Tim Abrigg Jr.'s Rock and Roll News Of The Day!

Tim Abrigg Jr.'s Rock and Roll News Of The Day!: Today's Day In Rock News!

2019-02-27T11:12:00.001-05:00

Tim Abrigg Jr.'s Rock and Roll News Of The Day!: Today's Day In Rock News!: Slash Surprised By Guns N' Roses Reunion Slash says that he was surprised that Guns N' Roses were actually able to reunite...

Today's Day In Rock News!

2019-02-27T11:11:00.004-05:00

Slash Surprised By Guns N' Roses Reunion

Slash says that he was surprised that Guns N' Roses were actually able to reunite for the Not In This Lifetime Tour, but once he, Axl Rose and Duff McKagan did get back together the chemistry was "magic".
The guitarist, who is promoting his current solo album with Myles Kennedy And The Conspirators, "Living The Dream", reflected on the blockbuster reunion during an interview with Rock City. He said, "It was surprising in and of itself when we got together in the first place.

"And then the first show that we did was magic - that was unbelievable. That first series of shows that we did around Coachella back in April of 2016, it was just such a huge thing. For the guys in the band - for myself to be on stage with Duff and Axl and just have that chemistry was so powerful. You forget, because it had been a lot of years since I jammed with both those guys, and it was really powerful.

"And one thing led to another, and we just ended up having this amazing tour that you couldn't possibly dream of. It was a really great tour. And it lasted a really long time. I think it was the longest tour we ever did. It was about two and a half years."

He continued about how this tour was different than his previous experience in the band, "There was no bullsh*t. It was one of those situations, a lot of people like to show an appearance and say, 'Oh, it's great and this and that and the other,' but the reality is something else. But for us, this whole thing was really a magical experience.

"The band was great, the f***ing entourage, the crew, the whole production was just like this really great marriage of people, and we just all had a really good time. And the fans were amazing. So I'm really happy that it happened."

Queen and Adam Lambert Documentary Film Coming(hennemusic)

Queen and Adam Lambert are featured in a new documentary set to air in North America this spring. "The Show Must Go On: The Queen + Adam Lambert Story" is a 2-hour special capturing the pairing's journey since they first shared the stage together on American Idol in 2009.
Featuring rare concert footage and behind-the-scenes looks at the band members, the project delivers new interviews with Lambert, his parents Leila and Eber, and Queen founding members Brian May and Roger Taylor, as well as American Idol judge Simon Cowell, "Bohemian Rhapsody" star Rami Malek and Foo Fighters' Taylor Hawkins.

After the loss of Freddie Mercury to AIDS in 1991 and a star-studded tribute concert the following year, Queen compiled the singer's last recording sessions into the their final studio album, 1995's "Made In Heaven." Left to ponder a future without their iconic frontman, it was Elton John who pushed May and Taylor to move forward with a series of appearances that resulted in the Queen + banner surfacing for the first time.

Queen hooked up with Bad Company vocalist Paul Rodgers for a pair of world tours in the mid-2000s before wrapping things up in 2009 - the same year May and Taylor would perform with Lambert for the first time on the season 8 finale of American Idol; the pairing regrouped again to perform at the 2011 MTV Europe Music Awards and launched a tour under the Queen + Adam Lambert banner the following year.

More tours followed in the ensuing years, with the lineup going on to play in nearly 200 sold-out shows in arenas and stadiums across the world.

Aerosmith Taking Deuces Are Wild Show Outside Of Vegas(hennemusic)

Rock legends Aerosmith have announced dates for a series of US east coast performances of their Deuces Are Wild Las Vegas residency experience.
In August, the Boston rockers will bring the show to three MGM Resorts properties - including three shows at the MGM National Harbor in Oxon Hill, MD, two at the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City, and four nights at the MGM Springfield in Springfield, MA.

The summer shows are scheduled between Aerosmith's appearances in Las Vegas at the Park Theater at the Park MGM Resort in Las Vegas; named after their 1994 hit, the residency will begin in April and see the group play select dates in June and July and monthly from September to December. Read more here.

Elton John Duets Classic Hit With His Biopic Star

Elton John had a special treat for those at his annual Oscars party this past Sunday night. The legendary musician did a surprise duet with the actor portraying him in his forthcoming biopic.
John performed his classic hit "Tiny Dancer" with actor Taron Egerton, who not only stars as Elton in "Rocketman", but also performs the songs for the film.

"It's funny how life turns out, isn't it?" said before the two performed the song. The film's music producer Giles Martin said that for the movie, Elton wanted "Taron's interpretation of his songs. I don't think there's anyone in the world who could have played Elton - it's Taron's role." Watch the performance here.

Cheap Trick In The Studio For Budokan Anniversary

Cheap Trick celebrate the 40th anniversary of their landmark live album, "Cheat Trick At Budokan" in the latest episode of the syndicated radio show In The Studio With Redbeard: The Stories Behind History's Greatest Rock Bands.
The show's host Readbeard had this to say, "This month, Cheap Trick At Budokan , the live Japan-only album, got an official US release forty years ago after deejays like me had been playing a promotional-only version on the radio.

"There is the myth which has now become legend, repeated with so many assumptions that the revisionist history is now cited as fact across countless internet sites. But my guests Rick Nielsen and Robin Zander were there October 8, 1978 when American perennial opening act Cheap Trick from Rockford Illinois, with three studio albums, rave critical press clippings, but no US radio play due to powerful consultants perceiving them as a punk band, played the prestigious Tokyo Budokan and were greeted with screaming mobs of teen adulation and media saturation not seen in the usually reserved society since Beatlemania a dozen years earlier. Meanwhile, back in the homeland? Crickets." Listen to the episode here.

Motley Crue To Be Grand Marshalls At NASCAR Race(hennemusic)

Motley Crue have been named Grand Marshals for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Auto Club 400 race at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, CA on Sunday, March 17.
"We are super stoked to give the command at the Auto Club 400. It's going to be an epic day at the race track," says bassist Nikki Sixx, with drummer Tommy Lee adding, "Growing up, we were race car fans and dreamed of fast cars so to be included in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series event is wild!"

Joining the band will be a pair of actors from the band's upcoming Netflix biopic, "The Dirt" - Douglas Booth (who plays Sixx) and Colson Baker a.k.a.. Machine Gun Kelly (who plays Lee). Read more here.

Queensryche Release 'Blood Of The Levant' Video

After teasing fans with a preview, Queensryche have released the new music video for their track "Blood Of The Levant". The song comes from their forthcoming album "The Verdict", which is set to hit stores this Friday, March 1st.

Frontman Todd La Torre had this to say about the new clip, "We are very excited to unveil our new video 'Blood of the Levant' from our upcoming album The Verdict!
"This song and video is based on real events that sparked the onset of the Syrian war. We would like to thank David Brodsky and Allison Woest from MyGoodEye Music Visuals for bringing our vision and concept to life on screen!

"A very special thanks as well to the additional cast and crew for their valued dedication to this effort. Looking forward to seeing you all on the road!!" Watch the video here.

Taking Back Sunday Add New Leg To 20th Anniversary Tour

As Taking Back Sunday prepare to launch their North American 20th anniversary tour next month, the band have announced dates for a second leg this fall.
The tour will feature the band performing their debut album "Tell All Your Friends in its entirety and they will be kicking off the first run on March 25th in Houston.

The newly announced leg is scheduled to launch on September 13th at Kansas City Live! in Kansas City, MO and will be wrapping up on November 16th at Terminal 5 in New York City. See the dates here.

Alice In Chains Release 'Rainer Fog' Lyric Video(hennemusic)

Alice In Chains are streaming a lyric video for the title track to "Rainier Fog" as they prepare to launch their 2019 live dates in support of the project.
The Seattle rockers will resume the series with a March 7 gig in Auckland, NZ and three shows in Australia before playing a spring tour of Canada in April.

This week, Alice In Chains announced plans for a summer North American co-headline trek with Korn that will kick off July 18 at the Austin360 Amphitheatre in Del Valle, TX. Read more and watch the video here.

Singled Out: Softspoken's ParadoxPost-

hardcore quintet Softspoken recently released their latest single "Paradox" and to celebrate we asked vocalist Sam Scheuer to tell us about the track. Here is the story:
The idea for "Paradox" came at a time when we [the band] were together discussing our feelings about music and the industry at large. We'd gone through a lot of uphill battles already, and were preparing to record a couple of new tracks. We were discussing whether it was in the best interest for the band to match with what was popular/trending - or to do what we really felt, regardless of how it conformed. Someone close to the band would always tell us "Perception is reality" and the question for us at that time was: What were we going to make our reality?

As a band we started asking ourselves: Why do people listen to music? And how do they listen? Not the device or platform, but what is the itch that pushes someone to listen to a song? The truth is there's no simple answer. I believe that art is a natural embodiment, and I think everyone possess the ability to create or connect to a work of art - in whatever medium - but what we create and how we connect is different for each person. Each person has a different perception, and therefore a different reality. So then the question became: How do we write music to connect if everyone connects to something different? As a band we came to the conclusion that we have to just write who we are, and be honest and genuine in what we do, because people can connect with what's real.

But the issue - or paradox - there is that by being us, we were deciding to not be exactly what was trending, and therefore it would potentially be more difficult to cut through the noise to get heard. As we moved into a new album cycle, this thinking permeated everything I wrote lyrically and became the backbone for "Paradox". The song as a whole touches on the idea that sometimes by being exactly who we are and showing all of our colors, we can get lost or overlooked in a monochrome world. So there can be a true struggle between the two parts of who we are - the logic and the creative - to truly find who we are and understand how we see the world. The chorus line from the song really sums it all up. "Our world is deaf perceived, in a blank dream. Two minds that fall asleep but just one dreaming." In some way we are all consumers and creators, but challenging our perception or reception of that art can take us on a journey to find more about ourselves and the world in general.

Tim Abrigg Jr.'s Rock and Roll News Of The Day!: Today's Day In Rock News!

2018-05-29T09:59:00.001-04:00

Tim Abrigg Jr.'s Rock and Roll News Of The Day!: Today's Day In Rock News!: Today's Rock News! Def Leppard Confirm Reason For Phil Collen Leaving Tour(hennemusic) Def Leppard confirmed it was a "family ...

Today's Day In Rock News!

2018-05-29T09:52:00.000-04:00

Today's Rock News!

Def Leppard Confirm Reason For Phil Collen Leaving Tour(hennemusic)

Def Leppard confirmed it was a "family emergency" as the reason for guitarist Phil Collen being forced to leave the band's co-headlining tour of North America with Journey.

"Our brother and bandmate Phil has unexpectedly returned home for a family emergency," said the band in a statement. "With Phil's blessing our friend, Steve Brown, will be joining us on stage until Phil is able to return. On with the show!"

Trixter guitarist Steve Brown made his 2018 debut with the group during a May 25 show at the Hersheypark Stadium in Hershey, PA, where fans were given a heads up about the lineup change shortly before showtime.

"Good evening, Hershey. I am Joe Elliott. Welcome to what should be a great night," said the Def Leppard frontman. "I have an announcement to make. And I'd like you to spread the word as people come in. But, very sadly, Phil Collen cannot be with us this evening. He has a family emergency back in California.

"So we are very blessed that our very good friend Steve Brown, who, some of you may remember, stood in for Vivian about four years ago when Vivian couldn't make a couple of shows, has learned the bits very, very rapidly and, with Phil's blessing, will join us on stage tonight…and for the immediate future.

"So just be prepared, okay? We're here for ya, and we're glad that you're here for us. Thank you. See you in 30 minutes."

As Elliott mentioned, Brown stepped in to assist the band in 2014 while guitarist Vivian Campbell was undergoing procedures and treatment for cancer. See video of Joe's announcement and some videos of Brown performing with the band here.

Rolling Stones Jam 'Wild Horses' With Florence Welch(hennemusic)

The Rolling Stones were joined by Florence + The Machine singer Florence Welch for a performance of their 1971 classic, "Wild Horses", during the second of two shows at London Stadium on May 25.

Welch's band were the opening act for the latest show on the Stones' No Filter European tour, and the rocker says she was thrilled to follow-up a 2012 appearance with the group after being a lifelong fan.

"I was brought up with The Rolling Stones because my Dad was a Stones man," Welch explains in an official video released by the band. "They've been a massive influence; I mean still, to this day, the music I'm making is influenced by them. I've been a fan my whole life but there's something magical about being up there with them."

"Thank you to Florence + The Machine for an amazing set and stunning performance on Wild Horses!," posted the Stones on social media after the show.

The Rolling Stones opened their summer tour at Croke Park in Dublin, Ireland on May 17; the 14-show series marks band's first appearances in the UK in five years; stops in Germany, France and the Czech Republic will precede the trek's finale in Warsaw, Poland on July 8. Watch video of the performance and interview with Welch here.

Iron Maiden Break Out Rarities For Summer Tour Kick Off(hennemusic)

Iron Maiden featured a series of rarely-performed tracks during the opening night of the Legacy Of The Beast summer 2018 European tour in Tallinn, Estonia on May 26, and video from the event is streaming online.
The band's 16-song set delivered six vintage tracks, including five that haven't been played in more than a decade: "Where Eagles Dare" and "Flight Of Icarus" from 1983's "Piece Of Mind", "Sign Of The Cross" from 1995's "The X Factor", "The Clansman" from 1998's "Virtual XI", "The Wicker Man" from 2000's "Brave New World", and "For The Greater Good Of God" from 2006's "A Matter Of Life And Death."

"The Beast... was unleashed!", posted the band after the show. Inspired by their mobile game and comic book of the same name, the 2018 run will see Iron Maiden mix headline shows with festival appearances - including Sweden Rock, Italy's Firenze Rocks, Austria's Novarock, Belgium's Graspop Metal Meeting, France's Hellfest and Hungary's Volt Festival, among others. Watch videos of the rarities performances from the tour kick off here.

Billy Corgan Says Metal A Victim Of 'Weird Class Politics'

Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan is a hero is the alt-rock arena but he recently opened up about his metalhead youth and shared his belief that the genre has been maligned due to "weird class politics".
Corgan made the comments during an appearance on Metallica drummer Lar Ulrich's Music Beats 1 show. He said (via Metal Hammer), "For years, I would take sh*t about being a fan of metal - it should be beneath you. It gets into weird class politics. Most of the people who criticize people like us for being who we are, what we are, or what we represent, had better backgrounds than we had.

"We didn't necessarily go to the nice school, we didn't get to read the cool newspaper. For me, bands like Metallica told me that there is this other world that is more closely aligned with the experience you're having than the one you're being told about.

"So when I heard Mercyful Fate, Metallica or Ted Nugent, that told me, 'Wait, there's this other world than the world you're telling me that I'm supposed to believe in.' Even to this day, for all the money that metal moves, it's amazing how disrespected it is."

He added, "You can't get that through to a hipster's brain. If you sat around and drew up who you wanted to be on paper, you wouldn't be in Metallica or The Smashing Pumpkins. Those type of bands grow out of almost like a personality conflict."

John Mayall Postpones Tour For Health Reasons

Legendary British blues musician John Mayall broke the sad news to fans that he has been forced to postpone his upcoming U.S. spring tour dates due to a battle with pneumonia.
The 84-year-old music icon was set to kick off the trek later this week in San Diego. His team broke the news with the following social media post, "We are very sorry to announce that John Mayall has to reschedule his upcoming May/June shows due to needing continued medical care after a bout of pneumonia.

"For those of you who have bought tickets, refunds will be available where the tickets were purchased. John loves his fans and is sorry to disappoint you, but is looking forward to seeing you soon at a venue near you. In the meantime, your prayers and good vibes are much appreciated!"

Butcher Babies Release 'Look What We've Done' Video

Butcher Babies have release a new documentary style music video for their single "Look What We've Done". The song comes from their latest album "Lilith".
Singer Heidi Shepherd had this to say about the clip, "Our new docu-video Look What We've Done gives a behind-the-scenes look as to what emotions a tour might bring when the curtains close and real life settles in. When the accolades of the stage and energy of the crowd are gone; when you retreat to your bunk and the loneliness sets in. Where you miss your family, your friends and your loved ones. We touch on when conditions out of your control can make or break your stride. This gives an inside peek as to what keeps us going and how we deal with the extreme highs and extreme lows. The reality behind the stage."

Co-frontwoman Carla Harvey added, "When we started Butcher Babies, I don't think that either Heidi or I had much interest in creating ballads. However over the years our palates expanded and we really began to embrace emoting passion through our singing voices in addition to our screaming voices.

"Look What We've Done takes the listener on a journey through our current emotions, after making music and traveling the world together for nearly a decade. We really wanted a video that would take the viewer on a visual journey with us through an authentic tour experience. Having a videographer accompany us on our latest run in Europe was the perfect fit! Ride along with us as we elate in the highs of touring: sold out shows, exploring new cities, the camaraderie. Stick around for the rough stuff: extreme weather, fatigue, loneliness...Look what we've done!" Watch the video here.

Public Image Ltd Announce 40th Anniversary Box Set(Funhouse)

Following the demise of the Sex Pistols, frontman John Lydon (a.k.a. Johnny Rotten) moved on with the formation of Public Image Ltd and to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the group, they are releasing a new box set.
The Public Image is Rotten(Songs from the Heart) Box Set is set to be released on July 20, 2018 presented as a 5CD/2DVD set and a 6LP vinyl collection. We were sent the following details and track details for both sets:

The box set will feature the PiL Singles Collection (1978-2015), B-sides, Rarities and Radio Sessions, 12" Mixes, Unreleased Mixes and Tracks and a Live concert from New York Ritz in July 1989. The DVD includes PiL promo videos + footage from the BBC's Top Of The Popsand Old Grey Whistle Test. Just in case that isn't enough they've included two legendary live concerts, the first PiL's appearance at the Tallinn Rock Summer Festival in Estonia 1988 (still part of the USSR at the time) and the second from 2013's Enmore Theatre in Australia during the This is PiLtour. Read more here.

Soulwax Streaming New Song 'Essential Three'

Soulwax are giving fans another taste of their forthcoming album with the release of a new track called "Essential Three". The new record, entitled "Essential LP" is set to hit stores on June 22nd.
The band provided these background comments about the new album, "When we were approached to make an Essential Mix for the BBC in May 2017, we chose to do what every sane human being would do, we decided to lock ourselves into our studio for two weeks and make an hour of new music based around the word 'Essential', instead of preparing a mix of already existing music.

"The product of this otherwise unwise decision is something we ended up being very proud of and is now being released on the piece of plastic you're are currently holding in your hands." Listen to the new song here.

Tim Abrigg Jr.'s Rock and Roll News Of The Day!: Today's Day In Rock News!

2018-03-26T10:22:00.001-04:00

Tim Abrigg Jr.'s Rock and Roll News Of The Day!: Today's Day In Rock News!: Today's Day in Rock Stories Black Sabbath Legend Wants To Team Up With Rob Halford A legendary heavy metal guitarist may be teami...

Today's Day In Rock News!

2018-03-26T10:20:00.004-04:00

Today's Day in Rock Stories

Black Sabbath Legend Wants To Team Up With Rob Halford

A legendary heavy metal guitarist may be teaming up with an iconic vocalist. Black Sabbath's Tony Iommi revealed that he and Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford hope to work together.
Iommi and Halford recently took part in a photo shoot for Metal Hammer and the Sabbath guitarist reportedly expressed his desire to work with the Metal God, according to Loudwire)

"We've talked about [working together] for ages," Iommi said. "When the time's right it would be nice to write a track or two, or whatever. I'd like to do that. It's nice to work with people that you respect and like."

If it happens, this wouldn't be the first time the metal legends joined up. Halford had previously filled in as a vocalist for Black Sabbath on a few occasions. Read about that here.

Guns N' Roses Founder Wanted To Follow Rush's Example

Original Guns N' Roses drummer Steven Adler said in a recent interview that he had hoped that his relationship with Slash would have mirrored Rush stars Getty Lee and Alex Lifeson.
Lee and Lifeson were friend in school before forming the iconic heavy prog rock trio. Adler and Slash were also friends in school before then teamed up with another pair of school friends (Axl Rose and Izzy Stradlin) in Guns N' Roses, along with Duff McKagan.

