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Mon
Feb
06
VAN HALEN: Final Private Show Before Tour
JACK WHITE, BECK: Heading to Sasquatch
Jack White and Beck will be two of the headliners at the 11th annual Sasquatch Music Festival May 25th through the 28th at the Gorge Amphitheater in Quincy, Washington. Also on the bill are Bon Iver, Tenacious D, The Shins, The Head and The Heart, Feist, Silversun Pickups, Blitzen Trapper, M. Ward, The Civil Wars and Imelda May. Tickets go on sale Saturday.
EVANESCENCE: Amy Gets an Award
Evanescence singer Amy Lee will receive the Luella Bennack Award at United Cerebral Palsy's 11th annual Women Who Care luncheon on May 3rd in New York. The award is named after one of UCP's biggest supporters, who died a decade ago. The organization says, "The committee has selected Amy for this award for her commitment to bring attention to issues of education and personal dignity of people living with a disability."
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN: Really Steve? You Think?
Wow, here's breaking news -- Steve Van Zandt says Bruce Springsteen's upcoming E Street Band tour will be emotional without sax player Clarence Clemons, who died last June following a massive stroke. Asked if Clemons and the late E Street keyboardist Danny Federici would approve of them carrying on without them, Van Zandt says, "I think the answer's yes." The tour, in support of Springsteen's new album, Wrecking Ball, starts March 18th in Atlanta, although they'll play a warm-up show at New York's Apollo Theatre on March 9th and will perform on the Grammy Awards on Sunday on CBS.
Van Zandt's new TV series, Lilyhammer, starts streaming on Netflix today. A VIP premiere was held in New York last week and among those on hand were Springsteen, Tony Bennett and Sopranos creator David Chase.
BONO: Extra Money for a Rainy Day
Bono's bank account is about to get even fatter, thanks to Facebook's IPO. Bono and his investment firm Elevation Partners, which focuses on media, entertainment and technology industries, sunk $120 million into the social media site in 2010 and could come away with much more when the stock goes on sale in April. Facebook is looking to raise $5 billion on the premise the company will be valued at $100 billion -- and if Elevation sells its shares at that price, it will have tripled its investment.
NEIL YOUNG: More Details on Crazy Horse Album
More details have come out about Neil Young and Crazy Horse's new album. The Slamdance Film Festival website has posted Young and director's Jonathan Demme's talk from last month, and in it, Young says the album they finished is called Americana. He adds that it "has a choir in it that sings with Crazy Horse. A very young choir of children. They're songs we all know from kindergarten, Crazy Horse has re-arranged them, and they now belong to us."
Young also confirms in the video that he's working on a second album with the band.
QUEEN: Nothing Concrete Just Yet
It's not definite that 2009 American Idol finalist Adam Lambert will front Queen for a series of shows this summer. A spokesman for Queen tells us he has "nothing concrete to say at this stage" regarding those reports out of the U.K.
London's Daily Star quotes Lambert as saying, "The intention is to pay tribute to Freddie [Mercury] and the band by singing some great songs. It's to keep the music alive for the fans and give it an energy that Freddie would have been proud of... There's no intention in my mind of replacing Freddie. That's impossible. The way I'm choosing to view it is that it's a great honor and one I'm in no way going to shirk... Being asked to front Queen is the best thing that can possibly happen."
Lambert first performed with Brian May and Roger Taylor during the 2009 Idol finale, and again last November at the MTV Europe Music Awards. Afterwards, Taylor said, "That was a very interesting collaboration, and I think there might be more on that line."
STEVEN TYLER: Goes Down to the Crossroads
Steven Tyler was in Indianapolis over the weekend to see his hometown New England Patriots get upset by his original hometown New York Giants in Super Bowl 46, but also to perform with country singer Carrie Underwood Saturday night on a live broadcast of CMT Crossroads.
Tyler, an American Idol judge, and Carrie, the 2005 Idol winner, traded verses on each other's songs as well as combining some of them. The show opened with Aerosmith's "Sweet Emotion" into "Love in an Elevator" and ended with "Born to Be Wild." In between they did "Before He Cheats," "Crying" and mash-ups of "Just a Dream" and "Dream On," and "Undo It" and "Walk This Way. They also showed previously recorded backstage footage in which Carrie kept telling Steven what an influence he was and he told her how beautiful she is. Tyler is now headed back to Los Angeles to continue working on the new Aerosmith album.
