Today's Day in Rock News!

Today's Day in Rock


Scott Weiland Changes Direction With New Album
(Classic Rock) Scott Weiland says his new project has more of an 'indie rock' feel than anything he's worked on in the past. The former Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver frontman's new group is called Scott Weiland And The Wildabouts and he says it will appeal to fans who found some of his solo work, like 2008's Happy In Galoshes, a little too experimental for their taste.

The band release debut album Blaster on March 31 via Softdrive Records following a successful PledgeMusic campaign. And the singer says he's not been this happy musically since STP's debut album Core.

Weiland tells Mitch Lafon: "It's different than both of the rock bands I've been in. It's more of a garage rock, indie rock kind of feel. But it is still rock. So I think STP fans and Velvet Revolver fans who weren't into an experimental record like Happy In Galoshes will definitely be into this because it's got some big riffs on it." Read more here.




Black Sabbath's Geezer Butler Posts Message About Arrest
Black Sabbath bass player Geezer Butler on Thursday (Jan. 29) made his first public comments since he was arrested after an alleged bar fight in Death Valley on Tuesday (Jan. 27).

As previously reported, Butler was arrested on charges of misdemeanor assault, public intoxication and vandalism after he reportedly got into an altercation at the Corkscrew Saloon where an unnamed individual was "struck" and a window was broken, according to a statement issued by the Inyo County Sheriff's department.

On Thursday, Butler acknowledged the arrest with two posts on his Facebook page. In one post he told fans "Thx for your messages & support following the unfortunate altercation that occurred."

Five hours later he posted a picture himself in the desert under the heading of "After that little distraction" showing him sitting on a platform in front of ghostly figure holding a bicycle. See the photo here.

Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne also posted a message of support for Butler on his Facebook page on Thursday. Osbourne wrote, "Sending my love and support to Geezer Butler. I'm here if you need me."




Tom Petty Has No Hard Feelings For Sam Smith
Tom Petty has released a statement about the recent decision to add him and Jeff Lynne to the songwriting credits of Sam Smith's Grammy nominated track "Stay With Me" because of its similarity to Petty's hit "I Won't Back Down."

Petty had the following to say about the situation, "About the Sam Smith thing. Let me say I have never had any hard feelings toward Sam. All my years of songwriting have shown me these things can happen.

"Most times you catch it before it gets out the studio door but in this case it got by. Sam's people were very understanding of our predicament and we easily came to an agreement.

"The word lawsuit was never even said and was never my intention. And no more was to be said about it. How it got out to the press is beyond Sam or myself.

"Sam did the right thing and I have thought no more about this. A musical accident no more no less. In these times we live in this is hardly news. I wish Sam all the best for his ongoing career. Peace and love to all."



ZZ Top and Weezer To Do Live TV Mash-Up
(hennemusic) ZZ Top will staging an unusual performance with Weezer as ABC-TV's Jimmy Kimmel Live for the debut installment of the late night talk show's Mash-Up Mondays on February 2.

Billed as "Wee-Z Top", the Texas trio - who just played on the show this week - will join the alternative rockers for the first edition of a month-long series on the late night program.

Other musical pairings in February include Morris Day and The Time (featured in Prince's film Purple Rain) and HAIM (Feb. 9), and Aloe Blacc and Blackstreet (Feb 16). Read more here.



Nick Menza Sidesteps Megadeth Reunion Question
(Classic Rock) Former Megadeth drummer Nick Menza has stopped short of confirming or denying whether he's returning to the band. Speculation has been rife in recent weeks that the sticksman, who left in 1998 after a five-album stint in Dave Mustaine's outfit, could be set to come back after the departures of Shawn Drover and Chris Broderick in November.

Megadeth last month released a teaser video showing bassist David Ellefson playing in their studio with an unidentified drummer. He and Menza attended the NAMM industry show in California at the weekend.

But Menza would only tell Examiner.com: "It'll be final when it's final," then asked: "What do you think are the chances of me coming back?" Read more here.




