Today's Day In Rock

Motley Crue Going Vegas
(hennemusic) It's been rumored for weeks since Vince Neil's pal Robin Leach broke the news, and on Thursday, Motley Crue appeared briefly (hope you didn't blink) on tape on CNN's Piers Morgan Tonight to announce their Las Vegas residency in 2012.
The Crue will become the first hard rock band to sign a short-term residency at the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas.

As Leach reported, the band will play a three-week series of three-and four-night concerts a week at the HRH starting February 3. more on this story

Metallica Announce More Black Album Anniversary Shows
Metallica have expanded their plans to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Black Album with two additional dates for their 2012 European Vacation tour with a promise of more to come.

The band's official site had this update on Wednesday: As promised, we're back . . .with two more shows that are part of our 2012 summer run in Europe. First up is Oslo, Norway at Vallehovin on May 23 and then two weeks later in Denmark in Horsens on June 6 at "The Prison" (really a former state prison!!) and we are proud to be playing at the first show ever at this new venue.

Those of you have been following along know that this year's European vacation features 'The Black Album' in its entirety to celebrate the 20th (ish!!!) anniversary of its release in August of 1991. We just can't stay away from this anniversary stuff!! We're not done yet . . . more on this story

Grammy Response To Van Halen No Show
(hennemusic) After weeks of teasing, The Grammys failed to deliver on their promise to have Van Halen on Wednesday's Nominations Concert special.

Reuters.com reports The Recording Academy Pesident Neil Portnow did not confirm it was Van Halen that the teases were hinting at but had the following to say:

"In the world of creativity, everything is fluid," he said. "In the process of discussions that we had been having with an expectation that perhaps we would be at a point tonight where the artist involved and we, moving forward, would be ready to announce [a reunion], they weren't quite at that point. So it's live television, we go on to the next act. It's rock and roll and so on. That being said, we were genuine about the intention and we are genuine about the discussion." more on this story

Thy Will Be Done Head Dimebag Tribute Event
Thy Will Be Done are set to headline the inaugural late "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott tribute event 'Strength Beyond Strength' on December 8th at the Palladium in Worcester, MA.

A tribute to the late "Dimebag", the proceeds from the event will be donated to help after-school music programs in the Worcester area.

The Palladium has been the home of the annual New England Metal and Hardcore Festival for thirteen years, of which Thy Will Be Done has been a part of four. "We were honored when the Palladium promoters asked us to headline such an event. Conceptually, its a wonderful sentiment to Dime's legacy.", says vocalist J. Costa. "What better way to keep that flame burning than by celebrating life and helping provide a creative environment for the youth after school." more on this story

Bruce Springsteen To Keynote SXSW
Bruce Springsteen has been named as the keynote speaker for the 2012 South By Southwest Music and Media Conference and Festival.

The keynote will take place on Thursday, March 15, 2012 at the Austin Convention Center, the hub of SXSW Music events.

In the tradition of legendary artists delivering the main event at SXSW, Springsteen joins notable keynote alumni including Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Lucinda Williams, Robert Plant, Pete Townshend, Smokey Robinson and Neil Young.

Tool Recording New Album
Tool fans will be very thankful for the news that the group begin tracking their new album over the Thanksgiving holiday.

The band's latest newsletter had there humorous details: At a time when the headlines are dominated by frenzied Amish beard clippers, whooping cough and Occupy Wall Street (Forget that - how about Occupy the Playboy Mansion, all you 69 per centers!), rather than discuss the thawing permafrost, Sandusky, or baffling Gamma ray bursts, how about some exciting TOOL-RELATED NEWS... That's right - while most of you were still digesting your Thanksgiving bird, highly acclaimed recording engineer and producer (not to mention vintage candy aficionado!) 'Evil' Joe Barresi was seated at the mixing console in the band's home studio - the only evidence of the holiday being a bowl of pumpkin-pie cheesecake Kit Kats that was placed there by one of the girls from Tool's business management. Believe it! Hours after your cranberry sauce was still jiggling, members of the band had gathered at the loft to begin tracking.

For these VOLTO! sessions, the place looked like a gear-junkie's wet-dream, and with the 'evil' one deftly punching in bars on the remote control, as the night wore on, song after song -in all their musical complexity - were being captured on tape (Yes, tape! For this record, a Studer A827 "Gold Edition" analog tape recorder had been trucked in.) By the time of my much-anticipated arrival on Tuesday, almost all of the tracks were finished, as were the holiday confections. With the loft now littered with empty Tommy's burger wrappers and spent cans of Red Bull, as guitar riffs processed through an antique Echoplex wailed over the KRKs, stories were being told about Danny recently making a daring escape in his orange Lambo from Mastros steakhouse in Beverly Hills (where a side of lobster mashed potatoes goes for $30.00) - the entire thing caught by TMZ's cameras... although the crowd cheers are probably still lying on the proverbial cutting room floor. And now, with you being down to your last leftover turkey sandwich, with but a few overdubs to add, you can bet that the boys will be back at it tonight... Read more of the fun tale on the band's site

Kid Rock To Rock CNN Heroes Special
CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute is now set to feature Kid Rock performing his song "Care" from the "Born Free" album.

The special will be hosted by Anderson Cooper live from the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, CA, on CNN, Sunday, December 11, 2011 at 8:00 PM ET.

CNN has also announced that Miley Cyrus has also been added as a celebrity presenter along with Dancing with the Stars winner, J.R. Martinez, The Black Eyed Peas' will.i.am, global maternal health advocate and founder of Every Mother Counts, Christy Turlington Burns, and NFL Super Bowl champ and MVP quarterback Kurt Warner, all of whom were confirmed last week. more on this story

Corey Taylor Talks New Slipknot and Stone Sour Albums
(Banana 101.5) Corey Taylor opened up about the status of new albums from both of his bands (Slipknot and Stone Sour) to Fasterlouder.com . After admitting that talking about the passing of his friend and Slipknot bassist Paul Gray is helping him deal with the loss, Taylor said that he's hesitant to rush back into the recording process with Slipknot:

"You know, I'm not even thinking about writing another [Slipknot] album right now. I'm just not there yet you know. But I mean, we're going to put together a really good set, but right now, it just makes more sense to trample together with the band, and not run into a studio, and do things for the wrong reasons, let's put it that way."

Stone Sour has been at work on a new project that Taylor previously said may become a double-disc concept album. The singer shed a little more light on the shape that their latest endeavor has been taking. Read about it here.

UFO Set New Album Release
UFO has set a February 28th North American release date for their new studio album, Seven Deadly.

The album will be released as a limited edition digipak (incl. 2 bonus tracks), a Double Gatefold LP with printed innersleeves and coloured vinyl, standard edition and download.

We were sent these details: What is this bold thesis based on - in view of the countless classics the band has produced throughout its history? Not only on the fact that UFO have that perfect mix of talent, charisma and experience, but also on each individual band member, who currently all seem to be bursting with a zest for action and a wealth of ideas. Seven Deadly is an atmospherically dense fabric consisting of classy guitars, tight rock grooves and vocals which are unique to UFO. So it's no wonder that sound engineer Tommy Newton, in whose Area 51 studio in Celle, Germany, the new tracks were recorded, commented: "I've never heard a better Phil Mogg!" more on this story

Anthrax To Get Icon Release
(Gibson) Anthrax will be highlighted in a new series of albums, called Icon, that will strive to feature, "the greatest hits, signature tunes and fan favorites of the most popular artists in music history," according to a release.

The series was initiated by Universal Music Enterprises (UMe) in 2010, and now, the run is ready to bring fans the best of Anthrax.

Set to drop on January 10, 2012, the 11-track Anthrax Icon compilation (Island/UMe) features Anthrax tunes "Madhouse," "A.I.R.," "Armed and Dangerous," "I Am the Law," "Got the Time" and more. more on this story



Of Mice & Men Member Sidelined By Illness
Of Mice & Men has announced a temporary lineup change for As I Lay Dying's A Decade of Destruction Tour with The Ghost Inside, iwrestledabearonce and Sylosis.

The tour kicked off their week but without bassist/vocalist Shayley Bourget who is sitting out the tour due to illness. Joel Piper (solo artist/Confide) will be stepping in as a replacement.

Of Mice & Men frontman Austin Carlile explains, "Unfortunately Shayley will be unable to perform with us on our upcoming tour with As I Lay Dying, but we are very excited to announce that our good friend, solo artist Joel Piper, will be filling in for Shayley on bass guitar and vocals for the remainder of 2011." more on this story

Biohazard Map Out North American Tour Dates
Biohazard have announced the first North American leg of their world tour in support of their forthcoming album Reborn In Defiance.

The string of northeast shows starts on January 15th in Albany, New York and ends February 18th in Sayreville, New Jersey.

The run includes a hometown show at NYC's Gramercy Theater on January 17th which will celebrate the release of their new album Reborn In Defiance. More details on this show are forthcoming. more on this story

Slash 2nd Chapter
(hennemusic) Slash's bassist Todd Kerns checks in with an update on the progress of the former Guns N' Roses guitarist's new solo album.

"I'm back in LA, two weeks or so into the 2nd chapter of the new Slash record," writes Kerns. "The first three songs we did some time ago are recorded, mixed and mastered."

"'Bad Rain' is a sexy drop D number with me on 8 string bass and squawking along with Mr Kennedy. 'Standing In The Sun' crept up from behind to be my favorite of the 3 and if you're gonna listen to 'Halo,' make sure you have your home insurance paid up cuz it'll rip the roof off. All of these will be out into the public consciousness in the spring of 2012." more on this story

The Stone Roses Add More Reunion Concerts
(hennemusic) The Stone Roses 2012 reunion tour has added more shows. Six weeks ago, following their official press conference announcing the reunion, the band initially sold out three homecoming dates at Manchester's Heaton Park next June.

Since then, Stone Roses have been confirmed as headliners for three festivals: Spain's Benicassim, Scotland's T In The Park and Japan's Fuji Rock Festival.

Now, the band has announced another two festival appearances for next summer, and the shows will actually precede the homecoming gigs be a few weeks. The Roses will play Denmark's NorthSide festival (June 15–17) and Sweden's Hultsfred festival (June 14-16). more on this story

Jimmy Page Limited Edition Release
(Gibson) Jimmy Page's Death Wish II Collectors' Edition album was released yesterday, December 1, exclusively through JimmyPage.com.

Explaining his reasons for re-releasing this classic record, Jimmy Page said: "In 1981, Michael Winner asked me if I would compose the soundtrack to Death Wish II. The songs with vocals were only going to appear in the film for a matter of seconds but I had recorded full versions of them anyway – which is how I ended up doing my first soundtrack and soundtrack album. I've re-released this because I wanted it to be available again."

