Today's Day in Rock News!

Today's Day in Rock


Gregg Allman Hospitalized
Allman Brothers Band legend Gregg Allman has reportedly checked himself into a hospital for an undisclosed illness, forcing him to cancel or postpone several concerts.

Allman's official site and Facebook made no mention of the hospitalization as of Wednesday night, but his Facebook page did announce that Tuesday night's concert in Boise, ID had been postponed with the new date to be announced.

The news of the hospitalization came from a report from Oregon Live. The publication reported that Allman checked himself into a hospital on Monday but did not indicate what caused the veteran rocker to do so.

Peter Dammann, the artistic director of the Waterfront Blues Festival, said on Monday that Allman was canceling his entire tour including Sunday's appearance at the festival.

"He decided to cancel the gig tonight in Boise yesterday," Dammann said on Monday. "This morning I called up his agent and said, 'What's going on?' They said, 'We're evaluating, we'll get back to you.'

"A couple hours later, I got a note from management that said, 'We're canceling the whole tour.' They didn't give us any specifics on what's happening with Gregg."





Foreigner and Styx Tour Buses Catch Fire
(Radio.com) Two tour buses for Foreigner and Styx's Soundtrack of Summer Tour were damaged in a fire at a parking facility in Philadelphia on Wednesday, according to the local CBS affiliate.

CBS Philadelphia reports that "the fire started shortly after noon at a tour bus parking facility at 2nd and Callowhill Streets near Penn's Landing" and the station has video footage showing the rear of one tour bus engulfed in flames and another nearby bus also on fire.

Firefighters were on the scene quickly and were able to put out the fires. The buses were not occupied and both bands reported via their social media pages that no one was hurt and the fires would not disrupt their tour plans.

Styx reassured fans on Wednesday, posting on Facebook, "Thank you for all of the tweets, messages, and comments. We're all okay and the buses were not occupied. No one was hurt. Also, the show is still on for tomorrow evening in Camden, NJ."

Watch the local CBS video report of the fires here.





Kansas Lead Singer Steve Walsh Leaving The Group
Classic rock band Kansas revealed to fans that lead singer Steve Walsh will be leaving the group and his final performance with the band will be taking place next month.

The band posted the following message to their Facebook page on Wednesday, "On June 30, 2014, Steve Walsh informed the members of Kansas that he is resigning from the band.

"His last performance with Kansas will be August 16, 2014, in Sioux City, Iowa, at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. As Kansas continues on, the band wishes Steve only the best in his future endeavors, and thanks him for the 41 years."

The Sioux City date is the final stop in the band's current leg of their summer tour. They are scheduled to return to the road on September 12th and have dates scheduled until early November. This is no word yet on who will be taking over lead vocals in the band.





Almost 150 Rare Bob Dylan Acetates Discovered
(Gibson) Nearly 150 previously unknown acetates of songs Bob Dylan was working on at the turn of the '70s have been discovered. As reported by Rolling Stone, the acetates were made by Dylan as he was recording the 1969 album, Nashville Skyline, and the 1970 albums Self Portrait and New Morning.

The recordings, which are currently in the hands of collector Jeff Gold, previously belonged to a woman who owned the Greenwich Village building where Dylan had rented a room to use as a studio. It's assumed Dylan simply left the acetates at that location when he moved out of the space.

The material includes alternate mixes, alternate takes and a handful of never-before-released outtakes. Among the latter are electric versions of Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire" and "Folsom Prison Blues," and a gospel-tinged take of "Tomorrow is a Long Time."

Columbia Records owns the master tapes for Nashville Skyline, Self Portrait and New Morning, but it's likely the newly discovered acetates are the only sources for the in-progress mixes. more on this story







Ian Gillan To Sing Smoke On Water With 1000s of Guitarists
(Classic Rock) Deep Purple's Ian Gillan is backing a world record attempt for the most number of amateur guitarists playing at the same time. The singer will take a break from Deep Purple's world tour to front Guitars On The Beach, the massive attempt on the world record for the greatest number of guitarists simultaneously playing one song together - with the band's classic Smoke On The Water one of the songs being performed.

It will take place on Lyme Regis beach on Saturday, September 6. Gillan - who has sold more than 100 million albums and has a home in the Dorset seaside town - astonished organisers by volunteering to take part.

After hearing that organizers were planning to include the Deep Purple hit in the set of songs for the giant beach band to perform, he sent them a note saying: "I hear you might be doing Smoke with the massed guitars and if that is the case I thought I'd offer my services if you need a singer."

Guitars On The Beach organizer Geoff Baker says: "My jaw hit the floor. This is sensational news." more on this story





Rob Halford May Collaborate With Lady Gaga
(Classic Rock) Rob Halford says he and Lady Gaga have discussed a possible collaboration. The Judas Priest frontman met Gaga backstage at one of her gigs in San Diego earlier this month. At the time, she tweeted a picture of the pair.

Now Halford has told how he and the pop superstar talked about working together in the future. He tells The Huffington Post: "It was a real moment come true.

"We didn't really have much time to talk. She's busy. I'm busy, but we've agreed to get together at some point and just hang out and maybe do something. I don't know if that will ever happen, but I love her to death." more on this story





Label Calls Out Band For Disappearing Singer Hoax
(TeamRock Radio) The supposed disappearance of Upon A Burning Body frontman Danny Leal has been branded a "publicity stunt" by the band's furious record label boss. Ash Avildsen, CEO of Sumerian Records, says the hoax was pulled behind his back and he has called on the band to apologies.

Last night fears were growing over Leal's safety after the band posted a message on Facebook claiming he had not been seen since Monday. It followed a series of worrying tweets from Leal in which he seemed to suggest he was being watched and that someone had broken into his house.

Avildsen says in a statement: "I woke up to a ton of missed calls and just saw all this stuff about Danny Leal of UABB posing as though he's been abducted or kidnapped. My phone hasn't stopped ringing since.

"As a child, we all learn the story The Boy Who Cried Wolf and it sticks within our consciousness for a reason. I do not condone this type of publicity stunt. This was done behind my back and I am not OK with it. In my eyes, there's never a time to use the possibility of real-life abduction, injury or murder of someone you care about to promote anything, especially an album.

"If you need to resort to that, then you have lost the plot." more.




Weezer Reveal Their Latest Unusual Album Cover
(Radio.com) Weezer have become synonymous with interesting album covers - they had a picture of Jorge Garcia's Hurley character from Lost plastered on their last, with its predecessor featuring a flying dog in a living room.

When the band released the title of their upcoming ninth album, Everything Will Be Alright in the End, it almost seemed as if Weezer was toning down the outrageousness and getting a little less goofy for their first album since 2010.

And then, well, they released the album cover. With the newest installment of their weekly Weezer Wednesdays video series, the band debuted a clip titled "My Mystery" that included in it, among footage of the band performing and of a sleeping child, the album artwork for the new album.

At first glance, the cover had a sort of Where the Wild Things Are feel to it, from the scratched title in the sky to the giant monster crawling through the mountainside.

As it turns out, the photo was created as part of a series by artists Chris McMahon and Thryza Segal, the focus for which is apparently adding monsters to paintings found in thrift stores. Check it out here.




Linkin Park Reacts To CHVRCHES Criticism, Blames Media
(Radio.com) It took CHVRCHES months and the prodding of a reporter to make mild digs at Linkin Park's Mike Shinoda regarding his previous comments that could easily be construed as critical of CHVRCHES, chiefly his naming the band (and others) as "Disney commercial music."

Shinoda did not need nearly that much time to fire back, taking to his namesake website last night to unleash a rant about the whole situation, easily as critical of the media as he is of the Scottish thorns in his side.

"As we released THE Hunting Party, I spoke on various occasions about the inspiration of the album," Shinoda begins. "Part of the answer is that the album is a response to a surplus of danceable, safe, indie-pop music that's taken over 'rock.' A year ago, we knew the indie-pop thing was a style that our band is capable of making. But we were not interested in pursuing it. Why? Because there is a LOT of it out there. It seemed far more exciting for us to go against the grain."

He continues: "They were asked to respond to a version of the comment that was not consistent with what I actually said. Now, to be clear, it's a journalist's tendency (if not their main objective) to sensationalize this kind of commentary, and make a fight where there is none. Let's not let them have that.

"I learned a new term this year: 'click bait.' Click bait is when someone titles a piece in a sensationalized way in order to get more clicks. It's what I did with the title of this post."

For the curious, said post was titled "Pointless Dicks: @CHVRCHES, Laziness, and Cowards." Shinoda eventually takes a step back.





Arctic Monkeys' Alex Turner Writing A '60s 'X-Men Style' Film
(Radio.com) Arctic Monkeys frontman Alex Turner is joining forces with Last Shadow Puppets bandmate Miles Kane to write an "X-Men style film" together. Turner and Kane, who first teamed up to form the Last Shadow Puppets as a side project in 2007, are now prioritizing a film together, Digital Spy reports.

"It's gonna have a sort of X-Men kind of vibe and sort of set in the '60s, but I can't give anymore away than that," Kane said, adding that they likely won't have a starring role in the film. "We're not planning to be [in the film] but we may have a little cameo."

But a film isn't the only collaboration they may have in mind; the duo hasn't ruled out more Last Shadow Puppets material in the future. It's something we always talk about, y'know?" Kane added. More.





Cradle of Filth and Paul Allender Part Ways
(TeamRock Radio) Cradle of Filth frontman Dani Filth says a parting of the ways with Paul Allender has been in the cards for a year due to the guitarist being based on the other side of the Atlantic.

Filth frontman confirmed Allender had left the band while he also laid the blame for the split at Allender prioritizing his side project White Empress ahead of his own band.

Filth tells Bleedin' Loud: "Paul has left which not everybody is aware of. We weren't planning on it, because it was the kind of thing that has been, kind of, brewing for the last year or so. Not so much on a personal level, but living in America and then him doing his side project and getting kind of lost in that."

Another issue which caused the splintering of the relationship between Allender and Cradle was his reluctance to embrace a second guitarist, which is something Filth says the band may want to look into again. more on this story





Sepultura Frontman Dismisses Max Cavalera Claims
(TeamRock Radio) Sepultura frontman Derrick Green has blasted claims made by Max Cavalera that the band won't be recording any more studio albums. Green vowed the band will continue to release records as he compared former main man Cavalera's claims to high school level gossip.

Cavalera told Hard Rock Haven he'd "heard a rumour" that Sepultura's 2013 album The Mediator Between Head And Hands Must Be The Heart would be their last.

Green tells TotalRock: "It's absolutely ridiculous. All this stuff is ridiculous. If people really wanna know what's happening, then they can easily ask us, and we've never come to that conclusion at all.

"We definitely wanna have another album, for sure. For us, we play all the time - many, many different places and we try to do as much as possible with our music and show that on stage. Not be so much in the media talking about other people and other bands and things like that.

"I passed that in high school, like a long time ago. You get face to face and f***ing speak to us. But other than that, it's just bullsh*t." More




Cannibal Corpse Reveal New Album Details
Cannibal Corpse have announced that Metal Blade Records will be releasing their 13th full length album, "A Skeletal Domain," on September 16th in North America.

