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On this day in 1963, The Beatles topped the bill at The Royal Variety Show at The Prince Of Wales Theatre, London. With the Queen Mother and Princess Margaret in the audience, this was the night when John Lennon made his famous remark, "In the cheaper seats you clap your hands. The rest of you, just rattle your jewellery." And on this day in 1966, The Beach Boys "Good Vibrations," entered the U.K. chart, it went on to be a U.K. & U.S. #1 hit single. Find out what else happened on this date in music history here -

Greatest Guitar Sounds

Gibson has a new special where they present their picks for the Greatest Guitar Sounds. Such lists are sure to spark debate. Here is part of the intro and a couple of their picks: Sometimes the mystery tones with the greatest impact are the ones hiding in plain sight, within some of the most familiar, popular tunes. Here then, is a list of some memorable "WTF" moments in rock 'n' roll guitar sounds.

4. Van Halen, "Eruption:" Just when we rockers thought we'd heard it all, Eddie Van Halen came up with a whole new approach to guitar and essentially reinvented the instrument. With this one, short blast, Eddie's hammer-ons, pull-offs, and two-handed tapping technique opened up a whole new world of sound, and set a new gold standard for what we expect from our guitar gods.

1. Jimi Hendrix, "Star Spangled Banner:" Who knew a guitar could do that? Beautiful, frightening, and mind-boggling all at once, Jimi's performance of the national anthem at the 1969 Woodstock festival remains a monumental moment of guitar history. Using overdrive, feedback and sheer amp power as artistic tools, Hendrix created a whole knew vocabulary of sonic possibilities that had barely been hinted at in rock 'n' roll's first decade. Cottage industries have sprung up to try to make Jimi's tone easily replicated through effects boxes, but the real key to the sound was in Hendrix's head and hands. - Check out the full list here

Slash Talks Guns N' Roses Reunion

(Gibson) Slash praised the recent reunion of Axl Rose and Duff McKagan on a London stage. The Daily Express reports that the guitar great is glad that his two former Guns N' Roses colleagues made amends.

Slash and McKagan both quit the famous rock band and later formed Velvet Revolver. Bass player McKagan made a surprise appearance on stage with Rose at London's O2 Arena in October. Slash told New York's Q104.3 FM, "It was cool. I got an e-mail from Duff going, 'I'm checked into a hotel and Axl is in the room next to me.'... He just sort of kept me posted through the day... So it was cool. And then the next day he told me it was great, everything was very cool, they went out and had dinner, and so they had that sort of, whatever, rekindling kind of thing..."

And on the inevitable question of a full GN'R reunion, Slash was thoughtful. "We'd have to do things way differently than we did in '91, '92, '93 and whatever... And I don't think that's changeable," he said. "That whole production would have to tighten up and be like a real working band, and I don't think that's salvageable." -

Eddie Vedder, Patti Smith and R.E.M.

(hennemusic) More details are coming out about the new R.E.M. album, "Collapse Now," due early next year

"Collapse Now" is produced by Garret "Jacknife" Lee (Snow Patrol, U2), and will feature a pair of special guests

Patti Smith joins the band on the album's closing track, "Blue," while Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder appears on "It Happened Today." - more on this story

Marilyn Manson Going Punk

(Gibson) Marilyn Manson's forthcoming album is going to be a punk rock affair, according to his guitarist.

Speaking to The Blairing Out with Eric Blair Show, Twiggy Ramirez (aka Jeordie White) said Manson's eight studio album is "kind of like a little more of a punk-rock Mechanical Animals," referring to the 1998 album.

Ramirez said that the album was "almost done" and would most likely be out in 2011. "It's fantastic," he said. "It's our best record yet, I think. I mean, everyone always says that, but I think this is our best work so far." - more on this story

Monster Magnet Guitarist Quits

(hennemusic) Monster Magnet guitarist Ed Mundell has quit the band after 18 years, for "personal reasons."