Slipknot Star Frustrated By Censorship
(TeamRock Radio) Slipknot percussionist Chris Fehn says he's tired of his band's lyrics being censored for broadcast on TV and radio. He believes the laws that make it necessary for acts to provide alternative versions of strongly-worded songs are only in place because control freaks want them to be.

And he argues there are much worse things in the world than heavy language. Fehn tells Rock Sins: "There's so many songs that they'll blip. I hate that. The worst is when they redo it with a different word.

"I'm like, 'Come on, man.' Even with the internet and how exposed kids are to things in this world? To me it's the least of the problems we have.

"But I guess that's the world we live in. It's just control - people want control." Read more here.




Michael Sweet Wanted To Help Sebastian Bach Reclaim Skid Row Glory
(Classic Rock) Michael Sweet says he was tapped to produce a Sebastian Bach solo album that would have gone back to the sound of early Skid Row. The Stryper frontman claims Bach got in touch over an idea to work on the album, which Sweet would have co-written and produced - only for the former Skid Row frontman to go silent on the issue.

Sweet was asked for his view on Bach's comments that he has 800,000 Facebook followers yet sold only 5000 copies of his latest album Give 'Em Hell in the first week.

And according to Sweet, the answer is simple - Bach's fans want the Sebastian of old. He adds: "This isn't a bash against Sebastian at all, it's just my opinion. I think people wanna hear Sebastian of old. They wanna hear the Skid Row Sebastian. They wanna hear the hits. And he's giving them modern rock.

"It's a good album, it's a good-sounding album, but it's not the glory days." He also discussed the album project. Read about that here.




Ringo Starr Reveals New Album Details and Tour Dates
(Radio.com) 2014 was a great year for Ringo Starr--he reunited with his former Beatles bandmate Paul McCartney at the 56th Annual Grammys and again a few days later at the Grammys Beatles tribute The Night That Changed America: A Grammy Salute. He also had an exhibit in his honor at the Grammy museum, and and usual, he toured with his latest All-Starr Band.

And 2015 looks to be just as busy for the legendary drummer: he's going to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for his solo work, he's just announced his latest album, Postcards From Paradise and he's going to be hitting the road again.

Postcards from Paradise sees him working with the above-mentioned All-Starr Band who he's been touring with. That includes Toto guitarist Steve Lukather, guitarist Todd Rundgren, founding Santana keyboardist/singer Gregg Rolie, Mr. Mister bassist Richard Page, drummer Gregg Bissonette and former All-Starr and multi-instrumentalist Warren Ham.

Read more including tour dates here.




Behemoth Releasing Their Official Biography
(TeamRock Radio) Polish death metal outfit Behemoth will release their official biography Devil's Conquistadors next month, they've confirmed. The 490-page book, which was written by Lukasz Dunaj, will launch on February 24 via Metal Blade Records and details the rise of the band in their homeland, their influences and will also feature interviews, photos and printed lyric sheets.

Frontman Adam 'Nergal' Darski, who will release his memoirs Confessions Of A Heretic: The Sacred And Profane, Behemoth And Beyond in English on March 19, reveals in the book that he bought his first guitar with money he was given for his first communion.

He says: "The first communion was a very important moment for me. I know this sounds ridiculous, but it's true. Of course, not as a religious experience - I didn't understand anything and couldn't care less. Same as all the other kids. " Read more here.




Limp Bizkit's Wes Borland Slams Upcoming Shiprocked Cruise
(TeamRock Radio) Limp Bizkit guitarist Wes Borland has released an Instagram rant about the band's cruising festival appearance next week. They're headlining the 2015 edition of Shiprocked, which sets sail from Miami on February 2 and arrives at the Bahamas on February 6.

But Borland isn't looking forward to the experience. He says: "Can't wait to see some roided-out, tribal-tattooed, spray-tanned, Jell-O shot-filled bohunks do their best drunk MMA impressions in the top-deck moshpit.

"Whenever we aren't on stage I'll be curled up foetal-position in my cabin, palms up, while I desperately cling to the last week of my thirties as it slips through my hooked fingers." He had more to say. Read it here.




Genesis Film Shows Why Band Won't Reunite Says Hackett
(TeamRock Radio) Steve Hackett believes the reason why a Genesis reunion can't take place is clear to see from the 2014 band documentary Together And Apart. In October he appeared alongside Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins, Mike Rutherford and Tony Banks in a BBC film that he described as "biased."