In interview with 98.9 The Rock, Adler had the following to say about his and Slash's relationship and what he had hoped for it, : "I thought me and Slash were going to be like Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson. They've known each other since they were in junior high school; they grew up together playing music; they got successful; and they stayed together for, like, 50 years." Read more here.

Marilyn Manson Recruits Courtney Love For 'Tattooed in Reverse' Video(Radio.com)

Marilyn Manson has shared his latest music video, "Tattooed in Reverse," featuring a cameo from an old friend: Hole frontwoman Courtney Love.
The surreal clip (streaming here) features a woman being terrorized and tortured in some kind of asylum amidst a crew of masked dancers, with Manson occasionally taking her place on the examining table.

Love's cameos are brief, stopping by to peer through a looking glass and to push Manson down a hallway in a wheelchair. The dark, grinding track is the latest from Manson's 2017 full-length, Heaven Upside Down. Read more here.

Jack White Releases Over And Over And Over Video(hennemusic)

Jack White has issued a video for "Over And Over And Over", a track from his newly-released album, "Boarding House Reach." Directed by Us - the acclaimed duo consisting of Christopher Barrett and Luke Taylor - the clip was filmed in London, UK last month.
White self-produced his first record in four years, which he recorded at his Third Man Studio in Nashville, TN, as well as Sear Sound in New York, NY, and Capitol Studios in Los Angeles, CA.

The rocker will support this set with an extensive North American tour that will open in his hometown of Detroit, MI on April 19. White has imposed a ban on cell phone use during the tour in an effort to focus fans' attention towards the stage; phones will be locked in Yondr pouches that fans can unlock is designated secure zones away from the action, if necessary.

"We think you'll enjoy looking up from your gadgets for a little while and experience music and our shared love of it IN PERSON," reads a statement posted by Live Nation that can be seen on every tour stop's ticket page, while fans "enjoy a phone-free, 100% human experience." Watch the video here.

Sammy Hagar Inducted Into Bammies Walk Of Fame(hennemusic)

Sammy Hagar was inducted into the Bammies Walk Of Fame in San Francisco, CA during a March 23 ceremony, and video from the event is streaming online.
Named after the former Bay Area Music Awards presented by BAM magazine, the honor of a plaque in front of the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium recognizes the accomplishments of members of the local music community.

According to ABC7 News San Francisco, Hagar is the newest member of an esteemed group that includes Carlos Santana, Jerry Garcia, Journey, Jefferson Starship, John Lee Hooker and music promoter Bill Graham.

"Nothing is as gratifying as when your hometown, your home area, honors you," says the Red Rocker. "It's where you want it the most. I mean, I will be down here looking at my plaque, believe me."

Alco recognized during the March 23 ceremony was radio DJ Steven Seaweed, who retired last year after 44 years on the air in the Bay Area. Watch video of the event and a local news report here.

U2 Release Video For American Soul Featuring Kendrick Lamar(hennemusic)

U2 are streaming a new video for "American Soul (New York)" featuring Kendrick Lamar, a track from their latest album "Songs Of Experience."
Directed by the Broken Fingaz crew, the clip mixes animation with footage of the band's pre-taped performance of the track on The Hudson River in New York City for the 60th annual Grammy Awards in January.

The companion to 2014's "Songs Of Innocence" was completed last year with a series of producers - including Jacknife Lee and Ryan Tedder, Steve Lillywhite, Andy Barlow and Jolyon Thomas - following recording sessions in Dublin, New York and Los Angeles.

The two projects draw inspiration from a collection of poems, "Songs Of Innocence And Experience", by the 18th century English mystic and poet William Blake.

"Songs Of Experience" debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 to earn the group their eighth US chart-topper and first since 2009's "No Line On The Horizon." Watch the video here.

Thirty Seconds to Mars Release 'One Track Mind' With A$AP Rocky(Radio.com)

Thirty Seconds to Mars have released an online stream of the third single from their forthcoming studio album "America" called "One Track Mind" featuring A$AP Rocky.
The crossover collaboration addresses infatuation and obsession--these guys have one-track minds for certain women. "One Track Mind" features an atmospheric, industrial soundscape while lyrics dwell on the sex, lies and gravitational pull of an old flame.
On the chorus, frontman Jared Leto promises: "There is a method to the madness, to the madness." America drops April 6. Listen to "One Track Mind," which contains explicit lyrics, here.

Ringo Starr Announces U.S. All Starr Band Tour(Radio.com)

Ringo Starr is coming to America. After previously revealing a European tour for the summer, the Beatles legend and his All Starr Band have revealed a slate of U.S. tour dates.
The tour kicks off Sept. 1 in Tulsa, OK, with shows mapped out through Sept. 29, when the show touches down in Los Angeles, CA. Starr's current company of All Starr's includes Colin Hay from Men at Work, Greg Rolie of Journey and Santana fame, and new member Graham Gouldman of 10cc. Supporting the crew are Warren Ham on percussion/sax, and Gregg Bissonette on drums.

"There is no greater joy for me than playing great music with great musicians," Starr said in a press statement. "Every night we get to play for all those loving people and it makes the hassle of touring worth it. It is a Peace & Love fest and I can't wait to see you all out there this summer and fall." See the dates here.

Jesse Hughes Added To Rock Against MS Benefit Concert

The Eagles of Death Metal frontman Jesse Hughes has been added to the lineup of the 6th Annual Rock Against MS Benefit Concert & Award Show that is taking place at the Historic Los Angeles Theatre next Saturday, March 31st. We were sent the following details:
Hosted by "Kings of Comedy": comedians Hal Sparks (Queer as Folk/ Dude Where's My Car) and Craig Gass (Sex in the City/Howard Stern Show). This evening is comprised of comedy, music, art and awards - This special night is to raise awareness and educate the public about multiple sclerosis, while raising money build the first of many MS resource centers across the Nation and outreach program services aptly name The ROCK HOUSE.

Featured Artsts: Juliette Lewis, Jesse Hughes (Eagles Of Death Metal), Art Alexakis (Everclear),, Todd Morse (The Offspring), Peter Thorn (Chis Cornell/ Melissa Etheridge), Jason Sutter (Chris Cornell), Phil Buckman (Fuel), Michael Devin (Whitesnake), Marq Torien (Bulletboys), Steve Ferlazzo (Avril Lavigne), August Zadra (Dennis Deyoung), Keith England (Gregg Allman Band), Matt Starr (Mr. Big), Anthony "Tiny" Biuso (Bulletboys), Kemble Walters (Aeges), Jason Womack (Fuel), Ira Black (I Am Morbid), Patrick Stone (Adlers Appetite/Budderside), Ace Von Johnson (Faster Pussycat), Gretchen Bonaduce, Lisa Foreman (Todd's Planet), Johnny Griparic (Slashes Snakepit), Shawn Duncan (Dc4), Jeff Bowders (Paul Gilbert), Johnny Martin (LA Guns), Howie Simon (Nelson), Yolanda Thomas - Horns & Strings: Andre Cotman (Sexy Sax), Jon Manness (Killer Trumpet) & Erin Hawkins (Rock Cello) - More Artists To Announce & Special Guests!!! here.

Singled Out: Hail The Pilot's In Circles

Indie rockers Hail The Pilott recently released a brand new single called "In Circles" and to celebrate we asked Jason Iversen to tell us the story behind the track. Here is the story:
This was one of those songs that took years to fully develop. In 2000, I had bought Radiohead's Kid A and the track "Optimistic" in particular really stood out to me. The way that the guitars sounded just fascinated me. That sound inspired what would later become "In Circles". The riff is kind of a circular groove-heavy pattern which definitely fits the lyrics, but that was more of a lucky accident. It went through few changes over the years before becoming what it is now. Music is always the first thing I write so the lyrics weren't written until a few years ago. When Hail the Pilot first started, It was just Matt, Bobby and I so it went through some further changes until we finally finalized it in the studio.

The idea for the lyrics came to me when I overheard someone saying that the definition of insanity was doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results. Now I'm not sure of the exact accuracy of this (I've since looked it up and haven't found this definition word for word) but it kind of sparked an idea. Don't we all do this from time to time? Whether it's a friend who always picks the same kind of girl to date even though he's been burned over and over again or a situation that we find ourself in that evokes that familiar feeling of "here we go again"...we all have our Achilles heel that we end up facing at one point or another. And unless we better ourselves and overcome it, we continue to find ourselves treading over the same old path.

?I was excited but nervous to finally record it. I'm always afraid that the sound in my head won't be able to be attained. But I really couldn't be happier with it. Matt and Bobby really lock in with the drums and bass and I was able to get this raw overdrive using my custom Bertoncini guitar loaded with Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates pickups through my Vox AC15. But my favorite thing about this song is that it is really an amalgamation of what we set out to do throughout this album. It has moments of beautiful ambient textures and melodies, groove-heavy verses to all out driving choruses. It's the reason we chose it as the opening track.

Tim Abrigg Jr.'s Rock and Roll News Of The Day!: Today's Day In Rock News!

2018-03-21T10:08:00.001-04:00

Tim Abrigg Jr.'s Rock and Roll News Of The Day!: Today's Day In Rock News!: Today's Day in Rock Stories Paul Stanley Explains KISS Farewell Tour Move KISS sparked speculation that they may be planning to ...

Today's Day In Rock News!

2018-03-21T10:06:00.003-04:00

Today's Day in Rock Stories

Paul Stanley Explains KISS Farewell Tour Move

KISS sparked speculation that they may be planning to launch another farewell tour after it was reported in the media that they had filed a request to trademark the term "End of the Road."
It turns out that the band is just looking ahead and the move was not tied to any immediate plans to embark on a retirement tour, cofounder and frontman Paul Stanley explained in a recent interview.

Stanley was asked about the move by Michael Cavacini and responded, "It's not the first trademark that's been filed.

"I thought it was a terrific name, and I was surprised nobody had used it before. I wanted to make sure that when we used it, and there will be a time that we do, I imagine - I wanted to be sure that we own it and it's ours.

"When we wanted to go out and do the 'Hottest Show On Earth' tour, Ringling Bros. came to us and said, 'You can't do that.' It set off a light and bell for me. We've always had slogans or sayings that are synonymous with us, and this was another. Everything does end, in one form or another.

"When it's my time, I want to go out in style, and I want to go out guns blazing. So, when I came up with this idea, I thought let's make sure we tie this up."

Led Zeppelin Stream Classic Live Song Performance(hennemusic)

Led Zeppelin are streaming a newly-remastered version of their 1970 classic, "Immigrant Song", as a preview to the March 23 reissue of their 2003 live set, "How The West Was Won."
The opening track from "Led Zeppelin III" reached No. 16 on the US Billboard Hot 100 while the album topped the Billboard 200 on its way to US sales of more than 6 million copies.

Remastered by producer/guitarist Jimmy Page, "How The West Was Won" presents highlights from the UK band's shows at the Los Angeles Forum and Long Beach Arena on June 25 and 27, 1972, with the two nights sequenced to replicate a single concert from beginning to end.

The 2018 reissue will be available in multiple formats, including CD, digital, and the first-ever vinyl and Blu-ray Audio editions, with the Blu-ray containing hi-res 5.1 surround sound.

A Super Deluxe Boxed Set version includes 3CDs, 4LP, a DVD in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround and PCM Stereo plus photo gallery, and a high-def download card of all stereo audio content at 96kHz/24 bit and complemented with a book of rare and previously unpublished photos of the band at each of the concert locations, and presented with a high-quality print of the original album cover - the first 30,000 of which will be individually numbered. Stream the classic song here.

Iron Maiden Plan Surprises For Fans On Legacy Tour

Iron Maiden are preparing to hit the road for the Legacy Of The Beast Tour and frontman Bruce Dickinson says that he wants fans that attend the shows to be surprised by the concert and the set list.
He told Kerrang!,"When you do a show like we're planning to do, I want it to be really slick, but awesome. I want people to go, 'Wow! F***ing hell, you've gotta see this show!' I want people to be surprised as well. I want them to go home going, 'F***ing hell, I can't believe they played that song!' That's the reaction I want.

"When you do an album tour, it's more… you can take time to be a bit goofy with people and for them to digest it and what have you. On 'The Book Of Souls' tour, there was quite a lot of chatting with the audience. I'm not planning that on this tour because we've got so much to do and there's so much going on.

"The show and the music is gonna carry the whole bloody thing. I'm pretty intimately involved in the show. There'll be a couple of moments of chat with the audience, but it should be completely self-explanatory what's going on - the drama should be in the transitions of the stage and the music. And we're playing one or two things that people are gonna be really surprised by. There'll be social media madness after the first show."

Sir Ringo As Beatles' Legend Knighted By Prince William(Radio.com)

That's Sir Ringo to you. Legendary Beatles drummer Ringo Starr has joined fellow bandmate Paul McCartney as an official British knight.
Starr was knighted by the Duke of Cambridge, AKA Prince William, eldest song of the late Princess Diana. "It means a lot actually," Starr told the BBC. "It means recognition for the things we've done. I was really pleased to accept this."

The drummer admitted to being nervous, and that he "was a bit shaky today on my own," unlike when the Beatles were given the MBE (Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) as a group in 1965.

Starr wasn't sure about being called Sir Ringo: "I don't know yet. It's new and I don't know how you use it properly," before telling BBC reporter Colin Paterson, "but I expect you to use it."

Starr tweeted about the honor, calling the honor "another busy day for Sir. Ringo. Peace and love peace and love." See the tweet here.

Judas Priest Play 1978 Song Live for the First Time(Radio.com)

Judas Priest went way back for a live debut of a song from the late 70s for their new tour kick off. Currently on tour behind their new album Firepower, Rob Halford and company energized hardcore fans on opening night by reaching back to their first decade.
With this year being the 40th anniversary of the group's 1978 full-length, Stained Class, the band performed album track, "Saints in Hell," for the first time ever.

Halford introduced the song by telling the audience how the show's set-list came together, mentioning the 40th anniversary of Stained Class, and that "this is going to be really cool" before launching into "Saints in Hell."

The tour launch marked the debut of guitarist Andy Sneap, filling in for longtime guitar player, Glenn Tipton, who is battling Parkinson's Disease. Watch fan footage of the performance here.

Joe Bonamassa To Tribute Clapton, Beck and Page On New Album(Gibson)

Joe Bonamassa has announced that he will be releasing a new live package celebrating the music of Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page and more in May.
Titled British Blues Explosion Live, it was recorded during the vocalist and guitarist's show at Greenwich Music Time at The Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich, London, on July 7, 2016. It was part of the live tour Bonamassa set up to honor the UK musicians who have inspired him, including Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page.

Bonamassa says: "If it wasn't for certain British musicians of the early 1960s, the blues may well never have exploded into rock music as we know it today, and indeed may have passed into history."

It will be released on May 18 on CD, DVD, Blu-ray and 3LP via Mascot Label Group/J&R Adventures. Watch the trailer and check out the tracklist for the new album here.

Queens of the Stone Age, The Killers To Rock Elton John Tribute(Gibson)

Queens of the Stone Age and The Killers are just a couple of the artists that will be rocking Elton John classics for two new tribute albums to the legendary musician ahead of Elton's Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour.
The two cover albums will act as a tribute to his seminal songwriting partnership with Bernie Taupin. The two albums - Revamp and Restoration - and will feature some of the biggest names in modern music covering the classic catalogue of John and Taupin through the years.

Revamp, which will release on April 6 will feature Ed Sheeran ('Candle In The Wind'), The Killers ('Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters'), Queens of the Stone Age ('Goodbye Yellow Brick Road'), Miley Cyrus ('Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me') and Coldplay ('We All Fall In Love Sometimes') among others.

In a statement, Elton John said, "It's always a huge compliment when an artist loves your song enough to take the time and effort to rework it. As songwriters, Bernie and myself are thrilled when singers we admire and respect as much as those on Revamp and Restoration choose to add their own unique twist in the process." Read more here.

Liam Gallagher Cancels Show After Cutting Lollapalooza Set Short(hennemusic)

A chest infection that forced Liam Gallagher to cut his March 18 set at Lollapalooza Chile short has led to the cancellation of a March 21 show at Club Audio in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
The singer struggled with the issue through three songs at Lollapalooza before walking off stage during the fourth tune, "Wall of Glass", the lead single from his debut solo album, "As You Were."

"My voice is absolutely smashed," Gallagher told the crowd at Santiago's Parque O'Higgins. "I'm not just going to stand here all night screaming out for everybody sounding f**king horrific. "I'm very sorry I can't sing the tunes."

Following the appearance, the former Oasis frontman updated fans on his status, saying he "was diagnosed with a sinus, ear and nose infection after a European show a few weeks ago which has led to a chest infection. He has been continuing to perform and trying to push through it but unfortunately today he was finding it hard breathing on stage and wasn't able to continue the set.

"Liam is severely disappointed and upset that he couldn't finish the show and wants to apologise to everyone who came out to see him tonight. He promises to reschedule a gig in Santiago as soon as possible."

The three-day Lollapalooza Chile featured headline sets by Pearl Jam, The Killers and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. A day later, Gallagher announced the cancellation of his next scheduled show, telling fans that he "has been diagnosed with an ongoing respiratory infection and a fever. The doctor has advised that he needs a minimum of 48 hours rest.

"Unfortunately, he will have to cancel his show at Club Audio on Wed March 21, however tickets will be valid for the next day at Autodromo de Interlagos, or alternatively, a refund can be arranged." Read more and watch video of his ending of the festival performance here.

Sammy Hagar Previews Rock & Roll Road Trip Guest Lineup(hennemusic)

Sammy Hagar is sharing a video preview of the guest lineup for the third season of the AXS TV series "Rock & Roll Road Trip." The show - which sees Hagar traveling the country to interview and often perform with some of the most popular and influential musicians in rock - will premiere on Sunday, April 8 at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT. with footage from the Fillmore in San Francisco from his fourth annual Acoustic-4-A-Cure benefit concert while featuring performances and conversations with Foo Fighters Dave Grohl and Taylor Hawkins, Mick Fleetwood, Bob Weir, and guitarists Steve Vai and Vic Johnson.
Along the way, Hagar will be joined by a 2018 lineup that includes The Who's Roger Daltrey; Canadian rockers Nickelback; Foreigner founder and guitarist Mick Jones; Judas Priest vocalist Rob Halford; Kings Of Chaos featuring Matt Sorum, Billy Duffy and Steve Stevens; Sarah McLachlan; Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo; Bad Company, Todd Rundgren and Blue Oyster Cult on the Rock Legends Cruise VI; a Mardi Gras special with celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse and New Orleans Jazz Fest legend Trombone Shorty; and Hagar supergroup The Circle.

"It's been a cool surprise how much we're all enjoying the interview part of this show because, as artists, what happens on stage or in the music studio is the easy/fun stuff and the interviews often feel like the work," says Hagar. "It's like when the camera lights go on and the questions start, that typical wall or guard is down because it's me on the other end and not a seasoned journalist asking the questions.

"So the flow is organic and its easy - to the point where we're both surprised how deep and real the conversations get - we're definitely forgetting the camera is even there and I think that's really connecting with the viewers, too." Watch the video here.

Chester Bennington's Widow Promotes Five Signs For Singer's Birthday(Radio.com)

Tuesday (March 20) was late Linkin Park singer Chester Bennington's birthday, and it was celebrated to help promote mental health awareness. Bennington's widow, Talinda Bennington, spearheaded an online campaign for fans to spread around the world.
"On Chester's birthday, I ask that you post a picture of yourself holding up your hand, which symbolizes you know the Five Signs," she said in a press statement, referring to the Five Signs of Emotional Suffering & the Healthy Habits of Emotional Well-being. The five healthy habits are: Take Care, Check In, Engage, Relax and Know. The five sings of suffering are: Personality Change, Agitated, Withdrawl, Poor Self-Care and Hopelessness.

"Write 'I AM THE CHANGE" on your hand and please use #320ChangesDirection," Talinda continued. "Because we are the change in our mental health culture. Every one of us is changing it by sharing your thoughts, offering support, and by simply being aware that we have our mental health to care for. It's up to us to change the way we think of mental health, to acknowledge that everyone has their own mental health to care for, and to end stigma and shame when we need to seek help for it." Read more here.

