Lotto Winner Would Buy Guns N' Roses Reunion?

The Deep Purple and Iron Maiden supporter says: "I think I would just have to get Guns N' Roses together – the original lineup, mind. I'm a real fan." more on this story

Sea World Never Used Motley Crue Songs

(hennemusic) Last week, Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee sent a note to Sea World asking the theme park to stop using his band's music and to shut down its "Shanu Rocks" shows for the sake of the animals but apparently Motley were never a part of the show.

SeaWorld VP of Communications Fred Jacobs. "We have never played a Motley Crue song in any Shamu show, nor will we. I can assure you the volume of music played during parts of our killer-whale shows poses no risk at all to our animals."

The park's response failed to satisfy the Crue drummer, who replied to Jacobs/Sea World with a follow-up note of his own. You can read it here.

Randy Blyrhe Says Fan's Death Reminded Him Of Losing His Baby Girl

(Classic Rock) Randy Blythe says his recent manslaughter charge has reminded him of how his baby daughter died – and that's why he has nothing but sympathy for the family of the fan who lost his life in 2010.

The Lamb of God singer spent five weeks in jail, all but ignored by US authorities, in connection with the death of Daniel Nosek, who suffered a brain haemorrhage weeks after allegedly striking his head while Blythe's band performed in Prague.

He's already vowed he'll return to the Czech Republic to stand trial after he was freed following weeks of legal wrangles. But now he reveals the experience has left him thinking about Sarah Fisher Blythe, his daughter, who passed away soon after her birth in 2000. more on this story

Motorhead Preview New Album

(hennemusic) Motorhead are offering a preview of their new album, "The World Is Ours - Vol 2: Anyplace Crazy As Anywhere Else," which will be released in Europe on September 21, the UK on September 24 and October 9 in North America.

The follow-up to 2011's "The Wörld Is Ours – Vol 1: Everywhere Further Than Everyplace Else" will feature the band's 2011 Wacken Open Air headline appearance as well as highlights from Sonisphere (United Kingdom) and Rock In Rio (Brazil) shows.

"The Wörld Is Ours - Vol 2: Anyplace Crazy As Anywhere Else" will be available as a digipack (DVD plus two CDs), double-CD, double-vinyl (Wacken Open Air show), Blu-ray and direct-to-consumer version featuring 2 CDs, a DVD/Blu-ray and a special booklet. Check out the preview.

Aerosmith's Joe Perry Not Sure How Much To Include in Autobiography

(hennemusic) Aerosmith recently wrapped up their summer Global Warming tour and are now working towards the November 6th release of their new album, "Music From Another Dimension."

Guitarist Joe Perry also has another project on the go: his autobiography. "I expect there will be a fair amount about me and Steven [Tyler], considering I've spent a good part of my life with him and three other guys," Perry told the Atlanta Journal-Constitutionrecently.

"The reality of writing it is starting to sink in, but I'm mostly wondering how much I want to put in the book and what to keep out." more on this story

The Who's Unaired Olympics Jam Goes Online

(hennemusic) The Who closed out the London Olympic Games Sunday with a specially prepared medley of "Baba O'Riley," "See Me/Feel Me," "Listening To You" and "My Generation."

Sports and music fans around the world saw the performance live as it happened, but not in the U.S., where NBC had other priorities. The broadcaster interrupted the Olympics feed with a far less compelling program, and bumped The Who's performance from the main event until after the sitcom had ended.

In addition, NBC removed the performances of Ray Davies and Muse from the program without explanation. But you can watch The Who's set here.

Slash Reunites With Former Guns N' Roses Bandmate At Sturgis

(hennemusic) Slash's "Apocalyptic Love" summer tour of North America pulled into Sturgis, South Dakota on August 10 to play the Buffalo Chip Campground.

The famed guitarist's appearance was part of the week-long series of concerts held as part of the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.

Former Guns N' Roses bandmate Gilby Clarke joined Slash and his band at the concert, rocking out on the GNR classic "Paradise City." Watch it here.

