Adler Slams Guns N' Roses As Axl and His Hacks

Now, Adler has added to his comments by sitting down with Loudwire for an extended conversation. "He's my brother. I know he's up to it," Adler says about Slash and the Rock Hall reunion. "He wants to do it. I want to do it. Just from what I hear, Izzy [Stradlin]'s not gonna show up and Axl [Rose] will probably want to play with his hack band — his band of hacks. 'Axl and His Hacks' — it shouldn't even be Guns N' Roses. He's just driving that name into the freakin' ground. 'Axl and His Hacks.'" more on this story

Aerosmith's New Album Almost Done

(Gibson) Four out of Aerosmith's five members (all the guys except guitarist Brad Whitford, who was touring on the "Experience Hendrix" run) recently got together at the Grove mall in Los Angeles to officially broadcast news of their Global Warming Tour and answer some questions about the tour and the band's long-awaited, upcoming album.

Frontman Steven Tyler revealed some new information about the rockers' fresh studio effort, which the boys have been laboring over in Los Angeles for several months. Tyler dropped a few song titles – "Beautiful," "Legendary Child" and "Out Go the Lights" – and then commented that the record, "will be out in three months."

Tyler added that the album was "almost done," and that Aerosmith have two more songs to finish before entering the mixing phase. "It should take us another month and a half, two months, and we'll be in your face before you know it," he said. more on this story

Alice Cooper Robbed

(hennemusic) The storage facility in Los Angeles which houses the Alice Cooper Archives was broken into on March 27, along with three other storage units.

Items missing include a large quantity of original vinyl records, a jacket, and the original sculpture which was used for the cover of the "Hey Stoopid" album.

With multiple units broken into, Cooper's team doesn't believe Alice's Archives was specifically targeted. more on this story

KISS and Motley Crue Tour Opener Announced

(Gibson) Motley Crue and KISS recently had the tough job of selecting an opener for their upcoming, co-headlining North American tour, and now, the Crue have officially announced that U.K. rockers the Treatment are their guys.

The scorching trek, simply called "The Tour," will set off on July 20 in Bristow, Virginia, and currently closes out on September 23 in Hartford, Connecticut.

Crüe bass player Nikki Sixx is already a fan of the Treatment. He played them on his syndicated radio show, Sixx Sense, a while back, and fans dug the sound. "I am very happy for them," Sixx said, in a statement. "We played them nine months ago on 'Sixx Sense,' and fans really loved what they are about. Give them a warm welcome." more on this story

Slash Helps Homeless Youth With Charity Song and Video

(Gibson) Slash is releasing a special video and song to raise awareness about the plague of homelessness on L.A.'s youth.

Fans can make a contribution to the Los Angeles Youth Network (LAYN) by downloading the track, which is a special mix of "Gotten," off Slash's 2010 debut solo disc.

As for the video, Slash recruited some big names for "Gotten," including the Amanda "AJ" Milchalka from Super 8, Kristin Bauer from True Blood, Clifton Collins Jr. from Traffic, Jacob Vargas from Next Friday and Traffic, Sevier Crespo from Fast Lane and Judd Nelson from The Breakfast Club, among more. Watch the video, which was shot in Los Angeles, here.

Aerosmith Tour Press Conference Streaming Online

(hennemusic) Earlier this week, Aerosmith announced the first leg of their summer tour. Dubbed "The Global Warming Tour," the show will hit 18 cities when kicks off June 16 in Minneapolis, MN. Cheap Trick will open the first series of dates; more shows will be announced shortly.

On Wednesday, Aerosmith set up shop at The Grove in Los Angeles for a press conference hosted by Jimmy Kimmel.

"Well, we've been underground for four months doing what we do best," began Steven Tyler, "and we've been known to set the world on fire with our type of music, for the last couple of years, to say the least. So, we decided to call this The Global Warming Tour, and come from under the hood, to tell you all that we've got a new album and a new tour." You can watch the full press conference

Metallica Orion Music + More Festival Plans Expand Again

(hennemusic) Metallica's inaugural Orion Music + More festival continues to grow. The event has announced the addition of Ktulu's Rock 'N' Roll Emporium.

Fans will be able to check out dozens of vendors hawking their Rock 'N' Roll memorabilia - from vinyl and collectibles, to gig posters and gear.