Unearth Recruit Killswitch Engage Star For New Album

Unearth announced last week that they have recruited Killswitch Engage's Adam D. to record the drum tracks on their forthcoming follow up album to their 2014 effort "Watchers of Rule".
The band will be entering Graphic Nature Studios with Will Putney (Every Time I Die, Body Count, Gojira, Thy Art Is Murder, Silent Planet) to record the new album which they hope to release in late summer or early fall under their brand new deal with Century Media Records.

The group had this to say about their new deal, "For three decades Century Media have been a highly trusted and leading force in Heavy music and we are proud to further our partnership with them to a Worldwide level." Read more here.

Frank Turner Looks Back On Early Marcus Mumford Memories(Gibson)

It's hard to imagine that Frank Turner, British troubadour, with six folk albums to his name and more than 2000 shows behind him, was once the lead singer in a post-hardcore band called Million Dead. Still, as a new interview with Music Radar illustrates, it's all part of the journey that's shaped him as an artist.
In the interview, Turner mentions the influential London venue Nambucca on Holloway Road, where he'd perform, along with other upcoming names on the British folk scene, like Marcus Mumford, Laura Marling and Justin Hayward-Young (The Vaccines).

He even mentions a line in one of his songs "which was specifically a rip on Marcus because he used to play banjo at the open mic night and we thought he was an idiot... then he sold a million records!" here.

Singled Out: Brother Hawk's Quittin Time

Brother Hawk guitarist and vocalist JB Brisendine tells us the story behind their single "Quittin Time", which comes from their latest album "The Clear Lake". Here is the story:
The main riff in the verse for Quittin Time was written while I was attempting to play a guitar other than a Les Paul for the first time since I was 18. I bought this Strat and every time I picked it up I gravitated towards working on that riff, it just came out of that guitar somehow. I ended kind of hating the guitar and only played one show with it before I went back to the Les Paul (what was I thinking), but I'm glad i tried because I love that riff and that song and I don't think I'd have them without that guitar. I actually sold it to Clay from The Artisanals (they rule, go listen to them). The lyrics to the chorus, "half past the crack of the crystal and fifteen minutes til the whistle", is something my grandpa would say whenever anyone asked him what time it was - without fail. Obnoxious, yet charming. I have no clue what that means but it always sounded like someone was about to get off work to me, so it seemed like the perfect break up metaphor when i was writing this song. ?

Tim Abrigg Jr.'s Rock and Roll News Of The Day!: Today's Day In Rock News!

2018-02-19T11:59:00.001-05:00

Tim Abrigg Jr.'s Rock and Roll News Of The Day!: Today's Day In Rock News!: Today's Day in Rock Stories Tool's Maynard James Keenan Updates Fans On New Album Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan took to ...

Today's Day In Rock News!

2018-02-19T11:56:00.004-05:00

Today's Day in Rock Stories

Tool's Maynard James Keenan Updates Fans On New Album

Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan took to social media to update fans on the progress for the band's long awaited follow-up to their 2006 album "10,000 Days".
The update follows the news that drummer Danny Carey recently shared that he expects the new studio effort to be released sometime this year. Keenan posted the following on Twitter:

"Started getting music files from the boys with the word 'final' in the title a few months ago after 11 years of begging. That in theory means the tracks won't change out from under me while I'm trying to write stories and melodies to them. In theory.

"Still waiting for the final on one... but way ahead. Words and melodies [are] 100% done on all but one. Someday we'll track them. Long way from the finish line, but at least we're closer."

Marilyn Manson Has Bizarre Onstage Meltdown(Radio.com)

Marilyn Manson stumbled through an abbreviated set at The Paramount in New York last Thursday night (Feb. 15), where he rambled through songs, trashed the stage and begged the crowd to say they loved him (via Brooklyn Vegan).
"Marilyn Manson put on the WORST show I have ever seen," groused one fan in attendance on Twitter. "Played 5 songs, bitched about people not saying 'I Love You' and walked off."

"Marilyn Manson ended the show by dropping the mic mid-song, pushing over a speaker, and falling off stage," shared another fan on Twitter. "There's no more to it. I had the meet and greet. He was wasted. He was worse on stage. Rambled on and on about us loving him," another explained on Reddit. adding that Manson and the band struggled through ragged versions of "The Reflecting/Deep Six," "Disposable Teens," " Saturnalia," "Lunchbox" and "God's Gonna Cut You Down" before the show was abruptly ended.

Watch a fan video of Manson' bizarre onstage behavior in New York here.

Metallica Release Birthday Tribute To Cliff Burton(hennemusic)

Metallica are streaming a February 10 performance of the "Master Of Puppets" instrumental, "Orion", at Pala Alpitour in Turin, Italy as a tribute to their late bassist Cliff Burton on what would have been his 56th birthday.
"Turin! Thank you so much for helping us celebrate #CliffBurtonDay," says the band. "Also, a huge thank you to the fans around the world who continue to honor him in their own special ways."

The late rocker was honored by his California hometown with "Cliff Burton Day" on February 10 after fans started a Changeorg petition to recognize the Metallica legend, who died at the age of 24 in a tragic tour bus accident in Sweden during the group's 1986 tour in support of "Master Of Puppets."

Formed in Los Angeles in 1981 by drummer Lars Ulrich and guitarist James Hetfield, the pair pursued Burton after seeing him in performance with his band Trauma at the Whisky A Go Go on the Sunset Strip in late 1982; they famously relocated Metallica's home base to the San Francisco Bay Area the following year on Burton's request as a condition of him joining the lineup. Read more here.

Muse To Stream Special 'By Request' Show Live(Radio.com)

Muse is back with a provocative new single titled "Thought Contagion" and a new album is on the way. As they return to the spotlight, the band announced a one-off live show at La Cigale in Paris.
The concert will be structured as a "by-request" engagement and tickets are exclusively available to Muse digital community members. The February 24 concert will be livestreamed on the band's social channels for fans around the world to enjoy

The "by request" format allows attendees to select their five favorite Muse songs, which will then be tabulated to produce the set list. Viewers at home can't cast votes but they can watch the show on YouTube, Periscope and Facebook. Read more here.

Paramore's Hayley Williams Explains Postponed Tour Dates(Radio.com)

Paramore are currently on tour promoting their album After Laughter, but unfortunately for fans in Jakarta and Manila, the band had to nix some of the scheduled shows. Vocalist Hayley Williams shared that she's battling a throat and upper respiratory infection and her voice is gone.
After two days of treatment, Williams and company pulled the plug. "Unfortunately, my throat hasn't loosened up and the rest of my symptoms have only gotten worse," she posted. Williams said the "dry, recycled air" on planes has taken a toll on her voice and that she's currently taking antibiotics to beat the germs.

She ended her message to fans on a funny note. "Last thing, to lighten the mood, if that's at all possible: google 'The Cryptkeeper – Crypt Jam'… a frightening resemblance to what I sound (and look) like right about now." Read more here.

Singled Out: Jay Katana's When She Dies

Jay Katana (Pool Of Thorns and Bleeding Boyfriend)
recently released his debut solo album "Brighter Than Your Future" and to celebrate we asked him to tell us about the song "When She Dies". Here is the story:
It's a dark acoustic track where the name directly represents the events that inspired me to write it. After you break up with a person who was close to you at some point - you both may live different lives away from each other.

You may never see each other in many ears. And while you know that that person is still alive somewhere - there's still a chance that you'll meet at some point and, who knows, you may be together again, no matter what happened before. But when one of you dies - it's an official ending - a real point of no-return for what you once had.

It was a girl from my past that I haven't seen or spoken to in 15 years. And now that she's gone - I'll never have a chance to tell her anything. Maybe something I wanted to say, or something she deserved to hear…

My feelings were not necessarily - grief or pain. It's just a pure sadness. Something you may feel only when it happens, not when you think that it may happen, or when somebody tells you - "appreciate the ones you loved, while they're still alive"….

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

Smashing Pumpkins' D'arcy Wretzky Calls Out Billy Corgan(Radio.com)

Original bassist D'arcy Wretzky is not involved in the Smashing Pumpkins reunion, but the details why are still murky and the accusations being flung by both sides are getting ugly.
On February 12, Smashing Pumpkins released a statement, insisting that they wanted Wretzky to be involved in the reunion and that she turned them down. "Ms. Wretzky has repeatedly been invited out to play with the group, participate in demo sessions, or at the very least, meet face-to-face, and in each and every instance she always deferred."

The next day (Feb. 13), Wretzky responded by sharing text messages between her and Corgan, which indicated that she wanted to be involved in a reunion tour and that Corgan was interested in having her along. Then, the frontman seemed to back off, stating that she could be involved in a limited capacity, taking the stage for some songs, but not performing as the band's main bassist.

On Valentine's Day (Feb. 14), an in-depth interview with Wretzky (the first in 20 years) has been published by Alternative Nation, and she pulls no punches, attacking Corgan for being "incredibly abusive" in the past and adding that he "loved to humiliate people and shame people in front of other people."

Throughout the interview, Wretzky was fired up and, at times, indirect. She started by addressing her 18-year absence from the band: "[Billy] has been telling people, 'Well [The Smashing Pumpkins] haven't played with [D'arcy] at all in 18 years." "Right dumba–, because then it wouldn't be a reunion! He says that he's invited me to come out and play for all of these things, which is a complete lie. He's never invited me to anything."

"In fact, my feelings were a little bit hurt because he did the solo album tour, and he didn't tell me when it started," she added. "I was texting him saying, 'Where the f— are you dumba–?' He's like, 'Oh, I'm in New York. The tour started. Then I'm like, 'Where are you?' [He'd reply,] 'Oh, the tour ended, you missed it.' He thinks it's a privilege for anyone to be in his presence, so therefore he shouldn't have to tell me, and I shouldn't have to be invited." Read more here.

Steve Miller Band Announce Special 50th Anniversary Box Set(hennemusic)

The Steve Miller Band are marking their 50th anniversary with the May 18 release of a vinyl box set entitled "Complete Albums Volume 1 (1968-1976)."
The set presents remastered editions of the group's first nine studio records - from 1968's "Children Of The Future" to 1976's "Fly Like An Eagle" - on 180-gram vinyl; they'll also be available individually on the same day of the project's spring release.
The albums have also been newly-remastered for HD digital audio (96kHz/24-bit and, starting February 16, will be released weekly in chronological order ahead of the box set's arrival.

The Steve Miller Band will begin a 50th Anniversary summer US tour with guest Peter Frampton in Evansville, IN on June 12. The three-month run of mostly amphitheaters - similar to the pair's 2017 trek - will see both acts perform sets, with Frampton to join Miller onstage for some mid-set jamming along the trek.

"Music is ethereal - it moves back and forth between the past and the future," says Miller. "I'm very excited to announce that 2018 is our 50th anniversary of recording and touring together as the Steve Miller Band, and we plan to travel between the psychedelic sixties through the future with a vengeance!" Read more here.

The Doors Release Live 'Light My Fire' Video(hennemusic)

The Doors are streaming a performance of their 1967 classic, "Light My Fire", as the latest preview to the February 23 release of "Live At The Isle Of Wight Festival 1970."
The second single from the band's self-titled debut delivered the group their first US No. 1 hit while the project reached No. 2 on the US Billboard 200 on its way to worldwide sales of more than 20 million copies.

The festival set by The Doors, which landed in the middle of frontman Jim Morrison's trial for indecent exposure and obscenity during a 1969 concert in Miami, captures a unique moment in the band's performance history.

"It was a nervous time for us," guitarist Robby Krieger tells Billboard, "and it was pretty different than any of our other shows. Jim was in the midst of the Miami thing, so he wasn't in the best of moods, and we were into the part of his career where he was way overweight and had the beard.

"He didn't really do a great show; He sang well, but he didn't move an inch, and usually he was real animated and all over the place, depending on how much drugs he had in him. And he insisted on green light only. He wanted it as dark as possible on stage, so they're lucky they got anything, really. But other than that, it was pretty fun."

"Light My Fire" follows "Break On Through (To The Other Side)" as the second song previewed from the forthcoming live package, which captures the historic last concert ever filmed of The Doors. Watch the video and read more here.

Liam Gallagher Unplugs For Oasis Classic and Solo Song(hennemusic)

Liam Gallagher performed a mix of Oasis classics and material from his solo debut, "As You Were", during an intimate rooftop set for Radio X in London's Leicester Square on February 12, and video from the event is streaming online.
The stripped-down, acoustic-based appearance included the 1995 Oasis hit, "Some Might Say", and the 2017 solo track, "Paper Crown." "Thank you to all at Radio X, well not all," posted Gallagher on social media, "Good little gig that."

Produced by Greg Kurstin (Adele, Beck) and Dan Grech-Marguerat (Radiohead, Mumford And Sons), "As You Were" recently topped the UK album charts and hit No. 30 on the US Billboard 200. Watch the videos here.

Myles Kennedy Releases 'Devil On The Wall' Video(hennemusic)

Alter Bridge and Slash singer Myles Kennedy is streaming a lyric video for the track "Devil On The Wall", from his forthcoming debut solo album "Year Of The Tiger."
The tune follows the title track and "Haunted By Design" as the third song previewed ahead of the project's release on March 9. Working with longtime Alter Bridge producer Michael "Elvis" Baskette, Kennedy's solo debut sees the rocker embracing musical elements and influences he hasn't explored until this point in his career. The singer plays banjo, lap steel, bass, and mandolin in addition to guitar throughout the album, whose theme is inspired by the loss of his father when he was a child.

Kennedy will launch "Year Of The Tiger" with a pair of dates in South Africa early next month alongside a European tour that includes a 7-show UK trek and then a spring US run in May. Watch the video here.

The Cars Stream Demo Version of 1984 Classic 'Drive'(hennemusic)

The Cars are streaming a demo of their 1984 classic, "Drive", as a preview to their forthcoming March 30th release of an expanded edition of "Heartbeat City."
The third single from the band's fifth album was their highest-charting US hit, reaching No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 alongside three other Top 20 tracks from the project - "You Might Think", "Magic" and "Hello Again."

Produced by Mutt Lange, "Heartbeat City" peaked at No. 3 on the US Billboard 200 while selling more than 4 million copies.

The demo of "Drive" is one of seven unreleased versions of songs featured on the 2018 reissue, which will arrive in sync with an expanded edition of 1981's "Shake It Up."

Available on CD, 2LP and digital formats, both projects will be issued two weeks ahead of The Cars' induction into the 2018 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame during an April 14 event at the Public Auditorium in Cleveland, OH. Read more and stream the song here.

The Neighbourhood Release New Song and Announce Album, Tour Dates(Radio.com)

The Neighbourhood are coming back, and they're coming back strong. Jesse Rutherford and company have announced a new self-titled album, scheduled for release on March 9th.
The album news was accompanied by the new song, "Void," which will be included in the release. The moody and atmospheric new wave ballad is a throwback to '80s synth-pop love songs, with an extra existential kick, courtesy of Rutherford.

The Neighbourhood will support the new record with a 15-date North American tour, which kicks off April 6 in Denver. See the tour itinerary below.

They're also set to hit the late-night circuit, with a performance of "Scary Love" scheduled for The Late Late Show with James Corden on Feb. 20. Listen to "Void" and see the tour dates here.

Joseph Arthur And R.E.M. Star Form Spontaneous New Band(Gibson)

With R.E.M deciding to call time while still at the top of their game, it's always good to hear of new music from the band's members. Guitarist Peter Buck's latest creative outing is unplanned and spontaneous, but still very welcome.
It turns out that Buck bumped into Joseph Arthur - a prolific singer-songwriter who'd opened for R.E.M in the past - in the small Mexican town of Todos Santos. (In addition to releasing a constant stream of solo albums and EPs, Arthur has also been part of the the bands Fistful of Mercy - with Dhani Harrison and Ben Harper - and RNDM - with Richard Stuverud and Pearl Jam's Jeff Ament.)

Buck and Arthur got jamming and according to Rolling Stone, came up with eight songs in eight hours. A few days later they demo-ed the tunes live for a local audience and now they've got record label attention. In fact, the new band - they're calling themselves Arthur Buck - will release a new album and tour North America and Europe this year.

Both Buck and Arthur's most recent material had been more intense before this, so both musicians were surprised with the upbeat optimism of the songs they'd written together. According to Arthur, "All of a sudden it was like I had this musical partner and friend, and that relieved the music of the burden of the self, if that makes sense," while Buck says the new album is, "a very forward-looking record, lyrically. The music has a questing kind of feel. We were making it up as we went along." Read more here.

Sufjan Stevens And Jonny Greenwood Will Attend Oscars(Gibson)

Unlike most of us unknowns, who'd drop everything for a chance to rub shoulders with the superstar contingent at the Academy Awards, artistes like Sufjan Stevens and Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood can pause to think about whether they really want to be there.
Both musicians had previously indicated that attending the Oscars wasn't exactly unmissable for them and that they'd have to think about it. In fact, Stevens even stated that he'd have to get into a tuxedo for the first time in his life, if he did attend. This year, Stevens is nominated in the Best Original Song category for 'Mystery Of Love' from the Call Me By Your Name soundtrack, while Greenwood is up for Best Original Score for his work on Phantom Thread.

We now know, thanks to an article in The New York Times, that Steven will, indeed, be attending and that he's sorted out his tuxedo as well. Greenwood's attendance was confirmed by Phantom Thread director Paul Thomas Anderson, who emailed Associated Press to say, "He's coming!" Read more here.

Metallica Release Live 'Creeping Death' Video(hennemusic)

Metallica performed their 1984 classic, "Creeping Death", at the WiZink Center in Madrid, Spain on February 5, and the band are streaming professional footage from the show.
The clip from the second of two concerts in the Spanish capital follows footage of the group's 1983 classic, "Seek & Destroy", from a February 3 date at the same venue, one of the early stops on the latest leg of Metallica's WorldWired tour in support of "Hardwired…To Self-Destruct."

Metallica's tenth release recently landed at No. 3 on the Top Rock Albums of 2017 in a year-end review by Nielsen Music, behind projects by Imagine Dragons ("Evolve") and Twenty One Pilots ("Blurryface").

The global measurement and data analytics company named Metallica as the No. 1 Rock Artist of 2017, ahead of Imagine Dragons, The Beatles, Linkin Park and Twenty One Pilots after delivering a combined total of 1,836,000 album sales, TEA (track-equivalent albums, a unit of measurement where 10 paid downloads equal one album) and SEA (on-demand audio streaming-equivalent albums, another unit of measurement where 1,500 streams equal one album). Watch the video and read more here.

Tim Abrigg Jr.'s Rock and Roll News Of The Day!: Today's Day In Rock News!

2017-11-06T09:28:00.001-05:00

Tim Abrigg Jr.'s Rock and Roll News Of The Day!: Today's Day In Rock News!: Today's Day in Rock Stories Guns N' Roses And Pearl Jam Supergroup Share New Song(Radio.com) The Levee Walkers are a new rock ...

Today's Day In Rock News!

2017-11-06T09:24:00.004-05:00

Today's Day in Rock Stories

Guns N' Roses And Pearl Jam Supergroup Share New Song(Radio.com)

The Levee Walkers are a new rock super-group featuring bassist Duff McKagen of Guns N' Roses, guitarist Mike McCready from Pearl Jam and Screaming Trees' drummer Barrett Martin.
For the band's latest track, "All Things Fade Away," the Seattle-based band tapped local singer Ayron Jones to handle vocals. "The three of us [conceived the Levee Walkers] to make music with guest vocalists," Mike McCready told Rolling Stone. "It's been a cool, enlightening experience for me as Duff and Barrett push me to be a better musician."

"We've been lucky enough to have Jaz Coleman from Killing Joke and Latin artist Raquel Sophia sing with us," McCready continued. "Our latest great singer and guitar player is Ayron Jones from Seattle. Ayron is a super-talented singer-songwriter who has added a new fuel to the fire of Levee Walkers songs. He is also a smokin' guitar player that needs to be heard."

"Ayron is such a special and badass new Seattle artist," added Duff McKagan. "I went to a show of his last year in Seattle, and it was one of those that just simply made me realize how glad I am that I chose music as a path. Mike and Barrett are, of course, the best at what they do as well. I'm a proud Walker of Levees!" Check out the song here.

