Guitar Hero Killed- Disturbed's Music As A Weapon Tour Postponed- Red on Top- Gary Moore Inspired Metallica Classic- New Stevie Nicks Coming- Europe DVD- more

Find out what else happened on this date in music history here

Trouble For Metallica's Lars Ulrich

(hennemusic) A Sausalito, California man who worked as a personal assistant to Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich has filed a lawsuit claiming years of unpaid overtime.

The Marin Independent Journal reports Steven Wiig, 38, is seeking unspecified damages for alleged state and federal labor violations, breach of oral contract and continuing wages, according to the suit in Marin Superior Court. The lawsuit names Ulrich and Team Tours, a Burbank company that issued Wiig's paychecks, as defendants.

A case management conference is set for June 24 before Judge Lynn Duryee. Wiig said he was a "non-exempt" employee from 2001 to 2009, working at Ulrich's home and studio in Marin and going on Metallica's worldwide tours. more on this story

Muse, Eminem and Foo Fighters for Lollapalooza

(Gibson) A couple weeks after the headliners for the first Lollapalooza in Chile were announced, it seems like the annual Chicago-based festival has its main acts set in stone.

The Chicago Tribune and Billboard are reporting that Muse, the Foo Fighters and Eminem will headline the three-day event. "Multiple sources" confirmed the acts, although there has been no word from festival organizers.

Tribune rock critic Greg Kot also said that the Lollapalooza bill will include Crystal Castles, Girl Talk, Best Coast and Lykke Li. The full lineup will be officially announced in April. more on this story

God Bless Ozzy Osbourne

(hennemusic) "God Bless Ozzy Osbourne." That's the new title of the upcoming documentary on Ozzy's life.

Last month, Ozzy's son Jack Osbourne, who financed the film with mother Sharon, was interviewed about the project, then known as "Wreckage Of My Past: The Ozzy Osbourne Story."

At the time, Jack told Artisan News Service that the documentary had completed filming and was in post-production. Directed by Mike Piscitelli and written and produced by Jordan Tappis, it will be the first release from Jack's company, Jacko Productions. more on this story

Primus Comeback Album Coming

(Gibson) As previously reported, Primus have been hard at work on their first studio album in more than a decade. In a post on the band's website, Les Claypool and pals has said the record is nearly complete.

"For those of you that enjoyed the new song, 'Last Salmon Man,' that we played New Year's, you'll love the record because every song basically sounds exactly the same as that one," Claypool joked in the post. "In fact, we just kept recording the same song over and over and I would just change a few of the lyrics around."

Other than that clue, not much information about the sound of the new album could be gathered from Claypool's post… unless you take him at his word about his devotion to Blue Oyster Cult. "Every song is pretty much a variation of 'Don't Fear the Reaper,'" he wrote. "Everyone should buy two copies." more on this story

Pre-AC/DC Bon Scott Rare Recording To Be Released

(hennemusic) Former AC/DC lead singer Bon Scott had a music career before joining Australia's hardest-rocking band, and now you'll be able to hear some of those rare recordings.

Due for release on February 22, Bon Scott's "Round And Round" is based around the three-track "Round And Round" single that Scott recorded with Peter Cross of the Mount Lofty Rangers in 1973.

Producer Ted Yanni has devoted two years to bringing Scott back to life, assisted by many like-minded friends, musicians and technicians. more on this story

Wanna Sing on the New Saxon Album?

(Gibson) Heavy metal veterans Saxon are offering fans of the band a way to help them out on their new album. Yesterday, Saxon put out a call to fans interested in participating.

"If anyone lives nearby or if anybody can get there tomorrow night ,Thursday, February 10th at 8 PM, the band need a choir for one of the songs, called 'Back in '79.'"

The group even supplied the address of the studio: "Brighton Electric Recording Co Ltd. - Tramway House, 43-45 Coombe Terrace, Brighton, BN2 4AD." more on this story

The Steve Miller Band Announce New Album And Tour With Gregg Allman

We received some big news for Steve Miller Band fans. Not only is the band releasing a new album, but they are also hitting the road with the one and only Gregg Allman! Here is the official word:

The Steve Miller Band return with yet another new offering, Let Your Hair Down, which lands in stores April 19 on Miller's Space Cowboy Records in partnership with Roadrunner/Loud & Proud Records.

The band will kick off the album release with a Spring tour beginning April 19 featuring special guest Gregg Allman. more on this story

Robert Plant Going HD

(hennemusic) HDNet has just announced a new addition to its lineup: the premiere of a concert performance by Robert Plant and the Band Of Joy.

