Today's Day in Rock News!

Today's Day in Rock


KISS' Peter Criss Came Close To Suicide
(Classic Rock) Former KISS drummer Peter Criss came so close to suicide that he put his gun in his mouth and prepared to pull the trigger.
He was sitting in the remains of his Hollywood apartment after the Northridge earthquake in 1994, which killed 57, injured nearly 9000 and caused over $20bn of damage. And although he had a bag containing $100,000 in cash, Criss was haunted by the fact that he'd once been worth over $12m.

In an excerpt from his book, published by Rolling Stone, the drummer tells how he thought: "I'm going to f**king die in some sh*thole apartment – Jesus, I don't believe you're going to take me this way." Find out what happened next.



Rob Zombie Spooked In Little Rock
(Classic Rock) Rob Zombie called off an open-air appearance at Little Rock, Arkansas over the weekend after his crew raised safety concerns over weather conditions.

He decided not to proceed after a series of high profile stage collapses in recent years. Zombie says: "It's a drag. We drove all night to play the show only to find we couldn't. You just have to go on the recommendations of your crew – they're trying to rig thousands of pounds of equipment.

"The wind was blowing and they had to keep stopping, and they came to the conclusion it's just not safe. After what happened with Sugarland and Cheap Trick you just can't take the risk." more on this story



Daughtry and 3 Doors Down Team Up For Tour
Daughtry and 3 Doors Down will be teaming up this fall for a North American coheadlining tour.

P.O.D. will be supporting the trek which is set to kick off on November 17 in Tunica, MS and will wrap up on December 15th in Anaheim, CA.

Chris Daughtry had this to say, "It's an honor to be able to go on the road with 3 Doors Down," says the lead singer. "We are excited to give fans an energetic rock show every night sharing songs from both our catalogs...we can't wait to hit the road to share it with our fans." more on this story




Mumford & Sons Match Beatles Chart Record
Mumford & Sons have tied a Beatles chart record set 48 years ago after they landed their sixth single on the Top 100 chart at the same time.

The band enjoyed a huge debut for their new album, Babel, which topped the album chart after having the biggest first week sales of any album this year with 600K copies sold in the U.S.

Now the band are also dominating the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart according to the trade publication. The official single "I Will Wait" (No. 57) is joined by five other songs, "Babel" (No. 60), "Lover's Eyes" (No. 85), "Whispers in the Dark" (No. 86), "Holland Road" (No. 92) and "Ghosts That We Knew" (No. 94). You can read the Billboard report for more details.



No Voodoo For Green Day And Member Talks Billie Joe's Meltdown
Green Day have officially canceled their performance at this year's Voodoo Music + Arts Experience on October 27, 2012 following frontman Billie Joe Armstrong's admittance to rehab for substance abuse treatment.

"Canceling shows is something we rarely do," said Tré Cool in a statement. "We never want to let our fans down, and we are grateful for all of you being understanding during this time."

Bass player Mike Dirnt told Zane Lowe on BBC Radio 1 (via NME) about Armstrong's treatment and why they canceled their live tour plans, "We had to put the life of our friend in front of everything," And he said of the singer's meltdown in Las Vegas, "There were signs of things hitting the fan. We hadn't slept in for ever." You can read the NME report here.



Beach Boys Mike Love Denies Firing Brian Wilson
(CBS Local) Mike Love is fighting back against those have vilified him with claims that he "fired" original Beach Boys members Brian Wilson, Al Jardine and David Marks.

Love has penned a lengthy, pointed and emotional open letter to the Los Angeles Times in an attempt to set the record straight. It reads in part: " Let me get right to it: I did not fire Brian Wilson from the Beach Boys. I cannot fire Brian Wilson from the Beach Boys. I am not his employer. I do not have such authority. And even if I did, I would never fire Brian Wilson from the Beach Boys. I love Brian Wilson. We are partners. He's my cousin by birth and my brother in music.

"This tour was always envisioned as a limited run. None of us wanted to do a 50th anniversary tour that lasted 10 years. It was meant to be special. In fact, very early on, Brian was just going to join the tour for a few dates in big cities. We finally settled on 50 dates in 50 major markets." more on this story



Muse Expand North American Tour
Muse have expanded their upcoming tour plans, adding new dates to their 2013 North American tour.

The tour is set to kick off on January 21st in San Diego, California and will wrap up on April 26th in Quebec City.

Muse will be touring in support of their sixth album The 2nd Law, which was released last week on Warner Bros. Records. more on this story



Michael Des Barres On NCIS This Week
Michael Des Barres will be appearing in tonight's episode of 'NCIS' (October 9, 2012.) Glass Onyon sent over these details:

Acting alongside show regulars Mark Harmon, Michael Weatherly, David McCallum and Pauly Perrette, Michael portrays an ex-rock star down on his luck who gets caught up in some bad stuff. Tracks from Des Barres new album, 'Carnaby Street' will be played throughout the episode.

"I have worked on over 100 hours of television and I have never been on a set where everyone involved made me feel that I could fly with the material," says Michael, "and feel safe enough, respected enough to do good work. Mark Harmon is the Captain of a ship that sails around the television universe like the mothership of terrific entertainment." more on this story



Jimmy Page Recalls Celebration Day Reunion
(hennemusic) Led Zeppelin's new concert film, "Celebration Day", will premiere in New York (Tue) and London (Fri) before similar events take place next week in Berlin (Oct 15) and Tokyo (Oct 16).

Following the premiere events, the film will see a worldwide theatrical release on 1,500 screens in over 40 territories on October 17 before it goes on sale November 19.

Jimmy Page spoke with Rolling Stone about the concert, saying he recalls walking off stage after the reunion concert feeling "really high. That's the truth. It was a serious test, and we passed it, all of us. And we had an extraordinary communion on the stage. That's alive and well when you see it."

"The thing about Led Zeppelin was that it was always four musicians at the top of their game, but they could play like a band," Page says. "Even in the first couple of rehearsal days, running up to the O2, we were playing pretty good. But we really wanted to shine as a band." more on this story



Motorhead Releasing Headphones Aimed At Rock Lovers
(Classic Rock) Motorhead have launched a range of headphones with the aim of reproducing more authentic rock performances in listeners' ears.

Guitarist Phil Campbell says: "We wanted our music especially, and rock music in general, to sound great. We wanted to hear the mid-range and the guitars and for people to appreciate them.

"There's so much drum-and-bass stuff out there and that's fine, but these are for people who like listening to mid-range stuff." more on this story



The Trews Collaborate With Black Crowes Members
(Classic Rock) The Trews have recorded a new EP including collaborations with Rich Robinson and Eddie Harsch of the Black Crowes.

The band say the songs "run the gamut from tongue and cheek songs to heart felt country tinged rock."

Thank You and I'm Sorry is due out on November 6, and the band commence a Canadian and Australian tour on October 11. More rock news



David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust Cover Sign Part Of Exhibit
(Classic Rock) The original K West sign as seen on the cover of David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust album is among items on view at an exhibition of vintage Bowie posters and memorabilia in London.

The sign was rescued after being removed by a fan in the early 1980s and has been restored for the exhibition.

The exhibition also includes difficult-to-find items from 1969 to 1981 and will take place next month. more on this story



Iron Maiden Bandmates Haven't Listen To Steve Harris' New Album
(Classic Rock) Iron Maiden mainman Steve Harris believes his bandmates haven't heard his solo album British Lion.

He didn't want to force them into sitting through the recent release, and only played it to drummer Nicko McBrain when he asked to listen.

"When someone else in Maiden is working on another project, no one really talks about it. Bruce and Adrian don't go around broadcasting to the others and I didn't either," Harris tells Decibel. "Nicko asked to hear it so I played it for him. But the other guys haven't asked to hear it, so I haven't played it for them. Simple as that, really."

The bassist flatly denies the suggestion that his material is made up of Maiden cast-offs. more on this story



Father Told Jimi Hendrix 'You Can't Sing'
(Classic Rock) Jimi Hendrix's sister Janie has recalled the moment when the guitar icon told his incredulous father that he was going to sing as well as play guitar.

The axe icon didn't rate his own voice – an attitude reinforced by his dad. But when he prepared to travel to the UK ahead of what would be his golden era, the star-in-waiting had a solution to the problem.

Janie tells Music Radar: "Jimi never thought he was much of a singer. My dad was a decent singer and he could be brutally honest. He would say, 'You can't sing, so it's good you can play guitar.' He was very supportive of him in the guitar arena, but he was just being honest. more on this story



Beatles Fans Set World Record
(CBS Local) The Beatles' entire catalog remains one of the most enduring groups of songs in popular culture. Their first single "Love Me Do," the song is still fun and vibrant 50 years after its original U.K. release.

To celebrate the occasion, fans gathered in Liverpool's docks Friday afternoon to set a new world record for the most Beatles fans singing "Love Me Do" in a round.

Organized by the city's Beatles Story tourist attraction, the record setting sing-a-long drew in more than 1,500 participants from around the U.K. to crush the previous record of 897 people singing the song, according to The Telegraph. more on this story



KISS Song Used In TV Commercial and App
(hennemusic) KISS' 1979 hit, "I Was Made For Loving You," is featured in a new commercial for the U.K. coffee brand Costa.

The "Costa Coffee Heads" campaign, created by Karmarama, is running across TV, print, digital and in-store, and will culminate in a user-generated TV ad.

An app allows Costa Coffee fans to record and upload videos of themselves singing along to the KISS song, with the winning performances featuring in a later TV ad. more on this story




Anubis Gate Lineup Change
Anubis Gate have announced a lineup change with guitarist Jesper M Jensen leaving the group and being replaced by Third Eye's Michael Bodin. We were sent the following details:

Anubis Gate commented on former guitarist Jesper leaving the band: Jespers decision to leave the band to pursue other musical interests has been some time in the making, actually Jesper announced his leaving to the band 3 months ago, leaving us with good time to the difficult task of finding the right replacement. We feel it's important for everybody to know that Jespers exit has nothing to do with personal differences, in fact we are still the best of friends. Jesper simply found that now was the right time to try something new. We are of course sad that he is leaving but respect his decision and wish him nothing but the best.

We are happy to announce Michael Bodin as Jespers replacement. We know Michael from his works with Third Eye and nineties progmetal band Northern Empire. He is a fantastic player who can contribute with very interesting material, in fact he is already writing great new stuff for the new album which we expect out late 2013. We are looking very much forward to presenting the new lineup for you both on stage and on record.



