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On this day in 1995, American singer Melvin Franklin of The Temptations died of a brain seizure at age 52. His group had the 1971 U.S. #1 and U.K. #8 single "Just My Imagination" among many other hits. In 1978, Franklin was shot in the hand and the leg when trying to stop a man from stealing his car. Find out what else happened on this date in music history here

Ambassador Ozzy Osbourne

(Gibson) Who better than the Prince of Darkness to add a little extra class to 2011's Record Store Day? Ozzy Osbourne has been named the day's official ambassador.

Taking the gig means Ozzy now has "the power to command you to attend Record Store Day" (in his words).

Record Store Day 2011 will take place at independent music retailers on April 16. Each store will feature a bevy of exclusive vinyl and CD singles, EPs and albums. As ambassador, Ozzy won't be left out. A 7" vinyl release for "Flying High Again" and "I Don't Know" (live) will be one of the items available.

Metallica Vinyl Garage Details

(Gibson) Although the vinyl re-issue of Metallica's Garage Inc. LP won't hit stores until March 1, the set will be available starting Thursday, February 24 at the band's official online store. Three different editions of the album will be released.

A limited edition of the six-LP deluxe set will be pressed on white vinyl, limited to 100 copies. These sets will be available at 1 p.m. (PST) Thursday at MetClub.com and BecauseSoundMatters.com.

Other versions include a three-LP standard set and a six-LP deluxe set, which includes the original Garage Inc. album along with all of the band's B-side covers released until 1998 and The $5.98 E.P.: Garage Days Re-Revisited. more on this story

Steve Vai Goes To 11?

(Gibson) Guitar virtuoso Steve Vai is attempting to break a Guinness World Record. In conjunction with the Berklee College of Music, Vai will try to teach the world's largest online guitar lesson on March 3. Vai is a Berklee alum.

Spinal Tap's Nigel Tufnel is doing his part to break the record, as well. The guitarist is making sure excitement about the event goes to 11, with a video promoting Vai and the guitar lesson, which will take place at 1:30 p.m. Eastern time.

Vai will focus on developing guitarists' personal technique and will also take questions toward the end of the 30-minute lesson. Check out what Tufnel said about the event in the video more on this story

Alice Cooper's Second Nightmare

Inspiration meets perspiration. The result? Welcome 2 My Nightmare" – the sequel to Alice Cooper's 1975 classic.

"[Producer Bob Ezrin and I] started talking about 'Welcome To My Nightmare', which I think is our biggest triumph," Cooper told Billboard.com last October. "He mentioned, 'What if Alice had another nightmare?' And we wrote three songs right there. He got really involved in it. Bob is even darker than I am."

Ezrin and Cooper got down to work, and now the sequel is complete. Alice broke the news on "Nights With Alice Cooper," his syndicated radio show. "'Welcome 2 My Nightmare' is done," said the rocker. "It's just sitting there." more on this story

Primal Scream Announce Special Full Album Show

(Gibson) Primal Scream will play a special one-off gig as part of the Eden Sessions in Cornwall, U.K., this summer.

According to This is Cornwall, the band will perform their classic album Screamadelica at the show on June 23.

They will be joined on stage by DJ Andrew Weatherall, one of the producers of Screamadelica. Support will come from The Horrors. more on this story

Def Leppard, System of a Down and Linkin Park Download

(Rock News Desk) Def Leppard will join System of a Down and Linkin Park as headliners of this year's Download festival at Doninton.

Trash Talk, Twisted Sister, Duff McKagan's Loaded and Down have also been added to this year's Download bill. More acts are to be announced soon.

Joe Elliott of Def Lep says: "It'll be a quarter of a century since we first played at Donington and we're coming back to headline twice in three years. It was incredible in 2009 – there was a great vibe backstage and out front too. We have too much fun doing this." more on this story

Phish Summer Tour

Phish have announced that they will kick off their 2011 summer tour on Memorial Day weekend, with three consecutive nights (May 27, 28 & 29) at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts in Bethel, NY.

