Bon Jovi Robbed- Stone Sour Member Leaves Tour- Yngwie Dio Priest Supergroup- Free Korn- New Chimaira Lineup- Vandals Beat Variety- more.

On this day in 1996, Bernard Edwards, bassist and producer from Chic, who also worked with ABC, The Power Station, Sister Sledge, Diana Ross, Johnny Mathis, Debbie Harry, Air Supply and Rod Stewart, died of pneumonia in a Tokyo hotel room while touring Japan. Find out what else happened on this date in music history here

Beach Boys Reunite To Help Japan

The Red Cross had some big news for Beach Boys fans: Al Jardine unites band-mates Brian Wilson, Mike Love & Bruce Johnston, to release new music to aid Red Cross relief effort in Japan

In response to the devastating earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster that struck Japan, March 11th, 2011, Al Jardine of the Beach Boys has asked his fellow Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame pals, Brian Wilson, Mike Love & Bruce Johnston to lend their name and voices to a new benefit release.

Two songs will be made available for the first time on a 7" vinyl single. The first one thousand records will be pressed on limited edition White vinyl, with a Red label (resembling the Japanese flag), with 100% of the proceeds going to the Red Cross aid to Japan. Fans that purchase the single, "will support disaster relief efforts to help those affected by the earthquake in Japan and tsunami throughout the Pacific," according to the Red Cross. more on this story

Velvet Revolver Future Unclear

Velvet Revolver fans were excited earlier this year when it appeared that the band would regroup and find a new frontman to replace the departed Scott Weiland.

It looked like they were close to naming a singer, but all of a sudden it appeared that Velvet Revolver had returned to the backburner. Slash is touring and Duff McKagan is focused on the new Loaded album. Duff was interviewed by Guitar International about that new Loaded album and was asked the following: "Why do you think it is taking so long to find a singer for Velvet Revolver? "

Duff responded, "I don't know how much I want to say about that. I think Slash is very happy doing his solo thing, and why not. I think if Velvet Revolver is going to happen again it will happen when it's supposed to happen. We played with some good singers and Scott Weiland is tough guy to replace. A lot of singers are daunted by that. You don't want to go out there and f*** up. Some things are better left as is. There's a lot going through you head. Should we f*** with this or leave it alone? The things you put into a band you don't want it tainted. Like I said, if it's supposed to happen well do it." Read the full interview here

Dave Grohl The New Bon Jovi?

(Gibson) "You meet kids in younger underground rock bands and I'm like Bon Jovi to those people," laughed Dave Grohl, talking to The Canadian Press.

Grohl, a confirmed punker from his teenage days in the Washington, D.C. suburbs, is at the center of mainstream rock these days—like it or not—with the new Foo Fighters CD, Wasting Light, heading straight for the top of the charts.

"I don't know if we really aspire to be #1 on the charts, but if and when it happens, yeah, I think we'd be very proud of that," Grohl said. "We don't really feel any different, I don't think, than we did when we were like kids. I think our intention is still the same and our passion for the music is still the same, so when something [big happens]—like when you win a Grammy or you get a # 1 record—we never assume that's going to happen and we don't feel entitled to it either. It's still a surprise when that... happens. When we found out how well the album was doing just early this week we were really blown away." more on this story

New Incubus Set

Incubus have set a July 12th release date for their sixth studio album 'If Not Now, When?'.

The band teamed up with renowned producer Brendan O'Brien (Pearl Jam, Rage Against The Machine, Bob Dylan) for the effort.

"By about three songs into the writing process, I think we began to understand that we were unearthing something new," explains Brandon Boyd about the new album. "If Not Now, When? is our unabashed, romantic, lush, sonic love letter to the world. It's darker, slower, more rich, more refined, and more involved than anything Incubus has birthed to date."

When Slash, Slayer and Anthrax Discovered Metallica

(Gibson) One of the most important bands of the metal era is Metallica. The Bay Area rockers have sold in excess of 100 million albums worldwide since their 1983 debut, Kill 'Em All. Recently, ArtistDirect.com asked some of rock's biggest artists when they first discovered Metallica and what the band means to them. Here are some highlights:

Slash: "I first discovered Metallica when they came out with their first EP. Metallica has always been one of my favorite heavy metal bands. I think that they are one of the most versatile metal bands that came out in the '80s. They are also one of the most creative. I think that James Hetfield is one of the greatest heavy metal guitarists to ever walk this earth."

