Call For Jon Lord Tribute Show With Original Deep Purple and Whitesnake

Glenn Hughes, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath: "I turned my phone on as my plane landed at LAX, to hear the very sad news that we had lost Jon. It has deeply saddened me. A Gentleman and truly gifted. Jon was the one who convinced me to join Deep Purple Mk III. He was a father figure to me in those early years, and I will remember these moments we shared together. His music will live on, and I'm so glad that Jon and I wrote This Time Around. With love in my heart." Read tributes from David Coverdale, Slash, Geezer Butler and A LOT more.

New Aerosmith The Best Collection of Songs Ever?

(Classic Rock) Classic Rock Revisited recently spoke with Aerosmith's Brad Whitford who says the band's upcoming album may be the best complete collection of songs Aerosmith has ever released on one album.

"The album came out even better than we even hoped for and we are really pleased about it. When we work with Jack, what we get is a true representation of the classic Aerosmith sound. It has a little bit of everything that we have always liked to do on a record – or a collection of songs, or whatever they call it nowadays. I still call it a record. It might be one of our best collections of songs ever. We find ourselves listening to it quite a bit and we are still pretty impressed by it.

"Usually, by this stage of the game, sometimes you're not sure of this, or that, but with this one, we are very confident. It has all of the elements that we brought to even our first album. There is a lot of good old fashioned garage rock and there are some beautiful ballads and, to me, it seems like it's all there." He has a lot more to say here.

Bob Dylan Celebrating 50th Anniversary With New Album

Columbia Records have set a September 11, 2012 release date for Bob Dylan's new studio album, Tempest.

Featuring ten new and original Bob Dylan songs, the release of Tempest coincides with the 50th Anniversary of the artist's eponymous debut album, which was released by Columbia in 1962.

The new album, produced by Jack Frost, is the 35th studio set from Bob Dylan, and follows 2009's worldwide best-seller, Together Through Life.

Another Van Halen Concert Confirmed

(hennemusic) While Van Halen have suggested that they'll be playing shows in Japan this November, the band has yet to actually announce or officially confirm anything to date.

Three shows for the band's "A Different Kind Of Truth" tour have been rumored, including Osaka (Nov 20), Tokyo (Nov 27) and Nagoya (Nov 29).

So far, the only date that's been remotely confirmed is a November 27 show in Tokyo – a commercial for the event has been released. Now, Pollstar is confirming the rumored Osaka date is a go. more on this story

KISS Take Merchandising To New Level With Toilet Paper

(Classic Rock) KISS have extended their tie-up with Japan's Hello Kitty brand by launching a range of toilet paper.

Simmons revealed last June that he met with Sanrio, owners of the Hello Kitty brand, to seal, in his words, "a Kiss/Hello Kitty worldwide deal. Wow."

Besides toilet paper, a range of Kiss/Hello Kitty plush toys is available, based on the images on the cover of the band's Dynasty album. Classic Rock Magazine's Top 10 Kiss toilet paper tunes.

Slipknot Coming To Blu-Ray

Slipknot will make their Blu-ray debut on July 31st with the North American release of {sic}nesses: Live At Download.

Eagle Rock will be releasing this new Blu-ray version of the show which was originally released as a 2010 Roadrunner 2DVD set. Here are the details:

Filmed in high-definition and newly remixed in DTS-HD Master Audio and LPCM Stereo, Slipknot's 18-song 159-minute performance at Download Festival is the kind of event that only Blu-ray can come close to capturing. The date was June 13, 2009, and Slipknot headlined Download, a three-day event held annually in Donington Park, England, in front of 80,000+. The band have since played bigger stages and to bigger crowds, but Download '09 stands unquestionably as a career highlight for the Iowa band, and their excitement on stage is palpable. more on this story

Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Experience Plan Fall Shows

Earlier this week the Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Experience announced a new round of North America tour dates.

The fall tour dates will kick off in Reno, NV on October 6th and wrap up on October 13th in Indio, Ca. No word yet from their camp if more dates are expected to be announced.

Prior to the new North American dates, Bonham will play two shows in Chili and three dates in Australia. more on this story

Great White Compare Singer Switch To Deep Purple and AC/DC

(Classic Rock) Great White guitarist Mark Kendall wants people to remain open-minded about new singer Terry Ilous, who's permanently replaced Jack Russell following a messy split.

Kendall says: "I love Deep Purple. I remember being hesitant about them having a new singer, until I heard Burn – then all I could think about was how much I loved the new record.

