Steven Tyler's Gay Revelation- Iron Schenker Maiden- P.O.D Postpone Tour- Wednesday 13 Recording- Deep Purple Deluxe- New Queen of Leon- Madina Lake- more

On this day in 1987, a fire destroyed Tom Petty's house in Los Angeles, the cost was estimated at $800,000. Find out what else happened on this date in music history here

Pearl Jam Festival, Movie and Tour

Pearl Jam make it official. They'll be celebrating their 20th anniversary with their very own music festival... but it's not in Seattle as you might expect.

The Labor Day weekend event will take place at Alpine Valley Music Theatre in East Troy, WI on September 3rd and 4th and will include performances by The Strokes, Queens of the Stone Age, Mudhoney, John Doe, Joseph Arthur, Glen Hansard, Liam Finn and special guests to be announced. It will be followed by a ten-date Canadian tour.

In addition to these live shows, the band will release a Cameron Crowe-directed film, Pearl Jam Twenty, which captures the band's journey over its twenty years, along with an accompanying book and soundtrack album this fall. more on this story

Steven Tyler Beat By Bossypants

(hennemusic) Aerosmith frontman turned American Idol judge Steven Tyler's new autobiography, "Does The Noise In My Head Bother You?" debuts at no. 2 on the New York Times Best Seller list.

The Aerosmith singer's book enters the "Hardcover Nonfiction" list just behind "Bossypants" by Tina Fey.

Tyler spent the last few years working on his book, which traces his youth in the Bronx, his early music career and influences, his legendary partnership with Joe Perry, the meteoric rise, fall, and rise of Aerosmith over the last three decades, their music, his epic romantic life, his relationship with his four children, including actress Liv Tyler and actress and author Mia Tyler, life on the road and in the spotlight, the economics of the rock star business - and all the sex, drugs, and rock and roll a reader could ask for. more on this story

Brian Wilson Ponders Beach Boys Reunion

(Gibson) There have been rumors circulating for nearly a year that the three surviving, original members of The Beach Boys would reunite to celebrate the band's 50th anniversary this year. Now, Brian Wilson has said that he's open to the idea.

"I'm considering it," Wilson told BBC6 Music. "I don't know yet but I'm considering it. Nothing's really holding me back. I just don't know if I want to be around those guys, you know. They're zany guys. They're crazy."

The other, "zany" guys that Brian would be joining are guitarist Al Jardine and singer Mike Love, who continues to tour as The Beach Boys along with long-running member Bruce Johnston. Fellow founding members (and Brian's brothers) Carl Wilson and Dennis Wilson have passed away. more on this story

AC/DC's Brian Johnson Going On Full Throttle Tour

(hennemusic) AC/DC aren't touring in 2011, but their singer is. Brian Johnson has announced a book signing tour to support the US release of his book, "Rockers And Rollers: A Full Throttle Memoir."

Available May 24, the book details Brian's history - from teenage memories in the backs of beat-up coups to a side career as a racecar driver, Johnson shares his tantalizing life story — a memoir told through his lifelong love affair with cars.

By night, Brian Johnson sings in the biggest rock n' roll band on the planet; but, by day, AC/DC's frontman drives balls to the wall. Cars and rock 'n' roll — they were made for each other. more on this story

More Motley Crue, Poison, New York Dolls Dates

Five new shows have been added to the Motley Crue, Poison, New York Dolls summer tour.

The new dates will take place in August and include new stops in Washington, Idaho and California.

The trek will kick off on June 7th in Dallas, Texas but fans can catch Poison and Motley Crue at this year's Rocklahoma festival on May 29th. more on this story

Foo Fighters Announce North American Tour

(Gibson) To support their new #1 album, Wasting Light, Foo Fighters will be hitting the road in September for a run of U.S. dates. Dave Grohl and Co. have announced nine September concerts that will take them from St. Paul, Minnesota, to East Rutherford, New Jersey, according to FooFighters.com.

