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

Mike Portnoy Forms Band With Neal Morse

(Gibson) With all the will-they-won't-they news about an impending announcement from Dream Theater regarding the identity of their new drummer, one could be forgiven for losing track of outgoing drummer and founding member, Mike Portnoy.

But Portnoy has surfaced at the dawn of the New Year with a major announcement of his own, as he will be joining Deep Purple guitarist Steve Morse in a brand new project.

The as-yet-unnamed project will also include multi-instrumentalist Neal Morse (Spock's Beard), vocalist Casey McPherson (Alpha Rev, Endochine), and bassist Dave LaRue, who plays with Steve Morse in the on-again-off-again Dixie Dregs. - more on this story

Vince Neil DUI Trial Delayed

(hennemusic) Vince Neil will have some more time to prepare for his upcoming DUI trial in Las Vegas Justice Court.

The Las Vegas Sun reports that the Mötley Crüe singer was to have had his bench trial on a criminal drunken driving charge this Thursday, January 6.

But a spokeswoman for the the Clark County District Attorney's office confirmed Monday the trial has been reset for 9 a.m. Jan. 26 before newly elected Justice of the Peace William Kephart. - more on this story

Alice Cooper, Metallica, Fleetwood Mac, Nickelback Supergroup

(hennemusic) Alice Cooper rang in the new year by joining fellow Hall Of Famers James Hetfield (Metallica) and Mick Fleetwood (Fleetwod Mac), along with Pat Simmons (The Doobie Brothers) and Mike Kroeger (Nickelback), on stage in Maui to form a new rock n' roll supergroup for one night only.

The group got together to play on New Year's Eve for the MALA Benefit, which helped the Maui Food Bank.

The benefit was the second of two nights fronted by the Mick Fleetwood Blues Band; they played Dec. 30 at a Maui Celebrity Series concert at Maui Theatre in Lahaina, before suiting up for the New Year's benefit Mala Wailea to benefit the MACC and the Maui Food Bank. - more on this story

Rare Led Zeppelin Recording Now Online

The Metal Den has obtained an extremely rare soundboard recording of Led Zeppelin performing "Black Dog" in Mannheim, Germany on July 3, 1980.

The song's title is reportedly a direct reference to a black Labrador
retriever that was seen wandering around the Headley Grange studios during the track's recording.

Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones wrote the classic tune's main riff. He further explains: "I wanted to try an electric blues with a rolling bass part. But it couldn't be too simple. I wanted it to turn back on itself. I showed it to the guys, and we fell into it. We struggled with the turn-around, until (John) Bonham figured out that you just four-time as if there's no turn-around. That was the secret." - Check out the recording

Gerry Rafferty RIP

(hennemusic) Singer-songwriter Gerry Rafferty, best known for songs like "Baker Street" and "Stuck In The Middle With You," has died after a long battle with liver disease. He was 63.

Rafferty passed away at his Dorest, UK home peacefully early Tuesday morning, with his daughter Martha by his side.

The British newspaper The Guardian notes that Gerry played with Billy Connolly's folk outfit the Humblebums, and co-founded the soft-rock group Stealers Wheel, before enjoying a successful solo career. - more on this story

Travis Barker Sets A Date- Slipknot Ponder New Bassist- Maroon 5 Flop- Survivor and Toto Singers Team Up- Deftones Escape Plan- Courtney Love Twit Trouble- more

The Day in Rock Digest for 1/5/11: Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker will release his guest-heavy first solo effort, "Give the Drummer Some," on Feb. 22. The album, which Barker helped produce, will feature appearances from Slipknot singer Corey Taylor, B.o.B, Slash, Snoop Dogg, Tom Morello, Lil Wayne, and Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington more

With Slipknot gigs announced for the late spring/early summer, the question remains who will play bass guitar in place of the late Paul Gray who died last year. "It's one of the things that we're talking about right now," Slipknot singer Corey Taylor told the Artisan News Service. "Whatever we do will make sense at the end of the day. He'll never be replaced, and it'll never be anything that will be Ok, basically, but when the time comes, we'll figure it out." more

In a recent interview with Billboard, Maroon 5 guitarist James Valentine expressed some frustration in the lackluster sales of the band's latest album 'Hands All Over' and says a new album may be coming sooner than was originally planned. more

Former Survivor singer Jimi Jamison has teamed up with ex-Toto vocalist Bobby Kimball. The pair are currently working on an album more

According to ThePRP, the Deftones and The Dillinger Escape Plan will head out together on tour in the spring. more

A tirade, along with others Courtney unleashed on social media platforms including MySpace and Etsy.com against Dawn Simorangkir, a fashion designer who was demanding payment for a few thousand dollars worth of clothes, form the basis of a groundbreaking lawsuit headed to court in Los Angeles on Jan. 18: the first high-profile defamation trial over a celebrity's comments on Twitter. more

Skinlab have once again parted ways with guitarist Mike Roberts. Comments Skinlab bassist/vocalist Steev Esquivel: "We've basically been contemplating our next move, having recently parted ways again with our brother Mike Roberts. more

Eden's Curse will return with its latest and third studio CD, "Trinity", on March 18 via Afm Records. Dream Theater vocalist James LaBrie. LaBrie lends his backing vocals to the entire album and also duets with Eden's Curse frontman Michael Eden on "No Holy Man", which is also set to be released by Afm Records as a digital single on February 25. more