I could not wrap my head around AC/DC without Bon Scott, then they came out with Back in Black and I was like, 'Holy cow, this is amazing.' So there's a period of adjustment – but it's not like it hasn't been done before, and it's not like it hasn't been done with way more high-profile bands than us." Find out what other legendary band he mentions next.

Dave Matthews Band Return With Mercy

Dave Matthews Band has digitally released "Mercy," the first single from their forthcoming album, Away From The World.

The iTunes Store is now taking preorders fro the the deluxe edition of the album, which contains exclusive live versions of songs from the album. Fans who purchase the deluxe edition on the iTunes Store will instantly receive a download of the song. The lyric video for "Mercy" can be viewed here.

The covers for both Away From The World and the "Mercy" single were hand-illustrated by Dave Matthews. In other news, The band's summer tour continues with a trio of Florida dates this week. Dave Matthews Band will head west next month for its traditional Labor Day weekend shows at The Gorge Amphitheatre in George, WA (8/31, 9/1, 2).The tour will wrap up on September 9 at Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View. more on this story

John Sykes Not Teaming Up With Mike Portnoy

(Classic Rock) Mike Portnoy's latest supergroup will not include guitarist John Sykes, says the drummer.

The pair had previously discussed the project in public, but now Portnoy comments: "I love John and we get along great, but I need to keep moving. I can't sit still and kind of wait to make an album over the next three years. John's kind of a 'wait, wait, wait' guy."

He'll start recording with Richie Koten and Billy Sheehan next month. More rock news here.

Minus the Bear Plan Fall Tour

Minus the Bear will be hitting the road this Fall for a coast-to-coast tour of the U.S. with support from Cursive, as well as Caspian opening the first leg and female-fronted indie rockers Girl In A Coma taking over duties for the second leg.

The band will be hitting the road in support of their forthcoming studio album, Infinity Overhead, due August 28 on Dangerbird Records.

The 45-date tour will kick off on September 10 in Boise, hit NYC on September 29, Los Angeles on November 9 and culminate with a hometown finale on November 17 in Seattle. more on this story

Tracii Guns Retires LA Guns

(Classic Rock) Tracii Guns has retired his version of LA Guns in favour of his new band, League of Gentleman, so he can keep making music with a clear conscience.

Two lineups had been using the name on the circuit, with the guitarist's outfit vying with a squad led by singer Phil Lewis. But after deciding it was bad for fans, Guns says he's moved on.

"Being in LA Guns is just not worth the trouble, with two different versions running around," He tells The Musician's Voice. "Neither band does the other band any good, and I think it's disappointing for the fans ultimately. You're dealing with people who have supported you and your music for over 20 years. more on this story

Diary Of A Madman Era Live DVD From Ozzy Osbourne Released

Eagle Rock have released Ozzy's Osbourne's Speak Of The Devil on DVD which captures a classic live set from the "Diary Of A Madman" tour and we were sent a preview clip and these details:

This show was filmed at Irvine Meadows, California on June 12, 1982 as part of the delayed continuation of the "Diary Of A Madman" tour following the tragic death of Randy Rhoads a few months earlier.

The audio has been digitally restored and remastered and is now available in DTS and Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound for the first time. Speak Of The Devil includes the classics "Mr Crowley" "Over The Mountain" "Crazy Train" "Flying High Again" "Iron Man" "Paranoid" "Goodbye To Romance" and many more. more on this story

Thrice Releasing Anthology This Fall

Thrice are planning an October release for Anthology, a 4-lp/2-cd live set recorded during recent farewell tour.

Thrice announced a hiatus last fall after 13 years together and eight full-length releases and played a farewell tour to say goodbye to fans.

Along the tour, live audio was recorded at select stops and has now been compiled into Anthology, which will be released on Staple Records/Workhorse Music Group in October. more on this story

Sammy Hagar Announces Cabo Birthday Bash Details

(hennemusic) Sammy Hagar has announced ticket details for his annual series of birthday shows in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

The Cabo Wabo Cantina will be rocking to celebrate Sammy's 65th birthday this fall, with shows on October 7th, 9th, 11th and 13th.

On Tuesday, Hagar posted the following update: This year we are selling tickets through a random drawing system. Based on fan response from last year, this makes for the fairest method and avoids the first-come-first-served mad rush that requires some people to stay online all night at home or in cyber cafés around the world. More details here.

Judas Priest's Screaming for Vengeance Turns 30

(Classic Rock) Retired Judas Priest guitarist KK Downing believes timing played a vital role in the band's rise to fame.

