Wife Broke Up Van Halen?

The actress believed Eddie Van Halen should receive the lion's share of the credit for the band's triumphs, whereas Roth was essentially expendable, Cohen says. more on this story

Aerosmith's Steven Tyler Lands Film Role

(hennemusic) Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler is among the voices cast for a new animated film entitled "Epic."

The flick, by Twentieth Century Fox Animation and Blue Sky Studios, is a 3D CG action-adventure comedy that reveals a hidden world unlike any other. From the creators of "Ice Age" and "Rio", "Epic" tells the story of an ongoing battle deep in the forest between the forces of good and the forces of evil. When a teenage girl finds herself magically transported into this secret universe, she must band together with a rag-tag team of fun and whimsical characters in order to save their world…and ours.

Beyoncé Knowles voices Queen Tara; Colin Farrell ("Total Recall") is Ronin; Josh Hutcherson ("The Hunger Games") is Nod; Amanda Seyfried ("Dear John") portrays Mary Katherine; and Johnny Knoxville ("Jackass") voices Mandrake. more on this story

Izzy Stradlin Reunites With Guns N' Roses On Stage

(hennemusic) Former Guns N' Roses guitarist Izzy Stradlin joined his old band on stage at the O2 Arena in London on Thursday.

Stradlin teamed up with GNR to perform the songs "14 Years," "You Could Be Mine," "Dead Flowers," "Knockin' On Heaven's Door," "Nightrain," and "Paradise City."

The rarest of tracks on this night was was the "Use Your Illusion II" song "14 Years," which hasn't been played live since 1991. Watch the jam here.

Lars Explains 3D Metallica Movie Plans

(Gibson) It's still not completely clear what Metallica's upcoming 3D movie will be like. Drummer Lars Ulrich recently spoke to Rolling Stone about the plans for the film.

"This has been circling for two years. It's time to life-size it, get it out of our minds and on the screen. And if it's done right, it can be sensational," he said. "You're not watching Metallica onstage. You're onstage with Metallica. In IMAX, James Hetfield is 38 feet tall, snotting on you, spitting on you. It's 2,000 decibels. If there is an earthquake outside, you wouldn't notice."

Of course, Ulrich admits that the treatment could be too intense for even the most ardent Metallica fans . "But you can't do that for 100 minutes. It loses its appeal. There is another element in there – intimate, small, a story that takes place over the same trajectory as the concert. The question is, 'Where do they weave in and out of each other?' But you have to cut away from the concert to enjoy the concert." more on this story

King's X Hitting The Road With Kansas

King's X will be hitting the road this fall for a North American tour where they will be direct support for Kansas.

In regards to this upcoming trek, King's X bassist/vocalist dUg Pinnick comments: "I've been a huge Kansas fan since the beginning. I remember sitting on the floor with my friends listening to the just released record 'Song for America'...Fast forward to years later, King's X is going on tour with them!! It is an honor to be doing shows with them. This is gonna rock!!"

With King's X drummer Jerry Gaskill and lead guitarist Ty Tabor also onboard for the North American trek, these dates will mark the band's first tour since 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

Queensryche's Tate Moving Forward With Solo Rock Album

(Classic Rock) Queensryche singer Geoff Tate vows his upcoming solo album will rock. He's at the centre of a storm of controversy after his bandmates formed Rising West, pledging to play tracks from Queensryche's first five albums.

Speculation the prog-metal giants are experiencing tension has been played down – although their official website promotes Tate's solo work while it doesn't mention Rising West.

The frontman hasn't discussed the splinter group either and insists he's concentrating on his own projects. Tate tells AnthologySD: "The album is recorded now, so I'm happy about that. I don't know exactly when it's coming out.

"It's very different from the last one. It's a new bunch of people I've been working with to write and record it, so that changes things. This one is really hard rock. The last one was really all over the place with different styles of music and everything, but this one really keeps with the hard rock style. more on this story

Senses Fail Giving Back To Wounded Warriors On Warped Tour

(CSP) Senses Fail have donated 4 tickets for each of their stops on this summer's Warped Tour to the Wounded Warrior Project. We were sent these details:

The WWP has sent out an invitation to select service members across the country to attend the tour along with the opportunity to meet the band, plus watch Senses Fail's set from the side of the stage.

