R.E.M. Singer Denies Gay Affair With Kurt Cobain- Judas Priest, Zakk Wylde, Thin Lizzy Tour?- Duran Duran Silenced- Queen TV Special- The Faceless Now Voiceless- more

On this day in 1966, Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey of the Who grew tired of waiting for John Entwistle and Keith Moon to arrive for their gig at the Ricky Tick Club in Windsor, England so they took to the stage with the bass player and drummer of the local band that opened the show. When Moon and Entwistle finally arrived in the middle of the set, a fight broke out, with Townshend hitting Moon on the head with his guitar. Moon and Entwistle quit the band, (and rejoined a week later). Find out what else happened on this date in music history here

Aerosmith's Joe Perry Denies Rift With Steven Tyler

Earlier this week, Joe Perry announced that Aerosmith would not be playing on the season finale of American Idol this year.

He also explained that is that his decision was based on logistics and timing and not personal beefs with Tyler, Perry wrote on his Facebook: "There is no peace pipe to smoke because I have no problem with anything Steven is doing. It's all media driven. In case ya didn't get that."

In fact, Perry revealed that Aerosmith will wrap up their next CD this summer. "Really looking forward to recording with Aerosmith this July [and] August to finish our long-awaited CD," he wrote. "Icing on cake, Jack Douglas is producing … The band [definitely] wants to tour after the new CD. We want to rock out in the U.S. and for our Blue Army behind some new songs." more on this story

Pearl Jam To Release New Album and Book

(Gibson) Pearl Jam will release a book and an album as a companion to the Cameron Crowe-directed documentary Pearl Jam Twenty, due out this September. The album comes in the form of a soundtrack personally selected by Crowe.

Simon & Schuster will release the book, also called Pearl Jam Twenty, with a foreword penned by Crowe. The book itself will be written and compiled by rock journalists Jonathan Cohen and Mark Wilkerson.

The film, soundtrack, and book celebrate the 20th anniversary of Pearl Jam. The band has also scheduled a Labor Day weekend "concert celebration" called PJ20 Weekend in East Troy, Wisconsin, at Alpine Valley Music Theatre. The Strokes, Queens of the Stone Age, Mudhoney, and others will all be on hand to help Pearl Jam celebrate its platinum anniversary.

See a quick preview of the Pearl Jam Twenty movie here

Avenged Sevenfold Sidelined by Illness

Avenged Sevenfold were forced to postpone their show last night in Grand Prairie, TX due to illness.

The band said in a statement, "We're planning to reschedule the date right now and will honor all tickets for tonight's concert on the rescheduled date. Additional information will be posted on VerizonTheater.com tomorrow.

"We are so disappointed to be missing our fans in Dallas tonight and look forward to seeing you really soon." more on this story

Bret Michaels Explains Feud With Motley Crue

(Rock News Desk) Bret Michaels says the source of disagreement between his band Poison and Motley Crue was when Nikki Sixx "rebranded" his outfit.

The former motorcycle buddies have been involved in a war of words recently. Michaels said bassist Sixx had apologised for previous episodes of Crue badmouthing the singer's band. But Sixx then stated: "That isn't what i said. What I did say was 'I personally never had anything against you guys as a people, but Motley just sorta though you sucked as band. But let's give the fans what they want and go out and have a good time.'"

Now Michaels says the argument arose when Crue parted company with singer Vince Neil and replaced him with John Corabi, leading to the release of an album which wasn't as well received as their previous material. Read what he had to say here

Muse Going Soft?

(Gibson) Muse members Dominic Howard and Chris Wolstenhome said that fans might want to prepare for a big shift in the band's sound on their next album. The drummer and bassist said that Muse's next full-length release will likely come out in 2012.

"Matt [Bellamy, singer and guitarist]showed me a few chords recently," Howard told NME.com. "Who knows, it might be softer rock, but then it's up to me and Chris to make it heavy again. A heavy rock lullaby! But I'm sure it will move forward in some way."

The band have been jamming on some of the new ideas while on the road, according to Wolstenhome. "We've got Reading Festival in August and maybe a few weeks off after that. So September, October time we'll get into the studio and start writing and working on the songs." more on this story

Scott Ian and Matt Sorum On New AC/DC DVD

(Gibson) It's a good time to be alive if you can't get enough of AC/DC on DVD and Blu-ray. Fresh off the release of Live at River Plate, the band's 1979 concert doc Let There Be Rock is being issued for the first time on DVD and Blu-ray on June 7.

