Sum 41 Singer Collapses- Freese Pulls Out of A Perfect Circle Tour- Judas Priest Boxset- Scott Weiland Late Night- Cradle Of Anthrax Supergroup- Paul Di'Anno Tour- more

On this day in 2009, a former member of Wilco, died at his home in Illinois at the age of 45. Jay Bennett worked as a sound engineer and played instruments for the band between 1994 and 2001 Find out what else happened on this date in music history here

Judas Priest Almost Hired Sebastian Bach

(hennemusic) In recent months, we've heard stories of 'name' singers turning down offers to join huge bands: Steven Tyler claims he turned down Led Zeppelin, while Sammy Hagar claims he turned down everyone from Aerosmith to Motley Crue to Velvet Revolver. Now, we hear a story of an offer that was only considered, but never made.

At one point in time, Judas Priest considered Sebastian Bach for their lead singer role, but never got around to making the offer. This news came to light thanks to a Facebook posting Sunday by Bach. Along with a photo of Sebastian with Priest guitarist Glenn Tipton and Rita Haney, the longtime girlfriend of late Pantera guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott, taken at the Rainbow Bar & Grill in Hollywood, California, was the following note by Bach:

"Glenn Tipton of Judas Priest, Rita @dimebagzhag & me at the Rainbow last night. Glenn & I talked about me almost being the singer of Judas Priest he told me it almost happened! Wow. What a great guy." more on this story

AC/DC Singer's Near Fatal Mistake

(Rock News Desk) AC/DC singer and motorsport enthusiast Brian Johnson has revealed how his first-ever professional car race was nearly his last.

He was taking part in the 12 Hours of Sebring endurance event in Florida, USA, and had just left the pits to take his first trip round the circuit.

Johnson tells Spin: "The first time I went out in practice I didn't put the steering wheel on properly. I was going round the carousel, I turned the wheel – and it was off in my hands." more on this story

Judas Priest, Thin Lizzy, Black Label Society North American Tour

(RockAAA) Judas Priest have announced the first series of dates for the North American leg of the band's Epitaph Tour. Thin Lizzy and Black Label Society will share the bill with Priest as the metal legends embark on their farewell world tour.

Things kick off on October 12 in San Antonio, Texas and run for about 6 weeks, wrapping up in East Rutherford, New Jersey on November 18.

"It's not exactly the end of the band, it's just the fact that we won't really be doing any more world tours," guitarist Glenn Tipton tells Rolling Stone. "It takes a big chunk out of your life. We've been doing it for 40 years now or close to it, and we all love that moment on stage, but it's difficult to be away from home and all the traveling involved. Now, if somebody came along and said, 'Would you do a small string of dates,' we wouldn't automatically say no to that. But in general, this is probably the last chance you'll get to see Priest live." more on this story

Unseen Queen Footage To Be Broadcast

(Gibson) Unseen footage of rock legends Queen will be featured in a new BBC Queen documentary. The two-part documentary, called Queen: Days of Our Lives, sees band members Brian May and Roger Taylor discussing Queen's history and talking about their 40th anniversary this year.

The first episode will be broadcast on BBC2 on Sunday, May 29 at 10 p.m., with the second episode on Monday, May 30, also at 10 p.m.

A highlight for Queen fans will be the footage of Queen's first TV appearance, film that was presumed lost before making its way into this production. more on this story

INXS North American Summer Tour

CO5 Media sent over word that INXS has announced the first set of North American summer concert dates on "The Original Sin Tour."

The band will kick off the tour in Canada on July 3rd, with their first U.S. show slated for July 17th. Following, a coast-to-coast run of 15+ dates includes stops at The Wiltern in Los Angeles July 22nd and The Beacon in New York on August 4th.