VAN HALEN: Final Private Show Before Tour
Van Halen will do their traditional closed-to-the-public "family and friends" dress rehearsal at the Forum in Inglewood, California on Wednesday. It will be their last performance before their tour kicks off on February 18th in Louisville, Kentucky. Kool and the Gang, who'll open select shows on the trek, will also perform on Wednesday.
GUNS N ROSES: Happy 50 Riotous Years Axl!
Guns n' Roses frontman Axl Rose turns 50 years old today. Rose led to the band to superstardom in 1988 with his trademark scream on "Sweet Child O' Mine." But since then, he's ticked off thousands of fans across North America with his extreme lateness for concerts, penchant for walking off during sets and inability to release (in a timely fashion) a follow-up to the Use Your Illusion albums. Here's a chronological list of Axl's five greatest misses.
November 1988: On the G n' R Lies EP, Rose offended homosexuals with the lyrics to "One in a Million," where complained about "faggots" who "spread some f---ing disease." The controversy got GNR dropped from an AIDS benefit show in New York.
July 1991: 90 minutes into a show at the Riverport Amphitheater near St. Louis, Rose dove into the crowd to confiscate a video camera. After being pulled back on stage, he announced, "Thanks to the lame-ass security, I'm going home!" A riot started, causing $200,000 in damages. Rose eventually served two years probation for triggering the melee.
August 1992: During a tour stop at Montreal's Olympic Stadium, co-headliner Metallica had to cut their set short after James Hetfield suffered burns in a pyro accident. But GNR didn't fill in the gap, as Rose was late getting to the venue. After finally going on stage, Rose complained he had vocal problems and walked off before they'd played an hour. A riot ensued, causing an estimated $400,000 in damages
November 2001: A riot erupted at Vancouver's General Motors Place after Rose failed to show up for a scheduled concert. Another $100,000 in damages.
November 2008: Rose finally allowed Chinese Democracy to be released, 15 years after GNR's last albums. He did no promotion whatsoever for the album.
PUDDLE OF MUDD: Scantlin Busted Last Month
It's been a tough few months for Puddle of Mudd singer Wes Scantlin. After dealing with a divorce and tax problems, TMZ now reports that the 39-year-old was pulled over in the early morning of January 12th in Culver City, California for an unknown traffic violation. The report states that Scantlin showed signs of being intoxicated and a search revealed he was in possession of a controlled substance -- "some kind of powder and pills." Scantlin was booked for felony possession and released a few hours later after posting $10,000 bail.
BLACK SABBATH: Forcing Ward's Hand?
Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler have commented on Bill Ward's public letter about not being offered what he feels is a fair contract to take part in the Black Sabbath reunion album and tour. They say, "We were saddened to hear via Facebook that Bill declined publicly to participate in our current Black Sabbath plans... We have no choice but to continue recording without him, although our door is always open... We are still in the U.K. with Tony writing and recording the new album and are on a roll." Ward hasn't responded to their statement.
This will be the original Sabbath's first studio album in 33 years.
ROB ZOMBIE: Helps Out Guitarist
Rob Zombie is contributing to his guitarist John 5's next solo album, God Told Me To. Zombie isn't singing, since it's an all-instrumental affair, but he's created the artwork for the cover. The album is due out on April 10th.
IN OTHER NEWS
Jack White will perform at the Hangout Festival in Gulf Shores, Alabama on May 18th. The full lineup will be announced this week.
Mumford and Sons will do a three-night run at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium March 6th through the 8th.
Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones will sit in with Robyn Hitchcock, KT Tunstall and others on Sunday at Butterworth Hall in Coventry, England.
The release of the deluxe 25th-anniversary edition of KISS's 1976 album Destroyer has been pushed to April 17th.
Fri
Feb
03
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN: Warming Up at the Grammys
MOTLEY CRUE, ELTON, CULT: Super Bowl Bound
Rock acts will be well represented in the Super Bowl commercials airing Sunday night.
