Travis Barker Skipping Blink-182 Tour Over Fear Of Flying

"I still haven't gotten over the horrific events that took place the last time I flew when my plane crashed and four people were killed, two being my best friends." he said. "I gave the band my blessing to take another drummer if they still wanted to do the tour without me." more on this story

Original Heart Lineup Reuniting For Rock Hall?

Original Heart guitarist Roger Fisher told fans via his Facebook page that the original lineup of Heart will be reuniting for the upcoming Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

While there has been no official word out of the Heart camp (e.g. Ann and Nancy Wilson), Examiner reports that Fisher told fans on Facebook on Saturday, "I haven't seen anyone announce it yet: THE ORIGINAL HEART LINEUP WILL PLAY AT THE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME INDUCTION CEREMONY."

It appears that the posting has since been removed from the page. The Rock Hall induction ceremony is set to take place on April 18 at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles with Chris Cornell of Soundgarden inducting Heart. Read the Examiner report here.

Fleetwood Mac Will Be Releasing New Music

Fleetwood Mac will not only be playing new music on their upcoming North American tour, they plan to release new music as well.

Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks spoke with Fox News about plans to record a new album and they say that it is up to the fans reactions to the new songs they already have done.

"We're gonna go out and put a few of these things out on stage… and we'll make them available online, and we'll see if it takes on a life," Lindsay said.

Stevie said, "Lindsey and I spent four days together at his house working on three songs and it was great," she said, "We had the best time." Ultimately, she says reaction to the new material may influence a decision about further recording.

"If the public loves this — if they love these three songs and we get back from them that they want more — then maybe we'll do more," Nicks said.

"If they just sort of like it and enjoy it, and it's not a big deal, then we'll have had a great time doing these three songs and maybe we'll just make music for ourselves." Watch the interview here.

Rush Announce Summer Tour

(hennemusic) Rush have announced a series of summer tour dates for North America as a second leg to their Clockwork Angels Tour.

The tour will visit an additional 15 cities from June to August; the second leg will begin in Hershey on June 21st and wraps up on August 4th in Kansas City.

Rush will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame on April 18 in Los Angeles. Following the Induction ceremony, Rush kick off their Clockwork Angels North American Tour 2013 on April 23rd in Austin, TX and will visit Ft. Lauderdale, Orlando, Nashville, Raleigh, Virginia Beach, Baltimore, Uncasville, and Atlantic City this spring. more on this story

Dave Matthews Band Reveal Summer Tour Details

The news that Dave Matthews Band fans have been waiting for has arrived, the band has announce the details for their 2013 summer tour.

The tour is set to kick off on May 17th in Woodlands, TX and will conclude on September 8th in Mountain View, CA.

Prior to the tour, the Dave Matthews Band will play a trio of dates in the South that includes a headlining performance at the 2013 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival on April 28.

The band will be touring in support of their latest album, Away From The World. more on this story

David Bowie Releasing New Song Next Week?

(Gibson) He hasn't come out and said it, exactly, but it looks very, very likely that David Bowie's next single will be "The Stars (Are Out Tonight)" and that it will be released on February 26.

The official David Bowie Facebook page updated over the weekend to show an image of a vaguely Bowie-like character (that also looks like something out of a Tool video), with '02:26:13' posted above it. You don't have to be a World War II codebreaker to put two and 26 and 13 together and come out with 'next week.'

The track will be the second to be released from Bowie's forthcoming surprise album, The Next Day, which is due in March. It's Bowie's first album of new material in over a decade, and by all accounts it appears it will feature many of Bowie's more recent band members, including Earl Slick, Gail Ann Dorsey and Gerry Leonard. more on this story

Overkill Tour Plans Sidelined By Frontman's Pneumonia

Overkill have been forced to cancel tour dates after frontman Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth was diagnosed with walking pneumonia.

The band had this to say, "We are terribly sorry that we had to cancel our performance last night, but let's put the rumors to rest, before speculation runs rampant.

"Blitz was diagnosed with what is called 'walking pneumonia', and was medically advised to not perform due to it potentially getting worse if he did. When the health risk is no longer an issue, he'll be ready to kick ass once again."

Voivod Cancel Live Dates For Medical Reasons

Voivod have been forced to postpone their upcoming live plans so frontman Snake (Denis Belanger) can recover from a medical procedure.