The band will be the musical guest on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno this Friday, May 27th performing with Pat Monahan (Train) the newly revamped version of the classic INXS song "Beautiful Girl" from their new studio album Original Sin. more on this story

Def Leppard Sex Pistols Supergroup Manraze Return

Manraze, the supergroup featuring Phil Collen of Def Leppard), Paul Cook of The Sex Pistols) and Simon Laffy of Girl will be release their sophomore album, punkfunkrootsrock, on August 2nd.

The album will also be released July 27th in Japan on Nippon/Columbia and in the Europe and UK via Edel Music. In addition, a Limited Edition version will be available for order in the U.S. as soon as June 1.

Prior to the album's summer release, the first single "Over My Dead Body" is set to hit iTunes on May 31st. more on this story

Ex KISS Guitarist Vincent Vincent Won't Face Charges Over Dead Dogs

(TMZ) Former KISS guitarist Vincent Vincent will NOT face animal cruelty charges after officials found 4 dead dogs at the rocker's home in Tennessee this weekend ... TMZ has learned.

A rep for the Pet Adoption Welfare Services (PAWS) tells TMZ ... Vinnie had kept all 4 animals in above-ground plastic storage bins, clearly marked as graves ... with little memorials written on them -- and even though it's really creepy ... it ain't illegal.

TMZ broke the story ... Vinnie was arrested for allegedly beating the crap out of his wife ... and while cops were at the home, they noticed the dead animals and called PAWS to investigate. Vinnie's wife explained the dogs had been killed by ANOTHER one of the family's 9 still-living dogs. PAWS tells us they will test all of the living pets for rabies. more on this story

The Rev's Family Stopped Avenged Sevenfold From Breaking Up

(RockAAA) Avenged Sevenfold guitarist Synyster Gates says the band did consider calling time on the band when drummer Jimmy 'The Rev' Sullivan died two-years ago – only to be encouraged to continue by their fans and by Sullivan's family.

Gates admits there was a two-week spell immediately following The Rev's sudden passing when they pondered walking away from the band only be pulled back from the brink with messages of support.

In an interview with Dave Kim of the Grand Rapids, Michigan radio station WGRD 97.9 FM Gates revealed: "Yeah, for two weeks we had pretty much thrown in the towel but our fans are the best and they said 'hey you can do it, we want to hear the music and Jimmy's spirit,' and it was likewise with his family who basically said we had no choice and had to do it for them." more on this story

Eddie Van Halen's Frankenstein

(Gibson) Earlier this year, a replica of Eddie Van Halen's "Frankenstein" guitar was donated to The Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. The guitar god recently talked to Smithsonian Magazine about how the guitar initially came about.

"The original Frankenstein was a result of me tinkering and experimenting with different elements of electric guitars that I liked," he said. "I created an instrument that wasn't offered as an 'off the rack' guitar by any manufacturer at the time."

Although Van Halen still has the first Frankenstein guitar, he doesn't tour with it anymore. "I retired it from regular use. It took so much abuse from endless touring and recording; I wanted to pay some respect to it and let it survive and not let it get destroyed completely," he said. "At the same time it became something so well known beyond my wildest dreams that it's value made it a target for theft and I wanted to protect it. I still play it every now and then. It's priceless to me." more on this story

Support Band Rips Sepultura

(RockAAA) It's a hard road, but according to Keep of Kalessin's Obsidian C, it's made harder when you are treated badly by the headlining act.

The Norwegian black metal band are currently on the bill for the remaining shows of a substantial North American tour with Sepultura, but things seem not to be running too smoothly. Obsidian C let rip on his on-line tour blog, not mincing his words he reported: "Yesterday [May 21] we played in Rochester, NY and man, the bullsh*t just continues on this tour. All support bands only got five channels altogether, which means that all we could get sound on in the PA-system was drums and one vocal.