The band recorded "A Skeletal Domain" at Audio Hammer Studios with producer Mark Lewis, who has worked with The Black Dahlia Murder, Whitechapel, DevilDriver, Battlecross and more.

Cannibal Corpse Alex Webster's had this say about the making of the new album, "At the end of the day, we're still making a death metal record, no matter where it's being recorded."

He adds, "Consistency is often confused with repetition. We are established with what we do as a band, and we could relax and not push ourselves, but we try to push the envelope. That's what makes this exciting

"Anyone who really listens to this album with an open mind will hear that it's not same-old same-old." Mark Lewis would concur with Webster's analysis and even goes a step further by claiming that "there are moments on this record that have never happened in musical history."

The band will be spending most of the summer on the road including appearance as part of this year's Mayhem Festival beginning this Saturday in San Bernardino, CA. more on this story






Genesis Cofounder Anthony Phillips Releasing Box Set
(Classic Rock) Genesis founding guitarist Anthony Phillips has signed to Esoteric Recordings and will release a 5CD retrospective box set later this year. Phillips founded Genesis alongside Peter Gabriel, Mike Rutherford and Tony Banks with whom he recorded the albums From Genesis To Revelation and Trespass.

Since leaving the group in 1970, he has worked on a range of projects including solo albums The Geese And The Ghost, Wise After The Event, Slow Dance, 1984 and Field Day.

He has to date also released 10 albums in the "Private Parts And Pieces" series and four volumes in the Missing Links series. His back catalogue will be celebrated with the release of a 5CD deluxe boxed set in October entitled Harvest Of The Heart.

It will feature recordings made between 1969 and the present day. In addition, the set will include 10 previously unreleased songs and the rare track Compression by Mike Rutherford - previously unreleased on CD - which features Anthony and was the B-side to Mike's 1980 single Working In Line. more on this story





Godsmack Members See Side-Band As Long Term
(TeamRock Radio) Godsmack duo Shannon Larkin and Tony Rombola say their new band is a long-term project. And they say Blue Cross Band is different to their regular gig with Godsmack, which they describe as like being part of a gang.

The pair are turning down the volume and looking to increase their musical longevity with the Blue Cross Band, formed with frontman Ray Cerbone and bassist Brian Carpenter.

Drummer Larkin tells News-Press.com: "I see myself doing the Blue Cross Band after Godsmack. This is a style of music I can see myself playing well into my 60s.

"When I hit the drums in Godsmack, I'm trying to kill 'em. In The Cross, I shut my eyes and I'm into the lyrics and the song and Tony's guitar playing and Brian's bass. It's a band thing, whereas in Godsmack, it's like a gang thing. We're out to pummel." more on this story





Suicide Silence Release 'You Can't Stop' Video
(TeamRock Radio) Suicide Silence have revealed a new music video for the title track from their upcoming album, You Can't Stop, ahead of the album's release later this month.

"You Can't Stop" is taken from the album of the same name, due out on July 15th in the U.S., July 11th in Europe and July 14th in the UK. It features lyrics written by tragic former frontman Mitch Lucker.

It will be the band's first album featuring new frontman Eddie Hermida, who was drafted in following the tragic death of Lucker in a 2012 motorcycle accident.

Watch the video here.





Judas Priest Preview 'Sword Of Damocles'
(hennemusic) Judas Priest have released a new online preview clip for the song "Sword Of Damocles", one of the tracks found on their forthcoming album, "Redeemer Of Souls."

Due July 8 in North America, the project will be issued in a standard version and a deluxe edition with five bonus tracks. The night before the album hits stores, members of Judas Priest will appear on the North American rock radio series Rockline.

Glenn Tipton, Rob Halford and Richie Faulkner will join host Bob Coburn on Monday, July 7 at 8:30 PT / 11:30 ET. Fans can phone in to speak with Judas Priest during the program at 1-800-344-ROCK (7625).

Check out the song preview here.




Guns N' Roses Release Live 'You Could Be Mine' Video
(hennemusic) Guns N' Roses have released a new live video version of "You Could Be Mine" from their new release, "Appetite For Democracy 3D: Live From The Hard Rock Casino - Las Vegas."

Released on July 1st on DVD and Blu-ray, the package features the band filmed in concert on November 21, 2012 during their first residency in Las Vegas.

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

Today's Day in Rock News!

Today's Day in Rock


Band To Play In Iron Box Until They Suffocate
(Radio.com) British death metal band Unfathomable Ruination will squeeze themselves and their instruments into a sealed iron cube and play an "intense and brutal" set until they run out of air.

The performance art is part of internationally recognized Portuguese artist João Onofre's touring sculpture titled Box Sized Die. "In each location the sculpture travels to, Onofre invites a local death metal band to play, on this occasion Unfathomable Ruination," says the City of London's official website.

"The box is soundproofed, determining and restricting the performance's duration to the length of time in which the oxygen is expended. Outside the cube, viewers observe its strange vibrations, only viewing the band's entrance and exit to the performance space."

Onofre's iron box is part of London's free art exhibition, Sculpture in the City, a collaboration between the City of London Corporation, local businesses and the art world to create open-air art exhibitions around the city, explained Culture24.org.

Unfathomable Ruination will perform outside Gherkin July 3 and 4 at 6 p.m. local time, assuming the band isn't hospitalized after their first go-round. This isn't the first band to try this.




Red Hot Chili Peppers Giving Away New EP
The Red Hot Chili Peppers are living up to the lyrics of one of their hits and giving away a live digital EP and the band have also released the live recordings from their Isle of Wight appearance last month.

Although it doesn't contain the song "Give It Way", the band are giving away a new live EP featuring performances that were captured during the 2012-2013 I'm With You tour.

Drummer Chad Smith selected the five free tracks that make up the EP. The tracks include "Breaking the Girl", "Wet Sand", "Snow", "Power of Equality" and "Strip My Mind". You can download it here.

The band has also released a new digital live album from their Isle of Wight Festival appearance that took place on June 14, 2014. The live 17-track set was recorded and mixed by Jason Gossman. You can preview and purchase that album here.




Atreyu Reunite
Atreyu announced that they have ended their hiatus and will be reuniting for their first live performance in three year when they take the stage at this year's Aftershock festival.

The reunited lineup includes vocalist Alex Varkatzas, drummer Brandon Saller, guitarists Dan Jacobs and Travis Miguel and bassist Marc Mcknight and they will perform on the main-stage at the Sacramento, CA festival on September 14th.

Saller had this to say about the band ending their hiatus, " The time has come. We have been spending the last few months planning this moment. Writing new music and thinking about the future while also reflecting on the past. We all came to the conclusion that it was the right time.

"Our history is too powerful to ignore forever. Our fans have given us too much. The void of Atreyu, in the world and within ourselves, had existed for long enough. We are happy to announce that after almost 4 years, the beast has risen!"

Frontman Alex Varkatzas adds, "To say we are looking forward to Playing this years Aftershock Festival is an understatement. It's been 3+yrs since we have rocked the stage as brothers, and to be playing with all these high caliber bands, in the state that we call home, is truly awesome."




Judas Priest Streaming New Album 'Redeemer Of Souls' Online
Judas Priest have been teasing fans with short previews of songs from their new album, "Redeemer of Souls," but now the band have opted to give fans a chance to hear the full album ahead of its release.

The new album doesn't hit stores until next Tuesday, July 8th, but fans can logon to iTunes Radio to hear the full album right now. Check out the iTunes preview here.

The band also recently announced that they will be launching a North American tour in support of the new album. The trek will be taking place this fall and will feature support from comedy metal band Steel Panther.

The Redeemer of Souls Tour will be launching in Rochester, NY on October 1st at the Main Street Armory and will conclude on November 18th in Salt Lake City, Utah at the Maverik Center. more on this story





Deep Purple Releasing New Album Next Year
(Classic Rock) Deep Purple have confirmed they will release a new album in 2015. Frontman Ian Gillan previously revealed the band were holed up in a studio in Portugal. And bass player Roger Glover has announced the follow up to 2013's Now What will arrive next year.

Glover says the writing session in Portugal produced a number of ideas for new songs. Ahead of their performance at Hellfest in France, Glover tells Rock Meeting: "What happened with 'Now What' is we had a writing session in Spain for about a week or so, and then we had another writing session, and then we recorded the album. And it was eight years between albums. We can't live that long to do another eight years.

"We had a writing session a couple of weeks ago in Portugal, and we've got about a dozen rough ideas and jams, some of which will make it. We'll have another writing session later in the year and I think, probably, I don't know when next year, but sometime next year, there'll be another album."

Stream the press conference here.





Michael Monroe Says Hanoi Rocks Will Never Reunite Again
(Classic Rock) Michael Monroe says that Hanoi Rocks will never reunite again. Monroe, who fronted the group during two separate spells, believes that here's no need to do so because his current solo group is "more of a band" than the unit that Hanoi became during their second incarnation.

The singer spoke on behalf of Hanoi Rocks whilst collecting an Inspiration award at Metal Hammer's recent Golden Gods ceremony. "This is the band's first ever award, and I flew in especially to accept it," he enthused. "Hanoi Rockss are still one of the best-kept secrets in rock'n'roll, but it's great that some people still remember us as a very special band."

Monroe insists that although the band reunited for a second eight-year spell in 2001, a third run is out of the question. "Hanoi broke up [first time around] when Razzle died and Nasty [Suicide, guitarist] left the band - it was more important to save the integrity of what we were doing than to push on for the sake of it," he says. "Nobody could replace Razzle or Nasty. For Hanoi, none of the usual rules applied, getting rich and famous really wasn't what it was about. So we stopped." A lot more with Monroe here.





Jack White Covers Kanye West's 'Black Skinhead'
(Radio.com) Jack White has made it very clear that he wants to work with Kanye West, but for some reason 'Ye won't return his calls. Perhaps this new cover will pique his interest.

White kicked off a recent show in Dublin - yes, that same one where they pulled the plug on him, but he just kept on playing - with a cover of Kanye's "Black Skinhead." The few second instrumental tribute is pure White, giving Yeezus that bluesy downhome feel we didn't know it was missing.

The cover eventually melds into White's Lazaretto track, "High Ball Stepper." Later in the show, White teamed up with The Kills, a band that features his Dead Weather bandmate, Alison Mosshart, for "Love Interruption" and "Goodnight, Irene."

During the World Cup (and every other recent sporting event) you might have heard the crowd chanting the White Stripes "Seven Nation Army," White is aware of this too, and says that's when he realized it was a hit. He told KROQ (a Radio.com station) that it had become a soccer anthem years ago in Europe.

"A friend of mine was on his honeymoon. And sat on the beach, and there was a cruise ship, and the passengers on the ship were chanting it. He wrote me a letter and said 'I can't believe what just happened,'" White explained. "That year, the president of Italy chanted it from a balcony in Rome, because Italy won the World Cup. So those were a couple of moments where I said, 'I think the song is connecting with people.'"

