Scott Weiland Reacts To Chester Bennington Replacing Him in STP

He does hint that he's less happy with former bandmates Dean and Robert DeLeo, reporting: "The brothers DeLeo… they can be very persuasive." more.

Disturbed Frontman Drainman Addresses Lemmy Feud Reports

(TeamRock Radio) Disturbed and Device frontman David Draiman has slammed media outlets for spreading a rumor that he has a problem with Motorhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister.

The incorrect story arose after he was asked what he thought of the Motorhead icon's interest in Nazi memorabilia – an emotive subject for Draiman, whose family survived the WWII Holocaust.

Now the singer has spoken out following an incident during Device's current tour. He says: "We were in the middle of our signing at the merch booth when dome guy ran by the table and blurted out: 'Lemmy is God!' then ran off.

"I can only assume this is a result of the false – and I repeat, false – story that Lemmy and I have some sort of beef.

"Let me make myself completely crystal clear: we don't. I have nothing but tremendous respect for Lemmy and all of Motorhead." Draiman continues

Bill Ward Explains Why He Wasn't Part of Black Sabbath Reunion

(hennemusic) In an interview to promote his new rhythm art project, original Black Sabbath drummer Bill Ward explains why he passed on participating in the band's reunion album, "13", and tour.

"I was offered a contract and I couldn't sign it," Ward tells Guitar International. "As for some of the stories — I would never, ever show up for a commitment that I could not do physically. So that should answer that one. In the statement that I did last year, I was quite clear that I came to the end of the road and promised myself and my family that I would never sign a contract that was not workable. It was one of the toughest decisions that I ever had to make. Because I absolutely and without question wanted to play. I haven't left the band. Everybody thinks I have left the band. I didn't walk out; it wasn't like that at all. I just didn't sign the contact and life took its own course."

As a result of Ward's decision, Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler recorded with Brad Wilk of Rage Against The Machine, while Ozzy's solo drummer, Tommy Clufetos, began handling live dates, icnluding the recently-launched North American tour.

There's been talk that the band wanted Ward to join them on the road but only play a few songs each night. "I'm the drummer in Black Sabbath so I want to do the entire show," he explained. "I play all or nothing. Playing partially would kind of be aligning to my demise in Sabbath and minimize me. I'm the drummer in Sabbath and quite capable of doing the job." more on this story

Panic! At The Disco Member Comes Clean About Addictions

(Radio.com) While Panic! at the Disco fans have been celebrating the band's return with new single "Miss Jackson," drummer and founding member Spencer Smith has revealed his four-and-a-half year struggle with drug and alcohol addiction through a detailed letter posted on the band's website.

"I smoked weed and had my first drink in the same night when I was 19. I loved it, and from that point on I made sure to make up for all those years I had spent abstaining," wrote Smith, who has been immersed in recovery efforts while the band has been steadily working on Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die, their fourth album due for release Oct. 8. "I'd think to myself… 'What have I been doing? This is it! This is what I've needed'. I didn't know it then, but it would be the identical reaction to the way I felt while using that would later lead my drug use dominating my life."

Smith went on to explain how prescription medications Xanax and Vicodin came to become part of his daily life, and how deeply he fell into addiction before he was able to finally enter treatment through the support of his band, family and friends.

"My goal in releasing this is to try and relate to anyone who has experienced addiction personally or with a loved one, and to be honest with everyone else," the drummer added, urging anyone suffering from addiction to seek help. Read the full text of Smith's letter.

Richie Sambora Surprises Fans With New Song

Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora surprised fans over the weekend by posting a stream of a brand new song called "Come Back As Me" on YouTube.

Sambora gave no indication what he plans to do with the song, such as release it as a single or part of a new solo album. He introduced the song via Twitter by saying "Since everybody was diggin stuff figured I'd lay something new on ya. And the lyric is pretty timely...."

The "digging stuff" comment referred to fans tweeting links to Sambora songs on YouTube, which he himself was enjoying. On the previous day he tweeted fans "Lotsa cool stuff comin up...keep your heart smilin..."

As for the lyrics being pretty timely, they include the lines: "What do you want me to say, I gave you everything I could give / But everything just wasn't enough, so I just let live and live" and "If I die tomorrow, I would come back as me."

Fans and the media are speculating Sambora could have been referring to his issues with Bon Jovi. He sat out the band's latest tour, dropping out at the last minute due to a "personal matter."

What this new song means for Sambora's future as a solo artist or as a member of Bon Jovi is not yet known. But while fans wait for answers they can enjoy the tune here.