"This is totally bullsh*t from Sepultura because when you're on a package tour like this and playing such small clubs, where some nights it's only 150-200 people, you should share the mixing console with the other bands so they are able to do a proper show!" more on this story

Thin Lizzy Deluxe Expanded Editions Coming

Universal Music have announced a June 26th release date for deluxe expanded editions of three seminal Thin Lizzy albums: "Bad Reputation", "Black Rose" and "Chinatown"

Bad Reputation is the eighth studio album by the Irish band Thin Lizzy, released in 1977. As the front cover suggests, most of the tracks feature only three-quarters of the band, with guitarist Brian Robertson only playing on tracks 3 and 6 (despite a credit on track 8). He had missed most of their previous tour, following an injury sustained in a brawl, and this album turned out to be his last studio effort with Thin Lizzy.

"Dancing in the Moonlight (It's Caught Me in Its Spotlight)" was a UK hit single. It reached #14 in the UK Singles Chart in September 1977. more on this story

She Wants Revenge Singled Out Week: Take The World

She Wants Revenge released their brand new album, "Valleyheart," this week. To celebrate we asked Justin Warfield to tell us about some of his favorite tracks from the album. Today he tells us about "Take The World". Here is the story:

Take The World started in a much more traditional SWR type of writing style. Having already written a great deal of the album and realizing we didn't have much of a dance vibe going on as we did in the past, we agreed that we wanted something that would sound great in a club. Adam suggested the beat idea, which was paying homage to the Eric B. & Rakim song, "Paid In Full", which was also coincidentally a breakbeat that COUNTLESS other acts used in the 90's, so much so that no one except the most devoted b-boy knows where it originated from.

Once we played and programmed the beat we picked up our instruments, Adam played the bassline straight away, and I started playing the guitar part. After a few minutes of playing it, we came up with the change for the b-section and another section which was originally the chorus, however when singing it later I found it to be confusing and felt there were too many parts, so we cut it and simplified things, keeping it a pretty linear song with great changes that never really stray too far from the original groove. (I hate that word too).

Vocally this song was one of the hardest, and it really took me two or three versions (lyrics and melody) before Adam and I were both happy and felt it was there. Once we eliminated the original chorus progression things really took shape and became clear, at which point writing the lyrics and melody were easier. After several failed attempts, one day I was sitting in the studio singing along while playing acoustic guitar and I just started singing the chorus. Sometimes it takes weeks or months to eliminate all the things it isn't to find out what it is, and this was one of those cases. I immediately put down the acoustic, pushed rewind, hit record and sang it into the mic, and at that point not only was the chorus written and feeling special, but the narrative of the song and verses became clear as well.

To me this song was the anchor of the record and really had to be special. I always imagined it being the first song on the LP and to me it sets things up nicely, plus I love the innocence of the story of the couple and the sentiment. It's big and epic, soaring and hopeful in a way that is almost naive, but then again, that is pretty much how that sort of thing makes you feel - invincible.

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

Mike Portnoy Releases New Beatles Album

(Gibson) Mike Portnoy, until recently the drummer with Dream Theater, has a new album available and it's a Beatles tribute affair.

One More Night in New York City is Portnoy's first CD since leaving Dream Theater and features his Beatles tribute band, Yellow Matter Custard – guitarist Paul Gilbert, guitarist/keyboard player Neal Morse and bass player Kasim Sulton – recorded live.

The live set was recorded this past February at the B.B. King Blues Club & Grill in New York City. more on this story

Blink-182 To Premiere New Songs On Summer Tour

(Gibson) After more than a year of working on new material, Blink-182 will finally be ready to premiere some new songs when they hit the road this August. The punk-pop hitmakers recently announced a tour that begins August 5 in Holmdel, New Jersey.

"That's what we're most excited about," drummer Travis Barker told Rolling Stone. "It's the first time there will be new music in nine years."

In between now and the tour's launch, Blink will be hard at work on the new album. "We have until July 31st to hand the record in, and I think we'll use every single day until then, as always," singer and bassist Mark Hoppus said. more on this story

Draiman Won't Be Disturbed By Marriage

(Rock News Desk) Disturbed bassist John Moyer isn't concerned that David Draiman might lose his talent for angry lyrics once he's married.

