Van Halen Plan Summer Tour

Van Halen are out on the road in support of A Different Kind Of Truth, the band's first original studio album with singer David Lee Roth since 1984. more on this story

Axl Rose Thanks Fans For Rock Hall Opt Out Support

Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose has issued a new letter addressed to: Cleveland, Ohio, Guns N' Roses Fans and everyone who's shown support for my decision regarding the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.

He writes: I seriously didn't plan on or expect the overwhelmingly positive response and public support for my decision regarding the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. With such a generous outpouring of solidarity from fans, media outlets, writers and other artists, I'm truly humbled, blown away and unbelievably relieved! To be honest, I thought it would go the other way and was just hoping to weather the storm. As I said, I sincerely didn't want to disappoint anyone. It gets old being the outlaw even if 'it's only rock and roll.'

It took a lot of focus and soul searching to be sincere and informative while making a genuine effort to be somewhat diplomatic. We made, what I feel, are real efforts to learn about the Hall and the Board, spoke as I said with the president and various members, and though I inducted Elton John and Bernie Taupin in '94 saying something to the effect of 'I'm learning what the Hall's about...'

I still don't exactly know or understand what the Hall is or how or why it makes money, where the money goes, who chooses the voters and why anyone or this board decides who, out of all the artists in the world that have contributed to this genre, officially 'rock' enough to be in the Hall? read the rest here

Robert Plant Announces New Band

(hennemusic) Robert Plant returns to live action next month with a low-key warm-up show and a new band.

This Is Gloucestershire reports Plant will debut his new band, The Sensational Space Shifters, at a May 8 concert at the Gloucester Guildhall in Gloucester, England.

"It gives me great pleasure to announce Led Zeppelin frontman and award-winning solo artist Robert Plant will be performing an exclusive low-key warm-up show at Gloucester Guildhall next month," said Programming and Marketing Manager Joe Schiavon. "This is obviously a massive show for us, and we can't wait to host it." more on this story

Johnny Rotten Against Sex Pistols To No 1 Campaign

(Gibson) John Lydon will not be involved in the re-release of "God Save the Queen" by his iconic band, the Sex Pistols.

The controversial single is being re-released on May 28, 35 years after it first shook the U.K. during the Queen's Silver Jubilee in 1977. A Facebook campaign is underway to take the song to #1 over the jubilee weekend at the beginning of June.

Lydon told NME: "It is certainly not my personal plan or aim. I am proud of what the Sex Pistols achieved and always will be but this campaign totally undermines what the Sex Pistols stood for. This is not my campaign." more on this story

Police Recover Tom Petty's Stolen Guitars

(TMZ) A collection of five vintage guitars belonging to Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers -- worth a reported $175,000 -- have been recovered by law enforcement ... after they were stolen last week.

The guitars were swiped from a Culver City soundstage in L.A. -- and Tom took to Twitter to help recover them, offering a $7,500 reward ... no questions asked.

The Culver City PD tells us, one man has been arrested in connection with the theft. It's unclear if the guitars have been returned to the band.

Tom Petty's people had no comment. more on this story

Gary Oldman To Direct Jack White

(Gibson) British actor Gary Oldman, who once played punk icon Sid Vicious in a movie, will direct Jack White's webcast from Webster Hall in Manhattan on April 27. The New York Times reports that the show is part of the American Express Unstaged series.

"It just fell from the sky," Oldman said. "Occasionally you get calls and they just drop in. I didn't have to think very quickly about it. I just said, 'Yeah, that sounds very good.'"

It turns out that the actor is a musician in his own right. He told the Times: "I'm trained as a pianist, and along the way I've picked up the guitar and bass. And about five years ago my mother asked me what I'd like for Christmas, and I'd had enough socks and slippers, so I asked for a ukulele. It's such a beautiful little thing and has the sweetest sound. And also it's very portable. You can throw it in an overhead bin in an airplane. more on this story

Adler Unplugs

(hennemusic) Original Guns N' Roses drummer – and one of the newest members of the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame - Steven Adler, has been busy in the studio recording the debut album for his new band, Adler.

