TV On The Radio Star Battling Cancer- Motley Split- James Taylor Breaks A Leg- ZZ Skynyrd- Double Bizkit- Yellow Sub Remake Sunk- Paradise Lost- Arcade Fire-

On this day in 1965, The Rolling Stones were at #1 on the U.K. singles chart with "The Last Time." the group's third U.K. #1 and the first A-side for songwriters Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. Find out what else happened on this date in music history here

Greatest Rock and Roll Comebacks

(Gibson) Alice Cooper once observed that life as a rock-and-roller is like riding a roller coaster. For every thrill-ride to the top, there seems to be a frightening plunge to the bottom. The hazards of the rock lifestyle are such that some musicians and songwriters remain forever mired in a trough, and never return to past glories. But as the following artists prove, the ability to rise phoenix-like from the ashes is a big part of rock history as well.

2) AC/DC: AC/DC's landmark 1979 album, Highway to Hell, propelled the Australian rockers to the upper echelon of hard-rock bands. Tragically, while working on their follow-up album, frontman Bon Scott lost his life after falling into unconsciousness following a night of heavy driving. The band considered quitting, but decided instead to bring singer Brian Johnson on-board. The resulting album, Back in Black, paid tribute to Scott's memory and became a seminal rock classic.

1) Aerosmith: At the turn of the '80s, Aerosmith went from being one of the rock's most popular bands to teetering on the edge of collapse. Crippled by the departures of both Joe Perry and Brad Whitford, the band released just one album of new material between the years 1980 and 1984. Perry and Whitford returned to the fold in the mid '80s, however, and a cleaned-up Aerosmith stormed back with a series of landmark albums and singles that propelled them to dizzying heights. Since then, interest in the band has rarely waned. Check out the full top 10 list here

Ex Guns N' Roses Manager Fires Back

(Rock AAA) Former Guns N' Roses manager Alan Niven has claimed he rescued the band from the brink of being dumped by their record label and insisted everything he ever did for the band was in their best interests – even at the expense of his own pocket.

Niven was hitting back at a recent interview with former Guns bassist Duff McKagan on GNREVOLUTION in which he suggested Niven was 'not the most professional'.

In a letter sent to Bravewords, Niven wrote: "I would, however, appreciate that as regards 'professionalism' and 'right and wrong' you make some things clear . . . That the wanton tour spending was done after I left and for that matter you had good foundational contracts in place … including a renegotiated Geffen contract … something that the management of both Whitesnake and Aerosmith were not 'professional' enough to achieve for their artists. more on this story

Trap Them Singer Kicks Heckler

(Metal Injection) During a recent stop in Baltimore, MD, Trap Them vocalist Ryan McKenney was forced to intervene when a heckler starting abusing the band and the crowd.

Issues arose when the heckler started pushing and abusing fellow concert-goers leading McKenney to kick the man in the upper chest, knocking him to the side of the stage.

At the conclusion of the band's performance of a new song, Scars Align, McKenney had enough asking the fan: "Do you even like us or are you just trying to f*** with us."

The entire incident was shot by Metal Injection and can be seen here

Beach Boys SMiLE Release Confirmed

We told you last month that there were indications that the most famous "lost" album in history was going to get an official release and we now learn that Capitol/EMI do indeed plan to issue the Beach Boys' landmark SMiLE album. Here is the official word with a lot of details. If your not familiar with SMiLE, read on to learn the tale:

Between the summer of 1966 and early 1967, The Beach Boys recorded, in several sessions, a bounty of songs and drafts for an album, SMiLE, that was intended to follow the band's 1966 masterpiece, Pet Sounds. The sessions were ultimately shelved, and The Beach Boys' SMiLE has never been released. With the full participation of original Beach Boys Al Jardine, Mike Love, and Brian Wilson, Capitol/EMI has collected and compiled the definitive collection, 'The SMiLE Sessions,' for worldwide release this year in multiple physical and digital configurations.

The SMiLE Sessions presents an in-depth overview of The Beach Boys' recording sessions for the enigmatic album, which has achieved legendary, mythical status for music fans around the world. The SMiLE Sessions will be released in 2CD and digital album packages and a deluxe, limited edition box set. more on this story

Steven Tyler's Music Era Is Over

(hennemusic) After participating in the audition stages of the American Idol adventure, Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler got a first-hand look at how the system had changed since he started out, and now he's fully bought into the program.

