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Absolute Power, the classic metal band featuring former/current members of Napalm Death and Benediction as well as producers behind albums for such acts as Paradise Lost, Evile and Crowbar, will release its long-awaited, self-titled album on May 9. more

Cops Investigating Vince Neil For Allegedly Getting Motley With Ex-Girlfriend

(Rock News Desk) Police are investigating Vince Neil again after he allegedly assaulted his ex-girlfriend at a concert in Las Vegas on Thursday night.

The Motley Crue frontman recently served a second jail term for drink-driving after partying in the Las Vegas Hilton in June. Just after his release TV host Alicia Jacobs announced she'd ended her relationship with him "due to decisions he continues to make."

Jacobs and two friends were attending a comedy show at the same hotel, where Neil owns a restaurant, when the singer appeared and became verbally abusive. He's said to have jabbed his finger at Jacobs and her friend before leaving ahead of security staff's arrival. Las Vegas Sun reporter John Katsilometes, one of Jacobs' party, says: "Vince ambled into the showroom and told us to f**k off. He was shouting 'F**k you,' first at me, then at Tricia McCrone, seated immediately to my left, and finally to Alicia. Just as soon as he spewed, he wheeled away and skulked out." more on this story

My Darkest Days Flip Their Tour Bus

Rock 96.7 sent over this update: Crazy ride for the guys in My Darkest Days as they make their way closer to Casper for the Tuesday night show with Three Days Grace.

After a show in Spokane, they flipped their one day old tour bus on a muddy/snowy road somewhere in Idaho.

Everyone is a little shaken up but checked out ok – we're hearing they had to miss their appearance in Boise, but are on track for the Casper appearance. See photos of the accident and comments here

Dinosaur Jr Reunion

(Gibson) Sebadoh singer/guitarist Lou Barlow says he plans to tour and record again with J Mascis as Dinosaur Jr.

The Sub Pop label is releasing a double-disc expanded version of Sebadoh's 1994 album Bakesale in June, and Barlow will also reunite with former Dinosaur Jr. bandmate Mascis for a series of shows to play 1998's Dinosaur record, Bug. "We'll do that for a month, and then I'm going to continue to do Sebadoh after that. Then at the end of the year, there's talk of getting back together and starting to piece together a new Dinosaur record," Barlow told Rolling Stone.

"I'm not going to work for two months and just write songs, and see what I come up with. Hopefully, that will be fodder for a Dinosaur Jr. record, maybe a Sebadoh record, and maybe a solo record, too." more on this story

Deep Purple Orchestra Tour

(hennemusic) Deep Purple's first North American tour in four years — which is scheduled to kick off in early June — will feature classic members Ian Gillan (lead vocals), Roger Glover (bass) and Ian Paice (drums, percussion) along with Steve Morse (guitar) and Don Airey (keyboards).

The trek, dubbed "A Night With Deep Purple And The Songs That Built Rock," will see the band performing in each city while backed by a 30-piece symphony orchestra.

When asked during a February 22, 2011 press conference in Mexico City if there are any plans for Purple to record a new studio album soon, vocalist Ian Gillan replied, "I guess it's about time, isn't it?! So we're gonna get together and have a writing session quite soon. And if we get excited, then we'll probably have another [album finished and ready for release] shortly after that. We'll see how it goes. But there's no plans. But I think we're getting poked by various connections who would like to see another Deep Purple record. So I think it's about time." more on this story

Iron Maiden Show Halted After Barricade Collapse

(hennemusic) Safety first. That's the idea behind Iron Maiden's move to cancel a gig in Rio Sunday night when a barricade at the front of the stage collapsed due to a surging crowd of enthusiastic fans.

Terra reports the incident happened during the first song of the band's set at HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.Opening with "Satellite 15...The Final Frontier," Maiden's lead singer, Bruce Dickinson, noticed the barrier separating the fans from the stage broke and the crowd had rushed forward towards the members of the group.

