Anniversary of Dimebag's Murder- No Use For A Name Star Hospitalized- Alice Scrooge Cooper- Taking Back Sunday- High Voltage Judas Priest and Dream Theater- more

On this day in 1963, Frank Sinatra Jr. was kidnapped at gunpoint from a hotel in Lake Tahoe. He was released two days later after his father paid out the $240,000 ransom demanded by the kidnappers, who were later captured, and sentenced to long prison terms. In order to communicate with the kidnappers via a payphone the senior Sinatra carried a roll of dimes with him throughout this ordeal, which became a lifetime habit, he is said to have been buried with a roll of dimes. Find out what else happened on this date in music history here -

John Lennon Said He Didn't Want To Be Dead Hero In His Final Interview

(Rock AAA) John Lennon said he didn't want to be a "dead hero" in his last interview – recorded just three days before he was shot dead 30 years ago today.

The ex-Beatle spoke to Rolling Stone journalist Jonathan Cott on December 5, 1980, and although excerpts of the conversation have been released in the past, it's the first time the entire interview has been published.

Lennon, who was 40 when he died, talked about stardom and being a father, while saying he had "plenty of time" to achieve his ambitions. "Critics only like people when they're on their way up – I can't be on the way up again. What they want is dead heroes like Sid Vicious and James Dean," He told Cott. "I have no interest in being a dead f**king hero – so forget them." - more on this story

Axl Rose Named Greatest Lead Singer Of All Time

(Rock AAA) Axl Rose has been voted the greatest lead singer of all time by readers of MusicRadar, ahead of Freddy Mercury, Robert Plant, Ronnie James Dio, John Lennon and Bruce Dickinson.

The list was compiled from readers' votes into a top 30, with the Guns n'Roses frontman winning outright. Only artists who front collaborative bands were eligible to win – soloists and singers with hired-hand outfits were not included.

MusicRadar says: "The public have spoken. Forget the caricature of recent years and think back to the late 1980s – he was dangerous, lean, angry, confrontational, and controversial. The hotheaded, horny ginger stepchild of Steven Tyler and Robert Plant, a born rock star who made being fashionably late a lifestyle choice and started riots in the process." - more on this story

New Anthrax Album Almost Done

(Gibson) Thrash legends Anthrax are nearly done recording their new album, the band's first since 2003's We've Come For You All. Tentatively titled Worship Music, it will be the first Anthrax album with frontman Joey Belladonna since 1990. It's the group's ninth studio album overall.

"We're almost ready to go," guitarist Scott Ian told Artisan News Service. "Eight things are recorded and we've only got to go back and re-record two or three things. And Joey's singing on all of it."

Belladonna is the second guy to provide vocals for Worship Music. Former Anthrax singer Dan Nelson originally did work on the album. The release should be out next year and reportedly includes covers of Alice in Chains' "We Die Young" and Refused's "New Noise," according to NME.com. - more on this story

Annihilator Star Loses Cancer Fight

(Gibson) Annihilator guitarist/vocalist Jeff Waters has posted a message about a former member on his band's website. He announced that former touring drummer Dave Machander passed away from cancer.

Waters explained how he met Machander under stressful circumstances in 1996, when Annihilator's current drummer left the band 12 days before a tour. "Dave Davis, our long-time guitar player, suggested his friend Dave Machander and thought he could handle the gig/pressure. I was not convinced but had no other option than to literally say 'you are in' before I even heard him play drums!"

During a few days of rehearsals, the band played with Machander (who was playing to a "click" track in his headphones). Waters said that it wasn't working out and he was about to fire the drummer, before Davis suggested that Machander try playing without the headphones. - more on this story

The Bamboozle Festival 2011 Dates and Initial Lineup

The Bamboozle Festival have announced their 2011 dates and the initial lineup.

The annual three-day music event will take place on April 29, 30 and May 1 at the New Meadowlands Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

The early confirmed main stage performances include: A Day To Remember, Boys Like Girls, New Found Glory with Marky Ramone, Circa Survive, Waka Flocka Flame, Streetlight Manifesto, and the RX Bandits. - more info

Mob Rules Era Black Sabbath Live Limited Edition Triple Album Announced

Black Sabbath: Live At Hammersmith Odeon, a 3-LP 180 gram vinyl with a triple gatefold packaging, will be released on 1/11/11.

This release will be limited to 3,000 numbered copies and is a Metal Club exclusive, so make sure to snatch yours up at a participating retailer as soon as it's available!