"I wish I could represent for my era but my era's over," said Tyler, speaking before a special Q&A with fans of the show at PaleyFest in Beverly Hills.

"The way it was back then, isn't how it is now. It's all about however you can get heard, get it out there. You've gotta have the right song and you better be good." more on this story

Gene Simmons, Lil Wayne and Raekwon on New Limp Bizkit

(Gibson) Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst says Lil Wayne has added vocals to the band's new album, reports NME.com. The rapper lends his famous rhymes to a track called, "Ready to Go," which is slated to be included on the rap-rock band's fifth studio album, Gold Cobra.

The announcement came via Twitter: "Oh, excuse me, 16th song mixed is, 'Ready to Go,' featuring Lil Wayne! I love it," Durst tweeted.

Other guest appearances on Gold Cobra include Wu-Tang Clan rapper Raekwon and KISS bass player Gene Simmons, who has laid down the voiceover for the CD's intro. more on this story

Iron Maiden Announce New Collection

(hennemusic) Iron Maiden has announced a new "best of" collection is on its way from the legendary metal band.

Due May 23, "From Fear To Eternity: The Best Of 1990-2010" is a double-CD set spanning twenty years, coming on the heels of the success of Maiden's 2010 studio album, "The Final Frontier," which hit the number one spot in 28 countries around the world. It also became the band's highest-charting album in the US, where Maiden were recently awarded their first Grammy for Best Metal Performance, for the song "El Dorado."

"From Fear To Eternity" is a chance for new fans of the band to explore Iron Maiden's history, with the highlights of their last eight studio albums distilled into this collection, which follows 2009's compilation of their earlier work, the 1980-1990 "Somewhere Back In Time" album. more on this story

Slash Rocks Japan

(Gibson) Guitar great Slash played on despite the devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

The Daily Express reports that Slash canceled shows in Tokyo and Yokahama, but chose to fly to Japan for his scheduled gig in Osaka on March 14.

The former Guns N' Roses star thanked his Japanese fans for their support on his Twitter page: "Great gig in Osaka tonight. Great spirits, despite all that has happened... We're positively coming back soon to play Tokyo & Yokohama. In the meantime, lots of love to the Japanese fans. U will make it thru these difficult times." more on this story

Staind's Aaron Lewis Goes Nashville

(Gibson) He may be known for hard rock with his band Staind, but Aaron Lewis has just debuted at no 1 on the Billboard country album chart with his Nashville-recorded Town Line album.

The album was kickstarted with CMT's heavy rotation of Lewis's hard country track, "Country Boy."

Currently on a small club tour, Lewis stopped in Nashville on Monday for a show at the 12th and Porter club, ably assisted by some of Nashville's finest musicians. Lewis had Paul Franklin on pedal steel, Brent Mason on lead guitar and the legendary Eddie Bayers on drums. more on this story

The Pogues Farewell Show

(Gibson) London-Irish folk-punks The Pogues will celebrate St. Patrick's Day this week with a farewell show in New York. Their current U.S. tour will be their last.

The Daily Express reports that last year singer and writer Shane MacGowan said they would soon quit touring after tiring of life on the road. Pogues founding member Spider Stacy also said recently that, "as touring in the future, we won't be coming to America, certainly not for what we would call a long tour like this one."

This week the band will play a three-night residency that they are calling A Parting Shot at Terminal 5 in Manhattan, with the final show set, appropriately, for Thursday (March 17), St Patrick's Day. more on this story

The Strokes New Album Recording Process Was Awful

(Gibson) The Strokes are streaming their fourth studio album, Angles, online. The album, which drops March 22 in the U.S. and March 21 in the U.K., is available to hear at their official website, TheStrokes.com.

The Strokes' guitarist Nick Valensi recently checked in about the new album, and described the recording process for Angles as "awful," mainly because vocalist Julian Casablancas was absent from the group's recording sessions, instead taping his vocals remotely at Electric Lady Studios in New York.

