustic trip, giving even more fans the chance to see him perform unplugged and up close.

Venues this time around include Jackie Gleason Theatre in Miami, Florida; Carnegie Hall in New York City; Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco; and the Orpheum in Los Angeles. more on this story

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Hinder Record NFL Song
(Banana 101.5) Hinder has recorded a new song to contribute to the NFL's 'Official Gameday Music' arsenal, the track is called 'The Fight's About to Begin'.

Hinder has made it clear recently that they are big fans of the pigskin, whether it be handled by professional or collegiate athletes. About a month ago the band released a new fight song they recorded for the Oklahoma Sooners football team titled 'Sooners Don't Back Down'.

The Oklahoma natives' latest football-inspired tune has been officially picked up by the NFL. Read more and check out the song here

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Disturbed's David Draiman Getting Married This Weekend
(Loudwire) Disturbed singer David Draiman will marry his model/actress/WWE professional wrestler/professional tandem surfer fiancee Lena Yada on Sunday (Sept. 25) at an undisclosed location, the Pulse of Radio reports.

Draiman, 38, has known Yada, 32, for 10 years, dated her for two and got engaged to her last December, he revealed in a Tweet he posted on Monday.

Yada, who goes by the nickname 'The Asian Sensation,' also appeared in the video for Disturbed's 'The Animal,' the third single off the band's 2010 album, 'Asylum.' Other members of Disturbed will be involved in the wedding

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Evanescence To Deliver 12 Songs
(PopCrush) Evanescence's self-titled third album will feature 12 tracks, according to the tracklisting revealed today by NME.

The first song on the record is 'What You Want,' the powerful lead single from the project. The song has entered the Top 20 on Billboard's Rock Songs and Alternative Songs charts.

Other titles on the album include 'Never Go Back,' 'Lost in Paradise,' 'End of the Dream,' and 'Swimming Home,' which serves as the final track on the album. Thoughts from Amy Lee and the full tracklisting

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Evans Blue Preview New Single
(Banana 101.5) Evans Blue are currently holed-up in Traverse City, Michigan recording the follow-up to their self-titled third album.

While their second outing with vocalist Dan Chandler is still a bit out of reach, the band is eying October for the release of their new single 'This Time It's Different'.

Check out a peek into the recording session for the single and a video of the band performing the track live here

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Staind and Dream Theater Make Top 10 Debuts
(Loudwire) Staind sold 47,000 copies of their self-titled seventh album to debut at No. 5 on this week's Billboard 200 albums chart.

Staind's last album, 2008′s 'The Illusion of Progress,' moved just more than 90,000 copies in its opening week to land at No. 3 on the tally.

In other chart action, Dream Theater's 'A Dramatic Turn of Events' bows at No. 8 on the tally on the backs of 36,000 units sold. Their 2009 release, 'Black Clouds & Silver Linings,' sold 40,000 in its first week to also debut in the top 10. See what other hard rockin' releases debuted in the Top 20

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Steve Perry Declines Journey Invitation
(Ultimate Classic Rock) Although he's been officially absent from the recording studio and concert stages for a number of years now, former Journey vocalist Steve Perry maintains an active connection with his fanbase, occasionally answering a series of questions via his official fan site to shed light on both his career and current activities.

With the imminent release of a new hits package from Journey, titled 'Greatest Hits Vol. 2,' Perry took some time to catch fans up with his latest happenings.

He responded to Neal Schon's recent comments that Perry has an "open door" to come out and jam with the group anytime by calling it a "kind invitation" but one that he says he will "respectfully decline." He has more to say on the matter here

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Jane's Addiction To Controversial Cover Art
(Ultimate Classic Rock) Fans waiting patiently for the Oct. 18 release of Jane's Addiction's fourth studio album, 'The Great Escape Artist,' have a little something to help bide their time: the disc's front cover artwork to stare at.

The cover art, which features what looks to be a lone male figure stripped down to nothing more than his skivvies and hanging out in a bedroom full of fun items like a computer, a diary, Christmas lights and an electric guitar, shares striking stylistic similarities with the original cover of the band's multi-platinum 1990 album, 'Ritual de lo Habitual.'

That cover, which included papier mache figures of a naked man with two (two!) nude women, was replaced by a second cover featuring only black text (featuring the so-called "freedom of speech" text of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution) on a white background. Farrell created the papier mache version, which was used by braver stores. Read more and check out the new art here

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Punk Rock Dads From Blink-182, Devo, Pennywise Are The Other F Word
(GA) Punk rock dads, including members of Blink-182, Devo, Pennywise are featured in the new documentary "The Other F Word" which be hitting theaters nationwide in November/December.

