KISS and Nirvana Lead 2014 Rock Hall Inductees

"To the KISS Army, Ace, Peter, Eric Carr, Vinny, Mark, Bruce, Tommy and Eric Singer, Bill Aucoin, Doc McGhee and to my partner of 40 years, the ever youthful Paul Stanley...and all the members of the KISS Family," added Gene Simmons. "This honor is for you. 40 years of Rockin' and still going strong." more on this story

Dave Matthews and Jakob Dylan Form Supergroup

(Radio.com) The Nauts is a new band that brings together folk-rock hero Dave Matthews with rock & roll progeny Jakob Dylan, best known for his work with band the Wallflowers and the fact that his dad is revered music icon Bob Dylan.

News of new band was released by Mix (via Rolling Stone), which reported that The Nauts grew out of a casual jam session with the two artists alongside guitarist Charlie Sexton, his brother Will Sexton and drummer Brady Blade At Blade's Shreveport, LA, studio. The Mix article also serves as the band's bio on the Shreveport music website UNSCENE! (rumors have the band making its live debut in Shreveport as part of the UNSCENE! concert series).

Charlie Sexton, who had a solo career as a teenager in the '80s with singles like "Beat's So Lonely," already has ties with the Dylan family, having played lead guitar in Bob Dylan's tour band back in the late '90s/early 2000s as well as sporadically from 2009 through the elder Dylan's 2013 tour. more on this story

Slipknot Can't Explain Jordison's Departure

(TeamRock Radio) Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor has admitted to frustration over the departure of drummer Joey Jordison. He's upset at not being able to explain the situation to the band's fans, but he's not allowed to discuss it.

And he's vowed they'll record an album in 2014 as planned – although the songs Jordison wrote for it won't appear. The sticksman's move, made for "personal reasons," was confirmed in a shock statement last week.

Now Taylor tells 93X: "I can't really talk about it right now. It's still so fresh, and there's a lot of things going on behind the scenes that people don't know about. So, legally and respectfully, I can't say a lot about it.

"It's difficult. But if people can bear with us we'll cross that bridge when we can." But he did have a more positive outlook on the band's new album. Check out what he had to say here.

Avenged Sevenfold Release Animated Series

(TeamRock Radio) Avenged Sevenfold have launched their animated series based on recent album Hail To The King. Fans can now view all six episodes online: Wager Of The Gods, Rise of Andronikos, The Crown Awaits, Traitor Amongst Us, A God Usurps and The Deathbat Awakes.

It's intended to set the scene for upcoming video game Hail To The King: Deathbat, due early next year. Last week frontman M Shadows said: "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."

The game is set to include new A7X music, although Shadows said: "These aren't metal songs – they're done in an old-school video game fashion." Watch the animated series here.

Red Hot Chili Peppers Plan Super Bowl-Sized Pregame Party

(Radio.com) Get ready for a Super Bowl-sized pregame party with one killer soundtrack. The night before Super Bowl XLVIII kicks off at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, the Red Hot Chili Peppers will headline WFAN's "Big Hello to Brooklyn" show at the Barclays Center on Saturday, February 1, 2014.

New Politics, MS MR, J Roddy Walston & the Business and Basic Vacation will also play the concert hosted by New York's pioneering sports radio station (a Radio.com station).

Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith joined WFAN morning show hosts Boomer Esiason and Craig Carton to announce the concert today (December 16), the band's first show in New York in almost ten years.

"We're not on tour right now," Smith told the hosts. "We've taken a little time off, but this is a big event, it's a very exciting weekend for New York." Ticket details and more.

Queen Planning Unreleased Freddie Mercury Music Project

(hennemusic) Queen guitarist Brian May recently revealed that the band have discovered more unreleased Freddie Mercury material in their vaults, and now he's sharing an update on the planned project.

"Well, there's something coming. I'm not really quite sure what it is yet," May tells Rolling Stone. "I don't know if there's a whole album. There's a piece of an album. We were looking at putting together a compilation of the more unusual and yet memorable Queen tracks. Things that weren't singles that have become or stayed popular through the years. That's the way it started and then we unearthed a few tapes of Freddie singing and us in the studio that we never finished off. We thought we got to the end of it with [1995's] 'Made in Heaven'. But there are a few other things which have turned up. So the album may turn out to be a mixture of some unusual things from the past and some very unusual things which no one has heard at all."