In addition to more than 30 artist on the two-day bill, Metallica also recently announced details of the Orion Custom Car + Motorcycle Show, curated by frontman James Hetfield. more on this story

Earl Scruggs Dead at 88

(Gibson) Earl Scruggs, the famed bluegrass player whose hard-driving banjo-picking technique on songs such as "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" altered the way people looked at the instrument, passed away on Wednesday (March 28) at a hospital in Nashville, Tennessee. Scruggs died of natural causes, the Associated Press reported, citing his son, Gary. He was 88.

Scruggs's influence on the bluegrass genre is infinite. A revolutionary banjo player who helped craft the sound and style of modern country music, his playing is instantly recognizable. He propagated a three-finger picking style that took the banjo from its place as part of the rhythm section to a lead instrument.

Mr. Scruggs was likely best known for performing with Lester Flatt in the Foggy Mountain Boys. Among their most popular songs were "Foggy Mountain Breakdown," which was played as the getaway tune in the 1967 movie Bonnie and Clyde, and "The Ballad of Jed Clampett," which served as the theme song of the hugely popular 1960s television sitcom The Beverly Hillbillies. more on this story

Smash Palace Album Release Show

Smash Palace will play an album-release show on Sunday, April 29th at The Ritz Theater, to celebrate the April 24, 2012 release of their CD, "Do It Again."

Stephen and Brian Butler were first discovered by Hilly Kristal at NYC's original punk club, CBGB's. Later, as "Quincy," they were signed to Columbia Records, and then were reborn as Smash Palace and moved to Epic Records.

"Do It Again" will be Smash Palace's fourth release for Zip Records, and will be released on April 24, 2012. After playing a show at Liverpool's Cavern Club, label head Art Herman rediscovered the band and immediately signed Smash Palace to his San Francisco-based indie label. more on this story

Eagles and Alison Krauss To Receive Honorary Doctorates

(Scoop) Berklee College of Music President Roger Brown will present the Eagles, Alison Krauss, and Mulatu Astatke with honorary doctor of music degrees at Berklee's commencement ceremony, Saturday, May 12, at the 7,000-seat Agganis Arena at Boston University.

This year's honorary doctorate recipients are being recognized for their achievements and influence in music, and for their enduring contributions to American and international culture. Past recipients include Duke Ellington (the first, in 1971), Dizzy Gillespie, Smokey Robinson, Steven Tyler, Aretha Franklin, Quincy Jones, Juan Luis Guerra, Paco de Lucia, David Bowie, the Edge, Gloria and Emilio Estefan, Chaka Khan, Bonnie Raitt, Ahmet Ertegun, Kenneth Gamble, and Leon Huff.

On commencement eve, as is Berklee's tradition, students will pay tribute to the honorees by performing music associated with their careers at the Agganis. The concert and ceremony are not open to the public. more on this story

The Official Queen Tribute Tour Dates Announced

The Official Queen Tribute Show, The Queen Extravaganza, will be hitting the road this summer.

The tour is set to kick off on May 26th in Quebec and will hit major markets across North American before wrapping up on July 3rd in Edmonton.

Hollywood Records sent out these details along with the dates: Behind the show are Queen: legendary guitarist Brian May and iconic drummer Roger Taylor, whose talents as writers and musicians have inspired such legends of modern times as the Foo Fighters, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Katy Perry, and even Lady Gaga, who took her name from one of Taylor's biggest hit songs. more on this story

Metallica Guest on That Metal Show's 10th Season Premiere Tomorrow

Metallica's Lars Ulrich will be one of the featured guests for the kick off episode of VH1 Classic's "That Metal Show" 10th season which premieres this Saturday March 31 at 11PM ET/PT.

Vh1 sent over these details along with this season's guest list: With 9 seasons behind them, Don and Jim are back with a few new faces and some returning crowd favorites. Longtime guitarist Adrian Smith (Iron Maiden) makes his first appearance on the "That Metal Show" stage. He's joined by Alice Cooper, Lemmy Kilmister of Motorhead, Lars Ulrich of Metallica and many more!

In a new "That Metal Show" twist, guest drummers Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater, Avenged Sevenfold, Adrenaline Mob and "That Metal Show" alum) and Brian Tichy (Whitesnake, Billy Idol, Foreigner) will pound the skins taking viewers to commercial break for four episodes. more on this story

The Body and Braveyoung Split Getting Deluxe Reissue

The split release from The Body and Braveyoung will be released as a deluxe vinyl LP on April 24th.

