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July 16, 2010

Frankie Banali is a world renown drummer you probably remember from the 80's band QUIET RIOT. He was in the band for 27 years and the last 13 he was also the band's manager. His career took a major sideswipe when his singer Kevin Dubrow died three years ago. As a single soccer dad in the suburbs, his long hair and tattoos frighten the neighbors, but to other drummers he's a hero. At a cross roads in his life he must forge ahead and make a new life for himself and his daughter. Lots of never before seen home movies from QUIET RIOT's heyday, interviews with dozens of rock stars, deeply personal footage and a few surprise twists. The most real, raw rock and roll documentary of it's time.

This film takes a real journey back through time to the decade of debauchery and decadence. Real home videos shot backstage, on the tour bus, in the recording studio, and in hotel rooms with one of the 80's top platinum selling bands and most notorious bad boys. Never before seen footage from the milestones in Frankie's long career in music and his personal life now. Funny, and deeply personal and poignant exploration of Frankie's long time friendship with his bandmate Kevin Dubrow. The loss of his close friend and his career as he knew it, and his life after Kevin. Follow his journey at his current moment of truth and beyond.

Click above and pledge to make this documentary come true

EXTREME Releases 2^nd Of 4 Videos

AOL & NOISECREEP - 24 HOUR EXCLUSIVE PREMIER TODAY!

“RUN”

“TAKE US ALIVE” OUT NOW IN THE USA

Never before seen video RUN from EXTREME’S studio album Saudades De Rock premiers live on AOL Music and Noisecreep today at 2 pm EST - www.noisecreep.com or www.music.aol.com.

This is the second of four videos created and directed by EXTREME guitar virtuoso Nuno Bettencourt. The first video KING OF THE LADIES was an exclusive release to AOL and NOISECREEP in April 2010. Both video’s are from their critically acclaimed 2009 studio release Saudades De Rock, which released upon their reunion after a 13 year hiatus. RUN and KING OF THE LADIES are also 2 of 4 bonus videos on their new live CD and DVD release TAKE US ALIVE out now on Frontiers Records USA.

TAKE US ALIVE captures EXTREME at the peak of their game with a renewed enthusiasm led by Gary Cherone’s spellbinding stage performance and powerful vocals, Nuno Bettencourt’s ferocious guitar, Pat Badger’s flawless bass and Kevin Figueiredo’s pounding drums not to mention the Extreme trademark, spot on, back-up vocals.

ACTIVISION UNVEILS EXCLUSIVE GUITAR HERO®: WARRIORS OF ROCK PARTNERSHIP WITH ROCK LEGENDS RUSH

All-New Story-Based Quest Mode Pays Homage to the Cult Classic RUSH Album, 2112

Santa Monica, CA – July 21, 2010 – Rush, one of the most influential rock bands in history, have joined together with Activision Publishing, Inc.’s (Nasdaq: ATVI) Guitar Hero®: Warriors of Rock to bring their seven-part suite from their classic 2112 album to the game’s all-new, story-based Quest Mode this September. For the first time ever, Guitar Hero® fans will embark on an epic voyage playing as eight Guitar Hero characters that transform into rock warriors who must join together to use their unique, game-changing powers to help the Demi-God of Rock take down “The Beast” to save rock.

“The music, the story and the journey of 2112 lends itself perfectly to the quest in Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock,” said Geddy Lee of Rush. “In our story, the caves of 2112 are where our hero finds the lost guitar and this rediscovery of music is much like the Guitar Hero warriors’ journey to find the Demi-God of Rock’s Legendary guitar, which has been trapped in a cavern.”

“I love the idea of Guitar Hero; they have combined two great things – music and fun,” said Alex Lifeson of Rush. “I think it’s a great way to introduce people of all ages to music of various styles by all kinds of different bands, while providing a launching pad for kids who want to get into playing music.”

Within the narrative-driven journey, Rush and Guitar Hero fans alike will experience 2112 in a totally new and authentic way while traversing the exclusive three-part 2112 Rush-inspired venue and playing their way through the 20 minute, seven-part suite. Additionally, each song transition will feature band members narrating liner notes from the 2112 album. Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock will include:

·         “2112 Pt. 1 – Overture”
·         “2112 Pt. 2 – The Temples Of Syrinx”
·         “2112 Pt. 3 – Discovery”
·         “2112 Pt. 4 – Presentation”
·         “2112 Pt. 5 – Oracle: The Dream”
·         “2112 Pt. 6 – Soliloquy”
·         “2112 Pt. 7 – Grand Finale”

“Our collaborations with legendary artists and bands, like Rush, are key to creating an original rock experience and have helped drive Guitar Hero’s success,” said David Haddad, Chief Operating Officer, Guitar Hero. “The journey that Rush’s 2112 seven-part suite takes fans on fits flawlessly within the story Neversoft has expertly created for Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock and perfectly adds to the authenticity of the game.”

In Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock, join with friends on an epic rock journey to save rock n’ roll. Featuring the most music ever in a Guitar Hero game with an impressive 90+ track set list and a host of all-new gameplay features, living room legends and their friends can strum, drum and wail in the most immersive music videogame experience to date. Delivering the quintessential rock music collection that focuses on guitar shredding hits from bands such as Black Sabbath, Slipknot and Megadeth and larger-than-life band anthems from Queen, Muse and KISS, players can unleash more rewards and unlockable content than ever before in Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock’s Quest Mode, the franchise’s first ever story-based mode, and Quickplay+, which invites challenge-starved fanatics to test their rock skills. Running on the powerful Guitar Hero engine that has been expanded and refined and with encores from the critically-acclaimed and fan favorite gameplay features that made Guitar Hero one of the most popular franchises of all-time – such as Party Play, Competitive modes and any combination of up to four instruments – the game offers a complete interactive and connected experience bringing friends and foes to the stage in the ultimate rock music experience.

AOL EXCLUSIVE FREE DOWNLOAD

GATES OF BABYLON Performed by FLAMETAL

Flamenco Guitar Master BENJAMIN WOODS of the Band FLAMETAL Releases New Cd ‘HEAVY MELLOW” Featuring STEVE STEVENS

HOLLYWOOD (July 21, 2010) – AOL offers up one of the hottest unique music acts of 2010 by giving you a free download. FLAMETAL's free mp3 went up as AOL’s weekly mp3 feature -- here's the link:

http://www.aolradioblog.com/2010/07/20/free-music-tuesday-download-five-songs-totally-free/

Benjamin Woods and his monster creation FLAMETAL have released their latest masterpiece “HEAVY MELLOW” July 6^th on Flametal Records. This album embraces the metal-works of SLAYER, MEGADETH, KISS and the SCORPIONS to name a few. "This is a Flamenco Guitar tribute album to some of the great Metal masterpieces,” says Woods. “It is definitely a different album from the other FLAMETAL releases and is more of a solo effort that is a very powerful to play live. Although the songs are very dark, everyone gets it, even your Mom."

Woods has built a substantial following through his years of touring and recording as “HEAVY MELLOW” unveils him to be a master musician with deep musical roots in metal, classical and Flamenco guitar. Woods is also one of the only American Flamenco guitarists to ever grace the pages of Spain's national newspaper El Pais, and Spain's number one Flamenco publication ALMA 100.

Woods raw energy combined with exotic and sophisticated acoustic playing and the talent of a new-generation shred-master is a much needed breath of fresh air to the instrumental rock genre.

FLAMETAL'S new album "HEAVY MELLOW" is available for download ton itunes, Amazon, and CD Baby. For more information visit www.flametal.com or www.myspace.com/flametal

ROCK ‘N REV PROUDLY PRESENTS GUNS N’ ROSES
FIRST U.S. PERFORMANCE IN FOUR YEARS! THEIR ONLY 2010 APPEARANCE IN USA!

ONE OF ‘50 BANDS TO SEE BEFORE YOU DIE’ TO HEADLINE AT WORLD’S LARGEST BIKER EVENT
DAUGHTRY WITH 2nd CONSECUTIVE #1 ALBUM IS ADDED TO ROCK 4th NIGHT

STONE TEMPLE PILOTS, CREED, GODSMACK, ALICE IN CHAINS, 3 DOORS DOWN, HINDER, THREE DAYS GRACE, WOLFMOTHER, EAGLES OF DEATH METAL, HELLYEAH AND MORE: THE STARS OF AMERICAN ROCK ARE MOTORING TO SOUTH DAKOTA’S PREMIER ROCK DESTINATION: THE ROCK ‘N REV AMPHITHEATER AT MONKEY ROCK USA, AUG. 9-13

TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW
(ALL ROCK ‘N REV TICKETS WILL BE HONORED AT THE NEW LOCATION)

“Get your motor running and head out on the highway to South Dakota, where a host of hard rock titans… will rock the tattooed masses. Is it too hot to wear leather in Dakota in August? Nah.”

- BLENDER.COM

Making their first U.S. concert appearance in four years – and playing their only U.S. show in 2010 - GUNS N’ ROSES has been officially recruited with DAUGHTRY to join the inaugural ROCK ‘N REV FESTIVAL and cement its assault on the legendary Sturgis Rally’s 70th Anniversary celebration in Sturgis, SD, at the newly constructed Rock N’ Rev Amphitheater at Monkey Rock USA.

GUNS N’ ROSES will headline the fifth and final night of the festival, as it moves to the Brand New Rock ‘N Rev Amphitheaterat Monkey Rock USA in Sturgis, adjacent to its original location. L.A.’s notorious rock ‘n’ roll bad boys - one of Q magazine’s “50 Bands to See Before You Die” – have combined forces with HDlogix and DC3 Global for this rare and very special appearance on home soil to bring the “full-out rock 'n' roll spectacle” (Spin) of their 2010 “Chinese Democracy World Tour” to Sturgis and finish off the hijacking of the world’s biggest, baddest biker event, Monday, Aug. 9 through Friday, Aug. 13, 2010.

GUNS N’ ROSES’ final night performance, immediately following previously announced Aug. 13 headliner Alice in Chains, is the ultimate climax to five full nights of undeniable rock ‘n’ roll bedlam, and now gives the ROCK ‘N REV FESTIVAL six of the most explosive, multi-platinum AMERICAN Active Rock Bands of 2010. DAUGHTRY, supporting its second consecutive #1 album, will join 3 Doors Down, Hinder and others on Aug. 12, the 4th night of the ROCK N’ REV FESTIVAL.

Raising the insanity level to previously unimaginable heights, GUNS N’ ROSES and DAUGHTRY are just the latest high octane multi-platinum rockers to join the growing list of bands at the ROCK ‘N REV FESTIVAL. They unite with fellow headliners Stone Temple Pilots, Godsmack, Creed, Alice in Chains and 3 Doors Down to establish the ROCK ‘N REV FESTIVAL as “The Home of Rock’s Hardest New Chart Toppers” – a different one topping each night’s lineup.

Tickets for the ROCK ‘N REV FESTIVAL are $45 per day, general admission ($150 for a five-day pass), and ON SALE NOW through Ticketmaster.com and rocknrevfestival.com and at all Ticketmaster locations, or by calling Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets also will be available in person beginning August 5, 2010 on location at the Festival’s on-site box office. For more information on exclusive VIP packages ($150 for a single day, $300 for all five days or $1,000 5 day platinum packages), including backstage access to a VIP area to special, air-conditioned tents with private bars, motorcycle parking, luxury bathroom facilities and more, go to www.rocknrevfestival.com

AEROSMITH TOUR WON’T BE AFFECTED BY PERRY’S ACCIDENT
This news is brought to you by VH1 Radio's Dave Basner

Last year, Aerosmith’s tour was interrupted by band members’ injuries and eventually, scrapped after singer Steven Tyler fell off a stage and hurt his shoulder. Last week, guitarist Joe Perry was injured in a motorcycle accident however, bassist Tom Hamilton told Boston’s FOX affiliate that Joe is okay and his minor injuries will not affect their upcoming tour, which kicks off on Friday. Check out the full report at MyFoxBoston.com

PHIL COLLEN WEDS
This news is brought to you by VH1 Radio's Dave Basner

Def Leppard guitarist Phil Collen might play on the song “Love Bites,” but he sure doesn’t think so – he got married on Friday. The 52-year-old rocker wed 42-year-old costume designer Helen Simmons in Palm Beach, Florida. The two met while working on the band’s 2008 Sparkle Lounge Tour and their wedding was eco-friendly, with paperless invitations and as low a carbon footprint as possible. Def Leppard bandmates Rick Savage and Vivian Campbell were also in attendance. According to England’s Daily Mail, the wedding took place nine days after Phil’s divorce with his second wife, Anita, was finalized.

HALFORD PLAY FIRST SHOW IN OVER SEVEN YEARS
This news is brought to you by VH1 Radio's Dave Basner

On Saturday, for the first time in more than seven years, Halford performed live. The band, which is fronted by Judas Priest singer Rob Halford, played at the Regency Ballroom in San Francisco. You can see footage of the gig now by searching YouTube for “Halford 7/17/10.” In October, Halford plan to release a new album called Halford IV – Made of Metal. Hear the first single from it now at HalfordMusic.com.

BAD COMPANY TO RECORD ENTIRE TOUR
This news is brought to you by VH1 Radio's Dave Basner

Bad Company are currently on another North American tour and the band plans to record it all. The group is working on a concert tour video blog and documentary production called Movin’ On 2010, which will include footage from the trek. Cameras and film crews will follow the rockers and their crew during their daily tour activities and will film each show. The Movin’ On 2010 tour video blog will be available at BadCompany.com and on the group’s official iPhone and Android apps, which are being finished now.

CLAPTON’S CROSSROADS AT MOVIE THEATERS
This news is brought to you by VH1 Radio's Dave Basner

Last month, Eric Clapton held his Crossroads Guitar Festival in Chicago and now, the event is coming to movie theaters across the country. For one night only, on July 27th, more than 475 movie theaters nationwide will show two-hours of footage from the concert, which featured performances from ZZ Top, Steve Winwood, Jeff Beck, BB King and many others. Exclusive backstage footage and behind-the-scenes video, along with performer interviews and an introduction by Clapton himself will all be part of the film as well. Learn more at FathomEvents.com.

JOE ELLIOTT IS NOT NERVOUS ABOUT ANYTHING
This news is brought to you by VH1 Radio's Dave Basner

Last week, Def Leppard singer Joe Elliott released a new CD with his side project, Down N’ Outz. The album is called My Regeneration and includes covers of Ian Hunter, British Lions and Mott, the music the group performed before Mott the Hoople’s 2009 reunion shows. So is Joe concerned about the reception the record will receive from Def Leppard fans? He filled us in.

“I’m not nervous about anything. The reason I do this is for my own expression. I don’t expect people to like it but if they do, I’m ecstatic that they do. I didn’t do this project to sell ten-million copies or compete with Def Leppard. I’ve just done this on a bit of downtime to scratch an itch that I’ve had for a long time.”

