Van Halen Divided?

"They played one song for me and it was good, but the thing I was hearing was stuff like, you know, it's the whole… I just heard the classic stories, my buddy finally was told to leave, the producer, and he heard about how people would get fired and he was like, 'It happened to me, too!'" explained Kenny. "And then the engineer would deliver the mixes. There was the David Lee Roth camp and there was the brothers' camp." more on this story

Rolling Stones Members Reuniting For Jam

(hennemusic) Some of the Rolling Stones are reconvening in London for a little jam session later this month.

Rolling Stone reports Keith Richards will meet up with Ronnie Wood and Charlie Watts in a London studio. "We're just going to play a little together, because we haven't played for three or four years," says Richards. "You don't necessarily want to rehearse or write anything – you just want to touch bases. That's a good start: me, Charlie and Ronnie. Mick's welcome, and I'm sure he'll turn up, but right now we just want to get our chops down."

Beyond that, the Stones' plans for their 50th anniversary next year remain unclear. "I just hope we can perform live," says Wood. "It'd be great to see if that old spark is there." more on this story

Slayer To Reign In Blood Live

(Gibson) Slayer will perform their seminal album Reign in Blood live in London next May. The metal titans will be supported by Sleep and Washington band The Melvins.

The show will take place on Friday, May 25, at the opening night of All Tomorrow's Parties' I'll Be Your Mirror weekend festival at Alexandra Palace.

According to Slayer.net, All Tomorrow's Parties said in a statement:"ATP are incredibly excited to announce that this year the event starts on Friday 25th May when the incomparable Slayer will present their undisputed classic Reign in Blood live in its entirety during their headline set to celebrate its 25th anniversary! Released in 1986, it is widely considered one of the greatest albums of all time – in 2006 Metal Hammer named it 'The best metal album of the last 20 years.'" more on this story

Staind Announce North American Tour Dates

Audio Ink Radio has some good news and some even better news for Staind fans: When Staind released their self-titled album this past September without a coinciding North American tour, they promised fans a proper trek was just around the bend.

Now, the post-grunge rock band are making good on that guarantee, as they've worked up a handful of tour dates before Christmas bells start ringing.

The tour starts November 25th in Uncasville, Ct., and closing out Dec. 16 in Biloxi, Miss. With only 15 dates, it's a select tour, but speaking exclusively with Audio Ink Radio, frontman Aaron Lewis pledged the band would do a large-scale tour in 2012. More from Aaron and the dates here.

Evans Blue Lose Member

(Banana 101.5) Evans Blue announces the departure of drummer Howard 'H-Bomb' Davis and the name of his replacement — the news comes as the band is at work on their still-untitled fourth studio album.

Evans Blue announced via press release today that they will be moving forward without Howard Davis, who has played with the band since their 2007 album 'The Pursuit.' Vocalist Dan Chandler had this to say when asked about the Howard's departure: "We seemed to be moving in different directions musically, so we mutually agreed that it was time to move on. We wish Howard all the best."

The band will be joined by St. Louis native and longtime friend of Chandler's Mike McClure. Read what Howard had to say about the exit here

Sammy Hagar and Joe Satriani, Hinder, James Durbin NFL Songs Released

The NFL and Banshee Music have released the Official Gameday Music of the NFL, Vol. 1 at iTunes, which features football focused tracks from Sammy Hagar & Joe Satriani, Hinder, James Durbin, Darius Rucker and Jordin Sparks.

They put out these details: Music plays a significant role in the sporting event experience, and the Official Gameday Music of the NFL lets fans bring home the energy of the game. The inaugural release features singles from Darius Rucker, Sammy Hagar and Joe Satriani of Chickenfoot, rock onslaught Hinder, and American Idol favorites James Durbin and singer/songwriter Jordin Sparks. Sparks' father is former NFL cornerback Phillippi Sparks and her song, "You Gotta Want It," is a track destined to be heard inside NFL stadiums. Each song is loosely themed around the NFL and its teams while leaving the creative process to the individual artists.

