Aerosmith Recording A Concept Album

Read the full interview and find out who Steven is working with on lyrics for the album here.

Van Halen Kept From The Top

(hennemusic) Van Halen's new album, "A Different Kind Of Truth," has debuted at no. 2 on the Billboard 200 albums chart.

The rockers were expected to battle for top spot with UK singing sensation Adele, and that's exactly how things played out.

Van Halen's album sold 187,000 copies in its debut week, while Adele enjoyed a massive sales bump due to her increased profile around Sunday's Grammy Awards, where she swept her 6 categories, including Album Of The Year for "21." Adele sold 242,000 copies during Grammy week, virtually doubling the 122,000 she sold a week earlier. more on this story

Iron Maiden and Alice Cooper North American Tour

Iron Maiden are returning to North America this year for another "history of Iron Maiden" tour, this time recapturing the set from the Maiden England concert movie filmed during the 1988 Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son Tour.

The tour kicks off on June 21st in Charlotte, NC and the first month of the trek will feature Alice Cooper as a special guest (until July 21st) and Coheed and Cambria taking over after that.

Here is the official word with the initial dates: This opening section of the World Tour is the band's most extensive visit to North America for many years and includes a number of cities the band have not played in a very long time, such as Charlotte, Atlanta, Buffalo, Indianapolis and Salt Lake City. more on this story

Pantera Reunion Rejected

The Metal Den says an unnamed source told them that Vinnie Paul has rejected a lucrative offer to take part in a one-time Pantera reunion to pay tribute to his brother Dimebag Darrell Abbott who was murdered in 2004.

Vinnie Paul had previously discounted an online campaign for the tribute show reunion by telling www.darkside.ru, "Dime was such a huge part of it that it would be just completely asinine to even consider that. He left an amazing legacy and it's going to be left untouched, it's beautiful, it's pristine and I want to leave it that way."

Now The Metal Den reports that they "learned from a source close to the camp of legendary ex-Pantera and current Hellyeah drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott that indeed a 'large sum of money' has been put on the table to reunite him with surviving Pantera members, vocalist Philip H. Anselmo and bassist Rex Brown for a one-off reunion/tribute event (with special fill-in guitarists).... This source says Vinnie Paul basically laughed the offer right off the table. " more

Green Day Start Recording New Album

(Gibson) Billie Joe Armstrong has Tweeted about Green Day, and reveals the band have officially begun studio sessions on their new album. Armstrong posted: "Happy Valentine's day! Officially started recording the new record today."

The band have previously said that their forthcoming ninth studio album will move away from the concepts of their last two records, American Idiot and 21st Century Breakdown,and be more straightforward.

In November 2011, Green Day debuted a new song, "Carpe Diem," during a live show in San Francisco. The band have previously played new material at live shows, with a more aggressive sound than the pop-rock of recent albums. Working titles reportedly include "Wow, That's Loud" and "Make Out Party." The trio have been demoing material since May 2011. more on this story

Dave Matthews Band Summer Tour

The Dave Matthews Band have announced thier first North American Summer Tour since 2010.

This summer's trek will kick off on on May 18 at Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in Woodlands, TX.

The tour will feature numerous two-night stands, including visits at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center in Saratoga Springs, NY (June 8 & 9) and the Cruzan Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach, FL (July 20 & 21). The group will begin a West Coast run over Labor Day weekend with three nights (August 31, September 1 & 2) at The Gorge Amphitheatre in George, WA, where Dave Matthews Band has headlined 40 shows since 1997. more on this story

Coheed and Cambria Giving Away New Song

Earlier this week Coheed and Cambria frontman Claudio Sanchez leaked an acoustic version of the brand new song, "Sentry the Defiant," to their fans online.

He wrote on the youtube posting "Instead of making you wait until the album is released, I thought I'd share my excitement for this song with you now. I decided with this piece to video document it's creation."

He added, "This is literally the first time I played the song through in its entirety. His name is Sentry The Defiant."

The video has received 65,000 plays in less than 24 hours and seems to be spreading. The band is also giving away a free download to the audio of the song on their website here.

Corey Taylor Talks Possible Slipknot, Mushroomhead, GWAR, Mudvayne Tour

(Banana 101.5) It may be hard to believe but vocalist Corey Taylor says that not only is a Slipknot/Mushroomhead tour possible, he'd also like to get Mudvayne and GWAR on board.

There's always been animosity between the fans of Slipknot and Mushroomhead. During one of the Q&As on Corey Taylor's recent tour he was asked about the possibility of touring with Mushroomhead.

"I would welcome it. I'd love to do something like that, you know. Especially now. I think it'd beautiful to put something like that together and just see what f—ing happens – Slipknot, Mushroomhead, GWAR and f—ing Mudvayne. Because if it's one thing I've learned, you don't hold on to stupid s—, you let it go." But what about the rivalry?

Gregg Allman Autobiography Coming

(hennemusic) Gregg Allman's autobiography, "My Cross To Bear," will be published May 1. For the first time, the founding member of the Allman Brothers Band tells the story of his life, including the music, the band, the tragedies, and the triumphs.

