AC/DC and Def Leppard Plan Live Albums- New Soundgarden- NIN's Final UK Show Sabotaged Because of Metallica?- The Haunted Leave Slayer Tour- more

On this date in 1975, The Eagles went to No.1 on the U.S. singles chart with "One Of These Nights," the group's second U.S. #1 single and the first to chart in the U.K. where it peaked at #23. With "One of These Nights," The Eagles had broken through from low-key country rock stylists to bona fide rock band with the potential for worldwide success. more
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Def Leppard's Joe Elliot and Ian Hunter Brawl

Def Leppard frontman Joe Elliot and Ian Hunter had a little run in with ELP's crew at the High Voltage festival last Sunday where Elliot's side band Down 'N Outs were playing. Famed photographer Ross Halfin blogged the following about it:

Back to the far east in the afternoon for some Ian Hunter and Joe Elliott plus ELP who are closing the event with a seven-hour set. Jimmy came along to see Ian Hunter - surprisingly they have never met... Shot the end of Joe's set and was just getting into Ian Hunter when the power was pulled after two songs by ELP. Now if I say the situation was ugly that is an understatement. Joe Elliott and Ian Hunter got into an "altercation" with ELP's crew, fists flying. It ruined the whole day, a real bad 70's thug-like atmosphere. Jimmy and I went in to see Ian and offer our support and Joe was pragmatic, 'f*** it, what can you do?'

Doctor Anita, Jimmy, Peter, John Varvatos and a helpful Rick Canny (from ZZ Top) watched ELP from the crowd but by now the fun element had, well, soured is the best way to put it. Only John and I knew the songs, bits of Tarkus and long meandering pieces, the band had no cohesion. We left leaving ELP playing a piano concerto (it was getting dull) and drove back across London to console ourselves with a bucket of KFC - from ELP to KFC. Yes, that has a nice ring to it. "Welcome Back My Friends To The Bucket That Never Ends".

- Check out the photos he mentioned on his blog

Scorpions To Reunite With Uli Jon Roth and Michael Schenker

The Scorpions are squeezing every last bit of venom out of their farewell tour. The Get Your Sting and Blackout Farewell Tour has taken the band to every corner of the planet and, with the end now in sight, the group are looking to get a little nostalgic.

Bravewords.com is reporting that the German metal legends are planning a massive final show that will include appearances by former guitarists Uli Jon Roth and Michael Schenker, as well as drummer Herman Rarebell. Roth and Schenker helped put the Scorps on the map with guitar fans during their separate tenures with the band in the '70s. The reunion show will take place sometime in 2011.

The band is also planning a Blu-ray and DVD of the current tour. In addition, Rudolf Schenker revealed that the band is sifting through some 800 hours of never-released footage of the group dating back to their early years. Schenker says the band hopes to begin releasing that material after the Get Your Sting and Blackout Farewell Tour concludes. - more on this story

- Michael Wright of Gibson.com

Stone Temple Pilots To Surprise Fans On Upcoming Tour

As Stone Temple Pilots prepare for yet another leg of their current tour, the band are reaching deep into their back catalogue for STP-starved fans.

Guitarist Dean DeLeo told Billboard, "We've been in rehearsals the last week and a half. We're playing some stuff we've never played live. We're doing some stuff from No. 4 and some things off Purple that we haven't played since, like, '94."

As for new material, DeLeo laughed, "We actually worked up about five or six songs from the new record – the fans' worst nightmare, right? We're gonna do a few songs from our new record...'"
- more on this story

- Michael Wright of Gibson.com

Bro Jovi Supergroup Preview

Now here is a supergroup to get excited about (and maybe drink up to celebrate)! Here is the official announcement: We are the almighty drunkards, Bro Jovi, from the US. Bro Jovi is a rabid alcohol fueled beast, and is comprised of ex- and current members of Abigail Williams (Candlelight Records), Aborted (Century Media Records), and System Divide (Metal Blade Records).