Ian Gillan Says Deep Purple Wouldn't Have Lasted With Ritchie Blackmore

(hennemusic) Deep Purple singer Ian Gillan says the band would not exist if guitarist Ritchie Blackmore hadn't left the group 20 years ago. In the wake of the death of keyboardist and band founder Jon Lord last year, Gillan was asked recently by Buenos Aires, Argentina radio station Vorterix Rock 103.1 if he ever felt the desire to reconnect with Blackmore.

"Not in the slightest," said Gillan. "Yes, we were very much in close touch with Jon; I had dinner with him in Tokyo, I had dinner with him in Paris, we were always sending e-mails to each other, and, of course, the relationship was fantastic. Jon left the band over ten years ago, but he was still very much our personal friend and, of course, the godfather of Deep Purple. As far as Ritchie was concerned, that's a different story altogether. I think we cut the thing…the band was dying."

"If you want to talk about Ritchie, I guess we have to; not many people do these days," he continued. "But the truth of the matter is, from a historical point of view, the band was dying. If Ritchie had stayed in the band, it would have been the end of Deep Purple.

"The shows were getting shorter and shorter, the audiences were getting smaller and smaller. We were playing in small halls, and they weren't even full — they were half empty — and Ritchie was walking off stage every night. And so, when he left 20 years ago, it stopped raining and the sun came out, and Jon Lord, amongst others, started walking up straight again; his personality re-emerged. So did Roger Glover and Ian Paice; they became the people they were originally, instead of fending and cowering in case they upset Ritchie. And so this situation ended, and we're all glad it ended, [and] we had to rebuild."

"And, of course, now the distance of time is so great that we just remember the good times," explained the singer. "And we remember Ritchie as a great player, a great performer, a great writer, and I remember him as my roommate; I used to share rooms with him. But something happened with Ritchie, and that's the end of that. So we remember the past as it was; it was completely and totally different to Jon Lord. And so, no, I have no desire to pick up the phone to Ritchie, or have dinner with him, or meet him in Paris or Tokyo. I hope he's well, and I hope he's happy. And that's the end of it." more on this story

Serj Strikes Down New System of a Down Album Reports

(TeamRock Radio) System Of A Down frontman Serj Tankian insists in a new online chat that there is no new SOAD album in the works, no matter what his bandmates say.

Bassist Shavo Odadjian recently released and then removed a barrage of outbursts on his Facebook page, claiming the rest of SOAD wanted to get into the studio but frontman Tankian was preventing it.

Earlier this week drummer John Dolmayan told an audience in Los Angeles: "Next time we come back here we'll have a new f**king album!" But in a Reddit Ask Me Anything session, Tankian last night stated nothing was underway.

Q: Is it true that there's a new System of a Down record in the making? Tankian: No, that is not true. A quick scan of press online will show that we have not yet agreed on a timetable for another record due to its time commitments.

Q: Can you tell us how much truth there is to Shavo's controversial claim that there has been no new SOAD album "because Serj doesn't want to", and your feelings about the statement coming from a fellow band member and friend? Tankian: Shavo's comments have been redacted by the author :) The truth is above in my first answer.

More of the Q&A here.

Alter Bridge Reveal New Album Details

(hennemusic) Alter Bridge have revealed the cover art and tracklisting for their forthcoming new album, "Fortress", due October 8. The cover was designed by guitarist Mark Tremonti's brother Dan, who has handled all of the artwork for the group.

The band's fourth studio album and first since 2010's "ABIII" was produced by long-time Alter Bridge producer Michael "Elvis" Baskette (Falling In Reverse, Story Of The Year, Incubus).

"When we started pre-production on this album, we pushed ourselves harder and further than we ever have previously in order to make the most out of every individual arrangement," says Mark. "We wanted this album to be our most unpredictable and exciting one yet. From the early feedback we have received, it looks like we have achieved what we set out to do."

See the cover and tracklisting here.

Rush Raise Over Half A Million Dollars At Flood Relief Benefit Show

(hennemusic) Rush's July 24 Alberta Flood Relief Concert in Red Deer has raised more than half a million dollars for the cause. The show, originally scheduled for Calgary, was cancelled due to recent heavy flooding and damage in the Canadian city, so the band rescheduled the concert on the same day in nearby Red Deer.

"Thank you to everyone who supported the benefit show at the Enmax Centrium in Red Deer last week," posted the band. "As well as a special thanks to our partners for this concert – Live Nation Canada, Ticketmaster, and the Enmax Centrium venue who generously donated time, goods and services so that we could raise the most amount of money possible for this worthy cause."