What happens when a generations ultimate anti-authoritarians – punk rockers – become society's ultimate authorities – dads? "The Other F Word" is the revealing, funny, and touching film that tackles this question.

With a large chorus of punk rock's leading men – including Blink-182's Mark Hoppus, Red Hot Chili Peppers' Flea, and Rise Against's Tim McIlrath – the documentary follows Jim Lindberg, a 20-year veteran of the skate punk band Pennywise, on his hysterical and moving journey from belting his band's anthem "F—k Authority," to embracing his ultimately authoritarian role in mid-life: fatherhood. more on this story

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The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus Fall Tour
The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus have announce their initial North American tour dates for this fall.

They will be hitting the road in support of their third studio LP, Am I The Enemy, which was produced by John Feldmann [Goldfinger].

The initial run of dates kick off on October 13th in San Antonio, TX and run until November 23rd in Jacksonville Beach, FL. More dates are expected to be announced soon more on this story

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Gary Holt Says The Mosh Pit Was Born in Berkeley
Gary Holt of Exodus explores the birthplace of stage diving and mosh pits in the Thrash metal scenes in a new book. The publisher sent this over: In upcoming deluxe thrash metal photo book Murder In The Front Row: Shots From the Bay Area Thrash Metal Epicenter, by Harald Oimoen and Brian Lew, guitarist Gary Holt of Exodus (and currently Slayer) claims that the bruising scenes seen nightly at metal shows everywhere first came to thrash metal from punk at Ruthie's Inn in Berkeley, CA.

"From our first show together with Slayer," Holt writes, "to all the shows with everyone from Death Angel, Possessed, Violence, Legacy, and many others, Ruthie's Inn lives in infamy because it's the one and only birthplace of violence becoming part and parcel to an Exodus show.

"I had never seen a stage dive, a pit, or anything coming close to resembling that before Ruthie's. It was born there, with the help of Wes Robinson and the Exodus Slay Team, and anyone who says different doesn't know what they're talking about or they're lying to you. While the rest of the metal world would later come around and learn the joys of a little good friendly violent fun, it all started there at Ruthie's, end of story." more on this story

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Within Temptation Member Sitting Out Tour
(Loudwire) Within Temptation's rhythm guitarist Robert Westerholt and frontwoman Sharon den Adel had their third child, a son, earlier this year.

With the band touring extensively behind its latest release, 'The Unforgiving,' Westerholt has decided to step away from the road in order to focus on the couple's children and help create future Within Temptation projects.

Adel and Westerholt released a statement on their official website, you can read it and find out who will be filling in here.

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Cradle of Filth To Release Mini Album in Roctober
(SMUK) Cradle of Filth will release their new mini-album, Evermore Darkly, in the UK on 24th October 2011 (US & Canada - 18th October).

This will be preceded by the single Lilith Immaculate, which will be available to download from October 3rd.

A follow-on from last year's triumphant Darkly, Darkly, Venus Aversa album, Evermore Darkly will arrive as a CD/DVD package including new tracks & rarities, with a lengthy on-the-road documentary and ten songs filmed live at this year's Graspop metal meet, as well as the video for Lilith Immaculate. more on this story

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Free Gary Moore Download
(Gibson) Live at Montreux is out this week and it features the last recorded concert from the much-missed Gary Moore.

In his later life, the renowned Irish Les Paul player was headed in a rockier direction after many years releasing songs that reflected his original blues inspirations.

The Live at Montreux set list, recorded in 2010, draws heavily on Moore's successful rock albums of the 1980s along with a couple of his classic blues tracks. It also includes three brand-new songs that would have featured on a planned album, left uncompleted on Moore's death in February 2011.

You can get a free video download of "Oh Wild One" now, by visiting the official Gary Moore website here and watch a video for "Where are You Now?" here.

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Madina Lake Added To Me Talk Pretty's Wake-Up! Tour
(MSO) Madina Lake will join the first-ever "Wake-Up! Tour" supporting Me Talk Pretty this fall.

The nationwide U.S. tour will kick off November 26 in Baltimore, MD and will wrap up December 18 in New York City, Hell Or Highwater and New Years Day will round out the bill.

Madina Lake will be touring in support of their new album, World War III, which features the single "Imagineer," co-written and produced by Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins. more on this story

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Stevie Ray Vaughan Book Volume II Coming Soon
(Gibson) The second volume of Craig Hopkins' acclaimed biography of Texas blues legend Stevie Ray Vaughan will be published in November.