While River Plate showcases the band on their most recent tour, Let There Be Rock features a Paris show and includes the late Bon Scott on vocals (in his final filmed concert). The DVD/Blu-ray edition features a half-dozen special features in addition to the concert footage. Billy Corgan, Lemmy Kilmister and Def Leppard's Rick Allen all were interviewed about the legacy of the band.

Preview clips of the concert and the disc's special features have been made available online. One video shows guitar god Angus Young taking the show into the audience, while another features Anthrax's Scott Ian and Guns N' Roses' Matt Sorum discussing the wild antics of Bon Scott. Check out both clips here

Suicidal Tendencies Frontman Rages Against Fan

(Rock News Desk) Suicidal Tendencies frontman Mike Muir exploded with rage after a fan rushed the stage and jumped on his back at a concert in Sydney, Australia this week.

Muir has had surgery on his back twice in the past decade and at one point believed his career was over because of his health issues.

They've been back on the road, on and off, for the past five years. But when a women threw herself over him during the Australian show, Muir marched offstage and his band followed at the end of their track Cyco Vision. But they came back on – and Muir vented his anger at a supportive audience. more on this story

Def Leppard Would Like To Work With Mutt Lange Again

Rockpages.gr recently caught up with Def Leppard frontman Joe Elliott to discuss the group's very first live album Mirrorball.

During the chat they touched on subject of working with Mutt Lange again. Lange produced some of the band's most successful albums, including 'High 'N' Dry," "Pyromania," and "Hysteria."

When asked if Def Leppard would work with work with Lange again, Elliott responded, "I have no idea. Mutt is working on different types of music these days. He didn't do rock music for the longest time. He's recently done Maroon 5 and Nickelback. Before that, it was Shania Twain, Billy Ocean. He lives a lot of the time in New Zealand …we never say 'no.' We would like to work again with Mutt; it's just a case of right timing." Check out the full interview here

Black Sabbath's Tony Iommi Reflects on Ronnie James Dio and Looks To The Future

(Rock News Desk) Tony Iommi admits he's had a hard time dealing with the death of Heaven and Hell bandmate Ronnie James Dio. But after a year of mourning the guitarist is ready to move forward with his life – and he says he has a lot on his plate.

The Black Sabbath icon tells Linearock: "I can't believe a year has gone by so quickly. There was a lot of grief and upset, because we shared a lot of life together. When somebody goes that quick it's very much of a shock – and I can't tell you how sad the whole thing's been.

"It took a long time to let it go. But Ronnie's got a great legacy." Iommi has been working on his book, Iron Man: My Life with Black Sabbath and Beyond, and adds he has a type of freedom in his music career he didn't previously enjoy. more on this story

Heavy Paul McCartney Leak

(Gibson) Paul McCartney's version of Buddy Holly's "It's So Easy," for the Rave On: Buddy Holly album has leaked on the Internet. Steve Marinucci of Examiner.com picked up on the hard edge to the cover and asked McCartney's guitarist Brian Ray about the track.

"Yes, we are playing and singing together as a band on that one," Ray said. "Very very fun session in New York City at Avatar with David Kahne."

The former Beatle had previously told Rolling Stone that he would like to do a "heavier rock" album with a garage band sound – thanks to Dave Grohl and Foo Fighters. Could this cover be a clue to what McCartney is looking for? more on this story

Singled Out: Strange Karma's America

Today Paul Strange from Strange Karma tells us about "America" from their debut album "Volume 1". If you're into the arena rock of Led Zeppelin and Queen, you should check out Strange Karma. But first, here is the story:

'America' Started as a riff I was kicking around for a few months, I already had the chorus to it but nothing was in any particular order, It was around the time we were planning our first tour of the US, I remember there being a buzz amongst the band.

One night I was jamming with Marty at his house and started playing the riff, he just started singing along to it 'On a jet plane I'm coming to you California Vegastoo' it was basically just a reflection of what was happening at the time. We worked out where the chorus was to sit around the lyrics, And Marty's Lyrics follow the chorus 'take a chance on me' The bridge started as a different riff altogether and it seemed to fit so well with the song that we just chucked it in.

We then took the song to band and they loved the vibe of it. We decided to include it in our set for the tour and see how it goes down. We had an awesome response to the song and decide to put it on the Debut Album 'Volume 1'

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

Dio Disciples Plan American Tour

(Gibson) One year ago this week, heavy metal legend Ronnie James Dio succumbed to his battle with cancer. Almost immediately, the rock world responded with tributes and benefit projects. Now, some of those closest to the late Rainbow/Black Sabbath/Heaven & Hell singer are carrying the torch of his music with a new project called Dio Disciples.

