The Scorpions Announce Retirement

German hard rock legends The Scorpions have announced that at the end of their upcoming world tour they will be retiring. The tour will be in support of their new album, "Sting in the Tail," which is set for release on March 19th. The band made the announcement on their website as well as releasing a couple of previews from the new album. Here is the announcement:

It was always our pleasure, our purpose in life, our passion and we were fortunate enough to make music for you - whether it was live on stage or in the studio, creating new songs.

While we were working on our album these past few months, we could literally feel how powerful and creative our work was – and how much fun we were still having, in the process. But there was also something else: We want to end the Scorpion's extraordinary career on a high note. We are extremely grateful for the fact that we still have the same passion for music we've always had since the beginning. This is why, especially now, we agree we have reached the end of the road. We finish our career with an album we consider to be one of the best we have ever recorded and with a tour that will start in our home country Germany and take us to five different continents over the next few years.

We want you, our fans, to be the first to know about this. Thank you for your never-ending support throughout the years! We uploaded the very first snippets from our new album for you. And now… let's get the party started and get ready for a "Sting in the Tail"! See you on the world tour

- Check out the preview clips here

Axl Bans Slash Fans?- Ozzy Drops Sucky CD Name, Resurrects Ozzfest- Killers Cancel Tour- Prince Pens Minnesota Vikings Song- U2 Working on New Album and more

Guns N' Roses fans were reportedly forced to take sides in the legendary war between Axl Rose and Slash - after security at a recent GNR show banned fans from wearing Slash gear inside the show. more. A fourth person removed from Axl denial about this report can be found more

Rolling Stone reports that Ozzy Osbourne is in the final stages of recording his next solo album. The disc was originally titled Soul Sucka, but Ozzy recently changed his mind about that. "When we put that on the Internet none of my fan base liked the title," says Osbourne. "They were like, 'I can't imagine me walking around the f**king house with the words 'Soul Sucka' on my T-shirt.' So I was like, 'F**k it. I've got to come up with something else!' " The now untitled set is due out in July, the same month Osbourne says that Ozzfest will return after a one-year break. He goes on to talk about the split with Zakk and more

The Killers have cancelled their forthcoming Asian tour dates due to what they have called "unforeseen circumstances." more

Prince has released a new song about the Minnesota Vikings, inspired by a big win over the Dallas Cowboys and days ahead of the NFC Championship game in New Orleans. "I saw the future," Prince told FOX 9's Robyne Robinson, who was given an exclusive copy of "Purple and Gold" on Thursday. Prince was in attendance for the Vikings 34-3 win. He said he went home night after the Cowboys game and wrote "Purple and Gold," which he says came easy and fast. Check it out here

U2 have revealed that they have begun work on a new album. "We are working on a lot of new songs," The Edge told EW.com. "Some of them are really, really happy. We're convinced that we have something really special." more

Kings Of Leon drummer Nathan Followill has used Twitter to deny his band are about to up sticks from current label Columbia and move to Warner Brothers. "We are not leaving our record label. We are happy where we are now let's get drunk." more

Absolute Punk says that it looks like Bamboozle Midwest will be announced later this week, happening on Saturday, May 15th at Charter One in downtown Chicago. more

Former Hanoi Rocks frontman Michael Monroe will unveil his new band at a press conference on Monday, January 25 at Swing House Studios in Los Angeles, California more

Blink-182 guitarist/vocalist Tom DeLonge is taking a break from major-label life with the release of the forthcoming album by his other band, Angels & Airwaves. The group's third studio album, "Love," will arrive February 14 as a free digital download. more

Radiohead's Ed O'Brien has hit out at claims that piracy is killing the music industry. more

Motley Crue's Mick Mars is planning on recording a solo album more -

Hope For Haiti Now Album And Video Goes On Sale

Kid Rock had this announcement for fans on Saturday about the release of a Hope for Haiti telethon album and video: You can now purchase the music album and own the video of the entire two-hour "Hope for Haiti Now" benefit show including every live performance from the global telethon.

The album is available on iTunes, Rhapsody, Amazon and Napster. The video is available on iTunes and Amazon. Please note that Kid Rock, Sheryl Crow and Keith Urban's awesome performance of "Lean On Me" is only included on the video and not the album.

