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

Ozzy Injured- Aerosmith Idol Update- Hear Rare QOSTA Songs- My Chemical Romance Set Album Release- Kings of Leon Toilet Fight Challenge- Chevelle- more

This week's top digest stories part II: Ozzy Osbourne pulled a muscle in his back, resulting in doctors ordering him to rest for three to four days, forcing him to postpone last night's concert in Oberhausen at the Konig - Pilsener Arena. more

Ozzy drummer Tommy Clufetos says, He's had back trouble for the last two or three weeks where he's in agonizing pain. I see it because when he turns around to me I see he's in pain but the second he turns back out to the audience he's Mr Showman. He really cares about the audience. The only reason the show would be cancelled is that he can physically not make it. He's a trooper." more

Fox will reportedly announce next week that Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler of Aerosmith are joining American Idol as judges, according to two people with knowledge of the plans. more

Queens Of The Stone Age's debut release is getting the reissue treatment just in time for Christmas, but Antiquiet are letting you open a couple presents early. Don't tell Santa. Check it out here

My Chemical Romance's new record is titled Danger Days: True Lives Of The Fabulous Killjoys and is due out November 23, 2010 in North America according to Punknews.org

The Kings of Leon have been accused of being backstage bullies after their security staff prevented other acts from using facilities at the V festival in England last month. Rock Radio reports when Tom Findlay tried to protest, drummer Nathan Followill challenged him to a fight before hiding behind his security guards. more.

Chevelle's new music video for "Shameful Metaphors" is now online. The track is the third single from the band's fifth album, "Sci-Fi Crimes." The video was directed by Frankie Nasso (Nova Entertainment) at the the Verizon Theater in Dallas. Check it out here

Kid Rock testified Thursday that he exchanged some tough words with another customer before a 2007 fight at a Waffle House restaurant but didn't start fighting until provoked. The other man, however, told the court he doesn't know what set off the musician and his friends. more

John Lennon's killer had Elizabeth Taylor and The Tonight Show legend Johnny Carson in his sights before deciding it would be easier to murder the former Beatles star instead. more

Many were shocked when they heard the news that Green River Ordinance had left EMI records, but as bass player Geoff Ice explained, the band simply did what was best for their music. more

This coming Monday (9/20) at 7PM (EST) A Day To Remember will be chatting live. Once the room is full of 1,000 viewers, a special announcement will be made. RSVP here

They played their live gig at antiMusic's weekly sponsored party on Wednesday and it now looks they are heading into the studio: Philm - featuring drummer Dave Lombardo (Slayer), guitarist/vocalist Gerry Nestler (Civil Defiance), and bassist Pancho Tomaselli (War) - will enter the studio soon to begin recording its debut album for Blood Orange Records. more

British rapper Plan B and Canadian band Arcade Fire lead the way at this year's Q Awards with three nominations each more

Check out Daughtry's performance of their new single "September" on The Ellen DeGeneres Show here

Call To Preserve, Venia, and Dead Icons will team up for a three-week fall tour more

Russian Circles has announced dates for an upcoming tour with Keelhaul and Call Me Lightning. more

Lacuna Coil's October 9 concert at the Borderline in London, England will be a special "an-evening-with" show which will see the band performing one half acoustic, one half best-of/rarities set. more

See if you can spot the irony in this one: Stryper's Cover Of Black Sabbath's "Heaven And Hell" Now Available The first single-release from the upcoming Stryper album "The Covering" is now available on iTunes! more

Footage from the forthcoming, history making "The Big Four: Live From Sofia, Bulgaria" DVD featuring full performances from Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax has been posted online. The video contains footage from Metallica's encore of the track "Am I Evil" which features guest appearances from 'The Big Four', including Megadeth's Dave Mustaine. Check it out here