Kerry King (Slayer): "I imagine it was at The Woodstock in Orange County, when Dave Mustaine was in the band. I instantly became a fan. I couldn't believe Mustaine was ripping these incredible leads way back then and not even looking at his fingers. I'm still [expletive] looking at my fingers. [Laughs] There were no records then; it was just seeing them. I think Metallica might've just been on the Metal Massacre compilation or something."

Scott Ian (Anthrax): "I was actually at Johnny Z's record store, Rock 'n' Roll Heaven, in New Jersey. He played me the No Life 'Til Leather demo, so that was the first time I had ever heard any Metallica. It was pretty mind-blowing to hear for the first time. One of the coolest feelings about hearing it was just knowing there was another band out there on the West Coast that had the same mindset. Certainly, we didn't sound alike at the time. Just the fact that they were playing their own music and had their own thing going on was how we felt about what we were doing as Anthrax in New York."

Read Korn's Jonathan Davis' thought here

The Shins Return

(Gibson) After a prolonged hiatus, indie rockers The Shins are returning to the stage. The Portland, Oregon, band have announced that they will play the Outside Lands Festival in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park, which runs August 12-14, according to NME.com.

Frontman James Mercer spent his time off working on a collaboration with Danger Mouse called Broken Bells. The band underwent a few major changes, too. Keyboardist Marty Crandall and drummer Jesse Sandoval left the band and were replaced by Ron Lewis and Joe Plummer from Modest Mouse. The Shins also left Sub Pop Records for Mercer's label – Aural Apothecary.

Reportedly, the band are working on their first release on the label, due later this year. The Shins' last album was 2007's Wincing the Night Away.

Zakk Wylde, As I Lay Dying, All that Remains and Lamb of God Stars Guest on Jamey Jasta Album

Jamey Jasta of Hatebreed and Kingdom Of Sorrow will be releasing a solo record simply titled "Jasta" this summer on July 26th, 2011 via eOne Music.

Guest appearances on the album include Tim Lambesis (As I Lay Dying), pro skater Mike Vallely, Philip Labonte (All That Remains), Randy Blythe and Mark Morton (Lamb Of God), and guitar icon Zakk Wylde.

Jasta explains the album in his own words via a new online video posted on YouTube here

Metal Group Turn Down Charlie Sheen Tour Offer

(Gibson) Charlie Sheen's My Violent Torpedo of Truth speaking tour continues in the U.S. to mixed reviews. Sheen has already tweaked the show once, shifting from stand-up to a question-and answer format.

Last week, the man with tiger's blood and Adonis D.N.A. sought to juggle the act again by adding an opening band to the show. Having seen the British metal group, Asking Alexandria, on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Sheen contacted the band to offer them the opening slot. Asking Alexandria, however, have declined the invitation.

In a statement, the group said, "Asking Alexandria were extremely flattered by the offer and are big fans of Sheen, but unfortunately, current touring obligations prevented them from accepting this high-profile slot. The group would like to publicly thank Sheen for this special invite and promise him that the tiger's blood runs deep in all of them. Sheen claims to be a rock star from Mars, but the real question is if he can hang with these British titans. Hopefully their paths will cross one of these days. Winning!" more on this story

Johnny Cash Music Festival To Help Turn Johnny Cash Home Into Museum

(Gibson) Johnny Cash's boyhood home will be saved for posterity. Arkansas State University has purchased the Dyess, Arkansas, home and announced plans to restore the house's structure and create a museum.

At a press conference Thursday, a spokesman for the university said that the plans would be paid for by proceeds generated by an annual Johnny Cash Music Festival.

The inaugural festival has been slated for August 4 at ASU's convention center. All of the artists announced for the festival were either friends or relatives of the late country legend. The list of performers, which is still growing, includes Cash's daughter Rosanne Cash, brother Tommy Cash, son John Carter Cash, and friends Rodney Crowell, George Jones, Gary Morris and Kris Kristofferson. more on this story

Zakk Wylde Now the Idol

(Gibson) Zakk Wylde says his recent appearance on American Idol has entitled him to a new nickname. Specifically, as reported by USA Today, he now insists his bandmates in Black Label Society refer to him as "The Idol."

"I told [bassist] J.D. [John DeServio] and the other guys in the band, 'You know, I'm also known as Icon; they use the word 'legendary' around me. I guess now we can just throw 'Idol' in there," Wylde said, with tongue planted firmly in cheek. "J.D.'s like, 'Dude, I'm not going to puke, I'm going to go hang myself.' So I'll definitely get some mileage out of this."

