Queens of the Stone Age Star Facing 15 Years in Prison

A further two hours later he gave himself up, and a search of the property uncovered a loaded shotgun and some drugs. more on this story

Jani Lane's Cause of Death Remains Unclear

(hennemusic) There will no easy answers in the death of former Warrant singer Jani Lane. Lane's body was discovered in a Los Angeles hotel room Thursday evening; TMZ reported paramedics were called to the Comfort Inn in Woodland Hills, CA, but Lane was pronounced dead on the scene.

The Los Angeles County coroner's office reports an autopsy performed Friday proved inconclusive pending the results of toxicology tests; Assistant Chief Coroner Ed Winter said it may take seven or eight weeks to finalize the cause of death.

Investigators found a half-empty bottle of vodka and prescription medication in the hotel room where Lane was found, according to TMZ.com. TMZ also reports Lane's death is being treated as an accidental overdose or a possible death from natural causes. more on this story

Four Fans Killed By Stage Collapse

(Rock News Desk) Four people died and at least 40 other have been injured after a stage collapsed in high winds during the Indiana State Fair in the USA. It's the third serious incident during this year's festival season in North America, following events in July in which Cheap Trick narrowly escaped death.

Saturday night 12,000 festivalgoers were waiting for country duo Sugarland to take the stage when evacuation procedures began. a massive gust of wind caused the stage roof to topple towards the crowd.

Some were trapped under the construction and children were among the wounded. Captain Brad Weaver of Indiana State Police says: "I don't believe anything could have been done to prevent the collapse." more on this story

TV Exorcism For Mayhem Bassist

(Rock News Desk) Mayhem bassist Necrobutcher is to undergo a real-life exorcism and it's to be filmed for TV. But while America evangelist Bob Larson vows he'll save the musician's soul, the Norwegian black metaller insists he's only taking part because it'll be fun.

Larson has interacted with bands including Slayer, Deicide and Morbid Angel – but he's now set his sights on saving Necrobutcher's soul.

He says: "I have confirmed my willingness to perform an exorcism, with certain conditions I will discuss with the TV crew. I am willing to confront his demons if he is willing to allow his demons to confront me." more on this story

Watch Mick Jagger's New Supergroup SuperHeavy

(hennemusic) The first single from Mick Jagger's new supergroup – SuperHeavy – has arrived. "Miracle Worker" is the lead track from the band's debut, due out September 19 (Sep. 20 in North America).

The SuperHeavy lineup features Jagger, Eurythmics founder Dave Stewart, singer Joss Stone, composer A.R. Rahman and reggae artist Damian Marley.

The song features lead vocals shared by Stone, Marley and Jagger as they cruise through the light, bouncy reggae-influenced track. Check out the video

New Boston Album To Feature Brad Delp Vocals

(Rock News Desk) Boston have moved to quell rumours they've split up after Michael Sweet announced he was leaving the band to focus on Stryper. And Tom Scholz has revealed he's nearly finished work on the long-awaited follow-up album to 2002′s Corporate America.

Sweet had played guitar and shared lead vocals since Boston gathered for a tour in 2008, with chief writer, guitarist and producer Scholz the only remaining member of the original lineup.

"We truly involved having Michael sing and play on stage. We have always understood his commitment to Stryper and with them the best of luck," Boston says of Sweet's departure. "However, Michael has not been involved in the recording of our next studio album, which is now 85% complete. Lead vocals include Brad Delp singing on many songs along with several excellent performances from our other three lead vocalists." more on this story

Motorhead Planning Covers Album

(RockAAA) Motorhead frontman Ian 'Lemmy' Kilmister has let slip that the metal legends are plotting a covers album but he jokes which bands they actually select to cover is already causing scraps in the band as drummer Mikkey Dee is keen for Lemmy to wrap his pipes around some songs Lemmy doesn't feel he could pull off.

