Slipknot 15 Foot Stage Dive Video- Metallica Show Threatened- Groul Smells Like Teen Spirit Again- Chuck Berry Honor Approved- White Wizzard Switch Singers- more

On this day in 1997, the classic Pink Floyd album "Dark Side of the Moon" spent its 1056th week on the US album chart. It was rumoured at the time that if the album was played while watching The Wizard of Oz movie, and started exactly when the MGM lion roared the third time during the movie's intro, very interesting connections could be made between the two. Find out what else happened on this date in music history here
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Rex Brown Officially Out of Down

(Rock News Desk) Rex Brown has finally confirmed he's left Down permanently. Rumours had been circulating for weeks after the bassist described himself as being "in the doghouse" as far as bandmate and former Pantera colleague Phil Anselmo was concerned.

He hadn't appeared on the band's most recent tour and guitarist Pepper Keenan admitted he wasn't sure how to describe Brown's current status. Last week drummer Jimmy Bower said the split was permanent – and now Brown himself has confirmed Down will continue with Crowbar's Patrick Bruders in his place, while he concentrates on new band Kill Devil Hill.

"I'm officially out of the band. Things came to a head and they're better off doing what they're doing with Patrick." Brown tells 8countnews. "I kind of lost my passion after a while. There were some other problems that we had to address – and it just turned out better that we parted ways." more on this story

Tribute To Slipknot's Paul Gray Planned

(RockAAA) Sonisphere will host Slipknot's first UK performance since the tragic passing of bass player Paul Gray, at KNEBWORTH on July 10th, where they close the Apollo Arena stage. The band would like to invite all the maggots in attendance to join them in paying their respects.

At 2pm on the Sunday, a two minute silence, led from the Saturn Arena stage, will fall over the whole arena and all the stages at Knebworth, so fans can pay tribute to Slipknot's number 2.

Fans will also be able to leave a more personal tribute in the book of remembrance that will be left at the Metal Hammer signing tent for the duration of the weekend. The giant, leather-bound book will be open to those who wish to leave their own obituaries, thoughts or drawings, from midday to midnight each day. The book will be passed to the band at the end of the festival on Sunday night. more on this story

Dr Ozzy Osbourne Coming

(Gibson) The book of Ozzy Osbourne's popular healthcare advice column from the Sunday Times in London (and reprinted in Rolling Stone) has been given an October release date.

Like the regular newspaper and magazine columns, the book, called Trust Me, I'm Dr. Ozzy – Advice from Rock's Ultimate Survivor, sees Ozzy share his hard-won wisdom on a wide variety of topics. The book will also offer memoir-style survival stories never before published.

Ozzy's advice is generally given in the form of an anecdote about misadventures in his younger days, but the columns also have included insight on how he coped when wife Sharon was diagnosed with cancer, and warnings against the risk of cocaine: "[it] puts a lot of stress on that little wotsit that hangs down at the back of your throat – the epiglottis, or the 'clack,' as I've always called it. In the mid-1970s, I was taking so much coke, I tore my clack in half." more on this story

Fight Club Writer For Nine Inch Nails Miniseries

(Gibson) Trent Reznor is currently working on a miniseries (to air on HBO and the BBC), based on the Nine Inch Nails album, Year Zero. The 2007 concept record presented a dark vision of the year 2022.

Screenwriter Jim Uhls is working on a script for the science-fiction miniseries, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Uhls has previously worked on the screenplays for Fight Club and Jumper.

Reznor's been heavily involved in the TV/movie world as of late. In addition to Year Zero, he won an Academy Award with Atticus Ross for their score for The Social Network earlier this year. He and Ross also have been working on the score for the American remake of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. more on this story

Jimmy Eat World Announce Bleed American 10th Anniversary Show

(BH) Jimmy Eat World will celebrate the 10th anniversary of their hit "Bleed American" album with a special show where they will play it in its entirety.

That show takes place on Thursday, September 29th at the Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles. Pre-sale to begin June 28th @ 10am (PDT) with the general public on-sale this Thursday, June 30th @ 10am (PDT).

This news comes on the heels of two sold-out shows at London's famed Forum, where the band performed both Bleed American and their lauded 1999 album Clarity, back-to-back. more on this story

Mastodon Announce Album Details and Free Download

(WBR) Mastodon have revealed the title of their new album plus six new song titles that will appear on their next full-length studio album to be released on Reprise Records later this year.