"I'd show up certain days and do guitar takes by myself, just me and the engineer," the guitarist said. "Some of the third album (2006's First Impressions of Earth) was done that way, but at least we were on the same page about what the arrangements and parts were. 75 percent of this album felt like it was done together and the rest of it was left hanging, like some of us were picking up the scraps and trying to finish a puzzle together." more on this story

Duff Explains Jane's Addiction Exit

Duff McKagan joined Jane's Addiction because bassist Eric Avery's departure had all but crushed the band. But says it quickly became apparent that he couldn't stay.

The ex Guns n'Roses and Velvet Revolver man parachuted in last year after Avery had spent weeks hinting he was planning to leave. He says the remaining members were in dire need of assistance when Avery finally left.

But less than six months after joining he left again – and the band weren't able to explain why. Now McKagan tells Vanity Fair: "We wrote some really great songs. But when I started recording with my own band, Loaded, in August, I really discovered I could only do one thing or the other." more on this story

Linkin Park Charity T-Shirts

(Gibson) More artists are doing their part to get involved in efforts to help the victims of Japan's recent earthquake and tsunami. Linkin Park's Mike Shinoda has designed T-shirts to benefit the group's Music for Relief charity, reports MTVNews.com.

One design features the figure of a paper crane-like white butterfly above the Linkin Park logo, and the other one has "Not Alone" splattered on the front in red, white and blue. Donations of $10 can be made by texting "MFR" to 85944.

Other supportive tweeters include Katy Perry ("Remember as you go about your day please #prayforjapan & if you are able, text REDCROSS to 90999 to donate $10 to Japan's emergency relief") and Lady Gaga ("I Designed a Japan Prayer Bracelet. Buy It/ Donate here and ALL proceeds will go to Tsunami Relief Efforts. Go Monsters"). more on this story

Clutch Mini Tour

Clutch plan to hit the road for a short headlining tour with support from Maylene & the Sons of Disaster.

The tour kicks off on May 20th in Reading, PA and will be in support of their forthcoming "Basket Of Eggs" bonus CD, as well as serving as an extended warm up run for their large scale European Festival tour in June.

"Basket of Eggs" is the 10 song new music bonus CD which will be included with the April 26th release of Clutch's deluxe, double disc, 25 song reissue of "Blast Tyrant" via Weathermaker Music. more on this story

Iron And Wine Covers George Michael For the Onion's AV Club

Tony K has this report: Some cool stuff is happening in Chicago at the moment at the Onion's/AV Club's Chicago office on West Superior Street. Many artists are coming into the office and covering songs from the past for this year's "25 Bands, 25 Cover Songs".

The list of songs were chosen by readers and the editors, you can check out the full list here.

The series started yesterday, March 15th and we have Iron and Wine covering George Michael's 1990 hit, "Praying For Time". Check it out here

Satriani Excited By New Chickenfoot Sounds

(Gibson) It's hard enough getting four musicians together at any given time to get work done. But when those four musicians are world-class players with outside bands and solo work to take into account, sometimes it can be downright difficult. Case in point: Chickenfoot, the hard rock supergroup featuring Van Halen alums Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony, Red Hot Chili Pepper Chad Smith and guitar deity Joe Satriani. With the Red Hit Chili Peppers' calendar bearing down on the band, they are knuckling down to crank out the follow-up to the group's self-titled debut album.

"The pressure's on, I guess," Satriani told MusicRadar.com. "We're making this record very quickly. Our debut album was also recorded quickly, but as a group we did it in stages. We couldn't do that this time."

Satriani believes that the pressure of finishing the album has created a lot of positively channeled energy. "I finished my Black Swans tour, knowing that we would have Chad for only a certain amount of time because of the Chili Peppers," he said. "So we had to meet up and blast through the tracks, which resulted in a terrific amount of energy and enthusiasm. It's like we were bottled up for so long, just waiting and waiting to get together to make this record. This isn't going to be a laid-back album by any means. It kicks pretty hard." more on this story

Augustana Spring Tour

Augustana have announced plans to hit the road this May for their first tour in support of their self-titled third album for Epic Records due out on April 26th, 2011.

The tour will kick off May 12th in Dallas, TX then cross the country before finishing in San Diego on June 17th.