The Plant special will air Sunday, February 20 at 8:00 PM ET (show repeats MON FEB 21 @ 1:30 AM ET).

Here's the program info from HDNet: Robert Plant ploughs his way through a tight and seamless set spanning the last three decades of his career, before finally rewarding his steely following with a raw but nevertheless on-the-money version of "Gallows Pole," which leaves the crowd chanting for more. more on this story

The Flaming Lips Announce Vinyl Box

(Gibson) The Flaming Lips will be celebrating Record Store Day in style. The alt-rockers are going to release a box set of five of their albums on vinyl, according to Spinner.com.

The set, called Heady Nuggs: The First 5 Warner Bros. Records 1992-2002, will include new pressings of acclaimed albums Hit to Death in the Future Head, Transmissions From the Satellite Heart, Clouds Taste Metallic, The Soft Bulletin and Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots. The only album missing from that span: the four-disc Zaireeka (although the band are currently working on releasing that album as a mobile phone app.

The set will be available in indie shops on Record Store Day (April 16) and comes in two different versions. more on this story

Soundgarden Bonus

(hennemusic) Due on March 22, "Live On I5" will feature tracks taken from the west coast leg of Soundgarden's 1996 tour.

"We had always intended to release this as a live record and now it's time to unleash the fury!," says the band.

Now comes news that fans who pre-order "Live On I5" via SoundgardenWorld.com will also receive an exclusive bonus soundcheck CD featuring five extra tracks more on this story

Metallica, Hendrix and Ozzy Osbourne Make Greatest Guitar Riffs Of All Time List

It is the second to last day of Gibson's countdown of the Top 50 Greatest Guitar riffs of all time. Today they roll out No. 11 to 20. Here are just three:

15. "Enter Sandman," Metallica (1991): Metallica's oh-so-sinister riff in "Enter Sandman," the first single from their self-titled fifth album, is one of their heaviest and most ominous, which is saying a lot from a band who defined heavy and ominous. But what really makes "Enter Sandman" a master-riff is just how catchy it is, which explains how it quickly became one of, if the the, signature song from the kings of thrash metal. The bottom-heavy and propulsive riff grabs you buy the throat at the very beginning and never releases. Sleep with one eye open, indeed. – Sean Patrick Dooley

14. "Purple Haze," The Jimi Hendrix Experience (1967): This wonderful, woozy rock and roll song purportedly originated when Jimi Hendrix's manager, Chas Chandler, overheard him playing the riff backstage in 1966 and persuaded him to flesh it out with lyrics. "Purple Haze" appeared the following year on Are You Experienced. "I dream a lot and I put a lot of my dreams down as songs," Hendrix told New Musical Express in 1969. "[Purple Haze] … was all about a dream I had that I was walking under the sea." – Ellen Barnes

11. "Crazy Train," Ozzy Osbourne (1980): The late Randy Rhoads' signature riff propelling "Crazy Train" down the tracks was pure metal genius on many levels. Released as a single simultaneously with "Mr. Crowley" – both from Ozzy's debut solo album Blizzard of Ozz – "Crazy Train's" riff is wonderfully melodic, and it perfectly conveys dark, almost schizophrenic, imagery through the frenetic rising and lowering of alternating notes. The riff's structure makes you feel, well, crazy – sort of like you just might be going off the rails. Easily one of the greatest riffs of all time, and the one most copied by aspiring metalheads. – Sean Patrick Dooley Check out today's full list here

A Death in the Led Zeppelin Family

(hennemusic) Sad news from the Led Zeppelin camp today. Joan Bonham, mother to John, Mick and Deborah Bonham, died early morning today (February 09, 2011) at the age of 81, after battling an illness since Christmas.

She was preceeded in death by her husband John Henry Sr. (Jack) in 1998, son John Henry Jr. in 1980 and Michael (Mick) Bonham in 2000.

Achilles Last Stand – The Led Zeppelin website reports Joan was a musician just like her children, John and Deborah; Joan was a singer, most notably one of the principal lead vocalists of The Zimmers, a 40-piece British band originally created by BBC television for a 2007 feature documentary on the conditions and feelings of the elderly, as part of the Power to the People series. more on this story

American Idol Boosts Aerosmith Sales 250%

(hennemusic) We've done a few stories on this already, and the trend is continuing: Steven Tyler's presence and visibility on American Idol is boosting Aerosmith's music sales.

Billboard reports that sales of his Aerosmith's Greatest Hits collections have shot up more than 250%, according to Nielsen SoundScan, since Idol's Season 10 premiered on January 19.

