Scott Weiland Raped- Metal Singer Dies- Slipknot A Constant Battle- Ozzy Nightrage- Hurricane Reunite- Aerosmith Will Play American Idol...Next Year- more

Happy Birthday: Pete Townshend, Joey Ramone, Dusty Hill (ZZ Top) and Phil Rudd (AC/DC)

Another Pink Floyd Reunion Possible

(Gibson) Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason recently spoke to Rolling Stone about last week's semi-reunion involving him, Roger Waters and David Gilmour. The three surviving Floyd members joined up for a performance of "Outside the Wall" at Water's London concert (Gilmour and Waters also teamed for "Comfortably Numb"). It was only the second time the three have performed together in the past 30 years – the first being at Live 8 in 2005.

"It was really nice to be sort of part of it and to show support for Roger, not that he really needs it," Mason said. "I suppose it's nice to have Roger wanting to register David and myself as part of it, in a way. It was sort of a mutual thing: it was nice to be recognized but also very nice to lend support to Roger and make it clear that we're not sort of punching it out in these auditoriums. We're not critical of him doing it."

The event encouraged fans to hope for a full-blown reunion of the three remaining Floyd members (keyboardist Rick Wright died in 2008). And Mason's not closing the door on that plan. According to him, Gilmour is the only one who's hesitant to do it. "I think particularly at the moment David has other issues to worry about," Mason said. "But also people change from when they are interested in doing something to when they're not. I think that we will just have to wait quietly to see if Dave ever does come around to it. I think there is an outside possibility even if it's, you know, another Live 8." more on this story

Axl Has Three Guns N' Roses Albums Up His Sleeve

(RockAAA) Axl Rose has three albums worth of new Guns N' Roses material recorded, most of which will never see the light of day, says Guns N' Roses guitarist DJ Ashba.

"Axl has a lot of great songs up his sleeve," Ashba tells Nui Te Koha of Triple M Melbourne, Australia's Hot Breakfast. "He probably has three albums worth of stuff recorded. The stuff I've heard…I've been up in his hotel room many nights and he just sits down at the piano and plays. I'm like, 'This is amazing. People have to hear this song.' And he's like, 'Ah, this is something I'm tinkering on.'

"He's just a genius when it comes down to music," Ashba added, "and I just cannot wait to sit down with an acoustic guitar and just write. He's just got this gift that's very, very rare." more on this story

Eddie Van Halen Book Coming

(hennemusic) Rock photographer Neil Zlozower's second Van Halen hardcover coffee table photo book, "Eddie Van Halen," which is set to be released October 12th, 2011.

Music fans know his shots and have seen his name credited on album covers. Zlozower connected with Van Halen in 1978, started shooting some shows, and before you knew it, he contributed some pics for the Van Halen II album. It was just the beginning of the pair's friendship and working relationship.

In 2008, Neil published his first book, "Van Halen: A Visual History 1978-1984" – a stunning display of photography capturing one of rock's biggest bands in their undisputed heyday. Zloz' new book, "Eddie Van Halen," is billed as the definitive visual history of early EVH, jam-packed with classic and never before published photos. more on this story

No Slash Dance

(RockAAA) Slash has revealed that he refused to remix one of his hit singles as a dance version despite the fact it could have been a huge cross-over hit. Slash stuck to his rock guns and declined the offer, which is something he insists he has no regrets over. In an interview with Rock Radio, Slash said:

"I was asked to remix 'Beautiful Dangerous' [featuring Fergie of the Black Eyed Peas] to more of a dance version but I would only remix it to a certain extent, as the way they wanted to [do it] I was like…. 'I can't do that.'

"So it just had to stay pretty much as it was and it didn't slip into mainstream rock radio at this point but I'm actually prouder of the fact we didn't re-cut it or remix it for that." more on this story

New Ronnie James Dio Collection Coming

(RockAAA) The first anniversary of the passing of Ronnie James Dio this week has made some headlines while keeping the music legend in the hearts and minds of fans around the world.

Next month, a new compilation album, entitled "Mightier Than The Sword: The Ronnie James Dio Story," will be released in the U.K. via Sanctuary.