B Sides


Singled Out: Seven Kingdoms
Today Seven Kingdoms guitarist Camden Cruz tells us about "After The Fall" from their brand new album "The Fire is Mine," which was released today. Here is the story:

When a band writes a song, 9 times out of 10 you have to figure out the tempo. Here at Seven Kingdoms we are always quality control checking to make sure a song is as fast as it can be without being "to fast" to not get the groove. After The Fall was recorded at 156 BPM on our record. Originally we had the song 'bumped up' as our drummer would call it, to 158 BPM; just because we had a song on the last record that was the same speed. We liked it just slightly faster and you really couldn't tell a difference - but it was there - just the simple fact that you know its faster! haha

So in February of this year we shot the video (yes, before we went to the studio) with the demo version playing as a time signature. The Demo was recorded at 156 BPM. And we didn't think anything of it. You could imagine our realization when we got to Morrisound that we had to slow the song down because we shot the video first. Low and behold, You would never have known and no one but us would probably ever be able to tell, but this is our incredible journey in search for two beats per minute. We're shooting the video after the record is recorded next time!

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



Megadeth Game Hits Facebook
(hennemusic) Leander Games has released the brand new Megadeth-branded slot game on Facebook.

Megadeth Slot game presents the brand slot of the band featuring Dave Mustaine, Dave Ellefson, Shawn Drover and Chris Broderick as the game's main symbols all along with the instruments and completed with the group's mascot, Vic Rattlehead, as the Bonus Symbol.

Some of the band's best known songs can be listened as the reels are spun, including "Symphony of Destruction," "Head Crusher" and "Hangar 18." more on this story



Marky Ramone Looks Back on Wikimetal
Ramones legend Marky Ramone is the featured guest on the latest episode of Wikimetal.

During the interview Marky remembers how he heard for the first time about The Ramones, how was the invitation for him to join the band.

He also talks about how was working with producer Phil Spector and he shares some memories about Joey, Johnny and Dee Dee.

Listen to the full episode here or listen to the interview here.



Hugh Cornwell Comfortable Playing Stranglers Songs Solo
(Classic Rock) Hugh Cornwell is now more comfortable with playing Stranglers material as part of his solo live set – so much so that his latest tour includes a full performance of the band's 1977 album No More Heroes.

Cornwell says: "I'd rather play my own stuff, but the Stranglers are part of my life. You can't deny where you come from; it's not healthy.

"I'm willing to play a proportion of old stuff, as long as I'm not expected to play it exactly as it sounded originally." [Chronicle Live] More rock news.



The Wallflowers Plays Something New And A Bit Familiar On Letterman
(CBS Local) The Wallflowers packed a number of tracks from their upcoming album, Glad All Over, as well as their most beloved songs, into their 40-plus minute Live On Letterman performance at New York's Ed Sullivan Theater on Thursday (October 5).

"We're gonna play something that's new and also a bit familiar," frontman Jakob Dylan announced before "Reboot The Mission" from the new album (due in stores October 9).

That statement seemed like a contradiction: but while the song is new, it has elements that would be familiar to fans of The Clash, a band that Dylan has long cited as an influence (Clash guitarist Mick Jones plays on the studio version).

Today's Day in Rock News!

Today's Day in Rock


Velvet Revolver Member Talks Break Up
Velvet Revolver's Matt Sorum used the words "break up" when describing the band in a recent interview before backtracking and calling it a hiatus.
After using the term "break up" in an interview with 'Source of the Sound With Wendy Campbell' Sorum backtracked and said, "I can't say we've broken up because it's a hiatus," reports Loudwire.

The site also reports that he sidestepped the question of whether the group would reunite with Scott Weiland by switching to talking about Slash's current group: "I think Slash is really kind of happy being Slash and not really dealing with the drama of being in a band. He's the leader of his band and they go on stage on time and they play songs. And I've gotta kind of respect Slash for that, because he spent most of his career waiting around for people to show up. [laughs] [So he wants to just] go out on the road and have a nice easy go of it. Get on a tour bus [with] a new band, play songs. I totally respect that."

And he had this to say about VR, "Velvet Revolver, in my opinion, was a miracle, in a way. Because here we are, guys in our 40s, putting together a band that's gonna be [perceived] as a modern rock and roll band. And we achieved that. We were competing against much younger guys, we had a huge success with it. I got my first Grammy, which was amazing and it was really, for me, one of the highlights of my life, because number one, I was an original member for the first time ever; I was always the guy that came in and took somebody's place. Velvet Revolver [consisted of] guys that I already played with before, but it was considered a new band." You can stream the audio interview here.



Metallica Giving Away Concert Download
(hennemusic) Metallica are offering up a free download of a 1994 concert at the County Fairgrounds in Middletown, NY.

The 2-hour, 19-track concert was captured during the band's "Summer Sh*t" tour stop on June 17, 1994.

The metal legends recently paid tribute to their late bassist, Cliff Burton, on the 26th anniversary of his passing, with a free concert download for fans. more on this story



Jake E Lee Recruits Iron Maiden and Cheap Trick Singers For New Album
(Classic Rock) Former Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Jake E Lee has begun work on a musical project after nearly a decade of keeping a low profile and he's looking for a singer to front it.

His new album will feature guest vocals from musicians including Paul Di'Anno, Robin Zander and Maria Brink, while the wanted artist will deliver at least one track on the record then perform all of them on tour.

Lee says the singer "must be capable of singing a couple of Ozzy and Badlands songs, while having a strong-enough identity to carry the band into the future." more on this story



Stone Sour Name New Member
(Classic Rock) Stone Sour have announced Johnu Chow as their new bassist following the departure of Shawn Economaki.

Guitarist Josh Rand says: "Johny is a fantastic player and a long-time friend. We are all excited to have him part of what will be our most exciting and ambitious album cycle yet."

Part one of their double-sections House of Gold and Bones, with bass tracks recorded by Rachel Bolan, is released later this month. More rock news.



Static-X Drop Off Emmure and Ill Nino Tour
Static-X have been forced to pull out their tour with Emmure and Ill Nino following Saturday night's show in Flint, Mi, due to the medical reasons.

The band's camp sent over these details: Wayne Static must return to Los Angeles and prepare for some medical procedures to remedy problems that have been hampering his performance.

Wayne relays his personal apologies: "I'm so sorry to all my fans but I cant give you the 1000% you deserve from Static-X every night right now. Evil disco will continue in 2013. Just wait until you see whats next!!!" more on this story



Geoff Tate Blames Queensryche's Labels For Band's Music
(Classic Rock) Former Queensryche singer Geoff Tate has shouted down suggestions that the band endured disappointing album sales because of a lack of quality in their musical output. And he insists the allegation that he refused to play some of their older songs is simply a lie.

Instead he says record labels are to blame for telling them what kind of songs to write then failing to support the resulting releases.

In the latest round of fighting that's resulted in two Queensryche lineups coming into existence, the frontman refutes his replacement Todd La Torre's suggestion that his musical direction was not the fans' satisfaction. Find out what Tate had to say.



Beatles Hey Jude Tops Literature List
(Classic Rock) Beatles classic Hey Jude has been named the song most often referred to in literature and the Fab Four have six tracks in the top 20.

The 1968 work was the first release on their Apple Records label, and has gone on to become a staple of Paul McCartney's solo shows, with a recent internet joke revolving round him providing a Hey Jude-o-gram service.

The literature list was compiled by culture interpretation website Small Demons, with the song placed ahead of material by Elvis, Led Zeppelin, Nirvana, Queen and Bob Dylan. See the top 20.




Gene Simmons Hosting KISS Army Night At Rocktoberfest
(hennemusic) KISS bassist Gene Simmons is hosting KISS Army Night at the first annual Rocktoberfest at L.A. Live.

The festival is presented by Rock & Brews, the restaurant concept founded by Simmons with restaurateur Michael Zislis and concert promoter Dave Furano.

Held at Nokia Plaza – L.A. Live, Rockterfest begins with an opening charity gala October 15 and wraps up with the Craft Brew Festival on October 21. more on this story




Metallica Saves Anthrax's Career
(Classic Rock) Anthrax bassist Frank Bello has credited Metallica for saving his band's career by giving them the "kick up the ass" they needed.

The Big 4 shows in 2010 and 2011 – also starring Slayer and Megadeth – forced Anthrax to refocus on delivering acclaimed album Worship Music, which had been blighted by a series of disasters over a number of years.

"I take my hat off to Metallica. Not only are they our friends, but they really gave us a kick in the ass, which is what we needed to be a band again." Bello tells Pure Grain Audio"Metallica's the biggest band in the world. To be on stage with them, let alone the Big 4, was huge for us. It put us back in the limelight, in front of this whole new fanbase." more on this story



Don Dokken To Stop Rockin' With Dokken
(Classic Rock) Don Dokken says Broken Bones is his last Dokken album, because he wants to move on to other projects.

The vocalist feels he's achieved everything he can in the confines of his current style of music, and he now wants to move in a different direction.

First up will be an acoustic music project with Michael Schenker – which Dokken says will be a departure for both of them. more on this story



Iron Maiden Add Another 2013 Concert Date
(hennemusic) Iron Maiden have announced a Paris concert date as part of their 2013 European Tour.

On June 5, Maiden will bring the Maiden England World tour to Paris Bercy, a venue they have played many times before, including on the original Seventh Son tour back in 1988.

The Paris show is the third date of the 2013 tour revealed so far; Maiden will headline the Download Festival on June 15, and play the new Friends Arena in Stockholm on July 13. more on this story



Motley Crue's Vince Neil Broke His Foot In Two Places
(Classic Rock) Motley Crue frontman Vince Neil says his broken foot requires him to wear surgical footwear on stage.

"It broke in two spots," he comments, "but it broke to where you can't cast it so I have to wear a boot.

"The boot the doctors gave me keeps it pretty steady, so onstage I can get around. I'm mostly hopping – well, not hopping; it's a big boot so it's a little awkward. But I didn't have to cancel any shows." more on this story




Queen Live Album and DVD, Blu-Ray Set For Release
(hennemusic) "Hungarian Rhapsody: Queen Live In Budapest" will be released on DVD, Blu-ray, 2CD+DVD Deluxe Edition and a 2CD+Blu-ray Deluxe Edition on November 6.

Originally filmed in 1986, this momentous concert movie has been re-mastered in high definition and superb 5.1 Surround Sound.