Speaking backstage at the Wacken Open Air Festival in Germany Lemmy said Dee is a fan of bands which sing in a higher key than Lemmy is used to. He said:

"We're not sure but we are thinking about doing an album of covers. The problem is Mikkey likes bands like Journey and that and I can't sing like that. So we'll have to get him to compromise on that." more on this story

Radiohead To Help Saturday Night Live Kick Off New Season

(Gibson) Radiohead will be the musical guests on the season premiere of Saturday Night Live this fall. The late night institution will begin its 37th season with frequent host Alec Baldwin on September 24, according to USA Today.

It will be the second time Thom Yorke and pals will perform on SNL; the first was in 2000 when the band was promoting Kid A. This time, it's assumed that Radiohead will play songs from The King of Limbs, released earlier this year.

The second SNL episode this season will feature country stars Lady Antebellum, with host Melissa McCarthy (Bridesmaids, Mike & Molly). more on this story

Metallica's Master of Pancakes

(Rock News Desk) Metallica frontman James Hetfield deliberately delivered a wrong lyric during a live performance of Master of Puppets as a private joke between his bandmates and Anthrax drummer Charlie Benante. But when Hetfield replaced the words "fix me" with "pancakes" Benante was elsewhere – and missed the big moment.

The joke came about during a 1986 thrash tour of the UK when Metallica's Kirk Hammett and Cliff Burton had breakfast with Anthrax's Benante and Scott Ian. "We were just talking about stuff and I said, 'In Master of Puppets, just before the lead break comes in, James screams something out and I can never understand it. What is it?'," The drummer tells Examiner.com. "Cliff looked at Kirk and went, 'I don't even know.' We were ordering breakfast so Cliff said, 'I think he says 'pancakes' and we all started laughing.

"Every show after that, I was on the side of the stage watching and that part would come up, and Cliff would always look at me and mouth the word 'pancakes.'" more on this story

Tommy Stinson Says Guns N' Roses Is A Collaboration Band

(RockAAA) Tommy Stinson admits he never expected his time on bass duties with Guns N' Roses to last 12-years and he has insisted his stint with the band has been 'nothing but a good gig.'

Stinson, who burst onto the rock scene with The Replacements 20-years ago, is also a member of Soul Asylum which he says is a 'labor of love,' "Soul Asylum, I've known those guys since we all went to school together, Dave (Pirner (Soul Asylum singer) and I anyway," Stinson tells Philly.com. "They're good guys and we have a good time playing together. That's more a labor of love."

"Guns is a different thing in that it's a bunch of guys that come from all walks of life put together in this musical soup, and it has a whole different thing going on. It's more of a collaborative band thing -- when we write, anyway.," Stinson says. "Guns has been nothing but a good gig for me for 12-years now. I started it with no expectations. I didn't think it would last 12-years, but here I am." more on this story

Anthrax's Scott Ian To Be TV Zombie

(Gibson) If you're watching a new episode of The Walking Dead this fall and you see a zombie with a rainbow goatee, don't be alarmed. Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian got zombied up for a stagger-on role in the second season of the AMC series.

"What have I wanted to do since 1978? Be a ZOMBIE!!! Full story on my day on 'Walking Dead' coming later!!!" Ian announced in a post on his Twitter page.

Ian's appearance makes for a nice tie-in with Anthrax's new single, "Fight 'em Till You Can't," which was allegedly written about zombies. more on this story

Ben Weasel Slams Former Screeching Weasel Bandmates

(Rock News Desk) Ben Weasel has broken his silence about the South By South West concert which led to the implosion of his band Screeching Weasel. And he's slammed his former collaborators as "hypocrites," saying he sacked them before they released a press statement saying they'd quit.

In March four of the five-piece punk outfit said they'd left because of Weasel's "lack of dignity" after he badmouthed the festival they were playing then became involved in an altercation with a member of the audience.

Video footage showed him losing control in an already tense environment in Austin, Texas, after a woman threw beer at him. He tried to attack her but was pushed back by security staff. As a crowd of crew surrounded him he waved at the audience and the band left the stage. A number of bands then pulled out of the planned Weaselfest event, forcing its cancellation.

