Van Halen Tour Back On?

"This will be an arena tour," he revealed. "Van Halen has got an album coming out really soon. Two promoters have gone in and said 'this Soundwave Revolution thing was a debacle. We want to tour the band and it will happen early next year'." more on this story

KISS Dropped From Michael Jackson Tribute Show

(Rock News Desk) KISS have been dropped from the Michael Jackson memorial concert to take place in Wales after promoters were alerted to comments made after the pop star's death in which Gene Simmons suggested he was a paedophile.

Global Live Events, who are running the show in Cardiff in October, responded to pressure from Jackson fans and the trustees of his estate. A letter from the management team told Global: "We were especially disappointed with the announcement that Kiss and Gene Simmons were added as one of the acts. Mr Simmons made disparaging public remarks about Michael Jackson after his passing."

"I knew Michael – but no matter what my fond memories and fond images were, with one allegation of paedophilia after another and another… oh dear," Simmons told Classic Rock in 2010. "One musician quit after seeing boys coming out of the hotel room. You know, where there's smoke there's fire. There's no question in my mind he molested those kids. Not a doubt."
more on this story

Iommi Addresses Black Sabbath Reunion Reports

(Rock News Desk) Tony Iommi states he has not confirmed any Black Sabbath reunion and he's taken a swipe at a journalist who made it sound like he'd made the situation official. The guitarist has apologised to bandmates Ozzy Osbourne, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward after the "absolute nonsense" story exploded round the world.

Yesterday the Birmingham Mail published an article written by 25-year veteran reporter Andy Coleman quoting a conversation he'd had with Iommi in June, although the context made it seem as if it was a more recent talk. The result made it sound like confirmation the axeman had regrouped with Osbourne, Butler and Ward, as previously reported by MetalTalk.

In a real official statement Iommi says: "I'm saddened that a Birmingham journalist whom I trusted has chosen this point in time to take a conversation we had back in June and make it sound like we spoke yesterday about a Black Sabbath reunion." more on this story

Hear New Red Hot Chili Peppers Songs

(hennemusic) Ahead of the August 30 release of their 10th studio album, "I'm With You," the Red Hot Chili Peppers played a couple of Summer Sonic festivals in Japan this past weekend.

The shows, in Osaka and Tokyo, Japan, marked the first festival appearances by the Peppers this year, and the band unleashed three tracks from the forthcoming album in their sets.

The new material included the first single, "The Adventures Of Rain Dance Maggie," as well as "Factory Of Faith" and "Ethiopia." Check out all three songs here

Shinedown Reteam With Rob Cavallo For New Album

Shinedown have hit the studio to create their fourth studio album. The effort will find the band once again working with producer Rob Cavallo, who produced their last album, "The Sound Of Madness."

"We are truly honored to be working with the legendary Rob Cavallo again," says Shinedown frontman Brent Smith. "He brings the absolute best out of us and our songs. To say we are emotionally charged to start recording the new album would be a huge understatement. Everyone hold on tight, this is going to be intense!"

"One of the things that sets Shinedown apart from most other rock bands is their songwriting," says Cavallo. "There's an honesty and passion in it that's undeniable. After working with them on 'The Sound Of Madness,' I knew that they would deliver, but they've even surpassed my high expectations with the songs they've brought to the table this time around. I can't wait to get started."

Taking Back Sunday Map Out Fall Tour

Taking Back Sunday are hitting the road this fall for a North American headline tour that will feature support from The Maine and Bad Rabbits.

The string of dates, which take the band to towns they haven't yet visited on this album, kick off October 1 in Pharr, Texas.

Taking Back Sunday is touring in support of their self-titled new album, which is in stores now. Recorded in Los Angeles with producer Eric Valentine (Queens of the Stone Age, All American Rejects), Taking Back Sunday is the band's fifth studio release, three of which have been certified gold. more on this story

Sammy Hagar Still Angry at Van Halen But Misses Them

(Rock News Desk) Former Van Halen singer Sammy Hagar is still full of foul-mouthed rage at his ex-bandmates for the way they treated bassist Michael Anthony – but he still misses working in the group.

The frontman, who's now in Chickenfoot with Anthony, has previously said he expects to return to the fold one day. But as Van Halen gear up to release their first full album since 1998, and their first with David Lee Roth since 1984, Hagar reveals he can't forgive them for their demotion and sacking of the bassist.

