This Week's Top stories

Here are the top stories from this week's Day in Rock and the top Day in Rock digest stories

Axl Rose Voted The Best Frontman Of All Time- Queens Of The Stone Age Album Plans- Fear Factory Emergency-O Pioneers! Over?- A Flaming Good Time- more

The Day in Rock Digest for 12/30/10: Jam! reports that Axl Rose has been voted the best frontman of all time, ahead of stars including Freddie Mercury and John Lennon. The Guns N' Roses singer gained the most votes to take the top spot in a Musicradar.com poll more

Queens Of The Stone Age will start recording their new album in January. more

A follow up from yesterday, we received word that Fear Factory were forced to postpone their tour until April due to a family emergency.

O Pioneers! have posted an update about their plans for 2010, plans which sadly hint at the end of the band. Thankfully the Texas band still has some wind in their sails, with an upcoming tour featuring Hostage Calm and on a couple dates Tigers Jaw, as well as a split with Andrew Jackson Jihad more

Will Haven is putting the finishing touches to the follow-up to 2007's "The Hierophant". The as-yet-untitled, self-produced effort will mark the return of the band's original vocalist Grady Avenell, who rejoined Will Haven in October 2009 after a two-year break. more

Woe, Is Me has confirmed the departure of lead guitarist Tim Sherrill, who has left Atlanta the group to "do other things musically." more

Drummer David Kinkade (Borknagar) has joined forces with guitarist Marco Martell (Malevolent Creation, Divine Empire) and vocalist Jarret Roberts of Chicago's Kastasyde to form Monarch. more

The Compulsions have scheduled a live performance at legendary rock club Don Hill's. The Compulsions line up will feature founder and front man Rob Carlyle along with Richard Fortus (Guns N' Roses) on guitar, Sami Yaffa (Michael Monroe Band/New York Dolls) on bass and Frank Ferrer (Guns N' Roses) on drums. more

Gatsbys American Dream will apparently be releasing new material very soon via Equal Vision Records. more

The Word Alive (Fearless Records) has announced the amicable departure of bass player Nick Urlacher. Not surprisingly, the group is now looking for a replacement. more

When the Flaming Lips play their fourth annual New Year's Eve Freakout concert in their Oklahoma City hometown on Friday, fans will be barraged with "20 times more balloons and confetti" than at regular shows, lead singer Wayne Coyne said. more

According to Marshall Helmberger from Timberjay.com, a New Year's Eve concert event on Lake Vermilion in Minnesota may be the last chance to see famed vocalist Jani Lane (ex-Warrant) perform with Great White. more

"Concept Of Time are sad to say we have now parted ways with our guitarist Andy Thomson; we wish him all the best in future" more

On this day in 1967, The Beatles scored their 15th U.S. #1 with "Hello Goodbye," Gladys Knight and the Pips were at #2 with "I Heard It Through The Grape Vine" and The Monkees at #3 with "Daydream Believer."

On this day in 1969, Peter Tork quit The Monkees, buying himself out of his contract that left him broke. Find out what else happened on this date in music history here
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Cops Target Emo Kids- Tragic Def Leppard Anniversary- Big 4 New Year's Special- Bret Michaels Celeb of the Year- Rose Funeral- Free Blood Of Martyrs- more

It's an especially slow news day so we have just a few stories for you today along with our continued look back at the top news stories of the year.

Armenian police forces have begun a concentrated effort to single out alleged "emo kids," according to a report by France24.com. The efforts came about after the recent suicides of two teenagers rumored to be fans of emo music more

From injury to illness, from the boardroom to the bedroom, Bret Michaels made news just about every way you can imagine in 2010, making him FOX411.com's Celebrity Of The Year. more

Blood Of Martyrs has issued a free EP entitled "Even The Dead Long For Spring." Recorded before the present lineup was formed, "Even The Dead Long For Spring" features Blood Of Martyrs mastermind Markus Launsburry on guitar and percussion madman Chris Wozniak (Lair of the Minotaur) on drums. more

Rose Funeral will enter the studio this month to begin tracking their new album. The band has issued the following update: "It's been a while due to the dumbass who hacked our Myspace and said we broke up, but no, we have been busting ass on this upcoming release! more

A special 3-hour tribute to The Big 4 - Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, Anthrax will be featured on the New Year's Eve (Friday, December 31st) edition of Tony Webster's (Archetype singer) The Metal Command radio show. more

Doomriders have apparently found a replacement for departed drummer JR Conners (Cave In), who left the group this summer. more