Watch White Cover Black Skinhead here.




Justin Moore Releases Video For Motley Crue's Home Sweet Home Cover
(hennemusic) Country rocker Justin Moore has released the video for his version of "Home Sweet Home" from the forthcoming album, "Nashville Outlaws: A Tribute To Motley Crue."

Joining Moore on the track and in the clip is Crue frontman Vince Neil. Due August 19, the project sees a variety of country artists covering Motley Crue tracks as the rockers prepare to launch their farewell tour.

"Nashville Outlaws" features performances by Rascal Fatts, LeAnne Rimes, Florida Georgia Line, Darius Rucker, Gretchen Wilson and more. Watch the music video here.





Slash Helped Lemmy During Recovery From Surgery
(Classic Rock) Slash was a regular visitor at Motorhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister's house as he recovered from his recent health problems, the Motorhead man has revealed.

As he prepares to play with Motorhead at Hyde Park this week, Lemmy says Slash turned up at his Los Angeles home as he worked back to health following surgery to implant a heart defibrillator.

Slash had his own heart problems following his lifestyle while in Guns 'N' Roses. Lemmy tells Rolling Stone: "He was at my house more than he's ever been before, encouraging me. He's a really f***ing good guy." more on this story






David Coverdale's Home Invaded By Bear
(Classic Rock) Whitesnake frontman David Coverdale's Lake Tahoe home was raided by a black bear at the weekend. The singer, who was at home at the time, bravely confronted the unwanted intruder.

"It must have weighed 450-500 lbs", Coverdale tells Classic Rock. "It took out two armed screens, opened the fridge, ate his fill, then took a HUGE poop. I came upstairs and interrupted him. I shouted like crazy as I couldn't find my air horns. Thank God, he remembered where he entered.

"I quickly looked around as I saw the mess and couldn't see where he gained access, then he headed for some sliding doors that we leave open when it's hot. They're only open five or six inches, and we have ' bear poles' that prevent anyone or thing opening them. But I saw with my own eyes the creature rear up on its hind legs and squeeze out, taking an antique Tiffany lamp out as it escaped. Heartbreaking". See the photo here.





Nikki Sixx Talks Motley Crue Farewell Tour, New Song, Alice Cooper
(hennemusic) Motley Crue launch their farewell tour tonight (July 2nd), and on the eve of their final opening night, bassist Nikki Sixx released a message to fans saying the band is ready to go.

"It's been a f***ing crazy rollercoaster ride deciding to end Motley Crue's career after over 3 decades and go out on top," writes Sixx. "The preparation started over a year ago and is just ending with the final assembly of the biggest show we've ever had. I would say this show reflects our love of being extremist…"

"The new song, 'All Bad Things', sounds great in the set alongside the classics and deep fan favorites," he continued. "The vibe of the tour is really f***ing positive…It's a celebration and the band is tighter than we've been in years."

"It's also an honor to have Alice Cooper as our support act on this run," says the bassist. "I can't imagine a better set of songs from the beginning of Alice to the final bow of Crue. Opening night is tomorrow….Here we go……." more on this story






Nirvana's 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' Video Casting Call Goes Online
(Radio.com) If you've ever wondered how the disaffected kids in the bleacher stands were chosen for Nirvana's iconic "Smells Like Teen Spirit" video, take a look at this casting call.

Consequence of Sound has posted an image of the casting call for the video, which was shot in 1991.The band was searching for 18-25 year olds in logo-less clothing who could "adapt a high-school persona, i.e. preppy, punk, nerd, jock…" for the video, which took inspiration from The Ramones' musical comedy Rock 'n' Roll High School.

Little did they know they'd be subjected to having to hear "Smells Like Teen Spirit" on repeat for hours to make their boredom more realistic. As the story goes, after 12 hours of shooting, the extras became so restless they trashed the set - reportedly with Kurt Cobain's blessing, who had been clashing with director Samuel Bayer over his narrative-driven approach. More including the image of the casting call.





Renaissance's Classic Gets Limited-Edition Gold Hybrid SACD Reissue
(Prog) Renaissance's classic Scheherazade And Other Stories is the latest prog album to receive the Audio Fidelity treatment - it will be released as a limited-edition gold hybrid SACD.

The boutique label specialize in delivering 24-carat gold CDs which deliver "the ultimate sound of a classic recorded performance without the irregular plated surfaces of standard aluminum discs."

Audio Fidelity describe the 1975 four-track masterpiece as the band's magnum opus, adding: "The work is unique, because it represents a rare example of musical collaboration between Michael Dunford and the rest of the group.

"Renaissance is a band that went through various permutations, the best known being the lineup featured herem who shine throughout the album - Annie Haslam's soaring, pure vocals; John Tout's considerable piano prowess' Jon Camp's imaginative bass; Dunford's guitar and Terence Sullivan's drums." more on this story





King Diamond Working On Deeply Personal New Album
(TeamRock Radio) King Diamond, who had a triple heart bypass in 2010, revealed he and his band are working on a deeply personal new album for which he already has a title.

He tells Rolling Stone: "We've done a lot of stuff. We are going in some new ways that are going to be amazing. I've been building a studio so I can do my vocals at home. Once it's completed, we can start recording.

"I have a title for a new record, but I won't say it. It will encompass the things I need to write about after what I went through. But I can't say much about it because I haven't talked to the rest of the band about it." more on this story





Jon Larsen Had To Literally Dust Off Drums For Volbeat
(Classic Rock) Jon Larsen recalls having to dust off his drum kit when the chance to join Volbeat came along. The drummer had played in small bands in Denmark as a youngster, but put his kit into storage after getting a regular job and giving up on music.

Luckily for him, old friend Michael Poulsen immediately thought of Larsen when he was putting Volbeat together. Larsen tells Mulatschag: "After playing in local bands that never really amounted to anything, it was like 'Okay, been there, done that didn't get the t-shirt but hey, I did that.'

"I got a regular job and didn't really pay too much attention to playing music. Then one day I got a phone call from Michael saying 'I need someone who can do two and four.' I said I hadn't played in a couple of years, but he said 'Don't worry about it.'

"It is actually a true story, I dusted the kit off in the basement and took them out. It took a while to get back but I must have been doing something good because he kept me."

In the rest of the interview, Larsen talks about his influences and admits he's not a Led Zeppelin fan, although he respects John Bonham's playing. Watch it here.





AC/DC and Iron Maiden Rumored as Next Glastonbury Headliners
(Classic Rock) Iron Maiden are the bookies' favorite to headline next year's Glastonbury festival but there is also speculation that AC/DC could be a headliner in 2015.

Metallica's triumphant performance topping the bill on the main stage at Worthy Farm on Saturday has opened the door for other heavy metal acts to play at Glasto, with the rumour mill in full flow as to who might follow in James Hetfield and co's footsteps.

Metallica were the first metal band to headline the famous festival's Pyramid Stage, and now William Hill has made Maiden the 7/1 favorites for the slot in 2015. William Hill spokesman Rupert Adams says: "All the money has been for Iron Maiden today whilst U2 were very well backed yesterday."

Meanwhile, the Independent says AC/DC are the band being lined up for the main stage next year. The newspaper quotes festival boss Michael Eavis as saying he has already spoken to three acts about headlining in 2015.

More details about that speculation here.







Guns N' Roses Release Live Welcome To The Jungle Video
(hennemusic) Guns N' Roses are premiering a performance of "Welcome To The Jungle" from their new package, "Appetite For Democracy 3D: Live From The Hard Rock Casino - Las Vegas."

Appetite For Democracy 3D was just released on DVD and Blu-ray and the set features the band filmed in concert on November 21, 2012 during their first residency in Las Vegas.

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

Check out the video here.





The Black Keys Full Glastonbury Performance Goes Online
(hennemusic) The Black Keys played the Glastonbury Festival on Sunday, and video of their complete performance is available for fans to stream online. Playing second a bill headlined by Kasabian, the band played a set that mixed songs from their catalog alongside tunes from their new album, "Turn Blue."

Upon its release in May, the group landed their first US No. 1 album as "Turn Blue" debuted atop the Billboard 200 chart with 164,000 copies sold in its first week, narrowly beating out the new release by Michael Jackson, "Xscape."

The Glastonbury stop is one date on the band's current European tour; shows wrap up July 22 at the Paleo Festival in Nyon, Switzerland. Check out the festival performance here.





Kix Release Lyric Video For First Single From Comeback Album
(Classic Rock) Kix are back in action with the upcoming release of their new studio album and they've launched a lyric video for lead track Love Me With Your Top Down.

Their seventh studio record, their first new album in 20 years, is entitled Rock Your Face Off, will be released on August 5th in North America and August 4th in Europe via Loud & Proud Records.

Frontman Steve Whiteman recently said of their first release since their 2003 reunion: "It's still hot women, fast cars, and great moments. I want everybody to end up on their feet – you can party to this one."

Watch the video here.




Singled Out: A Bad Think's On and On
Today Michael Marquart of A Bad Think tell us about the first single "On And On" off of their 5th album called "Sleep" which was released on Tuesday, June 17th. Here is the story:

On and On is the new video and single. It was one of the last songs written for the new album "Sleep". It almost wasn't completed in time. It came to me very fast as I was sitting in my backyard in Los Angeles with a glass of wine in one hand, and my Martin in the other. Most of the album was done and already at mix but I wanted to include this track on the album so I scrambled to get it done. I was surprised to see the video director (Derrick Borte) had turn me into a bad guy, which wasn't the plan. We were going to do the title track (Sleep) but Derrick came to me two days before shooting and wanted to change the song to On and On. I freaked out because so much work had gone into the other track, but I trusted him on this, and he was right.

It talks about how the nature of how things tend to go on and on, like good versus evil, the cycle of life, the need for love, how the sun always sets in the west and so on. I just like how the words worked together. This track is one of the only ones I did not play any guitar on. Ralph (voodooman) Bruner played all the leads and Mark Woerpel played all of the other guitar tracks.

I really like the simple guitar riff, and the melody came easy. I'm a finger picking guy. I don't use a pick very often. I have way more feeling just using my fingers. I did have to change the key to put it in a range I could sing. It's one of my favorites on the album.

Today's Day in Rock News!

Today's Day in Rock


The Who To Launch Long Goodbye With 50th Anniversary Tour
The Who announced that they are celebrating their 50th anniversary this year by launching The Who Hits 50! British tour, which frontman Roger Daltrey says "is the beginning of the long goodbye."

There is no word yet if the tour plans will extend to other markets across the globe but Daltrey's comments have lead to speculation that this is the first leg of the band's farewell tour.

The British trek is scheduled to kick off on November 26th in Dublin, Ireland and will include stops in Belfast, Glasgow, Leeds, Nottingham, Birmingham, Newcastle, Liverpool, Manchester, Cardiff and will conclude on December 17th in London.

The Who Hits 50! tour will feature music spanning the legendary band's entire career from present day songs, classic hits and deep cuts from the band's classic albums including Who's Next, Tommy, My Generation, Quadrophenia and even material from their The High Numbers days.

