Queen Abandon New Freddie Mercury Album Plan

But fans may still hear new songs.

Hear Pink Floyd In The Studio Special

(hennemusic) For more than two decades, US radio show "In The Studio" has been serving up artist interviews, performances and cool rock talk.

Hosted by Dallas-based DJ Redbeard, the show recently offered up a 2-hour special on Pink Floyd's latest 'best of' collection, "A Foot In The Door."

The album presents a mix of Floyd material, representing albums from 1967's "The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn" to 1987's "A Momentary Lapse Of Reason," with emphasis on 1973's iconic "Dark Side Of The Moon."

The ITS special features interviews with David Gilmour, Roger Waters, Nick Mason, and comments from the late Rick Wright. Listen here.

Arctic Monkeys and The Black Keys Plan Arena Tour

Arctic Monkeys have announced plans to launch a North American arena tour with the Black Keys in March.

Kicking things off in Cincinnati on March 2nd, Arctic Monkeys will be criss-crossing the continent, playing some of the largest venues in America including a stop at New York City's famed Madison Square Garden.

Arctic Monkeys will be hitting the road in support of their latest album, Suck It and See, which was released by Domino in June. more on this story

Bruce Springsteen Jams With Bob Seger

(hennemusic) Bob Seger played Santa Claus to his fans Thursday night at Madison Square Garden in New York.

"Just because you've been good little boys and girls this year we have a little Christmas treat for you," Seger told the crowd. "Mr. Bruce Springsteen!"

The New York crowd reacts with huge applause and a round of "Bruuuuuuuuuuce!" before the two rock legends kick into Seger's classic, "Old Time Rock & Roll." Check out video of the jam here.

First Video From Metallica and Lou Reed's Lulu Released

(hennemusic) The Lou Reed/Metallica project "Lulu" has released its first video. Short of calling it a single, "The View" has been the band's focus track since the album launched, having performed the track live on various European tv and radio programs.

The black and white clip was directed by Darren Aronofsky, and shot at the Metallica HQ in the San Francisco Bay area.

"The first time I heard 'The View' I was stunned," Aronofsky said. "I had never heard anything like it. Half was all Lou. The other half all Metallica. It was a marriage that on the surface made no sense, but the fusion changed the way I thought about both artists and morphed into something completely fresh and new. I couldn't stop listening to it. Lou's crushing lyrics, and the band's incredible licks." Read more and watch the video here.

Limp Bizkit Leave Interscope

(Rock News Desk) Limp Bizkit have parted ways with record label Interscope after their comeback album yielded disappointing sales.

Gold Cobra was their first release in over six years and featured the return of wayward guitarist Wes Borland. Despite strong anticipation it hasn't lived up to expectations – but frontman Fred Durst says the band were right to do things their way. He tells Poolside With Dean Delray: "It was a record for us to do for ourselves, for core faces, for some of the people we know in the industry.

"It wasn't our step forward to make a big, pop, smash radio record. We didn't want to make that record at that time. We've been working to re-navigate where we're going to take Limp Bizkit.

"Finally we have been able to get off our label and become independent." more on this story

B.B. King Movie Coming

(Gibson) British director Jon Brewer is working on a full-length movie about the life of B.B. King. The blues legend, born Riley King, has sanctioned the project and given extensive input. B.B. King: The Life of Riley is due in theaters May 2012.

"B.B. is still giving everything to it, and he has a big history," Brewer tells Guitarist magazine. "It was an absolute privilege to be asked to make this film – it's B.B. King's life!"

Talking of B.B's life so far, Brewer says: "One aspect tops all others. There's this little boy who loved going to school, didn't so much love going to church, but so respected his mother and did what his mother told him. And suddenly she was fading; he saw his mother die, that then led to how he relied upon his grandmother and worked the land, who was also fading in years so they could eat. And then she died – as a nine or 10 year old, his life had been crushed. more on this story

Legendary Howlin' Wolf Guitarist Hubert Sumlin Dead at 90

(Rock News Desk) Influential blues guitarist Hubert Sumlin has died at the age of 80. Named the 43rd greatest player of all time by Rolling Stone, and Sumlin was best known for his years in Howlin' Wolf's band.

He kept touring after Wolf's death in 1976 and was on the road as recently as last month, when he celebrated his birthday at a show in New Jersey.

Those influenced by his work include Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, Jimmy Page and Stevie Ray Vaughan. Read more about Hubert's influential career.

Guns N' Roses Add Another Tour Date

Guns N' Roses have expanded their North America tour plans once again. This time added a new date in Vegas.

The band is set to ring in the New Year at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel on December 31st but Vegas fans that weren't able to score tickets to the show at the intimate venue are in luck.

The band has added a second show at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel that will take place the day before the New Year's Eve show. more on this story

Paul Bostaph Leaves Testament

Paul Bostaph has officially parted ways with Testament following his previously announced 'serious injury' which kept him from recording the band's next album.