Snake has undergone a procedure to treat Diverticulitis, which the U.S. National Library of Medicine lists as "small, bulging sacs or pouches of the inner lining of the intestine (diverticulosis) that become inflamed or infected. Most often, these pouches are in the large intestine (colon)."

The band had this to say, "Voivod has had to postpone any shows for the immediate future as Snake needs four-six weeks rest due to a procedure for diverticulitis, a common digestive disease.

"This affects the MS Benefit in Ottawa and the SXSW shows, this should not affect the Santiago, Chile MetalFest appearance in April More tour news to be announced shortly."

Dillinger Escape Plan Releasing New Album in May

The Dillinger Escape Plan announced on Monday that they plan to release their new studio album, "One of Us is the Killer" in May.

"One of Us is the Killer" was recorded in Southern California with longtime producer Steve Evetts (Glassjaw, The Cure, Suicide Silence), with additional production at guitarist/co-founder Ben Weinman's studio.

The album is set to be mastered by Tom Baker (Deftones, Nine Inch Nails, Beastie Boys).

The band has also announced a series of live appearances including an appearance at the New England Metal & Hardcore Festival and the - Golden Gods Awards w/ Metallica, Anthrax, etc more on this story

Scorpions Explain Download Festival Offer Rejection

(Classic Rock) The Scorpions rejected an offer to play the Download festival this summer. Talking to Classic Rock, guitarist Rudolf Schenker explained the band's decision as being down to two reasons.

"We were asked to play on the first day (June 14), when Slipknot will headline. The problem was that we would have been on the second stage, not the main one. This would have meant us not having the chance to bring over a full stage set, and that isn't something we were prepared to consider. We'd be cheating the fans, and feel we are worth a bit more than being anywhere other the main stage.

"There was also a financial problem, because what we would have been paid wasn't very good at all. So we reluctantly turned it down."

The band recently finished their final world tour. It lasted three years, but didn't include a single UK show. And nobody it appears is more disappointed than the band. more on this story

KISS, Motley Crue and Korn Lead Rock Fest Lineup

KISS, Motley Crue and Korn have been announced as the headliners of this year's Chippewa Valley Rock Fest in Wisconsin.

The 20th annual music festival is set to take place on July 18,19,20,21st at the Festival Grounds in Cadott, WI.

The headliner for the opening night has yet to be announced but the lineup also includes Seether, Halestorm, The Offspring, All That Remains, Megadeth, Stone Sour, Hellyeah, Whitesnake, Skillet and more. See the lineup details here.

Enslaved Trapped By Blizzard

Enslaved had some bad news for fans planning to see them tonight (February 19th) in Toronto, the band have been trapped by a blizzard and had to pull the plug on the show.

Guitarist Ivar Bjørnson told fans yesterday "simply can't believe it; we're trapped in a blizzard at the US/CAN border near Winnipeg. We've been here for a full day now - meaning there is no chance of making tomorrow's show at The Opera House in Toronto; even if the weather should turn around dramatically during the next few hours.

"We're completely devastated as we sit on the bus waiting it out. We can't believe we'll miss what was for sure going to be one of the very highlights of this tour."

No word at press time if they will have to cancel any of the other three remaining dates of their Winter Rite tour with Pallbearer, Royal Thunder and Ancient Vvisdom more on this story

Ba Ba Booey and Jon Hein's New Vh1 Classic Show Premieres This Week

VH1 Classic sent over the details for one of their new shows, For What It's Worth, which is set to premiere on Thursday (February 21) at 10pm.

The show is co-hosted by Gary Dell'Abate, also known as "Ba Ba Booey" of the Howard Stern Show, and Jon Hein (who famously coined the phrase "Jump the Shark"). The network sent over the following:

Armed with an insanely impressive knowledge of music and television history, Gary and Jon attempt to put a price on what many consider the most invaluable memorabilia in pop culture, including Jack White's personal vinyl collection and a celebrity hair lock vault (seriously).

Blow the dust off your old vinyl because VH1 Classic is digging through pop culture collectibles with hosts Gary Dell'Abate and Jon Hein, to find out what they're really worth in the new series, "For What It's Worth." Premiering Thursday, February 21st at 10 PM on VH1 Classic, "For What It's Worth" will explore the intricate world of music and pop culture memorabilia, and the mind of "The Collector." more on this story

Cult Of Luna Plan Limited Edition Vinyl Release

Cult Of Luna have set a March 26, 2013 US release date for a limited edition vinyl version of their album, Vertikal.