Guitarist Pete Townshend bills the setlist as 'Hits, Picks, Mixes and Misses'. Here is what he had to say about the tour, "Trying to stay young. Not wearing socks. Growing a great big woodcutter's beard. Might even wear a check shirt on stage and get a tattoo of a Union Jack. Always a fashion victim. But under no illusions.

"We are what we are, and extremely good at it, but we're lucky to be alive and still touring. If I had enough hairs to split I would say that for thirteen years since 1964 The Who didn't really exist, so we are really only thirty-seven." more on this story




Neil Young and Crazy Horse Member Suffers Stroke
Neil Young and Crazy Horse bass player Billy Talbot has been forced to sit out the band's European tour that kicks off next week after he suffered a minor stroke.

Warner Bros. Records said in the announcement on Monday that Talbot's doctors expect him to make a full recovery but they have advised him not to join the tour so that he can recover.

Talbot will be replaced on the tour by Rick Rosas, who has a long history of performing with Young including with Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.

The tour will be kicking off next Monday, July 7th in Reykjavik, Iceland at the Laugardsholl and will conclude on August 8th in Alsace, France at the annual Festival de la Foire aux Vins. more on this story




Metallica Frontman Calls Out KISS and Scorpions For 'Farewell' Tours
Metallica have lasted over 30 years and it's natural that talk of their retirement comes up in interviews but James Hetfield says the band won't be like KISS or the Scorpions and launch farewell tours that aren't really farewell tours.

"I don't think that's fair to anyone," Hetfield says in the latest issue of Kerrang. "Kiss' farewell tour for the 10th time? Scorpions were done and then they tour? You can't say that and then not do it.

"I don't know what's in store for us. I don't want to go on the history of how other bands have done it. We're unique in our own path and unique in how our path ends."




Motorhead Delay Expanded Album Release
Fans hoping to get their hands on Motorhead's "Aftershock - Tour Edition" this month will have to be a little more patient. The band announced that the release has been pushed back.

Citing a production error, the band announced on Monday that the new expanded edition of their latest studio album will now be released on August 26th instead of this month.

The new version is set to feature the studio album along with a bonus disc that will include live material that is comprised from the band's 2014 West Coast Tour.

Motorhead fans will get a little taste of what is come this month. On July 7th VH1 Classic will premiere the live video for the song "Lost Woman Blues" which was captured at The Warfield in San Francisco on Friday April 18th, 2014.

The band will be performing at various music festivals across Europe this summer. Check out the dates and the album track details here.





Pennywise Streaming New Album 'Yesterdays' In Full
(Radio.com) Pennywise's new album 'Yesterdays' Doesn't come out until July 15 on Epitaph, but the band is giving fans an advance listen to the full album via Radio.com.

One thing about Pennywise's new album Yesterdays: it's not actually new.The songs featured on the band's 11th studio album - their first with original frontman and Punk Rock Dad Jim Lindberg since he left the band in 2009 - have been lying around for 25 years. Most of these songs were written in the late '80s by original bassist Jason Thirsk but were never properly recorded. He died in 1996.

"Jason was a truly gifted person," the band's current bassist, Randy Bradbury, told Radio.com over email. "The songs he wrote, that we included on Yesterdays, really show the raw talent Jason had for melody and lyrical expression…We always say Jason is still with us in spirit. I hope he would be proud of our efforts to capture the true essence of how these songs should be presented."

When Thirsk wrote these songs, the guys were still playing backyard parties in their hometown of Hermosa Beach, Cali., trying to fit as many songs as they could into a set before the cops showed up and shut it down. Perhaps, that's why many of these tracks seem as if they're being played at 300 beats per minute. The guys had to make their point quick. But these songs don't sound dated.

"After 25 years the songs still sound fresh," Bradbury said. "This album may even be more of a stretch than we would have taken if we were writing all brand new material."

Read more and listen to the full stream here.





Ozzy Osbourne All For Becoming Sir Ozzy
Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne has responded very favorably to the latest fan push to have Queen Elizabeth II honor him with a knighthood. Ozzy says he "can't imagine anything better" than receiving the honor.

The latest initiative to have Osbourne knighted was launched by Australian fan Helen Maidiotis, who started a petition to have Osbourne honored by the Queen. Ozzy was asked by British magazine Time Out London about the fans move and he responded, "I've heard about that. Getting knighted? I can't imagine anything better," he said with a smile.

"And my wife [Sharon] would become a Lady, which would be pretty cool. But I'm not gonna get upset if it doesn't happen. I never thought I'd get further than Aston [in Birmingham, England, where he was born]."

Ozzy also discussed how he doesn't look back over his long career which began in 1969 with the formation of Black Sabbath. "I don't do that [look back], but I guess I should a bit more. Because I know when I had my first successful album with Black Sabbath I thought: 'Oh, this is great, this will last a couple of years, I'll just get drunk every night and have a few chicks in my room,'" he recalled.

"And here I am, 45 years down the road, and I'm doing better than ever. I haven't always been on top of the world, there have been bad times as well, but you don't just give up at the first sign of choppy waters, you carry on rowing."





Mick Jagger Pokes Fun at Rolling Stones and Monty Python Reunion
(Radio.com) Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones have found themselves at the butt end of a fair amount of jokes about their age, not to mention questions about whether it's appropriate or not for them to still tour, 50 years after they started. So Mick Jagger probably jumped at the chance to shoot a video introducing the reunion of legendary British comedy troop Monty Python.

The video, which precedes a string of performances by the five surviving members of Monty Python, saw Jagger "taking the piss" out of them (and himself), to use the British term.

In the video, Jagger watches a soccer (or football) match with Stones drummer Charlie Watts at his side. An assistant informs him that one of their crew members is in London for the Monty Python reunion shows.

"Monty Python?" Jagger asks, "They're still going?" The assistant points out that they have 10 shows booked. "10 shows? They must be coining it in! It must be expensive! Who wants to see that again? It was really funny in the '60s…"

"Well, the first show sold out in 40 seconds."

"Wow!" Jagger replies. "Still, it's a bunch of wrinkly old men trying to relive their youth and make a load of money," he says, mirroring the complaint often aimed at the his own group. "The best one died years ago!" he says, a reference to Graham Chapman, who died in 1989.

"You've seen it all before! I mean, they've put it all up on YouTube!" he adds. It doesn't end there.



Jack White and Zac Brown Band Cover Metallica's 'Enter Sandman'
(Radio.com) Metallica fans attending Glastonbury this past weekend got to witness the band twice during the festival on Saturday (June 28) - well, "Enter Sandman," at least.

While Metallica headlined Saturday's show - complete with a foxy little intro video - Jack White paid homage to the band during his set when he covered "Enter Sandman," albeit briefly.

At around the 45-minute mark of the hits-filled showcase at the U.K. fest, White tore into the famous riff from Metallica's 1991 hit. White wasn't the only artist to pay tribute to Metallica over the weekend. Rolling Stone Country reports that Zac Brown Band closed their set at Fenway Park on Saturday with "Enter Sandman."

Watch video White's performance here.



King 810 Frontman's Assault Charge Dismissed
(TeamRock Radio) An assault case against King 810 frontman David Gunn has been dismissed by a US court, according to the band. However, bassist Gene Gill will have to appear in court again to answer a charge of 'Assault with Intent to do Great Bodily Harm Less Than Murder'.

According to a statement on the band's Facebook page, the judge at Flint Michigan's 68th District Court today dismissed the charges against Gunn, 28.

The pair were said to have been involved in a bar brawl in October last year and were arrested as they tried to board a plane bound for the UK this month. The band were due to appear at Download but were forced to pull out at the last minute as Gunn and Gill were in police custody. more on this story





Crowbar Singer Can See Pantera Tribute, Not A Reunion
(TeamRock Radio) Crowbar singer Kirk Windstein says he wouldn't like to see an official Pantera reunion - but he would be in favour of a live tribute to the band's legacy.

Windstein, a former colleague of Phil Anselmo in Down, admits to being a huge fan of the band, but says he can't see the surviving members performing as Pantera with Zakk Wylde - or anyone else - on guitar.

Windstein tells Riff-Mag: "I know Phil was doing a Pantera song or two with Black Label, but I can't ever see it being billed as Pantera. If it's Philip Anselmo, Rex Brown, Vinnie Paul and special guest Zakk Wylde doing the music of Pantera or celebrating the legacy of Pantera - I can see that happening. But to say 'This is Pantera', no.

"In my opinion and knowing Philip for so many years, I don't see them calling themselves Pantera. But to go play the songs, why not? We all love it. It's on of the best bands ever." More including a full stream of the interview




Motley Crue Preview Justin Moore's Version Of 'Home Sweet Home'
(hennemusic) Motley Crue are previewing country rocker Justin Moore's version of "Home Sweet Home" from the forthcoming album, "Nashville Outlaws: A Tribute To Motley Crue."

Joining Moore on the track is Motley Crue frontman Vince Neil; the band are previewing the track by sharing a behind the scenes look at the making of the video for the tune.

Due August 19, the project sees a variety of country artists covering Motley Crue tracks as the rockers prepare to launch their farewell tour this summer. "Nashville Outlaws" features performances by Rascal Fatts, LeAnne Rimes, Florida Georgia Line, Darius Rucker, Gretchen Wilson and more.

Watch the preview here.




Lostprophets Members Regroup at No Devotion
(TeamRock Radio) Former members of Lostprophets have released the first single by their new project, No Devotion. As previously suggested, guitarists Mike Lewis and Lee Gaze, keyboard player Jamie Oliver, drummer Luke Johnson and bass player Stuart Richardson have snapped up Thursday singer Geoff Rickly to front their new band.

Stay is available now via iTunes. Rickly's label, Collect Records, will also make a 12" vinyl version available on Monday, July 13. Following singer Ian Watkins' conviction for a string of horrific child sex offences - for which he was last year jailed for 35 years - the remaining members of Lostprophets were left in limbo. With the band's name tarnished, bringing in a new singer was not an option.

The Welsh musicians opted to start again. Richardson says: "We didn't know if we would ever make music again, if people would look us in the face. Everything felt like it was over."

Read more and listen to the first single here.





Bruce Springsteen Releasing Short Film
(hennemusic) Bruce Springsteen will debut a new short film, "Hunter Of Invisible Game", on his website next week. The project sees the rocker working with director Thom Zimny.

Set to premiere July 9 at 12 PM ET at brucespringsteen.net. Zimny who has shot several music videos for Springsteen in recent years, including everything from his last two releases, 2012's "Wrecking Ball" and 2014's "High Hopes."

The singer has not yet provided additional details about the film, which may turn out to be an extended video for the song of the same name from his latest album.

Watch a preview of the film here.




Guns N' Roses Release Live 'Sweet Child 'O Mine' Video
(hennemusic) Guns N' Roses have released a performance of "Sweet Child 'O Mine" from their new package, "Appetite For Democracy 3D: Live From The Hard Rock Casino - Las Vegas."

The new DVD and Blu-ray collection were released today. The sets features the band filmed in concert on November 21, 2012 during their first residency in Las Vegas.