According to Page's website, there are just 1,000 individually numbered copies available, with Page personally signing the first 30 copies. more on this story



Hawthorne Heights Ink Twilight Deal For Hate
Hawthorne Heights has inked a new deal with Twilight Records in Japan who will release the band's Hate EP in January with bonus alternate versions of "Hate" and "Oceans."

Hawthorne Heights will be announcing dates for a Japanese tour which is tentatively scheduled for April 2012.

The band is currently on a UK/European co-headline tour with Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. more on this story

Foo Fighters Domination Grammy Nominations
(Gibson) The Grammy Awards committee has spoken, and Foo Fighters are on top. Dave Grohl and the Foos scored a whopping six Grammy nominations for the 54th annual event, including Best Rock Album for Wasting Light, Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance for "White Limo," Best Rock Performance for "Walk," Best Rock Song for "Walk," Best Long Form Music Video for "Back and Forth" and the coveted Album of the Year for Wasting Light. Fingers-crossed Grohl and the guys take home all six!

Foo Fighters producer Butch Vid is up for Producer of the Year (non-classical) for his work on Wasting Light, and Deadmau5 is nominated for Best Remixed Recording (non-classical) for "Rope."

Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder also is earning some fanfare this year, with a nomination for Best Folk Album for Ukulele Songs. Who would have thought back in the '90s that Vedder would ever be mentioned in a Best Folk Album category? more on this story



Megadeth Reacts To Grammy Nomination
Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine has issued his reaction to the group's tenth Grammy nomination.

The band received a "Best Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Performance" nomination for their current single "Public Enemy #1" off their latest album Th1rt3en (Roadrunner Records). Megadeth PR people point out that the "Best Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Performance" category is, eerily, category #13.

Of the nomination, Mustaine says, "In such uncertain times, it's just an honor to be recognized by our peers, and anything above that is remarkable."

The 54th annual Grammy Awards will take place in Los Angeles on Feb. 12, 2011. The event will broadcast on CBS. Check out the song's video here

Kasabian North American Tour
Kasabian have announced a North America tour for next spring in support of their latest album Velociraptor.

The tour will kick off on March 12th at South Side Music Hall in Dallas, TX and will wrap up on April 22nd at The Summit Music Hall in Denver, CO.

The trek follows Kasabian's current European tour, which includes two nights at the O2 Arena in London on December 13th and 14th. more on this story

Sting Bringing Music To Disadvantaged Kids In His Home Town
(Gibson) Sting is about to give something back to his home city of Newcastle in England. The Daily Express reports that Sting is backing a new£1.3 million music center for disadvantaged kids.

Sting said, "Having grown up on Tyneside, I'm pleased to support this appeal for The Arches project and The Sage Gateshead's ongoing commitment to creating opportunities for today's young musicians and music lovers in the North East."

Lord Puttnam of Queensgate, Chair of the Sage Gateshead, said, "Sting has always been a great friend to this organization so for him to cement his support by becoming patron of this hugely important project is a milestone for The Sage Gateshead and greatly appreciated by all the people connected to it." more on this story



Girl On Fire Hitting The Road With Rev Theory
Girl On Fire will hit the road this month for a series of North American tour dates with Rev Theory.

The will return to the road to support their debut EP, Revenge, which was produced by WiL Francis - front-man of Aiden and William Control.

"We're excited to announce our upcoming tour with Rev Theory that starts early December!" says vocalist Austin Held. "We'll be playing mostly west coast to mid-west cities and we're very excited to spend the better part of this holiday season with an incredible rock band and everyone who's planning on coming out to the shows. It's been a little over a month since we've been back from our first national tour that ended in mid October. We hope to make some new friends and see some familiar faces while we take another trek through this awesome country. Make sure to check out the dates and rock out the end of the year with us! We'll see you soon." more on this story

In Flames To Headline Wacken
In Flames are ending the year with big news for next year. The band has been confirmed as a headliner for Germany's Wacken Open Air 2012.

"We are happy to announce that we will headline the Friday night at Wacken 2012. It's gonna be great. Expect loads of pyros, loads of good music and five beer drinking heavy metal guys on stage."

The band's newest release Sounds Of A Playground Fading was just certified Gold in their native home of Sweden, the band is currently on a highly successful tour with Trivium, Ghost, Rise To Remain and Insense

Enuff Z' Nuff Kick Off Tour and Plan Anthology
(superLOUD) Enuff Z' Nuff kick off their 2011-2012 North American tour tonight, December 2nd in Janesville WI.

Enuff Z' Nuff (who's current lineup includes original founding members Donnie Vie and Chip Z'Nuff) has also announced that they will be releasing a best of anthology next year.

The release will include all of the bands best known songs including "Fly High Michelle", "New Thing" and "Baby Loves You" as well as over 20 previously unreleased tracks. more on this story

The Naked And Famous Score KROQ No 1
(Sub) The Naked And Famous are making waves at rock radio with their debut single, "Young Blood", claiming the no 1 spot this week at KROQ in Los Angeles.

Beating out heavyweights including Foo Fighters, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Bush, the band continues to infiltrate their beyond-catchy synthtastic sound across America, via radio and touring.

Touring in support of their debut album "Passive Me, Aggressive You", The Naked And Famous will be touring the country till the end of 2011 including an appearance at KROQ's legendary Almost Acoustic Xmas concert and once again in Spring 2011. more on this story

Make Do and Mend Plan Next Release
Make Do and Mend have inked a deal with Rise Records and will begin recording their label debut full-length in February with producer Matt Bayles (Mastodon, Rocky Votolato, Minus The Bear, Botch). T

he forthcoming LP will serve as the follow-up to the band's End Measured Mile, which was released in October 2010. Watch for a summer 2012 release date.

Drummer Matthew Carroll says, "So it is true, we have signed with Rise Records. We are so excited to be a part of the hardest working record label in music today. We are going to go into the studio in February and make the best MDAM record to date for you all. Thank you so much for your continued support." more on this story

The Library Is On Fire To Deliver New Album Next Month
The Library Is On Fire have set a January 31, 2012 release date for their new album, Works on Paper.

Culminating from a studio session with famed producer Perry Margouleff (Rolling Stones, Page/Plant, Aerosmith, Brian May, Soundgarden), who took an instant liking to the band for their hard working, no-nonsense studio ethic, he invited the band back to record the album, sharing production duties with Todd Tobias (Guided By Voices, Robert Pollard) in their native Ohio where the other half was recorded during an especially brutal Winter.

No strangers to artistic collaborations with some of rock n' roll's finest, including poetry swaps with Tom Verlaine of Television and whiskey-soaked art shows with Guided By Voices (the bands' greatest inspiration) and support from the legendary Lou Reed on his infamous "New York Shuffle" radio show on The Loft SIRIUS and XM Channel 30 with Hal Willner, Works on Paper features a smattering of appearances including: Ian McDonald (King Crimson), Matt Mottel (Talibam!), William Whitman (Cyndi Lauper) - to name a few. more on this story

More on Library Is On Fire - Library Is On Fire Music - Library Is On Fire Tour Dates/Tickets - Library Is On Fire CDs, vinyl and rarities
Daylight Debut New Video and Set EP Release Date
Daylight have set a January 3rd release date for their new EP, The Difference In Good And Bad Dreams.

But you don't have to wait until then to get a taste as a music video for the track "Damp" is premiering exclusively on Altpress.com here.

The Difference In Good And Bad Dreams is Daylight's third proper EP in as many years and a precursor building up to next year's debut full-length.

Suffocation To Headline Manitoba Metalfest
Suffocation has been tapped as a headlining act for the 11th annual Manitoba Metalfest.

The music festival is set to take place at The Zoo on Friday, February 24th and Saturday, February 25th.

Suffocation will close out the festivities on Saturday night, while Into Eternity will headline Friday's show.

Cerebral Bore Kick Off Mini Tour
Cerebral Bore kicked off a mini UK tour last night at The Borough in Sunderland.

The four-date mini tour marks the last shows that Cerebral Bore will play this year, before returning in full force in 2012. Joining Cerebral Bore on the road are Scordatura and Laceration.

Cerebral Bore guitarist Paul Mcguire had this to say: "This is our last tour of 2011 and it's great to do it alongside a couple of up-and-coming Scottish bands. It's usually pretty hellish touring at this time of year in a sh*t van, sleeping on floors and dealing with the freezing wet weather. But we will bring the metal regardless, and hopefully the other bands will supply some good local banter and keep the spirits up."

UPDATED: VAN HALEN NO SHOW AT GRAMMY NOMINATIONS:

Wow...I know...shocking! There was no mention of anything Van Halen at tonight's Grammy Nomination Concert - no hint, no surprise and no video....no nothing! Once again, Van Halen fans were left sucking lemons and wondering why they even bothered tuning in.
But wait...Van Halen never said they would appear right? Well, sure...but Van Halen never say anything. Period.
It was in fact the Grammy's that started this bullshit rolling.

From The Grammy Press Release:
"The GRAMMY Nominations Concert Live!" will feature a special, live announcement from a truly iconic group regarding their historic band reunion set to take place on the GRAMMY stage on Feb. 12, 2012."

That was followed up by this now infamous tweet:
"Who do u predict the reuniting band will be @ #GRAMMYnoms? Does this hint make u wanna 'Jump' & 'Dance the Night Away'?"

Ok, so you just don't make this shit up for the sake of it. Something has gone wrong along the way. So why not correct everyone's assumptions?

UPDATE: Hollywood Reporter's Music Editor Shirley Halperin has helped clarify the situation - sending out this tweet from backstage at the post-show press briefing - @shirleyhalperin - "Van Halen "weren't quite ready" to make big announcement they promised, says Grammy president Neil Portnow."
followed by: "@darylecardone he said to reporters in press room."

So the blame has been laid squarely on the shoulders of the band. Just why they pulled out will just have to become Van Halen Conspiracy #312. But someone needs to explain.
Why did NO ONE from their camp hose this down in the week/s leading up to the event?? Why does this band treat fans with such arrogant disregard? Simply unbelievable!

Not to mention why release that publicity shot a week or two back without ANY press release or statement to accompany it?
How hard is it for 4 guys to get together and send out a statement? Anything!!! It looks like we are all back on ice until January....when we may or may not be blessed with another tidbit of info or a stupid picture.


UPDATE 2: Neil Portnow, chairman of The Recording Academy, who run the Grammys, made this statement:
“In the world of creativity, everything is fluid. In the process of discussions that we had been having with an expectation that perhaps we would be at a point tonight where the artist involved and we, moving forward, would be ready to announce [a reunion], they weren’t quite at that point. So it’s live television, we go on to the next act. It’s rock and roll and so on. That being said, we were genuine about the intention and we are genuine about the discussion.”


On a somewhat brighter note - it is nice to see Eddie Van Halen ranked at #8 on the new Rolling Stoned Magazine 'Best Guitarists Of All Time' list. I'm not even going to start debating the merits of this list. At least it is less retarded than their last attempt when they listed EVH at #70. And still no mention of Neal Schon? WTF?