The group is composed of former Dio members Craig Goldy, Simon Wright and Scott Warren, as well as former Megadeth/Black Label Society bassist James Lomenzo, former Judas Priest singer Tim "Ripper" Owens and Little Angels/Gun singer Toby Jepson.

The group will embark on a European tour on June 8 to be followed by an American tour in September (no dates yet announced). The last four dates of the European tour will feature German metal queen Doro Pesch filling in for Owens, who will attend his daughter's wedding instead. more on this story

Gregg Allman Memoir Coming

Gregg Allman has just confirmed an agreement to publish his memoir with William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

One of the founding members of The Allman Brothers Band, Gregg Allman will discuss, for the first time, the unflinching story of his life in music—from the Allman Brothers, to his solo career, to his string of failed marriages (the most publicized one to the entertainer Cher), to his struggles with drugs and alcohol, detailing his rocky path to becoming a member of classic rock royalty. From Gregg's rough n' tumble youth with his older brother Duane, to the formation of the band that would go on to change the sound of rock and roll, this music legend's stories will be shared in the authentic and unforgettable voice of the man who lived them.

"When I got out of high school, I thought, I'll take a year or two off and play the clubs, get this out of my system, and then go to med school," says Allman. "More than forty years later, I figure it's finally time to write about this crazy journey that's taken me around the world and back." more on this story

CKY Map Out Tour Plans

CKY will hit the road on June 2 for a few east coast dates prior to crossing the pond for a series of dates.

The band will appear in Vineland, NJ (6/02 - Hangar 84), Reading, PA (6/03 – Reverb) and Farmingdale, NY (6/04 – Crazy Donkey), and then head to the U.K.

Supporting the June 6th UK release of B-Sides & Rarities on Mighty Loud, CKY will appear in Cardiff, Wales (6/08 – Millennium Music Hall) and Nuneaton, England (6/09 – Queens Hall), before taking the stage at the Download Festival on 6/10 in Donington Park. more on this story

Pink Floyd Reunion A Surprise To Nick Mason

(Rock News Desk) Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason says the onstage reunion of the three surviving members had never been confirmed to him – so it was a surprise when he arrived to see Roger Waters' The Wall show to find Dave Gilmour also present.

The trio delighted fans when the unannounced gathering took place in London this week. Gilmour played guitar during Comfortably Numb and all three jammed on Outside the Wall.

"It hadn't even been quite finalised. There had been talk about maybe playing in Paris of something else. It was very nice to get there and see David was there," Mason tells Rolling Stone. "It was really nice to be part of it. It was a mutual thing: it was nice to be recognised and nice to lend support to Roger, and make it clear we're not punching each other out, we're not critical of him doing it." more on this story

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah Return With New Album and Tour

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah will release their new album, "Hysterical" on September 20th in the US and September 12th in the UK, Europe, Japan and Australia.

Produced by John Congleton (Explosions In The Sky, Okkervil River, The Mountain Goats), "Hysterical" marks Clap Your Hands Say Yeah's first new album in more than four years.

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah will celebrate the release of "Hysterical" with a series of live appearances, their first since 2009. The itinerary features an array of international festivals, including performances at End of the Road Festival 2011 at the Larmer Tree Gardens, North Dorset, UK, on September 2nd - 4th , The Berlin Festival in Berlin, Germany on September 9th - 10th as well as San Francisco's Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival on August 12th - 14th; Los Angeles' Sunset Junction Street Fair on August 27th - 28th; with more appearances to be announced shortly. more on this story

Dream Weaver for Ringo

(Noble) Gary Wright, known by millions for his singles 'Dream Weaver' and 'Love Is Alive', will perform with 'Ringo Starr and His All Starr Band' on an extensive 27-date European tour from June 4-17th. This will mark the third time Wright will tour with Ringo's All Starr Band (following tours in 2008 and 2010).

This year marks the 35th anniversary of Wright's multi-million selling album 'The Dream Weaver'. When the album was originally released in 1976, and the single 'Dream Weaver' became a huge success, Wright toured extensively with Yes, Fleetwood Mac and was special guest on Peter Frampton's 'Frampton Comes Alive!' tour.