The new LP, The Hunter, will include the tracks: "Curl Of The Burl," "Dry Bone Valley," "Blasteroids," "The Octopus Has No Friends," "All The Heavy Lifting," and "Stargasm." Complete details to be announced soon.

Beginning today June 28th, fans can log on to www.adultswim.com/singles to download a rare and previously unreleased song from the Crack The Skye sessions, titled "Deathbound," as part of the ten week 2011 Adult Swim Singles Program. The same destination will also offer an amazing exclusive video for the song. This is the only place to see and hear this Mastodon rarity. more on this story

The Jesus Lizard's Reunion Show Coming To DVD

(MVD) The Jesus Lizard's live reunion performance from July 14, 2009 at Exit/In in Nashville, is coming to DVD on August 23 as "Club."

Directed by Matthew Robison (producer, Silver Jew - director, We Fun: Atlanta, GA Inside/Out) and produced by Henry Owings (Chunklet Magazine), The Jesus Lizard "CLUB" is the exclusive document of the The Jesus Lizard reunited for their first American performance in over a decade.

Featuring the entire evening's performance, The Jesus Lizard "CLUB" goes inside a fan-favorite set list for over 90 minutes of an incendiary performance from one of the greatest bands of the modern era. The release will also include individual mp3 downloads for each track performed. Check out the trailer here

Bret Michaels Ghost Story

(hennemusic) Poison's Bret Michaels was one of the guests featured on this past week's episode of the Biography channel's "Celebrity Ghost Stories."

"Celebrity Ghost Stories" is told completely through first-person narrative by notable actors, musicians and personalities who believe they have experienced the other side. The hit series features descriptive, personal accounts that deliver a compelling, surprising and downright chilling look into the world of the paranormal.

In the second episode of Season 3, the singer tells the story of a paranormal encounter that he believes involved his late grandmother. "I believe I've absolutely, for sure, seen an apparition in my life," Bret explains, as he goes on to tell the story. "I felt the presence of someone come up and put their hands on my shoulders. It was a warm feeling. It was almost like a friend. I turn around, it was my grandma." more on this story

Roger Daltrey Would Take A Who Tour Over His Tommy Trek

(Gibson) Roger Daltrey is preparing to be on the road this summer, performing The Who's legendary 1969 album Tommy in its entirety. But, he said, if he had it his way, he'd rather be trekking around with The Who.

"Pete [Townshend] is having terrible hearing problems at the moment," Daltrey told Rolling Stone. "I've also had a voice scare. There's nobody I'd rather be on stage with than Pete. But equally, I don't want to be on stage with him destroying the last bit of his hearing. That would be completely foolish. He's a composer."

While Daltrey's out there performing Tommy as a solo artist, Townshend will be working on his forthcoming autobiography, Who He? The Who frontman said he's not sure what to expect from the memoir. "I'm not particularly looking forward to it," Daltrey said and then laughed. "When I look back to some of his interviews, he's said some weird things. I wonder, who's writing this book? But anyway, all I know is that whatever happens on the public stage, behind the scenes we're the best of friends. We're like brothers. Not to say we get on with each other all the time, but if we were ever in trouble, you know that we'd both be there for each other. That's all that matters." more on this story

The Doobie Brothers Release Classic Performance on CD and DVD

The Doobie Brothers Live At The Greek Theatre 1982 hit stores today on CD and DVD and we have two ways for you to get a taste.

You can check out a video from the DVD of the performance of "Listen To The Music" on YouTube here and you can stream the full album over at AOL here. While listening, here are the details about the release:

The rafters of Berkeley, California's famed Greek Theater shook with rock'n'roll fervor as the final date of the final tour of hometown heroes The Doobie Brothers brought many in the crowd that night to tears. Billed as their "Farewell Tour," the band, guitarist/vocalist Pat Simmons, keyboardist/vocalist Michael McDonald, drummer Keith Knudson, guitarist/violinist/harmonica player John McFee, saxophonist/keyboardist/flautist Cornelius Bumpus, drummer/percussionist Chet McCracken, bassist Willie Weeks, and conga player Bob LaKind, pulled out all the stops on a set that revisited their every era. more on this story

KISS and Blow Things Up

(Gibson) KISS' Paul Stanley has pulled back the curtain on the band's early forays into pyrotechnics, which were a lot more cavalier than the high-tech displays employed today.

In an interview with Glen Shaefer at The Province, Stanley said: "We have the best people working with us. When we first started doing it, it was crude to say the least. There were no licensed pyrotechnicians. You had some guy who liked to blow stuff up and you put him on salary."