Anthony was forced to take a wage cut to be part of the band's reunion tour with Hagar in 2004. He wasn't allowed to take part in songwriting sessions for the band's three new tracks and he didn't play bass on the recordings. When the Van Halens fell out with Hagar again, Anthony was seemingly punished for remaining friends with the singer. He was replaced by Eddie's teenage son Wolfgang and the band attempted to airbrush him from all their album covers on their website – a move which caused a fan backlash and led them to replace the images. more on this story

Tom Waits To Deliver New Song Next Week

(hennemusic) Good news for Tom Waits fans: a new single is on the horizon and closing fast. "Bad As Me" is set for release August 23, as Waits tweeted:

"There have been rumblings and rumors. New music, you say? Come to TomWaits.com on 8/23, and Mr. Waits himself will set the record straight."

In June, Waits posted a sample of lyrics from the first single, as follows: "No good you say? Well, that's good enough for me. You're the same kind of bad as me." more on this story

Death Cab for Flaming Lips?

(Gibson) The Flaming Lips and Death Cab for Cutie will release a joint EP in the near future, if an interview between members of the two bands and Spinner is to be believed. The website was interviewing Ben Gibbard and Nick Harmer from Death Cab at the Osheaga festival when Lips frontman Wayne Coyne came up with a proposition.

It turns out that the Death Cab guys didn't need much convincing. It happened like this:

Coyne: "So we should find a way to do a Flaming Lips/Death Cab three- or four-song EP."

Gibbard: "Let's do it!" more on this story

Down Announce North and South American Dates

(RockAAA) Down have announced a series of US dates in September which are designed to appease fans who missed out on their spring tour.

The dates are scheduled to fall immediately after they come out of the studio having completed tracks for their promised EP release

Recently drummer Jimmy Bower told Music Radar: "We just finished two or three weeks of writing, we've got seven songs and we're doing EPs. We've got seven and of those we'll pick about five." more on this story

Dave Mustaine Names His Favorite Metallica Song

(Gibson) For a long time, Dave Mustaine didn't have a favorite Metallica song, because he didn't want to listen to his former band. The guitarist-singer, who went on to form Megadeth, was fired from Metallica early on and replaced by Kirk Hammett.

"I had to do a lot of coming to terms with myself in order to listen to Metallica," he told Revolver. "Before, whenever I heard them, it triggered me in my mind to get up on my soapbox and spit out complaints of what had happened to me. And then once I finally realized, 'Dave, you're lucky, you're blessed, you're in a great band, you're in another great band.' I finally just said, 'You're missing it.'"

Once Mustaine came around on Metallica, he gravitated to one song in particular. "And I remember hearing this song when I was talking to Lars [Ulrich] once and telling him this is my favorite song off the 'Black Record.' And he goes, 'Really? [Expletive], man.' It was 'The Unforgiven,'" he said. "I liked it because I thought this was really the first time I've ever really heard James [Hetfield] sing. He had sung before, and he was a great singer. But that was the first time I ever heard him really, really sing." more on this story

Queen To Receive Icon Honor

(RockAAA) Queen will be named BMI Icons at the organization's annual London Awards, set for October 4 at London's Dorchester Hotel.

The BMI London Awards recognize the U.K. and European songwriters and publishers of the past year's most-performed songs on radio and television in the United States. The performing rights organization collects license fees from businesses that use music, which it distributes as royalties to songwriters, composers & music publishers.

BMI honors songwriters who have had "a unique and indelible influence on generations of music makers" as Icons. Queen's Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon join a list of past honorees that includes 2010 recipient Don Black, Van Morrison, Donovan, the Bee Gees, James Brown, Willie Nelson, and more. more on this story

Bono To Make A Billion Dollars From Facebook?

(Rock News Desk) Bono is about to become even richer – his $210m investment in Facebook is poised to be valued at over $1bn.

The U2 singer's investment firm, Elevation Partners, bought shares in 2009. This week Facebook was valued at $65bn, which makes Bono's part worth $975m.

The band were the highest-earning outfit in the world over the past year, raking in $195m during the final leg of their U2 360 tour, which made a total of $736m. more on this story

Linkin Park Lead DeLuna Fest Lineup

Linkin Park have been announced as the headliners for this year's DeLuna Fest which takes place on Pensacola Beach, Florida this October.