Our friends at The 1st Five has this bit of news: Ben Cook, better know as Young Governor, the third guitar player behind F**ked Up, or even the man behind the curtain of Marvelous Darlings, has added yet another notch in his bedpost of musical absurdity. You can catch him as "The Other Drummer" in [Jonas Brothers] Camp Rock 2, via the video here

Goo Goo Dolls frontman had an encounter with Sting early in his career and it inspired him to treat aspiring rockers with more respect when they approach him. Johnny Rzeznik tells Spinner.com, "I met Sting once and I didn't know what to say to the guy, so I said, 'I really love your band. You guys were a huge influence on us musically.' And he looked at me and said, 'Don't blame me.' I was like, 'Wow, you're a real d**k.'" more

According to Black Sabbath News, the next two reissues in the Deluxe Edition series are the highly overlooked Seventh Star (1986) and Eternal Idol (1987) albums that featured Glenn Hughes (ex-Deep Purple) and Tony Martin respectively on vocals. more

At each stop on the Alice In Chains BlackDiamondSkye, an envelope will be hidden under one seat at the venue. Whoever opens it will find each band's autographed set list for that night, along with a Vip laminate featuring a secret code. The code will enter the laminate into a drawing to win a custom Gibson guitar signed by all the members of the tour valued at more than $2,000, along with a Marshall amplifier half-stack valued at $2,050. A total of only 19 people - one from each gig - will be entered into the contest. more The band advises fans to be sure to follow @blckdmndskye on Twitter to get hints on where to find each hidden BDS Envelope

Linkin Park's new album, "A Thousand Suns", is likely to sell between 250,000 and 260,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release, according to industry web site Hits Daily Double more

According to Travel Trade Gazette, Iron Maiden lead singer Bruce Dickinson, who is a long standing pilot with Astraeus Airlines, is taking on a new role of marketing director for the company, which leases aircraft and cabin crew to airlines. more

Classic-era Guns N' Roses drummer Steven Adler says if his former bandmates read his book, they'll want to get back together at last. And he'd love the opportunity to re-record Matt Sorum's drum tracks on the Use Your Illusion albums. more

In related news Guns N' Roses played a secret acoustic set at L'arc Restaurant and Bar in Paris, France . Fan-filmed footage from the gig is available here

Reality TV killed the pop-rock star? Bret Michaels simply did not sell enough tickets to make the performance at Yakima County Stadium worthwhile, said Cheryl Salomone, Yakima general manager for Townsquare Media. more

Laurie Everton of 'The Barbie Canvas' is auctioning off her one-of-a-kind Barbie doll of Cinderella frontman Tom Keifer on eBay.com. Everton is an artist that takes normal Barbie dolls and transforms them into something unique. You gotta see it. Check out a photo and learn more here

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club has just released a 7-track live iTunes Sessions EP. Listen to an outtake here

Former 3 Inches Of Blood bassist Nick Cates has teamed up with former members of Seattle band Black Houses - Christiaan Morris and Patrick Taylor - to form the new band Curse Of The North. more

Exodus' Gary Holt, Machine Head's Phil Demmel, Testament's Steve Smyth and Rob Cavestany from Death Angel will all be guests set to appear on the debut release from AC/DC tribute act AC/DZ. more

On October 12, 2010, the Smoking Popes will be reissuing their album Get Fired on Asian Man Records. The album was originally released in 1993 on Johann's Face Records and the new edition will be full remastered, and pressed on CD and vinyl. more

Night Ranger frontman Jack Blades and Disturbed bassist John Moyer are the latest additions to the Rock 'N' Roll Fantasy Camp, which will hit the road this fall for a four-city tour. more
Welsh post-hardcore outfit the Blackout are asking diehard fans to pay for the privilege of working for them, claiming it's an "exciting chance" to "get involved at a fundamental level." more

DHB Industries CEO David Brooks, the Long Island military contractor accused of fraud and insider trading, was convicted yesterday, and the papers bring up a greatest hits of items he charged to his former company including "a 2005 multimillion-dollar Rainbow Room bash where Aerosmith, 50 Cent and Tom Petty performed at his daughter's bat mitzvah." more

Speaking of Aerosmith, drummer Joey Kramer says, "it has become almost comical to witness the ridiculous things that transpire in this band" more

Phobia will see the release of a brand new EP, titled Unrelenting, this fall via Relapse Records more

Daughtry will be performing their song "September" on The Ellen DeGeneres Show today which airs at 4:00pm on NBC.