Bon Scott Allegedly Planned To Leave AC/DC Before His Death(Gibson)

It's been almost four decades since original AC/DC frontman Bon Scott passed away. He made six albums with the Australian hard rockers, but just as the band was set to make their international breakthrough, Scott died in London in 1980. His replacement, Geordie vocalist Brian Johnson would step in and help continue AC/DC's upward trajectory that saw them become one of the world's biggest bands and a live tour de force over the next few decades.
Now, a new book suggests that Scott was in fact planning on quitting AC/DC before his untimely death. In the book Bon: The Last Highway, the author Jesse Fink recounts an interview with Roy Allen, a friend of Scott's from Texas, who received a call from the AC/DC frontman in late 1979, at the end of the band's Highway To Hell tour.

According to Allen, the singer called him suggesting he was tired of the hard rock life, saying, "Roy, I want to come to Texas. I'm coming into a good bit of money soon. I've had it: the living on the road, the shows, the drinking. I'm ready to leave the band. I've got to get out. It's all killin' me and I know it. I want to know if I came to Texas, I could stay with you. We could try quit drinking together."

Allen didn't make much of it at the time, not knowing that it would be the last conversation he'd have with Scott. Read more here.

Lynyrd Skynyrd Cancel 2017 Dates Over Medical Emergency(hennemusic)

Southern rock legends Lynyrd Skynyrd have cancelled the final three dates of their 2017 schedule due to a medical emergency involving guitarist Gary Rossington.

According to the Tallahassee Democrat, details of Rossington's health issue were not released when a November 3 date at the Capital City Amphitheater in Tallahassee, FL was shut down on the day of the show.

The situation also forced the group to cancel a November 4 appearance at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland, FL, and a November 5 headlining slot at the Rock Fest 80s event in Pembroke Pines, FL that will see .38 Special perform in their place,

The lone original member of the Southern Rock icons, Rossington has battled health issues in recent years, including heart surgery this past August "to address some blockage in his arteries", which followed a similar procedure in the summer of 2016 after the guitarist suffered a heart attack in late 2015. Read more here.

Rarest Ever Beatles LP Album Being Auctioned(Gibson)

A copy of a rare Beatles album once owned by John Lennon, complete with hand-drawn sketches, and three Beatle signatures, is expected to sell for more than $200,000 at auction later this week.
The early edition of Yesterday And Today features an infamous photo of the group dressed as butchers, and remains one of the only copies in existence. It will be auctioned as one of the star lots of Heritage Auctions' Entertainment Signature Auction, which takes place in Dallas on November 11. At the time of writing, the Current Bid is listed as $100,000.

Lennon gave it to Beatles collector Dave Morrell in 1972 in return for memorabilia and bootleg material. The message states "To Dave, from John Lennon," alongside a date of December 7, 1971. The album was later also signed by Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. Read more here.

Metallica Release Live Video Of Rare Song Performance(hennemusic

) Metallica delivered the rarely-performed "...And Justice For All" track "The Shortest Straw" at Genting Arena in Birmingham, England on October 30, and the band are sharing professional footage from the event.
The song, which made its first appearance in Metallica's set since 2013, was featured on the group's 1988 album as the project peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard 200 on its way to US sales of more than 8 million copies.

The Birmingham stop landed in the final week of Metallica's European tour in support of their latest effort, "Hardwired…To Self-Destruct." Produced by Greg Fidelman, drummer Lars Ulrich and guitarist James Hetfield, the group's tenth album topped the charts in 57 countries around the world last fall. Watch the video here.

Eric Clapton Documentary Hitting Theaters For One Night(Radio.com)

Film distributor Abramorama has teamed up with the Showtime network to bring Life in 12 Bars, the Eric Clapton documentary, to select movie theaters on November 24.
A limited theatrical release will qualify the film for awards consideration in the new year. It's already one of the 170 films submitted for Oscar consideration, which will be narrowed down to 15 before the nominees are selected.

Directed by Lili Fini Zanuck, The Hollywood Reporter reports that Life in 12 Bars is "an unflinching and deeply personal journey into the life of the legendary musician." The film explores Clapton's difficult childhood and struggles with substance abuse, as well as his role in shaping the rock landscape." Read more here.

Jeff Lynne's ELO Stream 'Telephone Line' Live Video(hennemusic)

Jeff Lynne's ELO are streaming video of a 2017 performance of their classic, "Telephone Line", ahead of the November 17 release of the live album and concert film package, "Wembley Or Bust."
The fourth and final single from the Electric Light Orchestra's 1976 set, "A New World Record", was a Top 10 hit in the US and the band's native UK while the project went on to Platinum sales in both countries.

Multi-instrumentalist Lynne has been touring in recent years under the banner Jeff Lynne's ELO. Directed by Paul Dugdale, "Wembley Or Bust" captures Lynne's sold-out show before 60,000 fans at London's Wembley Stadium this past June, where he delivered material from the group's extensive hit-filled discography; the show also includes tracks by The Move and The Traveling Wilburys.

"It's the best time I ever had in music," says Lynne of the Wembley event. "It is beyond anything I could have imagined." The new live package will be available in multiple formats, including 2CD/Blu Ray, 2 CD/DVD, 2CD and 3LP packages. Watch the video here.

Billy Corgan Goes Virtual Reality With 'Aeronaut' Video(Radio.com)

Billy Corgan has shared the music video for "Aeronaut" from his recently released full-length, Ogilala. The video also serves as a preview of a forthcoming immersive virtual reality experience for Corgan's Ogilala album.
The video was created inside a 3D world that was imagined by San Francisco artist and filmmaker, Danny Bittman and brought to life by the joint Viacom NEXT and Isobar team. By capturing Corgan's three-and-a-half-minute performance in volumetric video at Microsoft's Mixed Reality Capture Studios, Isobar, Viacom and Bittman, were able to use the Unity creation engine and Tilt Brush to create a world around him. The project is due for release in early 2018.

Corgan fans will also want to tune in to The Late Late Show with James Corden on Wednesday, November 8 to catch his live performance of "The Spaniards." Check out the clip for "Aeronaut" here.

Dave Grohl Mashes Up 'Snowman' and 'Enter Sandman'(Radio.com)

When Dave Grohl guest hosted for Jimmy Kimmel on his late-night talk show wearing a bearded David Letterman costume and welcomed his guest Kristen Bell things got a little weird- in a cool way.
The Foo Fighters frontman revealed to the actress, who was dressed as Tom Selleck in Magnum P.I., complete with Hawaiian shirt and hairy chest, "If I was to jam a song with you, I would become the coolest dad in the world."

Bell who voiced Anna in the movie Frozen, replied, "I would love to jam with you." Grohl asked her if they could play "Do You Want to Build a Snowman?" Bell dedicated the performance to Grohl's daughters: "Violet, Harper and Fifi, this is for you." She started the beautiful song on her own, then partway through, Grohl joined on drums and the tune morphed into Metallica's "Enter Sandman." Check out the collaborative performance here.

Morrissey Live Debuts The Smith's 'I Started Something I Couldn't Finish'(Radio.com)

Fans at a recent Morrissey show in Portland, OR, were treated with the live debut of "I Started Something I Couldn't Finish" and video of the performance has been shared online
"I Started I Something I Couldn't Finish" was the second U.K. single from The Smiths' fourth and final studio album, Strangeways Here I Come, released in 1987.

It's the first time a former member of the Smiths has performed the song live, according to NME. Morrissey rolled out The Smiths' chestnut at Portland's Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall on Halloween night (Oct. 31). Check out the performance here.

Neil Young Streaming New Song 'The Visitor'(hennemusic)

Neil Young is streaming audio of "Already Great" as the lead single from his forthcoming album with The Promise Of The Real, "The Visitor", ahead of its release on December 1.
The 10-song project pairs the rocker with the band fronted by Willie Nelson's son Lukas, who also backed Young on 2015's "The Monsanto Years" and the 2016 live set, "Earth."

"The Visitor" also follows the recent issue of an unreleased 1976 album by Young called "Hitchhiker." The acoustic set was originally recorded in one session at Indigo Studios in Malibu, CA on August 11, 1976.

This summer, Young revealed plans to launch an online archive tracing his entire musical history. "Every single, recorded track or album I have produced is represented," he writes as an introduction to neilyoungarchives.com. "It is always current. You can browse the music I made between today's date and 1963, when I made my first recording in Canada and it was released as a 45 RPM single."

Billed as "coming soon", Young and his team have been diligently compiling detailed information about his recordings for the project. Stream the new song here.

Singled Out: Russkaja's Kosmopoliturbo

Russkaja recently released their new album "Kosmopoliturbo" and to celebrate we asked guitarist Engel Mayr to tell us the story behind the song "Hey Road" from the new studio effort. Here is the story:
The song "Hey Road" from Russkaja's new record "Kosmopoliturbo" was actually one of the first ones that Georgij (singer) and me finished. It started with my basic idea of a midtempo song combining Acoustic and Electric guitar in the intro (and also later on in the Tango C-part, but that came around later). I already had Intro/Verse without vocals and the Chorus with a vocal melody. I wanted the chorus to be really hooky. When I played my demo to Georgij he immediately came up with the Intro/Verse vocal melody which I totally fell I love with.

Georgij also liked the hooky Chorus and on one of the following tours I noticed that he was sitting in the back of the bus and writing lyrics to that song. When I realized that he was actually writing about being on the road I thought that's really cool since we're touring a lot and it really fits the song! "Hey Road" brings up a feeling that everybody in the band can really identify with!

A few weeks later the Tango melody in the C-part came to my mind and at first I recorded it with heavy guitars in the demo but then I felt it should retain a more traditional Tango feel with the horns and violin playing the melody and the rhythm section playing the Tango groove behind with a strong Steelstring guitar.

When we were in the studio recording the song I wasn't sure anymore if the Intro should be Acoustic or Electric guitar, so I recorded both and when the album was mixed I really liked the way it sounded with Electric AND Acoustic guitar simultaneously and we did it that way!

I think "Hey Road" became a great song and I really enjoy playing it live and also singing the backing vocals to it. It's one of those songs that just feel natural and gives you a great vibe!

Tim Abrigg Jr.'s Rock and Roll News Of The Day!: Today's Day In Rock News!

2017-10-03T09:22:00.001-04:00

Tim Abrigg Jr.'s Rock and Roll News Of The Day!: Today's Day In Rock News!: Today's Day in Rock Stories Rock Legend Tom Petty Confirmed Dead At 66(hennemusic) Management confirmed Tom Petty died Monday at th...

Today's Day In Rock News!

2017-10-03T09:18:00.005-04:00

Today's Day in Rock Stories

Rock Legend Tom Petty Confirmed Dead At 66(hennemusic)

Management confirmed Tom Petty died Monday at the age of 66 in a Santa Monica, CA hospital after being unfound unconscious at his Malibu home Sunday night.
"On behalf of the Tom Petty family we are devastated to announce the untimely death of our father, husband, brother, leader and friend Tom Petty," confirmed Tony Dimitriades, longtime manager of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, on behalf of the family.

"He suffered cardiac arrest at his home in Malibu in the early hours of this morning and was taken to UCLA Medical Center but could not be revived. He died peacefully at 8:40pm PST surrounded by family, his bandmates and friends."

TMZ first broke the news of Petty's emergency, which found him unconscious, not breathing and in full cardiac arrest at his residence when EMT's arrived on scene.

In critical condition from the moment he was discovered in distress, the singer was rushed to the UCLA Santa Monica Hospital where he was put on life support.

Petty reportedly had no signs of brain activity when he arrived at the hospital and a decision was made to remove him from life support as family, friends and his bandmates gathered on site.

Confirmation of the rocker's death comes hours after it was first reported by CBS News in a breaking news story early Monday based on information obtained officially from the Los Angeles Police Department, with Petty's passing making headlines around the world prematurely; the LAPD later said it was not in a position to confirm the singer's status.

"The LAPD has no information about the passing of singer Tom Petty," tweeted the LAPD. "Initial information was inadvertantly provided to some media sources. However, the LAPD has no investigative role in this matter. We apologize for any inconvenience in this reporting." Read more here.

Marilyn Manson Suffers Stage Accident and Postpones Tour(Radio.com)

Marilyn Manson has postponed nine shows after being injured in a freak stage accident Saturday night (Sept. 30) in New York City. In the middle of a show at the Hammerstein Ballroom, a set piece (two larger-than-life revolvers) collapsed on Manson, who was rushed to the hospital.
The band was in the middle of their hit cover of Eurythmics "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" and Manson appeared to be shaking the metal bars on the stage prop when it fell on top of him. Manson's management has not confirmed the extent of his injuries but stated that the singer will be recovering at home in Los Angeles, according to Variety.

Manson was taken from the venue on a stretcher but is expected to resume his tour on October 15 in Grand Prairie, Texas. Manson's reps said the most significant injury affected his leg, but that the hard rocker would be "fine."

Rescheduled dates for Manson's postponed shows have not been announced. See footage of the alarming New York stage mishap here.

Billy Joel Joined By Paul Simon And Miley Cyrus During Concert(Radio.com)

It was a weekend of high-profile collaborations as music legend Billy Joel invited Miley Cyrus and Paul Simon to his Madison Square Garden concert in New York.
Joel's legendary MSG residency has drawn its share of special guests over the years. Hot on the heels of her Younger Now album release, Miley Cyrus stopped by Joel's Saturday night concert with another New York City icon, Paul Simon.

Miley lent her support on "New York State of Mind" and joined Joel and Simon for "You May Be Right," which segued into Led Zeppelin's "Rock and Roll," reported, Ultimate Classic Rock. Watch Billy Joel's set with Paul Simon and Miley Cyrus here.

Ghost Reveal New Frontman Papa Emeritis Zero(hennemusic)

Ghost revealed their new frontman, Papa Emeritis Zero, in a dramatic fashion at the finale of their September 30 concert in Gothenburg, Sweden, and the band is sharing video from the event.
As current vocalist Papa Emeritus III closed the show with the encore of the 2013 track, "Monstrance Clock", the singer was forcibly removed from the stage by two security men as some fans screamed from the crowd.

The band's lineup of Nameless Ghouls then exited and, a moment later, the security personnel returned with a new figure that appeared as an elderly version of their former frontman, who walked slowly to center stage using a cane and an oxygen mask while wearing a white robe and headdress. "I am Papa Emeritus Zero," said the figure. "The party is over and now a new era begins. The Middle Ages begin now"

Ghost have introduced a new frontman on each of their albums: Papa Emeritus III led the group on 2015's "Meliora" and last year's "Popestar" EP; he replaced Papa Emeritus II after his work on their second record, 2013's "Infestissumam", while original vocalist Papa Emeritus introduced the band on the 2010 debut, "Opus Eponymous."

The Gothenburg show marked the final date of Ghost's 2017 "Popestar" tour, and the Swedish rockers are now preparing album number four for release next spring, according to Tobias Forge.

"We've been in the studio for about a month now," Forge explained recently, "and by the end of the year, if everything goes according to plan - knock, knock - we're gonna have a new album, not out, but we're gonna have a new recorded and mixed and delivered. And hopefully that means that we're gonna have a new album out by April - possibly, hopefully." Watch the video here.

Black Sabbath's Farewell Concert Film Coming To TV(hennemusic)

Black Sabbath's farewell concert film, "The End Of The End", will see its world television debut on US cable and satellite television network Showtime on Saturday, October 28 at 9 p.m. ET/PT.
Directed by Dick Carruthers (Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, Oasis), the project presents the last concert under the Sabbath brand by three-quarters of the original lineup - Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler - in their hometown of Birmingham, England this past February.

The show at the city's Genting Arena marked the 81st and final date of the groundbreaking metal band's farewell tour, wrapping up a year-long global trek to wind down a legendary career that spanned five decades.

"To bring it all back home after all these years was pretty special," says the group. "It was so hard to say goodbye to the fans, who've been incredibly loyal to us through the years. We never dreamed in the early days that we'd be here 49 years later doing our last show on our home turf." Watch the trailer here.

Pavement May Reunite For 30th Anniversary(Gibson)

Pavement came together in Stockton, California in 1989. Over the course of the next decade, they would go on to become of the most critically-acclaimed and influential indie rock bands of all time, sticking fiercely to their 'indie' reputation over the course of five albums from 1992 to 1999.
After disbanding in 1999, Pavement came back together in 2010 to tour before wrapping things up once more. Another reunion was floated by the band's members in 2015, but frontman Stephen Malkmus declined.

Now, there's talk once more of another Pavement reunion, with guitarist Scott Kannberg mentioning the possibility in a recent interview. Speaking to the Italian podcast Radio Cittá Del Capo, Kannberg says there's been some talk of getting the band back together, saying, "We haven't really discussed it, but there has been some talk about our 30th anniversary in 2019, maybe doing some stuff, so stay tuned!" Read more here.

KISS Stop Concert To Lead Fans In Pledge of Allegiance(Radio.com)

KISS want to rock and roll all night and pledge allegiance every day? Legendary shock-rockers KISS took a moment to get patriotic during a show at the Gretna Heritage Festival in New Orleans over the weekend (Sept. 30), leading the audience in a mass reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance.
According to Nola.com, the band paused to welcome Army Major Steve Roberts to the stage to thank him for more than 30 years of military service. "It's always cool to love your country," frontman Paul Stanley told the festival crowd. "Some people believe that freedom is free."

As expected, crowd response to the moment was varied, with one fan tweeting that it was "pretty damn cool," while another more disgruntled attendee called it "the least rock and roll thing I've ever seen." Check out fan footage of the pledge seen.— Bantam Foxes (@BantamFoxes) October 01, 2017 Read more here.

Avenged Sevenfold Announce Headline Tour Dates(Radio.com)

Following a support slot on Metallica's recent North American stadium tour, hard rockers Avenged Sevenfold have set a series of headlining dates for early 2018.
The shows will also feature Breaking Benjamin and Bullet for My Valentine. Tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday, October 6 at 10:00 a.m. local time. More shows are expected to be added.

The tour is set to kick off on January 1st in Nashville, TN at the Bridgestone Arena and will be concluding on February 11th in Fargo, ND at the Fargodome. See all of the dates here.

Morrissey Performs New Songs During BBC Performance(Radio.com)

Morrissey performed selections from his new album Low In High School on BBC 6 Music. The singer debuted 'When You Open Up Your Legs," 'I Wish You Lonely," 'Home Is a Question Mark" and 'Jacky's Only Happy When She's Up on the Stage."
He also played some tracks from throughout his solo career as well as the album's single 'Spent the Day In Bed," and a cover of the Pretenders' 'Back on the Chain Gang."

Getting political, Morrissey said, 'Free the bull from Spain. Free everybody from Spain," while introducing 'The Bullfighter Dies." See the tracklisting

Tim Buckley Reissues Feature Previously Unreleased Recordings(Conqueroo)

While Tim Buckley's album Dream Letter (recorded in 1968 but not released until 1990) is the perfect, sublime example of his in-concert genius, Live at the Troubadour 1969 (released in 1994) has long been a fan favorite, with its improvisational raw energy in songs that stretch toward or past the 10-minute mark, and combinations of acoustic and electric guitars, Fender Rhodes piano and electric bass, drum set and congas - all throbbing and brewing in a dynamic jazz-folk stew. On drums is Art Tripp from Frank Zappa's stable of musicians; the bass player is John Balkin, who helped conceptualize Buckley's legendary Starsailor LP. But this is the not the free-form, avant-garde jazz of the Starsailor era, nor is it the funk-soul of 1972's Greetings From L.A. Rather, Live at the Troubadour 1969 represents a brief period of the ever-evolving explorations of Tim Buckley.
Maverick reissue producer Bill Inglot recently discovered more Troubadour tapes in the archives. He and fellow reissue producer Pat Thomas uncovered five different sets of material from three days' worth of shows. These revelatory tracks have been assembled into a 2-LP package, Greetings From West Hollywood, and a 2-CD set, Venice Mating Call, both to be released October 13, 2017 on Manifesto Records.

With the exception of "Buzzin' Fly," there were no other songs in common with Dream Letter, and furthermore, these early September 1969 shows featured a slew of songs that had yet to be recorded in the studio (at that point), songs that would turn up on Lorca and Blue Afternoon, and even songs that were unique to this run of shows! Read more here.

