Guns N' Roses To Play For 2 and Half Hours on U.S. Tour

The initial dates and routing has been announced with a promise of more to come. The tour is set to conclude with a New Year's Eve concert in a yet to be announced location. more on this story

RIP For R.E.M.

(Gibson) R.E.M. have decided to "call it a day as a band." After 30 years together, singer Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck and bassist Mike Mills have had enough. Founding drummer Bill Berry left in the mid-'90s.

In their own words: The guys share their thoughts on ending the band. Mike Mills: "During our last tour, and while making Collapse Into Now and putting together this greatest hits retrospective, we started asking ourselves, 'what next?' Working through our music and memories from over three decades was a hell of a journey. We realized that these songs seemed to draw a natural line under the last 31 years of our working together.

"We have always been a band in the truest sense of the word. Brothers who truly love, and respect, each other. We feel kind of like pioneers in this – there's no disharmony here, no falling-outs, no lawyers squaring-off. We've made this decision together, amicably and with each other's best interests at heart. The time just feels right."

Read the rest here

Megadeth, Motorhead, Volbeat and Lacuna Coil Tour Coming

(Loudwire) Dave Mustaine is rarely at a loss for words. With the Big 4 at Yankee Stadium show behind him and a new album on the horizon, the Megadeth leader is already talking about touring plans down the road.

"This year coming up we're gonna be having us, Motorhead, a great band that's coming up called Volbeat and Lacuna Coil," the frontman revealed in a video interview with Street Date (watch here).

Megadeth toured as part of the Mayhem festival over the summer. It was while on that package tour alongside bands like Disturbed and Godsmack where Mustaine sustained a neck injury which required surgery. More including the video

Pearl Jam Raring To Go Forward With New Music

(Banana 101.5) Pearl Jam hasn't let all the self-reflection involved with their 20th anniversary celebration turn them in to a nostalgia act, they are still looking to the future.

Prior to drummer Matt Cameron's touring obligations with Soundgarden, the members of PJ hit the studio with longtime friend and producer Brendan O'Brien to record some songs for what will become their tenth studio record. Bassist Jeff Ament recently told Rolling Stone how the album is coming along and how recording was a much needed break from memory lane.

While Pearl Jam is hoping to be finished by early 2012, Manager Kelly Curtis wouldn't be surprised if we hear more new music soon: "They knocked out a bunch of songs in just a couple weeks with Brendan, and everybody was blown away. It's hard for them to sit on that sh*t. They're raring to go forward." Read Ament's comments about the new music here

Aerosmith Working Towards Spring Release

(hennemusic) Last week, Aerosmith bassist Tom Hamilton checked in with an update on the band's new project in a video message for fans. He's back with another update.

"We're at the point now where Jack [Douglas], our producer, and our engineer, Warren [Huart], are compiling all kinds of stuff from all summer, just taking all the bits and pieces that we recorded for the last two and a half months and assembling it, so we can then go and put more guitars on, and more vocals and whatever else we think [we may need to do]," says Tom.

"I know I have a couple of little things to do before I'm done, but I'm mostly finished and I'm looking forward to the whole thing being put together and the vocals going on," he continues. "Next spring, baby — that's what we want. I know you've been waiting a long time; we've been waiting. We're excited. A lot of people that we know and trust who have come and heard what we're working on think we're doing something really cool. So I hope you'll think the same thing." check out the video here

Chris Cornell Announces New U.S. Acoustic Tour

(hennemusic) This past spring, Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell went out on his first-ever solo acoustic "Songbook" tour, and now he's back for more.

Having already announced dates in Australia, New Zealand and South America, Cornell has added another run of U.S. shows to his solo acoustic trip, giving even more fans the chance to see him perform unplugged and up close.

Venues this time around include Jackie Gleason Theatre in Miami, Florida; Carnegie Hall in New York City; Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco; and the Orpheum in Los Angeles. more on this story

Hinder Record NFL Song

(Banana 101.5) Hinder has recorded a new song to contribute to the NFL's 'Official Gameday Music' arsenal, the track is called 'The Fight's About to Begin'.

Hinder has made it clear recently that they are big fans of the pigskin, whether it be handled by professional or collegiate athletes. About a month ago the band released a new fight song they recorded for the Oklahoma Sooners football team titled 'Sooners Don't Back Down'.