Black Sabbath: Live At Hammersmith Odeon features Ronnie James Dio, Tommy Iommi, Terry "Geezer" Butler and Vinny Appice LIVE at Hammersmith Odeon in January 1982 during Black Sabbath's tour for The Mob Rules. - more on this story

George Harrison and Ozzy Classics Among The Top Ten Solo Albums That Shook the World

Gibson have released their selections for the "Top Ten Solo Albums That Shook the World." Here are a couple of the highlights:

6) George Harrison - All Things Must Pass: George Harrison had a few very notable chances to show off what he could do in the later days of the Beatles. "Something," "It's All Too Much" and "Here Comes the Sun" are standout examples of the beautiful work he was capable of. But nobody quite expected such a torrential outpour of music as that which Harrison offered on 1970's All Things Must Pass. The three-disc, 106-minute set comprised two discs of rock songs and a third disc made up of a bunch of loose jams. It was the highest selling of any Beatles solo album, and would be worthy of name checking as a classic on the strength of "My Sweet Lord" alone.

1) Ozzy Osbourne - Blizzard Of Ozz: Ozzy could have descended into obscurity after his sacking from Black Sabbath — certainly lesser setbacks have befallen stronger men than he. But Ozzy turned into that skid, straightened out and — with the help of Bob Daisley's inimitable bass playing and world-class songwriting, Lee Kerslake's steady work behind the drum kit and the phenomenal guitar wizardry of Randy Rhoads — recorded one of hard rock's true classic albums. While Sabbath's work always felt very English, Blizzard Of Ozz took on the sounds of both Los Angeles and Europe, taking Ozzy's sound out of the dungeons and into the castles. The quartet redefined hard rock with "Crazy Train," "Mr. Crowley," "I Don't Know" and "Suicide Solution," and presaged late '80s progressive rock with "Revelation (Mother Earth)." - Did your favorite make the cut?

Dave Grohl On New Michael Jackson Album

(Gibson) Dave Grohl is one of many music superstars who are appearing on Michael Jackson's posthumous album, simply titled Michael. The songs were taken from recording sessions that Jackson had begun before his 2009 death.

The current Foo Fighter, former Nirvana member drums on "(I Can't Make it) Another Day," which also features Lenny Kravitz on guitar, according to Musicweek.com. Other guests on the album include Akon and 50 Cent.

Although most of the songs date from sessions that occurred in the last year of King of Pop's life, the closing song comes from an earlier period. "Much Too Soon" was written around the same time as Thriller classics such as "Beat It" and "Billie Jean," although it was never used. - more on this story

Dawes, Deer Tick And Delta Spirit Supergroup

Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes, John McCauley of Deer Tick, and Matthew Vasquez of Delta Spirit have joined forces in Middle Brother.

Their self-titled debut, recorded in the fall of 2009 in Nashville, will be released on March 1, 2011.

Middle Brother played their first show at 2010's SXSW - a tiny, late-night, unannounced event under the moniker "MG&V." Other than recording the album and rehearsing once, they had never played the songs live. The audience (and the mob of onlookers crammed in the doorways and windows) was treated to an impossible-to-forget set by a band of musical comrades who seemed genuinely surprised by the fire that was ignited on stage. It was a rollicking and boisterous show that could have fallen apart at any moment and instead centrifuged into melodic and harmonic brilliance. What held it together was each member's sense of song and performance - a perfect, intuitive balance of craft and feel, equal parts playful and earnest. - more on this story

Behind the Video: Hollander's Only Way Out

Hollander launches their self-titled album with the video for their single "Only Way Out." Camryn (singer) and director, Leland Malinksi, conceptualized the video together. The two worked together to bring the song to life.

Camryn says, "putting a visual storyline to the song was awesome because [Leland] nailed it. I really don't think there would be a better way to shoot it, then what he came up with."

The band had fun on the fifteen hour set; Camryn commented, "making the video was awesome, and I can't wait to do it again." Despite the fun on set, the concept behind the video and song is based on a true story. Camryn reveals, "The story has a deeper meaning then what is portrayed in the video. The video is your typical heartbroken love story, but the real meaning is hidden deeply in the lyrics... I will let you all be the judge of it."

Now that you know the story behind this video, you can watch it for yourself - right here!

Classic Allman Brothers Band Live Album Featuring Duane Allman Set For Release

(hennemusic) The Allman Brothers Band dig into their extensive archives for a legendary 1971 performance that's set for rerelease in January.

The second in the band's archival series, "S.U.N.Y. at Stonybrook 9/19/71" was recorded, as the title suggests, on September 19, 1971 at the State University of New York, and it features the band at their absolute peak.