Motley Crue plays "Kickstart My Heart" in an ad for Kia Motors. The version now up on YouTube is 90 seconds, but it will be cut down to 60 when it airs during the game. The ad co-stars Victoria's Secret model Adriana Lima and mixed martial arts fighter Chuck Liddell.
Elton John will be in a Pepsi commercial with last year's X Factor winner, Melanie Amaro. The ad is called "King's Court" and features rock's biggest queen playing the "king of rock." Melanie sings the classic "Respect" in front of a "royal court of rock" ruled by "king" Elton.
And The Cult's "She Sells Sanctuary" will be mashed up with rapper Flo Rida's "Good Feelin" for one of Budweiser's commercials.
In non-Super Bowl commercial-related music, Steven Tyler will be on CMT's Crossroads from Indianapolis Saturday night with 2005 American Idol winner Carrie Underwood. Tyler and Underwood last performed together last year at the Academy of Country Music Awards in Las Vegas, singing "Undo It" and "Walk This Way."
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN: Warming Up at the Grammys
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band have joined the list of artists performing at the Grammy Awards on February 12th. It will be the first E Street Band performance without sax player Clarence Clemons, who died last June following a massive stroke. Springsteen will likely play "We Take Care of Our Own," the first single off his album Wrecking Ball, in stores March 6th. Ironically, Springsteen isn't a fan of the Staples Center, where the Grammys are being held. He did the first-ever show there in 1999 and hasn't been back since because he doesn't like the number of luxury boxes.
Springsteen is nominated for one Grammy -- The Promise is up for Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package. He last performed on the Grammy stage in 2006, when he did an acoustic version of "Devils and Dust" and took part in a tribute to New Orleans, joining Sam Moore, Elvis Costello, The Edge, Bonnie Raitt , Dr. John and others for "In the Midnight Hour." And in 2003, he and The E Street Band did "The Rising," and he joined in on a tribute to the late Clash singer Joe Strummer, doing "London Calling."
Also just announced -- Ringo Starr will be one of the presenters. His former bandmate, Paul McCartney, will perform. The Grammy Awards air live on CBS at 8p.m. ET.
BLACK SABBATH: Who Will They Set on Fire?
Black Sabbath drummer Bill Ward may be pulling out of the reunion. He writes in a letter on BillWard.com, "I am unable to continue unless a signable contract is drawn up -- a contract that reflects some dignity and respect toward me as an original member of the band... After nearly a year of trying to negotiate, another unsignable contract was handed to me."
Ward says he's ready to go to England to join the sessions for a new album, but he's "feeling somewhat ostracized. My guess is, as of today, I will know nothing of what's happening unless I sign the unsignable contract... I'm not holding out for a big piece of the action... I'd like something that recognizes and is reflective of my contributions to the band, including the reunions that started 14 years ago."
This isn't the first time Ward has had issues with a Sabbath reunion. He balked at the terms of his deal in 2004, and in 2007, when they reunited with Ronnie James Dio, he was replaced by Vinny Appice after having difficulty playing some of their new songs
VAN HALEN: Four to Go
There are now only four songs from A Different Kind of Truth that Van Halen haven't previewed. They've just revealed snippets of two more, "You and Your Blues" and "Beats Workin'," bringing the total to nine. A Different Kind of Truth will be out Tuesday.
Van Halen's invite-only show Wednesday night in L.A. included three new songs -- "The Trouble With Never," "Tattoo" and "She's the Woman." Their tour starts February 18th in Louisville, Kentucky.
MOTLEY CRUE: What Happens in Vegas...
Motley Crue starts a run of 13 shows at the The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas tonight (Friday). In honor of the kickoff, Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman has proclaimed today (Friday) Motley Crue Day. This is their first residency there and if it goes well, bassist Nikki Sixx tells us there could be more. "I'm really interested in the idea of a show that doesn't have to be packed up and moved," says Sixx. The engagement runs through February 19th.
The show will include the usual Motley antics -- theatrics, pyrotechnics, aerialists, wild video displays, Tommy Lee's rollercoaster drum set -- along with an acoustic set and what singer Vince Neil, who lives in Vegas, is calling a "little people" version of the band -- a Motley tribute act of little people.