The frontman is engaged and will soon join his bandmates in matrimonial life. But Moyer insists it won't be the end of his celebrated dark writings.

"I don't think it will ever change for David – he's always going to be in touch with that angry side of himself. It's just how he is: his therapy is writing lyrics," He tells CityBeat. "And to tell you the truth, no matter how happy a marriage is, being on the road is very stressful. It's stressful to the relationship and to our lives." more on this story

Glastonbury Bringing Back 1971 Acts for 40th Anniversary

(Gibson) Glastonbury organizer Michael Eavis is marking his music and arts festival's 40th birthday by setting up a special stage for the acts that played the very first festival in 1971.

The Daily Express reports that the 200,000 music fans attending in June will be able to visit the Spirit of '71 stage that will feature Melanie, one time Hawkwind star Nik Turner, Arthur Brown, Linda Lewis and Edgar Broughton.

Melanie, best known for her hit "Brand New Key," told Uncut magazine, "I'm now in the unique position of being a person who's just starting out, yet I've had 45 years of doing this. It's very strange." more on this story

The Darkness Reunite for New Album and Tour

(Gibson) After a five-year hiatus, The Darkness have reunited and are set to play a few shows next month in Britain. But frontman Justin Hawkins recently explained that the band's plans extend much further.

"There'll probably be a The Darkness album in 2012, but somehow we'll get new music out before then," he told Q magazine. "A U.K. tour at the end of that year and then the world. Again."

The reunion features original members Justin and Dan Hawkins (guitar), Frankie Poullain (bass) and Ed Graham (drums). more on this story

Zakk Wylde TV Roots Jam

(Gibson) Black Label Society frontman and guitarist Zakk Wylde is going to sit in with The Roots on an upcoming episode of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. Wylde will join the hip-hop house band on Monday, June 6.

The question is, what will Zakk, ?uestlove and the gang play together. Will the former Ozzy Osbourne axeman lead The Roots in an Ozzy cover or will he decide to play one of the songs on BLS's latest release, The Song Remains Not the Same.

This could be your chance to hear Zakk and The Roots attempt Simon & Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Water." more on this story

Rush Guitarist Alex Lifeson Silver Screen Preview

(Rock News Desk) Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson will make his first appearance as a movie actor in a Canadian movie of Irving Welsh's drug drama Ecstacy.

He plays a Scottish doctor with a novel approach to dealing with pain issues – and delivers his lines with an accent that Rock News Desk's Scots staff are finding difficult to identify.

The movie will be released in September, featuring Canadian TV actress Kristin Kreuk and Scottish star Billy Boyd. In a promo clip Lifeson plays Dr Michael Fig as he explains his theories. Check it out

Sepultura Singer Says Fans Already Got The Reunion They Wanted

(RockAAA) Sepultura singer Derrick Green says fans of the Brazilian metallers have already had the reunion they crave – when Igor Cavalera joined his brother Max in Cavalera Conspiracy – so he hopes talk of a return to the classic Sepultura line-up now fade away.

A reunion has long been mooted but Green insists the band are perfectly happy as they are and he reckons former frontman Max is equally content in his own band too.

In an interview with Sonic Shocks when asked about Max returning to Sepultura Green explained: "That's all they are, rumours. I mean nobody has contact with him or anyone in his band. And he's doing his own thing. The reunion, I think, is with his brother.

"I'm happy to see Igor with his family again. It was 10 years that they didn't speak. I think for the people that really wanted the reunion, there it is." more on this story

REO Speedwagon HI Infidelity 30th Anniversary Edition Set for Release

Epic/Legacy have set a July 19th for the double-CD 30th Anniversary Edition of REO Speedwagon's chart topping album HI Infidelity.

