Today, July 30, 2013 marks the 10th anniversary of the Day in Rock report. We would like to extend a special thanks to our contributors, news partners, all the artists and publicists that we have worked with and most of all- our readers for making it a success.

Freddie Mercury and Michael Jackson Duets Set For Release

(Radio.com) After 30 years, music fans hoping to hear the long-awaited duets of Freddie Mercury and Michael Jackson will finally get their chance. The 1983 sessions between the two singers are set for release this fall.

According to U.K. paper The Daily Mail, the recordings are being worked on by Mercury's Queen bandmates Brian May and Roger Taylor, who promise fans will have "something for folks to hear" in two months.

Mercury and Jackson recorded three songs during six hours spent at Jackson's home studio in Encino, California. Though the recordings were never released, May was given permission by the Jackson estate in 2011 to work on the tracks with Taylor, along with producer William Orbit, who has previously worked with Madonna and Blur. The revamped tracks are believed to include new guitar solos from May along with Queen-style vocal harmonies. No official release date has been announced for the duets

The two artists originally planned on doing more recording together, but according to an interview with Mercury's longtime manager, Jim "Miami" Beach published in The London Times (via Consequence of Sound), the collaboration was put to a halt after Mercury complained about a llama being in the studio. Yes, Michael Jackson didn't just have a pet monkey, he had a llama too. more on this story

Metallica Reveal Through The Never Soundtrack Details

Metallica fans will be getting a new album release from the band earlier than expected. However, it won't be a new studio album. It will be the two disc soundtrack for their upcoming movie.

The band has announced that the 'Metallica Through The Never (Music from the Motion Picture)' soundtrack will be released by their new label Blackened Recordings on September 24th.

The album will feature music from the band's catalog that they performed during the Rexall Place in Edmonton and Rogers Arena in Vancouver concerts last year for the film.

"Let's hear it for the old school soundtrack!" said Metallica's Lars Ulrich. Not only are we beyond psyched about our movie coming your way shortly, but the fact that we get to share the music directly in all these formats is way f**kin' cool."

The 3D film is set to premiere at IMAX theaters in North America on September 27th and will receive a wider theatrical release on October 4th. Check out the tracklist.

Duff McKagan Saw Scott Weiland's Stone Temple Pilots Firing Coming

(Classic Rock) Duff McKagan hopes ex-bandmate Scott Weiland can pull himself together after being fired by Stone Temple Pilots. And even though Velvet Revolver also fired him in 2008, the bassist has good memories of working with the wayward singer.

Weiland was fired by Stone Temple Pilots in February, and they've reconfigured themselves with Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington in his place.

McKagan tells Billboard: "You could kind of see it coming, I suppose. It's a sad situation any way you look at it. That guy… you hope he pulls it together. I shared enough good times with that guy that I wish him nothing but the best." more on this story

Jason Newsted Feeling Better and Will Resume Tour Today

Former Metallica bassist Jason Newsted announced on Monday that he is now feeling healthy enough, after a bout with walking pneumonia, to return to the Gigantour.

Jason's new band Newsted was forced off the tour when he was diagnosed with the illness and has announced that the band will be back on the tour starting today in Everett, Wa.

He told fans yesterday, "I'm feeling a bit better, this pneumonia bug can last a few weeks sometimes... I gotta keep pushing... the show must go on! We'll be firing up the metal machine again beginning tomorrow (July 30th) in Everett, WA.

"We have a couple of very big weeks ahead with Gigantour and the release of our Heavy Metal Music LP on August 6th! Cheers & let's f****ing rock! See ya out there."

The Megadeth headed Gigantour also features Black Label Society, Hellyeah, Device and Death Division and will conclude on August 11th in Toronto. more on this story

Rob Zombie Rules Out White Zombie Reunion

(hennemusic) Rob Zombie, who established himself with White Zombie, says that he has no interest in a reunion of his former band. "No. We did it, and it's done," says Rob.

Zombie told Rock It Out Blog! at the Mayhem Festival stop in Tinley Park, IL over the weekend, "And it wouldn't be good. That's the thing. I mean, a lot of people forget, because they went to see White Zombie and they were 15 years old and it was their first concert and everybody in White Zombie was, like, 23 years old.

"They're no longer 15 and they're gonna come to the concert at 40 and look at White Zombie, who are all gonna be 50, and go, 'This sucks now.' I mean, they forget that time marched on and changed. So I don't wanna come back and do it again just so that it can be inferior."

White Zombie released four albums between 1987 and 1995 before disbanding in 1998. "White Zombie stopped at the height of our career," he added. "We had a triple-platinum record and we just did our huge, sold-out arena tour everywhere and then we stopped, and that's the best way to leave it."

