Green Day Singer Rushed To The Hospital

"We're beyond devastated, we're as sad as you guys are," added drummer Tre Cool. "Billie is extremely upset about it and we'll see you very soon." more on this story

Aerosmith Approached Sammy Hagar To Replace Steven Tyler

(hennemusic) When Steven Tyler was announced as a judge on American Idol in the fall of 2010, Aerosmith were left at a crossroads: work around Tyler's Idol schedule, take a break, or move forward with a new lead singer.

Guitarist Brad Whitford now reveals the band – without Tyler – seriously considered their options at the time. Clearly the band realized the challenge they were facing in trying to replace an iconic frontman like Tyler. "It's impossible to fill Steven's shoes, that's not gonna happen," said the guitarist, although he went to say that the band "spoke to a couple of people that were semi-interested," including the Red Rocker, Sammy Hagar.

"Well, we spoke to Sammy, and he was really excited about it," Whitford explained. "I love Sammy, and I was like, 'Oh man this would be so cool!' (But) it all started to come back together on its own, like it was going to and should have." more on this story

Starship Guitarist Mark Abrahamian Dies Following Concert

Starship lead guitarist Mark Abrahamian suffered a fatal heart attack following a concert on Sunday night. He was 46.

Starship was performing a concert with Boston and Survivor in Norfolk, Neb and Abrahamian collapsed following the show according to road manager Scott Harrison, reports Mercury News .

"We had just finished the show. We were back in the dressing room eating. He apparently told the bass player he wasn't feeling well," Harrison said. Then Abrahamian reportedly collapsed in his room while talking to his fiance on the phone. more on this story

Geoff Tate's Queensryche Features Ex-Ozzy, Ratt and Megadeth Members

(Classic Rock) Geoff Tate has delivered on his promise to use the Queensryche name, and unveiled a band including Rudy Sarzo ex of Ozzy Osbourne and Quiet Riot, Bobby Blotzer of Ratt and Glen Drover, formerly of Megadeth.

The move follows Tate's failed attempt to force his former bandmates to stop using the Queensryche name after they sacked him. When a judge ruled against him he stated it meant both parties could employ the title.

Now he's confirmed his band is also called Queensryche – and slammed former colleages Michael Wilton, Scott Rockenfield and Eddie Jackson for having "no spark". more on this story

Suicide Silence's Mitch Lucker Hospitalized

Suicide Silence frontman Mitch Lucker was hospitalized over the weekend for an infection related to a recent broken elbow injury.

Lucker kept fans informed during the weekend via his Twitter account. He told them on Saturday that he had a double IV to his heart installed and that he was at Orange Coast Memorial hospital under intensive IV antibiotics.

On Sunday he told fans how he ended up in the hospital, "had an ambulance come to my house. I woke up inside of it because everyone thought I was dead... Apparently I just passed out & had a nap."

Fortunately, on Monday he updated fans with "Thanks for all the positive vibes! Last night was crazy, but I'm ok and Getting way better. Thank you all for the support. I will be fine <3" You will find any updates here.

Duff McKagan Has Close Call On Charity Mountain Climb

(Classic Rock) Former Guns N' Roses bassist Duff McKagan suffered his own life-endangering moment while taking part in a charity climb of 14,411ft Mt Rainier in Washington state.

He reports: "My right eye suddenly blurred at about 11,000ft. I kept it quiet – I didn't want to be the guy who held up the group. Pride plays a factor and pride is dangerous in those slippery, steep and treacherous places. At 12,000ft both my eyes went blurry and nausea was overcoming me. At about 12,800ft a guide from another climb came up to me and announced he thought I had a cerebral edema, and 'could die soon if he doesn't get down very quickly.'

"I guess my eyes were rolling about a bit and I was stumbling like a drunken sailor. It was time to turn the climb around. I had to pull everything I had from deep inside me just to get down." [Seattle Weekly] More rock news

Late Queen Frontman Freddie Mercury Becomes An Angry Bird

Hollywood Records sent over word that late Queen frontman Freddie Mercury has been made an honorary member of the Angry Birds family for the Freddie For A Day campaign.