Stanley says the production values have come a long way since then, with the show "mutating" rather than evolving or progressing. "Do we blow stuff up? Hell yeah. Do we play real loud? Hell yeah. That's what we do, we entertain. We're a killer rock band that prides itself on being entertainers." more on this story

Third Wave of Rory Gallagher Coming

Kayos sent over this big news for Rory Gallagher fans. Eagle Rock Entertainment, in conjunction with the late guitarist/singer/songwriter's family, will re-release the third wave of albums in the catalog of the legendary Rory Gallagher.

Rory Gallagher, in 1978, had scrapped plans for an album he recorded in California earlier that year (finally released by Eagle in May of 2011 as Notes From San Francisco), changed his direction, and reorganized his band. Photo-Finish is the result. Primal…feral…with a hard rock edge, it would be the album that Rory had been dreaming about: a return to the immediacy and pulse-pounding drama of his stage shows. With only bassist Gerry McAvoy and drummer Ted McKenna, Rory lashes out 11 originals with spit and polish including what would become live favorites "Shin Kicker, "Shadow Play" and "Mississippi Sheiks."

A year later, Top Priority had Rory working out his studio chops to deliver what many critics think is one of his greatest albums. "Follow Me" became a concert must. "Philby" has him playing a sitar he borrowed from Pete Townshend of The Who (which he also uses on "Bad Penny"). "Off The Handle" has him blowing some mighty angry blues harp. With McAvoy and McKenna sticking to him like a second skin, Rory again eschews covers for 11 tightly-wound originals. more on this story

Lynch Mob Summer Tour

(Sub) Former Dokken guitarist George Lynch has reformed Lynch Mob for a U.S. tour this summer.

The tour kicks off on July 29th in Houston, TX and finishing in late August on West Coast - with more dates to be announced shortly.

As previously announced, Lynch is releasing his next solo album, Kill All Control, on July 19th through Rocket Science, Inc. This album is the eleventh in his nearly twenty year career. more on this story

Modest Mouse Frontman Isaac Brock To Score Queens of Country

Modest Mouse frontman Isaac Brock is set to compose the score for the upcoming feature film Queens of Country.

Ryan Page and Christopher Pomerenke, the writing and directing team behind the film, are best known for their music documentaries including Blood Into Wine, The Heart Is A Drum Machine and Moog.

The pair have placed an equal amount of importance on the scores to their films with both The Flaming Lips' Steven Drozd (The Heart Is A Drum Machine) and Maynard James Keenan's Puscifer (Blood Into Wine) having contributed to their films. more on this story

Army of the Universe Announce Dates With KMFDM

Army of the Universe have also confirmed their first North American tour, joining KMFDM for a summer trek.

The August tour kicks off on Aug. 3 in Seattle and wraps up on Aug. 27 in Victoria, British Columbia.

Army of the Universe's debut album is far from the first foray into music for Trebla, who is a renowned European DJ under the moniker Albert Vorne. A Swiss native, he started his career as a late teen and experienced quick success with singles "Indigo" and "A Leaden Day." The catapult to prominence put him side-by-side with superstar DJs Armin van Buuren and Paul Oakenfold. Vorne relocated to Italy and remains one of the country's most popular progressive and trance DJs. more on this story

Jon Walker Explains Panic! At The Disco Exit

(Buzznet) After splitting from Panic! At The Disco in July 2009 and then starting and splitting from The Young Veins, Jon Walker has set out to create his own music. He has been writing and recording in Chicago but found some time to talk with longtime friend Keltie Colleen about the band break-ups, married life and his new music.

On splitting from Panic! At The Disco: I didn't really understand everything that was going on while it was going on. The band was experiencing creative and personal differences even before I joined which made for a complicated working relationship. It was extremely hard for me to walk away from not only my good friends but the passion and hard work I put into the project.

On starting and ending The Young Veins: Ryan and I already had quite a few songs in the works intended for consideration on the next Panic album. Our collaboration was evolving which was especially motivating during and after the split. I really enjoyed the material and was hopeful that our new venture would create a balanced partnership but our differences made that difficult.

