Black Sabbath To Play North American Concert

FOX23 reports Ozzy's wife and manager, Sharon Osbourne, has revealed the band is set to headline one show in America. She tells VH1 Radio Network, "They're gonna be doing one show in America this summer, but I can't say yet (where and when it is) because we can't announce it, the promoters have to. But they are doing one show in August." And what about Bill Ward?

Van Halen Rock Past Tour Difficulties

Van Halen ran into some technical difficulties during their tour stop at the United Center in Chicago on Friday night but didn't let the problems stop them from delivering.

antiMusic's Anthony Kuzminski was at the show and in his review of the concert, Tony includes details about the difficulties the band were forced to overcome. He writes:

The only snag to the concert was that portions were plagued with sound problems. I mention this only because several other reviews have pointed out David Lee Roth's antics as a result of the issues. Roth had performed the first three shows of the tour with a head-microphone which proved to be unusable after three songs in Chicago. He went to get a wireless microphone only to have it handed to him without any sound. He surged to the front of the stage, picked up a wired microphone at the tip of the stage and made sure the show proceeded without missing a beat. As someone who had a front row seat to the side of the stage, Roth was upset because there appeared to be virtually no urgency to fix the issue. As a result, Roth's performance was impaired by the old school wired microphone he had to carry with him for the remainder of the evening which often tripped up Eddie in the process. If I were in Roth's shoes, I would have had the same reaction, especially the incapability of the crew to fix the issue for nineteen songs. Roth soldiered on in typical "Diamond Dave" fashion proving to be the ultimate showman with a rock solid voice. Roth never receives the credit he deserves as many in the audience long to see the voracious comic book hero from their youth enshrined in YouTube videos, but he's a legendary front man for many reasons, but is rarely given the props for his commanding voice and how well it solidifies with Van Halen. In Chicago, despite the handicaps placed in front of him, he largely went above and beyond attempting to give the crowd everything he had.

Read Tony's full review here.

Aerosmith's Joe Perry Writing Autobiography

(hennemusic) Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry is the latest rocker and member of the band to write an autobiography.

"Officially started writing my biography this week. More info. to come soon re: publisher, tentative release date, etc…" tweeted Aerosmith guitar hero Joe Perry.

Perry follows two other members of the Aerosmith family with his book: Steven Tyler published "Does The Noise In My Head Bother You?" last year, while drummer Joey Kramer put his book out in 2009, under the title of "Hit Hard: A Story Of Hitting Rock Bottom At The Top." What about Tom?

Cream, Living Colour, Santana Supergroup

(Gibson) Cream's Jack Bruce and Living Colour's Vernon Reid have formed a new band. Spectrum Road is something of a "supergroup," as it features members from Cream, Living Colour, Santana and Medeski, Martin and Wood.

In summer 2012, Spectrum Road will perform at the Bonnaroo festival on June 9. The band's self-titled debut album will be out on June 5 on Palmetto Records.

The group is: Jack Bruce on bass and vocals, Vernon Reid on guitar, John Medeski on keyboards and Cindy Blackman-Santana on drums. "To be able to play and record in this band alongside three of the most creative and stellar musicians in the world is a longtime dream come true," Vernon Reid said in a release. "The idea for Spectrum Road first came about in 2001, and it was the ongoing belief in the kind of record we knew we could make together that made it come to fruition."

The group has played live already as Tony Williams Lifetime Tribute. Bruce spent much of the '70s as a member of Lifetime, Williams's jazz-fusion ensemble, joining after Cream broke up. Williams died in 1997 and in the years following, Bruce discovered a fellow fan in guitarist Reid. Joined by pianist John Medeski and drummer Blackman-Santana, Carlos's wife, they have now recorded a debut album together. more on this story

Bruce Springsteen Week for Jimmy Fallon

(hennemusic) It's Bruceapalooza next week on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. To mark the March 6 release of Bruce Springsteen's new album, "Wrecking Ball," Fallon is dedicating a week of programs to the New Jersey rocker.

Bruce & The E Street Band will perform on Monday and Friday, and the week will be filled out with music guests like Kenny Chesney (Tue) and Elvis Costello (Thu); the Wednesday night music artist has not been announced yet.

Bruce will be the lone guest on Friday's program, which also marks the show's 3rd anniversary. more on this story

Motley Crue Recording New Music

(hennemusic) Having completed their Las Vegas residency, Motley Crue are in the studio this weekend recording a new song.

"Writing lyrics right now for new Motley Crue," posted bassist Nikki Sixx on Wednesday. "We are cutting drums ,bass and guitars this weekend at Tommy's Studio. This one is a panty dropper for sure......I was just thinking, I've been writing music for most of my life and it still feels fresh every time I pick up the pen, guitar or bass....."