In stores June 6, the two-disc collection will feature tracks covering Dio's full career -- from Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Dio and Heaven & Hell, as well as Ronnie's solo material. There's even a track from the lesser-known solo project by Deep Purple bassist Roger Glover, which was released in 1974. more on this story

Scott Weiland Blew His Money on Rehab Not Drugs

(Rock News Desk) Stone Temple Pilots frontman Scott Weiland admits he's not as well off as his success might have allowed him to be – but it's not because he spent all his money on drugs.

Leaving aside his expensive divorces the singer says: "It's not the drugs that cost the money – it's the rehabs. At the time when the economy was really ruined it got up to $90,000 a month."

Weiland, who last week admitted he joined Velvet Revolver for the money, once spent five months in an institution trying to kick heroin. more rock news

Bon Jovi's Rock Band Failure

(Rock News Desk) Jon Bon Jovi tried to sing his own song Wanted Dead or Alive in the Rock Band game but gave up after being buzzed out twice.

The self-styled "CEO of an international brand" was playing the game with his family, who were backing him on virtual instruments.

"I failed – it buzzed me down. So I stood up off the couch and said, 'Alright, goddam it, press play.'," Bon Jovi tells money magazine Forbes. "They did it again. I failed again. I said, 'Everybody's going to bed. That's the end of this – turn that s*** off." more on this story

Anthrax Thought They Botched Big 4 Gig

(Rock News Desk) Anthrax believed one of the biggest shows of their lives had been a disaster – and the thrash giants would be made a laughing stock after their performance was broadcast around the world.

They were opening the Big 4 concert in Sofia, Bulgaria, last year, ahead of Metallica, Slayer and Megadeth, when they began to suffer serious sound problems. And they knew that, just hours later, fans across the planet would be watching the event in cinemas, and then on DVD in the coming months.

"When we walked back to the dressing rooms we were all a little bummed out. The guy from Metallica's camp came to show us the footage; we had to approve it because it was going to be in movie theatres that day," says Rob Caggiano. "So we watched it – and it actually sounded really good. We couldn't believe it was the same show." more on this story

Slayer Releasing New DVD

(Gibson) Slayer will release a new live DVD this June, although the filmed performance is nearly a decade old. Dead Skin Mask will show the thrash legends playing Sweden's Hultsfred Festival in 2002. The DVD is due on June 21 via Rock Tapes/IDS/Fontana Distribution, according to BraveWords.com.

While the DVD is named for a Slayer track on 1990's Seasons in the Abyss, "Dead Skin Mask" isn't performed in this concert – although classics like "Angel of Death" and "Raining Blood" made the cut.

In the meantime, Slayer will be on tour in South American in June, hit up Europe with The Big Four in July and return to North America later in the summer. Of course, they'll also share the stage with Metallica, Megadeth and Anthrax at the second-ever American Big Four show in September at Yankee Stadium in New York City. more on this story

Pete Townshend Memoir Coming

(Gibson) Pete Townshend's memoir will be published next fall by Harper Collins, the legendary Who guitarist has announced. Townshend describes the book, titled Who He?, as an "essential rite of passage."

"I am lucky to be alive and to have such a crazy story to tell, full of wild adventures and creative machinations," Townshend said, in a prepared statement.

"I am happy that I am able to write my book myself, in my own 'voice' that many readers will be hearing for the first time." more on this story

Paul McCartney Turns To Dave Grohl For Heavy Rock Album

Paul McCartney is planning to make a heavy rock album and he's asked Dave Grohl for tips on how to go about it.

The ex-Beatle is attracted to the notion of recording in a garage, like the Foo Fighters did with their current album Wasting Light.

"A heavier rock album sounds quite wacky, but it keeps it fresh," He tells Rolling Stone. "I love what Dave did. I love that you get a crazy idea and go with it. You never know, I may run into a garage and make this album. But it won't be in Dave's garage." more on this story

Kid Rock Repeat

(Gibson) Kid Rock has revealed that he'll be hosting the CMT Awards for the second year in a row. The "Born Free" singer will emcee the awards show in Nashville on June 8.

"Hosting the CMT Awards was a wonderful bridge to a great afterparty," he told Us Weekly. "I'm looking forward to crossing that bridge again this year."