Japan bassist Mick Karn has died of cancer after battling the illness since June last year. He was 52. more

According to the Late Night TV Page, The Damned Things - featuring Fall Out Boy's Joe Trohman and Andy Hurley, Anthrax's Scott Ian and Rob Caggiano, and Every Time I Die's Keith Buckley - will be guests on ABC-TV's Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Thursday, January 13th (show actually airs the morning of Friday, January 14th). more

Titus Andronicus have announced that founding bassist Ian Graetzer has left the group. more

The Steve Miller Band are to release four more albums in a special digipack format over the next couple of months. more

Cannibal Corpse are tentatively scheduled to release a new two-disc DVD set, "Global Evisceration", on March 15 via Metal Blade. more

The Allman Brothers Band have just added the final five dates to their run at the Beacon Theatre in NYC. more

Back in 1986, Slayer released their landmark album Reign In Blood that helped shape the sound of metal for decades to come. 25 years later, it's high time to give that album the credit it's due, and ESP is doing just that with the limited-edition Slayer-2011 guitar. more

Destruction will embark on a North American headlining tour in April/May with support from Australia's Destroyer 666. more

Threat Signal has officially added guitarist Chris Feener and drummer Alex Rudinger to their line-up. The pair replaces Adam Weber and Norm Killeen, respectively, who parted ways with the band last year. more

Wavves, and Best Coast have announced that, in conjunction with their upcoming co-headlining "joint" tour, they will be releasing a split 7″ exclusive to the tour. more

You thought Axl Rose was bad? Lauryn Hill showed no remorse after keeping devotees waiting for almost four hours at a recent comeback concert in New York, telling disgruntled fans she was "worth the wait". more

Lecherous Nocturne will enter Mana Recording Studios in St. Petersburg, Florida on May 8 to begin recording its new album, tentatively titled "Myth Manifest". more

Toronto's own answer to Screeching Weasel, The Roman Line, have officially called it a day. more

On this day in 1973, Bruce Springsteen released his debut album Greetings from Asbury Park, NJ.

On this day in 1979, Prince made his live debut at the Capri Theatre, Minneapolis.

On this day in 2004, Kinks singer Ray Davies was shot in the leg while on holiday in New Orleans. The 59-year-old singer-songwriter was shot when running after two men who stole his girlfriend's purse at gunpoint On this day in
Find out what else happened on this date in music history here
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Guns N' Paramore- Punker Vs Barbie- Dream Theater Hit The Studio- MGMT Sessions- Rare Johnny Cash- Of Mice & Men Reunion- Rundgren's Utopia- Glassjaw EP- more

The Day in Rock Digest for 1/4/11: Billboard reports that Paramore has locked in two replacements for its upcoming South American tour. Former Tait guitarist (and brother of Paramore's Taylor York) Justin York, will take over for Josh Farro during the run, while veteran drummer Josh Freese (Guns N' Roses, Nine Inch Nails, the Vandals, A Perfect Circle) will replace Zac Farro. more

Hollywood Reporter had this fun bit of news: Patricia Day, lead singer of HorrorPops, claims that a doll in Mattel's "Hard Rock Barbie" collection, released last spring, appropriated her likeness: "Long black hair, retro tattoos, red fingernails, fishnets and a decorated bass fiddle (to) give this doll true rockabilly style." more

Dream Theater have officially entered the studio to begin work on their first album without drummer and founding member Mike Portnoy. The band's guitarist, John Petrucci, writes on his Twitter profile, "First day in studio [and] the dawn of a new era for Dream Theater. Can't wait to get the music flowing." more

Lambgoat reports that Whitechapel have replaced drummer Kevin Lane with Ben Harclerode of Knights Of The Abyss. more

Chuck Berry, who fell ill with exhaustion and was escorted from stage during a Chicago concert this weekend, has returned home to suburban St. Louis, a close friend of the rock-and-roll legend said Monday. more

'Bootlegs 2: From Memphis to Hollywood' is a two-CD set and will feature 11 demos and seven outtakes from the late singer Johnny Cash's time at Sun records more

While in Asheville this past October MGMT stopped by the Echo Moutain Studio to record a Daytrotter session. The band performed songs off their latest release, Congratulations. List of songs are: "Song for Dan Treacy," "I Found A Whistle," and "It's Working." Along with a cover of The Cleaners of Venus' "Only a Shadow." Check out the session here

Continuing to pioneer the no-fanfare marketing strategy, Glassjaw have digitally released an EP entitled Our Color Green (The Singles). more

Lambgoat reports that Of Mice & Men has been rejoined by former frontman Austin Carlile. As you may recall, Carlile was kicked out of the group less than a year ago. To make room for Carlile, the group has fired current (and ex-Sky Eats Airplane) vocalist Jerry Roush. Read what Roush had to say here

The reunited classic "Animosity" lineup of Corrosion Of Conformity - Mike Dean (bass, vocals), Woody Weatherman (guitar) and Reed Mullin (drums) - have announce European tour dates this spring. more

Funeral For A Friend has posted a new trailer online to promote its forthcoming live DVD release. The new DVD was filmed at the band's July 23rd, 2010 performance O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire in London. more

