Michael Anthony Hurt By Van Halen Snub

"I think it lasted for maybe a day. They were trying to erase some of the history to make way for the new thing. That hurt a bit. Everything else, it's kind of like a marriage." [That Metal Show] More rock news

AC/DC Legend Bon Scott To Receive Hometown Honor

(hennemusic) Legendary AC/DC singer Bon Scott will be honored with a statue in Kirriemuir, Scotland, his birthplace and home in his early years.

The Daily Record reports Kirriemuir community group DD8 Music, which organizes the annual Bon Scott music festival in the town, has asked sculptor John McKenna to design a statue as a lasting tribute.

"It's early days, but it's a great honor," said McKenna. "Bon Scott was an icon from my teenage years." more on this story

Full Slash Concert Streaming Online

(hennemusic) Slash played a series of dates across Australia last month as part of his world tour to promote "Apocalyptic Love."

Slash's August 25th show at the Sydney Entertainment Centre was filmed by Moshcam, and the complete concert is now available for fans to check out.

The 2.5 hour show featured tracks from the guitarist's career, including tunes from Guns N' Roses, Slash's Snakepit, Velvet Revolver and his two solo albums. Watch it here.

Black Country Communion's Final Show?

(Classic Rock) Black Country Communion will play a one-off show on January 5 next year in Wolverhampton and there's a chance it could be their final appearance.

Glenn Hughes, Joe Bonamassa, John Bonham and Derek Sherinian have made three albums in their two-year existence under the guidance of producer Kevin Shirley. The last of those, Afterglow, is released on October 29 – and Hughes recently explained he'd been left with most of the writing duties because Bonamassa was too busy with his solo career.

That, plus the fact the blues guitarist doesn't have time for more tour dates with BCC, has led Hughes to speculate the band might be over. He said: "I need to be in a band that tours on a regular basis. If I had a magic wand I'd wave it over everybody's head and go, 'Hey, you guys, we're going to go and do 200 shows and we're going to be a huge rock'n'roll band globally.' It's not gonna happen." What else is on tap for Hughes?

Why Wolfgang Van Halen Joined Creed's Tremonti

(hennemusic) Creed/Alter Bridge guitarist Mark Tremonti made the most of a bad situation this week when bassist Brian Marshall advised his band - on 24 hours notice - that he was unable to join them for the tour in support of Tremonti's debut solo release, "All I Was."

A bit of good luck was on Tremonti's side, as a good friend of his happened to be in the city when he received the news.

"It was an amazing turn of events," said Tremonti. "We had no time to rehearse for this tour. We were just gonna roll right into it. We were gonna get together at our buddies'… Eve To Adam was another band that was on tour with us with Creed, and they were nice enough to say, 'You can use our rehearsal pad.' So we rushed into the rehearsal pad. And that day, Brian had something personal come up and he was, like, 'Man, I'm really sorry, I can't do the tour.' And we were just kind of like, 'Ahh… I love you, man, but, man, this is really bad timing.'"

"And these guys kind of whispered to me, 'Wolfgang [Van Halen] is in town with the Sevendust guys, just rocking in the studio with them,'" he continued. "So I immediately called him and he was, like, 'Hey, how're you doing, buddy?' I was, like, 'Not so good.' [laughs] So I said, 'Brian can't do the tour and I heard you're around. What do you think?' And he's, like, 'Are you kidding me?'" Read more and watch a video interview with Mark and Wolfgang

Randy Rhoads DVD Preview Goes Online

(hennemusic) "Randy Rhoads: The Quiet Riot Years" is a new book from Quiet Riot's personal photographer/lighting director Ron Sobol and a preview trailer for the accompanying DVD has been posted online.

Enhanced by a collection of Sobol's photographs along with singer Kevin DuBrow's personal memorabilia, the photo journal captures Quiet Riot's journey to superstardom, a story that first began on March 3, 1975 when Dubrow first met Rhoads.

In words and rare, unpublished photographs, the book brings readers inside Randy and Kevin's struggle to make it out of Hollywood and onto the world's stages.

