Black Label Society Shakeup- RIP Red Dog (Allman Brothers Band)- Queen Still Rocks- Jani Lane Cancels Tour- Bobbing for Queensryche- Paul McCartney Ballet- more

On this day in 1985, U2 began their first full North American arena tour, starting at the Dallas Reunion Arena. Find out what else happened on this date in music history here

Motorhead's Lemmy Bad Rap

(Gibson) The old saying goes that if Motorhead were to move in next door to you, your lawn would die. Well, Motorhead frontman Lemmy is sending out bits of poison on his own, as well. In a recent interview with the Atlantic City Weekly, the man Dave Grohl called "the baddest mother(expletive) in the world" takes a few potshots around the world of music.

"It kills me how bland this period is," Kilmister said. "You go backstage these days and you see 20 bottles of Perrier and a bag of nuts. What's wrong with this (expletive) picture? Everything is so healthy today and it's terrible. I don't get it."

Lemmy is particularly unimpressed with hip-hop: "It's not music," Kilmister said. "There's nothing creative about [rapping] over music someone else created. They go out and take John Bonham's drumming. I don't call that music. You think they could come up with sounds of their own, even some basic sounds and they can't do it. Sad." amen... more on this story

Why Axl Rose Is Late

(Rock AAA) Murderdolls frontman Wednesday 13 has revealed Axl Rose was the perfect host when his band supported Guns N' Roses on tour last year and has defended the enigmatic singer's infamous poor time-keeping – claiming any fans who go to a GNR show get their money's worth.

In a RockAAA exclusive Wednesday said: "About three-weeks into the tour – no one had ever seen Axl as he comes in right before the show – he came off stage after a three-hour set, comes right into our dressing room with sweat running down him and says 'Sorry I didn't get to say hello to you before now, but I've heard nothing but awesome things about you, my band loves you guys. I'm going to get dressed, come over to my room and we'll party.'

"There was nothing that I heard of on that tour that was anywhere close to an audience complaining. He's Axl Rose, he can be 15 or 30 minutes late. He was talking about that too backstage. He was just like 'Man, I need to get in my zone, get in the vibe you know. I'm late but when I come out I'll play for three hours.'

"It's like he has to play for that long. So he showed up late but he played you an extra hour of songs." More from Wednesday 13 here

Bandmates Not Invited To Gary Moore's Funeral

(Rock News Desk) Gary Moore was buried on Wednesday following a private ceremony attended by his family and none of his celebrity friends were told about the arrangements.

Thin Lizzy bandmate Scott Gorham has said he wasn't informed about the Brighton funeral, but he'll visit Moore's grave in the near future.

The Irish rock and blues icon died suddenly on holiday in Spain earlier this month. His children paid tribute at the service, with son Jack playing an emotional guitar version of the folk song Danny Boy. more on this story

The Kinks' Ray Davies Suffering From Gunshot Wound

(Gibson) Although it has been more than seven years since Ray Davies was shot in the leg after chasing a thief in New Orleans, the Kinks frontman is still affected by the injury in major ways.

The wound stemming from the 2004 incident actually put the 66-year-old rocker in the hospital late last year.

"It's been pretty bad, actually," he told Q magazine. "I got quite sick before Christmas from residue that is still in the leg and which formed a clot. It made me quite ill and I was hospitalized for a bit."
more on this story

Rock's Greatest Stage Props Include Iron Maiden Icon and Spinal Tap Mishap

(Gibson) The best stage props often attain iconic status, and become so strongly associated with a band that the absence of the prop would be unthinkable. Can you imagine, for instance, a KISS show that did not involve fake blood? Gibson takes a look at 10 stage props that are especially memorable. Here are just a couple:

10. Iron Maiden's Eddie: No heavy metal mascot has achieved greater fame than Iron Maiden's Eddie. Designed in his first incarnation by artist Derek Riggs, the body-less creature has been a perennial fixture in Iron Maiden's live shows, and of course has graced the band's album covers for three decades as well. Iron Maiden bassist Steve Harris has an Eddie tattoo on his arm, and the character has even been referenced on the television show South Park.