Guitarist Duane Allman was tragically killed less than six weeks after this recording was made, making it one of the last live performances from the original line-up. - more on this story

Paul McCartney To Perform Christmas Shows

(Gibson) Sir Paul McCartney will perform two Christmas concerts in Liverpool and London. According to BBC News, the ex Beatle has chosen Liverpool Academy and London's Hammersmith Apollo for their "intimate vibe."

"Christmas is the perfect excuse for everyone to let their hair down and rock out," he said.

McCartney will play in London on Saturday, December 18 and play his hometown of Liverpool on Monday, December 20. "I always love playing to a home audience and for me it's the perfect way to end the year," he said. "We've had great fun with the stadium shows this year and we're looking forward to the more intimate vibe of these ones." - more on this story

Peter Bjorn And John Set New Album Release

Peter Bjorn And John will release a new full-length studio album on March 29th on StarTime International. For their sixth album the band chose to work with a producer for the first time ever enlisting the skills of Per Sunding at Tambourine Studios in Malmö. For a band that has always produced their own albums, this is a big move and when asked about the choice in a recent interview with SPIN.com John Eriksson said, " 'We needed someone who can make us play differently, someone to remember to back up the hard drive [laughs].'"

The new album, a follow up to 2009's more experimental Living Thing release, is a definite return to Peter Bjorn And John's pop roots. So the move to work with Per Sunding – a member of the now defunct Eggstone (a band that was once dubbed "the godfathers of Swedish pop") seemed especially fitting. When SPIN.com asked Eriksson about the sound on the new album he said, "'We originally planned to make a punk rock album, but listening to it now it's definitely a pop rock album. But it sounds more punk rock when we play the songs live!'"

In the nearly two years since the band's last album, Peter Bjorn And John have been very busy. Bjorn Yttling produced the new and wildly popular Lykke Li record – Wounded Rhymes, Peter Morén released his second solo album and his debut Swedish language album – I Spåren av Tåren, and John Eriksson released a new album – Favorite Flavor – with his disco-kraut band Holiday for Strings as well as three EPS with his solo project Hortlax Cobra. In addition, in January 2010 the entire band participated in an auction to help Haiti by submitting the bongos used on the recording of "Young Folks" along with Peter's jacket that he wore when they performed with Depeche Mode at MSG in the summer of 2009. - Spin Interview

CBGB The Movie

(Gibson) A movie about legendary New York music club CBGB is in progress, according to music-news.com. Filmmakers Randall Miller and Jody Savin are working on a film bio of the departed venue, which helped launch the careers of The Ramones, Talking Heads, Blondie and many other punk era groups.

Miller and Savin said the movie will "center on the real-life story of Hilly Kristal's CBGB club and its impact on the underground music scene."

"This is a film about an era of music, about a place that I hung out at in New York in the early '80s and about an unsung champion of new music," Savin said. - more on this story

The Goo Goo Dolls' Robby Takac Pokes Fun at Twitter Celeb Culture

The Goo Goo Dolls' Robby Takac is in rare form in his new monthly blog for The Comet where he shares his thoughts on the cultural differences between the UK and the US, the power or radio formats and the sometimes absurd world of social media. Here is a small taste of what Robbie has to say:

Aaaaahhh, sitting having a nice, nice cup of coffee. (Well in an age of extreme internet specificity I will correct myself, a nice, nice macchiato – actually, let me go on this for a minute – thousands of tweets, tweeps, status updates and blog-o-thingys later I'm trying to re-evaluate the actual value of each piece of information leaving my cyber-launch pad on a daily basis. I mean, I really don't need to know what Rob Thomas had for lunch, Questlove bought at the fruit market, or anything that a Palin family member has to say at all. But when in Rome, or closer to Rome, you know the rest. You tend to get caught up in the flowing current, so sorry. Actually, to be fair, if it weren't for Twitter I wouldn't have known James Phelps, the actor who plays "Harry Potter," was at our last London gig…and maybe, as noted, his fans could care less about that fact, we'll never know. I do know the random information channels helped me out at the that moment. Either way, there's a lot of information humming down these lines, and it's all out there for your consumption – and of course to help aid in the rise in status of the machiatto within our immediate GGD fan base. Wow, where did that come from?)

Okay, where was I ? Ah yes, at the glorious Café Nero High Street in Kensington. This is one of my favorite parts of travelling around these areas during our "Something for the Rest of Us" UK tour, a great place to steal a few minutes to yourself, charge up on some seriously hi test espresso and to find a refuge to type up a monthly blog for The Comet! - He's just getting warmed up

The Waylons Release Another Free Song and Will Rock NYC This Weekend

The Waylons' new single, We Are Afraid of the Wrong Things, is now available for free download.