[For those that may not know: the globally televised telethon took place this past weekend featuring a who's who of pop and rock stars, and raised a reported $58 million dollars which is said to go toward relief efforts in Haiti] - Amazon link

Living Sacrifice Week: Rules of Engagement

Metal legends Living Sacrifice return this week with, 'The Infinite Order,' their first album since regrouping in 2008. To celebrate the release singer / guitarist Bruce Fitzhugh will give us the inside story to five songs from the album. We kick off today with "Rules of Engagement". Here is Bruce with the story:

The music for this song started in pre production. Rocky had the intro riff and chorus riff that fit together really well and then I had a bridge riff that fit. Jeremiah, our producer, was there that night and he helped us piece it together with Lance. For the lead we wanted a thrashy part and I came up with something that was just going to be a place holder until we had time to work on it. I just played the first thing that came to mind, but the riff worked and we kept it.

The lyrics were inspired by a book that I read called "Lone Survivor" by Marcus Littrel who was a Navy Seal in Afghanistan in 2004 and his unit was wiped out by the Taliban. It is an amazing story about how he was ultimately saved by an Afghan village who chose to protect him from the Taliban that knew he was still alive. Their people have law that they live by that essentially says if they take a person into their house or village, they are bound to protect them and help them no matter what. Pretty amazing.

Preview the album and grab tour dates and more right - here

Sevendust Release Some New Album Details

Sevendust checked in with fans this weekend with some details for their forthcoming album. Here is what they had to say: Well we're happy to say the mixing process is wrapped up. Next up is mastering and finishing art work. The first single will be announced soon and we'll leak a track for our hardcore fans that have been waiting.

We're VERY excited to get this out to you guys. Keep you eyes and ears out for it. Go to our official website to watch daily "On tour" videos we will post starting FEB 18. We'll also have small clips of the "Making of the record" that will post weekly leading up to the release this spring.

Title For The New Record "Cold Day Memory" and the Song List: Splinter, Forever Dead, Unraveling, Last Breath, Karma, Ride Insane, Confessions(Without Faith), Nowhere, Here And Now, The End Is Coming, Better Place, Strong Arm Broken - order may change but you get the idea!

- Sevendust.com

Almost Alice Songs To Premiere on Myspace

MySpace Music is excited to announce the exclusive unveiling of the first single from the highly anticipated Almost Alice album. Presently, users can stream the song "Follow Me Down" from 3OH!3 via the social networking site's music channel. In the coming weeks, MySpace Music will continue to premiere songs from Almost Alice as well as hosting the full album stream leading up to the "Alice in Wonderland" film release.

The upcoming MySpace Music premieres are as follows: Avril Lavigne - "Alice" (Feb. 4), All Time Low - "Painting Flowers" (Feb. 19), Almost Alice complete album stream (Feb. 28). To listen to "Follow Me Down" from 3OH!3 visit: http://www.myspace.com/music.

Almost Alice boasts an eclectic array of recording artists with original songs based on some of the most charismatic characters in literary history, such as "In Transit" performed by Mark Hoppus and Pete Wentz. Other artists include The All-American Rejects, Shinedown, 3OH!3, Franz Ferdinand and All Time Low. "Very Good Advice" performed by Robert Smith, is the only song from Disney's 1951 animated film "Alice in Wonderland" that appears on the collection. - more on this story

Sick Of It All New Album Album Set For Release

It's clobberin' time as the legendary NYC hardcore pioneers, Sick Of It All, have returned with an absolutely crushing new full-length album that is going to once again redefine the genre they helped create. The group will be releasing their vicious new offering, Based On A True Story, worldwide through Century Media Records and on April 20th in North America.

Sick Of It All kick off the year with a bang as they embark on a lengthy European run with the Dropkick Murphys late this month and follow it up with an AFI run throughout the UK. The group look to announce North American dates soon.

Armand (drums) further states: "We're starting a new chapter in SICK OF IT ALL history by signing a worldwide deal with Century Media for the release of our next album Based On a True Story. We had a great European experience with them on our last record, so we're psyched to continue that relationship, as well as expand the scope of the deal by including the USA and Canada. The head of the label has been very supportive since we first met him back in the early days, and it's great to know that we have someone at the helm who really understands what we're about. We had an inspired recording session and the album sounds great, so we hope it brings hardcore pride back in a big way! See you all real soon."

- dates

The Temper Trap Announce North American Tour

After a massively successful run of North American dates last fall, The Temper Trap will return to the U.S. for their first headlining tour in support of their critically acclaimed debut album, Conditions, out now on Glassnote/Columbia.