Wylde went on to provide details about the forthcoming Black Label Society album, The Song Remains Not the Same, which features acoustic versions of songs from the band's 2010 disc, Order of the Black. "We had a whole bunch of tunes on the album, and we just started reworking them," Wylde said. "Something like 'Parade of the Dead'… I kept the melody but changed it around a little bit. Now we've got an acoustic version. That's the reason we ended up calling it The Song Remains Not the Same. It's actually the same songs, but the only thing they have in common with the heavy versions are the lyrics. In some of them, we even changed the melodies." more on this story

Original Alice Cooper Band Members To Play Holographic Concert

(Gibson) Alice Cooper, along with original band members Michael Bruce, Dennis Dunaway and Neal Smith, is set to make history by staging rock's first-ever holographic performance. Dubbed "The Jägermeister Ice Cold Event," the show will be "staged" on May 11 at London's Battersea Power Station. The event is timed to celebrate the release of the box set, Old School: 1964-1974.

A post on AliceCooper.com reads as follows: "Featuring original band members Alice Cooper, Dennis Dunaway, Neal Smith and Michael Bruce, plus Steve Hunter standing in for the late Glen Buxton, the 'Jägermeister Ice Cold Event' will be the first time the group has 'appeared' together in the U.K. since 1972.

'We couldn't resist this,' says Alice. 'Working with Jägermeister to appear as holograms on the other side of the Atlantic is the ultimate experience, a cutting-edge conjuring trick that celebrates the future and our history. We can't wait to see the results.'" more on this story

Metallica For Summer Festival?

(hennemusic) Quebec could be rocking very hard this July. Le Journal de Quebec reports Metallica are in talks to play this year's edition of Quebec's Summer Festival (Festival d'été de Québec) on July 15 in Québec City, Québec, Canada.

This is the 44th year for the festival, which began in 1968 by showcasing local artists, and has since evolved into an annual major attraction featuring the cream of international talent across all genres of music.

Festival d'été de Québec runs July 7-17, with an amazing 300 shows spanning 11 days, making it Canada's biggest outdoor artistic event. more on this story

Rock In Rio To Tribute Freddie Mercury

(hennemusic) The 4th Rock In Rio festival happens this fall, with Guns N' Roses, Metallica, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Elton John among the headliners.

An event update was issued by promoter Roberto Medina, who has announced that the Opening Show will pay tribute to the different generations that enjoyed the previous shows in Rio in 1985, 1991 and 2001.

The high point will feature local bossa-nova star Milton Nascimento dueting with Freddie Mercury on the screen for a special rendition of Queen's South American mega-hit, "Love Of My Life." Queen's performances of the song during their two nights at Rock In Rio '85 are regarded as one of the defining moments in the history of the festival. more on this story

Rush Progressing on New Album and Shout Out Cleveland

(Gibson) This weekend saw Canadian power trio Rush return to a significant site in the band's history: Cleveland, Ohio. It was Cleveland radio that first broke Rush in the States and catapulted them to rock stardom.

"It was enormous for us," bassist Geddy Lee told the Plain Dealer. "The fact that we were able to create a buzz in Cleveland and the fact that people were paying attention to us there opened everything up for us. It was really the start of our entire career."

Lee also gave an update on the group's much-anticipated Clockwork Angels album: "We've got about seven songs written," Lee said. "When you hear the first two songs, which we're playing live now, they definitely have a heavier sound. It's the heavier side of Rush in the early going. But when I think of all the songs that we've written already, there's quite a lot of diversity there. I think—I hope—Rush fans will like it. We're certainly going to work hard to make it a great record, as we always try." more on this story

Singled Out: Underachievers

Today Dominic from Ravishers tells us about "Underachievers" from their brand new self-titled album. Here is the story:

"Underachievers" is one of those self absorbed artist songs that tries to alleviate some of the neuroses that I feel by voicing them. A lot of musicians are well acquainted with the dual nature of being an artist. There's the egotistical/ambitious side and then there's the self loathing/reflective side. I think a lot of musicians reach for the brass ring - and then try to hang themselves with it. So the song is the negative voice, the self saboteur in your head that questions your every step.

On a more positive note, the song has some fun elements. I'm particularly fond of the fuzz guitar work in "Underachievers." We were paying homage to Lennon's great fuzz guitar sound, and just overloaded a channel on the board when we recorded it. No amp, just direct in. It's a cool, raw sound, and unlike anything I thought would be recorded when I wrote it. "Underachievers" was initially a very slow acoustic song.

Perhaps my favorite thing about this song, is that it inspired a subtle, yet funny music video, starring Ravishers' guitarist, Jonathan Barker. When I first suggested filming him for a day, I knew he would say yes. I thought getting him to do some pole dancing in the video was going to be harder. I was wrong. Some people are just born artists.

