Is It Over For Whitesnake's David Coverdale?

[Since Rock Radio's report was published, Whitesnake issued the following statement thus pulling out of the tour: "Unfortunately, last night [August 11] at the Red Rocks Amphitheater, Denver, Whitesnake had to cut their performance short due to Mr. Coverdale experiencing considerable pain in his vocal cords. He was immediately taken to a specialist for examination. The specialist discovered that David was suffering from severe vocal fold edema and a left vocal fold vascular lesion. He was instructed to cancel all performances for the next two weeks and then undergo a further examination. The doctors told us we were fortunate this was caught at a stage where no apparent permanent damage has been caused. We therefore regretfully have to announce that Whitesnake will not be appearing on the remainder of the U.S. tour with Judas Priest. Whitesnake sincerely regrets any disappointment this may cause."] - more on this story

Injured Steven Tyler Still Undergoing Tests

BW&BK reports: Steven Tyler's condition following his fall from a stage last week is still unclear, but now Aerosmith lead guitarist Joe Perry is attempting to shed light on the incident.

Tyler, 61, was airlifted to a South Dakota hospital after falling off a stage while performing at Strugis Motorcycle Rally last week. In a radio interview this week, Perry insists falling from the stage isn't unusual. "I've seen him fall of a stage more than once ... I've fallen off ... Stuff happens," he says.

According to Perry, Tyler suffered a broken shoulder blade. "No concussion. Nothing internal. So it's like he [was] in a bad bar fight," he explains. "They're still running tests. MRIs, everything, X-rays. I really don't know what's going on." - watch video of the fall from the stage

Gene Simmons Vs Trent Bitch Reznor Round 3

Blabbermouth reports: KISS is hitting up the Asian media talking not about their upcoming album and tour but about their upcoming Vegas show. Which will reportedly be "styled like a Cirque Du Soleil performance with less talk by actors and more KISS songs, says vocalist/bassist Gene Simmons." During an interview with AsiaOne.com Simmons was asked about his recent war of words with Trent Reznor.

Blabbermouth reports: Regarding his war of words with Nine Inch Nails mainman Trent Reznor, who recently called Simmons an "old man who puts on make-up to entertain kids, like a clown going to work," Gene said, "If you're gonna talk the talk, then you're gonna have to walk the walk. If you're going to open your b**** mouth, do it (properly)."

During his interview with AsiaOne.com, Simmons also purposely mispronounced Reznor's name, calling the 44-year-old singer "Trent Reiser." he then added, "I'm kidding. The band [Nine Inch Nails] is actually terrific." - more on this story

Who Is To Blame for Odd Extra Songs Inclusion on Guitar Hero: Van Halen

BW&BK reports: Last week, Activision announced the track list for Guitar Hero: Van Halen, due out this December. Along with more than two dozen Van Halen songs, the likes of Weezer, Blink-182, and Tenacious D are also included. Wait, what?

IGN caught up with the head of music licensing at Activision, Tim Riley, to find out how those bands came to be a part of Guitar Hero: Van Halen . Turns out it was all Wolfgang's doing.

"At the end of the day, it became Wolfgang Van Halen, who is a serious Guitar Hero player — probably the best Guitar Hero player that I've ever seen including people at Activision... They knew that, (the Van Halen brothers and David Lee Roth ), so they were like, 'Ask Wolfgang what bands he wants in'" - more on this story

Paramore North American Tour

Atlantic Records reports: Paramore has announced details of a major North American headline tour. Slated to hit smaller clubs, theaters and ballrooms as a special celebration for their fervent fan following, the "Paramore" heralds the release of the Grammy-nominated band's eagerly awaited new album, "brand new eyes," which arrives in stores and at all online retailers on September 29th.

Paramore will kick off their tour that same day – September 29th – at the Fox Theater in Pomona, California. From there, the Nashville-based band will traverse the continent through a November 1st tour finale at their hometown's world-famous Ryman Auditorium.