The Sounds, Girl Talk and DJ Diplo are also confirmed to perform at the festival this October 14th, 15th, and 16th.

Other acts confirmed to play DeLuna Fest's mainstages include Weezer, Jane's Addiction, The Shins, Cut Copy, Cake, Stars, Matt & Kim, Big Boi, Cold War Kids, Ra Ra Riot, Manchester Orchestra, New Pornographers, The Airborne Toxic Event and many, many more. In addition to main stage performances, the Heritage Jazz & Blues Tent will host legendary singer Bettye LaVette, Rock n Roll Hall of Famer Wanda Jackson, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, Voice of the Wetlands All-Stars, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Kermit Ruffins & the Barbecue Swingers and many more. more info

Spider-Man To Play Jeff Buckley

(Gibson) Reeve Carney, who is starring as Peter Parker in the Broadway musical Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, will play Jeff Buckley in a much-anticipated biopic of the singer-songwriter.

According to NME.com, Carney beat Twilight star Robert Pattinson and Milk star James Franco to the prestigious role of the singer, who died at just 30 years of age.

The film's executive producer is Buckley's mother Mary Guibert, who said: "We are over the moon that Reeve has agreed to take on this challenging role. He's been getting ready for this all his life. It certainly doesn't hurt that he looks so much like Jeff."

Filming is scheduled to begin in 2012. more on this story

Jani Lane Out of Control Before His Death?

(TMZ) Jani Lane had been frequenting L.A. area hotels in the weeks before he died -- and trashed one of his rooms so badly, that he was BANNED from the hotel ... TMZ has learned.

Sources tell us Lane had been kicked out of the Hilton Woodland Hills sometime in the last month -- after hotel employees noticed that he had torn his room apart.

We're told Jani was "not rude" about the situation -- and understood why he had to leave. Lane, we're told, had recently earned a reputation in the area for trashing his hotel rooms -- one source tells us he had been kicked out of multiple places within the last few weeks of his life.

As TMZ first reported, Lane died at a Comfort Inn hotel in L.A. on Thursday evening. Investigators have not released an official cause of death ... but report that a half-bottle of vodka and prescription drugs were found in the room. more on this story

The Acacia Strain Announce Fall Tour

The Acacia Strain are hitting the road this fall for a North American headline tour that will feature support from Terror, Stray From The Path, and Harm's Way.

The trek kicks off on October 26th in Albany, NY and will crisscross the continent before wrapping up on November 26th in Syracuse, NY.

"We just want to go out and bring a great show so everyone has fun", says The Acacia Strain vocalist Vincent Bennett. "We look forward to seeing fans, old and new, so get off your couch and come hang out with all of us!" more on this story

Rush DVD Details

(hennemusic) More details about the upcoming Rush Live In Cleveland DVD have surfaced.

Rush's "Time Machine 2011: Live In Cleveland" concert DVD/Blu-ray will be released on Tuesday, October 25th via Concord Records.

The show was filmed on April 15th at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, and was was filmed by Banger Films, the Toronto-based film production company which has produced films such as "Metal: A Headbangers' Journey," "Global Metal," "Iron Maiden: Flight 666" and, most recently, the Rush Documentary "Beyond The Lighted Stage." more on this story

Duff McKagan's Loaded Making Feature Film

(Kayos) Duff McKagan's Loaded are about to go into production for their upcoming feature film The Taking.

This rock 'n' roll flick, reminiscent of The Beatles' "A Hard Day's Night" and Led Zeppelin's "The Song Remains The Same," is a series of "vignettes" that explores the lyrical content of their recently released studio album of the same title (Armoury Records – April 19, 2011).

A video of "Executioner's Song," shot live during their European tour has recently been released. Video clip can viewed here more on this story

Jimi Hendrix Fateful Jacket To Be Auctioned

(Rock News Desk) A jacket worn by Jimi Hendrix on the night he died is expected to make £25,000 at auction.

He left the custom-made military-style garment at a friend's home in London on the night of September 17, 1970. Hours later he was found dead by girlfriend Monika Dannermann in her nearby flat.

