Rolling Stones To Jam With Bruce Springsteen, Lady Gaga and The Black Keys

"We're excited these extraordinary artists, Bruce Springsteen, Lady Gaga and The Black Keys, have agreed to help celebrate our 50th Anniversary as we share the night live with our fans all over the world. Now the fun begins of trying to figure out the best songs to perform together," said The Rolling Stones. more on this story

The Breeders Reunite For Last Splash 20th Anniversary

(Gibson) The Breeders are back. Kim Deal (The Pixies), Kelley Deal, Josephine Wiggs and Jim Macpherson first performed together in June 1992. Two days later they were supporting Nirvana, and just over a year later they released Last Splash featuring the hit "Cannonball."

According to Noise11, Kim texted Jim and Josephine to ask if they'd be interested in playing the Last Splash album in celebration of its 20th anniversary.

The band reconvened in November to run through the material, and they will perform Last Splash live in its entirety in June 2013 at the ATP festival in Camber Sands in the U.K., which is curated by Deerhunter.

A deluxe edition of Last Splash will be released in April 2013, titled LSXX. more on this story

Joe Perry Not Sure if Aerosmith With Make Another Record

Noisecreep spoke with the members of Aerosmith about their new album, Music From Another Dimension!, and guitarist Joe Perry says he doesn't know if Aerosmith will make another record.

Noisecreep asked, "It has been 11 years since an album full of new Aerosmith material. Was there some stuff that amassed over the years that made it a little easier to build the album?" Perry responded: "We always have cool things lying around, and our attitude was, we knew we had another record in us, despite what many said, and I make no bones about it, I don't know if we're gonna make another record. But this is how we used to make records.

"On this record there are some songs I don't play on, but that's how it's always been. There are songs on the first couple of records I didn't play on, it was fine; it was just how we did the songs. That's how this record went. Everybody had a little piece to say, it was important that everybody got something on it. It was just the next Aerosmith album. And this was also a statement. We did not phone this in. We worked our asses off on this record.

The interview covers a lot more ground. You can read the full interview and find out which Aerosmith albums Perry doesn't like here.

Linkin Park Announce Only 2013 North American Show and Free Song

It appears that Linkin Park will be taking it relatively easy next year with the announcement that they will only be playing one North American concert in 2013.

The band plan a tour of New Zealand and Australia in late February and early March but prior to that tour they will be playing a one-off show at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas on Saturday February 16th.

The band are ending 2012 by giving away a free song as part of the launch of StageLight music software. Details here.

Yes Plan Three Album Tour

A lot of bands are playing one of their classic albums in full during recent tours but Yes are upping the stakes with plans to perform three of their classic albums in their entirety each night on their upcoming tour.

The progressive rock legends plan to perform their 1971's The Yes Album, 1972's Close To The Edge and 1977's Going For The One albums in full during most of the stops on their 2013 tour.

Steve Howe says, "These albums we all easily agreed on--they are complete works in themselves," adding that several of the songs have rarely been performed live. "I believe the only song not performed in concert is 'A Venture' from The Yes Album," says Chris Squire. "And probably the most tricky of all the songs planned for this set is 'Turn of the Century' from the Going for the One album." Alan White believes "This is a great opportunity to show the growth of Yes in these different eras--and to relive the memories of these times." more on this story

Shinedown and Three Days Grace Plan 2nd North American Tour Leg

Shinedown and Three Days Grace have added a second leg to their North American tour plans.

The tour featuring special guests P.O.D. will kick off on February 1st in Moiline, Il and conclude on February 20th in Lowell, MA.

After a short break the newly announced second leg will begin on March 9th in Orlando, FL and wrap up on Fargo, ND. more on this story

Daughtry and 3 Doors Down Add New Tour Leg

Daughtry and 3 Doors Down have added a second leg to their coheadlining North American tour that will take place early next year.

The new tour leg is set to kick off on January 25th at the Verizon Theatre in Dallas, and continue in to March, 2013. The tour will feature support from Aranda.

The current leg of the tour is set to wrap on 12/15 at Anaheim's Theatre at the Honda Center, with Fresno, CA at the Save Mart Center on 12/13 and a national live AXS TV appearances in Broomfield, CO at 1st Bank Center tonight, 12/11. more on this story

Sebastian Bach, Johnny Depp and Don Felder Jam With Alice Cooper

(hennemusic) Alice Cooper hosted his 12th annual Christmas Pudding concert on Saturday at the Comerica Theater in Phoenix.