The London-based band, showered with praise across the States throughout the last year, will play dates from coast to coast in March and April.

2009 was an incredible year for the band, as the single "Sweet Disposition" became ubiquitous through usages in the sleeper hit film 500 Days of Summer, a multimedia platform Rhapsody advertising promotion, scoring numerous national TV shows, and was most recently featured in a Chrysler branding campaign. The song is now exploding at radio stations such as KROQ and KCRW, and is the biggest mover on the modern rock chart over the last 2 weeks. - more on this story

Musink Festival Fast Approaching

The Musink Tattoo Convention And Music Festival will offer two, 3-day festivals in 2010. The first one will take place February 19, 20 and 21 at the Orange County Fair & Exposition Center in Costa Mesa, CA, to be followed by a second event April 9, 10 and 11 at Fair Park in Dallas, TX. This marks the third annual outing for MUSINK at the OC Fair.

Confirmed bands for the Orange County festival include The Cult, The Damned, Buzzcocks, Face to Face and The Headcat (featuring Lemmy Kilmister from Motorhead and Slim Jim Phantom from Stray Cats).

Motorhead frontman and bassist Lemmy Kilmister says, "Just as long as I don't have to play on a skateboard and buy a Jack Daniels, I'm there."

This year, the festival is expanding to Dallas and the bands confirmed so far include Old 97's, Shooter Jennings, Lucero, Roger Alan Wade and many more to be announced. - more on this story

James McMurtry Announces iPhone App and Tour Dates

James McMurtry fans can now stay up to date with concert information, photos, videos, music and blog posts while they are on the go with the his new official iPhone application. The app also allows users to post photos from their iPhone directly to the fan community and engage other fans across Facebook and iLike. The app is available for $.99 here

McMurtry and his band will be touring the western United States in support of his latest release, Live in Europe (Lightning Rod Records). The album is a document of McMurtry's first European tour, on which he was joined by keyboardist Ian McLagan and fellow Texas songwriting legend Jon Dee Graham. The set is available as a CD with a bonus DVD, or as a deluxe vinyl LP package with a CD and DVD insert.

Live in Europe, available as a CD/DVD set or as a vinyl LP/DVD set, has earned praise from the critics. Mike Seely, writing in the Seattle Weekly, wrote: "The great Texan James McMurtry released a new album of old material in 2009—in other words, a live album. No matter: Mere mention of its drop date gave me an excuse to delve deeper into McMurtry's supremely underrated oeuvre. . . This re-exposure made me surer than ever that McMurtry is the Springsteen of the South." - dates

Rothbury Festival 2010 A No Go

Festival organizers for the Rothbury music festival announced that they will not host a 2010 event.

According to event producers Madison House Presents and AEG Live, a contributing factor in the decision is that, due to various artists' recording and touring schedules, timing will not allow them to assemble the cutting edge roster that has been associated with Rothbury. Madison House Presents' Jeremy Stein explains, "The result for this year is that we are not able to move forward with the integrity and high standards that we demand from ourselves and for the festival."



Despite the 2010 postponement, organizers intend to move toward continuing Rothbury in 2011. According to Stein, "This event is something very special, and we are unwilling to potentially tarnish what Rothbury is, and can become, by working under conditions that will produce anything less than a magical experience. Our efforts are certainly not coming to an end."


- official site

Meliah Rage Release Party

Boston metal stalwarts Meliah Rage have announced a special Boston-area show to mark the release of their new album, 'Masquerade'. On Saturday, February 20th, the band will headline a show at Whiplash, 63 Wyman Street, in Stoughton, Ma. along with fellow New England area metallers Steel Assassin and Ravage.

Also appearing will be Mob Hit, featuring ex-Wargasm drummer Barry Spillberg. Doors will open at 8pm. The show is presented by Rawkstars Inc., and a portion of the proceeds will go to support free instruments, lessons and music programs for local kids.

Meliah Rage has much to celebrate. Now in their 23rd year, and after having recently reunited with original singer Mike Munro, Meliah Rage have just released what many are calling their finest album in 'Masquerade', which is currently available exclusively via
- www.metrocityrecords.com

Oceano Recording New Album

A year after completing the recording of their hugely successful 2009 debut, Depths, Chicago's deathcore heavyweights, Oceano are heading back into the studio to record their follow-up.