After coming up in Detroit's hip-hop scene, Kid Rock became a rock-rap star, then embraced the "heartland rock" of his hero Bob Seger, and now has been welcomed into the country music community. In addition to hosting last year's CMT Awards, he's performed at other country music awards shows and television specials. Rock is up for an award at this year's show; he's nominated for Collaborative Video of the Year for "Collide." more on this story

Ozzy Osbourne's Lowest Moment

(Gibson) Ozzy Osbourne is relishing his status as one of rock and roll's greatest survivors. He recently spoke to Kerrang! About how fortunate he feels to be alive.

"If a cat's got nine lives then I've used all of those," he said. "I've used all of your lives as well. And a lot of other people's lives, too."

The metal legend went on to discuss the lowest moment in his life, in the early '80s. "When I couldn't stop drinking. Alcoholism is ruthless," he said. "I could not stop drinking. Sharon [Osbourne, his wife] would have parties and I'd have to be the only one not invited. At the end of the day I was a miserable [expletive] [expletive]." more on this story

Prince and The Eagles For Summer Festival

(Gibson) Prince will play his first U.K. concert since 2007 and his first-ever U.K. festival show this summer. The Purple One has been announced as one of the headliners for 2011's Hop Farm Festival, taking place July 1-3 in Kent, England.

Prince will headline on July 3 (his only U.K. appearance this year, according to organizers), the Eagles will top the bill on July 1 and Morrissey will headline on July 2.

Other performers include Iggy and the Stooges, Death Cab for Cutie, Lou Reed, Bryan Ferry and many others.\ more on this story

Clutch Unplugged

Can you imagine Clutch unplugged? You won't have to use your imagination if you catch their very first acoustic performance as part of an in-store appearance later this month.

This very unique event will take place on Saturday May 28th at Earshot Music & Movies during Clutch's North American headlining tour-stop in Greenville, SC.

The band will perform a set of acoustic style music mostly from their "Basket of Eggs" project from the "Blast Tyrant" deluxe reissue, prior to their concert at "The Handlebar" that evening. more on this story

Motley Whitesnake Tour?

(RockAAA) Rumors from Down Under that a huge rock tour is in the cards for the fall. Music reporter Nui Te Koha told Triple M Melbourne's Hot Breakfast that Motley Crue and Whitesnake are as good as locked in, while one of the members from Poison will complete the massive triple bill.

"Motley Crue is now firmed up and looking like October/November at the end of the year with Whitesnake and somebody from Poison, nothing sorted out on the Poison front," Nui said, adding that Bret Michaels is set to be the third act on the bill.

If the Aussie trip becomes official, it will mark the second double-bill for Motley Crue as they celebrate their 30th Anniversary more on this story

No Death Cab For Zooey

(Gibson) Death Cab For Cutie frontman Ben Gibbard doesn't see a Double Fantasy-style album in the future for him and his singer-actress wife Zooey Deschanel – yet.

In an interview with Jam!Showbiz, Gibbard said, "I think she's got a lot more records to make with She and Him and I've got a lot more records to make with Death Cab before we get to that. But I guarantee you that if we were to make a record like that, Zooey's selections would be a little bit more melodic than Yoko's. And I say that as a Yoko Ono fan."

Gibbard went on to reveal that several moments on Death Cab's news album, Codes and Keys, are about Deschanel. "'Stay Young,' 'Go Dancing' and the first verse of 'Monday Morning' … are about my wife," he said. "I love Double Fantasy. I love Ram. I love marriage records. And I'm very aware that given the fact that I'm married to a person who is very well known, the assumption is going to be I'm referring to Zooey. Sometimes I am, and sometimes I'm not. That's just something people need to deal with in their own way." more on this story

Johnny Marr World Tour Coming

(Gibson) Fresh from celebrating Manchester City's FA Cup win (Marr is a huge fan of the premier league soccer team), Johnny Marr, the former Smiths guitarist and songwriter, has announced plans to kick off a world tour in New York in October. According to Billboard, Marr also is set to put out new material with his band The Healers in 2012.

"I just want to write more than enough material to avoid ducking back into the studio to record a follow-up album," Marr said.