On the possibility of a Panic! reunion: For now, I enjoy the freedom of working on my own but making Pretty. Odd. was one of the greatest times of my life. For the most part, we (Rob Mathes included) were on the same page, working together in the studio and having a lot of fun in the process. None of us will ever be in that place again but hopefully it had enough impact on each of us to consider working together again if the opportunity presents itself. Check out the full interview here

Pixies and X Make Top 50 American Rock Bands of All Time List

Gibson continues their countdown of the Top 50 American Rock Bands of All Time. Today they disclose their picks for No 31-40. Here are a couple highlights:

34. Pixies: If all the Pixies had done was make great music that was well-received by audiences, they'd already deserve a place on this list. Songs like "Here Comes Your Man," "Monkey Gone to Heaven," "Where is My Mind?," "Cactus" and "Debaser" will forever hold a place in the rock Pantheon. But they deserve further kudos for influencing the quiet verse/loud chorus dynamic of later bands such as Nirvana, who were unashamed of their direct referencing of Pixies song structures. – Peter Hodgson

33. X: X formed in 1977 during the first wave of punk, and later diversified their sound in more rock-based directions. The band is known for their powerful live shows, and was officially recognized by the City of Los Angeles for their contributions to L.A. music and culture. Despite a number of break-ups and reunions, the band is still going strong, although talk of songwriting sessions by vocalist Exene Cervenka and vocalist/bassist John Doe in 2008 has not yet translated into a new album. – Peter Hodgson Check out the full list here

Guster Announce EP and Dates With Jack's Mannequin

(FTW) Guster will be releasing a 6 song EP titled On The Ocean on August 2nd and hitting the road with Jack's Mannequin.

In addition to previously unreleased tracks, On The Ocean will also feature acoustic versions and a remix of a few songs that will be familiar to Guster fans.

The EP will be available from your traditional digital outlets, but in keeping with the band's progressive nature physical copies of the album will only be available at independent retailers and at the shows themselves. more on this story

Deep Purple's Steve Morse Discusses Ritchie Blackmore

(Gibson) Deep Purple guitarist Steve Morse recently spoke to Joe Bosso of MusicRadar.com about becoming the longest-running guitarist for the band. Morse also discussed if he's ever heard anything from Deep Purple's founding guitarist, Ritchie Blackmore.

"I've had no contact with him, but he has made some comments which I thought were remarkably… restrained. He's certainly had perfect opportunities to say whatever he wants, negative or otherwise," Morse said. "But I'm really relieved that he hasn't said anything harsh about me. The most he ever said, and I'm paraphrasing, is something like, 'This guy plays very well and does a lot of different things. I'm not sure if he's right for Deep Purple...'"

Morse said he would understand if he was a target for Blackmore or Deep Purple purists. "But you know, how can anybody replace Ritchie Blackmore in Deep Purple?You can't," he said. "All you can do is come in, do what you do and change the band here and there. You can't be a clone… and you shouldn't." more on this story

Coen Brothers Plan Biopic For Dave Von Ronk?

(Gibson) Oscar-winning filmmakers the Coen Brothers are reportedly working on a movie about New York folk singer and Bob Dylan pal, Dave Von Ronk.

The Los Angeles Times reports a source as saying that, while unable to speak officially for the filmmakers, they are working on a story about the legendary folkie. The same source said that Joel and Ethan Coen are basing their script on Van Ronk's own memoirs, The Mayor of MacDougal Street. Van Ronk died in 2006.

The Coens, known for films like The Big Lebowski and True Grit, have successfully utilized music in their movies before, notably O Brother, Where Art Thou. more on this story

Frampton Comes Alive Turns 35

(hennemusic) 2011 marks the 35th Anniversary of one of the most popular live albums of all time: "Frampton Comes Alive". The 1976 double-album sent Peter Frampton's career into the stratosphere, going on to sell more than 6 million copies in the US in its first year alone. Peter had no idea what was coming or how big the record would become.

"We thought audiences were not getting us on record, but they were getting us live," Frampton told Goldmine last year. "So we thought gold, 500,000. It sort of did that the first week. I felt like I was in a jet fighter with the canopy off. It was pretty intense."

Still, Frampton knew there was some magic in the live recording that made up most of "Frampton Comes Alive!" "I remember the [show] at [the] Winterland [Arena in San Francisco]," he says. "I'd say 75 or 80 percent comes from that one night. It was a very special evening, because it was first time I headlined in San Francisco or anywhere. Up to that point, I was opening or in the middle spot." more on this story

DeVotchKa Release New Video

(Epitaph) DeVotchKa have released a new video for the song "The Man From San Sebastian" from their new album 100 Lovers.

The clip was directed by Vincent Comparetto and offers an exotic old world black and white feel of a long lost Fellini spy film.