The U.S. version gatefold LP will be limited to only 1,000 copies and will be foil-numbered and priced significantly lower than the currently available import vinyl.

Vertikal was originally released digitally and on CD through Density Records on January 29, 2012.

The band have a number of European tour dates coming that include dates later this month and in March, April and May more on this story

Journey Celebrate 35th Anniversary of Infinity In The Studio

(hennemusic) Journey mark the 35th Anniversary of their 1978 release, "Infinity," on the latest edition of In The Studio.

The band's fourth album introduced new vocalist Steve Perry to the Journey lineup, who shared vocal duties with former lead singer and keyboardist Gregg Rolie on songs like "Feeling That Way" and "Anytime."

"Journey already had a lead singer," emphasizes Perry. "I wasn't brought in to replace anyone."

"Infinity" is generally viewed as the album that helped propel Journey towards the mainstream, with Perry ready to take the reigns as the band's frontman. more on this story

Joe Bonamassa Launches Blues Masters

Joe Bonamassa has officially launching the Guitar Center's Blues Masters contest for aspiring blues artists.

Bonamassa will choose 10 musicians from the online submissions to fly to Los Angeles and perform with his band.

Based on these performances, one winner will be named, earning a Grand Prize package including an opening slot at Joe Bonamassa's headlining show in Los Angeles this fall, $10,000 cash, tons of gear and more.

Hear what Joe Bonamassa has to say about the program here.

Almost 50 Bands Added To Download Festival

(Classic Rock) Download festival organisers have added 49 bands to the bill for the 2013 event at Donington Park on June 14-16.

Along with Papa Roach, who leaked the news of their appearance last month, the stack of new names includes Europe, Skin, Uriah Heep and Newsted.

Europe will return to make up for their cancelled set last year after heavy rain meant their gear arrived on time but the band didn't. Frontman Joey Tempest said at the time: "The flight was two-hour delayed from Sweden so the guys were very late. Then we hit traffic on the way here. It was very close but in the end we had to postpone. We didn't want to go on and play one or two songs – we wanted to play a good set."

They'll join headliners Iron Maiden, Rammstein and Slipknot at the hallowed Leicestershire location for the 11th edition of the event that replaced Monsters Of Rock in 2003. Check out the lineup

Trail of Dead Go Around The World In Lost Songs Video

...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead have released a new music video for the title track to their latest album, Lost Songs.

The video collage shows the band's 2012 tour around the world-- in 125 seconds, there's footage of the band in three continents and nearly 20 countries. Watch it here.

If you prefer to see the band in person and live in the UK or Europe, you are in luck as the band are currently touring across the UK with The Cribs and will he launching their own UK and European tour in March with support from Ribozyme. more on this story

Rare TV Interview With Deep Purple's John Lord Streaming Online

BraveWords are streaming a video from a rare 1969 Canadian TV interview with the late Deep Purple legend Jon Lord.

The interview aired in April 1969 and features Lord discussing music and culture in Britain versus North America.

Deep Purple was touring in support of the The Book Of Taliesyn (released October 1968) on some dates supporting CREAM.

Deep Purple had already achieved moderate success on their 1968 debut album Shades of Deep Purple. Watch it here.

Iron Maiden's Eddie Appears At Rio Carnival

(hennemusic) Iron Maiden mascot Eddie attended Carnival last week, the world-famous festival held in Rio De Janeiro before Lent every year and considered the biggest carnival in the world with two million people per day on the streets.

Although Carnival (Carnaval in Portuguese) is celebrated in towns and villages throughout Brazil and other Catholic countries, Rio de Janeiro has long been regarded as the Carnival Capital of the World. The Rio Carnaval is not only the biggest Carnival, it has also a benchmark against which every other carnival is compared and one of the most interesting artistic events on the Globe.

Rio Carnival is a wild four-day celebration, 40 days before Easter. It officially starts on Saturday and finishes on Fat Tuesday with the beginning of Lent on Ash Wednesday after which one is supposed to abstain from all bodily pleasures. Carnival with all its excesses, celebrated as a profane event, can be considered an act of farewell to the pleasures of the flesh. It usually happens in February, the hottest month in the Southern Hemisphere, when the Rio summer is at its peak. See the photo of Eddie here.