If you can't get to Vegas then tune into the Super Bowl on Sunday where you'll see the Crue in a commercial for the Kia Optima.
SEVENDUST, CREED, ALTER BRIDGE: Side Project Mania!
Someone's going to need to make an app to keep track of all the side projects that Sevendust, Creed and Alter Bridge are part of this year.
Sevendust guitarist John Connolly and bassist Vince Hornsby have just announced they're teaming up with Alter Bridge and Creed drummer Scott Phillips as well as singer-guitarist Eric Friedman in a new band called Projected. Their debut is expected out later this year.
Last month, Sevendust guitarist Clint Lowery and drummer Morgan Rose announced their new side project, Call Me No One. That album is due out in May.
Dark New Day -- comprising Lowery and his bass-playing brother Corey, Evanescence drummer Will Hunt and guitarist Troy McLawhorn, and singer Brett Hestla -- will release their second album, New Tradition, on February 28th.
Creed and Alter Bridge guitarist Mark Tremonti has titled his debut solo album All I Was, and it's due out in the spring
Alter Bridge singer-guitarist Myles Kennedy is the vocalist on the second solo album from Slash. That album is expected out in May as well.
And Creed singer Scott Stapp has a double solo album in the works for the fall, as well as a book titled My Confession due out in October.
ALICE IN CHAINS, DUFF MCKAGAN: Hey Mr. DJ
Alice in Chains drummer Sean Kinney and ex-Guns n' Roses bassist Duff McKagan are teaming up to do their own radio show. Details are sketchy at this point, as the Alice in Chains Facebook page says, "When and where this will air won't be announced for a while." But the two musicians want to get their fans involved. The AIC page says, "The guys will be doing a segment where they'll answer questions submitted by fans. What we need is for you to email us a brief question about anything: music, movies, food, travel, advice or even their mutual disdain for milk." Submit your questions to askseanandduff@gmail.com.
IRON MAIDEN: Under the Sea!
Iron Maiden singer Bruce Dickinson has conquered the air -- now he's looking to take over the sea. Earlier this week Dickinson, whose non-singing job is as a commercial pilot, was on the British Navy submarine HMS Victorious during a three-day training exercise. Dickinson was reportedly invited on the sub by the captain, who is a Maiden fan.
FOO FIGHTERS: Dave TV!
Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl has added TV mogul to his resume. He's the executive producer of a pilot for FX starring comedian Dana Gould. Deadline.com says the show "centers on a rock band on the verge of mega-stardom who finds itself on the verge of breaking up and is forced to seek professional help in a last-ditch effort to stay together. Unfortunately, they end up with a misanthropic couple's therapist from Agoura on the brink of divorce."
Thu
Feb
02
VAN HALEN: 7 Out of 13
VAN HALEN: Ramp It Up in L.A.
Just less than four weeks after they played an intimate invitation-only club show at New York's Cafe Wha, Van Halen took to the stage at Henson Studios in their hometown of Los Angeles last night. And while the idea was similar, everything about it was just a bit bigger.
The stage was more like the one they'll use on their upcoming arena tour, with runways extending from the stage that ran along opposite walls of the rectangular room.
As the band went into their opener, "You Really Got Me," David Lee Roth said, "We've been dusting off the set for the last few months and tonight we're gonna dust off the barbecue." There was no barbecue, but the set-list added the first performances of "Tattoo" and "The Trouble With Never" from A Different Kind of Truth, which hits stores Tuesday. They also pulled out a new chestnut, "Unchained," in place of "Somebody Get Me a Doctor."
And though they also closed the show with "Jump," it was on a grander scale, with the band being joined by a troupe of Brazilian Carnival drummers and female dancers, who lined both runways, while confetti streamed from the rafters.
VAN HALEN: 7 Out of 13
Van Halen have now posted a sneak peek of a seventh song off their new album, A Different Kind of Truth. Sounding a little like "Hot for Teacher," this one is called "As Is," which is also the seventh song on the disc. A Different Kind of Truth will be out Tuesday.
MOTLEY CRUE: Gnome Sweet Gnome or Shout at the Dwarf
Motley Crue start their Las Vegas residency tomorrow, and among their plans for the shows are a mini acoustic set -- and midgets. Singer Vince Neil tells the Las Vegas Sun, "We'll have a Little Crue in there," which is -- no joke -- a Motley tribute act of little people.