But it's not like the Foos will be twiddling their thumbs until then. They begin another short American tour tonight in Tulsa, Oklahoma, head to Europe in June, play Lollapalooza in Chicago in August and then return to Europe after that.

According to Spin.com, fans should expect to hear a mix of Foo classics like "Everlong" and "Learn to Fly" alongside new songs from Wasting Light. more on this story

Jack White and Bobcat Goldthwait For Kinks Musical?

(Gibson) Former White Stripe Jack White is in talks to provide music for comedian Bobcat Goldthwait's musical based on The Kinks' 1976 concept album, Schoolboys in Disgrace.

Screen Daily reports that Kinks legend Ray Davies has been appointed as an executive director of the film, which is being produced by Howard Gertler and Tim Perell of Warp Films, an offshoot of Warp Records that has worked on Submarine and Four Lions and is distributing new Australian film Snowtown. The article confirmed the courting of White to "re-record the music," and said the film could be a German co-production.

Schoolboys in Disgrace is a prequel of sorts to the Kinks' 1973-74 rock opera, Preservation: Acts 1 & 2. According to the album's liner notes, Schoolboys in Disgrace is the story of "a naughty little schoolboy" who is turned into a hard and bitter character after a public punishment in front of the whole school for getting himself into "very serious trouble with a naughty schoolgirl." That naughty boy grows up to be Mr. Flash, the villain from Preservation. more on this story

Austin City Limits Lineup Announced

You would never expect Social Distortion to share the bill with Kanye West but that's just what is happening at this year's Austin City Limits festival.

The 2011 Austin City Limits Music Festival is set to take place on September 16-18 at Zilker Park and organizers have announced the 130 act lineup lead by Stevie Wonder, Arcade Fire, Kanye West, Coldplay, My Morning Jacket, Fleet Foxes, Alison Krauss and Union Station, Nas & Damian "Jr Gong" Marley and Cee Lo.

Bright Eyes, Social Distortion, Empire Of The Sun, Cut Copy, Santigold, Pretty Lights, TV On The Radio, Skrillex, Big Boi, Randy Newman, Iron & Wine, Ray LaMontagne are also set to appear. more on this story

Hinder Fans Not Hindered By High Prices

(RockAAA) Hinder's Mike Rodden understands it's tough for fans to afford to go to shows while the economic situation remains bad. Talking to WGRD Radio, about their upcoming appearance at the Wingstock Festival in Grand Rapids, Michigan, he said that the band were happy to help:

"Times are tough and people still want to see rock shows, so if we can help pot with the ticket prices and get people to come out, we'll do what ever we can.

"We're feeling it too; it's pretty out of control" Organisers wanted to keep prices fixed at $25 and $30 for the event headlined by Hinder and with Seether, Sick Puppies and band Wayland also on the bill so the bands agreed to play for reduced fees. more on this story

Former Venom Members Go Primevil

Former Venom members Jeff "Mantas" Dunn, Tony "The Demolition Man" Dolan and Antony "Antton" Lant have reunite to form a new group Primevil, who have just inked with Scarlet Records.

This summer will see the release of the mini album 'The Creatures Of The Black', which features 4 cover versions of songs that influenced them to begin their very own metal journeys ('Exciter' by Judas Priest, 'God Of Thunder' by Kiss, 'Hell Ain't A Bad Place To Be' by AC/DC and 'Motörhead' by Motörhead) plus 2 brand new PRIMEVIL tracks, 'The Creatures Of The Black' and 'Reptile'.

The mini album is providing a glimpse of what people can expect from Primevil's debut full length album, which will be out sometime around September/October 2011. more on this story

Shadows Fall Member To Tour With Killswitch Engage Leach and Dutkiewicz's Times of Grace

Former Killswitch Engage singer Jesse Leach current Killswitch Engage guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz's group Times of Grace have recruited Shadows Fall's Matt Bachand to play bass on the band's upcoming trek across Europe and US dates.

Times of Grace will serve as main support for Underoath on the forthcoming American trek dubbed "Illuminato(u)r."