Now the frontman, real name Ben Foster, has spoken out – and singled out ex guitarist Dan Vapid for particular criticism. See what he had to say

Another Dream Theater Preview Surfaces

(hennemusic) A preview of another new track by prog-rockers Dream Theater has surfaced.

Last month, DT released "On The Backs Of Angels" - the first single from their upcoming album, "A Dramatic Turn of Events." Last week, the band offered up a 71-second snippet of the song "Bridges In The Sky."

And now, a preview of a third track, "Breaking All Illusions," has been made available. Check it out here

All Not Well In Judas Priest Camp?

(Rock News Desk) Judas Priest have distanced themselves from public comments made by frontman Rob Halford's manager in which he called other businessmen associated with the band "leaches".

The disagreement fuelled speculation that the gods of metal were suffering from internal business disagreements which contributed to the surprise departure of guitarist KK Downing, who mentioned "management elements" in his resignation statement.

But the band say even Halford doesn't agree with what was said, and they'll deal with the situation behind closed doors. John Baxter, who's worked with the singer's Metal God Entertainment firm for years, recently posted a message on RobHalford.com saying: "We will begin removing Judas Priest related topics from its websites in protest at Glenn Tipton (decision maker), Jayne Andrews (amateur thug for Glenn, can't trust, leach), Bill Curbishley (apathetic leach) and John McBrice (unlicensed, unregistered accountant, leach) for lack of professional and ethical conduct as it relates to Rob's business matters for much of the last six years.

"Rob will publicly deny the above, so we will take a seat next to KK Downing and watch how the Glenn and Jayne show plays out." more on this story

Alice Cooper's Hip Hop Nightmare

(Rock News Desk) Alice Cooper says hip-hop music is one of things his stage character would be haunted by in his current reincarnation.

He's poised to release Welcome 2 My Nightmare, which he and producer Bob Ezrin constructed to match the 1975 original album as much as possible, while still being a new piece of work.

"If you're a real aficionado it'll send a chill up your spine because it happens at the right spots," Cooper says. "The first nightmare was a seven-year-old's, with 'What's in my closet?' and 'My toys are coming to life.' Now his nightmare would be hip-hop and technology and working nine to five in a cubicle." More rock news

Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds Unplugged

(RLM) Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds have announced plans to play acoustic sets when "Dave Matthews Band Caravan" visits New York City's Governors Island and The Gorge Amphitheatre in George, WA.

The duo's Sunday sets (August 28 at Governors Island and September 4 at The Gorge) will be in addition to their performances with Dave Matthews Band, which is headlining each night of the traveling music festival.

Governors Island, a 172-acre island in the heart of New York Harbor, will be the third stop for "Dave Matthews Band Caravan". The artist lineup for each day at Governors Island is as follows: Friday, August 26 Dave Matthews Band, O.A.R., Citizen Cope, Soulive, Vieux Farka Touré and Wood Brothers. more on this story

Pierce The Veil and Miss May I No Guts, No Glory Tour

Pierce The Veil and Miss May I are teaming up for a co-headlining tour dubbed the "No Guts, No Glory" tour.

The North American fall tour will feature support from Woe. Is Me, The Amity Affliction and letlive.

The trek is set to kick off on November 8th in San Francisco, CA and will wrap up on December 16th in Portland, Or. more on this story

Heart Plan New Album and Memoirs

(Gibson) 35 years ago, Heart kicked in the gates of the predominantly male playground of rock with their debut album, Dreamboat Annie. The album introduced a winning formula of Zeppelinesque guitars with Ann Wilson's banshee vocals. Wilson and her sister Nancy recorded some of the biggest hits of the rock era with "Crazy on You," "Magic Man" and "Barracuda," among many others. Not content to rest on their laurels, the Wilson sisters have multiple projects in the works for the coming year.