Proceeds from Christmas Pudding go to Alice Cooper's Solid Rock — a nonprofit organization founded by Alice dedicated to enriching the lives of teens through music, dance, and self expression.

Among the performers joining Alice for the show were actor Johnny Depp, Sebastian Bach, L.A. Guns and Don Felder of The Eagles. Check out video here.

Boysetsfire Announce Lineup Change and Album Plans

Boysetsfire are carrying on despite a recent lineup shake-up and the band has announced their new lineup (including the return of a previous member) and plans for a new album and touring.

They had this message for fans: "BoySetsFire has been a band for nearly two decades. In that time we have played hundreds of shows to anyone that would watch us, from basements to festival audiences. We lived through the terror of rap-rock, the tyranny of nu-metal, and the dark days of pop-punk. We were around before the internet. Truth. We made demo tapes. We have recorded 4 LPs, EPs, CDs, and even a Cassingle. We have played Rookie over 1,000 times. We have fallen off more stages than most people have stood on. We have been signed and dropped and signed and dropped. Frankly, most would have given up years ago.

"We tried. Like the most well-meaning addict we swore it off, made our amends, and tried to rebuild our lives without BoySetsFire. But the lure was too much. We soon found ourselves in the same situations making the same decisions that lead to so much pain. more

Megadeth Part Ways With Roadrunner Records

(hennemusic) Megadeth have wrapped up their deal with Roadrunner Records and are moving on.

Dave Mustaine tweeted the new on Sunday, writing, "Today marks the end of an era with Roadrunner @rrusa. Hopefully we can finish strong with a #Grammy."

Megadeth's last album was 2011's "Thirteen"; the track "Whose Life (Is It Anyways?)" is nominated in the "Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance" category at the 55th annual Grammy Awards, which will be held on February 10 in Los Angeles. more on this story

Lynyrd Skynyrd Headlining Chopper Live: The Revenge Special

Lynyrd Skynyrd will be headlining Chopper Live: The Revenge tonight on the Discovery Channel.

The biker build-off special will feature American Chopper stars Paul Teutul Senior and Paul Teutul Junior, Outlaw Garage star Jesse James, and Fast 'N Loud stars Richard Rawlings and Aaron Kaufman.

The band will be performing the title track from the new album as well as their hit "Sweet Home Alabama" during the show which airs tonight, December 11th at 9pm ET/PT. more on this story

Jason Newsted Explains New Band Name and Musical Direction

Jason Newsted was interviewed on the 'Friday Night Rocks' radio show last month about his new post Metallica band and why he decided to simply call it Newsted Heavy Metal Music and his open-ended vision for the musical direction of the group.

He told the show this about the band name, "I've thought about this for a long time, putting my name on a project other than just coming up with a clever name, like Echobrain or Papa Wheelie or something. We have a lot of cool names for projects, but this is the first time with my name and really trying to get out to the people that I played for by the millions in the past with Metallica."

He also spoke about the musical direction from the new group, "Whatever it ends up being — if it's five songs, 20 songs, 50 songs … I don't even know what the heck I'm gonna do. I have so much music from over the years. I have a bunch of new stuff … I'm just trying to figure out exactly what I wanna unleash on everybody first. That's kind of what it's coming down to — the timing of things and how I wanna hit people with it." Blabbermouth has more from the interview here.

Blackmore's Night Release Box Set

UDR have released the new velvet box set of Blackmore's Night - The Beginning.

The box set, which was released in Europe this week, features the first two Blackmore's Night albums "Shadow Of The Moon" and "Under A Violet Moon" as well as rare video footage of their early tours "Live In Germany 1997-1998" and "Under A Violet Moon - Castle Tour 2000". Available for the first time on DVD and only in the "The Beginning" box.

The footage from various concerts from the "Shadow Of The Moon" and "Under A Violet Moon" tours is enriched by interviews with Ritchie Blackmore and Candice Night, as well as backstage footage, rehearsal footage and medieval fight shows. more on this story

Kreator Recording Concert For Upcoming DVD and Blu-Ray

Kreator plan to record their homecoming concert in Oberhausen, Germany on December 22, 2012 for a future DVD/Blu Ray release.

Mille Petrozza gives fans these details: "The Phantom Antichrist world tour is among the most successful and amazing tours in the history of Kreator, thanks to all of you - the fans! So we have decided to record a new live Album/DVD/Blu Ray at our homecoming show in Oberhausen on December 22nd.

"The show will be recorded with 24(!) cameras and in 5.1. sound. We are trying to produce the ultimate Kreator concert experience for you to enjoy in your living room! So whoever wants to be a part of the spectacle, there are still tickets available for Oberhausen, but better hurry up: tickets are selling fast!"