"We are very excited to be working with WWP and to have the opportunity to give back to the veterans," says singer Buddy Nielsen. "I have had many friends who served in the military and my girlfriend is a former Marine. She was actually the one who brought WWP to my attention. I stand very proud of her and every other man and woman that have served this nation and am glad we can lend a small piece of happiness to them." more on this story

Dave Grohl, Stevie Nicks, Kenny Rogers For Songwriter Hall of Fame

The 2012 Songwriters Hall of Fame Annual Induction and Awards Dinner will feature an allstar cast of performers and presenters.

Organized announced that Foo Fighter's Dave Grohl, Stevie Nicks, Kenny Rogers, Lyle Lovett, Meat Loaf, Emmylou Harris, Cheyenne Jackson, Constantine Maroulis, L.P., Jerry Moss and Take 6 have signed on to be either a presenter and/or performer at.

This year's dinner will be held Thursday, June 14th at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in NYC. more on this story

Bloc Party Returning With Four

Frenchkiss Records have set an August 21st release date for Bloc Party's first new album in four years, Four.

Produced by Alex Newport (The Mars Volta, At The Drive-In, Polysics), the album was recorded and mixed in New York City, and is the band's first full-length since 2008's acclaimed Intimacy.

Along with this news, the band have announced a string of European, U.S. and festival appearances following a two year absence from the stage, which will give fans the first opportunity to hear new material from their forthcoming album, as well as classic tracks from the band's ten year history. more on this story

Joe Lacy Joins Second To Last

Second To Last have tapped Joe Lacy (Sleepsick, ex-Transit) to replace former guitarist Pat Mays.

Lacy has become a permanent member of the group and will be playing guitar and singing vocals. Drummer Kristopher Ruiz rounds out the trio's new lineup.

"I will be playing guitar and singing most of the songs with Tyson," Lacy announced in an exclusive interview with PropertyOfZack. "I'm really excited to focus more on my guitar playing and helping Second To Last come up with a new direction." more on this story

Ace Frehley Set To Rock Live This Summer

Ace Frehley will be playing a handful of live tour dates this summer in North America.

The former KISS guitarist will kick things off with a three-day appearance at the Days of the Dead event in Indianapolis, IN.

He will follow up with shows in New York, Jackson, MI with Ted Nugent, Detroit, and Greenville, WI with Sammy Hagar. more on this story

Singing Harder for Megadeth's Dave Mustaine After Surgery

(Classic Rock) Megadeth's Dave Mustaine finds singing more difficult after surgery on his neck and spine – and admits it was never his strong point in the first place.

The Megadeth mainman went under the knife last year after going through agony following a lifetime of energetic performance. But he says one of the worst parts was people accusing him of making it all up.

He says doctors warned him he would struggle with his vocal delivery. "It's been harder to sing and they said that would happen," he reports. " Which is sad, because I've already had… Singing is not my forte. I try my best to go it, but I'm not a great singer." more on this story

Slash Scores Top 5 Debut

Slash has scored a Top 5 debut with his new album Apocalyptic Love, landing at No 4 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums Chart, marking the top rock debut this week.

The disc is also #1 Independent Albums Chart and #1 Hard Music Albums Chart. In addition, Apocalyptic is also Top 5 in seven countries outside the U.S.: Canada (#2), Australia (#2), New Zealand (#1), Germany (#5), France (#7), Japan (#2), Sweden (#4) and Switzerland (#3).

Earlier this week Slash joined Ozzy Osbourne onstage for his Ozzy & Friends tour in Bergen, Norway, for the first of 10 dates before joining his band, Slash Featuring Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators for sold-out shows across Europe. The group will return to North America for a headlining run set to kick off in Portland, OR on July 12. more on this story

Robert Plant's Band Of Joy Releasing DVD

(hennemusic) Robert Plant's Band Of Joy's set at Nashville's War Memorial Auditorium for the TV series "Live From The Artists Den," will be released on DVD and Blu Ray on July 10, according to Billboard.

The DVD of "Robert Plant & the Band of Joy: Live from the Artists Den" includes performances of three Led Zeppelin classics - "Black Dog," "Houses of the Holy" and "Tangerine" - that were not part of the initial broadcast on public television stations.

Other songs included that did not make the initial cut are "In the Mood" from his solo disc "Principle of Moments," and the traditional "I Bid You Good Night." The DVD features bonus interview clips as well. more on this story

Tragedy Inspired Garbage Reunion

(Classic Rock) Garbage realised it was time to end their seven-year break after band friends lost a young son to cancer, says mainman Butch Vig.

The genre-crossing outfit fronted by Shirley Manson have released Not Your Kind of People on their own label. And Vig says the decision to get back to work was made in a "profound moment".