Pete Townshend To Release His Memoir

(hennemusic) The Who's Pete Townshend will publish his memoir, "Who I Am," in October. "This book is not a vanity for me. It is an essential rite of passage," said Townshend in a press release. "I know I am good at what I do as a performer and composer, but since my early teens, I have been happiest when writing. Writing is my principal daily occupation."

"Rock 'n' Roll is a tough career, however cynically or comically it is portrayed by its detractors," Pete continued. "I am lucky to be alive and to have such a crazy story to tell, full of wild adventures and creative machinations. I am happy that I am able to write my book myself, in my own 'voice' that many readers will be hearing for the first time."

"I am not my favourite subject, that will always be art and music, but whenever I write about my life and work, I learn something," added the guitar icon. "So, the year ahead spent writing will also trigger the last vital bit of 'growing up' required by the now pensionable fellow who once wrote I hope I die before I get old. I want to write a book that is enjoyable to read, but above all, I want it to be honest." more on this story

Five More Rory Gallagher Remastered Albums Set For Release

(Gibson) The next series of Rory Gallagher's classic studio albums remastered (1975-1982) will be available in the U.K. on Monday, October 1 for a limited period in deluxe digi-packaging.

The five remastered Rory Gallagher studio albums include Against the Grain (1975), Calling Card (1976), Photo-Finish (1978), Top Priority (1979) and Jinx (1982).

"Continuing on from last year's 40th anniversary of Rory Gallagher's solo career, we're pleased to present his next five solo albums from 1975-1982," said Daniel Gallagher, Rory's nephew and producer of the reissues. "We're going back to the vinyl artwork and original ¼ inch tapes so that they look and sound exactly as Rory intended. It's also great to see in a digital world that the demand for a physical copy of Rory's music means we can release these albums on vinyl for the first time in almost 40 years." more on this story

Steve Vai Explains Unconventional Trilogy

Classic Rock Revisited caught up with Steve Vai to discuss his new album, The Story of Light, the second album in a planned trilogy. In this excerpt Steve explains the unconventional approach he took to the trilogy:

Steve: When I started Real Illusions, which was my last studio record, I wanted to do a concept record, but I didn't want to do it in the conventional way. I wondered what I could do in order to make it different. I wanted it to span a long period of time, as it is probably going to be one of my life's greatest works. I wanted to break it up into little pieces and put it out, not in a linear way.

If you listen to Real Illusions, then you will just hear a studio album, as you will not be able to put all of the pieces together. If you read the liner notes, then you can start to put little pieces together. The idea is the same with The Story of Light. It is like Real Illusions, as it is a studio album. That said, the songs are all based on characters in the story, but they are not in the right order. The third part of the trilogy, which I will do sometime in the future, will be similar.

What I would, then, like to do is to take all of the three records and put them out in a box set. I could do some new stuff to glue them all together. I would take the songs and put them in the correct order, so it would flow like a story. You would be able to actually follow the story. He has a lot more to say including his thoughts for the final part of the trilogy

Creed's Scott Stapp To Release Autobiography In October

(Gibson) Creed frontman Scott Stapp is planning to release an autobiography. The book will be called Sinner's Creed and is scheduled for an October 2 release. It will deal with Stapp's musical career and his success Creed as lead singer of Creed, but also with darker subjects, such as his battle with alcoholism, and depression. The book is co-written with David Ritz, who has worked on biographies for Janet Jackson and Marvin Gaye.

Earlier in the year Stapp spoke about the book to Billboard.com, saying: "It's going to be constantly interrelated with the realities of God's grace and love and miracles, and how they happen in the weirdest ways and how they happen to all of us... It's definitely a cathartic process for me, and I really hope that those who read it can walk away knowing more about my life... but also the grace of God. If we can accomplish that, that would be a blessing."