Recorded in a collaborative session at Providence's Machines With Magnets (Battles, Daughters, Lightning Bolt, Chinese Stars), Nothing Passes is a layered but cohesive voyage through cavernous, noise-laden tumult and chaos, ethereal horror-soundtrack creepouts and even serene acoustic passages, exploring new styles for both acts.

The album features vocal contributions from members of The Assembly Of Light Choir who have collaborated live with THE BODY and Braveyoung, as well as a cover of Exuma's song, The Vision. more on this story

Pinkish Black Set Release Date

Pinkish Black's self-titled LP, which was mastered by James Plotkin, will be released by Handmade Birds on May 15, 2012.

In the beginning, there was a three-piece. Known as the The Great Tyrant, based out of Denton, TX, the band was comprised of Daron Beck (Pointy Shoe Factory), Jon Teague (Yeti), and Tommy Atkins.

One day, Daron and Jon stopped by Tommy's place, and walked into a nightmare. Their bassist had killed himself in the bathroom...and "the walls were pinkish black..." Facebook page

American Hi-Fi Recording New Album

American Hi-Fi have inked a new deal with Goomba Music for the release of their upcoming album, with a worldwide release date expected this fall.

The original line-up--Stacy Jones (singer/guitarist), Drew Parsons (bass), Jamie Arentzen (guitars) and Brian Nolan (drums)—is currently recording the as-yet-untitled new album in Los Angeles, CA.

It's being produced by the band and John Fields (Switchfoot, Jimmy Eat World) and recorded at Stacy Jones' studio, The Deathstar. more on this story

MXPX Plan 20th Anniversary Shows

MXPX celebrate the release of their ninth studio album by announcing four commemorative "20th Anniversary Shows."

With the official anniversary falling on July 6, the band will play select dates this spring and summer to celebrate their new album, PLANS WITHIN PLANS, and the legacy they've built over the years.

Their first stop begins in their home away from home, Seattle, WA, on Saturday, May 26, at El Corazon, with Amber Pacific and guests, followed by two Southern California House of Blues showcases. MXPX will join forces with friends Set Your Goals, Mest and Rufio for back-to-back performances at both The House of Blues Anaheim on Friday, June 29, and West Hollywood on Saturday, June 30. more on this story

Imaginary Cities Hitting The Road With mewithoutYou

Imaginary Cities will be hitting the road for a North American tour supporting mewithoutYou.

The trek will include select headlining dates and kicks-off in New York City on May 15th and will conclude on June 18th in Chicago, IL.

The band will also be celebrating the release of their debut album, Temporary Resident, with a special New York City show at Rockwood Music Hall on April 10th. The album is out in the U.S. on April 10th on Votiv Music. more on this story

Jonquil Supporting Snow Patrol at Terminal 5 Show

Jonquil has been added to the first of Snow Patrol's sold out NYC performances at Terminal 5 on Saturday, April 14th.

This show will conclude the band's first ever US national tour in support of their recently released Point of Go album on Dovecote Records (The Futureheads, Hooray For Earth).

After performing across the week at SXSW, the band worked its way up the East coast and will continue to wind throughout the country with Grecian duo Keep Shelly in Athens. more on this story

Steel Panther Map Out Headlining Tour

Sunset Strip glam-rock heroes Steel Panther will be crossing the pond in November for their biggest UK headlining tour to date.

The band are touring in support of their acclaimed second album, BALLS OUT, which was released at the end of last year.

The band comprise of Michael Starr (vocals), Satchel (guitar), Lexxi Foxxx (bass) and Stix Zadinia (drums). 2011 saw the band release their second album and embark on a UK arena tour with Motley Crue and Def Leppard to a rapturous reception. more on this story

Story of Rock n Roll Comics Coming To DVD

"Story of Rock n Roll Comics" will be released on DVD in North America on April 24th and in the UK on May 7th, 2012. Here is the background info:

"The Story of Rock 'N' Roll Comics" premiered in the States in 2005. This much sort after film examines the short, controversial life of publisher Todd Loren, whose scandalous series of unauthorized comic book biographies of rock stars charmed some (Gene Simmons, Jerry Garcia, Nick Mason of Pink Floyd) and enraged others (Axl Rose, Bon Jovi, Skid Row, New Kids on the Block) who eventually sued him, unsuccessfully.