Steven's new band features frontman Jacob Bunton (Lynam, Mars Electric), guitarist Lonny Paul (Adler's Appetite) and bassist Johnny Martin.

Last week, prior to the Rock Hall event, Adler sat down with AOL's Noisecreep to talk about his GNR years, as well as his new project. In addition - as a group - Adler also performed an acoustic version of the song "Waterfall" in what marked the group's first-ever appearance as a four-piece act. Watch it here.

The Pixies Giving Away Coachella EP

The Pixies are giving fans a free download of their Coachella EP, which features tracks from their 2004 appearance.

The appearance was the band's first Festival Performance since the reformation earlier that year.

The tells fans: This week, finding ourselves between two consecutive weekends of Coachella for the first time ever, we thought it fitting to rifle through the Pixies vault in search of an apt celebration.

So, we're very pleased to bring you a completely free download of 4 tracks from Pixies memorable '04 Coachella performance.

The free tracks are :
1) U - Mass
2) Monkey Gone To Heaven
3) Hey
4) Caribou

Download it here.

As I Lay Dying Recruit Bill Stevenson To Produce New Album

As I Lay Dying have tapped former Descendents and Black Flag drummer Bill Stevenson to produce their forthcoming album.

Bill Stevenson's production credits include work on records by Rise Against, NOFX, Propagandhi, The Casualties, Anti-Flag and many more.

As I Lay Dying is recording this spring, with album release expected in the second half of 2012. more on this story

Wishbone Ash Kicking Off North American Tour Next Week

Wishbone Ash will be kicking off the North American leg of their current global tour next week on April 24, 2012.

The tour, which began in Europe early this year, celebrates the release of Elegant Stealth, the group's latest studio album. Glass Onyon sent over these details:

Elegant Stealth represents a benchmark in the evolution of Wishbone Ash. Signature twin-lead melodies and a powerhouse rhythm section frame 11 new tracks that reflect a diverse realm of styles and moods. more on this story

The Flower Kings Reunion Tour and Album Coming

(SR) The Flower Kings will be playing their first official reunion gig at the Sweden Rock Festival in June and will be embarking on an extended headline tour across Europe in September.

InsideOut music sent over this news about a new album release: After five years of absence, progressive rock band The Flower Kings will release their new studio album on June 19 in North America and June 18 in Europe. Led by mastermind Roine Stolt [Transatlantic], the new album is called Banks Of Eden.

The material is classic Flower Kings, with all the dreamy, melodic and cinematic elements that fans around the globe have learned to love over the years. However, the 2012 incarnation of the band mixes it up with both psychedelic and darker metal passages that place this album somewhere in between the late 60's proto prog and the new generation of art rock. more on this story

Kill Devil Hill Preview Another New Song

Kill Devil Hill are previewing another song sample from their upcoming self-titled debut.

The band featuring drummer Vinny Appice (Black Sabbath, Heaven and Hell, Dio) and bassist Rex Brown, (Pantera, Down) guitarist Mark Zavon and lead vocalist Dewey Bragg Head have posted a sample of the track "Revenge" on their Facebook page here.

Guitarist Mark Zavon explains the origins of "Revenge": "Revenge was originally called 'Queen Anne's Revenge', which was the name of Blackbeard's flagship that he took in battle from the French Navy and subsequently sailed against them to great effect.

"After reading that story years ago, I always thought that the name of the ship seemed like a great metaphor for revenge, and started working on the idea. As we started refining the final arrangement it made more sense to change it to Revenge." more on this story

Kataklysm Initial Summer Tour Dates

Kataklysm have announced the initial dates for their upcoming North America summer tour.

Dubbed "The Iron Will Tour 2012" the trek will include Origin (for the Canadian leg and additional US dates), Fleshgod Apocalypse, Rose Funeral, and Vital Remains (for a run of dates in the U.S.).

