ZZ Top Wrestling

As the Raw guest hosts, Hill and Gibbons will arrange matches, dictate stipulations and manage the entire Raw roster of Superstars and Divas for the evening. - more on this story

Zeppelin Collectable Fetches Big Money

BW&BK reports: According to Ledzeppelinnews.com, a gong used in the 1970s by Led Zeppelin's John Bonham has sold in Los Angeles for $64,660.

Specialist Margaret Barrett of the auction house Bonhams and Butterfields confirmed to LedZeppelinNews.com that a buyer who wishes to remain anonymous bought the item.

The instrument was consigned by John Bonham's sister, singer Deborah Bonham, and their mother, Joan Bonham. - more on this story

AC/DC's Deeds Not Dirt Cheap

BW&BK reports: Their dirty deeds may be done dirt cheap but when it comes to seeing rock legends AC/DC, fans can expect to be thunderstruck by the hefty ticket price.

All tickets to the Australian rockers' concert at Westpac Stadium on January 28 will cost $159.90.

Wellington is the first date of the band's Australasian tour and tickets go on sale on July 28. The band will also perform at Auckland's Western Springs on February 4. - more on this story

The Battle For Control of Hole

MusicRadar reports: Courtney Love is banned from using the name Hole - which isn't sitting too well with her, considering that she was intending on issuing her upcoming solo record under the name the band she founded in 1989.

News of the banning comes via former Hole guitarist Eric Erlandson, who told Spin magazine that Love signed a contract with him in 2002 that bars her from using the name Hole for future ventures without his involvement.

"We have a contract," said Erlandson. "She signed a contract with me when we decided to break up the band...so I really don't have comment on it except that I know my part in that band." - more on this story

KISS Photo Book

PR reports: As a long-time fan of rock and a resident of Enid, Oklahoma, Richard Galbraith has attended countless concerts since the early '70s, and documented most of them with this photography. Led Zeppelin, Alice Cooper, the Ramones, the Sex Pistols, and Black Sabbath (among many others) have all passed through the lens of Mr. Galbraith.

In his first-ever photo book, Richard Galbraith Photography Presents: KISS the reader is offered a glimpse of almost every single major concert the masked quartet played in Oklahoma from 1976 through 1986.

Comprised of nearly 100 never-before-seen pix (in both color and black and white), the book also contains notes and memories of the shows from Richard, from interviews conducted by rock writer Greg Prato. - more on this story

Lucero Set Major Release

PR reports: Lucero's sixth studio album and major label debut, 1372 Overton Park, is due October 6 on Universal/Republic Records. Produced by Ted Hutt (The Gaslight Anthem) and featuring horn arrangements by legendary Memphis session player Jim Spake (Al Green, John Hiatt, Solomon Burke, Cat Power), the record marks a decided turn toward the Memphis soul sound that has long informed the band's records from afar. 1372 Overton Park follows the band's 2006 release, Rebels, Rogues & Sworn Brothers, hailed by Pitchfork as "the best showcase for the band's taut dynamic yet."

The new album's name comes from the address of the Memphis loft in which all four band members lived, practiced and even recorded portions of their 2003 release That Much Further West (the history of the space itself is even more colorful—in the `70s, 1372 Overton Park was a karate dojo where local resident Elvis Presley, among others, took lessons). Over recent years band members have gradually moved out leaving lead singer and guitarist Ben Nichols the sole resident of the space until word finally came down that the building would be sold and demolished. Almost as if marking the end of an era not only for the building but for the band as well, this record turns the page and signals a strong move toward the Memphis soul sound that has long served as an influence for the group. Nichols explains, "When [saxophonist] Jim Spake put that first horn track down, we began thinking of the record as having a certain sound. We heard pieces of Memphis history being played over our songs and it floored us and we just went with it."

While 1372 Overton Park serves as a love letter to Memphis and its musical heritage, the band has far from abandoned the country/rock/punk influences that they've become known for over their previous five records and countless tour dates in front of rabid fans. "I think the fact that we don't claim a genre is very important to what Lucero is," according to Nichols. "There are too many rules in punk rock. Too many rules in country music. We're hard headed and…god damn if we don't do things the way we want to do them." - more on this story

Jupiter One Set Release

Rkyo reports: A Sunshower can be a rare occurrence, but when these opposing forces meet, magic and allure is in the air. This is exactly why the NYC-based rockers, Jupiter One, chose the title (inspired by the Japanese short film Dreams by Akira Kurosawa) for their upcoming Ryko album available September 15, 2009.

