Def Leppard, Motley Crue and Steel Panther Tour- Slipknot Member Confirms US Tour- Foo Fighters Shower Video- Hear Gallows With Wade MacNeill- Social Distortion Tour- more

(Classic Rock) Def Leppard, Motley Crue and Steel Panther are teaming up for a six date UK tour at the end of the year. Dates are here

(FMQB) Foo Fighters have released an unusual new video to promote the band's fall tour with Social Distortion and The Joy Formidable. In the clip, four of the Foos play truckers who need to get clean after a messy meal...and we won't spoil it beyond that... See for yourself in the video here

(Loudwire) "Maggots" hungry for a chance to witness Slipknot live, we have some good news for you. Drummer Shawn "Clown" Crahan has confirmed in a Facebook post that the band will be "touring by next June in America only," although details of the trek have yet to be announced. more

(The 1st Five) When news broke several weeks back that former Alexisonfire guitarist Wade MacNeill would be replacing Frank Carter as the new frontman for Gallows, some questions were raised as to how the noisy hardcore quintet would sound.... find out here

(BBC) More than 250 letters and cards sent by John Lennon to family and friends are to be published for the first time by Beatles biographer Hunter Davies. more

(Lambgoat) Novembers Doom has announced the departure of drummer Sasha Horn. The group is actively in search of a replacement. more

(FMQB) The Roots have replaced bass player Owen Biddle with Mark Kelley, a Houston native who also plays cello and piano. more

(The 1st Five) Social Distortion have announced a handful of dates for their fall tour where they will be joined on the road on selected dates by the Avett Brothers and will be supporting Foo Fighters on their fall tour. Also joining Social Distortion are Chuck Raglan, Off With Their Heads, and Suedehead. more

(BBC) David "Honey-Boy" Edwards, described as the last of the great pre-war bluesmen, dies at his home in Chicago aged 96, his manager says. more

(Lambgoat) Sovereign Strength and With Life In Mind will co-headline an early-fall tour with support from Delusions. more

(FMQB) Last week news surfaced that Liam Gallagher had decided to drop his lawsuit against Oasis brother Noel Gallagher over comments that Noel made about the band's decision to cancel their headlining set at the V Festival in 2009. However, it looks like the suit may not be history just yet. more

More on Def Leppard - Def Leppard CDs, vinyl and rarities - Def Leppard Tour Dates/Tickets

Former BulletBoys Member Killed

Former BulletBoys drummer Johnny Giosa, a.k.a Johnny G, was killed in an auto accident on Sunday in Los Angeles, according to Noise Creep.

The band posted the following on their Facebook page: "I post this message with a heavy heavy heart...Words can not express how devastated I am to hear about my friends passing, Mr. Johnny G.

"My sincerest condolences to his family and the ones he loved. We're all going to miss you brother! RIP....Skinnard!!" Read the Noise Creep report here

More on BulletBoys - BulletBoys CDs, vinyl and rarities - BulletBoys Tour Dates/Tickets

Slipknot's Corey Taylor Has Eye Surgery

(RockAAA) Slipknot/Stone Sour frontman Corey Taylor underwent corrective eye surgery on Sunday.

"My procedure went EXCELLENT and I am now equipped with 20/10 vision!," posted Taylor. "Thank you Dr. Rothman! And thanks to Lasik of Nevada!! X-ray vision!!!"

The new, improved vision will come in handy for Taylor, who always seems to be juggling bands and projects. In addition to his Slipknot and Stone Sour duties, Taylor has hooked up with Duff McKagan to work on writing some songs together. more on this story

More on Slipknot - Slipknot CDs, vinyl and rarities - Slipknot Tour Dates/Tickets

Bret Michaels Recruits Def Leppard Stars and Stevie Nicks for New Album?

(hennemusic) Poison frontman Bret Michaels is working on his next solo album, "Get Your Rock On," and he's been lining up some special guests to lend a hand to the proceedings.

The project will feature Def Leppard's Joe Elliott and Phil Collen, possibly Stevie Nicks, members of Lynyrd Skynyrd, and newer groups such as Pop Evil and My Darkest Days.