9. Spinal Tap's Stonehenge: Some may prefer the band's plastic pods, but it was the staging of Spinal Tap's epic song, "Stonehenge," that provided fans with one of the most memorable moments in performance debacles. Using a napkin, guitarist Nigel Tufnel sketched out the design for the prop, which was intended to be an 18-foot replica of the famous prehistoric monument that gave the song its title. Tufnel mistakenly specified inches instead of feet, however, and the result was a monument of embarrassingly minimalist proportions. Check out the full Top 10 here

All Star Tribute To Tommy Bolin

(Gibson) Tommy Bolin was one of the hottest young guitar gods of the 1970s when he died of a heroin overdose at the age of 25. His work with the James Gang, Deep Purple and on his own solo release, Teaser, would influence generations of guitarists to follow.

Now, co-producer Greg Hampton (Alice Cooper, Lita Ford) has assembled an all-star team of artists to pay tribute to the late guitarist with a new album.

Speaking on Blabbermouth.net, Hampton disclosed the impressive roster of artists on the CD, including co-producer Warren Haynes, Myles Kennedy (Slash, Alter Bridge), Aerosmith's Brad Whitford, Peter Frampton, Steve Lukather, Deep Purple's Steve Morse, Wilco's Nels Cline, Black Country Communion's Joe Bonamassa and Glenn Hughes, the latter of whom played with Bolin in Deep Purple. more on this story

Def Leppard Summer Tour

(Gibson) Def Leppard (and "special guest" Heart) will hit the road this summer for a major North American tour. Kicking off in West Palm Beach, Florida on June 15, the two powerhouse hit-makers are scheduled to perform 45 concerts in the U.S. and Canada.

Most shows will take place in amphitheaters though a number of arena shows are scheduled. The tour will conclude on September 15 in Auburn, Washington.

Def Leppard, one of only five bands to receive the prestigious "Double Diamond" award for having two albums sell in excess of 10 million copies each in the U.S. (Van Halen, Pink Floyd, The Beatles and Led Zeppelin), will headline the Download Festival in Donington, England on June 10th. more on this story

Original Alice Cooper Band To Play Golden God Awards

(hennemusic) Alice Cooper will receive the Golden God Award at the 3rd Annual Revolver Golden God Awards in L.A. on April 20.

The Revolver event bills itself as America's only hard rock and heavy metal awards; the Golden God Award is given to one special honoree a year who embodies the spirit of hard rock and metal, and this year it goes to Alice Cooper.

A bonus for fans attending the Golden God Awards is the first L.A. appearance in nearly 40 years of the reunited original Alice Cooper Group: Alice, guitarist Michael Bruce, bass player Dennis Dunaway and drummer Neal Smith (guitarist Glen Buxton passed away in 1997) – the lineup that pioneered the dark spectacle of heavy metal with their huge blues-rock sound and extravagant stage show. more on this story

Cheap Trick Wilco Supergroup Set EP Release

There is a new supergroup on the block: Candy Golde, a collaboration of Nicholas Tremulis (Nicholas Tremulis Orchestra), Bun E. Carlos (Cheap Trick) John Stiratt (Wilco) and Rick Rizzo (Eleventh Dream Day).

The band is releasing a self-titled EP on May 11, and will be performing live for the first time at SXSW on March 18.

The band is being billed as a distinctive blend of blues groove, power pop, Americana. The EP was mastered by Ivan Julian of Richard Hell and the Voidoids, CANDY GOLDE contains four originals including the single "Trouble's Coming Down" and a cover of Paul Simon's "Boy in the Bubble," and will be available as limited edition 10" vinyl and digital download. more on this story

Watch Foo Fighters Roger Daltrey Jam

(Gibson) Foo Fighters frontman and Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl was honored at the Shockwave NME Awards on Wednesday night for being a music genius. In fact, Grohl was the first American artist to be given the Godlike Genius award by the music magazine's awards show, according to Spin.com.