Also included on the DVD and Blu-ray is a new 25-minute documentary feature entitled "A Magic Year." This follows Queen from just after their historic show-stealing performance at Live Aid, London, on July 13, 1985, through the year leading up to the epic concert in Budapest. Using archive footage from rehearsals, interviews with the band in the studio and on the road during the Magic Tour — some of which has never been seen before — this fascinating feature has been specially created for this new release. more on this story




Mumford & Sons Set Online Record
(Gibson) Mumford & Sons album Babel has created a new record: it is officially the most streamed album in one week.

According to figures from Spotify, Babel was streamed over 8 million times in the U.S in the past seven days making it the most streamed album ever in the first week of it being on sale. At 8 million streams, Babel has three times more streams than Spotify's previous most streamed title.

According to Spotify, one in 10 Spotify users listened to a track from Babel last week. Perhaps it was to be expected: Mumford and Sons Babel is officially the fastest selling album of 2012 in the USA — it sold 600,000 copies this week making it the biggest debut album of this year. more on this story






The Who's Pete Townshend Was Told To Give Up Music
(Gibson) Pete Townshend's autobiography, Who I Am, is out 11 October. And speaking to The Sun newspaper he says his father told him he'd never make it. Why? Because he couldn't read music.

'"Around the time of my [school exam] '11-Plus' my father didn't think I would ever be a musician because I couldn't read music," says Townshend. "Although I was strumming around on my guitar, he felt I was hopeless and was encouraging me to write instead."

Townshend's father, also a musician, wanted Pete to become a journalist instead. After 100 million albums sold, Townshend thinks it is now much harder for aspiring musicians. ''Today, we see kids who can't afford to leave home. When my flatmate, Barney, and I got thrown out of our flat, we didn't know how to wash up or pay the rent, but it wasn't that we didn't have the money. We were never there when the landlord came so we just didn't bother to pay. One day the locks were changed. Now, many young people can't even get on the [property] ladder." more on this story





Why Donnie Purnell Wasn't Part of Kix Reunion
(Classic Rock) Kix frontman Steve Whiteman has explained why bassist Donnie Purnell was never asked to take part in the band's reunion and insists the fans don't miss him.

The American rockers, who enjoyed the height of their fame in the 1980s, got back together in 2003 with Mark Shenker on bass instead of Purnell. And nearly a decade on, the singer says the band had no intention of ever letting the founding member rejoin.

"When Kix disbanded in 1996 I started a band called Funny Money. I was given a vehicle where I could write my own material, which was hard to do in Kix because Donnie controlled everything in that band," Whiteman tells Sleaze Roxx. "There was a song Donnie and I had written that I wanted to release. I called him up so he wouldn't be blindsided by it – and he tore into me. He called me every name in the book. He accused me of using his name and his talent and said I was taking the song from him. It was the most unpleasant and nasty conversion I've ever had in my life." He had more to say.



B Sides


Led Zeppelin Preview Kashmir From Celebration Day Reunion DVD
(hennemusic) Led Zeppelin are sharing a preview of "Kashmir" from their forthcoming "Celebration Day" package.

The track is the second one to be offered up from the set, which documents the band's 2007 reunion at London's 02 Arena; the first was "Black Dog".

"Celebration Day," will be launched with premieres in New York (Oct 9), London (Oct 12), Berlin (Oct 15) and Tokyo (Oct 16). Watch the video here.



Black Country Communion Share More Making Of Afterglow
(hennemusic) Black Country Communion's third studio album, "Afterglow," will be released on October 30.

The supergroup is made up of bassist/vocalist Glenn Hughes (Deep Purple, Trapeze, Black Sabbath), blues rock guitarist/vocalist Joe Bonamassa, drummer Jason Bonham (Led Zeppelin), and keyboardist Derek Sherinian (Dream Theater).

BCC are also sharing the fourth webisode in a new series entitled "The Making Of Afterglow." Watch it here.



Green Day Release Troublemaker Video
(hennemusic) Green Day have released another new music video from their new album, "¡Uno!"

The video for the song "Troublemaker" features footage of the band in the studio and on stage.

"¡Uno!" was released just days after frontman Billie Joe Armstrong entered rehab last month following an onstage meltdown in Las Vegas. Watch the video here.




Wolfgang Van Halen Explains How He Joined Tremonti
(hennemusic) Wolfgang Van Halen joined Creed/Alter Bridge guitarist Mark Tremonti's solo band at the start of their tour last month – on 24 hours notice.

During a recent tour stop in Atlanta, Wolfgang explained how the whole thing came together, as he joined his friends in Tremonti. It turns out the young Van Halen star was in New Jersey hanging out in the studio with Sevendust when he got the call from Mark.

"Mark calls me at about 8:15 pm," begins Wolfgang. "And I'm like, 'Hey dude, what's going on? How are you?' He's like 'Not good. Brian [Marshall] had some personal things he has to take care of so we don't have a bassist. Are you in?' I was kinda like, 'Wow, OK, that's a huge commitment with the first show being tomorrow.' I told him, 'Let me do some thinking and I'll call you back.'

Today's Day in Rock News!

Today's Day in Rock


T.I. Saved Creed Frontman Scott Stapp's Life
Creed frontman Scott Stapp revealed during a television interview that rapper T.I. saved his life during a drug binge.
Stapp appeared on Vh1's Big Morning Buzz Live this week to promote his memoire and related the story which begins his book. He was in the penthouse of Miami's Delano Hotel and he "started hearing things like the cops were coming through the door and I started thinking... 'I can't embarrass my family.'"

He then said he tried to crawl over the penthouse balcony and fell 40 feet. He laid there for over two and half hours after fracturing his skull, breaking his hip and nose when his "guardian angel" T.I. showed up and saved him, "He immediately took care of the situation and saved my life," Stapp said. Watch the interview



Nightwish Already Planned To Oust Singer
(Classic Rock) Nightwish planned to split with singer Anette Olzon before the angry exchange that led to her departure this week.

Stand-in singer Floor Jansen, who was given 15 hours' notice ahead of her first appearance, has revealed she'd been preparing to start the job in November.

The split came after Nightwish performed a show without Olzon, who told fans she'd had to go to hospital, then objected to the Finnish outfit having played on in her absence. more on this story



Trapt Return With New Album and Tour
Trapt will be hitting the road later this month ahead of the November 20th release of their new album, Reborn.

The tour kicks off October 24th in Las Vegas and runs through November 29th wrapping up in Chico, California.

Reborn was produced by Trapt vocalist Chris Taylor Brown and Matt Thorne known for his work with The Eels, The Donnas & Bonnie McKee. "This record is really a new sound for Trapt," states vocalist/songwriter Brown. "With Reborn we really wanted to use new sounds and textures as well as experiment with delays, reverbs, synths and many other techniques we have learned over the years or have heard in our influences. Lyrically, this album is as deep and thoughtful as any album that Trapt has done in the past." more on this story




Rush Respond To Rock Hall Nomination
(hennemusic) Rush were one of the first-time nominees announced Wednesday for possible induction into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame's Class of 2013.

Rush have been eligible for the Rock Hall since 1998; artists are considered for inclusion 25 years after the release of their first recording.

The Canadian rockers issued a statement on Thursday: "We are honored to be among the nominees for this year's Rock 'N Roll Hall of Fame. We are especially thrilled for the many, many dedicated RUSH fans to whom this nomination is so very important." – Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, Neil Peart more on this story




KISS Set For Letterman Webcast
(hennemusic) To celebrate the 50th episode of the webcast concert series, "Live On Letterman," KISS will perform on the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York City.

The concert will be webcast live and available on CBS.com and VEVO, Wednesday, Oct. 10 (8:00 PM, ET/5:00 PM, PT).

KISS will perform fan favorites along with their recent single, "Hell or Hallelujah," from their new album, "Monster," which will be released October 9. more on this story




Why Ritchie Blackmore, Phil Lynott, Ian Paice Supergroup Didn't Happen
(Classic Rock) Deep Purple and Thin Lizzy supergroup Baby Face went nowhere because Phil Lynott wasn't a good enough bass player, says drummer Ian Paice.

He and Lynott formed the band with Ritchie Blackmore in 1972 and got as far as a brief rehearsal session before the idea was abandoned.

Blackmore and Paice approached Lynott with the idea of forming a band that would let them flex their muscles outside their increasingly strained confines of Deep Purple. Lynott had come to the guitarist's attention after he heared Lizzy's self-titled 1971 debut album.

Paice and Purple tour manager Colin Hart tell the story in Classic Rock Magazine No.176, on sale now. "Ritchie used to love his singing," says Hart. "Kind of like a young rod Stewart or Paul Rodgers." more on this story



Eddie Van Halen Appears Healthy At Tremoni Concert
(hennemusic) Eddie Van Halen appears to be healthy as he attended Wednesday night's Tremonti concert at the Beaumont Club in Kansas City.

Eddie's son – and Van Halen bassist - Wolfgang joined the group at the start of their tour last month, on 24 hours notice, filling in on bass for the absent Brian Marshall, who had to pull out for undisclosed personal reasons. "So glad my pop got to see the Tremonti gig tonight in KC!" tweeted Wolfgang after the show, along with a backstage photo.

Wolfgang is currently on an extended break from his band's "A Different Kind Of Truth" tour, as Eddie continues to recuperate following surgery for a severe bout of Diverticulitis that will have him sidelined for the next four to six months. More including the photos.



Rolling Stones Film Retrospective Coming
(hennemusic) In celebration of the 50th anniversary of The Rolling Stones, The Museum of Modern Art in New York presents The Rolling Stones: 50 Years on Film, a retrospective running November 15 to December 2, 2012.

This first comprehensive retrospective chronicles the band from the mid-1960s until today through documentaries, fiction features, concert films, music videos, experimental shorts, and archival footage, tracing the film careers of Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts and Ronnie Wood, as well as former band members Brian Jones, Mick Taylor and Bill Wyman, both collectively and individually as composers, performers, producers, and actors.

The exhibition opens on November 15 with a rare screening of Robert Frank's S-8 Stones Footage from Exile on Main St (1972), and Cocksucker Blues (1972), chronicling The Rolling Stones' 1972 North American cross-country tour; and closes with screenings on December 1 and 2 of Peter Whitehead's The Rolling Stones Charlie Is My Darling – Ireland 1965 (1965/2012), making its debut after an absence of more than 45 years and offering never-before-seen footage. more on this story



Deep Purple Machine Head Box Set Trailer Goes Online
(hennemusic) Deep Purple will release the 40th Anniversary Edition deluxe box set of their 1972 album classic, "Machine Head," on October 8th and a new trailer has gone online to promote it.