Joining Paramore on the tour will be Fueled By Ramen labelmates The Swellers as well as Paper Route. - more on this story

Simple Minds Won't Forget About John Hughes

PR reports: Simple Minds are to appear in a new documentary about the Brat Pack film director, John Hughes, who died at the age of 59 from a heart attack in New York City last week.

Jim Kerr, lead singer of Simple Minds, today confirmed that on their forthcoming 'Graffiti Soul' world tour; they'll dedicate "Don't You (Forget About Me)" to the memory of John Hughes and how his teenage coming-of-age films defined a generation.

Says Kerr, "When we perform 'Don't You (Forget About Me)' on the forthcoming tour, we'll be thinking about John Hughes and how his enthusiasm for the sound of Simple Minds made us go the extra mile when we recorded it back in 1984. Everyone was hell bent on making a classic piece of pop rock, but little did we know the kind of longevity the film would have on generations to come. The Breakfast Club helped us kick the door down, and once there, no one could ever lock us out or tell us again what it felt like to be No.1 in America." - more on this story

Bruce Springsteen's DVD Jukebox

MVD reports: MVD Visual and Sexy Intellectual are pleased to announce the home viewing release of Bruce Springsteen's DVD Jukebox for North American distribution on DVD.

Bruce Springsteen's DVD Jukebox (cover art)It was more than 40 years ago that Bruce Springsteen began working as a professional musician and performer, but for over a decade prior to that he was developing his skills largely by listening, listening and listening again. He was listening to the records that not only infused his entire mind and body, but equally provided the guidance, inspiration and encouragement to achieve the extraordinary skills he has been honing to perfection in song-writing, musicianship and, some would say most crucially, performance ever since.

This 150 minute film traces the artistic root of Bruce Springsteen in a manner no documentary has ever attempted before, and in so doing shows the incredible influence the likes of Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley, Woody Guthrie, Johnny Cash, Mitch Ryder, Van Morrison, Phil Spector, Pete Seeger and numerous others have had upon his muse. The film also looks at literary, political and other influences to provide a complete picture of the most potent inspirations Bruce ever stumbled upon. - more on this story

Radiohead Expanded

EMI reports: On August 25, Radiohead's Kid A (2000), Amnesiac (2001), and Hail To The Thief (2003) will be released by Capitol/EMI in expanded "Collectors Edition" and limited "Special Collectors Edition" packages.

Each "Collectors Edition" includes the original album plus a second CD of rarities, including radio sessions and live recordings. Each "Special Collectors Edition," in deluxe, lift-top box packaging, includes both audio discs and adds a DVD with various video clips, as well as a series of postcards.

Kid A's "Collectors Edition" features the original album on disc one, and on disc two, rare concert recordings, a session recorded for BBC Radio One in 2000, and live recordings from Canal+ Studios. The "Special Collectors Edition" DVD adds three performances from the band's June 2001 appearance on "Later... With Jools Holland."

Amnesiac's "Collectors Edition" features the original album on disc one, and on disc two, rare concert recordings and tracks recorded live at Canal+ Studios in 2001. The "Special Collectors Edition" DVD adds four promotional music videos, two 2001 performances for "Top Of The Pops," and four performances from the band's June 2001 appearance on "Later... with Jools Holland."

Hail To The Thief's "Collectors Edition" features the original album on disc one, and on disc two, EPs with rarities and live recordings, as well as a May 2003 recording for the "Jo Whiley Show." The "Special Collectors Edition" DVD adds four promotional music videos, a live performance at the Belfort Festival and a May 2003 TV performance from "Later... with Jools Holland." - more including tracklistings

Bono's Wife Sues Mccartney?

Jam! reports: The wife of U2 star Bono is [reportedly] taking legal action against Sir Paul McCartney's daughter Stella in a dispute over one of the fashion designer's fragrances.

McCartney, who designs her own Stella McCartney line, added a perfume collection to her fashion house in 2002 with her first fragrance Stella.