"I'm in the process of doing it as we speak," Michaels tells Billboard. "When you're having other artists perform with you, it's about working with their time schedule and a lot of taking care of some of the business before you can enjoy the pleasure of just jamming together. I try to keep it pretty organic. We have to make sure everyone's good with the timing and can get into the studio to sing. But I think we're going to have a blast making this record." more on this story

More on Bret Michaels - Bret Michaels CDs, vinyl and rarities - Bret Michaels Tour Dates/Tickets

The Evolution of the Metallica and Lou Reed Project

(Gibson) Lou Reed and Metallica are planning to release Lulu, an album of new songs written by Reed and performed by all involved, later this fall. The partnership came together after Reed and the metal legends shared the stage at the 25th anniversary of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame concert a couple years back. "We knew from then that we were made for each other," Reed said in a press release.

But the Reed/Metallica project originally was going to be very different. The metal band was going to help Reed reimagine some of his older tunes: "some of Lou's lost jewels – songs that he felt he'd like to give a second spin, and we could do whatever it is we do to some of those songs," drummer Lars Ulrich said.

Not too long before they planned to work together, Reed had a different idea. Metallica could help him record songs he had written that were inspired by German expressionist Frank Wedekind. Metallica were up for the challenge, although they weren't certain what would happen. "We were very interested in working with Lou," singer-guitarist James Hetfield said. "I had these giant question marks: What's it going to be like? What's going to happen? So it was great when he sent us the lyrics for the Lulu body of work. It was something we could sink our teeth into. I could take off my singer and lyricist hat and concentrate on the music part. These were very potent lyrics, with a soundscape behind them for atmosphere. Lars and I sat there with an acoustic and let this blank canvas take us where it needed to go. It was a great gift, to be asked to stamp 'TALLICA on it. And that's what we did." more on this story

More on Metallica - Metallica CDs, vinyl and rarities - Metallica Tour Dates/Tickets

Alice Cooper Hires Michael Jackson's Guitarist

(Gibson) Australian guitarist Orianthi Panagaris has stepped in to replace Damon Johnson as Alice Cooper's guitarist. BraveWords.com reports the news from sources who claim Johnson left the band to join Thin Lizzy, stepping into the spot left vacant by Vivian Campbell when he returned to his Def Leppard commitments.

Johnson wrote a goodbye message to his bandmates on Facebook yesterday: "I love you, Alice Cooper. And Chuck, Tommy, Steve, and Glen. And Keri, Jimmy, Eric, Ryan, and Tommy C. With all my heart." Meanwhile Orianthi confirmed the news via Twitter ("Thanks! Gonna be a blast!"), while also confirming that she'd just that day begun recording her new album.

Orianthi is known for her hit "According to You" as well as her role as Michael Jackson's last lead guitarist. Steve Vai began singing Orianthi's praises when she was 15, and Carlos Santana took her under his wing when she was 18. Oranthi and Vai recorded the track "Highly Strung" for her album Believe in 2009. more on this story

More on Alice Cooper - Alice Cooper CDs, vinyl and rarities - Alice Cooper Tour Dates/Tickets

Chickenfoot Album Preview

Chickenfoot's band's sophomore album, "Chickenfoot III" is due September 27, but fans can now check out 90-second preview clips of the full album at iTunes more.

Singer Sammy Hagar tweeted the preview news while also issuing a challenge for fans:

"can't wait for you to hear this! listen to the clips and tweet which song you think will smoke the most live!" more on this story

More on Chickenfoot - Chickenfoot CDs, vinyl and rarities - Chickenfoot Tour Dates/Tickets

Red Hot Chili Peppers' Global Big Screen Concert Tonight

Red Hot Chili Peppers are celebrating the release of their new album, I'm With You, with a song-by-song live concert performance, via satellite, to select movie theaters around the world.

They will perform the entire album in sequence, followed by some of their greatest hits, in a special high-definition cinematic in-theater event tonight, August 30th.