Now Hackett tells ABC News Radio: "When people ask me, 'Is there going to be reformation?' I say, 'Look at the documentary and you'll get an idea of the priorities that come across.' I think it's probably extremely unlikely."

But he'd still take part if the opportunity arose, he adds: "It's been decades I've been saying, 'Call me if you need me.' My door is open to that, certainly." Read more here.




Damn Yankees Celebrate 25th Anniversary In The Studio
A special online edition of the syndicated radio show In The Studio: The Stories Behind History's Greatest Rock Bands celebrates the 25th anniversary of supergroup Damn Yankees with Tommy Shaw, Jack Blades, Michael Cartellone, and Ted Nugent. The show sent over these details:

The Nineties' first supergroup actually lived up to the hype. The Damn Yankee's self-titled debut sold a whopping two million copies off the backs of melodic rockers "Coming of Age", "Runaway", "Come Again" and the soaring # 3 hit single "High Enough". But how did these guys come together in the first place?

Each frontman had a successful rock pedigree: Motor City MadmanTed Nugent, STYX singer/songwriter/ guitarist Tommy Shaw, and Night Ranger singer/songwriter/bass player Jack Blades. InTheStudio host Redbeard gets the full story on how the group united and spent the next five years making records and touring constantly. It was a unique musical partnership that worked both personally and professionally.

Jack Blades : "When Tommy & I first started singing, suddenly we realized that we were phrasing the same, harmonizing, coming up with the same vocal ideas. It was if we had sung together for ten years."

Tommy Shaw: "The first day of recording Nugent announced that he was taking all of us to hunt bear. So the next morning we showed up bare…naked."

Ted Nugent: "I'm from the Motor City. We're the 'Murder Capital of America' not because we're more violent. It's because we're better shots."

Stream the episode here.




The Poodles Streaming First Song From New Album
(Classic Rock) Swedish rocker The Poodles will launch their sixth album in March, they've confirmed. Titled Devil In The Details, it will be released on March 25 via Gain Music and will be the follow-up to 2013's Tour De Force.

They have also released an online stream of a song called "The Greatest" - the first track from the record which the band describe as "rock 'n' roll straight up, no chaser."

They parted ways with bassist Pontus Egberg last year. He left to join King Diamond as a permanent member after touring with the Danish mainman. The band unveiled their new bass player Johan Flodquist earlier this month.

Check out the new song here.




Y&T Crowdfunding Career Spanning Documentary
(Classic Rock) Y&T have launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund the making of a career-spanning documentary. And mainman Dave Meniketti hopes fans will step up so the band can tell their own story their own way.

The movie is to be built out of the hundreds of hours of personal footage shot over the years. It's set to cover their earliest days of rehearsing in Leonard Haze's grandmother's house, then move through the first two albums, touring with Journey, Boston and Queen, to their big breaks with AC/DC, Ozzy Osbourne and Dio.

It's also designed to be a tribute to bassist Phil Kennemore, who died in 2011. Meniketti says: "In the past we'd ask a record company or a big corporation for funding - and in exchange, sign away our rights and artistic control." Read more here.




Black Crowes Singer Says Breakup Reasons Were Complicated
(hennemusic) Singer Chris Robinson says the breakup of The Black Crowes is "complicated." Brother and guitarist Rich Robinson broke the news on January 15, saying "It is with great disappointment and regret that after having the privilege of writing and performing the music of The Black Crowes over the last 24 years, I find myself in the position of saying that the band has broken up."

The guitarist also revealed details regarding some controversy within the group that fueled his decision not to return. "I love my brother and respect his talent," he noted, "but his present demand that I must give up my equal share of the band and that our drummer for 28 years and original partner, Steve Gorman, relinquish 100% of his share, reducing him to a salaried employee, is not something I could agree to."

Now, Chris responds to the official statement, telling Billboard "it's way more complicated than Rich's public outburst" while declining to elaborate. "I'm going to keep my personal, private family business personal and private," he says, "and I'll focus on all the other things that are important. The ideas, I think, are more important than the drama."