Our debut album, Songs to Crush Beers to Vol. I : Slippery When Blacked, was recorded in late Fall of 2009 and is hot and ready for mass international consumption! The album was tracked and mixed at Conquistador Studios (Cleveland, OH) by producer/engineer Cole Martinez (System Divide, Aborted, Abigail Williams) while all artwork/layout duties were handled by Avernus Studios, otherwise known as the infamous, Sven De Caluwe (Aborted, System Divide).

We have posted three songs to whet your foul appetites and we hope it invokes a reaction of wretching, vomiting, twitching uncontrollably, or worse! Prepare yourselves for armageddon!
- Listen here

Omar Rodriguez Lopez Group To Make U.S. Live Debut Next Month

The Mars Volta mastermind Omar Rodriguez Lopez has announced the U.S. live debut for the Omar Rodriguez Lopez Group in September, directly following performing at the Metamorphose Festival in Japan.

The Omar Rodriguez Lopez Group for these performances feature Ximena Sarinana Rivera, Juan Alderete De La Pena (The Mars Volta), Marcel Rodriguez Lopez (The Mars Volta, Zechs Marquise) and Deantoni Parks.

Hand-picked support for these dates will be the massively buzzed-about Le Butcherettes from Guadalajara, Mexico, whose forthcoming U.S. debut album Sin Sin Sin was produced by Omar. The group tours Europe and Russia with Le Butcherettes in November. - more on this story

Black Sabbath's Paranoid Explained

Black Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler recently spoke to AOL's Noisecreep about the Sabbath classic, Paranoid. The metal album is the subject of a new Classic Albums DVD (in addition to making Gibson.com's Top 50 Guitar Albums of All Time).

In the interview, Geezer talks about the song, "Paranoid," and how the album cover was chosen. "The whole story of how we created that song is funny," Geezer said. "It became the most popular song from the album, but it wasn't something we thought much of when we wrote it. In fact, we finished the record and then the producer told us we needed one more song to finish up the album, so we just came up with 'Paranoid' on the spot. Tony [Iommi] just played this riff and we all went along with it. We didn't think anything of it."

But then, Black Sabbath's record company decided that, because they thought "Paranoid" was the best song on the album, Paranoid should also be the title of the LP. "We had originally wanted the record to be called War Pigs, and that's what the record company was planning as well when [they] came up with the record cover, which is really horrible to begin with," Geezer said. "We didn't like it at all, but the label put it together, so we were stuck with it. The cover was bad enough when the album was going to be War Pigs, but when it was Paranoid it didn't even make sense [laughs]." - more on this story

- Bryan Wawzenek of Gibson.com

Alice Cooper Live DVD and Halloween Shows

Alice Cooper made too big announcements last week. One he has a new concert DVD coming out at the end of September and also he announced two special Halloween shows and is inviting fans to become part of the show. Here are both announcements:

Alice Cooper is to play two very special shows on October 31st and November 1st at the Camden Roundhouse. For these performances, Alice will be joined by world-renowned alternative performer Jim Rose (of the infamous Jim Rose Circus) as well as Zodiac Mindwarp and The Love Reaction. For a period of 5 days only (ending 7th August), Alice will be accepting video submissions of 'sideshow and freak acts' to his website, www.alicecooper.com.

The best will be invited to a live audition on 9th August at The London Dungeon in London at 7pm where they will 'perform' in front of a panel of judges consisting of Alice himself, along with Nicky Horne and others to be announced. The freakiest and most outrageous sideshows will then become part of Alice Cooper's Halloween Night of Fear at The Roundhouse on 31st October and 1st November. - now about that DVD

If God Tried To Talk To Axl Rose, Axl Would Make Him Wait?

You can always count on Steven Adler for a classic quote. This time the quote comes from an interview with the Boston Herald who were talking to him about his new autobiography, "My Appetite for Destruction: Sex, and Drugs, and Guns N' Roses".

The conversation of course turned to the possibility of a reunion of the original Guns N' Roses lineup and Steven replied, "It's not up to Slash or Duff or Izzy, who wouldn't do it for the money but for the fans. It's all an Axl deal. He's got to be the one to say OK.

