Pearl Jam Announce New Album and Stream New Song Online

Produced by Brendan O'Brien, the band have been working on the record – on and off – over the past eighteen months. The album's lead single, "Mind Your Manners", was released yesterday worldwide on radio and you can check out a stream here.

Scott Weiland Announces Summer Tour

Former Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver frontman Scott Weiland has announced the dates for the third leg of his solo "Purple at the Core" Tour.

"Purple at the Core" references the first two Stone Temple Pilots album's "Core" and "Purple" and Weiland has been performing songs from both albums on the previous legs of tour as well as solo and Velvet Revolver material.

This new North American leg will be kicking off on August 2nd at the Viper Room in Los Angeles, the first of a two night stand for Weiland at the famed Sunset Strip venue.

The tour will hit cities in South Dakota, Illinois, Michigan, New York, Virginia, New Jersery, Maine, Pennsylvania, North and South Carolina, Georgia before wrapping up on August 24th in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. more on this story

Tommy Bolin Rarities Album Coming

(Classic Rock) An album of rare and unreleased Tommy Bolin music will be launched next month via Cleopatra Records. Whirlwind includes songs the Deep Purple guitarist was preparing for his third solo album before his tragic death in 1976.

It also features recordings by his jazz-rock outfit Energy and a 26-minute version of Marching Powder, called Marching Bag, from his album Teaser.

Bolin, who also worked with the James Gang and the Billy Cobham Band, among others, died aged 25 in 1976 after a drugs overdose. Check out the tracklist here.

Sammy Hagar Reveals New Album Details and Special Guests

Red Rocker Sammy Hagar has called on some of his friends to appear on his aptly titled new album, "Sammy Hagar and Friends," which is set to be released on September 24th in North America, September 27th in Europe, September 29th in the UK.

Hagar will soon give fans an advanced taste of what is come ahead of the album release with the first single and video "Knockdown Dragout," which features Kid Rock, Joe Satriani and Denny Carmassi.

The album will feature contributions from Hagar's current and past bandmaters including Chickenfoot's Chad Smith, Michael Anthony and the aforementioned Joe Satriani, as well as Montrose's Bill Church and Denny Carmassi.

The album will also feature guest appearances from big names in rock, blues and country including Toby Keith, Mickey Hart, Taj Mahal, Neal Schon, Ronnie Dunn and Nancy Wilson.

The album will be offered in a standard edition with 10 tracks, as well as a deluxe CD/DVD edition that will include a bonus track of "Space Station #5," which was recorded live at the Ronnie Montrose Tribute Concert held on April 29, 2012 in San Francisco, as well as the "Making of" album documentary which includes bonus video of the first single "Knockdown Dragout," and more.

The album will feature covers of Bob Seger's, "Ramblin' Gamblin' Man," and Depeche Mode's "Personal Jesus," as well as new songs including Knockdown Dragout," "Bad On Fords and Chevrolets," "All We Need Is An Island," "Father Sun," and "Not Going Down" which was written for Hagar by Rival Sons frontman Jay Buchanan who's band will be touring with Hagar this summer. Check out the track and guest list

Kings of Leon Releasing New Music Next Week

(Radio.com) On July 17, Kings of Leon will finally deliver new music to their patient fan base in the form of "Supersoaker," the first single from their upcoming album, Mechanical Bull (due September 24).

The guys debuted the track at New York's Governors Ball festival last month with Caleb Followill issuing the comedic warning: "We're going to play a song we never played before. So if we mess it up, it's your fault."

Caleb talked to Germany's JIM video about his band's makeshift Nashville studio earlier this year. "We actually bought this old paint factory and turned it into a studio," he said. "The songs were coming from a good place and we wanted them to be a little more lighthearted than some of the stuff we've done in the past."

Speaking of the spontaneous and organic nature of the album, Caleb explained that because the record studio was so informal, "you could hear a lot of really natural things happening [on the recording]. A lot of times there was somebody in the background shooting basketball."

"I thought we were going to make a really mature album but I'm amazed how youthful it sounds," bassist Jared Followill told NME. "It's like a mix of Youth & Young Manhood and Because Of The Times."

Check out live video from the Governors Ball performance here.