Roadrunner sent over this background: Since Shadows Fall have toured with Killswitch Engage many times and since both bands came up together in the burgeoning Massachusetts metal scene in the early part of the '00s, it makes complete sense for Bachand to strap on the bass and step into this role. Bachand is taking over for Daniel Struble, who is unable to make the particular road trip due to personal matters he must imminently address; Struble, who was a member of KsE's one-time labelmates Five Pointe O, played bass on the band's first-ever US tour last Winter. Guitarist Joel Stroetzel, also of KsE, and drummer Dan Gluszak constitute the rest of the touring lineup for these upcoming treks. Clearly, it remains all in the family for Times of Grace. more on this story

Danko Jones Deluxe

Danko Jones are the latest band to jump on the "reissue our latest album with some extras" bandwagon.

Bad Taste Records will re-release Danko Jones's latest full-length album Below the Belt on June 21st as a deluxe reissue featuring two new bonus tracks titled "Guest List Blues" and "Rock N Roll Proletariat."

Also included in the newly expanded CD version is the entire Below the Belt music video trilogy. Under the terms of a new distribution deal, MRI will handle distribution of the deluxe reissue in the U.S. through Sony/RED. more on this story

Pulp Using YouTube Covers To Relearn Their Songs

(Gibson) Reunited U.K. group Pulp are re-learning their old songs by watching YouTube covers, or so the band's website cheekily proclaims.

Guitarist Mark Webber told The Times, "Worse than someone doing a bad cover version is someone murdering their own songs years later. We hope to avoid that pitfall." No word yet on whether the band will be actually covering the covers or just using them as inspiration, but the latter is probably the safer bet.

The band are playing their cards close to their collective chest ahead of a spate of reunion shows, including at the Wireless, T in the Park, Reading and Leeds festivals. "We're not talking about what we're doing until we've done it in front of people," Webber said. "It's better to do something rather than talk about it." more on this story

Black Sabbath FAQ

Backbeat Books have released Martin Popoff's latest hard rockin' book. This time Popoff covers the Godfathers of heavy metal: Black Sabbath. Here is the description the publisher sent over:

Unlike any Sabbath book thus far, Black Sabbath FAQ: All That's Left to Know on the First Name in Metal (Backbeat Books, $19.99) digs deep into quirks 'n' trivia and burning questions surrounding the Sabs.

Martin Popoff, the author of more books on heavy metal than anybody in the world, delves into topics and debates that may be inappropriate for a traditional biography but live, breathe, and shout right here. Since Doom Let Loose, Popoff's first Black Sabbath book and widely considered the definitive biography of the band, the author has conducted many additional Sabbath-related interviews. Like a rabid detective unearthing (and sometimes debunking) ancient Sabbath lore, he valiantly covers new ground, applying academic rigor but then wildly sounding off with lurid opinion. This book is pieced together in topical chapters thick with the tales beneath the skin and all that goofy stuff that will leave metal-heads arguing over for generations to come. more on this story

CBGB Movie Coming

(Gibson) CBGB, the legendary club that gave birth to New York City's punk rock scene, will be the subject of a new film, according to a report on Billboard.com.

The film, tentatively titled CBGB, will chronicle the years 1974-1976, when the club served as the launching pad for The Ramones, Television, Talking Heads, Patti Smith, Blondie and other important acts of the era.

Co-producer Lisa Kristal Burgman, daughter of CBGB's late founder Hilly Kristal, said: "It was an old-fashioned salon in an awful part of New York where people could fail while they worked to find their voice. [Hilly Kristal] provided a voice to the disenfranchised. It's a heroic and flawed story." more on this story

Rick Springfield Blues

(Gibson) Rick Springfield has reformed his classic late '60s blues-rock band, The Zoot, to perform on the Rick Springfield and Friends cruise, which departs from Miami, Florida in November.