MM leader Dave Wyndorf posted the news on the band's website. "What can I say? [Ed] told me this two months ago and I gave him some time for him to perhaps reconsider, but no go. It's a bummer, yeah but we've been through this kind of thing before.

"Make no mistake, Magnet goes on. We start the 'Mastermind' tour tonight [Wednesday, November 3] in Cologne, Germany with Phil Caivano and Garrett Sweeny handling dual guitar chores."
- more on this story

Vince Neil Confirmed for Skating with the Stars

We told you about this in our digest yesterday but Gibson has a lot more details: Later this month, Motley Crue frontman Vince Neil will go from shouting at the devil to trying to perfect a double toe-loop. The rock singer will be one of the six celebrity contestants on ABC's Skating with the Stars, which is produced by the same people behind Dancing with the Stars.

"I was a figure skater when I was 12," Neil told People.com. "When they called, the people in my office were laughing but I told them, 'I actually used to skate. I haven't skated for a long, long time. I like to do things that sound like fun and this sounds like fun.'"

Neil will join actress Sean Young (Blade Runner), reality television star Bethenny Frankel (The Real Housewives of New York City), Olympic skier and gold medalist Jonny Moseley, actress Rebecca Budig (All My Children) and actor Brandon Mychal Smith (Disney Channel's Sonny With a Chance). The series begins its six-episode run on November 22 at 9 p.m. ET. - more on this story

Bon JoviTube Live

(hennemusic) Wanna enjoy some live Bon Jovi from the comfort of your computer or mobile device?

You'll get your chance next Wednesday, when the band teams up with YouTube to stream their live set from New York's Best Buy Theatre.

Fans will help get to help shape the setlist by sending in a text or posting a video on YouTube. - more on this story

Pete Yorn Taps Ben Kweller for North American Tour

Pete Yorn is hitting the road for an extensive North American headlining tour in the new year.

The trek is set to kick off on February 14th, 2011 in Phoenix at the Marquee and will feature support from special guest Ben Kweller on all dates.

Yorn is touring in support of his new, self-titled album, which was produced by Frank Black. - more on this story

Arcade Fire's Future Plans

(Gibson) Arcade Fire frontman Win Butler spoke to the Wall Street Journal about his band's future plans.

When asked what's next for Arcade Fire – who released their latest album, The Suburbs, in August – Butler replied: "We're going to experiment this winter. We're not quite sure what we're doing in February, but January and March we'll probably be off. We've never successfully written or done anything really in a middle of a touring cycle.

"We're going to see if we can maybe get into a different rhythm besides the tour, tour, tour, rest, rest, rest, tour, tour, tour, rest, rest, rest. We're going to see if we can intertwine them a little bit. We'll definitely be touring next spring because the weather will be nicer to drive around in the springtime than the winter." - more on this story

Queens of the Stone Age Delay

The reissue of Queens of the Stone Age's self-titled debut has moved to January 11, 2011 (for both the CD and vinyl release).

The reissue was originally set to take place on Black Friday. No reason for the delay was mentioned in the announcement but here are details including the bonus track info:

Queens of the Stone Age's critically-lauded 1998 self-titled debut, reflects the band's original vision for the album with three tracks that were initially cut from the record reinstated. - more on this story

Joe Bonamassa Double CD and Blu-Ray

Joe Bonamassa's Live At The Royal Albert Hall is coming to CD and Blu-Ray in the U.K. It was originally released on DVD in October of last year.

Now, for the first time, the legendary concert, featuring a special guest appearance from Eric Clapton, will be released on special 2 x CD and Blu-Ray formats in the UK on Monday November 15th and Monday November 22nd respectively.

The Blu-Ray edition, which also features an exclusive interview with Bonamassa, presents that magical night in full — for posterity, and for all the fans that couldn't be among the 4,000 concert goers who filled the seats. The 12-camera high definition, Surround Sound shoot was produced by Bonamassa's collaborator Kevin Shirley. - more on this story

Crash Test Dummies Winter Tour

Crash Test Dummies have announced a short tour of the northeast that will take place during the first two weeks of December.

