AC/DC Plan New Album

"You know what Brian's like. He just says things and then walks away. It'll be a little while – a year or two anyway," Young explained. "I've been doing some jamming on some song ideas but I do that all the time, as do the rest of the band. We are still working. But we had a long rest between Stiff Upper Lip and Black Ice, so I think we need a couple of years to recuperate and work on it a bit more." And what about a massive world tour?

Mick Jagger, Jeff Beck, Foo Fighter and Arcade Fire for SNL Jam

(hennemusic) After a few days of rumors, Saturday Night Live has confirmed the musical guests that will be joining Mick Jagger on the show's season finale this week.

In addition to his hosting duties, Jagger will perform with Arcade Fire and the Foo Fighters with Jeff Beck.

Rumors surfaced a few days ago that the Rolling Stones have been rehearsing secretly in New York, prompting speculation that the band will make a surprise appearance on the program with their frontman. more on this story

Van Halen Expand North American Tour

(hennemusic) Van Halen have added more dates to their "A Different Kind Of Truth" North American tour.

Five new shows have been announced, including stops in Sacramento, CA, Fresno, CA, Reno, NV, Salt Lake City, UT and Wichita, KS.

The new dates are a part of the second leg of the tour, which Van Halen announced last month. The full series of summer shows start July 7 in Uncasville, CT. more on this story

Aerosmith Almost Done With New Album

(Gibson) Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry has confirmed that the band's new album is almost finished. In an interview with Rolling Stone he says the band are working on mixing the new tracks this week.

Perry says: "It's really close. We've started to mix. We've mixed a couple of the songs already, but I guess this week we're really kind of rolling into mix mode. We have a couple of tracks left to finish up, just to put some overdubs on, but we're kind of going from the final, final recording tracks to mixing this week."

Perry also confirmed that the band will release a new single "in three or four weeks." It will be the first release from their 15th studio album – the follow-up to 2004's Honkin' on Bobo – which will be produced by Jack Douglas, the man behind 1975's Toys in the Attic.

Speaking of the new material, Perry said: "The record's gonna sound modern and hi-fi. We're not sitting around going, 'We're gonna do Night in the Ruts again or Rocks again.' We want to make a modern sounding record, but the main thing is the energy that the early records had." more on this story

Joey Ramone's Birthday Bash To Feature Live Preview of Forthcoming Album

We received some big news about a special feature to this year's Joey Ramone's Birthday Bash: This year's event will be held on Saturday, May 19, will include a very special addition to the format of the past 11 years.

In anticipation of the forthcoming posthumous new Joey Ramone CD, "...ya know?," the event will culminate in a live performance of the entire album in advance of its actual release. The set will feature a band of renowned punk musicians, led by Ramone's brother Mickey Leigh.

Participants include the following musicians who appear on the "...ya know?" album: Richie Stotts, JP "Thunderbolt" Patterson, Jean Beauvoir, Ed Statium, Al Maddy, Amy Hartman, and Mickey Leigh. Performing at the event will be The Threads, The Brats, The Indecent, Ivan Julian, and The Bullys. Furthermore, special guest appearances are expected by Tommy Ramone, Ross the Boss, Joey Lanz, Mick Stitch, Walt Stack, Yoav, Alex Holyboy, Tish & Snookie, Bebe Buell, Tina Ingrid, Louisa Bradshaw, and George Tabb. more on this story

Blues Brothers' Donald 'Duck' Dunn Dead at 70

(Classic Rock) Respected soul and blues bassist Donald 'Duck' Dunn has died at the age of 70. He's remembered for being a member of Dan Akroyd and John Belushi's comedy revue outfit the Blues Brothers and for his long-term membership of session stars Booker T and the MGs.

With that band he laid down bass lines on Otis Redding's Respect, Sam and Dave's Hold On I'm Coming and Albert King's Born Under a Bad Sign, among many others. He went on to play with Muddy Waters, Eric Clapton, Neil Young, Rod Stewart, Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, Jerry Lee Lewis, Levon Helm and Freddy King.

Dunn was semi-retired, partly caused by back problems which made walking painful. But he had just completed a five-night tour of Japan, ending with two shows in the Blue Note Night Club in Tokyo. He'd been playing as part of the Stax Show with MGs guitarist Steve Cropper and Stax singer Eddie Floyd. more on this story

Former Iron Maiden Singer Paul Di'Anno Pondering Retirement

(Classic Rock) Paul Di'Anno knows how he'll spend his retirement but he's given himself at least two years to decide when to do it.