Dedicating the award to late friend and bandmate Kurt Cobain, Grohl also joked, "You guys realize they gave this one to a drummer, right? This one's for the drummers!"

After the show, Grohl and the Foos celebrated with a big concert at London's Brixton Academy, which included an appearance by rock legend Roger Daltrey (who had earlier presented Grohl with his award). "When they asked us to play, I said, 'Why don't we play a song with an actual godlike genius, Mr. Roger Daltrey?'" Grohl said. Daltrey then joined the band for a run-through of an old Who live favorite, "Young Man Blues." Wanna see?

Jack White Guitar Stolen

(hennemusic) A rare guitar, signed by Jack White, has been stolen from an art studio in east London. The instrument is valued at £15,000 (approx. $24,000 US).

The BBC reports Paul Biver, from Old Street, had been storing the Fender guitar in his art studio while he built a display case for it, when it was stolen.

The burglary happened overnight Wednesday; thieves also took a television and computer from the studio in Sara Lane Court, Hoxton. more on this story

Ben Harper Sets New Album Release

(The Fun Star) Virgin Records have announced a May 17th release date for Ben Harper's 10th studio album, Give Till It's Gone.

Harper will headline a trio of festivals this spring: Bluesfest in Australia, GrassRoots, the New Zealand Blues & Roots All Music Festival, and the Wakarusa Festival in Ozark, AR.

Harper will also be performing at Lollapalooza Chile and headlining several French festivals. more on this story

X's Exene Cervenka To Deliver The Excitement of Maybe in March

X star Exene Cervenka will release her new solo album, The Excitement of Maybe, on March 8th.

Here is a little background we received about the release: Exene Cervenka is a scene vet, with experience most notably as co-founder of punk band X. She's also acted, written books, done visual art, and performed in a handful of other great bands.

The Excitement of Maybe hovers over the themes of the potential and innocence of young love, the gravity of departure, and the symbolic changing of seasons. Throughout the new album is Exene's characteristic blend of folk, deep country and poppy, wide open spaces.

Portugal. The Man World Tour Plans

Portugal. The Man are hitting the road for a North American tour that includes an adopted hometown gig on April 29th at The Roseland Theater in Portland, Oregon.

The trek will include appearances at a number of music festivals including the tour closer at the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival in Manchester, Tennessee in June.

PTM also plan to cross the Atlantic for a major European itinerary. The tour includes headline dates in Ireland, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, and Switzerland, with multiple shows slated for the United Kingdom and Germany. more on this story

Singled Out: Broadcast Sea's Lost Generation

Today Ryan Sprague from Broadcast Sea tells us about the title track from their brand new album "Lost Generation". Here is the story:

This song pretty much sums up the album, hence the title. This was the first song we wrote for the record and pretty much set the tone for the entire album. Plain and simple, "Lost Generation" describes the frustration we feel as musicians.

Music progresses through each decade, but it seems to be in a stagnant phase and has been so for a while now. "Lost Generation" lets us release this angst upon the listener while reminding us what it is like to just make a raw and honest song/record. In the end, we just want to share our music.

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

R.E.M., Teenage Fanclub Members To Tribute Big Star

(Gibson) Though Big Star's original incarnation only lasted three years, from 1971-1974, they left an indelible imprint on rock and pop music. Artists as varied as Nirvana, R.E.M. and The Replacements have all cited the Memphis, Tennessee band as a major influence. Last year saw the deaths of the group's iconic bandleader Alex Chilton and bassist Andy Hummel. Now, several of Big Star's most prominent fans are coming together to pay tribute to the group with a performance of their third album, Third/Sister Lovers.

The show, which will take place in New York City on March 26, will feature the last surviving original member of the band, Jody Stephens, as well as an all-star lineup of musicians, including R.E.M.'s Mike Mills, Teenage Fanclub's Norman Blake, Matthew Sweet, M. Ward, Ira Kaplan of Yo La Tengo and others. The performance will also feature an orchestra.