"I have too much stuff going on that's progressive and positive to dig through sordid family history and stuff. I don't think that's interesting at all -- maybe in a tabloid kind of culture we live in, but I've never been part of that. I've never dealt with my personal, private life in a public forum, so I'm not going to drag myself though the mire now." Read more here.




Crippled Black Phoenix Members Reveal New Prog Band VLY
(Prog) Crippled Black Phoenix members Karl Demata and Chris Heilmann have unveiled their new prog band VLY. They've launched a stream of their track Circles, taken from upcoming debut album.

The guitarist and bassist are joined by vocalist Keith Gladysz (Diet Kong, Typical Reptiles), keyboardist Elisa Montaldo (Il Tempio Delle Clessidre) and drummer Mattias Olsson (Anglagard, White Willow, Necromonkey).

The band describe themselves as "a multifaceted beast where suggestions from progressive rock, classic rock and folk meet with early-Floydian psychedelia, intimate pop melodies, massive walls of epic guitar riffage, post-classical, post-rock and electronic music."




Linkin Park, Rob Zombie and Weezer Lead Loudwire Music Festival
Linkin Park, Rob Zombie and Weezer have been announced as the headliners for the very first Loudwire Music Festival which will be taking place this summer.

Organizer have also revealed that the three-day festival will also feature performances from Halestorm, A Day to Remember and Hinder, with more acts still to be announced.

The multi-stage rock festival is scheduled to take place on Friday, June 26, Saturday, June 27 and Sunday, June 28 festival at Jam Ranch in Grand Junction, CO.

Halestorm's Lzzy Hale had this to say about being added to the lineup, "The boys and I are so stoked to be coming to Colorado for Loudwire Music Festival! This is one of the events we are looking forward to the most this summer! Prepare yourself for some crazy new tunes and your faces to be melted into your shoes!"





Magma Announce North American Tour
(Prog) Magma have announced a tour of North America to take place before they visit the UK. Christian Vander and co will perform eight shows in the US and Canada in April.

The journey is followed by appearances at Manchester's RNCM on May 7 and London's Cadogan Hall on May 8. It's part of the French collective's 45th anniversary celebrations, which continues into 2015.

Vander says: "Magma is happy to return to the United States - we know you are passionate, respectful and curious about music. We find you generous and open. It will be a joy for us to see you this year." See the dates here.





Stone Temple Pilots Streaming 'High Rise' Demos
(hennemusic) Stone Temple Pilots guitarist Dean DeLeo has posted online stream ofemos from the band's 2013 EP "High Rise." The project delivered the debut of singer Chester Bennington from Linkin Park, who joined the band after original frontman Scott Weiland was fired in February of 2013, leading to a series of public statements and lawsuits by both parties.

DeLeo has posted material from demos for three tracks on the EP, including "Out Of Time", "Cry Cry" and "Same On The Inside", as well as "The Hotel On The Hill."

"Howdy ya'll," says DeLeo. "I thought I'd start these new 'memo:demos' to share some audio clips that are recorded on my phone which include anything from alternate solos, songs from the point in time of their conception and some new ditties. Have fun and stay tuned for more."

"High Rise" debuted at No. 24 on the US Billboard 200 chart following first week sales of 12,000 copies. Check out the demos here.




Classic Albums Selling More Than New Albums
(Classic Rock) 'Old' albums outsold current releases on iTunes in America last year, new figures reveal. Music Business Worldwide reports that it is the first time catalogue releases have sold more than new albums over the course of a full year - with a previous victory for old records during one month in 2012 considered a "momentary blip."

One example of a catalogue album selling well is Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers' Greatest Hits - originally released in 1993 - which is currently in the iTunes top 100 albums chart.

Industry expert Tim Ingham says it's a worrying trend for the music business and adds that it's only a matter of time before catalogue records outsell new releases on physical formats such as CD and vinyl as well as online.

He says: "Such data asks two very clear questions of record labels: are people merely starting to consume their new music on streaming services rather than buying it in album form? Or are they increasingly less impressed with the new album releases that arrive year-in, year-out?" Read more here.