As for the tour, it could be a long one. "I want to take advantage of this point and when I set sail I want to set sail for awhile," he said. more on this story

PBS To Air Pearl Jam Movie

(hennemusic) PBS has just announced a broadcast date for Cameron Crowe's documentary "Pearl Jam Twenty."

The documentary will see its broadcast premiere on Friday, October 21, 2011, 9 p.m. ET/PT on PBS, on the network's "American Masters" series, and part of the first-ever PBS Arts Fall Festival - a multi-platform event, featuring nine programs with a range of artists and performances from around the country.

Carved from more than 1,200 hours of rarely and never-before-seen footage, plus 24 hours of recently shot interview and live footage, "Pearl Jam Twenty" is the definitive portrait of Pearl Jam as told by award-winning director and music journalist Cameron Crowe. more on this story

The Killers Members To All Play Solo At Comeback Gig

(Gibson) Each member of The Killers is set to perform one song each from their solo projects when they take the stage at this year's Hard Rock Calling festival.

According to London's The Daily Star, a source says, "The boys will probably have a song each. [Drummer] Ronnie [Vannucci] has his new album coming out soon and he's got a really great voice. But whatever [guitarist] Dave [Keuning] does I'm sure it will be something a little weirder."

The headlining show, slated for June 24 in London's Hyde Park, will be the first concert The Killers have performed since they went on hiatus in January 2010. During their time apart, singer Brandon Flowers has released a solo album, Vannucci has been working on an album with his band, Big Talk, and Keuning and bassist Mark Stoermer have been working on separate projects as well. more on this story

The Mayhem Festival Announce Metal of Honor Campaign

The Mayhem Festival, which includes Megadeth, Disturbed, Godsmack, Machine Head, In Flames, Trivium, Suicide Silence, Unearth, Kingdom Of Sorrow, Red Fang, All Shall Perish and Straight Line Stitch, sent over a very special announcement:

The Mayhem Festival is proud to announce 'Metal Of Honor', an awareness and fundraising effort focused on the needs and challenges of our active duty military, veterans and their families. The Mayhem Festival has partnered with Hope For The Warriors and The Pathway Home, both national not-for-profit organizations.

Mayhem Festival producers John Reese and Kevin Lyman state, "Giving back and showing gratitude to those that have sacrificed for all of us and those who continue to sacrifice is the message we want to spread." more on this story

An Evening With Amon Amarth Tour Part II

Amon Amarth will return to North America this summer for the second leg of the "An Evening With Amon Amarth" tour.

Scheduled to kick off in Vancouver on August 4, the trek will hit 22 cities, including several Canadian venues, and come to a close in Boise on September 3.

The first set will again feature the band performing the recently-released, Surtur Rising album in its entirety while the second will offer up mixed bag of tunes from their extensive catalog. more on this story

Guns N' Roses and Soul Asylum Star Tommy Stinson's New Album And Tour Dates

Here is word about a new Tommy Stinson album coming this summer and some live action that's going on this month, plus news that Soul Asylum are at work on a new album:

Tommy Stinson, founding member of the seminal Minneapolis-based rock group The Replacements, and current bass player for Guns N' Roses and Soul Asylum will release his second solo effort, One Man Mutiny, on his own Done To Death Music label on August 30th, 2011.

One Man Mutiny is his most fully-realized effort to date in both production quality and craftsmanship of song. "I'm finding it a lot more interesting to make music these days," says Tommy. "Especially given the musical climate as of the last few years – there are a lot of people complaining about how bad it is. I am actually embracing the challenges". This album is also a family affair for Tommy – his fiancée Emily Roberts sings harmonies on many of the songs and lead on his first ever duet, "Destroy Me," while her uncle Chip Roberts' slide guitar playing flavors the album from beginning to end. more on this story

Blondie To Release New Album

(Gibson) Blondie have announced that they will release a new album this fall. Rolling Stone magazine has reported that Panic of Girls is due out in September.

However, the album will also be available on June 1 as part of a limited edition "fan pack," via Blondie's website. The special release comes with a 132-page magazine that delves into the making of the album, the band's history and more.

Panic of Girls, the band's first album since 2003's The Curse of Blondie, features a song called "Mother" as its lead single. The album was produced by Killers collaborator Jeff Saltzman and Paramore producer Kato Khandwala. more on this story

70s and 80s Metal Focus of New Video Series

(Submitted) The premiere episode of the Shockwaves Videocast features an inside look into the mind of metal historian and pioneering hard rock/heavy metal journalist Jon Sutherland.