The dB's Chris Stamey, who is among the performers, told Indy Week, "We have been trying to create a concert piece that can have a life in years to come, trying to keep the spirit of the music and make it come across with the right emotions live. There's something about this record that connects with my generation, and apparently many generations." more on this story

Gary Moore Documentary Preview

(hennemusic) The loss of guitarist Gary Moore is still fresh in the minds of fans and fellow musicians. Moore passed away in his sleep on February 6 at the age of 58, from a heart attack while on holiday in Spain.

A planned documentary on the late Irish blues-rock guitar legend has been in the works for some time, and was due for release this year. With Gary's recent passing, the film's release has reportedly been pushed back to sometime later in 2011.

The hour-long documentary features Don Airey, Jon Hiseman, John Sykes, Brian Downey, Eric Bell, Brian Robertson and Moore himself. A trailer for the film has surfaced this week. check it out

King Creosote and Jon Hopkins To Deliver Diamond Mine

King Creosote and Jon Hopkins have teamed up for Diamond Mine, which will be released by Concord Records on March 28th. Here is some background:

Diamond Mine was born from the admiration of Jon Hopkins for Scottish singer / songwriter King Creosote. Jon picked a selection of his favorite tracks of Kenny's (aka King Creosote's), and had Kenny re-record the vocals before Jon composed his own melodies for each song. The result is at once gentle and epic. Though the subject matter is heavily rooted in the parochial Scottish and English countryside, the themes are universal...all touching on the sweet sadness of life.

Jon Hopkins and King Creosote will both be playing shows in the US soon, though separately for their individual projects. more on this story

CKY To Deliver B-Sides & Rarities in March

(Skh) CKY have set a March 22nd release for their B-Sides & Rarities on through Mighty Loud Entertainment and Universal/Fontana.

The 12-song compilation features a dozen unreleased, rare, and long out-of-print tracks culled from the historic past of a band that truly has done whatever they wanted for 15 years, without compromise.

Drummer Jess Margera shared, "We picked a lot of the songs based on our fans' wishes. For instance, at CKY shows over the years, one of the most shouted-out requests has been 'Shippensburg,' which is a song we recorded in 1997 for a skateboarding video. And by far the most requested songs on the Internet over the years have been 'To All of You,' the acoustic version and the heavy recording of 'Halfway House'. We wanted to properly mix and master these out-of-print songs and get them back out there and also record some of the stuff people have been asking us to do for over a decade." more on this story

Queen Exhibition Opens Today

(hennemusic) "Stormtroopers in Stilettos" is a major Queen exhibition in London's East End, and the event kicks off the legendary band's 40th Anniversary celebrations.

Opening Friday, February 25, "Stormtroopers in Stilettos: Queen, The Early Years," is a major retrospective exhibition celebrating the formation, and first five albums, of one of the most exciting, glamorous and influential bands in global musical history.

"I am very excited to see the Stormtroopers In Stilettos exhibition that Island Records have created for us," said drummer Roger Taylor. "I'll be able to relive all those precious moments that I have, of course, forgotten! In fact, large parts of our convoluted history are a bit of a blur for me. It will be like living it all again…let's hope that's a good thing and a wild ride." more on this story

Alex Lifeson's Top Guitar Moments

Gibson is celebrating the launch of the new Gibson Custom Alex Lifeson Les Paul Axcess, and takes a closer look at the greatest guitar moments for the man some affectionately refer to as Lerxst. Here are just two:

10. "YYZ": From Rush's 1981 Moving Pictures album, "YYZ," which gets its name from the identification code for the Toronto Pearson International Airport (Rush's hometown), is an instrumental piece that lets all three members shine. Lifeson's solo, in particularly, is a wonderfully meandering, almost schizophrenic dance, not unlike the frazzled flight of a bumblebee that's just been sprayed with Raid and is frantically trying, and failing, to maintain altitude until it crashes to the ground.