"But I won't pray to God to talk to Axl because if God tried to talk to Axl, he'd make him wait. So I'm not going to bother God with that because he'll come back to me saying, 'Steven, you made me go talk to him and the (expletive) made me wait outside all day."

- read the full interview here

Tegan and Sara Vinyl Box

Tegan and Sara will release "The Official Vinyl Collection Box Set" on Warner Bros. Records on August 31st.

This very special package is the definitive vinyl collection of the band's recordings, gathering five of their albums — 2000's This Business of Art, 2002's If It Was You, 2004's So Jealous, 2007's The Con, and 2009's Sainthood — on vinyl for the first time.

The box set also includes an exclusive bonus record, entitled Home Recordings, which features nine demo tracks dating back to the recording of So Jealous. - more on this story

Iggy and the Stooges Working On New Songs

In an interview with Rolling Stone, Iggy Pop revealed that he and Iggy & The Stooges guitarist James Williamson are working on their first new tracks in more than three decades. So, can we expect a new Stooges album in the coming year?

While "the riffs are really good," he says, nothing is certain. "I'm keen to respect the integrity of the group and what it stands for, so I don't want to do a new album lightly," Pop said. "Whatever songs we do, I want them to be better."

Pop and Williamson worked together on 1973's landmark Raw Power, but continued their collaboration after the band broke up. The pair released Kill City as a duo, and the 1977 album is being re-released on October 19. - more on this story

- Bryan Wawzenek of Gibson.com

Slash Offering Limited Edition Live Albums

Slash had this news on his Myspace blog on Friday: After the massive success of the Manchester live recording by Abbey Road Live, Slash has decided to record the Australian shows in August and make a limited number of double-disc CD sets available to the fans Down Under and abroad.

The Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney shows will all be recorded and offer a limited number of CD sets per show, which are sure to sell out fast. Manchester sold out before the show even started. Pre-order these as soon as possible to reserve your copy at www.abbeyroadliveus.com

These shows will be fully mixed and mastered, just like Manchester. The sound will be amazing, and the quality unsurpassed. The twin discs are packaged in the superior DigiPak cases and will look as good on your shelf as the CDs will sound in your stereo. You may pick your copy up at the show (while supplies last), or have it shipped to you. - more on this story

Beach Boys Reunited On Newly Released Song

The on-again/off-again news of a possible 50th anniversary reunion tour has been a bit taxing for fans just hoping to hear those sweet harmonies one last time.

But Al Jardine, the band's original guitarist, has already brought about a reunion for his new solo album A Postcard From California. Jardine's track, "Don't Fight the Sea," began as a track on a proposed solo album back in 1978 and Jardine brought Carl Wilson and Bruce Johnson to sing background. The track never surfaced and 10 years later, Brian Wilson popped in to sing a high harmony.

In 2009, Jardine coaxed Mike Love into the studio to record the baritone part. Jardine told Rolling Stone, "All the negativity between us is gone. He would have been very disappointed had I not asked him to be on it." - more on this story

- Andrew Vaughan of Gibson.com

Singled Out: Gracious Few (Live and Candlebox)

Welcome to Singled Out! where we ask artists to tell us the inside story of their latest single. Today Gracious Few (and Candlebox) lead singer Kevin Martin tells us about "Tredecim" their current single from their forthcoming self-titled album. We now turn it over to Kevin for the story:

As I started to focus in on the song I over heard Chad Taylor mention feeling as though he were in the Harvest Moon of his life, the fullness and strength he was feeling with the new material. It made me think of the calendars life that we follow each and every year in regards to how it would celebrate its life through story or song.

Beginning with the Harvest Moon and ending with the rebirth of life as in the birth of the Harvest, a years cycle actually being 13 in regards to the birth month not ending at 12 with death. It may seem a little strange to read or comprehend but it made perfect sense to me!! HA. The lyrics represent that full heart, the tired Autumn, the sleep of Winter awakening with Spring and the birth of life. Ending with the statement 'my life has made me flatland" as in unending, no obstacles just plains running as far as the eyes can see, our "calendar.'"

Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen for yourself and learn more about the album plus see which members of Live are in the group - right here!