Dickinson urged the crowd to take it easy. "Hey guys, please calm down. Everyone, take a step backward. The fence broke and it's dangerous. We do not want anyone to get hurt," he announced. A 10-minute delay to fix the barricade became 20, before Dickinson then returned to the stage to update fans. "The fence is completely broken. We do not want anyone to get hurt," he said, advising fans to pick up a bracelet before leaving the venue giving them access to tomorrow night's show." more on this story

10 Bucks Will Get You 38 Hits Songs and Help Japan Disaster Relief

Last week Universal promised a new hit filled digital album with the proceeds going to benefit Japan Disaster Relief. They delivered big time with a little something for everyone and they were also joined in the effort by the other major labels. Here is the official word along with the tracklist:

In what stands as a major global music relief effort to benefit those affected by the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, over 30 of the biggest names in contemporary music have joined together for the worldwide release of "Songs for Japan," an unprecedented compilation of 38 chart-topping hits and classic tracks, available worldwide on the iTunes Store for $9.99 starting today (www.itunes.com/songsforjapan).

Proceeds from "Songs for Japan" will be directed to the Japanese Red Cross Society (JRCS) to support its disaster relief efforts. The society will use the funds for the ongoing provision of immediate relief and for eventual recovery support to the affected population. The artists participating on "Songs for Japan," the music labels and music publishers have waived their royalties and proceeds from the worldwide sales of the album to ensure that the JRCS receives as much support as possible from this global initiative. iTunes will also donate its proceeds from the album's worldwide sales to the benefit of the JRCS, and has prominently featured the project throughout its stores worldwide. tracklisting

Sammy Hagar Tops New York Times Best Sellers List

(hennemusic) Sammy Hagar's new autobiography, "Red: My Uncensored Life in Rock," has debuted at no. 1 on the New York Times best-sellers list.

The former Van Halen frontman tops the Hardcover Nonfiction list on the chart dated April 3, 2011.

Hagar kicked off the book's launch with an appearance in Toronto before hitting New York for some major press visits, all while doing a 2-week tour of book signings on the east and west coasts of the States. more on this story

Becoming the Archetype Singled Out Week: The Magnetic Sky

Becoming the Archetype's brand new album 'Celestial Completion' hits stores this week. To celebrate the release we asked members of the band to tell us about some of the tracks on the album. Today singer/bassist Jason Wisdom tells us about the first single from the album "The Magnetic Sky":

The Magnetic Sky stands as one of the most melodically interesting, stylistically mature, and genuinely heavy songs that we have ever written. It was the first song that we ever jammed when we were writing our new album. I had the riffs rattling around in my skull for a long time. I even sung them into my cell phone to keep a record of them. When I finally got a chance to sit down with Daniel and his guitar we knew that we had something great. The crazy pinch harmonics that open the track, the weird alternating rhythms in the bridge -- everything just fell into place. Once we had the music down, I added my vocals to it. Some of the most fun we had in writing this album came when we were crafting the clean vocals for the "chorus". We were on tour and all we had was a rough demo of the song. We all crammed up into the front of the van. I gave Daniel and Seth the lyrics and we started listening to the first riff over and over again. Singing out loud and taking turns sharing ideas, we were able to come up with a melody that we all liked. We must have spent hours singing and driving, coming up with harmonies and trading parts. That's right, we're a bunch of nerds. But it was a stinkin' blast!

As the opening lyric of the song suggests, "Here at the end of the world...", the song is about Armageddon. Pretty cliche for a metal band, right? WRONG! It is my own, ultra positive, take on the end of life as we know it. The theme is this: just as the universe starts to disintegrate, the sky emits a unique form of magnetism that attracts human souls. Bodies are lifted into the air and saved from the ensuing destruction. The hook, if a BTA song can be said to have a hook is: "Planets fall and we are rising, soul and sky are magnetizing."

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

Eddie Vedder Hitting The Road

(Gibson) With his new solo album, Ukulele Songs, scheduled for release on May 31, Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder announced a slew of solo shows for the summer.

Joining Vedder on the tour is Glen Hansard, the Academy Award-winning songwriter/singer/guitarist from The Frames and the duo, The Swell Season.

The tour launches on June 15 in Providence, Rhode Island and concludes in Pearl Jam's home base of Seattle on July 15. more on this story

Tony Awards Caused Bret Michaels Brain Hemorrhage?

(hennemusic) TMZ is reporting that Bret Michaels blames the 2009 Tony Awards for causing the brain hemorrhage that nearly killed him ... after he was whacked in the head by a piece of scenery while performing on the show.

Michaels has filed a lawsuit against Tony Award Productions, CBS and others ... blaming producers for not instructing him on how to safely exit the stage after his performance was over ... because while he tried to exit, he was "smacked" in the face by a piece of the set.