Formed in Adelaide, Australia, in 1965, The Zoot's biggest hit was a rocked-up cover of The Beatles' "Eleanor Rigby." After the band broke up, in 1971, Springfield went on to find fame as an actor, solo artist and forlorn admirer of "Jessie's Girl." Bass player Beeb Birtles co-founded The Little River Band, and vocalist Darryl Cotton went on to television infamy as host of the Early Bird Show segment during which an enraged red kangaroo brutally attacked suited television character Marty the Monster. You can't make this stuff up.

Birtles told Undercover.fm he would switch to second guitar for the reunion shows. "Because I haven't played bass since Zoot split up I'll be playing electric guitar with Rick and the bass player in his band will substitute for me," he said. "I think Zoot's music with two electric guitars will sound even ballsier." more on this story

Night Ranger Set New Release

Frontiers Records have set a June 21st North American release date for Night Ranger's new album Somewhere In California.

Frontman/bassist Jack Blades commented, "Night Ranger is back with a vengeance! We are so proud of our new album...classic NR in every sense...can't wait to see all the fans on tour this summer. Rock n' roll!"

Night Ranger will hit the road this summer on a massive nationwide tour as special guests supporting Journey and Foreigner. more on this story

Paul McCartney To Do Standards

(Gibson) John Lennon used to chide his partner, Paul McCartney, at times for playing what Lennon called "granny music," but those barbs never dissuaded Macca from occasionally visiting the styles and sounds of previous generations. Now, McCartney is apparently set to revisit some of the standards that played over the radio airwaves during his youth with a new album of covers.

"It's my dad's style of music," he told Rolling Stone. "I've wanted to do that kind of thing forever, since the Beatle days. But then Rod [Stewart] went mad on it. I thought, 'I have to wait so it doesn't look like I'm trying to do a Rod.'"

As far as the selections, McCartney said, "They're just songs I admire, I'm trying to steer away from the obvious ones. It's get-home-from-work music. You put it on and get a glass of wine." more on this story

Atomic Cocktail Bob Dylan's 70th Birthday

Atomic Cocktail Radio Show will celebrate Bob Dylan's 70th birthday on May 19 with its second annual special: An Hour of Zimmy Dupes, Doppelgangers and Desolation Rowers.

This year's superhuman crew includes the 4 Seasons, Mott the Hoople, Ron Wood, Barry McGuire, the Changin' Times and Dick Campbell, the man Atomic Cocktail host Vic Tripp calls "absolutely the best fake Dylan of all time."

Atomic Cocktail producer Gene Sculatti (who's never been photographed with host Tripp) explains that It Ain't Him, Babe Too "was a natural, since last year's was so well received. There are so many acts who've copped Dylan's style that coming up with a fresh batch was no problem at all. The whole notion of our show is doing an affectionate send-up of Sixties Top 40, with a wildly eclectic playlist, and this birthday special is in line with what we regularly do. more on this story

Kid Rock Gives Detroit Groups 50K

(Gibson) Kid Rock has presented five Detroit community groups with checks for $10,000.

The star, who hails from the Detroit suburbs himself, gave checks to the Mosaic Youth Theater of Detroit, Youthville Detroit, Friends of Belle Isle, Habitat for Humanity and the Detroit Recreation Department.

The Detroit News reports that Rock, wearing a "Made In Detroit" hat said: "I'm just happy I can do it. This city and the surrounding areas have given me a lot in the course of my ascension to be where I'm at today. This is just a start." more on this story

Odell Brown RIP

(Gibson) Odell Brown, the Louisville-born jazz organist who later co-wrote one of Marvin Gaye's biggest hits, died on May 3 at his home in Richfield, Minnesota. He was 70 years old.

Brown got his start in Chicago, where his group, Odell Brown & the Organizers, received Billboard's Best New Group award in 1966. He recorded five albums for the Cadet label between 1966 and 1970, and recorded a single eponymous album for Paula Records four years later.

In 1982, Brown co-wrote "Sexual Healing" with Marvin Gaye, garnering three Grammy nominations and two wins for the steamy track. His career was derailed by severe depression and financial troubles, though he found his feet again after moving to Minnesota in the mid-'90s. more on this story

Rocklahoma Itinerary

(PR) Band performance times have been announced this year's Rocklahoma festival.