The new box set features 5 discs and will be accompanied with fully illustrated 60 page hardback booklet, housed in a luxury box.

In other news, the band are among the first-time nominees considered for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame's Class of 2013, alongside candidates like Rush, Heart, Joan Jett and a dozen others. Read more details about the box set and watch the trailer here.



J Mascis Was Asked To Join Nirvana Twice
(Banana 101.5) J Mascis, the frontman and only constant member of alternative heroes Dinosaur Jr., was almost a member of Nirvana.

In a new interview, Mascis confirms long-believed rumors that Kurt Cobain asked him to be the band's second guitarist after a show at Maxwell's in Hoboken, N.J, in the summer of 1989.

"Nirvana was playing Maxwell's and after the show I was talking to Kurt and [Sonic Youth's] Thurston Moore," Mascis told Spin. "Kurt said, 'You should join my band.' I think he was sick of the guy Jason [Everman] who was in the band at the time, and thought I should play guitar. I didn't think much about it. "

Despite the rejection, Cobain pressed Mascis a year later to join again




Foo Fighters Not Breaking Up
(Classic Rock) Dave Grohl has released a statement confirming the Foo Fighters are on hiatus but do not intend to split.

Fans became concerned at the weekend after he told the audience at New York's Central Park: "We don't have any shows after this. Honestly, I don't know when we're going to do it again."

Now Grohl explains, "I can't give up this band and I never will. Because it's not just a band to me – it's my life. It's my family. It's my world." more on this story



Hellyeah Announce Dates With Cult, Hinder, Lit and Lamb Of God
Hellyeah will be closing out 2012 on the road with extensive North American tour plans.

The band will kick things off with three dates along side The Cult, Hinder, Saving Abel and Lit.

Then Hellyeah will embark on a headline tour through Texas, across Canada and select East Coast gigs.

On November 20th they will hook up with Lamb of God in Atlanta, GA to kick off a tour which will run until December 16th. more on this story



Baroness Guitarist Relives Harrowing Bus Crash
(Classic Rock) Baroness guitarist John Baizley has relived the moments of terror when the band's tour bus left the road and plummeted off a viaduct in torrential rain.

The US band were part-way through a tour of England in August when the accident took place. Baizley was thrown through the bus windscreen, breaking an arm and a leg, and will remain in a wheelchair for weeks to come. He was the last member of the band to leave hospital and return home.

He says: "Our bus went entirely out of control. The brakes failed completely. We had no choice other than hitting a guardrail going about 50mph. We went fully airborne and fell more than 30 feet." Read the rest of his recount here.




Big Country Lineup Shake Up
(Classic Rock) Big Country have split with original bassist Tony Butler and manager Ian Grant, with Simple Minds man Derek Forbes becoming the latest addition to the band.

He joins Alarm frontman Mike Peters, founding members Bruce Watson and Mark Brzezicki plus Bruce's son Jamie.

The band will unveil their new lineup at a free concert on New Year's Eve in Inverness, bringing to an end a period of speculation which they admit has seemed "fractious" and "confusing". more on this story




Soundgarden Give Insight Into New Song
(hennemusic) Last week, Soundgarden released "Been Away Too Long," the first single from the band's forthcoming album, "King Animal" and Chris Cornell and Matt Cameron have given fans a little more insight into the song with a new behind the song video.

"'Been Away Too Long' is a song that reminds me of our 'Down on The Upside' period," says singer Chris Cornell, "but, in some ways, having kind of a different energy from anything we've ever done."

"Chris played us his demo and most of the music was pretty much intact and we all really were excited," adds drummer Matt Cameron. "That was one of the tracks where Chris had to shoehorn the vocals into what we considered the correct arrangement. We were all curious, like 'how's this one going to sound.'" Watch the video here.



Paul McCartney Attends Magical Mystery Tour Screening
(Gibson) Paul McCartney made a stop at a showing of the newly restored adaptation of the Beatles' 1967 film Magical Mystery Tour that happened Tuesday night (Oct. 2) at the British Film Institute in London.

As NME.com reports, the famed Beatle sat next to Giles Martin, the son of Fab Four producer George Martin, at the showing.

A few other stars joined McCartney in attendance, including former Jam singer Paul Weller, former Oasis singer Liam Gallagher and Monty Python member Terry Jones. An interesting mix, don't you think? more on this story





B Sides


Singled Out: Steel Trees' Stoner Zombie Killer Kids
Today Steel Trees frontman Tom Hannon tells us about the title track to their new album, "Stoner Zombie Killer Kids". Here is the story:

I have song spewing OCD and they always start out TOTALLY different to how they end up. At the beginning Stoner Zombie Killer Kids was just me on my acoustic. I had the main chorus which sounded more blues orientated and I really wanted a song with an instant hook that grabs the listener. I took the chorus into a band practice where we jammed it out for a while and we went away from the original blues idea and 'brought the rock' as Jack Black would say. The rest of the song was a complete accident.

The lyrics are two separate rants, the verse is a complete mish-mash of being really pissed off at people who take themselves too seriously, like people in the work place that worship their jobs and think they're better than you because they're higher up and can take the piss and treat you like sh*t. Its kind of saying to them "so what dude, go to work, do your job then f**k off, no need to be a dick".

The chorus is a different thing. Two extremes of ranting at the young baseball cap and tracksuit wearing chavs with no ambition but to do Mkat and listen to 'banging tunes mayte' as well as kick the sh*t out of people who are different to them. BUT its also about having f**king fun too! Haha, getting wrecked and having a good time!

Another massive influence on this track and the whole album was my love of classic horror films and b-movies that I grew up watching, I've always loved the film titles, sh*t acting and cheap effects.

Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen for yourself with a free download right here!



Geoff Tate Releases Lyric Video
Former Queensryche frontman Geoff Tate has released a lyric video for his new song "Dark Money."

The track is the first to be released from Tate's upcoming solo album Kings & Thieves, which will be released on November 6, 2012. Watch the video here.

Tate will head out this month on a two-month tour in support of Kings & Thieves, including a two week Canadian run with metal legend Alice Cooper. more on this story



Slash Rocks Conan
Slash featuring Myles Kennedy And The Conspirators made a stop by Conan's show on Thursday night.

Slash and the group performed their latest single, "Standing In The Sun," from their new album, Apocalyptic Love.

Earlier in the week the band was forced to postpone their concert at The Wiltern in Los Angeles due to singer Myles Kennedy suffering an illness.

Team Coco sent us a link for you to check out the Conan appearance if you missed it on TV. You can watch it here.



Motorhead Release New DVD Preview
(hennemusic) Motorhead have offered up another preview from their forthcoming new album and home video release, "The Wörld Is Ours - Vol 2: Anyplace Crazy As Anywhere Else."

In the latest clip, Motorhead pound their way through "Iron Fist," the title track to their 1982 album.

The project will be released in North America on October 22. You can watch the preview clip here.



Green Day Reveal Dos Track Details
(Gibson) Sure, Green Day's new album, ¡Uno!, is only a week old, but the guys are already setting their sights on their next album, ¡Dos!

The release -- the second in Green Day's ¡Uno! ¡Dos! ¡Tré! trilogy — will arrive on Nov. 13, and the trio just unveiled the track listing for the set.

Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong is currently in rehab, but it's expected that he'll be back with the band for promotion of the upcoming releases. See the tracklisting here.





Steel Panther Offer New DVD Preview
(hennemusic) Steel Panther have offered up the third full-song preview of their forthcoming live DVD, "The British Invasion."

Fans can now watch Panther's performance of "Girl From Oklahoma" from the DVD.

The band was captured in concert in London, England in 2010 for the set, which was directed by Daniel E. Catullo III, who has previously worked with artists like Rush, Chickenfoot, Godsmack and Alter Bridge

RNR HALL OF FAME DESPERATELY TRIES TO HANG ONTO SOME ROCK N ROLL CRED:

It only took them a decade and a half, but finally the Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame has seen to give some credit to 3 classic rock artists - Deep Purple, Rush and Heart are all nominated to be inducted to the Hall Of Fame in 2013. Of course, these 3 iconic acts couldn't be included without several more completely irrelevant and pointless names (N.W.A. for God's sake!!!! Plus Public Enemy and Kraftwerk among others). Isn't this the ROCK Hall Of Fame? Ah, who cares...there is still about 50 other acts being ignored, so I'll leave it at that.

From Rolling Stone: "This year's nominees for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame are one of the most diverse lots yet. In addition to classic rock acts such as Rush, Deep Purple and Procol Harum, the list also includes two seminal rap groups (Public Enemy and N.W.A.), two definitive disco hitmakers (Chic and Donna Summer) and two great blues acts (Albert King, the Paul Butterfield Blues Band). The nominees are rounded out by Motown's Marvelettes, the sister act Heart, tough-as-nails crew Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, the masterful L.A. songwriter Randy Newman, New Orleans funk architects the Meters and the pioneering German electronic group Kraftwerk. Read on for more on each of this year's nominees."

Nominees for the 2013 Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame
• Albert King
• Chic
• Deep Purple
• Donna Summer
• Heart
• Joan Jett & the Balckhearts
• Kraftwerk
• The Marvelettes
• The Meters
• N.W.A.
• Paul Butterfield Blues Band
• Procol Harum
• Public Enemy
• Randy Newman
• Rush

Today's Day in Rock News!

Today's Day in Rock


Rush and Deep Purple Lead Rock Hall Nominations
(Classic Rock) Rush and Deep Purple have finally been nominated for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Iconic British outfit Purple have been eligible for entry for 20 years while the Canadians have been eligible for 15. Both had been ignored up until 2013′s shortlist, with the subject a common one among fans and media alike.

They're nominated alongside Heart, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Procol Harum, the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Albert King, Kraftwerk, Randy Newman, Donna Summer, Public Enemy, NWA, Chic, the Marvelettes and the Meters. more on this story



Bill Ward Holds Out Black Sabbath Hope
(Classic Rock) Estranged Black Sabbath drummer Bill Ward says he'd like to play a part in the band's future, if it's likely to be a long run.

Despite bowing out of their heralded reunion after failing to reach a contractual agreement with Sabbath's managers, he says he loves playing with Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi and Terry 'Geezer' Butler as much as he did when they formed in 1969.

In the first of a six-part online TV show presented by Eagles of Death Metal frontman Jess Hughes, Ward says: "There have been some very uncomfortable situations in the last six months. We'll see how that works out. But I stand for myself today, as much as I love them.