Neil adds that the Crue hope to get some special guests to stop by, too. "Some people have actually called us and asked about being in the show, and we're going to have a spot in the show where someone can come up and jam with us. Not every night, but there will definitely be a spot for that."
BLACK SABBATH: Permanent Hometown Honor?
Black Sabbath's hometown of Birmingham, England may soon establish a day in the band's honor. A report by Destination Birmingham is urging the town council to acknowledge their reunion and participation in the nearby Download Festival, saying it's "an opportunity we should not miss." Councilman Philip Parkin says celebrating the reunion would not only celebrate Birmingham's musical heritage but also inspire emerging bands.
The original Sabbath members are in Birmingham recording their first studio album in 33 years as guitarist Tony Iommi undergoes cancer treatment there. Iommi is the only member of the band who still lives in Birmingham.
BLACK KEYS: "Ceiling" Debuts on Monday
The Black Keys' new video for "Gold on the Ceiling" will debut on MTV on Monday at 7:54 p.m. ET. After the clip airs, a new 30-minute interview with the Grammy-nominated duo will stream on MTV.com. The "Gold on the Ceiling" clip includes footage shot during the band's free New York release concert in December.
PAUL McCARTNEY: A Star in the Afternoon and Stars at Night
The lineup for this year's MusiCares tribute to Paul McCartney has been announced. Performing his songs on Friday, February 10th in Los Angeles at the annual MusiCares Person of the Year dinner will be Neil Young and Crazy Horse, Tony Bennett, James Taylor, Coldplay, Foo Fighters, Alison Krauss, Alicia Keys, Norah Jones, Diana Krall, Katy Perry, Sergio Mendes, Duane Eddy and the cast from The Beatles' Love. McCartney will also be performing songs off his new album, Kisses on the Bottom, with Diana Krall, and will play some of his hits with his band.
Also announced yesterday is that Paul will finally be getting his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The ceremony will take place next Thursday afternoon in front of the Capitol Records building on Vine Street, near the individual stars of the other three Beatles.
NEIL YOUNG: Jobs Would Have Saved Music
Neil Young, who's long believed that MP3s have ruined the music-listening experience, says there was one person who could have fixed the problem -- late Apple founder Steve Jobs. Speaking this week at the D: Dive Into Media conference this week in Dana Point, California, Young said, "Jobs was a pioneer of digital music, and his legacy is tremendous. But when he went home, he listened to vinyl. And you've got to believe that if he'd lived long enough, he would have done what I'm trying to do."
CHRIS CORNELL: From the Greatest to the Prez
Chris Cornell will perform for some pretty important people this month. After last week's news that he'll be playing at Muhammad Ali's 70th birthday celebration on February 18th, word has leaked out that he'll be performing at a fundraiser for President Barack Obama's re-election campaign on February 16th in San Francisco. Tickets run from $100 for general seating up to $7,500 for a package that includes an individual photo with the President.
R.E.M.: Mills Battles Wal-Mart
Ex-R.E.M. bassist Mike Mills has joined a bunch of Athens, Georgia musicians in protesting a new development in the city's downtown that is anchored by a new Wal-Mart. Mills contributes a piano solo and harmonies to "After It's Gone," a song written by fellow Athens resident Patterson Hood of Drive-By Truckers. The track also features lead vocals by Widespread Panic's John Bell. You can download it for free at ProtectDowntownAthens.com.
GRAHAM NASH: Happy Birthday to a Great Guy
Graham Nash -- singer-songwriter, guitarist, keyboardist, husband, father, photographer, producer, entrepreneur and one of the finest gentlemen in the music industry -- turns 70 today. Born in Blackpool, England, Nash rose to fame in The Hollies before finding even bigger fame as a member of Crosby, Stills and Nash and Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. Now a full-time resident of Hawaii, Nash will celebrate his birthday in Southern California, where he tells us he'll have a "small dinner -- spaghetti and garlic bread... Simple and wonderful."
Nash will head back on the road in March when CSN tours New Zealand and Australia.