Emery have announced via twitter that their new album will be titled We Do What We Want and is due out on March 22, 2011. more

As We Fight has entered Dead Rat Studio in Århus, Denmark with original singer Laurits Medom, who has rejoined the band after a three-year absence. more

Matterhorn, featuring members of The Great Redneck Hope, kicked off a two-week tour yesterday in Salt Lake City, Utah. more

Todd Rundgren has reformed Utopia, to play a show in New York on January 29. This will be the 1974 line-up, which recorded the band's celebrated debut album, Todd Rundgren's Utopia. more

Entertainment Weekly reports that Bono and The Edge will be in the theater for all remaining preview performances of Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark, more

2011 has already witnessed its first musical casualty as Forensics have decided to call it a day. more

On this day in 1986, Irish singer, songwriter and bassist Phil Lynott of Thin Lizzy died of heart failure and pneumonia after being in a coma for eight days following a drug overdose. Find out what else happened on this date in music history here -

Bret Michaels Heart Surgery This Month- Coheed and Cambria: 2001-2011- Rev Theory Go Back- New Seether CD- Solo Slipknot- Grave Digger- Twisted Sister Broadway- more

The Day in Rock Digest for 1/3/11: Bravewords.com correspondent Deb Rao spoke to Bret Michaels and he confirmed Monday, January 24th for his heart surgery date. When asked if he had any New Years resolutions: "After I have my heart surgery on Monday, January 24th, I plan on staying out of the hospital for a very long time." more

No, it's not an epitaph for the band. In a recent update on the band's website, Coheed and Cambria are hinting at a tour celebrating the 10th anniversary of the band tied in with their first album, The Second Stage Turbine Blade. more

Rev Theory drew from the past for its upcoming third album, "Justice." Guitarist Julien Jorgensen tells Billboard.com that the quintet modeled "Justice," which is due out Feb. 15, to be closer to its 2005 debut, "Truth Is Currency," than to the 2008 sophomore set, "Light It Up." more

Lamb Of God drummer Chris Adler - "crappiest moment in music in the last 30 years? two words: Fred Durst" more

During a recent interview, Seether guitarist Troy McLawhorn and drummer John Humphrey confirmed the band will be releasing a new album titled "Holding Onto Strings Better Left to Fray" in May. more

"Hearts That Race", the new Blunt Headed-directed video from Slipknot Dj Sid Wilson, can be viewed here

Folk rocker Richard Thompson, who made his name with Fairport Convention, has been given an OBE in the New Year's Honours List more

Gauss, the new project featuring two former members of Demiricous - guitarist Scott Wilson and drummer Chris Cruz - will release a 12-minute song called "Empty Frames" via the group's web site on January 11 more

Due out February 15, 2011 via EMI, 'Robin Trower at the BBC 1973-1975' is the most comprehensive collection to date of Robin Trower's recordings for the BBC. more

Nazxul's 1998 "Black Seed" EP has been repackaged alongside their 1994 demo release by Seance Records. The rerelease comes with bonus live tracks, and an eight page booklet including all of the lyrics. more

Twisted Sister's Dee Snider's 2011 resolution: "To bridge the gap between Broadway and rock n' roll and introduce the hard rock audience to the amazing music of the Great White Way! Look for Dee Does Broadway on Razor & Tie Records in 2011!" more

YouTube user Maidenboots has uploaded a vintage Iron Maiden show from the band's March 31st, 1981 stop in Palasport, Italy. Check out the 30-minute concert here

Grave Digger will release a new EP, "Ballad Of Mary", on March 4. The effort will include two versions of the title track - one acoustic and the other taken from the forthcoming "The Clans Are Still Marching" CD, featuring a guest appearance Doro Pesch - as well as a new recording of "Rebellion" with Hansi Kürsch (Blind Guardian). more

Glenn Hughes has just confirmed a UK tour for the spring. more

Slumber recently threw in the towel after nearly 10 years of dedicated service. In the wake of this spilt comes two new bands. more

Fifth Angel have announced David Fefolt as their new permanent lead vocalist more

On this day in 1964, The Beatles were seen for the first time on U.S. TV when a clip from the BBC's The Mersey Sound, showing the group playing "She Loves You," was shown on The Jack Paar Show.

On this day in 1987, Aretha Franklin became the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Find out what else happened on this date in music history here
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Pink Floyd Stick With EMI

(hennemusic) Pink Floyd have ended a legal battle with their record company EMI and signed a new contract with the label.

The BBC reports the legendary rock group recently won a court ruling against the label over whether a deal signed in the pre-download age could be applied to digital sales.

"All legal disputes between the band and the company have been settled as a result of this new deal," EMI said. The label said it would "help the band reach new and existing fans through their incredible body of work." - more on this story

Jane's Addiction Name Duff McKagan's Replacement

(Rock AAA) Jane's Addiction have chosen TV on the Radio bassist Dave Sitek to replace Duff McKagan in the band.

McKagan joined in March after original member Eric Avery departed. The ex Guns n'Roses bassist said he intended to be a full-time member of the band – but months later he left again with the band's thanks for helping write their long-awaited fourth album.