The trek is in support of their album Oooh La La!, the band's first record in six years.

The tour will kick off on December 2nd in Ithaca, NY at The Haunt and is set to wrap on December 12th in Sellersville, Pa. - more on this story

An Evening With Frank Zappa DVD

(DVD) Eagle Rock Entertainment will release the Frank Zappa DVD An Evening With Frank Zappa During Which…The Torture Never Stops on November 16.

Frank Zappa's New York Halloween 1981 concerts were filmed Live at The Palladium. This "thing" entitled The Torture Never Stops was created in its entirety by FZ from the original concert production and intended by the Artist as one of 3 Television Specials. This is the longest version of the three - the others, "You Are What You Is" and "Dumb All Over", having actually aired.

Halloween was Frank Zappa's favorite holiday, and New York was the site of Frank Zappa Halloween concerts for years! The billion and a half airings by MTV of the concerts (non-edited) followed on closely from the release of the double album You Are What You Is in September of that year on Frank Zappa's own recently founded and thoroughly independent label, Barking Pumpkin. - more on this story

David Gilmour Has Dire Words For The Music Biz

(hennemusic) Pink Floyd's David Gilmour is a fan of music, just not much of what's happening these days.

"I keep waiting for someone who is as good as the old favorites I love, like Neil Young and Leonard Cohen, but I wait in vain. I can only live in hope," David told Britain's Daily Express.

Gilmour also says he doesn't hold out much hope for the music industry as a whole. "The old record industry is falling apart," he said. "The new system is run via a different system and the Internet is driving it. I don't know at what point, one will look back at it and think of this period as a blip, but I suspect something like that will happen." - more on this story

Rob Halford Picks Favorite Black Sabbath Album

(Gibson) Metal god Rob Halford spoke with Vancouver's Straight.com as he prepares to open for Ozzy Osbourne at the city's Rogers Arena on November 14. Asked for his favorite Black Sabbath album, the Judas Priest screamer (currently on the road with his solo band, Halford) forwent Paranoid, Master of Reality, Volume 4 and Sabbath Bloody Sabbath in favor of the band's self-titled debut.

"It took 24 hours to make, believe it or not," he marveled. "But the sound is absolutely mind-blowing. If you just listen to the sound, how they were able to do that work in such a short space of time is extraordinary."

He continued, "I think a lot of musicians agree that, generally, your first record is very, very important, because you're really coming from a very pure, new, uncluttered source. You've got nothing to prove because you've proved nothing yet; you haven't really got a massive fanbase, so you're searching to build that. Your record company's not interfering with your music as they tend to do when you become successful — same with managers, agents, promoters. You're really coming into your existence at a different level. - more on this story

Drink Bravely with Rush

(hennemusic) Wine connoisseur Alex Lifeson of Rush is featured on a new edition of "Drink Bravely with Mark Oldman."

Mark is considered one of the States' leading wine personalities; he's written several books and hosts a public television series called "The Winemakers"

In Episode 14: "The Lifeson Ledge," Alex explains his strategy for storing wine to ensure that his favorites are still in the cellar when he gets home from the road. - Check it out here

Chad Smith's Bombastic Meatbats Tour

Red Hot Chili Peppers and Chickenfoot drummer Chad Smith has announces some rare live dates for his Bombastic Meatbats.

Smith's quartet, the Bombastic Meatbats, are touring in support of their recently released sophomore album More Meat.

The tour is set to kick off on November 18th in New Hope, PA at The Havana Club. - more on this story

Singled Out: Auditorium

Today Spencer Berger of Auditorium tells us about "I'm The Enforcer" from hus brand new album "Be Brave". Here is the story:

I was fiddling around on the guitar in my old bedroom in North Hollywood. Usually, if I'm trying to actually write a song, the last thing I do is fiddle around on my guitar…it's a sure-fire recipe for me to come up with absolutely nothing. 99% of the songs I've written have first come to me when I'm doing something absurdly mundane; washing my hands, taking the garbage out, fixing myself some rice and beans.