To start the week in which Freddie's memory is celebrated with Freddie For A Day on his birthday, September 5, on Monday, September 3 the creators of Angry Birds released an all-new animation of Freddie the Angry Bird riding his bicycle to the famous Queen track "Bicycle Race." The video is streaming on Rovio's YouTube channel here

To further raise additional awareness for the Mercury Phoenix Trust, Angry Birds in partnership with Bravado will be releasing a limited-edition Freddie Mercury Angry Bird T-shirt which will be made available from the Angry Birds and Bravado webstores. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Mercury Phoenix Trust. T-shirt numbers are limited. more on this story

Vivian Campbell Regrets Mudslinging With Ronnie James Dio

(Classic Rock) Vivian Campbell regrets the mudslinging between him and former bandmate Ronnie James Dio and he's aiming to reclaim ownership of Dio songs he wrote, but couldn't even bring himself to listen to for many years.

The pair had a musically successful, but personally difficult, relationship in Dio between 1982 and 1986, when Campbell was fired. He went on to play with Whitesnake before replacing Steve Clark in Def Leppard in 1992.

When Dio died in 2010 the guitarist said he was "numb" to the news, partly because his mother had died the previous week. Since then he's reformed the original Dio lineup with Vinny Appice, Claude Schnell and Jimmy Bain – who was arrested for drugs offences last week. Read what he had to say here.

Eddie Van Halen Checks In Following Emergency Surgery

(hennemusic) Guitar icon Eddie Van Halen is thanking fans for their support following news of his recent surgery as a result of a digestive disorder known as Diverticulitis.

"Thank you for all of your cool comments!," posted Eddie on Friday. "Hanging out, taking it easy and following the doctors orders."

Last week, it was revealed that Eddie is recovering following emergency surgery. "Eddie Van Halen underwent an emergency surgery for a severe bout of Diverticulitis," the band posted on Wednesday. "No further surgeries are needed and a full recovery is expected within 4 - 6 months. more on this story

Sunn O))) Cancel Tour

Sunn O))) have been forced to pull out of their upcoming tour of Australia and New Zealand after running into issues with the Aussie promoter. The band still plan to perform their planned dates in Japan this fall.

The band had this to say: We apologize to our great and loyal fans in Australia and New Zealand. We have had 2 amazing tours of Australia in the past and were looking forward to going back for a third.

We have never had the chance to travel to New Zealand to date, and it pains us to cancel those concerts, but alas the travel is tied together and we can not afford to do NZ alone at this time. more on this story

Sebastian Bach Says Press Put Words In His Mouth About Book Plans

(hennemusic) In a recent interview with Billboard, Sebastian Bach was asked about his plans to write a memoir about his rock n' roll life.

"Oh, my story is insanely insane," he is quoted as telling the music industry magazine. "I think I could do a hell of a book. I could make (Motley Crue's) 'The Dirt' look clean if I wanted to."

Now, Bach has posted his thoughts on the Billboard story, which has spread to rock news sites around the globe. "Why does the press always put words in my mouth? You would think I would know better by now," he wrote on Saturday. "Someone asked me about my book & my answer was exactly this: 'I could make the dirt look clean if I wanted to.' Now, every single thing I read about my book says, Sebastian says his book will surpass Motley Crue's The Dirt.' Only thing is....I never said that. I don't even know what kind of book it will be yet." more on this story

Wishbone Ash Members Reunite At Garden Party

(Classic Rock) Martin Turner insists he was not trying to seize back power of ownership of the Wishbone Ash name by being joined on stage by fellow former members Ted Turner, Laurie Wisefield and Steve Upton during an intimate fan gathering last week.

The vocalist/bassist's line-up of the group, known as Martin Turner's Wishbone Ash, is about to go to court with guitarist Andy Powell, who trademarked the name several years ago. Powell is the only original member of his line-up of his rival group.

Last Friday afternoon MWTA appeared at an invite-only Garden Party for around 200 people at the home in Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, of their manager Martin Darvill. Attendees were astonished when Ted Turner, who these days resides in Arizona, strolled on and plugged in midway through Valediction, a rarely played track from the band's second album, Pilgrimage, then hung around for a few further tunes, before Wisefield, Turner's replacement, took his place for Living Proof. Read more and see photos here.

