Artist Defends Dimebag Murder Painting

Now Sanford has spoken out about his motives. "Most of the emails were cursing me out while accusing me of crimes ranging from poor taste to exploiting the death of Dimebag. I guess I'm guilty of both.," he says in a blog. "When I made the painting the reaction of Dimebag's fans wasn't on my mind. I was interested in this tragedy as a historical event. Normally the industry is able to define newsworthy events with an image or video. In our media-saturated world it was without a defining image." - He's not done

Kill Hannah Robbed

Kill Hannah woke up on the eve of wrapping their fall tour to a find their 15-passenger van and 14-foot trailer stolen. Taken between 4am and 11am today, Wednesday, November 11 from the front of the Holiday Inn on 900 Packer Ave, Philadelphia, PA-the same location that rock trio Mae had their van stolen from just a week earlier-the band lost over $120,000 in gear and merchandise, including one-of-a-kind vintage custom guitars and vintage custom effects. The theft comes just over a year after a devastating fire in Europe destroyed everything on the band's bus.

Lead singer Mat Devine says, "We're devastated and speechless. We've been touring so hard around the world for the past seven years and this is the most evil thing we've witnessed. Special Crimes say this was a coordinated heist."

The band regretfully has to cancel their remaining tour dates, scheduled for the Electric Factory in Philadelphia and the Nokia Theatre in New York City. Their seventh annual "New Heart For Xmas" weekend of shows and events are still scheduled in Chicago on December 18 at Reggie's Rock House and December 19 at Metro. - more on this story

Bad Lieutenant Cancel U.S. Dates

(Band Statement) It is with frustration and regret that Bad Lieutenant reluctantly announces the cancellation of the band's four U.S. dates set to commence next week. The more stringent immigration laws and changing visa parameters resulted in an inability to process the necessary paperwork.

"We were all so very excited about coming to the States to play our new music for our American fans," said Bad Lieutenant's Bernard Sumner, "and are extremely disappointed that on this occasion, we won't have the opportunity to do so.

"We plan to reschedule the Chicago and New York shows along with some additional U.S. dates in Spring 2010. Please accept our apologies for any inconvenience this may have caused you." - more on this story

Twisted Metallica Comedy Film Cameos- The Who Super Bowl- Glee Geeks To Sing Van Halen/John Lennon- Blink-182's Travis Barker Going Hip-Hop? and more

Metallica's Lars Ulrich and Twisted Sister's Dee Snider are to play themselves in a new comedy movie. The film is called Get Him To The Greek and stars Jonah Hill, according to Classic Rock. more

Newsplex had this about the missing Metallica fan: Twenty-year-old missing Virginia Tech student Morgan Harrington will be featured on the cover of this week's People Magazine. Harrington was last seen in Charlottesville on the Copeley Road Bridge after leaving the John Paul Jones Arena during a Metallica concert. more including the cover

Billboard says there is a report that the Who will perform at Superbowl XLIV, marking the British band's first performance in North America since 2008. more

Glee: The Music, Volume 2 hits stores on Tuesday December 8. This second volume features the casts take on Kelly Clarkson's "My Life Would Suck Without You," Cyndi Lauper's "True Colors," Van Halen's "Jump" and John Lennon's "Imagine" more

Travis Barker spoke with MTV this week and told them a little about his solo album plans, "There's some stuff on my record that's not going to have a bunch of guitars, that are just straight-up hip hop records. Everything's going be real different. It's going to be really well-rounded," he told MTV News on Wednesday. "We got a new Blink song on there, I think I'm going to do something with Chester Bennington from Linkin Park. Slash is a maybe too

Austin Carlile from Of Mice & Men was hospitalized after collapsing onstagemore

The Metal Den has learned that the Pantera tribute album is coming together, featuring covers of the legendary Texas groove metal band's most popular tracks by some of today's top metal acts. The disc is reportedly being assembled by an unrevealed UK metal magazine. Some of the details are here

Peter Gabriel has confirmed the tracklisting for his forthcoming covers album, 'Scratch My Back'. The 12-track album is released on January 25, and is the first in a number of planned releases that will see Gabriel and other artists reinterpret each others' songs. It's an interesting list, check it out here

Kid Rock will perform with Stevie Wonder at the Motown 50 gala on Nov. 21 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Detroit-started record label and honor founder Barry Gordy. more

All fans interested in hearing the whole new Lynch Mob record, "Smoke & Mirrors" can stop by and have a listen by participating in the listening party that will go on for the entire week of November 9-16 on the band's MySpace site (myspace.com/lynchmobrocks).

