Motley Crue Star Teams Up With American Idol

"That's right! That's Mick F**kin Mars!!!!! Playing on MY record!!! This is so unbelievable!!!!," tweeted Durbin in reply to Mick's message. more on this story

Stone Temple Pilots Cancel Tour

(Banana 101.5) Stone Temple Pilots have canceled the remainder of a tour because of Scott Weiland, at least this time it appears to be for legitimate reasons.

Last year STP dropped the off of their tour early after singer Scott Weiland had an exciting multiple-night run of falling off of stages and announcing to the crowd he had also fallen off the wagon. This year the band took another run at it and was receiving mostly positive reviews — all was going well…until last night.

Scott Weiland consulted with Doctor at the UC Voice Health Center prior to their show Tuesday night (Sept 13th) in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Doctors informed Weiland that he had scarring on his left vocal chord and a "tremendously inflamed" right vocal chord. more on this story

Goodbye CDs?

(Banana 101.5) Looks like CDs will be joining 8-tracks and cassette tapes at the flea market sooner than you think.

The chief executive of one of the largest entertainment retailers in the United Kingdom has said that the shelf life of the compact disc is coming to an end.

According to Ultimate Guitar, Simon Fox of UK entertainment retailer HMV recently told The Sun that he believes the CD market will drop from it's 2010 figure of $1.4-billion to $475-million by 2014. He also said that his chain of music stores will no longer stock compact discs by 2016. more on this story

Aerosmith Making Progress

(hennemusic) Aerosmith continues to work on their 14th studio album with producer Jack Douglas, their first since 2004.

Bassist Tom Hamilton checks in with an update on the project in a new video message for fans. "We're finished with the basic tracks" says Tom. "We've cut 13 basics and we're gonna sit with that for the moment. The bass parts are done, subject to some adjustments in the future. The drum tracks are all done, and we're starting to do guitar overdubs. It's fun. I enjoy going down to the studio and hanging out with the other guys while Joe [Perry] and Brad [Whitford] do their work. So that's probably what we're gonna be doing for the rest of September. And then we're gonna start rehearsing and getting ready for the tour in South America and Japan, which will take us to the end of December."

"And then," continues Hamilton, "sometime between now and then, Steven's [Tyler] probably gonna start singing some vocals and then get really intense about it when we get back from Japan. We can see and hear the album in our minds; we can kind of tell what's going on. And I like to describe it as being crunchy on the outside with a creamy center." Check out the video here

Megapain for Mustaine at Big Four Show

(Rock News Desk) Dave Mustaine fronted Megadeth for the Big 4 concert in New York last night but admitted he was facing surgery on his neck after sustaining an injury during a recent tour.

Rumours had been rife that Megadeth might miss the last scheduled appearance of the touring event which has seen them sharing a stage with genre mates Metallica, Slayer and Anthrax since last year.

It had been said the guitarist and singer spent the last few days in hospital, suffering from pain in his shoulder following an incident on the recent Mayhem Festival US tour. more on this story

Slash Talks Guns N' Roses Disillusions From Use Your Illusion

(Rock News Desk) Slash believes Guns N' Roses' Use Your Illusion albums are filled with "good crap" – even though their creation triggered the collapse of the band.

It's two decades they released two records in one year and lost drummer Steven Adler, guitarist Izzy Stradlin and manager Alan Niven along the way. In the years to follow everyone but singer Axl Rose would quit the band and move on to other projects, leaving the name in the hands of the frontman who maintains it today.

Slash believes the new musical direction which included the introduction of synthesisers to the band's sound led directly to Stradlin's departure – but he has some good memories of the writing and recording sessions. more on this story

Zakk Wylde Recruits Breaking Benjamin Member

(Banana 101.5) The Zakk Wylde fronted metal outfit Black Label Society have announced that Chad Szeliga of Breaking Benjamin will be replacing Mike Froedge in the seat behind the drums.

Black Label Society's drummer situation of late calls to mind the movie Spinal Tap. In the past year they have had three different drummers including Will Hunt (who left for Evanescence), Johnny Kelly (Type O Negative), and most recently Mike Froedge.

According to Blabbermouth, the announcement came down today that they would be joined by Breaking Ben drummer Chad Szeliga. After Ben Burnley fired everyone else in that band, the situation probably didn't look too promising. more on this story

Mike Portnoy Going Stone Sour

(Rock News Desk) Former Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy will gist with another band when he covers for Stone Sour drummer Ray Mayorga at Rock in Rio on September 24.