He had a lot to say about less than glorious reunions here.

Blondie's Debbie Harry Considering Retirement

(Classic Rock) Blondie singer Debbie Harry is considering retirement and the move would signal an end to the band's career. Discussions have been going on for nearly a year between the 68-year-old and the rest of the band, according to drummer Clem Burke.

"Debbie is 11 years older than the rest of us, so it's on her mind," He tells the Daily Mail. "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." A spokesman for the veteran vocalist says: "They are on hiatus at the moment and they will do some tour dates next year. Nothing is confirmed yet." Burke also addressed a recent controversy.

Pearl Jam Guitarist Explains Inspiration For 'Mind Your Manners'

(hennemusic) Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready explains the inspiration behind the band's brand new single, "Mind Your Manners", in a newly-released online video.

"It's my attempt to try to make a really hard edge-type Dead Kennedys-sounding song," says McCready. "I wanted that kind of aggression and that kind of feel in that song, so I came up with the lyrics 'Mind Your Manners'. Jeff [Ament] brought in a lot of his real punk rock kind of bass ideas of starting and stopping…the kind of school he comes from is that; I came from more of the metal thing but always wanted to dive into the punk side."

"Mind Your Manners" is the lead single from Pearl Jam's forthcoming album, "Lightning Bolt", due October 15. Check out the video here.

Anselmo Says Of Pantera Split: It Takes Four Guys To Break Up A Band

(TeamRock Radio) Former Pantera frontman Phil Anselmo has vowed he won't avoid the truth in his upcoming book. It's tentatively entitled Mouth For War and documents Anselmo's entire life – although, of course, the band he's most remembered for will feature heavily.

"Pantera is a gigantic part of my life and I'm sure people want to get my take on things," He says. "I'm going to be brutally honest. The f**king truth is the f**king truth."

"It takes four guys to break up a band; it really does. There's four sides to every story – and Dimebag can't tell his side," he says about the breakup of Pantera.

Anselmo maintains there's a big difference between having an opinion on Pantera's 2003 split and having taken part in the events that led up to it. Read what he had to say about that.

Avenged Sevenfold Discuss Writing Music Without Rev

(TeamRock Radio) Avenged Sevenfold discuss writing new album Hail To The King without late drummer Jimmy 'The Rev' Sullivan in their second exclusive TeamRock video.

Guitarist Synyster Gates recently discussed new sticksman Arin Ilejay's first days in the studio with the band, saying: "He started overplaying and trying to show his stuff a little more. We thought that we were going to have to arrange all of the songs.

"But when he came in on day two it was just so refreshing. He just blew everybody's mind. Everybody had goosebumps. We were looking at each other going, 'Holy sh*t, this kid's a monster.'" Check out the video interview here.

Nightwish Not Ready To Hire Jansen As Permanent Singer

(Prog) Nightwish stand-in singer Floor Jansen has admitted that she would love to become a full-time member of the band but neither party is going to rush things.

She was hired on a temporary basis after the Finnish outfit parted ways with Anette Olzen in September last year. But no decision is likely to be made until 2014, she says.

Jansen tells Ghost Cult: "I've been asked to fill in for the current world your and for a couple of festival dates, but what will happen after that is still unclear.

"Nightwish will take a break after the current touring cycle and they'll make a decision next year. Until then, everything is still up in the air.

"If they ask me I would be very flattered and I would love to do it. It will be a major overhaul in my life and my career – but we're not rushing things." more.

DevilDriver Premiere New Song 'The Appetite'

(TeamRock Radio) Last night DevilDriver premiered new track The Appetite on TeamRock Radio and now you can hear it online. It's taken from the band's upcoming sixth album, Winter Kills, due out on August 26.

And if you like the groove-focused sound of the band's early work, mainman Dez Fafara says you won't be disappointed with the full-length record. He explains: "This new record sounds a lot like the first three. It's got an intense groove to it, and I'm really happy.

"The fans started calling us 'the California groove machine.' Everybody needs a title – we'll take that one and we're going to give them that on the new record, for sure." Check out the new song here.

John Fogerty Announces Music Festival Appearances

Creedence Clearwater Revival legend John Fogerty has announced a series of festival appearances in North American ahead of his upcoming fall solo tour.

The festival dates will kick off on Labor Day weekend when Fogerty will perform at the Harley-Davidson's 110th anniversary party in Milwaukee, WI, which also features Kid Rock who was a special guest on Fogerty's new album, "Wrote A Song For Everyone."

