Steven Tyler Going Solo?- The Cars Hitting The Road- Courtney Love Vs Kelly Osbourne- LCD Arcade Fire- Bad Brains- P.O.D Want To Get Paid- Deftones- more

On this day in 2008, at London's Court of Appeal, Procol Harum singer/pianist Gary Brooker won a royalty battle over the band's worldwide hit, "A Whiter Shade of Pale," brought by original organist Matthew Fisher. The decision overturned a 2006 ruling that Fisher was entitled to a 40% portion of royalties after he argued he had written the song's organ melody. The court ruled there was an "excessive delay" in the claim being made – the claim was made nearly 40 years after the song was recorded. Find out what else happened on this date in music history here

Pink Floyd's Roger Waters and David Gilmour To Reunite

(Gibson) Roger Waters has confirmed he is likely to be joined on stage by former Pink Floyd bandmate David Gilmour on his tour of The Wall – but only for one gig. Waters and Gilmour have had a fractious relationship for many years, but did play together in Pink Floyd at 2005's Live 8 charity show. There now seems to be another chance to see them share a stage.

"I hear the rumors," Waters says. "I think it's beginning to look now as if he'll do one gig, he'll do "Comfortably Numb" at one gig. It's a big secret when. Live 8 was the big one when Rick [Wright] was still alive – it was very moving."

Speaking to Sky News, Waters also rebuffed that he and Gilmour's battle over Pink Floyd ever got over-serious. "We didn't go to court – all that was crap – we never went near a court ever. When we split up, David and Nick [Mason, drums] ended up with the name and I ended up with The Wall and everything to do with it and a few quid." more on this story

Police Claim Slipknot Connection In Double Murder

(Rock News Desk) Police investigating a double murder in Midwest City, Oklahoma, have made a point of saying the chief suspect is a fan of heavy metal music.

Among 50 pieces of evidence against 17-year-old Kyle Smith is a Slipknot album, which investigators say features a pentagram on the cover.

Smith is believed to have killed his grandparents David Garrick, 60, and Rose Garrick, 57, on Wednesday, in a brutal machete attack. Smith, who lived with the Garricks, was arrested a few hours later driving their pick-up truck. Two of his friends, Dustin Martin, 18, and Jacob LeBlanc, 17, have been arrested in connection with trying to help him cover up the murders. more on this story

Guns N' Roses Plan Next Album As Guitarist Plans Surgery

(Gibson) Guns N' Roses guitarist DJ Ashba logged onto Facebook on Thursday to update fans about his bum knee, announcing an impending surgery. He also posted a photo of himself on Twitter, wearing a hospital gown and receiving an MRI.

"MRI Update: I have a 9mm tear in my knee, so I'm off to the surgeons, not getting surgery on my knee today but, setting up the surgery date," wrote Ashba. "Fun fun!" Ashba, who replaced former Guns N' Roses guitarist Robin Finck in 2009, tore a ligament in his knee.

In a recent interview with Artisan News Service, Ashba addressed the forthcoming Guns N' Roses album, saying, "[The band is] talking about that right now. We've been throwing around a bunch of ideas, and it should be good, man. We've got a lot of good stuff on the plate coming out. It won't take as long [as Chinese Democracy], I promise." more on this story

Thin Lizzy Hire Guns N' Roses Guitarist

(Rock News Desk) Guns N' Roses guitarist Richard Fortus played a few tracks with Thin Lizzy in Chicago last week – and he'll join the band next month when Vivian Campbell returns to Def Leppard.

Campbell revealed the news after his final US appearance with Phil Lynott's reactivated band, currently starring original-era members Scott Gorham, Brian Downey and Darren Wharton alongside Campbell, ex-Whitesnake bassist Marco Mendoza and ex-Almighty frontman Ricky Warwick.