Rebellion have parted ways with guitarist Uwe Lulis (ex-Grave Digger), drummer Gerd Lücking and guitarist Simone Wenzel. more

Buzzov-en has announced their third tour installment since reuniting earlier this year. These dates will also feature Cough. more

An all-new 2011 edition of Misfits' 'Land Of The Dead' is available now on clear yellow vinyl while supplies last. more

On this day in 1970, Paul McCartney filed a suit against the rest of The Beatles to dissolve their partnership. Find out what else happened on this date in music history

On this day in 1984, Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen, crashed his Corvette Stingray, on the A57 outside Sheffield, Allen lost his left arm in the accident. Allen was on his way to a New Year's Eve party at his family's home when a Jaguar passed him. The driver had been egging Allen on and would not allow him to pass. In his rage to pass this driver, he did not see a turn up ahead and lost control of his car. He was thrown from the car, with his left arm severed due to the seatbelt not being properly fastened. here -

Ozzy Causes Drunk Driving?

(hennemusic) "Ozzy Osbourne and his music made me do it." That's the excuse a suspected drunk driver in Solon, Ohio gave police after he was arrested for operating a vehicle under the influence.

FOX 8 TV in Cleveland reports a Portage County man claims the rocker's music drove him mad on Christmas Eve.

33-year-old William Liston, of Aurora was reportedly driving erratically when spotted by Frank Klarich, of Newbury, who was driving through Solon when he came across Liston.
- more on this story

Nickelback, Linkin Park, AC/DC, Godsmack and Avenged Sevenfold Top Hard Rock Albums of 2010

(Gibson) Nielsen SoundScan has released its list of the best-selling hard rock and metal albums in 2010. And the winner isn't even an album that was made in '10, or even '09. Nickelback's Dark Horse, release way back in 2008, takes the top spot.

The remainder of the entries are split between 2010 releases and ones that were put out in '09 (such as Them Crooked Vultures' debut) or '08 (Shinedown's The Sound of Madness). Rock legends such as AC/DC and Jimi Hendrix are represented, as are younger bands like Breaking Benjamin.

Other hard rock favorites missed out on the Top 10, but made the Top 50. Foo Fighters came in at #14 (Greatest Hits), Ozzy Osbourne hit #15 (Scream), Pearl Jam appeared at #19 (Backspacer), Slash's debut showed up at #23 and Iron Maiden came in at #28 (The Final Frontier).

1. Nickelback, Dark Horse
2. Linkin Park, A Thousand Suns
3. AC/DC, Iron Man 2
4. Godsmack, The Oracle
5. Avenged Sevenfold, Nightmare

- The rest of the Top 10

Queens of the Stone Age New Album Plans

(Gibson) Queens of the Stone Age are planning to begin work on their new album in January. It will be the band's first new full-length record since 2007's Era Vulgaris.

"Everybody seems excited and ready to go," keyboard player Dean Fertita told Billboard.com. "We've got so many ideas started already; I guess we'll see what turns out to be everybody's favorite."

Lately, frontman Josh Homme has been spending time with his supergroup, Them Crooked Vultures (with Dave Grohl and John Paul Jones) and Fertita's been touring and recording as part of The Dead Weather (with Jack White). - more on this story

Rush Score The Best Selling Rock Video of 2010

(hennemusic) Rush are the current rock kings in the world of video, according to Yahoo! Music's Chart Watch.

"Rush: Beyond The Lighted Stage" was the best-selling rock video of 2010, and #2 overall, behind the newest Beyonce concert film.

The Canadian trio outsold rockers like U2, Eric Clapton, Bon Jovi and Bruce Springsteen, the only other rock acts in the Top 10. - more on this story

Lemmy, Sex Pistol, Steven Adler, Gilby Clarke New Year's Gig

(hennemusic) If you're in the Los Angeles-area Friday night, THE rock n roll place to be has to be The Roxy.

Camp Freddy are on hand to help ring in the New Year; the band is made up of Matt Sorum (Velvet Revolver), Billy Morrison (Billy Idol), Donovan Leitch, Steve Stevens (Billy Idol) and Chris Wyse (The Cult).

New Year's Eve, CF will crank things up ten notches with a huge lineup of special guests (or is that a special lineup of huge guests?), including Lemmy from Motorhead, Steve Jones of The Sex Pistols, Billy Duffy of The Cult, Gilby Clarke, Cherie Currie of The Runaways, Franky Perez of Scars On Broadway, and ex-Guns N' Roses drummer Steven Adler. - more on this story

The Charlatans Jon Brookes Cancer Free

(Gibson) The Charlatans' drummer Jon Brookes was ready to play a full gig last night(December 30) in Edinburgh. It will be his first since collapsing on stage and being diagnosed with a brain tumor in September.