Down N’ Outz play the High Voltage festival in London on Sunday. Pick up My Regeneration today and learn more at MySpace.com/DownAnOutz.

GET NEW ADLER’S APPETITE TRACK WITH ADLER’S BOOK
This news is brought to you by VH1 Radio's Dave Basner

Adler’s Appetite, the band fronted by former Guns N’ Roses drummer Steven Adler, are offering their new single to fans who buy Steven’s new autobiography. If you get My Appetite for Destruction: Sex, Drugs and Guns N’ Roses before October 27th, you’ll get the group’s new track, “Alive.” Learn more at YourItList.com.

GN’R DRUMMER MAKING MUSIC WITH BACH
This news is brought to you by VH1 Radio's Dave Basner

Current Guns N’ Roses drummer Frank Ferrer has gotten together with Sebastian Bach to make some music. Bas revealed the news on his Facebook page, where he wrote that he and Frank have been jamming on a track that he describes as “chugging, heavy, melodic, mean and cool.” It’s just a demo for now but Bach plans to record a new solo album soon. Read more at Facebook.com/SebastianBach.

SEE MORE FOOTAGE OF OZZY’S NEW VIDEO
This news is brought to you by VH1 Radio's Dave Basner

Want to see more behind-the-scenes footage from the video shoot of Ozzy Osbourne’s new single “Let Me Hear You Scream?” Well now you can! Noisecreep.com has posted a clip with new footage and an interview with the video’s director, Jonas Akerlund, who talks about being inspired by the Prince of Darkness’ creativity. Check it all out now at Noisecreep.com.

LARS REGRETS SOME KIND OF MONSTER
This news is brought to you by VH1 Radio's Dave Basner

Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich has revealed that he regrets making Some Kind of Monster, the 2003 documentary about the band which showed their in-fighting and difficulties creating St. Anger. The rocker told Australia’s Herald Sun, “That thing has taken on a life of its own,” adding, “I had to live that s**t for three f***ing years! The whole thing was a mindf**k.” Lars goes on to say that while other musicians go through tough times like that, “they weren’t necessarily stupid enough to film them like we were and share them with the rest of the world.” These days though, Ulrich stated “there is a good vibe in the band, everyone’s having fun and getting along.” Read more at HeraldSun.com.au.

DIO’S HOLY DIVER ON VINYL
This news is brought to you by VH1 Radio's Dave Basner

In May, Ronnie James Dio passed away of stomach cancer, but his music lives on today. In fact, Back on Black, a company that specializes in vinyl reissues of classic metal albums, will rerelease Dio’s 1983 record Holy Diver on 180-gram limited-edition gatefold red vinyl. The set is due out on July 30th.

• After Dio died, Holy Diver re-entered the Billboard 200 chart.

MUSIC IS NOW SPIRITUAL FOR SANTANA
This news is brought to you by VH1 Radio's Dave Basner

Today, Carlos Santana turns 63 years old. The rocker has been touring and playing guitar live for over four decades and at this point, he told us what he does surpasses plain old music.

“It’s not even music anymore, it’s a spiritual force that sustains your molecules. You don’t feel your skull and vertebrae, if the hotel sucked and there was no running water and the food was horrible and the plane was late – you don’t even feel that. But most of the time, we have to do sound check to get into that place where it didn’t matter what happened before we got there and it won’t matter afterwards.”

Santana will get spiritual when he plays in Holmdel, New Jersey tonight with Steve Winwood opening for him. Get all of Carlos’ tour dates at Santana.com.

ALICE COOPER’S PRE-SHOW RITUAL
This news is brought to you by VH1 Radio's Dave Basner

It turns out Alice Cooper has a pretty strange pre-show ritual. While some musicians meditate or stretch before they perform, the shock rocker prefers to watch a specific type of movie. Alice told Ontario’s Intelligencer that he arrives at venues 90 minutes before the show to “watch really bad kung fu.” Cooper wouldn’t give details on the custom, adding only, “Don’t ask me why, it’s a tradition and I cannot explain it.” Read more at Intelligencer.ca. Alice plays in Verona, New York tonight.

DOOBIE BROTHERS TO RELEASE LIVE FOOTAGE
This news is brought to you by VH1 Radio's Dave Basner

In September, the Doobie Brothers will release their first album of original material in ten years. That’s not all they’re working on though. It turns out guitarist Pat Simmons has been spending time going through old footage of the band with the hopes of creating a retrospective DVD set. He explained that fans might even get a taste of the footage when the band releases their new album, World Gone Crazy.

“Part of the concept is to have some of this available with the new album so I’ve got about 18 minutes right now of stuff and I figure we’re going to add another 12 minutes to that and then have that available with the album and then I’m going to work on an even longer form so maybe and hour, 14 and hour and a half, something like that.”

Pat said the classic footage would be part of a deluxe edition of the new CD. He filled us in more on what he envisioned for it.

“It’ll probably be a deluxe package where we’ll have some extra songs that we have on hand as well as the video and the album. It should be something really cool for the hardcore fans.”

In the meantime, the Doobie Brothers are touring with Chicago. They next play on Wednesday in Missouri. Check out all their dates at DoobieBrothers.net.

AEROSMITH KICK OFF U-S TOUR THIS WEEK
This news is brought to you by VH1 Radio's Dave Basner

It’s finally time! Almost a year to the day after singer Steven Tyler fell during a concert, injuring his shoulder and de-railing Aerosmith’s tour, the band is heading back on the road in America. On Friday, the group kicks off their Cocked, Locked, Ready to Rock trek in Oakland. They’ll perform 18 shows across the country over the course of the summer. Get all the legendary group’s dates at Aerosmith.com.

BRET MICHAELS NOT ENGAGED
This news is brought to you by VH1 Radio's Dave Basner

You might have read a story online that Bret Michaels is engaged but it’s just a rumor. The tabloid magazine Star reported that the Poison frontman proposed to his on-and-off girlfriend of 16 years, Kristi Lynn Gibson, but Bret told CBS’s Early Show yesterday it isn’t true. He called his relationship “a work in progress” and said they aren’t engaged “yet.” Gibson does wear a ring though, which Bret described as a “promise ring… a friendship ring, with benefits.” The pair has two daughters together, ten-year-old Raine Elizabeth and five-year-old Jorja Bleu. Read more at People.com.

BRET MICHAELS’ CD DEBUTS AT 14
This news is brought to you by VH1 Radio's Dave Basner

Bret Michaels recently released his latest solo album, Custom Built, and we now know how the record did. According to numbers from Nielsen SoundScan, the Poison singer’s set sold 22-thousand copies, enough for a debut at number 14 on the Billboard 200 chart.

• The original title of Kill ‘Em All was Metal Up Your Ass.
• The opening track, “Hit the Lights,” was the first song singer James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich wrote together after forming Metallica.

• Just before recording began, guitarist Dave Mustaine was replaced by Kirk Hammett.

A LIVE OZZY OSBOURNE EP
This news is brought to you by VH1 Radio's Dave Basner

Ozzy Osbourne played at last week’s iTunes Festival in London and recorded the set. Now a six track live EP featuring music from the performance is available on iTunes. Head to iTunes.com to download the live EP.

STAY IN OZZY’S HOME
This news is brought to you by VH1 Radio's Dave Basner

Want to stay in Ozzy Osbourne’s home? Well now you can! According to The Real Estalker, for just 40-thousand dollars a month, you can rent the Prince of Darkness’ three-story oceanfront home in Malibu, California. Ozzy bought the five bedroom, five bath house in 2003 for 5.1-million dollars and you can learn more about it and see photos of it at RealEstalker.Blogspot.com.

BUY JIMMY PAGE’S FORMER HOME
This news is brought to you by VH1 Radio's Dave Basner

Jimmy Page’s former home is up for sale. The Led Zeppelin guitarist used to own the English manor home, called Plumpton Place. According to The Argus, the property is in East Sussex and boasts six bedrooms, five bathrooms, a library, a tennis court, three lakes, two cottages and even a moat. The price tag is about 12-million bucks. Learn more at TheArgus.co.uk.

PLANT GETS STAR ON MEMPHIS SIDEWALK
This news is brought to you by VH1 Radio's Dave Basner

Robert Plant was honored with a star on a sidewalk in Memphis, Tennessee this week. According to the Associated Press, the Led Zeppelin singer was presented with the recognition on Monday and during the ceremony, he spoke about how a generation of British musicians owe a debt to early Southern blues artists. Plant’s star will be placed on the Orpheum Theater Sidewalk of Stars.

SATRIANI STRUGGLES TO STAY THIN IN CHICKENFOOT
This news is brought to you by VH1 Radio's Dave Basner

Today, Joe Satriani turns 54 years old. The famed guitarist is looking pretty good for his age, no thanks to his Chickenfoot bandmate Sammy Hagar. Joe told us that when the band goes out to eat, Sammy encourages that they EAT.

“We get together obviously for some really great dinners. I gotta say, I wound up somehow 20 pounds overweight and I blame that on Sammy Hagar. The man is a hard-living bon vivant and I can’t keep up with him. Now he calls me a skinny, little something because I lost like 15 pounds and I said, ‘No, this is the normal, pre-Sammy Hagar Joe Satriani. Not the fat guy you see on the video.’ So there’s lots of dinners.”

Joe will no doubt be eating well in September. Chickenfoot have a pair of shows on the 10th and 11th of that month. Find out more about them and stay up to date with the band at Chickenfoot.us.

McCARTNEY VS. McDONALD’S
This news is brought to you by VH1 Radio's Dave Basner

McDonald’s sell a lot of meat. Paul McCartney is a vocal vegetarian. So when Sir Paul learned that the fast food chain had posted pictures of him and The Beatles at a Liverpool McDonald’s restaurant, he got pretty upset. Britain’s Daily Star newspaper reports the singer made sure the shots were removed. Representatives at PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) explained that McCartney would never authorize his photo to endorse meats.

MANY ROCKERS ON DWEEZIL ZAPPA’S PROJECT
This news is brought to you by VH1 Radio's Dave Basner

Dweezil Zappa is preparing his long-awaited new project and the rocker told The Huffington Post that the set will boast many impressive collaborations. Among the guests on the CD are Eddie Van Halen, Steve Vai, Queen’s Brian May, Deep Purple’s Steve Morse, Malcolm Young of AC/DC and Ratt’s Warren DeMartini. The album is called What the Hell Was I Thinking? and Dweezil described it as “an audio movie.” So far, there are 30 different people on the album and Zappa isn’t sure how or when it will be released. He might try to perform the project live but stated, “I have to finish the record first.” Read more at HuffingtonPost.com.

JERRY LEE LEWIS NOT SLOWING DOWN
This news is brought to you by VH1 Radio's Dave Basner

This year, Jerry Lee Lewis turns 75, and after more than five decades in the music industry, the rocker isn’t slowing down. In fact, three weeks before his birthday, Lewis plans to release his latest album. It’s called Mean Old Man and includes country-inspired covers and plenty of impressive guest appearances. Eric Clapton, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, John Fogerty, Ringo Starr, Kid Rock, Ronnie Wood, Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard are just some of the musicians on the disc. Mean Old Man comes out on September 7th.

None of us consider ourselves rock stars or legends and when we hear ourselves hence referred to as that, we kind of go, ‘Who do you mean? Oh, me!?’”

Keep up to date with the legendary rock star at ArtimusPyle.com.

MORSE’S NEW ANGELFIRE PROJECT’S DEBUT CD
This news is brought to you by VH1 Radio's Dave Basner

Deep Purple guitarist Steve Morse has paired up with singer Sarah Spencer to form a new project called Angelfire. Now, the band plans to release their debut album on August 11th. According to Blabbermouth.net, Morse described the music as “kind of acoustic stuff…that is so good.” Steve met Sarah through her parents, who he is friends with. Learn more at AngelfireMusic.com.

VINNIE PAUL ABBOTT EXPLAINS WEIRD AUCTIONS
This news is brought to you by VH1 Radio's Dave Basner

Recently, former Pantera and current Hellyeah drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott has been selling some strange items on eBay and now, the rocker is talking about his interesting auctions. Vinnie told Decibel magazine that the reason he put his first cell phone and his oven up for bids is not because he’s strapped for cash, rather “that was just comedy.” As for the sticksman’s next “hilarious” auction – he plans to put his toilets under the gavel. Read more at DecibelMagazine.com.

Friday, July 16th

METALLICA ANNOUNCE FINAL TOUR DATE
This news is brought to you by VH1 Radio's Dave Basner

Metallica recently added a show in New Zealand during their upcoming fall tour in the South Pacific, and according to a post on the band’s website, that will be the last date they add to their World Magnetic Tour. The September 22nd show in Christchurch, New Zealand is one of three the group will perform in the town, and all of them sold out within minutes. Those aren’t the last gigs on the trek though – that happens on November 21st in Melbourne, Australia. At Metallica.com, the band wrote that “it has been a very long, and most amazing run,” thanking their fans for the support while the band has toured over the past two and a half years. Read it all at Metallica.com.

• The band has played a total of 212 shows in 153 cities since hitting the road in May of 2008 to promote their latest album, Death Magnetic.

QUEENSRYCHE’S 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF EMPIRE
This news is brought to you by VH1 Radio's Dave Basner

Queensryche will release a 20th anniversary edition of their hit 1990 album Empire. The new set will not only feature the original CD remastered with bonus tracks from the 2003 reissue, but also a second disc with a live concert from 1990. It hits shelves on September 14th.

JOE PERRY INJURED IN ACCIDENT
This news is brought to you by VH1 Radio's Dave Basner

Joe Perry was in an accident today in Middleborough, Massachusetts. According to the Boston Globe, the Aerosmith guitarist was on his motorcycle when it was struck from behind by a sedan. Perry was taken to a hospital where he was treated for undisclosed injuries and released. It isn’t yet clear if Joe was driving or stopped when the accident happened, but the incident is currently under investigation by the police. No word yet on if whatever injuries Joe sustained will affect the band’s tour, which is set to kick off one week from today.

GILMOUR TO PLAY WITH WATERS AT UPCOMING SHOW
This news is brought to you by VH1 Radio's Dave Basner

Last weekend, David Gilmour and Roger Waters performed together for the first time in five years at a charity event, and they might collaborate on stage again at one of Roger’s upcoming shows during his The Wall tour. The Pink Floyd bassist wrote on his Facebook page that David agreed to appear at an upcoming gig. No word yet on when that show will be but Waters’ The Wall tour hits Europe in March. Read everything Roger said at the “Roger Waters The Wall” Facebook page.

U2 ON RECORDING NEW ALBUM
This news is brought to you by VH1 Radio's Dave Basner

This week, U2 rescheduled the U-S tour dates that were postponed after Bono underwent emergency back surgery. The band has now uploaded a video for fans, apologizing for the postponement and updating us on Bono’s condition. He says he went through a difficult time after the severe injury but is now up walking and moving around. The Irish singer says they’ve used the downtime to record new songs for an upcoming album, and they may play some of the material while out on tour. We’ll keep you posted.