Discussing the 30th anniversary of their Screaming for Vengeance record he says: "A lot of bands have released albums that did not have a particular impact at the time, but went on to be revered as classics. One could argue Painkiller was just such an album and I'm optimistic Nostradamus will follow.

"Back to Screaming – I felt we were on a roll and nothing could stop us, and it didn't. I wish I could turn back time and experience the whole things again. It certainly was the year that Judas Priest was screaming for vengeance." more on this story

B Sides

Singled Out: Monks of Mellonwah's Neverending Spirit

Sydney indie rockers Monks of Mellonwah have created quite a buzz as they rise in the music scene. Today guitarist Joe de la Hoyde tells us about their new single "Neverending Spirit" from their brand new EP "Neurogenesis". Here is the story:

Our song Neverending Spirit came about after mine Joe's grandfather passed away. Joe was inspired to write a song about the longing for life but also the peacefulness bought about by the belief in a life after death. All of us in the band are pretty spiritual guys and the concept of us being spiritual beings having a physical experience is very real to us. Believing in an eternal spirit makes dealing with death much easier. Whether it is the thought of your own mortality or losing loved ones, death becomes something you can cope with and in fact in some ways it becomes empowering. When you begin to accept the concept of eternal life then you start you start to feel that just maybe anything is possible; just maybe through connecting with the universe we can create our own existence on earth and just maybe it's within us all to achieve greatness in some form or another.

The chorus of Neverending Spirit expresses the feeling that loved ones never actually leave us because they remain in our hearts; it goes like this;

From dusk till dawn, smile to yawn
You'll never be too far away
For not through this cold, or passed this world
You'll never be too far away
(You) can't escape my heart

Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen for yourself as you check out the new video right here!

Jack White Releases Freedom At 21 Video

(hennemusic) Jack White has released the video for "Freedom At 21," the latest single from his debut solo album, "Blunderbuss."

Directed by Hype Williams, the clip is shot with a blue hue throughout, matching White's latest wardrobe color of choice following years of red and white outfits in The White Stripes.

"Blunderbuss" debuted at the top of the Billboard 200 chart this past spring with first-week sales of 138,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Watch the new video here.

Shinedown Release Enemies Video

Shinedown have released a new music video for the song "Enemies" from their latest album Amaryllis.

The new clip was directed by Darren Doane and the new album was once again produced by Rob Cavallo (Kid Rock, Green Day), who previously collaborated with the band on "The Sound Of Madness."
Shinedown will headline the third annual UPROAR Festival, kicking off this August. For now you can check out the video here.

Blessed By A Broken Heart Rockin' All Night With New Video

Blessed By A Broken Heart have released their new music video for the song "Rockin' All Night."

The track comes off of the band's Tooth & Nail debut Feel The Power, which was the band's first album to hit the Billboard charts, peaking at #19 on the US Heatseekers chart and #28 on the US Christian chart.

The band will be hitting the road in August with Write This Down, Children 18:3, and Rocky Loves Emily. Watch the new video here.

Steve Vai Goes Big in DC

BIG 100.3 in Washington, DC have posted a new two part interview with guitar legend Steve Vai.

BIG 100.3's Lisa Berigan spoke with Vai about his new release "The Story Of Light," and working with Aimee Mann.

The also discuss his studying guitar at age 12 with Joe Satriani, and wanting to collaborate with...Seth MacFarlane? Check out part one here and part two here.

Rhapsody Of Fire Interviewed By Wikimetal

The latest installment of the Wikimetal podcast features an interview with Alex Staropoli of Rhapsody Of Fire. They sent over these details:

July 16, 2012 will be forever one of the saddest days in rock history: Jon Lord is no longer with us, but he will always be remembered not only by his immortal work, but also by the tremendous legacy that he left on thousands of keyboard players spread around the world.

And Destiny (or maybe, Dio), chose that we had on this week's episode one of those keyboard players, an italian musician that was deeply influenced by the immortal Jon Lord.

It was an honour to speak to Alex Staropoli founder of Rhapsody Of Fire. Listen to it here.

Metallica Share Footage From Belgrade

(hennemusic) Metallica wrapped up their 2012 European Summer Vacation tour with a show at the Nova Rock Festival in Austria on June 10.

The 16-date series, which kicked off May 7 in Prague, saw the band perform their 1991 self-titled ("Black") album in its entirety for the first time.

Metallica are still playing catch up with releasing footage from the trek – they are now sharing some footage from a May 8 show in Belgrade, Serbia, including video from the meet n greet, tuning room and "My Friend Of Misery" from the concert. Watch it here.