Testament frontman Chuck Billy confirmed the departure and the possible reason: "I, Eric, Alex, and Greg want to congratulate our brother, forever, Paul Bostaph on his new band, BlackGates. And while 'The Hands of Mayhem' will be sorely missed from our band, we wish him the ultimate success in everything that he does in his future."

Testament is now actively seeking the heaviest drummer on the planet, reads a statement from the band. Details will be announced soon. Testament's new album, The Dark Roots of Earth, will be released next Spring and will featuring drumming from Gene "The Atomic Clock" Hoglan (Fear Factory, Dethklok), as well as Chris Adler (Lamb of God) on a couple of bonus tracks.

Former Shins Members Return With Sad Baby Wolf

Former members of the Shins have resurfaced in Sad Baby Wolf, who has released their first two singles. Here are the details we were sent:

At a point in every mans life, a crossroads will be met. In late 2010, Marty Crandall had been "let go" from the iconic indie-rock band the Shins and was met with the decision of either calling it a day or moving forward with this thing called music. Thankfully for us, he chose the latter. Touching base with some friends from his hometown (Albuquerque, New Mexico), that included fellow former Shins guitarist Neal Langford, brother Maury Crandall on drums, guitarist/vocalist Jason Ward and Sean McCullough on bass, Sad Baby Wolf quickly, and rather effortlessly came to life.

As their first release, the guys of SBW decided to release not one, but two singles in the same vein as a classic 7". On the front end is the boisterously rock-rooted stomper "8th Level," while on the flip side is the more psychedelic, drone-rock inspired "Survival Guide." Sad Baby Wolf is undoubtedly a project in and of itself, yet there may be some familiar harmonies and/or guitar tricks that are sure to make those nostalgic hearts grow fond.

Both songs are set to appear on Sad Baby Wolf's debut full-length, which is tentatively scheduled for release in early spring 2012.

Listen to the singles and learn more about the group here.

Beatles App Launched

(Gibson) Rolling Stone magazine has released an iPad app for The Beatles. It mirrors the paper book The Beatles: The Ultimate Album-by-Album Guide book, published in summer 2011 by Rolling Stone.

The Beatles app costs $9.99 ­– the same as the print version – and is not currently available on Android. The app contains the same content as the print book and has 122 pages with over 60 photos. However, it was redesigned for the iPad and as such, is not considered a "digital replica." The app contains 30-second sound samples (via iTunes) for every Beatles album song and the ability to purchase each song through iTunes.

It also features interviews from Jim James of My Morning Jacket, James Taylor, Liam Gallagher, Stephen Malkmus of Pavement, Stevie Nicks, Liz Phair, Steven Van Zandt, Colin Meloy of the Decemberists, Graham Nash, Bob Weir and others, as well as a guide to the best non-album Beatles tracks. more on this story

Kid Rock, The Fray and Death Cab for Cutie For Live From The Artists Den

Kid Rock, The Fray and Death Cab for Cutie are all set to rock PBS on the fourth season of Live from the Artists Den, which will premiere nationwide on public television beginning February 3, 2012

Aside from Kid Rock, The Fray and Death Cab for Cutie, the new season will also feature Adele, Iron and Wine, and Amos Lee with special guests Calexico.

There's something for every music fan in our new season," says Artists Den Creator and Executive Producer Mark Lieberman. "We kick off with a rare, intimate look at Adele, the biggest star in music this year, and finish with Iron and Wine reimagined as an 11 piece band in a historic Atlanta theatre. Generous invitations from such remarkable locations as Graceland, the Brooklyn Museum, and more helped inspire our best season yet." more on this story

Green Day Idiot For The UK

(hennemusic) Green Day's "American Idiot" musical will tour the UK in late 2012. The performance will visit eight cities on a tour that begins next October.

Things kick off October 9 at Southampton's Mayflower Theatre, and run until early December, with a final week-long stint at London's HMV Hammersmith Apollo. The musical will also have a two-week long run at Manchester's Palace Theatre.

The show is based around songs from Green Day's last two studio albums, "American Idiot" and "21st Century Breakdown." more on this story

Huge Metallica Fan Shakira Includes Cover on New DVD

(hennemusic) Shakira turned a lot of people's heads when she performed a Metallica cover during her last world tour.

The Colombian pop icon did a very subtle, quiet version of "Nothing Else Matters" in her set. The song originally appeared on Metallica's 1991-self titled "black album"

"I used to be a huge Metallica fan when I was 15, 16 years old," says Shakira. "I remember I was graduating from high school back then and I used to sing 'Nothing Else Matters' all day long. I am still a very huge Metallica fan, though. [And] I thought it would be kind of surprising to include it in my repertoire for this tour."

Shakira's verison of the Metallica track is featured on her new concert DVD, "Shakira, Live From Paris." Check it out here.

Sebastian Bach, Billy Idol and Steve Stevens Jam With Camp Freddy

(hennemusic) Camp Freddy have returned to The Roxy Theatre in West Hollywood for their annual Christmas residency. The jam band features Billy Morrison (Billy Idol/The Cult), Dave Navarro (Jane's Addiction/The Panic Channel), Matt Sorum (Guns N Roses/Velvet Revolver), Donovan Leitch (son of legendary folk singer Donovan), and Chris Chaney (Jane's Addiction/Alanis Morrisette).

