It's Official: Red Hot Chili Peppers Lose A Member

"To put it simply, my musical interested have led me in a different direction." - more on this story

Rock Dominates Top Albums of the Decade

While the mainstream music media, MTV, the Grammys and others seem to focus most of their energy on pop and hip-hop, it appears that the record buying public focuses most of their attention on rock. That's what we gather from Billboard's Catalog Albums Of The Decade Chart which is dominated by rock albums.

Up until recently Billboard put albums that were over 18 months old on a separate sales chart from the much talked about Billboard 200. Those releases were featured on the "catalog" album chart. This means albums that have a shelf life and still sell after their initial year of release. Looking at Neilsen SoundScan numbers from 2008 (the last year we have the data for) shows us that catalog and what they term deep catalog albums outsold current release; 307.7 million to 249.6 million respectively. In fact, rock related genres (Rock, Metal, Alternative) out sold all other genres tracked by SoundScan combined: 271 million to 261.9 million.

The Billboard chart did not include any sales data, they just ranked them based on what we assume were their sales and seven rock related releases dominated the Top 10, with only one country release, one pop release and one reggae release making the Top 10.

Here is Top 10

1. Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band – Greatest Hits
2. Bob Marley And The Wailers – Legend: The Best of Bob Marley and the Wailers
3. Pink Floyd – Dark Side of the Moon
4. Metallica – Metallica
5. The Beatles – 1
6. Queen – Greatest Hits
7. Tim McGraw – Greatest Hits
8. AC/DC – Back in Black (for some strange reason is also listed at No 45)
9. Michael Jackson – Number Ones
10. Journey – Journey's Greatest Hits

- Check out the full Top 50 Catalog Albums of the Decade List here

Rage Against The Machine Reunites Against Simon Cowell- Deftones CD In April- Johnny Rotten Vs Coldplay and Radiohead- Supergroup Hail! Set Debut and more

Some have wondered what it would take to get the members of Rage Against The Machine to perform together again. The answer: Simon Cowell. Or at least the Facebook based fan campaign to have a classic RATM song keep the X-Factor winner from the top of the UK charts. Antiquiet reports: The full band (including the elusive Zack De La Rocha) made an appearance on BBC Radio 5 Thursday morning to discuss the campaign, and perform the song… At least until the radio hosts made it back from their smoke breaks just in time to cut the live feed after the fourth "F**k you, I won't do what you tell me!" more including audio here

If you can't beat em, join em? Classic Rock reports that a host of X Factor contestants – including winner Joe McElderry – have been filmed singing Rage Against The Machine's Killing In The Name. more. Hecklerspray say for get the X-Factor and Rage, they came up with their own list of the best Christmas number ones here.

Chino Moreno tells Noise Creep that the yet-to-be-titled new Deftones album will come out April 27 and will be more reminiscent of early discs like 1997's 'Around the Fur' and 2000's 'White Pony.' The songs were written and recorded quickly, Moreno says, and the musicians were on fire as they grappled to come to grips with Cheng's accident. more

Sex Pistol frontman John Lydon a.k.a. Johnny Rotten doesn't think too highly of Radiohead and Coldplay, at least to according to this unsourced quote that Jam! posted on Thursday: "Coldplay and Radiohead bug the hell out of me because it's so soulless. It just seems pointless. It's nice, but it's tosh (rubbish). They don't care about you. They care about lining their coffers (money). There's nothing about heart and soul." Who he said this to and the context is anyone's guess, but you can the Jam! article here

The all-star band Hail! - comprised of bassist David Ellefson (Megadeth, F5), guitarist Andreas Kisser (Sepultura), vocalist Tim "Ripper" Owens (Judas Priest, Yngwie Malmsteen, Iced Earth) and newly appointed drummer Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater) - have announced their first ever shows in The United States more

Alice In Chains has added on an extra tour date at the Palladium in Hollywood on February 13th. more

AC/DC look likely to be confirmed as headliners for next year's Download Festival after an over-enthusiastic admin on their official website revealed the band will be playing. more

To celebrate the release of the new Pixies 'Minotaur' boxed sets the band have launched a 33 minute video that includes live footage, interviews, and behind the scenes clips. Check it out here It's at the bottom of the page.