Singled Out: Flipron's The Coolest Names in Showbiz

Welcome to Singled Out! where we ask artists to tell us the inside story of their latest single. Today Flipron's singer Jesse Budd tells us about their current single "The Coolest Names in Showbiz". We now turn it over to Jesse for the story:

I'd had that cheesy little opening riff bouncing around my head for three years before I knew what to do with it. The problem was that the riff in my mind seemed to exemplify a feeling of mindless, showy disposability without a trace of any human warmth. But I found that weirdly appealing & yet also really irritating at the same time—in the way that a nasty scandal on the cover of a celebrity magazine beckons your attention with a lurid headline. So I had to write a song in which what that riff seemed to represent could be identified & gently mocked. Lyrically speaking, it had to come across like the bemused yet stern reproof of an eloquent librarian finding a copy of the National Enquirer in the Philosophy shelves.

So I placed the riff in between a nice European sounding minor-key chord sequence & played it in a two-tone, ska style with a warm, fat, friendly Labrador of a chorus. Then worked out a darker, more complex instrumental section to contrast with the cheesy sing-along stuff. So what's it about? Well, it's about ignoring your inner voice, ignoring the calling we all have to human kindness & patience & generosity & warmth. The calling to do things really well, to care. You know, the Good Stuff. Not wilfully ignoring it. Not with any malice…But in that everyday way in which you just temporarily put these instincts aside for an easier ride through life, just to get to work quicker, just because this morning you're too tired to bother. & then realising that you've been doing this without thinking for years & years & you've become a lazy, good for nothing half-wit hedonist with the moral sensibilities of a hyena whose greater potential was left in the gutter years ago & who uses any lame excuse & encouragement to prop up the half-baked lie your life has become..... So how can I put it? A self portrait of sorts! & the sacrifice bit? Well letting go of all that isn't easy, almost impossible once it's deeply ingrained & it feels like a major sacrifice even to try. But I hope the song is still friendly, still encouraging. - check out the rest of the story here

Enthroned Kicking Off First American Tour in Almost A Decade

Enthroned kick off their first North American tour in nine years this week. Support will come from Deströyer 666 and Pathology as well as Black Anvil, Estuary and Cardiac Arrest on select dates.

This special leg of the Pentagrammaton World Tour 2010 will begin in Brooklyn, New York at Europa on August 4 and hit nearly two dozen cities before winding down at the Hostile City Deathfest in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on August 29.

Said vocalist/guitarist Nornagest: "Enthroned is glad to be back in the States after nine years of absence. The US will be the first nation to witness the new face of ENTHRONED and will be the kick off of the Pentagrammaton World Tour!" - more on this story

The Tygers To Open For The Grass Roots and Three Dog Night

The Tygers will be performing with fellow sixties rockers The Grass Roots and Three Dog Night on August 13th on the main stage at the Wisconsin State Fair Park, starting at 8:00 PM.

After a 40 year hiatus, The Tygers have released their follow-up album aptly titled 'Second Album'. "Releasing a solid debut album is one of the tougher accomplishments in the music industry," says Drew Olson of OnMilwaukee.com

"The only thing more difficult, it seems, is making a good sophomore disc. The old saying in the recording industry holds that bands have 'a lifetime to make the first record and six weeks to make the second.' The Tygers broke that mold ... and it only took 40 years!" - more on this story

U.S. Christmas Eye New Album Release

Neurot Recordings plan to release latest full-length from psychedelic, high-volume blues rock ensemble U.S. Christmas. Release date not included in the announcement but they did provide these details:

Entitled Run Thick In The Night, the band's fifth long player was recorded by Sanford Parker at Fahrenheit Studio in Johnson City, Tennessee, mixed by Parker and USX members Nate Hall, Matt Johnson and Josh Holt at Semaphore Studios in Chicago, IL and mastered by Collin Jordan.