Charlatans singer Tim Burgess told the Daily Record: "Jon is doing really well, I texted him last night and he said he had got the all-clear and the cancer is gone.

"It's really crazy what happened. It still doesn't feel that real to us. Obviously, it does to him. It's amazing and a big deal to be asked to play what is the biggest party of the year. It means we're going to end the year in style." - more on this story

Jani Lane Talks Great Great White Gig

(Gibson) In recent months, Jani Lane, formerly of Warrant, has been filling in for the ailing Jack Russell as part of Great White. Before Lane's tenure with the band ends (they'll play their last show together on New Year's Eve), he talked to Timberjay.com about his time in Great White.

"It's been fantastic," Lane said. "I've been friends with Jack for decades and I told him I'd be happy to fill in for him."

The former Warrant frontman said the job was harder than he thought it would be. "I wanted to stay true to how Jack sings," he said. "I didn't realize how hard that would be … I asked him why he sings so high all the time." - more on this story

Drummer Killed in Break In

(Gibson) Bill Maddox, best known as drummer for the Eric Johnson Group and Johnson's bands Electromagnets and Alien Love Child, died on Monday during a reported burglary at his house.

Austin360.com reported that the burglary occurred around 7:30 a.m. Police report that the intruder was a neighbor, and that Maddox's wife had phoned 911 to report a burglary in progress. Austin360 said a law enforcement source said the operator heard a single shot followed by a pause then several more shots. The Austin American-Statesman reports that friends and relatives of both men believe the incident may have been a tragic misunderstanding rather than an attempted burglary.

Friend and neighbor Keith Landers told the Statesman, "It wasn't a robbery. It was a paranoid schizophrenic off his medicine who believed that he was trying to get into his safe house." - more on this story

Guns N' Roses Named Top Rock News Artist of 2010

(hennemusic) Music fans have named Guns N' Roses as hennemusic's Rock News Artist Of The Year.

"Guns N' Roses consistently made headlines throughout 2010, which kept hennemusic readers coming back for updates on the world according to Axl," said Bruce Henne. "Fan interest in classic GNR remains huge, as even the mere hint of a hint of a reunion of the original lineup is enough to send shockwaves around the planet: fan reaction to Duff McKagan playing with Axl in London in October was over the top."

GNR took the honor ahead of Steven Tyler, Pink Floyd, Metallica and Van Halen. Winners of the hennemusic Rock News Awards are chosen by readers – rock fans around the world – who voted with their most valuable resource: their time. Categories are tabulated by page views in a salute to the artist/fan relationship. - Van Halen won the stand-alone poll, all of the results here

Greatest Concept Albums of All Time

(Gibson) Concept albums rarely fare well with critics, with reviewers often lambasting such efforts as pretentious or rife with Spinal Tap-ish excess. Nonetheless, in recent years the concept album has enjoyed a resurgence, with discs by the likes of Radiohead, The Flaming Lips and Arcade Fire sporting connected storylines or overarching themes. It's too soon to say whether these albums will rise to the level of a Tommy, but as shown by the list below, the history of the concept album is strewn with classics.

10. Pink Floyd – The Dark Side of the Moon (1973): No album has come closer to coherent perfection – both thematically and musically – as this masterpiece from Pink Floyd. Shaped by Roger Waters' sense of alienation (and "inspired," one suspects, by the fractured psyche of Floyd founder Syd Barrett), the album probed its dark themes with the sort of exquisite craftsmanship normally associated with a classic novel. David Gilmour's searing solos, especially on "Time" and "Money," remain among the most momentous in rock history.

9. Rush – 2112 (1976): Prog-rock and heavy metal were fused more brilliantly than ever on this conceptual effort, which proved to be Rush's breakthrough album. Spanning one full album-side, the 20-minute title track presented a harrowing portrait of a world in which individual expression is crushed at every level. Alex Lifeson's metal riffs gave the music a hard edge that distinguished it from the flighty tendencies of Rush's British prog-rock counterparts. Today, many of the album's themes seem prescient.