The Official Gameday Music of the NFL can be purchased through iTunes. Additional songs that will span all genres will be released in the coming months and throughout future seasons from national recording artists. more on this story

Korn Album Release Concert

Korn will hold a special record release concert for their new album, The Path Of Totality, at the Palladium in Hollywood, CA on the night of its release December 6th.

Joining them on the bill are dubstep DJs Datsik, Downlink, and 12th Planet who also appear on The Path Of Totality, as well as Flinch. Special surprise guests are also expected according to MSO.

At The Palladium, the band will perform selections from the new album which features production from the likes of leading U.S., U.K. and Dutch dubstep trailblazers Skrillex, Feed Me, Excision, Datsik, Noisia and Kill the Noise as well as a variety of their classic hits and other tracks from their extensive catalog. more on this story

Black Sabbath Reunion Countdown Launched

(hennemusic) The Black Sabbath reunion countdown continues, as the band gets set for press conference at the Whisky A Go Go this Friday at 11:11 AM (on 11/11/11).

Sabbath have really made things official by adding a countdown clock to their website.

It is expected that the four original members - Ozzy Osbourne, guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler and drummer Bill Ward - will announce their reunion at the famed LA venue where they played their first US show 41 years earlier, to the day. more on this story

Dream Theater's Jordan Rudess To Rock Solo This Weekend

Dream Theater keyboard player Jordan Rudess has announced a rare solo appearance this Saturday, November 12 at The Iridium in New York City.

Rudess--who is on a brief break from Dream Theater's world tour in support of their new album A Dramatic Turn Of Events--will be playing a mix of improvisations and covers on the piano and synthesizer.

For this performance he will also perform on his iPad apps: MorphWiz (which won "Best Music Creation App" at the Billboard App Awards in 2010), SampleWiz and his newest app, the Geo Synthesizer, which was released just two weeks ago. more on this story

80s Rockers Release Charity Single

SleazeRoxx reports that there is a new all star charity single for Red Cross Japanese earthquake/tsunami relief that features a who's who of 80s hard rock and glam. Here is part of their report:

United Rockers 4U was established by Terry Ilous, Jeff Paris and Peter Kalish in order to raise money for the American Red Cross in response to Japan's earthquake and tsunami disaster in March 2011.

"One Family" is the charity single by United Rockers 4U featuring a rock 'n roll all-star cast with Eddie Money, Bobby Kimbal (Toto), Don Dokken (Dokken), Jimi Jamison (Survivor), Terry Ilous (Great White/XYZ), Robin McCauley (MSG/Survivor), Jeff Paris, Richie Kotzen (Poison/Mr. Big), Paul Shortino (Rough Cutt), Phil Lewis (L.A. Guns), Rudy Sarzo (Ozzy Osbourne/Quiet Riot/Whitesnake), Brian Tichy (Whitesnake/Foreigner/Billy Idol), Robert Sarzo (Hurricane), and Michael Thompson. Proceeds from the sale of "One Family" will go to The American Red Cross for Disaster Relief. more on this story

3 Doors Down Star Says Nobody Sells Records Like In The Past

(Banana 101.5) 3 Doors Down have sold millions of albums over the years, but if you ask bass player Todd Harrell, the band's expectations for sales have evolved quite a bit since first spitting out 'Krytonite' in 2000.

While the band's latest assortment of songs, 'Time of My Life,' entered the Billboard 200 at No. 3 and has achieved major success, Harrell says it's nothing like the numbers bands saw a decade ago, before the Internet took over the music industry. "The record [is] doing great, but times have changed in the record business," Harrell told AZ Central. "There are so many different ways to sell music. You just have to kind of roll with the changes. Nobody sells records like in the past."

How has the change in the way people consume music altered 3 Doors Down? "It definitely affects the pocketbook," he laughed. "You know, the Internet is a tool that's changed things. You can say good things and bad things about it. It is a way to get the music out there. It's kind of a double-bladed sword." more on this story

Johnny Ramone and Dee Dee Ramone Immortalized As Vinyl Ramones Figures

(Gibson) The Ramones were always into leather. One can only hope, therefore, that the spirits of the late Johnny Ramone and Dee Dee Ramone will not object to being cast in vinyl.