The Oklahoma natives' latest football-inspired tune has been officially picked up by the NFL. Read more and check out the song here

Disturbed's David Draiman Getting Married This Weekend

(Loudwire) Disturbed singer David Draiman will marry his model/actress/WWE professional wrestler/professional tandem surfer fiancee Lena Yada on Sunday (Sept. 25) at an undisclosed location, the Pulse of Radio reports.

Draiman, 38, has known Yada, 32, for 10 years, dated her for two and got engaged to her last December, he revealed in a Tweet he posted on Monday.

Yada, who goes by the nickname 'The Asian Sensation,' also appeared in the video for Disturbed's 'The Animal,' the third single off the band's 2010 album, 'Asylum.' Other members of Disturbed will be involved in the wedding

Evanescence To Deliver 12 Songs

(PopCrush) Evanescence's self-titled third album will feature 12 tracks, according to the tracklisting revealed today by NME.

The first song on the record is 'What You Want,' the powerful lead single from the project. The song has entered the Top 20 on Billboard's Rock Songs and Alternative Songs charts.

Other titles on the album include 'Never Go Back,' 'Lost in Paradise,' 'End of the Dream,' and 'Swimming Home,' which serves as the final track on the album. Thoughts from Amy Lee and the full tracklisting

Evans Blue Preview New Single

(Banana 101.5) Evans Blue are currently holed-up in Traverse City, Michigan recording the follow-up to their self-titled third album.

While their second outing with vocalist Dan Chandler is still a bit out of reach, the band is eying October for the release of their new single 'This Time It's Different'.

Check out a peek into the recording session for the single and a video of the band performing the track live here

Staind and Dream Theater Make Top 10 Debuts

(Loudwire) Staind sold 47,000 copies of their self-titled seventh album to debut at No. 5 on this week's Billboard 200 albums chart.

Staind's last album, 2008′s 'The Illusion of Progress,' moved just more than 90,000 copies in its opening week to land at No. 3 on the tally.

In other chart action, Dream Theater's 'A Dramatic Turn of Events' bows at No. 8 on the tally on the backs of 36,000 units sold. Their 2009 release, 'Black Clouds & Silver Linings,' sold 40,000 in its first week to also debut in the top 10. See what other hard rockin' releases debuted in the Top 20

Steve Perry Declines Journey Invitation

(Ultimate Classic Rock) Although he's been officially absent from the recording studio and concert stages for a number of years now, former Journey vocalist Steve Perry maintains an active connection with his fanbase, occasionally answering a series of questions via his official fan site to shed light on both his career and current activities.

With the imminent release of a new hits package from Journey, titled 'Greatest Hits Vol. 2,' Perry took some time to catch fans up with his latest happenings.

He responded to Neal Schon's recent comments that Perry has an "open door" to come out and jam with the group anytime by calling it a "kind invitation" but one that he says he will "respectfully decline." He has more to say on the matter here

Jane's Addiction To Controversial Cover Art

(Ultimate Classic Rock) Fans waiting patiently for the Oct. 18 release of Jane's Addiction's fourth studio album, 'The Great Escape Artist,' have a little something to help bide their time: the disc's front cover artwork to stare at.

The cover art, which features what looks to be a lone male figure stripped down to nothing more than his skivvies and hanging out in a bedroom full of fun items like a computer, a diary, Christmas lights and an electric guitar, shares striking stylistic similarities with the original cover of the band's multi-platinum 1990 album, 'Ritual de lo Habitual.'

That cover, which included papier mache figures of a naked man with two (two!) nude women, was replaced by a second cover featuring only black text (featuring the so-called "freedom of speech" text of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution) on a white background. Farrell created the papier mache version, which was used by braver stores. Read more and check out the new art here

Punk Rock Dads From Blink-182, Devo, Pennywise Are The Other F Word

(GA) Punk rock dads, including members of Blink-182, Devo, Pennywise are featured in the new documentary "The Other F Word" which be hitting theaters nationwide in November/December.

What happens when a generations ultimate anti-authoritarians – punk rockers – become society's ultimate authorities – dads? "The Other F Word" is the revealing, funny, and touching film that tackles this question.

With a large chorus of punk rock's leading men – including Blink-182's Mark Hoppus, Red Hot Chili Peppers' Flea, and Rise Against's Tim McIlrath – the documentary follows Jim Lindberg, a 20-year veteran of the skate punk band Pennywise, on his hysterical and moving journey from belting his band's anthem "F—k Authority," to embracing his ultimately authoritarian role in mid-life: fatherhood. more on this story

The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus Fall Tour

The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus have announce their initial North American tour dates for this fall.