J.D. Simo Talks New Album 'Rise and Shine'(Gibson)

Creatively speaking, J.D. Simo is not one to sit still. On 2016's Let Love Show the Way, he and his trio - called, fittingly, SIMO - showcased their classic rock influences on a set of blues-stoked rockers recorded at the Allman Brothers' famous "Big House" in Macon, Georgia. For their new album, Rise & Shine, the trio embarked on a different path, widening their sound to include smoldering soul ballads, Stax-flavored funk, and psychedelic-tinged instrumentals - all without severing the blues-rock roots from which they've always drawn.
The trio, which in addition to Simo includes Elad Shapiro on bass and Adam Abrashoff on drums, spent more than a month crafting the album, which was recorded in the band's home base of Nashville. Working in the studio from mid-afternoon until the wee hours of the morning, they succeeded in producing their most eclectic set of songs to date.

"If you go through my record collection and look at the more contemporary titles," JD explains, "you'll see the Roots, Wilco, Alabama Shakes, and Ryan Adams. I listen to a lot of old soul music, too. Isaac Hayes. Funkadelic. Bob Dylan. On Rise & Shine, I was just trying to cull from the vastness that is my normal music diet, and not trying to pander to some target that was easy to hit."

Gibson spoke with Simo about the new record, his background as a session player, and the influences that brought him to where he is today. Read the interview here.

Singled Out: Five Of The Eyes' Wasteland

Prog rockers Five Of The Eyes have just released their new album The Venus Transit and to celebrate we asked Peter Griffith to tell us about the song "Wasteland". Here is the story:
Wasteland came to be over many successive rehearsals, when Ned, Tim, Tom, and I were trying to cram together, I dunno, 12 different riffs, all hard-rock driven, and for the most part, all difficult to perform, physically. I remember a serious frustration throughout the rehearsal room; we'd settle on a form, play through it at different tempos, record it and play it back, scratch our heads, leave, and come back the next night feeling as though we'd made no progress, and chop it up and rewrite riffs, write new riffs and record a new scratch track, and repeat, or at least, that's how I remember it. It was stressful. We had impending recording dates, lots of personal life crap going on... it was just a mess of tension and disagreement. It wasn't until Darrell had had a chance to put his creative tweaks on it that I really felt like we were making something great, and I mean really great. The song reminds me of many moments in life in which we all have to, in full awareness of our own impending discomfort and a likelihood of failure, commit to slog through that muck and stress and sheer mental exhaustion, "return to the wasteland," if you will, because we all know that somewhere on the other side could be something really, really great.

Tim Abrigg Jr.'s Rock and Roll News Of The Day!: Today's Day In Rock News!

2017-05-27T10:50:00.001-04:00

Tim Abrigg Jr.'s Rock and Roll News Of The Day!: Today's Day In Rock News!: Today's Day in Rock Stories Guns N' Roses Add 15 Dates To North American Reunion Tour Guns N' Roses are returning home f...

Today's Day In Rock News!

2017-05-27T10:48:00.002-04:00

Today's Day in Rock Stories

Guns N' Roses Add 15 Dates To North American Reunion Tour

Guns N' Roses are returning home for more North American dates for their Not In This Lifetime Reunion tour this fall. The announcement was a day later than expected but on Thursday the band revealed fifteen additional U.S. stops for the trek.
The reunited lineup of the legendary band featuring Axl Rose, Slash and Duff McKagan have added one stop to their previously announced summer North American stadium tour and have now extended the trek into the fall with 14 additional U.S. arena shows.

The new dates begin with an August 5th show in Little Rock, AK at the War Memorial Stadium, followed by the kick off the fall leg on October 8th in Philadelphia at the Wells Fargo Center.

The band will be concluding the epic run with a two night stand in their home town of Los Angeles first with a November 24the show at the Staples Center followed the next night with a concert at The Forum. Read more here.

Rolling Stones Guitarist Recovering From Lung Surgery(hennemusic)

Rolling Stones guitarist Ron Wood has revealed that he is recovering following surgery to remove a small lesion from his lungs that was discovered during a routine screening.
The rocker - who turns 70 next week - is expected to make a full recovery ahead of the band's fall European tour as no additional treatment is necessary.

"I'm so grateful for modern screening which picked this up so early," Wood said of the discovery and medical procedure, "and would like to thank all the doctors who treated me."

The Rolling Stones will begin the No Filter European tour at the Stadtpark in Hamburg, Germany on September 9. here.

Linkin Park Singer Reacts To Corey Taylor's Remarks

Linkin Park singer Chester Bennington has made headlines recently with his bashing of fans that have been critical of his band's change in musical direction but now appears to be taking remarks made by Corey Taylor about the controversy to heart.
Taylor is currently promoting the new Stone Sour album and during an interview he was asked about Bennington's harsh reaction to 'sell out' accusations. Corey said, "I understand where he's at. God, I would've never say it the way he did, but you get frustrated and you want people to embrace the evolution. At the same time, you should probably be very, very fortunate that people this far along the line still love that music you made."

Bennington took to Twitter earlier this week to react to the Slipknot frontman's advice. He said in a series of tweets, "Just heard Corey Taylor's response to something I said in an interview and I agree with him. I do appreciate our fans. I'm human and sometimes take things too personally. Most of our fans have been very positive lately. Some... not so much.

"Either way... there is a lot of passion on both sides and I am grateful to all of our fans. Corey is a good dude and I appreciate him too. Time to recalibrate my perspective. So I say to all of our fans... Thank you and I love you all. Peace, love and happiness."

Iron Maiden Didn't Know If They Had A Future

Iron Maiden founder Steve Harris is thrilled that frontman Bruce Dickinson is in top form following his recent cancer battle and admits that he feared for the band's future during the ordeal.
The legendary band continues to be one of the most popular bands in the world, selling out arenas and stadiums during their epic tours. They are preparing to launch the North American leg of their The Book Of Souls World tour and Harris says that Bruce's cancer has not had the impact that the band once feared.

Steve tells The Express & Star, "Right from the first show, and even in rehearsals, he was singing really well. He's really happy where he's at with his voice, and so are we. Obviously, there was no guarantee he was going to get back in top form, but he really has. He's singing as good as or better than ever.

"Two years ago we didn't know if we had a future, to be honest. It was very serious. The main thing was whether Bruce was going to be OK - that was first and foremost. Once you get on from there, you think, 'Wow, have we still got a future or not?'

"It affects everybody, not just us but people who work for us and everything else. It's a big responsibility weighing on you. At the end of the day, we're just really happy to be here. You never know how long you can carry on for."

New Mix Of Beatles Sgt. Pepper's More Precise Says Martin(Gibson)

Back in 1967, Beatles producer George Martin spent three days mixing the stereo version of the band's Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album. But he spent three weeks mixing the mono version. That's one of the reveals from NPR's recent conversation with Giles Martin, son of the legendary soundman.
The younger Martin, who spearheaded the 50th anniversary Sgt. Pepper's reissues project, also talked about bringing Ringo's drums to life and about the weight of expectations for such an undertaking.

"You know, one of the criticisms of the stereo of Sgt. Pepper was that you couldn't hear Ringo," he said. "Now we can have kick drum, because if you think about that time in 1967, there was a protection [system from producers and mastering engineers] with records then, so you didn't get the needle to jump out of the groove. We've done a great vinyl cut of this, which we did half-speed, so it's a much more precise cut. We still use the same techniques, we've just developed them."

Martin later added: ""You're challenged by this weight of expectation, but the joy is actually just finding how great Geoff Emerick's engineering was, how great my dad was as a producer, how organized the recordings are and, you know, the beauty the arrangements--and how great the Beatles were at playing." Read more here.

Pantera's Rex Brown Changes Direction With Solo Album

Rex Brown is best known as the bassist for iconic metal group's Pantera and Down but he is changing musical direction his forthcoming debut solo album "Smoke On This".
The new record is set to hit stores on July 28th and Brown recorded it in Nashville with his old friend and Music City based guitarist and songwriter Lance Harvill.

Rex revealed in the album announcement that music direction would be different from the genre he is best known for. "We're not going to necessarily cater to metal fans, but the guys who grew up with Pantera, a lot of them love all the same stuff that I grew up on, too. This is just something else I'm doing for fun, man. And musical Freedom. Fun has to come into it or I'm not going to do it. I've had a tremendous career and now I feel like I'm thirty years old again. This has given me that freedom I needed."

He expanded on that them in an interview earlier this month with The Silk And Steel Power. "I wouldn't say it sounds like classic rock, but I would say I was influenced by it. Yeah, I had a really good time. I had a really good friend in Lance Harvill and we wrote a bunch of songs, starting putting a team together and created this chemistry in the studio and it started coming together. We said, 'Well, we'd better put something together.'"

Muse Frontman Matt Bellamy Reveals Details For New Release(Radio.com)

Muse are set to release a compilation called Origin Of Muse later this year, and frontman Matt Bellamy has given more detail about what the album contains.
"We're going to put out something actually, this year," Bellamy said in a new interview. 'We're working on it. It's probably going to be a limited edition, like, package of the first two albums put together, but with all the songs and demos that we made around that time."

'We're hopefully gonna put that out this year," he added. "We're going to call it Origin Of Muse because it's basically the story musically of how we got to the Origin Of Symmetry album." Read more here.

U2 Says 'Worst Of Humanity' Behind Manchester Attack(Radio.com)

During their Jimmy Kimmel Live appearance this week, Irish rockers U2 addressed the terrorist bombing attack on fans at a Manchester, England Ariana Grande concert that left 22 dead and many more injured.
"[The terrorists] hate music, they hate women, they even hate little girls," Bono said during their appearance on the late TV show on Tuesday night. "They hate everything that we love. And, you know, the worst of humanity was on view in Manchester last night.

"And so was the best, as people took perfect strangers into their hands and queued up for blood banks. Manchester has an undefeatable spirit, I can assure you."

The band posted the interview on its official Twitter account with the hashtag #Manchesterstrong. Read more here.

Lindsey Buckingham And Christine McVie Release Studio Video

Fleetwood Mac icons Lindsey Buckingham and Christine McVie have released a new making of video for their forthcoming self-titled collaborative album.
The "Lindsey Buckingham/Christine McVie" is set to hit stores on June 9th and the duo have released the new promo video featuring footage from their sessions at The Village Studios in Los Angeles. Watch it here

Buckingham and McVie will be supporting the album by launching a North American tour on June 21st at Chastain Park in Atlanta. The trek will visit various cities before concluding on July 27th in Denver at the Paramount Theatre. See the dates here.

Billy Idol Announces Limited Edition Triple Disc Set

Billy Idol fans are getting another chance to get their hands on the limited edition triple vinyl disc "BFI LIVE!" package with the release of a new second pressing.
The 16 track package was originally released as a numbered limited edition set for Record Store Day 2016 which quickly sold out but fans now have the opportunity to buy the new, non-numbered pressing, from Idol's online store here.

The vinyl only "BFI LIVE!" features live recordings of a number of classic songs that were captured during Billy's Kings & Queens of the Underground Tour back in 2014 and 15. Read more here.

Paramore Rock New Song On 'The Late Late Show'(Radio.com)

Paramore are currently on the road promoting their new album "After Laughter" but the band made time to swing through James Corden's Late Late Show studio.
They performed "Told You So," the second single from their daring new album, which takes inspiration from the Talking Heads and other '80s New Wave acts. Their set was awash in red light and Hayley Williams continues to toy with jerky, David Byrne-tinged dance moves.

After Laughter marks an interesting departure from the pop-punk aesthetic that brought Paramore to renown. As their tour continues to grow, fan response to the new material seems overwhelmingly positive. Watch the TV appearance here.

Cold War Kids Cover Alice Key's 'No One'

Cold War Kids' recent Spotify Singles series performances of their single "Love Is Mystical" and an cover of Alicia Key's "No One" have now been released.
Frontman Nathan Willett had the following to say about the cover, "I was walking around Times Square with "No One" fresh in my mind and heard a woman yelling, 'we got news war- you're not rich enough baby-' and her words felt both poetic and true.

"With a song this iconic and familiar I felt like adding her words made the lyrics fresh and related to a lot of conversations we're all having right now about how to be hopeful in discouraging times." Stream the session here.

Bush's Unaired Jimmy Kimmel Live Performance Goes Online(hennemusic)

Bush performed their single, "Mad Love", on ABC-TV's Jimmy Kimmel Live on May 22, and video from the late night program is available online.
In addition to the lead track from their seventh album, "Black And White Rainbows", the group also delivered an online exclusive performance of "Nurse" from the record.

The follow-up to 2014's "Man On The Run" was written, recorded and produced by frontman Gavin Rossdale. "Everything I've ever written has been personal, since the days of [1994's debut] 'Sixteen Stone,'" Rossdale tells the Chicago Sun-Times. "It's a very pure thing to write a song and somehow manage your emotions, but I don't like when things are so pessimistic. I wanted this to be a balanced record and somewhat positive, too."

Bush are currently in the middle of a spring tour of North America in support of the project; the three-month run will wrap up in Bethlehem, PA on August 12. Watch the TV performance here.

The Grateful Dead's Phil Lesh Warns New Documentary Not Complete(Radio.com) The new Grateful Dead documentary, Long Strange Trip, has a limited theatrical release yesterday and today (May 26th) before streaming on Amazon Prime beginning on June 2nd.
Though Amir Bar-Lev directed and Martin Scorsese produced the four-hour long film, the band's bassist Phil Lesh told Rolling Stone "it's only telling part of the story."

"The Grateful Dead is sort of a phenomenon that you cannot encapsulate in any one medium or any one event or any one film or recording," he says. "It's great as far as it goes, but it's not the whole story."

Lesh has only seen parts of the doc, but mused that trying to tell the band's story from the outside is like a "blind man feeling a leg and saying it's a tree." Read more here.

Motley Crue Launch PledgeMusic Campaign For Girls Reissue(hennemusic)

Motley Crue have launched a PledgeMusic campaign in support of the expanded 30th anniversary reissue of their 1987 album, "Girls, Girls, Girls", ahead of its release on August 25.
Alongside the project - which will feature five unreleased tracks - the band are offering a variety of bundles and packages for the set, including colored vinyl, commemorative poster/lithograph, vintage t-shirt, vinyl test pressings, a limited-edition, numbered drum head, a flexi single and more.

"It's hard to believe 'Girls, Girls, Girls' already turned thirty this year," says bassist Nikki Sixx. "We went against the grain with this album when it first came out in 1987. The music and lyrics reflect what was going on in the streets of Los Angeles at that time.

"A big thank you to all the fans who have made the album stand the test of time. It's really cool to now see a new generation of fans exploring and digging 'Girls, Girls, Girls' three decades later." here.

Singled Out: Cold Roses' Staying Alive Ain't Easy

Philly rockers Cold Roses are gearing up to release their new album "Escape to Anywhere" on July 21st and released the single "Staying Alive Ain't Easy" today. We asked frontman Rob Clancy to tell us about song. Here is the story:
"Staying Alive Ain't Easy" was written on a cold winter's night (no, seriously). A state of emergency had been declared in the city of Philadelphia for the pending blizzard, rendering one pretty much confined to their place of residence until further notice. As the night gradually fell and morning began to stir, I was somewhere between blissful sleep-deprivation and a healthy dose of cabin fever, when I started getting the itch to write. Knowing that I wasn't about to leave my apartment anytime soon, I locked myself in a room with my guitar and after about 45 minutes, "Staying Alive Ain't Easy" was finished. I had a very basic idea of a verse melody going into it, but that was about it. The lyrics, chorus, and middle-eight all seemed to just flow out all at once. Usually when a song sort of metaphysically happens like that, I tend to be skeptical of its validity, but with this one I remember thinking, "It feels like there's something here."

I was at the point in my life where I was asking myself a lot of the major questions: "What is my purpose?" "Where am I going?" Basically, "What in the hell am I doing with my life?" Of course, one of the under-stated beauties of life is the search and the journey to find those answers. Thinking about all of this and what was going on in my life at the time, the words "staying alive ain't easy" just kept popping up in my head. It basically summed up everything I was experiencing and delivered it in a very direct way. The very notion of what it takes to really stay alive will invariably be different depending on whom you ask. It's a struggle that I think everyone can relate to in some way; but you have to keep moving on, to swim and not sink, to take every guaranteed obstacle of life in stride. To not just sit around and wait for things to happen on their own because tomorrow, everything could change. It's a sentiment that has been expressed throughout human existence and hasn't changed much, only the physical world around us has.

I wanted to create a situational story with a more observer-style narrative using different characters and scenes that would take the personal aspects of what I was expressing in the song, and convey it in different ways. I set the song in my hometown, Philadelphia. I mention the Broad Street Line, which is one of the two subway lines in the city that I used to take nearly every day. Ninth Street is a popular street near where I used to live in South Philly. It's home to the famous Italian Market (there's far more to it than just Rocky training montages, I promise) and a place where I've spent many long nights. Same goes for Ray's Birthday Bar, people are falling out of there all the time and I can't say that I haven't been subject to the occasional misstep myself.

The song was recorded during the sessions for our new album, Escape To Anywhere. I got a call from these guys in Los Angeles, who would later become our record label, saying they'd heard and loved our previous record, No Silence In The City, and wanted to meet. So I grabbed my guitar, stuffed a duffel bag with clothes and jetted off to the west coast. I met them at the studio and played them a couple songs I had been kicking around. By the time I got to "Staying Alive Ain't Easy," they all got up and off their chairs unanimously, urging that song to be the first single release.

In the studio, the song started taking on a life of its own. We recorded the basic tracks the same way we always have; no track-by-track recording, no click track, just us performing it live with the tape rolling. Cold Roses - straight, no chaser. Once we had the sonic foundation, we were then able to start experimenting with various layers of sound and instrumentation. Definitely one of the pivotal differences with this track versus anything else we'd done up to that point, was bringing in other groups of musicians to play on it. We had a live string quartet and full horn-section come in, which allowed us to expand past our usual saxophone/trumpet combo, ushering in a very unique flavor that certainly contributed to the overall aesthetic and vibe of the track. We went from straight, no chaser to a Sazerac.

Overall, it was a labor-intensive but truly enjoyable process, creating and recording "Staying Alive Ain't Easy," particularly because I feel it represents a growing point both within myself and the band. We were in a different city, a different studio, working with new people and recording new songs. There were a lot of other adverse elements surrounding us, but it forced us to get out of our comfort zone and to evolve. I think that very notion in and of itself is reflective of the song's overall sentiment. The desire to move forward despite the constraints around you, to live for the moment without forgetting the past or ignoring the future. To live the life you've envisioned for yourself and the world around you. It "ain't" always easy, but nothing worth fighting for ever is.

Tim Abrigg Jr.'s Rock and Roll News Of The Day!: Today's Day In Rock News!

2017-05-02T11:58:00.001-04:00

Tim Abrigg Jr.'s Rock and Roll News Of The Day!: Today's Day In Rock News!: Today's Day in Rock Stories AC/DC's Brian Johnson To Receive Walk Of Fame Honor AC/DC frontman Brian Johnson is set to be tha...

Today's Day In Rock News!

2017-05-02T11:56:00.002-04:00

Today's Day in Rock Stories

AC/DC's Brian Johnson To Receive Walk Of Fame Honor

AC/DC frontman Brian Johnson is set to be that latest music star honored with a plaque on the NewcastleGateshead Initiative's Local Heroes Walk of Fame.
Johnson, who was born in Dunston, Gateshead, will be joining previous music recipients including Police frontman Sting and Dire Straits' Mark Knopfler, some time this month, according to BBC.

The inductees are selected by a public vote and aside from the hard rock icon, other members of the class of 2017 will include British television presenters John Grundy and Mike Neville, as well as actor Tim Healy.

Journey And Anthrax Stars Launch New Band

Former Journey and Anthrax stars Deen Castronovo and Dan Spitz have teamed up to form a new thrash metal band and are making plans for their first album.
Spitz original revealed the new band via his Instagram page and then discussed the new group during an appearance on Talking Bollocks podcast.

The guitarist shared a series of videos on the social media site, one was captioned "The Riffage begins. Watch how songs are made in Thrash Metal. From the instant God give's me the music. Don't steal my riffs. CASTRONOVO (OZZY, JOURNEY) DRUMS / SPITZ new Thrash band. Coming soon"

He has since posted several new clips and may have revealed the title with "The pieces are falling together. The Architect of Metal ----------> Channeled from God as it was taped. May your day be filled with Metal!!"

Spitz praised his bandmate Castronovo on the podcast (stream it here). "Deen is one of the world's most incredible drummers walking the planet. You first think of him as Journey. Deen's also a lead singer. He sings the ones that Steve Perry wouldn't even sing live.