3. "Limelight"" "I love the elasticity of the solo," Lifeson told Gibson.com "It's a very emotional piece of music for me to play. The song is about loneliness and isolation, and I think the solo reflects that. There's a lot of heart in it. Even now it's my favorite solo to perform live. I never get tired of it." See the full list

AFI's Havok Talks Going Broadway

AFI frontman Davey Havok will be the featured guest on tonight's episode of Hoppus on Music. Here is the blurb their PR peeps sent over along with a link to a preview:

Havok, is the latest punk rock icon to hit the Broadway stage as he takes on the role of St. Jimmy in "American Idiot".

Tune-in as he sits down with Mark on the latest episode of "Hoppus on Music" this Friday, 2/25, at 11/10c on Fuse TV! Also on the show, Fitz & the Tantrums rock the Hoppus stage as the band performs. Grab a preview here

Anniversary of The Jam's Big Break

(Gibson) On this day in 1977, Polydor Records bolstered their slightly deficient punk roster with a young trio from Woking, Surrey. Though they shared the fire and volume levels of punk, The Jam were a bit different than most of the safety pin set, wearing the influences of The Who, The Small Faces and The Kinks on the sleeves of their rather stylish mod suits. Later, they would be labeled as "New Wave," but as that term had not yet become commonplace, The Jam would fall (for the moment, at least) under the heading of punk.

The Jam were founded by a 14-year-old rock 'n' soul kid named Paul Weller in 1972. In their original incarnation, The Jam consisted of Weller on bass, school friends Steve Brookes and Dave Waller on guitar, and, eventually, a drummer two-and-a-half years Weller's senior named Rick Buckler. Weller's taxi-driving dad, John Weller, managed the group, initially booking them at working men's clubs.

Last year, Weller recalled the group's first gig in an interview on Gibson.com: "It was a Wednesday night in the local social club [playing] to seven or eight disinterested punters. I was only 14 years old… We were dreadful! We just played cover versions of rock 'n' roll and R&B. Slaughtered them, really." more on this story

The Beatles: Ultimate Quotebook Coming

(Submitted) The Beatles: Ultimate Quotebook, which tells the story of the Fab Four in its own words, is set to hit bookstores on March 22nd.

Of the countless books written on The Beatles over the past 45 years, The Beatles: Ultimate Quotebook stands alone as the first-ever book to collect the musings of Lennon, McCartney, Harrison and Starr. This is the group's definitive oral history.

Music journalist, pop music expert and editor John D. Luerssen (The Beach Boys: Essential Interviews and U2 FAQ) – has sifted through all of the Beatles' essential and, in many cases, extremely rare media interactions to collect the finest anecdotes of John, Paul, George and Ringo. In doing so, he weaves the Beatles' magical, memorable ascent, artistic evolution, musical revolution and ultimate dissolution, month by month and year by year. more on this story

Sloan To Mark 20th Anniversary With New Album

(Fatdrop) Sloan will celebrate their 20th Anniversary with their 10th studio album, The Double Cross, which is set for release on May 10th

It's hard to believe that Sloan have been cranking out power pop hallmarks for two decades. And with the recent coups by Canadian bands – the least of which is not Arcade Fire's recent Album of the Year Grammy – it's equally hard to recall a time when albums like Twice Removed and One Chord to Another were the unabashed best rock albums coming out of Canada. But that indeed was the case. more on this story

Israel Nash Gripka Going Soph

(Lotos Nile) Israel Nash Gripka will release his sophomore album, Barn Doors & Concrete Floors, on March 29, 2011.

Building on the success of his debut release, New York Town (2009), Gripka is poised to increase his fan base both stateside and abroad.

In fact, strong buzz for the upcoming release in the UK, lead UNCUT Magazine to include a track from the new album on their March cover mount. more on this story

The Dear Hunter Announce Nine EP Collection

The Dear Hunter will deliver a collection of nine EPs entitled The Color Spectrum on June 7 in a variety of formats.

The Color Spectrum consists of songs inspired by the colors of the spectrum, specifically Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo and Violet, with White and Black being included as bookends.

Casey Crescenzo, mastermind of The Dear Hunter, completed the EPs with various producers, while traveling the US, documenting every step of the process. more on this story