So, I'm fiddling around on the guitar…and all of a sudden, without even thinking about what I was doing, I began playing the chords to the verses and singing the vocal melody over it. Bam. Just like that. I couldn't believe it. It was so against my usual songwriting process that for a few minutes I doubted whether I'd come up with an original melody, or I was just ripping something off I heard on the radio. Making me even more skeptical was the fact that I'd instantly started singing the first lines of the song (Here's Charley, he's a defector, I will never, ever, ever let him infect her). Lyrics are usually the very last thing I write for a song, so it seemed doubtful to me that these words had magically tumbled out of my brain.

After half-convincing myself that I, in fact, was the composer of this song, I immediately decided to record a rough sketch of it…just in case it happened to really belong to me. I worked all afternoon, figuring out the basic structure, and experimenting with different ways of singing the chanting that opens the song and returns before the second verse. I'm sure my next-door neighbors thought I was murdering a small whale or exotic bird…let me tell you, those chants sound mighty bizarre when you're hearing them without the benefit of music.

Of all the songs on the album, I've been asked about the lyrics to this one the most. Not to sound like some sort of hippie wizard or something, but the truth is, I sort of let the song write the lyrics for me. The first lines that came out of me when I was fiddling around on the guitar really determined everything that came afterward. I wrote all the lyrics in that same afternoon, and they all came so naturally that I simply decided to never second-guess them. The song is a story, told by a narrator who seems to think higher of himself than the characters in the tale. However, in the final verse, the narrator describes himself, and seems to be rather similar to the characters he'd been putting down...maybe even worse than them. Or maybe he really is better than them. Or maybe he's simply accepting the fact that he's the same as them. When I hear the song now, the lyrics always mean something a little different to me. And like the rest of the song, I've simply learned to accept that I'll never know exactly how or why I wrote them.

Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen for yourself and learn more about the album - right here!

Taddy Porter Hit The Road With Evans Blue And Announce Cancer Sucks Benefit

Taddy Porter will be on the road supporting Evans Blue through December 4th. Additional dates supporting Sick Puppies are forthcoming.

Taddy Porter will be embracing the Christmas spirit early this year, lending their talents to the Cancer Sucks benefit, taking place on Saturday, November 27 at Cain's Ballroom in Tulsa, OK.

"Well, besides the fact that cancer does indeed really suck, we felt the need to give back to people struck by this devastating disease in our home state of Oklahoma. If we can rock out for a night and help people at the same time, then it makes our whole journey worthwhile," says drummer Doug Jones. - more on this story

Neurosis Add Dates

(PR) Neurosis have confirmed more live dates. It kicks off on December 3rd, as Neurosis take part in the Nightmare Before Christmas Festival in Minehead, England, an event curated by Godspeed You! Black Emperor, followed by the band's first London show in years on December 6th.

Newly confirmed stateside Neurosis performances on the West Coast have been confirmed later in December, rounding out the year with two shows in Seattle on December 30th and 31st, with support from Wolves In The Throne Room and Black Breath on the 30th, and Ludicra, YOB and Brothers Of The Sonic Cloth on the 31st.

Two weeks later they've staged a two-day assault in San Francisco, prepared to pound their original hometown area with two dates at the Great American Music Hall January 15th and 16th, with opening support from labelmates U.S. Christmas; main support on the 15th will be from YOB, and on the 16th from Saviours. - more on this story

Novembers Doom Begin New Album and Reissue The Knowing

Novembers Doom has begun recording their 8th full length studio album, which they will call Aphotic, and will be released on The End Records in Spring 2011.

Aphotic is being recorded at Belle City Sound in Racine, Wisconsin with longtime Novembers Doom collaborators Chris Wisco at the controls and Dan Swano mixing.