AN EVENING WITH JOHN MELLENCAMP
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Next month, John Mellencamp will release his latest album, No Better than This, and on the day the record hits shelves, the singer will sit down for an onstage interview at L-A’s GRAMMY Museum. Before an intimate audience of just 200 people, Mellencamp will answer questions about his career, his activism and his new album. He’ll even take questions from fans. It’s called An Evening with John Mellencamp and takes place on August 17th. Tickets for the event are on sale now at Ticketmaster.com and you can learn more at Mellencamp.com.

THE WORST PLACE GEEZER EVER PLAYED
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Tomorrow, Geezer Butler turns 61. The bassist has been making music for over four decades with the likes of Black Sabbath and Heaven & Hell. During that time, he’s played in many venues, but which one was the worst? The rocker filled us in.

(Cut #1) “We played this club in Zurich called the Hirschorn and it was absolutely horrendous. It’s like this really long place but they’re so mental there that they put the stage right opposite the bar so you were playing directly in front of the bar and deafening anybody that came in.”

Geezer told us more about the club.
(Cut #2) “It was where all the prostitutes hung out between clients and where all the lunatics hung out, like the nutters on the street would come in to get warm and then they’d be doing all these stupid things and then the manager would throw them out. And I think we only played to like, the most, 15 people there.”

Butler performed at the Zurich venue with Sabbath in 1969 and back then, they stayed where they could, but Geezer said staying there was especially memorable.

(Cut #3) “There were seven of us including the roadies and we all had to sleep in the same rat infested room just above the club. It was horrible. We used to wake up with the rats crawling all over us.”

A week from Sunday, Geezer will perform with Tony Iommi and Vinny Appice for the last time as Heaven & Hell at a tribute show to late heavy metal great and Heaven & Hell singer Ronnie James Dio. It takes place at the High Voltage festival in London and you can learn more at HighVoltageFestival.com.

BLACK SABBATH LULLABIES
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Black Sabbath is the latest band to get the lullaby treatment from Rockabye Baby! The company transforms timeless rock songs into instrumental lullabies. Hear how Sabbath hits like “Iron Man,” “Paranoid,” “War Pigs” and many others sound with bells and vibraharps. Rockabye Baby! Lullaby Renditions of Black Sabbath is out now and you can hear samples from it at RockabyeBabyMusic.com.

GET DAVE MUSTAINE’S AUTOGRAPH
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Megadeth fans everywhere are excited to read about singer Dave Mustaine in his new autobiography, Mustaine: A Heavy Metal Memoir, and soon, they can get the rocker to sign the book too. It hits shelves on August 3rd and a few days after, Dave will head out on a book tour, putting his John Hancock on his memoir in stores from New York to California with tons of stops in between. Learn more about the book and where Mustaine will sign it at Megadeth.com.

Rush News
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A RUSH iPHONE APP
If you’re a Rush fan with an iPhone, listen up. The band has created a new app that will provide you with up-to-the-minute news, tour info, facts, a game, wallpaper, over 40 dollars with of music and more in the palm of your hands. It only costs three bucks and you can learn more about it or get it at RushApps.com.

SEE NEIL PEART’S CHROMEY
If you’re a Rush fan who finds him or herself in Port Dalhousie, Ontario, Canada on July 22nd or 24th, be sure to stop by Lakeside Park. That’s because the 1974 chrome Slingerland drum kit once owned and played by drummer Neil Peart will be on display for the public to check out there. Get your picture taken with the instrument, dubbed The Chromey, or even play the drum. All proceeds raised at the event will go towards the upkeep of the park’s carousel. Read more at StCatherinesStandard.ca.

• Peart bought the kit in 1974 for a U-S-Canada tour. They appear on the cover of the live album All the World’s A Stage and were used in the recording of Fly By Night, Caress of Steel and 2112.

• The drums were retired in 1977 and stayed in storage for a decade before Modern Drummer gave them away in a contest. The winner had to perform the best drum solo, as judged by Peart. The man who then won kept the drums in storage for 22 years until 2009.

AXL WANTS QUOTES WITHDRAWN
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Guns N’ Roses recently put out a statement that announced a gig at December’s Sydney 500 V8 Supercars street race in Australia. The press release quoted an excited Axl Rose, who said the event “will be a blast” and “Bring on Sydney and the V8 Supercars. Hopefully I can get a ride in one of those big beasts while I’m there.” Now, however, according to Australian radio station Triple M, Axl has demanded the withdrawal of all his quotes used on the press release, which was sent around Australia. No word as to why the singer asked for the tame quotes to be pulled. Read more at TripleM.com.au.

• Australia’s Daily Telegraph reports that the band is being paid around 886-thousand dollars (or over one-million Australian dollars) to perform at the event.

R.E.M. FINISH NEW ALBUM
According to Rolling Stone, R.E.M. have finished their brand new album. The record was produced by Jacknife Lee at the Hansa Studios in Berlin. This is R.E.M.’s fifteenth studio album and it’s expected to come out in spring of 2011. We’ll keep you posted on details.

HENDRIX’S ESTATE SUED
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Jimi Hendrix is consistently one of the top-earning dead celebrities, but when there is money involved, there are lawsuits, and that’s the case with the singer. Hendrix’s estate is being sued by a guitarist who claims one of his songs has been used without permission. According to the Associated Press, saxophonist and bandleader Lonnie Youngblood wrote songs with Jimi in the ‘60s and one of those tracks, “Georgia Blues,” was used on the 2003 compilation Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues: Jimi Hendrix. Youngblood says he wasn’t asked for permission to use the song and was not credited as a creator of the tune, which he asserts he released online and copyrighted in 2002. He refused a settlement offer of three-thousand dollars and along with the Hendrix estate is suing MCA Records and Scorsese, seeking unspecified damages in lost income.

July 15, 2010

A DELXUE VINYL EDITION OF METALLICA’S KILL ‘EM ALL
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Today, you can order a deluxe vinyl edition of Metallica’s 1983 album Kill ‘Em All. The set comes in 180-gram red vinyl, packaged in a gatefold sleeve and remastered from the original album master tapes. Only one-thousand copies will be available and can only be purchased by Metallica fan club members. Learn more at MetClub.com.

• The original title of Kill ‘Em All was Metal Up Your Ass.
• The opening track, “Hit the Lights,” was the first song singer James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich wrote together after forming Metallica.

• Just before recording began, guitarist Dave Mustaine was replaced by Kirk Hammett.

SATRIANI STRUGGLES TO STAY THIN IN CHICKENFOOT
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Today, Joe Satriani turns 54 years old. The famed guitarist is looking pretty good for his age, no thanks to his Chickenfoot bandmate Sammy Hagar. Joe told us that when the band goes out to eat, Sammy encourages that they EAT.

“We get together obviously for some really great dinners. I gotta say, I wound up somehow 20 pounds overweight and I blame that on Sammy Hagar. The man is a hard-living bon vivant and I can’t keep up with him. Now he calls me a skinny, little something because I lost like 15 pounds and I said, ‘No, this is the normal, pre-Sammy Hagar Joe Satriani. Not the fat guy you see on the video.’ So there’s lots of dinners.”

Joe will no doubt be eating well in September. Chickenfoot have a pair of shows on the 10th and 11th of that month. Find out more about them and stay up to date with the band at Chickenfoot.us.

ARTIMUS PYLE DOESN’T THINK HE’S A LEGEND
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Today, former Lynyrd Skynyrd drummer Artimus Pyle turns 62. With his 36 years of making music, many fans consider the Artimus to be a legend, or at the very least, a rock star. But Pyle told us he never thinks of himself that way and neither do many of his peers.

“None of us consider ourselves rock stars or legends and when we hear ourselves hence referred to as that, we kind of go, ‘Who do you mean? Oh, me!?’”

Keep up to date with the legendary rock star at ArtimusPyle.com.

SLASH PICKS A WINNER
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Slash recently teamed up with Guitar Center to hold a contest, offering the winner a three-song EP that he’ll help write, record and will perform on. This week, the former Guns N’ Roses guitarist hand picked the winner. Out of over 12-thousand entries, Slash chose California’s State Line Empire. Now, along with the EP, the band will get a ten-thousand dollar Guitar Center shopping spree, a management development deal, new gear, an opening slot on Slash’s Monster Energy Bash, an editorial feature in Guitar World Magazine and much more. Learn about the band at MySpace.com/StateLineEmpire.

July 13, 2010

Moondance Jam 19 opens early on July 14 and will rock through July 17

Lynyrd Skynyrd, Sammy Hagar, Buckcherry, REO Speedwagon, Pat Benatar, Collective Soul and Jonny Lang among the 30 plus acts at this year’s event.

WALKER, MINNESOTA – July 132, 2010 – After seeing a 15 percent increase in attendance at their country music festival in June along with an increase in Moondance Jam pre-event ticket sales, Moondance Events expects a huge turnout for their July 15-17 rock festival. The gates will be opening a day early on Wednesday, July 14 at 10 a.m. for early camping and the Pre-Jam Party. Anyone who wants to setup camp a day early and avoid the longer lines on Thursday can upgrade their camping at the gate for $20 per person. Plus, Wednesday night will feature a free Pre Jam Party in Saloon for ticket holders that will be capped off with 80s rock tribute, Hairball, headlining on the main stage.

“Our phones have been ringing off the hook for the last month. General admission tickets and three and four day general camping are going to be available at the gate, but everything else is sold out. There is definitely a buzz this year. That first day is really going to set the tone,” Bill Bieloh, the festival’s owner, said..

The first “official” full day of Moondance Jam features some newer bands than the 19 year old classic rock festival traditionally books, such as Tonic, Hoobastank, Collective Soul and Buckcherry. However, the first night will close with classic rocker Sammy Hagar putting on a bigger and more rockin’ show than normal.

Friday’s lineup will definitely stay closer to the classic rock tone of past Jams with guitar men Pat Travers and former member of The Eagles, Don Felder, putting on shows before and after the 80s & 90s power pop group The Smithereens. The night will be topped off by two of the biggest hit makers in the 1980s, four-time Grammy winner Pat Benatar and multi-platinum rockers REO Speedwagon.

The final day of the Jam will have some great contrasting rock, southern rock and blues shows. The day kicks off with two top, up and coming southern rock bands Black Berry Smoke and Black Stone Cherry back-to-back on the main stage with the former having a more traditional southern rock sound and the later a high octane style bordering on modern rock. Then Cinderella returns to Moondance with their bluesy, glam rock show followed by Fargo native and Grammy award winning blues, gospel and rock singer/songwriter, Jonny Lang. Closing out Moondance Jam is arguably the greatest southern rock band of all-time, Lynyrd Skynyrd.

Many other great regional and tribute bands will play throughout the festival on the Moondance Saloon regional stage and the Lazy Moon Backstage Bar acoustic stage. Regional schedules and all band bios can be found online at www.moondancejam.com.

General admission tickets and 3 & 4 day general camping will be sold at the gate.

Camping and Concert Gate Times
Wednesday early camping check in is from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Please do not show up earlier than 10 a.m. – you will not be allowed to wait on the highway. Concert gates open at 5:30 for the Pre Jam Party.

Thursday – Saturday camping check in is from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. each day. Again, please do not show up earlier than 8 a.m. Concert gates open at NOON each day.

Location, Parking & Shuttles
Moondance Jam is held on the Moondance Events festival grounds 6 ½ miles southeast of Walker, MN on HWY 200. There is $10/day parking available at the the Moondance Events grounds and $5/day motorcycle parking. Northern Lights Casino (2 ½ miles west of Moondance) offers free parking in their lot with a free Moondance shuttle service that runs from when the concert gates open until the concert area is empty.

Moondance Jam Features Open Festival Seating for G.A.
Moondance Jam is a bit of a throwback with their open festival seating for all general admission ticket holders. That means everyone at Moondance has equal opportunity to get up to the front of the stage or sit back on the lawn seating area. Note: If you want to get up front for some of the bigger shows, get into the concert area early. Otherwise, bring in your lawn chair, setup camp, explore the concert area and enjoy the shows.

New This Year at Moondance Jam
Every year there is something new at Moondance. This year’s biggest additions are the new Tiki Bar, the Moondance Shuffle “pub crawl”, the Moondance Shuffle Drawing and the Karaoke contest. The Tiki Bar, located just outside of Lazy Moon Backstage bar, serves great “island” drinks. The Moondance Shuffle laminates and cards are available at token booths. Drawings will be held nightly at 8:30 p.m. from the main stage for sponsor packs, meet & greets, 2011 tickets and more. In addition to the 9 a.m. bloody mary bar and breakfast buffet, the Lazy Moon Backstage Bar now has a karaoke contest starting at 11 a.m. and running until 2 p.m. Winners will win tickets and camping for Moondance Jam 20.More information can be found at www.moondancejam.com.

Jammers will also see a lot more cameras and crew shooting the event this year. Blaze TV’s production crew will be filming for 10 shows to be featured later this summer and over the next two years on DIRECTV’s concert series on The 101 Network.

Main Stage Schedule

Wednesday, July 15th: Pre Jam Party in the Saloon
10:00 p.m. Hairball (On the Main Stage)
8:30 p.m.     Mountain Ash
7:15 p.m.     Free Fallin – A Tribute to Tom Petty
6:00 p.m.     The Minnesota Whiskey Pigzz

Thursday, July 16th

11:00 p.m. Sammy Hagar and the Wabos
9:00 p.m.     Buckcherry
7:00 p.m.     Collective Soul
5:00 p.m.     Hoobastank
3:00 p.m.     Tonic

Friday, July 17th

11:00 p.m. REO Speedwagon
9:00 p.m.     Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo
7:00 p.m.     Don Felder “An Evening at the Hotel California”
5:00 p.m.     The Smithereens
3:00 p.m.     Pat Travers

Saturday, July 18th

11:00 p.m. Lynyrd Skynyrd
9:00 p.m.     Jonny Lang
7:00 p.m.     Cinderella
5:00 p.m.     Black Stone Cherry
3:00 p.m.     Blackberry Smoke
*Schedule and lineup are subject to change without notice.

More information can be found online at www.moondancejam.com or by calling the Moondance Hotline at 877-MOONJAM.

ANTHRAX TO TOUR WITH MEGADETH AND SLAYER
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As expected, Anthrax will join Slayer and Megadeth on the second leg of their American Carnage Tour. An official announcement was made yesterday, revealing that that portion of the trek will begin on September 24^th in Dallas and will run through October 21^st. During the second leg, Megadeth will continue to perform Rust in Peace in its entirety and Slayer will do the same with their 1990 album Seasons in the Abyss. A ticket pre-sale begins tomorrow. Get details at Slayer.net, Megadeth.com or Anthrax.com.

The bands toured together before, during 1991’s Clash of the Titans tour.