In their mighty wisdom, Rolling Stoned have printed up 4 special edition covers - featuring the top 3 place getters and then Eddie at #8. Are RS trying to angle for that first big reunion interview one could ask??! Still, nice to see EVH in vintage pose on the cover of any magazine.

I got this press blub on the Poll earlier today:

"Rolling Stone magazine has once again compiled their "100 Greatest Guitarists Of All Time" list, and this time around Eddie Van Halen is ranked #8. And for this special issue, they have printed four separate covers, one of which Eddie adorns (Issue 1145/Dec. 8, 2011).
The last time the publication issued this list (2007), Eddie Van Halen was ranked #70. For this year's list, Rolling Stone "assembled a panel of top guitarists and other experts to rank their favorites and explain what separates the legends from everyone else." Obviously, the voting panel improved since 2007 (see below).

*THE VOTERS: Trey Anastasio, Dan Auerbach (The Black Keys), Brian Bell (Weezer), Ritchie Blackmore (Deep Purple), Carl Broemel (My Morning Jacket), James Burton, Jerry Cantrell (Alice in Chains), Gary Clark Jr., Billy Corgan, Steve Cropper, Dave Davies (The Kinks), Anthony DeCurtis (Contributing editor, Rolling Stone), Tom DeLonge (Blink-182), Rick Derringer, Luther Dickinson (North Mississippi Allstars), Elliot Easton (The Cars), Melissa Etheridge, Don Felder, David Fricke (Senior writer, Rolling Stone), Peter Guralnick (Author), Kirk Hammett (Metallica), Albert Hammond Jr. (The Strokes), Warren Haynes (The Allman Brothers Band), Brian Hiatt (Senior writer, Rolling Stone), David Hidalgo (Los Lobos), Jim James (My Morning Jacket), Lenny Kravitz, Robby Krieger (The Doors), Jon Landau (Manager), Alex Lifeson (Rush), Nils Lofgren (The E Street Band), Mick Mars (Motley Crue), Doug Martsch (Built to Spill), J Mascis (Dinosaur Jr.), Brian May, Mike McCready (Pearl Jam), Roger McGuinn (The Byrds), Scotty Moore, Thurston Moore (Sonic Youth), Tom Morello, Dave Mustaine (Megadeth), Brendan O'Brien (Producer), Joe Perry, Vernon Reid (Living Colour), Robbie Robertson, Rich Robinson (The Black Crowes), Carlos Santana, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Marnie Stern, Stephen Stills, Andy Summers, Mick Taylor, Susan Tedeschi, Vieux Farka Tour, Derek Trucks, Eddie Van Halen, Joe Walsh, Nancy Wilson (Heart)."

Signing off from the latest chapter of The Days Of Our Van Halens.

Today's Day In Rock

Van Halen Disappointment at Grammy Show
Van Halen and rock music fans, we have some good news and bad news about last night's prime time Grammy nomination special.
The bad news is that despite organizers hyping an appearance by Van Halen (with Twitter hints containing classic Van Halen song titles) they were no where to be seen on the narrowcast.

The good news is that there is still no real reason for rock fans to bother to care about the Grammy awards, which have consistently treated the biggest selling genre of music as an afterthought. (The same artists that are always nominated were once again nominated, provided they put something out this past year.) The blow by blow on the Van Halen rumor drama

Ricky Skaggs Drummer Found Dead On Tour Bus
(Gibson) Tom Roady, drummer and percussionist for Ricky Skaggs, was found dead on the band's tour bus prior to a show at Clemson University on Monday. He was 62. Members of Skaggs' touring band found Roady unresponsive after parking their tour bus at a hotel near the university.

"[Roady] was sleeping on the bus," said local coroner Kandy Kelley. "The other band members had gone in to get the motel rooms. Then they went to wake him up." Roady had been battling stomach cancer for five years, but cancer is not believed to be the cause of death. "We believe Tom suffered a heart attack as he slept," Skaggs said. "At least he can say he beat cancer."

Skaggs and the remaining members of the band went on to perform Monday night at Clemson's Brooks Center, the first stop on the bluegrass star's Christmas tour. Roady, who had also served as drummer for such legendary figures as Emmylou Harris, Wilson Pickett and James Brown, was a resident of Kingston Springs, Tennessee. more on this story



Corey Taylor Slams Scott Weiland
(Banana 101.5) Corey Taylor continues his pull-no-punches approach to the Q&A portion of his solo shows. At Monday's gig the Slipknot vocalist called Stone Temple Pilots singer Scott Weiland "a lazy piece of s—" and ridiculed his recently released Christmas album.

Just a few shows after he verbally assassinated mega-producer Rick Rubin for being "overrated," "overpaid," and "lazy," the outspoken Corey Taylor began disassembling Scott Weiland without even being prompted by the audience. Taylor started talking about commercials and movie remakes and eventually began warning the audience to be cautious of those looking to cash in on their curiosity and give them nothing in return. His first example ended up being the man whose old job (as Velvet Revolver's vocalist) he recently auditioned for: "I'll give you another example. Does anyone know who Scott Weiland is? Do you know that Scott Weiland has a Christmas album now? Oh, it's bad. It's bad. Let me f—ing explain to you how bad it is. There is a video online of him singing, and he's very serious. 'Cause Christmas is serious. His hair is all slicked back and he's in his f—ing s–-ty tuxedo."

Taylor began his lifeless impression of Weiland's take on 'Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas' which ended with him attempting to swallow the microphone mid-lyric. He then further explained his beef with Weiland. Read what that was and check out video of Corey's rant here

Nickelback Barely Miss The Top
Nickelback's new album, "Here and Now," had a strong first week of sales and just barely missed out on debuting at the top of the Billboard 200 charts.

The trade magazine reports that Nickelback's new effort debuts at No 2 after selling 0.18% less than Michael Buble's "Christmas". Nickelback's label reports that the album sold 226,714 units and missed the top of the chart by just 419 copies.

Hits Double Daily places the new Nickelback effort as a solid No 1 with reported first week sales of 225,325 units vs Buble's 218,815. Billboard reports that the last time there was such a narrow margin between no 1 and no 2 albums was in 2007 when Bruce Springsteen's "Magic" beat out Kid Rock's "Rock N Roll Jesus" by a margin of 0.3%. more on this story

Chevelle Previewing New Songs Online
(Banana 101.5) Chevelle are powering back with their sixth full-length studio album 'Hats Off to the Bull,' which is in stores next Tuesday. With just a week to go, the band decided to give fans a sneak peek at things to come.

The band has kept a pretty tight lid on the new material until now — while touring with Bush and Filter the only song they performed from the new album was the already released 'Face to the Floor' .

Clearly ready to kick the anticipation into full-on frenzy mode, Chevelle have leaked previews of two songs which hearken back to the heavier early days of the band — check out the title track 'Hats Off to the Bull' and 'Same Old Trip' here.

Megadeth Members Revisit Peace Sells
The Mars Attacks podcast latest Classic Albums special focuses on Megadeth's classic "Peace Sells….But Who's Buying."

The album is discussed by founding and current member of the band David Ellefson along with former members of the band, Chris Poland and Glen Drover.

The special is split into a podcast and written portion, where you can either listen to read comments from Gene Hoglan, Doro Pesch, Jon Schaffer, Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal, Jason Bittner, Tim "Ripper" Owens, Alan Tecchio, Dan Lorenzo, Dave Reffett, Jorge Salan, members of Sacred Reich, Death Angel, Madball, This Or The Apocalypse, Cancer Bats, Benedictum, Bonded By Blood, DC4, Gypsyhawk, Vindicator, White Wizzard, and Angelus Apatrida, along with various authors, as well as hosts and contributors to sites/podcasts such as Talking Metal and more.

You can listen and find the Q&A with David Ellefson, along with all of the other comments here.

Amp Used on Beatles Revolver and Sgt Pepper's Up For Auction
(Gibson) An amplifier used by George Harrison during the recording of The Beatles' Revolver and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band is expected to fetch between $80,000 and $110,000 when it goes on the auction block next month.

As reported by Reuters, the rare Vox UL730 amp and cabinet was only recently discovered to have a Beatles connection, when an engineer repairing the amp noticed that Harrison's name was etched on the chassis.

Subsequent research confirmed that Harrison indeed had owned the amp, and that he had used it on two of The Beatles' most important albums. "Very few amps used by The Beatles have come to auction before, and to find one that was used on two such significant albums is truly rare and exciting," said Stephen Maycock, a consultant to Bonhams, the company conducting the auction. The sale will take place in London December 15. more on this story



It's Christmas for The Polyphonic Spree
The Polyphonic Spree have released a recently unearthed Christmas song as their new single, "It's Christmas," via their Good Records Recordings label.

"It's Christmas" is an original song composed by Spree leader Tim DeLaughter and recorded in 2003 during early sessions for the band's second album, "Together We're Heavy."

The track was lost in the shuffle of recording a new album at the time, but it was recently unearthed and mixed, and is now available for the first time. more on this story

All Time Low Deliver Time-Bomb Video
All Time Low have released a new music video for their latest single, "Time-Bomb," off of their album, Dirty Work.

The clip was directed by K. Asher Levin and features the band performing on a Los Angeles rooftop while a SWAT team tries to stop a guy from saving his girlfriend—Vampire Diaries' Malese Jow -- using an artificial heart he created himself.

You can see how it all plays out with the official video stream on the All Time Low Vevo channel here.

Caliban Set I Am Nemesis Release Date
Century Media Records has set a February 28, 2012 release date for Caliban's eighth studio album, I Am Nemesis.

After spending 10 months writing new material, the band is very excited to get the record out to fans. "It was important to us to have an elaborate album without any fillers," says lead guitarist Marc Görtz. "Additionally, the sound of the album is the best we've ever had by far: it is heavy and brutal without being chaotic."

Lyrically, I Am Nemesis is a continuation of the band's last record, Say Hello To Tragedy and focuses on controversial and often overlooked world issues. Musically, Görtz says, "The album breaks new soil without forgetting our roots. There are new influences such as shimmering guitar melodies and technical grooves with Meshuggah-like heaviness." more on this story

Public Image Ltd To Deliver This is PiL
(Gibson) John Lydon has revealed that the title of the new Public Image Ltd album will likely be, simply, This is PiL.

Speaking to BBC 6 Music, Lydon said lack of financing has been the main hindrance in releasing new PIL material. "I was always full of ideas, but I had to wait until I had enough money to release an album," Lydon explained. "Everybody thinks I made such a fortune with the Sex Pistols. Well, unfortunately that is not true. To make this record we had to tour extensively for two years."

Lydon added that he and his PIL bandmates knew, as soon as the reconvened in 2009, that they would eventually record a new album. more on this story



The Felice Brothers Announce New Year's Shows
The Felice Brothers have announced plans for two New Year's shows in the northeast this year.