Ticket prices for each specific date on the tour will include a free MP3 download of the entire show (a fully mixed soundboard recording). Phish introduced the free downloads on its fall 2010 tour. They can be redeemed at www.LivePhish.com, where they'll be available shortly after the band steps off stage.

Fans purchasing tickets for the Darien Center, NY concert will receive a special bonus: free admission to Darien Lake Theme Park on June 8th, the day of the show. The theme park, which is adjacent to the Performing Arts Center, will be open exclusively to ticketholders on that date. more on this story

New York Dolls Underground

(Gibson) The legendary New York Dolls will play two "underground" London concerts at the Old Vic Tunnels on Wednesday, March 30 and Thursday, March 31.

The concerts will take place underneath London's historic Waterloo train station.

The London concerts support the Dolls' forthcoming album release, Dancing Backward in High Heels, to be released by on March 14 and 15. more on this story

Ozzy Osbourne Vs Justin Bieber Part II

(hennemusic) Give the people what they want, and then give it to them again. That's the approach Best Buy has to their Super Bowl ad featuring Ozzy Osbourne and Justin Bieber.

Just one of the 'buzz' ads during this year's NFL finale, it will make an encore appearance during this Sunday's 83rd annual Academy Awards broadcast……but with a twist.

The Examiner reports Best Buy posted a series of the Ozzy/Bieber commercial with alternate endings on Facebook, and let viewers vote for the best one (voting ended February 12). more on this story

Lenny Kravitz NBA All Star Jam

(hennemusic) Lenny Kravitz rocked the 60th NBA All Star Game at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Sunday.

Kravitz rocked his way through the player introductions with extended jams of "Are You Going To Go My Way," his new single, "Come On Get It," and "Fly Away."

In October, Kravitz announced a season-long partnership with Turner Broadcasting that will feature multiple songs from his career throughout its NBA regular season, All-Star and playoffs coverage. More including video

Beach Boys and Syd Barrett Limited Editions For Record Store Day

Capitol/EMI have announced limited edition vinyl titles for The Beach Boys and Syd Barrett, to be sold exclusively by participating independent music retailers across the U.S. on Record Store Day, April 16th.

The Beach Boys' "Good Vibrations"/"Heroes and Villains" will be released as a limited edition double 78RPM vinyl single set with the songs' original single release mixes on one disc and alternate versions of both songs on the other disc.

An Introduction To Syd Barrett will be released as a limited edition, 180-gram double vinyl LP package with gatefold jacket and printed inner sleeves. The collection, executive produced by David Gilmour, was released on CD and digitally in November 2010, bringing the tracks of Pink Floyd and Syd Barrett together for the first time on one compilation. more on this story

Singled Out: Johnny Bennett's Gone Missing

Today Johnny Bennett tells us about his brand new single "Gone Missing," which is now available at iTunes. Here is the story:

Recording a great single should never be easy. Not if you're looking to take the long way around. If you feel like you're taking the easy way out here are a few ways to roughen the road. Always record a single at least three times with several producers. This allows for much needed confusion on stylistic direction etc. Try recording the single in different countries. This helps create budgetary madness and logistical nightmares.

Gone Missing, written by Chris Julian and myself, is centered on society's obsession with people that go missing and more so on how human nature pushes us all towards going missing in one way or another. It has also taken on a party aesthetic via numerous re-writes as well as increasing its tempo drastically.

By June 2010 Gone Missing had been recorded twice and my upcoming full-length release by the same name was nearly complete but still lacking any commercial viability.

Chris and I again took what we liked about the song into the studio for another re-write. We only kept the verse lyrics and concept while adding new pre-chorus and chorus sections along with a new bridge. Gone Missing was recorded in Los Angeles in Topanga Canyon and The Village Studios and mixed at Larrabee West Studios between July and September 2010.