Forever It Shall Be has this sad news for fans, "After four years and two released records, we decided to pack our bags and move on. There is no spectacular story behind this, no bad blood within the band or anything like that - there's just no motivation left to continue the band." more

Guster's new music video for "Do You Love Me" is here

Mojobone, the band founded by Opeth keyboardist Per Wiberg on lead vocals and guitars and Marcus Källström on drums, will appear live at Stockholm's Göta Källare in Medborgarplatsen on September 15th. more
-

Sharon Osbourne Vs Vince Neil

Sharon Osbourne has a few choice words for Vince Neil after learning that he trashed her in his new biography by calling her "the most evil and sh*ttiest woman I've ever met in my life".

"I was saddened to hear about the quote from Vince Neil's book. Vince, of course I tried to keep my husband away from you at all costs. I truly felt you were a danger to Ozzy, yourself and everyone around you," Sharon says in a statement according to Rock Radio. "I didn't want him to end up like Razzle, who died in a car accident because you were driving drunk; or like those two innocent people whose lives were ruined as a result of your actions.

"Today I see you as a pathetic 50-year-old party boy who continues to put innocent people's lives at risk by getting behind the wheel and driving drunk, and being arrested for assaulting women. Enough said."

Rock Radio points out that the tour in question ended 9 months before Neil killed Razzle in the drunk driving accident. Read more - here

Velvet Revolver Regrouping Next Month

(Gibson) Slash has revealed Velvet Revolver will be holding auditions for a new frontman this October, via an Artisan News Service video.

He also confirmed that the new singer will not be Myles Kennedy, who has been performing singing duties on Slash's solo tour (and is also a member of Alter Bridge).

"Velvet Revolver will be a 24-hour-a-day project and Kennedy is still committed to Alter Bridge," Slash recently told BostonHerald.com. "I don't want to be the guy responsible for breaking up a band. But we'll find someone. Maybe not somebody known, but some kind of local hero. - more on this story

Borat To Play Freddie Mercury

Sacha Baron Cohen a.k.a. Borat a.k.a. Ali G a.k.a. Bruno has been cast to play Freddie Mercury in a film about the Queen legend that is being made by GK Films in partnership with Robert De Niro's and Jane Rosenthal's Tribeca Productions and Queen Films.

Here is part of the announcement with more details: Twice Academy Award Nominated screenwriter Peter Morgan ("The Queen," "Frost/Nixon"), is already at work on the script of the currently untitled film, which will feature Academy Award Nominee Sacha Baron Cohen who will play the legendary front man of the iconic rock band Queen, and the currently untitled drama will focus on the years leading up to Queen's appearance at the historic Live Aid concert, 1985, when the band famously took the event by storm.

Production is set to begin in 2011. GK Film's Graham King said today, "Queen is one of the greatest rock bands of all time, and a music brand all unto itself. Freddie Mercury was an awe-inspiring performer, so with Sacha in the starring role coupled with Peter's screenplay and the support of Queen, we have the perfect combination to tell the real story behind their success." - more on this story

Extreme Makeover: Rob Zombie Edition

Rob Zombie is turning into the new king of all media. Music, films, amusement part attractions and he is now set to hit the small screen on ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.

Kezi.com reports that Rob Zomie took a special interest in a rebuild for the Oregon School For The Deaf which includes brand new dorm rooms and a renovated haunted house, which is used as the school's primary fundraiser.