They will be hitting the road in support of their third studio LP, Am I The Enemy, which was produced by John Feldmann [Goldfinger].

The initial run of dates kick off on October 13th in San Antonio, TX and run until November 23rd in Jacksonville Beach, FL. More dates are expected to be announced soon more on this story

Gary Holt Says The Mosh Pit Was Born in Berkeley

Gary Holt of Exodus explores the birthplace of stage diving and mosh pits in the Thrash metal scenes in a new book. The publisher sent this over: In upcoming deluxe thrash metal photo book Murder In The Front Row: Shots From the Bay Area Thrash Metal Epicenter, by Harald Oimoen and Brian Lew, guitarist Gary Holt of Exodus (and currently Slayer) claims that the bruising scenes seen nightly at metal shows everywhere first came to thrash metal from punk at Ruthie's Inn in Berkeley, CA.

"From our first show together with Slayer," Holt writes, "to all the shows with everyone from Death Angel, Possessed, Violence, Legacy, and many others, Ruthie's Inn lives in infamy because it's the one and only birthplace of violence becoming part and parcel to an Exodus show.

"I had never seen a stage dive, a pit, or anything coming close to resembling that before Ruthie's. It was born there, with the help of Wes Robinson and the Exodus Slay Team, and anyone who says different doesn't know what they're talking about or they're lying to you. While the rest of the metal world would later come around and learn the joys of a little good friendly violent fun, it all started there at Ruthie's, end of story." more on this story

Within Temptation Member Sitting Out Tour

(Loudwire) Within Temptation's rhythm guitarist Robert Westerholt and frontwoman Sharon den Adel had their third child, a son, earlier this year.

With the band touring extensively behind its latest release, 'The Unforgiving,' Westerholt has decided to step away from the road in order to focus on the couple's children and help create future Within Temptation projects.

Adel and Westerholt released a statement on their official website, you can read it and find out who will be filling in here.

Cradle of Filth To Release Mini Album in Roctober

(SMUK) Cradle of Filth will release their new mini-album, Evermore Darkly, in the UK on 24th October 2011 (US & Canada - 18th October).

This will be preceded by the single Lilith Immaculate, which will be available to download from October 3rd.

A follow-on from last year's triumphant Darkly, Darkly, Venus Aversa album, Evermore Darkly will arrive as a CD/DVD package including new tracks & rarities, with a lengthy on-the-road documentary and ten songs filmed live at this year's Graspop metal meet, as well as the video for Lilith Immaculate. more on this story

Free Gary Moore Download

(Gibson) Live at Montreux is out this week and it features the last recorded concert from the much-missed Gary Moore.

In his later life, the renowned Irish Les Paul player was headed in a rockier direction after many years releasing songs that reflected his original blues inspirations.

The Live at Montreux set list, recorded in 2010, draws heavily on Moore's successful rock albums of the 1980s along with a couple of his classic blues tracks. It also includes three brand-new songs that would have featured on a planned album, left uncompleted on Moore's death in February 2011.

You can get a free video download of "Oh Wild One" now, by visiting the official Gary Moore website here and watch a video for "Where are You Now?" here.

Madina Lake Added To Me Talk Pretty's Wake-Up! Tour

(MSO) Madina Lake will join the first-ever "Wake-Up! Tour" supporting Me Talk Pretty this fall.

The nationwide U.S. tour will kick off November 26 in Baltimore, MD and will wrap up December 18 in New York City, Hell Or Highwater and New Years Day will round out the bill.

Madina Lake will be touring in support of their new album, World War III, which features the single "Imagineer," co-written and produced by Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins. more on this story

Stevie Ray Vaughan Book Volume II Coming Soon

(Gibson) The second volume of Craig Hopkins' acclaimed biography of Texas blues legend Stevie Ray Vaughan will be published in November.

Stevie Ray Vaughan – Day by Day, Night After Night: His Final Years 1983-1990 follows 2010's first volume, His Early Years, 1954-1982. This second volume covers Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble's recording career, from their debut release in 1983 and performance at Carnegie Hall the following year through their rise to global stardom.