The sticksman quit his prog-metal outfit while touring with Avenged Sevenfold last year, and recently said he loved the experience of being able to play drums without having to be involved in a band's decision-making process.

Now he'll repeat the feat while Mayorga attends the birth of his first daughter, due on the day of the show. more on this story

Scott Weiland Releasing Christmas Album

(Gibson) Last year, Scott Weiland decided to make a holiday album. Then, the Stone Temple Pilots singer decided to put the project on hold until 2011. Well, boys and girls, I hope you've been good this year, because Christmas is coming early – October 4, to be exact.

That's the day Weiland will finally unveil his Christmas album, titled The Most Wonderful Time of the Year, on Rhino Records. A press release (via Blabbermouth) reports that the record includes a diverse array of styles from big band swing to reggae to bossa nova. Check out the tracklist below.

In 2010, Weiland said he wanted to take a traditional approach with the album: "You know, strings, upright bass, jazz horns, piano, and guitar. He added, 'I'm sort of picking various versions of these songs, because they've been covered so many times, but my favorite versions — with a little twist." more on this story

Original KISS Not Reuniting

(Rock News Desk) Kiss mainman Gene Simmons doesn't want talk of an original lineup reunion to circulate after he met up with former bandmate Ace Frehley recently.

Simmons says: "Ace and I had a nice, friendly lunch together. It was wonderful to see him. He looked healthy and happy.

"Nothing else was talked about. Ace and I are both happy with our lives and are not changing anything." more rock news

Velvet Revolver Mistaken For Not Hiring Sebastian Bach?

(Rock News Desk) Sebastian Bach has suggested Velvet Revolver made a mistake in hiring Weiland to front the band rather than himself, after he spent a month working with them during their formation.

The ex-Skid Row man says: "They put their faith in a heroin addict. How did that work out for them?

"If they had picked me we'd probably still be together right now. I'm a musician like them; I'm not a junkie and not into that kind of thing. more on this story

Pegazus Members Reunite For In Metal We Trust Tour

Pegazus have announced some names from their past will be joining their touring line-up for the In Metal We Trust tour.

Due to the fact that both Ange Sotiro (Drums) and Cory Betts (Bass) will not be available for touring duties because of serious working-related issues, the band has asked 2 well-known names from the past to join the band for the upcoming shows in Melbourne and Europe !

Ange Sotiro will be replaced by no one other than co-founder of Pegazus and former drummer Robbie Stoj ! Johnny and Robbie Stoj created Pegazus in 1993 and Robbie was the drummer from it's beginning till 2003, when he had to unfortunately leave the band due to a serious hand injury. In the past few months he has felt very comfortable and back into the groove of being back behind the drum-kit again and will now replace Ange for the upcoming shows. Robbie Stoj comments on the recent events : " Looking forward to getting back to Europe, seeing old and new friends and fans. Great to be back touring, especially with Pegazus. This line up has got a lot to be seen to be believed. These will be really great shows. " more on this story

Leslie West Accepting Life With One Leg

(Rock News Desk) Mountain legend Leslie West says he's learning to live with one leg after he lost his lower right limb in emergency surgery to deal with an infection.

The guitarist explains: "It changes everything. I can't just jump out of bed and go outside. It's been different, trying to remember you have one leg.

"You still feel it because the nerve endings are in there. It's called 'phantom pain' – you think it's there but it's not. I've had to learn how to use crutches and be in a wheelchair. But it was either my leg or my life." more on this story

The Compulsions (Guns N' Roses, New York Dolls) Giving Away Easy Money

The Compulsions are giving fans a free download of their song "Ea$y Money" online until mid Roctober.

The song comes from their album, Beat The Devil, which was released late last year.

The Compulsions Rob Carlyle on lead vocal and guitar, Richard Fortus (Guns N' Roses, Thin Lizzy) on guitar, Sami Yaffa (New York Dolls, Hanoi Rocks, Michael Monroe) on bass and Frank Ferrer (Guns N' Roses) on drums along with many of Carlyle's favorite local musicians; including long revered blues guitarist, Hubert Sumlin (Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters).

Grab the new song here

Coal Chamber Reunion Possible

(Rock News Desk) DevilDriver frontman Dez Fafara has revealed that he would consider reuniting with Coal Chamber.