The band also has a number of dates across Europe and other parts of the world, you can find them here.

Caravan Plan 'For Girls Who Grow Plump In The Night' Anniversary Tour

Caravan will be marking the 40th anniversary of one of their most celebrated albums by launching a UK tour early next year.

The 10-date UK tour is set to kick off on January 8, 2013 at London's Queen Elizabeth Hall and will feature special guest Garron Frith.

The tour celebrates the 40th anniversary of the band's 1973 album, For Girls Who Grow Plump In The Night. Led by founding member and chief songwriter Pye Hastings, Caravan will also perform songs from the album In The Land Of Grey And Pink, plus other classics from their career. more on this story

Dave Grohl's Sound City Set For Release

Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl has been keeping very busy, most notably directing Sound City, a rock documentary detailing the rise and fall of the Van Nuys, California, recording studio of the same name.

After releasing the film's official trailer this week, it's now been revealed that the movie's digital release date is February 1, 2013.

"As a first time director, I am humbled to be able to share my passion for songwriting and storytelling with this incredible cast of legendary musicians," he said. more on this story

Ronnie James Dio Cancer Fund To Donate Another $100K

The Ronnie James Dio Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund will soon contribute the final $100,000 of their $300,000 pledge to the TJ Martell Foundation, in their goal of helping to hopefully, one day find a cure for the same illness that took the life of Ronnie James Dio.

The Dio Cancer Fund, upon its formation two years ago, pledged a total of $300,000 to the TJ Martell Foundation (an organization founded by music industry senior executive Tony Martell - who lost a son to leukemia - which raises funds for cancer research) and had already donated $200,000 to the Foundation.

The remaining $100,000, which will be presented shortly, is earmarked for the gastric cancer research efforts at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville, TN. These monies were raised from the Dio Cancer Fund's recent annual Awards Gala and Celebrity Guitar Auction. more on this story

The Scorpions Release Christmas Cards

(hennemusic) This year The Scorpions are selling their very own official band Christmas cards.

Each package features a holiday version of the band's "Blackout" album cover printed on six cellophane wrapped A5 cards, with envelopes; the inside reads, "Hope Your Christmas Rocks Like A Hurricane" and the cards feature a Scorpions logo on the reverse.

The Scorpions are currently playing the remaining few dates of The Final Sting tour. Learn more and see a photo of the cards here.

Moody Blues InTheStudio For Seventh Sojourn Anniversary

The latest episode of the InTheStudio syndicated radio show celebrates the 40th anniversary of the Moody Blues best selling album, Seventh Sojourn.

They sent over these details: One of the crown jewels in progressive rock's peak era, Seventh Sojourn was a #1 worldwide best seller and resulted in the longest international tour in music history up to then, from which the original band never returned, figuratively.

Justin Hayward and John Lodge guest InTheStudio for the back story which is complex, set to the classics "Lost in a Lost world", "You and Me", "Isn't Life Strange" and "I'm Just a Singer in a Rock and Roll Band".

Moody Blues bass player/singer/songwriter John Lodge shares with program
host Redbeard how the album was conceived. "When we were working on the Seventh Sojourn album, we always had discussions and meetings to talk about what the album should be about, what we would like the album to reflect. And I think we realized that we had come to the end of a journey, and the album suddenly became Canterbury Tales." Listen to the episode here.

Singled Out: Koncrete Kite

Back in December of 2006 our very own Mark Hensch was singing the praises of the five rocking brothers of Koncrete Kite and their album, The Joy of Bee Stings. Fast forward to now and the band has just released their latest album, "Full of Bull," and to celebrate we asked Rich Bove to tell us about one of the tracks:

Let's see…Of all the new songs to decipher for the reader, I could have gone with our new single, "Button Fly", and the self-aggrandizing that comes with being the band's preferred rockin' track for keg parties and spirited air guitar competitions…

Or perhaps, the fan favorite, "Banana Bread", with its psychedelic, don't-eat-the-brown-acid, Beatle's nod to 60's peace, love, and dope smoking (or in this case, baked goodness)…

But NO! I am singling out the darkest track this band has ever put out in 15 years. Taken from our latest release, FULL of BULL, the song "Pinky Swear" is based on several accounts of an out-of-work husband and father who decides the fate of his family in the most irrational way.