As the director explains, "We wrapped our heads around a couple of concepts, and there were definitely a lot of areas we lined up on. I love Constructivism and Suprematism, so I wanted to work some of those ideas into the video. You'll see in a lot of the locations." Watch it here

Sebastian Bach Filming New Videos Today

(hennemusic) Sebastian Bach is set to film two new video videos today in Hollywood, California with director Devin DeHaven of Fortress Entertainment.

"We are actually going to have three videos, but one of them is mainly live in concert," says Bach. "So, we shoot two concept videos tomorrow and then run through the third song to intersperse the live footage with studio video footage," adding, "It's gonna be a fun day."

The follow-up to 2007's "Angel Down," "Kicking & Screaming" was produced by Bob Marlette and features guitarist Nick Sterling and drummer Bobby Jarzombek. more on this story

New Weird America Festival This Weekend

(Sub) Tee Pee Records and the LA Record will present the second annual "New Weird America" Festival on Saturday, July 2 at the Nomad Gallery (1993 Blake Ave, Los Angeles).

Following the success of the 2010 NWA Fest, this year's installment promises an even "bigger and better celebration of the arts" that will open with a very special group art show titled "Twin Infinities" at the Nomad on Friday, July 1.

On July 1, all eyes will be focused on the "Twin Infinities" art show and festival launch at the Nomad. The event will kick off at 6:30 PM and feature original artwork and photography from such well known artists as Melinda Beck, Ross Farrar (of Ceremony), Tim Kerr, Stephen O'Malley (SUNN O))), etc.), Mike Watt (Iggy and the Stooges, The Minutemen) and many, many more. A "very special musical guest" will also be performing. more on this story

White Arms Of Athena Set Album Release

Prosthetic Records have announced an August 16th release date for White Arms Of Athena's new album.

The band's debut full length, "Astrodrama," was produced by Jamie King (Between the Buried and Me, The Human Abstract).

The band previously released three EPs, which can be downloaded for free on their Myspace page. more on this story

Def Leppard Announce Japanese Shows

(hennemusic) Def Leppard are out on tour this summer in support of "Mirrorball," the band's first live album.

After a series of UK dates – including a headlining slot at Download – Leppard are now playing the States with Heart on what is a solid double-bill for rock fans.

Def Leppard have just announced that they will play two shows in Japan in November more on this story

Into It. Over It. and Koji Tour

(ESM) Into It. Over It. and Koji are hitting the road for a two week summer tour of the United Kingdom.

Both artists are touring in support of the second pressing of their full-length split record, simply entitled IIOI/Koji, available now on No Sleep Records in both vinyl and CD.

KOJI is also touring in support of 3 recent releases, Some Small Way and Spring Song Vol. 1 on Run For Cover Records, and Never Come Undone, a split with La Dispute on No Sleep Records. Into It. Over It. recently announced that pre-orders are available now for his new project, Twelve Towns, via Topshelf Records. more on this story

Unearth Announce In-Store

(Earsplit) Unearth have announced a special in-store autograph signing in Lubbock, Texas next month.

The signing will take place at Hastings Books Music & Videos on Tuesday, July 5, 2011, the same day the band's new full-length, Darkness In The Light, is released in North America.

The band will kick off a near two-month stretch of tour dates, including a spot on this year's edition of the Mayhem Festival, that night at Jake's (a headlining show). more on this story

Singled Out: Burn Halo's Tear It Down

Today Burn Halo frontman James Hart tells us about "Tear It Down" from their brand new album "Up from the Ashes," which hit stores today. Here is the story:

"Tear It Down" was one of the last songs that was brought to the table when we were finishing writing the album. Aaron had been working on it in Tulsa, OK with Brandon and Dillon. On the first day of our pre-production sessions they played the song for Roxx and me and we were immediately blown away. I knew this had the impact, energy and aggression we were looking for in a first track on the album.

The intro to the song had been around for quite a while. It was a piece that Brandon had for a song he'd written that just wasn't as far along as the other songs. We scrapped the song along with quite a few more, but I was in love with the intro bit. We had talked about trying to work it into a song and onto the album and it just so happened to work with "Tear It Down". I feel it gives the drama and anticipation you look for when kicking off an album.

Lyrically, the song is about breaking free from the expectations and standards that can hold a person back from becoming their true selves and reaching their full potential. We waste too much precious time trying to work our way up the social or industrial ladder that we lose sight of who we really are.

Joey Roxx's guitar work on the song is exceptional and really took it the next level. Between Roxx and Brandon Lynn, we were able to get some beast ass guitar tones on this album and this track showcases just about every tone you will find from start to finish.

We wanted to make a more dynamic album and "Tear It Down" is just a glimpse.

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