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A reader sent us word that there is a bit of drama in Pearl Jam land. The head of the Pearl Jam Ten Club, Tim Bierman, reportedly called some fans "a**holes" during his weekly satellite radio address. Apparently some fans have complained about a recent doubling of the fan club fee to $40 bucks. And a browse of their message board finds that others were upset about a physical copy of the fan club single. This isn't the first time Bierman is said to have called fans a**holes. The first time was in response to complaints about tour posters and he reportedly said "I'm REALLY sick of a**holes who think they're critics. Try it yourself. Start your own band. Run your own fan club." Who knew fan club managers started bands? Of course, whenever you get any group of people together there are bound to be complaints but.... Grunge Report has audio of the controversial episode of the radio show here.

Velvet Revolver Recording With New Singer

(hennemusic) Velvet Revolver have been doing some studio work with their potential new singer.

Drummer Matt Sorum posted an update to Twitter on Monday: "Did 4 days with an amazing singer and VR and have 9 killer demo tracks. Going to make the decision one way or another this week."

At least publicly, this sounds like things are further along than the band has been with any of the many singers who have auditioned to join VR. more on this story

Corey Taylor Vs The Music Industry

(Rock AAA) After a week in which the British Phonographic Industry appeared to say they had a right to make profits regardless of the quality of music they were putting on offer, record labels are in the firing line again.

Slipknot and Stone Sour frontman Corey Taylor has slammed big companies for signing low-quality acts, and says that's the reason he doesn't blame people for pirating music.

"A lot of people in the industry want to blame downloading for the state of the business. But I think if most music wasn't s*** to begin with people wouldn't be downloading it for free," Taylor tells Kerrang. "Seriously – who wants to risk hard-earned money on music that's maybe 98 percent crap? I'm not going to. I still buy new albums, but people ask what my favourite new album is and nine times out of ten I don't have one. Music is garbage." more on this story

Staind Plan Heavy New Album

(Gibson) Staind singer Aaron Lewis says that the band are working on their seventh album and that the record will be "heavy." Speaking to Vegas.com, Lewis said that the band are "in the studio right now recording another record."

The hard-working frontman is also promoting and touring his well-received solo country album Town Line, but doesn't want anyone to think his country journey means a mellower Staind.

He promises that the band are "steering clear of any ideas that come out of us that might be of the more poppy or mellow nature, and we're concentrating on this being a very in your face record." more on this story

Jesse Leach: Leakswitch Enrage

(Rock AAA) Former Killswitch Engage singer Jesse Leach has erupted in impotent rage after his upcoming album, which he calls "the record of my career", was leaked on the net two weeks ahead of its release.

Times of Grace is his new band with Killswitch guitarist and producer Adam Dutkiewicz, and their debut album The Hymn of a Broken Man is due out next Monday (January 17).

But a preview version has made its way into the wild – and although Leach knows it was inevitable, he's still furious about the situation. more on this story

Rush To Record New Album

(hennemusic) The 2011 Rush schedule includes plans to record a new album in the fall, once the tour wraps up; guitarist Alex Lifeson shared an update on things with U.K.'s Guitarist magazine.

Alex Lifeson: "Originally the plan was to get back into writing and then recording this year but this tour was so successful with the demand for us to carry on and play a little bit longer. So we played with the ideas and as we got closer to the end of the tour we realized we were going to get a lot of push to continue it. And we wanted to, we didn't think we were going to have quite as much fun as we've had with it.

"The whole idea of doing 'Moving Pictures' and not sharing it, particularly in the U.K., was a real concern of ours. So Ged and I will get back to writing in the New Year. We'll get through the Christmas holidays and start writing through January and February. We only have two or three more songs that we feel we need for the album. So we can start reworking the material and get it in great shape. Then we'll prepare for the tour in March, finish in July, take the summer off then start work in earnest in September." more on this story

Filming Done On Ozzy Osbourne Film

(hennemusic) Jack Osbourne has told Artisan News Service that his documentary – "Wreckage Of My Past: The Ozzy Osbourne Story" – has completed filming and is now in post-production.