The year 1981 marks the debut of the groundbreaking MTV Networks and, simultaneously, as MTV was hitting the airwaves, REO Speedwagon held the #1 album spot with their multi-platinum Hi Infidelity, making an impression that has also come to last decades. The highest-selling rock LP of 1981 is being commemorated with, with special, never-before-released demos and more. The set will be released at all physical and digital retail outlets

HI Infidelity: 30th Anniversary Edition will pair the original album with a second CD of previously unreleased 'Crystal Demos' of nine of the album's 10 songs. Additionally, the album packaging will include new liner notes by lead singer Kevin Cronin, as well as original lead guitarist Gary Richrath. Cronin's essay takes the reader on a trip behind the curtain to the roots of many of the songs: "I remember writing the verses to piano, after sleepwalking into my home studio around 4:00 a.m.... A long simmering response to the bullies of my youth came in the form of 'Tough Guys'... Bruce wrote and sang 'Someone Tonight,' which is one of the gems from the Crystal Demos... 'I wish You Were There' [was] a little gospel thing that I had written in the house where I grew up in suburban Chicago." more on this story

McCartney Says The Rolling Stones Were Jealous Of The Beatles

(Gibson) In a new interview, rock legend Paul McCartney has said The Rolling Stones were a bit jealous of The Beatles because of the latter's singing talent.

"I talked to Keith Richards recently... well, a couple of years ago, and his take on it was, 'Man, you were lucky, you guys, you had four lead singers,' whereas the Rolling Stones only had one," McCartney told the Radio Times (via Spinner.com). "So [for the Beatles] it wasn't just the frontman and the back-up band. We were an entity. Mick [Jagger] used to call us the four-headed monster. We would show up at places all dressed the same."

In the same interview, the former Beatle said that timing played a key part in the band's success.

"A couple of years earlier, we would have been in the Army, and it's very doubtful that the Beatles would have formed," he said. "We would have been at Aldershot, or wherever, in various camps, and might not have even met." more on this story

Ringo Starr Still Rocking At 70

(Gibson) As Ringo Starr prepares for another tour with his All Starr band, the Beatles drummer has been reminiscing a little with U.K. newspaper the Daily Mail.

Ringo explained why he still hits the road at 70 years of age. "I still love to play. I go down the front and sing 'Photograph' or whatever, then I get to go back to the drums and play with all these other musicians," he said. "It's a win-win situation. I get the chance to be both the entertainer and the musician. Everyone's a star, but I'm the big star. The band gets to play 12 numbers between them and I do 12 numbers."

Talking about the early days in Liverpool, Starr points out that The Beatles were lucky to have him. "It wasn't just that I was a big shot; I was a cool drummer," he said. "Brian Epstein asked if I would play lunchtime at the Cavern with them. That's how I got started." more on this story

Winterus Announce New Lineup

Winterus now have a solid lineup and will embark on a headlining tour, the "Lone Wolves Tour", in June.

After the recent departure of guitarist Nathan Barnes (guitar) and Cody McCoy (drums), guitarist Les Paul and drummer Kollin Perpignani have been added to the mix, along with bassist Donovan Bates, to round out the strongest Winterus lineup yet.

"As bands grow, you find people that really get what you are trying to do," said vocalist Christopher Erich Neu. "Things are only getting tighter." more on this story

David Byrne Documentary Coming Next Week

Eagle Rock have set a May 31 release date for Ride Rise Roar, a documentary film detailing the unique creative process of David Byrne shot over the course of his `08/`09 "Songs of David Byrne & Brian Eno" tour.

Ride Rise Roar combines exclusive behind-the-scenes footage with onstage action from Byrne's recent world tour. Including band audition footage, rehearsals and interviews with Byrne and the key players in his group, the film explores the inner workings of a complex and theatrical live presentation along with the creative process behind the creation of the live show.

Ride Rise Roar demonstrates the eclectic artist's idiosyncratic vision with live performance footage displaying Byrne's trademark fusion of pop, soul, funk, world, rock and modern dance. The track list spans Byrne's illustrious career, from his early CBGB days to his pioneering work with Brian Eno. more on this story

Cynics Forced To Change Their Name

Cynics have been forced to change their name to Great Cynics as they gear up to release their debut album next month.