Fortus will take over after Lizzy play at Slaine Castle, Ireland, on May 28. Campbell reports: "Well, that was it: my last US show with Lizzy – and it was a great one to end on. New guitarist Richard Fortus came and played a couple of songs. "I have one final gig with them in Ireland, and the very next day we start Def Lep rehearsals." more on this story

Stephen King and John Mellencamp Musical Coming

(Gibson) Ghost Brothers of Darkland County, a musical by rocker John Mellencamp and novelist Stephen King, is set to debut next year. The show will debut April 4, 2012, at the Alliance Theater in Atlanta.

Mellencamp and King's musical collaboration has been in the works for more than a decade, according to Rolling Stone. The production is set in the South, and revolves around the 1957 deaths of two brothers and a young girl. In an interview with the Chicago Tribune last year, Mellencamp called the music "the Sgt. Pepper of Americana."

T-Born Burnett also is involved on the music side of things. He's the musical director and recorded the show's soundtrack album, which will be released before the musical premieres. The CD version will present the entire musical as a radio play and feature the vocal talents of Elvis Costello, Kris Kristofferson, Meg Ryan and Matthew McConaughey. Kristofferson, Costello, Neko Case and Taj Mahal have recorded songs for the CD. more on this story

Another Aerosmith Member Turns Reality Star

(Gibson) Aerosmith guitarist Brad Whitford will appear in an upcoming episode of A&E's Storage Wars.

In the episode, Whitford's friend wins a storage unit, in which he finds a couple of vintage guitars. To get some expertise and to discuss the guitars' values, he goes to Brad. Who wouldn't, if Brad was your pal?

Brad sheds light on the worth of the guitars and gives a little history on the vintage pieces. If you didn't know, Whitford is the great guitarist in Aerosmith who is NOT Joe Perry.

Rock Stars Won't Rock For Japan Super Gig

We hear a lot of big name stars talking about charity and making a difference but apparently none could be found to take part in a huge benefit gig for Japanese earthquake and tsunami relief. Gibson has the details:

NME.com is reporting that the "super gig" that was supposed to take place less that two weeks from now at London's Wembley Arena to raise money for the relief efforts in Japan has been cancelled. A spokesman for promoter Live Nation said that the company was unable to book artists for the event.

In a prepared statement, the spokesman said, "Unfortunately, with now only 13 days to go to the proposed Concert For Japan, sadly we are in a position where we have been unable to secure the artists required to produce the worldwide TV broadcast that we had hoped for and have therefore, very reluctantly, decided to proceed no further." more on this story

Teen Dies at Grateful Dead Offshoot Show

(Gibson) A Furthur concert at the Peterson Events Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, took a tragic turn Wednesday night when 19-year-old Joseph Kimutis jumped through a window and fell four stories to his death.

Formed in 2009 and composed in part of former Grateful Dead members Bob Weir and Phil Lesh, Furthur were performing at the venue, located on the University of Pittsburgh campus, as part of an ongoing U.S. tour.

According to Pittsburgh's CBS affiliate, police said that right before Kimutis leapt through the window, he ran back and forth, got into a football stance, and yelled "hike." more on this story

Metallica Rock New Natalie Portman Movie

(hennemusic) Rockville Music Magazine reports Metallica liked "Hesher" - a film starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Rainn Wilson and Natalie Portman - so much that they decided to give the production rights to their music for use in the film.

Levitt writes: "Hesher is coming out May 13! I loved making this movie, and I love how it turned out. It's hilarious, but it's not just funny, it's smart, it's sad, it's hopeful, it's heartfelt, and it f***in rocks. Natalie decided to produce Spencer's script for a reason, and by the way her character's nothing like you've seen her. Devin, the protagonist, is a truly talented young actor. Rainn gave a legit no-joke badass dramatic performance. And, I'm humbled to say, Metallica themselves liked it so much they gave us their music, they never give their stuff to movies!"