Now Sitek, who's also a producer, will take up the role. Frontman Perry Farrell says: "We're fully immersed in the process of making modern music. It's been a great experience and the results have so much potential." - more on this story

Steven Tyler Late Night

(hennemusic) Get used to seeing a lot of Steven Tyler in the coming weeks and months, as American Idol kicks its promo machine into high gear for the launch of the show's 10th season.

Idol premieres January 19, but you can check out the full crew - Tyler, Jennifer Lopez, Randy Jackson and Ryan Seacrest – on The Tonight Show this Monday, January 10.

The following week – 2 days before Idol premieres - Tyler makes a solo visit to The Late Show with David Letterman on Monday, January 17. - more on this story

Clapton, Winwood, Reznor Guest On New Robbie Robertson Album

(hennemusic) Robbie Robertson returns in April with his fifth solo album, and first since 1998.

"How To Become Clairvoyant" – co-produced by Robertson and Marius de Vries - will feature several guests, including Eric Clapton (who co-wrote three tracks and plays on six), Steve Winwood (organ on two songs), Tom Morello, Robert Randolph, Trent Reznor and more.

The album is due April 5. "It turned out quite extraordinary," Robertson tells Rolling Stone. "I think I've written some really good songs, and the boys helped me out." - more on this story

New Metallica Guitars

(hennemusic) ESP guitars will be introducing two new Metallica signature guitars at next week's NAMM 2011, from James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett.

The James Hetfield Snakebyte is a brand new body style for ESP and LTD in 2011. It has a set-neck construction at 24.75" scale, with a mahogany body and neck, and an ebony fingerboard with 22 XJ frets.

Another limited edition Kirk Hammett Signature Series model is also being introduced in 2011. The ESP KH-2 SE and LTD KH-SE are special edition guitars that will be limited to just 100 and 300 pieces worldwide respectively. - More details and photos

Grohl Promises Massive New Foo Fighter Album

(Gibson) Dave Grohl has announced that the Foo Fighters' new album will be released in the next few months.

BBC Radio 1's Newsbeat reports that Grohl told Radio 1's Zane Lowe that he and the band were currently in New York mastering the tracks that they recorded in Grohl's garage.

"The process was so simple," Grohl said. "It was really in my garage. You could put a mini van in there and that's it. The fact that we did it without any computers it was just really simple. It just sounds massive. It's different to any other Foo Fighters album because it just sounds big. It was really inspiring." - more on this story

No Doubt Recording New Album

(Gibson) It's official. After years of talk and rumors of writing sessions, No Doubt have begun recording their new album. It will be the band's first album in 10 years (their last was 2001's Rock Steady).

Guitarist Tom Dumont shared the news on the band's Twitter page, explaining that he, Gwen Stefani, Tony Kanal and Adrian Young had already written a batch of songs. On Monday, he wrote: "Holidays over. 2010 done. 10 new songs written. No Doubt's 2011 New Year's resolution: to record our new album... beginning today!"

In a later post, he explained that the band had been in the studio last year, but they spent most of their time writing. "To clarify: last year we were in studio mostly writing, just some recording. Starting today back in the studio, mostly recording," he wrote. - more on this story

Rare Johnny Cash Songs To Be Released

(Gibson) Columbia/Legacy have announced that a new volume of rare and unreleased Johnny Cash tracks will hit stores and online retailers next month. Bootlegs 2: From Memphis to Hollywood will be released on February 22.

According to VintageVinylNews.com, the majority of the two-disc set will spend time on Cash's early career. The first CD will be devoted exclusively to the country legend's time in Memphis. Among the treasures from Cash's vault: a radio show hosted by Cash, 11 demos and seven outtakes from sessions at Sun Studios. Disc two will focus on the star's tenure Columbia Records from 1958-69. It will include non-album singles, B-sides and outtakes.

The release comes nearly a year after Cash's final studio album, 2010's American VI: Ain't No Grave. -

Adventures Of Power Featuring Neil Peart Coming To DVD

(hennemusic) Air drummers unite! That's one of the messages of "Adventures Of Power," an indie film which chronicles the adventures of air-drummer extraordinaire Power (played by filmmaker Ari Gold) and contains a cameo from Neil Peart along with a slew of Rush references.

Rushisaband.com reports it first hit the film festival circuit back in early 2008 and made its theatrical debut last fall.

The film will finally be getting a DVD release on January 25. To celebrate the release, Ari Gold will be running a fundraiser/auction to support music education via VH1 Save the Music - more on this story

Thin Lizzy Members Tribute Phil Lynott

(Gibson) Yesterday (January 4) marked the 25th anniversary of Phil Lynott's death. The legendary musician rose to fame as the frontman and bassist for hard rockers Thin Lizzy.

As the current lineup of the band prepares for a European tour, the members of Thin Lizzy took a look back to remember their old friend, via Blabbermouth.net. "25 years on and I still miss the guy. Hell, we all miss him," guitarist Scott Gorham wrote. "It's a major reason why we go out and play the songs. But standing next to him for 11 years through all the ups as well as the down periods always brings back memories, especially at this time of year.

"As you can imagine, Phil and I got to know each other like brothers on a mission. Maybe not always a successful mission, but we always gave it a hell of a shot. He was a good friend, so I tell you what, when we introduce Phil each night... TAKE THE ROOF OFF!!! I'm pretty sure he's watching." - more on this story

A Rocket To The Moon Tap Valencia, Anarbor, Runner Runner, and Go Radio For Tour

A Rocket To The Moon have announced their first-ever North American headline tour which will also feature Valencia, Anarbor, Runner Runner, and Go Radio

The 32-city "On Your Side" tour will launch on March 15th at The Chance in Poughkeepsie, New York, and then continue through late April (see attached itinerary).