Stapp reunited with Creed in 2009, and is currently on tour with the band. The tour, which is billed as 2 Nights Live, sees the band performing their first two albums, My Own Prison and Human Clay, in full. more on this story

Becoming the Archetype Set Baffling New Album Release

Solid State Records have set a September 18th release date for Becoming the Archetype's baffling new album, I AM. Baffling? This explanation was sent out:

The band's fifth full-length is baffling first and foremost because it's not meant to be baffling. As guitarist, mastermind and band nucleus Seth Hecox explains, the album is less about reinventing heavy music than it is reinventing Becoming the Archetype. That's not to say listeners won't find the band doing its usual mind-warping and genre-bending, but the point of this album wasn't to transcend the artform of metal music, it was to master it.

"I AM is 100% head banging riffs," Hecox says. "Gone are the sitars and horns of Celestial Completion. Instead, we've crafted an album full of the heaviest and most technical songs we've ever written." more on this story

King's X Plan First Tour Dates Since Jerry Gaskill's Heart Attack

King's X have announced the dates for their upcoming North American tour where they will be providing direct support to Kansas.

These dates will mark the band's first tour since drummer Jerry Gaskill's remarkable recovery from a major heart attack earlier this year.

"Not too long ago I was thinking I might not ever get back on a stage, now I'm ready and with the ok from all my doctors," says Gaskill. "What better way to get back than to tour with the legendary Kansas. Let's rock..." more on this story

Phish's Trey Anastasio Solo Album And Tour Coming

Phish's Trey Anastasio will be hitting the road in October in support of his new solo album, Traveler, which will be released on October 16th.

Anastasio co-produced the album with Peter Katis (The National, Interpol, Jónsi) last fall in Katis' Tarquin Studios in Bridgeport, CT.

"My goal was to create an album that used the studio as an instrument," says Anastasio, who began recording Traveler after Phish wrapped up its 2011 summer tour. "I wanted to work with Peter because he is a master at creating a sonic landscape," notes Trey. "We were hoping for a cinematic end result." more on this story

Details About Forthcoming Jon Lord Album

We were sent the official details for Jon Lord's "Concerto For Group And Orchestra" which will be released on October 1st by earMUSIC:

"Over these last years since leaving Deep Purple, I've played it over 30 times with different orchestras and conductors all over the world, and, of course, in 2000 I did it well over 30 times with Purple on the Concerto tour, so I've been honing the piece live on stage, and I've had the opportunity to change things in the score that weren't sounding quite right. It is therefore a marvellous and exciting prospect to have the definitive recording of the definitive version of the score." (Jon Lord May 2012)

Jon Lord recorded the marvellous rhythm section - Guy Pratt (Pink Floyd, Madonna) & Brett Morgan (Jon Anderson, Sting) and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra (with whom Jon had recorded twice before) in June 2011 in Liverpool - conducted by Paul Mann. The production then moved to Abbey Road Studios in London to record Iron Maiden's Bruce Dickinson (on vocals with Steve Balsamo and Kasia Laska) and Joe Bonamassa, Darin Vasilev and Steve Morse on guitars. more on this story

Clutch Add Shows and Plan New Album

Clutch have added two new shows to their short tour this November with Lionize and Monstro and they have begun preproduction on their new studio album, with a target release next year.

With both the Flint, MI and Detroit, MI shows sold out, the band has added an additional show to each city.

The new show in Flint at the Machine Shop is scheduled for October 31st and the new show in Detroit at St. Andrews Hall is scheduled for November 4th. more on this story

Intronaut Set Void Vinyl Release

Intronaut have been granted permission from Goodfellow Records to issue the very first pressing of their 2006 album "Void" on vinyl.

The band is limiting the release to only 500 copies on silver vinyl. The LPs will also come with a previously unreleased version of "Fragments Of Character," a song from their first EP "Null," which was re-recorded during the "Void" sessions but never released.

First 20 preorders will include an Intronaut T-shirt and the LP will come signed by the band, including original guitarist Leon del Muerte, now in Murder Construct.

