Metallica Frontman Helping FBI Hunt For Killer

Metallica frontman James Hetfield has recorded a public service announcement to encourage the public to come forward with tips. "Remember, any information - no matter how small you might think it is - could be that crucial piece investigators need to help solve the case," explains Hetfield in the new video, part of a multimedia campaign launched by The FBI and Virginia State Police on Wednesday. Read more and watch the video

Ex-Coheed Star Guilty For Bomb-Scare Drug Robbery

(Classic Rock) Former Coheed And Cambria bassist Michael Todd has been sentenced to a year's home confinement plus three years' probation after pleaded guilty to charges stemming from staging a bomb-scare drugs heist while on tour with the band.

Last August he was dismissed by the prog metal band following an incident in Massachusetts the previous month. He'd gone into a drugstore and shown staff a message on his phone which said he had a bomb. He threatened to detonate it if they didn't do as they were told, and soon left the premises with six bottles of prescription drugs.

Police followed his taxi to the Comcast Center in Mansfield, where Coheed And Cambria were about to play in support of Soundgarden. He was arrested moments before the band were to hit the stage. They played without him and later announced they'd sacked him.

Todd, 31, will serve twelve months of home confinement with GPS monitoring. Judge Renee Dupuis added three years of probation to the sentence and ordered him to stay away from the drugstore he'd robbed. Todd is also now reportedly facing cancer.

Unheard Layne Staley Songs Being Released

(Classic Rock) Two previously unheard tracks recorded by late Alice in Chains frontman Layne Staley will feature in the soundtrack of upcoming Jason Biggs movie Grassroots.

It tells the story of a Seattle music critic who decides to stand for the city council elections despite having no political experience. Staley died in 2002 following a long battle with drug addiction.

The band dedicated their 2009 comeback album, Black Gives Way to Blue, to his memory. See the movie trailer here.

Van Halen To Appear on CNN

(hennemusic) The father-and-son team of Eddie and Wolfgang Van Halen made a rare appearance this week in USA Today, where the two talked about playing music together, the best musical advice they ever got, natural musical ability, and their mutual love of AC/DC.

Now, fans will get to see a little more of the Van Halens when they appear on CNN this Friday, June 15 during Newsroom with Brooke Baldwin (2 - 4 PM ET) in a special Father's Day story.

Currently on the road in support of their new album, "A Different Kind Of Truth," Van Halen wrap up the tour's first leg in New Orleans on June 26, with talk of Japanese dates in November. more on this story

Beach Boys Score Biggest Debut In Their 50 Year History

The Beach Boys new album, That's Why God Made The Radio, has given the band their highest-ever Billboard albums chart debut in their 50 year history after debuting at No 3 on the chart.

While The Beach Boys have achieved Top 10 chart success with several albums, they have never had an album debut in Billboard's Top 10 until now.

The band's last new studio album to peak in Billboard's Top 5 was 1965's Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!!), which climbed to number two after its release, and their most recent Top 5 Billboard Albums chart hit was in 1974 for their Endless Summer hits compilation, which topped the chart at number one. more on this story

Reunited Vendetta Red Streaming New Song Online

The recently reunited Vendetta Red have spent the past few month in the studio with producer Terry Date [Deftones, Soundgarden] working on their 5th studio album titled, Scripture.

The band already has 11 songs recorded and in anticipation of the release, has revealed a brand new song called "Close To Me". The song is currently streaming on the band's Official Facebook Page here

The recently wrapped up a tour with Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready and his band Flight To Mars. Flight To Mars is a UFO tribute band that McCready does to raise awareness and money for The Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America. Now, Vendetta Red plan to play a number of fan favorites as well as debut some new material on this year's Warped Tour. The band will be playing on August 4th in Seattle, WA, and August 5th in Portland, OR. more on this story

Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros Announce Tour And Documentary

Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros have announced a documentary release and have mapped out a North American tour for this fall.

The band will be touring in support of their recent release Here, and the trek will kick off in Berkeley, CA at the Greek Theatre on September 7th and will wrap up on October 5th at Crossroads in Kansas City, MO. The band will be joined by Clap Your Hands Say Yeah.