"Wreckage Of My Past" is billed as "an intimate documentary that delves deep into the life of music icon Ozzy Osbourne. A sober Ozzy has reached a point of clarity as he looks back on a lifetime of unparalleled success, misdiagnosed disease, unrelenting fear and a recurring dependency on drugs and alcohol. This is a film about reconciling the past and looking toward the future."

The film is currently being shopped to film festivals, and should be in theatres this year. more on this story

Nine Inch Nails May Tour Again

(Rock AAA) Despite playing Nine Inch Nails' farewell tour in 2009, Trent Reznor says he might bring the band back to the live arena in the future.

Reznor tells the New York Times "Will I tour again? Certainly. Will Nine Inch Nails play shows again? I'm not saying it's out of the question. But there's no tour planned."

In a light-hearted aside he refers to the tradition of farewells never quite being what they were meant to be in rock music, saying: "Gene Simmons called me up and told me, 'Just say it's your last tour – that always keeps the fans coming'. more on this story

Mini Van Halen Guitars

(hennemusic) Eddie Van Halen fans can now get their hands on miniature replicas of the legendary guitars made famous by one of the most-imitated players in music history.

Billed as "Eddie's Famous Axes Collection," miniature guitar maker Axe Heaven presents a collection of three of EVH's most famous guitars.

Here's the blurb from Axe Heaven: "We have handcrafted these legendary collectible miniature guitars with meticulous detail. All of the vintage details have been added, including front and back paint details, all-metal nut and bolt miniature tuning keys, screw details on the pick guards, and much more." more on this story

KISS Garden Gnomes

(Gibson) KISS have never been shy of investigating and seizing marketing opportunities, from condoms to coffins, and soon fans will be able to adorn their gardens with little gnome versions of the Starchild, the Demon, the Spaceman and the Catman.

KISS offered a sneak peek of the gnome designs on their official website this week. The picture as presented on the site presents an artist's rendition of the four band members standing guard over a suburban garden in the dark. A little tweaking via image editing software reveals a little more detail, but not enough to determine whether the Catman and Spaceman figures are based on Peter Criss and Ace Frehley or Eric Singer and Tommy Thayer.

The gnomes are being released by licensee Grilla Cover. Grilla Cover sources and manufactures licensed products for properties including the U.S. Army, Canadian Football League and Tattoo Johnny. more on this story

Primal Scream Shoot Down Kylie Minogue

(Gibson) When Aussie pop Queen Kylie Minogue asked indie rockers Primal Scream to work on an album with her they turned the prolific hitmaker down.

According to Britain's Daily Express, Kylie met up with Bobby Gillespie and Co. after a gig in Australia and approached them about collaborating.

Gillespie, however, turned her down, explaining to Q magazine: "We met her twice – at a photo shoot and then she came to a gig in Australia. She was lovely. I think she was looking for us to write a song for her and make a record with her. But we were having problems even writing songs for ourselves at that point. So it never happened." more on this story

70s Pearl Jam

(hennemusic) Pearl Jam are having some fun with the promotion for their new album, "Live On Ten Legs," due out next week.

The new live compilation features 18 Pearl Jam tracks captured over the course of the band's 2003-2010 world tours by recording engineer, John Burton.

Pearl Jam have released a third promo for the disc, and this one has a real 70s "K-Tel Records" vibe. The new promo was voiced by Eddie Vedder himself – check it out here

Helmet, St. Vitus, Crowbar for Metalliance Tour

The 2011 Metalliance Tour lineup has officially been announced, the inaugural trek will feature Helmet, Saint Vitus and Crowbar.

The festival tour will run through the U.S. from March 17th through April 5th.