David Coverdale Joins Sammy Hagar For 4 Decades of Rock Debut

(hennemusic) Back in May, Sammy Hagar announced plans to test drive a new format for his 2013 live shows. Billed as "4 Decades Of Rock," Hagar's plan is to mark 40 years since the release of the debut Montrose album by building an evening featuring highlights from his lengthy career.

Sammy & The Wabos would open the show, followed by The Other Half (including former Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony); a Montrose tribute set would be next, and then the evening would wrap up with Chickenfoot.

Hagar's September 1 show at the Lake Tahoe Outdoor Arena at Harvey's in Stateline, Nevada was the first event with the new format. For the Montrose tribute set, Hagar was joined by the band's Denny Carmassi and Bill Church, with Joe Satriani sitting in; Carmassi stuck around for the closing portion with Chickenfoot.

Whitesnake leader David Coverdale was on hand to join Chickenfoot, as well, performing a cover of Led Zeppelin's "Rock & Roll" with the band. Watch video here.

Iron Maiden To Reissue Maiden England

(hennemusic) Iron Maiden toured North America this summer on a trek billed as "Maiden England" after their 80s era concert video release.

In terms of production and content, the 2012 live show closely mirrored the original 1988 concert video of the same name, shot on the "Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son Tour."

Now, Metal Rules reports that bassist Steve Harris has confirmed that "Maiden England" will be re-released next year. In a new interview with German magazine Rock Hard, Harris says the rerelease will be expanded to comprise the show's encores, which were not included in the original VHS. more on this story

Dan Spitz Explains Anthrax Exit

(Classic Rock) Former Anthrax guitarist Dan Spitz has discussed his surprise departure from the band in 1995 and why he gave away all his guitars.

The acclaimed axeman shocked fans by leaving the thrash giants just as they were enjoying a new lease of life with vocalist John Bush, and turning instead to a career as a watchmaker.

Spitz tells Hodinkee: "I had been living on a tour bus since I was 14 years old, and played in bands with others of equal skill set – but they were much older and I was.

"I excelled at what I was doing and Anthrax soon hit and was playing sold-out colosseums for years.

"By the time 1995 rolled around I was the first one in the band to have children, and I missed them when I was on the road. We'd do an album and tour for years at a time, then start the cycle over again. Time at home was not there. more on this story

Chickenfoot's Deep Purple Tribute Cover Happened By Accident

(Classic Rock) Chickenfoot's Joe Satriani says the band fell into playing Deep Purple's Highway Star by accident. Their take on the song appears on Re-Machined, the official tribute to Purple's iconic 1972 album Machine Head, which is on sale as part of a Classic Rock Fan Pack.

Satriani explains: "We started our first tour and we were threatening to play it. I don't think Sammy wanted to do it – he'd never really memorised the lyrics. Somebody printed them up and threw them on the stage. At the beginning of the song you hear me starting up Bad Motor Scooter because that's what was on the setlist.

"Chad Smith, in a most mischievous way, started playing Highway Star, so I had to kind of segue into it. I think for the second verse, Sammy is literally on his hands and knees reading the lyrics." [Music Radar] More rock news

Decapitated Recruit Former Vadar Member For Upcoming Tour

Decapitated have recruited former Vader drummer Pawel "Pawulon" Jaroszewicz to join them on their upcoming "Asian Invasion" tour which kicks off on Saturday.

Jaroszewicz will be filling the void left by drummer Kerim "Krihm" Lechner who left group. The PRP> had the following statement which they report was issued by Lechner about his departure.

"I sadly have to inform you about some major change that happened in the last months. I am no longer a member of Decapitated! Too many personal differences and other difficulties made me decide like this." The rest of his statement is here. more on this story

Talking Heads' Stop Making Sense Named Best Gig Movie

(Classic Rock) The Talking Heads' Stop Making Sense has been named the best gig movie ever by Classic Rock's sister magazine, Total Film.

Total Film says Stop Making Sense is its No.1 choice because: 'The rock gig is deconstructed as Jonathan Demme captures the innovative staging of a Talking Heads gig, from solo performance to full band to David Byrne dancing in an oversized suit.