And he's still upset over the "official" reason given for his departure from Iron Maiden in 1981.

He's back on the road after serving a prison sentence for benefit fraud. Last year he pled guilty to claiming over £45,000 through being unable to work because of back problems – even though he was playing gigs all over the world at the time.

But his thoughts are beginning to move beyond the live arena. He tells Let There Be Rock: "It's what I do, and it's what I love, but it's not everything. The everything is my family. When I leave this, there's no return for me – I'm done.

"I am tired. I work very hard." . Find out what he plans to do in retirement

Guns N' Roses Kick Off 2012 Tour

(hennemusic) Guns N' Roses kicked off their 2012 European tour Friday with the first of back-to-back nights in Moscow.

Following their weekend shows in Russia, the band will team up with Thin Lizzy for a string of dates across the UK, starting on May 17 in Dublin and wrapping with a two night stand at London's 02 Arena on May 31 and June 1.

From there, Guns N' Roses will play shows across the European mainland for almost six weeks. Check out video here.

Lita Ford Not Allowed To See Her Children

(Classic Rock) Lita Ford has a song on her new album written to her kids but her former bandmate husband won't let them hear it. Living Like a Runaway is her first record since splitting with Jim Gillette, a prominent force in her comeback release Wicked Wonderland.

She later said that album was too much about Gillette and not enough about her – and now they've split up, her latest work is closer to the music she wants to create. But one track, called Mother, is a personal message to her two sons with Gillette – and Ford is worried they'll never be allowed to hear it.

She tells Decibel: "My kids are with their dad. He brainwashed them and took them from me, telling them, 'Oh, you don't want to go with Mommy. Mommy's bad.' He put the entire weight of the divorce on my kids, which is the worst thing any parent could do to their child." A lot more here.

UFO's Phil Mogg Hopes For Reunion With Pete Way

(Classic Rock) UFO's Phil Mogg hopes bassist Pete Way will return to the fold and if he doesn't, the frontman hopes his old friend will fight his through his health issues.

Way has been suffering from the effects of addiction issues for several years – but on the few occasions he manages to get on stage, close friends say he can still deliver the goods.

That's enough for Mogg to keep believing. And now his band has replaced some newer faces with members of the old guard, he's hoping that Way can return at some point. more on this story

Author Discusses Rush' Clockwork Angels Novel

(hennemusic) Colorado-based sci-fi author Kevin J. Anderson has teamed up with Rush drummer Neil Peart to create a novelization of the new Rush album, "Clockwork Angels."

"Most of you are aware of my long-standing friendship with Neil Peart, the drummer and lyricist from the legendary rock band Rush, as well as how much Rush has influenced my work," announced Anderson a few months ago. "My first novel, 'Resurrection, Inc.', was closely inspired by the Rush album 'Grace Under Pressure', and I can point to dozens of other novels and stories that bear a clear Rush influence."

"For more than twenty years, Neil and I have wanted to collaborate on something MAJOR, a way we could tie together our imaginations, and at last that's happening."

"I'm writing the novelization of Rush's forthcoming album, 'Clockwork Angels', their first new CD in five years. Imagine if someone had written the novel of 'The Wall', 'Tommy', or 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' when those classic albums were released. For Rush fans, 'Clockwork Angels' is that project." more on this story

Zakk Wylde Explains Upcoming Ozzy Trek With Slash, Geezer, Etc.

(Gibson) The original lineup of Black Sabbath have put tour plans on hold, while guitarist Tony Iommi recovers from treatment for lymphoma.

So, Ozzy Osbourne (and Friends) will tour instead. Sabbath bassist/lyricist Geezer Butler will join Ozzy for a Sabbath-songs set. Zakk Wylde is onboard to play guitar. In addition, Ozzy will be accompanied by Slash at select shows, with other "special guests" set to join the tour at various stops along the way. The tour will take place this summer, only in Europe.

Wylde says, "[Current Ozzy band members] Gus G., Blasko and Tommy [Clufetos] are coming out and doing a bunch of tunes, then I come out with Blasko and Tommy and we end up doing a bunch of stuff from the era when I was with 'the boss' [Ozzy], from No Rest for the Wicked.. all the way through everything I've ever done with him. Then Geezer comes out and we do a bunch of Sabbath stuff and at the end, Slash and everybody – Geezer, Slash, Gus – and we all play 'Paranoid'." more on this story

Staind's Aaron Lewis Focused on Country

(Gibson) Aaron Lewis has signed with Blaster Entertainment as he continues to grow his country music career.