"Randy Rhoads: The Quiet Riot Years" comes with a 90-minute DVD documentary with multiple bonus features. Among those features are highlights from a never-before-heard Randy Rhoads guitar lesson. Watch it here.

Thin Lizzy Working On First Album Without Phil Lynott

(Classic Rock) Thin Lizzy will debut new material when they play a show in Dublin in December, by which time they'll have finished recording their first album without Phil Lynott.

Guitarist Scott Gorham has revealed plans to unveil their latest tracks when they return from studio work with big-name producer Kevin Shirley, due to start in a fortnight.

Lizzy currently consist of veterans Gorham, Brian Downey and Darren Wharton behind former Almighty frontman Ricky Warwick, Marco Mendoza and Damon Johnson. The lineup has also included Def Leppard's Vivian Campbell and Guns'n'Roses' Richard Fortus. more on this story

New KISS Dolls Coming

(hennemusic) Part 2 in a new series of KISS action figures is on its way. Figures Toy Company is about to introduce KISS Series 2 action figures, reminiscent of the action figures first released in 1977-1978 by the Mego Toy Company.

These figures will have rooted hair, cloth clothing, 16 points of articulation and are based on the KISS' 1974 self-titled debut album.

"I never understood why 8 inch KISS action figures were not produced back in the 1970's when The Mego Toy Company had already released the 12 inch versions," says Figures Toy Company CFO Anthony Balasco. "Our second release will have the retro look from the 1970's but updated with more detailed costumes. Future releases will cover all time periods in KISS's 40 year musical career from 1972 to 2012". more on this story

10 Years Get ShipRocked

10 Years and The Letter Black have been added to the lineup for the fourth annual ShipRocked.

Billed as " the ultimate rock music cruise vacation" the cruise will set sail from Fort Lauderdale, FL November 27th.

This year's lineup includes: Godsmack, Korn, and Five Finger Death Punch, along with P.O.D., Sevendust, Filter, Fuel, Pop Evil, Lit, Helmet, In This Moment, Geoff Tate, The Halo Method, Dead Sara, Gilby Clarke, and Andy Wood & The Amalgam. More info.

Sharon Doesn't Force Ozzy To Tour

(Classic Rock) Ozzy Osbourne isn't forced to tour by his wife Sharon, says daughter Kelly. She comments:

"That's just what people write when my mum doesn't give them the money they want. it's all politics because they can't stand that a woman is smarter than them.

"He says he's done halfway through every tour he's ever been on, but as soon as he gets him he says, 'When am I going on tour again?' He was born to do it." [WZLX 100.7] More rock news.

Rolling Stones Christmas For Carnaby

(hennemusic) In celebration of their 50th Anniversary, The Rolling Stones are collaborating with London's Carnaby Street for the 2012 Christmas installations including a Rolling Stones pop up shop.

The Christmas public art will consist of huge 3D spheres suspended throughout Carnaby Street containing gold and silver vinyl records emblazoned with the Stones' iconic artwork and album covers. The Carnaby arches will also be dressed with the Stones' iconic tongue and lips logo. The outdoor installation tells a visual story from the band's creation in the 1960s to the present day.

The installations will launch on November 8 and will be in place until January 6, 2013. more on this story

Joe Bonamassa Releasing Double Album

Provogue Records have set an September 24th UK release date for the new double album from Joe Bonamassa: Beacon Theatre Live From New York.

The 20 track album will be released as a 2 CD and double vinyl album for the very first time. Noble sent over these details:

The festivities kick off with 72nd St. Subway Blues, followed by Slow Train, from 2011's solo album Dust Bowl, plus fan favorites Midnight Blues, Dust Bowl, Bird On A Wire, Blue & Evil, Mountain Time, and many more. Beth Hart performs with Bonamassa on I'll Take Care of You and Sinner's Prayer. John Hiatt joins Bonamassa on Down Around My Place and I Know A Place, while Paul Rodgers (Free, Bad Company), is featured alongside Bonamassa on Fire And Water and Walk In My Shadows. more on this story

Details Surface About Alleged Assault By Grateful Dead's Mickey Hart

(TMZ) TMZ has obtained police documents in the assault case involving former Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart -- in which the alleged victim tells police he was beat up on Mickey's tour bus.