The festival stops will include performances at the Interlocken Music Festival in Virginia as well as at Zac Brown's Southern Ground Music & Food Festival in Nashville. Brown also appeared on Fogerty's new album.

Fogerty's fall tour is set to kick off on October 10th in Los Angeles, CA at the Nokia Theatre and will conclude with a two-night-stand at the famed Beacon Theater in New York City on November 12th and 13th. more on this story

Peter Gabriel Reveals New Album Details

(Prog) Peter Gabriel has confirmed the tracklist for his album of covers, "And I'll Scratch Yours." It follows 2010′s Scratch My Back, which saw him recording a selection of songs by artists he admires.

He said at the time: "If you're going to reinterpret something, then really do something. Nail your colours to the mast and say, 'This is different, and it isn't everybody's cup of tea.'"

The idea behind And I'll Scratch Yours was to have those musicians return the favour. All but David Bowie, Neil Young, Ray Davies and Radiohead have now done so. "I've sort of given up waiting for the others," Gabriel said in 2011. "I might try to find three or four other people to cover my stuff so I can make an album out of that."

Lou Reed's version of Solsbury Hill is described as a radical reinterpretation, while Brian Eno's take on Mother Of Violence is "frighteningly futuristic," according to Gabriel. More details including the tracklist and guest list.

Marillion Release Video of Their World Record Bid

Marillion have released a video documenting their recent world record bid. The band put a live DVD entitled Clocks Already Ticking on sale less than 11 hours after starting the show it contains during their Marillion Weekender in April.

Their performance included their Radiation album in full followed by a set of classics. The 2-DVD and 3-CD souvenir set was on stalls 10 hours and 31 minutes later.

Marillion will open for Mott The Hoople at London's O2 on November 18. Steve Hogarth and co are nominated in this year's Progressive Music Awards.

Check out the Making of Clocks video here.

Dream Theater's James LaBrie Releases New Solo Album

(Gibson) Dream Theater vocalist James LaBrie's new solo album, Impermanent Resonance, is making its way around the world, hitting Europe yesterday and North America on August 6.

Like 2010's Static Impulse, the album finds LaBrie collaborating with Peter Wildoer of Darkane (drums and vocals), Matt Guillory (keys, co-songwriter, vocals), Marco Sfogli (guitars) and Ray Riendeau (bass) - as well as Soilwork guitarist Peter Wichers, who contributes songwriting on several tracks.

If you're only used to LaBrie's work with Dream Theater you might be surprised by the direction his last two albums have taken: at times they veer squarely into melodic death metal territory, blended within a progressive metal framework. But on Impermanent Resonance LaBrie and Guillory temper the aggression with melodic hooks that wouldn't be out of place in commercial pop music, if you were to strip away with heaviness.

"Absolutely, no doubt about it," LaBrie tells Bravewords.com. "They're pretty damn poppish even as they stand now (laughs) ...A song like 'Back On The Ground' definitely deserves to be in amongst the songs being played on radio these days, and it stands up against any one of them. For me a song is either a song or it's not good, and what's important is what it conveys to me regardless of whether it's a metal song or a pop song or a jazz piece. There are songs on Impermanent Resonance that definitely have that pop sensibility to them." more on this story

Incubus Frontman Brandon Boyd Premieres Sons Of The Sea Song

(Radio.com) During some time off from his day job fronting SoCal rock outfit Incubus, singer Brandon Boyd has recorded new music as Sons of the Sea, a solo project made in collaboration with revered music producer, Brendan O'Brien (Incubus, Pearl Jam, My Chemical Romance).

"Being in a band is, in a really good way, more of a committee. So everybody has very much of a democracy," Boyd said in a recent interview with Noisey when asked how his solo work differs from Incubus. "Sons of the Sea is just Brendan and I, so it's like, 'Do you like this?' 'Naah.' 'No, I don't like that either.' So it just goes faster. With that sort of rigidity, as a songwriter I can better sort of, channel what's going on in my creative space right now…Brendan is very much a virtuoso on all the instruments on this album, but it's really just the difference between a committee of two and a committee of five."

In an exclusive video, Boyd performs new song "Come Together" in the recording studio, accompanied by O'Brien on piano and guitar. "I had a strong visual reference for how I wanted the song to sound," Boyd told Fuse recently, admitting that "Come Together" is about sex.

"The scene in the movie Fast Times At Ridgemount High where Phoebe Cates comes out of the pool in slow motion, water spraying everywhere, and she undoes her bikini top to show the world the glory." Check out the video here.

Foreigner Legend Lou Gramm Sings Anthem at Red Wings Game

(hennemusic) Original Foreigner vocalist Lou Gramm sang the national anthem at the Rochester Red Wings game at Frontier Field last Friday, and video of the performance has surfaced online.