'Best song is the opener, Psycho Killer – just Byrne, an acoustic guitar and a drum machine whose staccato rhythms cause the singer to stagger around like a murder victim.' See what else made the list

B Sides

Singled Out: Ron Pope

Ron Pope kicks off his Across the Yard North American tour tomorrow in Syracuse, NY. To celebrate we asked him to tell us about the song "In My Bones" from his latest album "Atlanta". Here is the story:

I only had a few months between my Spring/Summer tour and my fall tour in 2011. In that time, I needed to figure out the concept for what would eventually become the "Atlanta" album, then write and record it. I gave myself four weeks to write the songs for the album. Every weekday, I'd get up in the morning, and then I'd bang my head against the wall all day, hoping that a song would fall out. After a few weeks of non-stop writing, I started to go a little bit crazy. One morning, I had a song idea that refused to get finished. Hour after hour after hour went by and I just couldn't work it out. Eventually, I decided to take a break and hop in the shower, because I was starting to smell a little bit hobo-esque. While I was in the shower, all the sudden a melody hit me, so I started humming. Then words just popped into my head. I got out of the shower singing, dried off, then sat down at the keyboard, and played "In My Bones" all the way through. It was like the song had been sitting out there in the ether, waiting for me to reach out and grab it. That doesn't happen to me very often, but when it does, I'm always amazed. To me, that song feels like it always existed and was just waiting for the right moment to reveal itself to me.

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

Jay-Z Jams with Pearl Jam At Made In America Festival

(hennemusic) Pearl Jam closed out the inaugural Made In America festival in Philadelphia Sunday night.

The event was curated by rapper, songwriter, record producer and entrepreneur Jay-Z, who named the 2-day festival after one of his collaborative tracks with Kanye West.

Jay-Z joined Pearl Jam during the Seattle rockers' encore, as the two performed a rocked-up version of his 2004 track, "99 Problems." Watch it here.

KISS Share Live Footage

(hennemusic) KISS continued their summer tour of North America with Motley Crue with a show on Saturday at the Klipsch Music Center in the Indianapolis suburb of Noblesville, Indiana.

KISS have offered up front row footage of their opening number, "Detroit Rock City."The classic track is featured on the band's latest reissue, "Destroyer: Resurrected," the group's 1976 multi-platinum, landmark album that has been newly remixed from the original master tapes by the album's original producer, Bob Ezrin.

Ezrin pulled the tapes from the vaults and painstakingly remixed the entire album, enhancing the sound and bringing out its rich texture and vibrancy, while keeping the integrity of the original recording intact. watch it here.

Metallica Share Live Wherever I May Roam Footage

(hennemusic) Metallica played two shows in Edmonton last month as the band wound down its summer concert activity.

The band brought along its extensive, career-spanning stage from the recent 8-show run in Mexico City, which featured a variety of props and effects used over the past 30 years.

Metallica are sharing footage from the second Edmonton date, on August 18, including video of the tuning room and the 1991 "Black" album classic track, "Wherever I May Roam," from the concert. Watch it here.

Rush Release The Wreckers Lyric Video

(hennemusic) Rush have released a lyric video for "The Wreckers," the new single from their latest album "Clockwork Angels."

The Canadian rockers are currently gearing up to kick off their North American tour, which begins September 7 in Manchester, NH.

The project's companion piece, "Clockwork Angels: The Novel," by Colorado-based sci-fi author Kevin J. Anderson and Rush drummer/lyricist Neil Peart, had its world premiere book launch in Toronto on August 23. Watch the video here.

Steel Panther Release Another DVD Clip

(hennemusic) Steel Panther have offered up the second full-song preview of their forthcoming live DVD, "The British Invasion."

Fans can now watch Panther's performance of "Asian Hooker." The band was captured in concert in London, England in 2010 for the set, which was directed by Daniel E. Catullo III, who has previously worked with artists like Rush, Chickenfoot, Godsmack and Alter Bridge.

"The British Invasion" will be issued on September 28th in Australia and New Zealand, and the rest of the world on October 22. Watch the video here.