Helmet will perform their 1992 platinum-selling release of Meantime in its entirety. The Interscope Records release gave the band mainstream attention with songs like "Unsung" and "In The Meantime". With the
band's renewed success after getting back together in 2004, this tour will be one of the most anticipated of 2011. more on this story

P.O.D., Dredg and members of Anthrax, Atreyu, and Papa Roach To Play One Love for Deftones Chi

One Love For Chi Returns to Slidebar with the 2nd Annual All-Star Jam & Charity Auction for Chi Cheng of Deftones - NAMM Weekend 2011

P.O.D., Dredg, Brian 'HEAD" Welch along with members of Anthrax, Atreyu, and Papa Roach just some of the artists scheduled to take the stage.

Since November 2008, bassist of modern rock pioneers DEFTONES, Chi Cheng, has remained hospitalized in what doctors have called a "minimally conscious" state. Since the accident, the One Love for Chi organization has banded together to help raise funds to meet the growing costs of Cheng's medical bills. Rooted in a network of musicians all closely connected with Chi throughout his prolific career, this second annual benefit pulls together some of music's biggest names, all to perform 'reach-out-and-touch-em' intimate performances, all in Cheng's name. more on this story

Reel Big Fish Lose Member and Announce Dates With Aquabats

Reel Big Fish have announced the departure of a member and the resumption of their tour with Aquabats.

The tour will kick off on January 13th in Little Rock, AR and will include Suburban Legends and Koo Koo Kangaroo.

RBF then head overseas with Suburban Legends in tow, from February 4 to March 7. New Riot and The Skints will round out the bill on select dates. more on this story

British Sea Power Explain Valhalla Dancehall

(Gibson) British Sea Power have just released their fifth studio album, Valhalla Dancehall. Featuring the single, "Living is So Easy," the album is a follow-up to the soundtrack for Man of Aran. Singer Yan (Scott Wilkinson) sat down with ClashMusic.com to discuss the disc, including its rather colorful title.

"The title evolved as a place to house what we'd done," Yan explained. "'Valhalla Dancehall' is this fictitious, imaginary place that we had to make up as a place that could house all these songs. Imagine all these different rooms and different things going on in them all at the same time. We're in the same house, but different rooms. So with the songs, we had a certain structure to fit into this word and atmosphere, but there wasn't really any limit to what could come out or what was possible. Each song kept getting longer and longer."

He went on to explain the evolving songwriting process that went into the creation of the album: "So writing the record was sort of productive, but a bit of a mess in a way, because we were trying to find new ways of working and new ways of making songs. And I think that every time a song was around and we'd start working on another song, we'd try to avoid going down that same route. I think that's why perhaps it's the widest collection of songs that we've done." more on this story

The World According to Slash

(Gibson) In his fast-paced 45 years, Slash has weathered enough ups and downs to pick up some lessons and anecdotes worth sharing—so much so that the rock and roll guru wrote a memoir in 2007 about his life and 10-year tenure with Guns N' Roses. Coming from a guy who says he used to plow through "one and two bottles of Jack Daniel's a night" during the '80s, he had to dig deep to remember things clearly enough to write about them. Slash's engrossing autobiography is not the only place to learn about one of the world's best living guitarists. We've also mined his interviews from years past to come up with these 10 nuggets.

On serendipity, as stated in his 2007 autobiography Slash: "If it had been any different, if I had been born just one minute later, or been in the wrong place at the right time or vice versa, the life that I've lived and come to love would not exist. And that is a situation that I would not want to consider in the slightest."