More Smashing Pumpkins collectables up for auction: Inspired by the story of our friend Laura Ann Masura - whose benefit concert Billy played this past weekend with Mark and Kerry - a devoted Pumpkins fan reached out wanting to help. Aaron Crow of Dallas, TX has donated his entire beloved SP vinyl collection in a effort to raise even more money to help Laura Ann with her mounting medical costs. more

Pixies have been announced as one of the headliners for next years San Miguel Primavera Sound festival. more

Robert Johnson came into the world in 1911 in a well-crafted home built by his stepfather in the Mississippi town of Hazlehurst. Now, 71 years after his death, local officials want to restore the home. more
Queen legends Brian May and Roger Taylor are [REPORTEDLY going] to play on X Factor - as the dwindling band of contestants belt out Bohemian Rhapsody together, according to the The Sun

Lita Ford has spoken out against the upcoming Runaways biopic in the past, but says that after meeting the actress playing her in the film, she has softened her stance. more

This week's Absolute Punk Before They Were Stars feature takes a look at the one and only Pete Wentz of Fall Out Boy fame. Before the clothing label, before the nude pictures, before the global domination, Pete Wentz sang in Arma Angelus. Check out the song "Misanthrope" along with Pete's reflection of his time in the band. here

Cover Slashed: Worst Cover By A Guy Who Wrote The Original Version Ever? Listen and decide here

Lacuna Coil singer Cristina Scabbia is among the guest vocalists who will participate in the second "Christmas Metal Symphony" show more

Hod bassist Derrick Rivers has announced his departure from the band to focus his efforts on battling cancer. more

Not surprisingly, Universal Music Group revenue fell nearly 12% (14% at constant currency) in the third quarter of 2009 and slipped 5% (8.4% at constant currency) through the first three quarters of 2009. more -

Rock Like AC/DC With New Angus Young Gibson SG

We know we have a lot of AC/DC fans here, and we know many of them play guitar so here is big news for you from Gibson: For more than 35 years, AC/DC has represented the archetypal "big rock" guitar sound, setting the standards for countless bands to follow. In particular, Angus Young's incendiary lead tone and mammoth rhythm crunch have inspired wave after wave of rock guitar heroes, and he has done it all on a Gibson SG Standard.

The SG replaced the underappreciated Les Paul Standard in 1961, and while the Les Paul would surface later in the decade as a rock and blues classic, the new SG (originally named Les Paul/SG) was an instant hit in its own right. Its simple yet inspired ingredients of thin, all-mahogany body and neck and two Gibson humbucking pickups gave it a snappy attack with a muscular punch, and its slim, fast neck yielded unprecedented playability. Now the Gibson Custom Shop offers its reproduction of one of the world's most renowned SGs in the form of the Angus Young SG, a Limited Edition that captures the tone, look, and feel of this rare specimen among a classic breed, but which updates this legendary guitar with custom modifications requested by Angus himself.
Angus Young acquired his 1968 SG Standard in 1970, and has used it on all major AC/DC recordings and many tours since the band's inception in 1973. Young's '68 SG is known to be a superb example of this model, with an unusually slim neck, pickups that blend just the right proportions of power and sweetness, and a resonant, vocal tone that represents the best of the SG formula. Listen closely to any classic AC/DC tune, and the tone is huge, but not filthy or fizzy. Angus's '68 SG achieves a stunning clarity and definition right within its bone-crushing thump and grind. With utmost attention to detail, the Angus Young SG seeks to achieve that tone, aided by a pair of custom-spec Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates humbucking pickups. And with 50 guitars out of the total run of 250 aged in-house by Gibson and signed by Angus himself, this outstanding Custom Shop reproduction also nails the look of this legendary guitar, with upgraded modifications at Angus's request, including an ebony fingerboard with "lightning bolt" inlays (a further 200 guitars will receive the VOS treatment). The Custom Shop Angus Young SG will also be sold with a custom Certificate of Authenticity, a Gibson Custom Shop hardshell case, and a full range of owner's manuals and instruction sheets. - Click here for a closer look at the Angus Young SG Standard

Owl City Rules Again

Universal Republic Records' basement launched phenomenon Owl City reclaimed the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart this week after originally hitting the #1 position two weeks ago with the smash hit "Fireflies."

The song continues to break boundaries at radio as it is top 10 at both Top 40 and Hot AC formats along with impressive showings at Alternative, Triple A, and Rhythm Crossover making it one of the most requested songs in the US. "Fireflies" also sold an amazing 200,000 digital singles this week bringing sales totals over a million. Combining an impressive radio story, huge sales, a #1 song, a sold out tour in the U.S as well as sold out shows in Asia this month are all parts in making Owl City the artist development story of 2009.