"It's absolutely amazing to be able to help the school with something like this. Usually what I do does not come into play, so to be asked to come do something to work on a haunted house and make it as scary and crazy as I could to help the school was awesome. It was a rare opportunity to put some evil to good use," said Rob Zombie. - more on this story

The Charlatans Member Collapses On Stage

The End Records sent over word that The Charlatans' drummer Jon Brookes collapsed on stage Wednesday night during a gig at Philadelphia's Johnny Brenda's.

Early into the set Brookes suddenly collapsed and stopped breathing. Fortunately there was a doctor in the audience who administered first aid and got the drummer breathing again before the paramedics arrived minutes later.

Brookes was taken to St. Joseph's Hospital in Philadelphia and during the night was given a CAT scan and has been responding well to treatment. He has now been transferred to a larger hospital in the city for further tests, although his condition is said to be improving and doctors believe there will be no long term effects on his health. - more on this story

Blink-182 TV Show Premieres

Big news for Blink-182 fans: FUSE launched A Different Spin with Mark Hoppus September 16th at 7pm ET and we have a little sneak peak for you to check out.

Hosted by musician (blink 182 and +44) and producer Mark Hoppus, along with his co-host, comedian Amy Schumer, this one-hour, innovative weekly show will cover everything in the world of music with a humorous twist.
Every week, Hoppus will offer a place for music fans to discover and indulge their passions through interviews with artists and celebrities and musical performances by mainstream and emerging bands. - more on this story

Weezer Blinkerton Tour

Weezer have very special tour plans this fall according to a quote posted at Consequence of Sound. Here is the quote:

"This winter (November/December), Weezer will launch a multi-city U.S. tour, dubbed by fans as the 'Blinkerton Tour.'

"The band will play two shows in each market-on the first night Weezer will play the Blue Album in its entirety, and the second night they will play Pinkerton in its entirety." - more on this story

ZZ Top Recording New Album with Rick Rubin

(Gibson) Billy Gibbons has revealed that ZZ Top are working on their first studio album since 2003 and that it's being produced by producer extraordinaire Rick Rubin. Gibbons told Spinner.com that his Texas trio will return to the studio following a small stint touring with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (who have also worked with Rubin).

"He's very instrumental in striking a resonant chord," Gibbons said. "He's able to find ways to pull things out that you might not know were there in the first place."

Although ZZ Top remain a popular band and a concert draw, they haven't had a Top 10 album since 1990's Recycler. Does Gibbons think that Rubin's golden touch might return the band to the charts? - find out here

Rob Halford Gets Animated

Rob Halford has premiered a new animated video online for the song "Made Of Metal."

The track comes from the new album from the Judas Priest frontman's solo band Halford.

That album, "Halford IV - Made Of Metal" is set for release on September 28, 2010 but you check out the video - here

Collective Soul Singer Announces Free Acoustic Show

Collective Soul frontman Ed Roland will be playing a free acoustic show at Atlanta's Loews Hotel (in Bar Eleven) on September 23.

According to the event page on Facebook, local Atlanta artist Ben Deignan will warm up the crowd beginning at 8 p.m.

Ed Roland (and special guests) will take the stage at 9 p.m. for an intimate, hour-long show. - more on this story

Jack's Mannequin and Something Corporate To Share The Stage

Some big news for Jack's Mannequin and Something Corporate fans: The first annual benefit for Andrew McMahon's Dear Jack Foundation will be held on November 18, 2010 at the El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles.

The evening will also mark the first time Andrew will perform with both Jack's Mannequin and Something Corporate in the same night. Special guests Marc Roberge from OAR and singer-songwriter Matt Nathanson will also perform.