Red Hot Chili Peppers LIVE: I'm With You is the first - and only - time the new album will be performed in its entirety by the band. More details about tonight's event here

More on Red Hot Chili Peppers - Red Hot Chili Peppers CDs, vinyl and rarities - Red Hot Chili Peppers Tour Dates/Tickets

Theory of a Deadman Singled Out Week: Bad Girlfriend

Theory of a Deadman kicked off the Carnival of Madness Tour earlier this month. To celebrate Tyler tells us a little bit about some of his favorite Theory of a Deadman songs. Today he tells us about "Bad Girlfriend" from their last album, "Scars & Souvenirs":

I remember recording the riff and music at my home in Los Angeles way back in 2007. I sent it to Dave (guitar player) and he was really into it. We wrote the rest of the record (Scars and Souvenirs) and went into preproduction with Howard Benson. All the other songs were complete but for Bad Girlfriend, all we had was the music jammed out and the line "my girlfriends a dick magnet" hehe.

Bad Girlfriend was the very last song to sing vocals on and my ex wife and I quickly came up with the story about how we met in a popular bar in Vancouver called the ROXY. A place me and my friends would frequent after late nights in the studio and how I saw her pouring drinks in people's mouths from behind the bar and dancing on tables. She was the bad bad girlfriend. It was originally called "My Girlfriend" and stayed that way for awhile.

The song really rings true because well....IT IS.

Hearing is believing. See the band on the current tour and also catch them later this fall with 3 Doors Down, grab dates and learn more right here!

Chris Cornell Releases New Song

(hennemusic) Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell has released his new song "The Keeper," lead track on the original motion picture soundtrack for forthcoming movie "Machine Gun Preacher."

Based on a true story, the movie is directed by Marc Forster ("Finding Neverland", "Monster's Ball") and stars Gerard Butler ("300", "The Phantom Of The Opera") as Sam Childers, a former drug-dealing criminal who finds faith leading him on a path to East Africa. Shocked by the mayhem in Sudan, Childers becomes a crusader for hundreds of refugee children fleeing death and enslavement.

Today, August 30, the song will be available for sale on iTunes and the full soundtrack album is released September 20. more on this story

David Bowie Classic Inspires Children's Book

(Gibson) The storyline of David Bowie's 1969 single "Space Oddity" has been used for a new children's book. The lyrics have become the basis of a colorful book written by author/artist Andrew Kolb, according to Ultimate Classic Rock.

In less than 40 pages, the kids' book recounts the story of astronaut Major Tom, who goes into space and becomes a media hero back on earth. Yet, when Tom ventures out to explore even further, something goes horribly wrong.

Fans can check out a free, full PDF file of the book at Kolb's website (although the site seems to be experiencing some technical difficulties – much like Major Tom's spacecraft). more on this story

Alice Cooper Guitarist Lands His Dream Gig With Thin Lizzy

(RockAAA) Guitarist Damon Johnson has left the Alice Cooper group to join Irish rockers Thin Lizzy.

Former Brother Cane member Johnson fills the guitar slot vacated by Richard Fortus, who returns to Guns N' Roses for the remainder of the year, as that band continues lining up a series of concerts this fall. Damon will be in place for the forthcoming US tour as Lizzy opens for Judas Priest.

"The music of Thin Lizzy is the absolute biggest influence on my entire career," said Johnson. "As a guitarist, songwriter, singer and performer I've been performing Lizzy songs since I started playing in bars in Alabama in 1987. To be even a small footnote on the list of great guitarists that have been in the band over the years is one of the highest accolades of my life. I am honored and beyond excited!!" more on this story

Iron Maiden Singer Pilots Hurricane Irene Flight

Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson was set to pilot one of the first commercial planes out of the New York area following Hurricane Irene on Monday.

Bury Free Press reported yesterday that Bruce was to fly around 200 passengers from Newark, New Jersey to Reykjavik for budget airline Iceland Express. They did not indicate when this flight was to take place, but it is assumed it took place on Monday.

The Boeing 757 was reportedly the same plane used by Iron Maiden during their seven-month world tour, which ended just over three weeks ago. Read the Bury Free Press report for more

Doctor Orders Jane's Addiction To Cancel Appearances

(hennemusic) Jane's Addiction were forced to cancel their festival appearances at Reading (Sat) and Leeds (Sun) due to frontman Perry Farrell's voice issues.

The NME reports the band had been set to headline the NME/Radio 1 Stage at Reading, but cancelled at the last minute, citing the severe swelling of Farrell's vocal chords as the reason for the drop-out.