SLAYER TO RELEASE FIRST CONCERT VIDEO ON DVD
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In 1995, Slayer released their first home video, Live Intrusion, on VHS, and now, the concert footage will come out on DVD. The set features performances from the band’s 1995 Divine Intervention tour and will hit shelves on August 16^th. Learn more at Slayerized.com.

GILMOUR AND WATERS PERFORM TOGETHER
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For the first time in five years, Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour and Roger Waters performed together. It happened over the weekend before 200 guests at charity event in England. During the extremely rare gig, the pair played songs including “Wish You Were Here,” “Comfortably Numb” and “Another Brick in the Wall (Part Two).” The event raised over half a million dollars for the HOPING Foundation (Hope and Optimism for Palestinians in the Next Generation). Read more at DavidGilmourBlog.com.

SANTANA GETS ENGAGED ON STAGE
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Carlos Santana had a very memorable show over the weekend. About four songs into his performance in Chicago on Saturday, 50-year-old jazz and rock drummer Cindy Blackman joined the 62-year-old singer on stage for a solo behind the kit. After, Carlos asked her to the front of the stage and then asked her to marry him. They kissed and the crowd cheered. Congrats Carlos and Cindy!

Cindy is best known for recording and touring with Lenny Kravitz.
In a statement, Carlos said, “Cindy and I are blessed to have found each other. Being in love is a gift from the universe, and the spirit and vibrations that come with it are infinitely powerful.”

WHAT TO EXPECT FROM BAD COMPANY’S TOUR
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Bad Company have announced plans to once again tour in America. Singer Paul Rodgers told us how this trek might be different from their last one.

“What I’m trying to do is include, you know, there are some songs that we didn’t play because the band disbanded in whenever it was, 79 or 80, one of the songs was ‘Electric Land’ and we never actually played that live and it’s something that I’m revisiting and we’re having a lot of fun with that and doing different things.”

Bad Company will start breaking out some of the rarer tracks when they kick off their tour on Friday in Indio, California. Get all the band’s dates at BadCompany.com.

BON JOVI INJURED DURING SHOW
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Jon Bon Jovi played in his home state of New Jersey on Friday and during the encore, a rock cover of the Dave Clark Five’s “Glad All Over,” Jon jumped away from the mic and clutched his left leg in pain. The 48-year-old singer told the crowd he was hurt adding, “I’m old, but I’m still good looking.” Even with an injury, the rocker finished the song and the set and the next day, released a statement explaining he tore a calf muscle but that no future dates will be affected. Read more at Billboard.com.

BON JOVI, EAGLES HAVE TOP GROSSING TOURS
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Now that we’re more than halfway through 2010, the numbers have been crunched and the top grossing tours of the year have been revealed. While the official Pollstar chart shows that Bon Jovi have the top tour after raking in 52.8-million dollars through June, the chart neglects to include the Eagles. Pollstar only reported on six of the band’s dates and had all of their shows been counted, the Eagles would come in at second since they made 48.7-million dollars so far in 2010. Pollstar has Carole King and James Taylor’s Troubadour tour in second place. It’s earned 41 million so far. Read more at Pollstar.com.

NO MORE POLICE
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Fans of The Police hoping for another reunion shouldn’t hold their breath. According to ContactMusic.com, Sting said that the band’s 30^th anniversary tour a couple years ago “wasn’t easy” since there were “no new songs, no new energy, no desire to take that as a platform and more somewhere else.” The singer compared the tour to a divorced couple reuniting and said nothing could make him do it again.

Sting goes on to say that he doesn’t regret the reunion but does call it “purely an exercise in nostalgia.”

MAIDEN DEBUT NEW VIDEO
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Iron Maiden have made a video for their new song “The Final Frontier,” the title track off their upcoming album. The clip will debut on the band’s website at 10 AM Eastern today. Check it out at IronMaiden.com. Meanwhile, The Final Frontier comes out on August 17^th.

RUSH FAN SUES BAND FOR CANCELLED SHOW
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A Rush fan who travelled from upstate New York to Chicago to see the band perform is so upset the group cancelled the show that he’s filed a class action lawsuit. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, 42-year-old Christopher Langone is seeking reimbursement for his ticket, airfare and other expenses after he made the trek to Illinois to see a Rush concert which was scrapped due to rain. Langone is claiming it is breach of contract since the ticket and promotional materials stated the gig was a “rain or shine” event. He feels other fans are in the same boat and is hoping they join the suit. No word yet from the band. Read more at SunTimes.com.

DOOBIE BROTHERS PLAYING NEW MUSIC LIVE
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In September, the Doobie Brothers will release their first album of original material in ten years, but in the meantime, they’re on the road, and while on tour, they’re performing some new tunes. Singer Tom Johnston told us about what they’re playing and how the crowds are liking it.

“They’ve been very receptive. I remember in the old days, it used to be a little scary and sometimes they weren’t. But they’ve been… we’re playing three songs off the album right now, one of them’s the single that’s coming out right now and then we’re doing ‘World Gone Crazy’ and we’re also doing a song called ‘Chateau’ that [guitarist] Pat [Simmons] wrote. And they’re all going over very well.”

The Doobie Brothers play in Cincinnati tonight with Chicago. Find all their dates at DoobieBrothers.net.

IOMMI TALKS ABOUT DIO TRIBUTE
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Tony Iommi is speaking more about Heaven & Hell’s July 24^th Ronnie James Dio tribute performance at London’s High Voltage festival. The guitarist told England’s Sunday Mercury that it will be “the very last gig” they play as Heaven & Hell. Iommi explained, “We chose the name because the band comprised the Black Sabbath lineup that made the Heaven and Hell album. We couldn’t carry on under that name without Ronnie. It just wouldn’t be right.” Dio died on May 16^th at age 67. Read more at SundayMercury.net.

PEARL JAM’S LAST GIG?
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During their performance in Portugal Sunday night, Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder told the audience that this was going to be their last show for a long time. Right after the band began their set, Vedder read off a statement in Portuguese that translated to “Thank you for coming to our last show. Not our last ever, but out last in a long time.” Check out more over at NME.com.

MUSTAINE’S BOOK ALREADY A BEST SELLER
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Dave Mustaine just announced the release date for his long-awaited autobiography and already, with just pre-sales, the book is a bestseller. Mustaine: A Life in Metal is number 125 in books, number one in Rock books, number 11 in memoirs and number one in Heavy Metal books. In a statement, Dave said, “I am ecstatic that we are number one at Amazon.com.” The book, which tells Mustaine’s life story, is due out on August 3^rd.

KISS TO PLAY TONIGHT SHOW
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Kiss are scheduled to perform on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. According to Interbridge.com’s Late Night TV Page, the band will play the talk show on Monday night. The Tonight Show airs at 11:35 PM Eastern on NBC.

NEW SINGLE FROM ADLER’S APPETITE
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Steven Adler’s band, Adler’s Appetite, have finished recording their new single, “Alive,” and plan to debut the track as part of their summer tour. That trek is already underway and next hits Billings, Montana tonight. Get all the dates at MySpace.com/StevenAdlerSite. If you can’t make it out to see the band, you can still hear the tune soon. It will be released in conjunction with the ex-Guns N’ Roses drummer’s new tell-all autobiography, My Appetite for Destruction: Sex, Drugs & Guns N’ Roses, which hits shelves on the 27^th.

July 12, 2010

OZZFEST PERFORMERS GET PUMPED UP FOR THE TOUR’S HIGHLY ANTICIPATED RETURN

SIX-DATE TOUR LAUNCHES SATURDAY, AUGUST 14 IN SAN BERNARDINO, CA

OZZFEST is back and fans aren’t the only ones excited about it--this year’s performers are pumped up, as illustrated by the quotes below. Launching Saturday, August 14 in San Bernardino, CA--the birthplace of the first OZZFest in 1996--this year’s tour will include main stage artists Ozzy Osbourne, Mötley Crüe, Rob Halford, DevilDriver and Nonpoint. Second stage headliners Black Label Society will return for their seventh appearance on the tour and will be joined by Drowning Pool, Kingdom of Sorrow, and Goatwhore, Skeletonwitch, Saviours and Kataklysm. OZZFest marks the first concerts in the U.S. in connection with the June 22 release of tour founder Ozzy Osbourne’s new album SCREAM (Epic Records).

Mötley Crüe’s Nikki Sixx said the band couldn’t refuse the offer to join the tour. "When Ozzy calls and asks you to go on tour, you say ‘when do I start?’ Over 25 years ago, Ozzy took Mötley Crüe on, what some say, was one of the greatest tours in rock history. When he asked us to co-headline OZZFest with him this year, we were flattered and ecstatic. It is an honor and a privilege to share the stage with him again and I can guarantee that Mötley Crüe will rip out the jugular of every audience in every city this summer.”

"I am very excited Halford will be performing, and to be part of this year's legendary Ozzfest lineup," shares Rob Halford. "It will be a great opportunity for the Halford band to be reintroduced to the Metal communities."

OZZFest will be the first opportunity for many to experience Ozzy’s new guitarist Gus G. At the same time, former Ozzy guitarist Zakk Wylde will be featured at OZZFest, taking the stage as the Black Label Society frontman. “We’re looking forward to kicking some serious ass as the second stage headliners on OZZFest this summer. Thank you to Mom and Dad for again including Black Label Society on the line-up. We can’t wait to play slammin’ new songs from Order Of The Black as well as BLS classics. For all those who bleed Black Label, we will see you soon!”

Nonpoint lead singer Elias Soriano is ready and eager to join the ranks of the main stage, “Nonpoint played OZZfest almost 10 years ago for the first time on the second stage and it was one of my proudest moments as a member of this band. Now to be invited not only to play again, but on the main stage is an honor. This is an opportunity for Nonpoint to put on the performance of our career. Strap up, bear down and prepare for the eruption – it’s on, OZZfest!”

DevilDriver’s Dez Fafara agrees, “OZZFest! It's beyond an honor to be asked back yet again to the mothership of all summer concerts. There's not a better time-honored tradition. It’s a Rock ‘n’ Roll, sundrenched, rile up and fire up, rip-roaring, rowdy, ‘keep your horns up in the air at all times,’ full-day summer festival of killer music and good times. And DevilDriver is gonna be there to CRUSH the main stage. Come join us at what will no doubt be the landmark of the year and the best fucking time you'll have all summer.”

Drowning Pool will make their fourth return to the earth-shattering tour. “All of us in Drowning Pool couldn't be more excited that we're playing OZZFest again this year. It's such a great honor and a privilege to be part of Sharon and Ozzy's OZZFest family,” says guitarist CJ Pierce. “Every tour we've done with OZZFest has always had such a great mix of bands. I’m looking forward not only playing the show but watching all the other bands as well. We can't wait to rock out with all our friends, fans, and family again. See you out there at the show!”

Ben Falgoust of Goatwhore is excited to perform amongst all the other talented musicians. "First and foremost, it's incredible to be on the same fest with legends like Ozzy Osbourne, Rob Halford and Motley Crue. Secondly, there is a damn fine mixture of the most influential classic metal bands/people on the main stage and some of the most extreme bands to grace the second stage of OZZFest since its conception. Also, I would like to say it will be a quite insane, fun and outrageous time with our friends in Skeletonwitch, Kingdom Of Sorrow, DevilDriver, Black Label Society, Saviors, and so on. So, if you can make it out you should or sit at home and jerk off to she-male videos. Your choice."

"It just wasn't summer without Ozzfest so I couldn't be happier that it's back and ready to destroy,” Kingdom of Sorrow’s Jamey Jasta shares. “Kingdom Of Sorrow is pumped to be playing, see you in the pit!"

While Kingdom of Sorrow isn’t able to perform the August 14 San Bernardino date, Exodus will be filling in for them. Guitarist Gary Holt says, “We are WAY more than fired up to announce that EXODUS will be playing the SoCal date on OZZFest! We were asked if we wanted to jump in, and we said ‘fuck yes!’ See everybody there!”

Scott Hedrick, guitarist for Skeletonwitch, is grateful and honored to be on the six-date tour. "We can't fucking wait for OZZFest!! Every band starts somewhere and the first Skeletonwitch show was on a stage we built in our front yard. You can bet your ass we didn't see this coming back then. Haha! It's quite an honor and a great opportunity for us to be a part of the longest running heavy music festival in America. I mean Ozzy?! Rob fucking Halford!? To make it even better, we get to do it with our great friends in Goatwhore and Saviours. Thanks to everyone who has supported us and enabled us to do what we love. It's truly appreciated."

Scott Batiste of Saviours shares that sentiment. “Hitting the road with Ozzy, Motley Crüe and Halford is not something we'd ever expect to be doing but we're ready to bring our filthy breed of raging metal to a lot of new heads! Having our friends in Skeletonwitch and Goatwhore along for the ride is going to make for a seriously demented trip and some fucking good times! We'll see you in August!”

"We are grateful that Kataklysm is about to turn the clock next year to 20 years of existence,” says frontman Maurizio Iacono. “Through good and bad times, we’ve stayed strong and remained a leading force in the underground, but I never in my life thought I would be on tour with Ozzy or Mötley Crüe while being in an extreme band. One can’t help but feel amazed when legends take notice and invite you to participate on one of the world’s most important tours: OZZFfest. Thanks, of course, to the Osbournes and their organization for this great opportunity. I wanna sincerely say ‘thank you’ to our fans for being there for us and giving us a chance through their support to make Kataklysm a legacy. Even more important, we’re here to party hard with you guys! This is a lifestyle and we should all unite at Ozzfest to celebrate this privilege of being metalheads!”

In addition to non-stop music on both stages, concert-goers can once again visit the OZZFest “Village of the Damned” featuring a mix of interactive activities, shopping and entertainment throughout the venue concourses.

All six dates of the explosive Live Nation produced tour will feature “all-in ticket pricing” which means there are no hidden fees whatsoever--no parking charges at the shows, no facility or surcharge fees--the price you see is the price you pay. Tickets prices start as low as $30 per ticket when purchased in a 4-pack. For complete ticket and tour information visit: www.OZZFest.com and www.LiveNation.com.

THE 2010 OZZFest TOUR DATES:

DATE                     CITY                                VENUE
Sat, Aug 14           San Bernardino, CA          San Manuel Amphitheater
Tue, Aug 17           Chicago, IL                      First Midwest Bank Amp.
Thurs, Aug 19        Pittsburgh, PA                  First Niagara Pavilion
Sat, Aug 21            Hartford, CT                    Comcast Theatre
Sun, Aug 22           Camden, NJ                    Susquehanna Bank Center
Tue, Aug 24           Boston, MA                     Comcast Cent

DAVID BOWIE ‘STATION TO STATION’ - SPECIAL & DELUXE EDITIONS -

INCLUDING THE PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED AND MUCH SOUGHT-AFTER CONCERT

‘LIVE NASSAU COLISEUM ‘76’ RELEASE DATE: SEPTEMBER 28, 2010 - PLUS NEW LINER NOTES BY CAMERON CROWE -

Hollywood, California – July 9, 2010 – Virgin/EMI is pleased to announce September 28 as the North American release date for David Bowie’s hugely influential 1976 album, Station To Station, in two expanded packages: a 3CD and digital Special Edition and a limited edition 5CD, DVD (Audio) and three 180gram vinyl LP Deluxe Edition. Both new editions include the original album, remastered from the analogue master, and the much-bootlegged, but previously unreleased concert favorite, Live Nassau Coliseum ’76, as well as new liner notes by Cameron Crowe. As exclusively announced by BowieNet (www.davidbowie.com), September 20 has been confirmed as the European release date.

