This Week's Top stories

Here are the top stories from this week's Day in Rock and the top Day in Rock digest stories

Rare Early Led Zeppelin Recording Online

The Metal Den has obtained the earliest known live recording of "Heartbreaker" by Led Zeppelin.

The recording took place on October 10th, 1969 at The Olympia in Paris, France.

It's also a soundboard quality recording which makes it even more of a rarity. "Heartbreaker" comes off Led Zeppelin II, the legendary band's second studio album released October 22, 1969 on Atlantic Records. - check it out here

New Dio Song Coming

(Gibson) Look out for new Dio tracks next year. The band were working on a new album before Ronnie James Dio's death earlier this year.

Guitarist Craig Goldy told Classic Rock magazine, "We were working on tracks for a new Dio album just before Ronnie died in May. And we did almost finish one song. Wendy [Ronnie's widow] has been talking about reissuing the Magica album with bonus tracks, including this one.

"The thing is that the lyrics deal with what Ronnie was going through at the time, when he was battling cancer. So now they are very emotional. It's hard to listen without a lump in your throat." For more on this story, click - here

Guns N' Roses Up To Old Tricks

(Rock AAA) Residents of Townsville, Australia, Thursday night slammed Guns N' Roses for starting a weeknight concert over an hour late and finishing 75 minutes after curfew.

And one angry citizen snapped that the one-time "most dangerous band in the world" was reduced to scaring dogs with fireworks for thrills.

Fans are now prepared for the fact that Axl Rose and co will appear up to two hours after their scheduled start time after a number of high-profile incidents on their current world tour. Last night it was the turn of the Reid Park venue in the Queensland town. - more on this story

Slipknot's Corey Taylor Explains Christmas Song

Stone Sour and Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor gives the inside story to his very first solo single, titled "X-M@$" which will be released on December 14.

Taylor explained that "I wrote this song in my kitchen one winter, listening to people bitch about the holidays. Personally, I love the holidays, but they seem to bring on severe stress in most people. So, I wrote this in honor of crotchety, drunken bastards who don't know the difference between a yuletide and a tool shed. Plus, I think it's funny."

Last month, when a gap arose during the recent Stone Sour UK tour, Taylor hot-footed to Metropolis Studios in London, and tracked the tune in a single afternoon. The lyrics showcase the singer's sense of humor and irreverence in full force, dispensing a fat dose of jocular stick-poking at those who loathe the holiday season. However, Taylor's joviality doesn't stop with the song words, as he even drops a sneaky 'Hi Simon!!' in the single's fade-out, as a nod to Mr. Cowell and his Xmas-hijacking X-Factor squad in the UK. - more on this story

Soundgarden Ponder New Music

(Rock AAA) Soundgarden guitarist Kim Thayil says writing new music is "natural" for the reunited band – and in fact it would be impossible for them not to do it.

In the meantime fans can expect a live album early next year and some early unreleased tracks within 18 months.

But it's a deliberate gradual return to work for the band, who all have other projects to work on. Thayil tells 102.1 The Edge: "We're doing little projects here and there. The guys have other commitments but this is the thing we're most excited about." - more on this story

Kid Rock Angered

(Gibson) Kid Rock is none too pleased with ticket brokers who purchased blocks of tickets for his January 15 birthday concert at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan. More than 45,000 tickets sold out in less than 19 minutes for Rock's show. As is common practice for big concerts, brokers bought lots of tickets and are now selling them for a premium price.

"I am a musician. I did not attend college and barely made it out of high school," Rock wrote on his website. "I try my hardest to keep my ticket prices low. This I have control of!! I cannot control nor do I understand how the [expletive] the scalpers and all the secondary websites and [expletive] get them.

"I feel like someone is beating up a close friend or family member while I'm chained to a chair. I try to understand it, I try to ask my managers and people in the business I know to help me understand it, but it seems they don't either. The only way I know right now to stop it is to not buy from these people or wait till the last minute when they're scared they can't sell them and have to sell them cheap." - more on this story

Prince Tour Changes

Prince has changed his upcoming tour schedule by adding one date and canceling another. Here is the official word with the details:

Prince has adding another Madison Square Garden show to the previously announced New York Area concerts. The two previously announced Madison Square Garden shows taking place on December 18th and December 29th sold out in less than 30 minutes. The new MSG show will take place on January 18th, 2011.