According to the document, the accuser told police in Mercer, Kentucky ... he owns the tour bus and was renting it to Hart.

The accuser told cops Hart's manager had called him over to the bus on Sept. 7 because Mickey wanted to "talk" with him.

When the accuser entered the bus, he claims Mickey directed him to the back section ... shut the door behind him ... and proceeded to beat him up.

The accuser does not explain why Hart allegedly exploded ... but says the rocker "threw me down, started [to] cuss [at] me, hitting me, pushing me around then told me to get off MY bus."

We broke the story ... a warrant was issued for Hart's arrest.

Hart claims the whole thing is a crock ... claiming he was baffled by the "bizarre" claim. more on this story

Blackguard Set For Kamelot Tour

Blackguard have added to their world tour plans with their addition to Kamelot's upcoming European tour.

The new European trek will be kicking off on November 2nd in Eindhoven, Netherlands and wrap up in Oslo on the 24th.

Vocalist Paul Zinay comments "We had a blast conquering North America with Kamelot and now it's time to conquer some new territories. We are very honored that we were asked to join them on this tour and we'd like to give our deepest thanks and gratitude to Thomas and all of the Kamelot crew for extending us this invitation. This will be the last tour supporting our latest album Firefight and we can't imagine ending on a higher note than this." more on this story

B Sides

Becoming The Archetype Singled Out Week: The Time Bender

Becoming The Archetype release their new album, "I Am," this week and we asked the band to tells about some of the tracks. Today Seth Hecox tells us about the song "The Time Bender". Here is the story:

When we started the writing process for this album, we had discussed our desire to make the songs very focused and cut out all the extraneous instruments we had on Celestial Completion. We wanted to experiment in a way we hadn't before: we wanted to explore the depths of purely heavy music. So as riffs were written and songs were fleshed out and completed, we all started to realize the lengths to which we could go to craft intensity in song form.

"The Time Bender" was the second song written for the album, musically. We had the lyrics for it before the music was written and in a sense, the music was an expression of the lyrical concept. The idea of bending time and the sort of metaphysical aspect that the concept implies helped to create a direction for the style of this song.

I remember when Daniel first brought this song to practice and played it for us from his phone (he recorded all the pre-production). We were all blown away by the riffs and when that second riff came in, it was a crazy experience. I could almost feel my brain grind against the strangeness of the minor 2nd harmonies. I've been doing this for 8 years and after that length of time, you start to settle into a comfortable area and rhythm with your music. This was so far outside of that sphere of comfortability that I had to wrestle with my feelings on it for some time.

In time, I was able to wrap my head around it and I came to love the fact that our new album would maintain the experimental tradition of BTA. Instead of experimenting with sitars and trombones, we were going to be experimenting with a level of heaviness that we hadn't attempted before. I realized that we were going to be writing songs that were still some of the most difficult things we could play. We were going to be working with riffs that hit you in a new, unfamiliar way. I loved that. We've been making music like that for years and even through a lineup change, we were still embracing that spirit of new frontiers in heavy music.

"The Time Bender" is the most straight-forward song on the record and that's a large reason why we chose to make it the song everyone heard first. We started playing it live this summer as a way of previewing new material for fans. It was the obvious choice because when people hear new music, it's difficult for them to remember much of what they heard, especially in a live setting. So "The Time Bender" was a perfect fit because it wasn't super-long and a few of its riffs repeated. That allowed people to grab onto something and remember some aspect of the song after the concert was over.

Now it'll be the first song released online and we just wrapped up shooting a music video for it. We're leading with our best foot, so to speak. It's our best foot because it's a microcosm of the record: it's uncompromisingly heavy, focused, and showcases that experimentation in heaviness that I spoke of earlier.

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

Vince Neil Jams With Motley Crue Tribute Band

(hennemusic) Motley Crue's tour with KISS continued Thursday in Toronto following singer Vince Neil breaking his foot a night earlier at a concert in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio.

The Ohio incident left Neil with two broken bones in his left foot, which was then set in a cast and the singer was outfitted with a walking boot.