They will be performing on December 30th at Daniel Street in Milford, CT and on December 31st for a hometown show at Club Helsinki in Hudson, NY.

The band, who are currently overseas at the start of a 17-date European tour, wrapped up their eight and a half week long national US tour on November 19th. more on this story

August Burns Red Release Christmas Song
August Burns Red are once again in the Christmas spirit, giving fans their rendition of a Christmas classic, this time they take on the holiday favorite, 'God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen'.

"The past few years the annual ABR Christmas songs haven't been nearly as 'metal' as 'Carol of the Bells' was," explains guitarist JB Brubaker. "When writing our rendition of 'God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen' I wanted to write a more traditional metal song. Something less artsy and more in your face. I am confident that 'God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen' is easily the most metal Christmas song we've ever done. While recording it I was thinking 'this song sounds straight 80's metal' which amused me greatly."

The track is available now as a digital single or a limited edition colored vinyl 7" through the band's former label, CI Records, and can currently be previewed at the band's Facebook page here.

Corrosion Of Conformity One Night Stand
Corrosion Of Conformity will follow-up their tour with Clutch with a one-off show at the Orange Peel in Asheville, North Carolina on January 22.

The special performance will coincide with a screening of Slow Southern Steel, the southern metal documentary produced by Rwake vocalist, CT. Hail! Hornet will also appear on the bill.

Corrosion Of Conformity -- featuring the Animosity line-up of vocalist/bassist Mike Dean, guitarist Woody Weatherman, and drummer/vocalist Reed Mullin -- have been working with long-time producer John Custer and will release their eighth studio album via Candlelight Records on February 28, 2012. The record will be self-titled. more on this story

Unchained Voted Top Van Halen Song
(Gibson) "Unchained," from the 1981 album, Fair Warning, has emerged as the victor in a Rolling Stone readers' poll that asked fans to name their 10 favorite Van Halen songs. With the group set to make a comeback with original singer David Lee Roth in tow, the magazine said it "figured it was a good time for such a poll."

Perhaps not surprisingly, 80 percent of the top picks were from the Roth era, 20 percent were from the Sammy Hagar era and none were from the Gary Cherone era.

Commenting about "Unchained," Rolling Stone wrote: "It's not quite as famous as 'Jump' or 'Hot for Teacher,' but 'Unchained' has frequently been voted the favorite song of Van Halen fans. During the interlude, producer Ted Templeman breaks in and says 'Come on, Dave, gimme a break!' Dave responds with, 'One break, coming up!' According to legend, Ted felt that Dave was being too over the top and he scolded him. The band liked the moment and kept it in. Recent evidence suggests that the bit was rehearsed, but it's hard to say for sure. Like most things in the Van Halen world, there are two competing narratives of one event."



Dawes Alex Casnoff Returns With Harriet
Alex Casnoff of Dawes fame has announced the debut release from his latest band, Harriet, and is previewing a new track online.

Harriet will self-release their debut EP, Tell The Right Story, on January 31, 2012. The EP's opening track "I Slept With All Your Mothers" is currently premiering at PasteMagazine.Com here.

"I wanted it to feel big... cinematic. I wanted every song to be a movie, " said Casnoff. "I wanted it to feel like an occasion. I wanted it to feel like a wedding." more on this story

Captain, We're Sinking and Tigers Jaw Tour
Captain, We're Sinking are hitting the road right after Christmas with Tigers Jaw for a Winter tour of North America.

Starting in Detroit, the tour will make it's south through Alabama then head back north to their home state Pennsylvania. Midway through, the group will be joined by Balance and Composure.

Earlier this month, Steadfast Video posted an acoustic video of singer Bobby Barnett playing a new song. The track, "Montreal," comes from the group's sophomore full length which is due out next year. more on this story

Starseed Releasing New Song Next Week
Starseed are releasing their new single, "Shine" in the U.S. on December 6, 2011 through iTunes.

The US release of Starseed's album, Peace Machine, will be released early 2012. Starseed will also be in the U.S. for promotion early January.

According to their PR, their music grasps many elements of the post grunge scene drawing influences from early Pearl Jam and Alice In Chains to the power and torment of Soil. More recent comparisons include the tenacity and energy of Stone Sour and intense melody of Alter Bridge. more on this story

Young Man and Givers Tour
Colin Caulfield's Young Man plans to follow up tours with Cold War Kids and Grouplove this January with a new trek with Givers.

Young Man's second full-length album, part two of a trilogy on Frenchkiss Records that began with Caulfield's recent debut LP Ideas of Distance, will be released in May 2012.

The forthcoming album was produced by John McEntire (Broken Social Scene, Tortoise, The Sea and Cake); Young Man recently premiered an alternate take of the Ideas of Distance track "Then & Now," recorded with McEntire during the new album's sessions at Tortoise's Chicago-based Soma Electronic Music Studios, via IFC.com here.


Paul Gilbert's Great Guitar Escape
Mr. Big and Racer X guitarist Paul Gilbert will launch the first annual Paul Gilbert's Great Guitar Escape on July 9-13 at Full Moon Resort in Big Indian, NY.

Guitar players of all ages, levels and styles are invited to join Paul Gilbert and other expert musicians for this 5 day experience focused on the techniques, styles, and life of the modern working musician.

"The concentrated guitar-power that I have assembled for The Great Guitar Escape could light a city the size of San Antonio for the next 1000 years," says Paul Gilbert. "But more importantly, the workshops, nightly concert jams, and interaction with the pro musicians and fellow music lovers will give you inspiration and memories to last a lifetime. If you are a guitarist, bassist, drummer, or thinking about becoming one, don't miss this amazing camp!" more on this story

Asphyx To Deliver Deathhammer Early Next Year
Asphyx have set a February 27th, 2012 European and February 28th, 2012 North American release dates for their 8th studio album, Deathhammer.

Deathhammer features artwork by the band's long-time partner in designs, Axel Hermann. Hermann has not only worked on all of the early Asphyx artwork (and most recently on their Live Death Doom release), but is also responsible for a lot of the classic Century Media artwork by bands like Morgoth, Unleashed, Samael, or Grave.

In regards to their newfound collaboration, both parties comment: "Asphyx and Axel Hermann is a fusion that has always functioned perfectly...from the days of 'The Rack' back in 1991, 'til 'Deathhammer' in 2012. Like others such as Dan Swanö, Axel may be considered as an external member of the band and when we asked him to do the 'Deathhammer' cover--and as usual we would leave him free in his expression--we were very pleased to hear he was willing to take it on. more on this story

Final Queen Auditions Sets
Queen's Roger Taylor has announced the final auditions for musicians to fill the Queen Extravaganza Tour. Here is the official word with the details:

Over the course of the past 10 weeks, vocalists, guitarists, drummers, bassists and keyboard players from across the U.S. and Canada have auditioned online at www.queenextravaganza.com, hoping to become part of "The Queen Extravaganza Tour," a major production launching in 2012 featuring performances of Queen's biggest hits.

The contestants performed such Queen classics as "Killer Queen," "Somebody To Love," "Bohemian Rhapsody," and "Another One Bites The Dust," among others. Fans had until November 28th to vote to determine the 21 finalists (6 vocalists, 6 guitarists, 3 drummers, 3 bassists and 3 keyboard players with Taylor picking an additional five wildcard finalists). more on this story

Mutilation Rites Ink With Prosthetic
Prosthetic Records have announced the signing of a new deal with Brooklyn's Mutilation Rites.

The filthy black metal band was conceived by Michael Dimmitt and Justin Ennis in January 2009 and after various incarnations, solidified with the addition of George Paul and Iain Deaderick. Members have done time in acts such as Tombs, Heuristic and Curendera.

They cite influences including, but not limited to, Darkthrone, Discharge, Dissection and Weakling. The band commented on the signing and upcoming plans: "After a quick east coast run we will begin recording our full length debut for Prosthetic Records with Kevin Bernsten (TRIAC) at Developing Nations in Baltiomore, MD. We couldn't be more excited about our new relationship with Prosthetic Records. Expect us to be touring heavily beginning spring 2012." more on this story

Eric Bibb Eyes New Album Release
Stony Plain Records will release Eric Bibb's label debut, Deeper in the Well, in March 2012.

Deeper in the Well features Eric Bibb on vocals and guitar backed by multi-instrumentalist Dirk Powell, guitarist Cedric Watson, drummer Danny Devillier and harmonica player Grant Dermody.

Special guests on the CD include Michael Jerome Browne, Jerry Douglas and Christine Balfa

Rolling Stone’s New “100 Greatest Guitarists” List:

MONDAY, 28 NOVEMBER 2011
There’s nothing like a good list to spark a little debate and controversy among rock fans. Last week, Rolling Stone unveiled their newest 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time list. How did they decide the list? They “assembled a panel of top guitarists and other experts to rank their favorites and explain what separates the legends from everyone else.” (Featuring Keith Richards on Chuck Berry, Carlos Santana on Jerry Garcia, Tom Petty on George Harrison and more).

Rolling Stone’s “100 Greatest Guitarists” List:
1. Jimi Hendrix
2. Eric Clapton
3. Jimmy Page
4. Keith Richards
5. Jeff Beck
6. B.B. King
7. Chuck Berry
8. Eddie Van Halen
9. Duane Allman
10. Pete Townshend
The other 90 are here.
While it’s nice to see them place Eddie in the top 10, we think he should be in the top 4. We ask, if Rolling Stone honestly doesn’t think Eddie Van Halen belongs in the top 4, why does Eddie Van Halen adorn one of the four different collector’s covers for their issue, along with Clapton, Hendrix, and Page? They must trust that the general public sees him as being in the top 4…

Mike McCready of Pearl Jam on Eddie Van Halen:

When I was 11, I was at my guitar teacher’s place, and he put on “Eruption.” It sounded like it came from another planet. I was just learning basic chords, stuff like AC/DC and Deep Purple; “Eruption” really didn’t make sense to me, but it was glorious, like hearing Mozart for the first time.
Eddie is a master of riffs: “Unchained,” “Take Your Whiskey Home,” the beginning of “Ain’t Talking ‘Bout Love.” He gets sounds that aren’t necessarily guitar sounds – a lot of harmonics, textures that happen just because of how he picks. There’s a part in “Unchained” where it sounds like there’s another instrument in the riff.
A lot of it is in his hands: the way he holds his pick between his thumb and middle finger, which opens things up for his finger-tapping. (When I found out he played that way, I tried it myself, but it was too weird.) But underneath that, Eddie has soul. It’s like Hendrix – you can play the things he’s written, but there’s an X factor that you can’t get.
Eddie still has it. I saw Van Halen on their reunion tour two years ago, and the second he came out, I felt that same thing I did when I was a kid. When you see a master, you know it.
Key Tracks: “Eruption,” “Ain’t Talking ‘Bout Love,” “Hot for Teacher”

Eddie Van Halen on Eric Clapton:

Eric Clapton is basically the only guitar player who influenced me – even though I don’t sound like him. There was a basic simplicity to his playing, his style, his vibe and his sound. He took a Gibson guitar and plugged it into a Marshall, and that was it. The basics. The blues. His solos were melodic and memorable – and that’s what guitar solos should be, part of the song. I could hum them to you.
What I really liked was Cream’s live recordings, because you could hear the three guys playing. If you listen to “I’m So Glad,” on Goodbye, you really hear the three guys go – and Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker were a couple of jazz guys, pushing Clapton forward. I once read that Clapton said, “I didn’t know what the hell I was doing.” He was just trying to keep up with the other two guys!
After Cream, he changed. When he started doing “I Shot the Sheriff” and this and that, and when he hooked up with Delaney and Bonnie, his whole style changed. Or at least his sound. He focused more on singing than playing. I respect him for everything he’s done and is still doing – but what inspired me, what made me pick up a guitar, was his early stuff. I could play some of those solos now – they’re permanently imprinted in my brain. That blues-based sound is still the core of modern rock guitar.
Key Tracks: “Bell Bottom Blues,” “Crossroads,” “White Room”

John Waite News!