On his L.A. upbringing, as told to the Los Angeles Times in August 2010: "In the 1970s, my family moved from England to the Laurel Canyon area, and my parents were very much dialed in to the whole Sunset Strip scene. They were both in the music business, and the whole reason we lived where we did was because of the recording industry. So I have very vivid memories of the Rainbow and the Roxy, and the Whisky was a huge point of interest at that time. And we practically lived at Tower Records. It was all so great; that's where I brought my band up. It was such a scene. I still live close to the Strip, just up the hill, and when people are visiting from out of town, the first place I send them is the Rainbow. I still go to the Roxy and the Viper Room every so often. The Rainbow and Viper Room are almost like in a time warp. They are cryptically unchanged. You see people you haven't seen for 20 years, and they pretty much look the same now as they did then. It's sort of a trip because I'm probably one of them." Read the other 8 here

Coheed and Cambria To Play Debut Album in Full On American Tour

Coheed and Cambria announced their plans this spring to perform their debut album, The Second Stage Turbine Blade, in it is entirety in 22 cities across the US and in Toronto, Canada.

The "Evening with" format will also feature a rare 30-40 minute acoustic set, as well as an extra set of songs from other albums.

In 2001, Coheed and Cambria solidified their lineup and began playing shows as a band. They also started work in singer/guitarist Claudio Sanchez's bedroom on what would become their groundbreaking debut album on Equal Vision Records. In the ten years since, the band have released five studio albums, three live DVDs, and established themselves as one of the world's great rock bands with one of the fiercest followings known in any genre. more on this story

Coldplay To Tackle Love and Addiction on New Album

(Gibson) Coldplay frontman Chris Martin has refuted reports that the group's next recording will be a concept album, instead describing it as "a thinly veiled account of what happens within the group" touching on "love, addiction, OCD, escape and working for someone you don't like."

Martin told BBC's Radio 1 that the album, the band's fifth, is "supposed to be about life, the good stuff and the bad stuff. Everything." He also noted that the album is about "two like-minded outsiders who meet in a very difficult environment and therefore have a journey together," and added that it contained "lots of uplifting stuff."

Drummer Will Champion added, "There's a phrase which my wife told me from a book, I can't remember which book, but a man is asked, 'Are you married?' And he says, 'Yes, of course I'm married. I have a wife, kids, the whole catastrophe.'" Champion then elaborated, "Catastrophe just means something big and seismic but not necessarily bad. It's all about embracing the whole thing. Appreciating the good and bad and realizing it's all part of life." more on this story

Robert Plant Producer Pat Moran Dies

(Gibson) Record producer Pat Moran, who had worked with Robert Plant, Lou Gramm and Big Country, has died, according to ClassicRockMagazine.com.

Moran passed away after a decades-long battle with a debilitating disease. Moran worked as a producer and engineer on many high-profile recordings.

His résumé includes: Robert Plant's Pictures at Eleven and Principal of Moments, Lou Gramm's Ready or Not, Danny Wilde's Any Man's Hunger, Iggy Pop's Soldier, Edie Brickell and the New Bohemians' Shooting Rubber Bands at the Stars as well as work with Big Country, Jon Butcher Axis, Tom Cochrane, John Miles Transition and others.

Guns N' Roses National Anthem Video

(hennemusic) Guns N' Roses guitarist DJ Ashba was on hand for some ceremonies in Anaheim on Saturday.

Ashba performed the national anthem at the AMA Supercross (an FIM World Championship) at Angel Stadium of Anaheim.

Ashba promoted the appearance on Twitter, saying. "I will be performing The National Anthem in front of 60,000 at Angel Stadium Jan. 8th for the AMA Super Motor Cross to kick off the Season!! Hope to see you all there! Come say hi!!" Check it out here

Anniversary of Jimi Hendrix's Purple Haze

(Gibson) Before it became part of the soundtrack to the Summer of Love, before it became the musical representation of an acid trip, before it became one of the greatest rock songs of all time, before it became Jimi Hendrix's signature tune… "Purple Haze" was recorded by Hendrix, Mitch Mitchell and Noel Redding on this day in 1967.