Set for release later this year, the new album will tell a story that promises to open eyes and deliver a more mature experience than many might normally expect. "Expect us to go DEEPER than DEPTHS this time around, and NOT just meaning heavier;" says vocalist, Adam Warren. "This is more than just our sophomore album. It is a great vision to be accomplished when all of the pieces we've worked so hard to create - art, music, lyrics and overall atmosphere - come together."

In order to make Oceano's vision a reality, the band has enlisted the help of Zeuss to produce the record. Zeuss, one of the most well regarded producers in metal today, has worked with acts like Municipal Waste, The Acacia Strain, Hatebreed and Shadows Fall. Known for exponentially increasing an act's natural abilities while in the studio, Zeuss is enthusiastic at the chance to take Oceano to the next level. - more on this story

Umphrey's McGee On Rock Band Network

Umphrey's McGee will be among the first group of bands to offer songs at the just-launched (beta testing period) Rock Band Network.

The much buzzed-about video game platform works with Xbox video game systems to allow bands to Xbox users, and to offer fans a way dig into their favorite band's music in ways they have never been able to before.

Umphrey's McGee has been working with former Harmonix Music Systems employee – and now "Rock Band" freelancer - Andrew Buch. An alumn of Berklee College of Music, Buch has author several Umphrey's McGee songs for the new program, including "1348" and "Miss Tinkles Overture." These songs and others will be made available within the next few months - when the first wave of the Rock Band Network releases are scheduled to hit upon the release of the new Xbox 360 system. - more on this story

Luther Allison's Songs From The Road CD/DVD

Ruf Records announces a February 9 release date for Luther Allison's Songs from the Road, a live two disc CD/DVD that documents a magical night of blues music from the legendary guitarist/singer, recorded at the Montreal Jazz Festival by Canadian Television on July 4, 1997. Distributed in the U.S. by the Allegro Corporation, the new release will retail for a special low price, essentially getting both the CD and DVD for the price of one.

Songs from the Road was filmed just four days before Luther Allison was diagnosed with the terminal cancer which took his life one month later; thus, this document represents his last live recorded performance. The CD includes 80 minutes of the 90-minute set he performed that night, while the DVD features the 56-minute video version that was aired originally on Canadian TV.

The CD includes 11 Luther Allison standout songs, including "Cherry Red Wine," his 1996 award-winning Song of the Year, "Serious," "Will It Ever Change," "Move from the Hood," and "It Hurts Me Too." The DVD also includes bonus footage of an interview with Allison, as well as a documentary on his life. - more on this story

Thirty Seconds to Mars Score Radio Hit

Multi-platinum rock band Thirty Seconds to Mars' first single "Kings & Queens" from their new album This is War (EMI/Virgin) takes the No. 1 spot as the most played song on the alternative radio airplay chart this week after 15 weeks of airplay.

This marks the band's second #1 single at the format and third top 5 hit. The platinum selling A Beautiful Lie's "From Yesterday" reached #1 in 2007 and "The Kill" peaked at #3 in 2006 before becoming the first song in alternative radio history to be retired from the Billboard chart after a 52-week run.

"The Kill" was recently named the #1 Alternative song of the last decade by AOL Radio listeners. The "Kings & Queens" video was featured as iTunes video of the week last month and was one of the most downloaded videos ever to be featured. The video is currently on Fuse's #1 Alternative Countdown and is also receiving airplay at MTV, MTV2, MTVu, VH1 and Music Choice. "Kings & Queens" will be featured in the trailer for the upcoming Warner Bros. animated film "Guardians Of Ga'Hoole." - more on this story

Orphaned Land Announce North American Dates

Orphaned Land will make their triumphant return to North America this March as direct support to Suidakra. This is not to be missed as it's only hitting four select cities.

Vocalist Kobi Farhi describes his excitement over this tour: "Shalom to our warriors of light in America! We are so excited to finally meet you, because we will tour the U.S. for the first time. We sure hope that more dates will be added to this tour and we can't wait to meet you all!

Israel's Orphaned Land pioneered Middle Eastern metal music and their highly anticipated fourth studio opus The Never Ending Way of ORwarriOR is set for a February, 9th release. - more on this story

The Honorary Title Solo Release

Jarrod Gorbel, the Brooklyn-based singer/songwriter behind esteemed indie act The Honorary Title, announces the self-release of a solo EP. "Ten Years Older" was released digitally on January 19th, 2010. The collection, recorded in New York, is a taste of what is to come with Gorbel's approaching full-length solo album, Devil's Made A New Friend.