Due to scheduling issues the first show at the IZOD Center on December 14th has been canceled. Ticket holders for the December 14th IZOD show will have several ticket options. They will automatically receive an email notification with a new seat location for the December 15th IZOD show which they can keep or receive a full refund at the point of purchase. - more on this story

Jeff Beck Leads Rock Grammy Nominations

(hennemusic) Nominations for the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards were announced Wednesday night in Los Angeles, and Jeff Beck was the big story on the rock front.

Beck leads the rock field with 5 nominations with material from his "Emotion & Commotion" release, including Best Rock Album, Best Rock Instrumental Performance ("Hammerhead"), Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals ("I Put A Spell On You" with Joss Stone), Best Pop Instrumental performance ("Nessun Dorma"), and Best pop Collaboration With Vocals ("Imagine" with Herbie Hancock, Pink, India.Arie, Seal, Konono No 1 & Oumou Sangare).

Neil Young was also a multiple rock nominee, a finalist in three categories: Best Rock Album ("Le Noise") and two nods for "Angry World," including Best Rock Song and Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance. - list of nominations

Corey Taylor Denies New Slipknot Album Plans

(Rock AAA) Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor says there is no new album in the works – despite claims made by drummer Joey Jordison.

Bassist Paul Gray's death in May forced the band onto hiatus. Taylor has frequently suggested he's unsure about the outfit's future, but Jordison said a new record would be released next year.

Taylor says, "Before anyone gets the wrong idea, let me be clear. I have NO PLANS to make a new Slipknot album any time soon. Shows? Maybe. Album? No. As for Joey's comments, he took that on himself to say that. I can think of five people in this band who haven't written or heard a thing." - more on this story

Hard Rock and Metal Grammy Nominations

(Rock AAA) Nominees for Best Hard Rock Performance and Best Metal Performance in the 53rd annual Grammy awards have been announced.

Best Hard Rock Performance: Alice in Chains: A Looking In View - Ozzy Osbourne: Let Me Hear You Scream Soundgarden: Black Rain - Stone Temple Pilots: Between the Lines - Them Crooked Vultures: New Fang.

Best Metal Performance: Iron Maiden: El Dorado - Korn: Let the Guilt Go - Lamb of God: In Your Words- Megadeth: Sudden Death- Slayer: World Painted Blood - more on this story

The Clash's London Calling The Movie

(hennemusic) The BBC reports the creation of the classic album, "London Calling," by The Clash is set to form the basis of a new music biopic.

Former Clash members Paul Simonon and Mick Jones will executive produce the film, named after the 1979 record.

Playwright Jez Butterworth will pen the script, which will tell how producer Guy Stevens worked with the band to create their most celebrated disc. - more on this story

AC/DC Star Treated Unfairly?

(hennemusic) Following his conviction for cannabis possession in a Tauranga, New Zealand court Wednesday morning, AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd is speaking out about the situation.

Rudd believes he is being treated unfairly by authorities who convicted him for possessing 27 grams of cannabis.

"Give me a fair go," he told SunLive during an interview at his home Thursday. The offence was discovered by police when they executed a search warrant on Rudd's launch at the Tauranga Bridge Marina on October 7 - more on this story

Ozzy Denies Getting Rid of Zakk Wylde

Ozzy Osbourne was a guest on the Howard Stern radio show this week and when asked about the ouster of Zakk Wylde, Ozzy had an interesting response.

According to Sleaze Roxx, when asked why he'd parted ways with guitarist Zak Wylde, Ozzy shrugged: "I didn't get rid of him. He had his own band and he was only helping me out...I said to him, 'It's time for you to do your Black Label [Society]."

Ozzy bemoaned the business side of music: "It's more like a job now than it ever was...people only want one track off the album...the art of the game is gone. It's all tricks and mirrors." Howard then asked if Ozzy could be become a part of American Idol's tricks and mirrors machine, but Ozzy dismissed the idea: "I couldn't do that...the fact that they get up there in the first place and have a go--my heart goes out to them." - more on this story

J.D. Fortune Back with INXS

(hennemusic) Solid news for INXS fans: frontman J.D. Fortune is back in the fold. The QMI Agency reports the Canadian singer is back fronting INXS on the road, despite claiming in 2009 that the band had fired him -- a event he now calls a misunderstanding.