"We are happy to announce the final amount is $575,000 and it will all be donated for Alberta Flood Relief!"

"It is important to be a good neighbour in situations like these, and we are very grateful that we were able to amass such a huge sum that will undoubtedly help many of our fellow Canadians in need," adds Geddy Lee. more on this story

Pearl Jam Producer Discusses Band's New Album

(hennemusic) Brendan O'Brien produced the forthcoming Pearl Jam album, "Lightning Bolt", and spoke with Rolling Stone about how the project came together.

"We started working about a year and a half ago, maybe even longer," he said. "We did about six or seven songs that were ready. My idea was, 'Let's do these songs, make them great and be all excited about them, and then that will propel the band into writing the rest of the songs. We'll get right back and do the rest of them.' Well, that didn't happen. I was not able to get them into the studio for another year and a half."

"They had a lot of things going on," continued O'Brien. "I just don't think they were quite ready just yet to do the whole . . . Once they finish a record, I think they know they've gotta crank the whole thing up. If they're happy with the record, it sort of means they're going to get the whole thing rolling.

"I just don't think they were quite ready to do all of that. They all had various solo things going on. That's the best I can figure. You'll have to ask them. Whatever happened, we got together about five months ago and started back up. We had a group of songs, and we picked from those. The good news is that we had sort of a template of songs that we started in the first session, and we knew we had to do something at least that good, or better. If they weren't rising to that kind of level, we would just move on from there." more on this story

Exodus Begin Working On New Album and Launching Tour

Exodus have announced that they have begun work on their next studio album, which they will be releasing next year and they will be launching a European tour this week.

The band said in a statement that they are "currently immersed in the writing process" for the new studio album and they will update fans as they get closer to entering the studio to record the new album.

They won't be recording this month as they are set to kick off their 17 stop European tour tomorrow at the Resurrection Festival in Santiago de Compostela, Spain.

Exodus guitarist Gary Holt will only be able to join the group on select dates as he is currently playing guitar with Slayer as the thrash legends tour Europe.

The band has announced that Heathen guitarist Kragen Lum will be filling in on guitar at the shows where Holt will be unable to perform with the group.

The tour will visit Spain, France, Italy, Germany, Austria, Netherlands, Belgium, Ireland, Switzerland, England and Sweden before concluding on August 18th at the Motocultor Festival in Theix, France. more on this story

Gregg Allman Aiming For Career First With New Album

(The Blues Gregg Allman is planning to record an album in November and he's aiming to achieve a lifelong ambition when he does. He's always wanted to release an entire record containing songs he wrote himself.

"It's probably a goal of every songwriter in the world: do one record that you totally create," Allman tells American Blues Scene. "You have hundreds – if you need it – different players with you, but you write it all."

Sessions with long-time collaborator T-Bone Burnett were originally set to take place in May, then moved to the end of the year, partly because of the amount of time it takes for Allman to complete songs. More from Gregg here.

Gemini Syndrome Add Dates With Avenged Sevenfold and FFDP

Gemini Syndrome have expanded their upcoming North American tour plans with the addition of a one-off show with Avenged Sevenfold, a festival appearance and more dates with Five Finger Death Punch.

The band has signed on to open for Avenged Sevenfold in Portland on September 7th and have announced that they will be taking part in the Aftershock Festival in Sacramento on September 15th.

Gemini Syndrome has also announced additional dates for their upcoming trek with Five Finger Death Punch. They will be touring in support of their upcoming debut album, Lux, which will be released on September 10th.

The tour will Five Finger Death Punch will be kicking off on September 17th in Medford, OR and will be concluding on October 27th in Colorado Springs, CO. more on this story

Blondie Deny UK Paper's Retirement Plans Report

(Classic Rock) Blondie have slammed a newspaper report that claimed singer Debbie Harry was planning to retire, putting an end to the veteran outfit's career. The Daily Mail quoted drummer Clem Burke saying:

"We've tried to keep it going for as long as possible, but it's just not up to me. Nothing is finalized yet – but obviously there's no Blondie without Debbie Harry."

The Mail added a comment from a band spokesman: "They are on hiatus at the moment and they will do some tour dates next year. Nothing is confirmed yet."

But Blondie have responded with a brief pointed statement on their Facebook page, saying: "No plans to stop working, don't believe everything you read."

In a slightly longer statement they add: "In relation to the recent news articles regarding Blondie breaking up: We want to clarify this rumor has no truth in it whatsoever." They had more to say.