The 3CD Special Edition features the remastered original studio album on disc one, plus Live Nassau Coliseum ’76 on discs two and three. Packaged in a lift-top box, the set also includes a 16-page booklet and three David Bowie postcards. The Special Edition will also be available for digital download purchase with an exclusive bonus track, “Panic In Detroit” (unedited alt. mix), from the recordings for Live Nassau Coliseum ’76.

WHAT WILL THE SCORPIONS DO AFTER THEIR LAST SHOW?
This news is brought to you by VH1 Radio's Dave Basner

The Scorpions are currently on their Get Your Sting and Blackout tour, their final trek as a band. While they’ll be out on the road for the next couple years, have they thought about what they’ll do once that last show is over? Guitarist Matthias Jabs told us what typically happens then.

“I don’t know. I mean, normally, the last show is not the last show, so far, so everybody goes in his own home probably, takes a vacation and we meet at some point in the studio again, whatever, it happens. This time, we don’t know.”

So what will Matthias do after the final show is done?

“I think for me it’s like, I don’t really want to think about it too much, I don’t want to put a blockage in my mind. I want to just be open and see how it feels to slowly absorb everything that comes up and to watch things and just be open-minded and see what feels the best and what really is the best thing to do. It’s too early now.”

In the meantime, Matthias and the rest of the Scorpions can focus on their next show, which is Wednesday in Atlanta. Get all the band’s dates at The-Scorpions.com.

FENDER TO HONOR JIMI HENDRIX
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Fender will honor Jimi Hendrix at their fourth annual Hall of Fame induction ceremony next month. The Fender Hall of Fame celebrates founders, artists and innovators who have made significant contributions to the company’s legacy. Jimi’s sister, Janie, will be on hand to accept the honor on his behalf as will the rocker’s long-time producer, Eddie Kramer. The ceremony takes place on August 13^th in Tempe, Arizona and you can learn more at Fender.com.

MORE DETAILS ON MUSTAINE’S MEMOIRS
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Megadeth singer Dave Mustaine has been working on his autobiography for some time now, but the book finally has a release date. Mustaine: A Heavy Metal Memoir will hit shelves on August 3^rd and in it, the rocker discusses his time with Metallica, the rise of Megadeth, his departure from the group and his eventual return, his battles with addiction and how Alice Cooper helped him, his love of Christianity and much more. Learn more about the book or pre-order it now at Amazon.com.

KISS SPECIAL TO AIR ON A&E
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If you didn’t make it to Australia when Kiss brought their Alive 35 Tour there, you can still see video from the shows. That’s because next week, A&E will air a one-hour special called Kissteria. The program will not only show concert footage but also give fans a look behind-the-scenes when Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons decide to launch the spontaneous mini-tour with one-week’s notice. Find out all the scrambling that goes on when Kissteria airs on July 20^th at 10 PM Eastern on A&E.

WHO DOES McKAGAN WRITE FOR?
This news is brought to you by VH1 Radio's Dave Basner

Duff McKagan revealed last week that he’s working on new music with his band Loaded. The bassist is pretty busy since he’s also been collaborating with Jane’s Addiction recently and is still in Velvet Revolver as well. So when the former Guns N’ Roses rocker comes up with a song idea, how does he decide which band will get it? He filled us in.

“I never sit down and go, ‘I’m gonna write a song right now.’ I don’t do that, first off. An idea will just pop into my head but I think whatever the idea is dictates itself what it’s gonna be for. The idea dictates what it’s for and it’s not me at all.”

Keep up to date with Duff at MySpace.com/DuffXMcKagan.com.

ROCK HALL ANNIVERSARY CONCERT UP FOR EMMYS
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The Emmy nominations were announced last week and along with the usual great television shows that got nods, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 25^th Anniversary Concert, which aired on HBO last October, also got some recognition. The show, which featured performances from Bruce Springsteen, U2, Simon & Garfunkel, Metallica and many others, is up for the Emmy for Outstanding Variety, Music of Comedy Special as well as in the running for trophies for directing, editing, sound mixing and technical direction. Find out how the show does when the Emmys air on NBC on August 29^th.

STING’S SYMPHONICITIES OUT TOMORROW
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If you haven’t yet had a chance to see Sting on tour, performing rearranged versions of some of his greatest hits with the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra, tomorrow will be a good day for you. That’s because Symphonicities, the companion CD to the trek, comes out Tuesday. The disc includes classics like “Every Little Thing She Does is Magic” and “Roxanne” and it’ll be on shelves tomorrow. Sting performs with the orchestra at the Metropolitan Opera in New York tonight.

JOE ELLIOTT GOES DOWN N’ OUTZ
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In 2009, Def Leppard singer Joe Elliott formed a band with The Quireboys and opened for Mott the Hoople when they reunited for some performances overseas. Now, that band Joe created has a name and a CD that comes out tomorrow. They’re called Down N’ Outz and their new album, My Regeneration, includes 13 covers of rare yet monumental tracks by ‘70s rock pioneers like Mott the Hoople, Ian Hunter and the British Lions. Pick up My Regeneration tomorrow and learn more at DownNOutz.com.

July 7, 2010

PAUL RODGERS ANNOUNCES FUND-RAISING DRIVE TO BENEFIT “KIDS ROCK FREE®” MUSIC PROGRAM

DRAWS TO BE HELD THROUGHOUT RODGERS’ 2010 CONCERT DATES FEATURING RARE STAGE ITEMS, AUTOGRAPHED MEMORABILIA & COLLECTIBLES

BONUS MONTHLY DRAWS AVAILABLE EXCLUSIVELY AT PAULRODGERS.COM

Los Angeles, CA – July 7, 2010 – Legendary rock icon Paul Rodgers has announced that during his concert tours this year, both Solo and Bad Company, he will be donating rare personal stage items, autographed memorabilia and collectables for a nightly draw. All of the proceeds will be given to the Fender Centers ‘Kids Rock Free’ national music education initiative in efforts to raise money and awareness. Plus Rodgers and his wife, Cynthia, will match all monies raised.

“Without music in schools curriculum there is a void for young people to express, explore and experience music. We are on a mission to set up this music program across the U.S. If not for music in my life as a young person who knows where I would have focused my energy,” said Rodgers.

The Kids Rock Free campaign provides free and low-cost music lessons to students age 7-17 and has serviced over 12,000 kids. Rodgers has dedicated himself to the program since 2003, donating his time, talent and finances. In an effort to expand the program nationwide and to help kids across the United States experience music at a very low cost or for free, the push is on to raise additional funding to make that experience a reality.

Those who wish to participate may simply visit the merchandise booth during any concert date and purchase a $5 fundraising ticket. Two random drawings will be held each night, and the winner(s) will take home one (or two) items. Monthly drawings are also being held online on Rodgers’ website, PaulRodgers.com. Rodgers and his wife, Cynthia, will match all donations made during the fund-raising drive.

Additionally, supporters of Kids Rock Free “text-to-donate” can make a $10 donation directly from their mobile phones by texting “ROCK” to 50555. A one-time $10 donation will be added to mobile bills; messaging and data rates may apply. Terms, help and other details can be found online at www.mgive.com/a.

Rodgers, celebrating over four decades as a writing and charting recording artist (Free, Bad Company, The Firm, Queen + Paul Rodgers, Solo), was recently presented with the “Classic Songwriter” award by Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck at the annual Classic Rock Magazine Roll of Honour 2009. Rolling Stone recently named Rodgers one of the “Top 100 Singers of All Time,” Classic Rock UK placed him at #2 on their “50 Greatest Singers in Rock” list. His debut solo DVD “Live in Glasgow” is certified Gold and charted at #1 in Canada, #2 in Japan, #3 in the US and #4 in the UK . Recently released in the U.K. “The Best of Free and Bad Company, featuring Paul Rodgers” hit the charts in the top 10 and is also certified gold.

CONFIRMED US TOUR DATES:

DATE               VENUE                                                                  CITY/STATE
July 16             Fantasy Springs Casino                                   Indio, CA
July 17             Orange County Fair                                            Costa Mesa, CA
July 22             The Lakeland Center Jenkins Arena              Lakeland, FL
July 23             St. Augustine Amphitheatre                             St. Augustine, FL
July 25             Chastain Park Amphitheatre                            Atlanta, GA
July 27             Bank of America Pavilion                                 Boston, MA
July 30             Choctaw Resort Casino Event Center           Durant, OK
August 1          Outlaw Jam/Frederick Co. Fairgrounds         Frederick, MD

August 4          Casino Rama Entertainment Center               Rama, Ontario
August 14         Bike Rally                                                             Port Dover, Ontario
October 4         Potawatomi Casino                                            Milwaukee, WI
October 5         Potawatomi Casino                                            Milwaukee, WI

October 7 The Joint/Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Catoosa, OK (Tulsa)
October 9 Little Creek Casino Resort Shelton, WA *

* denotes Paul Rodgers solo date

For more information, please visit: www.paulrodgers.com

ABOUT KIDS ROCK FREE®:

More than 12,000 children have experienced the joy of creating music through the Kids Rock Free music education program. The lessons are provide to any and all kids at no or low cost. Guitar, keyboard, drums and voice are currently offered. More than 800 kids are wait-listed to participate in the KRF program. The classes are taught by experienced teachers from the area. More donations are needed to increase the number of sessions offered, expand the variety and depth of classes and complete the build-out the much needed rooms within the center to accommodate the constant and ever-growing demand for the Kids Rock Free Program.

ABOUT THE FENDER CENTER/MUSEUM:

The Fender Center for Music Education is a non-profit center dedicated to the music education of children. The 33,000-square-foot building is located at 365 N. Main Street, in Corona, Calif. Run by the Fender Museum of Music and the Arts Foundation, a 501 (c) 3 corporation, the board is made up of civic leaders, elected officials, and business leaders from the Riverside County and Orange Country regions. The main focus of the Center is to provide music education to children at a no or low cost. Music education has been drastically reduced due to money constraints in the public education system. The Fender Center endeavors to bridge that gap by providing an innovative and caring environment for children to explore the world of music performance. Numerous studies have shown that children, who incorporate music into their education, perform better in math and science by a staggering 30 percent. Additionally, children attain a higher degree of personal confidence and a greater sense of accomplish compared to non-music students.

The Fender Center conducts events throughout the year to bring musical experiences to the general public and raise funds to continue the important work of music education. Contained within the Center, the FM Studio, professionally equipped and staffed, records the kids’ performances. FM Studio is available for commercial use and audio recording. Additional information can be obtained at www.fendermuseum.com.

SLASH FEAT. MYLES KENNEDY WITH SPECIAL GUEST FERGIE TO PERFORM AT UNSET STRIP MUSIC FESTIVAL

The third annual SUNSET STRIP MUSIC FESTIVAL (SSMF), set for Aug. 26-28, 2010, has announced 2010 honoree SLASH will perform with FERGIE and MYLES KENNEDY--two of the vocalists on Slash’s self-titled album, which topped the charts as the #1 rock album and #3 on the Billboard Top 200 list in its first week of release--during the Saturday, August 28 outdoor street festival. Organizers also announced COMMON, SEMI PRECIOUS WEAPONS, NEON TREES, BIG B, and STEEL PANTHER have been added to the street festival lineup that is being headlined by the previously announced Smashing Pumpkins.

The boulevard is closed to traffic between Doheny Drive and San Vicente Boulevard and will be transformed into a premier concert destination with outdoor stages, beer gardens, a VIP lounge, food trucks, interactive experiences and live performances within the venues during the day.

Multi-Grammy Award-winning musician and noted actor Common, who has spent his career pushing boundaries and taking listeners out of their comfort zones with his socially conscious words, will close the East outdoor stage. The street fest will also feature Semi Precious Weapons (whose appearance marks a break in their tour with Lady Gaga and a return to their Sunset Strip roots); Neon Trees (who “are excited to share the stage with such an amazing eclectic group of artists as well as have the time to become fans for the day"); Big B with special guests (known for his high caliber collaborations with guest performers, Big B will preview songs from his upcoming fifth studio album); and a larger than life performance by The Sunset Strip’s resident heavy metal band Steel Panther.

Additionally, a mix of more than 50 local and national artists--including John West, Vanaprasta, Tomorrows Bad Seeds, Adler’s Appetite, The Binges, Ankla and Dirty Sweet--will perform within the venues during the Aug. 28 street fest date. Aug. 28 venue lineups include (more to be announced):

Individual venues have also started to announce their Friday, Aug. 27 lineups, which include WARNER DRIVE with Run Devil Run (Viper Room); P.O.D. with Static Pulse, Thick As Thieves, Slant, Asphalt Messiah and Sound Of Ugly (Whisky); and KIX (House of Blues).

The three-day fest kicks off with a tribute to legendary guitarist Slash at the House of Blues on Thursday, Aug. 26. Friday, Aug. 27 includes a Virgin America sponsored VIP cocktail party at the Andaz hotel prior to the venues hosting a full night of music. Again this year, the Viper Room will serve as the official media hub during the day of the street festival, with live remotes from 98.7fm and artist interviews.

Tickets are currently on sale via Ticketmaster (www.ticketmaster.com/ssmf). A portion of all ticket sales benefit Los Angeles Youth Network (LAYN), a charity personally selected by honoree Slash. LAYN’s mission is to end homelessness, one kid at a time, by providing shelter, food and counseling for the abused, neglected and abandoned.

SSMF 2010’s proud supporting sponsors include Virgin America, V Australia, Jack Daniel’s, Ticketmaster, Vitaminwater, Gibson Guitar, 98.7fm, Andaz West Hollywood, Whole Foods West Hollywood, City of West Hollywood, West Hollywood Marketing & Visitors Bureau and Signature Creative. Street fest production provided by Swing House Hollywood.

For more information about SSMF, including additional lineup announcements, visit www.ssmf.com.

NUGENT ROCKETS TO #1 POSITION ON AMAZON

The Fourth of July turned out to be an explosive weekend all around for entertainer Ted Nugent. Released Friday, July 2, his Happy Defiance Day Everyday song bundle went to #1 on Amazon's MP3 store on Saturday, July 3, and has remained there ever since. Due to the buzz on Yahoo! as a #1 trending topic on Friday, this was released two days earlier than its intended July 4 release date.

This 30-track collection is available for 76 cents, in honor of 1776. Nugent's dynamic version of the "Star Spangled Banner" also topped downloads over the holiday.