"There was a lot of confusion at the time," says the 37-year-old, who replaced deceased singer Michael Hutchence after winning the Rock Star reality TV show in 2005. "We had just got off tour and we took a break. And in that break, things got misconstrued. We were not able to communicate with each other -- we live 12,000 kilometres apart."

Fortune, who was living in his car before signing up for Rock Star, ended up broke and homeless again. - more on this story

Eric Clapton Expands North American Tour

(hennemusic) Guitar icon Eric Clapton has announced additional dates on his 2011 tour, including a series of North American west coast shows in the spring.

In support of his latest, self-titled release, "Clapton," the new dates kick off February 25 in Vancouver, and trail down the west coast with two Los Angeles shows in March.

The additional dates add to an already busy 2011 schedule for Clapton that includes a 10-night run at London's Royal Albert Hall in May. - more on this story

Social Distortion To Make Television Debut

Social Distortion will make their television debut on December 6 on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!

The band will perform their new single, "Machine Gun Blues" from their forthcoming seventh studio album Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes, "

Social Distortion recently wrapped up a headlining US tour where they unveiled tracks from the new album to packed venues across the country. The band also recently announced a 2011 West Coast tour which has already sold out multiple dates in Los Angeles and San Diego and have been confirmed for KROQ's infamous "Almost Acoustic Christmas" on December 11. - more on this story

Motorhead Murder- INXS Maiden- Alice in Chains Unplugged- Insane Clown Christmas- Wolf Parade Over?- Jack White Backlash- Blink 182 Add Dates- Guns N' BBQ- more

A look back at the top rock stories of the week of December 1st: According to the BBC News, Senior detectives have been scanning CCTV footage to identify two men involved in a fatal altercation in Leeds. Andrew Crawford, 44, of Wesley View, Pudsey, was attacked on Dudley Way near The Light shopping centre on Thursday evening. He died later in hospital. Earlier, Mr. Crawford had been at a gig by Motorhead at the O2 Academy when one of his friends' hair was set on fire. more

Portishead guitarist Adrian Utley has confirmed in an interview with BB6 Music that the band is currently working on their fourth album. more

A new Norwegian documentary on the lives of Pantera's Dimebag Darrell and Slipknot's Paul Grey has been posted online. The documentary was comprised by Norwegian Lydverket TV and features interviews from Slipknot/Stone Sour frontman Corey Taylor and Vinnie Paul. more

Dokken singer Don Dokken is delaying his vocal surgery until January so he can participate in the upcoming New Year's Eve Benefit Concert for original Y&T bassist Phil Kennemore who was recently been diagnosed with metastatic cancer. more

Motorhead are going all out with the release of their upcoming studio album 'The World Is Yours' with a 132 page full color magazine as part of the deal. more

Hellcat Records act Civet had their van stolen in the early hours of this past Wednesday morning. The suspect led the police on a chase that started in Long Beach and ended in gunfire and a collision with a fire hydrant in the city of Paramount. more

The reunited classic "Animosity" lineup of Corrosion Of Conformity - Mike Dean (bass, vocals), Woody Weatherman (guitar) and Reed Mullin (drums) - has been confirmed for Sunn O)))'s curated event at Roadburn Festival 2011, set for April 15 at the 013 venue in Tilburg, Holland. more

Scorpions have confirmed more worldwide live dates on their Get Your Sting And Blackout World Tour 2010/2011. The band's itinerary can be viewed here

The dates for the 2011 edition of the Warped Tour have been announced. No information on venues or performers is yet available, but we do now know that the annual summer "punk" trek will kick off on June 24th in Dallas, TX, and wrap up on August 8th in Portland, OR. more

Ozzy Osbourne has joined Kerrang! Radio's first ever charity campaign. The singer, who originates from Birmingham, has become a Patron of Kerrang! Cash for Kids. The charity will raise funds for children across the West Midlands. more

Crossfade announced last week the addition of new drummer Mark Castillo who replaces drummer Will Hunt. more

CoS has bad news for Wolf Parade fans. According to attendees of the band's concert in Toronto Sat night, singer/keyboardist Spencer Krug reportedly told the audience that "this is the last show we'll play for a long time," with singer/guitarist Dan Boeckner then noting, "this is the last song we're ever gonna play." Wait there is more

Death Before Dishonor and The Mongoloids will tour Europe together early next year more