On Sunday, Sixx updated fans on the group's progress. "Been in the recording studio cutting new Motley Crue with the guys," writes Nikki. "We are recording at Tommy's studio ( which is insane ) and James Micheal is producing." More details from Nikki here.

Eric Clapton and Rolling Stones Keith Richards Jam For Hubert Sumlin

(hennemusic) Music fans were in for a rare treat Friday night at New York's Apollo Theater. Eric Clapton was joined by Keith Richards at Howlin For Hubert: A Concert to Benefit the Jazz Foundation of America.

Rolling Stone reports the event was a tribute to guitarist Hubert Sumlin, who played in Howlin' Wolf's band for decades and passed away on December 4th due to heart failure.

The entire show, which featured all-stars including Buddy Guy, Billy Gibbons, Warren Haynes, Jimmie Vaughan, Derek Trucks, Doyle Bramhall II and Elvis Costello – plus overlooked legends like Wolf's former bandmates, harmonica player James Cotton, guitarist Jody Williams and saxophonist Eddie Shaw – was one for the history books. Check out video of the jam and read more here.

Unreleased Pantera Song Coming On Deluxe Vulgar Release

Rhino have set a May 15th release date for the 20th anniversary deluxe edition of Pantera's 'Vulgar Display of Power'.

The two-disc CD/DVD deluxe edition will featurethe previously lost studio recording "Piss" and unreleased live video from the 1992 Monsters Of Rock concert in Italy.

They sent out these details: The collection features the debut of "Piss," an incendiary blast of vintage Pantera from the original recording sessions. It remained lost until Vinnie Paul rediscovered the track while going through the band's vault. more on this story

Rod Stewart and Stevie Nicks To Tour Together Again

Rod Stewart and Fleetwood Mac's Stevie Nicks are teaming up once again for a North American tour.

The two joined forced last spring for the Heart & Soul Tour and they will reunite for another Heart & Soul Tour this summer.

Nicks announced the initial dates and at press time it looks like the trek will kick off on July 20th in Cleveland, OH. more on this story

See Behind Pink Floyd's The Wall

(hennemusic) Next week, Pink Floyd release the Immersion and Experience editions of their 1979 classic, "The Wall." The project marks the final installment of the recent Why Pink Floyd? reissues and extended releases and a three part Behind the Wall video has been posted online to give you a taste.

"The Wall" remains Pink Floyd's biggest-selling release after 1973's legendary "The Dark Side Of The Moon." "The Wall" Immersion 7-disc edition includes a DVD featuring a film clip from the 1980 tour and a Behind The Wall documentary, plus, for the first time, CDs of excerpts from Roger Waters' original demos and work-in-progress versions of songs on the final album. Among these previously unheard versions are David Gilmour's original demos of "Comfortably Numb" and "Run Like Hell." The Immersion set also includes The Wall Live, compiled from the 1980-1981 original tour.

Both "The Wall" Immersion box set and Experience edition include a rare recording of "Another Brick In The Wall Part 1." A highlight for fans, this demo showcases the evolution of the final track. Check out the behind the wall videos here.

Steven Tyler's Jimmy Kimmel Live Appearance Bumped Back

(hennemusic) There's been a date change for the upcoming Steven Tyler appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!

Originally set for this coming Monday, February 27, the Aerosmith frontman and American Idol judge will now appear on Tuesday night's/Wednesday morning's (February 28) program.

Idol have now whittled their contestants down to 24, and have manufactured a twist for next week's live shows – they'll be adding at least 1 more to the group of 12 men and 12 women. more on this story

Meat Loaf Dubs Slipknot The Metal Beethoven

(Gibson) Meat Loaf stopped by the offices of Metal Hammer magazine this week "and caused chaos upon his arrival." The magazine got the man himself to shoot a few videos, and one of those clips involves him talking about Slipknot.

Said Meat Loaf: "Slipknot has amazing arrangements, and musically, they're like a metal Beethoven." The 'Loaf has never shied away from the bombastic, of course, so that is praise indeed. But is he being serious?

Slipknot's Shawn Crahan seems to agree. "We give you everything," he told The Age this week. "We're the greatest band in the world as far as I'm concerned. I always laugh when bands say, 'You know, without the masks they'd be nothing.' OK, try playing one of our songs, try playing my drummer's parts, try playing my guitar player's parts. more on this story

Faces' Lane Stopped Ronnie Wood From Joining the Rolling Stones

(Gibson) Talking to the Independent newspaper, while puffing on an electronic cigarette, Ronnie Wood let slip that he could have been a Rolling Stone long before he joined the biggest band in the world.

Last year's Sony Radio Personality of the Year said: "They rang up once when I was rehearsing with the Faces in Bermondsey, and Ronnie Lane picked up the phone and said, 'No, Ronnie's quite happy where he is.'"