The band, which is fronted by vocalist/lyricist Daniel Layus, recorded the album in Los Angeles with Grammy Award-winning producer/engineer Jacquire King, who is known for his work with Kings of Leon and Norah Jones, among others. more on this story

Jon Bon Jovi Says Steve Jobs Is Killing The Music Business

(Rock News Desk) Jon Bon Jovi says kids are missing out on the magic and mystery of buying music and says Apple boss Steve Jobs is personally responsible.

The singer says digital selling has removed the individual experience of choosing, playing and falling in love with albums. He believes that loss is a major contributor to the collapse of the record industry, and the iPod creator should answer for it.

"When I was a kid it was a magical time. Kids today have missed the whole experience of putting the headphones on, turning it up to 10, holding the sleeve, closing your eyes and getting lost in an album," Bon Jovi tells the Sunday Times. "They've missed out on taking your allowance money and making a decision based on the sleeve – not knowing what a record daunted like, but looking at a couple pictures and imagining it instead." more on this story

Slayer and Iron Maiden Classics Make Top Metal Songs of All Time Countdown

Gibson continues their countdown of the Top 50 Metal Songs of All time today with their picks for No. 30 to 21. Here are a couple of highlights:

29. "Raining Blood," Slayer: What's more metal than a song about trying to overthrow heaven? The grand finale of Slayer's 1986 classic Reign in Blood, "Raining Blood" matches the violence of its lyrics with an ugly sonic assault. It also includes one of the best-ever metal riffs, with co-writers/guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King harmonizing on that piercing 10-note attack. Then, drummer Dave Lombardo really kicks things into gear, and Slayer leaves behind nothing but a path of destruction. No wonder it's still Hanneman and King's favorite song to play live. – Bryan Wawzenek

22. "Run to the Hills," Iron Maiden: Prior to "Run to the Hills," metal fans probably wouldn't have expected the U.S./Native American conflicts to be such a fertile foundation for a metal classic. But the violence, anger and sadness of that portion of history make for brilliant subject matter for this galloping Iron Maiden track. The lead single of 1982's The Number of the Beast, "Run" was the song that introduced the vocal acrobatics of new lead singer Bruce Dickinson. A new era in metal had begun. – Bryan Wawzenek

Check out today's full list

Former Thin Lizzy Guitarist Speaks Out

(Rock News Desk) The Thin Lizzy lineup led by John Sykes was a waste of time, says classic era guitarist Brian 'Robbo' Robertson.

He hasn't seen the 2011 edition of Phil Lynott's legacy outfit, but he hopes they manage to record new material – and he says he's glad the Sykes band didn't.

Robbo helped forge the band's twin-lead guitar sound before a stint with Motorhead and later Frankie Miller. After nearly two decades he's back with his first solo album, Diamonds and Dirt more on this story

VH1 Rock Docs: Foo Fighters Announced

VH1 Rock Docs: "Foo Fighters" is set to premiere Friday, April 8th at 10 pm ET/PT on VH1, VH1 Classic and Palladia.

The special will chronicle the 16 year history of the Foo Fighters, from Dave Grohl's early demos as Nirvana's drummer through the band's rise to Grammy-winning, multi-platinum status as one of the world's biggest rock bands.

Watch Dave Grohl, Chris Shiflett, Nate Mendel, Taylor Hawkins and Pat Smear come together as Academy Award winning filmmaker James Moll follows the band record their upcoming new album in Dave's garage. Trailer here

David Byrne Duets With If By Yes (Wilco, Mr Bungle)

David Byrne made a guest appearance with If By Yes on Monday Night in New York City. Here is recap we were sent over:

If By Yes played the second of three March NYC shows (the last is 3/25 at Mercury Lounge) with the core line up of Petra Haden (vocals), Yuka Honda (keyboards), Yuko Araki (drums), Hirotaka "Shimmy" Shimizu (guitar) being supplemented with guitarist Nels Cline (Wilco) and bassist Trevor Dunn (Mr. Bungle).

They were also joined by David Byrne who duetted with Petra on "Eliza," a song on their debut album, "Salt on Sea Glass" that he co-wrote and duetted with Petra on. more on this story

Singled Out: David Michael's Heart Let Up On Me

Today Americana singer/songwriter David Michael tells us about "Heart Let Up On Me" from his brand new album "Low Bid On A Dream". Here is the story:

"Here's a song that's been rattlin' around in my bag for years and years. My pal, John Kappler, fells it's struck from then mold of the great old road warriors, like Merle Haggard and Waylan Jennings, and thinks we should pass it along to Jeff Bridges, since by some mystical coincidence the song foretold the story of his movie "Crazy Heart". Hell, that'd be great!