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

Queen Classic Named British Army's Favorite Song

(hennemusic) Queen rocks all over the world…especially in the hands of the British Armed Forces, who named "Bohemian Rhapsody" its favorite song.

The Guardian reports the classic 1975 song won by double the number of votes claimed by the runner up, Snow Patrol's "Chasing Cars," in army radio station British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS)'s survey to find its listeners' top 500 songs.

"It's fantastic," said Queen's Roger Taylor. "It makes me feel very, very proud. I'd like to wish all the forces the very best – and especially to those who voted for Bohemian Rhapsody – from the very bottom of our hearts."

Queen also chalked up a second song in the Top 10

Fans To Pick Motley Crue's Summer Tour Setlist

(hennemusic) Motley Crue are putting things in the hands of the fans. According to Nikki Sixx, the Crue have decided to let the fans choose the band's setlist for this summer's tour via online vote.

"You wanted it, you got it, f**kers..." says Sixx. A voting page will be up and running at the group's official web site, Motley.com, on Monday, April 18.

2011 marks the Crue's 30th Anniversary; they play the Bamboozle Festival in New Jersey on May 1, before hitting South America for a series of dates starting May 14. more on this story

Arctic Monkeys Release New Video

Arctic Monkeys have released a music video for their new single, "Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair."

The track is the first single proper from the Sheffield quartet's highly anticipated fourth album, Suck It and See - out June 7th on Domino Records.

The "Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair" single will be released on both 7" and 10" vinyl's on May 30th via the Arctic Monkeys web mart Watch the new video here

Glen Hughes Gives Fans a Taste of New Black Country Communion

(hennemusic) Supergroup Black Country Communion return on June 13 with their new album, "2," but you can hear a new song from the effort today!

BCC are bassist/vocalist Glenn Hughes (Deep Purple, Trapeze, Black Sabbath), blues rock guitarist/vocalist Joe Bonamassa, drummer Jason Bonham (Led Zeppelin), and keyboardist Derek Sherinian (Dream Theater).

Video of Glenn playing an acoustic version of a new BCC track, "Cold," has surfaced; it was shot during an appearance on Monday, April 11 on the Spanish radio station hosted by MariskalRock.com. check it out

The Stooges Ron Asheton Tribute Show Tomorrow Night

(Gibson) The Stooges forthcoming tribute show for the late Ron Asheton, set for tomorrow (April 19) in Ann Arbor, Michigan, will be anything but a melancholy affair, promises Asheton's brother, Scott Asheton. "It's not going to be a somber event," Asheton said, in an interview with AnnArbor.com. "It's going to be an uplifting event."

In addition to Asheton on drums, the Stooges lineup will feature frontman Iggy Pop, guitarist James Williamson, bassist Mike Watt, and sax player Steve Mackay. Deniz Tek, from Radio Birdman, will play Ron Asheton's guitar parts on some songs. Henry Rollins will serve as M.C.

Scott Asheton says he continues to feel a keen sense of loss in the wake of his brother's death, which occurred two years ago. "There are certain things you share close with your brother, and now and then I'll think of something and I'll think 'I've got to tell Ronnie this,' then I go, 'Oh [expletive],'" he said. "You get really close and you can talk about things you can't talk about with other people. I miss that very much, besides the music." more on this story

Biohazard Set To Repeat Festival Disaster?

(Rock News Desk) Biohazard may repeat the dramatic acts which saw them kicked out of the 1994 Monsters of Rock festival in the UK when they return to play at the same event in June.

Seventeen years ago their second-stage set was stopped after two songs after they invited the crowd to rush the stage. They were escorted back to their dressing room, which they smashed up in protest, and were ejected from the arena as a result.

They played again two years later. This year they're set to appear at Monsters of Rock's successor, Download – but guitarist Bobby Hambel says the band are still all about chaos. "We never liked barricades and security guards. We want the kids on stage with us. We want them to come up, if that's what they want to do, grab the mic, say something and jump off," He tells Telegram.com. "Everybody's having fun, and sometimes that can get out of hand – our shows are chaotic. Very chaotic." more on this story

Clutch Announce Dates With Flogging Molly

Clutch have confirmed two new North American dates this July supporting Flogging Molly.

Clutch will be kicking off their 9 date headlining tour beginning May 20th in Reading, PA to promote their forthcoming "Basket Of Eggs" project, as well as serving as an extended warm up run for their large scale European Festival tour in June.