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

Watch the video here.





Steve Hackett Goes Behind-The-Scenes Of Genesis Revisited DVD
(Prog) Steve Hackett has launched a six-minute trailer for his Genesis Revisited: Live DVD, out this week. The behind-the-scenes clip shows the preparations leading up to his Royal Albert Hall concert in October last year, featuring a range of guest musicians including Ray Wilson, Roine Stolt, John Wetton and Amanda Lehmann.

Hackett describes the show as "the musical equivalent of climbing Everest," adding: "I know I've done bigger things in my time, but none more stupendous than this." Referring to probably the best-known regular event at the Albert Hall, he says: "You might say it's the last night of the progs."

Genesis Revisited: Live will be released on June 30 via InsideOut as a standard DVD/2CD digipak and limited-edtiion Blu-ray/2DVD/2CD art book with liner notes, photos and bonus features. Hackett tours the UK later this year with what's likely to be the last of his Revisited shows, with tracks previously not included during live shows.

Watch the video here.





Tarja Turunen Releases Full Orchestra Song
(Prog) Former Nightwish frontwoman Tarja Turunen has released an online stream of the full orchestra version of the song "Neverlight" which is featured on her forthcoming album.

The album, Left In The Dark, was previously only available as an exclusive tour CD as part of a ticket bundle on Tarja's tour for previous release Colours In The Dark.

Left In The Dark contains b-sides, rarities, demos and instrumental versions as well as five previously unreleased versions of tracks. It is released on Friday, July 4.

Stream the song here.




Radiohead's Philip Selway Releases New Solo Song
(Prog) Radiohead drummer Philip Selway has released Coming Up For Air, the first track from second solo album Weatherhouse. The 10-track record is due on October 6 via Bella Union, and it's described as featuring a "generally darker and fuller" sound than 2010's Familial.

It's a collaboration with his solo band colleagues Adem Ilhan and Quinta. Selway says: "From the outset we wanted the album to be the three of us, and we covered a lot of instruments between us. Different musicians stretch you; I felt stretched on Weatherhouse, but very enjoyably so."

He adds of Coming Up For Air: "It's very much about taking stock of my life - I wanted to convey a sense of release and affirmation. This was the first song we recorded. Immediately it felt in a very different space from Familial."

Stream the song here.





Black Star Riders' Robbie Crane Fitting In Via Crazy Stories
(TeamRock Radio) New Black Star Riders bassist Robbie Crane is quickly winning over his new bandmates - mainly with his crazy stories. Guitarist Damon Johnson says Crane - who replaced Marco Mendoza earlier this month - has brightened up the BSR tour bus, as well as being a great bassist.

Johnson tells Hard N Fast: "Robbie has a flawless reputation in the business of being a great player and a great guy. At this point for us, being able to travel and be around somebody that you dig is every bit as important as the playing ability.

"Robbie came in and just crushed the audition. We gave him a couple of Black Star Riders songs and a couple of Thin Lizzy tunes and he killed it. He's got such a great attitude.

"My jaw is hurting from laughing so much, that guy has got so many great stories. He's got good energy, so we feel really lucky. If we're going to have to move on from such a great player as Marco, it's great to have a killer guy." more on this story





Metallica Share 'Foxy' Intro Video From Glastonbury
(Radio.com) After weeks of controversy over whether Metallica was an appropriate headliner for the British rock festival Glastonbury, or if they should be protested because frontman James Hetfield narrated The Hunt, an eight-part television series documenting the killing of Alaskan Kodiak brown bears, the weekend of the festival finally came. Metallica performed as scheduled, but not before showing a bizarre intro film called "Glastallica."

As usual, the band used Ennio Morricone's theme to the Sergio Leone 1966 spaghetti western The Good, The Bad and The Ugly and showed a scene from the film (the film started with the words "R.I.P. Eli Wallach 1915 - 2014″ on the screen, in tribute to the one of the film's leads, who had just passed away on June 24).

After that, things got weird. A minute and a half into the film, the scene changed to a British fox hunt (which has been illegal in England since 2005). The hunt, which sees a troop of scent hounds as well as hunters on horseback pursuing a fox (soundtracked to the Sweet's "Fox on the Run," which plays after what sounds like Hetfield yelling "What does the fox say?") is interrupted by four bears with shotguns who - surprise! - turn out to be Metallica's Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett and Robert Trujillo.

Watch the film, directed by Julien Temple (Joe Strummer: The Future is Unwritten, The Great Rock and Roll Swindle), here.




Mars Attacks Prong's Tommy Victor
Prong frontman Tommy Victor was the featured guest on the latest episode of the Mars Attacks Podcast, which is now available for streaming and download. The show sent over these details:

During his interview he discussed the reality of how smaller labels work, how Spotify has affected the band, reteaming with Steve Evetts for Ruining Lives and what he brings to the band. He also goes into how his lyric style has changed for the album, Prong's upcoming tour with Overkill, why Schecter guitars have become his instrument of choice.

Tommy was also gracious enough to comment on three albums that will be featured during upcoming editions of our Classic Albums series. His comments are more like a history lesson, as he was there when some of the bands discussed were rising through the ranks.

He also gives a brief rundown of new Danzig material that will be out at some point in the future. Stream or download the episode here.

Today's Day in Rock News!

Today's Day in Rock


Bobby Womack Dead at 70
(Radio.com) Bobby Womack, one of the most enduring spirits of soul and R&B, has died. His label, XL Records, has confirmed the news, but has not yet released the cause of death. He was 70.

Born in Cleveland, Womack cut his teeth early on when he joined with his siblings Cecil, Curtis, Harry, and Friendly Jr. to form the gospel quintet the Womack Brothers.

From there, under the tutelage of the forefathers of soul music like Sam Cooke, Sly Stone, and Wilson Picket, Bobby Womack's talent grew. It was the heyday of American soul in the '60s music, and success found Womack after he penned the song "It's All Over Now," which was swiftly picked up and made famous by the Rolling Stones. Soon after, controversy brewed when Womack married Cooke's widow, Barbara Campbel. He became a pariah in the R&B community, seen as an opportunist to cash in on Cooke's success.

Undeterred, Womack continued playing guitar for major artists in the late '60s, including Ray Charles, Joe Tex, King Curtis and Aretha Franklin. He embarked on a solo career in the early '70s with his debut Communication followed by a string of successful albums including 1972′s Understanding and Across 110th Street.

He would admit in his 2007 memoir Midnight Mover that cocaine addiction took over his life in the late '70s, and reached a low point after the sudden death of his son in 1976. While still putting out classic albums, his career wavered in the '80s and '90s as Womack adjusted to the shifting musical landscape. more on this story





Man Detained By Police After Mentioning Nickleback In Public
(Radio.com) While Canadian rockers Nickelback might be one of the most popular (not to mention divisive) bands in the world, mentioning the group's name in public could be cause for police detention, interrogation and being handcuffed.

That was the case in Idaho recently, when two officers overheard 23-year-old Dylan Swinford and 22-year-old Riker Morrow talking about the band, but mishearing it as "nickel sack," which the officers considered a marijuana reference.

Morrow recorded the incident, which can be seen in a YouTube video. The situation seems almost comical, until it escalates to the point of Swinford being taken out of the vehicle and placed in handcuffs.

The incident occurred in the city of Cour d'Alene, where the influx of media attention has resulted in the detention being examined. "It's being internally investigated. It's a personnel issue," Lt. Stu Miller told CDA Press. "We take this type of thing very seriously and we tell our people all the time to do their job as though someone is always watching, and they are always watching."

More including the video here.




Metallica's Full Glastonbury Festival Set Goes Online
(hennemusic) Metallica made history on Saturday as the first metal band to headline the legendary Glastonbury Festival, and fans can now watch video of their full performance.

Metallica opened their 14-song set with the 1984 classic, "Creeping Death", blazing through songs spanning their full career. A pair of encore tunes included "Whiskey In The Jar" and "Seek & Destroy."

In the weeks leading up to the event, the band faced some backlash from traditional Glastonbury supporters who felt heavy metal didn't fit in with the vibe of the festival, and frontman James Hetfield addressed the issue early in the show.

"Metallica is grateful to be invited to such an event as the Glastonbury Festival," said Hetfield. "We are very proud to be here and be representing, shall we say, the heavier sides of music. I know it's all represented here, so why not heavy rock/heavy metal, huh. It's about time."

Watch the performance here.




TesseracT Reunite With Singer Daniel Tompkins
TesseracT had big news this past week with the announcement that they have reunited with vocalist Daniel Tompkins following the departure of Ashe O'Hara.

The band put out this statement: "We have amicably parted ways with Ashe as we have found ourselves in different places, creatively. Ashe is a fantastic talent and will continue to be successful in his career and we wish him the absolute best!

"Moving forward for TesseracT - Daniel Tompkins will be rejoining us as a full time member of the band. Starting from our main stage performance at Sonisphere, UK on 05.07.14. We are also looking forward to starting writing and recording album three with Daniel, which will begin later this year."





Designs Of Chaos' Chris Crammond Killed In Accident
(TeamRock Radio) Designs Of Chaos drummer Chris Crammond has died in a tragic accident at work. Crammond, who turned 40 last Monday, was fatally injured in Kent on Thursday while carrying out his work as a telephone engineer.

His death has left the other members of Designs Of Chaos "shattered" as they try to come to terms with his passing. The London band had only just completed the recording of a new EP and they featured on the cover CD of the July edition of Metal Hammer Magazine.

Singer Jay Shields says: "We don't really know what happened, all we know is there was an accident at work and he's gone. We got a message yesterday telling us that.

"We're all absolutely destroyed and shattered. He was heart and soul and backbone of the band. Chris was a giant, the gentlest giant with the biggest heart." more on this story





Michael Schenker Denies Trying To Take Over Aerosmith
(Classic Rock) Michael Schenker has denied attempting to "take over" Aerosmith. The German guitarist auditioned to replace Joe Perry back in 1979, but he claims that both parties were too spaced out to make anything of the liaison.

According to Tyler in the official Aerosmith book Walk This Way, Schenker strolled into the rehearsal room and greeted himself, guitarist Brad Whitford, bassist Tom Hamilton and drummer Joey Kramer with the immortal announcement: "Hello, I'm taking over. Before I join your band, I want it clear I'm taking over right now. Here - my jacket - take and hang up."

"No, no, no… it wasn't like that at all," he protests. "I wasn't trying to take over their band. How could I do that? This is Aerosmith. They have Walk This Way, it's an all-time great rock song. They're fantastic.

"What happened was that Peter [Mensch] flew me to New York. Steven wasn't doing so good at the time, and I wasn't in the best shape either. I ended up sat in my hotel room for five days waiting for something to happen. And when it did… it was worthless. Nobody was in a fit state to make it work.

"But later, when I started the Michael Schenker Group [in 1980], Joey Kramer and Tom Hamilton wanted to be my rhythm section," he continues. "We did some rehearsals but then just as we were getting somewhere Steven got better, so they went back to Aerosmith." More.