Now, with the release of his first album in 20 years, 'Connected', Wright showcases a breath-taking collection of songs that capture the joyous magical transcendence of his all-time classic hits. The single 'Satisfied' includes performances from Ringo Starr (drums), Joe Walsh (lead guitar), and Jeff "Skunk" Baxter (rhythm guitar). more on this story

Led Zeppelin: John Bonham Solo Posted Online

(The Metal Den) TMD has obtained a rare audience recording of legendary Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham, aka "Bonzo", performing the classic "Moby Dick" drum solo at Hampton Coliseum in Hampton, Virginia on August 17, 1970.

Before drummers used "triggers" to make their drum job easier, there was a man who lit a literal fire under the percussion world's behind with his innovative genius… that man played with the pioneers of heavy metal: Led Zeppelin.

Unfortunately, Bonham died September 25, 1980 at only the age of 32… and put the literal death dagger into the hearts of millions of Zep fans. Check out the recording here

American Woman Producer Jack Richardson Dies

(Gibson) Legendary Canadian record producer Jack Richardson passed away on May 13 after a lengthy illness. He was 81.

Richardson produced several legendary albums in the '60s and '70s with The Guess Who, Alice Cooper, Bob Seger, Badfinger, Poco and others. His stature in the industry inspired the Juno Awards to rename its Producer of the Year award, The Jack Richardson Award. In 2003, the man known to his friends as "The Bear" was awarded the Order of Canada for his contributions to Canadian arts and culture.

Richardson came to prominence on the world musical stage when he recorded The Guess Who's 1968 Wheatfield Soul album, featuring the single "These Eyes." Richardson reportedly mortgaged his house to pay for the sessions. He continued to work with the group for two more albums, including the band's masterpiece, American Woman. more on this story

Ace Frehley For Days Of The Dead

(hennemusic) What's up with Ace Frehley and horror conventions? The legendary ex-KISS guitarist has updated fans with a new batch of tour dates and one of the appearances is set for the Days Of The Dead horror convention, set to take place July 1-3 at the Wyndham Indianapolis West in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Days Of The Dead 2011 will feature a full weekend's worth of events, film screenings, vendors, and other special guests, including Gary Busey, Edward Furlong, Zoe Bell, Heather Langenkamp, "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, PJ Soles and more.

This horror thing seems to be a habit for Ace: last fall, Frehley appeared at the Spooky Empire's Ultimate Horror Weekend in Orlando, Florida. more on this story

Saga To Deliver Heads Or Tails Live

Eagle Rock have announced a June 14th release date for Saga's new release Heads Or Tails Live.

Here is the official word on the release: With new lead singer Rob Moratti and new drummer Brian Doerner, Saga blasts its way through its entire Heads Or Tails album. Moratti, a long-time Toronto prog rocker, has since left the band to make way for the return of original vocalist Michael Sadler.

The band continues to tour to this day with Sadler, Doerner, bassist/keyboardist Jim Crichton, lead guitarist Ian Crichton and keyboardist/clarinetist/vocalist Jim Gilmour. more on this story

The Summer Set Announce New Album

Razor & Tie have announced a July 19th release date for The Summer Set's new album, Everything's Fine

The 11 track album was recorded in Los Angeles with producer John Fields (Jimmy Eat World, Jonas Brothers, Switchfoot, Andrew W.K.).

The title is a bit sarcastic," admits guitarist John Gomez. "Our first record was just one emotion. Everything's Fine is yin and yang. We've had some ups and downs recently, some breakups, some general trials and tribulations. This is a record that says we're young, but growing up and experiencing new things. So in a way, it's optimistic, too." more on this story

Phil Collen Remembers Late Def Leppard Bandmate Steve Clark

(Rock News Desk) Def Leppard guitarist Phil Collen can't believe it's 20 years since bandmate Steve Clark died – but he's still delighted to talk about his friend.

Clark passed away on January 8, 1991, after a heavy drinking session while on leave from the band in order to gain control over his addiction issues.

But Collen prefers to remember the positives. "It's hard to believe he's been gone for 20 years. My son Rory is 21 now; I can still remember Steve meeting him for the first time – and the only time, for that matter – when he was just one year old," he tells Music Radar. "Steve kind of rubbed Rory's little bald head and smiled. It was very sweet. It's a nice memory." more on this story

God Is An Astronaut Coming To America

God is an Astronaut have announced their first North American tour dates since 2008.

The band will head stateside this summer in support of their latest album, Age of the Fifth Sun.

The tour is set to kick off on August 4th in Cambridge, Ma and will conclude on August 21st in West Hollywood, CA. more on this story

Bootsy Collins Going indigO2

(Noble) Bootsy Collins has announced an exclusive UK concert at the London indigO2 at on Monday July 11th.

Collins will be appearing in support of his recently released his new album "Tha Funk Capitol of the World."