ROLLING STONES: Bootleg #2
The Rolling Stones have just released the second official bootleg album through their StonesArchiveStore.com. Hampton Coliseum (Live 1981) was recorded on December 18th, 1981 in Hampton, Virginia and contains 25 songs. Among them are such staples as "Tumbling Dice," "Miss You," "Honky Tonk Women," "Brown Sugar," "Start Me Up," "Jumping Jack Flash" and "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction." Rarities include "Neighbours," "Black Limousine," "Twenty Flight Rock," "Let Me Go" and "Little T&A."
This show took place on Keith Richards's 38th birthday and was filmed for pay-per-view television. During "Satisfaction," a fan rushed the stage, and Richards hit him with his Fender Telecaster.
The Stones' first official bootleg release, The Brussels Affair, came out last November.
INCUBUS, ROB ZOMBIE: Ready for the Range
Incubus and Rob Zombie top the just-announced lineup for the sixth annual Rock on the Range festival in Columbus, Ohio May 18th through the 20th. The bill also includes Shinedown, Marilyn Manson, Five Finger Death Punch, Slash, Megadeth, Chevelle, Mastodon, Theory of a Deadman, Volbeat, Halestorm, Escape the Fate, Lacuna Coil, Adelitas Way, Black Stone Cherry, Cavo and Redlight King. Tickets go on sale February 10th.
IN OTHER NEWS
A Perfect Circle guitarist Billy Howerdel is selling his Los Angeles home for $1.8 million.
John Mellencamp is mourning the loss of his mother, 83-year-old Marilyn J. (Lowe) Mellencamp. She died Monday at Covered Bridge Hospital in Seymour, Indiana. In addition to her son, she is survived by her husband, four other children, 18 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.
Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones will sit in with jazz artist Martin France and his band Spin Marvel on Saturday in Oslo, Norway.
Wed
Feb
01
MASTODON: Spring Tour Announced
RUSH: February 1st, 2012 a.k.a. 2112
Today, February 1st, 2012, is being referred to by some as National Rush Day in celebration of their fourth album, 2112. Fans are encouraged to crank up that 1976 album, which has been described as the first progressive metal album.
At the time, 2112 was do-or-die for Rush in terms of remaining with Mercury Records. Geddy Lee tells us the album "opened a lot of doors for us accidentally in the sense that even though it was not really considered a very commercial album...it had something about it that was vital and connected with people... and it created a whole new wave of fans for us." Rush is working on their next album, Clockwork Angels, which will be out later this year.
Rush drummer Neil Peart has written an essay remembering the band's longtime photographer Andrew MacNaughtan, who died last Wednesday of a heart attack in Los Angeles at the age of 47. In part Peart says, "Andrew's live shots really stood out from the rest; they were more vivid, somehow - highlighting both the drama of the rock stage and the personalities of the players. That was an unusual quality..." It was MacNaughtan who gave Peart the nickname Bubba, and introduced him to his wife Carrie.
MASTODON: Spring Tour Announced
Mastodon will hit the road with Opeth this spring. The bands will join forces starting April 4th in Portland, Maine and visit 30 cities -- including New York on April 11th, Chicago on April 13th, Pittsburgh on April 15th, Dallas on April 19th, Los Angeles on April 26th and Seattle on April 30th -- before wrapping things up May 12th in Atlanta.
SEETHER: Let's Mix It Up
Seether will release a digital EP Tuesday. The Remix EP includes six reworkings of songs from the 2011 album Holding Onto Strings Better Left to Fray. The remix of "Tonight" was done by Neon Feather, who won a remix contest sponsored by the band.
ZAKK WYLDE: Announces Unblackened Show
Zakk Wylde and Black Label Society have announced a special one-off performance at L.A.'s Mayan Theater on March 28th to record and film a partially-unplugged-with-strings project called Unblackened. Wylde tells us that like on the band's recent The Song Remains Not the Same, the solos will be played on electric guitar, but the rest will be acoustic. He compares what he has in mind to Neil Young's Unplugged and the Eagles' Hell Freezes Over.
Wylde has mentioned in the past that he'd like to have some guest stars on hand for the show.