One of the most entertaining live bands ever to take the stage, the Allman Brothers Band defined the meaning of live rock and roll. But despite nearly a half-century of massive success, no one has ever told the inside story of the band and the brothers behind it.

"When I got out of high school, I thought, I'll take a year or two off and play the clubs, get this out of my system, and then go to med school," Gregg said last year. "More than forty years later, I figure it's finally time to write about this crazy journey that's taken me around the world and back." more on this story

Paul McCartney Wants To Keep Touring Into His 80s

(Gibson) Paul McCartney will turn 70 this year, but the former Beatle tells Rolling Stone that he doesn't think he'll be retiring anytime soon. Macca said he'd like to keep touring into his 80s.

"I can imagine it," he said. "As to whether my imagination will come true, I don't know. The last couple of years, I've gotten into guitar – so there's all sorts of little things that crop up that entice you forward, and you go, 'Hmm, I'd like that.'"

Elsewhere in the interview, McCartney said he's in a bit of denial about his age. "I'm never going to believe I'm 70, I don't care what you say," he said. "There's a little cell in my brain that's never going to believe that… You get the argument, 'Make way for the young kids.' And you think, 'F--k that, let them make way for themselves. If they're better than me, they'll beat me.' Foo Fighters don't have a problem, they're good. They'll do their thing." more on this story

Public Image Ltd Releasing First Album in 20 Years

(Gibson) Public Image Ltd will release their first album in 20 years in 2012. John Lydon says the new album is due in May/June, with a taster EP to be released in April.

"The album's done," Lydon told BBC 6 radio. "We finished it late last summer, mastered it in September." Lydon insists this is no cash-in. He reunited PiL in 2009, and says: "Everybody thinks I made such a fortune with the Sex Pistols. Unfortunately, that is not true. To make this record we had to tour extensively for two years."

The working title for the album is apparently This Is PiL. The band will whet fans' appetites with "One Drop," a four-song EP to be released on International Record Store Day, April 21. The group's new material is "folk music," Lydon told NME. "Irish folkies … think I'm mocking tradition, but for God's sake, that's been the story of my life. It's not mockery; it's called advancement. We can't all be stuck in 17th-century ditties. more on this story

Steven Tyler and Carrie Underwood Rock Aerosmith Classics

(hennemusic) Steven Tyler recently teamed up with country superstar Carrie Underwood for CMT's Crossroad series and video is now online.

The episode was broadcast live from Indianapolis during Super Bowl weekend.

Tyler and Underwood rocked out on each other's tunes: Aerosmith fans heard tracks like "Sweet Emotion," "Love In An Elevator," Cryin'" and "Walk This Way." Check out video from the special

Slash's Valentine

(hennemusic) Slash has issued the third webisode in his series of behind the scenes looks at the recording of his new solo album. This time out, the focus is on producer Eric Valentine.

"When I was doing the last solo record," begins Slash, "I was looking for a producer and I found a handful of records that Eric Valentine had done…and I loved how diverse his tastes were. I hooked up with Eric and played him some demos and, somehow, he just managed to catch on [to] exactly what was going on in my head. So…we just clicked right away."

Slash's as-yet-untitled album is due May 22, and he begins a mini-US tour on May 3 in Baltimore, with dates booked throughout the month of May. Check out the video here.

Mars Attacks Charred Walls Of The Damned

(MAR) The latest episode of the Mars Attacks podcast contains interviews with Charred Walls Of The Damned drummer Richard Christy and John Arch of Arch – Matheos.

Richard discusses the band's latest album Cold Winds On Timeless Days, what it was like to leave Iced Earth for the Howard Stern Show, his gear, and the late Chuck Shuldiner among other things.

John Arch discusses the album Sympathetic Resonance, his past in Fates Warning, his expectations for Arch – Matheos along with a slew of other things. Check it out here.

Volbeat Go No 1 in America

Volbeat has scored their first American no 1 on the Active Rock charts with their single "A Warrior's Call."

Singer Michael Poulson shares, "I'm really honored that "A Warriors Call" has reached #1 on America's Active Rock Radio chart! We're the first Danish band to achieve that, and with a song written for boxing champ Mikkel Kessler. Going #1 and topping acts like Foo Fighters and Nickelback, we never dared to believe! Volbeat would like to thank Universal Republic, all the radio stations, listeners and fans for their support!" Universal Republic Chairman Monte Lipman offers, "Volbeat never stop working, and their tireless efforts are paying off. This is a landmark for what I consider to be one of the most daring bands in hard rock."

Beyond Hell / Above Heaven debuted at number one on the sales charts in Denmark, Finland and Sweden, and Top 10 in a half dozen additional countries. In the U.S., it continues to see strong sales on a weekly basis. Since the Danish metal quartet's formation in October, 2001, VOLBEAT has steadily risen to become one of the major attractions in the European scene. This success has followed as a headliner in the U.S., with the band selling out venues across the country including New York and Los Angeles. more on this story

Derelict Album Release Set

Derelict have announced the release date for their new album, Perpetuation, and a record release show.