First up, the group is prepping a new album with producer Ben Mink, who co-produced the band's 2010 album, Red Velvet Car. Nancy Wilson told Billboard fans can expect some heavy guitars this time around.

"We've got most of it written already," Wilson disclosed. "We're writing again and working on songs with producer Ben Mink. This time we're gonna go a little more heavy rock, a little more electric guitar. And so far so good; I think there's some really amazing songs already… We're still kind of polishing and buffing the rough demos so far, but we're getting excited."

The Wilsons are also working with rock journalist Charles Cross (Heavier Than Heaven, Led Zeppelin: Shadows Taller Than Our Souls) on a memoir. more on this story

Smashing Pumpkins To Preview New Songs On Fall Tour

(Gibson) Fans who plan to catch The Smashing Pumpkins in concert this fall will have the opportunity to see the alt-rockers debut songs from their upcoming album, Oceania.

Billy Corgan and friends will be road testing the new material during a handful of October dates, according to RollingStone.com. The Pumpkins, who also include Jeff Schroeder, Mike Byrne and Nicole Fiorentino, said they will play plenty of hits and lesser-known material in the shows, too.

Oceania is due in early 2012 and is the first official album from the band since 2007's Zeitgeist. The album is just one part of Corgan and Co.'s larger, 44-song Teargarden by Kaleidyscope project. more on this story

Double Live Dio Era Rainbow Coming

(Kayos) Eagle Rock have announced a August 23rd release date for the reissue of Rainbow's Live In Germany 1976 in a special two CD.

The eight-song concert is the definitive early onstage statement of a great band whose personnel shape-shifted through the years. This particular lineup is looked upon as the primo Rainbow assemblage.

Lead guitarist Ritchie Blackmore had left Deep Purple in 1975 to concentrate on a more personalized version of his vision, and did just that with legendary vocalist Ronnie James Dio (1942-2010), drummer Cozy Powell, bassist Jimmy Bain and keyboardist Tony Carey. (This lineup only recorded one album together: Rising, a landmark in British Rock.) more on this story

AC/DC Wine To Debut This Week

(Gibson) AC/DC and fine wine go together like peanut butter and jelly, right? Well, maybe not exactly, but Warburn Estate, one of Australia's most prestigious wineries, has distributed a new AC/DC wine collection in honor of the illustrious hard rock band, available August 18 via Woolworth's, Dan Murphy and BWS.

AC/DC "The Wine" will be released in four products: "AC/DC Back in Black Shiraz" (dry red) "AC/DC You Shook Me All Night Long Moscato" (sweet white), "AC/DC Highway to Hell Cabernet Sauvignon" (dry red) and "AC/DC Hells Bells Sauvignon Blanc" (dry white). So, rock fans and wine connoisseurs with a taste for anything from dry reds to sweet whites should find something to please their palates.

As recently reported, AC/DC recently released the AC/DC Collector's Edition Monopoly board game from USAopoly, following Metallica who released their version earlier this year. more on this story

Deicide's March Of Death Coming

Deicide are set to headline the "March Of Death 2012" tour of North America next Spring.

The tour will feature support from Jungle Rot, Abigail Williams, and Lecherous Nocturne.

The trek will get underway on March 1st in West Springfield, VA and will conclude on March 29th in Orlando, FL. more on this story

ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons Wants Keith Richards Jam

(Gibson) Listen up, Keith Richards: ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons wants to do business. The legendary guitarist for the Li'l Ol' Band from Texas has recently revealed that although he's collaborated with everyone from Queens of the Stone Age to Ronnie Dunn, he has yet to wrangle Rolling Stones six-stringer Richards to knock out a track. When asked if there was anyone left on his dream list of partnerships, Gibbons told Audio Ink Radio, "Absolutely. Keith [Richards], are you busy?"

He went on to rattle off a rich list of his all-time favorite players. "Jimmy Reed, Jimmie Vaughan, Bo Diddley, all the Kings, Clapton, Keith Richards, Jeff Beck, Muddy Waters, Jimi Hendrix, Jimi Hendrix. Yeah, he's in there twice, and that's on purpose," he said.