VAN HALEN: L.A.'s Turn
Van Halen will do another special show tonight, this one in Los Angeles, but it will be a bit bigger than the one they did last month at the tiny Cafe Wha in New York. This one, another invite-only event, will feature the stage they will be using on their upcoming tour, which starts on February 18th in Louisville, Kentucky. It's in support of their new album, A Different Kind of Truth, in stores Tuesday.
THE CULT: Choose Your Weapon
The Cult will return with Choice of Weapon, their first album in five years, on May 22nd. Starting today, a free download of "Lucifer," a track from the album, is available at TheCult.us. Ian Astbury, Billy Duffy and company will hit the road this summer.
EVE 6: No, This Isn't a Story From 1997
The original lineup of Eve 6 will release a new album on April 24th. The fourth album from the trio that brought you "Inside Out" and "Here's to the Night" is called Speak in Code. It was produced by Don Gilmore, who did the band's debut album.
KORN, SHINEDOWN: Back to Rockville
The second annual Welcome to Rockville festival will be held April 29th at Metropolitan Park in Jacksonville, Florida. This year's lineup includes Korn, Shinedown, Evanescence, Five Finger Death Punch, P.O.D., Halestorm, Adelita's Way, Lacuna Coil and Art of Dying. More acts will be announced in the next few weeks.
IN OTHER NEWS
Gene Simmons and wife Shannon Tweed will be on ABC's 20/20 on Friday night, in a segment on Hollywood relationships.
Van Halen are hosting a private party tonight in L.A. to celebrate next Tuesday's release of A Different Kind of Truth.
Joe Walsh will perform songs from his upcoming solo release, Analog Man, at a private party tonight in L.A. The album is due out in May.
Foo Fighters' video for "These Days" is available as a free download at iTunes this week.
Slash will do a Q-and-A during Canadian Music Week in Toronto on March 23rd.
Rancid will headline the 14th annual Punk Rock Bowling and Music Festival in Las Vegas, which runs May 25th through the 28th
Tue
Jan
31
VAN HALEN: The Teasing Continues
JACK WHITE: First Solo LP Due April 24th
After time in The White Stripes, The Raconteurs and Dead Weather, Jack White is finally stepping out as a solo artist. His debut, Blunderbuss, will be released on April 24th, and the single "Love Interruption" is streaming now at JackWhiteIII.com.
White says, "I've put off making records under my own name for a long time, but these songs feel like they could only be presented under my name. These songs were written from scratch, had nothing to do with anyone or anything else but my own expression, my own colors on my own canvas."
VAN HALEN: The Teasing Continues
Van Halen have released snippets of two more songs from their new album A Different Kind of Truth -- "She's the Woman" and "The Trouble With Never." This brings the total of sneak peeks to six. "The Trouble With Never" -- like "Stay Frosty" and "China Town" -- is new and not taken from earlier songs, as was the case with "Tattoo" and "Blood and Fire." A version of "She's the Woman" was recorded as a demo in the '70s but never released.
David Lee Roth says the re-worked songs are "material that Eddie Van Halen and I generated, literally, in 1975, 1976 and 1977. Usually fellas in our weight division will kind of gamely -- or ironically, wink, wink -- try to hail back to it [but] keep a safe, mature distance from it."
But the new album isn't doing anything for former VH singer Sammy Hagar, who says, "What I've heard so far, I wasn't impressed with at all... I think in [my band] Chickenfoot, we've raised the bar a little bit on what a four-piece rock band can do, and I think they chose to take the easy route and take some of their old stuff and re-record it instead of writing new songs... I don't think the fans are going to be happy with it... To me, it...kind of says, 'We don't have anything, we're not a band anymore, we're not creative.'"
A Different Kind of Truth will be in stores next Tuesday.
Former Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony continues to take the high road when it comes to talking about his former bandmates. With the band going back to older unreleased songs for their new album, A Different Kind of Truth, Anthony was asked if he would seek songwriting credits, since the songwriting used to be split four ways.
Being the nice guy that he is, Anthony says, "I don't want to do anything. I just let it be." However, he adds that, "It'll be nice to hear some of those old songs again that I haven't played in a long time." The one song from those days that Anthony did not have a hand in writing was "She's the Woman," which he says they wrote before he joined.