John Waite performed in November during his east coast 'Rough and Tumble tour'' to promote the new album several times on USA TV. Here you can watch the videos a.o Missing You and If You Ever Get Lonely (acoustic) Plus some pictures and an interview:

www.johnwaitethesinger.com.

G3 BRINGS VAI, SATCH AND LUKE DOWNUNDER:

Initial dates have been announced for the 2012 version of Joe Satriani's G3 Tour project. In addition to Satriani, the featured guitarists will be Steve Lukather and Steve Vai. Lukather is reported to be doing an opening set of solo tunes and then joining the other two guitarists towards the end of the main set. Tour dates are:

March 24 Michael Fowler Centre Wellington, New Zealand
March 25 Logan Campbell Centre Greenlane Auckland, New Zealand
March 27 Royal Theatre Canberra, Australia
March 30 Hordern Pavillion Sydney, Australia
March 31 Palais Theatre St. Kilda, Victoria, Australia
April 3 Festival Theatre Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
April 5 Convention Centre Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
April 6 Byron Bay Bluesfest Byron Bay, Australia
WebLink: www.satriani.com/G3.

Today's Day In Pop

Today's Full Report


Conrad Murray Gets Maximum Sentence for Michael Jackson's Death
(TMZ) The Michael Jackson estate believes Dr. Conrad Murray got his just deserts when Judge Pastor sentenced him to 4 years in the clink yesterday-- telling TMZ the sentence was "appropriate and called for."
A rep for the estate released a statement ... saying, "The egregious conduct of Dr. Murray when 'treating' Michael Jackson was bad enough ... but when coupled with his outrageous lies in trying to cover up his wrongdoing after Michael was dying and/or had died only served to magnify his criminal actions."

The rep adds, "Michael Jackson was one of the greatest entertainers that ever lived and he will be missed by millions." more

In related news, TMZ reports: Conrad Murray's lawyer J. Michael Flanagan admits the decision to do a tell-all behind-the-scenes documentary was "probably a mistake" ... but tells "TMZ Live" the Doc really needed the money. more on this story

Lil Boosie Fighting His Drug Addiction
(TMZ) Lil Boosie tells TMZ ... he's finally realized he's a hardcore drug addict ... and now that he's been sentenced to prison, he wants to focus on kicking the habit.

As we previously reported, the Louisiana rapper was sentenced to 8 years in prison Tuesday after copping a guilty plea for attempting to smuggle drugs into prison -- 3 separate times.

Now, Boosie's lawyer tells us ... the rapper is happy with the resolution -- because Boosie is confident officials will allow him to participate in a drug rehab program so he can beat his addiction to codeine and other drugs.

Boosie -- who's also facing 1st degree murder charges in an unrelated case -- released a statement to TMZ ... saying, "Don't worry about me I am getting help with my drug addiction and I am accepting full responsibility for the choice I made."

Boosie adds, "I am going to fight the false murder charge till the end. Love you all." more on this story

Adele and Beyonce Lead This Week's New Pop Releases
(popmusiclife) Adele and Beyonce have the biggest releases of the week. Both artists are releasing new DVDS.

Adele's "Live At The Royal Albert Hall" captures the singer in concert at the famed London venue, while Beyonce's "Live At Roseland: Elements Of 4" package features the pop icon in an intimate New York theater, along with a collection of the videos from her "4" album.

Kylie Minogue also has a new DVD out of her London concert. Hot Chelle Rae and Trey Songz have a new music for fans, while the Gorillaz issue a best of compilation. See what else is coming out this week here.

Charlie Sheen Fans Target Seth MacFarlane
(TMZ) "Family Guy" creator Seth MacFarlane's house was ruthlessly T.P.'d Monday night by a ragtag group of Charlie Sheen supporters -- and TMZ has obtained photos of the butt paper attack.

Sources tell TMZ, two unidentified boys and one girl snuck onto Seth's Beverly Hills property around 11pm and unleashed T.P. fury -- finishing with the coup de grace ... a sign on Seth's front door, reading, "WINNING! Tiger blood!"

It's unclear what provoked the vandalism -- but the poster also taunts ... "Roast this bitch," referencing Seth's recent Comedy Central roast of Charlie.

So far, no police report has been filed. Seth's rep had no immediate comment. more on this story

Owl City DVD and Blu-Ray Coming
Owl City has announced the iTunes, DVD and Blu-Ray release of a recording of one of his headlining shows from the All Things Bright and Beautiful World Tour with the release of Owl City - Live from Los Angeles.

This will feature over 90 minutes of live performance, behind the scenes footage, exclusive interviews and more.

Filmed at LA's Club Nokia this past July, the full 21 track concert will be released on iTunes in North America on December 6th. more on this story

Q&A With Backstreet Boy Joey McIntyre
Backstreet Boy Joey McIntyre celebrates this week's release of his new holiday album, Come Home For Christmas, with a Q&A about holiday traditions, his Boston upbringing in a house of nine children, his NKOTB roots and his duet with Mario Cantone on "Baby, It's Cold Outside."

You've done quite a lot to this point in your career. Why did you decide to make a Christmas record now? JM: Well, to be honest I was itchy, creatively. I had been off the road for a couple of months and wanted to make a record. And "my Christmas album" has always had a prominent place on the back burner. It was in late September this year that I decided to do it and I just went for it. I knew time was tight, but if God was ever gonna help me out on a record, I figured it would be this one. I was lucky enough to have my producing partner Rob Lewis for this. Together we started on the same page and jumped right in.

This CD really seems to be a labor of love for you with you self-producing and self-releasing. How has the process been for you to be the artist, producer and label? JM: I feel a sense of pride with this album that I haven't felt with other albums I made. I am always very hands on in the creating of my music and writing. But these songs are special and I think I handled them with great care. From a producing side, I feel that I molded this with my hands.


Howard Jones Maps Out Tour Plans and Radio Show
(Noble) Howard Jones has released his plans for a special nationwide UK tour and a special weekly radio series.

The tour will be the first time that Howard will perform his first two studio albums Human's Lib and Dream Into Action back to back, live in their entirety, on a full-scale nationwide UK tour.

To coincide with the tour, Howard will present a weekly four-part radio series "Electronic 80s with Howard Jones" on Absolute Radio 80's. The first show will air at 8pm on Sunday December 4th on DAB, Freesat, Virgin Media, Sky, via the Absolute 80s smartphone app available for iPhone, Android, Windows Phone 7 and Blackberry, plus streamed online at absolute80s.com. more on this story

Blind Boys of Alabama, Mos Def and More for Preservation Hall Jazz Band Anniversary Show
(Girlie) Preservation Hall Jazz Band have announced the special guests that will join them on stage for their 50th anniversary performance.

On January 7th, 2012 at 8:00pm they will grace the Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall, with special guests Del McCoury Band, Trombone Shorty, GIVERS, Allen Toussaint, Blind Boys of Alabama, Tao Seeger, & Mos Def.

The group manages to evoke the spirits of times past in an ever-evolving modern context that has found them traveling around the world. Along the way, they have brought in collaborators of all musical stripes to play, honor, and reinterpret America's first true art form. more on this story

Mike Posner Releasing New Music Next Week
RCA Records plans to release Mike Posner's sophomore album Sky High in early 2012 but you won't have to wait that long to hear new music from the effort.

The first single off Sky High, "Looks Like Sex", ships to radio this week and will be available for sale at all digital providers on December 6th.

The release of Sky High comes on the heels of Posner's return to the mixtape, he independently released The Layover on November 20th. more on this story

Comedian Patrice O'Neal Dead At 41
(TMZ) Comedian Patrice O'Neal died Monday night ... after suffering a stroke back in October ... this according to his friends at the "Opie and Anthony" radio show.

O'Neal had been a staple in the comedy world for years -- and performed at the "Comedy Central Roast of Charlie Sheen" back in September.

O'Neal was a regular guest on the "Opie and Anthony" radio show -- and appeared on several TV shows such as "Chappelle Show," "The Office," and "Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn."

Opie just tweeted, "Yes it's true that our pal Patrice O'Neal has passed away. The funniest and best thinker I've ever known PERIOD."

O'Neal was 41. more on this story

Tinie Tempah To Pass Out On The X Factor
(Sub) Tinie Tempah is set to perform his latest hit, "Pass Out," on The X Factor results show tomorrow Thursday, Dec. 1 (8:00-9:00 PM ET live/PT tape-delayed), on FOX.

The episode will also feature another shocking double elimination that leaves only five acts in the competition.

London-born rapper Tinie Tempah has already achieved superstar status in the U.K., where his double platinum debut album "Disc-Overy" debuted at No. 1 and produced four Top Five singles, including two No. 1's, as well as winning him a pair of prestigious BRIT Awards and establishing him as the top-selling British debut act of 2010. The charismatic 22-year-old artist has now gone global with "Disc-Overy's" release in the United States. His infectious, message-driven platinum debut single, "Written In The Stars," has quickly emerged as a major U.S. hit, making it clear that Tempah is on his way to becoming the first British rapper to achieve major stardom in America. more on this story

Nappy Boy TakeOva Tour Starts Tomorrow
The Nappy Boy TakeOva Tour will be headlining Tay Dizm and feature other surprise artists from the label.

The Florida centric tour is set to kick off tomorrow, Thursday, (December 1, 2011) in Panama City and will conclude on December 18th in Miami Beach.

With his new mixtape, ART, releasing in 2012, Dizm will be hitting the road to begin the promotion. He also will be performing crowd favorites "Smoke" and "Spaceship." The winter tour kicks off this Thursday, (December 1, 2011) in Panama City, Fla. and continues in cities throughout Florida. more on this story

Mark Burnett Creating New Reality Show With Joel Osteen
(TMZ) Mark Burnett is teaming up with Joel Osteen for a primetime network show in 2012, TMZ has learned.