Moreland & Arbuckle Set To Release New Album

(The Blues Moreland & Arbuckle will release their third album, 7 Cities, at the end of the month. Guitarist Aaron Moreland and vocalist-harpist Dustin Arbuckle are joined by drummer Kendall Newby and producer Matt Bayles on a record they describe as their "best-written, finest-sounding and strongest" to date.

The 13-track release tells the story of Spanish explorer Francisco Vasquez de Coronodo, who searched America for the legendary Seven Cities of Gold in the sixteenth century.

Arbuckle says of first track Quivira: "The song is about ascent to power and – as so often happens when people seek great wealth or power – it all crumbles, and they come down. more on this story

Pearl Jam, Arcade Fire and Blur Lead Big Day Out Lineup

Australian and New Zealand fans will have plenty of big name music stars to enjoy for next year's Big Day Out Festival with Pearl Jam, Arcade Fire and Blur leading the lineup.

The 2014 Big Day Out touring music festival will hit major markets in Australia and New Zealand next January and February with Pearl Jam signing on as the headliners.

Organizers announced that Pearl Jam will be playing different sets at each Sydney show. The band will be touring in support of their forthcoming album, "Lightning Bolt," which will be released this fall.

Pearl Jam will be preceded at each stop by Grammy Award for Album of the Year winners Arcade Fire who will be touring in support of their new studio album which will be released in October.

Blur, featuring Damon Albarn, Graham Coxon, Alex James and Dave Rowntree, will be making their first performances 'Down Under' since 1997.

The festival will also feature performances from Snoop Dogg aka Snoop Lion, Major Lazer, Steve Angello, Flume, The Lumineers, Tame Impala Dillon Francis, Mac Miller, Ghost, Grouplove, Flosstradamus, Portugal. The Man, Toro Y Moi DIIV, The Naked And Famous, Big Gigantic, PEZ, Mudhoney, Cosmic Psychos, Northlane The 1975, Loon Lake, Kingswood, Bo Ningen, The Algorithm, DZ Deathrays, Peking Duk, Ben Morris, Rüfüs and additional artists that are still to be announced. more on this story

Hugh Laurie Announce Tour and PBS Special

Hugh Laurie, best known for his role as the title character in the hit FOX TV show House, will be launching a North American tour in October in support of his new album and he will be the subject of a PBS special this week.

The North American tour is scheduled to launch on October 13th in Nashville at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center and will conclude on November 3rd in Atlanta at the Buckhead Theater.

The North American tour will be in support of Laurie's sophomore album, "Didn't It Rain," which will be released in North America on August 6th and like his debut album, "Let Them Talk," it shows the British star's affinity for the blues.

This Saturday, August 3rd, Laurie will be featured in the PBS special "Live On The Queen Mary," which will feature Laurie performing on the Queen Mary in Long Beach, CA and will include songs from his debut album as well as his new effort.

He will be backed on the tour and the PBS special by The Copper Bottom Band, which features David Piltch (bass), Vincent Henry (horns), Elizabeth Lea (trombone), Jean McClain (vocals), and Gaby Moreno (vocals), Herman Matthews (drums) and Mark Goldenberg (guitars).

Laurie recorded his new album, "Didn't It Rain," at Ocean Way Studio in Los Angeles in January and he once again teamed up with producer Joe Henry (Allen Toussaint, Bonnie Raitt, Billy Bragg) who produced his first album.

"Didn't It Rain," includes songs dating back to early pioneers W.C. Handy ("St Louis Blues")and Jelly Roll Morton ("I Hate A Man Like You") to more recent artists such as Dr. John ("Wild Honey") and Alan Price of The Animals ("Changes"). more on this story

Kid Rock Not Surprised By Detroit Bankruptcy

(Radio.com) On July 18, the actual city of Detroit filed for the largest municipal bankruptcy case in U.S. history, and its hometown rock stars are, well, not surprised.

Motor City's $18 billion debt, 78,000 abandoned homes, and steady exodus of population and industry were part and parcel to the historical Chapter 9 filing, and both Kid Rock and Ted Nugent shared their downtrodden, but persevering feelings on the situation with Billboard.

"I don't think people are that surprised with the bankruptcy," Kid Rock told Billboard, "I mean people I know in Michigan. Everywhere else they are. Now that everything's out in the papers and they're giving all the statistics about Detroit and the shape it's in and this, that and the other people outside are like, 'Wow, I had no idea…' They know Detroit's run-down and it's dangerous and it has political problems, but when they start reading the statistics, that's what they really talk about. But I don't think it's a big shock to anybody in the area. We've all known what's going on."