Produced by: Emmy Award winner Chris Julian
Mixed by: Five-time Grammy Award winner Manny Marroquin
Executive Producer: Derek Jones

Johnny Bennett – Vocals
Theresa Houston – Backing Vocals
Josh Kane – Drums
Austin Nicholsen - Bass
Ali Nikou – Guitars
Greg Panciera - Guitars

Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, grab a listen and learn more about Johnny right here!

Bob Dylan and Chicago Going To The Fair

Bob Dylan will kick off the Summer Concert Series at the Pacific Amphitheatre in Costa Mesa, California on Friday, July 15, the opening day of the 2011 OC Fair.

Dylan is playing in support of his latest album "Bob Dylan In Concert - Brandeis University 1963," a previously unknown live recording of one of his earliest performances.

Organizers have also announced that Chicago will take the stage on Thursday, July 28, as part of the Summer Concert Series at the Pacific Amphitheatre. As always, concert tickets include free Fair admission. These shows are on sale February 26. more on this story

dredge Set New Album Release

Superball Music has announced the release dates of the new dredg album in USA and Europe

As there have been several rumors on the Internet recently about the successor of The Pariah, The Parrot, The Delusion we are now happy to announce that dredg are finally going to release their fifth studio album Chuckles And Mr. Squeezy in late April/early May in Europe (outside of G/S/A) and on May 3, 2011 the U.S.

Those who are expecting the record to be a consistent continuance of The Pariah, The Parrot, The Delusion will no doubt be surprised: this album is completely different from everything dredg have ever done before. more on this story

The Melvins Sugar Daddy Live

The Melvins will release a thirteen-track live album, Sugar Daddy Live, on May 31 via Ipecac Recordings.

Recorded at The Busta-Guts Club in Downey, Calif. the album features fan favorites such as "Boris," "A History of Bad Men" and "The Kicking Machine."

The band recently completed a month-long residency at Los Angeles' Spaceland and are currently in New Zealand with a forthcoming round of Australian dates as part of the Soundwave Festival. The Melvins were in Christchurch when the Feb. 21 earthquake struck but escaped unscathed and are due to resume their tour later this week. more on this story

Paul Simon Still Insecure After All These Years

(Gibson) After a long career that has made him a rock and roll legend, Paul Simon admits he is still plagued with "self-doubt" every time he writes a song.

The Daily Express reports that Simon admits to Uncut magazine that he has a terrible fear of songwriting: "There's no guarantee you'll ever have an idea for a new song. I never assume that it's going to continue indefinitely. In fact, I'm kind of amazed that it has gone on for so long. I was 13 or 14 when I started to write songs. For whatever reasons, though, I have this self-doubt.

"I think Philip Larkin probably poisoned my mind. I really like his poetry, but I don't want to read it too much because it takes me to a dark place. But he stopped writing and people asked him why and he just said, 'The muse deserted me.' more on this story

KISS Car Auction Showdown: Ace Vs Paul

(hennemusic) Last week, there was a KISS "showdown" of sorts, as cars owned by both Ace Frehley and Paul Stanley went up for sale on eBay.

Stanley was offering his 2005 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class SL 500, with a starting bid of $30,000.00 US.

Original KISS guitarist Ace Frehley's brother-in-law was looking to unload Ace's 1978 Chevrolet Corvette Pace car. So…how did they do?

Arctic Monkeys In the Pack

(Gibson) Coldplay, Arctic Monkeys and Foo Fighters will be headlining this year's T in the Park festival.

Metro.co.uk reports that besides those three bands, Liam Gallagher's new band Beady Eye, the newly reformed Pulp, My Chemical Romance and Jimmy Eat World will all be performing at the Scottish festival.

Festival director Geoff Ellis said, "I'm really pleased with our artist announcements and proud to deliver a whole host of bands including many that T in the Park fans told us they wanted to see when we surveyed them post event. more on this story

Green Day Release New Video

(hennemusic) Following last week's posting of a "lyric video" version of the new Green Day track, "Cigarette & Valentines," the band has finally released the official live video.

The previously-unreleased song will be included on the band's upcoming live album, " "Awesome As F**k," due March 22.