Within Temptation have rescheduled next year's UK tour, because vocalist Sharon den Ardel is expecting a baby. more

Marduk will celebrate their 20th anniversary by releasing a strictly limited-edition, "marvellous box set" in early 2011. According to the band, "This fabulous release will be a monument of the first two decades of Marduk." more

In a huge update for fans, Against Me!'s Tom Gabel has addressed a number of rumors, and made a couple huge announcements about the bands future. For starters, the band is leaving Sire Records. more

A Swedish appeals court upheld the Pirate Bay's guilty convictions on Friday, increasing the fines yet reducing the jail sentences. So what's this mean? more

Dying Fetus will see their earliest records remastered and repackaged for a series of expanded re-issues set for release in early 2011 via Relapse Records. more

Kelly Conlon (Death, Monstrosity, Vital Remains, Fires Of Babylon, Infinity Minus One) has joined Wynterborne. more

BMG Rights Management has agreed a deal to acquire Chrysalis for £107.4 million ($168.6 million). It follows three weeks of talks between BMG and Chrysalis, one of the world's biggest independent publishers. more

Smoking Popes new album, This Is Only A Test, is due out on March 15th, 2011 more

Criminal have announced the departure of lead guitarist and founding member Rodrigo Contreras. more

Michael Brandvold has posted a classic interview which should be of interest to KISS fans. Here is what he had to say about it: November 21st was the 35th anniversary of the formation of the KISS Army by Bill Starkey. I thought it would be great to dig up this old interview I did with former Program Director Rich Dickerson of WVTS-FM in Terre Haute, IN. Rich was the Program Director who was there at the formation of the KISS Army - 21 Minutes. Exact date of the interview is not known, but it occurred some time between 1995 and 1998. Check it out here

Farewell To Freeway will release their next Victory Records release on January 18th, 2011. Titled "Filthy Habits," the effort was produced by Eric Arena more

Hinder is giving away a free download of the demo version of the title track to their forthcoming album, "All American Nightmare" - all you have to do is sign up for the mailing list at HinderMusic.com

Jack White responded directly to fans' backlash against an eBay auction hosted by his own Third Man Records for one of five coveted copies of The White Stripes' first album reissue, on the double-colored vinyl edition set for extremely limited release more

Simple Minds announce 'greatest hits' forest tour Group will hit the road in June and July next year more

Death Before Dishonor and The Mongoloids will tour Europe together early next year more

The first footage of Quiet Riot performing with new singer Mark Huff has been posted online. The fan film footage, recorded by YouTube user sikkinixx51, shows the reunited band performing their classic "Metal Health" live at Denver, Colorado's Grizzly Rose Saloon on November 26th. more

Two men who were arrested by police investigating the death of a man who was attacked after a Motorhead concert in Leeds have been released on bail. more

Check out this lengthy panel discussion with Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross on the music behind The Social Network more

Cold War Kids announce 2011 UK shows. Group will play in support of their forthcoming new album 'Mine Is Yours' in February more

Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson will embark upon a 13-date acoustic tour of the UK in September 2011. more

Members of Guns N' Roses, including Dizzy Reed (keyboards) and Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal (guitar), will take part in a Rock 'N' Roll BBQ / in-store event at Billy Hyde Music in the Northern Beaches suburb of Sydney, Mona Vale, Australia this Friday more

Dennis Leeflang has joined vocalist Ted Poley's (Danger Danger) solo touring band -- Leeflang most recently toured with Lita Ford more

Eric Carr's personal 924 Porsche, given to him by KISS as a contract signing bonus upon joining the band in 1980, is being sold at kissmuseum.net more

Patrick Stump reveals his solo song titled "Spotlight". Having two different versions of the track, the Fall Out Boy singer is unsure which one should make the cut to his upcoming solo album, so he wants fans' help. more

Blink 182 have added a few more gigs to their previously announced UK tour happening in July 2011. more

The Showdown will no longer participate in the upcoming "A Very Metal Christmas Tour" with Living Sacrifice and Becoming The Archetype, among others. more

The Hold Steady have launched a couple eBay auctions of some autographed rarities, with all proceeds going to the American Tinnitus Association. more

Earlier this month, Apocalyptica postponed their November and December North American tour dates due to undisclosed health issues with Perttu Kivilaakso. They have now been rescheduled in 2011 and are here