With hindsight, Wood thinks that Lane may have done him a favor. "Five years later I found out... I wasn't ready for it though, I'd have been a junkie or OD-ed or something." more on this story

Redlight King Deliver Bull In My Hand For Leno

(Banana 101.5) If you missed Redlight King's performance of 'Bullet in My Hand' on 'The Tonight Show' last week, don't worry. You can watch it online.

Redlight King are currently on the rise with their new single 'Bullet in My Hand,' which just cracked the top ten at active rock stations.

The band hit the set of 'The Tonight Show' last night (2/23) to perform their latest single, which fromtman Kaz described to Loudwire as "a song about seeing the light at the end of the tunnel." Check out the performance here.

What The Hell Is Goin' On For Paul Thorn

Paul Thorn takes a look at the music that inspired him on his forthcoming album, What The Hell Is Goin' On?, which will be released on May 8th. Here is the official word:

Paul Thorn took an unexpected detour on the road to recording a follow-up to his most successful release, 2010's Pimps and Preachers. After writing many discs of semi-autobiographical tunes that have drawn comparisons to John Hiatt and John Prine, the critically acclaimed singer/songwriter — hailed as the "Mark Twain of Americana" — decided to do an album of covers. "I wanted to take a break from myself," he reveals, "do something different, and just have fun."

The collection, entitled What The Hell Is Goin' On? (due May 8, on Perpetual Obscurity/Thirty Tigers), finds Thorn putting his own gritty rock stamp on some of his favorite songs. There are some names familiar to Americana fans (Buddy Miller, Ray Wylie Hubbard), some lesser-known (Foy Vance, Wild Bill Emerson) and some surprises. The Buckingham and Nicks tune "Don't Let Me Down Again" originated on that duo's debut, not during the Fleetwood Mac era, while the Paul Rogers/Free song that Thorn chose to cover is an obscure one, "Walk In My Shadow." more on this story

Today's Music Is Rubbish According to Britpop Mogul

(Gibson) The record company man who played a key role in the Britpop movement of the '90s has spoken out about the resurgence of '90s bands like The Stone Roses and Happy Mondays.

According to The Sun, Alan McGee, who signed Oasis to his hugely influential Creation Records contemporary music is "rubbish."

McGee said: "The only reason Britpop is back is because all modern music is rubbish. I've lost all interest in it. It is amazing that The Stone Roses are coming back. They are right up there – one of the greatest bands of all time." more on this story

Green Day Explain New Album Approach

(hennemusic) More video has surfaced from Green Day's current recording sessions for their new album.

The band hit the studio on Valentine's Day and are now into their second week on the project.

The latest video shows the band members discussing their approach to capturing the new music. "I'm just trying to think of how we can make people feel more attached/as attached to this record as we feel," begins bassist Mike Dirnt. Check out the video here.

The Day Janis Joplin's Swan Song Hit The Top

(Gibson) On this day in 1971, nearly five months after her death, Janis Joplin started a nine-week run at no. 1 on the U.S. album chart with Pearl. Gibson takes a look back:

On this day in 1971, Janis Joplin's swan song, Pearl, hit the top of the charts — nearly five months to the day after she passed away in a lonely Los Angeles motel room. It would stay at #1 for nine weeks, but the record's success only served to underscore the cruel irony of her death. Had she lived, Joplin would have been free. Free from her label. Free from the nagging feeling that she shouldn't have abandoned Big Brother and the Holding Company. Free to tell all those doubters — all the way back to Port Arthur, Texas — where to go. Free to do whatever the hell she wanted. Instead, she found a different kind of freedom.

To trace the origins of Pearl, you have to go back to the other great album of Joplin's all-too-brief career, Cheap Thrills. This sophomore effort by Joplin and the group, Big Brother and the Holding Company, gave the band their breakthrough single, "Piece of My Heart." The heart-rending, soul-bearing Erma Franklin cover went to #12 on the U.S. charts and sent the album soaring to #1 for eight weeks. But somewhere inside the pressure-cooker of success, Joplin decided she had to drop Big Brother and form her own band, having been convinced by management that this was the right move for her career. Big Brother had existed before she ever arrived. They had a sound. They had a direction. Janis needed her own band.

Joplin's first crack at her own group was the Kozmic Blues Band. Modeled on the Stax-Volt R&B bands of the day, Kozmic had a horn section and was decidedly funkier than Big Brother. But things just didn't come together. To start with, the Kozmic Blues Band was hardly Janis' own band. They were a collection of session players put together by her record company, Columbia. And many of them were a little too straight-laced for Janis, whose own relapse into heroin addiction didn't help things. She fired and replaced half the band by the time an album, I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again Mama!, was released in September 1969. The album itself found moderate success, but in no way matched the accolades of Cheap Thrills. By the end of the year, Joplin dropped the band completely. more on this story