This volume promises hundreds of photos and quotes from some of SRV's famous fans. Indeed, the book's foreword is written by ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons. It will be published on 15 November. more on this story

The New Mastersounds Announce U.S. Tour

(SWM) The New Mastersounds will hitting the North American road this November in support of their new release, "Breaks from the Border," their first album recorded on U.S. soil.

The New Mastersounds funk powerhouse includes Eddie Roberts (guitar), Simon Allen (drums), Peter Shand (bass) and Joe Tatton (keys).

On tour the set will include cuts from "Breaks from the Border" the seventh studio recording from NMS released August 9th on Tallest Man Records. more on this story

Brutal Truth Streaming New Album Online

(ESP) Brutal Truth are currently streaming their new full-length album, End Time, online for fans to preview.

End Time was recorded with Doug White at Watchman Studios in Lockport, NY and is set for a September 27th North American release date. Check out the stream here.

Beyond the normal CD, LP, and digital offerings, End Time will also be available in a limited edition box set that includes the CD with six bonus tracks, a 20-page booklet, six custom art flats, a marijuana-scented disc card, and more. more on this story

The Amity Affliction Set U.S. Release

Roadrunner Records has plans to introduce Aussie rockers The Amity Affliction to U.S. fans. Here are the details they sent over:

The band has scorched a trail Down Under and is now poised to stake its claim in the U.S. Roadrunner will release Youngbloods digitally on Oct. 25 and the band will head back into the studio in early 2012 to record the follow up with Youngbloods producer Machine (Lamb of God, Cobra Starship, Suicide Silence.)

The Amity Affliction's humble origins date back six years ago in a small town in Queensland, Australia. With an industrial sized bucket of elbow grease, the band became a fixture on the local touring circuit. The Amity Affliction quickly ascended the ranks and became one of the best-loved bands in Oz. Armed with cheeky song titles, a party attitude and the type of aggressive and forward- thinking metal that will simultaneously make you think while putting hair on your chest, The Amity Affliction deliver a poignant message encased in mosh-worthy anthems. more on this story

Gama Bomb, Onslaught and Fallen Fate Tour Kicks Off

(Earache) Gama Bomb kicked off a UK tour with Onslaught last night at The Globe in Cardiff.

Gama Bomb will be joining Onslaught and Fallen Fate for ten shows before heading out on a headlining European tour in October.

Gama Bomb frontman Philly Byrne comments: "There will be thrash. Let there be hair and booze and poorly maintained instruments and may the lord Dio bless this unholy enterprise. Amen." more on this story

Singled Out: Edward Rogers' Porcelain

Today Edward Rogers tells us about the title track from his upcoming fourth solo album, "Porcelain," which hits stores on November 8th. Here is the story:

The inspiration for "Porcelain's" Charlotte came from a Musicians On Call visit to The New York Foundling facility in NYC. That day, I saw children and tiny babies that were given up to the city because their parents couldn't afford or didn't want to keep a sick child in their home. There was one young girl in particular that stayed in my head; she left a lasting image. I kept thinking, "what was going to happen to her while living in this very brittle white room with no one in the world to look after her?" I thought about what a tough and emotionally-disturbing life she was going to face. That experience and her reality motivated me write "Porcelain."

Charlotte holds her head up high
She wants to try and touch the sky
Lives in a world that's hers alone
No one enters fear of the unknown

Even though Charlotte's situation is unknown, I wasn't inspired to write a slow, and obviously sad song. I wanted the song to have an edge to it, reflecting the brittle situation she was put in and how she will have to deal with her future. And, I think the lyrics can have different meaning, different interpretations depending on who's listening. My producer, Don Piper, and I had three guitarists play on the track - Don, along with James Mastro and Pete Kennedy. I've worked with Claudia Chopek (violin) before, but on "Porcelain" her parts fight with the other instruments, adding to the intensity I felt the song needed. The rhythm section, Sal Maida and Konrad Meissner laid back a solid strong wall for the other musicians to play off of, while the intense baritone sax solo, played by Doug Weiselman, adds to the vibe of the song - pushing it to the last chorus and outro. The message is "it's a tough future for you out there"

Charlotte what will become of you
As your love ones fade away from view
No longer there to protect
The girl with the porcelain disease
Fading away

Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen for yourself right here!

. Elvis Presley - Elvis: The Great Performances

Fans of the Kings very early work will find this 2-DVD set to be an absolute treasure as it collects more than thirty video clips, many rare, culled from a wide range of sources. (4 stars) - Read the full Elvis Presley - Elvis: The Great Performances review

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