Doors Members Planning To Perform Together Again

Afterwards Krieger told Rolling Stone: "We're talking about a show – a tribute to Ray for his birthday, February 12. We're going to try and get something together." more on this story

Video of Metallica's Antarctica Show Goes Online

(hennemusic) Metallica performed in Antarctica on Sunday as part of a Coca-Cola Zero-sponsored promotional event, and video of the full performance has surfaced.

Metallica set a world record on December 8, 2013 by becoming the first and only band in history to perform concerts on all seven continents in under a year.

"This was the most unique show Metallica has ever done," posted the group. "The band, contest winners, research station scientists (from Russia, South Korea, China, Poland, Chile, Brazil and Germany), and the ship crew, all crammed in this little dome out on the helipad of Carlini Station in Antarctica! The energy in the little dome was amazing! Words cannot describe how happy everyone was."

Metallica's dome performance was transmitted to the audience via headphones with no amplification. Watch the video here.

Paul Di'Anno Only Retiring From Iron Maiden Performances

(Classic Rock) Paul Di'Anno says he didn't mean he was retiring when he announced he was retiring. Instead, the colorful frontman insists he only meant he was going to stop performing Iron Maiden songs.

The news emerges almost exactly a year after he told fans he was "pulling the plug" in 2013. And last week he reiterated via Facebook: "For anyone who doesn't already know, I am retiring. But there are still have a bunch of shows to do that could not physically be placed into 2013."

But in a video interview with Metal Force, Di'Anno says: "It's not an actual retirement retirement. All I'm doing is retiring the Iron Maiden sh*t. I'm sick of it. I'm f**king done, mate.

"It was a nice gesture to say thank you on the anniversary of the Maiden albums and it got out of control." He explains further here.

Pixies Announce New Bass Player

(Classic Rock) Pixies have named Paz Lenchantin as their replacement for Kim Shattuck, who departed just four months after replacing co-founder Kim Deal, who left after 27 years in the band in June, with management saying she'd "just had enough" of the trials and tribulations of life in the band.

Muffs member Shattuck last week reported: "Super disappointed to learn that my time with the Pixies ended today. Amazing experience." While the band haven't commented on her departure, they say of Lenchantin's arrival: "Joining the Pixies as touring bassist for the North American, South American and European summer concerts will be Paz Lenchantin (A Perfect Circle, ZWAN, The Entrance Band).

"We are really looking forward to playing with her on these dates. Working with different bass players is very new for the band, but we're having a great time doing it."

The official statement lists the Pixes as consisting of Black Francis Joey Santiago and David Lovering. They'll return to the UK for London's Field Day festival in June. Meanwhile, they've released a video for recent track Another Toe In The Ocean. Watch it here.

Monster Magnet Cancel North American Tour Dates Due To Illness

(hennemusic) New Jersey rockers Monster Magnet have cancelled the final four shows of their first North American tour in ten years due to an illness with frontman Dave Wyndorf.

"Full on flu," explained Wyndorf to fans in the announcement. "Voice-killer, gig-destroyer... I'm so sorry. I hate it more than anybody. We'll make it up, I swear."

"We are all totally bummed the rest of the tour is cancelled," added guitarist Phil Caivano. "Dave is really sick. We were trying to go day to day, only for him to get worse. I'd like to thank everyone who came out and all of you who planned to. No one is more bummed then us. We will be back."

See the canceled dates here.

Alter Bridge Announce North American Tour Dates

(hennemusic) Alter Bridge have announced the initial dates of a 2014 US tour. Shows begin April 14 in Dallas and currently run to May 1 in Minneapolis, MN; more concerts will be revealed soon.

Alter Bridge recently wrapped up a headlining tour of Europe in support of their new album, "Fortress." The record debuted at No. 12 on the US Billboard 200 chart following first week sales of 30,000.

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

Unreleased Jon Lord Song Premieres Online

(Classic Rock) The estate of late Deep Purple icon Jon Lord have released "As Tears Go Passing," a previously unheard track from the Jon Lord Blues Project's 2011 live album.

It was recorded at Rottweill, Germany in May 2011 during their brief tour of the country, on which he was accompanied by Maggie Bell, Zoot Money, Miller Anderson, Colin Hodgkinson and Pete York.