Lewis received rave reviews for his inaugural country music project, Town Line, a solo EP that debuted at #1 on the Billboard Country Albums chart last year. In addition, his debut single, "Country Boy" has been certified gold and had multiple award nominations.

"Aaron Lewis is a great musician," said Tom Porter, CEO of Blaster Entertainment. "His songs relate true country values and life experiences. We're excited about having him on the Blaster team."

"Country music was the first music I ever listened to," Lewis said. "I sat on my grandfather's lap listening to his country records and I grew to love them. The country audience has been so accepting of my music and I'm excited about working with the Blaster team to put out the new record this summer." more on this story

Manowar Set New Album Release

(Gibson) According to Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet, Manowar's new studio album The Lord of Steel, will first be released worldwide on June 16.

It will be available exclusively on iTunes and on the band's own online store, The Kingdom of Steel. On the same date, U.K. magazine Metal Hammer will release a special "Steel Edition" of Metal Hammer #233, including the CD and a digital copy of the album.

The Lord of Steel has tracks called "Annihilation" and "Hail, Kill and Die!" Bassist Joey DeMaio says in the interview that fans should expect to have "their heads completely blown off. This album is all about brutality and raw power." more on this story

B Sides

Singled Out: Leigh Marble's Jackrabbit

Today Leigh Marble tells us about the song "Jackrabbit" from his brand new album "Where The Knives Meet Between The Rows". Here is the story:

As with many of my songs, "Jackrabbit" started with a lyrical fragment - in this case, the first few lines of the song. I don't want to give too much away, but I'll say that those initial thoughts were written about a friend who was a sex worker, and my trying to understand how she balanced the pressure and compromise that were part of her chosen profession.

Then I started to flesh out the rest of the song. The verses wound up retaining that up-close-and-personal perspective, while on the chorus it's kind of zooming out to a wider take on the situation: "Who's bought up shares of your loyalty? Let's follow the dollar and see." It's sort of like, well here's this heated scene, now let's pause for a bit of Marxist analysis, to see the economic underpinning of what's going on here! And through that wider perspective, you can see how the idea applies to different people and professions. "Who's waiting in the wings to collect?" - you could picture a stripper *or* a politician getting off the stage, being met by an eager fan who has thrown money their way and now expects favors in return.

Musically, I had the chugging guitar rhythm in mind right away, and as the lyrics notebook shows, I knew where I wanted the drums to come in even at that early stage. The next part of the song that took shape was the pre-chorus/break (where I'm singing "something that feels like you"). As a goof, I tried doing those high guitar bends over that section, and my drummer Jason Russell liked them. He was calling it the "passion lady" part, after the Sugarloaf song "Green Eyed Lady" that has a similar screechy guitar sound. So those wound up staying, and influencing the direction of the production towards something a bit 70's rock. The bass player, Peter David, was a fan of fuzz pedals, so we tried out a bunch of them to find a fat bass grind for those instrumental breaks where the bass steps forward. And Ben Macy, on organ, found some subtle ways to add texture and propel the groove along.

So, we recorded it, and I added some extra guitars and percussion bits. It was all working pretty well musically, but the choruses were still lacking punch. I was playing the recording for my friend Matt Harmon of The Ascetic Junkies, and he suggested trying a big "gang vocal" sound on the choruses. So Matt and his bandmate Kali Giaritta came by the studio, and we all sang over the choruses together. That was the final piece of the puzzle, and the choruses now had the "lift" they needed.

In all, I think "Jackrabbit" is a good example of how a little idea can grow into a fully realized production, with enough care and attention!

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

Sebastian Bach Rocks Classic TV Theme Songs

(hennemusic) Sebastian Bach continues to play shows in support of his 2011 release, "Kicking & Screaming."

Friday night, Bach and company rolled into Cincinnati for a gig at the Inner Circle, and the singer lightened the mood of the show with a little jam.

"Had some serious fun onstage last night," Sebastian posted on Saturday. "Jammed on the theme songs to WKRP In Cincinnati and The Jeffersons! Movin' on up, muthertruckers! Haha! Special Thanks to our new guitar player Andy Wood, who learned the whole set in five days and is kicking some serious a**!" Watch it here.

Evanescence Deliver New Lyrics Video

(hennemusic) Evanescence have just released the lyric video for "Lost In Paradise." The track is the next single from their 2011 self-titled album.

The band's first album in five years, it debuted at #1 back in October, after selling 127,000 copies in its first week.

Evanescence continue their extensive world tour with shows starting next week in Morocco, followed by a month-long series of dates across Europe. Check out the video here.