Hailing from the Appalachian Mountains in Western North Carolina and Eastern Tennessee, U.S. Christmas create a kaleidoscopic brand of sound that evades easy classification. Founded in Marion, North Carolina in the summer of 2002, the band played rough biker bars, art spaces, and house shows all over the southeast dirt circuit for years, self-releasing albums in rough CDR format. Scott Kelly of Neurosis heard the band's third record, Salt The Wound (released in Russia by the label RAIG) through his show on Combat Music Radio/KMBT, which inevitably lead to the release of the band's fourth album Eat The Low Dogs on Neurot Recordings. - more on this story

Amanda Palmer Performs the Popular Hits of Radiohead on her Magical Ukulele 2.0 This Week!

"Amanda Palmer Performs the Popular Hits of Radiohead on her Magical Ukulele" 2.0 is set to go on sale August 6th via Bandcamp.

On July 20th, Amanda Palmer and her business collective released "Amanda Palmer Performs the Popular Hits of Radiohead on her Magical Ukulele" via Bandcamp to remarkable success. This was Palmer's first experimental digital-and-vinyl only release independent of a record label, and strong proof that Palmer's vision of "moving towards a patronage society" is indeed a workable - and profitable - solution for unsigned mid-level bands.

Available for a minimum donation of 84 cents (to cover Radiohead's royalties and PayPal fees), the EP sold more than $15,000 worth in downloads and merchandise in under three minutes, but it didn't stop there. Several different "bundle options" (including 450+ vinyl/t-shirt/button bundles, 100 packages that included hand-painted ukuleles, a one-on-one call with Amanda and more) and one thousand limited-edition vinyl LPs were sold out in under 24 hours. Less than a week later, all but one of the highest-end packages are gone. - more on this story

New Autopsy EP Announced

Autopsy have announced the release of a new EP. Here are the details: Autopsy, have completed the recording of their first tracks since officially reforming last year. 'The Tomb Within' EP was recorded in mid-July 2010 at Fantasy Studios with Adam Munoz.

'The Tomb Within' unites the original trio of Chris Reifert, Danny Coralles, and Eric Cutler, joined on bass by Joe Trevisano (ex-Abscess). 



The new EP – the band's first in over a decade - consists of five new tunes of gore and depravity, and will be released on CD and 12" vinyl on September 13th through the Peaceville Records webstore, with a general release set for later this fall. Cover art is supplied by renowned fantasy/horror artist Matt Cavotta. - more on this story

Katatonia Special Edition for North American Tour

Katatonia will kick off their "Night Over North America" tour in Baltimore September 8th.

To coincide with the 26-date US and Canadian tour, Peaceville Records will release a special edition of the acclaimed 2009 studio album, Night Is The New Day, in a hardback mediabook, with 20 page booklet, and bonus track, "Ashen". The special edition Night Is The New Day will be available on August 24th.

Night is the New Day is Katatonia's eighth studio album. It was recorded throughout July 2009 and was co-produced, engineered and mixed by David Castillo. - more on this story

Plug In Stereo Goes With Triple Crown

Triple Crown Records will release a new album this fall Plug In Stereo – also known as 17-year-old wunderkind Trevor Dahl. This jack-of-all-trades, multi-instrumentalist with a talent for crafting easy-going, down to earth acoustic melodies is excited for this next step in his career.

"Right now, the only thing I want in life is for people to hear my music," says Dahl. "I grew up playing in bands, but was tired of the fake, closed-minded attitudes that a lot of kids my age shared. I always had my solo/acoustic music on the side, so as I got older, my style and sound changed to a more honest and organic approach."

By the age of 16, Plug In Stereo was touring the country and sharing the stage with the likes of Never Shout Never, The Ready Set, and Dashboard Confessional, as well as dates on the 2009 Vans Warped Tour. - more on this story

The Mississippi Sheiks Tribute Concert DVD

The Mississippi Sheiks Tribute Concert Live in Vancouver DVD is set for a September 21st release.

The DVD features performances by Dave Alvin, John Hammond, Van Dyke Parks, Alvin Youngblood Hart, Geoff Muldaur, Jim Byrnes and many others.