"I'll always play – that's my life. If there's some longevity with Black Sabbath, then I'd like to be a part of it." more on this story



Morrissey Shoots Down The Smiths Reunion Rumor
(Gibson) A spokesperson for Morrissey has refuted rumors circulating recently that The Smiths might reform.

"The Smiths are never, ever going to reunite – ever," the Morrissey representative told Rolling Stone. Asked why, the spokesperson replied, "You would have to ask Morrissey that. There's got to be a story there, and maybe one day it will be told."

Guitarist Johnny Marr also rejected the idea of a reunion, telling NME.com, through his manager, "It isn't happening." Marr's statement reiterates comments he made to Rolling Stone earlier this year, regarding a possible Smiths reformation. "Nothing really gets off the ground, just purely because of money," Marr's said. "Certainly, as I see it, so many other things would have to be fixed and we're just too different to get them fixed, it appears." more on this story





Tarja Not Interested In Nightwish Reunion
(Classic Rock) Tarja Turunen has silenced requests for her to return to Nightwish, saying it's never going to happen.

The singer was fired in 2005, but fans have asked her whether she'd rejoin the band after her replacement Anette Olzon left earlier this week.

"I would be ready to return to Nightwish – if all the band and management were changed," Turunen tells Iltalehti. "No one knows what I went through over the years with the band. I accept how hard it is for fans to understand my feelings." more on this story



Two New KISS Songs Go Online
(hennemusic) KISS will release their 20th studio album, "Monster," on October 9 and the band is offering preview streams of two new tracks.

"Monster" features collaborations among all four KISS members — including co-founders Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons, and longtime members guitarist Tommy Thayer and drummer Eric Singer.

Fans can hear two of the tracks, "Long Way Down," and Eric Singer's lead vocal take on "All For The Love Of Rock & Roll" here.



Ritchie Blackmore Tributes Big Jim Sullivan
(Classic Rock) Ritchie Blackmore has paid tribute to Big Jim Sullivan, his former guitar tutor, who died this week.

The ex-Deep Purple guitarist issued the following statement via Facebook: "I first met Jim Sullivan in 1958. He was introduced to me by my sister-in-law's brother. We both lived in the same area: in Middlesex, Cranford. He was playing with Marty Wilde And The Wildcats. He showed me another level of playing. He was probably the most advanced guitarist in the London area.

"I would listen to the radio every week there was a Marty Wilde show. Jim was often featured on the show so I was glued to the radio. He also made some great instrumentals. One being Trambone and one being Peak Hour. He was the first guitarist to play through a wah-wah pedal. It was a DeArmond foot volume and tone control. I remember an instrumental called The Bat, where he used the pedal. That would've been around 1959. more on this story




Gwar Release Hilarious Cover Of Rock Classic
(Classic Rock) Gwar have unveiled new guitarist Pustulus Maximus in a dangerous-to-hear cover of Kansas classic Carry On Wayward Son.

Pustulus replaces Flattus Maximum (Cory Smoot) who tragically died in his sleep on the band's tour bus last year.

In the video, shot for AV Club Unvercover, Maximus explains of the song: "I hadn't even heard it till they played it for me the other days. I was convinced they'd written it and I was like, 'What are you guys doing writing that derivative crappy seventies crap crap. We're not playing that song ever again.' Kansas was a big part of a music where bands were often named after geographical locations. Let's hope that never happens again."

Among the lyrics Urungus remembers are: "Carry on my wayward son, get the hell off the couch and get a goddamn job, get your ass out the door, don't you cry no more." Watch it here.



Hughes Says Black Country Communion Just Need Break
(Classic Rock) Glenn Hughes has stepped back from recent comments about the future of Black Country Communion – saying the band just needs to take time away, and they could tour next year.

The frontman, a former member of Black Sabbath and Deep Purple, sparked speculation last month when he suggested BCC's third album Afterglow could be their last.

But now Hughes suggests all that's needed is a little time away. He tells Metal Talk: "In two years we've done three albums and one live album. That's quicker than Led Zeppelin and Purple. I don't think anybody except Joe releases albums that quick.

"Give us a break. I mean, we need to give you a break. I need a break. It's really difficult to write ten or twelve quality songs every year for three years. So I need a break now." more on this story



Slash Concert Postponed Due to Illness
(hennemusic) Slash featuring Myles Kennedy And The Conspirators postponed last night's concert at The Wiltern in Los Angeles, California due to illness.

"Vocalist Myles Kennedy is unfortunately ill and unable to perform at this time," stated a press release. "Patrons should hold onto their tickets for all postponed shows. The band regrets this inconvenience to their fans and thanks them for their support."

"We want to be 100% for this gig and we're just not at this moment," said Slash. "We'll be back December 2nd in fighting form. See you then!" more on this story



Queen's Brian May Launching Acoustic Tour
Queen guitarist Brian May is teaming up with singer Kerry Ellis to embark on an acoustic tour of the UK next month. QueenOnline had these details:

The two have enjoyed a hugely successful musical partnership in recent times, with Kerry earlier this year receiving the "Best Solo Performance" Whatsonstage.com award for "Anthems", the show arranged and produced by May as a showcase for her talents which premiered at London's Royal Albert Hall.

Beginning Monday, November 5, Brian and Kerry are heading out on the road to present their "Born Free" tour, a series of 11 intimate and totally acoustic shows performed under candlelight. more on this story



The Beatles Love Me Do 50th Anniversary Singles Pulled Over Error?
The Beatles were set to release a 50th anniversary replica single for their first song release, "Love Me Do," but the initial pressings have reportedly been pulled.

What is expected to become an instant collector's item for those that get their hands on them, the singles were sent out with the wrong version of the song.

The single was supposed to feature the version of the song recorded with Ringo Starr on drums but instead it featured a later recording featuring studio drummer Andy White, according to Examiner.com. You can read their report here.



Say Anything Kicking Off Tour Tonight
Say Anything will be kicking off their North American fall tour tonight in Anaheim, California.

The band is hitting the road in support of their latest album, Anarchy, My Dear, which was released on March 13th on Equal Vision Records.

The month-long tour will feature support from Tallhart (Ex-Marksmen), and will wrap up on October 28th in San Antonio, TX. more on this story



Jack White Releasing The Shins, The Kills and Seasick Steve Albums
(Gibson) The Shins, The Kills and Seasick Steve are set to record live albums that will be released by Jack White's Third Man label.

Each band will stage a show this month at the Third Man Records complex in Nashville. The shows will be recorded and released individually. White's Third Man building – which features a live venue, a recording studio and a retail store – has been undergoing renovations this summer. The upcoming live events are being hailed as its grand reopening, dubbed "Rocktober."

The Shins show will take place this Saturday (Oct. 6), with The Kills and Seasick Steve performing on October 10 and October 26, respectively. more on this story





Ash Plan First US Tour in Five Years and Special 20th Anniversary Release
Ash will be celebrating their 20th anniversary with a special release and their first U.S. tour in over five years. Their camp sent over these details:

The band plan a Special Edition Colored Triple-Vinyl US release of their famous A-Z Series this November through Noyes Records (an exact release date was not included in the announcement or on the label's website.)

The A-Z vinyl edition will include a card to download the digital version with bonus content and the entire A-Z Series will be made available via all Digital Service Providers for the first time in the US. Just watching them on stage, it's hard to believe Tim Wheeler, Mark Hamilton and Rick McMurray have been making music together as Ash since 1992. "We were all 15 when we started, so we still feel like a very young band," Wheeler marvels today. "It almost doesn't make sense that we've been around for so long!" more on this story



Two More Marty Friedman Albums Getting American Release
Prosthetic Records will be releasing two more albums from former Megadeth and Cacophony guitarist Marty Friedman for the first time in North America. They sent over these details:

Released in Japan in 2009 and 2011, respectively, "Tokyo Jukebox Vols. 1 & 2" -- the 9th and 11th chapters in Friedman's influential solo discography -- will make their U.S. debuts on Nov. 20 as a limited-edition, specially-priced 2CD release featuring artwork exclusive to this pressing and new liner notes by Friedman himself.

Soon after leaving Megadeth following a 10-year run in which the iconic band sold some 10 million albums worldwide, Friedman -- perhaps the most revered lead guitarist in thrash metal history -- moved to Japan, where over the past decade he became a household name. Between his solo releases and collaborations with Japanese stars, he has played on and written numerous Top 10 hits (including two #1's); he has also made hundreds of appearances on mainstream Japanese television and performed at legendary venues such as Budokan and the Tokyo Dome. more on this story



Smashing Pumpkins Earn Diamond Award and Plan Mellon Collie Releases
Big news for fans of The Smashing Pumpkins, their album 'Mellon Collie & The Infinite Sadness' has earned diamond sales certification and has been remastered for a reissue campaign including a box set. EMI sent over these details and a tracklisting for the various reissues:

The Smashing Pumpkins' career-defining 1995 double album Mellon Collie & The Infinite Sadness has earned Diamond certification by the RIAA for sales of 10,000,000 discs and digital equivalent per disc (5 million copies of the double album).

This news comes in the midst of Emi Music's extensive reissue campaign honoring the legacy of the iconic alternative band. It continues December 3 in North America and December 4 internationally with the Pumpkins' fourth album Mellon Collie & The Infinite Sadness receiving the fully remastered treatment for the first time. This follows last year's acclaimed reissues (*see quotes below) of the band's groundbreaking first two albums, Gish (1991) and Siamese Dream (1993), as well as this past summer's Pisces ISCARIOT (1994), the band's third album. more on this story



B Sides


Singled Out: Slam One Down
Today the members of Slam One Down tells us about the title track to their latest album, "Who Really Wants to Live Forever." Here is the story:

Bobby Brazen (Vocals): I remember when I began writing the lyrics for this song we only had a rough cut of the music and somebody said "I feel like this is going to be our Cowboys From Hell." And I feel like that's exactly what's happened with "Who Really Wants to Live Forever".. Being one of the earlier songs we wrote as a band, I already had a vision for what I wanted this song to do. Here was a band of guys who are no different than anyone else, who were going to take over the world headfirst, partying hard, full throttle, and on our own terms - because that's what we wanted to do. Just like the song says, "We're here to rock 'n roll, to change the world and take you all. No one can tell us we're wrong. NOW YOU'RE ONE OF US!!!!