Lemmy Feels Vindicated By Motorhead's Grammy Nomination
(Classic Rock) Lemmy Kilmister says that Motorhead's 2015 Grammy nomination gives him the chance to stick his middle finger up that those who said he'd be dead by now.

Motorhead are nominated in the Best Metal Performance category for their track Heartbreaker, taken from latest album Aftershock. And while the frontman is more interested in what the fans think than what Grammy judges ultimately decide, he does admit the nomination validates his decision to keep going after his recent health problems.

On the Grammy nomination, Lemmy tells Mitch Lafon: "It's always nice to stick your middle finger up and say, 'Ha ha you bastards, six months to live ey?'

"I don't see why you should stop when it gives you so much pleasure." Read more here.




Alice Cooper Announces Austin City Limits Live PPV Broadcast
(hennemusic) Alice Cooper is offering his upcoming Austin City Limits Live concert to fans as a pay-per-view event. Cooper's February 12 show at The Moody Theater in Austin will be presented via cable TV and streamed online.

The Austin date is part of Cooper's Raise The Dead Tour; the rocker will rejoin Motley Crue as the opening guest on the North American run of their farewell tour this year.

The concert will be available at 9 PM ET; more details regarding delivery channels will be issued soon. In the meantime, fans can watch the promotion video for the event here.




Randy Bachman Streams New Song With Peter Frampton
(hennemusic) Randy Bachman has released an audio stream of the title track to his upcoming album, "Heavy Blues", which sees him team up with Peter Frampton.

Due April 13 (April 14 in North America), Bachman is joined by guests including Neil Young, Joe Bonamassa, Robert Randolph and the late Jeff Healey for the project, alongside new band members Anna Ruddick on bass and Dale Anne Brendon on drums.

"Heavy Blues" is produced by Kevin Shirley (Iron Maiden, Rush, Led Zeppelin), who Bachman says influenced the heaviness of his latest solo album.

"I've known Kevin for many years and watched his producer credits grow to include many rock legends," explains Bachman. "I knew that he could push me past my limit, pull me onto new paths and direct me down new roads."




Barren Earth Reveal First Song With New Singer
(Prog) Barren Earth have released a stream of On Lonely Towers, the title track from their upcoming third album - and their first song revealed with vocalist Jon Aldara.

He replaced Mikki Koramaki, who'd fronted the Finnish prog metal outfit for 2010 debut Curse Of The Red River and 2012 follow-up The Devil's Resolve.

Bassist Olli-Pekka Laine says: "During the writing process we did many things from a totally new perspective. Many other things changed too - new production team, new frontman, new record label; the list goes on."

He adds of the track: "Instead of putting out a song in a typical verse-chorus form, we thought this three-piece boulder would represent the album better. It demands some concentration from the listener - but patience is rewarded in the end."




Angels & Airwaves Release 'Tunnels' Video
(Radio.com) In an interview with Radio.com, Angels & Airwaves frontman Tom DeLonge proclaimed "Tunnels" the song he's most proud of writing, next to "The Adventure," the band's first big hit, and blink-182's "I Miss You."

In the video, released Thursday (Jan. 29), the band performs in what appears to be someone's living room with a huge video screen behind them displaying spacey environments, while clips of The Dream Walker anime film are interspersed.

"The Dream Walker is a multi-year project launching with the album and a short anime film, followed by graphic novels, a novel, then a feature film," explained DeLonge. A full-length feature film is also in pre-production, as well as a novelization and various iconic collectibles and attire, because what would a film be without merchandising?

"It's gonna be a long process but there will be stuff rolling out continuously. The book is so good. The novel is f–king awesome. It's a New York Times best-selling author writing it."




Neil Young Announces Appearance On The Tonight Show
(hennemusic) Neil Young has announced that he will appear as a guest and performer on NBC-TV's The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon next Tuesday, February 3.

The episode marks Young's return to the program following his spring performance with Jack White, where the guitarist recorded a live record on the show.

Fallon's Tonight Show will be broadcast from Los Angeles next week following a special post-Super Bowl edition on Sunday from Phoenix, Arizona.