May and drummer Roger Taylor are recording new backing tracks to the Mercury material, just as they did for the "Made In Heaven" album. "Roger and I have both been working on tracks in our spare time," he says. "A couple of them have Michael Jackson on as well, which adds another layer of interest. Freddie and Michael singing together and experimenting in the Eighties."

"Michael used to come see us a lot," began May, explaining how the two camps connected. "He was a big big fan, especially of Freddie, and Freddie and Michael got on real real well. Michael was very impressed with our lighting rig, I remember. I can't remember which tour it was. We had pods of lights that moved above the stage that had pilots in them. He said, 'I'm stealing that,' and sure enough on the 'Victory' tour they had something very similar. But Michael really was very fond of Freddie and sort've idolized him. Michael really felt he wanted to be a rock star." more on this story

Def Leppard Pour Some Sugar On The Voice

(hennemusic) Def Leppard members Phil Collen, Vivian Campbell and Rick Allen performed the band's 1987 smash, "Pour Some Sugar On Me", on The Voice Monday night, and video of the appearance is available.

The band were joined by Voice coaches Adam Levine, Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green and Blake Shelton for the song, which kicked off Monday's show, the first of a two-part season five finale.

The 2-hour program was the final night of fan voting for Voice finalists Jacquie Lee (Team Christina) and Team Adam's Tessanne Chin and Will Champlin; a winner will be crowned Tuesday on the season's final broadcast. Watch the video here.

Alter Bridge Announce New North American Concerts

(hennemusic) Alter Bridge have announced a pair of new dates to their 2014 US tour schedule. The band will play Chicago's House Of Blues on April 28, and The Arvest Bank Theatre in Kansas City on May 2.

The dates follow last week's news of the initial 2014 US tour schedule, which starts April 14 in Dallas. In addition, Alter Bridge have also announced their first shows in Japan. The group will play Tokyo's Liquid Room on February 18 and Osaka's Umeda Club Quattro on February 19.

The Japanese dates mark the band's first live shows of 2014. Alter Bridge recently wrapped up a headlining tour of Europe in support of their new album, "Fortress." more on this story

U2 Reveal New Version of Ordinary Love

(hennemusic) U2 have posted a Paul Epworth-produced version of "Ordinary Love", a new song written for the movie "Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom." The British music producer, musician, and songwriter is primarily known for his work with Adele ("21"), but he has also collaborated with the like of Paul McCartney, Bruno Mars, Cee Lo Green and others.

Bono was in South Africa this past week to join those paying tribute to Nelson Mandela at Tuesday's memorial service. "In Ireland," he says, "A wake is never without humor, but it's fair to say we lean heavily on the melancholy... one thing I love about Africa is they accompany the departed with dancing, lots of it, and music full of joy."

On Thursday, "Ordinary Love" was nominated for a Golden Globe Award and the band wanted to share Epworth's new version. "We think Paul Epworth's mix is a very soulful, uplifting one and we hope our audience will agree," says Bono. "Nelson Mandela's life and times meant more to me than I can ever tell you, I would need a hundred songs to do that... but this complicated little love song to Winnie and South Africa is the one that landed on our lap. I want to thank the Hollywood Foreign Press for believing in us and the film. This is truly a great honor." Listen to the song here.

Halestorm Bringing Influences To Next Album

(TeamRock Radio) Halestorm are gearing up to start writing what will be their third studio album and drummer Arejay Hale says it's going to be influenced by the material on their recent covers EP.

They laid down their own versions of Judas Priest's Dissident Aggressor, AC/DC's Shoot To Thrill, Fleetwood Mac's Gold Dust Woman and Marilyn Manson's 1996 for the six-track ReAnimate 2.0.

"It's really a challenge: we have to take these songs and turn them into Halestorm songs – which is almost like training for us," Hale tells Billboard. "On the first covers EP we did Slave to the Grind by Skid Row, and that inspired us to write Love Bites: 'Let's write our own song with this kind of energy.'