"We're releasing the album on April 20th, 2012!", states Derelict vocalist Eric Burnet.

"The date coincides with our Montreal CD release show, which will kick off a run of similar events around Quebec and Ontario, followed by some tours in the Summer and Fall". more on this story

Wishbone Ash Member Releases Music Software

(Glass Onyon) Wishbone Ash drummer Joe Crabtree has developed new software for the drummer and musician.

Crabtree, who has been creating music software for a number of years, is excited to introduce the RhythMachine, OctopuSequencer, Pyramid and PolyNome.

RhythMachine is a tool for generating rhythms and melodies and orchestrating them on the drum kit or pitched instruments. It can be used for ear training, creating vamps to solo over or generating grooves and fills. "I began work on my first piece of software, the RhythMachine, back in 2008," Joe explains. "It was inspired by some lessons I took in New York with Robby Ameen. In my lesson with Robby we were playing double drums – both playing a songo groove with a left foot clave. We'd play 3 bars of groove, then Robby would keep the clave going and play a 1 bar melodic fill on the toms. We'd go around the 4 bars again and my challenge was to mimic what he had played. It was challenging and I wanted to develop some software that would replicate that scenario. I wrote RhythMachine to do exactly this." more on this story

Exhumed Tour Dates Aborted

Exhumed have been forced to cancel their dates in Brazil this week with Aborted due to visa issues.

Vocalist/guitarist Matt Harvey explains "We are totally weakened to have to cancel our Brazilian dates. Due to our visa applications getting rejected, we cannot legally enter the country at this time -- in fact, they threatened to ban us from being there for a decade.

"We are doing everything we can to reschedule these dates as soon as possible. Due to the bulls*** policies of U.S. immigration/customs and Brazilian customs' policy of reciprocity, our visas were refused by the Brazilian consulate before even being processed. more on this story

Prong with Crowbar and Witchburn Tour

Prong are hitting the road in April for a North American tour with Crowbar and Witchburn.

The tour will kick off on April 5th in Dallas, TX and runs through April 21st in Detroit, MI. T

Prong will be touring in support of their new album Carved Into Stone, which is due out April 24th in North America on Long Branch Records. more on this story

Cheap Girls Album and Tour Coming

Cheap Girls have added dates to their upcoming Spring headline tour of North America in support of their forthcoming album, Giant Orange, which hits stores next week.

The tour kicks off on Thursday, March 1, in Cleveland, OH, at the Grog Shop, the tour, which will also feature The Sidekicks on the entire run as well as The Menzingers after March 24, will take in nights at notable venues across the U.S. such as Asbury Lanes in Asbury Park, NJ, on Sunday, March 4, Knitting Factory in Brooklyn, NY, on Tuesday, March 6, and the Bottom of the Hill in San Francisco, CA, on Monday, April 2.

The tour will also include a stop at the SXSW Music Festival in Austin, TX, during March and culminate in a performance at The Atlantic in Gainesville, FL, on Friday, April 13. more on this story

Remembering Doris Troy

(Gibson) On this day in 2004, Singer Doris Troy died. She had been a session singer with Dionne Warwick, sang on Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon and released an album on The Beatles' Apple label. She also had a 1964 U.K. #37 single with "Whatcha Gonna Do About It" and a 1963 U.S. #10 hit, "Just One Look." Gibson looks back:

Bronx-born, she broke though in the U.S. as a backup singer and hitmaker/songwriter but found her greatest success in England, signing with The Beatles' own label, Apple, at Harrison's urging.

Harrison was a fan of her 1963 hit "Just One Look." The song was covered in England by The Hollies and Troy started visiting Britain, where her profile began to grow. She played several London gigs with a young Reg Dwight (later Elton John) on piano.

She would go on to sing on The Rolling Stones' "You Can't Always Get What You Want," Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon, George Harrison's "My Sweet Lord" and Carly Simon's "You're So Vain," and was both a writer and singer on Billy Preston's Apple album.

It was while recording with Preston that Doris first met Harrison. In an interview from 1970, George recalled, "I first met Doris on this Billy Preston session. Doris had come over to England with a few demo tapes, because she'd decided that she wanted to live in England and try and do it from here like, I suppose, the thing that Jimi Hendrix did. She came on a session, and she's been there ever since!" more on this story

Keith Moody Singled Out Week: Lay It Down Easy

Keith Moody released his new album, "Dreaming Out Loud" , this week. To celebrate we asked him to tell us about some of the songs from the album. Today he tells us about, "Lay It Down Easy". Here is the story:

This tune is simply about having courage, and not letting anyone tell you what your direction or destiny may be. The myth that Columbus was told the world was flat is a good personification of this theme, especially after writing the first verse as if it were a conversation or friendly advice. I know when I give or receive advice I like to hear a little story to help drive the point home. The tune has a good hit the road vibe to it too, which I thought was important. I wanted this song to be a personal sound track or anthem for taking the first steps to start new journeys.

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