Big Easy Express, the Emmett Malloy directed film documenting the band's Railroad Revival Tour in 2011 with Mumford & Sons and Old Crow Medicine Show, will be released on iTunes on June 26th. The film premiered at the 2012 SxSW Film Festival and took home the Headliner Audience Award. more on this story

Sunset Strip Music Festival To Honor The Doors

The fifth annual Sunset Strip Music Festival is set to celebrate the music and legacy of The Doors.

The three-day music festival will be taking place on The Sunset Strip from Thursday, August 16 through Saturday, August 18 and organizers have announced that Marilyn Manson will headline the outdoor street fest, which will also feature performances by The Offspring, Steve Aoki, Bad Religion, Black Label Society, Far East Movement, De La Soul, Dead Sara, Das Racist, The Mowgli's and more.

Many of the artists will celebrate The Doors by performing their take on some of The Doors' legendary songs. The venues within the street festival closure--The Roxy Theatre, Whisky A Go-Go and Key Club--will also host full lineups from more than 50 bands throughout the day. Look for further lineup announcements to be revealed in the coming weeks. more on this story

Slash Releases New iApp

Slash now has a new interactive way to promote his recently released solo album, Apocalyptic Love: He has released two new multi-camera 360-degree interactive music applications for the Apple iPad, iPod and iPhone.

"The way we recorded this album was pretty much live as we played it," Slash explains. "It was an 'old school' way of doing it and captures the energy of the band in the best possible way. Being able to capture the band and allow fans to experience it as if they were in the room is very cool, it's like being in the room with us."

The apps let you follow every moment of the band performing songs from their new album through six 360-degree spherical cameras. You choose the camera angle via touch or gyroscopic control – each camera rotates a full 360-degrees. Pinch in or out on your device to use the zoom feature to get closer to the action. Each app also includes additional content, such as exclusive photos and song lyrics. Slash360 provides a unique way to experience Slash, Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators unlike anything else. more on this story

Autopsy Announce Born Undead DVD Details

Peaceville Records have set an August 28th North America release date for Autopsy's new DVD, Born Undead.

Born Undead charters the birth, death and rebirth of the band, with an extensive documentary conducted with the band members themselves, as they describe how they to be, and the impact their music has had on the metal world over a span of more than 20 years.

The film also documents the band's return to the studio and stage, and includes rehearsals of both new tracks and old classics for Autopsy's live comeback. more on this story

Drew Mack Leaving Hull

Hull will be parting ways with guitarist Drew Mack who will play his final show with the band at Acheron in Brooklyn on June 29th.

The band has this to say about Mack's departure: "We are saddened to announce that our Brother, Drew Mack, has chosen to resign from the ranks of Hull. We wish the Wizzard the best on his journey through the tumultuous path of life. Upon the still of the darkest nights, we shall listen for his glorious yodel from high upon the mount. With challenging waters unknown, the ship shall sail farther. As always, your allegiance is not without glorious praise."

Mack says: "Together my brothers and I willingly leapt into the curl of the sea, eager to build the hull of a ship worthy of sailing from the golden halls of Valhalla, down into the many fiery stomachs of Hel. Though from Viking seed we all sprang, the cold power of raw lightning had not yet laid in our hands and the echoing brass of thunder had not yet yawned from beneath our feet and thrust itself up through the guts of our bodies... In our oaken ship we stand now skewed upon the quest. Wielding our axes with pride and honor, we sail to breathe light into the darkness and to turn dark back in upon the light; never leaning this way for a lack of that... And yet at a time when all look forward to the wisdom of the path ahead- even with all eyes together, into the quickening gray, not every heart shall pass this veil of mist. Some must yet dive again into the churn of the earth... more on this story

Evans Blue Set For North American Graveyard Of Empires Tour

Evans Blue will be hitting the road this summer for their North American Graveyard Of Empires 2012 Tour.

The tour kicks off July 6th at The Machine Shop in Flint, Michigan, where the band will also film a live video for the song "Halo."

Drummer Dusty Saxton will be joining Dan, Parker, V and Pitter on tour. Saxton is from Austin, Texas and has played with a multitude of different bands across multiple genres including Alpha Rev, Brandon Rhyder, and Ember. more on this story

New Fozzy Album Coming This Summer

Century Media have set an August 14th release date for Fozzy's new studio album, Sin And Bones.