"17 years in Journey, he played for Ozzy, he played on early Ted Nugent albums. I mean, it goes on, dude. He's pulling out stuff, and I'm, like, 'Are you kidding me, dude? I used to sit and just do bong hits and blast my guitar listening to that album. Are you crazy? I didn't know it was you.'"

Sammy Hagar Supergroup The Circle and Collective Soul U.S. Tour

The Sammy Hagar fronted supergroup The Circle will be hitting the road for a U.S. tour this September, which will feature support from Collective Soul.
Apart from Hagar, the band also features his former Van Halen bandmate Michael Anthony on bass, acclaimed drummer Jason Bonham and guitarist Vic Johnson.

The tour is scheduled to kick off on September 10th at the Glen Helen Amphitheater in San Bernardino, CA and will be wrapping up on September 30th in Maryland Heights, MO at the Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre. Read more here.

Deftones Cancel Show After Chino Moreno Injured

The Deftones announced that frontman Chino Moreno broke his foot which forced the band to cancel Monday (May 1st) night's concert in Cologne, Germany.
The band broke the news to fans with the following social media post, "Regretfully, we have to cancel our show tonight due to Chino breaking the top of his foot. He needs to stay off it for the next day or two.

"No other shows as of now are in jeopardy of being cancelled. We hope to make it back soon to perform for you again. In the meantime, all tickets will be refunded. Thanks for your understanding."

The next stop on the tour is a two night stand in Paris at the Olympia tonight and tomorrow (May 3rd)

Metallica Releasing Limited Edition 3 Disc Album This Week(hennemusic)

Metallica have announced that they are releasing a limited edition three LP vinyl package this Friday (May 5th) that was captured during their sold-out Fifth Members-only show at New York's Webster Hall last fall.
The release will be on 140-gram vinyl - accompanied by a digital download - delivers the band's September 27th, 2016 concert that previewed the November release of their tenth album, "Hardwired…To Self-Destruct."

The set list includes the first ever live performance of "Moth Into Flame", alongside a mix of classic tracks from the band's catalogue. "As we get ready to hit the road and kick off the North American tour," explains Metallica, "we thought it might be cool to revisit the very beginning of Hardwired… by pressing one of the live release celebrations on vinyl."

The 3LP set will be available exclusively online at Metallica.com as well as in the group's pop-up stores in select tour cities this summer. A full track list is available here.

dada Returning With First Song In A Decade And Tour

California rockers dada have announced that they will be releasing their first new single in over a decade and will be hitting the road for a 25th Anniversary tour.
The new song is called "The Bluebird" and was recorded last month with producer/engineer David Way (Pink, Paul McCartney, Foo Fighters, more) at The Waystation in Los Angeles.

The band plans to release the new track this summer to coincide with the launch of their summer and fall anniversary tour and they will also be offering a signed limited edition vinyl 45 of the single. Read more here.

Godsmack Pushing Back New Album Plans To 20th Anniversary

Godsmack have decided to push back the release of their new studio album until next year to coincided with the band's special plans to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their self-titled debut.
Frontman Sully Erna shared a rough outline of the group's plans during an interview with The Rod Ryan Show (via TeamRock). The singer told the show, "We were going to drop a record this year as we didn't want the records to be so spaced apart. But it seems like a theme with us - it's always three or four years before another record comes out.

"Part of that is because by the time it takes you to write and record and tour an album, it's 18 months to two years. But this time, we wanted to do something this year, but we were like, 'You know, let's just wait another second,' because if we release this at the top of 2018, it will be our 20 anniversary of the first record - and we want to do something special." Read more here.

The 1975's New Album May Be Their Last

The 1975 will release their next album, Music for Cars, in 2018. But frontman Matty Healy suggested during a recent interview that the new studio effort may possibly be their last, according to Radio.com.
Healy made the revelation during a recent interview on Beats 1 where he said, "We were always gonna do a trilogy of records. I'm not saying that after this album it's the end of The 1975, but it's the end of an era."

Healy shared the album title and projected 2018 release via a social media post earlier this year. The new album will be the follow-up to their 2016 album "I like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it." Read more here.

The Juliana Theory Add Dates To 20th Anniversary Tour

The Juliana Theory had good news for fans on Monday. The reunited band has announced several additional dates to their upcoming 20th Anniversary tour.
The trek will be kicking off on July 29th in Columbus, OH at the Double Happiness and is now scheduled to run until September 10th where it will conclude in San Francisco, CA at The Regency Ballroom.

Frontman Brett Detar had this to say about the band regrouping for this special tour, "You step away from something for seven years and you realize you miss the small stuff - all the joking around with your buddies. Even just the band text chain that started once we decided to do this tour - full of us all making fun of each other and kidding around - that kind of stuff.

"It's hard to quantify the relationship you have when you're in a band with people you've known forever - some since you were 5 or 6 years old. You literally grow up with these guys. Every failure and every success you share for so long and I think that forms a very deep bond that doesn't really diminish over time." See the dates here.

The Afghan Whigs Announce North American Tour

The Afghan Whigs have announced that they will launching a North American tour this fall in support of their forthcoming album "In Spades", which is set to hit stores in various formats this Friday, May 5th.
The U.S. and Canadian trek is scheduled to kick off on September 6th in Orlando, Fl at The Social and will be concluding on October 26th in Houston, TX at Heights Theater.

The band will also be launching a European tour this summer which is set to get underway on May 26th in Manchester at the Cathedral and will be running until August 13th where it will wrap up in Helsinki at the Flow Festival. See all of the dates here.

Adrenaline Mob Release 'King Of The Ring' Video

Adrenaline Mob have released a new music video for their track "King Of The Ring". The song comes from the group's forthcoming album "We The People," which is set to be released on June 2nd.
"King Of Ring" is the first recording revealed from the new lineup of the group featuring recent additions Jordan Cannata (drums) and Dave Z (bass). Watch the Ron Cote directed video here.

The band will be hitting the road next month to promote the new album. The U.S. tour is scheduled to begin on June 16th in Poughkeepsie, NY at The Loft and will wrap up on July 22nd in Clifton, NJ at Dingbatz. See the dates here.

Sacred Reich Announce 30th Anniversary Tour

Sacred Reich have announced that they will be launching North American and European tours this summer and fall to celebrate the 30th anniversary of their debut album "Ignorance".
The U.S. and Canadian leg of the 30 Years Of Ignorance Tour will feature support from Byzantine on all but the final two dates and is scheduled to begin on September 14th at The Observatory in Santa Ana, CA.

The European leg of the anniversary trek will be kicking off on July 26th at The Underworld in London and will be concluding on August 22nd at the Kyttaro Club in Athens. See the dates here.

Motionless In White Streaming New Song 'Rats'

Motionless In White have released an online stream of their new track "Rats". The song comes from the band's debut studio album "Graveyard Shift", which is scheduled to be released this Friday (May 5th.)
The band premiered the song on BBC Radio 1's Rock Show With Daniel P Carter, and it follows the release of their current Active Rock top 20 single "LOUD (F*ck It)," and the songs "570" and "Eternally Yours".

They will be hitting the road to promote the new album with music festival appearances and joining the second leg of In This Moment's Half God Half Devil Tour this summer. Stream the new song here.

Queensryche Making Progress On Music For Next Album(hennemusic)

Queensryche vocalist Todd La Torre revealed an update on the band's work on the follow-up to 2015's "Condition Human" during an interview with The Metal Voice.
"Right now, we have around fifteen songs," he said. "Not all of them are completed. There are many that are. There are many that have all the arrangements. I went to Seattle and stayed there for a week to ten days, and we just worked on arrangements. Like, 'Okay, here's a good intro, here's a verse, here's a bridge, here's a chorus.' 'Cause once you have that established, there's pretty much your song."

The Seattle rockers were originally aiming to hit the studio earlier this year, but La Torre explains that schedule has been revised. "Right now the tentative recording timeline is to get into the studio September," he says. "It was supposed to be March. But we did a hundred shows last year, and when you only have four days off at home, you're not locking yourself in your studio to work. And you can't force creativity - good stuff." Read more here.

This Wild Life Release Cover Of Nirvana's 'Heart Shaped Box'

This Wild Life are paying tribute to Nirvana with the release of their cover of the grunge icon's classic hit "Heart-Shaped Box", which has been released as a digital single and can be streamed online.
Singer and guitarist Kevin Jordan revealed why the group decided to cover the song, "Growing up in the 90's I think every kid loved Nirvana, but as I grew older I started to appreciate the songwriting and artistry more. While digging back into these old records this song really jumped out at me due to the beautiful but simultaneously haunting melody in the verses.

"I thought it would be a fun and challenging project to approach this song 24 years later with a dark and cathartic arrangement without the huge drums and guitars. Anthony (del Grosso) and I produced the track ourselves after our last US Tour and we hope it comes across as an ode to a songwriter who left this place far too soon." Stream it here.

Mark Mackay Announces Album Release Party

Country-rocker Mark Mackay has announced a special release party for his brand new album "Trials & Tribulations," which will be taking place on May 11th in Los Angeles.
Mackay will be joined at the special show at Lucky Strike Live with performances from Tina Michelle and the Rhinestone Cowboys and Bleeding Harp.

Mark had this to say about the Phil Dixon produced album, "This album compiles my personal songwriting and co-written material, along with outside finds, but all of the tracks remain true to my artistry.

"I think the flow of this album has a quality that traditional country fans will appreciate, while including enough mainstream influence for today's audience." Read more here.

Mastodon's Brent Hinds Does Marriage Proposal Onstage(hennemusic)

Mastodon vocalist/guitarist Brent Hinds proposed to his girlfriend Raisa Moreno on stage during the band's April 28 show at Iron City in Birmingham, AL, and video of the event has surfaced online.
Hinds delivered his proposal at the end of the concert, while his grandmother watched from her seat on stage after rocking out during the evening. The Birmingham stop comes just two weeks into Mastodon's North American tour in support of their seventh album, "Emperor Of Sand."

Recorded last year with producer Brendan O'Brien at the Quarry in Kennesaw, GA, the project recently scored a US Top 10 debut when it entered the Billboard 200 at No. 7. Watch the video here.

Singled Out: The RPMs's Oh My God

Brighton rockers The RPMs are gearing up to release their new EP "Agents Of Change" on June 2nd and to celebrate we asked frontman Jack Valero to tell us about the lead single "Oh My God." Here is the story:
I've always been interested in current events and social commentary and music that reflects it's time. I'd spend most of my late teens listening to songs from the sixties singing about Vietnam, civil rights and the many other issues of that period. I would almost feel jealous of the singer-songwriters back then for having so much to right and talk about, but you know what they say 'be careful what you wish for'. And of course in the last few years I've had no end of things to write about, however what hasn't seemed to change is my generation's lack of identity. Most of the generations before us especially in the previous century have had something to define them such as war or cultural changes. But my generation seems more lethargic and blasé when finding something that brings us all together. Which made me feel somewhat alone. And one day I was thinking all this through and feeling pretty helpless in the face of it all. As I watched the world seem to twist and change out of shape and go backwards completely out of my control I felt somewhat foolish for even caring. I mean what was the point? Even with all my faith in humanity and all the emotional energy put in it all seemed to just end up the same way. And that is where I got the first line of 'Oh My God'.

It was literally what I said in my head, 'Oh my god, what even is the point of it?'. Just a sincere and honest question I kept asking myself, expressing my exasperated frustration at the world. I kept saying it over and over again as I was driving down the road on my own late one night. Then a girl I knew suddenly popped into my head and I thought about how all the girls I'd been with had smoked and how they all tasted like ash when I kissed them. Thats when the final part of the chorus appeared in my mind 'Stuck here counting my regrets, another girl that tastes like cigarettes'. Then the chords came rushing to me, I was humming the top line and the song came into existence! I actually got so excited that I did't realise I was speeding and ended up getting caught by a camera, but the 5 hour long speed awareness course gave me lots of time to think up more lyrics.

As I continued to write the rest the lyrics they very naturally began to from around my frustrations with the world and my feelings of helplessness already set up by the sentiment of the chorus. They came fast and smooth, almost like I'd already written it and was copying it down. Every lyric absolutely nailing the worries and feelings I had been wrestling with. I then brought it to a rehearsal with the others, who began to add their own musical flares to it. Callum (drummer) made the great suggestion we hit the chords once and let them ring out on the chorus as to emphasise the emotion it was expressing and Miguel (bass player) adding bass licks that made the simple chord structure far more interesting. We played it together and made some changes here and there, but we pretty much had the thing done in a week.

It's weird creativeness and inspiration, it's not something you can just switch on and off. It just appears out of nowhere and flows like a river before disappearing again. It's always there on the peripherals of your mind and if you focus on it too much, it'll never work. But ignore it and it'll come and find you and your best work yet may just fall into your lap when you least expect it.

Tim Abrigg Jr.'s Rock and Roll News Of The Day!: Today's Day In Rock News!

2017-04-27T13:22:00.001-04:00

Tim Abrigg Jr.'s Rock and Roll News Of The Day!: Today's Day In Rock News!: Today's Day in Rock Stories Former Guns N' Roses Star Cut Ties To Axl Rose Former Guns N' Roses guitarist Ron "B...

Today's Day In Rock News!

2017-04-27T13:20:00.002-04:00

Today's Day in Rock Stories

Former Guns N' Roses Star Cut Ties To Axl Rose

Former Guns N' Roses guitarist Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal reveals that he has not spoken to Axl Rose since he left the group but he is happy to see the current reunion with Rose, Slash and Duff McKagan.
Thal has moved on since leaving the group in 2014 and is now part of the supergroup Art Of Anarchy. He was asked in a interview if he has spoken to Axl since his departure from the group.

He answered, "No. The relationship is over between me and them. They're doing fine and I'm doing fine and that's the way it's supposed to be. I don't regret leaving. I wish it could have smoother on a personal level.

"I'm happy to see what they're doing now and I'm glad I was able to be part of their world that makes people so happy at the shows. It was a gift. I'm grateful and I thank them for it."

Bauhaus's Peter Murphy Suffering Serious Vocal Cords Issues

Bauhaus icon Peter Murphy has revealed that doctors have discovered nodules on his vocal cords, which has forced him to postpone his upcoming Residency at the Chapel in San Francisco until early next year.
Murphy will be receiving treatment for the nodules but it will also require a lengthy recovery. He had this message for fans, "As you can see, I am not allowed to sing or speak for a while, doctor's orders. I must rest my vocal cords. See you when this is over. Love, Peter."

The residency has now been moved to January and February of 2018 and will include special shows that are each focused on a different album from his career.

Peter also announced that he has expanded plans for the series of concerts with two additional shows called Mr. Moonlight" which will focus of Bauhaus classics. Read more including the rescheduled dates here.

Darkest Hour Frontman Slams Victory Records

Darkest Hour frontman John Henry has criticized Victory Records and says that despite releasing five albums with the label and selling hundreds of thousands of copies, he has yet to see a royalty check from the record company.
Henry isn't the first artist to be critical of the Chicago based label. A Day To Remember won a lengthy legal battle against Victory last year with a jury awarding the band $4 million in alleged unpaid royalties, according to Altpress.

On a recent episode of the Lead Singer Syndrome podcast with Silverstein's Shane Told, Henry had this to say (via Lambgoat), "We were one of the few bands that completed a Victory contract. Five albums, yeah, ten years baby. Still haven't seen a royalty check. Hundreds of thousands of units SoundScanned, you know? Not one penny.

"So, maybe someday, we'll get something from them, I don't know... not that it's all about the money or anything … Feeding yourself is pretty tight." Listen to the full podcast here.

Mastodon Offshoot Arcadea Stream New Song 'Infinite End'

Mastodon star Brann Dailor's cosmic synth/psych side project called Arcadea have released an online stream of a brand new track entitled "Infinite End."
The song comes from the group's forthcoming self-titled debut album which is set to be released on June 16th. Aside from Dailor, the band also features Zruda's Core Atoms and Withered's Raheem Amlani/

The cosmic synth/psych collective known as Arcadea has premiered a new song called "Infinite End" today. The song is found on the band's debut, self-titled album that's set for release on June 16th via Relapse Records.

According to the announcement, the trio "tell the story of a future 5 billion years from now where galaxies have collided, leaving catastrophic disorder in its wake as war is waged among gods and planets, and Arcadea reign supreme as the last surviving space wizards since the final extinction." Stream the song here.

Avenged Sevenfold Release 'God Damn' Video

Avenged Sevenfold have released a new music video for their track "God Damn". The song comes from the group's latest album "The Stage", which they released last fall.
Frontman M. Shadows had these comments about the new Anders Rostad directed clip (via TeamRock), "There's a bunch of ideas that were thrown into the mixing bowl there - but the main idea was to get fans involved and make sure the kids knew this is a song full of energy first and foremost.

"But at the same time, we wanted the technological hint in there, so as the video progresses you start seeing things glitching out and all of a sudden the world turns digital."

He adds: "By the end, there's a little nod to the lyrics - you see an eyeball kind of in there as an Easter egg, which is kind of big brother watching what we do the whole time as the humans turn into a digital world." Watch the video here.

The Melvins Announce Massive North American Tour

The Melvins are in an epic mood lately. Not only will they be releasing a new double album this summer, they are planning to hit the road for a massive North American tour.
The tour will span the summer into the fall and is scheduled to kick off on July 5th in San Diego, CA at the Casbah and will run until October 3rd where it will wrap up in Flagstaff, AZ at The Green Room.

The band has recruited Spotlights to support them on the trek and The Melvins will also be taking part in Tool's special one-off festival like show at the Glen Helen Amphitheater in San Bernardino, Ca on June 24th.

The Melvins are launching the tour in support of their forthcoming double album "A Walk With Love & Death" which is scheduled to be released on July 7th. See the dates here.

Converge Begin Recording New Studio Album

Converge have entered the recording studio to begun work on their new studio album, according to a new social media post from drummer Ben Koller.
He took to Instagram on Wednesday and shared with fans, "Well this is intimidating. 0 down, 18 to go. Please post your favorite inspirational quotes to guide me through this difficult time. "

The new album will follow the group's 2012 effort "All We Love We Leave Behind". The band will also be hitting the road this summer for a series of music festival appearances and a short tour with Neurosis and Amenra. See the dates here.

The Afghan Whigs Release 'Oriole' Video

The Afghan Whigs have released a brand new video for their track "Oriole". The song comes from their forthcoming album "In Spades", which is set to hit stores on May 5th.
The NSFW video was directed by Amy Nicole Hood and can be streamed here. The new studio effort will be offered in a variety of formats including CD, a 180 gram vinyl and digitally.

The band has also revealed the first round of live dates in support of the new album, beginning with a sold out show at the famed Apollo Theater in Harlem on May 23rd, followed by a European tour. Read more here.

The Church Announce U.S. Summer Tour Dates

Alternative rock icons The Church have announced that they will be visiting the United States this summer where they will be launching a short series of live dates.
The run of summer dates is scheduled to begin on June 28th in Ann Arbor, MI at The Ark and will be wrapping up on July 8th in Pawling, NY at Daryl's House.

The trek will include a performance at this year's Summerfest in Milwaukee on June 29th, stops in Cincinnati, Nashville, a two night stand at the City Winery in Chicago, Richmond and Ardmore, PA. See the dates here.

Sevendust Announce 20th Anniversary Tour

Sevendust have announced that they will be hitting the road this summer for a short run of shows where they will be celebrating the 20th anniversary of their debut album.
The band released their self-titled album in 1997 and will now stage some special concert in the eastern U.S. this June where they will be performing the effort in full.

The shows are scheduled to kick off on June 21st in Baltimore, MD at Rams Head Live! and will be concluding on June 25th in Worcester, MA with a show at The Palladium. Read more here.

Halestorm's Lzzy Hale Warns Bands Of Wrong Motivations

Halestorm frontwoman Lzzy Hale says bands should pursue music because they love it and warns up and coming groups to avoid any other motivations including greed.
Hale was asked by Rawkus Radio (via NRT) what advise she would offer to young bands and she responded, "Number one is absolutely do it because you love it," said Lzzy. "Don't do it for any other reason. We've seen so many bands just crumble because their idea of success is money or getting people to know you and all this stuff.