Comeback Kid and The Ghost Inside will tour Japan in late-January. more

Lizzy Borden has announced a brief run of European tour dates in December, 2010 more

J.D. Fortune, the Canadian singer who is back fronting the Australian rock band INXS on the road, told the QMI Agency in a recent interview that he has been writing tunes with Iron Maiden guitarist Adrian Smith, and that one of his songs has been picked up by producer Jerry Bruckheimer for a movie. more

Alice In Chains will perform a very special acoustic show on February 5, 2011 at Winstar Casino in Thackerville, Oklahoma more

Only ICP Can Make Us Hate Christmas And Children. Insane Clown Posse is releasing a Christmas album. Before the Juggalos storm the castle, watch the hilarious video for Sugar Slam's Super Live Toy Drive here

Motley Crue frontman Vince Neil survived the first week of cuts on the new reality show Skating With The Stars by beating out actress Sean Young, who was sent home. more Vince Neil, the large body on skates, managed to not look so rock-and-roll as he wiped out on the ice in his program, landing him in the bottom two. See it here

Social Distortion will be headlining the Anaheim House of Blues 10th Anniversary on Wednesday, January 12, 2011. The show will be the 70th appearance at the venue by Social D. more

Black Tusk and Howl will co-headline a European tour in early-February more

Blackfield, the collaboration between Porcupine Tree's Steven Wilson and Aviv Geffen, are to play three English dates next spring. more

Happinet Pictures has issued a new DVD+CD set, Ozzy Osbourne - Speak Of The Devil 1982 Live Concert, available now in Japan via CDJapan. A brief description reads: Live DVD release from Ozzy Osbourne including tracks 'Over The Mountain', 'Mr. Crowley', 'Crazy Train', 'Revelation', and more for 13 songs total. more

The third full length studio album from Bullet is named 'Highway Pirates' and will be released on the February 4th more

Wretch has parted ways with drummer Chris Koshock, who joined the band in 2005 replacing Jeff Currenton (ex-Seven Witches, Winters Bane), is leaving the group to devote more time to his family and job. more

Karma To Burn is hitting the road once again, resuming live dates for the postponed tour supporting The Sword in October. more

Sodom lineup change: "After personal and private problems between Tom [Such, Sodom frontman] and Bobby, it was decided by mutual agreement the end of the cooperation between Sodom and drummer Bobby Schottkowski." more

Me First And The Gimme Gimmes are releasing a five song EP titled Go Down Under. The record coincides with, you guessed it, an Australian tour. more -

AC/DC Drug Bust

(Rock AAA) AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd has been convicted for being on possession of cannabis – and his criminal record could affect the band's future touring plans.

Rudd, real name Phillip Hugh Norman Witschke Rudzevecuis, was fined $250 and ordered to pay costs of $133 in Tauranga District Court, New Zealand, after police searched his boat in October and found 25g of the illegal substance.

The 56-year-old's lawyer had asked for his client to be discharged because a court conviction could affect his job. - more on this story

Bon Jovi Going On Hiatus

(Rock AAA) Bon Jovi are set to go on a long hiatus after completing their current world tour, with mainman Jon Bon Jovi admitting the stress is getting to him.

The band's fourth greatest hits compilation has charted well around the world, but the continued strain of delivering the goods means Bon Jovi will alter plans to keep travelling throughout 2011.

Instead, they'll stop by the middle of the year – and don't plan to return any time soon afterwards. - more on this story

System of a Down Announce Reunion Dates

System of a Down have announced a run of reunion dates next June and issued this message to fans:

We are excited to announce that System will be playing some dates together in 2011.

We also want to thank you for your loyalty and support, not only to System Of A Down, but to all of our solo efforts as well. We have no master plan of sorts – we are playing these shows simply because we want to play together again as a band and for you, our amazing fans. - more on this story

Early Metallica Demo Posted Online

The Metal Den have posted another rare early Metallica demo online for your headbanging pleasure. Here is what they had to say:

Ready to hear some more early Metallica? Judging from the avalanche of views TMD received when they first brought worldwide exposure to the 1982 "Hit The Lights" Demo that was featured here back in March/2010…
you die hard fans want historic metal music now more than ever before.