"In the late 1990s I was asked to evaluate memorabilia at a house in Notting Hill which had a psychedelic camper van in the front drive – the gentleman owner had obviously been one of the hippy crowd in the 60s," Seller Ted Owen says. "He showed me the jacket and said Jimi left it at the house, and of course never came back for it. I explained I thought it was fantastic and he said, 'Why don't you take it as payment for your appraisal? It's of no use to me'." more rock news

20,000 Elvis Presley Fans Hold Vigil at Graceland

(Gibson) Approximately 20,000 Elvis Presley fans attended a special candlelight vigil held at the rock and roll legend's home at Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee.

The vigil took place on Monday night, marking the 34th anniversary of Elvis' death. The King of Rock and Roll died at Graceland on August 16, 1977, at the tender age of 42.

According to People magazine, some fans wore sideburns and pompadours as tributes to the King. The candlelight vigil kicked off the annual Elvis Week in Memphis. more on this story

L.A. Guns Acoustic Album Coming

(Kayos) Favored Nations have set a September 27th CD release of Acoustic Gypsy Live by L.A. Guns (Tracii Guns, guitar; Danny Nordahl, bass; Chad Steward, drums; Jizzy Pearl, vocals, Teddy "Zig Zag" Andreadis, keyboards, Muddy Stardust; guitar and back-up vocals; Doni Gray, percussion).

Produced, mixed and mastered by Grammy winner Neil Citron, this is the first acoustic album by the acclaimed Los Angeles band in their 29-year history, recorded at The Hotel Café in Hollywood. L.A. Guns will embark on a national tour in September to support the CD.

The band who lit up Hollywood like a surprise M-80 in a garbage can with their raw radical rowdy ways earned themselves legendary status on the Sunset Strip. When Jason Kramer and Jason Rothberg suggested they do an acoustic record, Tracii was "terrified, as I hadn't played live acoustically for more than an hour since my Bancroft Junior High School guitar ensemble when I was 13 years old. I gathered up the guys I trust the most musically to help make this as great as possible. After listening back to this performance, I am not so scared to perform acoustically anymore." more on this story

Iced Earth Defends Spotify

(Rock News Desk) Iced Earth mainman Jon Schaffer wants Century Media to put his band's catalogue back onto streaming service Spotify – even though he understands why they pulled it.

Century last week withdrew over 200 bands' recordings from Spotify, saying the low per-play payment was hurting musicians' incomes. The label stated: "While everyone here believes in the ever-changing possibilities of new technology, we're also of the opinion that Spotify in its present form isn't the way forward."

"But Spotify is one of the most important developments in music I've seen in quite a while. It allows fans to search for music from all over the world. Sometimes rare, hard to find or out-of-print music," Schaffer said. "They hear it, like it, and buy it from a variety of sources. That's a good thing; stealing music is not. But sampling it on Spotify, which is legal and highly-regarded worldwide, is not stealing." more on this story

Eric Johnson iPad App

(Gibson) Eric Johnson, has taught a special master class for the iPad app, On the Music Path.

Over the course of this 70-minute lesson, shot in high-definition video by Academy award-winning cinematographer Alan Kozlowski, Johnson teaches students how to play his celebrated tune, "Cliffs of Dover" (which he recorded on a Gibson ES-335), and breaks down the essentials of his guitar style, including hybrid rhythmic picking, tonal effects, arpeggios in solos and melodic choices.

The app includes more than 25 play-along sessions accompanied by complete notation and guitar tablature, authorized by Johnson and synchronized to his playing. Johnson breaks down "Cliffs of Dover," section by section, playing each section both at tempo and at half-speed for the first time in his career. The entire song is accompanied by a split-screen video on his right and left hands and accompanied by a complete and authorized transcription in both notation and tab. more on this story

Rise to Remain Set New Release

(RockAAA) Rise to Remain are set to release 'This Day is Mine' as the next single from their debut album 'City of Vultures' on September 19

The album which has been produced by Carl Bown and Colin Richardson (Slipknot, Machine Head, Trivium) releases a fortnight earlier on September 5 and is supported by a UK tour kicking off in Exeter, UK on September 7

The band are current darlings of the British metal scene and recently picked up both Kerrang and Metal Hammer Awards for Best New Band and frontman Austin Dickinson (son of Iron Maiden's Bruce) was voted #41 in Kerrang's 'Top 50 Greatest Rock Stars In The World' more on this story

That's Outrageous! Fire David Newton

(rock nyc) That's Outrageous! has gone through yet another lineup change. Apparently, their guitarist David Newton was kicked out of the band, and didn't even know it for a little while.