The song that was to become The Jimi Hendrix Experience's second single was reportedly written in late 1966. According to Hendrix's manager, Chas Chandler, Hendrix was playing the riff backstage at a gig and Chandler encouraged him to put lyrics to the music. But there is plenty of debate as to when that happened or what the original lyrics contained. It's been reported that Jimi penned the words while in the dressing room of the Upper Cut Club on Boxing Day in '66. Hendrix later said that the lyrics were shortened later, but Chandler claimed that the words were recorded as written.

As far as Hendrix's inspiration for the song goes, "Purple Haze" had nothing to do with drug use. In 1969, he told NME that the song "was all about a dream I had that I was walking under the sea." The guitar legend claimed that the phrase, "Purple Haze," came from a science-fiction story. He also said that the tune was really a love song, pointing to the key lyric: "Whatever it is, that girl put a spell on me." more on this story

Ricky Warwick Excited With Thin Lizzy Gig

(Rock AAA) New Thin Lizzy frontman Ricky Warwick still can't believe he's in the band that inspired him – and he still gets a shock when he realizes the iconic logo is behind him on stage.

The former Almighty singer, Def Leppard guitarist Viv Campbell and ex-Whitesnake bassist Marco Mendoza joined up with Lynott-era members Scott Gorham, Brian Downey and Darren Wharton last year to start work on a 2011 tour. They're on the road now and receiving rave reviews – and Warwick believes Lynott, who died 25 years ago last week, would approve of how they're respecting his legacy.

"We all know it's not going to be the same. It's got to be different because Phil is irreplaceable," the frontman tells RockAAA "People keep saying to me, 'Those are really big shoes to fill' – but I'm not filling his shoes. There will only ever be one Phil Lynott and that's it. We can't replace him. What we can do is go out there and play his songs with a passion, a spirit and an energy and try to make them as vibrant as we can. And that's what we are doing." more on this story

Check Out Sebastian Bach's Ducks Power Ballad

(hennemusic) It's been a whirlwind week for Sebastian Bach. On Wednesday, Bach rocked Late Night with Jimmy Fallon with a live rendition of "We Are The Ducks," a power ballad/fight song for the University Of Oregon Ducks – designed to inspire the team to victory against Auburn University at the BCS Championship game; on Thursday night, Fallon debuted the official video version of the song, featuring an outstanding performance by Bach.

By Friday, Bach had an invite to appear at the Ducks' Pep Rally in Arizona on Sunday, the day before the big game, as well as tickets to the game itself.

Reports say the hour-long event was attended by thousands of Oregon fans, and outdrew the Auburn rally earlier in the day. Check it out

The Stray Cats' Lee Rocker Announce EP and Tour Dates

(PR) The Stray Cats' Lee Rocker release a new EP "The Cover Sessions" this Spring and has a series of live dates planned, including a free show at NYC's venerable Rockwood Music Hall on February 3rd, 2011.

Rocker's forthcoming EP "The Cover Sessions" is a 6-track collection of some of his favorite songs, done in his own unique style. Recorded using acoustic guitars, banjo, mandolin, accordion, autoharp, harmonica's, the occasional electric guitar and of course the upright bass. Advance orders of signed copies are currently available at leerocker.com. The EP will be available on all digital download sites March 8th, 2011. Tracklist TBA.

Rocker will treat NYC fans to a free celebration of his favorite tracks, as well as fan favorites February 3rd at Rockwood Music Hall. The show features classic Stray Cats hits like "Rock this Town," "Stray Cat Strut," "Bring it Back Again" and "Sexy and Seventeen." more on this story

Ozzy Osbourne To Unveil A Giant Les Paul

(Gibson) Ozzy Osbourne will sign a giant Gibson Les Paul at the House of Blues on Hollywood's Sunset Strip today, marking a return to the famous stretch of street where Ozzy was honored in 2009 at a tribute event during the Sunset Strip Music Festival.

Ozzy will autograph the one-of-a-kind, 10-foot-tall Fiberglass Les Paul at 2 p.m. Pacific time during a ceremony which will also mark the launch of the second leg of Ozzy's U.S. arena tour, which will include special guest Slash – with Myles Kennedy of Alter Bridge on vocals – as support.