Punk toy company Aggronautix has unveiled the two punk icons as the latest figures in its series of punk rock toys and "throbbleheads." And yes, the 3.75-inch tall polyresinate figures do come decked in traditional Ramones leather jackets, and are featured holding their respective instruments.

As an added touch, the matching shoulder chains that bookended the notorious pair onstage are featured as well. more on this story

Powerman 5000's Spider Talks New TV Show

(Banana 101.5) Banana 101.5 spoke with Spider from Powerman 5000 about horror films, new music, his MTV show 'Death Valley,' and the possibility of a film "collaboration" with his brother Rob Zombie.

You have a new TV show on MTV called 'Death Valley,' how would you describe it for those who haven't tuned in yet? It's a horror comedy and it basically follows this group of cops called the Undead Task Force, and it's their job to contain the recent uprising of vampires, zombies, and werewolves in the San Fernando Valley. It's just completely over the top comedy and gore — so you're sort of laughing your ass off one minute and then scared to death and grossed out the next. A lot of people simply describe it as a 'Reno 911′ meets 'Walking Dead' kind of a thing. I feel slightly different than that but I suppose that is a concise way to put it.

It's very much a genre fans wet dream. You've got guns, comedy, zombies, vampires, werewolves, hot lesbians — I can see why you fought for so long to get this show on the air. Yeah look, it really was me sitting at home not finding anything to watch on TV and going, "You know what? I have to make a show that I want to watch." And you know this was over six years ago that I came up with this idea after I moved to the San Fernando Valley in L.A. and decided this would be the perfect backdrop for a monster invasion. I ran around town with a camera and a couple of friends and 500 bucks for a budget and made this test trailer of 'Death Valley' — a very early version of it — and that eventually got to MTV and they really loved it and championed the idea and here we are with a real TV show on the air. more on this story

Tom Waits Gets Satisfied With Keith Richards and Bob Dylan's Son

(hennemusic) Tom Waits has issued a new video from his new "Bad As Me" album. "Satisfied" features Tom dancing around the backyard, it's stark black and white imagery well-suited to the Waits mystique ("Down By Law" anyone?).

The video was directed by Jesse Dylan, the eldest son of Bob Dylan, and Rolling Stone Keith Richards plays guitar on the track.

"There's nobody in the world like him," Tom told NPR recently. "We wrote songs together for a while and that was fun. I had never really written with anybody besides my wife, so it was unique and a little scary at first. He doesn't really remember anything or write anything down. So you play for an hour and he would yell across the room, 'Scribe!' And I looked around. 'Scribe? Who's the scribe?' And he'd say it again, now pointing at me. I was supposed to have written down everything we said and dreamt of and played. And I realized we needed an adult in the room. I've never been the one that one would consider the adult. It was an interesting dynamic." More including the video here

Teen Students Take On Judas Priest Classic

(hennemusic) 48 students from the Aaron O'Keefe music school in Ohio hit the studio in the spring for an 8-hour marathon recording session.

A group of young teens, ranging from 11 to 17, spent a couple of hours laying down a seriously heavy cover of "Painkiller" by Judas Priest.

"On Saturday, May 7th my students traveled to Nashville, TN to record 8 songs at Starstruck Studios, a world class recording studio owned by Reba McEntire," writes O'Keefe. "This was our longest recording session to date...running from 8 am to 3 am. The students recorded Painkiller from 2 pm to 4 pm."

"Judas Priest's "Painkiller" is by far the most challenging song my students have covered," he continues. more on this story

Original Mad Max Lineup Returns For New Album Release

(Freeman) Mad Max have announced the reunion of their original line-up and the release their new studio album "Another Night Of Passion" by the end of March 2012.