"So it's inspiring for us to learn other people's songs. It's great training for any band – it starts the creative juices for your own stuff." Find out when they plan to begin work on the album here.

Geoff Tate To Rock Vaudeville Style

(Gibson) Geoff Tate will perform Rock And Vaudeville at five shows across three nights at The Triple Door in Seattle on May 1, 2 and 3. The show promises to tell the history of rock, done Vaudeville style.

"See the rock songs you love from the ones you grew up to what's paying today sung by rock legend Geoff Tate from the internationally famous band Queensryche, all while watching aerialists, burlesque dancers, go go dancers, drag queens and circus performers show their stuff."

Tate's version of Queensryche (featuring former Quiet Riot/Ozzy Osbourne bass player Rudy Sarzo) have announced a new run of dates in January for the 25th anniversary of the album Operation: Mindcrime. more on this story

Katatonia Unplugging For Upcoming Tour

(Prog) Katatonia have confirmed they'll take Dethroned And Uncrowned, their reinterpretation of 2012 album Dead End Kings, on tour next year. Their Unplugged & Reworked trek will include two UK dates in May.

Dethroned And Uncrowned was funded by a Pledge campaign and saw the band stripping the songs from Dead End Kings back to their roots then rebuilding them to maximum prog effect. And the album, released in September, has proved so popular that the Swedish outfit are taking it on the road, playing a set which will also include new versions of tracks from throughout their career.

Guitarist Anders Nystrom says: "Many people appreciated how we dethroned and uncrowned Dead End Kings. They have been hoping – and insisting – the same should be done to our older albums." Find out their response that fan desire here.

Beatles U.S. Debut 50th Anniversary Event Planned

(Gibson) New York City will host a four-day event this February in honor of the 50th anniversary of the Beatles' famed first trip to the U.S. The event, dubbed NYC Beatles 50, is set for Feb. 6 through 9 and will feature a collection of Beatles-friendly tribute shows at different venues around New York City.

A few of the planned shows include a star-studded concert, called "America Celebrates The Beatles, All-Star Concert," on Feb. 7 at the Apollo Theater in Harlem and a two-day event, named the "Across the Universe" Beatles Music Festival, on Feb. 8 and 9 that will feature an all-day series of performances by a variety of artists.

The folks behind the event have invited 50 bands from 50 different countries to be a part of the festivities. Admission to most events is $50 or less. Proceeds raised during the four days will go towards the Food Bank for New York City. more on this story

Kings of Leon Rock SNL

(Radio.com) Kings of Leon took to the SNL stage for the third time in their career to perform two tracks from their latest album Mechanical Bull. The Brothers Followill rolled out the rock stomper "Temple," before slowing things down with the power ballad "Wait for Me."

The pre-holiday holiday episode featured host John Goodman, which marked his 13th time hosting the show. His first was in 1989 with musical guests The Reclines, a Patsy Cline tribute band fronted by k.d. lang.

The term "full circle" doesn't really apply, but Kings of Leon have worked more toward adding a country tinge to their sound. Just check the latest video for "Beautiful War" and see how country they've come.

Check out the replays of the SNL performances here.

Lou Reed Remembered by Velvet Underground Bandmate

(Radio.com) It has been two months since Lou Reed lost his battle with liver disease, and his former bandmates and musicians continue to mourn. While both Patti Smith and Bono eloquently eulogized Reed back in November, Velvet Underground drummer Maureen Tucker shared her memories of the frontman and songwriter with The Guardian.

Having met Reed through her brother, Tucker said she got together with Reed and Sterling Morrison by accident when their original drummer left before a gig in New York in 1965.

"Sterling said, 'Oh, Tucker's sister plays drums.' I lived way out on Long Island and they came out there from the city to see if I could keep a beat. That's how it happened," she recalled.

Tucker said the band never formally discussed their direction, instead they just made music no one else was making.

"Lou had a reputation, for sure. He was tough and he could be grumpy and b***chy, but I've come to realize that his b**chiness came out when there was incompetence about. Didn't matter if it was a waiter or a record producer, he'd rip someone apart if things weren't up to scratch."