A raffle will be held at the show where fans can win special prizes including autographed gear, vacation packages, and more. An online auction featuring signed memorabilia by the band and friends will also be held to benefit the Dear Jack Foundation, Pediatric Cancer Research Fund and Children's Hospital Los Angeles. Details of the online auction will be announced at a later date. - more on this story

Bad Company Add Tour Dates

The original lineup of Bad Company have added new concert dates to both their North American and Japan concert tours. T

he band will extend their 2010 North American tour with a new date confirmed for October 1st in Sacramento, California. Following the band's final U.S. dates in 2010, Bad Company will embark on their first tour of Japan in more than three decades, recently adding a third show in Tokyo due to am overwhelming demand for tickets.

In addition, Rhino/Warner Bros/Universal will release a greatest hits set "The Very Best of Free and Bad Company featuring Paul Rodgers" on September 22 in Japan, to coincide with the tour. - more on this story

Dream Theater's James Labrie Offering Free Song From New Solo Album

Dream Theater's James Labrie is giving away a free MP3 of a track from his new album Static Impulse.

The track is called "Mislead" and you'll have to do a little work to grab it. According to the announcement: All you have to do is spread the word via Facebook or Twitter and the song is yours! The album comes out on September 27th in the UK/EU and September 28th in North America.

Labrie states: "The track 'Mislead' was a sleeping giant for Matt Guillory (keyboards) and I. Most of the parts came quickly, but seemed to be missing the key elements or ingredients that would keep you in its grip the entire ride. We kept playing with the interaction of the instruments and vocal melodies. Matt kept working his magic with the interplay of the keys, bass, guitar and drums. It wasn't until I was almost ready to lay my vocals that Matt and I felt it had all that it needed, but we wouldn't see the proof in the pudding until after both mine and Peter's vocals were laid. - more on this story

Fountains Of Wayne Announce Fall Tour

Fountains Of Wayne have announced a select run of dates in late September and early October on the east and west coasts.

The shows will include songs from their nearly-completed new album, the long-awaited follow up to 2007's Traffic And Weather, due for release early next year.

Marshall Crenshaw and Jill Sobule will open on select dates. - more on this story

Stone Sour Go Top 10

Roadrunner sent over news that Stone Sour's new album Audio Secrecy entered Billboard's Top 200 this week at No. 6, making it the second consecutive top ten debut for the 3-time Grammy nominated quintet.

The band also claimed the top spot on the iTunes Rock Album Chart, shooting straight to No. 1 with a special edition of the record, which included three bonus tracks. Internationally, the album garnered the highest debuts of the band's career including top 5 charts in Germany, Japan and Austria, as well as top 10 in the UK and Australia.

The album looks to maintain momentum with follow-up single "Hesitate," which already reached No. 11 on the iTunes Rock Singles Chart without the benefit of a radio campaign. The group will shoot a video for the song on September 20th in Los Angeles with director Paul Brown (Jack White/Alicia Keys, Avenged Sevenfold, John Mayer) and directing collective BETA MOVEMENT/Skulley FX - more on this story

Alice In Chains Release Interactive Acid Bubble Video

Alice In Chains have unleashed an interactive music video experience for their song "Acid Bubble".

The track comes from the band's comeback album, Black Gives Way To Blue, which was released last September.

The new video was produced by Spy Films and director Nick Goso created an interactive space where users manipulate their perspective and experience 360-degree environments. - watch it here

AC/DC, Metallica, Guns N' Roses and Iron Maiden Up For Best Tour

Metal is once again king of road with hard rocking bands dominating nominations for Billboard's 7th Annual Touring Conference & Awards, where fans are being asked to choose the best tour of the year.

According to Gibson, this year's nominees include: AC/DC- Bon Jovi- Dave Matthews Band- Elton John & Billy Joel- Eric Clapton- Eagles- Guns N' Roses- Iron Maiden-James Taylor & Carole King- Metallica- Nickelback- Phish- Rod Stewart and more

Fans can vote at Eventful.com. Results will be announced at the Billboard 7th Annual Touring Conference & Awards, to be held in New York City on November 3-4, 2010. - more on this story

New David 'Rock' Feinstein Album To Feature Ronnie James Dio's Final Recording

We told you about this a couple weeks ago but today we received the official word. Here you go: David "Rock" Feinstein - the former member of Ronnie Dio & The Prophets, The Electric Elves, Elf, and the leader of the legendary NYC band, The Rods - is readying a new solo effort via the Niji Entertainment Group, 'Bitten By The Beast.'