8. David Bowie – The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and The Spiders from Mars (1972): The loose concept behind David Bowie's most renowned album seems silly on the surface: extraterrestrial arrives to save a dying Earth, extraterrestrial becomes rock star, extraterrestrial is destroyed by adoring fans. But within that cartoon narrative lies some of the most exciting music ever committed to vinyl. Tethered to Bowie's exquisite songwriting, Mick Ronson unleashed soaring riffs, explosive power chords, and sustain-drenched solos that reached otherworldly dimensions. - Check out the rest of the list here

Pantera Vs Megadeth

The Metal Den has published the story behind of the "Megabreath" inside joke: In 1992, Pantera opened for Megadeth on the "Countdown to Extinction Tour". As the 'alleged' story goes, drummer Nick Menza, spurred on by zany media comments made by Megadeth's attention seeking leader Dave Mustaine, who felt Pantera had indeed ripped off his band's sound, went out of his way – backstage at concerts – to tell anyone (who would listen) that Dimebag sucked on guitar and Pantera vocalist Philip H. Anselmo was full of himself and that he could kick the macho singer's ass in a fight if it came right down to it.

Well, word got around to Philip and Dimebag Darrell about what Menza had 'allegedly' stated, thanks to the now deceased Jill Marie Abbott, a close friend of the PANTERA band (and at one time Philip's actual girlfriend) that Nick Menza was "Talking all this sh*t about Pantera". Anselmo and Dimebag immediately went looking for Menza around the venue they were at and eventually cornered him outside near a fence. Anselmo grabbed Menza and said "Why are you talking all this sh*t about me and Dimebag?", and next furiously threw Menza against the chain-linked fence in preparation of a serious "Five Minutes Alone" ass-kicking he was fully prepared to launch into with the now obviously petrified Menza.

With tears streaming down his face like a frightened little child, Menza cried out to Anselmo: "Please don't kick my ass, man! I am sorry for talking sh*t and I will never do it again!" - more here

Sir Keef Richards?

(Gibson) Interviewed recently by BBC Radio 2, Keith Richards said he own around 300 guitars but he's not really a guitar player. "The storage costs me more than they're worth," he said. "I don't even consider myself a guitar player. I am not a Hendrix or Clapton."

London Mayor Boris Johnson might disagree with Mr. Richards, since he's been campaigning for the Stones guitarist to be knighted. He told the Daily Telegraph: "It is a continuing scandal that Keef Richards has not been made, at the very least, a knight bachelor, and the outrage became clear to me this Christmas when – like so many other men of my generation – I was sentenced to Life.

" That is, I was given a copy of Keef's super-selling autobiography of that name; and by the end of my researches I felt the full weight of the injustice. - more on this story

Jim Morrison's Family, The Doors Bandmates Say Pardon Isn't Enough

(Gibson) The family of late Doors frontman Jim Morrison and his former bandmates have called for official apologies from the state of Florida and the city of Miami over Morrison's 1969 arrest for lewd and lascivious behavior.

Morrison was officially pardoned earlier this month, but the singer's family and the surviving Doors feel he shouldn't be pardoned for anything. "His performance in Miami that night was certainly provocative, and entirely in the insurrectionary spirit of the Doors' music and message," they said in a statement. "The charges against him were largely an opportunity for grandstanding by ambitious politicians – not to mention an affront to free speech and a massive waste of time and taxpayer dollars. As Ann Woolner of The Albany Times-Union wrote recently, 'Morrison's case bore all the signs of a political prosecution, a rebuke from the cultural right to punish a symbol of Dionysian rebellion.'"

Whatever took place that night ended with the Doors sharing beers and laughter in the dressing room with the Miami police, who acted as security at the venue that evening. No arrests were made." The statement goes on to say that it wasn't until four days later that warrants were issued in Miami for the arrest of Morrison on "trumped-up charges of indecency, public obscenity and general rock 'n' roll revelry."

"If the State of Florida and the City of Miami want to make amends for the travesty of Jim Morrison's arrest and prosecution 40 years after the fact, an apology would be more appropriate – and expunging the whole sorry matter from the record," the family said. -

Gibson Top Albums of 2010 List

(Gibson) 2010 was the year the album died – that is, according to music bloggers, critics and even certain musicians. Why just last week, no less a musical authority than Elvis Costello declared the end of the album era on this very website. The Beatles are on iTunes now, the three-minute MP3 is the thing and no one has the attention span for a 40-minute musical journey, right? If that's truly the case, someone forgot to tell the artists below, who made some of the best albums of this, or any, year. Just because most people won't pay for an album doesn't mean that they're not worth listening to. Here are the Top 10 Albums of 2010:

10. Slash, Slash: Although Slash has been a member of some of the biggest bands in rock, it took until 2010 for the legendary guitarist to step out as a solo musician. His self-titled solo debut paired his thrilling guitar work with some of the most famous voices in music (including Ozzy Osbourne, Fergie and Iggy Pop) and reminded everyone what a true guitar hero can do.