But as tough as he was, Tucker also remembered him being encouraging and generous. "He was a good friend through everything. We had this brother-sister type relationship in the group, and it lasted long after the group split," she explained. "It was one of those friendships where it didn't matter if you didn't see each other a lot. We'd meet up after two years or five years and it would be like we'd seen each other last week. As you get older, you come to realise that that kind of friendship is rare, so I miss him a hell of a lot. It's just dawning on me that he's not out there any more." more on this story

Transatlantic Release Yes Cover

(Prog) Transatlantic have released their cover of Yes track And You And I as a sneak preview of what to expect on the Progressive Nation At Sea cruise next year.

The event, which stars Portnoy Sheehan MacAlpine Sherinian, Adian Belew's Power Trio, Devin Townsend Project, Kings' X, Spock's Beard, The Flower Kings and many others, is headlined by Transatlantic and former Yes frontman Jon Anderson.

They're planning to team up for a grand finale at the end of the cruise that takes place from February 18 to 22. Mastermind Mike Portnoy says: "One of the highlights is certainly going to be Transatlantic and Jon Anderson joining forces for a set of Yes classics." more on this story

Last Of The Bihari Brothers Dead At 88

(The Blues Modern Records co-founder and producer Joe Bihari, one of the men who discovered B.B. King, John Lee Hooker and many others, has died at the age of 88, it's been confirmed. He was the last surviving Bihari brother.

He created Modern in 1945 alongside his siblings Lester, Jules and Saul as a side-project of an already-successful jukebox business. Over the coming decade he was instrumental in recruiting stars of the future through his regular journeys through the American South.

The Biharis also discovered Etta James, Elmore James and Ike Turner and their labels expanded to include Meteor, Crown, Flair and RPM. The Washington Post notes Joe once saying: "Sometimes I travelled with Ike – I bought him a Buick Roadmaster, gave him some of my custom-made suits, a salary of a hundred dollars a week and an expense account." more on this story

Heart Expand North American Tour Plans

(hennemusic) Heart have announced six more dates for their 2014 US Tour. The new concerts are scattered throughout the band's previously-revealed schedule, which starts January 31 in Shawnee, OK.

Heart just wrapped up their 2013 live shows with a Vancouver date and a special hometown holiday concert at Seattle's Benaroya Hall that was recorded by AXS TV.

"Heart and Friends: Home For The Holidays" featured performances by Sammy Hagar, Shawn Colvin, Richard Marx and Train's Pat Monahan. The Seattle concert will air on AXS TV on Wednesday, December 25 (Christmas) at 8 p.m ET (5 p.m. PT.) See the tour dates.

Journey Guitarist Neal Schon Weds On Pay Per View

(hennemusic) Journey guitarist Neal Schon's wedding to Real Houseviwes Of D.C.'s Michaele Salahi happened in San Francisco on Sunday, and the event was available live via pay per view.

The San Francisco Chronicle reports the televised "Winter Wonderland Wedding and Music Event" at the Palace of Fine Arts featured performances by Journey and Tower of Power.

Among the 356 guests in attendance were Journey bandmates Arnel Pineda and Jonathan Cain, Sammy Hagar, the Grateful Dead's Bob Weir, and R&B singer Brian McKnight. more on this story

Jake E. Lee Returns to the Stage and Planning More Concerts

(Gibson) Jake E. Lee has returned to the live stage with the debut performance of his new band Red Dragon Cartel at Hollywood's Whiskey A Go Go last week and the band are planning for more live shows.

"Based on a huge buzz created by the band's very first show, our agency's phone rings all the time and we will have tons if gigs in the USA before and after the MOR cruise," the band says. "Our European tour will start in Italy on May 3rd and end at a major festival in the U.K. on June 15. After that some more USA and then Japan and Asia in middle of July, then USA again and then Europe again. RDC will be busy!"