Jon talks about his involvement with the mid-70s/early '80s rock and roll magazine Record Review and the hard rock/metal artists he helped break in the US. Jon takes the viewer back to the late '70s, pre-MTV and VH-1, when FM radio was king and the airwaves were being ruled by what is now known as "corporate rock." A competitive long-distance runner at the time, Jon was one of the first American scribes to give major national coverage to then-underground hard rock bands such as UFO, Thin Lizzy, Scorpions, and Rush who were neglected by the mainstream American rock magazines.

According to Nalbandian, "I wanted to create a video podcast that would delve deep into the spirit and roots of heavy metal music. So many podcasts, TV & radio shows either on cable, satellite or the Internet today focus on the popular and commercial modern hard rock and metal music and rarely do you find a show that gives an accurate in-depth history on this genre of music told first-hand by the true legends, pioneers, creators and scholars of metal music." Nalbandian, who grew up listening to hard rock and metal since the age of nine, set-out to become one of the original heavy metal fanzine publishers from the early '80s with his HEADBANGER Fanzine, a nationally distributed Xeroxed fanzine (started in early 1982) which focused on the underground NWOBHM movement and also featured the very first profiles of then-unsigned, groundbreaking bands such as Metallica, Slayer, Armored Saint and Megadeth. more on this story

Anvil Announce US Dates

The End Records sent over word that Anvil have announced U.S. tour dates in the mid-west and east coast.

The band will play a handful of select, intimate shows in late July which will hit Chicago, Cleveland, West Chester, PA, New York and Boston.

The shows will be in support of the group's recently released 14th studio album, Juggernaut of Justice. more on this story

Justin Townes Earle Expands Summer Tour

Justin Townes Earle has announced additional North American tour dates for this summer, adding nearly three weeks of dates starting on August 11th at Birmingham, Alabama's Sirote Theatre.

The dates follow an already busy summer touring schedule including performances at Hangout Music Festival, Bonnaroo Music Festival, Celebrate Brooklyn, and Newport Folk Festival.

Earle will also release an iTunes Digital 45 on May 23rd featuring his new single "Christchurch Woman" and a cover of Bruce Springsteen's classic tune "Racing In the Street." more on this story

KISS and Rolling Stones Stars for Alzheimer's

charitybuzz is putting music icons on the auction block this month to benefit various charities. There are currently more than 50 music packages live on charitybuzz from artists including Ringo Starr, KISS, Keith Richards, Mick Jagger, Mary J. Blige, Jay-Z, Garth Brooks, Willie Nelson, Maroon 5, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Tony Bennett, Janelle Monae, Tim McGraw and many more.

KISS is offering up 4 front row tickets to see them perform at any upcoming show and the chance to meet the band backstage, including Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Eric Singer and Tommy Thayer. Proceeds will benefit Artists for Alzheimer's. Bidding is open through June 15, with an estimated value of $4,000, here:

Also to benefit Artists for Alzheimer's, Keith Richards and Mick Jagger are auctioning off a guitar signed by them both, valued at $5,000 here

more

Fabulous Thunderbirds, John Mayall Lead Topanga Days Lineup

Fabulous Thunderbirds, John Mayall, Maggie Mayall, Jim Messina, Stray Cats' Lee Rocker and Yesterday's Child lead the lineup for this year's Topanga Days Country Fair.

Topanga Days, now in it's 38th year, takes place the Saturday through Monday of Memorial Weekend, May 28, 29 and 30th on the Topanga Community Club grounds at 1440 North Topanga Canyon Blvd in Topanga midway between the 101 and PCH.

The Fair opens its gates at 10:00AM welcoming attendees into a wonderland from a bygone era, nestled in the Santa Monica Mountains, on the edge of the State Park. Gates close at 7:00PM. more on this story

. Rock Reads: Enter Night: A Biography of Metallica

Its a monumental task to try and summarize over thirty years of history in a few hundred pages, but Wall has a firm grasp on the Metallica story without missing any key moments or stories. - Read the full Enter Night: A Biography of Metallica review