After receiving threats from Pittsburgh garage band The Cynics, the band decided to forego legal action and push forward.

In an interview with The 1st Five, frontman Giles Bidder commented on the new moniker saying, "It has the same meaning as the original name did, which is about people who sit back and tell you that you can't do what you want to do whilst doing f**k all themselves." Read The 1st Five interview here

Sick Puppies Get ShipRocked

ShipRocked has added Sick Puppies to this year's lineup that also features Queensryche, Hinder, Hellyeah, Sevendust, Candlebox, Filter, Living Colour, In This Moment, Lynam, Broken Teeth and Rival Sons.

Sick Puppies recently released their latest album, a new, deluxe version of their acclaimed "Tri-Polar".

ShipRocked 2011 sets sail November 14-19, 2011 from Ft. Lauderdale, FL, heading for the tip of Mexico and its popular stretch of Caribbean water known for scuba diving, shopping and bars aplenty. more on this story

Boris Release Two Albums and Announce Tour With Russian Circles

(Sargent House) Boris will coheadline a European/UK tour with new label mates Russian Circles this summer.

The news comes on the heals of yesterday's release of two new full length albums today via Sargent House. Here are the details on the albums followed by the tour dates:

Boris - Attention Please - LP/CD/digital: Boris are widely known for their ability to breach styles and stretch sonic boundaries of all that is heavy, psychedelic, droning and downright cathartic. But, Attention Please is more like a complete redefining of their potential in several ways. First and foremost, it is the first album on which all vocals are sung by lead guitarist, Wata. While she has previously sung on a couple of songs for singles and her solo outings, the entire 10-song album features her intimate, multifaceted vocal style. Secondly, the songs on Attention Please have a sultry, intoxicating catchiness to them. It's melodic without sounding pop. It's psychedelic without sounding dated. It's heavy without relying on barre chord riffs. more on this story

Nachtmystium Complete Their Lineup

(Earsplit) Nachtmystium have officially recruited full-time bassist Reid Raley of Rwake/Deadbird into the band giving the band their first ever official lineup.

Besides founding guitarist/vocalist Blake Judd, Nachtmystium have forced their way from the depths of the American black metal scene to international popularity over the past decade incorporating temporary lineups from release to release, and presenting a new set of musicians for nearly every tour the band has embarked on.

Over recent months, Judd has recruited several other full-time members including lead guitarist Andrew Markuszewski (Avichi, Lord Mantis), drummer Charlie Fell (Lord Mantis, Avichi), and keyboard/synth engineer Sanford Parker (Minsk, Circle Of Animals), now solidifying the crew with the addition of Reid Raley on bass, making this the first "official lineup" for the band, ever. more on this story

Life On Repeat Summer Plans Include Greeley Estates Tour

(Equal Vision) Life On Repeat have announced their summer tour plan which includes supporting Greeley Estates on their summer headlining tour.

Also performing will be The Plot In You, Miracle at St. Anna, and Everyone Dies In Utah. The full US tour begins on July 15th in Tempe, AZ.

In June, Life On Repeat will release their debut full-length album, Struggle + Sleep, and head out on an East Coast tour with There For Tomorrow, Conditions and Oceana. more on this story

Ted Leo and the Pharmacists To Kick Off 4Knots Music Festival

Ted Leo and the Pharmacists are set to headline The Official 4Knots Music Festival Kick Off Show on July 9th at the South Street Seaport.

Presented by The Village Voice and Seaport Music Festival, the free show marks Leo's return to the Pier 17 stage where he has appeared many times, including an impromptu skateboarding demo during a torrential downpour, and the improbable generator powered show of the 2003 blackout.

"We're thrilled to announce that Ted Leo will launch the first 4Knots Music Festival Kick Off Show," remarked Village Voice publisher Josh Fromson. "I truly can't think of a better fit to welcome us to the Seaport." more on this story