The dates follow the recent release of A Rocket To The Moon's EP, "The Rainy Day Sessions." Available exclusively via iTunes, the 5-track EP features new versions of songs originally found on the band's 2009 debut album, "On Your Side," recorded with female bluegrass group Larkin Poe and award-winning producer Dan Hannon (Manchester Orchestra). - more on this story

Band Of Horses' Tyler Ramsey Solo Album Revisited

Band Of Horses' Tyler Ramsey's sophomore album A Long Dream About Swimming Across The Sea was re-released yesterday by Brown Records/Fat Possum.

A well-established and praised figure in the burgeoning Asheville music scene, Ramsey - who joined Band Of Horses as guitarist in fall 2007 - wrote A Long Dream About Swimming Across The Sea while living in a log cabin in Swannanoa, NC, in late 2006-7.

Recorded at Asheville's Echo Mountain Studios with the help of Bill Reynolds (also of Band Of Horses; who's worked with The Avett Brothers and Lissie) and Danny Kadar (My Morning Jacket, Band Of Horses, Grizzly Bear), the album is a collection of haunting and atmospheric songs that exude a markedly fluid, easy grace. - more on this story

Of Mice & Men Bring Back Original Singer For New Album and Tour

As we told you in yesterday's digest Of Mice & Men have parted ways with vocalist Jerry Roush and have announced that they will reunite with original front man Austin Carlile.

Today we learn that the reformed lineup will be heading into the studio in early January to record the follow up to their Rise Records self-titled debut.

Guitarist Alan Ashby, who had been working with Austin on a new project during his time apart from OM&M, has also officially joined the band. Shayley Bourget will now play bass and Alan will assume his position at guitar. Phil Manansala and Tino Arteaga remain on guitar and drums, respectively. - more on this story

Fade to Black: Metallica Exhibit Coming Next Month

(Gibson) Classic Rock magazine is reporting that a special Metallica photo exhibition will launch in February at Proud Camden in London. Fade to Black: Metallica by Bill Hale chronicles the band in their early years, from 1982-1984.

Included in the collection are photos of the band's first show with bassist Cliff Burton, the band's final show in the Bay Area with Dave Mustaine and Kirk Hammett's debut with the group in San Francisco.

Bill Hale was chief photographer at Metal Rendezvous in the early 1980s. He travelled extensively with the band during their formative years. Many of the photos in the exhibition have never been seen by the public. - more on this story

Steven Tyler, Mick Fleetwood, Johnny Lang and John McVie Collaboration

(hennemusic) Aerosmith's Steven Tyler recently jammed with Camp Freddy in Los Angeles. During the jam Mick Fleetwood popped behind the drum kit as Tyler took center stage for the Fleetwood Mac track, "Rattlesnake Shake."

Then, Tyler and band jammed the Aerosmith classic, "Sweet Emotion," before closing out the show with Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love."

But that isn't the only collaboration the two have embarked on. In a new interview, Fleetwood spills the beans on the two rock legends working together. "Steven and Johnny Lang and John McVie and I are doing a track on a new tribute album for ZZ Top," Mick tells the Maui News. "We all got together and we had a ball." - Would you believe Tyler has mad drum skills?

Rolling Stones To Tribute Ian Stewart

(Gibson) While conflicting messages continue to leak out about whether or not The Rolling Stones will record and tour in 2011 (official word, at the moment, is "no"), the band will apparently play together on an upcoming album by British pianist Ben Waters honoring the late, great Ian Stewart.

Waters will release the all-star Boogie for Stu in March, with proceeds going to the British Heart Foundation. Stewart, who was an original member of the band before being relegated to stage manager and studio pianist by manager Andrew Loog Oldham, died of a heart attack in 1985 (see related story).

The Stones fan site, It's Only Rock 'n Roll, has reported that Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts, Ronnie Wood and even Bill Wyman will appear on the album, performing together on a cover of Bob Dylan's "Watching the River Flow." - more on this story

Dave Navarro Reality TV Pilot Posted Online

Culture Brats have posted an unaired pilot that's been sitting on the shelves for five years for MTV's Grounded.

It's a show where celebrities would spend a few days back at home with their parents as "normal" people while the camera follows them around. The filmed pilot stars Jane's Addiction's Dave Navarro.

It shows him going to Costco and McDonald's and babysitting his five- and eight-year-old brothers. - Watch it here

Muse Aim For The Stars... Literally

(Gibson) It's safe to say that Muse have set their goals higher than any other band — literally. Teignmouth Community College's finest have reportedly had "discussions and coherent conversations" about the band performing in outer space. The U.K. trio are hoping to hitch a ride with Virgin mogul Richard Branson's Galactic Flights.

Frontman Matthew Bellamy told The Sun, "We've had some discussions about playing in space. Sometimes very coherent conversations and sometimes very late at night, but it's for real. I'm thinking of approaching Richard Branson to see if we could do it on his spacecraft he's got happening."