The three-day camp and rock festival takes place on Memorial Day Weekend (May 27-29) at "Catch the Fever" Festival Grounds in Pryor, OK.

Thursday, May 26
Campground Stage
7:00 PM Stun
8:00 PM Blackwood
9:00 PM Two Fold
10:00 PM Floodlyne
11:00 PM Aformatic
12:00 AM Tyranio
1:00 AM Fist Of Rage

Friday, May 27
Mainstage
4:25 PM My Darkest Days
5:35 PM Sick Puppies
6:55 PM Skillet
8:20 PM Hinder
10:00 PM Whitesnake

more

B.B. King and North Mississippi Allstars for Mississippi Celebration

(PR) Governor Haley Barbour and First Lady Marsha Barbour will host the fifth annual Mississippi celebration of its Grammy legacy at 7:30 p.m. June 7, 2011, at Beau Rivage Resort & Casino in Biloxi.

The list of performers and honorees include 15-time GRAMMY winner B.B. King, Grammy nominees North Mississippi Allstars Duo, Benjamin Wright, Jimbo Mathus, Shannon McNally, Jay Dean and the Tropical World of Tango and host Joey Lauren Adams.

In announcing the event, Governor Barbour said, "Each year's Grammy event is a great success and allows us to reflect on the impact Mississippi artists have had on our music, from Elvis to B.B. King to Leontyne Price, Mississippians have truly influenced all forms of musical styles from rock to opera. If it's music, it's Mississippi." more on this story

Kampfar To Make American Debut on Vreid Tour

Kampfar will make their North American debut when they hit the road in support of have Vreid's upcoming tour.

The trek is slated to begin in late August and run through mid-September and will also feature Necronomicon.

Kampfar will be touring in support of their latest album Mare which was released by Napalm Records earlier this year. more on this story

Firewind Announce Frets of Fury North American Tour

Ozzy Osbourne's new guitarist Gus G's other group Firewind have announced their first ever headlining North American tour, dubbed the "Frets of Fury."

This tour kicks off on October 9th and also features Arsis, White Wizzard and Nightrage.

Gus G. states: "We couldn't be happier to announce our first full North American tour! It's been over three years since FIREWIND toured from coast to coast across the U.S. and we're coming back stronger than ever with a killer package. We put a lot of thought into who we wanted to go out with us and truly believe that each band on this bill brings something special to the table making this a very diverse line-up. However, shredding guitar driven metal remains the prominent feature across the board.
"In fact there's more to it than just that, as this package is somewhat of a musical family tree. Not many people know this but Arsis' guitarist James Malone and I went to Berklee together back in 1998. We had an instrumental band together for awhile, which later became FIREWIND. James is a kick ass shredder and I'm glad our bands are finally touring together. more on this story

Texas In July Star On Leno Tonight

(Equal Vision) Texas In July drummer, Adam Gray, will perform on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno tonight, Tuesday, May 17th.

A video of Gray juggling three drumsticks while simultaneously drumming has gone viral and along the way has received appreciation from the likes of Ryan Seacrest, Travis Barker of Blink-182, Hayley Williams of Paramore, PerezHilton.com, CBSNews.com and of course – The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

Gray will be performing his unique multi-tasking skills in a skit called "Does This Thrill Bill", where he will try to impress the judge, actor William Shatner. more on this story

Versus The Nothing Hitting The Road

(Submitted) Versus The Nothing have announced dates for their upcoming Cannon Ball Tour.

They will be touring in support of their upcoming sophomore album "Black Gloves".

"Touring is the heartbeat of this band and we love living on the road. Having some of the most supportive fans make us never want to stop." commented VTN guitarist Ande Otte. more on this story

. Ben Harper - Give Till It's Gone

All in all, Harper manages to naturally instill a sea of complicated arrangements on each track. Sound seems to fire at you from all direction, sometimes working together in harmony, other times pushing the limit of your patience. - Read the full Ben Harper - Give Till It's Gone review