She revitalized the scent with a new version called Stella Nude, but the title has infuriated Bono's wife Ali Hewson, who runs a company called Nude Skincare [according to a UK media outlet]. - more on this story

The Black Crowes Set For New Album and Tour

PR reports: The Black Crowes will release their new studio CD, Before the Frost... on September 1, 2009. A second album, titled …Until The Freeze, will be given away for free exclusively through a unique download code which is included in Before The Frost… as a "thank you" to their fans for two decades of continued support.

Before the Frost..., and its corresponding free album …Until The Freeze, were recorded over a series of five nights at Levon Helm Studios in Woodstock, NY. Although both are studio albums, all the new material was performed and recorded in front of an intimate audience of the band's fans, making them a part of The Black Crowes musical history. The innovative technique of inviting fans into the studio to become part of the process during recording is a rare experience.

Before the Frost... features eleven new and previously unreleased Black Crowes songs including Good Morning Captain, I Ain't Hiding, Been a Long Time (Waiting on Love), and other original songs that will serve to spotlight the bands ability to make emotional connections through their music. The free album …Until The Freeze is a nine-song collection featuring eight new original Black Crowes songs plus a cover version of the Stephen Stills classic So Many Times.

A limited edition vinyl release of Before The Frost…Until The Freeze, featuring all 20 tracks, will also be available on September 1, 2009. - more on this story

Singled Out: I Am The Icarus

antiMusic reports: Welcome to Singled Out! where we ask artists to tell us the inside story of their latest single. Today Daniel Godfrey frontman for I Am The Icarus lets in on the secret about "The Secret To Dying Is Living Well" from their self titled EP. We now turn it over to Daniel for the story:

The secret to living is dying well has a bit of an interesting beginning. I actually wrote the bridge of the song first and the lyric "god is dead". I was living in North Hollywood at the time sleeping on the floor of a rehearsal space and everything I owned was sitting in the parking lot in my car. So I'm sitting there absentmindedly playing this riff and I just started singing "god is dead" and at the time it made me laugh. I was getting ready to move to San Diego, I had no money and no real reason to move except at the time it seemed to be my only option. When I got to San Diego I found a tiny little shoebox apartment near downtown and set up shop. When set up my computer to start demo tracking I came across a little clip I had recorded of it and decided to make a song out of it.

I was still dealing with the pain of a divorce and had entered this solipsistic world where I started to think I was truly alone. I was drinking heavily and experimenting with hallucinogenic drugs, I had no friends except for a stray cat in my neighborhood I had started feeding. The line "the crows call me back home" kind of came from the cat, because feeding the cat led to me feeding crows. You see, every morning I would wake up to these crows outside my window and it frustrated me to no end. One morning I got up and went outside with the intent to f**king kill these things. But when I turned the corner and saw them, I saw a certain beauty I hadn't seen in a long time. I started feeding them and in the morning their call reminded me I was still alive and I couldn't give up yet. "the crows call me back home" is actually referring to them pulling me out of my nightmares (I suffer from terrible nightmares) and back "home" to reality.

"There is no love, there's only pain, there is no hell, there's just this misery."
In retrospect it's almost comical how depressing it is and seems a bit tongue in cheek. The truth is at the time I really felt that way, and my goal with the lyrics for all five songs was to be honest, at times to a fault. People have been telling me my whole life that I'm gloomy, so in a way I guess I'm acknowledging that.

The secret is the only song of the five that Shaun Lopez and I didn't change from the original demo, except for a small intro that we cut. We ran into a bit of a problem when it came time to record the vocal because I was struggling with the chorus. We realized we should have tuned it at least a half step down but we had already tracked all the bass and rhythm guitar parts and it was late in production. When I play it live now I tune it a whole step down and problem solved, plus it sounds a bit heavier. Having Chris Robyn on drums was incredible and his playing brought a real power to this song that was lacking in the demo. I feel there's a certain tension in the chorus, it's almost claustrophobic and it freaks me out. Sometimes my music gives me the creeps. Is that weird?

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

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