The song is the fifth in the band's November single series, and completes the upcoming EP. Fans can stream or download at The Waylons site, www.waylons.com

The Waylons will perform these and other songs Saturday, December 11, at Cake Shop in NYC. - more on this story

Gibson Celebrates John Lennon's Legacy On the Anniversary of His Murder

(Gibson) Today on the 30th anniversary of one of music's saddest days, the death of John Lennon, we are choosing to celebrate Lennon's legacy rather than dwell in the tragedy of his murder. With that in mind, Gibson.com sat down with author John M. Borack (Shake Some Action: The Ultimate Power Pop Guide) to discuss his fab new book, John Lennon: Life Is What Happens.

What will readers find in John Lennon: Life Is What Happens that they haven't seen in the myriad of other tomes about Lennon?

Well, the amount of rare/previously unpublished photos in the book is pretty impressive, for starters. Also, I tried to keep the focus of the book on John and his music, and tell a relatively straightforward story of a complicated man's life, steering clear of most of the unnecessary drama that surrounded him. To me, it's a very nice looking, coffee-table-style book, and one that can serve as not only a biography but also a critical look at Lennon's music. And did I mention that the photos are pretty cool, too? - more on this story

Circle II Circle Wrapping Up US Tour

Circle II Circle, featuring Savatage's Zak Stevens, have just two more dates on their Midwest leg of their ongoing world tour.

The trek is in support of their latest album Consequence Of Power. The band will play their final two shows in Chicago and Cleveland.

Stated Zak Stevens from the road this week: "We're still cruising along playing shows in the Midwest in Ohio, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota in November and December to finish off our initial world tour in support of our new CD Consequence Of Power. We'll be touring out across the U.S. supporting the new album throughout 2011. We're looking forward to seeing all our fans across the country in the coming year and we're very excited about the worldwide response to the new record." - more on this story

Cause of Buddy Holly's Plane Crash Questioned in New Book

Gary Moore pursues Buddy Holly's continuing impact on music and the lives of fans in 'Hey Buddy: In Pursuit of Buddy Holly, My New Buddy John, and My Lost Decade of Music,' which features new information that raises questions about cause of the plane crash that took Holly's life. Here is the book's background info:

Rock-and-roll pioneer Buddy Holly was just a kid from Lubbock, Texas, sporting black horn-rimmed glasses. Now, more than five decades after he died at age 22 in an Iowa plane crash on February 3, 1959, he and his music still affect lives around the world. In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine ranked the writer and singer of "Peggy Sue," "That'll Be the Day," "Not Fade Away" and other hits as 13th among the 50 greatest artists of all time.

Gary W. Moore was born in 1954 but was not a fan of rock music. He knew nothing of Buddy Holly until he attended a tribute to him and his music by musician John Mueller in 2010. He was moved by the performance and astonished to learn that thousands of people of all ages around the globe are dedicated fans. - more on this story

Graham Parker Releases New DVD

Graham Parker released his first ever live performance DVD titled Graham Parker & The Figgs: Live at The FTC yesterday.

With backup from cult favorites The Figgs, Parker uses this occasion to celebrate his 20th album, Imaginary Television, released earlier this year on Bloodshot Records, as well as 21 classic cuts such as "Life Gets Better", "Mercury Poisoning" and "My Love's Strong". The performance was filmed in 5.1 on April 23, 2010 at Fairfield, Connecticut's FTC Stageone. The DVD also features a career-spanning interview with Graham Parker, as well as a companion CD featuring the concert in full.

Parker says, "Typically, when the film crew turns up for the one gig on the tour they are scheduled to film, something goes wrong and the band don't get a proper sound check. The singer (me) is sick with the tour bug and has lost half his voice. A blizzard occurs and half the audience don't show. Whatever: it's often less than ideal. Not the case with this little, beauty, thankfully! The band rocked like Safari Park Chimps, the film crew were non-intrusive, I was in full, strong voice, and the weather did not conspire to keep the punters at home. What a strange confluence of fortuitous events! This one's a keeper." - more on this story

Comeback Kid, H2O and Attack Tour

Comeback Kid have announced another batch of January dates, this time with H2O and Attack.

The run of dates will kick off on January 4th in St. Louis, Mo and will conclude on January 9th in Jacksonville, FL

From there Comeback Kid will join up with Madball and Cruel Hand for a couple of weeks before the head to South American with Sick of it All in March. - more on this story

Wanna Play Like Eddie Van Halen?

(hennemusic) Wanna play like Eddie Van Halen? Online guitarist resource site Lick Library has just added "Learn To Play Van Halen Volume 2" to its catalogue.