Aerosmith's 1994 compilation "Big Ones," saw increased sales of 260% after the show's premiere. Likewise, 2004's "Devil's Got a New Disguise: The Very Best of Aerosmith," saw a spike of 146% after week 2 of Idol. Two more "Greatest Hits" collections registered surges of 137% and 147%. more on this story

Avenged Sevenfold Go No 1

This should be of interest to Avenged Sevenfold fans: "Welcome to the Family," the new single from the band's gold album Nightmare, has climbed to No. 1 at BDS Active Rock format in the U.S. this week.

This is the band's second No. 1 at the format from Nightmare, which earned A7X its highest-ever debut on the Billboard album chart when it bowed at No. 1. Nightmare also topped Billboard's Rock, Hard Rock, and Digital charts.

"Nightmare" was one of the most played current songs at Media Base Active Rock for 2010. The band continues to sell out arenas around the world. more on this story

John Petrucci Beating Dimebag For Greatest Heavy Metal Guitarist Honor

(The Metal Den) Total Guitar and Music Radar have teamed up to give fans a chance to settle one of the biggest arguments in metal, who is the greatest Heavy Metal guitarist ever?

At this early stage in the voting, John Petrucci is beating Dimebag Darrell by a huge margin of 33% of the votes to Dime's mere 12%.

The Metal Den feels that only Randy Rhoads should honestly give Dime a run for the money [we second that here at antiMusic], and in the end on that battle, TMD believes Dimebag was the ultimate master of the Heavy riff and his out of this world solo style was the best that metal ever witnessed. more on this story

Noel Gallagher Not Working On Solo CD

(Gibson) Contrary to rumors circulating the in U.K., Noel Gallagher has not started work on his debut solo album. NME.com states that while Miles Kane said that Gallagher had started the album, the former Oasis man told U.K. radio station Talksport that he had not yet begun recording.

"I am not recording new stuff, not just yet," he said. "It'll be out when it's finished, I guess. Well, I've not even started it, so I don't know."

Just to clear up any questions of when the record may be available he said: "I'd have thought probably if anything comes out, it'll be later rather than sooner." more on this story

Former White Zombie Star Spills The Beans

(Rock AAA) Former White Zombie bassist Sean Yseult admits it was heartbreaking to watch original drummer Ivan DePrume quit the band after a furious row with main man Rob Zombie back in the day – revealing the band was never the same again.

In an interview with the None But My Own blog, Yseult recalls the incident which led to DePrume leaving the band with a new drummer jumping on board immediately.

She said: "Oh Ivan was incredibly important to White Zombie. I don't think we would have gone the direction we went without Ivan. Ivan played on six of the eight White Zombie records, he only missed the first 7" and the last album, but he was there for most of the ride. more on this story

Anniversary of Sweet's Brian Connolly's Death

On this day in 1997, Brian Connolly, singer with the 1970s glam rock group Sweet, died of kidney and liver failure, aged 51. Connolly replaced Ian Gillan (later of Deep Purple and Black Sabbath) in Wainwright's Gentlemen, and later joined Sweetshop, who became Sweet. Gibson takes a look back:

Perhaps no band embodied glam rock, at least visually, more than Sweet (or The Sweet, depending on which circa 1971 teenybopper you're talking to). With tight jumpsuits, bright and heavy guitars and uncomfortably high harmonies, Sweet were a staple of early '70s music programs. And at the front of the stage was an impossibly blonde singer named Brian Connolly.

Connolly was born on October 5, 1945 under the humblest of circumstances in the Govanhill district of Glasgow, Scotland. His mother was a teenage waitress who was abandoned by Connolly's father. By the age of two, he was living in foster care and was raised under their family name of McManus. His new family gave him love and stability in his growing years — and fostered his love of music, as he often sang around the house in lieu of a television. more on this story

Bon Jovi Love Fest

(Gibson) In preparation for two upcoming Bon Jovi shows in the Steel City, Richie Sambora talked to PittsburghLive.com about just what keeps the band charged up after all these years.

"Love of music," said Sambora. "Love of each other, you know, the respect and the opportunity that we have, that we're one of the few bands in the world that have that opportunity... I really don't like to brag, but we're a bunch of good guys, you know, and we love each other."

Sambora says the group's stage show has evolved over time to be less and less about the effects and more about the band's ability to play to the crowd. more on this story

R.E.M. Claim New Album Is Their Best Yet

(Gibson) R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe, Mike Mills and Peter Buck are pretty excited about their new record, Collapse Into Now. The guys think highly of their band's 15th studio album, which will be released on March 7.