Frontman Paul Kuhr said, "We plan to capture something new from the band. This recording builds upon the foundations the band has laid over the years, but we are taking it into a new direction. We plan to redefine where we stand in our current genre. The darkness is coming, and we can't wait until you're able to hear it." - more on this story

Jack White's Blue Series Continues With Laura Marling Release

(Press Here) Laura Marling is the latest artist to take part in Third Man Records' Blue Series of releases.

The series of limited edition 7-inch records, produced by Jack White and recorded at his own Third Man Studios in Nashville, has featured releases from Wanda Jackson, The Black Belles and Secret Sisters, amongst others.

For her Blue Series recording Laura Marling chose two incredible songs and does them heavenly justice: Jackson C Frank's "Blues Run The Game" and Neil Young's "The Needle And The Damage Done". Marling recorded the tracks - in one perfect take – earlier this year. - more on this story

National Neko Case Geographic Live

Neko Case will participate in National Geographic Live's four part series "Music On...Photography," on December 1st at Grosvenor Auditorium in Washington, D.C..

Case will spend an evening presenting her personal photographs and revealing the intriguing stories behind the images. Case has a degree in fine arts and says she takes photographs to "remember the places I was traveling through that I never really got to know."

Moderating the evening will be Juliet Blake of the National Geographic Channel.. Also participating in the series are Danny Clinch (Nov. 10), Ben Folds (Dec. 3) and Andy Summers (Dec. 4). - more on this story

Grateful Dead Month Celebration

(Gibson) "We're on a mission to make a miracle every day." So declares www.dead.net, the official website of the Grateful Dead. To show their appreciation to their tie-dye-hard fans, the group are giving away a different downloadable track every day during the month of November.

The band are also challenging the ears of their legions of fans: "We're also going to put your knowledge to the test and give you the chance to win some great music from the Dead," declares the site.

"You know your Ables from your Bakers from your C's, but can your finely tuned ears differentiate the cosmic 'comeback' tour from a spacey '70s show? Each day we'll post a free download from one of the Dead's coveted shows. Will it be from that magical night at Madison Square Garden in '93 or from way back when they were just starting to warm it up at Winterland? Is that Pigpen's harmonica we hear? Brent on keys? Step right up and try your hand." - more on this story

Sodom Bloodred Vinyl

SPV/Steamhammer will release Sodom's new album, In War And Pieces, on January 11, 2011 in North American

The album is due out in Europe on November 22nd in the following formats: regular CD, two-CD digipack, double vinyl, two-CD digipack with lanyard.

The band has just unveiled the details of the LP edition: - 2 LPs in bloodred vinyl - printed innersleeves - double gatefold packaging - 1 bonus track: "Murder One" - more on this story

Nonpoint Add Dates and Wedding

(PR) Nonpoint have announced more dates on their upcoming tour, which will kick off a string of dates with Atom Smash.

That outing will be followed by a co-headlining tour with In This Moment. Nonpoint are touring in support of their latest album, Miracle.

Look for the first ever ' Nonpoint Wedding' as a couple of fans take their wedding vows on stage with the band's last stop on the US tour in Atlanta December 11th. - more on this story

Tom Jones Honored

(Gibson) Tom Jones was recently honored for his career-long contributions to British pop music with the prestigious Music Industry Trust award.

More than 1,000 music and entertainment industry figures including Sir George Martin, Michael Ball and Helena Bonham Carter attended the charity dinner at London's Grosvenor House Hotel.

Welsh cohorts Cerys Matthews and Kelly Jones of Stereophonics performed and then joined Sir Tom for his performance at the evening's finale. The 70-year-old legend was presented with his award by film director Tim Burton. - more on this story

Gangster & Rockstars

Fear The State have released a new video for their latest single, "Gangster & Rockstars".

The Gangsters & Rockstars video concept came as an idea to frontman Marc Amendola, and director Greg Tsiales ran with it.

Within a week, Tsiales had the video edited and ready to go to Youtube.com. You can find the video - here