Although most of Koncrete Kite's other song lyrics can be deciphered various ways depending on the listener, "Pinky Swear" is as cut and dry as it can get: father loves son, father loves daughter, father can't support family anymore, family goes bye-bye.
When I initially wrote the lyrics to this song, it was in first person. I figured, what the Hell; if Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan and countless others can take on the role of a character and sing about their plight, why not us? Unfortunately, I am not the lead singer of this band, and when presented with the words, my brother Joe (who has graciously helmed the majority of vocals for this group) thought I was absolutely insane. "I'm not going to sing this. This is horrible. It would be a bad omen to me and my family!" is all I remembered before sulking away. Whether it was a case of "lead-singeritis" or against his moral compass, I was determined to get these lyrics recorded.

After a much heated debate - with cooler heads prevailing - we decided to compromise. The lyrics would retain the same meaning, but written in third person. Therefore, Joe would be absolved of singing any wrongdoing while I held onto the integrity of the theme. The lead vocals were cut in one take.
What makes this track morose are not just the words – "First choice and a last kiss" – but the guitar playing on it. Chris (aka Smokey Butts) is the bass player in the band, but does tackle guitar solo on a couple of tracks. On this song, we decided to go with something dirty-grungy, but yet melodic. Chris stepped up and laid down a solo that sounds like the afterbirth of a Neil Young – Kurt Cobain offspring. Brilliant!

The coda for this song is what makes or breaks it for the listener. After the line, "Heaven in a heartbeat, swear we'll all live (on)", the band stops. A cacophony of feedback swells into a deranged symphony devoid of any structure. The only thing keeping this beautiful mess together is the 4/4 timing on the hi-hat and the four separate crashes of the cymbal. Each crash represents a gunshot blast. A song for our troubling times.

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

Richie Sambora Highlights From Craig Ferguson Week Now Online

(hennemusic) Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora was featured last week as the first house band in the history of The Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson and if you missed it you can see highlights online.

Richie began the week playing the program's theme live with Ferguson, before rocking up the nightly "Tweets and Emails" jingle.

Sambora played a song each night, beginning with his current single, "Every Road Leads Home To You," followed by other tracks from the new album. A version of Bon Jovi's smash "Wanted Dead Or Alive" was featured on Thursday, while Sambora closed the week with Ferguson handling vocals on "Sugar Daddy" from the new release – listen closely for the riff from Led Zeppelin's "How Many More Times" as the song draws to a close. Check out the video highlights here.

Slaves On Dope Release Christmas Song and Video

Slaves On Dope have released their new digital Christmas single, "All I Want For Christmas."

The band has also released a new music video for "All I Want For Christmas", which can be seen here.

The group will be performing a handful of concerts this month with shows set for Toronto, Buffalo and Clifton Park, New York. more on this story

Hatebreed Release New Album Trailer

(R&T) Hatebreed has released a new album trailer for their forthcoming studio album, The Divinity of Purpose.

In the trailer, frontman Jamey Jasta discusses the meaning behind the band's new album cover. You can watch it here.

The album will be released on January 29, 2013 in the U.S./Canada on Razor & Tie and on January 25th in Europe/Ireland and on January 28th in the U.K. more on this story

Metallica Release My Apocalypse Video From Quebec Magnetic

(hennemusic) Metallica are sharing full song footage of the "Death Magnetic" track, "My Apocalypse," of their new live package, "Quebec Magnetic."

"Quebec Magnetic" includes 26 songs plus bonus material, with over three hours of footage recorded live at Colisée Pepsi in Quebec City, Quebec on October 31 and November 1, 2009.

Filmed by director Wayne Isham, "Quebec Magnetic" is the first project to be released by Metallica under their own label, Blackened Recordings. Check out the video here.

Lzzy Hale Found Out About Grammy Nomination While On Stage

(Gibson) Lzzy Hale has revealed that she found out her band Halestorm had been nominated for a Grammy while she was in the middle of performing on stage.

In an interview with The Pulse Of Radio, Hale said the band was preparing to perform a piano ballad when guitarist Joe Hottinger ran across the stage to tell her the good news. "He's like, 'We got nominated for a Grammy!'" Gibson signature artist Hale said. "And I'm like, I mean, I must have had at least 30 seconds of just pure, like, shock on my face. 'Really? Are you serious?' I still can't wipe this stupid grin off my face, I'll tell you that. But it was a very cool moment for all of us."

The nomination is for the song "Love Bites (So Do I)" from the band's second album, The Strange Case Of... The song, which is up against tracks by Anthrax, Iron Maiden, Megadeth, Marilyn Manson and Lamb of God, spent time at #1 on the Active Rock chart, the first time in history that a female-fronted rock act snagged the honor. more on this story