Megadeth Release Whose Life (Is It Anyways) Lyrics Video

(hennemusic) Megadeth recently released the lyric video for "Whose Life (Is It Anyways)," the latest track from their "Thirteen" album.

Friday night, Megadeth played opening night of a two-week co-headlining tour with Rob Zombie.

The trek marks the first time the two bands have toured together. It's Zombie's first concert tour since last summer's "Hell On Earth" co-headline trip with Slayer, while the shows come on the heels of Megadeth's critically-acclaimed return of the traveling festival Gigantour, created and curated by frontman Dave Mustaine. The festival also featured Motorhead, Volbeat and Lacuna Coil. Watch the video here.

Mick Taylor Rocks Rolling Stones Classic on Fallon

(hennemusic) Former Rolling Stones guitarist Mick Taylor appeared as a special musical guest on Jimmy Fallon's show last Wednesday night.

Taylor sat in with The Roots all evening, playing snippets of tracks and even taking some playful abuse from guest Howard Stern.

Before the show, Taylor and the band warmed up the studio audience with the Stones' classic, "Can't You Hear Me Knocking." Watch it here.

Video From Chickenfoot's Tour Kick Off Online

(hennemusic) Chickenfoot kicked off their 2012 Different Devil tour with two shows in Lake Tahoe on May 4 and 5.

The band has offered up some video from opening night, giving fans a chance to take a peek inside the soundcheck, the show and aftershow at Harrah's Lake Tahoe Casino.

This week, Chickenfoot play gigs in Detroit (Mon), Boston (Wed), Atlantic City (Fri) and Uncasville, CT (Sat). Check out video from the opening night here.

Neil Young and Crazy Horse Release New Video

(hennemusic) Neil Young and Crazy Horse's new album, "Americana," will be released on June 5. The tunes on are all covers of classic American folk songs, including "This Land Is Your Land," "Gallows Pole," "Tom Dooley" and "Clementine."

Neil recently issued the first video for the project; it's for "Oh Susannah" Now, a second track has been released: "Jesus' Chariot (She'll Be Coming Round The Mountain)."

"Written in the 1800s based on an old Negro spiritual, this song refers to the second coming of Jesus, and "she" is the chariot Jesus is coming on," writes Neil in the album's liner notes. "Some interpret this as the end of the world. Others have said that "she" refers to union organizer Mary Harris "Mother" Jones going to promote formation of labor unions in the Appalachian coal-mining camps. The Americana arrangement continues the folk process with a new melody, a new title and a combination of lyric sources." Check it out here.

Remembering Yardbirds' Keith Relf

(Gibson) On this day 1976, Keith Relf, former lead singer for The Yardbirds, was electrocuted while tuning a guitar which was not properly grounded. He was 33. The accident happened in his West London home where he was found by his eight-year-old son, still holding the plugged-in electric guitar. Gibson takes a look back:

When the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted '60s greats The Yardbirds in 1992 they made the following statement: "In addition to their six Top 40 songs, the Yardbirds will be remembered as having produced the top three English blues-based guitarists of the '60s: Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page."

True enough, but that sentiment did overshadow the contribution of the band's founder, lead singer and exceptional harmonica player Keith Relf, who sadly passed away in tragic circumstances on this very day in 1976.

The story starts at the Crawdaddy pub in Richmond, just outside London, in 1963. When The Rolling Stones left their residency there for bigger and better things, the club needed a replacement – another young blues band fronted by Keith Relf alongside Top Topham (very quickly replaced by Eric Clapton), Chris Dreja, Paul Samwell-Smith and Jim McCarty. Originally called the Metropolitan Blues Quartet, the band had wisely changed their name to The Yardbirds (after Charlie "Yardbird" Parker).

With Clapton on board, the band issued Five Live Yardbirds in December 1964 with a bunch of hardcore American blues, but broke through into the U.K. charts the next year with the poppy "For Your Love" (written by Graham Gouldman, later of 10CC). After that commercial success, Clapton left to be replaced by another gifted young guitarist Jeff Beck, and the hits continued with "Heart Full of Soul," "I'm a Man" and "Shapes of Things."

When original bass player Samwell-Smith left in the summer of 1966, another guitar player joined, one Jimmy Page who played on the band's last hit record, "Happenings 10 Years Time Ago." Beck left next, in 1966. When Relf and McCarty decided to leave Page and the boys behind to play folksy acoustic music, The Yardbirds transformed into something even more powerful: Led Zeppelin.

more on this story