Right now the trek is set to kick off on August 11th in Montreal and the announced dates run until September 9th in Dallas. more on this story

Toxic Holocaust and Midnight Tour

Toxic Holocaust will be hitting the road next month for their North American tour where they will be joined by Midnight on almost a dozen dates.

The kicks off on May 18 in Vancouver, British Columbia and will come to a close in Phoenix, Arizona on June 6th.

Comments band leader Joel Grind: "We've had a few months off. I spent that time writing and recording a lot of new songs, but it's getting near that time to hit the road again and this time it's with our good friends and fellow Satanic demigods, Midnight. This is a tour that was conceived way back in 2007 but just finally came into fruition. Get ready for the onslaught coming your way!" more on this story

The Acacia Strain Recording New Album For Rise

Rise Records have inked a new deal with The Acacia Strain and plan to release the band's label debut in October.

We were sent this blurb about the signing: These 11+ year veterans from western Massachusetts are ready to dive into the next phase and are happy to have found a home with Rise where they feel they will be well taken care of and continue to smash faces with their new material.

Over the past decade, The Acacia Strain has crisscrossed the world many times establishing an international presence and diehard fan base. The band speaks often about being equal to their fans and not putting up with anyone trying to f**k with you. Being humble and having no ego are just a couple of traits that The Acacia Strain have that make their fans feel like they are a part of everything the band does. Their blue collar upbringing in western Massachusetts has a direct effect on their lyrics and song writing. With their high level of street cred and passion for making music, The Acacia Strain are the real deal. Check out a song from their critically acclaimed album "Wormwood" here.

Paul McCartney Remembers Ram

(Gibson) In an interview with NME, Paul McCartney has talked about the making of the recently re-issued Ram album.

"I was in the middle of this horrendous Beatles break-up. It was like being in quicksand, " he said. But then "the lightbulb went off one day and we realized that we could run off and go to Scotland where we loved. Just to keep myself amused, I'd just make up stuff on the guitar. I thought 'Maybe this is the way to go, just have fun with it.'"

McCartney also has released three self-directed videos for his new single "My Valentine" featuring Natalie Portman and Johnny Depp. The song is one of two new McCartney songs from his Kisses on the Bottom album that reached the top spot on Billboard Jazz chart. more on this story

NOW That's What I Call Classic Rock Hit

If auto-tuned poptarts aren't your thing you have probably avoided the ironic "Now That's What I Call Music" compilation series. The Now people are now releasing a classic rock collection.

They sent out these details: NOW That's What I Call Classic Rock Hits, a new companion collection of 17 huge, genre-defining singles, features Bad Company's "Feel Like Makin' Love," The Kinks' "Lola," Peter Frampton's "Do You Feel Like We Do (Live)," Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Free Bird," Jethro Tull's "Locomotive Breath," Thin Lizzy's "The Boys Are Back In Town," Steve Miller Band's "Take The Money And Run," Cheap Trick's "I Want You To Want Me (Live)," Foreigner's "Feels Like The First Time," Toto's "Hold The Line," Eddie Money's "Baby Hold On," Journey's "Any Way You Want It," Styx's "Come Sail Away," Heart's "Crazy On You," Chicago's "25 or 6 to 4," Manfred Mann's Earth Band's "Blinded By The Light," and Meat Loaf's "Paradise By The Dashboard Light."

The new collection is set to hit stores and online music retailers on May first the same day as the latest pop collection. Of course, you can probably hear most of these tracks on your local classic rock station. more on this story

B'z Plan North American Tour

Japanese chart topper B'z will be landing on North American shores for a tour that will kick off on September 17th at the Warfield in San Francisco.

The band has played many sold-out dates in the US over the years, and last summer shared the stage with Linkin Park on the highly successful, Secret Show For Japan.

Fans of the bands raised over $350,000 for victims of the March 2011 Japan tsunami and earthquake, and were treated to a private club show at the Mayan Theater in Los Angeles. more on this story

Disarmonia Mundi Members Form New Band

Disarmonia Mundi members Ettore Rigotti and Claudio Ravinale have teamed up with guitarist and Tony Hawk team pro skater Elliot Sloan and keyboardist Alessio NeroArgento to form a new band called The Stranded.