In the suit, filed Friday in L.A. County Superior Court, Michaels claims he had to be hospitalized for a broken nose and a cut lip. more on this story

Dave Grohl Assures Us That Rock Is Not Dead

(Gibson) Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl was recently asked if he thought rock and roll was dead. It's not the smartest question to ask a member of two rock titans – Nirvana and the Foos.

"I said, 'Dude, ask the 130,000 people who are coming to see us at England's Milton Keynes Bowl in July. Ask the 2,000 people who were drinking and having the night of their life at South by Southwest," Grohl recounted to Billboard.com. He and his band recently hit up SXSW to promote the new documentary about the band, Back and Forth, and their forthcoming album, Wasting Light.

"Just because rock 'n' roll isn't #1 in the commercial mainstream doesn't mean it's gone," he said. "It doesn't mean it's dead. All I know is what rock 'n' roll means to me. It's this living, breathing thing that you can see in someone's eye." more on this story

Into Eternity Announce New Member Before Firing The Old One

(Rock News Desk) Into Eternity appear to have sacked drummer Steve Bolognese without telling him.

Bolognese reports: "I found out online – the last conversation I had with the band leaders was when we talked about the news songs and future plans.

"Next thing I know people are asking me what happened, and that's when I found out they'd announced a new drummer." more on this story

U2, The Killers, Metallica's Label Kills The Single

(Gibson) Mercury Records, the U.K. label home to U2, The Killers, Metallica, Arcade Fire and many more, is to halt the regular production of physical singles with immediate effect. Whether on CD or (recently popular) retro-vinyl, none of its bands' singles will be planned for physical release.

The label admits it "lost money" on singles released in 2010. It will now only create physical singles when, according according to a Mercury spokeswoman, "it is guaranteed to make a profit. With physical formats now accounting for just over one percent of the overall singles market we are being more cautious."

Revenues for individual releases recently have been dropping quickly. Digital revenues are up in the U.S.: from $20m in 2003 to $4.2billion in 2009. But overall, U.S. music sales remain pretty much flat. more on this story

Arcade Fire Shocked At Grammy Win

(Gibson) Much has been written about Arcade Fire's surprise win for Album of the Year at the Grammys last month, beating out such heavy hitters as Eminem, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry and Lady Antebellum.

The Rosie O'Donnell set are still shouting, "Who the &*%$ are Arcade Fire?!" Meanwhile, critics and indie fans alike are pleased as punch that finally the Grammy voters got it right. As for the band themselves, they continue to field questions from the press about their shocking victory.

As the band rolled into Toronto this weekend to appear on the 40th anniversary Juno Awards, frontman Win Butler talked about the group's reaction when their name was called. "We were just totally shocked," he told TheStar.com. "It was definitely a shocker. It was a pretty fun experience to go through with your friends who you've been playing music with for a long time. It was just genuinely shocking. You don't get shocked that many times in life, so it was kind of fun to be shocked on national television." more on this story

Rush Win Juno Award

(hennemusic) "Rush: Beyond The Lighted Stage" was honored in the "Music DVD Of The Year" category at the Juno Awards gala dinner and award ceremony held Saturday night in Toronto.

32 of the 40 Junos were handed out in advance of the live broadcast Sunday night; Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson will appear as presenters on the show, happening at the Air Canada Centre.

This is Rush's first Juno since 2004 when they won Music DVD of the Year for "Rush In Rio." However, this honor marks the second consecutive win in this Juno category for filmmakers Sam Dunn and Scot McFadyen of Banger Films, who received the same award last year for "Iron Maiden: Flight 666." more on this story

Guns N' Roses Guitarist Offering Up Private Lessons Online

(Gibson) Guns N' Roses axeman Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal is offering private guitar lessons via Skype. And, for now, he's taking all comers, regardless of age and experience.

"One-on-one lessons, any age is welcome, any skill level is welcome – if it's your first time picking up a guitar, that's OK," he wrote on his website. "Lessons are about what you need, what you want, it's different for everyone."

But, before the guitarist starts teaching you, he'd like a little bit of background information. "Start by writing to me... Tell me about yourself – where you're from, how long you've been playing, the kind of music you like, if you've played with a band or just in the bedroom, what your strengths are, what you want to get better at, what you want to learn specifically," he wrote. more on this story

Karma To Burn Hit The Road

Karma To Burn have hit the road for a North American trek which will keep them on the road until April 27th.