In 1992, Loren is found dead in his condo murdered, opening up intense speculation as to who and why. His death has remained unsolved with suspicions that he had been killed by Andrew Cunanan, the murderer of Gianni Versace. more on this story

Dead Sara Announce Dates With The Used

Dead Sara have extended their upcoming tour plans with the addition of 20 new North American tour dates with The Used beginning May 12.

Dead Sara will hit the road for a previously announced run of shows beginning April 13 supporting Chevelle; radio festival dates including BuzzFest in Woodlands, TX, EdgeFest in Dallas, and the Big Gig in Hartford, CT; as well as a previously confirmed 40+ date coast-to-coast outing on this summer's Vans Warped Tour.

The band will touring in support of their self-titled debut album which will be released on April 10th (Pocket Kid Records/ Fontana/Universal). more on this story

12 Stones, Saliva and Royal Bliss Tour

12 Stones will be hitting the road with Saliva and Royal Bliss for a string of North American dates in April and May.

The initial dates of the trek have been announced which is set to kick off on April 18 in West Springfield, VA.

12 Stones will be hitting the road in support of their new studio album, Beneath The Scars, which is set to hit stores on May 22nd. more on this story

The Reverend Horton Heat: 25 to Life Coming in May

Yep Roc Records have set a May 29th release date for the new documentary concert film The Reverend Horton Heat: 25 to Life.

The DVD bonus package include the film 25 to Life, a live CD and a career-spanning "best of" compilation CD.

In addition, The Reverend Horton Heat has confirmed a handful of club shows over a 10 day period, marking its first annual tour of the Dallas/Forth Worth area. The band will be performing exclusively at small venues in the area, marking the first time the band has performed at such locations since it began touring 25 years ago. more on this story

Face To Face Plan Ignorance is Bliss Unplugged Tour

Face To Face singer/guitarist Trever Keith and bassist/singer Scott Shiflett will be hitting the road this spring for a North American tour.

They will be performing songs from their 1999 album "Ignorance is Bliss" as an acoustic duo in intimate venues.

The tour is split up into a western leg in April, Midwest in May, and East Coast in June. more on this story

Les Paul Estate Auction Planned

Julien's Auctions and the Les Paul Foundation have partnered for an auction of property and collection of guitars, equipment and musical artifacts from the legendary musician, engineer and inventor Les Paul.

The auction event will take place on June 8-9, 2012 in honor of what would have been Paul's 97th birthday. (June 9, 2012).

Les Paul, born Lester Polsfuss in Waukesha, Wisconsin in 1915, was on his way to making his mark on the history of 20th Century music at an early age. He was born with an inquisitive streak that he described as, "…curiosity and I got a double dose of it. I've never stopped trying to figure out what makes things work or how to make things work better." It was this curiosity that spurred his lifelong quest to find the perfect sound in his instruments, recordings and performances. more on this story

Johnny Hallyday Announce U.S. Live Dates

French rocker Johnny Hallyday is set to perform his first full concert ever in New York City on Sunday, October 7th at the Beacon Theatre as part of his 2012 world tour.

Hallyday is set to play only two concerts in the United States, Los Angeles April 24 and New York City October 7.

Influenced by Elvis Presley and American rock 'n' roll, Hallyday (born Jean-Philippe Smet) began his career as teenager and is widely known as L'idole des Jeunes (the teen idol). His musical career now spans a half- century, having sold more than 100 million records, garnered 21 Platinum albums, 8 French music Awards (Victoire de la Musique), appeared in 36 movies and performed to more than 28 million fans. Among his numerous collaborations include Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Peter Frampton, Taj Mahal and Bono. more on this story

B Sides

Best Story Ever: David Lee Roth, Axl Rose and Sebastian Bach

(hennemusic) What happens when legendary producer Rick Rubin, David Lee Roth, Axl Rose and Sebastian Bach are in a car together?

Sebastian tells the tale as part of his "Best Story Ever," a feature that runs on CBC Canada's "George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight" show.