Stevie Ray Vaughan – Day by Day, Night After Night: His Final Years 1983-1990 follows 2010's first volume, His Early Years, 1954-1982. This second volume covers Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble's recording career, from their debut release in 1983 and performance at Carnegie Hall the following year through their rise to global stardom.

This volume promises hundreds of photos and quotes from some of SRV's famous fans. Indeed, the book's foreword is written by ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons. It will be published on 15 November. more on this story

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The New Mastersounds Announce U.S. Tour
(SWM) The New Mastersounds will hitting the North American road this November in support of their new release, "Breaks from the Border," their first album recorded on U.S. soil.

The New Mastersounds funk powerhouse includes Eddie Roberts (guitar), Simon Allen (drums), Peter Shand (bass) and Joe Tatton (keys).

On tour the set will include cuts from "Breaks from the Border" the seventh studio recording from NMS released August 9th on Tallest Man Records. more on this story

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Brutal Truth Streaming New Album Online
(ESP) Brutal Truth are currently streaming their new full-length album, End Time, online for fans to preview.

End Time was recorded with Doug White at Watchman Studios in Lockport, NY and is set for a September 27th North American release date. Check out the stream here.

Beyond the normal CD, LP, and digital offerings, End Time will also be available in a limited edition box set that includes the CD with six bonus tracks, a 20-page booklet, six custom art flats, a marijuana-scented disc card, and more. more on this story

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The Amity Affliction Set U.S. Release
Roadrunner Records has plans to introduce Aussie rockers The Amity Affliction to U.S. fans. Here are the details they sent over:

The band has scorched a trail Down Under and is now poised to stake its claim in the U.S. Roadrunner will release Youngbloods digitally on Oct. 25 and the band will head back into the studio in early 2012 to record the follow up with Youngbloods producer Machine (Lamb of God, Cobra Starship, Suicide Silence.)

The Amity Affliction's humble origins date back six years ago in a small town in Queensland, Australia. With an industrial sized bucket of elbow grease, the band became a fixture on the local touring circuit. The Amity Affliction quickly ascended the ranks and became one of the best-loved bands in Oz. Armed with cheeky song titles, a party attitude and the type of aggressive and forward- thinking metal that will simultaneously make you think while putting hair on your chest, The Amity Affliction deliver a poignant message encased in mosh-worthy anthems. more on this story

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Gama Bomb, Onslaught and Fallen Fate Tour Kicks Off
(Earache) Gama Bomb kicked off a UK tour with Onslaught last night at The Globe in Cardiff.

Gama Bomb will be joining Onslaught and Fallen Fate for ten shows before heading out on a headlining European tour in October.

Gama Bomb frontman Philly Byrne comments: "There will be thrash. Let there be hair and booze and poorly maintained instruments and may the lord Dio bless this unholy enterprise. Amen." more on this story

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Singled Out: Edward Rogers' Porcelain
Today Edward Rogers tells us about the title track from his upcoming fourth solo album, "Porcelain," which hits stores on November 8th. Here is the story:

The inspiration for "Porcelain's" Charlotte came from a Musicians On Call visit to The New York Foundling facility in NYC. That day, I saw children and tiny babies that were given up to the city because their parents couldn't afford or didn't want to keep a sick child in their home. There was one young girl in particular that stayed in my head; she left a lasting image. I kept thinking, "what was going to happen to her while living in this very brittle white room with no one in the world to look after her?" I thought about what a tough and emotionally-disturbing life she was going to face. That experience and her reality motivated me write "Porcelain."

Charlotte holds her head up high
She wants to try and touch the sky
Lives in a world that's hers alone
No one enters fear of the unknown

Even though Charlotte's situation is unknown, I wasn't inspired to write a slow, and obviously sad song. I wanted the song to have an edge to it, reflecting the brittle situation she was put in and how she will have to deal with her future. And, I think the lyrics can have different meaning, different interpretations depending on who's listening. My producer, Don Piper, and I had three guitarists play on the track - Don, along with James Mastro and Pete Kennedy. I've worked with Claudia Chopek (violin) before, but on "Porcelain" her parts fight with the other instruments, adding to the intensity I felt the song needed. The rhythm section, Sal Maida and Konrad Meissner laid back a solid strong wall for the other musicians to play off of, while the intense baritone sax solo, played by Doug Weiselman, adds to the vibe of the song - pushing it to the last chorus and outro. The message is "it's a tough future for you out there"

Charlotte what will become of you
As your love ones fade away from view
No longer there to protect
The girl with the porcelain disease
Fading away