He tells ExploreMusic: "A friend of ours, a couple, lost their son to cancer. It was a horrible tragedy. Shirley and I wrote a song for a tribute album to raise money for children's cancer. Shirley sang at the funeral. I think we realised how important music is in our lives, and we had unfinished business.

"A day or two after that Shirley called Duke and Steve. A couple of weeks later we were in the studio recording." more on this story

The Flaming Lips And Heady Fwends Getting Wide Release

If you didn't get a chance to grab a vinyl copy of The Flaming Lips' The Flaming Lips And Heady Fwends on Record Store Day, don't fret.

Warner Bros. Records will make the album available on physical CD and digitally via all digital retailers on June 26th.

The album contains the band's unique and experimental collaborations with a diverse cross-section of heavy friends from every corner of the musical cosmos, including vocal and musical assistance from such disparate playmates as Yoko Ono, Nick Cave, Bon Iver, Ke$ha and many more. A new track recorded with Aaron Behrens of Ghostland Observatory is exclusive to the CD and digital versions and was not included on the vinyl edition. more on this story

Mars Attacks Pantera Classic

Pantera's Far Beyond Driven is the focus of the latest edition of Mars Attacks Classic Albums Column.

As usual the column is split into a written comments received via e-mail, and a podcast that can be streamed or downloaded from here

The podcast contains comments from Rex Brown, Gene Hoglan, Alan Tecchio, Dave Reffett, Martin Popoff, Mitch Lafon, Aaron Griffith

The written portion contains comments from Ron "Bumblefoot Thal", Dan Lorenzo, Jim Florentine, Steve Smyth, Jason Bittner as well as members of Angelus Apatrida, Cancer Bats, Sacred Reich, and current and former members of White Wizzard among others.

Harry Potter Actors Lands CBGB Film Role

(Gibson) Rupert Grint, best known for his role as Ron Weasley in the Harry Potter movies, has been cast as New York punk legend Cheetah Chrome.

NME.com reports Grint will play the Dead Boys guitarist Cheetah Chrome, who played a key role in the CBGB club story. The Bowery club launched a series of major acts in the 1970s including The Ramones, Television, Patti Smith Group, Mink Deville, The Dead Boys, The Dictators, The Fleshtones, The Voidoids, The Cramps, Talking Heads and Blondie.

Malin Akerman, who stars in the upcoming movie musical Rock of Ages, will play Blondie's Debbie Harry, while another Harry Potter actor Alan Rickman has signed on to portray club owner Hilly Kristal. more on this story

Beatles Musical To Open In Los Angeles Before Broadway

(Gibson) The theatrical adaptation of Backbeat, the 1994 film that details The Beatles' early days, will open in Los Angeles early next year before hitting Broadway, Billboard has reported.

The production will be staged at L.A.'s Ahmanson Theater from January 16 through February 24, with January 23 being designated as the "official" opening night. The show premiered originally at Glasgow's Citizens Theater in 2010, and its next run till take place in Toronto, from July 21 through September 2.

Set in 1960, Backbeat plays out against the backdrop of the relationship between The Beatles' original bassist, Stu Sutcliffe, and German photographer Astrid Kirchherr. The show prominently features songs the band covered in the clubs of Liverpool and Hamburg – including "Long Tall Sally," "Twist and Shout," "Good Golly Miss Molly," "Please Mr. Postman" and "Rock 'n' Roll Music." The cast for the Los Angeles production has not been announced. A Broadway theater has yet to be booked, but Billboard speculates the show will likely open in New York before the end of April 2013. more on this story

Smashing Pumpkins Call On Fans To Help With Album Art

(Gibson) The Smashing Pumpkins are asking fans to put their art skills to use for the band's forthcoming album, Oceania. As outlined on their website, the Pumpkins would like artistic fans to share visual impressions trigged by each of the album's 13 song titles.

Acceptable images include photos, designs, paintings and words. Those participating are encouraged to circulate their efforts via Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and other social networking sites. The Smashing Pumpkins will, in turn, share, "like" and re-post their favorites on the band's official social sites. Select images will also be featured on the Smashing Pumpkins' official website.

In a related initiative, the band has partnered with jpgmag.com for a series of "Photo Challenges." Over the next few weeks, fans will have the opportunity to submit one photo for each of the 13 challenges, based on song titles for Oceania. Winning entries will be featured on a limited edition print-on-demand canvas poster signed by Billy Corgan and the other members of the band. more on this story

Digital Music Overtakes CD Sales in UK

(Gibson) The digital revolution in the U.K. in in full force and now the British trade organization, BPI, has announced that digital sales have passed CD sales for the fist time.