Ozzy's Sunset Strip Les Paul will join 25 other Fiberglass axes as part of Gibson GuitarTown, a public arts project to honor the rock legends, people and places that made the Sunset Strip famous, including the Roxy Theater, the Whisky A Go Go and the Rainbow, and legends such as Slash, Jimi Hendrix, Brian Wilson, The Doors, Peter Frampton, the Runaways and Cheech & Chong. more on this story

When Def Leppard Went Grunge

(Gibson) Producer/engineer Pete Woodroffe has provided a unique insight into the Def Leppard inner sanctum during the recording of the band's 1996 album Slang, which found the group abandoning their pop hooks for a more experimental sound amid the prevailing grunge records of the time.

Speaking to rockpages.gr, Woodroffe said Nirvana had changed everything, and the members of Def Leppard were all listening to a whole new type of music. "They wanted to grow as a band and, of course, they were writing the songs without [producer] Mutt [Lange]," Woodroffe said.

"Because they'd been so huge at the end of the '80s, they were almost emblematic of what grunge was trying to replace. With Slang we tried to make a really strong album that took on board what was going on around us. …It was strange to be moving away from the usual Def Leppard sound, but at the same time it was really exciting. We rented a villa in Spain and put in a studio which was just a load of ADAT tape machines and Mackie mixing desks that I'd borrowed from the band's home studios." more on this story

Beady Eye Release Fourth Video

(hennemusic) Beady Eye have just released their fourth video from the upcoming album, and it's not even out for another 6 weeks.

Former Oasis singer Liam Gallagher's new band have posted the video for "The Roller."

Reports suggest the track will be the first radio single from the band's forthcoming debut, "Different Gear, Still Standing," set for release February 28. more on this story

Rival Sons Release New EP

(Earache) Rival Sons have released a brand new, self-titled EP today exclusively on iTunes.

The Rival Sons EP features six tracks of raucous, blues-infused rock 'n' roll, showcasing the band's incredible talents ahead of their new full-length album, which is due to be released later this year on Earache Records.

Until then, fans will "get what's coming" with this EP that sees the band bring attitude and unpredictability back to rock. more on this story

Dave Grohl Declared A Godlike Genius

(Gibson) Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl will be given the Godlike Genius award at February's Shockwaves NME Awards in London. Grohl will pick up the award on Feburary 23 at the O2 Acaedmy Brixton. His band will also perform that evening.

"I don't think I'm godlike or a genius," he told NME.com. "It's flattering. It's a nice thing to be acknowledged for doing something you love to do, but in truth I don't consider it a body of work because I don't consider it work."

The former Nirvana drummer will join an elite bunch of previous honorees: The Cure, The Clash, Paul Weller, Manic Street Preachers, Primal Scream and New Order. more on this story

Roger Daltrey Hootenanny

(hennemusic) Roger Daltrey of The Who helped Jools Holland ring in the New Year with an appearance on Jools' annual Hootenanny broadcast.

The BBC2 special had just over 3 million viewers tuning in to see such acts as Vampire Weekend, Kylie Minogue, Alison Moyet and others.

Daltrey sat in with Jools & His Rhythm & Blues Orchestra to play the Muddy Waters' classic, "Mannish Boy." Check it out here

Escape The Fate Release Remix EP and are Hitting The Road

(Submitted) Escape The Fate's Issues Remix EP comes out today. The EP boasts remixes of "Issues," the first single from their recently released self-titled album.

The Issues Remix EP features remixes by Jakwob (Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Lily Allen), LA Riots (Tiesto, The Ting Tings), Wolves At The Gate (The Cure) and Does It Offend You, Yeah? (Muse, The Raconteurs, Bloc Party).

The band launches "The Dead Masquerade" North American headlining tour January 20th in support of Escape The Fate. more on this story