At Reading, Jane's guitarist Dave Navarro announced the band's cancellation from the stage. In a statement issued Sunday, the band said, "This morning in London, his doctor determined that Perry Farrell's vocal condition remains unchanged from last night. Farrell has been ordered to not use his voice until further notice for risk of vocal damage. His condition remains day to day." more on this story

Ian Anderson To Perform Classic Jethro Tull Album On Tour

(Gibson) Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson will perform the band's classic album Thick as a Brick on tour to mark the album's 40th anniversary next year.

The tour will begin in Great Britain in mid-April 2012, before heading through Europe in the late spring and summer, and winding up with U.S. dates spanning September, October and November. Anderson jokes that the tour will feature "a more theatrical production with video, additional musicians and a troupe of dancing elephants. (Just kidding about the dancing elephants: they don't dance…)"

Thick as a Brick was a #1 Billboard album featuring a single song spanning almost 45 minutes. It has not been performed in full since 1972. Meanwhile, the 40th anniversary of the band's Aqualung album will be marked by two reissues. more on this story

Eastern Conference Champions Debut New Video and Offer Free MP3

(skh) This morning, August 30th, Eastern Conference Champions debut their new music video for "Bull In The Wild" (Directed by James Weir).

The premiere is set to take place on mxdwn.com and all fans who visit the site can also download a free MP3 remix of the track.

Eastern Conference Champions have also recently added three west coast shows (LA, San Diego and Long Beach) prior to leaving for a European tour where they will share the stage with The Get Up Kids for seven shows. more on this story

Machine Head Say They Pioneered Modern Metal Sound

(RockAAA) Machine Head main man Robb Flynn says his band launched a whole new metal sound when they combined harsh verses with melodic choruses and hooks and he reckons it also acted as the catalyst for a raft of copycat bands.

And he has revealed other acts also copied the equipment Machine Head used on the road but despite this he says they have always taken steps to stay ahead of the pack.

In an interview with Radio Metal Flynn claims Machine Head define 'modern metal.' He said: "We pioneered that (combining harsh verses with melodic choruses). We were the first band to do that, and many bands have copied that. We're just doing our thing. If you go back to 'Burn My Eyes' and listen to the song 'Old', it's very heavy verses and a melodic chorus, so that was well before the other bands." more on this story

Hard Knocks for Joe Cocker

Joe Cocker will release his brand new album, "Hard Knocks" on November 22 via his new label 429 Records. Here is what they had to say about it:

"Hard Knocks" is a collection of 9 all new songs plus a cover version of the Dixie Chicks' "I Hope." Produced by Matt Serletic (Matchbox 20, Carlos Santana), "Hard Knocks" has the timeless "Cocker" sound fusing soul, pop and rhytm and blues into an undeniably infectious mix of a singularly unique contemporary style.

The recording sessions took place in Serletic's own Emblem studios in Los Angeles involving a host of acclaimed musicians like Ray Parker Jr., Tim Pierce and Joel Shearer on guitar, Josh Freese, Matt Chamberlain and Dorian Crozier on drums, Chris Chaney on bass and Jamie Muhoberac on keyboards. The songs were mixed by Chris Lord-Alge and mastered by Bob Ludwig. Songwriters Kara Dioguardi of recent American Idol fame and Marc Broussard have contributed songs to the collection. more on this story

Glyder Set Album Release Featuring New Vocalist

SPV/Steamhammer Records have set an October 25th North American release date for Glyder's fourth studio album, "Backroads To Byzantium."

"Backroads to Byzantium" takes the listener on a road trip that has a hint of Americana and progresses to the re-emerging troubles on the streets of Northern Ireland to being homeless on the streets of London. Other themes on the album concern the evils of the tabloid press.

According to the PR, Glyder's new singer Jackie Robinson has a unique rock voice that sometimes hints at Paul Rodgers and Phil Mogg. Hailing from Northern Ireland, he was recruited through an ad on the Internet and because the rest of the band is from the South of Ireland, the album was written between Jackie and the two Glyder guitarists, Bat Kinane and Pete Fisher, over email. more on this story

Lindsey Says Fleetwood Mac May Be Back

(Rock News Desk) Fleetwood Mac aren't currently working on a new album, but guitarist Lindsey Buckingham expects they'll get to it soon.