Frontman Chris Jericho says of the album, "It's the typical cliché, but Sin And Bones really is the best thing we've ever done. We've taken the heavy yet ultra-melodic style that has become Fozzy's trademark to the next level and I guarantee these songs will blow all of you away!"

To support the effort, the band will embark on the first U.S. tour of their 12-year career, joining Shinedown, Godsmack and Staind on this summer's Uproar Festival. more on this story

Billy Corgan Interviews Rush

(Gibson) Geddy Lee says Rush brought a new level of playing into the studio during the making of the band's just-released album, Clockwork Angels.

In an interview conducted by the Smashing Pumpkins' Billy Corgan, hosted by FMQB, Lee said the group's most recent tour had a key impact on the sessions. "We don't leave much room for jamming or a momentary burst of inspiration," said the singer-bassist, "but we did on this last tour, and we noticed that we kind of went to a really fun and interesting and a little bit dangerous place some nights. We just kind of elevated the thing into a new zone of intensity. Furious was the best way to describe it."

Corgan later asked Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson about the impact Rush has had on other musicians. "It's a wonderful compliment to have passed along something," Lifeson said. "The role of teacher is quite an honorable one. We like to take chances. We like to push ourselves. We try to do all those things that so many musicians aspire to, you know, that freedom to do what you want and the way you want to do it." more on this story

Five Finger Death Punch and Killswitch Engage Chat With Fans Today

Jason Hook of Five Finger Death Punch and Adam Dutkiewicz of Killswitch Engage will be hosting a live chat today to talk about the Trespass America Festival.

The guitarists will address previously submitted fan questions as well as chat live with fans today, June 14th on Trespassamerica.com at 3PM EST/12 NOON PST.

Trespass America Festival kicks off July 13 at the 1st Bank Center in Broomfield, Colorado, and will cover 31 cities in two months between July and August across the United States. more on this story

The Darkness Release Funny or Die Video

The Darkness have teamed up with comedy site Funny or Die to film a clip in Los Angeles.

We were sent this tease: The anonymous caller whose $119 million bid won them one of the greatest masterpieces of modern art Edvard Munch's "The Scream," has been revealed as none other than, The Darkness. Watch the clip here.

The Darkness will release their third studio album, Hot Cakes, on August 21st and the first single, "Everybody Have A Good Time," is set to hit radio June 25 and will be available June 26 on iTunes.

Lars Ulrich Plans Hit The Lights Films Tent For Orion Fest

(hennemusic) Metallica are gearing up for the launch of their own festival, Orion Music + More. The band's inaugural event happens June 23-24 at Bader Field in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

In addition to selecting more than 30 artist on the two-day bill, the members of Metallica have taken ownership of Orion on-site activities.

Drummer Lars Ulrich is now revealing his plans for Orion, which include the Hit The Lights Films Tent. Lars will share his passion for all things film at the Hit The Lights Films tent with movies all hand-picked by the drummer, each with a special connection to him and/or Metallica. Ulrich himself will be on hand personally introducing every movie playing over the festival weekend and sharing stories about his bond to each. More details here including video.

Aerosmith's Steven Tyler Inks Global Deal With ole

(hennemusic) Just days before Aerosmith hit the road for their summer tour of North America, there's news that Steven Tyler has signed a worldwide music publishing administration deal with ole.

ole is one of the world's largest independent music publishers, with offices in Toronto, Nashville and Los Angeles.

The agreement encompasses all of Tyler's co-writes on the upcoming Aerosmith album, "Music From Another Dimension" (including the lead single, "Legendary Child," and tracks "Beautiful," "What Could Have Been Love" and "Another Last Goodbye," plus four additional Tyler compositions - including "Love Lives," which was the theme song for the 2010 Japanese major motion picture "Space Battleship Yamato," and Tyler's hit single "(It) Feels So Good." more on this story

Everyone Dies In Utah Set New Album Release

Tragic Hero Records have set an July 31st release date for Everyone Dies In Utah's new studio album, +//- (Polarities).

The band's sophomore album was produced by David Ludlow at Hot Damn Media (Greeley Estates, Man Made Machine) and was mastered by Joey Sturgis at The Foundation (The Devil Wears Prada, Asking Alexandria, Of Mice & Men, AttacK Attack!).