Burnett tells TMZ, the premise of the show is that ordinary people will give up several days or longer to go on a mission with Joel Osteen, one of the most popular pastors in the world.

All of the missions will be in the confines of US soil to "start fixing things." A deal has not been signed with a network, although Burnett has the power to make it happen. more on this story

Colin Quinn Bringing Jerry Seinfeld Directed Show To DVD and Blu-Ray
Colin Quinn's one-man show directed by Jerry Seinfeld, "Long Story Short" is set to be released on DVD and Blu-ray on December 6, 2011.

To celebrate the release Quinn will be signing DVDs and Blu-rays on Tuesday, December 6 at Barnes & Noble, 97 Warren St in New York City at 6:00 PM

Here is the synopsis: Taped before a live audience at the Helen Hayes Theatre in New York City, Colin Quinn: Long Story Short showcases the comedian's keen observations in the uproarious history of the world, juxtaposing modern-day human behavior with the rise and fall of empires. more on this story

Singled Out: Najuah's Eden
Today Toronto sister duo Najuah tell us about their current hit single "Eden". Here is the story:

It was a warm summer night when "Eden" came to us. Inspiration behind the song is a broken heart. It's about summer love, meeting someone and how quickly you can fall in love. The things you do to keep love and get love.

It's very raw and personal song. It took us a short time to write it, because it was just about that raw emotion you feel when things don't go as planned. We were both going through relationship ups and down. It's kind of like a "love gospel". Songs help you express those feelings, so you can let go of them. A way to release that energy. Eden is rooted in the trials and tribulations of love. The joy and initial experience and the loss. Also how we often feel that we need to do what it takes to keep it, even at times compromising ourselves and integrity.

I think we live in our songs and Eden is an example of this. Every time we hear it, we can each go back in time, to that moment where this "love" once existed and the feelings are evermore present again. At the same time it shows the rebellion of love. The idea that it is "us" against them. How this innate nature we have in all of us can be magical when it's right. It's just a matter of not losing oneself. But isn't it fantastic, when just for a moment you can get lost in someone else? "take me down to the streets of love...on that summer night"

Today's Day In Rock

Ace Frehley Injured In Fall
(hennemusic) Ace Frehley has been forced to cancel his three upcoming UK tour dates due to a fractured left wrist resulting from a fall in his home on Sunday.
Doctors applied a fiberglass cast to Frehley's hand and arm, and he has been instructed not to play guitar or use his wrist for a minimum of ten days.

Ace would like to convey his deepest heartfelt apologies to all of his UK fans and to make it up to them, has already signed on to headline Hard Rock Hell 2012 next December. He hopes to be able to announce the additional rescheduled dates soon. more on this story

Motley Crue To Make Announcement On CNN Tomorrow
(hennemusic) Motley Crue teased fans on Tuesday with this "Big announcement coming later this week...tune in to Piers Morgan Tonight on CNN Thursday and Friday night 9PM Eastern/6PM Pacific to see it! Until then...we're revealing some clues."

Bassist Nikki Sixx teases things a little more a few hints on Facebook. Nikki's hints suggest there's two different projects they'll be announcing, which puts the two Piers Morgan appearances in perspective.

Two weeks ago, Vince Neil pal Robin Leach of the Las Vegas Sun reported the Crue appears set to become the first heavy metal group to sign a short-term residency in Vegas. Read and see the photo clues here.

The Cult Reunite With Bob Rock For New Album
(hennemusic) The Cult report that they are in the studio, with producer Bob Rock, putting the finishing touches on material for their new album.

The band's ninth release is tentatively due in early 2012 via Cooking Vinyl Records.

Interesting to hear The Cult are working with Rock again, who produced the band's 1989 effort, "Sonic Temple," and their 1994 self-titled release.

Something has obviously changed in the band's plan since spring, when they announced that they were in the studio with producer Chris Goss (Queens Of The Stone Age, Masters Of Reality) at the controls, with an early fall release expected. more on this story

Volbeat Lose Member
(Banana 101.5) Volbeat join the growing list of bands with lineup changes this month — yesterday they announced that guitarist Thomas Bredahl was no longer a member of the band.

Volbeat themselves broke the news of their guitarists departure, posting the following statement regarding the seemingly mutual split between the band and their guitarist of 5 years:

"Volbeat has decided to part ways with Thomas Bredahl. Being in a band is in many ways similar to a marriage with ups and downs. At times you can work it out and sometimes you need to go separate ways…We want to thank him for the work he has put in for Volbeat and we wish him all the best in the future. Volbeat will play all shows as announced." Find out how here.

Coldplay New Year's TV Special
Austin City Limits will be celebrating the new year with a special edition featuring a performance by Coldplay.

The first-ever ACL New Year's Eve special -- a rare 90-minute episode -- is viewable on PBS stations nationwide on Saturday, Dec. 31, 2011 at 11 p.m. (check local listings). Coldplay New Year's Eve: An Austin City Limits Special can also be viewed on demand on pbs.org starting at 11 p.m. ET on Dec. 31, 2011.

Coldplay's second appearance on ACL's stage is another milestone for the historic show and a one-of-a- kind episode with the band's unique production. more on this story

Switchfoot Kick Off Busy Year End Tonight
Switchfoot are returning to the North American road today for a series of headline dates, as well as numerous holiday radio shows over the next month, performing alongside such artists as Blink 182 and Social Distortion.

During the trek, Living Social and Switchfoot will team up to present two special shows at the intimate Largo at the Coronet in Los Angeles on December 14.

Each show will kick off with an hour-long Q&A with Switchfoot, followed by an acoustic performance featuring songs from Vice Verses.Fans can choose from a 6:30 PM or 9:00 PM show. more on this story

Rival Sons and Black Stone Cherry Spring Tour
(Sub) Rival Sons are teaming up with Black Stone Cherry for a UK tour that will take place in March of next year.

Currently on the road in Europe on their own headlining tour, Rival Sons will be crossing the Atlantic once again in 2012 for the UK tour with Black Stone Cherry, which kicks off on March 11th in Norwich.

Rival Sons drummer Michael Miley comments: "We are really looking forward to coming back to our second home, especially with Black Stone Cherry. Seems like a fun match-up. We've made a lot of friends in the UK and are really looking forward to seeing y'all again. Thanks for all the UK love. See ya's soon!" more on this story

Fair to Midland Lose Another Member?
(Banana 101.5) Fair to Midland lose the second member in a month's time as percussionist Brett Stowers announced that he is leaving the band via his Facebook page.

It would seem that the band Fair to Midland have been experiencing some behind-the-scenes problems. Last month the band made the on-stage announcement that it was their last show with bassist Jon Dicken and now we've received word that drummer Brett Stowers has decided to leave the band as well.

The initial statement Stowers posted regarding his split with the band has been deleted and while no official statement has been made by the band, it appears that he is no longer a member. See who the replacement might be

Twisted Sister Set For Two Christmas Shows
Twisted Sister have announced the 2011 Presentation of "A Twisted Christmas" that is set to take place on Friday, December 2 at the Paramount Theater in Huntington, NY, and The Best Buy Theater in NYC on Saturday, December 17.

Dee Snider, Jay Jay French, Mark Mendoza, Eddie Ojeda, and A.J. Pero have crafted this show into a hell-raisin' holiday tradition. In the past, they've had such wildly disparate personalities as Lita Ford, Mick Foley, and MiniKISS join the onstage festivities -You never know who will crash this NYC party!

After the release of 2006's A Twisted Christmas album (hailed by the Associated Press as "[one of] the best hard rock Christmas album[s] ever made, and one of the best rock 'n' roll Christmas albums -- period -- since Elvis made his,") Twisted Sister brought the metal merriment to the stage. They have continued to give these Yuletide anthems a Twisted treatment ever since. "White Christmas," "Come All Ye Faithful," and "Deck The Halls" have never sounded so electric. more on this story

Bob Dylan Producer Don DeVito Dead At 72
(Gibson) Record producer Don DeVito, best known for his production work with Bob Dylan, has died from prostate cancer. NME reports that DeVito was 72 and had fought cancer for the past 16 years.

A producer at Columbia Records, DeVito worked with Dylan on
Blood on the Tracks, Hard Rain, Desire and Street Legal in the '70s.

DeVito also worked with Bruce Springsteen, Simon & Garfunkel and Aerosmith and won a Grammy for his production on Folkways – A Vision Shared: A Tribute to Woody Guthrie and Leadbelly in 1989. more on this story



Genesis Going Back To The Beginning
(Gibson) Genesis will reissue their very first album, From Genesis to Revelation, from 1969, next year.

According to Classic Rock, the debut will be fully remastered and released on January 23.

The album was produced by controversial music mogul Jonathan King and features the original lineup of Peter Gabriel on vocals, Anthony Phillips on guitar, Mike Rutherford on bass, Tony Banks on keyboards and John Silver and Chris Stewart on drums. more on this story



Burning Love Going Soph in 2012
Southern Lord Recordings will release Burning Love's sophomore album early next year under a newly inked deal. They sent over the following details:

Following their previous full-length, in addition to a multitude of EPs and split releases and more since their 2008 inception, the title of the forthcoming Burning Love album has been confirmed as Rotten Thing To Say, and was recently recorded by Converge guitarist Kurt Ballou at his infamous Salem, Massachusetts-based Godcity Studio.

Set to be mastered by Alan Douches at West West Side in the coming weeks as the album art is completed and final release details are confirmed, Rotten Thing To Say will see release in late March or early April of 2012, with final details to be confirmed by the beginning of the year. more on this story

Nothnegal Set North American Release
Season of Mist have set a January 24th, 2012 North American release date for Nothnegal's new album, Decadence.

The album is set to release in other major international markets four days earlier on January 20th, 2012. The album is mixed by Greg Reely (Fear Factory, Machine Head, DevilDriver) and Ahti Kortelainen (Sentenced, Sonarta Arctica).

"Decadence is our first official studio release and the first release featuring the current lineup, the first time that Fufu handling the vocals, Marco on keyboards and Kevin on drums," states guitarist Hilarl. "We began writing Decadence in Summer 2010. The record has been quite a challenge for us as we have taken time to do a lot of experimentation on the sound, shifting more towards thrash and progressive metal with industrial elements making it entirely different from the sound we had on our 2009 four-track demo, Antidote Of Realism. With a completely new and original sound and attitude, we feel like we're starting again from scratch as we believe we've finally discovered our sound with Decadence." more on this story

Young The Giant Expand Tour Plans
Young The Giant have mapped out additional dates for their 2012 headline tour which begins in San Diego on February 10, 2012 and will go through mid-April.

Young The Giant has enjoyed tremendous success this year with two hit songs, "My Body" and "Cough Syrup," and have played the main stages at some of the biggest festivals in the world including the main stage at Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits and Sasquatch to name a few.