The DVD will be distributed in the U.S. by Burnside Distribution. Included on the DVD are 13 songs of Mississippi Sheiks music, culminating with an onstage grand finale of all the artists performing the band's classic, "Sitting on Top of the World." The DVD also includes exclusive interviews with several of the show's performers, plus backstage footage and a behind-the-scenes look at rehearsals before the show. - more on this story

Aerosmith's Steven Tyler To Join American Idol?

For those that missed this over the weekend, here it is again. We're heard some interesting names tossed about as replacement judges on American Idol but a new name is in the mix today: Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler. Bryan Wawzenek at Gibson.com has the story:

Now that Ellen DeGeneres has officially bowed out of her judging duties on American Idol, Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez are rumored to join the show, according to RollingStone.com. The two music stars would be the fill-ins for DeGeneres and Simon Cowell, who helped make the show a success, but left Idol after its most recent season.

There is no official word from the Idol camp about the switch in lineups, although J.Lo seems to be a surer bet than the Aerosmith frontman. It is also being rumored that Kara DioGuardi is being forced off of the show to return the series to its original, three-judge format. All reports indicate that Randy Jackson is staying put.

Up to this point, many music and entertainment stars have been rumored as being new judges on the series. Chris Isaak, Bret Michaels, Justin Timberlake, Elton John and Jessica Simpson have been among the rumored contenders. It is expected that there will be some announcement from Fox regarding the new cast on Monday, August 2. - more on this story

Grace Slick and Michelle Mangione Release Gulf Benefit Song

Grace Slick and Los Angeles songwriter Michelle Mangione have joined forces on a new song to be released this week that brings together musicians from across the US to raise money for aid to Louisiana. The GRAMMY Museum has partnered with the artists, lending its support for the track, The Edge of Madness, in order to benefit fishermen and musicians in the areas hardest hit by the disaster.

The song debuted at The GRAMMY Museum in Los Angeles July 24 at an art exhibit and reception, featuring the artwork of Slick and an interview with KLOS DJ Jim Ladd.

The recording, featuring over 20 musicians and singers, is one of the first of its kind that includes musicians of many genres and generations in support of those who are struggling financially due to the oil spill. - more on this story

Tooth & Nail Ink Icon For Hire

Tooth & Nail Records has inked Icon For Hire who will head into the studios with producer Aaron Sprinkle (Anberlin, The Almost, Acceptance) this fall.

Female fronted and hailing from Decatur, IL, Icon For Hire is comprised of Ariel (vocals) Shawn Jump (guitar) and Adam Kronshagen (drums). Since 2007, the band has been establishing their strong following by touring extensively across the Mid-West. From the beginning, the band has written music with a positive view without downplaying the hardships in life, which is a vision the label understands and supports.

"We are thrilled to be joining such an established and well-respected group at Tooth & Nail," shares the band upon their signing. "It's a label that has a history of consistently putting out good music and really working side by side with their artists. Because we've been doing this thing on our own for over two years, it feels great to partner with Tooth & Nail. We can't wait to record our debut full-length and see where this road takes us." - more on this story

Mars Attacks Bumblefoot

For episode 15 of the "Mars Attacks Podcast" host Victor M. Ruiz interviews current Guns N' Roses guitarist Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal.

During this episode Ron discusses the differences between recording and touring with GNR as opposed to his solo work, being compared to past members of the band.

Plus they discuss the re-release of The Adventures Of Bumblefoot, and his work with MS Research among other things. This episode of "Mars Attacks Podcast" can be listened to or downloaded - here

New Michael Jackson Album With Unreleased Songs For Christmas

An yet-untitled collection of unreleased material from Michael Jackson will be released this November. Michael Wright of Gibson.com has the details:

A representative of Jackson's estate told Rolling Stone that Jackson left hard drives full of unheard music, much of it recorded during Jackson's heyday in the 1980s. Jackson's manager Frank DiLeo estimates Jackson left behind more than 100 complete, unreleased songs - some of it stellar: "There are a couple of songs we recorded for the Bad album that we had to cut that are sensational."

Former Sony Music CEO Tommy Mottola said, "Every time that [Jackson] recorded, he over-recorded. He would record anywhere from 20 to 30 songs for each album. Any of them could have been as big a hit as the ones that came out."
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