His management explain on his official website: "Jon Lord Blues Project fulfilled Jon's desire to branch out from his orchestral world and focus on the Hammond organ through a series of club gigs across Central Europe."

Listen to the track here.

Coverdale Celebrates 40th Anniversary Of His Deep Purple Stage Debut

(Classic Rock) Whitesnake frontman David Coverdale has commemorated his first live show with Deep Purple by posting a special tribute on the homepage of his website.

Coverdale – the so-called "singing salesman from Redcar" who was plucked from obscurity to replace Ian Gillan – made his stage debut with Mk III line-up of Purple 40 years ago today, on December 9, 1973.

The singer has posted the following message on the Whitesnake website: " It was 40 years ago this very day, December 9, 1973, when I had the indescribable honour of walking on stage with the extraordinary talents of Ritchie Blackmore, Jon Lord, Ian Paice and Glenn Hughes at the KB Hallen in Copenhagen, Denmark for the very first time.

"The Burn album had yet to be released, but it showed the balls of the guys in the band to go out and play brand-new, unheard songs to a rapturous Danish audience. An unforgettable experience for me."

Watch Coverdale performing Burn with Purple at the California Jam in 1974 here.

AC/DC Classic May Upset Holiday Chart And Slade To Cash In

(Classic Rock) Former Slade members Noddy Holder and Jim Lea are in line to be paid £800,000 this year for iconic track Merry Xmas Everybody, 40 years after it was first released.

The songwriters continue to rake it in from royalties, with over £500,000 already earned during 2013. The Pogues' Fairytale Of New York is the second-biggest grossing seasonal single of the year, with Mariah Carey in third place.

Meanwhile, an online campaign to send AC/DC classic Highway To Hell to the UK number one spot for Christmas has led to bookmaker cutting the odds on the moment taking place. Paddy Power set the chances at 11/2, with only the as-yet unidentified X Factor winner and pop star Lily Allen doing better. more on this story

Avenged Sevenfold Preview Their Animated Series And Deathbat Game

(TeamRock Radio) Avenged Sevenfold have released a teaser video for their upcoming animated TV series entitled Hail To The King after their most recent album. The show features a storyline which leads up to the starting point of their upcoming video game Hail To The King: Deathbat, due early next year.

Frontman M Shadows explains: "The animated series is funny stuff – we hope it gives you something entertaining to watch over your holiday break. We felt this was the best way to tell the story and give you an idea about the type of game we're creating.

"We didn't feel passionate about doing a full-on typical music game. We wanted to do something differen so we came up with the idea of turning some of our songs and art work into a living, breathing, evil world. We wanted to bring the story of the Deathbat to life and allow you to control its destiny."

The game includes unlockable artwork and seven new tracks – but Shadows warns: "These aren't metal songs. The're theme songs for each level and they're done in an old-school video game fashion with a new-school twist." Check out the video preview here.

New Supergroup Celebrates Sunset Strip's 80s Glory Days

(Gibson) A new '80s supergroup will pay tribute to the classic hits of the era, hitting up casinos across North America after an initial run in Vegas. The band, Let It Rawk, features Black N Blue/ex-Warrant vocalist Jaime St. James, Stryper guitarist Oz Fox, Dokken/Quiet Riot/Great White bass player Sean McNabb, and Slash & The Conspirators drummer Brent Fitz. The anchor of the band is guitarist/creator/producer Stacey Blades (ex-L.A. Guns), and the band will feature floating members including Twisted Sister guitarist Eddie Ojeda and original Bullet Boys drummer Jimmy D'Anda.

Let It Rawk celebrates Los Angeles' legendary Sunset Strip in its 80s rock glory days via a new multi-media show. They'll play the music of such hair-band legends as RATT, Motley Crue, W.A.S.P, Dokken, Stryper, Guns N' Roses, Black N Blue, L.A. Guns, Bon Jovi and Warrant.

The show debuts at the Chrome Showroom at Santa Fe Station and Casino, 4949 North Rancho Drive, Las Vegas, on Saturday, January 18, and will play in Vegas a few times a month before hitting casinos nationally later in 2014. more on this story

Macaulay Culkin Returns With Pizza-Themed Velvet Underground Tribute

(Radio.com) For all those people wondering what Macaulay Culkin has been up to lately, it seems he's been working on his music. Specifically, pizza-themed renditions of Velvet Undergound songs with his band The Pizza Underground.