"What's funny is that I was a guitar player before I joined Mr. Brown's band, and I wanted to play bass like Jimi Hendrix. Eventually, that's exactly what I did, adding effects and freeing up the instrument to go anywhere I imagined it could go. That's how Bootsy became Bootsy. James Brown wanted me to just keep it simple and keep on hitting that 'one'. I used to grumble about it, but today I'm thankful."

Gama Bomb Go South

Tonight Gama Bomb will be in Mexico for what will be the band's first ever show in Latin America.

Gama Bomb frontman Philly Byrne comments: "Ever since we graduated from being a garage band to a touring band we've always wanted to go to Latin America; it's one of our major career goals.

"We know that Mexican fans have been waiting years to see us over there, so we're only too happy to oblige. We're just gutted that, this time round at least, we can't make our way down to South America to see everyone there too. more on this story

12 Stones Set New Album Release

12 Stones have announced the August 23rd release of their fourth album, Only Human, on the Executive Music Group label via Fontana/Universal.

The band joined forces once again with producer Skidd Mills (Saving Abel, Skillet, Saliva), who had previously worked with 12 Stones on 2007's Anthem For The Underdog, which was inspired by the effects of Hurricane Katrina on their hometown of New Orleans.

The first single and video from Only Human—which was mixed by Mike Shipley (Green Day, 30 Seconds To Mars)--will impact radio and be available next month. more on this story

Roger Miret And The Disasters Summer Dates

Roger Miret And The Disasters have announced summer tour plans with Stigma providing direct support on the trek.

The summer tour is support of their latest release "Gotta Get Up Now" which was released earlier this year on People Like You Records.

The Disasters are finally hitting the East Coast on this run of dates which will kick off August 17th in Peekskill, NY. more on this story

Keith Richards Explains How He Became A Pirate of the Caribbean

(Gibson) Keith Richards recently strolled the red carpet with his "blood on blood" friend Johnny Depp in Anaheim, California, for the premiere of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.

"No one is more surprised by all of it than me," Richards told The Los Angeles Times. "I never expected to work for the Disney organization for a while. I'm still shocked, but, hey, it's all good fun."

Richards' involvement in the pirate movie franchise began in 2007 with a cameo in Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. Richards explained, "If Johnny says he wants to do something, well, it doesn't take much to get me to show up. … This is so different than what I usually do, and I love to see how it's made, you know. And I don't have to really do a lot of work. We did it in London at Pinewood Studios, and it was the usual thing. You get there early, and you wait around a long time. The makeup takes a long time; it's an incredible amount of makeup, and sometimes you're sitting there next to a guy who's getting scales put on. ... It's a lot of preparation to do something that will be short, but it's amazing stuff, as you expect." more on this story

Songs that Changed The Lives of Johnny Marr, Brandon Flowers and Matt Bellamy of Muse

(Gibson) To mark this week's Ivor Novello Awards for songwriters, held in London on Thursday, the Independent newspaper asked several top songwriters to name the song that changed their lives.

Matt Bellamy of Muse picked Tom Waits' "Blue Valentines," saying that the song has "some of the greatest lyrics ever written. " He explained that the "song says it all about how I feel about the past. Dom [Howard, Muse's drummer] and I went to see Tom Waits in New York and it was immense. He's a huge influence on Muse in the way that he uses sounds and textures to create atmospheres – even if you can't directly hear it in our music."

Johnny Marr nominated "Metal Guru" by T. Rex as the song that changed his life. "I would have been about 11 when I first heard this," he said. "T. Rex were the first band I was a fan of and Marc Bolan was my hero at the time. As a song it's quite nonsensical, but that doesn't matter; a great record doesn't necessarily have to be a great song. Once you've been affected by any art in such a powerful way, it stays with you."

Brandon Flowers of The Killers not surprisingly chose a David Bowie track, "Changes." He said: "I still remember when I heard 'Changes' for the first time. I thought it was Bob Dylan because of the way he sings the verses. I found out it was Bowie and it was from this album called Hunky Dory. It's the most important record to me, ever. I appreciate that he's still able to write songs, because even when there's a rough album, there will always be that one song on there that grabs you. But Hunky Dory is the pinnacle – there's not one song I skip past." more on this story

.... MorleyView: Lez Zeppelin<

Lez Zeppelin, the all-female band from New York City, has recently released their second record, a go at their heroes' eponymous debut in its entirety. Morley caught up with guitarist Steph Paynes to talk about the record. - Read the full Lez Zeppelin MorleyView