"We're all perpetually, like, 14 inside; we haven't really grown up. And we still get that same feeling right before a show, and it's like we're 14 again. And it's because we love it. It has nothing to do with any of the petty things." Read more here.

In This Moment Announce North American Summer Tour

In This Moment appear to be having so much fun on their current North American tour that the band has announced plans for a new summer leg and revealed most of the new dates.
The run of shows are currently scheduled to kick off with a special show on June 19th in Mt Pleasant, MI at Soaring Eagle Casino where they will be supporting Avenged Sevenfold.

The final announced dates will be taking place on August 5th in Lincoln, NE at the Centennial Mall & M Street. In This Moment have recruited Motionless in White, former Slipknot star Joey Jordison's new band Vimic, and Little Miss Nasty as the support acts for the trek. Read more here.

Red Fang Star Intimidated Sharing Stage With Slayer

Red Fang's Bryan Giles was a featured guest on the latest Wikimetal podcast and revealed during the interview that he finds sharing the stage with Slayer intimidating.
Giles on what it is like to play a festival with Slayer and he responded, "There are Metal fans and there are Slayer fans. I love Slayer, I'm a huge fan. It's intimidating [playing with them] because if you ask me, they're the best Metal band in the world.

"They have consistently put out some of the best Metal records and they never compromised their sound for changing styles. They stayed true to what they're doing. Even the best Metal bands in the world, they moved with the fashion. And Slayer never did that." Listen to the full episode here.

Paradise Lost Reveal New Details For Forthcoming Album

Paradise Lost have revealed some new details about their forthcoming album, which they are planning to release towards the end of this coming summer and will be entitled "Medusa".
Greg Mackintosh promises, "The new album will be slower, sludgier and more doom filled than ever before. Eight riff laden monster tracks of sheer Northern misery."

The band is currently wrapping up work on the album which they recorded at the Orgone Studios in Woburn, England. It will following their 2015 record "The Plague Within" and the group plans to reveal more details soon.

Pearl Jam Announce Complete Scores Book(Gibson)

Pearl Jam announced the release of Pearl Jam Anthology -- The Complete Scores, a 800-page hardcover book with lyrics and instrument transcriptions for each one of the group's album tracks, all the way from "Ten" to "Lightning Bolt."
Pearl Jam Anthology -- The Complete Scores, which will run $75 retail, is available for pre-order on Pearl Jam's website and Amazon at lower price. The book will arrive next month.

In other news, Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready is gearing up to release a photo book, called of Potato Heads and Polaroids, on May 30. McCready will also host some live events to promote the book, including a date May 30 in Seattle and June 7 in New York City. Read more here.

Enslaved Enter The Studio For New Album

Enslaved have announced that they have begun studio work on their forthcoming 14th studio album, the follow-up to their 2015 release "In Times".
The group is recording the new effort at Duper & Solslottet Studios in the city of Bergen in their native Norway and mixing and mastering will be handled by Jens Bogren at Fascination Street Studios.

Ivar Bjornson had this to say, "It is absolutely fantastic to be in the studio with these new songs. So many doors were opened with In Times and the times (sic) that followed; for us as a band, for me as a composer and I guess for us all on a personal level." Read more here.

Mark Slaughter Launches 'Halfway There' Video Series

Mark Slaughter has launched a new video series where he is offering fans a behind the scenes look at his forthcoming solo album "Halfway There", which is set to be released on May 26th.
The first episode of the new in-studio video series gives fans a look at a song called "Conspiracy". The new album was produced and co-mixed by Slaughter with John Cranfield (AFI, Andy Grammer).

Fans can also catch Slaughter live this spring with appearances at some of the leading music festivals including Rocklahoma and the Outer Banks Music Festival. Watch the new video clip here.

Justin Symbol & The God Bombs Release 'Godhead' Video

Justin Symbol & The God Bombs has released a music video for their new track "Godhead". The song is the title cut from their forthcoming sophomore album, which they plan to release in October.
The new clip is said to be "an homage to 70s psychedelic/occult film makers such as Alejandro Jodorowsky and Kenneth Anger" and was filmed in Joshua Tree last June.

According to the announcement, the song "tells the story of Justin Symbol's quest for a mystical cactus shaped microphone atop a mountain in Joshua Tree. He is challenged along the way by various evil forces attempting to thwart his conquest." Watch the video here.

Skillet's John Cooper Takes Part In Marvel's Playback

Skillet's John Cooper is featured in a new installment of Marvel's Playback series where he shares his love for comics, and the revealed lessons he's learned from their stories and heroes.
"What makes a hero is someone who does something selfless…Someone who stands up for someone who is weak," says Cooper. "Working in rock and roll is good, but being a hero is better."

In other Skillet news, the band's latest single "Back From The Dead" is set to be used in SyFy's new series, Blood Drive. The episode featuring the Skillet track will be the premiere of the show on June 14th. Watch the Marvel's Playback video here.

Singled Out: Onesie's Daytime King

Onesie just released a video for their song "Daytime King" and to celebrate we asked the group's mastermind Ben Haberland to share the story behind the track with us. Here is the story:
Like most Onesie songs, "Daytime King" one was born from a guitar idea I stumbled on while noodling around on my couch. The cyclical, climbing riff was likely inspired by Blur's "There's No Other Way", a song I've loved for many years. I wanted to evoke a loose kind of shuffling feel with that guitar hook weaving around a repeating bass and drum groove. It needed a twist, so In the verse there's a wall of Big Muff guitars that sort of interrupts the flow ands disappears pretty quickly. I made a casual bedroom demo of the song back in 2013. I remember overdubbing the shaker and really getting into "snare hunter" mode to stay on beat. There's that great moment in the Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers doc where he talks about how vital the shaker was in mixing "Refugee". I have a tendency to write too many parts but thankfully the shaker helped temper that and glue the disparate pieces together. I was worried that the overall feel landed somewhere between Kool and The Gang and Spin Doctors but when the band played it we really dug into the dynamics and enjoyed how different it was than the rest of the songs.

I keep an ongoing notepad file of lyrical ideas on my phone. When I'm demoing, I'll pull out a line that works with the music and it generally flows from there. Though this set of lyrics are kind of random and whimsical, the line "you're right there with me, jingling the keys" is pretty close to my heart. It was inspired by working on photo shoots and watching the trick of the jingling keys to make toddlers look in the direction of the camera. The same trick actually terrifies my cat into coming back into our apartment when she gets too curious about the hallway. Life is constantly sending you distractions that make you second guess your choices. You can either react to the jingling keys or you can put on your blinders and persevere. It's an ode to staying focused on your own long game through the ceaseless noise.

Since the guitar/bass relationship was kind of busy, I went for a vocal cadence that is less lyrically dense than than something I would typically write. With vocals piping in and out like horns over the groove, I got into the frame of mind of Steely Dan and layered in some harmonies that made everything smoother. The actual phrase 'Daytime King' became lodged in my brain after going to a Late Show with David Letterman taping a few years ago. Regis Philbin was the guest, and it was great because he was not promoting anything. It was a very relaxed, friendly visit, with stream of conscious chatting. At some point the term "King Of Daytime" came up and I wrote it down. It's one of those perfectly hollow titles of celebrity nobility. I mean, I associate daytime TV with boredom or failure- something negative. He was just so self-assured and charming about accepting his role as THE Daytime King. A few weeks later there was a big Winter storm in New York, and as the song says they did indeed "close the city".

This song has a fun extended breakdown with both two of my favorite things happening at once- a mosh beat and a harmony solo! I have a tendency to go crazy with layering those Thin Lizzy guitar parts. They're just so tasty. I'll end with a little trivia. The spoken line in the bridge right before the solo is pretty much a direct quote from a moment of punk rock triumph in a lesser celebrated John Hughes movie. It's one of those lines that drifted around my subconscious for decades and it just came out when we were overdubbing and sounded right.

Tim Abrigg Jr.'s Rock and Roll News Of The Day!: Today's Day In Rock News!

2017-01-18T10:40:00.001-05:00

Tim Abrigg Jr.'s Rock and Roll News Of The Day!: Today's Day In Rock News!: Today's Day in Rock Stories Ozzy Osbourne Leads Music Festival Lineup Ozzy Osbourne leads the big names lined up for the second annu...

Today's Day In Rock News!

2017-01-18T10:37:00.000-05:00

Today's Day in Rock Stories

Ozzy Osbourne Leads Music Festival Lineup

Ozzy Osbourne leads the big names lined up for the second annual Chicago Open Air festival, which will mark the metal legend's first solo concert following the retirement of Black Sabbath.
Apart of Ozzy, the festival will be calling out the big guys with sets from Megadeth, KISS, Rob Zombie, Anthrax, Korn, Godsmack, Stone Sour, Slayer, Lamb Of God, Seether, Meshuggah,Lamb Of God, Seether, Meshuggah and more.

The festival is set to take place on July 14th, 15th and 16th at the Toyota Park in Highland, IL with KISS headlining the opening night, Korn leading the lineup the second night and Ozzy closing out the final night. here.

Grim Reaper Frontman Has Part Of His Leg Amputated

Grim Reaper frontman Steve Grimmett has had part of his leg amputated as he battles a serious infection, according to posts made by his wife Millie on social media.
Grimmett was hospitalized following a Steve Grimmett's Grim Reaper concert in Guayaquil, Ecuador on Saturday night (January 14th). His wife posted the following initial message on the band's Facebook page, "As many of you know steve was taken Ill at Saturday nights gig and he sung most of it sitting down.

"After the show Steve was taken to hospital where he had an operation to remove an infection from his foot and bones. He is still in hospital in Guayaquil but this is all I know right now. Once I have more information I will let you know. Thank you for all your support and kind words. It means a lot."

Unfortunately, she revealed in a later update that the surgery did not work and he had to have part of his leg amputated. She wrote Tuesday, "unfortunately the operation didn't work and steve is currently in the operating theatre having limbs removed." Read more here.

Radiohead Announce U.S. Spring Tour Dates

Good news for Radiohead in the U.S., the band has announced that they will be playing a string of tour dates in various cities across the United States this spring.
The dates surround the acclaimed British's band's headline set at this year's Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival where they will be leading the lineup on April 14th and 21st.

Apart from the two weekend music festival appearances in Southern California, the band revealed plans to play additional shows in Miami, Atlanta, New Orleans, Kansas City, Seattle, Portland (OR), Santa Barbara, and Berkeley. Read more and see the dates here.

A Perfect Circle May Reveal New Music This Year

Tool fans may patiently be waiting for a new studio album but it appears that another of Maynard James Keenan's other bands A Perfect Circle may be releasing new music this year, according to comments from Billy Howerdel.
The band cofounder Howerdel sat down for an interview to discuss A Perfect Circle's recently announced U.S. tour dates, their first in six years and he revealed that fans may soon get the first new music from the acclaimed group since their 2004 album "Emotive".

He said cautiously, "We're not promising anything, but I have every intention of doing my best to have us playing some new tracks during this run, with the idea that new music is coming very soon after." Read more here.

Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds Announce U.S. Tour

The Dave Matthews Band may be taking this year off from their annual blockbuster summer tour but that will not keep the band's namesake from hitting the road.
Dave Matthews has announced that he will be teaming up with his frequent collaborator Tim Reynolds to launch acoustic tours of the United States and Europe this spring.

They will kick things off with the previously announced Dave & Tim Riviera Maya three day event that will be taking place in Mexico on February 23rd through 25th. Read more here.

Billy Corgan Fuels Hope For Smashing Pumpkins Reunion(New Rock Times)

Billy Corgan has fuelled hopes of a potential Smashing Pumpkins reunion by revealing he is in regular contact, and on good terms with some of his ex-band members.
The Pumpkins frontman and founder has patched up his differences with each of his founding member band mates in recent years, including D'Arcy Wretzky who he didn't speak to for almost 20-years.

Chicago Radio station WLUP report that a reunion could happen but it wouldn't be a long term thing. "I just talked to guitarist James Iha the other day, things look good for us getting together to play. We're talking about it, we'll see," he said.

"The reunion thing is always a bit weird, because then people come in with their expectations. So my whole thing is if we're going to do it, I think we do it to make people happy, and not go against the tide of what people would want to hear and that type of stuff, but my interest in it is sort of limited. I'm not going to do it for 14 years of my life." Read more here.

KISS Won't Make New Albums Due To Filesharing(New Rock Times)

Gene Simmons says illegal file sharing and downloading is the reason KISS are reluctant to record a new record insisting the band are not a charity and he has no interest in making a new record unless there is 'a financial model that works' for them.
The KISS mainman was speaking on The SDR Show and when questioned as to what keeps the band recording new music after four decades in the industry he responded.

"That's less of an incentive, because downloading and file sharing. People have convinced themselves they don't wanna pay for stuff," he said. "And last time I checked, KISS is not a charity. We're philanthropic, but I'll be the one that decides how much I give and where. I don't want some college kid to decide, 'You have enough money. I don't wanna pay for your record.' Okay, then go download and Radiohead record and see what happ… No, I ain't about that."

He added: "Make a distinction between commerce and philanthropy. So the idea of doing another Kiss record, unless and if there's a financial model that works, personally I'm not interested in it." Read more here.

Aerosmith and Los Lobos Stars Join Experience Hendrix Tour

The 2017 Experience Hendrix Tour just added more star power with the announcement that Aerosmith's Brad Whitford and David Hidalgo And Cesar Rosas from Los Lobos will be joining a few of the stops of this year's installment of the annual tribute tour.
They will be joining the lineup for select dates on the trek which will also include Buddy Guy, Black Label Society and former Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Zakk Wylde, Jonny Lang, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Dweezil Zappa, Keb' Mo', Doyle Bramhall II, Ana Popovic, The Slide Brothers, Mato Nanji from Indigenous, Beth Hart, and Jimi Hendrix Experience/Band of Gypsys bassist Billy Cox.

Brad Whitford will be taking part at the stops in Jackson, MS, Houston and San Antonio. He had this to say about his previous experience on the tour "It's such a wonderful atmosphere. Sometimes we'd get on the bus and travel at night and we're watching old Hendrix videos. It just doesn't stop. It's a great group of people." Read more here.

Metallica's Hetfield Sees No Reason For Bad Blood With Mustaine(New Rock Times)

Metallica frontman James Hetfield says there is no reason for any ill feeling to remain between him and former bandmate and Megadeth mainman Dave Mustaine.
Mustaine was famously kicked out of Metallica in the early 1980's but Hetfield insists it is all ancient history with each man making their own journey to the point in their lives where they sit today.

"There's no reason [for things] to not be good [between us]" he said. "At this point, we've all freakin' fell off the wagon, we've all gone into the ditch, we've all gotten back on track, we've all learned from our stuff. And at the end of the day, it's just journeys - everyone is doing a different journey - and why would you hold a grudge with someone or vice versa?"

In an interview with WTF with Marc Maron podcast Hetfield explained the catalyst for the historic 'Big 4' shows the band took part in alongside fellow thrash legends Megadeth, Anthrax and Slayer. "It really started [when Metallica was inducted into] the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame [in 2009]," he commented.

"Getting nostalgic and thinking, 'My God, look at all the people that have helped us along the way, and look who are still around. Let's say 'thank you' to them.' And so the 'Big Four' was kind of that thing. We're all still playing after thirty… whatever it was… thirty-two years. "Let's go do a gig together. I mean, why shouldn't we?" Read more here.

Black Sabbath Members Curate New 31-Track Release

As Black Sabbath approach the final show of their farewell tour on February 4th in their hometown of Birmingham, a new compilation from the metal legends will be hitting stores.
Rhino has announced that they will be releasing "The Ultimate Collection" on February 3rd, which will feature 31 classic tracks and was curated by the band members.

The compilation will be released in standard 2-CD and digital formats as well as a limited edition "Crucifold" 4-LP heavyweight vinyl version that will be housed in a case in the shape of a cross.

The tracks on the release were remastered by renowned engineer Andy Pearce (Motorhead, Deep Purple, Lou Reed, Iggy & The Stooges). See the tracklisting here.

George Harrison Vinyl Box Set Announced(hennemusic)

Late Beatles legend George Harrison's complete catalog of solo albums will be released in a new box set, "The Vinyl Collection", on February 24.
In sync with the late Beatle guitarist's 74th birthday the next day, the package includes all twelve of Harrison's studio albums - from 1968's "Wonderwall Music" to 2002's "Brainwashed" - complete with exact replicas of the original release track listing and artwork.

The project also delivers the 2LP "Live In Japan", as well as two 12" single picture discs from 1987's "Cloud Nine" - "When We Was Fab" and "Got My Mind Set On You."

Material for the catalog reissue has been newly-remastered from the original master tapes and pressed onto 180-gram heavyweight vinyl. The individual albums from the collection will also be available separately, with "All Things Must Pass" as a limited-edition title. Read more here.

Rolling Stones Documentary Coming To TV Next Month

Cable and satellite network AXS TV have announced that they will be broadcasting the Rolling Stones documentary "Crossfire Hurricane" on February 14th at 9pm E/6pm P.
The film, helmed by Brett Morgen, examines the legendary rock group's first twenty years from 1962 to 1981 and features exclusive interviews with past and present members Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Mick Taylor, Ronnie Wood, and Bill Wyman.

The movie was originally released on DVD and Blu-ray in 2013 and is available here. The synopsis reads: "Taking its title from a lyric in Jumpin' Jack Flash, Crossfire Hurricane gives the viewer an intimate insight into exactly what it's like to be part of The Rolling Stones as they overcome denunciation, drugs, dissensions and death to become the definitive survivors." Read more here.

Arch Enemy Release As The Stages Burn Trailer

Arch Enemy have released a trailer for their forthcoming DVD/Blu-Ray live release "As The Stages Burn!," which is set to hit stores on March 31st, 2017.

The release will feature footage that was captured by 13 cameras during the band's headline performance at Wacken Open Air music festival back in 2016 and the bonus material will include behind the scenes footage, the music videos from their "War Eternal" album, a previously unreleased "Time Is Black" video, as well as portions of their "Tokyo Sacrifice" live DVD.
"As The Stages Burn!" is set to be released in the following formats" limited edition CD+DVD Digipak, Gatefold 2LP+DVD and as digital album. Europe will also be offering fans a Ltd. Deluxe CD+DVD+Blu-ray Box Set. Watch the trailer here.

Sanctuary Streaming Rare 1986 Demo

Metal veterans Sanctuary have released a stream of a newly remastered version of their 1986 demo "Die For My Sins", which is just one of the tracks from their forthcoming "Inception" album.
Guitarist Lenny Rutledge had this to say about the demo, which can be streamed here, "Die for My Sins was always one of my favorite Sanctuary songs to play live. On the Inception version we left off the intro and the song starts right into the main riff. I think this version has a real 'in your face' edge to it.

"I'm excited that after much effort we were able to restore these nearly destroyed master tapes. Now we can share the proper audio versions with all of our fans!" here.

ONI Release Horror Themed Video Featuring Lamb of God's Randy Blythe

ONI have released a new music video for their track "The Only Cure", which features guest vocals from Lamb of God's Randy Blythe. The song comes from their 2016 album "Ironshore."
The video was directed and edited by Abraham Roofeh and was created as mini serial killer-themed horror film. Blythe had the following to say about the new clip:

"What a super creepy video! Horror fans will love it - the production is Hollywood film-quality. It looks like something out of a SAW or Hostel movie. I had a lot of fun with the ONI guys recording this track, and it's cool to see the music set to such dramatic scenery. Nightmares..." Watch the video here.

Walls Of Jericho Release 'Forever Militant' Video

Walls Of Jericho have released a new music video for their track "Forever Militant". The song comes from the group's 2016 studio album "No One Can Save You From Yourself."
The band had this to say about the new clip, "We shot this over the summer of 2016 at With Full Force Festival as a headliner of the main stage. The band really wanted to show the world what our live shows are live no matter what stage we play big or small.

"Getting ready to support Suicidal Tendencies in 2017 brings us back to Europe in a large club setting and we can't be more excited to see everyone up close and more personal. Forever Militant is a stand out track on our new album so be ready to see us play this song every night on The Persistence Tour." Watch the video here.