The Temple, TX Post-hardcore sextet formed in 2008. The band has previously released one full length album, Seeing Clearly (Tragic Hero Records) and one self-released EP I Hope You Realize This Means War. Everyone Dies In Utah is Danny Martinez (Vocals/Keys/Synth), Dustin Dow (Guitar), Cody Haigis (Guitar), Justin Yost (Bass/Vocals), Trey Golden (Keys/Synth) and Justin Morgan (Drums). more on this story

AC/DC, Maiden, Metallica, GNR Mastering Engineer George Marino Dies

Earlier this month Metallica shared the sad news that George Marino had died from cancer. They explain to fans Marino's significant contributions to some of the biggest albums in hard rock and rock history with the following message which was labeled "A Loss in the Family":

We were very sad today to hear that we have lost a member of our family as mastering engineer extraordinaire George Marino passed away following a year long battle with lung cancer. While some of you may not instantly recognize George's name, he was an invaluable member of our extended Metalli-family and was absolutely crucial with his skills and guidance as he spent countless days and hours tweaking every nuance and sound on The Black Album, Load, Re-Load, Garage, Inc., and S&M.

George was the unsung hero behind the scenes on hundreds of classic albums working in all genres of music including Stevie Wonder's Innervisions, AC/DC's Back In Black, Guns N' Roses' Appetite for Destruction, Bon Jovi's Slippery When Wet, Journey's Frontiers, and Cyndi Lauper's She's So Unusual, just to name a few... he has worked with Ozzy Osboune, the Allman Brothers, Iron Maiden, Deep Purple, Kiss, the Offspring, the Cars, Coldplay and countless others. In his nearly 40 years at Sterling Sound, he won three Grammy awards, most recently in 2011 for Arcade Fire's The Suburbs, which won Album of the Year. more on this story

Special One Night Screening Of The Pretty Things Documentary In July

David Peck, President of Reelin' In The Year Productions sent out word that a special (One-time ONLY) screening of our unreleased documentary The Pretty Things: Midnight To Six 1965-1970 will take place on Friday July 6, 2012, at 7:30 P.M. American Cinematheque at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood, CA.

Peck sent out these details: The film features 20 full-length performances, including material from their historic, riot-inducing R&B period, their highly influential, rock-opera/psychedelic SF Sorrow period, and ending with their proto-heavy metal Parachute period.

Between songs are new interviews with the original band members (Phil May, Dick Taylor, John Stax, Skip Alan, Wally Waller and Jon Povey) telling stories and recounting the fascinating, tumultuous and controversial history of the band. This film is the only documentary ever to focus on The Pretty Things, one of the most influential, yet unsung, rock groups in history. This film is part of the highly acclaimed British Invasion series, which so far has included documentaries on The Hollies, Herman's Hermits, Dusty Springfield, Gerry & The Pacemakers and The Small Faces. We will be showing All or Nothing, the Small Faces film after Midnight To Six screens. Between the films there will be a panel discussion and Q&A with the producers Tom Gulotta, Phil Galloway, Rob Bowman and myself. The discussion will be moderated by music historian Bart Mendoza. more on this story

JEFF The Brotherhood To Deliver Hypnotic Nights Next Month

Warner Bros. Records will release JEFF The Brotherhood's new studio album, Hypnotic Nights, July 17th.

The track-listing for Hypnotic Nights is as follows: Country Life / Sixpack* / Mystic Portal II* / Hypnotic Mind* / Wood Ox / Staring at the Wall / Leave Me Out* / Region of Fire / Hypnotic Winter / Dark Energy / Changes

Jake and Jamin recently wrapped up a tour with Best Coast and are on the road for a headlining tour. more on this story

Dark Castle and Purple Rhinestone Eagle Supergroup Taurus Set Debut

Taurus, featuring Stevie Floyd of Dark Castle and Ashley Spungin, formerly of Purple Rhinestone Eagle, will release their debut full-length album, Life, on July 5th.

The 35-minute effort was recorded live at A Studio With No Name by Dave French and mastered by James Plotkin.