Bellamy says the band would undoubtedly have to scale back their arena-worthy stage show: "We do have a lot of equipment, so I guess we'd have to use pods to carry our stuff and we'd scale back the shows a lot. I don't think the spacecraft is like a Tardis [the space-time-bending Doctor Who vehicle], where we could get everything in we usually have. I do think it will be possible in the future and I'm sure it will happen in my lifetime. We'd love to be part of that." - more on this story

Guns N Roses and Nine Inch Nails Members Guest on New Scarlet Haze Album

(PR) Scarlet Haze will be hitting the road in cities all over the US this Spring and Summer in support of their forthcoming album One Bad Bitch.

The bands' new album One Bad Bitch features performances by members of Guns N Roses and Nine Inch Nails. The first single "Reach Down" will be impacting radio on January 11th. The band is comprised of lead vocalist Kat Perkins and touring musicians Eric Warner (guitar), Steve McClurg (bass) and Peter Day Elledge (drums).

The band tours extensively and has shared the stage with many national touring artists including Bon Jovi, Candlebox, Saving Abel, Vince Neil, Blackstone Cherry, Rev Theory and Bret Michaels of Poison. Kat's sultry onstage persona is equally as dangerous as her music. Her attention to stage detail, musicianship, vocal ability and undeniable sexuality, both in attire and music, leave her fans both teased and pleased simultaneously. "Rock, like Scarlet Haze, is a full package," says Kat, "it's not just for the ears but the eyes as well – people just want to get off at a live show – and we aim to please!" - more on this story

Dispatch Return With New Tour

Dispatch have announced their first summer tour in nearly a decade. Dispatch has taken the extraordinary step of setting ticket prices at $40 across the board.

Highlights on the tour include the first ever concert at the 25,000 capacity, brand new Red Bull Arena soccer stadium in Harrison, NJ, less than 10 miles from Manhattan, the famed Red Rocks Amphitheater outside of Denver, the Greek Theatre in Berkeley, CA and a hometown stand at TD Garden in Boston.

"Over these past few years we've really missed playing together, we've missed the road and we've missed our fans, and now we're back like Halley's Comet!," said Dispatch. "It's going to be a great summer." - more on this story

Help The Foo Fighters Suck

(hennemusic) The Foo Fighters are back with a new album this year, they just finished things up on Monday. Now that the record is done, Dave Grohl wants to get the fans involved with their innovative "This Video Sucks" contest.

"I had this idea that, instead of going and spending a ton of money on one video, made by a director who's done it a trillion times," says Grohl.

"Why not split up the cash and give it to the fans and let the fans make 11 different videos for the band. So that, instead of just making one video as the album comes out, we have 11 different videos for the 11 songs on the record." - more on this story

Liam Gallagher Looks To The Past For Pretty Green

(Gibson) Liam Gallagher's new band Beady Eye may be ready to tour in the new year, but the former Oasis singer has not forgotten his fashion muse.

Q magazine's greatest frontman of all time has his own fashion line, Pretty Green, and credits several rock and roll influences in his designs.

According to Music-News.com, his fashion favorites range from Paul Weller to The Beatles: "My fashion icons are, well, George Harrison always looked cool, all The Beatles always looked cool, Keith Richards, Steve McQueen looked good, The Jam, Paul Weller are all influences. The Stone Roses had a look – they were my first thing." - more on this story

John Lennon's Abbey Road Suit Loses 80K at Auction

(hennemusic) Beatles memorabilia will likely always be hot sellers, and a New Year's Day auction has confirmed the latest market value on a few John Lennon-owned items.

The white, two-piece suit Lennon wore on the cover of the Beatles' "Abbey Road" album sold during Saturday's auction by Braswell Galleries of Norwalk, Conn.

Interesting to note that the Abbey Road suit has gone down in value; it last sold for $120,000 back in 2005. The unknown seller reportedly decided to put the item up for auction after experiencing some economic hardship, so while picking up some cash flow, he/she has unfortunately lost almost 80K with the resell. Ouch! - That wasn't the only Lennon collectable auctioned off

Stratovarius' Jorg Michael Updates Fans On Cancer Fight

Stratovarius drummer Jorg Michael, who was diagnosed this past fall with a form of thyroid cancer has issued the following statement: I was overwhelmed by all the wishes, tons of emails and text messages I received from all over the world wishing me a speedy recovery. Thank you so much for supporting me. It made me feel very strong fighting these bastards inside of me.

I have some good news to tell you and believe me - I really enjoy to tell the world: The surgery was done over six weeks ago and the first therapy is done as well. All looks good so far and as [keyboardist] Jens [Johansson] told me before: 'Do not worry, Jörg. What should survive in your body after all that you did to him!' Finally, he was right. There are only small bits and bobs left - I will fight those with another therapy [session] in about four months time.I think I've been very lucky that it was discovered by one of my friends in a very early state. Very good that my friend decided to become a doctor; he was very lousy when he tried playing the guitar.

I'm currently practicing the drums to be ready and kicking again when the tour continues in the new year. I will be back. Thanks again for everything! See you in Paris and everywhere else...... Best, Jörg Michael" - more on this story

Chuck Berry Show Cut Short For Medical Reasons

There were various reports on Sunday that rock legend Chuck Berry collapsed on stage in Chicago on Saturday night. antiMusic's Anthony Kuzminski was at the show and tells a different tale.