NME.com reports that digital sales, which includes downloads and subscriptions to sites like Spotify and Napster, has reached 55.5% of total sales. The increase in digital sales was measured at 23.6%.

Music Week quotes BPI Chief Executive Geoff Taylor as saying: "This is a significant milestone in the evolution of the music business. U.K. record labels have embraced digital to their core, supporting innovation and licensing more new online and mobile services than any other country. As a result, the industry's prospects for growth look brighter than for several years." more on this story

John Lydon Says Sex Pistols Frustrations Inspired PiL Formation

(Gibson) Having just released This is PiL, the first album from Public Image Ltd in 20 years, John Lydon has revealed that he originally formed PiL out of frustration with the Sex Pistols.

"I wanted to break with traditional formats," Lydon said, in an interview to be published by M - Music & Musicians. "The Sex Pistols were a great thing – that whole experience was wonderful, and I thank those lads very much. But there were limitations in the band. There was some ambition toward emulating sound structures, with following the rules of rock and roll. And that was unacceptable to me. We fell apart for the other reasons, but that, alone, would have been a good reason."

Lydon added that the concept for PiL was forged while he was still in the Pistols. "It was already there, permanently, throughout our American tour. I wrote [the early PiL song] 'Religion' while in the Sex Pistols, but the rest of the band wouldn't touch it. So I had to find a new base to begin from." more on this story

Gwar-B-Q Confirmed

Good news from the land of Gwar this week. The band sent out word that this year's Gwar-B-Q is on. Here is what they sent over:

After months of paperwork, hoop-jumping, and making the appropriate sacrifices, today Slave Pit is pleased to announce that the Gwar-B-Q is 100% completely legal and confirmed, and set for Aug, 18th at Hadad's Lake, the location we had planned on using last year. As you may recall, last year's Gwar-B-Q was switched from Hadad's to the National Theater because of problems getting the correct permits. Even though the event was still completely awesome most people seemed to agree that generally speaking, Gwar-B-Q's should be held outdoors.

"All the proper arrangements have been made in triplicate and the proper demonic sponsorships attained," said GWAR spokes-thing Oderus Urungus. "It's going to be a stinking hot, beer and beef-smeared metallic murderfest of unprecedented debauchery...the most splat-tac-cular Gwar-B-Q! more on this story

Speedy Ortiz Set EP Release

Our friends at Exploding In Sound sent over this big news for Speedy Ortiz fans: The debut EP from Speedy Ortiz, Sports EP, is set for a June 5th release on Exploding In Sound Records.

The album is available in limited edition 10" random colored vinyl and digitally through Bandcamp and other major distributors.

Speedy Ortiz has several release shows planned along the East Coast, celebrating the arrival of Sports EP with friends in Boston, MA (5/30), Danbury, CT (6/1), and Brooklyn, NY (6/2) before heading out on tour this summer. Fans at the shows will be able to purchase the vinyl ahead of the June 5th release. more on this story

B Sides

Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros Release Man On Fire Video

Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros have release a new music video for the song "Man On Fire."

"Man On Fire" is the first single from their latest album, Here, which was released this week.

The clip is the first music video directed by actor Brady Corbet (Melancholia, Martha Marcy May Marlene, Thirteen), and it stars the New York City Ballet, NY Cheer Allstars, National Double Dutch League, and Soul Steps & Brooklyn Divas, as well as choreographers, coaches, and relatives of the various performers.

Corbet shot "Man of Fire" on location in New York from May 12th through 14th. Watch it here.

Truth And Its Burden Deliver The Decider Video

Rite of Passage Records has premiered Truth And Its Burden's new music video for their track "The Decider."

The song comes from the band's new album Choices, which hits stores on May 29th. Watch the video here.

Formed in 2008, Truth And Its Burden started out as an idea to bring a sincere message of hope, and to do so with a real sense of urgency. Those same ideals that gave life to this band still chorus through in every song 4 years later. To be aware, to challenge, to follow through, to ignite ideas into dreams, to re-invigorate life itself and to find meaning and purpose. Over the past four years, the band has toured throughout Europe and Africa with bands like The Ghost Inside, Haste The Day, Have Heart, and many others. more on this story

Miss May I Release Hey Mister Video

Miss May I released their new music video for "Hey Mister," which was directed by Thunder Down Country.

The track comes off the new album At Heart which will be available June 12th via Rise Records.

You can check out Miss May I this summer on the 2012 Warped Tour. For now check out the new video here.