Gibbons recently collaborated with bluesman Leslie West on a track for West's upcoming album, Unusual Suspects, and he said working with West was "simply terrific": "Leslie's fast. The affair of getting together and trashing it out can't be beat." more on this story

Sebastian Bach Says Jani Lane's Only Friend Killed Him

(Rock News Desk) Ex-Warrant singer Jani Lane's body was found beside a bottle of vodka and prescription medication, California police have said – leading Sebastian Bach to reflect: "His only real friend killed him in the end."

An autopsy on the 47-year-old was inconclusive following his death on Thursday in a Comfort Inn motel. Former bandmates and other musicians have paid tribute to Lane while his manager, Obi Steinman, says: "I lost a very dear friend. His family, including his young children, asks for privacy during this difficult time."

Bach, ex of Skid Row, says Lane's tragic end is "all too typical of what a rock musician's life actually is." He comments: "It's a life marked by extremes. Extreme attention from people you don't know while the work and travel take you away from those you do know. more on this story

Machine Head Expanding Their Sound

(Rock News Desk) Robb Flynn says his recent music lessons has added a new dimension to Machine Head's new album Unto the Locust.

The frontman explains: "We've really taken our music to the next level. I took some singing lessons with the guy who worked with Mick Jagger and Lady Gaga. Then I took some classical guitar.

"I wanted to feel like a beginner again and not be comfortable, and see what that brought out. There's definitely a big neoclassical vibe between all the brutality on the record." more on this story

Knights Of The Abyss Members Launch Apparitions

Knights Of The Abyss bassist Griffin Kolinski and guitarist Brian Mcnulty have announced their new project, Apparitions.

"When Knights Of The Abyss finished our last tour with Cattle Decapitation, Brian and I were toying with this side project with some friends back home. As we went along it really just manifested itself into something that we wanted to pursue in a more serious direction" states Kolinski about the formation of the band.

Apparitions will be performing their first show on on August 26th at the Clubhouse Music Venue in Tempe, AZ. They are currently working on booking dates for a West Coast regional tour to support their EP titled "The Human Collapse" due out this fall. " We are real excited to see what people think of the material as it is a departure from what we were doing with KOTA" adds Kolinski. more on this story

Noel Gallagher Blames TV and Video Games For Riots

(Gibson) Like many in the U.K. and around the world, former Oasis bandleader Noel Gallagher is dumbfounded by the senseless violence that took place in England over the past week.

"I can't understand where their energy for these riots is coming from," he told TVNZ. "We live in this age of violence — and I don't care what other people say: brutal TV and brutal video games are a reason for this pointless violence, as well. The people are immune to violence, they are used to it. And if they get caught, they aren't punished the right way. The prisons are already full? Then build new ones!"

He continued, "It's crazy! It's just violence for the sake of violence. The people who are at these riots aren't poor. These are kids with (expletive) mobile phones and all sorts of (expletive). The police and government have to take drastic measures. more on this story

Billy Grammer RIP

(Gibson) Billy Grammer, the singer-guitarist whose "Gotta Travel On" topped the charts in 1958, died Wednesday in his hometown of Benton, Illinois. Grammer was recovering from a heart attack he had suffered in March, according to Billboard. He was 85.

Grammer was born on August 28, 1925, the son of musician. After serving in the Army in World War II, Grammer worked as a factory toolmaker. When he was laid off from his job, Grammer decided to pursue a career in music, scoring a hit right out of the gates with the Paul Clayton-penned "Gotta Travel On." Shortly thereafter, he was asked to join the Grand Ole Opry.

In the following years, Grammer played on records with Patti Page, Louis Armstrong, Eddy Arnold and Hawkshaw Hawkins, among others, started his own guitar company (RG&G), charted several solo hits (including "I Wanna Go Home" and "Bonaparte's Retreat), had his own TV show and delivered the invocation for the opening of the Grand Ole Opry House in 1974. more on this story