In his review of the show, Tony writes: "Despite reports from various media sources, I can without question say that when Berry sat behind that keyboard, his hands came alive the same way as they do when he is grasping a guitar." Later in the show, "After a dispirited 'Reelin' and Rockin'', Berry once again banished the keyboard player to the side and sat behind the keys. This is where reports are appearing to vary. From my viewpoint, at no point did I see him collapse. He may have been ill but to my eyes he seemed dispirited and broken."

"...After sitting behind the keyboard, a number of personnel came to the stage, surrounded him and whisked him away. The crowd was appreciative and applauded and then announcement came that the bars would remain open and that DJ's would provide music for the rest of the evening. Then 10-minutes later, Berry reemerged from the backstage, slid his guitar on and made his way to the front of the stage. He struggled with getting his guitar in tune (something that had been an issue most of the evening) and after a few minutes, he was whisked away once again. An announcement was made to stick around for 15-minutes as Chuck Berry would be checked by a doctor backstage. The crowd cheerfully waited and 15-minutes later, Berry emerged for the final time without an instrument in tow. He came out to apologize to the crowd and explained he had been backstage being checked on by doctors. He wished the crowd a good evening and then proceeded to do his infamous 'duck walk' and like that, he was gone." - Read Tony's full review

Roger Waters Filming The Wall Shows

(hennemusic) If you haven't seen Roger Waters' current touring edition of Pink Floyd's "The Wall," you may soon be able to – from the comfort of your own home.

An update on Roger's site has confirmed plans to capture the experience: "Roger Waters will be filming and recording all 6 shows at The O2 Arena in London in May.

"For these shows, photographs are permitted but we must insist on NO Flash photography. Flash wipes out the images projected on the Wall, which are the most important part of the show. Any person who uses Flash will have their camera confiscated and could be removed from the Arena."
- more on this story

Zakk Wylde To Bring Metal To The Children

(hennemusic) Guitarist Zakk Wylde has some road stories to tell. We'll find them out on May 10 when his new book – "Bringing Metal To The Children" – is published by William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins.

Billed as "the handbook to all things heavy metal," the new book by Wylde, guitar legend and Black Label Society frontman, invites all who dare onto the tour bus for tales of glory, debauchery, and general mayhem. The book is co-authored by Eric Hendrikx.

Wylde shares what really goes on behind tour bus windows and backstage doors. The twenty-five year music veteran of the Ozzy Osbourne band and Black Label Society details his survival techniques for maintaining a life on the road, managing a band of raging vikings, and somehow making it on stage and blowing the crowd away night after night. - more on this story

U2 Duals Coming

(Gibson) Over the last 30 years, U2 have shared the stage and recording studio with a wide array of musical artists, including such notables as Bruce Springsteen, B.B. King, Johnny Cash, Frank Sinatra and Jay-Z.

From rock and punk to country, R&B and gospel, U2's collaborations have spanned many musical genres and introduced their fans to a broad spectrum of music.

U2 are putting the finishing touches on an exclusive package that will put many of these collaborations together in one collection. Titled U2:Duals, the album will be available exclusively to U2's fans through the band's official website and will not be available in shops or online. - more on this story

Def Leppard Plan Live Album

(hennemusic) Expect live Def Leppard in 2011 – both on the road and on disc. We told you, back in September, about the band's intention to tour, and now comes news that a live album is in the works.

"In the old days, a band would call in the Rolling Stones Mobile [mobile recording studio owned by the musical group The Rolling Stones] and record a gig and hope that it worked well — and probably cheat and re-record it all," Lep's lead throat Joe Elliott told Artisan News Service.

"In this day in age, you record every show onto a hard drive. So we've got the entire tour backed up onto three or four hard drives. So we have the unenviable task of listening to probably 50 versions of every song we've ever played. We've got our sound guy from the studio - who's a fantastic engineer and a great co-producer - he's actually listening through to all the versions of the songs and kind of rating them on a 1-10 level of performance and excitement, if you like." - more on this story

Steven Tyler and Jimmy Page Top Artists To Watch in 2011

hennemusic has a look at the rock forecast for 2011 and lays out 10 artists to watch in the coming year. Here are the top 2:

01 - Steven Tyler on American Idol: Could be a wild ride. Or a train wreck. Either way, expect rock fans to check it out. Premieres January 19.

02 - Jimmy Page: According to the 2010 hennemusic Rock News Story Of The Year, Jimmy plans to get out and play some shows in the year ahead. Who will he play with? Where will he play? One-off events, or a regular tour? Zepheads need to know and will be anxiously awaiting news on Mr. Page's plans.
- Check out the full top 10

Paul Gray's Widow Wants Fans To Remember Slipknot Star As More Than Just A Drug Addict

(Rock AAA) The widow of Slipknot bassist Paul Gray says she wants people to remember him as "more than just a drug addict."

Model Brenna Gray was six months pregnant with the couple's daughter when the tragic musician was found dead in an Iowa hotel room in May. He was 38. Police later confirmed he'd taken an accidental overdose of prescription drugs.