Jimmy Page tells Sky News, "Next year, I have every intention of playing music live and making it — manifesting it. I've got it. I've got it there. I've got the music waiting. It just needs to be done. So that's it. That's what I'll be doing." more

Azarath have parted ways with their vocalist / bassist Bruno. In a brief statement the band stated that Bruno left the band to 'focus on his private life.' Azarath will continue on with Necrosodom (Anima Damnata, ex-Thunderbolt, ex-Throneum) as their new bass player and vocalist more

Gaza will support Cattle Decapitation on a week of shows in April 2010 that sees the bands traverse almost the entire US. more

Shinedown's "Second Chance" has been certified multi-platinum (2x) digital single. more

Metallica frontman James Hetfield is donating 330 acres overlooking California's Lucas Valley for preservation as farmland. Hetfield's land use consultant, Scott Hochstrasser, says the donations reflect the singer's desire to maintain privacy and preserve open space. more

Testament, Megadeth, and Slayer have just released a new video talking about the upcoming American Carnage Tour. The video features comments from Chuck Billy of Testament, Dave Mustaine of Megadeth, and all of the members of Slayer. The video can be viewed here

It took more than a year, but Baltimore officials finally decided where to put a bust of rocker Frank Zappa that was given to the city by his fans in Lithuania. more

Iced Earth mainman Jon Schaffer has announced a new project/solo album that he's been working on the last several months called Sons of Liberty, which he will be unveiling and talking about this Friday (December 18) on the Alex Jones show. more

Living Sacrifice and War Of Ages will co-headline "The Abominable Snowtour." The trek will also feature Shai Hulud, Lionheart, and The Great Commission. dates

Interpol's Paul Banks has revealed that they are working on an "orchestral" sounding new album. The follow-up to 2007s 'Our Love To Admire', the frontman explained that the record was heading in a more classical direction. more

An Elvis Birthday Bash celebration and show will be held on Saturday, January 9, 2010 at Weston Lanes in Weston, WI. Featuring four award-winning Elvis tribute artists, as well as a young man just starting out, the show strives to relive every era of "The King," including at least 10 authentic Elvis wardrobe outfits. Two shows are planned – a matinee at 2:00 pm and an evening show at 8:00 pm – that will feature more than 50 of Elvis' most-popular songs. more

Dying Fetus, Origin, Beneath The Massacre, Man Must Die, and Revocation will tour Europe together in April. more

Burning The Masses have parted ways with frontman David Montenegro. The group has issued the following: "Now, we DO have a current back-up vocalist. We will be announcing him as soon as we put up a new song on Myspace. Most of you may be familiar with him or some of you won't." more

Karma To Burn has announced they will be embarking on a U.K. tour in April of 2010. more

St. Madness tribute Dimebag with this live performance of the Pantera classic "Walk" Check it out here -

Van Halen Hold Grudge Against Michael Anthony?

(The Rock Radio) Michael Anthony says that the Eddie and Alex Van Halen hold a grudge against him for maintaining a friendship with Sammy Hagar. Anthony recalled to Mojo, that the problems started between him and the band when in the late '90s, Van Halen once again tried unsuccessfully to bring David Lee Roth back into the fold. With Van Halen seemingly on hiatus, Hagar had called Anthony to see if he was interested in hooking up with him and Neal Schon in their side project Planet Us.

Anthony explains, "Some Van Halen fans say I left the band to hook up with Sammy, but I never said, 'I quit.' There was nothing going on in the Van Halen camp, but Eddie kinda backed me up against a wall. . . Eddie felt that I was a traitor.

"I helped hook Sammy back up with them for the 2004 reunion tour, but Eddie didn't want me to be a part of that originally, so I took a big pay cut. I'm not crying, I didn't need the money. I did that because I wanted to play for the fans. I signed away any legal rights I had with the name, the trademark or whatever. I did it because if that was the last time Van Halen would ever be on stage, I wanted to be part of it." - more on this story

Jingle Bell Bash Featuring Pete Wentz, All American Rejects, Cobra Starship, All Time Low To Be Webcast

The pioneer of live streaming video, Stickam.com, is teaming up with Seattle's KISS FM 106.1 to stream the Jingle Bell Bash live online this Saturday, December 19.

The bash will be hosted by Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz and will feature performances by several of today's hottest bands. KISS FM's Jingle Bell Bash will be held at the WAMU Theater on Saturday, December 19.

Coverage starts at 4:00pm PT on Saturday and includes performances by All American Rejects, Cobra Starship, All Time Low, We The Kings, Hey Monday, Cash Cash, Push Play, The Maine, This Providence and Amber Pacific. - Fans can tune in globally by visiting www.stickam.com/jinglebellbash.