Duff McKagan Open To Being Velvet Revolver's Singer
(Classic Rock) Duff McKagan says he would consider fronting Velvet Revolver, but admits he'd rather bring in a specialist singer. The bass player revealed the band - in which McKagan and former Guns 'N' Roses colleague Slash both star - are still looking for a replacement for Scott Weiland, who was sacked in 2008.

McKagan sings in his own project Loaded and wouldn't rule out taking over main mic duties in Velvet Revolver too.

He tells TotalRock Radio: "I would consider it, but I think it's the type of band that it's best if we have a lead singer. I like rocking with Slash. When we play, I like rocking with the guitar players and the drummer and being able to fly around.

"When I sing with Loaded, I can't move at all. I'm playing guitar and I'm singing. I wrote too many lyrics in the songs. There's just too many goddamn lyrics, and you can't ever move away from the mic, except when I jump into the crowd, and then the band's playing and I get back up and I have to sing more."

More including a stream of the interview here.





Defiant Jack White Plays On After Power is Cut
(Radio.com) Your silly curfews and speakers cannot contain Jack White. The rocker recently performed a long, career-spanning set with The Kills at the Royal Hospital Kilmainham in Dublin, Ireland, that saw him play on well into the night - so late, in fact, that he ran up against the venue's curfew.

In he and his band's final song, a cover of "Goodnight, Irene," White brought out Kills frontwoman Alison Mosshart and dived into the classic tune. But in the middle of the song, the venue finally pulled the plug on the late show, cutting all power to the speakers - something that might cause most acts to finally give up the ghost and thank the audience for coming.

White, however, did not flinch. As the power cut out, White and band instead continued to play, the frontman stepping out to the front of the stage, strumming his guitar and belting out the final lines of the song at the top of his lungs.

Watch the video here.





New KISS Related TV Series Coming This Summer
(hennemusic) KISS members Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons are featured in a new AMC series, "4th And Loud", which focuses on the launch of the pair's Arena Football League team, the L.A. KISS. The show will premiere on AMC on Tuesday, August 5 at 10/9c.

The 10-episode series will follow the duo, along with fellow co-owners, long-time KISS manager Doc McGhee, managing partner/owner Brett Bouchy and president/owner Schuyler Hoversten as they and the players and coaches work to turn L.A.'s first professional football team in years into a winning franchise.

As part of the 14-team Arena Football League, the L.A. KISS are the fourth AFL team to represent Los Angeles and the second to play at the Honda Center in Anaheim.

"We are thrilled to partner with AMC in bringing our show to the viewing public," says Stanley. "Anyone who knows Gene and I know we have never played by the rules. This opportunity to see the making of our team of rebels, the LA KISS, from behind the scenes will once again show everyone that we play to win."

Check out a preview here.





Aerosmith's Joe Perry Says Slash's New Album Is Really Rockin'
(Gibson) Aerosmith's Joe Perry just had a tough week, with the band having to cancel shows in Turkey and Ukraine. The latter was due to security concerns due to civil unrest in the country. Perry said that show is the first one Aerosmith have ever had to cancel "because of politics".

But Perry is looking forward to Aerosmith's tour with Slash band starting July 2014. Perry told 100.7 WZLX, "I've seen Slash's shows, and I've heard some of the new album - it's really rockin'" Slash famously credits Perry with inspiring him to play guitar because of Aerosmith's Rocks album.

Steven Tyler recently revealed on Ellen that the history between the two camps goes back further than you'd imagine - a drawing of Aerosmith made by a young Slash can be found on the inside of the group's most recent album. Perry had previously teased the upcoming tour and the announcement of the planned dates by spray-painting a number of walls in Los Angeles. more on this story







Robert Plant's Glastonbury Set Streaming Online
(hennemusic) Robert Plant performed at the Glastonbury Festival on Saturday, and video of his full set is available online. Plant and The Sensational Space Shifters' appearance featured a mixture of Led Zeppelin classics and solo tracks, including two tunes from his forthcoming album, "lullaby and… The Ceaseless Roar."

Due September 5 in Europe, September 8 in the UK and September 9 in North America, the project was recorded at Helium Studios in Wiltshire and Peter Gabriel's Real World Studios in Bath, UK.

The Led Zeppelin singer has just released "Rainbow" as the lead single from the album. Plant and The Sensational Space Shifters are currently on the road playing shows across Europe this summer.

Watch the performance here.





Jerry Only Moves To Have Danzig's Misfits Lawsuit Dismissed
(Classic Rock) Misfits bassist Jerry Only has called for Glenn Danzig's lawsuit against him to be dropped, arguing it has no basis in fact. The pair's years-long argument over merchandises rights went to court last month after Danzig filed papers claiming he'd created the band's Fiend Skull character, but had been bypassed when Only trademarked the device and cut his own merch deals.

Describing himself as the "creative heart of the Misfits," Danzig also stated that a 1994 contract between he and Only meant he was entitled to a share of all merch income.

Only's lawyer recently said: "Danzig's lawsuit can only be described as a sour-grapes tantrum based on outrageous allegations - the majority of which are completely false, while others a ill-conceived and grossly misguided."

Now Re-tox.com reports the bassist has filed a motion to dismiss the complaint "with prejudice." More details.






Metallica's Lars Ulrich Is The Ringo Of Metal Says A7X Drummer
(TeamRock Radio) Avenged Sevenfold drummer Arin Ilejay has hailed his Metallica counterpart Lars Ulrich as "the Ringo of metal" - saying he's one of the most underrated musicians in the world.

And his appreciation of Ulrich's approach served him well when he joined A7X and was asked to "dumb down" his performance for latest album Hail To The King.

Ilejay tells MusicRadar: "In so many ways Lars really is the best metal drummer. He doesn't have the crazy chops but he has the best stage presence. He's out of his mind, but writes incredible parts for the music. Ringo and Lars get the least amount of credit, but they're absolute geniuses."

He admits that he and A7X fans had expected to hear him go crazy on Hail To The King, following in the footsteps of late drummer Jimmy 'The Rev' Sullivan and stand-in Mike Portnoy. "But the band wanted me to create my own sound and legacy," Ilejay says. "They wanted me to dumb it down and play caveman-like. I was bummed at first - but it helped to have heard drummers like Lars." more on this story





Alice Cooper Debuts New Guitarist Nita Strauss
(hennemusic) Alice Cooper debuted his new guitarist Nita Strauss during a series of three solo dates in Michigan as he and the band warm up for the launch of the Motley Crue farewell tour in Grand Rapids on Wednesday.

Formerly of the all-girl tribute band The Iron Maidens, Strauss recently replaced Orianthi in Cooper's band and the Crue trek will be her first with the group.

Earlier this month, the shock rocker released the new documentary film, "Super Duper Alice Cooper." Available on DVD, Blu-ray and Deluxe Limited Edition box, the project tells the tale of how preacher's son Vincent Furnier went on to strike fear into the hearts of parents as Alice Cooper.

Watch video of Nita performing with Alice here.






Accept Release 'Stampede' Video
(Classic Rock) Accept have released a video for their track Stampede - the first to be revealed from upcoming album Blind Rage. It's set for launch in July via Nuclear Blast, and guitarist Wolf Hoffmann recently said it had a more classic feel than their previous two outings with vocalist Mark Tornillo.

"Something happened to us - something subliminal and impetuous. It's wild and scary, and it's called Blind Rage," Hoffmann reported. "Wherever we go, whenever you turn on the TV there's blind rage in the works - natural catastrophes or man-made madness."

The German veterans' 14th studio album will be released in standard formats plus a limited-edition digipak including a full live concert from last year. Watch the new video here.





Danko Jones Reunite With Producer Eric Ratz For New Album
(Classic Rock) Danko Jones have reunited with producer Eric Ratz for their seventh album, due next year. Ratz oversaw their breakthrough 1999 EP My Love Is Bold, which earned them a Juno nomination - and they were the first band to work with them at his Vespa Studios.

Jones says: "Working with Eric again has been a long time coming. It's been a great reunion, something we all wanted to do again. It's been most fortuitous to record some of the best songs we've written with him at the helm."

Ratz adds: "I've always felt they were one of the best hard rock bands to come out of Canada. Danko has amazing stage presence that fuels their live shows - our goal is to capture that with this recording." more on this story





Foreigner Unplug For TV Appearance
(hennemusic) Foreigner stopped by Good Day New York! on Friday to promote their current tour and to perform an acoustic version of their 1977 smash, "Feels Like The First Time."

Guitarists Jeff Pilsen and Thom Gimbel joined singer Kelly Hansen for the TV appearance. The Soundtrack Of Summer Tour sees Foreigner, Styx and Don Felder playing shows across the US this summer.

The three acts released a companion CD of the same name to support the run; the package includes a newly-recorded version of The Eagles' "Hotel California" (which Felder co-wrote) featuring all three artists.

Watch the TV performance here.





David Lee Roth and the Kabuki Orchestra Get The Blues
(hennemusic) Van Halen frontman David Lee Roth has posted video of an acoustic blues performance recorded at a studio in Tokyo, Japan. Billed as "The Oo-oka River Blues", Roth can be seen playing slide on his acoustic guitar while sitting on the floor of Onkio Haus studios, interspersed with footage of the rocker performing some of his martial arts moves.

The song is attributed to David Lee Roth and the Kabuki Orchestra. Roth became a resident of Tokyo in 2012; he continues to maintain homes in New York City and Pasadena, California.

Reports indicate Van Halen are actively working on a new album, the follow-up to 2012's "A Different Kind Of Truth." In a recent episode of The Roth Show, the singer revealed that he has been working on a secret Van Halen project.

"Doing some catching up here, a little bit of a scrapbook," said the singer. "We've been doing a lot of travelling. [I've been] working on a great Van Halen project - can't announce anything … or I'd have to come find you and swear you to secrecy."

Watch the new acoustic performance here.






Jack White's Entire Glastonbury Set Streaming Online
(hennemusic) Jack White played the Glastonbury Festival on Saturday, and video of his complete 75-minute performance is available online. White's 16-song set featured a mixture of White Stripes tunes, solo tracks and cuts from his new album, "Lazaretto."

The festival was the second stop on a week-long series of dates the rocker will play across Europe before kicking off a US tour on July 19 in Louisville, Kentucky.

On Thursday, White performed a show at Dublin's Royal Hospital Kilmainham alongside The Kills. The event made headlines when the power was cut during White's set due to local bylaw curfew issues, and the singer was forced to finish his set without it.

Watch the Glastonbury performance here.




Singled Out: Not In The Face's Brass Tacks
Today Not In The Face lead singer Jonathan Terrell tells us about the title track from their brand new "Brass Tacks" EP. The band is currently on a U.S. tour in support of the release. Here is the story:

I went to a Christmas party and ran into, Stephanie, the drummer of the Black Angels. They were toying around with starting a new side project with a few of the members and bringing in some outside people in from the local Austin scene. I left the party with them and went to a rehearsal space. We jammed until the early hours of the morning and when we went our separate ways, my homework was to write a song for the band and if they liked it, then we'd move from there.