In the trailer for the film a segment of Metallica's "The Shortest Straw" is featured. Avid Metallica fans will instantly take note of the font used on the Hesher movie poster. more including the trailer

Steven Tyler Brings Some Rock To The Academy of Country Music Awards

(hennemusic) Steven Tyler brought down the house in Las Vegas Sunday night at the 46th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards.

Tyler was a surprise and unannounced guest, joining Carrie Underwood for her song "Undo It" before the two segued into Aerosmith's "Walk This Way."

Tyler – all in white – complimented Underwood's black outfit, as the two commanded center stage with some serious swagger; Carrie even added some scarves to her microphone in a salute to the Aerosmith legend. Watch it here

My Morning Jacket Set New Album Release

(Gibson) My Morning Jacket have announced they will release their follow-up to 2008's Evil Urges on June 6. Circuital is the album's name and the band are giving away free live tracks via their website.

Flying V-toting frontman Jim James says: "I hate the phrase 'going back to our roots', but for this record we came home and made it in Kentucky. And it just felt a lot like it did when we were first starting out." James co-produced the record with Tucker Martine. The pair first worked together when James appeared on Laura Veirs' album July Flame in 2010, which Martine, Veirs' husband, also produced.

Much of the album was recorded in a Louisville church. "We wanted to capture the sound of us just playing, being in the same place and just feeding off each other," James says. more on this story

New Foo Fighters Album Streaming Online

(Rock AAA) The Foo Fighters return with "Wasting Light," set for release on April 12. But Foo fans don't need to wait 'til the 12th to rock out: you can hear the full album NOW at RockAAA!

The Foos recently debuted their new documentary, "Back And Forth," at SXSW in Austin, and the film will now be seen in theatres in the US on April 5, European and UK cinemas on April 7, and in Canada on April 13.

The Foo Fighters will be the musical guests on Saturday Night Live on April 9. Listen to the full album here

Singled Out: Ha Ha Tonka's Usual Suspects

Today Ha Ha Tonka lead singer/guitarist Brian Roberts tells us about "Usual Suspects" from their brand new album "Death of a Decade," which hits stores this week. Here is the story:

"Usual Suspects" - It sounds a bit cliche, but we just wanted to just write a good, down home song. Our lead guitarist, Brett, had been playing the mandolin quite a bit in rehearsals, and it was decided that this was a sound we wanted to utilize extensively on our new album.

Lyrically, it's a simple play on the tried & true good girl likes bad boy(s) motif all within a small-town setting, made complete with a nod to both Casablanca and Keyser Soze.

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

Metallica and Rolling Stones Make Top Forbidden Guitar Store Riffs

(Gibson) "Absolutely, under no circumstances at all are customers allowed to play "Stairway to Heaven," "Sweet Child Of Mine," or "Smoke on the Water" while trying out guitars." Sign in the window of a music store on Denmark St, in England. Gibson takes a look at the Top 10 "forbidden" guitar store riffs. Here are a couple of highlights:

6. "Enter Sandman" – Metallica: Some shoppers are compelled to play "Enter Sandman" because it's simple; others are drawn to the song's ominous vibe. Moreover, as metal riffs go, this one ranks among the most melodic. Lars Ulrich once aptly characterized "Enter Sandman" as a "one-riff" song, since all the parts emanate from Kirk Hammett's memorable lead pattern.

1."(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" – The Rolling Stones: It's a good thing it was Keith Richards who dreamed the riff for "Satisfaction." A less astute player might have laughed it off as child's play, rather than seeing it for the slice of minimalist brilliance that it is. Echoes of Richards' beloved Chuck Berry licks can be heard in those four simple notes. Many shoppers gussy up "Satisfaction" with their own personal flourishes, giving the lick an even greater wallop than it already has. Read the full list here

Steven Tyler To Honor Depeche Mode's Dave Gahan

(hennemusic) As one half of the legendary "Toxic Twins," Aerosmith's Steven Tyler has been there, done that, and lived to tell the tale.