3. Arcade Fire, The Suburbs: Saying that it's a loose concept album about growing up in urban sprawl, or that it's Neil Young-meets-Depeche Mode (as frontman Win Butler characterized the record), doesn't due The Suburbs justice. It's a towering, sweeping achievement that loses a lot when compartmentalized or shuffled, despite each song being as strong as the next. But this is an album made to be listened to as such, made to take you on a ride that lasts from track 1 to 16. It's a big hunk of complicated feelings, of good memories and bad, of gray areas (literally and figuratively), of punk and folk and dirges and anthems. It all culminates in the synth-pop of "Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)," in which Regine Chassagne, so desperate for escape, broadcasts her keening voice to the wasteland of "dead shopping malls" that envelops her existence, hoping to reach a kindred spirit. The Suburbs debuted at #1 in August and is up for an Album of the Year Grammy. Arcade Fire certainly have found their kind. - Check out the full top 10

Jimmy Page The Subject Of The Top Rock News Story Of 2010

(hennemusic) Jimmy Page's comment - at the Classic Rock Roll Of Honour Awards in November - that he plans to play shows in 2011 was named hennemusic's "Rock News Story Of The Year" by music fans.

Page was at the event to present "The Innovator" Award to legendary U.K. band Killing Joke, but it was his talk of plans to play concerts in the New Year that overshadowed all rock news in 2010. "The mighty Led Zeppelin casts a huge shadow in the new millennium, and music fans want more," says Bruce Henne. "Everything Zep-related draws a crowd – from Robert Plant to John Paul Jones to Jason Bonham – but the master of mystery remains the elusive Jimmy Page."

Jimmy Page's comments took the hennemusic Rock News Story Of The Year honor ahead of features on Keith Richards, Roger Waters, Slash/Steven Tyler and Metallica. - more on this story

Roger Daltrey, Amy Winehouse and Vampire Weekend For Jools Holland New Year's Eve

(Gibson) With Jools Holland about to host his annual Hootenanny special for New Year's Eve, the guardian of music on TV and king of boogie-woogie piano has been talking career highlights with Britain's Daily Telegraph.

"I have been incredibly fortunate in working with and observing so many amazing people, which is always strange and thrilling," Holland said. "We did a track on my new album with Booker T, playing a piano-and-organ duet by Duke Ellington in my little studio in Greenwich. My life is one of looking up from my piano and going, [expletive] me, it's Booker T!' That should be the title of my autobiography."

This year's Hootenanny will be Jools' 18th and will feature Kylie Minogue, Roger Daltrey singing Muddy Waters songs, Wanda Jackson doing Amy Winehouse's "You Know I'm No Good" and Vampire Weekend playing tunes from their Contra album. - more on this story

Anniversary of George Harrison Stabbing

(Gibson) On this very day in 1999, Liverpudlian Mike Abram, 33, attacked ex-Beatle George Harrison and his wife Olivia in their home in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire.

Harrison and his wife were woken by the sound of breaking glass and, after calling police, were attacked by a man brandishing a six-inch knife. Harrison later told the Oxford Crown Court in a statement: "He stopped in the center of the kitchen and started shouting and screaming. He was hysterical and frightening in his manner.

"I made the decision to shout back at him. I shouted at him 'Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna!' He rushed toward the bottom of the stairs and came up toward me. I took a split-second decision to tackle this man." - more on this story

Priscilla Remembers Elvis

(Gibson) In anticipation of what would have been Elvis Presley's 76th birthday on January 8, USA Weekend sat down with Presley's ex-wife, Priscilla, to reminisce about The King. The Naked Gun actress is currently (in her role with Elvis Presley Enterprises) working with Cirque du Soleil on a new Las Vegas show, Viva ELVIS. In the interview, she spoke on a variety of topics.

On what fans might not know about Elvis: "He admired other entertainers and wasn't threatened by their coming to Vegas. Elvis always felt there was room for everyone. Tom Jones, Cher, Nancy Sinatra — he was right there to help."

On her favorite Elvis song: "'Bridge over Troubled Water.' We were in Vegas when the horse he had gifted me passed away. He sang that song to me. Every time I hear it, that's what I think of." - more on this story