Jason Newsted Was Upset By Some Kind Of Monster

(Classic Rock) Former Metallica bassist Jason Newsted admits the band's controversial documentary Some Kind Of Monster upset him when he first saw it. But on reflection, he wouldn't change a thing about his time with the thrash giants.

The film tells the story of Metallica's internal disputes which saw Newsted quitting in 2001, and charts the course of their recovery and the making of 2003′s St Anger album.

The bassist tells The Classic Metal Show: "I do keep things pretty private – to do that like that and expose yourself in those ways, I did not agree with that. But that wasn't my decision; I was long gone by then. I think there were some pretty unsavoury moments in there.

"I worked very hard for the band. It was always my first priority. I missed some pretty important things, like laying close friends and family members to rest.

"Instead, I would go and do an interview or go and do a photo session, or carry a master tape across the country, because nobody else wanted to do it. 'Just get Jason to do it.' Them guys forgetting that fast…" more on this story

Classic Black Sabbath Albums Being Reissued

(hennemusic) To capitalize on the success and promotion of Black Sabbath's new album, "13," Rhino Records have announced the July 30th vinyl reissue of three of the band's 1970s releases: "Technical Ecstasy," "Never Say Die!" and "We Sold Our Souls For Rock 'N' Roll."

Sabbath's seventh studio album, "Technical Ecstasy," was released in September of 1976. The project continued the band's separation from its signature doom and darkness that had been such a trademark of their early career.

While the album's lyrics dealt with topics such as drug dealers, prostitution, and transvestites, the music itself was seldom dark, including tracks like "Rock 'n' Roll Doctor," "Dirty Women" and "It's Alright."

1978's "Never Say Die!" was the last Sabbath studio album until 2013 with Ozzy Osbourne before he was fired from the group in 1979. more on this story

Rush Apologize For Concert That Was Cut Short

(hennemusic) Rush have issued an apology to fans following Wednesday's weather-shortened headlining set at the Festival D'ete de Quebec. The band were forced to leave the stage towards the end of their second set when an electrical storm approached the Plains Of Abraham.

"My bandmates and I are extremely disappointed and apologetic over the sudden and unexpected ending of our show last night at the Festival D'ete de Quebec," posted bassist Geddy Lee. "The lightning storm that was approaching made it extremely dangerous for all the technicians working the sound and lights and there was a high risk to the audience members as well as the musicians on stage."

"We were enjoying the show tremendously at the time and we were hoping we could get the whole show finished before the storm returned but unfortunately we were unlucky and were forced to end the show for the safety of all concerned," Lee continued. "Thanks to all of our amazing fans for braving the weather and once again our sincere apologies for what had transpired. Hope to see you all again soon!!!" more on this story

AOR Star Brett Walker Dies

(Classic Rock) AOR singer-songwriter Brett Walker has died on the eve of a new album release, it's been confirmed. The news has come just a day after the launch details of Straight Jacket Vacation were announced.

But his label AOR Heaven will release it as planned at the end of August, as his widow believes that's what he would have wanted.

Walker is perhaps best known for penning 1991 Alias song Waiting For Love, which was his first international hit and gained him a BMI Award. He also worked with Jonathan Cain, Jim Peterik, Nick Gilder and others, and created music for film and TV. more on this story

Queens of the Stone Age Release Album on USB Bottle Opener

(Gibson) CDs are apparently "dying" and downloads are on the rise. But there are always new ways to listen to music. Queens of the Stone Age's …Like Clockwork is out on a new format that could see you raising a glass.

Queens of the Stone Age have "re-released" their latest LP on a special edition 8-gigabyte USB flash drive that also doubles as a bottle opener.

You get extra features included on the drive: along with the album recording, you'll get high-resolution photos, original artwork, videos and lyric sheets. And before you plug-in and play, you can crack open a beer. more on this story

Tesla, Y&T, Great White Lead Monsters of Rock Cruise Lineup

(Gibson) The 2014 Monsters of Rock Cruise has just announced its lineup, including Tesla, Y&T, Great White, Firehouse, Eric Martin of Mr. Big and legendary drummer Carl Palmer.

Rock cruises are becoming big business. This is the Monsters of Rock Cruise's third annual outing, scheduled from March 29 through April 2 2014.