Their second single, "Cough Syrup" is currently top five at Alternative radio. Their first single, "My Body" rocketed to the #4 spot on the alternative chart while the band performed the song live at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards. more on this story

God Seed Move Live CD/DVD Release Date
(Sub) God Seed have moved the release date for their "Live At Wacken" CD/DVD. Here is the official word:

We all thought we'd heard the last from God Seed; luckily we were wrong, and January 27th in Europe and January 31st in North America, will see the release of their infamous Wacken 2008 set, where they headlined the main stage in front of 75,000 screaming fans.

The performance featured sheep heads on stakes, "crucified" nude models, satanic symbols, and gallons of sheep's blood. This spectacular show is made available exclusively in a deluxe digipack featuring the live CD and footage of the show on a bonus DVD. The packaging also contains special liner notes from the band about the process of recreating this special show. more on this story

Gary Wright's Dream Weaver Getting 24 Karat Gold Reissue
Audio Fidelity has set December 6 for its release of 24 Karat Gold CD version of Gary Wright's 1975 classic "The Dream Weaver."

Gary Wright is often associated with a specific time and cultural place: the mid-1970s, when popular music was frequently experimenting and pushing boundaries and an unconventional track like "Dream Weaver" could ascend to Number 2 on the singles charts. American-born Wright released the spacey yet hook-filled The Dream Weaver in June of 1975, after serving time with British rockers Spooky Tooth and contributing to George Harrison's All Things Must Pass.

Wright not only composed and sings all the songs on The Dream Weaver, he provides the bulk of the instrumentation, playing organ and electric piano, Moog synthesizer and other keyboards on the largely guitar-less album. The title track was issued in January of 1976 and quickly became a hit, to be followed in April by the funk-infused "My Love Is Alive" (which also rose to No.2 on Billboard's song survey). A third charting single, the more uptempo "Made to Love You," came out that September. more on this story

Rock Ridge Taking Hotel Carolina To Philly
Rock Ridge Music is expanding the Hotel Carolina brand by starting an new event weekend scheduled to take place at the Grape Room in Philadelphia on January 27 and 28, 2012.

Like the original South Carolina event (which has taken over The Windjammer on Isle of Palms for three years in a row in late summer), the Philadelphia event will feature the best in touring singer-songwriters.

At the Grape Room, there will be performances on a main stage and on a second stage with staggered times, offering fest attendees non-stop entertainment. more on this story

Killswitch Engage The Focus of Latest Lick Library Release
Lick Library have released "Learn To Play Killswitch Engage," a collection of classic tracks to help you learn the best riffs and solos from one of the founding metalcore bands.

Considered by many to be one of the founders of the melodic metal genre, Killswitch Engage's music is characterised by distinctive ferocious riffs, pummeling rhythms held together by melodious harmonies. The power sources behind the sound are guitarists Adam Dutiewicz and Joel Stroetzel who together have created there distinctive sound.

Walking you through some of the bands best-loved tracks is the incredible UK shredder and metal guitarist Andy James. Well known for his Lick Library contributions and as the lead guitarist of the band Sacred Mother Tongue, Andy shares his knowledge and experience in this easy to follow guitar tuition double DVD set. The technical explanations from Andy are concise and clearly demonstrated by the split screen that shows what each of his hands are doing at the same time. Plus you can pause and rewind the Guitar lessons on the DVD whenever you want, so you can go over any part, time and again until you really have it nailed. more on this story

Mona Set North American Release
Mona have set a February 21, 2012 North American release date for their self-titled debut album on their own Zion Noiz label, through Mercury Records

The 11-song album was produced by the band's Nick Brown and mixed by Rich Costey (credits: Muse, Interpol, Audioslave).

"Lean Into the Fall," the newest single from MONA, was blasted to Alternative Rock, Alternative Specialty and Active Rock radio formats. more on this story

King Giant Set New Album Release
(Sub) King Giant will self-release their sophomore full-length album, Dismal Hollow, world wide on January 31, 2012.

Brooding even darker and more sinister homage to their rock and metal forefathers than their heralded self-released 2009 debut album, Southern Darkness, this new album sets a new par for King Giant, further developing their hard but harmonized style, as always chock full of well-written hooks and deep grooving thunder.

Recorded at Inner Ear Studio (Minor Threat, Fugazi, Avail, Jawbox, Dave Grohl), and inherently boasting full-on Americana both musically and conceptually, the eight tracks harnessed on Dismal Hollow are easily King Giant's most well-written and monstrous anthems captured to date.

Mark Kendall of Great White, harsh words for Warrant.

Mark Kendall "Jani Lane is solely responsible for Warrant even having a career."

Great White sharks live a long time; proud, muscular beasts that control their domain and will probably continue to do so for eternity. The legendary L.A. rock band of the same name shares a lot of the same characteristics of its animal namesake. The band has been spending recent months out playing glorious outdoor summer rock gigs and doing it better than ever. While the band has made many a hit record those who are in the know are aware that the live show is what the band does best. We recently had an in-depth chat with new vocalist Terry Illous but that was heavy on conversation about his days in another L.A. band XYZ. We still had some GREAT WHITE questions after all these years of loving the band and co-founder/guitarist Mark Kendall was very gracious and answered some of them for us including the past, the recent stint with Jani Lane and where the band is headed. Read on….

Legendary Rock Interviews: Our sympathy to you guys in losing Jani, we have seen some of his performances in the band and it looked like he was back in peak performance. How much did you guys enjoy your shows and time together?
Mark Kendall: We loved jamming with Jani. He was completely professional in his preparation and he sang great. It was horrible losing him! I was working with him closely and supporting his sobriety, as I do with 6 others. At his memorial, I wanted people to know that he wanted to be sober more that anything. I sent him daily prayers and we spoke on the phone about our individual walks with sobriety. Unfortunately, his demons overcame him and it was very sad. I also let people know about his talent at the memorial. The guy had phenomenal talent not only in song writing but in music in general. He also played drums on Warrant records and is solely responsible for the band even having a career. I didn’t let any MORE information out of the bag but I will say I was upset that none of the WARRANT members showed up to his memorial.

LRI: We just walked away from a Great White show recently and were totally blown away. The band was always one of the better live acts during the Capitol years but to see you guys STILL as good or god forbid BETTER was a little shocking. Terry was amazing and sang like it was the most important gig of his life. After all these years how do you battle complacency? At this point a lot of bands try to get by on name recognition alone.
MK: Thank you John!! I think the way we keep ourselves from going through the motions is that we have kept making new music over the years. We also have extended jams that bring the crowd into the show and it’s a little different every night, which is what keeps it exciting for US. We don’t know exactly what’s going to happen from night to night. That is refreshing for a band. If we were just going out and only playing Once Bitten Twice Shy every night we would probably have to go on suicide watch, (laughs).

LRI: It was especially cool to see some of the older, “heavy metal” ish GREAT WHITE mixed in the set alongside the signature hits. Is it fun playing tunes like “Down in Your Knees”?
MK: Sure it’s fun to show people how we used to do it in 1982!!! We like to take them through a little journey with our discography, so going back to the beginning makes sense…….That stuff rocks.

LRI: You have had the pleasure of working with some really quality replacement guys in Jack’s absence. What is the plan moving forward, is it going to be full speed ahead with Terry Ilous (XYZ) from here on?
MK: We love Terry and everything he brings to the band. We will all have to wait and see what happens. We are all having a lot of fun at the moment and it is a pure joy working with Terry….

LRI: I know it’s not really lucrative to release product in this day and age but watching Audie beat the drums like they owed him money while you, Scotty and Michael are grinning war to ear makes you think. If it’s still working so well is it tempting to wanna go in and maybe cut some new material and release it via iTunes or your page?
MK: I have been writing off the hook lately and I hope we get in the studio soon. You definitely haven’t heard our last record or anything like that, I assure you. We love to create and will definitely be doing a new record.

LRI: When you guys were a young L.A. band recording the very first album what were your expectations? How did it feel to be recording an album?
MK: Well, first of all we were working with the legendary Producer/Engineer Michael Wagener so we were very excited and had high expectations. I still love that record even though it wasn’t a big seller for us.

LRI: The band started to develop its own unique sort of vibe, a bluesy signature…. It not only set you apart from the pack of other acts in the 80s but it was highly successful and sort of timeless. When did you guys realize that the more classic, bluesy style suited your strengths and needs as a band?
MK: That happened in the mid 80s. The more I wrote the more my influences started to show up along with everyone else as well. Everyone in the band has different influences and mine mostly stemmed from the blues style players and our style began to evolve.

LRI: People always say hindsight is 20/20 and “if I knew then, what I know now”….Are there any career moves the band or you made personally that you wish you could hit reset on and change any elements?
MK: Yes, I wish we would have taken a break before we recorded Hooked. We needed to follow up our Once Bitten……and Twice Shy Albums with something very, very strong and I believe we fell a little short and just needed to take a little time off to accomplish what we needed to do.

LRI: Always LOVED the song “Call it Rock and Roll” and thought it was one of those songs that should have been a top ten hit. You guys managed to end up having quite a few radio/mtv hits over the years, did it ever seem like there was any rhyme or reason as to why a song would blow up versus a song that underperformed? Can you even worry about stuff like that?
MK: The band has never picked a single in its entire career. Our job has been to write the best music we can that we love to play. After it’s on tape, you hit your knees and pray other people like it too (laughs). I have never written a single per say but I have written songs that have become singles. The record company usually has a song they want to put out as a single or whatever.

LRI: The band makes it a point to be accessible to the fans, not just over the internet but in person at every show. You don’t force people to buy a meet and greet or anything, you just make it known that you’re there. VERY COOL. What was it like meeting fans 25 years ago and how much has that changed over the years?
MK: There is really not much difference between now and back then. Our fans have always been extremely important to us and we usually don’t hit the road after a show until everything is signed and all pictures are taken. Sometimes it takes a while but we always have a good time and our fans are VERY loyal so it’s nice to actually take that time.

LRI: Your solo spot, where you jam a bit on guitar, reminded me a bit of our hometown boy Rick Nielsen. Are you as big of a gearhead as Rick and what are some of your influences from a guitarist standpoint?
MK: I’m probably not as much of a gear head as Rick, however I am always looking to improve on my tone. I have a lot of influences. Carlos Santana, Johnny Winter, Alvin Lee, Richie Blackmore, Billy Gibbons and many, many more………

LRI: Bands have to go out and play mostly the same songs every single night, every single tour, year after year. We understand the staples and the fact that you CAN’T get away without playing Rock Me or TWICE SHY. With such a huge catalog of great stuff aside from that how do you go about picking a setlist? It seems daunting.
MK: We just interchange those songs we don’t HAVE to play and that helps a lot. It is difficult deciding what makes the set at this point but it’s also quite fun actually…..