Last fall, Bach told the QMI Agency about how he first met Roth; it was backstage at the L.A. Forum when Skid Row were opening for Aerosmith in 1990. "There was a knock on the door — bang, bang, bang — and he [Roth] sticks his head in and goes, 'Sebastian?' And I go, 'Oh, my God! It's David Lee Roth.' And he sits next to me and I go 'Hey Dave, you want to roll up a joint?' And he goes 'Sebastian, you do the honours.' But then that night he took me and Axl to the Rainbow and Rick Rubin drove the car. And can I remember sitting next to Axl in the back seat of Rick Rubin's car throwing up going down Sunset Boulevard, and him holding my hair. I was puking out the door." Check out the video clip here.

Green Day Release New Studio Video

(hennemusic) Green Day continue their recording sessions for a new album and are letting fans in on the action.

The band hit the studio on Valentine's Day and are now into their second month on the project, which will be the follow-up to 2009's "21st Century Breakdown."

Green Day are sharing regular clips of their activity in, out and around the studio, so here's a few video from the past few weeks to keep fans in the loop. check em out here

David Lee Roth Shares Handwritten Lyrics To Van Halen's Blood & Fire

(hennemusic) Van Halen's David Lee Roth has offered up another goodie from his collection of work on the band's "A Different Kind Of Truth" album.

Roth is sharing his handwritten lyrics to "Blood And Fire," a song the group played for the first time on tour this past Monday night in Reading, PA.

VH debuted the song during the group's final dress rehearsal at the L.A. Forum back in February, before they hit the road with Kool & The Gang as openers. Read more and check out the photo

Nightrage Plan Insidious Video

Lifeforce Records sent over word that Nightrage will be filming a new music video for an as-yet-undisclosed song off their latest album, "Insidious", on April 28 at the Eightball Club in Thessaloniki, Greece.

Directing the clip will be Gabriel Psaltakis, who helmed the latest PSYCHO CHOKE video, "Get Down".

Nightrage will be playing a couple of shows in Greece next month followed by a small European tour run supporting Demon Hunter and label mates Deadlock. more on this story

Transit Post Asleep At The Wheel Video Online

Transit premiered their new music video for their song "Asleep At The Wheel" online yesterday.

The track comes off the band's newest album, Listen & Forgive, which was released last year via Rise Records.

The band is currently on tour with The Wonder Years and will also be heading out on the 2012 Warped Tour this summer. Watch the video here.

Anniversary of the Beatles Sgt Pepper Cover Shoot

(Gibson) On this day in 1967, A photo session took place at Chelsea Manor studios in London with Michael Cooper for the cover of The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album. After the shoot The Beatles resumed work at Abbey Road studios on "With a Little Help from My Friends," adding guitars, bass, tambourine and backing vocals. The session began at 11 p.m. and ended at 7:30 a.m. Gibson takes a look back:

Originally, it was going to be a bunch of swirly blobs of varying shades of red. Instead, it became a psychedelic statement, an attention-grabbing wonder and the most iconic album cover in music history.

In the winter of 1967, The Beatles were hard at work in the studio, crafting the dense layers of sound that would eventually become the songs on Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. They commissioned their pals in the Dutch design collective The Fool to paint the album's cover. Although The Fool would become well-known for other Beatles-related creations (including the psychedelic paintjob given to John Lennon's Gibson J-160E, decorations bestowed on George Harrison's Mini car and the huge mural on the band's Apple Boutique), their cover for Sgt. Pepper didn't pan out.

Robert Fraser, an art dealer and gallery owner, had become good friends with Paul McCartney because both were fixtures on the hip London art scene. After seeing The Fool's Sgt. Pepper cover, Fraser was convinced that it wasn't good enough for The Beatles. This would have to be an image that would rank with Revolver, Rubber Soul and With The Beatles – and Fraser felt The Fool's painting was poorly done and that it would be dated before it was released. Not only did he win McCartney and the boys over, he convinced them that he should be the art director for the new cover.

Fraser set to work, bringing in established British pop artist (and Fraser client) Peter Blake. Working in tandem with his wife Jann Haworth, Blake started playing with McCartney's idea that the cover would show the fictional Sgt. Pepper band performing in a park.

"We had an original meeting with all four Beatles, Robert Fraser and Brian Epstein," Blake remembered later. "Most of the subsequent talking was done with Paul at his house and with John there sometimes."

The concept eventually evolved into The Beatles dressing up as the pretend group and being surrounded by some of their pop culture and historical heroes. The last vestiges of the "park" idea surfaced in the floral display that spelled out The Beatles at the bottom of the cover. more on this story