Passengers will also be treated to performances from the surviving original members of Ratt, the original lineup of Winger (playing the band's debut record in honor of its 25th anniversary), Cinderella, Slaughter and former Motley Crue singer John Corabi.

The ship's journey begins in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and will make room for a stop in Nassau. It will also include a detour into "a special secret location that's been christened Monster Island." more on this story

Joe Perry, Johnny Depp Appear On Steve Hunter's New Album

(Gibson) Guitarist Steve Hunter has recorded with everyone from Alice Cooper to Lou Reed. Now, Hunter has a solo album out, and the release features an array of blues music that first inspired him to pick up the guitar.

The Manhattan Blues Project offers a collection of special guests, including Aerosmith's Joe Perry, actor Johnny Depp, Chickenfoot's Joe Satriani and former King Crimson bass player Tony Levin.

In a video interview promoting the record, Hunter says he wanted the new collection to reflect his love for both the blues and New York City.

"Most albums I hear in regards to New York generally [are] jazzy, which is cool, but I wanted to do something different," Hunter stated in the video. "I wanted to do something in a bluesy way, because I kind of saw the more soulful part of Manhattan." more on this story

Jonathan Davison Wrote Korn's New Album While Detoxing Off Meds

(Gibson) Korn have announced that their new album, The Paradigm Shift, will hit stores on Oct. 1, and as it turns out, frontman Jonathan Davis says he wrote the new album while getting off anti-depressant medication—a foggy period, to say the least.

"The whole writing process I was on autopilot," he told Rolling Stone . "It was stream-of-consciousness—so many songs I don't know what the … I'm talking about. I didn't really have to try to write, it just came out."

Davis added, "I detoxed off that medication—it was an anti-depressant, the anxiety and stuff. I'd been on it for three years and the doctor told me you gotta get off this, it's bad for you."

The Paradigm Shift will be the first album to feature guitarist Brian "Head" Welch since he left Korn back in 2005. more on this story

Dropkick Murphys Donate Over $300K To Boston Bombing Victims

(Radio.com) After the horrific bombing at this year's Boston Marathon, local punk rockers Dropkick Murphys quickly sprang into action. The band initiated a "For Boston" campaign to raise money for the victims and their families, which included a benefit t-shirt, an April 28 concert at the House of Blues and the Rose Tattoo: For Boston Charity EP which features Bruce Springsteen on the song "Rose Tattoo."

It was announced this week that the Claddagh Fund, the Dropkick Murphys' charitable foundation, donated over $300,000 raised by the "For Boston" initiative to more than 60 people whose lives were changed forever by the Boston Marathon bombing.

"Every single person we had the pleasure of meeting expressed a positive attitude and an incredible sense of perseverance as they work hard to return to the lives they enjoyed before the tragic day in April," said Dropkick Murphys bassist and vocalist Ken Casey, who met with many of the donation recipients. "We were humbled by the kindness of our friends and fans who got behind this cause with so much heart and passion, it was truly an honor to be able to represent them and contribute, even if in a small way, to help these inspirational individuals." more on this story

Mike Doughty Revisiting Soul Coughing Songs For New Album

Mike Doughty has set a September 17th release date for his new album which sees Doughty "re-imagined" songs that he performed with his former band Soul Coughing.

We were sent over these details: Doughty has famously eschewed the band's repertoire as he built a solo career in the years after their 2000 split, but decided to re-explore his old songs after writing his memoir, The Book of Drugs, which was published by Da Capo last year.

The album was produced by Good Goose (Menya, Ninjasonik, Mac Lethal, Homeboy Sandman) and will be released worldwide via Snack Bar (Doughty's own imprint) and Megaforce Records.

The album's title is a list of the songs included: Circles Super Bon Bon Sleepless How Many Cans? True Dreams of Wichita Monster Man Mr. Bitterness Maybe I'll Come Down St. Louise Is Listening I Miss the Girl Unmarked Helicopters The Idiot Kings So Far I Have Not Found the Science.

The album includes songs that originally appeared each of Soul Coughing's three studio albums, as well as "Unmarked Helicopters," a rarity originally written for the X-Files-themed 1996 compilation album Songs in the Key of X.