This time it comes in the form of a Diamond Head cover entitled "The Prince", from the original 8 song demo that was recorded in Ron McGovney's garage on March 14, 1982. - check it out here

Why Robert Plant Rejected Led Zeppelin Reunion

(Gibson) As his Led Zeppelin Experience tour prepared for a stop in Hollywood this past week, Jason Bonham sat down with LA Weekly to discuss the tour, his father's drumming legacy and his chance to sit in with his father's band at London's O2 Arena three years ago. Regarding the reunion, Bonham said the band themselves weren't quite as dangerous as one might imagine.

"They are the most normal bunch of guys you could be around," he reflected. "At one point we were in rehearsal, and this old lady turned up with sandwiches: 'Robert, here you are, I put an extra pickle on for you ... Jimmy, yours are here; John, here's your salad.' When we took a break, everyone would take a section of the newspaper and read. And I'm going, 'Where's the debauchery? Where's the upside down crosses and naked girls and sacrificial tables with virgins on them?' But, boy, when they played ... The key to me pulling off the gig was that all I was only looking for was the reassurance from the three guys on stage. I didn't care that anyone else was in the audience."

After the success of the O2 show, there was great anticipation that Led Zeppelin might continue on together. But singer Robert Plant proved unwilling to relaunch the band that broke up in 1980 after John Bonham's death. "Robert always expressed to me: 'Jason, you know I love you, I loved your dad, and I know how great you are as a player. And on the night, you were great. But to me Led Zeppelin's John, not Jason.' Although it would benefit me to go do it, I also agree with what he says. I understand." - more on this story

Wendy Dio Wants Heaven and Hell To Continue

(Rock AAA) Ronnie James Dio's widow wants his band Heaven and Hell to continue with surviving members Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Vinny Appice.

Wendy Dio, who was also the singer's manager, understands the musicians have all struggled with his death from cancer in May – particularly bassist Butler.

But she believes Heaven and Hell should live on, although under a new name. Dio says: "I don't really know what they're doing right now. But they should do something. - more on this story

Lost Randy Rhoads Solo Posted Online

The Metal Den has obtained a rare Randy Rhoads guitar solo that was part of the Ozzy show that was recorded live in Cleveland, Ohio on May 11, 1981.

However, unlike the majority of songs from that night that were ultimately used for Ozzy Osbourne's Tribute album released in 1987, Rhoads' legendary guitar solo spot in "Suicide Solution" featured on the classic live record is actually taken from another show that took place in Montreal, Quebec on July 28, 1981.

Whatever happened to the original solo from that historic night? Why was it left off the Tribute album? Did Randy Rhoads honestly ever have a bad performance? Upon closer examination, you are going to hear that the lost Rhoads solo itself is nothing short of incredible. - listen here

Kid Rock Birthday Sell Out

(hennemusic) Kid Rock is a hot ticket in his hometown. The Detroit Free Press reports that tickets sold out in 19 minutes, Friday morning, for Kid Rock's January 15 birthday concert at Ford Field.

More than 45,000 seats, including several thousand purchased in a private presale earlier this week, were snatched up.

Fans who came up empty aren't necessarily out of luck if they're determined to attend the event, a 40th birthday celebration that's expected to include a star-powered guest list - more on this story

Metallica Smashes Britney Spears Record

(hennemusic) Metallica recently wrapped up their 2-year World Magnetic Tour with an extended series of shows in Australia, and made some history in the process.

Billboard reports Metallica smashed the ticket sales record at Sydney's Acer Arena, selling 74,244 tickets over four sell-out dates in September and November.

Metallica's feat at the 21,000-capacity arena eclipsed the previous record of 66,247 set by Britney Spears over four nights on her Circus tour in November 2009. - more on this story

Slash Slams Tesla Over Guns N' Roses Song Theft Claim

(hennemusic) Tesla guitarist Frank Hannon accused Guns N Roses of ripping off one their early demos for use as "Patience." News of the accusation caught up to former GnR guitarist Slash, who didn't take kindly to the suggestion.

"I heard that one of the guys from Tesla claimed GNR stole 'Patience' from them," wrote Slash on Facebook.

"I'm assuming he's smoking super crack. Or dreaming out loud . . . I didn't hear the actual interview so I won't jump to conclusions based on hearsay. I'll just make emotiphants!" - Hannon went into damage control

Rush Returning To America

(hennemusic) Rush have announced that The Time Machine Tour will visit new cities throughout North America, and play a few return engagements.