But Brenna doesn't want people to focus on what she says was the one negative aspect of her husband's character – and she's determined to make sure his death saves other people's lives. "He was a great guy, a great musician, a great husband, a great friend, a great brother and a great son. I want people to know that." - more on this story

Tenacious D Working on New Album

(Gibson) Although Jack Black has been doing plenty of non-Tenacious D things lately (starring in Gulliver's Travels, teaming up with Jason Segel for a remake of "Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy"), he assures fans that there's more music to come from "The D." He said that he and musical partner Kyle Gass have a new album in store.

"We're in the middle of recording it," he told Spinner.com. "We're about halfway through the writing process. We need another few months. But you can look for it at the end of 2011."

As far as subject matter, Black offered a few clues: "We're gonna be talking about love, there are gonna be some songs about sex and there's gonna be songs about food." - more on this story

Billy Corgan Says Labels Destroyed Music Biz

(Gibson) Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan has been relishing his latest project, Teargarden by Kaleidyscope, because it's allowed him to share music with fans for free through his band's website.

"I like the idea that there's no prohibition in listening," he told Spinner.com. "I grew up in the '70s and listening to the radio was important. We all listened and we all had a common experience. Whether it's like Boston's 'More Than a Feeling' or whatever, you were like, 'Yeah, I know that song, too.' We've kind of lost that."

Corgan went on to blame corporate labels for the current state of recorded music. "Something about the need for the major label system to corner the market has squeezed the excitement out of music," he said. "It's almost like the restaurant where the prices are too high – you can't enjoy your food. You feel like you're getting ripped off, but you don't know why. Fans overall have rebelled." - more on this story

Eddie Van Halen Attends Ex-Wife's Wedding

(hennemusic) Valerie Bertinelli married her boyfriend of 7 years – financial planner Tom Vitale - on New Year's day at the couple's Malibu home.

People.com reports the two exchanged vows in front of about 100 guests, including Bertinelli's son Wolfgang, 19, from her marriage to Eddie Van Halen, who was also on hand with his wife, Janie Liszewski.

In addition to 'Hot In Cleveland' co-stars, and close buddies Jane Leeves and Wendie Mallick, Mackenzie Phillips and Pat Harrington from 'One Day at a Time,' the long-running 70s sitcom that launched her career, were there. - more on this story

Sebastian Bach and John Mellencamp Divorcing Their Wives

(Rock AAA) Ex-Skid Row frontman Sebastian Bach and singer John Mellencamp are both to divorce in 2011, they've revealed.

But Slash's wife Perla Hudson says their relationship is stronger after they filed for annulment in August last year – then withdrew the papers in November.

Bach has issued a statement explaining that he and high school sweetheart Maria Bierk are ending their marriage after 18 years. He says: "For the record, my wife and I have decided to separate. In all but every way, we have actually been separated since last April. - more on this story

John Peel Returns To The Airwaves

(Gibson) BBC Radio 6 Music is to begin broadcasting 15-minute segments of classic John Peel broadcasts during the Marc Riley morning show. According to the Guardian, they will also be available as podcasts.

BBC Radio 1's longest-serving DJ died in 2004 at age 65, while on vacation in Peru. The Peel/Riley connection goes back to the days when Peel championed Riley's old band, The Fall.

Riley said: "Listening to various clips of John in preparation for these programmes it all came flooding back. John's warmth, his bone-dry humor, his passion for the eclectic mix of music he played not to mention his wonderful sense of mischief. - more on this story

Cheap Trick Go To Austin City Limits

(hennemusic) Cheap Trick helped Austin City Limits bring in the New Year with a rock n' roll bang.

They appeared on the first episode of the venerable PBS series in 2011. The hour-long show featured a variety of tracks from the band's career.

The program was taped back in March of last year and finally saw its release this past weekend. - You can check out the Full Show here

Blues Greats Tribute Robert Johnson

(Gibson) Blues greats B.B. King, Charlie Musselwhite, Honeyboy Edwards, Ruthie Foster, Cedric Burnside and Hubert Sumlin are part of a Robert Johnson tribute album set for release on February 1 by Ryko/Big Records.

Big Head Todd and the Monsters are behind the album, 100 Years of Robert Johnson, and tour and have named themselves the Big Head Blues Club – Todd Park Mohr (guitar, vocals), Rob Squires (bass), Brian Nevins (drums) and Jeremy Lawton (keyboards).

According to Undercover.fm, producer Chris Goldsmith said the band worked hard to give Johnson's music the respect it's due. Mohr said: "In so many of the takes on Robert's stuff, you don't get the depth of emotion that's in the lyrics and in Robert's voice. That's one thing that Chris and the band and my voice were able to bring to it. Chris had great ideas about how to represent the stuff, and all the musicians were just so good at what they did, the unique arrangements just came naturally." - more on this story

Rolling Stones Ronnie Wood And Son Helping Each Other Stay Off Drugs

(Gibson) Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood thinks he's the perfect one to help 34-year-old son Jesse go through rehab because he's been there, done that – seven times over.

Over the last 30 years, Ronnie has entered treatment for his drug addiction seven times, and now he says he and Jesse, who plays bass in rock band The Black Swan Effect, are motivating one another to stay sober.

Wood told Uncut magazine, "Jesse's going through rehab. We're helping each other out. I'm over six months clean and good with it. Boredom is a killer as is the idea that I can always have just one drink. Once I got rid of that, I could take my life back and be more focused at everything, my music and my painting." - more on this story