Doughty says of the reinvented versions of the songs on Circles Super Bon Bon..., "After my memoir, which was full of pain, I picked up an guitar and, by myself, went through the songs I wrote in the '90s -- between the ages of 20 and 29 -- to figure out who I was, where I was, and what I was trying to say. There'll be more of the music I stumbled into, and fell in love with, when I came to New York as an 18-year-old -- an explosion of amazing hip-hop and house music. I can use the weirdness I absorbed as a doorman at an avant-garde jazz club, when I was 21, more artfullly. I think the songs can be better than they were. I can make the actual songs more hearable. I think I can make them more like what I intended them to be."

Following the album's release, Doughty will tour the U.S. with a new band performing these 13 songs and more from the Soul Coughing catalog. Dates will be announced in the coming weeks. Comments from Mike about the album.

Marillion To Be Special Guests at Upcoming Mott The Hoople Concert

(Classic Rock) Marillion have been confirmed as the special guests at Mott The Hoople's upcoming London concert at the O2 that is set to take place on November 18th.

It's the last show in a run of five UK dates by Ian Hunter and fellow original members Verden Allen, Mick Ralphs and Overend Watts. Drummer Dale Griffin is too ill to take part, and is replaced by Martin Chambers of the Pretenders.

The tour follows on from Mott's 2009 reunion shows, their first in 35 years. The main attraction was five nights in London's Hammersmith Apollo, with support from covers band the Down'n'Outz, featuring Joe Elliott of Def Leppard and members of the Choirboys. more on this story

Queen's Brian May Addresses Freddie Mercury Gorilla Art Controversy

(hennemusic) Queen guitarist Brian May has provided an information update on the Freddie Mercury gorilla art statue controversy in Norwich, UK. After investigation the statue issue, the Queen guitarist has posted his thoughts and findings on the matter on Bri's Soapbox.

"The organization that actually puts the whole scheme of 'painted statue animals' together is a company called Wild in Art," he explained. "These guys are not in any sense a charity. They mount these projects on a purely commercial basis. The way it works is - these projects they create enable charities to make some money, as well as bringing visibility.

"So it was Wild In Art who produced this particular gorilla-shaped effigy, which they evidently had someone paint up in a yellow Freddie Wembley outfit and stick some teeth and a moustache on. Now: far be it from me to make an artistic judgement on this - you can form your own opinion - but when the model was first seen, a number of people thought it was a crude and insulting effort - probably to both Freddie and the Gorilla!"

"So when word of this got to Freddie's estate, they asked for an approach to be made to Wild in Art, to ask them if they'd have another go at the painting of the Freddie Gorilla," writes May. "The way it was reported, it looked as if the MPT (Mercury Phoenix Trust) had 'blocked' the deployment of the statue altogether, but actually the issue had nothing to do with the MPT; plus it wasn't a block at all - simply a request for an update to the paint job, to which Wild in Art kindly agreed."

"Now there were accusations of 'pettiness' in the media and on Twitter, but you have to ask yourself how you'd feel if suddenly people were making effigies of your dearly departed dad or son or brother, and you felt they were disrespectful," May continues. "You'd want to feel you had some kind of a right to say yes or no, to protect his reputation. That's exactly what the people who run Freddie's estate do." He continues here.

Singled Out: Pinnick Gales Pridgen's Black Jeans

King's X frontman dUg Pinnick tells us about the song "Blue Jeans" from the acclaimed self-titled album from his new supergroup project Pinnick Gales Pridgen, which also features Eric Gales and Thomas Pridgen (Mars Volta). Here is the story:

I am always writing and recording songs. With this particular song I was thinking of a simple cowboy, country type of song. I always loved the rockabilly look and attitude; plus I was thinking what my interpretation of Johnny Cash would sound like (I know, LOL! It doesn't sound country or like Cash, but that was my inspiration) so I decided to change it up a bit and do it in a 3/4 or 6/8 timing.

I don't write in that time signature very often but it's my favorite time signature. I always tune to drop C, I like the way a guitar sounds at the tuning. The chord structure is very simple; it can be strummed on an acoustic guitar easily, which Eric immediately changed to fit his style of playing. I programmed the drum machine to play a very over-the-top, busy type groove to compensate for the simplicity of the chord structure. I was excited that Thomas immediately took the original drum idea and made it his own thing but kept the emotion that I was looking for. He also suggested we play it faster.