The 10 day south-eastern US run will feature Maylene & the Sons of Disaster as main support. Clutch will keep the average ticket price for these shows to a fan friendly $17.50. more on this story

Conan Of The Stone Age

(hennemusic) Queens Of The Stone Age are reissuing their 1998 self-titled debut on May 17. The expanded, remastered reissue will be available on CD, double vinyl LP and via digital download.

Queens commemorated the upcoming reissue with a limited series of intimate shows at which the band played the record in its entirety, plus B-sides and other rarities and hits from the early Queens catalogue up to the present. The tour kicked off March 16 in Austin Texas and concluded in Los Angeles on April 13.

To promote the upcoming reissue, QOTSA stopped by Conan's TBS show last Thursday (14) to play "If Only." Check it out here

Watch Bono Go Karaoke

(Gibson) After finishing their South American tour in Sao Paolo, Brazil, this week, members of U2 and Muse capped off the evening with some impromptu band karaoke at nightclub Bar Secreto, according to RollingStone.com. But what happens in Bar Secreto doesn't always stay in Bar Secreto.

Fan videos posted on YouTube show Bono taking a stab at the Taking Heads classic "Psycho Killer" with an assist from Larry Mullen Jr. and Muse's Dom Howard on drums.

Guitarist The Edge also had a couple turns at the mic, delivering The Rolling Stones' "Miss You" and David Bowie's "Let's Dance." Even Mullen got to front the band for a bit, when he performed "The Wild Rover."

Watch Bono doing his best David Byrne impression in the video here

Saxon Philharmonic

(Rock AAA) Saxon frontman Biff Byford has revealed the band's next project will see them join forces with Polish Philharmonic Orchestra to give some of their most famous songs an orchestral overhaul.

The veteran rockers are thrashing out the details which will see them head for Poland for a special performance of unplugged and orchestral versions of their songs which will then be filmed for a DVD – as will the build up as part of a 'Making of' documentary.

In a RockAAA exclusive Byford revealed: "We're going to do a show with an orchestra next year in Warsaw. The guy who runs the Philharmonic Orchestra asked us to do and we fancied it as we have a quite few songs which are scored to orchestra like 'Call To Arms' on the new album and we've just done 'Crusader' with an orchestra which sounds fantastic so it will be a bit unplugged and a bit orchestra and a bit if heavy metal too.
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Elvis Presley's Graceland Opens... In Demark

(Gibson) A replica of Elvis Presley's Graceland estate opened this weekend in Denmark.

BBC News reports that the replica is in the town of Randers and will be called Graceland Randers. The Danish Graceland will actually be bigger than the Memphis original and will include a shop, restaurant and museum.

Graceland Randers has been developed by Elvis fan Henrick Knudsen, who has the support of Elvis' widow Priscilla. "I had the chance to meet her in January 2008 and I talked to her about the project and everything, and she signed a very nice picture to me on which she wrote: 'To Graceland Randers, Priscilla Presley,'" he said.
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Warbringer Begin Recording New Album

Warbringer are entering the recording studio today Monday, April 18th to begin recording their new album.

Producing this time will be Steve Evetts, who has an impressive resume working with bands as diverse as Dillinger Escape Plan and Symphony X to Sepultura and Hatebreed.

"Our goal with this record is to make something beyond a run-of-the-mill metal CD," explains guitarist John Laux, "The most difficult challenge is always finding just the right balance between a raw, aggressive sound and modern production standards. We chose Evetts to produce, aside from his extensive resume, because he aims for very organic and bold sounds. His experience in bringing the best out from a wide variety from musicians across different genres of music can be seen in his credits and this speaks for itself." more on this story

Steely Dan and Roy Orbison Engineer Roger Nichols Dies

(Gibson) Longtime Steely Dan engineer Roger Nichols has died, the Los Angeles Times has reported. Nichols did engineering and production work for many artists – including Roy Orbison, Mark Knopfler and Al Di Meola – but it was the lustrous sound he achieved on Steely Dan's albums that earned him six of his seven Grammy awards.

Nichols worked as a physicist at a nuclear power plant in the late '60s before making the transition to recording work. He started out making commercial advertisements, some of which featured Karen Carpenter on vocals and Larry Carlton on guitar, before expanding his studio operations.

In a 1993 interview with Metal Leg, Steely Dan's then-official magazine, Nichols talked about his work with Donald Fagen and Walter Becker. "No one at ABC [Records] quite knew what to make of Donald and Walter, so by default I started working with them," he said. "We hit it right off. The strive for true hi-fi was common ground with Donald and Walter. We're all perfectionists."
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