The band, which formed in early 2012 and recently played a Lou Reed tribute at New York's Sidewalk Cafe, has taken a few of the more well known tracks like "Stephanie Says" and made them sound a lot more delicious. That one in particular is now called "Papa John Says," which is about getting stuck with a mushroom pizza even though you specifically said no mushrooms.

The Nico led "These Days" has been turned into "Cheese Days," while "Femme Fatale" has been transformed into "Pizza Gal," a song about a girl who will eat you out of house and home: "Better hide your slice. She'll eat it all so you have none. It's no fun."

They've even given a few of Lou Reed's solo tracks the pizza treatment. Reed's song "Perfect Day" is now "Pizza Day" while "Walk on the Wild Side"has been turned into "Take a Bite of the Wild Slice," complete with a mention of Pizza Hut's cheese-filled crust and a kazoo solo by Macaulay himself.

Listen to their demo and try not to get hungry here.

Chris Cornell To Perform On Letterman

(hennemusic) Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell has announced that he will perform on CBS-TV's The Late Show With David Letterman next Monday, December 16.

Cornell will play his song "Misery Chain", which appears on "Music From And Inspired By 12 Years A Slave", the soundtrack to the new pre-Civil War film based on the true story of Solomon Northrup.

"I was moved by this film and the story in a way that transcends any film experience I have ever had," says Cornell. "I was inspired to write a hundred different songs, but finally landed on one based on what I believe is an extremely important message I took from this man's journey. Compassion, basic human rights and love must be our priorities above race, religion or commerce. Every generation needs a reminder of that simple idea." more on this story

Bob Dylan's Historic Stratocaster Sells For Almost $1M

(Classic Rock) The electric guitar played by Bob Dylan at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965 has sold at auction for nearly $1m. Dylan caused a storm of controversy when he put down his traditional acoustic instrument and plugged in the Fender Stratocaster for three amplified songs in Rhode Island.

Festival founder George Wein tells the BBC: "He changed the structure of folk music. The minute he went electrics all these young people said, 'Bobby's going electric – we're going electric too.'"

Dylan lost the guitar when he left it on a plane 48 years ago. The pilot, failing to receive instructions from the musician's management, kept hold of it, and a legal battle over ownership was settled out of court recently. more on this story

Agent Streaming New Album Online

(Prog) Prog is proud to present the UK premiere of Agent's album Kingdom Of Fear, released this week. Agent also appear in the December edition of Prog, on sale now.

It's the London-based Kiwis' second full-length record, which has been available in New Zealand and Australia for some time. It follows their debut album Expand/Contract and two EPs, all launched before the four-piece relocated to England in 2008.

We've described their work as "a hip-shaking groove that melts into moreish vocals" but you can decide for yourself – and you can also grab a free download of their track Made Of Gold as part of Incendia Management's Christmas compilation.

Listen to the album here.

Blues Icon Aaron Moore Dies

(The Blues Aaron Moore, said to be the last Mississippi-born blues pianist in Chicago, has died at the age of 95 after a battle with cancer, his family has confirmed.

He backed a host of big name musicians during his career, including B.B. King, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf and David 'Honeyboy' Edwards. Michael Frank, boss of his label Earwig, tells the Chicago Tribune: "Aaron was a serious two-handed player with a strong left hand. A lot of blues piano players are good on the right hand; not too many are navy on bass. He was a master at that. He was a great boogie-woogie player and a real strong singer too."

He'd been born in 1918 on a Mississippi plantation and learned piano from his mother. In 1951 he moved to Chicago and his first gig was with pianist Roosevelt Sykes, who became his mentor.

One of the reasons Moore didn't achieve the notoriety of his colleagues was because he refused to jack in his day-job with the City of Chicago's sanitation department, which he held for 36 years. He released his first solo album, Hello World, via Delmark in 1996 following his retirement. Three years laters came Boot 'Em Up, after which he moved to Earwig and recorded for a number of other artists. more on this story

Neil Young and Crazy Horse To Headline Summer Festival

(Classic Rock) Neil Young and Crazy Horse will return to the UK next year to headline the British Summer Time festival that will be taking place at London's Hyde Park on July 12.