Life will be released on LP and CD formats with an included poster, photographs and Floyd-crafted screen print on a recycled chip board case. A special limited box will also be available with further details to be released in the coming weeks. more on this story

Marshall Amps 50th Anniversary Event Compere Named

(FMG) Al Murray has been added to the lineup for the Marshall Amps 50th Anniversary event at Wembley arena on Saturday 22nd September 2012. We were sent these details:

The Pub Landlord will be swapping his bar stool for a drum stool when he appears at the event as a compere. Al will join rock n roll's biggest stars to celebrate the life and work of revolutionary amp pioneer Jim Marshall OBE.

Following the sad news of Jim's death earlier this month the event, which was already planned to commemorate Marshall's 50th Anniversary, will now be held in honour of the legendary man and his remarkable life. To celebrate Jim's 50 legendary years of musical innovation, Marshall is taking over Wembley arena for a full on rock n roll riot. Murray will join global rock royalty from bands including Iron Maiden, Slipknot, Whitesnake, Chickenfoot, The Cult, Black Label Society, Deep Purple, Judas Priest, Black Sabbath and many more. more on this story

B Sides

Singled Out: dB's (with Sugarland's Kristian Bush)

The dB's new album, Fall Off The Sky, is the band's first new release in 30 years and features a song co-written by frontman Peter Holsapple and Sugarland's Kristian Bush. Universal Nashville sent this background info over which fits perfectly with our Singled Out series, so we ran with it:

Bush co-wrote "She Won't Drive In The Rain Anymore" with Holsapple, and the song marks his first release via Songs of the Architect, the Atlanta-based publishing company Bush recently created.

About writing the song with Bush, Holsapple says, "I was fortunate enough to get to hang out a little with Kristian Bush of Sugarland. I had a song idea that I wanted to run by him, so we sat together one afternoon on his tour bus and tossed ideas around. Kristian was able to channel his muse and encourage me to finish the song that became 'She Won't Drive in the Rain Anymore.' It's probably the most different composition on the entire Falling Off The Sky album, in terms of what people have come to expect from The dB's songwriting over the past 35-odd years. I'm incredibly grateful to call Kristian a friend, and I'm glad we got the chance to pull this song out of the hat."

Bush replies, "Peter is by far one of America's most natural and unique songwriters. I studied his albums over and over. In a lot of ways, those songs taught me how to write a pop song that never gave up and never gave in.

"I remember writing it and trying not to freak out, because the voice singing on the sofa across from me as we were tossing melodies and lyrics back and forth was a voice I had known since I was 14," Bush continues. "I am convinced that the 14-year-old me locked away some dB's melody and served it back to the man who gave it to me in the first place. I am grateful and humbled. And I am totally freaking out that there is a new dB's album and this time, my name is in the liner notes. Dreams do come true!"

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

Anthrax Rock Dio Era Black Sabbath Classic

(hennemusic) Anthrax continue their world tour in support of "Worship Music," the band's first new album in eight years.

On June 30, Anthrax will launch the 5th Annual Mayhem Festival in San Bernardino, CA, along with headliners Slipknot, Slayer and Motorhead; dates run through August 5 in Hartford, CT.

The group are currently playing a series of shows across Europe; on Monday, Anthrax were on hand at the Metal Hammer Golden God Awards in London, where they closed the evening with a cover of the Black Sabbath classic, "Neon Knights." Check it out here.

Chickenfoot Thanks Fans For Successful Different Devil Tour

(hennemusic) This past weekend, Chickenfoot wrapped up their Different Devil tour of the States with a show at The Greek Theatre in Los Angeles.

The 6-week run is the longest stretch that Chickenfoot saw on the road since the release of their sophomore effort, "Chickenfoot III." The group introduced the project to fans during 1-week tours of the US (last November) and UK/Europe (January).

Now that the tour has ended, Chickenfoot have put together a time-lapse video and thank you message to fans for their support. Watch it here.

Mountain Man Streaming New Song Online

No Sleep Records have set an August 14th release date for Mountain Man's new EP, which is entitled Two.

To give fans a taste of what is to come, the band is currently streaming one of the four tracks online. You can listen to "Take Out The Sun" here

Drawing influences from the likes of Swans, Neurosis and even Tom Waits, Mountain Man meld turbulent riffs, fierce rhythm and aggressive vocals resulting in a whirlwind of intense hardcore. Mountain Man's follow-up to 2010's EP, One, and their full-length album, Grief, Two expands on the band's previous efforts musically and lyrically with darker and more atmospheric elements. more on this story