Vince hosted an after party at The Courthouse, and he joined Motley cover band Crued for two songs, including "Smokin' In The Boys Room" and a performance of the band's "Wild Side." Watch it here.

Green Day Perform on Good Morning America

(hennemusic) Green Day performed on ABC's Good Morning America Friday as they make the rounds to promote their forthcoming album, "¡Uno!."

The band ripped through the project's first single, "Oh Love," as well as classics "Holiday" and "Basket Case."

Green Day will release their trilogy of new albums – "¡Uno!," "¡Dos!," and "¡Tré!" - on September 25, November 13 and January 15th, 2013, respectively. Watch the performances here.

Megadeth Releases Live Mustaine Birthday Video

(hennemusic) Megadeth are sharing some behind the scenes video from their two sold-out shows at Estadio Cubierto Malvinas Argentinas in Buenos Aires.

Included is material from the September 13 concert, which was also Dave Mustaine's birthday, and fans can now check out the onstage celebration…as well as Argentina's unique chorus chant of "Megadeth, Megadeth, Aguante Megadeth" during "Symphony of Destruction."

Megadeth will release a new 20th-anniversary edition of the band's most popular album, 1992's double platinum-certified "Countdown To Extinction," on November 6. Watch the video here.

The World According To ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons

(Gibson) No one can say Billy Gibbons doesn't have a way with words. Ask him about the key to ZZ Top's staying power, and you're as likely to get an analysis of hot rod maintenance as you are to hear music-related thoughts about long-term success. Fact is, however, ZZ Top's run of four decades with the same lineup is the rock and roll equivalent of Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak – a record that will likely never be broken. In the choice quotes gathered below, Gibbons addresses that issue, as well as such topics as his love of the blues, his beloved Pearly Gates and some early advice he received from both Alice Cooper and Ike Turner.

On getting his very first guitar, as told to Gibson.com in 2009: "On Christmas Eve in '63, Santa stopped by with a Gibson Melody Maker. While the kids from my neighborhood were into The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, I was trying to learn licks from Little Richard, Muddy Waters and Jimmy Reed records."

On playing with Dusty Hill and Frank Beard for the 1st time, as told to BMG Discovery in 1997: "We wanted to see how our talents mingled. A little 30-minute thing turned into a three-hour jam. When we wrapped it up, we said, 'Well, that felt pretty good. I think we've got ourselves a band!'" more on this story

Sites & Sounds: Willie Nelson for The Railroad Revival Tour

(Kevin Wierzbicki) In late October Willie Nelson will be embarking on a brief tour that may be the most unique of his long, storied career. Willie and support acts Band of Horses, Jamey Johnson and John Reilly will be traveling by train to shows in New Orleans, Duluth, GA (Atlanta area), Memphis, Oklahoma City, Old Town Spring, TX (Houston area), Tempe, AZ (Phoenix area), San Pedro, CA (Los Angeles area) and Oakland. The Railroad Revival Tour offers unique opportunities for fans too; they can purchase special ride-along packages and take to the rails with the musicians. For example, here's what you'll get if you sign on for the first leg of the tour: You'll board the train in New Orleans on October 19 and take a scenic ride through Mississippi and Alabama to arrive the morning of October 20 in Duluth, Georgia where you'll spend the day shopping and enjoying a private tour of the Southeastern Railway Museum. You'll get to attend the bands' soundcheck and see the evening's concert from a private viewing area. Then it's back on the train and a return to New Orleans where on October 21 you'll have a lunchtime jazz cruise on the Mississippi River aboard the steamboat Natchez. To top it off, in the evening you'll see the show again (held in French Quarter-adjacent Woldenberg Park) watching from a VIP area aboard the steamboat. Similarly enticing ride-along packages are available for each tour stop and all packages also include food on the train, complimentary cocktails, on-train live performances from surprise guests and souvenirs like laminated boarding passes and a Railroad Revival Tour travel kit gift bag. Choices for sleeping accommodations aboard the train include bedroom, roomette or dorm. The tour concludes in Oakland on October 28. For a city-by-city list of dates, ride-along activities and price options visit: www.railroadrevival.com/rider