Rocking his fellow Americans, Ted spent the holiday weekend on his live Trample The Weak Hurdle The Dead tour, as it continues to roll across the USA. "This is, without question, the best tour of my 60-plus years on the planet!" enthused the irrepressible guitarist just before taking the stage in San Antonio on Sunday, July 4. "Remember the Alamo!"

For more information on all things Nuge, visit www.tednugent.com

“THE SIDE SHOW WITH NIKKI SIXX” ARRIVES IN LOS ANGELES ON TOP ALTERNATIVE ROCK STATION 98-7FM

Nationally Syndicated Radio Show Combines Countdown, Great Guests and Nikki Sixx’s New Music Selections Every Weekend

LOS ANGELES (July 6, 2010) – “The Side Show with Nikki Sixx” will premiere on L.A.’s most-talked-about radio station, 98-7fm, on Saturday, July 10 from 8 - 10 a.m. The nationally syndicated weekend program from Premiere Radio Networks spotlights the internationally renowned rocker in his role as radio host and tastemaker. In addition to featuring chart-topping music each week, Sixx spotlights new and emerging artists, talks with guests from all areas of entertainment, and shares his personal new music picks.

Sixx stated, “Los Angeles has been my home since the days even before Mötley Crüe, so I am beyond excited that ‘The Side Show’ has found a home at 98-7fm. This is the station I listen to - my friends listen to it, my family listens to it. It's the station I wanted to be on and I'm psyched to get started.”

Jennifer Leimgruber, SVP of programming for Premiere Radio Networks stated, “The debut of ‘The Side Show with Nikki Sixx’ on 98-7fm is a major milestone. When you’ve got a great host and a great show, you want to share it with the people you know will love it. 98-7fm is one of the most-listened-to Alternative Rock radio stations in the country, so we are excited to connect with this expansive lifestyle audience every week.”

98-7fm Program Director, Julie Pilat says, “‘The Side Show with Nikki Sixx’ is a great fit for us. Nikki is super creative and passionate about music and his show, PLUS he’s home grown here in L.A. The audience will really relate to him. At 98-7 we are all about trying new things and offering innovative programming, so we are excited to be able to bring this show to our listeners on Saturday mornings.”

98-7fm will also host an official launch party for “The Side Show with Nikki Sixx,” where listeners will have the chance to hang out with Sixx and the rest of the 98-7 air staff, along with some surprise celebrity guests. More details to be announced.

Glenn Hughes on Black Country Communion: "I'm Getting to Play Music with My Friends."

Glenn Hughes is back in a big way. Beginning his career with Trapeze, he went on to play with giant arena rockers like Deep Purple and Black Sabbath before a problem with substance abuse sidelined him in the 1980s.

Hughes has been clean and sober many years now, releasing a variety of albums in different styles. His newest project is Black Country Communion, an all-star group featuring Hughes on bass and vocals, Joe Bonamassa on guitar, Jason Bonham on drums and Derek Sherinian on keyboards. The band's debut album is due in September, and it's likely to be one of the great success stories of the year, if not the decade. In an exclusive interview with Long Live Rock on Blog Talk Radio, Hughes discussed the new album and his tumultuous past.

"There's no mistakes on this record. I wanted to say, 'Glenn Hughes is back, he's making rock albums,'" Hughes said. "I wanna go out there and rock. I wanna do what I wanna do with the right people.

"This is kind of a family affair now. I'm getting to play music with my friends," Hughes stated. "I've known Jason since he was two years old. I'd go to his house and watch John tutor Jason at four or five years old, playing Free songs. I watched John father his kid. But Jason doesn't remember that. I can tell you this for a fact, that Jason dearly misses his dad. And it's a big thing to carry around, being the son of John Bonham. But Jason has turned his life around; he's clean and sober, and he's an amazingly funny, gifted man. There's no mistakes. I'm supposed to be playing with Jason Bonham."

Hughes also discusses his past abuse of drugs and alcohol, his long career, his excitement at playing with Black Country Communion, his friend Ronnie James Dio, and much more in this wide-ranging interview at http://www.wewillrockyoublog.com/2010/07/05/interview-with-glenn-hughes-from-long-live-rock/

**STEVE VAI - SIGNED IBANEZ and CUSTOM STAGE CLOTHES**
**BASS-MONSTER BLASKO from OZZY Signed ERNIE BALL BASS**

NEWLY ADDED TO ON-GOING EBAY AUCTION FOR Humanity Thru Music - In Benefit of Fur & Feather Animal Sanctuary

EBAY AUCTION NOW!!

HOLLYWOOD, CA – Signed guitar and custom stage clothes from the legendary STEVE VAI and monster bassist BLASKO of OZZY OSBOURNE has been added to the eBay auction

Besides the love of music, rockstars have a soft spot for our four legged furry friends. With the help from so many artists and actors with their charitable donations of instruments and signed memorabilia, FUR & FEATHER ANIMAL SANCTUARY comes closer to breaking ground in the next year for the first fully solar and wind powered, no-kill animal sanctuary. The sanctuary will also provide the community with a low-cost animal clinic, education and cultural center.

Currently on the eBay auction block sits legendary ax-slinger STEVE VAI’S custom made silver outfit by famed rockstar couturier TERRI KING. It was worn on the Ultra Zone tour in the late 90's. Also STEVE VAI has signed a black IBANEZ up for auction with the thanks to the help of IBANEZ – With the help from Brian Ball of ERNIE BALL we also have a bass singed by OZZY OSBOURNE’S bassologist Rob BLASKO Nicholson – GO BID NOW!!!!!

Shop eBay NOW! http://shop.ebay.com/furfeather/m.html

Adding in the next week to the auction will be a signed Ibanez guitars one from PAUL GILBERT and a Schecter Diamond Series guitar signed by horror Icons TYLER MANE (Michael Myers/Halloween 1&2) and DEREK MEARS (Jason Voorhees/Friday the 13^th). More items coming!! Keep an eye out for additions of cool signed memorabilia from your favorite rockstars!! All items come with signed letters of authentication for your collection!

Did you know?

-Between four million and six million pets are euthanized every year because they are homeless.
- An animal in a shelter is killed every 1.5 seconds.
- Only one animal in 10 born in the U.S. gets a good home that lasts a lifetime.
- There is a direct correlation between animal abuse and neglect and child abuse and neglect.

FUR & FEATHER ANIMAL SANCTUARY is a 501(c)(3) that was organized exclusively for charitable, and educational purposes, more specifically for helping homeless and un-wanted animals with medical care, adoption in a no-kill safe environment.

For more information go to www.furfeather.org (almost finished) or visit them on Facebook now! Just search for Fur & Feather Animals Sanctuary and look for the happy Pit-bull~ To donate to the cause use Paypal and email to donations@furfeather.org or email to get address to send checks

THE WHO WILL GO ON
This news is brought to you by VH1 Radio's Dave Basner

Lately, fans of The Who have been on edge, wondering if Pete Townshend’s tinnitus will bring the band to an end. However, in a new interview with the Tuscon Concerts Examiner, singer Roger Daltrey said not only will the band continue, but even hinted that they may have more music coming out too. Find a link to the article at TheWho.com.

OZZY TO WRITE HEALTH COLUMN
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Ozzy Osbourne just got a new gig – as a health columnist. The Prince of Darkness will dispense advice in a column for England’s The Daily Times and will also dole out advice for readers of Rolling Stone. Ozzy said of the Times column that “it’s not a serious thing. I’m the last person to ask advice about health.” He’s also not writing the column himself rather Chris Ayres, who penned Ozzy’s book, will be writing the piece. Ozzy explained he can’t write the column because if people believe him, they’ll “end up in the lunatic asylum.” If you still have a health question for the rocker, RollingStone.com is accepting submissions from readers now.

MAIDEN GUITARIST TALKS ABOUT NEW ALBUM
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Iron Maiden guitarist Dave Murray is talking about the band’s upcoming album, The Final Frontier. The rocker told Billboard.com that it actually only took six weeks to make the record since they did a track a day with the whole band. He explained because of that, the CD has a “live-in-the-studio feel to it.” Murray went on to describe the ten songs on the effort as “straight-ahead, uptempo rock songs with good grooves with some other tracks that are kind of longer and more complex.” One of those long tracks is the album closer, “When the Wild Wind Blows,” which clocks in at 11-minutes and is the band’s longest ever track recorded. Read more at Billboard.com.

COUPLE WINS MONEY IN SUIT AGAINST WHITESNAKE
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A Massachusetts couple who brought about a lawsuit against Whitesnake has won some money. According to Pollstar, the pair claimed the band, a concert promoter and a venue owner were responsible for a 2003 Boston show that caused them both long-term hearing loss. The Massachusetts Appeals Court awarded them a settlement of 40-thousand dollars.

BRET MICHAELS TALKS ABOUT HIS AUTOBIOGRAPHY
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With his latest life events – a brain hemorrhage and a fight to recovery – Bret Michaels has some content to add to the autobiography he’s been working on. The rocker told us what penning that book has been like.

(Cut #1) “When you look back at your life and you start to write things, I found it extremely weird and therapeutic because you go through a lot of stuff and you’re like, ‘I did that? Man, I don’t remember. Wait, who, what?’ And as you go through it, I think the one thing is, and I think this for most rock bands, we come from a place where you start out in a garage or in my case a basement, and then you work your way up to the garage and you have a pretty hands-on career, there is a lot of crazy stories to tell and that’s what this book – it touches on everything.”

The book is called Roses & Thorns and was originally due out last June. Now, Bret wants to get it out in November but his publishers expect it on shelves on February 1st. Meanwhile, Bret’s new album, Custom Built, is out today.

SLASH RE-RECORDS RADIO STATION’S THEME
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Australia’s Triple M rock radio station turned 30 this year and as a gift, Slash re-recorded the theme to one of their shows. The former Guns N’ Roses guitarist had told the station he thought it would be fun to remake the tune and recently did just that in his L-A studio. You can hear the song and see footage of Slash laying down the track now at TripleM.com.au.

McCARTNEY SINGS DUET WITH KEVIN SPACEY
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At a charity event on Thursday in London, Paul McCartney sang a duet with actor Kevin Spacey. The pair performed “Hey Jude” and dedicated the song to Oscar-winner Judi Dench. It was all part of a benefit show held to support Paul’s Meat Free Monday campaign and the Old Queen Victoria Theatre, where Kevin is the Artistic Director and where Judi made her stage debut.

ROBERT PLANT TO PLAY SOLO SET FOR CHARITY
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Robert Plant will perform a solo set at a charity event this summer. The benefit will raise money for a charity started by soccer star Steve Bull. Steve’s organization helps young people, the disabled, the sick and the homeless, and if that weren’t a good enough cause to help out, Plant also loves the team Bull plays for, the Wolverhampton Wanderers. The event takes place on August 20th at a suite at Molineux Stadium, where the Wanderers play. Learn more at PlanetRock.com.

MEAT LOAF LOVES HEARING HIS NEW ALBUM
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Meat Loaf is now touring behind his latest album, Hang Cool Teddy Bear. Sometimes, artists get tired of playing the same songs over and over again, but Meat Loaf can’t get enough of his new record. He gave us more details on why that is.

“It is different every time you hear it. And I’ve never made a… not even Bat Out of Hell is different every time you hear it. It’s just not. And I don’t know, I’m still, maybe I just want to listen to it to try and figure it out because every time I hear it, it says something else and it’s doing something else. I don’t even know how we did the record.”

Meat Loaf plays in Ontario, Canada tonight. Get all the singer’s dates at MeatLoaf.net.

RINGO STARR INVITES THE WORLD TO CELEBRATE PEACE & LOVE!
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Ringo Starr turns 70 today, and he is celebrating his birthday in New York City. At noon, Ringo will be joined by family, friends and fans all together in a simple salute: "Peace & Love". The genesis of the July 7^th Peace & Love Celebrations began in 2008 when Ringo was asked during an interview with Access Hollywood, "what would you like for your coming birthday?" and he replied "more Peace & Love." That launched a Peace & Love campaign, and Ringo encouraged everyone, everywhere, to say “Peace & Love” at noon local time.

RINGO STARR TO CELEBRATE 70^th BIRTHDAY IN NYC
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According to the New York Times, Ringo Starr is planning on celebrating his 70^th birthday in New York City. The former Beatles drummer is taking his age in stride saying, “As far as I’m concerned, in my head, I’m 24. That’s just how it is. The number, yeah, it’s high. But I just felt I’ve got to celebrate it. I’m on my feet and I’m doing what I love to do, and I’m in a profession, as a musician, where we can go on for as long as we can go on. I’m not hiding from it, you know.”

RINGO WANTS TO PLAY FOR DECADES LONGER
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Today is Ringo Starr’s 70^th birthday. The former Beatle is currently on tour and happily playing music. He told us how much longer he’ll do it for.

“You know, I’m blessed. I’m in a profession where as long as I can pick up the sticks, I can work. And my big hero of course is B.B. King, now he’s 900 years old and I want to go as long as he does. We’re just lucky, we just keep going and doing it.”

To celebrate his birthday, Ringo and some friends will be performing tonight at Radio City Music Hall in New York. Get more info and find all of the drummer’s dates at RingoStarr.com.

ROBERT PLANT ANNOUNCES UK TOUR DATES
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Robert Plant has scheduled some UK tour dates in the fall. The former Led Zeppelin frontman will play four shows in September in support of his Band of Joy album, which will be released on September 13^th. Plant will play the HMV Forum in London on September 2^nd, the St. David’s Hall in Cardiff on October 26^th, Symphony Hall in Birmingham on October 27^th and a Halloween show at the Palace Theatre in Manchester. He plays the Orpheum Theater in Memphis, Tennessee on Tuesday.

DAVID BOWIE TO REISSUE STATION TO STATION
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David Bowie’s classic 1976 album Station To Station is to be reissued as an expanded edition featuring unreleased tracks. The record will hit shelves on September 20^th as a three CD special edition and a deluxe edition featuring 5 CDs, a DVD, a triple LP and a host of exclusive replica memorabilia including replica stage passes, fan club packs and more. According to PlanetRock.com, both editions contain a previously unreleased Nassau Coliseum concert from March 23^rd, 1976.

OZZY TALKS RETIREMENT
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Ozzy Osbourne just released his latest album and is now gearing up for another Ozzfest and solo tour. So does the Prince of Darkness ever think about retiring? He let us know.

“Sure I think about retiring but how can I retire from a passion that I love, you know?”

You can now get Ozzy’s new album, Scream. Meanwhile, Ozzfest 2010 kicks off on August 14^th in Devore, California. Find all of Osbourne’s dates at Ozzy.com.