J.R. (Guitars): The opening riff is really the foundation of the Slam One Down sound and groove. I've always liked riffs that I can hum or sing along to, and I also love when they make you have to work a little bit in metal, there's a time for big open chords and a time to be aggressive...and that's what happens here. This riff really moves and the gallops are always in keeping with a signature metal sound. I originally wrote the riff in a much higher register; more of a lead-type riff. After I played it a few times, I moved up the neck to the heaviest spot I could get it, and there you have it. The rest of the track flows so well with the riff because it all revolves around the same key as the intro.. The bridge was more of a heavy breakdown. but when I sat down to record it I kept hearing harmonies behind it. So, I decided to lay down those simple harmony riffs, and it worked out. Live, it's all about brutality. I am a big fan of build-ups, too, I love how the bridge builds up to a real heavy climax.

Shane(Bass): This song really does sum up the album and the attitude of Slam One Down. The way I see it, the message is two-pronged: who wants to do something that will live on and be greater than themselves? On the flip-side of that, it's "Who really cares? It's about doing what we love and having a great time while we're doing it!" Either way you interpret the song, if you are here with us, really getting into the song, then you're one of us!

Roach (Drums) : "Who Really Wants To live Forever" is the quintessential party rock anthem. With the anthemic chorus and thrash style throughout the song it's very fun to play live and see the crowd get into it. Out of all the songs on the album, this one is the most recognizable to me. The guitar riff intro tells you right away what's going to happen throughout the song and Bobby's vocals reaffirm that. The first time we played this live, and I saw people at shows singing along with the lyrics, I knew this song was going to be an instant hit. With this song, I really worked on my drum chops. I didn't previously play a lot of double bass in the songs, but this song definitely changed that. It's intricate in terms of playing and with the acrobatics I do with my sticks. I always look forward to playing this one in a set.

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



Deftones Streaming New Song Online
Deftones fans have been patiently waiting for the November 13th release of their new album and the band has premiered a new song to tide them over.

Deftones are currently streaming "Tempest," the first single off from their seventh studio album Koi No Yokan, here

Deftones will also be kicking off their North American headline tour next week on October 9th. more on this story



Led Zeppelin Release Celebration Day Widget
(hennemusic) Led Zeppelin's new concert film, "Celebration Day," will be launched with premieres in New York (Oct 9), London (Oct 12), Berlin (Oct 15) and Tokyo (Oct 16).

Following the premiere events, the film will see a worldwide theatrical release on 1,500 screens in over 40 territories on October 17 before it goes on sale November 19.

Led Zeppelin have released a widget to help fans locate a screening in their area – see and use it here.



David Coverdale Answers Whitesnake Fan Questions
(hennemusic) Whitesnake TV continues to deliver new episodes. The latest features Whitesnake leader David Coverdale answering fan-submitted video questions about his life and career.

"This is something that we've been trying to achieve for a long time," explains Coverdale. "Whereas instead of me interacting on the BBS with answering posts and typing and ruining my manicure, we thought we'd try this on Whitesnake TV, where we do the video question and answers."

The new feature is the fifth episode from the newly-launched WSTV. You can watch it here.



Sites & Sounds: Jack Kerouac, Jerry Garcia, Kathy Griffin and Haagen Dazs
antiMusic travel editor Kevin Wierzbicki takes a trip to the Bay Area for this week's edition of Sites & Sounds. Find out what Jack Kerouac, Jerry Garcia, Kathy Griffin and Haagen Dazs have in common. Here you go:

Does thinking about San Francisco have you conjuring images of Jack Kerouac and the city's fabled Beatnik scene, or perhaps bring to mind one of the Bay Area's most legendary bands, the Grateful Dead?

The newly-remodeled Hotel Triton from Kimpton Hotels honors both eras. Kerouac's words are incorporated into the design of many of the rooms, including on wallpaper that's inscribed with "All human beings are also dream beings; dreaming ties all mankind together" and other inspirational quotes from the beat poet.

Guests will also find Kerouac's On the Road and Allen Ginsberg's Howl on their bedside table along with a selection of books inspired by San Francisco. Those more into a Summer of Love vibe can book the Jerry Garcia suite; this is not a room crammed full of Grateful Dead memorabilia, rather it is a room that was designed by the late guitarist.

Hotel Triton also has a suite designed by comedienne Kathy Griffin and a somewhat wacky suite that pays homage to Haagen Dazs ice cream

Today's Day in Rock News!

Today's Day in Rock


Foo Fighters Confirm Hiatus
Dave Grohl has ended the speculation about the Foo Fighters plans to go on hiatus by confirming that the band plans to take a break and he's "not sure when the Foo Fighters are good to play again."
Grohl informed fans via the band's Facebook page with the following message: Dave here. Just wanted to write and thank you all again from the bottom of my heart for another incredible year. (Our 18th, to be exact!) We truly never could have done any of this without you…

Never in my wildest dreams did I think Foo Fighters would make it this far. I never thought we COULD make it this far, to be honest. There were times when I didn't think the band would survive. There were times when I wanted to give up. But… I can't give up this band. And I never will. Because it's not just a band to me. It's my life. It's my family. It's my world.

Yes… I was serious. I'm not sure when the Foo Fighters are going to play again. It feels strange to say that, but it's a good thing for all of us to go away for a while. It's one of the reasons we're still here. Make sense? I never want to NOT be in this band. So, sometimes it's good to just… put it back in the garage for a while… more



Underoath Breaking Up
Underoath are calling it quits after 15 years but the band will be embarking on a farewell tour and releasing a new retrospective collection.

The new release, 'Anthology 1999-2013′, will be released on November 6th and will include two new recordings, 'Sunburnt' and 'Unsound,' which they recorded with longtime producer Matt Goldman.

"Over the past decade or so of our lives, we have been able to live a dream traveling the world, playing music that excites us, and meeting more amazing people than we could have ever fathomed," says keyboardist Chris Dudley. "This couldn't be a more bittersweet moment for us. We have accomplished more, met more friends, seen more places and have just done more than we could have ever imagined, and we really wanted to just go out on the highest note possible. That's why we have put together a group of great friends and musicians for what will be our final tour ever. We are taking every moment of this tour as an opportunity to say goodbye to you all, as well as celebrate what has taken place over all these years. The love we have and the debt of gratitude that we owe to all of you is not able to be measured in any way." more on this story



Josh Freese Leaves A Perfect Circle
Josh Freese has officially parted ways with A Perfect Circle, informing fans of his decision on Tuesday.

Freese took to his Twitter account to inform fans with the following: "After 13 years, I've decided to leave @aperfectcircle with no plans of returning. Apologies to those inquiring about the upcoming shows."

Freese is currently playing drums with Weezer, Devo and Sublime with Rome. He was unable to perform with APC last year and the band brought on Puscifer's Jeff Friedl to fill in for him. more on this story



Dave Matthews Band Plan Winter Tour
Dave Matthews Band plan to close out 2012 with an early Winter North American tour.

The tour will kick off on November 30th with the first of two shows at IZOD Center in East Rutherford, NJ. The tour will also include a two-night stand at John Paul Jones Arena in the band's hometown of Charlottesville, VA (12/14 & 15) and its first show at the newly opened Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY (12/21).

The Lumineers will join the tour as a supporting act beginning on December 12th in Raleigh, NC. The support act for the beginning of the tour has yet to be announced. more on this story



Queensryche Trying To Prevent Geoff Tate From Using Their Name
Queensryche have fired another shot in their legal battle against their former singer Geoff Tate.

The group is attempting to keep Tate from using the band's name until the current legal case is resolved, according to Billboard who spoke with a member of the band about the latest legal move.

They report that the band filed a motion for partial summary judgment on September 21st asking Washington state's King County Superior Court to declare that Tate "has no right to the Queensryche band name, marks and media assets since he has no grant of authority from the TriRyche Corporation that owns them, unless and until he is able to succeed on his claims to dissolve the Queensryche corporations, and to enter a permanent injunction to the same." You can read more and the band member's comments here.



Hinder Set New Album Release and Stream New Song
Hinder are giving fans an early taste of their forthcoming album, Welcome to The Freakshow, with the release of a new lyric video.

The album will be released on December 4th and the first single, "Save Me," was released this week along with the lyric video that can be viewed here.

The album was co-produced by drummer Cody Hanson and Marshall Dutton in a hometown studio. more on this story



Led Zeppelin Add Celebration Day Premiere Events
(hennemusic) Following news that members of Led Zeppelin will be attending special premiere screenings of their new film, "Celebration Day," in New York and London, the band has announced two additional events.

"Celebration Day" will then have its U.K. premiere at London's legendary Hammersmith Apollo on October 12. Jones, Page, and Plant will also be attendance for this special event and a limited number of tickets will be made available to fans for £20.

On Tuesday, Zeppelin announced additional premiere screenings for Berlin (October 15) and Tokyo (October 16); locations for the new dates are to be announced. more on this story



Guns N' Roses Concert Headed To Theaters
(hennemusic) A Guns N' Roses concert filmed at London's 02 Arena will see its debut in German cinemas later this month.

On October 29th at 8 PM, UCI Events will screen the HD recording of the grand finale of GNR's 2012 tour from last June, at select UCI Cinemas in Germany.

Fans can get a taste of what is to come by watching the official trailer for the theatrical event here.



Iron Maiden Sells Out Stadium In Record Time
(hennemusic) On July 13, 2013, Iron Maiden's "Maiden England" tour will hit Sweden, where the band will play at Friends Arena, the new national stadium in Stockholm.

The Maiden date is the first rock show ever to be announced at this brand new 50,000-capacity venue, which the band has sold out in record-breaking time.

Ticket demand for Maiden was so great on Tuesday that the show sold out as quickly as the ticket system could handle it, reports the band. more on this story



Guitar Idol Big Jim Sullivan Dead at 71
In the 60s when it came to the top British session guitarists there was Little Jimmy Page and Big Jim Sullivan. Classic Rock reports the sad news that Sullivan has died at the age of 71:

Sullivan, real name James Tomkins, was a highly-accomplished musician who started his career in 1959 as a member of Marty Wilde's band.

He helped future Deep Purple icon Ritchie Blackmore learn to play guitar and also started Yes and Asia guitarist Steve Howe on his road to success. He recorded tracks for 55 number one hits, starting with Frankie Vaughn's Tower of Strength in 1960 and ending with Pilot's January in 1975.