Anthony was booted from the band in 2007 due to his friendship with former singer Sammy Hagar and replaced with Eddie Van Halen's son, Wolfgang. At the time, all images of Anthony were wiped from the covers of the albums he played on, on the band's website, but were quickly put back after fans protested. His name was also removed from the writing credits for the 1984 album on the ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) database. Anthony, along with Hagar, is now in Chickenfoot.
QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE: In the Studio
Queens of the Stone Age are working on their sixth album. Guitarist Troy van Leeuwen recently told Australia's Faster and Louder magazine that the songs they've written so far are inspired by blues and boogie, and will "definitely [make you] wanna shake some arse."
As soon as he finishes with Queens, frontman Josh Homme will move on to recording with his other project, Eagles of Death Metal, according to that band's live frontman, Jesse Hughes. Homme and Hughes make the Eagles albums together as a duo, but Homme isn't part of the touring quartet.
ALICE IN CHAINS, DEATH CAB: Viva Sea-Tac!
If you happen to fly into Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (a.k.a. Sea-Tac) anytime soon, you might hear the voice of Alice in Chains' Jerry Cantrell or Death Cab for Cutie's Ben Gibbard. The Sea-Tac Airport Music Initiative features the musicians giving passengers safety instructions throughout the concourse. (Cantrell talks about the no smoking policy.) The initiative also features Seattle music playing throughout the airport and video screens featuring footage of local bands as well.
ROLLING STONES: Wizz on Them
Urinals in the shape of The Rolling Stones mouth and tongue logo -- based on Mick Jagger's mouth -- are popping up in Europe. You can now do number-one in Mick's mouth at the Goldman Hotel in Frankfurt, Germany, the Rolling Stones Fan Museum in Luechow, Germany and the Rosenmeer restaurant in Rosheim, France. When asked if the urinals were licensed by the band, their spokeswoman told us, "Don't know anything about this one."
And, of course the urinals are not without controversy, from, believe it not, women. A report out of Germany says upwards of 12 women have demanded that the urinals be removed from the museum because they are not accurate recreations of the famous logo as the tongue is missing. "If it had been based on the emblem of the Stones with the tongue, it would have been okay," says one protestor. "But the tongue's been left out and they really look like women's mouths." The museum owner says he has no plans to remove them. "They were damned expensive and they're staying where they are ... That's final."
In 2004, Virgin Airlines announced that they would install two of the urinals in New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, but those plans were scrapped -- or flushed.
The Stones are not the first rock act you can take a leak on. In 2009, Gene Simmons, the master of everything merchandise, licensed his image for use on urinal cakes promoting his reality show, Gene Simmons Family Jewels. At the time he said, "For all of you who have always wanted to pee on my face, now you can." And, if you were an accurate shot, the cake spoke back to you.
KORN: Ex-Drummer Playing Again
Ex-Korn drummer David Silveria has restarted his music career. He's joined a band called Infinka and the group has posted a teaser for their album Echoes and Traces on YouTube. No release date for the project has been announced.
Silveria went on hiatus from Korn in 2006, with the band saying he had officially left a year later. The drummer dropped out of the music scene altogether, instead working on two restaurants he owned in the Bakersfield, California area. Silveria even sold his set of drums on eBay.
GUNS N' ROSES: Hit Small Venues
Guns n' Roses will go on a brief run of small venues next month. They'll play three shows in New York to coincide with Fashion Week -- February 10th at Roseland Ballroom, February 12th at Terminal 5 and February 15th at Webster Hall, which will reclaim its original name, The Ritz, for the show. The original GNR lineup recorded a 1988 show at the venue that was shown repeatedly on MTV.
The other three dates on the tour have Axl Rose and company playing the House of Blues in Chicago on 19th; The Fillmore in Silver Spring, Maryland on February 23rd; and the House of Blues in Atlantic City, New Jersey on February 24th.
SHINEDOWN: An Avalanche of Dates
Shinedown will return to the road this spring as the headliners on the Avalanche Tour. They'll be joined by Adelita's Way on the tour, with The Art of Dying opening up the second half. It starts March 27th in Anaheim, California and hits 21 cities before wrapping up April 25th in Baltimore.
Shinedown's new album, Amaryllis, is due out March 27th.
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