Michael Voss (Lead Vocals, Lead Guitars), Jürgen Breforth (Rhythm Guitars), Roland Bergmann (Bass, Vocals) and Axel Kruse (Drums) captured the spirit of 1987 and deliver their new album worldwide through SPV / Steamhammer.

The album was recorded at the Kidroom-Studios which are owned by Michael Voss and where also albums from Michael Schenker, Vengeance and Gary Barden were produced. more on this story

MxPx Documentary Coming Next Month

Next month, MxPx will release a music documentary, Both Ends Burning, featuring footage from the band's 2008 world tour all the way to the band's sold-out Seattle show in March 2011.

In the film, MxPx finds themselves at a crossroads in their career, struggling to find the balance between full time jobs, and the life of a touring musician.

Directed by Bryan Buchelt of Snaproll Studios, the DVD will be available digitally on December 1 through most online retail outlets and the band's website (www.mxpx.com). The physical version, which includes over 20 minutes of deleted scenes, will be available December 8 through the band's website.

The Black Keys Star Works On New Tennis Album

Fat Possum Records have set a February 14th, 2012 release date for Tennis' sophomore album, Young and Old.

For the album guitarist Patrick Riley, vocalist Aliana Moore and drummer James Barone headed to Nashville to work with The Black Keys' Patrick Carney.

The first single from these sessions, "Origins," will be released on limited edition blue 7" vinyl on December 6 via Forest Family Records. more on this story

Daybreaker Announce North American Tour Dates

Daybreaker will be hitting the road in support of their upcoming split 7" with The American Scene.

The band will be out with State Champs from 11/27-Dec 3rd and with The Story So Far and This Time Next Year 12/6-12/13.

The split 7" with The American Scene is set to be released on November 29th by Pure Noise Records. more on this story

Singled Out: Lance King's Awakening

Today Avian, Pyramaze and Balance Of Power frontman Lance King tells us about "Awakening" from his brand new album "A Moment In Chiros," which is being released tomorrow 11/11/11. Here is the story:

"Awakening" is part of a concept album, I can't give the entire concept away, it would sort of ruin the point of the album which is for truth seekers to search for clues in the construct of what the music and lyrics are sharing. It's called "A Moment In Chiros" and it's based on the 11:11 time prompt phenomena, and comes out 11/11/11.

"Awakening" is a part of that concept, however it has a duplicity to it in that I used a real life story to illustrate a step of the concept.

I need to go back a few years to when the real life story was taking place, I was working on the first Pyramaze album, I'd done a lot of recording before this, but on Tape, ADAT digital tape, and hard disc recording unit's, this was my first time working with protocols on a computer, so I had a bit of a learning curve going on with the program and the best ways to use it. It was a bit frustrating actually, since my setup was not proper and I was doing it on a older iMac without a secondary hard drive, so I ended up having to record one song, bounce it all down, send the tracks to the bands producer in Denmark, and start on the next one after I made enough room to work on the computer again.

Through this process my wife's Dad got deathly ill, he was in the hospital about 90 miles away and it wasn't looking good. Of course I had a deadline to keep, and the band was pushing me on it. I missed some things I wish I hadn't while doing this record, I wasn't there for my wife when she needed me, and it certainly was one of the hardest things she's gone through in our time together. I regretted that afterwards a lot.

Back to the story and it's content… My wife was in the hospital room with her dad and some other family, and our very young daughter at that time, that had yet to speak coherent words.

She was still under 6 months old at the time. I couldn't be there that day because of my album deadline. My wife tells me that when her father passed on that day, she could feel his energy leave as the heart monitor droned a steady beeeep, and that our daughter, was looking at the ceiling… and pointed and said grandpa, smiling and full of joy.

She could clearly see him on the ceiling, she was too young to tell us exactly what she saw, but I believe he was likely waving at her and making faces like he did a lot, smiling and happy because of the joy she was showing.

This was something that of course hit everyone in the room in a meaningful way, and was a catalyst for many spiritual discussions, and soul searching, and it led to some personal discoveries, through introspection, that I will choose to keep private at this point, but suffice to say, it's deep, and it was profound and it was an "Awakening"

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