Originally I was thinking of a blue jean commercial when the lyrics came to me. I was thinking "I'm gonna keep my blue jeans on…" and you could tie that in with anything. It was originally going to be "I'm gonna kill myself tonight". That was how I felt at the moment I was writing the lyrics but I decided to change them because I didn't want to be responsible for what those words may have suggested or any misunderstandings. It was later that the Blue Jeans replacement came to me. The verses were inspired by watching FOX, CNN, and Democracy Now, back to back for about a month on cable. It made me realize that the popular consensus is totally and hopelessly controlled by the media, and that there are no honest politicians or presidents. We have all been duped and no one really cares or has time to think about what's really going down. We're spoon fed censored information encouraging people to choose a side that fits their belief system and to enjoy the fighting because they play to the violent side of our nature.

My conclusion, which is constantly changing, is that there is no fixing the world's problems because religion, politics, and corporations separate and leave us no choice but to take sides, and because there is no truly right side - thus causing issues to never be resolved. Our freedom and privacy have been willfully given up to the government and corporations that have more money than countries. Waging wars that can't be won, religions and corporations seem unstoppable, and are profiting from all of us at all costs. "Run to the hills!" like the Bible and Iron Maiden say.

It has been done, and I'm on the run, so I'm gonna keep my blue jeans on. Dead or alive, I'm gonna keep my blue jeans on. Everything's gone, and everyone's wrong, so I'm gonna keep my blue jeans on.

The funny thing is you probably would never get that out of the lyrics, LOL!! And who really cares about all this sh*t anyway?

My demo was called Blue Jeans but as I was tracking the chorus vocals in the PGP recording session, Mike suggested I call it Black Jeans. I agreed and we tracked the tune in one take. I think it's my favorite song on the PGP record.

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

Ginger Wildheart Releases Song From Hey! Hello! Project

(Classic Rock) Ginger Wildheart's new Hey! Hello! project with New York singer Victoria Liedtke have released a brand new track online called "Swimwear."

The Classic Rock Roll Of Honour award winner (ie. Ginger) says: "Hey! Hello! allowed me to enter the world of lyrical fiction – much in the vein of Sparks, who are a massive influence on Victoria and I."

Check out Swimwear – described as "a two-minute and 15-second summer anthem" - here.

Metallica Release For Whom The Bell Tolls Video From Orion Fest

(hennemusic) Metallica has released footage of their performance of their 1984 classic, "For Whom The Bell Tolls," at last month's Orion Music + More festival.

The track from the band's sophomore album, "Ride The Lightning," was featured in Metallica's headlining set, which closed out the festival at Belle Isle in Detroit, MI.

The June 8/9 event featured more than 30 bands across five live music stages plus a variety of activities and on-site events. Metallica performed a surprise afternoon set on the festival's opening day, which saw the group perform their 1983 debut album, "Kill 'Em All," in its entirety. more on this story

Gotthard Release Yippie Aye Yay Video

(Classic Rock) Gotthard have released a video for their track "Yippie Aye Yay." It's taken from last year's album Firebirth, their first with frontman Nic Maeder, following the tragic death of Steve Lee in 2010.

The video was shot in the Swiss band's home town of Lugano and features guest appearances from burlesque dancers and the bagpipers from the Wild Boar Clan Of Loch Lucerne. Watch the video here.

Moreland & Arbuckle Release New Video

(Classic Rock) On July 30 Moreland & Arbuckle, along with new drummer Kendall Newby, are set to release 7 Cities, their most ambitious work ever and they have released a music video for the song "Tall Boogie" ahead of the release.

Teamed for the first time with Seattle-based producer Matt Bayles (Mastodon, The Sword) and recorded in Stone Gossard's studio, the album tells the story of Spanish explorer Coronado and his fabled search for the seven cities of gold in the Kansas plains, not far from where the band lives.

"It's hard to say exactly what we are and what we do," says Arbuckle. "Blues is definitely at the core, but we're huge fans of all sorts of American music, and all of that comes through as well.

"Obviously, there are elements of traditional country in what we do, elements of vintage rock and roll, soul and all that sort of stuff. We always try to stay grounded in that traditional blues centre, and at the same time branch out and do as many different things as we can while still keeping it consistent with the sound we've developed." Check out the video here.