It had previously seemed likely that the band would never be seen again in Britain following the cancellation of shows in August as a result of guitarist Poncho Sampedro breaking his hand.

He'd earlier said: "My gut tells me this is really the last tour. I hate saying their ages, but I'm 64 and I'm the baby of the band." But now it's been confirmed that Young and Crazy Horse will lead a bill. See who else has been announced.

Chick Willis Dead at 79

(The Blues Chick Willis, best known for his 1972 track Stoop Down Baby, has died after a battle with cancer. He was 79. The guitarist and singer, cousin of CC Rider creator Chuck Willis, found fame when he won an Atlanta, Georgia talent contest in 1956, leading to the release of his first single, You're Mine.

He later played with Elmore James and continued to release tracks, with Stoop Down Baby receiving acclaim but little airplay due to its sexually explicit lyrics.

His most recent album was this year's What's To Become Of The World. He won a number of awards during his career including the Living Blues Awards' Live Performer in 2006 and 2010. more on this story

Nektar Kicking Off 2014 With A European Tour

(Prog) Veteran prog outfit Nektar will tour Europe next month in support of latest album Time Machine. The eight-day trek kicks off with a show at the Borderline in London on January 8, and follows a string of successful US appearances earlier this year.

Frontman Roye Albrighton says: "We can promise high-quality performances wherever we play. I know I speak on behalf of the band when I say we're all looking forward to it."

The lineup currently consists of Albrighton, drummer Ron Howden, keyboardist Klaus Henatsch and bassist Lux Vibratus. Check out the tour dates and a video here.

Springsteen, Nirvana and Vedder Spotlight Jake Clemons

(Radio.com) Over the past two years, Jake Clemons has been winning fans over a few thousand at a time, as one of the saxophone players in Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band. In the wake of the Clarence Clemons' 2011 passing, anyone playing a sax on Springsteen's stage is walking on hallowed ground. In Jake's case, it's a bit deeper than filling in for an icon, as Clemons was his uncle. When he plays the burned-in-0ur-memory solos in classics like "Born To Run" and "Thunder Road," he's both paying tribute to his uncle's legacy and keeping it alive.

But Clemons is also forging his own musical path: on his downtime from the E Street Band, he began work on his debut EP, Embracing Light, released earlier this month. The singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist tells Radio.com that he started working on his own music in 2010, but had to put his own project on hold when E Street came calling.

"Picking up again with my band this year was really exciting, we hadn't been together for two years," Clemons said. "I had been recording songs in hotels all over the world and sending them back to the guys in the states."

Despite being the nephew of a legend, his career in rock and roll was far from a guaranteed thing. Though Clarence was a legend, Jake's musician father actually frowned on rock music in a big way.

"My father, being in the Marine Corp Band, so I was into [marching] band music," he explained. "John Philip Sousa, that was my first introduction to music. Classical music was what we'd listen to in the car a lot, and then gospel — Shirley Caesar and Andraé Crouch. We weren't allowed to listen to rock and roll. I was taught as a young person that it was noise, and it was bad. My first experience with rock and roll was [going to see the] E Street. Seeing that as an 8-year-old, it blew my mind, I remember it being really loud, I had never been exposed to distorted guitars before. The communal experience of it was what really blew my mind. That's what stuck with me."

A few years later came another revelation, courtesy of another family member. "He [my brother] is seven years older than me, and I was in his car and he was blasting [Nirvana's] Nevermind over and over again, and I decided that I needed to find some value in this," Clemons explained. "And I found that thing, and by the time I got out of the car, I was in love with that record. Hearing Kurt Cobain sing was the realest thing you could hear. That just opened up my world completely. Even my understanding of how to enjoy music, I would go out of my way to find things that I didn't love initially, because people like it! Somebody likes it! What is it that they're really finding? The '90s, for sure, was a really big influence on me. It was my first love for rock music."

But it was another vocalist who convinced Clemons that he, too, could get on the mic. "I didn't become a singer until I heard Glen Hansard in the movie Once," he said. "That blew my mind. Glen Hansard has an amazing voice, it's an expression of: 'I'm going to be vulnerable and honest and this is real.' That's also what stuck with me about Kurt Cobain."