CF play four Friday shows this month, and fired things up this weekend; as usual, the band sold out their residency shows quickly. "Well that didn't take long! 48 hours to be precise," writes Morrison. "If you didn't get a ticket, there's always next year, because we have now officially sold out all four residency shows at The Roxy for December. Now comes the task of putting together the set lists and making sure we blow the roof off the place every night. I know we are all really happy to be headed back to the Roxy for the fifth year in succession – we'll see some old faces, and hopefully some new ones as well. Come prepared to have a f**king good time – we want to see the place shake. Thanks to all for making it a huge success already and here's to a good Holiday season on the Sunset Strip."

Friday's opening night featured guests including Sebastian Bach, Mark McGrath (Sugar Ray), Frankie Perez, Billy Idol and Steve Stevens. Check out some video here.

KISS Kruise To Sail Again

(hennemusic) KISS have announced the return of the KISS Kruise. Scheduled for Halloween 2012, KISS will release more information in the next few weeks.

October 2011 saw the first-ever KISS Kruise set sail from Miami, FL, to Half Moon Cay and Nassau, Bahamas on board a well-known ship brand.

KISS hosted the recent trip, complete with a live show in an intimate indoor venue and an acoustic "Sail Away Concert" (no make-up!!) as the ship left port in Miami. more on this story

Sixx: A.M. Tease Next Move

(Banana 101.5) As guitarist D.J. Ashba told us recently, there is a lot of new music on the way from his band Sixx: A.M. Turns out we may actually hear some before year's end — the band just released a teaser trailer for what could be a remix or acoustic-style release.

Perhaps taking a page out of the his other band's playbook — Motley Crue also teased their just-announced residency at the Hard Rock in Vegas through social networking sites — Nikki Sixx and friends have been dropping clues about a mystery project via Facebook. First saying "Something is coming for you this December," then posting an image of the band's name with overshadowed by a red number seven, followed by a video of the image with a stripped-down piano-led version of their current single 'This Is Gonna Hurt.'

The video also spotlights the date 12/13/11, which falls on the typical day for new releases — Tuesday. What exactly fans will be getting that day is unknown at this time, but it's always fun to guess. more on this story

Springsteen, Elbow and Noel Gallagher To Rock Isle of Wight

(Gibson) More big names have been announced to play next summer's Isle of Wight Festival. Headliner Bruce Springsteen will be joined on the island by Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds, Elbow, Biffy Clyro, Example, Noah & The Whale, The Vaccines and Madness.

Elbow will play on Friday, June 22, while Saturday, June 23 features Scottish trio Biffy Clyro and Madness.

On Sunday, June 24, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds will play as special guests to Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, the day's headlining act. more on this story

Johnny Marr Banned From The Roads

(Gibson) Former Smiths man and guitar guru Johnny Marr has been banned from driving. According to the Daily Mirror in England, the king of the jangly guitar was caught speeding at 72 miles per hour in a 40 miles per hour zone.

Marr had been speeding through Manchester in his Audi A5 back in April when he was pulled over by police.

His lawyer, Gwyn Lewis, appeared in court on Marr's behalf, saying, "It was something he deeply regrets and it is the first time he has been banned from the roads." more on this story

Spawn Of Possession Complete New Album

Spawn Of Possession have completed work on their third full-length album, Incurso, which will be released by Relapse Records next Spring.

Earsplit sent over these details: Featuring current and former members of tech-titans Necrophagist and Obscura, Spawn Of Possession's excellent Cabinet debut was released by Unique Leader Records in 2003. But when Noctambulant followed three years later via Neurotic Records, the album's unabridged, relentless technical death metal urgency instantly made the name Spawn Of Possession stick into the minds of metallers worldwide like a rusty cleaver. It has now been over five years since the release of Noctambulant, and diehard fans are ravenous for the next installment of this now cult favorite act's expanding discography.

Earlier this year Spawn Of Possession entered Pama Studios in Kristianpoel, Sweden, with engineer Magnus Sedenberg, to track their debut for Relapse Records. Devastating riffs, jaw-dropping time-signatures and improbably complex songwriting coalesce to create an opus of next-level death metal on Incurso , which the band promises to be their most supreme work to date, and more devastating than ever. more on this story

Vallenfyre Set For Live Debut

Century Media promised that Vallenfyre would not be a one-off studio project and they keep that promise with the announcement of the project's first ever live show.

Vallenfyre's stage debut will take place at the Tavastia Club in Helsinki, Finland on February 2nd, 2012.

Gregor Mackintosh (vocals and lead guitar) comments, "I have a long and happy history with Helsinki. From the Lepakko club 20 years ago, right up to the present day, it has always been one of my favourite places to be. I have many fond memories and have made many great friends over the years. It is for this reason I decided that the very first live performance by my new band Vallenfyre should be in Helsinki. We have just released our debut album 'A Fragile King' through Century Media and anyone who likes their Death/Doom stirred in with some Crust should come down and see us." more on this story