Who better, then, to help honor a fellow recovering addict celebrate sobriety than when Tyler will present the Stevie Ray Vaughan Award to Depeche Mode's lead vocalist Dave Gahan at the 7th Annual MusiCares MAP Fund Benefit Concert on May 6.

Gahan is being honored for his dedication and support of the MusiCares MAP Fund, and for his commitment to helping other addicts going through their recovery process. more on this story

Sammy Hagar Still Can't Drive 55

(Gibson) In a recent interview with Spinner.com, Sammy Hagar revealed that his solo hit, "I Can't Drive 55," has not made him a target over the years for radar-gun-happy cops, as one might suppose. In fact, the Red Rocker's reputation as a fast driver has even gotten him off the hook with the fuzz.

"I've got nice cars and I love to drive fast," he said. "Listen, I was pulled over recently doing about 100 miles per hour. I roll down the window, and the cop puts his head in, shoves the radar gun right in my face, and it's blinking '55.'

"He pulls his helmet off, and he's just smiling at me. He's a fan and his buddies told him to keep an eye out for me. He was going off singing 'I Can't Drive 55.' I shook his hand, and I was out of there." more on this story

Iron Maiden To Headline Sonisphere

(hennemusic) Iron Maiden continue their Final Frontier World Tour with a newly announced slot as headliners at the Turkish edition of the Sonisphere festival.

Maiden join Slipknot, Alice Cooper, Mastadon, In Flames and more for the show, which happens Sunday, June 19 at Kucukciftlik Park in Istanbul.

The 2011 portion of the tour has been difficult for Maiden, as they were forced to cancel two shows in Japan due to the earthquake and tsunami more on this story

Phish Announce Super Ball IX

Phish has announced plans for "Super Ball IX", a three day festival planned for July 1-3 at Watkins Glen International in New York's Finger Lakes region.

Located amidst the rolling hills of central New York's Finger Lakes region, the site offers an abundance of campsites and is just a short drive from numerous Northeastern cities.

Super Ball IX will mark Phish's first-ever festival performance over July 4 weekend, and the first major music festival held at Watkins Glen since 1973's legendary Summer Jam. It is also Phish's first-ever performance at a facility with "Watkins" in its name. more on this story

The Get Up Kids and Saves The Day Tour

The Get Up Kids and Saves The Day are teaming up for a 10-date co-headlining tour of the U.S. Midwest and Northeast.

The run begins June 2 in Palatine, Illinois, and continues through June 12 in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

The Get Up Kids' fifth album "There Are Rules," their first full-length in seven years, was released in January. more on this story

Dave Grohl Escapes Nirvana's Shadow

(Rock News Desk) Dave Grohl believes it's taken him until recently to escape from the shadow of Nirvana. It's 17 years since Kurt Cobain's death ended the iconic band which gave Grohl his big break – but it's taken that long for him to feel comfortable enough with his Foo Fighters career to revisit his early days.

That's why new Foos album Wasting Light features former Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic and was produces by Butch Vig, who worked on the grunge band's 1991 classic Nevermind.

Grohl tells the Sun: "I've tried to establish this band in its own right, and tried to get out of the shadow of Nirvana. I've tried to do that in the most respectful way – I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Nirvana. I owe everything to that band. more on this story

Watch Bret Michaels Rock The Rock N' Roll Dallas Half Marathon

(hennemusic) The 2nd annual Rock N' Roll Dallas Half Marathon happened last Sunday, March 27, with more than 14,000 runners supporting the Susan G. Komen for the Cure charity, raising funds to fight breast cancer.

At the end of the 13.1 mile course, entrants were treated to a concert by Bret Michaels, who mixed up his set with Poison hits, originals and cover songs.