The debut album entitled "Survivalism Boulevard" is scheduled on July 2nd, 2012 via Coroner Records, while the Japanese version, featuring an exclusive bonus track, will hit the stores via Media Factory.

Coroner says that "Survivalism Boulevard" can be described as a modern combination of powerful extreme elements such as feral vocals and fast riffing mixed with more melodic and catchy moments provided by emphatic choruses and industrial keys. more on this story

Tracer Releasing New Single On Eve of UK Tour

Tracer will be releasing their new single "Spaces In Between" on Monday April 23 in the UK.

The single coincides with Tracer's first headline tour of the UK, that starts at London's Islington O2 Academy on Tuesday 24th April.

Tracer was recently voted third place in Planet Rock listeners' "Best New Band" poll. Classic Rock magazine recently deemed Tracer "New Band of the Month", while Total Guitar, Rock Sound, Guitarist, Fireworks and Powerplay rated the album 4 stars. more on this story

A Birthday Look at Mark Tremonti

(Gibson) Born in Detroit, Michigan, on this day in 1974, founding Creed guitarist Mark Tremonti spent most of his childhood in the affluent Detroit suburb of Grosse Pointe before moving with his family to the equally affluent north-Chicago suburb of Wilmette, Illinois. The future three-time Guitar World "Guitarist of the Year" acquired his first guitar when he was 11. At 15, his family moved to the Orlando area, where he eventually graduated from high school.

After a year at Clemson University, where he studied finance, Tremonti transferred to Florida State University, where he met up with former high school friend Scott Stapp. In 1995, Tremonti and Stapp co-founded the band Naked Toddler with bassist Brian Marshall and drummer Scott Phillips. A second guitarist, Brian Basher, also was in the band, albeit briefly, in '95.

After thankfully changing their name to Creed, the band released their debut album My Own Prison in 1997. The album wasn't an instant success, but the band toured their socks off, and the harder they worked, the more their fan base grew. What were club gigs the first time through a city became theater gigs the next time around, and in the scheme of things, their graduation to arena rock stars was virtually overnight. Their hard work those first couple of years paid off handsomely when My Own Prison eventually sold more than 6 million copies. The album spawned four consecutive #1 singles on Billboard's Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, including "My Own Prison," "Torn," "What's this Life For" and "One."

With a rabidly devout legion of fans, Creed's sophomore album, Human Clay, was poised for greatness, and it didn't disappoint. When the smoke had cleared more that two years after its release, Human Clay was certified platinum 11 times by the RIAA. Four singles were released from the album, all of them hits, including "With Arms Wide Open," "What If," "Are You Ready" and "Higher," which spent an eye-popping (and record-breaking) 17 weeks atop the rock radio charts. more on this story

Singled Out: Decoded's Lost No More

Today Derek Jordan from Decoded tells us about their brand new single, "Lost No More," which was released today. Here is the story:

I had a best friend all throughout elementary school. We did everything together. He taught me about baseball cards and rollerblading, and was the first person I knew to have Sega Genesis. We were inseparable.

However, as we entered middle school, we gradually drifted apart into different social circles. I became more "accepted" among the "cool" kids, whereas my friend was seen as an outcast. I was concerned about my social status, which, when I look back at it now, means nothing.

Although we sparsely hung out in middle school, when high school came around, I didn't really know him anymore. I remember feeling really bad like I had betrayed him. Then one day, I happened to sit with him in the cafeteria during lunch. He confessed to me about how miserable he had become and that he had no friends. Once he mentioned the thought of harming himself, I began to worry.

Soon after that, I invited him over my house to hang out, it must have been the first time we had hung out in over five years. We chatted a little and ordered pizza. He engulfed that pizza faster than anyone I had ever seen. The poor kid was hungry. I haven't seen or spoken to him since high school. Somewhere through the years of adolescence, I had lost my childhood best friend.

The song "Lost No More" is about reminiscing on those events. I tried to help him. I tried to save him. I remember it all like it was yesterday.

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