In between times he worked with George Harrison, Frank Zappa, Alvin Stardust, the New Seekers, Thunderclap Newman, Angel, Love Affair, Long John Baldry, Marmalade, the Tremeloes, Jet Harris and and Tony Meehan plus many others. more on this story



Grey's Anatomy Star Vs Billy Corgan
(TMZ) "Grey's Anatomy" star Eric Dane has declared legal war on his "Smashing Pumpkins" neighbor Billy Corgan, claiming a falling tree nearly KILLED Eric's pregnant wife ... and it's all Billy's fault -- but Billy tells TMZ, he's innocent.

Eric and his wife Rebecca Gayheart filed the lawsuit in L.A. County Superior Court -- claiming one of Billy's trees came crashing through their Beverly Hills home during a nasty storm last year ... flooding the house ... and breaking a giant power line.

Thanks to the fallen tree, Eric claims Rebecca -- nine months pregnant at the time -- had to evacuate a "quickly flooding" home while dodging live high-voltage wires. TMZ posted pics of the damage.

Eric claims Billy had been warned about the dangerous eucalyptus trees on his property and failed to take action.

But Billy tells TMZ, that's "patently untrue" ... insisting he was never warned about his dangerous trees and didn't realize they posed a threat until it was too late.

Billy says, "I was horrified when I learned about the tree falling during what was a massive storm, a storm with winds strong enough to uproot a 50 ft tree by its base! Thankfully no one was injured."

As soon as the accident happened, Billy says he called an expert to have similarly dangerous trees removed from his property. Billy calls the lawsuit "a shame ... because [Eric and Rebecca] are nice people."

Eric and Rebecca are suing for nuisance, negligence, and injunctive relief -- demanding unspecified damages. more on this story



Marshall Tucker Band's Can't You See Tops Southern Rock Song List
Marshall Tucker Band's hit "Can't You See" has been named the No. 1 greatest southern rock song ever recorded by Ultimate Classic Rock.

"We are over the top with this announcement from Ultimate Classic Rock," raves Marshall Tucker Band lead singer and founding member Doug Gray. "It certainly lets us all know that 'Can't You See' is and will continue to be appreciated for a very long time."

"Can't You See" was written by the late Toy Caldwell and was originally recorded in 1973. It was later released as a single in 1977 and soared to the top of several national music charts. more on this story



The Rollin' Stones Became The Rolling Stones
(Gibson) Dick Taylor of The Pretty Things was also one of the original members of the Rolling Stones, or as they were then the Rollin Stones (no "g").

Taylor explained the spelling to Noise11.com: "Yeah because 'Rollin' Stone Blues' was how it was spelt on the Muddy Waters record. I noticed in the very first gig we ever did it was billed as Mick Jagger and the Rollin' Stones.

Taylor also remembers the shy Keith Richards joining up. "I was involved with Mick from a very early age. Then when I went to Art School I met Keith Richards. There I was at art school at the age of 16 and still rehearsing with Mick. Keith was playing guitar. He was fascinated by Scotty Moore. He was too shy to suggest he come around to rehearse with us until one day he and Mick caught up with each other. They had known each other when they were really young. At that point we decided to get him round. Then we had Mick, myself and Keith playing together for quite a while. Then we met Brian Jones and the Rolling Stones came together'. more on this story





Metallica Plan Vans Collection
Metallica have announced a creative partnership with Vans for a shoe collection which will kick off in October with a limited edition Vans x Metallica 20th Anniversary Half Cab Pro. Metallica's camp sent over these details about what is to follow:

The collaboration will continue late this winter with two product drops: a four-piece "Passion Project" collection designed by each member of Metallica coming in February and a two-shoe salute to the band's debut album, Kill 'Em All, delivering in March.

As a thank you to the fans that have made Metallica one of the most successful acts of the past 30 years, the unique "Passion Project" collection will launch exclusively to Met Club members in January prior to being made available to the general public. more on this story



Mr. Blue Sky: The Story of Jeff Lynne and ELO Coming To TV
The new documentary "Mr. Blue Sky: The Story of Jeff Lynne and ELO," is set to debut on HD TV.

The film will be premiere on MTV's high def channel Palladia on Sunday, October 7 at 9:00 PM ET and will be airing throughout the month, as well as VH1 Classic starting Wednesday, October 10.

Here is the synopsis of the documentary: Mr. Blue Sky: The Story of Jeff Lynne and ELO gets to the heart of who Jeff Lynne is and how he has had such a tremendous musical influence on our world. The answer--as told by the British artist himself and such distinguished collaborators and friends of JEFF as Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Tom Petty, Joe Walsh, Olivia and Dhani Harrison, Barbara Orbison and Eric Idle--is that LYNNE is a true man of music for whom the recording studio is his greatest instrument. Lynne recently made a rare appearance at The Grammy Museum in downtown Los Angeles (9/12) at the film's premiere screening. Lynne's friends on hand included Tom Petty and guitarist Mike Campbell, Joe Walsh, Olivia Harrison, musician Gary Wright and drummer Jim Keltner. more on this story



White Denim and Maps & Atlases For Bonnaroo365 Tour
White Denim and Maps & Atlases lead the lineup for the upcoming Bonnaroo365 Tour.

The college tour will kick off on October 24th at the Granada Theater in Lawrence, KS.

"One of the most gratifying parts of Bonnaroo is knowing that we were part of a band's early success and able to help nurture them in their development stages," said Superfly's Rick Farman. "We want the Bonnaroo365 Tour to underscore this part of the festival and to hopefully give emerging artists yet another platform from which to grow their careers." more on this story



Hellyeah Tap Holy Grail For North American Tour
Holy Grail will be hitting the road with Hellyeah later this month for a run of North American dates.

The three week trek is set to kick off on October 23rd in Waco, Texas and will wrap up on November 16th in Jacksonville, NC

Holy Grail vocalist James Paul Luna had this to say, "We got to play some shows with Hellyeah earlier this year during our first Australian tour, and we're stoked that they invited us to do some more shows together this fall. We can't wait to party once again with those guys, especially the legendary Vinnie Paul!" more on this story



B Sides


Iron Maiden's Steve Harris Releases Solo Video
(hennemusic) Iron Maiden founder and bassist Steve Harris has release a music video for "This Is My God," the lead track from his new solo album, "British Lion."

The album features ten songs that Steve and his collaborators have been working on for the past few years between Maiden tours and releases.

With Maiden, Harris has become one of the most recognized and successful ambassadors for British music on the world stage. The group have released 15 studio albums, sold over 85 million records worldwide and played more than two thousand gigs in 58 countries in the band's thirty-five year career. Watch the video here.



Mars Volta In Alien Comedy
The Mars Volta's Cedric Bixler-Zavala is featured in the new episode of Warner Sound's comedy series Gorburger.

Gorburger - an alien from the outer space - has invaded and taken a Japanese news network hostage as host of his own talk show interviewing bands, musicians and celebrities all the while satisfying his thirst for bloodlust.

You can watch The Gorburger Show EP 3 featuring Cedric of The Mars Volta and Chelsea Wolfe here.



Lynyrd Skynyrd Perform on Craig Ferguson
(hennemusic) Lynyrd Skynyrd continue to promote their newly-released album, "Last Of A Dyin' Breed."

On Monday night, the rock icons stopped by to perform the project's title track on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson.

Upon its release the album debuted at No. 14 on the Billboard Top 200 Album Chart, the highest charting for a Skynyrd album since 1977. Watch the Craig Ferguson performance here.



Heart Perform Live With Kelly And Michael
(hennemusic) Heart released their new album, "Fanatic," on Tuesday and celebrated with a performance of the title track on Live With Kelly And Michael.

Fanatic is the first album of new music from Ann and Nancy Wilson since 2010's "Red Velvet Car."

The new project was recorded in hotel rooms and studios up and down the West Coast, with Grammy-winning producer Ben Mink back at the helm with the Wilson sisters drawing from their own lives and personal experiences as inspiration for their music.

Today's Day in Rock News!

Today's Day in Rock


Axl Rose To Give First Live TV Interview In 20 Years
(hennemusic) Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose has scheduled his first sit-down, live television broadcast interview in more than 20 years.
Rose will appear on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Wednesday, October 24 to promote GNR's "Appetite For Democracy" residency at The Joint inside Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, where the band will play 12 shows between October 31 and November 24.

"Appetite For Democracy" will span material from their debut album "Appetite For Destruction" (1987) through their latest record "Chinese Democracy" (2008). more on this story



Led Zeppelin To Attend Celebration Day Premieres
(hennemusic) Led Zeppelin members will be attending two special premiere screenings of their new film, "Celebration Day."

The movie, which documents the band's 2007 concert at London's O2 Arena, will make its U.S. debut at the historic Ziegfeld Theater in New York's theater district on October 9.

Prior to the premiere, founding members John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page, and Robert Plant will be joined by Jason Bonham, the son of their late drummer John Bonham, for a press conference at New York's Museum of Modern Art. more on this story



Government Agencies Plotted To End Rolling Stones Career?
(Classic Rock) An author claims [the British intelligence agency] MI5 [and the FBI] planned to sabotage the Rolling Stones' career, and the infamous Redlands raid was the result of a carefully-orchestrated plot.

Philip Norman says the British secret service forced a drug dealer to infiltrate band circles with the intention of discrediting Mick Jagger and co, so that they'd fall out of fame.

The police raid on Keith Richards' Redlands home in February 1967 failed to secure the end of the Stones, although Jagger and Richards both spent time in jail as a result of the investigation. The plot thickens.



Nightwish Part Ways With Singer
(Classic Rock) Singer Anette Olzon has split with Nightwish in a spirit of "mutual understanding," the band says. The move follows an online rant where she criticised the Finnish band for performing a show without her at the weekend.

She missed the Nightwish show in Denver, Colorado and was temporarily replaced by support band Kamelot's backing singers Elize Ryd and Alissa White-Gluz.

Olzon told fans she'd been admitted to hospital with suspected stress complications, during which doctors discovered a cyst in her liver which would require further treatment. more on this story



Killswitch Engage, Shadows Fall and Acaro Tour
Killswitch Engage will be hitting the road next month for their "Alive Or Just Breathing" 10th anniversary tour which will feature support from Shadows Fall and Acaro.

The tour will kick off on November 24 with KsE's headline set at the annual California Metalfest in San Bernardino, CA and will conclude on December 20 in Portland, Maine. Roadrunner sent over these details:

With original frontman Jesse Leach, who left the band shortly after AOJB's release, back in the fold since early 2012, the time was more than perfect for the band to celebrate the album with a tour during which they will play the entire album from start to finish. They will also play other more recent hits. more on this story



The Black Keys Plan New Album
(CBS Local) The Black Keys revealed in an interview with CBS Local that they'll begin work on their eighth album, a follow-up to 2011′s El Camino, early next year.