July 2, 2010

Moondance Jam Rock Festival to be Featured in HD as part of DIRECTV’s Concert Series on The 101 Network

For the first time in its 19 year history, the Moondance Jam rock festival will be broadcast on television. America’s premier television provider, DIRECTV, will air this year’s festival exclusively on The 101 Network. The production company Blaze TV will be filming during the festival this July 15 – 17 and will then produce ten one hour shows featuring artists Sammy Hagar, REO Speedwagon, Buckcherry, Jonny Lang, Hoobastank, Collective Soul, Black Stone Cherry and Pat Travers. Additional artists may also be added from the three day, fifteen band main stage roster. The programs will air as part of the DIRECTV Concert Series and begin airing on The 101 Network late this summer.

“Blaze will have a crew of over 50 creative and technical personnel to record the programs at Moondance Jam using a total of 12 cameras and are employing as much local labor as they can including some camera crew from Minneapolis. The programs will be recorded in High Definition and the audio will be recorded in Surround sound. It is a million dollar production. In addition to the cameras and sound, Blaze will be bringing in $100,000 worth of additional lighting to boost the production value of the shows,” said Blaze TV founder, producer and director, Conor McAnally.

Moondance Jam owners, Bill and Kathy Bieloh, are ecstatic to be able to have their festival filmed and produced by a production company whose philosophy is to shoot from the fan’s perspective.

“Not only are we excited that our festival will be shown on DIRECTV, but it will be produced by a company that shares our philosophy that it is about the fans. Kathy and I started Moondance Jam in 1992 as party for friends and family and now it has grown into Minnesota’s largest rock festival bringing in over 50,000 friends and family through the gates over three days,” says Bill Bieloh. “Over the years we have always done everything we could to keep Moondance Jam a fan friendly rock festival. We still maintain open festival seating for general admission ticket holders so they can get up close to the stage. We also added a restaurant and bar that overlooks the backstage area a few years ago that is open to all fans. Our fans need to have that full concert experience for the amazing artists that put on such great shows every year. So to have Blaze TV come in and recreate that experience for fans that have never been to Moondance is a dream come true for us.”

About Moondance Jam

Moondance Jam 19 will be held July 15-17, 2010 on the 300 acre Moondance Events festival grounds near Walker, MN. Moondance Jam is Minnesota’s largest rock festival and the premier classic rock festival in the U.S. Call the Moondance Hotline at 877-MOONJAM or go to www.moondancejam.com for more information including schedules, tickets, camping and more.

About DIRECTV’s The 101® Network

The 101 Network, DIRECTV’s exclusive entertainment channel, is a unique television experience that is available to more than 18.5 million DIRECTV subscribers. In 2008, the network changed the television landscape with the unprecedented third season premiere of the Emmy Award-winning series Friday Night Lights and has since become the premiere destination for diverse, quality and critically acclaimed programming including Underbelly, Supreme Court of Comedy and The Dan Patrick Show. Through its partnerships with leading television and film studios, networks and top cable channels, The 101 Network offers viewers the finest in drama and comedy, with daring, innovative series, exclusive “sneak peek” programming and premium cable series un-cut in their original form. The 101 Network showcases concert specials from superstar artists and celebrated music festivals such as Farm Aid, sporting events such as UFC Fighter exposés and the annual DIRECTV Celebrity Beach Bowl; as well as feature films and TV movie specials.

About Blaze TV

Blaze TV is a multi-award winning production company started by Conor McAnally, which has been creating music programming for DIRECTV and other US Broadcasters for the past five years including 65 hours from the SxSW Music Conference in Austin, 30 hours from The Country Concert at Hickory Hills in Ohio and memorable one-offs like Hall & Oates Live at the Troubadour and Legendary Albums Live with Heart. Originally based in London, Blaze is the only UK company in history to win three Consecutive Best Multi-Camera awards from the Royal TV Society. BLAZE is five-time British Academy Award winning TV producers and recipients of 22 major awards for programming excellence. The concert productions they have delivered remain among the highest rated programming in the history of The 101 Network on DIRECTV. The roster of artists Blaze has worked with includes everyone from Madonna to Mariah, U2 to UB40 and Tracy Chapman to Trace Adkins. In all they have shot over 2000 hours of live program for worldwide broadcasters with more than 1700 artists since 1998.

VAN HALEN ALBUM ON THE WAY?
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Could Van Halen be working on a new album? The folks at MelodicRock.com reached out to what they’re calling a very credible source close to the band who told them that the guys are “working towards finishing recording” a new studio album with singer David Lee Roth. The insider revealed that the record would come out during the first half of 2011 but the first single should be out before the end of this year. The source added that the relationship between Eddie Van Halen and David “remains as complex as ever” but everyone wants to get a new CD on shelves. Read more at MelodicRock.com.

DEE SNIDER REALITY SHOW DEBUTS THIS MONTH
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Growing Up Twisted, the new reality show about Twisted Sister singer Dee Snider and his family, will premiere this month. The seven-episode series, which follows the oddball daily pursuits of the Sniders, debuts with two back-to-back half-hour episodes at 10 PM Eastern on July 27th on A&E.

ALICE COOPER DISCUSSES NEXT ALBUM
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Alice Cooper is talking more about the record he’s working on. The shock rocker spoke to the media at a press conference in France and revealed that the new CD will be a sequel, or “shriekquel” as he calls it, to his 1975 solo debut Welcome to My Nightmare. It’s tentatively titled Welcome 2 My Nightmare and he’s already got three songs done for it. The concept album will be about another nightmare, far worse than the first one, and the sound of the effort captures the ‘70s era without recreating it. Learn more at RadioMetal.com.

STEVEN TYLER LIKES TO MAKE UP
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Anyone who was nervous that Aerosmith are still on rocky ground after nearly parting ways with singer Steven Tyler should read what the rocker had to say in a new story in Billboard magazine. In the latest issue, Tyler explained, “The f**k yous run deep in a band like Aerosmith and the best part about it is the make-up. We live to be on stage with each other and play – because we don’t really know what else to do.” The group is currently touring on their Cocked, Locked and Ready to Rock Tour and, as Steven said, “just kicking ass and taking names every night.” Read more at Billboard.com.

HOW BACHMAN AND TURNER KEEP THEIR MUSIC CLASSIC
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Bachman Turner Overdrive’s Randy Bachman and Fred Turner have reunited and are now touring as Bachman and Turner. The pair is also set to release a new album on September 7th and they promise that it’ll sound just like their old stuff. Randy Bachman gave us more details on the set.

“Well you’ll never hear this on the album (plays guitar). There’s none of this hammer-on, pull-off stuff. I did it all like Clapton, Hendrix kind of, late ‘60s to mid ‘70s blues licks, where there wasn’t any Eddie Van Halen or Steve Vai pyrotechnics, they just don’t fit in those songs, they fit in their own kinds of songs and I’m not putting it down, it’s a great way of guitar playing, but to get this album as, what do you want to call it, period piece, it’s like doing a period thing on stage you need the right costumes, well we had the right old guitars.”

Tomorrow night, Bachman and Turner will play Prince Edward Island, Canada. Get all their dates and learn more about the CD at BachmanAndTurner.com.

THIN LIZZY WORKING ON DELUXE REISSUES
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Thin Lizzy are preparing deluxe versions of some of their classic albums. Axeman Scott Gorham told England’s Guitarist magazine that he’s been in touch with Universal about creating sets that include original remastered records along with a second disc of either remixed tracks or “tracks cherry-picked off for that treatment.” Scott plans to work on the CDs now so the group can get them out “as soon as possible.” Read more at MusicRadar.com.

THE BLACK CROWES TO GO ACOUSTIC
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During their career, The Black Crowes have created many a hit song and now, acoustic versions of some of the greatest tunes in their catalog will be released on a new album called Croweology. The double-disc set will hit shelves on August 3rd and soon after, the band will hit the road on their Say Goodnight to the Bad Guys tour. During that trek, the guys will play three-hour sets, half acoustic, half-electric. Learn more about the CD and the trek at BlackCrowes.com.

PHIL COLLEN’S NEAR VEGAN WAYS
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If you happen to invite Def Leppard’s Phil Collen to your July 4th barbecue on Sunday, you better have some tofu-burgers and soy-dogs on hand. That’s because the guitarist is a vegetarian and, as he explained, almost a vegan.

“I’m borderline vegan, I still have like milk in coffee and that as an ingredient, but even that I’m kind of edging out because I’m trying to go completely raw at some point, so yeah.”

These days, Phil is relaxing. He doesn’t have any shows lined up anytime soon, but a note on Def Leppard’s website says the band expects to tour in 2011.

JIMMY PAGE SUED FOR COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT
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A folk singer is suing Jimmy Page, alleging that the Led Zeppelin guitarist stole one of his songs for the band’s 1969 classic “Dazed and Confused.” In a federal lawsuit, folk singer Jake Holmes claims that in 1967, he got a copyright for his tune, “Dazed and Confused,” two years before Zep recorded their song by the same name, which also sounds very similar to Jake’s version. Unfortunately for Holmes, even if a court agrees that Zep stole from him, he can only sue for damages from the last three years due to a statue of limitations. TMZ.com has posted the two tracks so you can compare how similar they are.

MELLENCAMP RELEASES NEW SINGLE
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John Mellencamp’s latest album, No Better Than This, comes out on August 17th, but this week, the singer released the first single from the set. It’s the title track and you can hear it now at Mellencamp.com. As for the video to the track, it’ll include footage from the It’s About You documentary that chronicles the making of John’s latest album and it’ll be out in a few weeks. Learn more at Mellencamp.com.

BRET MICHAELS NOT 100 PERCENT YET
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Even though he’s still performing, Bret Michaels is also still ailing from the brain hemorrhage he suffered in April. A spokesperson for Michaels Entertainment told People magazine that the Poison singer is not yet “100 percent” and “still has pain from the chemical meningitis, short term memory loss and gets fatigued quicker than normal.” However, the rep said that even though the 47-year-old isn’t totally healthy, he’s happy to perform and feels that “music is a powerful healer.” Read more at People.com.

VINCE NEIL’S ALBUM DEBUTS AT 57
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Vince Neil has been in the news a lot lately, first for releasing his new solo album, Tattoos & Tequila, and then for being arrested for a DUI. Well now, we know how the Motley Crue singer’s CD did. According to Nielsen SoundScan, the record sold 75-hundred copies in its first week, enough to debut at number 57 on the Billboard 200 chart. Learn more about it at VinceNeil.net.

OZZY’S LATEST CD BREAKS BILLBOARD 200 TOP FIVE
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Ozzy Osbourne’s latest album, Scream, has debuted in the top five of the Billboard 200 chart. According to Nielsen SoundScan, 81-thousand copies of the record were sold, giving the effort the number four spot on the chart. While this is good news, the Prince of Darkness’ previous album, Black Rain, moved 152-thousand copies in its first week out in 2007. 2001’s Down to Earth sold 153-thousand units.

OZZY PICKS UNSIGNED BAND TO OPEN FOR HIM
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Ozzy Osbourne is playing the iTunes Festival in London on Saturday and held a contest to find an opening act. Well there is a winner and it is a group called The Black Spiders. According to The Press Association, the Prince of Darkness picked the winners himself from a short list of ten unsigned acts that entered the competition through MySpace.

SCORPIONS CANCEL SHOW
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The Scorpions had to cancel their Columbus show on yesterday because singer Klaus Meine had a cold. The frontman’s doctor told him to take three days of rest and not perform until tonight’s concert in Detroit. The physician explained to Klaus that performing six concerts in eight days would delay his recovery, forcing him to cancel Columbus’ show. Due to the band’s worldwide tour, they won’t be able to return to the city this year. On their website, the German rockers apologized to the city and thanked them for their support. Read more at The-Scorpions.com.

SPRINGSTEEN’S DVD DOES WELL
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London Calling: Live in Hyde Park, the new concert film from Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, has debuted at number one. The DVD topped the charts in America, the U-K, Germany, Ireland, Spain, Switzerland, Norway, Austria and France. It includes the band’s June 2009 show at the Hard Rock Calling Festival in London and if you haven’t gotten your copy yet, you can catch a clip from it at Pitchfork.com now.

VAN ZANDT TALKS DARKNESS REISSUE
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Bruce Springsteen is preparing a deluxe version of his 1978 album Darkness on the Edge of Town and E Street Band guitarist Steven Van Zandt has revealed what the set might hold. The rocker told an English radio station that there will be at least ten outtakes on the reissue, which is due out in time for the holidays. Steven added that there will also be new vocal overdubs on old material, like the Rolling Stones did on their Exile on Main Street reissue. There’s no word yet if the re-rerelease will include a bonus concert film like the live footage that came with the 2005 Born to Run reissue. Read more at RollingStone.com.

THE SECRET TO BLONDIE’S LONGEVITY
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Today, Blondie singer Deborah Harry turns 65 years old. She’s been making music with the band for 35 years and they’re still going strong. So what does Deborah think is the secret to the group’s longevity? She filled us in.

“Well I guess one of the things is relevance. We’re sort of interested in what’s going on and I guess because we’re from an urban environment, we have a lot of influences. And I guess we, we can relate to a lot of people or a lot of people can relate to us.”

Fans in Kent, England will no doubt be relating to Blondie when the band plays there tomorrow night. Get all the group’s dates now at Blondie.net.

June 30, 2010

VINCE NEIL WAS ARRESTED FOR DUI IN 2007 TOO
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This week, Vince Neil was arrested for DUI and now, TMZ.com has learned that in 2007, the Motley Crue singer was also picked up for DUI but got the charges dropped after working out a deal with prosecutors by pleading no contest to reckless driving. That move might have saved Vince some jail time since Nevada state law requires anyone convicted of DUI twice in seven years to serve ten days to six months in jail. After his arrest this week, Vince paid two-thousand dollars bail.

• Just days before Vince Neil was arrested for DUI, he spoke to CBS News about his sobriety. In the interview, the Motley Crue singer says, “There’s other things in life than just drugs and alcohol.”

• In 2007, police arrested Vince after they saw him performing erratic maneuvers in his Ferrari.
• In 1984, Vince was sentenced to 30 days in jail and five years probation after he crashed a car he was driving under the influence, killing his passenger, Hanoi Rocks drummer Nicholas “Razzle” Dingley.

VINCE NEIL ALSO GRABBED FANS CAMERA?
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On Sunday night, Vince Neil was arrested for DUI, but it turns out that police were already looking for the Motley Crue singer before they found him allegedly driving under the influence. A Las Vegas Police spokesman told CNN that that night, Vince was involved in an incident in front of the Hilton hotel where he allegedly broke a fan’s camera. The fan told cops Neil grabbed her camera and smashed it after she took a picture of him. That incident is still being investigated. Meanwhile, the rocker has been charged with one count of DUI. Read more at CNN.com.

BRET MICHAELS TALKING TO IDOL PRODUCERS
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It seems like Bret Michaels is taking the next step in becoming Simon Cowell’s replacement on American Idol. The Poison singer told Parade.com that he has a meeting set up with the show’s producers in a few weeks. The rocker explained that in a recent poll, Madonna, P. Diddy, Howard Stern and him were voted as the most popular choices for replacements, and he took more than half the vote, something he called “tremendous.” Bret previously stated he would “love” to be a judge on AI.