Preorders will run through August 31st, with the vinyl shipping late September/early October. They are taking the preorders here.

B Sides

Singled Out: Thought Beneath Film

Today Brent Wirth from Thought Beneath Film tells us about the track 'If I Could Fix You (You Know That I Would)' from their debut EP "Detours". Here is the story:

Very few people truly appreciate the emotional turmoil that comes along with writing, recording and releasing a song. You spend countless hours brooding away in your room contemplating every aspect of the song and fine-tuning every minute detail of it until it's perfect. From that point, you do something that's even more insane: you go into a studio and spend thousands of dollars to put yourself through hell and endure a dozen emotionally draining sessions recording it. You do overdub after overdub until it's just right. You become so attached to the song that you begin to truly believe it's one of the best songs ever written and that it's going to redefine music. A few weeks go by and, finally, you get to release it to the world! And guess what happens next? No one gives a f**k. In one way or another, everyone endures this kind of heartbreak and, inevitably, the only way to keep going is to be optimistic and have faith that things will eventually turn around. That's what makes the underlying theme of "If I Could Fix You (You Know That I Would)" so relatable.

As is the case with most of our songs, the melodies for "If I Could Fix You" preceded the lyrics. One of the major downfalls associated with this writing approach is that the lyrics always have the potential to suffer given the fact that you're never at liberty to say things exactly how you may want to. It's like a jigsaw puzzle. Every lyric has to work within the rhythmic confines of the melody. It can feel extremely restrictive at times, but one of the things I love about writing this way is that it forces me to find more interesting and creative ways of expressing an idea. Although the song's intended message may become abstracted through the process, it often adds additional layers of meaning to the song which, if anything, makes it more accessible and relatable.

Given that this was the last song on the EP that I needed to write lyrics for, I wanted to break out of my comfort zone and try something different to ensure that it didn't feel like I was just reiterating an idea that I had already tackled in one of the other songs. A few days prior to writing the lyrics, I was joking around with one of my songwriter friends about how both of us always seem to shy away from writing "relationship songs" for one reason or another. Inspired by the conversation, I was determined to write one. However, given the fact it had been quite some time since I was in a serious relationship, I felt so detached from those feelings that it was impossible to write anything sincere. Nonetheless, it got me thinking about relationships in general and how intense some non-romantic relationships can be, particularly those you share with bandmates.

To me, being in a band has always been like having three or four girlfriends simultaneously. There are so many different perspectives and emotions that are constantly colliding. It becomes a seemingly impossible challenge to keep everyone engaged in the project and inspired to keep grinding it out. It's easy to feel defeated as a musician at times, but, when you take on the role of being the band leader, you aren't allowed to show it. It's your duty to keep the other members' morale up and continue to promote optimism in the camp, even when you may feel emotionally crushed yourself. Ultimately, that's what the song deals with. Although it may be packaged as a simple relationship song about someone who is trying to console a friend who has recently been heartbroken, to me, it's about my band and my constant attempt to keep my band members (and myself) inspired to keep moving forward…even when it may seem impossible to do so.

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

Green Day's New Song Kill The DJ Streaming Online

(hennemusic) Last week, Green Day played a surprise club show in Los Angeles, where the group debuted some new songs from their forthcoming trio of albums, "Uno," "Dos" and "Tre."

One of the tunes, "Kill The DJ," has surfaced online after being played on UK radio. "[Bassist] Mike [Dirnt] asked me to write a song with a four-on-the-floor rhythm," Billie Joe Armstrong told Rolling Stone while explaining the origins of the tune.

"I'd never done it before. It's kind of like [The Clash's] 'Sandinista!,' Ian Dury's 'Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll' and the Tom Tom Club song, 'Genius Of Love.' We were trying to figure out how to make dance music without turning into a dance band." Listen here.

Europe Members Tells The Story Behind The Final Countdown

Wikimetal recently spoke with Europe's John Leven for their podcast. They sent over this info on the episode:

Leven, bass player that was on every studio album of Europe was our special guest last week on Wikimetal.