A self-described 'shy-kid' who first arrived on the music scene in 2007, Universal Republic Records has successfully translated Young's hypnotizing songscapes into mainstream captures of everyday life, connecting with radio, digital and video audiences across the U.S. Owl City's magical mix of lively-digital rhythms and lush melodies first hatched in the basement of his parent's house is perfectly portrayed in his debut video for "Fireflies," which depicts the affable singer performing the song in dreamy basement environment. The video is closing in on an incredible 13million views on YouTube, and surging in X-LARGE rotation on VH-1, and other video and digital platforms. - more on this story

Marillion's Steve Rothery Resurrects The Wishing Tree

It has been ten years since progressive rock band The Wishing Tree released their debut album, Carnival of Souls. On January 19, Eagle Rock Entertainment will release their lush and evocative new album Ostara

Marillion guitarist Steve Rothery founded The Wishing Tree. Formed in 1996, Rothery's desire to start an acoustic music project with a female vocalist led him to British singer Hannah Stobart. The two started writing together, crafting a wistful, gorgeous sound that is both haunting and soothing. This new CD, produced and engineered by Rothery, not only boasts eight original songs, but two bonus live tracks, "Fly" and "Ostara".

Unique in its conception, Ostara was written and recorded on opposite sides of the world, with Stobert working from her home in California and Rothery in his home studio in Buckinghamshire, England. Joined by drummer Paul Craddick (of Enchant, and Hannah's husband), Ostara is the perfect marriage of Stobart's angelic, lilting vocals and Rothery's superb guitar work. A master at his craft, his harmonies are understated when necessary, allowing Stobart's vocals to take precedence, yet when given the chance, his trademark solos truly sing out in the mix of this enchanting blend. The delicate, ghostly harmonies, executed on mandolin as well as guitar, paired with Stobart's soaring melodies, result in artwork that is truly a listening experience. - more on this story

Katatonia Premiere New Video

(Fresno) Katatonia, has posted a music video for "Day and Then the Shade", the first single off their latest release, Night is the New Day, on their official MySpace page. The new video was directed by Lass Hoile (Opeth, Porcupine Tree).

Night is the New Day is Katatonia's eighth studio album, and their first release since the highly acclaimed, The Great Cold Distance, in 2006.

The new record was released in the US this week, on November 10th, via Peaceville Records. - Watch the video here

Nick Cave & Warren Ellis Score The Road

Nick Cave and Warren Ellis have been creating music together for more than fifteen years with The Bad Seeds, Grinderman and The Dirty Three. More recently, the duo have collaborated on soundtracks for The Proposition (2005) and The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007), and released White Lunar, a two CD set (2009) featuring music from the aforementioned films along with rare and previously unavailable material. Adding to this impressive catalogue, the pair will release through Mute on January 12, 2010 their soundtrack to The Road, a new movie directed by John Hillcoat.

This highly anticipated big screen adaptation of the beloved, bestselling and Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Road by Cormac McCarthy (author of No Country For Old Men) sees Academy Award-nominee Viggo Mortensen leading an all-star cast featuring Charlize Theron, Robert Duvall, Guy Pearce and young newcomer Kodi Smit-McPhee. An epic post-apocalyptic tale of survival of a father and his young son journeying across a barren America destroyed by a mysterious cataclysm, The Road boldly imagines a future in which men are pushed to the worst and the best that they are capable of -- a future in which a father and his son are sustained by love.

Nick Cave and Warren Ellis have created an evocative score featuring violin and piano with beautiful fleeting melodies and eerie sound loops filled with terror and suspense. The threat of all-too-real cannibal gangs is heightened by disturbing loops and frenetic percussion. A small ensemble of wind instruments adds further scope. At key moments in the movie, scenes between the father and son are set to musical passages that are light, lyrical and elegiac. - more on this story

The Mother Hips Add Dates

The Mother Hips have added dates to their 2009 Fall / 2010 Winter tour schedule. The Bay Area psych-rockers continue to tour nationally behind their brand new 11-song studio album, Pacific Dust, which reached # 82 on Billboards Heatseekers chart this week.

After a recent return from the Northwest and a series of warm-up festival plays over the summer (including their own "Hipnic" Festival in Big Sur, CA) The Hips are excited to bring Pacific Dust and their "California-soul" to fans around North America.

Pacific Dust is the band's seventh studio album. The critically acclaimed record was recorded at Mission Bells Studios in San Francisco with producer/engineer David Simon-Baker (Little Wings, Jackie Greene, Chris Velan, ALO - dates

Pantheon I Headed To Russia

Fresh from a three week European tour in support of ABSU, Norwegian extreme metallers Pantheon I have confirmed that they will be heading for Russia in December to play two dates, one of which includes an appearance at the Black Winter Fest in Moscow alongside Gothminister, Trail Of Tears and Magenta.

"We would have liked to have been able to play a few dates around Eastern Europe at the same time, but there wasn't really enough time to set everything up before the end of the year; hopefully next year sometime", explained vocalist/guitarist Kvebek.

"However, we're very much looking forward to visiting Russia. Our guitarist Sagstad was there recently with Trollfest, and he had a great time, but for the rest of us it will be a first. Aside From Kvebek (Den Saakaldte, ex-1349) on vocals and guitars, and Sagstad (Sarkom, Trollfest) on guitars, Pantheon I's line up comprises Live Julianne on cello, Trs (1349, Tyrann, Den Saakaldte) on bass, and Mads G (The Allseeing I) on drums. - more on this story

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