I was working as a valet at the time and I have kinda long legs, so the beat came from my long stride when I was running to get cars. I came up with the whole song that night and wrote it on 2 valet tickets. I knew I wanted it to push and pull and feel really greasy. "I want to see the look on your face when you find out that love is a lie" I don't know. I remember the words just kind of flowing out with the rhythm while sitting in some strangers car. The Angels we're just finishing up the album Phosphene Dream at the time and they took off for several tours so the side band and the song never happened. We recorded a version of it on our 1st LP, "Bikini" but wanted to give it a real shot when we teamed up with Bob Ezrin and GGGarth Richardson for this EP. Garth felt like it needed one last verse.

We were in rehearsals with him and he sent me off to write the last verse. I retreated to the bathroom to do my business and hashed out the last of the lyrics on a paper towel. I washed my hands.

Today's Day in Rock News!

Today's Day in Rock


Jeff Beck Cancels Tour For 'Emergency Medical' Reasons
(hennemusic) Jeff Beck has cancelled his European summer tour dates after seeking immediate medical attention which will see the guitarist undergo an unidentified hospital procedure requiring six weeks of rest.

"It is with the greatest regret that Jeff Beck has been forced to cancel the forthcoming European dates of his worldwide tour, set to begin in Austria on 27 June," posted the rocker's team on his social media sites.

"Following many months of international touring and after seeking emergency medical attention, Jeff will now undertake a short hospital procedure and his doctors have instructed a complete break from performance for a total of six weeks. Following the treatment, Jeff will fulfill his US tour commitments beginning in Missoula MT on 8th August."

"He sends his profound apologies to those fans who had bought tickets for the European concerts," continued the statement, "and very much looks forward to playing for his American audiences after he has completed his treatment." more on this story




Judas Priest Announce American Tour
Forget the previous claims that Judas Priest were heading into retirement. The band announced on Thursday that they are launching a North American tour in support of their new studio album.

The veteran UK metal band will be launching the Redeemer of Souls Tour on October 1st in Rochester, NY at Main Street Armory and wrapping up on November 18th in Salt Lake City, UT at the Maverik Center. They have tapped comedy metal band Steel Panther as support for the entire trek.

The tour takes its name from the band's new studio album, "Redeemer of Souls", which has a new release date and is now scheduled to arrive in North America on July 8th.
The album and tour come after Judas Priest embarked on their farewell tour and Full Metal Jackie recently spoke with frontman Rob Halford about the band's change in status.

Halford was asked why they changed their minds and he responded, "It's got to be the fans. We went out there in all genuine honesty, saying that this was a farewell tour but if we could have picked a better word than 'farewell,' I wish we could have found one. That should have been my job, being the lyricist. I suppose 'farewell' isn't really goodbye, it's like, 'see you next time.'

"What we were trying to explain as we moved along was, that we will be going out again but it won't be these two-year treks around the world that naturally become a little bit more challenging when you get to a certain stage in your life. We never want to compromise ourselves, we want to be able to go out onstage, wherever it might be on the planet and give you everything we've got. If there's a way of kind of readjusting the touring scheduling where we can do that, and go in the ring and give you everything, then that's what we intend to do.

"We've just been discussing, while we've been together in New York, the first time we've been together as a band in three years, ironically enough. We saw each other in and out of the studio, but we were never all there at the same time. So, for the first time we were together recently, and we discussed about the touring. We started to put down setlist ideas. It looks like we'll be going out in the fall, in America. So you'll be getting us towards that time of the year. We'll be kicking the tires, as they say, getting the engine reved up and play live to our fans again." more on this story





Led Zeppelin Returned To Scene Of Shark Episode
(Classic Rock) The former boss of a Seattle hotel has told how Led Zeppelin sneaked back in - eight years after they'd been banned for life as a result of the notorious "shark episode."

Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and co had been kicked out in 1969 after an incident in which a fish was used in a sex act at the Edgewater Hotel on the bank of the Puget Sound.

But former premises manager James Blum has revealed the band returned in 1977 - and although they didn't cause problems on the same scale, they were still enough of a handful.

He tells his story in retired radio boss Beau Phillips' book I Killed Pink Floyd's Pig. Blum says: "Somehow Led Zeppelin reserved rooms in the Edgewater and we didn't catch it. There were no computer systems back then, and the band didn't use real names when booking, so it got past us."

He decided he couldn't throw them out once they'd checked in, but also wanted to make sure they knew they were being watched. Find out what happened next.




Duff McKagan, Rob Zombie, Steve Jones Lead Johnny Ramone Event
The details for the 10th Annual Johnny Ramone Tribute event have been revealed by Johnny's wife Linda Ramone, who organized the August 24th event at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery.

Rob Zombie will be pulling double duty for the event. He has signed as the host and will also be leading the all-star jam that will also feature Guns N' Roses, Velvet Revolver and Loaded star Duff McKagan, Sex Pistols Steve Jones and other surprise special guests who will play tribute to the Ramones star.

Zombie will be present a special outdoor screening of the film "The Devil's Rejects" along with an autograph signing session with stars from the film, and Metallica guitarist Kirk "Von" Hammett's special collection of horror movie memorabilia will also be displayed.

According to the announcement, Fred Armisen (Portlandia, Saturday Night Live) will also be appearing at the tribute and will bring along his punk rock alter ego, Ian Rubbish, to the festivities.

Proceeds from the event will benefit the Johnny Ramone Foundation and Dr. David Agus, USC. Check out the event poster here.






Megadeth, Stryper, Dokken, Whitesnake Supergroup Gets A Name
(Classic Rock) Michael Sweet has revealed the likely name of his new supergroup featuring George Lynch. The Stryper frontman is teaming up with Lynch, of Dokken and Lynch Mob, as well as former Megadeth bass player James Lomenzo and one time Whitesnake drummer Brian Tichy on the project, to be known as Sweet Lynch.

An album will be released in the coming months. Sweet tells Guitar International: "It looks like we are going to go with the name Sweet Lynch. We were debating that for a while and the label was pushing it for it.

"I co-wrote the songs with George. I called Brian Tichy and James Lomenzo to put the band together. You'll start to hear about it in September with the first single and video. It's an incredible combination of classic 70s and 80s. You will hear some flavours of Journey, Bad Company, Dokken, Van Halen, and Stryper. more on this story





KISS and Def Leppard Pick Veterans For Roadies of Summer Tour
(PMKBNC) As previously announced, KISS and Def Leppard recruited two military veterans to act as roadies on their North American coheadlining tour and the bands revealed who those veterans were during the kick off of the tour in Salt Lake City on Monday night. We were sent these details:

Kayla Kelly and Bill Jones were chosen by the bands after submitting their resume through Military.com. Thousands of applicants applied for the position and Military.com assisted the band in narrowing the field to the final candidates. The winners of the two coveted roadie spots were announced between the bands' performances by Sterling Poulson, Chief Meteorologist for CBS in SLC and a veteran of the United States Air Force, after 27 years of service.

The bands will be donating to two local charities in honor of each roadie being hired. Def Leppard will be donating to the Utah Guard Charitable Trust and KISS will be donating to Veterans Mothers.

"It is our privilege to draw attention to the obligation we all have to the brave men and women who volunteer to risk their own lives to protect the liberties and freedom that we all take for granted. We should all jump at any opportunity to provide any assistance needed by our warriors. Heroes deserve jobs!" said Paul Stanley, lead vocalist/guitarist of KISS.

"Having our own wounded warrior in Rick Allen, we've always had a close tie with the military," said Joe Elliott, lead vocalist of Def Leppard. "To carry on and further our contribution by giving a little back, and hopefully helping fulfill a dream or two, we're more than happy to show our support."

T McCreary, President of Military.com and a retired Navy admiral said, "We were proud to take part in helping these two great bands choose their roadies for the 2014 summer tour. Our veterans have diverse skill sets that virtually any organization can use and this is proof of that. I think these two veterans may have the coolest post-military job ever. "

Throughout the course of their tour, the bands will be donating to charities including the USO, Project Resiliency/The Raven Drum Foundation, Augusta Warrior Project, Hiring Our Heroes, and Wounded Warrior Project.





Why Pearl Jam Covered Frozen Hit 'Let It Go'
(hennemusic) Pearl Jam turned some heads last Friday in Milan, Italy when they performed a snippet from "Let It Go", the smash hit from the animated Disney movie Frozen, and now frontman Eddie Vedder is sharing the story behind the band's cover.

A close friend of Vedder's, cartoonist Tom Tomorrow, tweeted the details on the rocker's behalf, writing, "So that clip of Pearl Jam doing the song from Frozen? That was a request -- from Eddie Vedder's five year old daughter."

"Just got off the phone with Ed and he told me I should tweet that," he added, with a final follow-up, "He also wants everyone to know that his daughter sings it better."

More including video of the performance here.





Iron Maiden Singer Sparks Controversy With Punk Comments
(Classic Rock) Punk icons of the Dead Kennedys and the Damned have bitten back at Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson's recent dismissal of their genre as "rubbish."

Earlier this week the vocalist argued there was a world of difference between heavy metal and punk, telling the Guardian: "The closest the art establishment ever came to embracing metal was punk. The reason they embraced punk was because it was rubbish.

"The reason they embraced rubbish was because they could control it. They could say: 'Oh yeah, we're punk, so we can sneer at everybody. We can't play our f***ing instruments - but that means we can make out this whole thing is some enormous performance art.'

"Half the kids that were in punk bands were laughing at the art establishment, going, 'What a f***ing bunch of tosspots. Thanks very much - give us the money and we'll f*** off and stick it up our nose and shag birds.'

"What they'd really love to be doing was being in a heavy metal band surrounded by porn stars."

Read some of the punkers reaction to Bruce's criticism here.




Eric Clapton Releases First Video From J.J. Cale Tribute Album
(hennemusic) Eric Clapton has released a video for "Call Me The Breeze", from an upcoming tribute album of the same name the guitarist has organized to honor one of his musical mentors, J.J. Cale.

Due July 29, "Eric Clapton & Friends: The Breeze, An Appreciation of JJ Cale" features a collection of 16 Cale tunes revisited by Clapton, Mark Knopfler, John Mayer, Willie Nelson, Tom Petty, Derek Trucks and Don White.

"I would like people to tap into what JJ Cale did - that's the point," said Clapton. "I'm just the messenger; I've always felt that that's my job. I try to interpret things so that the public at large, or at least the people who listen to what I do, will become intrigued about where I got it from."

Cale passed away from a heart attack in La Jolla, California on July 26, 2013 at the age of 74. Watch Clapton's new video here.





Quiet Riot Releasing Album With Jizzy Pearl and Kevin DuBrow Vocals
(Classic Rock) Quiet Riot are digitally releasing an album called 10 today, June 27, featuring six tracks with new frontman Jizzy Pearl and four with late singer Kevin DuBrow. The live DuBrow songs are the last pieces of professionally-recorded music he made before dying of an accidental drug overdose in 2007.

Drummer Frankie Banali recently told Loudwire that DuBrow would have approved of the band continuing, saying: "He knows why I do things and how I do things. The choices I made for the four live songs would be the ones he agreed with.