Gorbel has come full circle this year, stepping out from behind the Honorary Title name and recording two remarkable new discs. His solo sound mines classic soul, traditional folk and Americana, incorporating strings, horns and female backing vocals for a sound more lush and organic than any of his previous work.

The Honorary Title began several years ago as the moniker for Gorbel's solo folk musings, and later evolved into a full-fledged quartet. The band released their debut, Anything Else But The Truth, in 2004; the album received praise from Rolling Stone and Spin. Their first major-label release, 2007's Scream and Light Up the Sky, also garnered critical accolades, with Paste Magazine proclaiming that the album was the "under-realized power-pop supergroup"'s best to date. - more on this story

Dave Alvin, Bob Brozman & Alvin Youngblood Hart Added to Mississippi Sheiks Tribute Concerts

Roots music legend Dave Alvin, guitar wizard Bob Brozman and blues performer extraordinaire Alvin Youngblood Hart have been added to the stellar lineup of performing two nights of special tribute concerts saluting the music of the seminal American band, The Mississippi Sheiks, on March 13 and 14 in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Presented by the Vancouver 2010 Cultural Olympiad in partnership with Capilano University, the two nights will also feature performances by Grammy-nominee John Hammond, Van Dyke Parks (his first-ever shows in Canada), Geoff Muldaur, Danny Barnes, Jim Byrnes, Steve Dawson, Robin Holcomb, Oh Susanna and The Sojourners. Additional artists are expected to be announced. The all-star band backing up these artists for the shows will be Matt Chamberlain – drums; Keith Lowe – bass; Wayne Horvitz – keyboards; Steve Dawson – guitars; and Daniel Lapp – fiddle.

The Mississippi Sheiks Tribute Concerts will be the last event for the Cultural Olympiad, the arts festival that takes place in conjunction with the 2010 Winter Olympic Games to be held in Vancouver on February 12-28, and followed by the Paralympic Winter Games on March 12-21. - more on this story

Captain Accident Releasing First Song

Captain Accident is one of Cardiff's best kept secrets. The brainchild of Adam Parsons, formerly of ska heroes Chemical Reaction, and metal rockers My Little Murder, Captain Accident's sweet reggae rhythms have been blessing South Wales' live scene, and it's airwaves for the last twelve months.

Since gigging began in early 2009 Captain Accident and his band of like minded brothers - The Disasters, have played with some of the top bands on the UK reggae/ska circuit, such as Sonic Boom Six and Dirty Revolution. Captain Accident also landed a slot at the Greenman festival in 2009, to a fantastic crowd response.

With credit due to Captain Accident's great songs, catchy rhythms, and also to his relentless hard work, 2010 is already shaping up to be his year. With tour dates booked all around the UK in February and March, Captain Accident will release his debut single Fire Fire Fire on Monday 15th February 2010. The single is already receiving rave reviews, and airplay around the UK. Fire Fire Fire is a taste of what you can expect from Captain Accident's full-length album, which is planned for THIS SUMMER.

Fire Fire Fire will be available from all major online music retailers, worldwide from 15th February 2010. In the meantime, check out - http://www.myspace.com/captainaccident

Benjy Davis Project Set New Album Release

The Baton Rouge, LA-based group Benjy Davis Project plans to release its new album, "Lost Souls Like Us," on March 2, 2010, via Rock Ridge Music.

Recorded at Rivergate Studios in Hendersonville, TN, and co-produced by Bobby Capps (.38 Special) and Jason Spiewak (Ernie Halter, Pat McGee, Andrew Hoover), "Lost Souls Like Us" features the current band line-up of Benjy Davis and Mic Capdevielle, together since 2001 in Benjy Davis Project configurations that have varied in size from an acoustic duo all the way to a six-piece.

In addition to Davis and Capdevielle, the album features a cast of seasoned studio musicians: Mark "Sparky" Matejka of Lynryd Skynyrd, Danny Chauncey of .38 Special and Jason "Slim" Gambill of Lady Antebellum all contributed guitar parts; Ethan Pilzer (Jewel, Big & Rich) played bass; Spiewak and Capps played piano and organ parts; Sara Jean Kelley sang background vocals. - more on this story