He tells Classic Rock: "We've nothing like that going on at all. Stevie (Nicks) has been busy touring and I'm just about to release my new solo album and have plans to tour on the back of that. So, right now nothing's booked for the band.

"However, I would be very surprised if we don't make a new album at some point. Currently, I have eight or nine new song ideas, some of which might fit in with Fleetwood Mac." More Rock News

Slash Renews His Wedding Vows

(hennemusic) Slash and his wife Perla Hudson have renewed their wedding vows ahead of their 10th Anniversary this October.

Slash posted the news for fans on Monday evening: "Perla & I had a beautiful ceremony. The reception is still going. It's been a really special evening. Thanks to all the well wishers."

The Hudsons have been married since October 15, 2001; they have two sons, London and Cash. Slash filed for divorce from Perla last summer but the couple reconciled two months later. more on this story

Ha Ha Tonka Add Dates and Give Away New Song

Ha Ha Tonka will continue on the road for a new run of tour dates and have released another free MP3.

The tour is currently underway and includes a performance at the upcoming Austin City Limits Music Festival.

"Made Example Of, their second free single from their latest album, Death of a Decade, can be downloaded here

tour dates

Mars Attacks Hades and Gyspyhawk

Alan Tecchio of Hades / Non-Fiction / Watchtower / Autumn Hour, and Erik Kluiber and Eric Harris of Gyspyhawk are the featured guest in the latest episode of the Mars Attacks Podcast with host Victor M. Ruiz.

Items you'll hear touched upon during the episode include Alan's split from Watchtower, Autumn Hour preparing new material, his work with Mind's Mirror, and the future of Hades and Non-Fiction.

During the Gypsyhawk portion of the interview Erik Kluiber discusses how he came to join the band, and his stint in Scattered Hamlet. Eric Harris on the other hand discusses what he was looking to do when forming Gypsyhawk, and what he took away from his time in Skeleton Witch, among other things. Check it out here

Satan's Host Announce 25th Anniversary Album Details

Moribund Records have announced a November 22nd release date for a new Satan's Host 25th anniversary compilation. We were sent over the following details:

The new disc is a compilation of two new songs and songs from each album that spans the career of the band, except from earlier 2011 release By the Hands of the Devil, to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the release of the cult classic and debut album Metal from Hell.

The new disc was once again recorded with producer Dave Otero at Flatline Audio in Denver, Colorado and has exclusive artwork by world-renowned artists Chris Moyen and Joe Petagno, and photography by Brent Boutte of Mirrorlife Productions. more on this story

Happy Birthday John Peel

(Gibson) It would be difficult to argue that any DJ outside the U.S. — and possibly inside the U.S., for that matter — has had a greater impact on music than John Peel (born on this day in 1939). The son of a cotton merchant in the village of Burton, outside Liverpool, Peel was a slightly eccentric, but gifted communicator. He was also a devourer of music, and not just the chart-toppers, either. Peel scoured the record bins and airwaves for obscure gems. In his BBC bio, he recalls a school headmaster writing on one of his reports:

"Perhaps it's possible that John can form some kind of nightmarish career out of his enthusiasm for unlistenable records and his delight in writing long and facetious essays."

And indeed, he did. Having moved to America initially to work for his father's cotton company, Peel soon got into radio, charming Dallas audiences with his Liverpool accent — which was particularly advantageous (and exaggerated) after The Beatles arrived in the States. After a stop in Oklahoma City, Peel moved to San Bernardino, California, where he still worked under the name John Ravencroft (his surname at birth was Ravenscroft). Had he stayed in San Bernardino, Peel would have been no more than a solid local DJ and a '60s music footnote. But he returned to England in 1967 and began work at Radio London, one of the so-called pirate radio stations that transmitted in England from clandestine offshore stations aboard ships. more on this story

. RockPile: Puddle of Mudd- Love Crushed Velvet- Falling in Reverse

Today Kevin Wierzbicki gives new rock releases Puddle of Mudds Re:(Disc)Overed, Love Crushed Velvet, Falling in Reverses The Drug in Me is You a spin and gives us the lowdown. - Read the full Puddle of Mudd- Love Crushed Velvet- Falling in Reverse review

Wait there is more!

Share this article on Twitter

...end