He split the nu metal act in 2003 over his bandmates' use of methamphetamines. But he now says guitarist Meegs Rascon and drummer Mikey Cox are "clean off of hard drugs."

Fafara says: "We put the past behind us. We've been friends for years – they come out to DevilDriver shows. I don't know if I'd entertain a reunion, but I would entertain some shows. Definitely." more on this story

Weird Al Yankovic TV Special

(CC) "Weird Al" Yankovic will return to the small screen to present his first TV special since 1999 when Comedy Central airs the World Premiere of "Weird Al" Yankovic Live! – The Alpocalypse Tour on Saturday, October 1 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT.

On October 4, "Weird Al" Yankovic Live! – The Alpocalypse Tour will be released in North America on DVD and Blu-ray by Comedy Central Home Entertainment and Paramount Home Entertainment and download-to-own including iTunes and Amazon Video On Demand.

In addition, the special will be available in high definition on Xbox LIVE Marketplace and PlayStation Store. The extended DVD and Blu-ray include nearly an hour's worth of concert footage not seen on Comedy Central, plus over 30 minutes of bonus features that include: music videos for "Perform This Way" and "Polka Face," three extra live concert performances, a bunch of Al's personal YouTube videos and more. more on this story

Godsmack Friends Not Being Star-Struck By Motley Crue Fueled Feud?

(Rock News Desk) Godsmack drummer Shannon Larkin has revealed more about the feud with Motley Crue which led to his band writing the track Cryin' Like A Bitch, said to illustrate the bad feeling between singer Sully Erna and Crue's Nikki Sixx.

Larkin says: "We get along great with Mick Mars and Tommy Lee. I got along great with Nikki. In fact, he had called me over one time and asked if I would like to play on his Sixx:AM project. But then, four weeks into the tour, him and Sully had this clash.

"They were real weird with our guests getting backstage, like they might want to look at Motley Crue. Our guests were there to see us and they didn't give a sh*t about Motley Crue. They're a band that we all respect. It just kind of fronted us a little that they would think our guests would be star-struck over them." more on this story

Fleetwood Mac Will Be Back in 2012

(Gibson) Just about two weeks ago, Fleetwood Mac guitarist Lindsey Buckingham told fans he "wouldn't be shocked" if there was a "tour and possibly an album" to come in 2012 from the '70s pop/rock giants.

Following on from that conversation, band founder Mick Fleetwood has confirmed that Fleetwood Mac will play again next year.

He told Billboard.com: "We're so disorganized as a band... All we know is we're working next year. I'll get a phone call that we're going to start rehearsing – usually in a blind panic because we leave everything way too late. But we're all up for touring in the early summer of next year, I think, and once we start we're much like U2 and the Stones in terms of workload. We basically play until no one wants to book us anymore." more on this story

Fishbone Documentary Premiere Set

Fishbone are celebrating their 25th anniversary with a new EP and a new documentary called "Everyday Sunshine: The Story of Fishbone" which was narrated by Laurence Fishburne and directed by Lev Anderson & Chris Metzler.

Pale Griot Films is proud to present the US Theatrical release of Everyday Sunshine: The Story of Fishbone in New York and Los Angeles this October. The film had its World Premiere at the 2010 Los Angeles Film Festival, and went on to screen at the SXSW Film & Music festival, among many others. Everyday Sunshine will open on October 7th at the ReRun Theater in Brooklyn, NY, and on October 21st at the Laemmle Sunset 5 in Los Angeles, CA. Many other cities (including Chicago, San Francisco, Boston, DC) will follow.

The band is also celebrating their 25th anniversary with the release of their new EP, Crazy Glue, out on October 11th on DC Jam Records. Check out the trailer here

Agent Orange Playing Tiger Army's Octoberflame

Tiger Army has announced the final lineup for their fourth annual Octoberflame event.

The show is set to take place at City National Grove in Anaheim, California on October 28 and 29.

The band is proud to announce that punk legends Agent Orange will be the direct support with punk 'n' roll band Steller Corpses opening the show on October 29 and punk rockers the Swingin' Utters providing direct support with rockabilly act Reckless Ones opening on October 28. more on this story

Coldplay, TV's House, and Lady Gaga For Charity Concert

(Gibson) Take That's Gary Barlow, organizer of the Children in Need charity concert in Manchester, has recruited Coldplay, Lady Gaga, Elbow, Michael Buble and TV's singing doctor, Hugh Laurie (House), for the show.