"With the new songs, I know he would get it. There's one song in particular which is my personal farewell to Kevin, and very tongue-in-cheek - and don't expect it to be a ballad."

More including a trailer here.




Motley Crue Preview Country Cover of 'Girls, Girls, Girls'
(hennemusic) Motley Crue are previewing country rocker Brantley Gilbert's version of "Girls, Girls, Girls" from the forthcoming album, "Nashville Outlaws: A Tribute To Motley Crue."

"He played this one pretty close to the original," says singer Vince Neil. "Sometimes you want to stay close to it; you don't want to screw with something like 'Girls, Girls, Girls' that much."

Due August 19, the project sees a variety of country artists covering Motley Crue tracks as the rockers prepare to launch their farewell tour this summer. "Nashville Outlaws" features performances by Rascal Fatts, LeAnne Rimes, Florida Georgia Line, Darius Rucker, Gretchen Wilson and more.

Check out the preview here.




Joe Perry Reacts To Aerosmith Canceling Show Over Politics
(Radio.com) Aerosmith are just about finished with their European tour, which has seen them playing in front of huge audiences in Russia, Germany, Finland, Denmark and Italy, among other countries. But, unfortunately, they weren't able to play all of their scheduled concerts.

The band had to cancel their May concert in Turkey after a mining disaster that killed over 300 people, and their upcoming July 2 show in Kiev has also been called off due to civil unrest.

Kiev's National Corporation of Entertainment released a statement confirming the cancellation, saying, "With much regret we have decided to cancel the Aerosmith show in Kiev on July 2nd. It is impossible to produce this show in Ukraine while there is civil war. We can't ensure safety to the artists, crew and the audience. We can't ensure safety of the equipment."

Aerosmith's Joe Perry called into Boston classic rock station WZLX's host Carter Alan, to discuss the tour. He said that, cancellation notwithstanding, he enjoyed being in Turkey, and noted that Istanbul is his favorite European city.

"It was a drag we couldn't play because of the mining disaster, it was a national day of mourning," Perry said. "But it was a really amazing experience."

As for the Kiev show, Perry notes that, "It was the first time we've had to cancel because of politics." more on this story




Lenny Kravitz Announces New Album And Tour
(hennemusic) Lenny Kravitz has unveiled the tracklisting for his forthcoming album, "Strut", and announced an extensive fall tour through Europe, the UK and Russia.

Due September 23, "Strut" is Lenny's tenth studio album and first since 2011's "Black And White America." As always, Kravitz plays guitar, bass, keyboards and drums and percussion on the album, and produced and arranged it as well.

"This record brought me back to a place of what I love so much about music, back to the feelings I had when I was in high school," he explains. "It's a real rock & roll record - it's raw, it's got soul and it came together really quickly."

In the past week, Kravitz has revealed the album's cover as well as issued a lyric video for the project's lead single, "The Chamber." The rocker will kick off his Strut World Tour on October 22 in Moscow, Russia. Grab the dates and the album track details here.





Slade's Noddy Holder Receives Home Town Honor
(Classic Rock) Slade icon Noddy Holder has been awarded the freedom of his home town of Walsall, making him honorary freeman of the borough - and he hopes it raises the profile of arts in the Black Country.

Holder, 68, who retired from the band in 1992, was told by Mayor Peter Smith that he'd been granted the honour "in grateful recognition of service to the entertainment and music industry of the last 50 years."

Smith told the BBC: "Noddy is a down-to-earth guy and proud of his Walsall roots." Holder himself said: "I think I've flown the flag for the West Midland and the Black Country. It has some of the best artists, produced great bands, comedians and dancers - but people outside don't recognise them." more on this story





Fearless Vampire Killers Launching Social Network
UK rockers Fearless Vampire Killers revealed this week that they will be giving fans a special advance listen to their new studio album via their new social media network, "The Obsidian Bond".

The new album was completed earlier this month and this week the band announced that they will be launching the new social media network on July 17th, 2014. We were sent over these details:

Combining aspects of profile based sites such as Facebook and Feed based sites such as Twitter, fans of FVK will be able to interact with each other real-time, earning a series of achievements as they go. The band will also be streaming their second album track by track, exclusively to members of the service.

Singer Kier Kemp had this to say, "We're super excited about this release... I mean this kind of thing has never been done to the extent we're about to do it, apart from maybe "Insane Clown Posse" but ours is certainly more modern! This is for the fans of our band that need to know everything... and believe me when I say I don't think a stone has been left unturned!"

Lead Guitarist Barroné adds, "I don't actually think I've slept since we had this idea... I'm not even a developer but I've had to take a crash course! I think we're all really proud with what we've come up with though".

Fearless Vampire Killers will also be playing the Main Stage at new UK Festival Alt-Fest this summer, along with Amen and Marilyn Manson. Visit the band's website for more details here.





Slash Explains Why He Hired Myles Kennedy
(Classic Rock) Slash recalls being blown away by Myles Kennedy's voice, versatility and attitude the first time they met. The guitar icon releases the second album with Myles Kennedy And The Conspirators - World On Fire -in September.

The relationship started when Slash was writing his 2010 self-titled solo album and asked the Alter Bridge frontman to sing one of the tracks, called Starlight.

Slash tells Rocksverige: "I had never met him before, I had just heard about him. I didn't even know what he sang like. I asked him to sing a song on my solo record with all the different singers, and he was f***ing great. Then we met, he came to LA and we recorded the studio version of Starlight.

"I just really liked him, he's very laid back and cool. At that point I asked him if he wanted to do a tour with me to support that album. I guess it was obvious to me somehow that he could sing the bulk of the material from that solo record and it was just a gut feeling he could sing all the Guns 'N' Roses, Velvet Revolver and Snakepit stuff, which is a tall order."

More including a full interview stream here.





Mr. Big Reveal One-Off Show Plans
(Classic Rock) Mr. Big have announced that they will be staging a one-off UK show in October and the band's frontman Eric Martin has also lined up a string of British dates.

The LA supergroup will play at London's Koko on Friday, October 17 as part of a European tour, after Martin plays solo dates in Ahoghill, Northern Ireland, and Nottingham.

And Martin will be back in December for a run of solo shows starting in Edinburgh on Thursday, December 4. Mr Big's last album was 2011's What If..., which was followed up by a live release, 2012's Raw Like Sushi 100. more on this story






Extreme Release Video Of Aerosmith Jam
(hennemusic) Extreme bassist Pat Badger has posted video of the band singing backup vocals with Aerosmith's Steven Tyler on their 1993 classic, "Livin On The Edge", at Hellfest in France last weekend.

Extreme played earlier in the day and stuck around to watch Aerosmith's headlining set from sidestage, when Tyler wandered over and had them join in on the song.

"That was the ultimate Aerosmith experience," said drummer Kevin Figueiredo after the show. The Hellfest show was one stop on Aerosmith's Let Rock Rule European tour, which will wrap up at the Heineken Festival in CVenice, Italy on July 3.

Watch the video here.






Alice Cooper Shares Motley Crue Farewell Tour Rehearsal Photos
(hennemusic) Alice Cooper is sharing photos from his rehearsals for the upcoming farewell tour by Motley Crue. Alice has posted images of the band in rehearsal, including shots of guitarists Ryan Roxie, Tommy Henriksen and new addition Nita Strauss, formerly of the all-girl tribute band The Iron Maidens.

Strauss recently replaced Orianthi in Cooper's band and the Crue trek will be her first with the group. Motley Crue's "The Final Tour" will kick off on July 2 in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Earlier this month, the shock rocker released the new documentary film, "Super Duper Alice Cooper". Available on DVD, Blu-ray and Deluxe Limited Edition box, the project tells the tale of how preacher's son Vincent Furnier went on to strike fear into the hearts of parents as Alice Cooper. See the photos here.






Singled Out: Lords of Ruin
Today Lords of Ruin vocalist Lauren Boquette tells us the story behind their new single "Ghost Of Finneran" as well as the story behind the previous single "The Darker Side of Life". Here is the story:

Ghost Of Finneran: Back in 2009 my longtime friend/ singer songwriter Gary Finneran (Ex-Idools, She Died, Tuscarora) killed himself in a motel room in Santa Monica CA. The news shocked all of us in the Southern California music scene that knew him but knowing him as we did, none of us were surprised that it finally happened. As one of the greatest songwriters any of us ever knew, many of Gary's songs were about dying or wanting to die. The theme resonated so deep within his music that a collection of death related songs titled "Goodbye" was given out at his service. It was a horrible situation and this world lost yet another incredible artist.

A few years later my wife and I were in a bar in Huntington Beach CA and I saw Gary clear as day sitting on a bar stool. It was insane! There his was in all his glory holding his guitar as he had done many many times before. I immediately grabbed my phone, found a quiet section of the bar and sang into its recorder "I don't know where you are tonight, I'm out here at it again...somewhere in the bar tonight I swear i saw the Ghost of Finneran" That moment was the beginning of this song.

Shortly after, my band, Lords of Ruin were invited by producer/ keyboardist Ronnie King (Tupac, Pennywise, Mariah Carey, Rancid, Pepper) out to his place in the middle of the California desert to write and create new music.. We began to jam and this music sort of wrote itself, after a few hours of jamming, I grabbed the mic and began with the same lyrics that I had sung into my phone months prior….the song continued to develop into something powerful. Late that night after a long session of drinking and jamming an alert on my phone came on that said "R.I.P Gary" in a bizarre coincidence the song was written on the anniversary of his death! This was not planned, I showed the boys and we stood there stunned. What a night.

We eventually recorded & released the song and here it is. I do believe Gary gave it to us.

Sleep well Gary & Thank you!

The Darker Side Of Life: This song was written about the emotional transition from darkness to light.

The majority of my life was spent in a very dark place. I didn't realize I was in it but people who grew up like I did tend to stay in this broken headspace that they are completely unaware of. We gravitate towards other messed up people and find a comfort in dark music, film, and other dysfunctional situations. It's really no way to live but when you're in it, it all seems totally normal.

I look back on the things that I have written and recorded over the years and realize that I was really lost deep in it for a very long time and never even noticed that I had transitioned out of until this song was done.

One night the band and I were jamming in our guitarist Jimmy Craig's studio in Orange CA and we began to pound out this dark really heavy sort of Sabbath /Alice In Chains-ish groove and then chorus came to me "You want to know about loss? I know what lost is, I've seen the darker side of life"

It took us a few more weeks to figure out the arraignment and for me to finish the lyrics but it is a nod to the broken ones out there, those of us who have traveled through the darkness and eventually found the light. All I can tell you is that things do eventually change as long as you allow yourself to grow and truly feel what it is to be alive. This life really is a wonderful thing once you tap into the beauty in it.

"You want to know about loss? I know what lost is, I've seen the darker side of life, the darker side of life, You want to talk about life? I've learned what love is and I've never felt so alive, never felt so alive than right now"

This band understands the hurt and pain that this life can bring but we also see the beauty that is all around us. Keep on breathing, things do get better!