The tour begins March 30th in Ft. Lauderdale and runs through April 22nd in 2011 with dates in Greensboro, Nashville, Louisville, Toledo, Hershey, New York's esteemed Madison Square Garden, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Hamilton, Montreal and Baltimore.

The tour also returns to North America in June with performances in select markets that will include cities such as New Orleans, Austin, Vancouver - and a very special return play in Los Angeles – more information on these dates will be made available soon. - more on this story

Kennedy Wasn't Offered Velvet Revolver Gig But Almost Had One With Led Zeppelin

(Rock AAA) Myles Kennedy says that although there was talk of him being asked to join Velvet Revolver in place of Scott Weiland, the job was never offered to him.

But the singer and guitarist, who's currently on tour with main band Alter Bridge ahead of recording vocals and touring for Slash's second solo album, is happy with the way things have turned out.

And he's still blown away by his memories of coming close to fronting Led Zeppelin after Robert Plant refused to tour with his old band. "I got together with them in June 2008 and we just jammed some ideas. Everything went really well, but I was just flattered beyond belief to be in the same room with these guys. Everything I learned about rock I learned from Led Zeppelin." - more on this story

Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder Announces Solo Tour

(hennemusic) Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder is heading down under for his first ever Australian solo tour.

The tour kicks off on March 10th in Brisbane and ending on March 27 in Adelaide.

Evil J & Saint Cecilia will open the shows. Hennemusic has all of the dates and presale ticket info - here

Duff McKagan's Loaded New Album, Film and Reissue On the Way

Eagle Rock Entertainment announce the signing of Guns 'N' Roses/Velvet Revolver founding member Duff McKagan.

The new studio album from Duff McKagan's Loaded, The Soundtrack, was recorded by Terry Date (Slipknot, Soundgarden) and will be released March 2011. A re-issue of their 2009 CD Sick with bonus DVD will follow in April.

Currently available on all digital service providers are two tracks from the upcoming CD: "We Win" and "Fight On." "We Win" is an anthemic rocker McKagan's hometown football team the Seattle Seahawks have been playing before their home games. It was also heard during the World Series on the MLB network. - more on this story

Slipknot Working On New Album

(Gibson) Slipknot drummer Joey Jordison recently told Billboard.com that the band have begun work on a new studio album. It will be the band's first since the death of bassist Paul Gray in May.

"It's already in motion. It's definitely exciting. It's a little emotional, of course, but I think it's going to be really, really cool and I think it's gonna be a really, really great record because everyone's really involved in the process," he said. "It's going to be a little interesting, but I think it's gonna be a healing process for all of us. Slipknot is not going anywhere. We're a family, and losing a family member sucks. You can't help that, but you need to move on, and I think that what we're gonna do might be the most powerful thing that we've ever created."

Jordison said that the band have no plans to replace Gray with a new member. But, when the band tours, they will be bringing along a bass player. "We'll have a bass player that's right next to me, to the right behind the stage, to lock in with me," Jordison said. "But there's no one right now who will go on stage." -

Ozzy Osbourne Releases Limited Edition OUIJA Board

(hennemusic) Ozzy Osbourne fans looking for an other-worldly experience can now reach out to "the other side" via the new collector's edition custom OUIJA: The Ozzy Osbourne Edition game from Live Nation Merchandise, under license from Hasbro, Inc.

It is available only for concert-goers who purchase any of the VIP packages for the 2010-2011 U.S. tour dates.

Developed in the late 1800's as a talking board game, the OUIJA board has remained in use for more than 100 years in the U.S. - more on this story

The Strokes Scrapped New Album

(Gibson) The Strokes guitarist Albert Hammond Jr. says the New York-based band has finished recording the tracks for their new album, having discarded initial work done at the start of this year.

As reported by Rolling Stone, the tracks for the yet-to-be-titled disc, which features 10 songs, are set to be mixed soon. "I'm positive that [fans] will be as excited as we are [about the new album]," Hammond says. "We're all really excited to be stepping into the next chapter. We spent the last six months recording in my studio upstate and we are beyond thrilled with the 10 songs we have for this record."

The album, which the band produced themselves with help from engineer Gus Osberg, will be The Strokes' first full-length disc since 2006's First Impressions of Earth. Reports of dissension within the group have surfaced regularly in recent years, but Hammond describes the mood in the band these days as upbeat. -