Poison mark their 25th Anniversary this year with the release of "Double Dose Of Poison: Ultimate Hits," on May 3, and a summer tour with Motley Crue that kicks off June 7 in Dallas. Check out video of Bret rockin' here

My Dying Bride Rework Their Classics On Evinta

(Fresno) My Dying Bride are commemorating two decades of doom and gloom with a special project to re-work familiar melodies and themes from its extensive catalogue into long, flowing symphonic compositions, incorporating new vocals and passages from vocalist, Aaron Stainthorpe.

These arrangements have been brought to life in co-operation with keyboard maestro, Johnny Maudling (of Bal Sagoth fame), as well as a clutch of talented classical musicians, and shared vocals courtesy of professional opera singer, Lucie Roche.

The collection – titled Evinta - will be released on May 31st on Peaceville Records as a two-disc set and deluxe three-disc edition with 64-page book inspired by My Dying Bride's illustrious recordings of the past two decades. more on this story

Social Distortion's Ness Looks Back on Tour With Neil Young

(Gibson) In a recent interview with RollingStone.com, Social Distortion frontman Mike Ness recalled the group's early '90s tours with rock legend Neil Young. Social D first opened for Young in 1991, after the release of their classic self-titled album. The group hit the road again with the guitar great in 1993 in support of their Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell CD.

"It was a great experience," Ness said. "It was also a dues paying experience, because back then, even if we did have 500 fans there, which would have been large for that period of time, they were scattered because of this prearranged seating thing that our fans were not used to. Second of all, we were going on at eight, where most people were just finishing their dinner and figuring which off-ramp to get off at."

Still, Ness says that he learned a lot on those tours: "I know we got some converts from that, but the main thing that I got out of that was that was the main period of time where I was going back and forth searching for my guitar tone, amps and all that. I really learned a lot from those guys — from Neil's guitar tech – as far as Fender amps, Gibson P-90 pickups and Les Paul Deluxes. And the other thing was, it was right when I was becoming very 'groove aware,' realizing that if a song doesn't have a groove, you're just bashing through chords. I would watch Crazy Horse basically turn their back on 10-to-15,000 people, face the drummer, get this groove and then come back out." more on this story

Josh Freese Unleashed My New Friends

(Speak Easy) When Josh Freese (drummer for A Perfect Circle, Devo, Nine Inch Nails, Weezer, The Vandals, Guns N'Roses and Sting amongst others) announced the Apr. 1 release of My New Friends (Outerscope Records) hopes were high that the sought after drummer would unveil a new set of quirky packages to accompany the five-song release.

Freese did just that. Revealing a dozen new hi-jinx heavy options, Freese tops his 2009 offerings by encouraging a gaggle of his friends to join the festivities including Motley Crue's Tommy Lee, Danny Lohner (Nine Inch Nails), Marilyn Manson's Twiggy Ramirez, The Offspring's Dexter Holland, Johnny Knoxville and TOOL's Danny Carey.

"I didn't want to go the whole 'wacky special package' route again but after coming up with a few things that were making me laugh, I decided that I should have a little fun with it again." explains Freese. "C'mon, who wouldn't want to evoke spirits under an angry moon with Tommy Lee or go to the horse track with Johnny Knoxville?" more on this story

Peter Case's The Case Files Coming in May

Peter Case has announced a May 10th release for The Case Files: a collection of solo career rarities.

The Case Files collects demos, out-takes, one live shot & other rarities from the 1985-2010 span of Peter Case's solo career following his work with his pioneering bands The Plimsouls, The Nerves & The Breakaways.