In a bit of cosmic coincidence, it was one of Cobain's bandmates who gave Jake the encouragement he needed to stick with songwriting. Shortly after he began writing songs, singing and playing guitar, he was performing some of his originals at a wedding that Dave Grohl happened to be attending. "He heard me play a few of my songs, and came and approached me afterwards and said, 'You're a great songwriter.' That changed my whole world."

As if his personal rock history could go more full circle, it was yet another Seattle legend — alongside Hansard — that helped Clemons get through his darkest hour.

"I had a hard time coming out of my bedroom after Clarence passed away, it was a really difficult time, and I certainly wasn't looking at playing my saxophone," he said. "Through the kindness of their hearts and their care for me, Glen Hansard and Eddie Vedder [they toured together in 2011] gave me a call and asked me to come out of my room and bring my sax. There was a moment on stage when I played with them in Philadelphia where… I always understood the saxophone as an extension of myself and a communication device, but that night it became something enormously bigger than that. I was able to have this euphoric sense of being with my uncle again [they all covered Springsteen's "Drive All Night" together that night], and that sense of healing was something I was desperate for."

Robert Plant Releases Fifth Episode Of Zirka Web Series

(hennemusic) Robert Plant has issued the fifth episode in his new 8-part web series, "Zirka", which documents his 2003 trip to perform in Mali and the Festival In The Desert.

Plant appeared at the famed festival alongside Ali Farka Toure, Tinariwen and many others. The latest episode opens with Plant and band playing "Win My Train Fare Home", before sharing footage of some of the other performers.

Watch episode 1 of "Zirka" here, episode 2 here, episode 3 here, and episode 4 here and the latest episode here.

Amplifier Release Live 'Where The River Goes' Video

(Prog) Amplifier have released a video to accompany their live performance of Where The River Goes. It's taken from their 15-track digital album, Live In Barcelona, on sale now via their Bandcamp page for £4.99.

The two-hour show was recorded in May at the Salamandra 2 club in Barcelona. The band say: "This was such a great little gig – there were only about 200 people there but they knew how to make a band rock their pants off.

"The recording came out quite nice, but essentially it's a bootleg. We hope we always sound this good…"

Amplifier – who are currently working on their fifth album – appear at the inaugural Beyond The Redshift festival in London next year alongside curators Cult Of Luna, God Seed, Amenra, Bossk, Blueneck and others. Watch the video here.

Motorhead Releasing Shiraz Wine In Sweden For Limited Time

(hennemusic) Motorhead are giving Swedish fans a Christmas present. The band has announced that their Motorhead Shiraz wine brand is available in Sweden for the month of December only.

From Australia and launched in 2011, Motorhead Shiraz has a very fruity aroma with flavours of vanilla, blackberries, plums, eucalyptus and liquorice. It is full-bodied with soft rounded tannins and packs a real punch.

"The wine reflects Motorhead's spirit," says drummer Mikkey Dee. "Like the band, this wine is rock hard on the outside, but dark and intriguing on the inside."

"Approach it with caution," adds Lemmy. "I mean, wine is deceptive, anything could happen." more.

Singled Out: Darling Parade's Crash & Burn

Today Kristin Kearns from pop/rock group Darling Parade tells us about the song "Crash & Burn" from the deluxe edition of their album "Battle Scars & Broken Hearts," which was just released. Here is the story:

"Crash & Burn" first came about as an idea for a pre-chorus. We were on tour and Nate was taking a driving shift. I was itching to write, so I grabbed a guitar and played in the passenger seat. Then together we came up with the chords, vocal melody, and lyrics for that section, which was only a couple of lines.

Fast forward to a few months later and we had just decided to write and record a full length album. We have been through a lot of ups and downs as a band, so when we all got together and wrote the album (with producer Jon King), the rest of the words just kind of blurted out.

It was an interesting song to write, we would tackle a few lines, get completely stuck and have to move on to another song. The last day of writing, after almost giving up completely, we remembered how happy we were with the pre-chorus and decided to spend as long as it took to finish the song. It ended up being one of the strongest songs on our record and my personal favorite to perform.

Pre-chorus: "You had me right where you wanted me. Thought you knew me better, better than I ever"

It talks little about how we had felt betrayed at times as a band and the trials we overcome almost daily. Ultimately we wanted to express how deeply determined we are. We won't let anyone or anything stand in our way.

"Watch and learn, you're gonna crash and burn when you hit the bottom"

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