With five new tracks, the two-DVD set features over three hours of guitar lessons, including covering Eddie Van Halen's groundbreaking solo techniques and killer riffs.

The DVD is presented by Jamie Humphries, who specializes in all things rock and is renowned for his fastidious transcriptions and awesome backing tracks. This double DVD set give you the chance for one to one guitar tuition with Jamie and is not to be missed. - more on this story

Wino Goes Unplugged and Hitting The Road With Scott Kelly

Scott Weinrich, better known as Wino, has released details of his upcoming solo acoustic album and announced a U.S. tour with Scott Kelly.

With dozens of albums released throughout his time spent in The Obsessed, Saint Vitus, Shine, Spirit Caravan, The Hidden Hand, Shrinebuilder, Dave Grohl's Probot project and much more since the late '70s, his mammoth and varied resume spans nearly three full decades, essentially set him up as a purveyor and forerunner of the entire genre we now call doom rock. A true legend; this is Wino. But, with the release of the humble but legendary musician's new solo album, Adrift, a side of the man that most haven't heard is being uncovered for the first time.

Answering the call from his friends and supporters to record an acoustic solo album following the sudden and tragic passing of friend and bandmate Jon Blank, who appeared on Wino's first "solo release" Punctuated Equilibrium album in 2009, he set to work on his most personal and powerful recording to date. Adrift is a revealing alternative view of this underground legend's personality and history. Stripped down to the bare minimum — just his voice and his guitar — the songs on Adrift follow classic American songwriting ideals offering a compelling mixture of emotion and storytelling. - more on this story

Ben Folds America

Ben Folds will play six shows in the U.S. next month in support of his new collaboration with novelist Nick Hornby, Lonely Avenue, out now on Nonesuch Records.

Folds has also begun his second season as a judge on NBC's a cappella competition The Sing-Off.

The series will reward America's best a cappella group with a Sony Music recording contract and $100,000. - more on this story

Nicolas Chapel's Demians Go Mute

Inside Out Music recently released Nicolas Chapel's new Demians album, "Mute", in North America.

"I wanted the record to reflect my strengths as well as my weaknesses, so it doesn't sound as pleasing and nice as the first record did" he explains.

"Mute" contains nine songs that range from raw alternative to orchestral parts and poetic sounds, but the focus is always on the song. The influences are diverse, reaching from Tori Amos and Radiohead to Ambient music. - more on this story

Scythia Launch Miniseries

(Submitted) Scythia, fresh from returning home from their "Exiled Across Canada Tour" in support of their debut release "...Of War", have announced they will be premiering on Blank TV their 5 part Red Wizard mini-series that they filmed via an iPhone while on the road.

The miniseries follows the band while on tour stops across multiple Canadian cities and tells the story of Scythia's encounters with the evil Red Wizard.

"We came up with idea while we had a few days off on the tour and were visiting sites in various cities we performed in. Scott our keyboardist had his iPhone so it came in perfectly handy to do the videos. We hope the fans like it and have a good laugh." comments Scythia vocalist / guitarist Dave Khan. - Check out the first episode

I See Stars Deliver The End of The World Party

I See Stars have released the title track to their forthcoming album, "The End of The World Party," exclusively at iTunes.

The album, The End of The World Party, which is now officially set for a Feb. 22nd 2011 release.

Andrew Oliver (drums) states: "After a year and half of writing and recording, we are so excited to be finally releasing a brand spankin new track. It's the heaviest pop song we've ever written. The synths and theatrics you'll hear in this song introduce the concept of the entire album. Giving you a sneak peak of the substance and storyline, while allowing to paint your own picture. Expect to hear this and a few other songs on our upcoming new disc on 'The End is Near Tour'! Also, be sure to visit our Facebook page to get your VIP tickets. This single will give a glimpse of what's to come, will you be invited? See you all soon." - more on this story

Rock 'N' Roll Painter Jason Gluskin Announce NYC Show

Jason Gluskin will showcase his music and paintings at his first New York City solo show, dubbed Urban Expressions, this December.

The month-long exhibition will be hosted at Midoma Gallery. The show kicks off with a reception party, featuring an acoustic set by singer-songwriter Jacyln Dima and handcrafted jewelry by Steve Reily, and a charity raffle for the NYC Food Bank on December 9th from 6 pm – 8 pm.

In the past year Gluskin's work has been on display throughout New York City and New Jersey. He has sold many original acrylic paintings and prints, and co-created a mural at the Hoboken Medical Center Pediatrics Ward with local students. - more on this story