During the interview, John told us amazing stories, including how the greatest Europe hit ever, 'The Final Countdown', was conceived and more. Listen here.

Hoobastank Streaming New Song Online

Hoobastank are giving fans an advanced listen to the song "No Destination," from their new album, Fight Or Flight, which will be released on September 11.

The "No Destination" stream coincides with the launch of the band's new website design. You can check out the site and the song here.

Hoobastank's current single, "This Is Gonna Hurt," has reached an audience of more than 6 million in just their 3rd week out promoting the track at radio.

Lynyrd Skynyrd Release New Studio Video

(hennemusic) Lynyrd Skynyrd fans only have to wait one more week before the Southern Rock icons release their first new album in three years, "Last Of A Dyin' Breed."

The group worked on the album at Blackbird Studio in Nashville, Tennessee, and are giving fans an inside look in part 3 of their 'in the studio' video series.

Part 3 features interviews with Skynyrd's Gary Rossington. Rickey Medlocke, Johnny Van Zant and Peter Keys, along with songwriter Blair Daley.

"Writing for this album's been kinda crazy," says Van Zant. "Trying to write stuff about common people and the things that we know about." Watch it here.

Sites and Sounds: Tesco Fest- Slaughter By The Water 3- Ride Festival- More

Whether you fancy punk, metal, Americana or a little of everything, there's a festival for you! antiMusic travel editor Kevin Wierzbicki gives us the lowdown on Tesco Fest, Slaughter By The Water 3, The Ride Festival, Jazz Aspen Snowmass Labor Day Festival and FYF Fest

Tesco Fest
August 18, Detroit, Michigan
Upset that there's not really an annual punk festival of note, the Meatmen's Tesco Vee has taken it upon himself to create one and name it after himself. Set to appear at the inaugural Tesco Fest at Detroit club The Magic Stick are Negative Approach, Antiseen, Gang Green, Iron Cross, Hellmouth, Against the Grain, Bill Bondsmen, Golden Torso and of course the Meatmen. www.majesticdetroit.com

Slaughter By The Water 3
August 25, Alameda, California
Chuck Billy of Testament hosts this metal blowout that happens right on the deck of the (supposedly haunted) aircraft carrier the USS Hornet. Bringing the thunder will be Philm, Severed Filth, Absu, Witchaven, Impaled, Autopsy, Fog of War and Abysmal Dawn. Tickets purchased for all main stage shows also entitle the holder to a free tour of the ship, including a haunted tour. The ship itself is essentially a museum and there is a separate $12 museum entry fee for all show goers. www.slaughterbythewater.com

The Ride Festival
August 25-26, Telluride, Colorado
Kick back in the scenic mountain setting of Telluride for two days of rootsy music. Scheduled to perform are Big Head Todd & the Monsters, Lucinda Williams, Los Lobos, JJ Grey & Mofro, the Lumineers, the North Mississippi Allstars, David Lindley, James McMurtry, Matthew Curry & the Fury and more. www.ridefestival.com

Jazz Aspen Snowmass Labor Day Festival
August 31-September 2, Snowmass Village, Colorado
Lots of big names gather in Snowmass to say goodbye to summer; expect to have lots of company as you enjoy Kid Rock, Mumford & Sons, Sugarland, Michael Franti & Spearhead, the Steve Miller Band, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Ave. and Vintage Trouble. www.jazzaspensnowmass.org

FYF Fest
September 1-2, Los Angeles, California
This Labor Day weekend event features way too many acts to list them all here but here's a little sampler: Refused, Beirut, M83, James Blake, Quicksand, Yeasayer, Sleigh Bells, Dinosaur Jr, Against Me!, Turbonegro, Purity Ring, Hot Snakes, Black Mountain, Redd Kross, FIDLAR, Cursive, Wild Flags, Gold Panda and many, many others. herewww.fyffest.com" target="_blank">www.fyffest.com
more on this story