Rock continued, "I guess when I say in 'American Badass' that 'I put Dee-troit city back on the map,' it feels a little different now when I say that because we're always propping up Detroit, trying to focus on the good things, and now it's like it's hit rock-bottom. But what you can do, right?"

The thick skin of Detroit's denizens also extends to outspoken classic rocker Ted Nugent, who was also none too surprised with the bankruptcy. Read what he had to say here.

Grateful Dead Catalog And Rarities Remastered

(Gibson) Deadheads have the chance to get their ears on a few new remastered iTunes packages featuring the Grateful Dead's studio and concert albums broken up into different packages as well as rarities and a digital book.

One, the Complete Studio Albums Collection, offers all the band's releases from their 1967 self-titled debut through 1989's swan song, Built to Last. Another, the Live Albums Collection, offers seven concert albums shot at shows between 1969 and 1990. Other packages include the live rarities collection and the studio collection.

In addition to the music, a new digital book called The Golden Road and Beyond: A Grateful Dead Primer is available on iBooks for free. The book offers essays from The Golden Road and Beyond Description, which were written by Dennis McNally, a Grammy-nominated author and the band's longtime publicist. more on this story

Singled Out: The Paul Pierce Project' Outta Here

Today Paul Pierce from The Paul Pierce Project tells us about the song "Outta Here" from their new album "Pierce My Heart," which has drawn comparisons to Steely Dan and Boz Scaggs. Here is the story:

The first single, "Outta Here" from Pierce My Heart by The Paul Pierce Project is a simple concept about a guy who wanders into his favorite bar, begins drinking and eventually can't find his way "Outta Here." He knows he shouldn't stay, but when you are surrounded by people you know, sometimes it is easier to simply remain in your comfort zone rather than make a life change. In this case he chooses to run from the challenges of life by partying and hiding from difficulties instead of facing them head-on.

The guy in this song just digs deeper and deeper into his vices, while all the time claiming the problem is he can't find his way out of a bar – a metaphor for the thought that life's problems can best be tackled by hiding behind drugs, alcohol, or (fill in the blank with your own particular vice).

As a songwriter who began as a singing drummer, one of my favorite ways to write music is to begin with a groove, a repetitive guitar or piano line accompanied by bass and usually a drum machine pattern, and then, oddly, I just start humming along with it over and over. Within a few minutes I start mouthing nonsensical syllables using the melody I've been humming and actually listen to the syllables I'm saying or singing and begin to hear words developing. What I'm listening for is a lyrical phrase to emerge. And more times than not, it does! I repeat this process over and over until a dominant verbal phrase has emerged. In this case the two words "Outta Here" came out of my mouth with no prior concept that this is what my new song would be centered around.

Shortly afterwards I started saying/singing the words "But I Can't Find My Way..." just before Outta Here, and at that point my HOOK was born! When the concept was complete, we took it into the studio and laid down all the tracks live.

Through the years I've written over 500 songs and have tried writing the music first, or the lyrics first, a drum groove first, a piano line first, a guitar line first, a bass line first, instrumentals with no lyrics, and poetry with no music. And with much experimentation I've learned that my favorite way to create a brand new song is to do it the way I've described above. It is probably not the best way for most people to write music, but I feel as though I'm letting the Spirit channel through me while my inner creativity searches for and finds the best way to say what's inside.

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

Trivium Premiere New Song 'Brave This Storm'

(TeamRock Radio) Trivium have released the new track "Brave This Storm" from their upcoming album "Vengeance Falls" and you can stream it online and even get a free download.

Bassist Paolo Gregoletto recently said their sixth record "never lets up," adding: "In the past we had some records that were a bit of a 180 from the previous one.

"But now we've really learned what works within our band and it's really about improving those things, bettering them each time we go into it.

"With this record, it wasn't a total clean slate; it was really just tightening everything up and bringing everything that makes us Trivium together. Writing the best material and having an album that, start to finish, never really lets up."

Stream the song or grab the free download link here.

Iron Maiden Discuss Fighter Plane Intro In New Tour Video

(Classic Rock) Iron Maiden bassist Steve Harris admits he got goosebumps when a WWII Spitfire flew over the Download stage ahead of their appearance at the festival in June.

The moment astonished fans – and the fighter's pilot – during a weekend which, for the NWOBHM giants, was another stop on their Maiden England tour (albeit an important one).

The band have released a nine-minute tour video in which they discuss their Donington performance and others across Europe. The tour ends in London this weekend with two shows at the O2 Arena. Check out the video here.