Karma To Burn are touring ahead of the release of their forthcoming album V, set for North American release on June 7th.

Joining Karma to Burn for a number of these tour dates will be Honky, featuring Jeff Pinkus from the Butthole Surfers. more on this story

Henry Rollins Personally Refunds Overcharged Fans

(Rock News Desk) Henry Rollins gave each member of his audience in Toronto a $10 bill after working out they'd been overcharged for their tickets on Thursday night.

The former Black Flag and Rollins Band frontman, who's touring his popular spoken word show, told the crowd he'd received a number of complaints about the price of entry, and after investigating the situation, had worked out a computer error was to blame.

He then went into the audience with a bundle of banknotes and handed one to each ticketholder, before going on with his show. more on this story

Radiohead To Publish Their Own Newspaper

(Gibson) Radiohead will support the release of The King of Limbs by publishing their own newspaper. The King of Limbs was released digitally, without much fanfare, in February.

But it will be physically released on CD and vinyl on March 28 and 29 globally, and Radiohead are promoting the release with their own newspaper titled The Universal Sigh.

A new Radiohead website, TheUniversalSigh.com, details some of the countries in which the free paper will be available on Monday, March 28, and a guide to where fans can pick up a copy. more on this story

The Strokes Already Planning Next Album

(Gibson) Following a five-year drought, The Strokes released their new album, Angles, last week. But the New York City rockers are already eyeing a follow-up. Bassist Nikolai Fraiture said the band could be heading back into the studio in a couple of weeks.

"We were just talking about when we would get back together and start writing for the next album," he told XFM, according to NME.com. "It should be soon. April, mid-April."

Apparently, singer Julian Casablancas wasn't kidding when he previously said that The Strokes would start working on their new album "as soon as possible." more on this story

Eddie Van Halen Launches Two New Guitar Models

(hennemusic) Some new Eddie Van Halen guitars are now on the market. EVH introduces two new Wolfgang guitar models, the Wolfgang USA Custom and the Wolfgang Stealth

Both are distinctive variations on the hugely successful original model, the U.S.-made EVH Wolfgang guitar designed by Eddie Van Halen.

The new models were unveiled at the 2011 NAMM (National Association Of Music Merchants) show in January; Eddie even stopped by his booth to check things out. Check out video here along with more info on the guitars

Ana Egge Previewing New Album Song Live

Ana Egge is set to play four upcoming NYC dates in April and will also be crossing the nation for a couple of Los Angeles area dates where she will be showcasing songs from her upcoming new album Bad Blood, produced by Steve Earle.

Recorded at the famed Levon Helm Studio in Woodstock, NY, Ana's new CD is scheduled for a summer release with details TBA.

Mixed and mastered by Ray Kennedy with Alison Moorer contributing harmony vocals, Ana's seventh solo album, Bad Blood, will follow up 2009's critically acclaimed Road To My Love, Lazy Days, Out Past the Lights, Mile Marker and her debut album River Under the Road, for which she garnered two Austin Music Awards. more on this story

Vince Neil Camp Deny Ex Girlfriend Assault Allegation

(TMZ) Sources close to Vince Neil tell TMZ the singer is quite adamant that he didn't lay his hands on anyone during an alleged confrontation with his ex-girlfriend.

As TMZ first reported, Neil's ex-girlfriend filed a battery report with Las Vegas PD after she claimed Neil got physical with her and a friend. But sources close to Neil paint a slightly different picture. We're told Neil is telling friends he was at the Las Vegas Hilton, but that's where his restaurant, Tres Rios Cantina, is located.

According to our source, Neil is telling people he bumped into his ex and did exchange words with her -- but he maintains he never touched her. In fact, our source says Neil claims it was her who got physical with him in the hotel lobby ... and he's now considering pressing charges of his own. more on this story

The Who's Roger Daltrey Pays Tribute to John Entwistle

(Gibson) Roger Daltrey paid tribute to The Who's late bassist John Entwistle during a performance of the band's 1969 album Tommy in London on Thursday. The singer played a solo show as part of the Teenage Cancer Trust gigs at the Royal Albert Hall. Who guitarist Pete Townshend also appeared for two songs during a mammoth set.

Daltrey added: "John always had the loudest voice, he had the voice of an angel. So this is for him and all those guys out there who are sent to terrible places like Afghanistan." Entwistle died of a heart attack in Las Vegas in 2002.