Gramm was also on hand to sign copies of his new book, "Juke Box Hero: My Five Decades In Rock 'N' Roll", as the Red Wings played host to the Norfolk Tides in Triple-A baseball action.

The memoir details Gramm's rise from humble, working-class roots in Rochester, New York to become one of rock 'n' roll's most distinctive and popular voices.

Check out video of the anthem performance here.

Jack White Gives $200k To Help Launch Music Preservation Foundation

(Radio.com) Jack White continues to be the gift that keeps on giving. After rescuing Detroit's Masonic Temple from foreclosure earlier this year by paying a $142,000 tax bill, the Detroit rocker has donated $200,000 to the National Recording Preservation Foundation, a gift that will bring the nonprofit to life.

"The donation is very much a game changer," said the foundation's Executive Director Gerald Seligman in a press release. "It is our first and therefore provides the welcome opportunity to go from talk about the needs and priorities of audio preservation to concerted action. With this contribution we can now put up our basic structure, begin enacting the preservation plan – and give out our first grants. We're committed to doing that right away, and certainly within the coming months."

The NRPF was created by the U.S. Congress in 2011 "for the purpose of supporting archives, libraries, cultural institutions and others committed to preserving America's radio, music and recorded sound heritage," according to their website.

"I hope that Mr. White's extraordinarily generous donation inspires many others," added Sam Brylawski, Chairman of the National Recording Preservation Board, an affiliated project.

More including details about who else is on the board with White here.

Les Paul Foundation Donate To Grammy Camp Program For Students

(Gibson) The Les Paul Foundation has announced a grant to the Grammy Foundation for its ninth annual Grammy Camp program. The 99 talented high school students are from 87 U.S. cities and 27 U.S. states.

The Grammy Foundation's signature music industry camp for U.S. high school students is held Los Angeles at the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music and in New York at Converse Rubber Tracks.

2013's recipient of the Les Paul Foundation grant is student Houston Averiett II from Missouri City, Texas, an audio engineering student. Watch's Averiett's video submission.

"Like this year's recipient, Houston Averiett II, Les Paul was fascinated by engineering and created numerous innovations that changed the music industry," said Michael Braunstein, Executive Director of the Les Paul Foundation.

"Les would be amazed at how the experiences at GRAMMY Camp produce lasting effects and positive influences on each and every student. We are very proud to be part of the program and for the path we are helping to pave for future students." more on this story

Global Rock Summit To Debut Next Year

(Classic Rock) The Global Rock Summit, an international rock music conference aimed at bringing together all aspects of the rock music industry in one annual gathering, will debut next spring.

The aim of the GRS is to help further stimulate a buoyant but often overlooked sector of the music industry. The GRS will run from April 4-5, 2014 and will take place in Los Angeles at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, where the first Oscars ceremony was held in 1928, among many other iconic music and entertainment events.

The GRS will feature a cross-section of expert panelists spanning all aspects of the global rock industry. The event will discuss the future of the industry and look at solutions to further bolster and expand business opportunities.

The conference will also discuss key topics with some of the most respected minds and figures within the rock sector, plus a number of keynotes with some of the industry's most renowned and innovative figures. The evenings will feature key artist showcases from some of the best new rock acts from across the globe. more on this story

Gibson Announce Scotty Moore Tribute Event

(Gibson) To honor one of world's greatest guitarists, Gibson Brands is hosting a Scotty Moore Tribute at its Memphis Showroom on August 3 to coincide with the launch of Gibson's new Scotty Moore Signature gold ES-295 guitar, and the publication of Scotty's memoir Scotty and Elvis: Aboard the Mystery Train.

This history-making event will feature performances by legendary musicians such as Sun Records artists Sonny Burgess and the Pacers, Tracy Nelson, Billy Swann, Carl Mann, Thom Bresh, Bucky Burnett, and DJ Fontana, who was Elvis' drummer for 14 years.

In his memoir (published by the University of Mississippi Press), Scotty recalls how it all began—with an unknown teenager named Elvis Presley and bass player Bill Black, who entered Sam Phillips's Memphis-based Sun Records studio to record an old blues tune, "That's All Right, Mama." more on this story

Singled Out: Rob W. Carlson's 100 Decibel Shoes

Today progressive rocker Rob W. Carlson tells us about the song "100 Decibel Shoes" from his new album "You Better Call Someone". Here is the story:

I was talking to my wife and she mentioned, you have never written a dance tune! So my brain started looking for a spark to ignite the title and lyrics. It happened around 6:00 AM, my wife was walking down stairs. Her shoes were slamming the maple steps, "Man that was loud." The title presented itself, 100 Decibel Shoes!