"This is, song for song, the best thing we've ever done," guitarist Buck told Rolling Stone. "A lot of people say we did our best work in the early '90s. But 15 years later, here we are again."

Bassist/multi-instrumentalist Mills agreed with Buck and called Collapse "our best record since Out of Time." The album features guest spots from Eddie Vedder, Patti Smith, Lenny Kaye and Peaches, and was produced by Jacknife Lee (who also helmed 2008's Accelerate). more on this story

Stryper Releasing Covers Album and Hitting The Road

Chipster sent over details about Styper's new covers album and word that they band is planning to hit the road. Here you go:

Stryper are offering fans a headbanging view of who their influences were early on, with the arrival of an almost entire album's worth of covers, 'The Covering.' Set for release on February 15th via Big3 Records, the album includes twelve rocking covers, as well as an all-new original tune, "God." And most significantly, the album marks the return of original bassist Tim Gaines back into the Stryper fold, setting up the first Stryper release in years to feature the definitive line-up of Michael Sweet (vocals/guitar), Oz Fox (guitar), Tim Gaines (bass), and Robert Sweet (drums).

According to Michael Sweet, the impetus for putting out a mostly covers set was a simple one. "Every Stryper album is pretty serious and pretty bold in the lyrical faith sense of the word. We just wanted to roll our sleeves up, cut loose, and have some fun." And when it came time to pick out a listing of tunes to cover, all the band had to do was look back upon their club days. "Growing up, before Stryper was even Stryper, we were a cover band. We played Gazzarri's on the Strip for years - we would do originals but also do covers, as well. We always did Priest covers and Maiden covers, all those bands that we grew up on and influenced us." more on this story

High On Fire and The Melvins Heading East and Down Under

High On Fire are heading to New Zealand and Japan with The Melvins. The trios will kick off the NZ live dates on February 11.

Both bands will then take part in the 2011 installment of Soundwave, an annual music festival held in major cities around Australia.

High On Fire will join Iron Maiden, Queens of the Stone Age, Slayer, Rob Zombie, Monster Magnet and more as a featured act on the traveling festival which will launch on February 26 in Brisbane, AUS. more on this story

Unwritten Law Set New Album Release

Unwritten Law will release their sixth studio album, Swan, on March 29 via Breaksilence Recordings/Suburban Noize Records.

"It took a long time to write this record because we were creating something real in a time when fake, bulls***, phony music rules the airwaves," states Scott Russo about SWAN. "For this album we had to make sure that every song was a great song and there was zero filler." "There was a lot of interpersonal turmoil going on with the band itself and in our personal lives during the making of this album," adds Steve Morris. "We had all but completely succumbed to the extreme pitfalls of being a band. We had no money left, we owed money to everyone, everyone in the industry hated us, and we were barely hanging on by a thread."

Look for Unwritten Law to support of SWAN with a heavy tour schedule which includes select dates more on this story

Places And Numbers Gets Warped

Places And Numbers has been added to this summer's Warped Tour (Dates were not provided with the announcement).

Places And Numbers is the solo project of Bobby Darling, guitarist of Gatsbys American Dream, who will be touring in support of his recently released EP, Notes From The Dead Zone, and his debut EP, Waking The Dead.

Both albums were written and recorded alongside longtime friend and producer Casey Bates [Gatsbys American Dream, Portugal. The Man, Chiodos]. more on this story

The World's Biggest Blues Band Battle

(Gibson) The annual International Blues Challenge concluded in Memphis on February 5 with finals at the historic Orpheum Theatre, where George Schroeter and Marc Brietfelder of Germany won the solo/duo category and Colorado's Lionel Young Band scored first place in the band competition.

But the event is more than a giant battle of musicians competing for honors and prizes presented by the Blues Foundation. The IBC, sponsored in part by Gibson, is convocation for players and fans from all over the world. This year's sprawling festival and party featured 220 acts representing blues societies from 40 states and 13 counties who all descended on the city of blues and barbecue from January 31 through February 5 to celebrate a sound that helped define American music. Some of the performers sought to redefine that sound, but most were content to echo the past with performances in the clubs along historic Beale Street, culminating in the theater finals.

This year's winner of the annual Albert King Award for Best Guitarist was Rob Blaine of Rob Blaine's Big Otis Blues. Blaine delivered a scalding version of Luther Allison's harrowing alcoholic nightmare tale "Cherry Red Wine." His prize was a Gibson ES-335. more on this story

Queen Star Remembers Gary Moore

(Gibson) Queen drummer Roger Taylor has contacted Classic Rock magazine to pay tribute to Gary Moore, who died in Spain last weekend.