The 2-disc set, which includes a CD plus bonus DVD, features performances captured during the band's 2009-2010 World Tour in support of their Grammy Award-winning album "21st Century Breakdown." Watch the video

Kasabian Sitcom Wrestling

(Gibson) Kasabian's Tom Meighan says acting for TV is more nerve-racking than performing live at Glastonbury. According to The Sun, the rock star recently filmed his scenes for the new British wrestling sitcom Walk Like a Panther, playing bodyguard Terry Graham.

Speaking to Q magazine, Kasabian said: "I loved it but I was s****ing myself first of all. When I was driving on set I was thinking, 'F*** f*** f***'. It was more nerve-racking than playing Glastonbury."

Meighan, however, is not about to quit music for acting. "Kasabian and the music comes first. Having said that, if someone said they were remaking Labyrinth, I'd be quite up for playing the part of the Goblin King."

10 Years, Drive A and Hollywood Undead Revolt Tour

The inaugural Revolt Tour 2011 will be headlined by Hollywood Undead and will feature special guests 10 Years, Drive A and New Medicine.

The tour kicks off April 6 in Boston at the House of Blues. "House of Blues has had the honor of working with Hollywood Undead on all their sold-out headlining tours since their 2009 breakthrough," said Kelly Kapp, vice president, House of Blues Talent.

"We've developed a great relationship over the past few years and we couldn't think of a better headliner for the Revolt Tour. Our goal is to grow this into an annual tour that showcases both established & developing artists." more on this story

Free NYC Metal Sucks Some More

Metal Sucks sent over this bit of news about how to get your hands on some free metal: Volume 2 of NYC Sucks, the completely free compilation we've put together to spotlight some of the best metal bands currently dominating the New York metal scene, IS FINALLY HERE.

Featuring thirteen songs by as many bands, who run the gamut from death metal to stoner metal to black metal to grind to we-don't-even-know-what-the-hell-to-call-it — this is a great sampling of all that New York's thriving metal scene has to offer. And we're giving it to you for the low, low cost of FREE.

You can stream, or, better yet, just download the comp at the link below. It contains high-quality 320kbps MP3s, as well as a PDF of digital liner notes with information about all the bands. Please help get the word out… send the comp to your friends, put it up on torrent sites, submit it to .rar Mediafire blogs… just spread the friggin' music by any means necessary! more on this story

Anniversary Of A Heartbreakers Death

On this day in 2003, Howie Epstein, bassist with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, died of a suspected drug overdose in New Mexico. He had replaced The Heartbreakers' original bassist Ron Blair. Epstein also worked with Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Stevie Nicks, Roy Orbison, Carl Perkins, Linda Ronstadt and Del Shannon. Gibson takes a look back:

Although Howie Epstein wasn't one of the founding members of Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers, he quickly became an integral part of the band after joining in the early '80s. The bassist was present for Petty's most commercially successful period, playing both on full band releases and on the singer's "solo" records. Keyboardist Benmont Tench called Howie "the coolest guy in the band."

Epstein was born on July 21, 1955 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He began playing musical instruments at a young age, growing up under the influence of his father Sam, who was a record producer. Sam produced some of the Midwest's top rock and soul groups in the '50s and '60s. As a result, Howie became entrenched in Milwaukee's music community, getting to know the local acts and going with his dad to shows. As he got older, Howie convinced Sam to let some of those groups serve as backing bands on his own recordings. more on this story

John Popper And The Duskray Troubadours Album and Tour

Blues Traveler frontman John Popper has set a March 1st release date for his new project, John Popper And The Duskray Troubadours.

The result of a month-long recording session in the mountains of New Mexico, John Popper's Duskray project is much less a solo endeavor as opposed to a fully realized band featuring guitarist/producer Jono Manson, bassist Steve Lindsay, drummer Mark Clark and guitarists Kevin Trainor and Aaron Beavers.

The band will embark on an extensive U.S. tour that kicks off in Seattle next week and the band will perform on the George Lopez Show on March 1st (release date). more on this story