Released on November 23, 2010, the nine-track disc will be available as a deluxe digipack, and will certainly be of interest to metal fans worldwide, due to Feinstein's impressive hard rock pedigree. But also, because the album features what turned out to be one of the last-ever recorded vocals by Ronnie James Dio (Feinstein's cousin), on the headbanging anthem "Metal Will Never Die."

"I feel like it was meant for me to write 'Metal Will Never Die'," explains Feinstein. "And it was meant to be that Ronnie James Dio should sing it! Whatever power it was that brought the two of us back together musically, I am so thankful for. Now, 'Metal Will Never Die' means more to me than any other song that I have written in my whole career as a songwriter and musician. I can't wait for the world to hear it!" - more on this story

Black Sabbath Deluxe Editions Coming

(Gibson) Black-Sabbath.com is reporting that deluxe edition versions of the band's mid-'80s albums, Seventh Star and Eternal Idol, will be available in the U.K. on October 25. Released in 1986, Seventh Star featured former Deep Purple singer Glenn Hughes on vocals, while 1987's Eternal Idol featured Tony Martin in that role. In point of fact, however, the story behind the making of the two albums is not so simple.

Only a few dates into Sabbath's 1986 Seventh Star tour, Hughes was let go, and singer Ray Gillen stepped in as his replacement. Gillen stayed on to work on the Eternal Idol album, but as recording neared completion, he left to form a new band, Badlands. Tony Martin was the brought in to re-record all the lead vocals, and Eternal Idol was released in that form. A bootleg disc, featuring the original Gillen vocals, has been traded in Sabbath circles for years.

What makes the deluxe sets especially enticing is that guitarist Tony Iommi has given permission for the Gillen recordings to be released. The Eternal Idol set will therefore include, as disc two, the entire version of the album that featured Gillen on vocals. Similarly, disc two of the Seventh Star set will consist of a live concert, recorded on June 2, 1986, that featured Gillen as singer. - more

Roger Waters Says Pink Floyd Will Never Tour Again But Doesn't Rule Out Reunion

(Gibson) Talking about his current production of The Wall, Roger Waters said a full-fledged Pink Floyd reunion tour will not happen. "David and Nick and I might do a one-off somewhere, but there's no way we're going to do a tour," he said. "It's just such a shame that we didn't get around to it before Rick died."

His new version of The Wall has a more expansive context today than it did when he and Pink Floyd first staged the show more than 30 years ago. The 67-year-old Floyd co-founder told Rolling Stone magazine it's "basically the same show, but with a broader meaning."

"We had to deal with the fact that it was one thing for a man in his 30s to sing about his young adult life, which was sort of an echo of his upbringing at that point," Waters said. "But it's something else to go on doing that when you're in your 60s." - more on this story

Paul McCartney To Offer Three Versions of Band on the Run

(Gibson) Paul McCartney and Wings' biggest-selling album, Band on the Run will be re-released in November in three separate versions. The #1 album from 1973 was remastered at Abbey Road Studios under McCartney's personal supervision using the same team that worked on the Beatles remasters. The album begins a re-release of special editions of all of the former Beatle's solo and Wings albums.

Band on the Run will be released in a standard version, a special version featuring nine bonus tracks and a DVD with a documentary on the album's creation and the rare One Hand Clapping T.V. special, and a deluxe version that includes at 120-page book featuring original Linda McCartney photographs.

The original remastered album and bonus audio content will also be issued in a two-disc 180-gram audiophile vinyl edition that comes with an MP3 download of all 18 tracks. The standard and deluxe versions of Band on the Run also will be available digitally worldwide - more on this story