Taylor said: "It was my wife who told me the news. It's terrible: 58 is just too early. In Phil [Lynott]'s case it was tragic, and in Gary's case there should have been a lot more years.

"I have great memories of Gary on tour in Thin Lizzy with Queen: always smiling, very cheerful and… too young to die. He'd recently joined Lizzy and he fitted in great: a blindingly fast player, and his thing was these staccato runs, with a bit of jazz in there. Totally different to Brian [May], who's a very fluid player, but musicians usually 'get' other rated musicians, and Brian very much enjoyed his playing. Virtuosity is something we really don't have now: there are lots of great bands, but the emphasis just isn't on that anymore. In those days, it was all about how great you were; there were so many virtuosos and he was definitely one of them. He was a star player." more on this story

Red Hot Chili Peppers Star Goes Back To High School

(PMC) What would you think if someone like Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers came to your local high school to host a special percussion workshop and assembly for the students?

That's exactly what happened on November 16, 2010 as a part of the Percussion Marketing Council's (PMC) "Percussion in the Schools" program. The PMC solicited music stores across the county to nominate a school district with an outstanding music department and a strong foundation in arts education.

From hundreds of nominations, Peters Township High School was chosen to host the Chad Smith Percussion in The Schools day based on a submission from U-ROCK Music Center founder Vincent Nemeth of McMurray, PA. Nemeth noted the school's excellent instrumental music program led by music director Milton Barney. more on this story

Robbie Robertson Hall of Fame Induction

(Gibson) Robbie Robertson soon will be able to add one more honor to his list of accomplishments: Member of the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame. The institution will induct the former member of The Band in a ceremony on April 2 in Toronto.

The announcement actually marks a turning point for the hall of fame, which normally only inducts specific songs. Because of Robertson's body of work – including Band classics like "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down," "The Weight" and "Up on Cripple Creek" – the group have chosen to honor the songwriter himself.

As a member of The Band, Robertson is a member of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. He's also received a star on Canada's Walk of Fame and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Academy of Songwriters. more on this story

Power Pop-A-Licious Music Festival

(Submitted) The first Power Pop-A-Licious music festival will take place on Saturday April 30th & Sunday May 1st at Asbury Lanes in Asbury Park, NJ.

Conceived and curated by power pop legend Paul Collins (cofounder of THE NERVES, THE BREAKAWAYS and THE BEAT) the fest will bring together some of the finest young guitar-driven power pop, garage rock and punk-pop bands from across the U.S. and Canada.

Power Pop-A-Licious is a unifying rally cry for this thriving rock-n-roll subculture, and is a means for power pop fans of all ages to discover a wealth of talented new music acts in one power-packed weekend. more on this story

Twin Atlantic Announce UK Tour

Twin Atlantic have announced a headline tour of the UK that will take place this Spring.

The tour starts in Aberdeen on 30th April and finishes on May 13th at London's Kings College.

The tour is in support of the release of their debut full length album, 'Free' which comes out in the UK on May 2nd. more on this story

The Gibson SG Turns 50

(Gibson) The Gibson SG guitar is a rock and roll classic. After its introduction in 1961, key guitarists in the rock and roll revolution of the mid '60s, from Eric Clapton and Pete Townshend in England to Jerry Garcia, Frank Zappa and Robby Krieger in America, quickly fell in love with the slinky, new, fast-neck, double-cutaway guitar — making it one of the coolest guitars in rock and roll history.

Back in 1958, Gibson started experimenting with cutaway designs for the Gibson Junior, Special and TV models. With sales of the Gibson Les Pauls maturing, the double-cutaway design was introduced in 1961 to give guitarists a different style guitar to the Les Paul. The Les Paul name stayed on the new shape guitars until 1963 when the great man's endorsement deal expired and Gibson called it the SG, or Solid Guitar, which is how it was referred to in the factory. The name was not, sadly, anything to do with Satan's Guitar as has been suggested by some reading too much into cutaway's resemblance to horns.

Rock and rollers everywhere gravitated towards the instrument. Eric Clapton wailed to guitar greatness with his Cream-era SG. Pete Townshend threw plenty of windmills on his trusted SG, smashed more than a few to pieces and even used one as a weapon against stage invader Abie Hoffman at Woodstock. In America, Robby Krieger honed The Doors' revolutionary new sound on his trusted SG and Jerry Garcia used his to summon the gods of acid rock and start a merry, decades-long journey to discovery. more on this story