Rolling Stone Wasn't The Only One To Write Off Led Zeppelin

Rolling Stone magazine famously wrote off Led Zeppelin when they debuted, but they weren't the only ones who didn't get it. Rock Radio reports: When the BBC first heard Led Zeppelin in 1969 they damned the band with faint praise, calling them "old fashioned", describing them as Muddy Waters wannabes and saying they weren't suitable for daytime airplay.

Archive paperwork shows how the audition panel sat through Communication Breakdown, Dazed and Confused and I Can't Quit You Baby, but didn't think they were a particularly valuable act, although in the end they were allowed to record for the Beeb.

The audition panel slammed David Bowie as "devoid of personality" and Marc Bolan "crap - and pretentious crap at that". And when Led Zep auditioned for a John Peel session, the same panel thought Jimmy Page could play guitar well, but the rest of the act lacked merit - despite being confronted with a set of future classics. - more on this story

The Dillinger Release Plan

The Dillinger Escape Plan, are readying the debut of Option Paralysis, their first release for their brand new label Party Smasher Inc / Season Of Mist.

The opus, recorded in Orange County, CA with longtime collaborator / producer Steve Evetts (The Used, Glassjaw, Every Time I Die), will be officially available on March 23, 2010.

Song titles announced thus far have been "Good Neighbor," "Farewell, Mona Lisa," "Crystal Morning" and "Gold Teeth On A Bum." One of the latest titles put forth is "I Wouldn't If You Didn't" which guitarist Ben Weinman says was "…one of the last we wrote for the record. It starts out pretty typical Dillinger but then takes you to places we have never gone before." Another is "A Room Full Of Eyes," which Weinman dubs a favorite and "one of the most intense songs we've ever written." - more on this story

Weezer Shows Cancelled Per Doctor's Orders

Due to the recent bus crash involving Rivers Cuomo, and per doctor's orders the following Weezer shows are cancelled:

12/7/2009 -- Agganis Arena -- Boston, MA

12/9/2009 -- Patriot Center -- Baltimore, MD

12/10/2009 -- Susquehanna Center -- Camden, NJ

1/9/2010 -- Bill Graham Civic Auditorium -- San Francisco, CA

1/11/2010 -- UCI Bren Events Center -- Irvine, CA

1/13/2010 -- RIMAC Arena -- La Jolla, CA

1/15/2010 -- Dodge Theatre -- Phoenix, AZ

Refunds will be given at point of purchase. - more on this story

The Flaming Lips and Stardeath and White Dwarfs with Henry Rollins and Peaches Doing The Dark Side Of The Moon

The world's most predictably unpredictable band, The Flaming Lips, have teamed up with their Oklahoma City brethren, Stardeath And White Dwarfs to record their own unique take of Pink Floyd's 1973 classic album The Dark Side Of The Moon, which will become available online only beginning December 22nd, under the title of "The Flaming Lips And Stardeath And White Dwarfs With Henry Rollins And Peaches Doing The Dark Side Of The Moon."

The collaborative project was recorded after several weeks of both bands touring the world together and mutually citing Pink Floyd and "The Dark Side Of the Moon" as one of their primary influences and favorite bands of all time. The sessions were tracked in Oklahoma City and recorded by Trent Bell and Chris Harris, and mastered by Dave Fridmann. The album was co-produced by The Flaming Lips, Stardeath and White Dwarfs, Trent Bell, and Scott Booker, and features vocal assistance by Henry Rollins and Peaches.

Starting on Dec 22nd, "The Flaming Lips And Stardeath And White Dwarfs With Henry Rollins And Peaches Doing The Dark Side Of The Moon" will be available for sale digitally via iTunes exclusively for one week only. Then on Dec 29th, the album will be available through all other participating digital outlets. - more on this story

Singled Out: Ike Reilly (with Shooter Jennings)

(antiMusic) Welcome to Singled Out! where we ask artists to tell us the inside story of their latest single. Today Ike Reilly tells us about the song "The War On The Terror and the Drugs" featuring Shooter Jennings from Ike's brand new album "Hard luck Stories". We now turn it over to Ike for this hard luck story:

The song began with the chorus. I was singing it in kind of a vaudeville style, thought it sounded funny, kinda like a recruiting song or some sh*t. The first verse set the song on a different path, more of a mythological tale that really deals with the fear of loss.

I was looking for a song to do with Shooter and so I went to LA and showed him the song. We worked it out and eventually recorded it for Hard Luck Stories. His voice is f*cking great and the vibe I think really conveys the story and our friendship. Seriously.

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

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