LRI: Last question, you’re off the hook so to speak! What is the biggest misconception about Great White or yourself that you’ve ever had to correct?
MK: Not too many people are aware that Great White was my nick name and it’s how the bandname was conceived!! We came up with incorporating the shark image well after the fact.

Go to http://www.edromanguitars.com and check out my new guitar. THE SHARK IS BACK FOLKS!!! Thanks for the support from all the Great White fans around the world. WE LOVE YOU ALL!!!! http://www.greatwhiterocks.com
Interview courtesy of LegendaryRockInterviews

Today's Day In Pop

Today's Full Report


Rihanna Video Banned
(popmusiclife) Rihanna is too hot for France. The pop superstar's video for her #1 hit, "We Found Love," has been banned from appearing on French television before 10pm because of its explicit content.
Herald.ie reports the Supreme Council of Audiovisual of France (CSA) has banned the release of the clip on any French channel before 10 pm, due to what it calls far too much footage showing its stars acting in a "self-destructive" fashion, taking part in "domestic violence", taking drugs and drinking alcohol."

Rihanna and former British Olympic boxing hopeful, Dudley O'Shaughnessy, who plays her boyfriend in the video, also appear in scenes of "pronounced suggestive" content, the CSA said.
more on this story

Beyonce Releases Dance For You Video
(popmusiclife) Beyonce has released the video for "Dance For You." The clip, co-directed by the pop superstar, is the singer's seventh video debut off her album, "4."

All seven videos are featured in the new 2-disc concert DVD, "Live at Roseland: Elements of 4," which is due November 29.

"Live At Roseland: Elements of 4" captures Beyonce in concert at the famed New York venue, where she played four shows this past August, in sync with the title of her latest release.
Check out the new video here.

Lady Gaga Releases Holiday EP
(popmusiclife) Lady Gaga has announced the release of a companion EP to her A Very Gaga Thanksgiving TV Special.

She writes on Twitter: "I'm so excited to SURPRISE announce my release of a $3.99 holiday EP "A Very Gaga Holiday" on ITunes and Amazon now! Happy Thanksgiving!!!!"

The EP features four tracks from the TV special, including "White Christmas," "Orange Colored Sky," "You And I" and "The Edge Of Glory."
more on this story

Justin Beiber Releases New Video With Boyz II Men
(popmusiclife) Justin Beiber has just released a new video from his massive "Under The Mistletoe" holiday album.

"Fa La La" features Justin with Boyz II Men; the two teamed up to perform the song earlier this month on a Dancing With The Stars appearance.

The day of the DWTS gig, Bieber tweeted about the video shoot, saying:

"Killed it with @BoyzIImen on DWTS and then just shot a video for our song #FALALA with @colintilley - great night! living a dream. Thanku." Check out the video here.

Nicki Minaj Sets New Album Release
(popmusiclife) Nicki Minaj will release her new album on Valentine's Day. Tuesday night, the singer/rapper announced the news via Twitter:

"U know what??? There's been a change of plans barbz. I'm announcing the name and date today. How do I get on ustream???" she tweeted. "Its only right to announce it on the anniversary of Pink Friday right barbz???"

Minaj released "Pink Friday" last November 22. "Pink Friday : ROMAN RELOADED will be released on Valentines Day, 2012. Heeeee's baaaacccckkkkk," she tweeted, adding, "Its not called Roman Reloaded. Its called PINK FRIDAY : ROMAN RELOADED!!!!!! 4 WORDS!!!! Love u guys soooo much!!! VALENTINES DAY biittcchh!" more on this story

Bruno Mars Rains On The X Factor
(popmusiclife) Bruno Mars performed his new single, "It Will Rain," on The X Factor results show Wednesday night.

The song is featured on "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1" movie soundtrack.

On Sunday, Bruno won Favorite Male Artist In Pop/Rock at the American Music Awards. "I want to thank the fans for voting. I want to say hi to my family at home in Hawaii," tweeted Bruno. more on this story

Florence and The Machine Take On Drake
(popmusiclife) Florence + The Machine recently released their new album, "Ceremonials," and now the band are making the rounds doing press interviews, including radio and TV appearances.

The group played a 6-song set for BBC Radio 1, and threw in a cover of Drake and Rihanna's duet on "Take Care," the title track of Drake's new disc.

As part of the interview portion of the show, NME reports Florence was asked who she would really like to work with, saying "I haven't got anything planned at the moment. I've always wanted to do something with Drake. We've always tried to, but we keep both being really busy and nothing's happened." Check out the Drake cover here.

Kelly Clarkson Appears On The X Factor
(popmusiclife) It was results night Wednesday on The X Factor, as the final 9 contestants awaited the news about which two would be sent home at the end of the show.

Kelly Clarkson performed her new single, "What Doesn't Kill You (Stronger)," on the program; it's the title track from her new release, "Stronger."

Tickets for Kelly's 2012 Stronger tour went on sale last Friday; the first leg kicks off with more than 40 dates across North America, starting January 13 in Mashantucket, CT.
more on this story

Alleged Real Father of Alleged Justin Bieber Baby May Speak Out
(TMZ) The ex-boyfriend of Justin Bieber's alleged baby mama has no doubt ... he's the daddy of the baby she claims Justin fathered ... and he wants to take a DNA test to prove it.

TMZ broke the story that Mariah Yeater sent text messages to a friend ... fingering her ex, Robbie Powell, as the baby daddy.

Sources close to Powell tell TMZ ... he's making his move because he's tired of Yeater using the kid for media attention.

Our sources says Robbie has been telling friends ... Mariah told him the whole Bieber story was BS. We're told Robbie believes she did it for the money because she's desperate for cash.

According to our sources, Powell has been approached by several media outlets to tell his story and he's reviewing his options.

We've reached out to Mariah's lawyer. No word back. more on this story

Basketball Wives Find A New Villain?
(TMZ) The producers of "Basketball Wives" are upping the drama level big time for season 4 -- adding two new cast members ... one of which was arrested earlier this year for allegedly trying to stab her husband!

Sources close to the show tell TMZ ... Kenya Bell will be joining the show this coming season. We're told during filming so far ... Kenya has already assumed the role of villain and gotten into a few fights with the girls.

Bell is a former Miss Michigan USA who was arrested for allegedly trying to stab her husband, Charlie Bell, with a box cutter.

The other new cast member, we're told, is Kesha Ni'cole Nichols. She was set to marry Richard Jefferson back in 2009, but he bailed on the $2 million wedding the night ... telling her via email.

According to our sources, Nichols talks openly about the wedding on the show and has thus far been well-liked by the rest of the cast. more on this story

Bow Wow Owes Uncle Sam
(TMZ) Bow Wow is all grown up now, but just because he's a lil older ... doesn't mean he's learned how to pay off Uncle Sam -- he owes almost six figures in back taxes, this according to court documents.

A tax lien filed in Florida by the federal government says the rapper, real name Shad Gregory Moss, owes the government $91,105.61 for unpaid taxes from the year 2006.

A pair of magical sneakers won't solve this problem. Calls to Bow Wow's rep were not returned. more on this story

Arnold Schwarzenegger Doing His Own Stunts on New Film
(TMZ) Arnold Schwarzenegger may be 64 years old, but he's still bad-ass enough to perform his own stunts ... well, except for the one he screwed up and got his head split open.

Arnold has been filming "Last Stand" in New Mexico for nearly two months. Sources on the set tell TMZ ... A.S. has politely declined the producers' offer to put stuntmen in the dangerous scenes, because he thinks it's just more believable for him to do it himself.

As for what Arnold is doing ... among other things, in one scene he's driving a Camaro, dragging a "bad guy behind" -- even though the scene involves crazy driving, it seems the bad guy is the one who needs a double.

Arnold is also doing a scene where he's suspended high above the ground by ropes -- we're told this scene is dangerous.

And side benefit -- we're told the production is so physically challenging, he's yolked again. more on this story

Vin Diesel's Chronicles of Riddick Resurrected?
(TMZ) Vin Diesel's new "Chronicles of Riddick" movie is back from the dead ... TMZ has learned ... after the production company scrounged up enough cash to pay off some long overdue bills.

We broke the story ... the movie came to a screeching halt last month, when the guy who owns the Montreal studio where the film is being shot LOCKED OUT the cast and crew after complaining that he hadn't gotten paid.

But things have FINALLY changed ... so says studio owner Michel Trudel, who claims the production company recently paid up ... and he's willing to allow the flick to pick up where it left off.

Sources connected with the production tell us ... the studio payment is just ONE step in the right direction -- noting that several members of the crew who had been griping about not receiving paychecks WILL INDEED get their cash in the very near future.

We're told that filming will resume on December 28.
more on this story

Blood Clots Delayed Michael Lohan's Heart Surgery
(TMZ) Michael Lohan did not have surgery as planned last week, TMZ has learned, because doctors discovered additional blood clots in his lung which required treatment before they could operate.

As TMZ first reported, Lohan was rushed to the hospital on Thursday after complaining of chest pains and doctors determined he needed surgery.

According to our sources, doctors discovered blood clots in one of his lungs in their original examination ... but discovered more yesterday. So, we're told, they put him on medication to break down the clots and rescheduled the surgery for Monday. more on this story

Kris Humphries Not Planning To Sue Kim Kardashian
(TMZ) Kris Humphries has no plans to sue his estranged wife Kim Kardashian over upcoming episodes of "Kourtney & Kim Take New York" ... sources close to Kris tell TMZ.

A report surfaced this week saying Kris was planning on filing a $10 million lawsuit against Kim because of how he expects to be portrayed on the show and because he has a larger role in it than originally planned.

But sources close to Kris tell us he has absolutely no plans to sue Kim and he still loves her. We're told their relationship right now is "cordial."

According to our sources, Kris is worried that the show will make him look worse than he really is ... but he understands he has no control of it. more on this story

Singled Out: The Ropes' Lack of Technology Made Me a Killer
Today The Ropes tell us about the title track from their recently released EP "Lack of Technology Made Me a Killer". Here is the story:

Toppy: Sharon and I were talking with some people after a show and the topic of judging others came up. We were showered with the usual clichés and platitudes. Someone was going on and on about how you can never know what's really inside someone's head, to which Sharon remarked, "Yeah, but I know what they want me to know." I thought it was a brilliant response. It basically shut the entire conversation down. When I returned to my apartment that night, I set out to write something centered around that line.

Sharon: Toppy reminded me of this conversation weeks later and played me a rough idea. The original working title was something like "They Want Me to Know." The concept eventually grew bigger lyrically and the line "I know what they want me to know" became the pre-chorus instead of the chorus. The notion of a "just dictatorship" became the driving theme of the song. It actually wasn't until well after the song was finished that Toppy suggested changing the title to "Lack of Technology Made Me a Killer."
The majority of the vocals sound light and whimsical, as I wanted to convey justice as something simple, clean and elegant. The vocals don't become abrasive until the end of the song, where the aim was to depict struggle, as the "just dictatorship" is overcome by the tyranny of the majority.