Compiled by Peter himself, this long-overdue collection combines rockin' full band electric tracks with a selection of dynamic acoustic performances, and also features collaborations with many of Peter's talented friends, such as Stan Ridgway, Eddie Muñoz, T-Bone Burnett, Ron Franklin and Tony Marsico, among others. more on this story

The Day The Fab Four Were The Top 5

(Gibson) On this day in 1964, The Beatles held the top five places on the Billboard U.S. singles chart: #1 "Can't Buy Me Love," #2 "Love Me Do," #3 "Roll Over Beethoven," #4 "I Want to Hold You Hand" and #5 "Please Please Me." The group also had another nine singles on the chart, bringing their total to 14 singles on the Hot 100. Gibson takes a look back:

In the first half of 1963, Beatlemania had already taken root in the U.K., and it was spreading like wildfire. The Beatles trekked across the U.K. three separate times in the first part of the year as part of package tours with "bigger" acts, including Americans who had struck paydirt in England, stars like Roy Orbison, Tommy Roe and Chris Montez. In reality, The Beatles, who did not receive top billing on these tours, were stealing the headliners' thunder at every show as their popularity, and the frenzy surrounding them, skyrocketed at an unprecedented pace.

Such was the frenzy around the band that drastic measures had to be employed by law enforcement, including the use of high-pressured water hoses, to control the massive crowds just clamoring to get a glimpse of the mop tops. It got so bad that the British Parliament took the matter up, discussing the plight – and the risks being taken – by the thousands of officers who in some cases were finding themselves in the middle of very dangerous situations as they tried to control the nearly uncontrollable. more on this story

2011 U.S. Air Guitar Championships

(Gibson) The 2011 U.S. Air Guitar Championships will be held this summer at Milwaukee, Wisconsin's Turner Hall Ballroom, wherein participants will vie for the title of biggest, best, fakest guitar player of the year.

"U.S. Air Guitar is devoted to taking our nation's unofficial pastime out of the bedroom and putting it up on the world stage," said the World Air Guitar Association in a statement this week. It will all go down on June 8 at 8 p.m., with advance tickets going on sale for $10 on April 8 and costing $12 on event day.

Founded 14 years ago, the World Air Guitar Association abides by three rules: 1) The guitar must be invisible, 2) Air roadies are permitted but can't remain on stage during the performance, and 3) Backup bands aren't allowed; performances must be strictly solo. more on this story

Mars Attacks Fair To Midland

(PR) During the latest episode of Mars Attacks Podcast host Victor M. Ruiz interviews Joey Duenas of Anew Revolution, and Darroh Sudderth from Fair To Midland.

Joey discusses Anew Revolutions current tour, past touring experiences, and what the band has been up to since my previous interview with their bass player Frank Salvaggio.

With Darroh we discuss Fair To Midlands upcoming album Arrows And Anchors, the struggles the band has faced along the way, and how that has helped solidify the band, and with the emotionally charged new album that will be released in June. Check it out here

Led Zeppelin 2 Tour Recap

Led Zeppelin 2 have sent out the following recap of their recent tour: Tthe tribute band featuring bassist Chris Klein, drummer Ian Lee, guitarist Paul Kamp and vocalist Bruce Lamont, recently wrapped up a hugely successful North American tour that hit nearly a month's worth of cities and truly captivated fans with a flawless reenactment of the live improvisation and onstage interaction that earned Led Zeppelin their legendary status in the first place.

Rather than a "greatest hits" show, Lamont and co allow fans to experience Zeppelin as Zeppelin would have played in front of an audience. LZ2 sold out venues across the U.S. in 2010 and continued to draw rave reviews for a "spot-on" Zeppelin show, playing deep cuts and classic tracks from the entire catalog, and occasionally entire Led Zeppelin performances from specific dates.

Most widely recognized for his saxophone and vocal work fronting Chicago's Yakuza, Bruce Lamont has contributed to a plethora of other projects including Bloodiest (featuring members of 90 Day Men, Sterling), Circle of Animals (with Sanford Parker, Minsk/The High Confessions) and Sick Gazelle (with Eric Block and Sanford Parker). He's also recorded with Sigh, East West Blast Test, Minsk, Nachtmystium, Rabid Rabbit, Brutal Truth, Cephalic Carnage, Sweet Cobra, Locrian, Hex Machine and more. more on this story