Barlow told the Daily Express that he has more big names in store: "I'm so thrilled that these incredible artists are giving their time for such a special charity that is very close to my heart. There are still some great acts we're keeping up our sleeve to announce in the coming weeks and who knows, I might even sing a little something on the night, too."

The November 17 concert in Manchester is part of a week of Children in Need fundraising events across the U.K. more on this story

Eddie Van Halen Proclaimed The Les Paul Of Today

(hennemusic) We're only a few weeks away from the October 12 release of legendary rock photographer Neil Zlozower's second Van Halen hardcover coffee table photo book, "Eddie Van Halen."

The Van Halen News Desk is offering up a series of quotes from the book by fellow rockers. Lita Ford from The Runaways who checks in with her story. She says in part:

"We all know EVH is the Les Paul of today's world," states Ford. "We all know Edward changed the face of rock 'n' roll. But it's the person that he truly is that makes him so unique. He is an inspiration to every musician, because we all wanna be him, and some of us try real hard, but the reality of it is that there is only ONE Edward Van Halen!!! PERIOD!" Read her full comments here

3 Inches Of Blood Playing Film Premiere After Party

3 Inches Of Blood's cover of the classic Rush song, "Anthem" is featured in the film Lloyd The Conqueror" and the band has announced they will help celebrate the premiere.

Here is the official word: On Saturday, September 24th the film "Lloyd The Conqueror", staring Mike Smith (Trailer Park Boys) and Brian Posehn, will premiere as part of the Calgary International Film Festival at the Globe Theatre at 7:00 PM.

Directly following the premiere, 3 Inches Of Blood will be performing at the official after party. A sure sell out, the event begins at 9:00 PM at Dickens Pub more on this story

Singled Out: Hot Head Show's Payload

(TMZ) Today Jordan from Hot Head Show tells us about "Payload" from their brand new album "The Lemon LP". Here is the story:

Payload is Hot Head Show's only composition to address Cultural Friction, Foreign Policy, or the Frailty of Wartime Diplomacy. Jordan's grandad started the CIA.

The piece opens with a stirring leitmotif stated first by Copeland's searing contratenor, and subsequently developed away from its harmonic centre with increasingly elaborate interjections from the pizzicato strings. The majority of the dialogue is carried by the Bass Guitar, with Drums and Cymbals lending a general ambience of heavy artillery punctuated ruthlessly by the Rhythm Guitar's heady whining deathrattle.

All in all, Payload is a rampant gushing of flagrantly clever counterpoint and balls-out opportunism. We couldn't help but do it. The fact that it's about politics shouldn't affect anyone's approach to listening to it.

The video is by Simon Panrucker, whose prolific sicknesses await your attention here.

The Flaming Lips Explain Six Hour Song

(Gibson) Recently, we reported that The Flaming Lips were at work on a six-hour song for charity. In a new interview with Rolling Stone, frontman Wayne Coyne said that the epic song is done – and that it took the band a lot longer than they originally thought.

"Now I've realized, it's insane. When we started doing it, it didn't seem like it was that big of a deal," he said. "So we were like, 'Yeah, we'll do a song that is six hours long – it will be fun.' But then you get in to it and your like 'F--k, what the f--k were we thinking?' We finished it last night, around two o'clock in the morning because we knew we were leaving today and we were gonna be gone for a little bit and we didn't think we'd be able to get back to it. It's taken us about three weeks. I think, in our usual overconfidence, I think we thought it would take a couple of days and it's taken a couple of weeks."

As for what the song sounds like, Coyne referenced the Velvet Underground, John Coltrane and Super Mario Bros. "The best way that we can describe the sound of it is, it's like the Velvet Underground meets Super Mario Bros. And if you've ever played the Mario Brothers game or it you've had it on in the background, you could listen to a Mario Brothers-type video game forever because it's kind of just 'do do do do do la ta da ta da.' It's not real intense, and it's not going anywhere. Steven [Drozd, multi-instrumentalist] was already composing it to be kind of like a long John Coltrane thing." more on this story

. Rainbow - Live in Germany 1976

Its Christmas come early for fans of Ritchie Blackmore and Ronnie James Dio as this long-shelved recording from Rainbows first tour of Europe in 1976 finally sees rerelease. The 2-CD set only contains 8 songs but thats because Blackmore had only recently shed the constraints of Deep Purple (3.5 stars) - Read the full Rainbow - Live in Germany 1976 review

Wait there is more!