I came up with a house beat, and set the BPM to a brisk walking tempo. I'm a total Zappa freak and got to work on cool guitar parts with whacked interval jumps (for the solo section). I also used the synth arpeggiator to spin some weirdness and transferred it to my guitar, you can hear it on the intro.

Zappa had funny lyrics when came to libido tunes, so the lyrics took that route. Example, third verse:

Tight leather straps with football cleats

She'll nail your heart with some breakin' beats

Moonshine stilettos under a high torque dress.

I think your libido is showing you might as well confess

The blues influence you can hear in the vocals. I've listened to a lot (and played my heart in a lot of blues bands) of singers like Junior Wells, Robert Johnson and Etta James. Bob Tench, the dude that sang with Jeff Beck had an impact on me as well. The way these folks crooned, used vibrato, and belted out the blues is what I was looking for!

Mixing a house beat with blues vocals and a hint of Zappa was fun. When I write the deep down influences start to take control of a new song, sometimes out of control, which is the most exciting part of music for me. Sometimes you find connections you didn't know you had!

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

Video From Slash's Final Apocalyptic Love Tour Date Goes Online

(hennemusic) Slash wrapped up his "Apocalyptic Love" tour Thursday night in Las Vegas, and the show was streamed online via EvntLive and YouTube videos from the show are now online.

The set at the House Of Blues featured a mix of Slash's solo material as well as classic tracks from the Guns N' Roses and Velvet Revolver song catalogues.

His sophomore solo effort, "Apocalyptic Love" earned Slash his two first-ever #1 rock radio hits: "You're A Lie" and "Standing In The Sun". The album's third single, "Anastasia", cracked the Top 10 at Modern and Active Rock and Top 5 at Mainsteam Rock. Check out the video here.

Manic Street Preachers Release 'Show Me The Wonder' Video

(Classic Rock) Manic Street Preachers have released a video for their track "Show Me The Wonder." It's taken from the group's upcoming album, which is entitled "Rewind The Film."

"Rewind The Film," is due out on September 16th via Columbia Records and, incidentally, confirming them as the longest-signed artist to that label.

They say: "If this record has a relation in the Manics back catalogue, it's probably the sedate coming of age that was 'This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours.'" Check out the video here.

Former Megadeth Guitarist Chris Poland On Wikimetal

Early Megadeth guitarist Chris Poland (he played on the band's first two albums) is the featured guest on the latest episode of Wikimetal. The show sent over these details:

Poland spoke to Wikimetal about his part in Megadeth, his relationship with Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine and also spoke about his other projects, such as his involvement with the tribute album to Iron Maiden "Two Minutes To Midnight: A Millennium Tribute To Iron Maiden" and his contributions to Lamb Of God.

You can listen to the full episode here or you can skip directly the interview portion of the show featuring Poland here.

Houston Take Fans Behind The Scenes of New Album

(Classic Rock) AOR outfit Houston have released two video clips documenting the making of their new album II and Classic Rock is streaming both of the clips on their website.

The Swedish band's second record is due for release on September 2, and follows their 2010 self-titled debut, which was named AOR album of the year by Classic Rock.

The band last week released lead single "I'm Coming Home," featuring iconic session man Tommy Denander. Check out the behind the scenes video clips here.

White Moth Black Butterfly Premiere 'Certainty' Video

(Prog) Prog Magazine has premiered the video for White Moth Black Butterfly track Certainty. It's yet another project from former TesseracT frontman Daniel Tompkins, who also keeps himself busy with In Colour and Skyharbour.

Certainy is taken from WMBB's upcoming debut album One Thousand Wings, due in November, featuring guest vocals by Hayley Martin of Shadowboxer and singer-songwriter Jordan Bethany, plus contributions from TesseracT's Acle Kahney.

Tompkins is planning to tour with a band consisting of Keshav Dhar (guitars/electronics), Chris Haywood (bass/contrabass) and Ben Ansaldo (drums). Check out the video here.

Bonafide Release 'Harmony' Lyric Video

(Classic Rock) Bonafide have released a lyric video for their track "Harmony" from their forthcoming album "Bombo," due out on September 1 via Off Yer Rocks Records.

The Swedish hard rockers enjoyed high ratings in Classic Rock's tracks of the year lists in both 2011 and 2012 – and they'll be aiming to repeat the feat with "Bombo."

The record is described as "a Pulp Fiction style tale of rock'n'roll debauchery over ten chapters – a perfect example of eclectic yet R&B-oriented songwriting." Check out the lyric video here.