Their far-out freshness mixed with timeless musical inspirations mesh together in a bittersweet indie-pop rock concoction—produced by the group and noted engineer Chris Ribando (The Black Crowes, Priestbird, Mary J. Blige).

This young quartet—all in their twenties—consisting of K Ishibashi (lead vocals), Zac Colwell (lead guitar), Dave Heilman (drums) and Pat Dougherty (bass), has a knack for unifying their contemporary style with a range of musical influences. Sunshower is the result of Jupiter One's experienced ear. For instance, the dancefloor-friendly "Simple Stones," filled with handclaps and soulful riffs, boasts a bass line for all ages while blending '80s Rolling Stones and MGMT. The epic opener "Volcano" resurrects the youthful spirit of the Beach Boys with The Flaming Lips, while delivering one of the disc's best choruses. And if Ishibashi conjures The Shins on "Find Me a Place," then he drops vintage, finger-picking folk on "People in the Mountain". Lastly but certainly not least, their current single "Flaming Arrow," a shimmering acoustic folk tune, shoots through with a bumping bass line and New Orleans inspired drum groove. This genre-bending approach creates a hook-heavy opus well suited for our ADD times. - more on this story

State Radio Album and Tour

Nettwerk reports: The past 16 months have been nothing short of an intense journey for State Radio. The Boston-based trio toured relentlessly, bringing their blend of rock infused with reggae/ska influences to sold-out crowds of thousands from New York to Boston to Chicago to Los Angeles. They were hand-picked by Tom Morello to open for Rage Against The Machine at the August 2008 Democratic National Convention. They launched their "Take Back The Country Tour" in support of the 60th Anniversary of the Declaration of Human Rights, and along the way played Bonnaroo, Rothbury and the Mile High Festivals. They did service projects in every city they played, from planting trees to protesting in the streets. They penned a song, "State Of Georgia," for Amnesty International's viral campaign to free Georgia death-row inmate Troy Davis.

In the midst of all this, State Radio—Chad Stokes (singer/guitarist), Chuck Fay (bass) and Mike "Mad Dog" Najarian (drums)--spent time in their home state of Massachusetts with producer Dom Monks to record their third studio album, LET IT GO, which is set for release on September 29 (Ruff Shod). Let It Go was recorded live to tape, with the intention of combining the trio's penchant for storytelling with their raw and hard-hitting live shows. - more on this story

Guitar Hero's Darkest Hour

Adrenaline reports: Washington, DC-based Darkest Hour are proud to announce their inclusion on the next installment of the best-selling Guitar Hero series, Guitar Hero 5.

Their track, "Demon(s)," from the band's 2007 album Deliver Us, will be available as part of the on-disc set list which also includes tracks from such artists as David Bowie, Santana, and Coldplay. The game is available September 1 on Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and Wii.

Guitarist Mike Schleibaum comments: "We are both honored and extremely excited to be a part of Guitar Hero 5 alongside some of our favorite artists of all time! The dudes at Activision rule, and this is by far the best version of the game they have ever put out! We look forward to challenging fans all over the world to Guitar Hero-offs! Make sure to check out the video clip of us at Activision, and by all means get the game and party hard!" - more on this story

Mower Party

Submitted News reports: San Diego, CA's Mower have taken the insanity of their backstage antics and captured it on film for their new video "The Party", which can be seen online.

The video features two elements that are synonymous with the San Diego based band; wild women and outrageous parties. "The Party" is the lead track on Mower's new album "Make It a Double", which hits stores on July 28th through Suburban Noize.

"The video shoot for 'The Party' was the most fun out of all our videos. We had one night to call a bunch of girls and invite them to the shoot. We bought as much booze as we could, threw a party and filmed it. No script, no acting, just a bunch of people getting drunk, singing and listening to the same song 100 times and we had a blast," says Mower frontman Brian Sheerin. "It's a whiskey drinkin', Jager shooting rock n' roll song about the good times we've had partying up the coast in Los Angeles and a great way to kick off our new album 'Make It A Double'." - more on this story

. Absu

Absu's myth fell silent in 2004. Many feared 2001's Tara was the end of an era, the last of Absu's stories reaching an audience. In 2009, however, a triumphant retelling of the Absu legend occurred. - Read the full Absu review

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