Drummer Patrick Carney gave us a run-down of the events to come in their world: "We're going to start making a new album in January and we're going to tour a little more in the spring.

"Our plan is the have the new album done by the end of spring or earlier, then hopefully take a few months off to do normal things like go to bed early and wake up early, walk the dog, that kind of stuff. Then we'll probably be back on the road starting next fall." A lot more here.



Dillinger Escape Plan To Begin Recording New Album
Dillinger Escape Plan have tapped Steve Evetts to produce their new album and will be entering the studio next month to begin recording the effort.

Guitarist Ben Weinman had this to say: "This new material is very punk-, very hardcore-influenced. Maybe it's all the amazing bands reuniting from my youth that is inspiring this. Billy [Rymer] and I have just been listening to old hardcore records blasting through my house and then going down to the dungeon and just bashing. Greg [Puciato] also seems to be in a very dark place lyrically. I think it's going to be pretty creepy. If these songs don't put some holes in the wall, I don't know what will."

The band later added on their Facebook page, "This of course is misinformation on Ben's part, as the new album is as of now shaping up to be progressive ambient trance mixed with noise."






Zappa Roxy DVD To Be Released After Four Decade Wait
(Gibson) It's been a long wait, but it looks like Frank Zappa fans are finally about to get their hands on something they've waited four decades for.

December 8, 9 and 10, 2013, mark the 40th anniversary of Zappa's three performances at the Roxy Theatre on Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood. Those are the gigs which formed the basis of the legendary Roxy & Elsewhere album.

Over the weekend, the Zappa Family Trust announced that they've quite thoroughly identified all parts and participles of the audio and video recordings of this famous run of shows, and will finally deliver a concert film in theatres, DVD and on Blu-Ray some time before December 2013.

In the meantime, in anticipation of the actual movie, the ZFT will release a prequel to the soundtrack more on this story






Gwar Name New Guitarist
Almost a year after Cory Smoot's untimely death, Gwar have named the guitarist who will be replacing him. The group made the announcement in their usual way. Here you go:

It was a little less than a year ago that the world was rocked by the passing of Flattus Maximus, back to the cosmos from whence he came. And since that day fans of GWAR have wondered how the mighty overlords of GWAR would deal with the void it left within the band. GWAR responded the only way they knew how-by soldiering on-and continued to play as a four-piece. But from the very beginning of that phase, the quest began to find the new Scumdog that was in every way as magnificent as his predecessor. Today the members of GWAR are pleased to inform their legions of followers, and even more so their many enemies, that once again the band is whole, with the proclamation that long-lost cousin of Flattus, Pustulus Maximus, has officially joined the band in the position of lead guitarist, and will join with the group on their upcoming "Fate or Chaos" tour.

Pustulus offered his first words to the press with the following, "At this point I have nothing to say to the press, even though I am talking to you. I will let my guitar speak for itself. But let me add that I am blood-sworn to honor the legacy of the great Flattus and indeed the whole Maximus tribe. I didn't come here to f**k around. HAIL FLATTUS!" more on this story




Machine Head Releasing Double Live Album Next Month
Machine Head will be releasing a double live album with a Walmart unfriendly name of Machine F___ing Head Live on November 13.

The album was recorded at various tour stops across the globe last year. It includes songs from the band's catalog, including "Imperium," "Aesthetics of Hate," "Locust" "Ten Ton Hammer," "This Is The End" and of course, "Halo."

"The Head Cases [fans of the band] have been so intense on this tour cycle that we had to start capturing the shows, especially with technology making it so much easier to record," said frontman Robb Flynn. "We culled some of the best nights where the band and crowd were on fire and made a bad ass, nearly tw0-hour, double live album, which is a great documentation of where the band is at 18 years deep." more on this story



Aerosmith To Appear on Radio Screamer This Week
(hennemusic) Aerosmith continue to spread the word about the November 6 release of their new album, "Music From Another Dimension."

This Wednesday, October 3 at 2:00pm PT (5:00om ET), Aerosmith will join Diamond-Dave Castagno for a Radio Screamer interview session.

Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Brad Whitford, Tom Hamilton and Joey Kramer will all be on hand to discuss the forthcoming Aerosmith album, as well as their long and illustrious career. more on this story



Pearl Jam and The Black Keys Lead Lollapalooza Chile Lineup
(Gibson) The line-up for Lollapalooza Chile 2013 has been announced, and it features some pretty big names.

Leading the charge are Pearl Jam and The Black Keys, along with Deadmau5, Queens of the Stone Age, A Perfect Circle, Franz Ferdinand, The Hives, Kaiser Chiefs, Keane, Nas, Two Door Cinema Club, The Temper Trap, Mike Patton's Tomahawk, Hot Chip, Maynard Keenan's Pusifer, Bad Brains, Alabama Shakes and many more. Lollapalooza Chile takes place on April 6 and 7 at Santiago's O'Higgins Park.

In August Lollapalooza founder Perry Farrell announced that the festival would debut a branch in Tel Aviv, Israel. The event is scheduled for August 20 to 22, 2013 in Yarkon Park, the largest park in Israel. more on this story





Metallica's Kirk Hammett Looks Back At Master of Puppets
(Classic Rock) Metallica's Kirk Hammett remembers being bored during recording sessions for their classic album Master of Puppets, because it took Lars Ulrich so long to lay down his drum tracks.

The guitarist says he'd sometimes have to hang around for days, playing cards with late bassist Cliff Burton. But despite that, he has fond memories of making the 1986 work, recently voted the greatest heavy metal album of all time.

"That album is my favourite Metallica album. We'd been playing together as a band with that lineup for about three years," Hammett tells Rolling Stone. "We were definitely peaking. Master of Puppets, in my opinion, was the sound of a band really gelling, really learning how to work well together." more on this story



BB King Film To Hit UK Theaters
(Classic Rock) A film about the life of blues legend BB King will open in cinemas across the UK on October 15.

BB King: The Life Of Riley is directed and produced by Jon Brewer, who has been given exclusive access to King's friends, family and colleagues. The movie promises to be a no-holds-barred doc that explores how a black cotton picker from Mississippi turned his life around and battled against the odds (and rampant racism) to become King Of The Blues, performing over 15,000 gigs and selling in excess of 40 million records worldwide to date.

The film is narrated by Morgan Freeman and features contributions from Eric Clapton, Bono, Ringo Starr, Carlos Santana, Bill Wyman, Slash, Bonnie Raitt, Peter Green, Buddy Guy, Ronnie Wood, Bruce Willis and many more. More including the trailer.




Doogie Howser And ZZ Top
Classic Rock Revisited spoke with ZZ Top star Billy Gibbons about several songs on their new album, La Futura, as well as why long beards have never taken off as a fashion statement, the time ZZ Time played and recorded after a hurricane and who would play the band in a movie written about them. Here is that last part of the exchange:

Classic Rock Revisited: when they make the ZZ Top movie… A) What will it be rated? B) Who will play each member of the band and C) Will the soundtrack be better than the actual movie?

Billy Gibbons: It will be rated "ZZ," of course or, maybe "ZZ 13." Frank will be played by Neil Patrick Harris, Dusty will be played by Dustin Hoffman (he's already got the name part down) and yours truly, the Reverend Willy G, will be played by either George Clooney or Brad Pitt. I'm sort of kidding about that last one. Would you believe Denzel Washington? No, huh? The album won't be as good as the movie because I don't think "Doogie Howser" is a particularly great drummer, but I could be wrong. more on this story




Ugly Kid Joe Need A Kickstart From Fans
(Classic Rock) Ugly Kid Joe have launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund the making of a video for new track I'm Alright.

The band say: "Only with your help and generosity can we make this thing happen.

"We have lots of cool merchandise – some very rare and limited – and even a special experience on the set to offer you." more on this story



B Sides


Singled Out: Young Buffalo
Jim Barrett from Young Buffalo tells us about "Nature Boy" from their brand new self-titled EP which is hitting stores today. Here is the story:

I was a freshman in college and I was studying abroad in Thessaloniki, Greece. I lived in this apartment on campus, but my roommate and I were pretty much the only students living in the building. the rest were teachers and interns, etc. At the time, I was suffering from panic attacks and having a tough time dealing with being so far removed from the life I had in the States. But, that aside I met some incredible friends and folks influential to my writing.

My roommate Richie and I would, on weekends, climb to the upstairs apartment and smoke lots of weed with an older girl who was interning at our school. And we would eat breakfast and watch movies like Purple Rain, a RHCP documentary, stuff like that. Except, I would normally get so anxious and freaked out (anxiety and weed don't really mix, oddly enough!), that I would run back down to our basement apartment and work on the song that ended up being "Nature Boy," along with other early Young Buffalo demos. It's gone through some different titles, but the lyrics have stayed basically the same for about three years now.

"When you wake up, sleep still in your eyes, your mind's made up everyone guess the surprise if it isn't clear for you"; just your good ol' fashioned wake 'n bake that freaked me the hell out at that point in my life.

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



Talking Metal With Mike Portnoy and Chandler Mogel
Talking Metal hosts Mark Strigl and John "Ostronomy" Ostrosky have released the 2nd episode of their self-produced web series called Talking Metal Pirate Radio on their YouTube page.

This episode features exclusive interview clips with Mike Portnoy and Chandler Mogel.

It also spotlights three of Talking Metal's signature jams featuring Mark and John performing with musicians including John Kevill (Warbringer), Ron Lipnicki (Overkill), Dan Lorenzo (Non-Fiction, Hades), Billy May (KISSNation), and Chandler Mogel (Outloud). Check it out here.



Cradle of Filth Streaming Another New Song Online
Cradle of Filth are giving fans another advance taste of their forthcoming album, 'The Manticore and Other Horrors.'

The band is now streaming the song "Manticore" online. It's the second advance stream the band has offered fans ahead of the October 30th album release.

The new album was recorded in eight weeks at both Springvale and Grindstone studios (where it was also mixed by Scott Atkins) in Suffolk, UK. Listen to the new song here.



Dream Theater's John Petrucci On Wikimetal
John Petrucci from Dream Theater is the featured guest on the latest episode of Wikimetal. They sent over these details:

Among several other topics, John talks about the process they went to choose the new drummer Mike Mangini.

He also shares his recollections of Brazilian drummer Aquiles Priester that also tried the audition, Dream Theater's process of composing songs, the creation of 'A Dramatic Turn Of Events" and much more..