The core band consists of Lee, Smith, bassist Ronnie Mancuso and drummer Jonas Fairley, while the album (which is due on January 27 via Frontiers Records) also includes appearances from Paul Di'Anno (ex Iron Maiden), Rex Brown (Kill Devil Hill, ex Pantera), Todd Kearns and Brent Fitz (Slash), Scott Reeder (ex Kyuss), Maria Brink (In This Moment), Jeremy Spencer (Five Finger Death Punch), Tom Petersson (Cheap Trick) and Sass Jordan (SUN). more on this story

Cadillac Three Announce UK Tour

(The Blues Southern rock upstarts Cadillac Three have announced that they will tour the UK starting in February, following their debut London appearance earlier this month.

They'll continue to support the release of debut album Tennessee Mojo with five dates on which they'll open for Eric Church. Frontman Jaren Johnston says:

"We had an absolute blast when we were in the UK. We had no idea how we would be received, but to sell out our first headline show was really something. Then to hear the crowd singing back our lyrics in accents we'd never heard before – that just gave us chills." more on this story

Tinsley Ellis Offers Up Free Song Download

(The Blues Tinsley Ellis is offering fans a free download of his new track "Peace And Love", which comes from upcoming album Midnight Blue, ahead of the album's release next month.

The blues rocker's 10-track record is officially released on January 13th in the UK and was recorded with the assistance of keyboardist Kevin McKendree (Delbert McClinton, Brian Setzer), bassist Ted Pecchio (Tedeschi Trucks Band) and drummer Lynn Williams (Delbert McClinton).

Midnight Blue is the second release on Ellis' own label Heartfixer Music, and follows his well-received all-instrumental album Get It! Check out the tracklisting and the free download details here.

Apocalyptica Release 'Stormy Wagner' Video

(Classic Rock) Apocalyptica have released a video for their track Stormy Wagner. It's taken from their album Wagner Reloaded, recorded in Germany last year when the band were joined by the Leipzig Symphony Orchestra, ballet dancers, actors and theatrical performers in a spectacular live show celebrating the work of composer Richard Wagner.

Cellist Eicca Toppinen says: "It's complex to record a live album with an orchestra, because there are so many lines, microphones – and there's one stupid drummer who beats the s*** out of the drums and creates so much noise that everything is spoiled afterwards…

"But we prepared well in advance, and Sven Helbig, the orchestrator, did a great job in making it run together. It works." Wagner Reloaded is on sale now in CD, vinyl and digital formats. Watch the new video here.

Singled Out: Black List Union Tell Story Behind 'Alabama Slammer'

Today Tony West from Blacklist Union tell us about their single "Alabama Slammer" which comes from their third album release "Til Death Do Us Part." Here is the story:

Alabama Slammer is about a love gone wrong. My ex-girlfriend who is from Alabama basically took my heart and slammed it on the ground. I do have my part as well but it took me a long time to realize that. The lyrics are "eastbound train to Smith station" she's from Smiths Station, Alabama. Nobody seems to know where that is. The next line is "like June says times a wasting ". I am a huge fan of Johnny Cash and June Carter and that's a direct influence from them obviously.

"So was the time I spent crying over you" is the next line. It's pretty self-explanatory. The next line is "staring out the window breathing heavy on the glass contemplating how long it'll take you to get out". When she left me I remember literally staring out the window that was on our front door and breathing on the glass thinking about how long it was going to take her to get out of my heart. I really suffered through that break up.

"I don't love you"is the next line which is basically me having to bulls*** myself into believing that I don't love her and don't care just to survive. Then with the chorus to truth comes out. 'Cos no matter how hard I fight it I still love her. "You are the only one my heart still burning from our love blindsided by the sun Alabama Slammer I was a loaded gun my love is real I won't run blindsided by my mind Alabama Slammer" are the lyrics for the chorus . That chorus is like a confession almost. Like the old song "Missing You" how in the end he says "I've been lying to myself I still miss you" at the very end of that song after about singing how he doesn't miss her. In this course the truth comes out. "I was a loaded gun" is really special lyric because it just reminds me that I have to take responsibility for my own actions cause indeed I did have my part in it to.

The next versus almost like an angry verse where it says "there's a stranger sleeping next to me fooled myself it was meant to be smoke and mirrors southern belle don't even know herself" . From this lyric not only can not only did I fool her but she sure did fool me.

Alabama Slammer is definitely one of my favorites. I wrote all the lyrics and melodies and Mark Fane wrote the music for this one.

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