The Who frontman performed the whole of Tommy backed by a five-piece band. Townshend made a surprise appearance early on, singing lead vocals for "The Acid Queen" and later playing on "Baba O'Riley."
more on this story

The Gates Of Slumber Set Album Release

The Gates Of Slumber have set a May 10, 2011 release date for their fifth full-length album The Wretch. Here is the pitch:

"This record is frustration and disappointment put to music, said THE GATES OF SLUMBER frontman and founding member Karl Simon. "No heroics this time, no swords; no sorcery. No fantasy. That stuff is OK; it's fun...whatever, but we don't feel it these days. This one is all about others let you down almost as much as you let yourself down. It might not make sense to you, but then you probably only have the last two records as a digital download. That, or your world is summed up by someone else's soundbite."

Previous to the release of the new record, The Gates Of Slumber will head to Europe for a two week tour with Place of Skulls. more on this story

Anniversary of Famed Pirate Radio Station Radio Caroline

(Gibson) On this day in 1964, a second day of testing continued aboard a converted Danish passenger ferry off the English coast. Radio Caroline, the legendary "pirate radio station," would begin full-time transmission the following day at noon. Gibson takes a look back:

Imagine a world with no computers, no music television, no satellite radio – no place to hear new music except terrestrial radio. Now imagine that the radio only has one tiny family of interrelated stations and, with the exception of a quick Sunday afternoon chart show and a brief Saturday morning program, nothing of interest to anyone under the age of 40 makes it on the airwaves. That was the world of U.K. radio in the early 1960s. Yes, when they could pick it up, listeners could follow Radio Luxembourg, which programmed blocks of more popular content, though steered completely by the major labels. But for kids looking to dive into the full spectrum of pop music at the dawn of rock and roll, there was nothing… until Caroline.

Radio Caroline was the brainchild of Ronan O'Rahilly, a young Irish businessman from a family of means. By early 1964, the 23-year-old O'Rahilly had become a bit of a player in the London music scene. He ran the Scene club in Soho, specializing in his beloved R&B music. He then moved into band management, even co-managing The Rolling Stones for a spell before they moved on to Andrew Loog Oldham. But he did continue on with blues singer Alexis Korner and pop hopeful Georgie Fame. When he couldn't get Fame a recording contract, O'Rahilly decided to record the young Northerner himself. When he went to the BBC to get those recordings played, he was met with a flat refusal, as the Beeb only played "established artists." more on this story

Stone Axe Rare Auction for Japan Relief

(Submitted) Starting Monday, March 28th, and running for 7 days only, Ripple Music and Stone Axe will auction off the only available test pressing of Stone Axe I Collector's Edition LP.

Proceeds from this auction will go to benefit Hands On Tokyo, a charitable relief effort to aid Japan after their recent disasters.

Only 5 of these test pressings exist, and this is the only one ever to be made available to the public. more on this story

Coal Porters Announces American Shows

(conqueroo) Sid Griffin rose to fame in Los Angeles as leader of Island recording artists the Long Ryders, one of the first bands of the alt-rock era to incorporate the influences of Gram Parsons and the Flying Burrito Brothers and the Byrds.

Yet in recent years, he's made his home in London, where he leads the Coal Porters. The band has played only a limited number of American shows since their formation in the '90s.

This spring, the Coal Porters will return to the scene of the crime — Los Angeles and the West Coast — where they will play three shows in the L.A. area, one in San Francisco and a coveted spot at the Stagecoach festival on Sunday, May 1. more on this story

Dark Harvest Merge with NoEX

Dark Harvest Records are merging with NoEX Records. Here is the official word on the merger:

Dark Harvest Records, founded in 2006 by Worst Case Scenario drummer Daniel Paris, has become a recognized force in the extreme metal world. The label was formed out of frustration Paris had in seeing so many bands out on tour being unable to attract the commercial label's eye. DHR was born to give talent the needed boost to grow their career. Dark Harvest has worked with metal juggernauts such as Herod, Ares, Final Curse, Blood Tribe, Sloburn and many more.

NoEX Records, a division of NoEX Productions LLC located in Fredericksburg Virginia, was started by music industry and dot com veteran Jay Burton as an "experiment" in how labels can function in the new music economy. The indie label was focused on providing up and coming artists with the support needed to boost their career and to get their music to a wider audience through the use of innovation and technology. more on this story