Here's what Newton said on his blog: "2 strikes and you're out! Well, can't exactly say I saw this coming. After being to referred to as one of the members of the core three, with my former fellow guitarist and bass player as well as the constant talk of problems in another band members performance I was kicked out of That's Outrageous!

"I finally confronted the bass player after being ignored by the members for over a week and he gave me the news. I would no longer be playing guitar for T.O! I am a drummer… not a guitarist was the reasoning. While I am mainly a drummer, I've molded myself into quite the guitarist over the time I've been given. If you've seen us live I'm sure you'd agree." more on this story

Annie Automatic Giving Away New Song

Annie Automatic are offering their third single "Dear, Charlie" as a free download on their Facebook Page.

To date Annie Automatic has released 2 singles, "Burn This Prison," "Miss McKenzie and now is giving fans a free listen to their latest single. "Dear, Charlie" is off of the band's, debut full-length album, Don't Look Down, set for release on August 23, 2011.

When speaking about "Dear, Charlie" lead singer French says, "Dear, Charlie is a letter to a sad old man, who has spent his years so focused on money and shallow pursuits that he never got to truly live. It's a message to him, and anyone like him, telling that there's so much more to this life than money - which is why we were especially excited to give this song away as a free download. We hope that it gets through to someone." Grab the download here

Gorgoroth Announce The Sign Of Hell Tour

(Earsplit) Gorgoroth are heralding their longest tour yet with this colorful adjective filed announcement:

Set to level over 30 cities throughout Europe, the unholy march, appropriately dubbed the Sign Of Hell Tour 2011, will coincide with the band's upcoming re-release of Under The Sign Of Hell.

Initially unleashed to unsuspecting ears in 1997, Under The Sign Of Hell was re-recorded last year at Tomas Asklund's Monolith Studio with financial support by Bergen Kommune, and is scheduled for release on August 29, 2011 via Regain Records. more on this story

Support Acts for Tiger Army's Octoberflame Announced

Tiger Army has announced the support acts for their fourth annual Octoberflame/15th Anniversary shows happening October 28 & 29 at the City National Grove in Anaheim.

The band is proud to invite fellow California punk rockers Swingin' Utters and Minneapolis rockabilly act Reckless Ones to open on October 28 and Santa Cruz punk 'n' roll band Steller Corpses and a special guest to be announced soon to open on October 29.

"Southern California in general has been our home for many years at this point, but there has always been a particular understanding of what we do in Orange County," says frontman Nick 13. "The parallel evolution of early punk alongside roots music in Southern California as evidenced by artists such as X, The Blasters and so on meant that people here needed no catching up to understand music that draws from both, even before the psychobilly subculture out of Europe had been established on these shores. Underground music, tattoo and car culture are alive and well in Orange County like no other place. It's also a great vacation destination for fans that travel from all over the world to attend Octoberflame: Europe, Australia, Canada, you name it."

Singled Out: Rick Tedesco's See You In Hell

Today Rick Tedesco tells us about "See You In Hell " from his brand new album "A Light In The Attic," which features Ian Hunter and Dennis Dunaway. Here is the story:

See You In Hell is a front runner for being one of the more commercial radio friendly songs on the record. I think its the ultimate F*&% off song personally. Inspired by a band mate that shall remain nameless, I took that inspiration and put it in a romantic relationship setting. I think the contrast of what I'm saying with a softer musical approach makes it more interesting. Screaming "I'll see you in hell" with guitars blazing is just way to obvious. A single violin and a tolling bell seemed much more interesting to me. I used the same approach with "Pain". Who doesn't love a good juxtaposition?

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

. RockPile: A Pale Horse Named Death- Coliseum/Burning Love- Pagan's Mind

In this latest edition of Rock Pile Kevin Wierzbicki takes a listen to A Pale Horse Named Deaths And Hell Will Follow Me, Coliseum/Burning Loves Live at the Atlantic and Pagans Minds Heavenly Ecstasy. - Read the full A Pale Horse Named Death- Coliseum/Burning Love- Pagan's Mind review