The singer seems to be a loner who's had it made over and over, but walked away. There's a recurring three note bass line which descends, but leaves us at the same chord taking us nearly nowhere, almost as a measure of this tired cowpoke. Same thing at the mid-song crescendo where the changes lead to an almost certain modulation which never comes.

Instead the venerable Dick Meis brings in the pedal steel guitar to weep for us and for this worn out rambler, who'd go home if he knew where it was."

Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen for yourself with previews clips from the entire album right here!

B.B. King, Eric Clapton and The Who Get Double Icon Releases

Universal Music Enterprises have announced the latest batch of releases in their Icon Series.

Among the 10 collections of hits, signature tunes and fan favorites, released April 5, 2011, are Rock and Roll Hall of Famers B.B. King, Eric Clapton and The Who, each heard with a single disc and a 24-track, two-disc set release.

Also presented are single-disc compilations for Cat Stevens, Joe Cocker, Quincy Jones and Sublime and the first greatest hits retrospectives from R&B star Avant, alt-rock band Local H and metal group Nonpoint. more on this story

Ted Nugent Offers Up Free Song

(hennemusic) As an incentive to join his mailing list, Ted Nugent is offering fans a FREE download of his new song, "I Still Believe."

"America is a target-rich environment for an independent man addicted to logic, truth and The American Way," says Nugent.

"'I Still Believe' throttles the animal spirit of rugged individualism in pure MotorCity ultra hi-energy rhythm & blues and rock & roll." more on this story

Gathering of the Vibes Lineup Shaping Up

Gathering of the Vibes have announced the initial lineup for this summer's music festival:

Furthur featuring Phil Lesh and Bob Weir, Jane's Addiction, Elvis Costello & The Imposters, moe., The Levon Helm Band, John Butler Trio, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Dr. John and the Lower 911, Taj Mahal Trio, The Rhythm Devils with Keller Williams, Steve Kimock and Reed Mathis, Ivan Neville's Dumpstaphunk, Toots & The Maytals, Dark Star Orchestra, Ryan Montbleau Band, David Gans, Assembly of Dust, The McLovins, King for a Day and Bridgeport's own Deep Banana Blackout. The New Mastersounds, Big Gigantic, and others to headline the Late Night Stage.

The second round of artist announcements will be made within the next 2 weeks. Vibes continues its tradition of embracing new, undiscovered artists, alongside legendary performers by reviewing 2,400 submissions via the Vibes website and Sonicbids, for an opportunity to perform in front of 20,000+ music enthusiasts. Over 40 bands will perform on multiple alternating stages at Seaside Park's 370-acre beachfront venue. more on this story

X Japan's Yoshiki to Auction Crystal Piano to Aid Earthquake Victims

(HER) Yoshiki, leader of the Japanese rock band X Japan will put his favorite "crystal" piano on the auction block, donating all proceeds to help provide aid to the victims of Japan's earthquake and tsumani.

The custom-made, plexi-glass "Yoshiki Signature Piano by Kawai" with Yoshiki's name engraved on it, was used when the band played their legendary shows at the Tokyo Dome.

The Japanese-born Yoshiki, who lives in Los Angeles, felt the earthquake tremors while in a Tokyo recording studio working on X Japan's first North American album, and was shocked by the large-scale damage across Japan." "It took awhile to locate my mother, but she is, thankfully, OK," said Yoshiki, "and I've spoken with [band members] Toshi, Pata, Sugizo and Heath, and they are all safe as well." I am praying for the people here who are still trying to locate their family and friends." more on this story

Alice Cooper Old School Boxset

(hennemusic) Announced in sync with his induction into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame: a new box set from Alice Cooper.

The "Alice Cooper: Old School 1964-1974" boxset comes in a commemorative 12 inch square "school desk" box and includes:

4 CDs from the years 1964-1974, DVD (single disc in Amaray case) with 3 never before seen features (over 2 hours), 64 page, full-color yearbook style book with hard front & back cover plus more