Corey Taylor Wants Full Guns N' Roses Reunion?(New Rock Times)

Slipknot and Stone Sour frontman Corey Taylor nailed his musical colors to the mast last week with an Instagram post showing his love for the classic line-up of Guns N' Roses.
A posted on his Instgram showed Taylor sipping from a coffee mug with the names of each of the classic line-up across the front. The reunited Guns N' Roses line-up, currently touring the wildly successful 'Not In This Lifetime' tour, has seen Slash and Duff McKagan reunite with frontman Axl Rose for the first time in more than 20-years.

Classic-era drummer Steven Adler has made a couple of guest appearances on the sticks but is not a fully-fledged member of the band while classic-era rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin has not been involved at all. See the photo here.

Ozomatli Announce Special Album Release Event(Glass Onyon)

Ozomatli have announced that they will be debuting their new album, Non-Stop, with a special event at the Troubadour in West Hollywood on Tuesday May 2, 2017.
The show will include appearances and performances by special guests including featured performers on the record and the inspirations behind the music.

Non-Stop was born from the concept of fusing two of music's most powerful traditions: classic and contemporary Mexican songs and signature Jamaican riddims. This record will be released by Cleopatra Records and consists of 14 iconic songs from the past century, re-imagined and re-born with the help of producers Sly & Robbie, one of Jamaica's most accomplished and respected drum and bass duos. here.

Deserted Fear Release 'Open Their Gates' Video

Deserted Fear have released a new music video for their track "Open Their Gates". The song comes from the group's forthcoming album "Dead Shores Rising", which is set to be released on January 27th.

They had the following to say about the new clip, "While you guys are freezing your asses off, we are reminiscing about our last summer. With our latest video, we would love you to take part in our trip to nature - maybe this will distract you from those low temperatures.
"It got pretty hot and sometimes things happen to be different than you thought, but see for yourselves. One thing is for sure, summer will come! With these words in mind, enjoy 'Open Their Gates'!" Watch the video here.

Singled Out: Karabas Barabas' Being A Man

Karabas Barabas' Werdna tells us about their new single "Being a Man" from their new album "Return of the Sexy Demon", which was produced by Steve Albini (Nirvana, Pixies, The Breeders, Foxy Shazam). Here is the story:
The whole concept came from an incident a couple years back. When a drunk ex roommate asked me "What you know about being a man?" I started to think about the contrast between the old way of being a man--tough, brave, invincible--contrasted with the pressures of the modern man, who's become more emasculated, and about the social pressures and the parameters set on what a man should be.

One day at rehearsal Phranque was playing the main riff. I knew as soon as I heard it that it was going to have to be "what you know about being a man". So we started chanting it. Later that night on our way up to Massachusetts we wrote the verse's in the car. We wanted to capture the psyche of the modern man vs a man from the 40s.

Tim Abrigg Jr.'s Rock and Roll News Of The Day!: Today's Day In Rock News!

2016-12-27T11:08:00.001-05:00

Tim Abrigg Jr.'s Rock and Roll News Of The Day!: Today's Day In Rock News!: Today's Day in Rock Stories Guns N' Roses Reunion Is Really Lame Says Def Leppard Guitarist 2016 In Review Def Leppard guitaris...

Today's Day In Rock News!

2016-12-27T11:06:00.002-05:00

Today's Day in Rock Stories

Guns N' Roses Reunion Is Really Lame Says Def Leppard Guitarist 2016 In Review

Def Leppard guitarist Phil Collen made headlines in February when he shared his view of the reunion between Axl Rose, Slash and Duff McKagan and Collen does not appear impressed with the Guns N' Roses reunion or their original split back in the day.
"We obviously think it's really f****** lame," Collen tells The Telegraph. "I love Guns N' Roses, I think they're really cool, I'd love to see Slash and Axl and Duff play together, that's great. But I think it's f****** lame considering we've been hardcore. Our integrity's still intact, we've never split up. We've gone through if someone had a little sniffle or something, we soldier on.

"Someone dies, someone loses an arm, someone gets cancer, we soldier on. With Guns N' Roses, if someone has a little barney backstage, they can't deal with each other. I know it's difficult, but I do think it's pretty lame when you compare anyone else to us." Read the original report here.

David Lee Roth Shoots Down Van Halen Break Up Speculation 2016 In Review

David Lee Roth's management has struck down online speculation back in February that a new song that he revealed via his online video series The Roth Show has anything to do with Van Halen and him leaving the reunited group.
Roth recently returned with the online show and a new episode features a somber song called "Ain't No Christmas." The lyrics and the mood of the song led some to question if he was singing about parting ways with Eddie Van Halen and the band.

One person that saw that possible correlation was Van Halen Rising author Greg Renoff who wrote on his blog, "Roth's vocal performance here is mournful and somber. His lyrics express feelings of bitterness and regret," Renoff wrote. "My take is that the lyrics provide a commentary on Roth's recent months with Van Halen and perhaps a window into the future of Van Halen." He then posed the question "Is Roth singing about a lost love? Or is he speaking about Edward?"

The Van Halen News Desk, the leading online source for news and information about the band, reached out to Roth's management to get to the bottom of the speculation. The frontman's reps told the site, "It's poetry. It has nothing to do with Van Halen." Read the original report here.

Deep Purple Refused Rock Hall Reunion With Ritchie Blackmore 2016 In Review(hennemusic)

Deep Purple Refused Rock Hall Reunion With Ritchie Blackmore was a top 16 story of 2016. The band refused to perform with the founding guitarist at the band's April 8 induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. After a pair of acrimonious splits in the 70s and 90s, Deep Purple will not turn the clock back to reconnect with one of their founding members.
"We were faced with a hard decision when we heard about the Hall Of Fame inductions," explains singer Ian Gillan. "It was a surprise to us that [current members] Steve Morse and Don Airey did not qualify as inductees.

"Ian Gillan, Ian Paice and Roger Glover decided upon the offer of a compromise which has been agreed with the Hall Of Fame and enables us to turn up on the night. Deep Purple inductees will accept the awards and then the living breathing Deep Purple will perform.

"It should be stressed that there is no slight intended nor any desire to upset anyone regarding this decision; it is purely a mark of respect to Steve and Don. I spoke with David Coverdale last week and he expressed complete understanding of the way it was being handled. Thanks, David. You're a gent.

Outside of this event, there are no circumstances under which a 'reunion' could or would take place. So, let's all get up there, shake hands, smile for the cameras and get it done with dignity and respect for all the existing and past members of a very special family."

Blackmore's camp issued a response to the news by informing fans via social media. "Ritchie was honored by the offer of induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame," read the official statement. "He was discussing the possibility of attending, until we received correspondence from the President of the Rock Hall of Fame, who said that Bruce Payne, management for the current Deep Purple Touring Band, had said "No"..........!!!!!" Therefore Ritchie will not be attending the ceremony. He sincerely thanks all the fans that voted for him for their support." The Rock Hall also addressed the claim that Blackmore was "banned" from the ceremony. Read their comments here.

Corey Taylor Might 'Step Away' From Slipknot At Some Point 2016 In Review(Metal Hammer)

Corey Taylor made news in February when he stated that it is possible he could quit Slipknot one day - because he might not have the energy required to keep fronting the band. And he admits he's only begun to consider the possibility after realizing that he's "not young any more."
Taylor tells BBC Radio 1's Daniel P Carter: "If you'd asked me a year ago I would have said 'no.' But just now, I'm just starting to… I'm 42. And as willing as my will is, I'm just beat up, man. I might as well be 60 in Slipknot years."

But he doesn't think he'd ever fully retire. "I might step away from Slipknot at some point, just because the way the music is, that energy, I don't know if I could do that into my 50s.

"I would never want the band to feel like I was holding them back because I couldn't physically do it. I wouldn't completely quit music - I'd probably just step away from Slipknot." Read the original report here.

The Doors Reunite For Ray Manzarek Tribute Event 2016 In Review(hennemusic)

Surviving members of The Doors - guitarist Robbie Kreiger and drummer John Densmore - reunited in Los Angles on February 12 for a performance tribute to their late bandmate Ray Manzarek and several videos from the show have been posted online.
Billed as "A Celebration For Ray Manzarek", the show at the Fonda Theatre took place on what would have been the keyboardist's 77th birthday; he passed away from bile duct cancer in Rosenheim, Germany in 2013 at the age of 74.

With all proceeds from the event going to benefit Stand Up To Cancer, Friday's concert saw Krieger and Densmore joined by a cast of guests including Taylor Hawkins of the Foo Fighters, Warren Haynes of Gov't Mule, Exene Cervenka and John Doe of X, Annika Rose of Breaking 27, Rami Jaffee, Robert DeLeo of Stone Temple Pilots, Krieger's son Wayne, and Jane's Addiction drummer Stephen Perkins, among others.

Lead vocals were shared among several artists throughout the show, including: Hawkins on "Alabama Song (Whisky Bar)" and "Love Me Two Times", Haynes on "When The Music's Over", Krieger's son Wayne on "Break On Through (To The Other Side)", Doe on "Riders On The Storm", and a shared ensemble vocal on the night's finale "Light My Fire."

"A Celebration For Ray Manzarek" marked the first time Krieger and Densmore shared the stage together in over 15 years. Check out the videos from the show here.

David Bowie Turned Down Dave Grohl Collaboration 2016 In Review(Radio.com)

Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl had a top 16 story of Feb 16 after he revealed in a interview segment for Playboy that he approached David Bowie to join a film song project he worked on in the 90s, but the legendary star politely turned him down.
Bowie declined--stating after he watch the film, that is was not "his thing." Grohl remembered a night around 1997 when he played a 50th birthday celebration for Bowie at Madison Square Garden.

"About two years ago, I got approached by this movie to do a song for the movie, so I thought, 'Maybe I'll have someone else sing, I'll do the music and then have another vocalist.' And then I thought, "Maybe I'll ask and see if David would want to do it.'

"So the next day I get an email and it says, 'David, I watched the movie and I got to be honest, it's not my thing.' He said, 'I'm not made for these times.'" Watch the video segment to find out the funny way Bowie signed off on the conversation here.

Eagles Of Death Metal Return To The Stage In Paris 2016 In Review(Classic Rock)

Eagles Of Death Metal Return To The Stage In Paris was a top 16 story from Feb 2016: Jesse Hughes lead the Eagles Of Death Metal through an emotional but triumphant concert in Paris, and told the crowd: "You're stuck with me - I'm a Parisian now."
The concert, in the city's Olympia venue, was the band's first full-length show in France since the terror attack during their performance at the Bataclan in November, during which 89 people were shot dead.

Hughes had vowed to "finish the show" before it took place, but he admitted: "I don't want to fall to pieces in front of everyone. It's overwhelming. I just don't want to let anyone down."

EODM were joined on stage by co-founder Josh Homme, who hadn't been present in November. The band opened with I Only Want You, then stopped partway through for a moment of silence. They didn't perform Kiss The Devil, the track they'd just completed when the Bataclan massacre began.

Hughes, who spent much of the night blowing kisses to members of the audience, said at one point: "Let's make a deal - this is an emotional moment for me. So if I f*** this song up, ain't no one going to get mad at me." He used a guitar painted with the French tricolour for some of the show, and also held up a shirt that read "I really wannabe in Paris." Read more and see photos and video from the show here.

Ex-Nightwish Singer Anette Olzon Violently Attacked 2016 In Review(Prog)

Ex-Nightwish Singer Anette Olzon Violently Attacked was a top 16 story of 2016. The Former Nightwish star was taken to hospital after being attacked by a woman near her home in Sweden, she's reported. And she says the situation could have been worse than it was if passers-by hadn't stopped to help her.
Posting a picture of her head injuries, Olzon says: "I got beaten down and robbed by a junkie on my way home from my car. She hit me hard and I fell onto the stony street on my head. I'm shaken and bruised.

"The worst thing of all was that were were two adul men standing feet away, watching me get beaten, doing nothing. Thank God a girl ran after, and finally two real men took the junkie down. She is now with the police."

She adds: "Drugs people are really dangerous. Please be careful out there." See her post including the photo here.

Two Jefferson Airplane Stars Died On Same Day 2016 In Review(hennemusic)

The death of original Jefferson Airplane vocalist Signe Anderson was a top 16 story for Feb 2016. Anderson died Jan. 28 at the age of 74 - the same day bandmate and guitarist Paul Kanter passed away.
"One sweet Lady has passed on," wrote Jefferson Airplane co-founder Marty Balin on Facebook. "I imagine that she and Paul woke up in heaven and said 'Hey what are you doing here? Let's start a band.'"

"She was a real sweetheart with a terrific contralto voice coming from a solid folk background," posted Airplane bassist Jack Casady on Facebook. "Listen to how she made the three part harmonies of 'JA Takes Off' (first album) sound so thick … her wonderful tone between Paul's and Marty's."

"Signe was one of the strongest people I have ever met," wrote Airplane lead guitarist Jorma Kaukonen on his blog. "She was our den mother in the early days of the Airplane … a voice of reason on more occasions than one … an important member of our dysfunctional little family." Read more here.

Black Sabbath's Disturbing Inspiration Recalled By Geezer 2016 In Review(Classic Rock)

Black Sabbath's Disturbing Inspiration Recalled was a top 16 story from Feb 2016: Geezer Butler has recalled seeing the apparition that inspired Black Sabbath's name and signature song - and he says it's one of the last disturbing visions he ever saw.
He woke up in bed one night in 1969 to see an indefinable creature at the foot of his bed, and later recounted the experience to bandmates Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi and Bill Ward about it.

Butler says in a new interview: "I woke up in a dream world and there was this black thing, staring at me. It just lasted a second, but it freaked me out. I told Ozzy, Tony and Bill about it - it was pretty scary at the time. I think that's what inspired Ozzy to come up with the lyrics that open the song: 'What is this thing that stands before me?'"

Osbourne says: "When I sang that song the line just came out of nowhere. It was born, not written." Butler continues: "As I child I always had a lot of psychic experiences. That was one of the very last ones I had. That was before I did drugs - maybe doing drugs killed that part of my brain." Read more here.

Jimmy Page Defends Himself In 'Stairway To Heaven' Lawsuit 2016 In Review(Classic Rock)

Led Zeppelin dominated the news in 2016 with the Stairway To Heaven trial. A top 16 story from Feb was about guitarist Jimmy Page defending himself against the claim that he based Stairway To Heaven on Spirit track Taurus by saying he first heard the other band's piece in 2014.
And although he's admitted to finding a copy of the 1968 record in his collection, he insists that he'd never listened to it. Spirit released Taurus three years before Led Zep launched Stairway, after the bands had toured the US together. Spirit bassist Mark Andes launched legal action two years ago, saying he wanted recognition for the work of late guitarist Randy California.

Page said in a California court declaration last week: "Prior to hearing a recording of Taurus in 2014 in connection with this matter, I have never heard Taurus or even heard of it. I am very good at remembering music and am absolutely certain that I never heard Taurus' until 2014."

He admitted to having a copy of the record, but added: "I had not previously seen it in my collection and do not know how or when it got there. It may well have been left by a guest. I doubt it was there for long, since I never noticed it before. But, again, I know I did not hear Taurus until 2014." Read more here.

Metallica Expanded Kill 'Em All and Ride The Lightning For Reissue 2016 In Review

Metallica had a top 16 story of Feb. 2016 when they revealed that fans helped them expand their first two album "Kill 'Em All" and "Ride The Lightning" for reissues that are set to be released on April 15th in CD, vinyl and limited edition deluxe box sets.
The band revealed the following details about the special reissues of the landmark albums, "A while back you may remember that we reached out to you for a little help as we began putting together reissues of both Kill 'Em All and Ride the Lightning. We are psyched to announce that the releases you've been helping us assemble will finally be hitting the streets on Friday, April 15 just in time for Record Store Day!

"Both albums have been remastered for the most advanced sound quality possible and will be available in three formats - CD, vinyl and a deluxe box set. The deluxe box sets include original source material from the band's personal collection with many never before heard or seen recordings along with books including rare photos and essays from those who were there." Read more here.

KISS Star Gene Simmons Grants Dying Teen's Final Wish 2016 In Review(Classic Rock)

KISS icon Gene Simmons had a top 16 story in February 2016 after it was learned that he granted a dying teenager's wish by visiting him in his hospital bed. The bassist and singer spent time with 17-year-old Dilan Kohn at the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at the Children's Hospital of Nevada in Las Vegas. Dilan died a few days after Simmons' visit, but staff have thanked him for making the youngster's dream come true.
A statement from staff at University Medical Center, where the Children's Hospital is based, says: "Last week, one of our patients, Dilan Kohn, got his final wish. The critically ill 17-year-old desperately wanted to meet and hang out with the rock'n'roll musician, Gene Simmons, from the band Kiss.

"Mr Simmons had not only been Dilan's idol, but also his inspiration growing up. Mr Simmons was sent an email request last Thursday afternoon and flew into Vegas the next morning. He showed up with a big bag full of signed memorabilia just for Dilan.

"The two hung out, shared stories and laughed together for well over an hour while staff looked on with tears in their eyes. Thank you Mr. Simmons for making this wish come true just in time.

"Unfortunately Dilan passed away peacefully a couple days later." See the online post along with photos here.

Santana Calls Out NFL Over Lip Synced Super Bowl Halftime Show 2016 In Review(hennemusic)

Carlos Santana made headlines in Feb when he challenged the NFL to feature live music performances during the Super Bowl halftime show after six straight years of pop music acts accompanied by accusations of lip syncing.
The guitar icon - who was featured momentarily during Sunday's Super Bowl 50 broadcast - took to Facebook to thank the companies for his inclusion before suggesting a local Bay Area lineup could have delivered "real live" entertainment for fans on site and tuned in around the world.

"Dear NFL/CBS, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you both for including me as a part of your Super Bowl entertainment," Santana writes. "I do feel compelled to point out to you that the Halftime Show should have included some of the local iconic bands that the World would have loved to see perform. Bands like Metallica, Steve Miller, Journey and yours truly. We would have rocked the Half Time Show and done the SF Bay Area proud.

"This is just an invitation for you to consider iconic bands as part of your Half Time entertainment. Real live music, real live vocals, and give the audience real live chills."

"Thank You Carlos," added Journey, who shared the guitarist's note on their own Facebook page, "and yes we would have all Rocked it!" Read more here.

Iron Maiden's Bruce Dickinson To The Rescue 2016 In Review(Classic Rock)

Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson earned a top 16 story of 2016 by coming to the rescue of an endangered turtle after it washed up on a beach in Jersey with a broken shell and a nasty infection.
Dickinson's personal Eclipse jet flew Terri the turtle from the New Era Veterinary Hospital on the largest of the Channel Islands to a sanctuary in the Canaries after a crowdfunding campaign raised more than £6500 for the cause.

The jet proved a much cheaper alternative than the £22,000 originally needed to fly Terri to rehab. New Era Veterinary Hospital says: "Terri the turtle is doing well in Gran Canaria, is eating more and will hopefully be strong enough to be released in the next few weeks. We couldn't have got her to this point with a massive amount of help from everyone and for that we are so very grateful." Read more here.

Anthrax Hit With Lawsuit Over Ugly Sweater 2016 In Review(Classic Rock)

Anthrax had a top 16 story of Feb 2016 when it was revealed that they were hit with a $1 million copyright infringement lawsuit over the band's Ugly Hanukkah Sweater. Detroit artist Aaron Cummins claims he created the original design for the seasonal product in 2012, filed copyright papers on it in 2013, and has been selling it through his company Wet House.
Anthrax launched a limited edition of their Ugly Hanukkah Sweater last November through online retailer Rockabilia.com, who are also being sued. Frankie Blydenburgh, a Minnesota-based buyer for Rockabilia.com, tells the Detroit Free Press:

"This is the first I've heard that there's any issue with it. It's up to the merchandising companies we buy from to get the items cleared and make sure there's no copyright issues."

Blydenburgh adds Rockabilia bought the Anthrax Hanukkah sweatshirts from a company called Global Merchandising Services, which is also a defendant in the Detroit lawsuit. Read more and see the sweater

Tim Abrigg Jr.'s Rock and Roll News Of The Day!: Today's Day In Rock News!

2016-12-23T11:58:00.001-05:00

Tim Abrigg Jr.'s Rock and Roll News Of The Day!: Today's Day In Rock News!: Today's Day in Rock Stories Phil Anselmo Says He Was Sexually Abused As A Child Former Pantera frontman Phil Anselmo says in a new ...