NEIL YOUNG TO FOCUS TOUR ON GULF
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Neil Young will be hitting the road soon for the third U-S leg of his Twisted Road solo tour and he’s announced that the latest part of the trek will concentrate on areas of the country affected by the BP oil spill. While so far, the only date announced is a September 23rd show in Hollywood, Florida, Neil’s website says other gigs in Florida and on the Gulf Coast will be revealed soon. In the meantime, the singer kicks off a three-week tour of the Western United States and Canada on July 11th in Oakland. Learn more at NeilYoung.com.

JOHN LENNON RELEASES TO MARK 70TH BIRTHDAY
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John Lennon would have turned 70 years old on October 9th and to mark the occasion, eight of the singer’s classic solo albums and other great recordings have been remastered and will be re-released. It’s all part of the Gimme Some Truth campaign which is being overseen by Yoko Ono. Among the releases are a stripped down, expanded version of Double Fantasy, a hits compilation called Power to the People: The Hits, a 4-CD set of themed discs titled Gimme Some Truth and a deluxe 11-CD box set called the John Lennon Signature Box with the remastered albums, rarities and non-album singles. It all comes out on October 5th and you can learn more at JohnLennon.com.

RINGO REVEALS HIS BEAUTY SECRETS
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On Wednesday, Ringo Starr turns 70. Most people who have seen the drummer recently would be shocked to learn his age. The former Beatle revealed to us his secrets for looking so good.

“The secrets are, well, I watch my diet, I work out and I live a good life. I’m not prone to a lot of stress so I stay away from that. I just do what I do and this is the result.”

Watch Ringo do what he does by catching his show tonight in Westbury, New York. Get all of Starr’s dates at RingoStarr.com.

SLASH TO RECORD MANCHESTER SHOW FOR CD
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Slash and his solo band will perform in Manchester, England on Saturday but if you can’t make it overseas, don’t worry, the show will be recorded. Abbey Road Live will be on site to capture the performance, mix it and master it on the fly, and create collectible CDs that will be available at SlashLive.Sandbag.uk.com. Pre-sales are currently underway but only 12-hundred discs will be made so order yours now.

CHRIS SQUIRE TALKS ABOUT THE WORLD CUP
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Sports fans around the globe seem to be gripped by World Cup fever, and that applies to famous folks as well. We asked Chris Squire, the British bassist for Yes, what he thinks of the event.

“I’m not a big soccer fan although I do tend to watch events like the World Cup. I always think it’s funny that England thinks we’re supposed to be so good at doing this yet when we come to the World Cup we are actually not any better than anyone else who’s in there, really.”

While England has been eliminated from the World Cup, eight times are still vying for the trophy. Chris will no doubt try to check out some of those games but in the meantime, he’s on the road with Yes, touring alongside Peter Frampton. Get all their dates at YesWorld.com.

GOOD AND BAD NEWS FOR GLENN DANZIG
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Glenn Danzig is facing good news and bad news. The good news is last week, the rocker released Deth Red Sabaoth, his first Danzig studio album in six years. The bad news is, this week he’s being sued for allegedly “recklessly crash[ing]” his car into the rear-end of another vehicle back in January. According to TMZ.com, the alleged victim is claiming he had to endure “pain and suffering” and “emotional distress” because of the crash. He’s suing for unspecified damages. Read more at TMZ.com and learn more about the new Danzig set at Danzig-Verotik.com.

EX-KISS GUITARIST OWES
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Former Kiss guitarist Vincent John Cusano, also known as Vinnie Vincent, lost his appeal of an order barring him from seeking bankruptcy protection from paying over 81-thousand dollars to his former bandmates. Because of the blow, the rocker will have to pay out 66,400 bucks to Kiss and 15,400 dollars in attorney’s fees after losing a 1997 case to them over royalties. Read more at CourthouseNews.com.

• Cusano replaced Ace Frehley in 1982 and was with the band for two years before leaving on bad terms and later claiming the group owed him royalties for his work on the 1983 album Lick It Up.

KISS MEMBERS PAY TRIBUTE TO BILL AUCOIN
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On Monday, original Kiss manager Bill Aucoin passed away at the age of 66 and now, the current and past members of the band are talking about him. Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons called Bill their “irreplaceable original manager, mentor and dear friend” who was “instrumental” in guiding the band, crediting his “vision, leadership and unending dedication” for the group’s success. Former drummer Peter Criss called Aucoin “the fifth Kiss” and “a genius” while ex-guitarist Ace Frehley said, “Bill was a very gifted guy with a great eye for talent. Through all the ups and downs, he never lost his big smile and sense of humor.” Aucoin died from surgical complications after battling prostate cancer.

June 29, 2010

MEET ALBUM ARTIST IOANNIS AT URIAH HEEP GIG

Record cover artist Ioannis (Deep Purple, Uriah Heep, Blue Oyster Cult, Biohazard, Ynwie Malmsteen) will appear with Uriah Heep at Sellers Theater, Wednesday, the 30th of June in Sellerville, Pa.

Ioannis will sign limited edition prints with the band and have artwork displayed from his projects with Uriah Heep. For more details on this once in a lifetime opportunity please visit www.dangerousage.com

BAD COMPANY ANNOUNCE 2010 NORTH AMERICAN TOUR
ORIGINAL MEMBERS OF BAD COMPANY: PAUL RODGERS, MICK RALPHS AND SIMON KIRKE TO PERFORM COAST-TO-COAST THIS SUMMER

LThe original, founding members of Bad Company, Paul Rodgers, Mick Ralphs and Simon Kirke have announced that they will reunite for a series of North American concerts this summer. Tentatively set to begin July 16th the band will perform dates coast-to-coast in the US and Canada throughout the summer, with more dates to be added. Bad Company will also partner exclusively with Abbey Road Live to record and sell live concert CDs onsite at each venue throughout the tour.

Recently returning from their first UK tour in over three decades, with a sold-out run this spring culminating with a sold-out show at Wembley, Bad Company’s concerts across the pond were star-studded affairs attracting the likes of Sting, Robert Plant, Tony Iommi and former bandmate from The Firm Jimmy Page who proclaimed, “Paul Rodgers has been, and still is by far, one of the finest talents of our musical genre…absolutely brilliant.”

"Our last show, at Wembley, was unreal, truly amazing. I can't remember a Bad Company gig when everything from sound, lights, fans, music to musicians all peaked at the same show. That has left us all naturally high and primed to play more shows. The upcoming set list will be hit heavy with a few surprises. We have hit our stride," said Rodgers.

In March, Warner Music UK released “The Very Best of FREE and Bad Company featuring Paul Rodgers.” The set debuted on the charts at #10 and became Bad Company's first top 10 UK chart appearance in over 30 years, and Free's first since a “Best of” set released in 1991, remaining on the charts for several weeks.

After the break up of Free (known internationally for their smash hit “All Right Now” co-written by Rodgers) Paul connected with ex-Mott the Hoople guitarist Mick Ralphs. Free drummer Simon Kirke would later join that year and the trio would begin rehearsing. Ex-King Crimson bassist Boz Burrell came aboard a few months later and the supergroup Bad Company was solidified. In 1974 they signed to Swan Song Records (owned by Led Zeppelin and distributed via Atlantic Records) to release their highly anticipated debut album, titled Bad Co. Rodgers’ concept to write a song titled the same as the band’s name was a first. Propelled by the hit single “Can’t Get Enough”, the album would quickly hit #1 on the charts and remain in the Top 40 for four straight months. Bad Company were at the forefront of the 70’s arena rock movement. To this day, the multi-platinum Bad Co. album arguably remains one of the most accomplished debuts in rock history, reading as a virtual greatest hits set in itself.

Straight Shooter, Run with the Pack, Burnin’ Sky and Desolation Angels would all follow within a five year run throughout the ‘70s with the writing team of Rodgers and Ralphs yielding more multi-platinum awards with hit after hit, “Feel Like Makin’ Love,” “Seagull,” “Run with the Pack,” “Burnin’ Sky,” “Rock ‘N’ Roll Fantasy,” making Bad Company one of the biggest concert attractions of the decade. In 1982, the band released their final recording Rough Diamonds and the single “Electricland” would be their last before disbanding. The group’s multi-platinum award-winning greatest hits set 10 from 6 has become a music collectors staple.

Rodgers, celebrating over four decades as a writing and recording artist (Free, Bad Company, The Firm, Queen + Paul Rodgers, Solo), was recently presented with the “Classic Songwriter” award by Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck at the annual Classic Rock Magazine Roll of Honour 2009. Rolling Stone recently named Rodgers one of the “Top 100 Singers of All Time,” Classic Rock UK placed him at #2 on their “50 Greatest Singers in Rock” list and England ’s Planet Rock Radio fan poll placed him at #3 on their “Greatest Voices of Rock” list. His debut solo DVD “Live in Glasgow” is certified Gold and charted at #1 in Canada, #2 in Japan, #3 in the US and #4 in the UK .

BAD COMPANY CONFIRMED US TOUR DATES:
DATE VENUE CITY/STATE
July 16 Fantasy Springs Casino Indio , CA
July 17 Orange County Fair Costa Mesa , CA
July 22 The Lakeland Center Jenkins Arena Lakeland , FL
July 23 St. Augustine Amphitheatre St. Augustine, FL
July 25 Chastain Park Amphitheatre Atlanta , GA
July 27 Bank of America Pavilion Boston , MA
July 30 Choctaw Resort Casino Event Center Durant, OK
August 1 Outlaw Jam/ Frederick Co. Fairgrounds Frederick, MD
August 4 Casino Rama Entertainment Center Rama, Ontario
August 14 Bike Rally Port Dover , Ontario
October 4 Potawatomi Casino Milwaukee , WI
October 5 Potawatomi Casino Milwaukee , WI
October 7 The Joint/Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Catoosa , OK ( Tulsa )

For more information, please visit: www.badcompany.com www.paulrodgers.com

VINCE NEIL ARRESTED FOR DUI
This news is brought to you by VH1 Radio's Dave Basner

Vince Neil was arrested yesterday morning in Las Vegas on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol. Law enforcement sources told TMZ.com they received a call about an intoxicated driver and found the Motley Crue singer driving near Las Vegas Boulevard. He failed a field sobriety test and was arrested and taken in custody at the Clark County Jail, where he paid his two-thousand dollars bail. In 1984, Vince drove drunk with Hanoi Rocks drummer Nicholas Razzle Dingley in the car and crashed, killing Razzle. Vince’s wife told TMZ the rocker has been sober for three years. You can read all about the Neil’s struggles with addiction in his new tell-all book, Tattoos & Tequila, which comes out on September 23rd.

• MUG SHOT: Here’s a link to Vince’s mug shot:
http://www.tmz.com/2010/06/28/vince-neil-mug-shot-las-vegas-pd-dui/

METAL’S BIG FOUR PAY TRIBUTE TO DIO
This news is brought to you by VH1 Radio's Dave Basner

Last week, Bulgaria’s edition of the Sonisphere Festival, which featured Metallica, Megadeth, Anthrax and Slayer, was beamed into movie theaters across the world for fans to watch live. As part of that satellite broadcast, members of metal’s Big Four recorded a special video tribute to late singer Ronnie James Dio. In the clip, Lars Ulrich, Dave Mustaine, Scott Ian and Kerry King paid homage to the heavy metal great, and you can find it now on YouTube. Just search for “Big Four Remember Dio.” Dio died of stomach cancer on May 16th at the age of 67.

• DIRECT LINK:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSo26rmChOQ

RUSH GET STAR ON HOLLYWOOD WALK OF FAME
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On Friday, Rush received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Smashing Pumpkins singer Billy Corgan was on hand to induct the musicians. Both singer Geddy Lee and guitarist Alex Lifeson accepted the honor. Drummer Neil Peart was not in attendance because he was riding his motorcycle to Albuquerque for the band’s show there tonight. CNN.com has a full report on the induction.

• DIRECT LINK:
http://cnn.com/video/?/video/showbiz/2010/06/25/rush.gets.hollywood.star.cnn

OZZY’S SINGLE TOPS THE MAINSTREAM ROCK CHART
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“Let Me Hear You Scream,” the first single off of Ozzy Osbourne’s latest album Scream, is on top of the Mainstream Rock chart. According to Billboard.com, this marks Ozzy’s second number one on the chart, his first coming with “I Don’t Wanna Stop” in 2007. Scream, which came out last week, is excepted to sell around 70-thousand copies, less than half of what Ozzy’s previous effort, Black Rain, sold in its first week in 2007.

OZZY PUTS ON FREE SHOW IN ENGLAND
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Ozzy Osbourne gave some lucky fans quite a treat this weekend. On Saturday, the Prince of Darkness performed for 400 concertgoers for free at Birmingham, England’s Town Hall. It marked the rocker’s first appearance at the venue since playing there with Black Sabbath in 1972. Check out some fan-filmed clips from the show by searching YouTube for “Ozzy Osbourne Town Hall Birmingham.”

OZZY OSBOURNE WAS SCARED BY THE EXORCIST
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Sure Ozzy Osbourne is the Prince of Darkness, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t get scared. The rocker revealed to England’s Metro that when he and the rest of Black Sabbath first saw the 1973 film The Exorcist, they had to sleep in the same bed with the lights on that night. He explained, “We were crapping ourselves. We had to go and see [comedy caper film] The Sting immediately afterwards to take our minds off it.” Read more at Metro.co.uk.

A SEBASTIAN BACH UPDATE
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On this day in 1991, Skid Row’s Slave to the Grind album debuted at the top of the charts. Now that nearly two decades have passed, what is former Skid Row singer Sebastian Bach up to? He filled us in.

“I have a new guitar player named Nick Sterling, who’s 19 years old, he is a real incredible guitar player and songwriter and a real star and we’re making a new record right now. I’ve always been looking, my whole career, for like my Randy Rhoads, and there’s only one Randy Rhoads but I feel like Nick Sterling has what it takes and I think he has a lot to offer music fans, and he’s just a prodigy and I’m really excited about working with him and that’s what I’m doing.”

Stay up to date with all things Bas by keeping an eye on his website, SebastianBach.com.

STEVEN TYLER TALKS AEROSMITH, SOLO ALBUM
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For a little bit last year, it looked like Aerosmith might be parting ways with singer Steven Tyler, but the band regrouped and are now touring once again, and Steven is talking about the turbulence they hit. He told the Associated Press that “certain people that decide to go in the press with dirty laundry, I just have to look the other way and realize I need to keep my side of the street clean and they do what they do.” He added a dig at guitarist Joe Perry stating, “It’s really unfortunate that certain people were Twittering and going to the press.” Steven says he “managed to pull it all back together” and get the band to stop arguing and just play. Meanwhile, Tyler says he’s got 12 songs already for a solo album which he plans to work on once Aerosmith finish their next studio record. Read more at MercuryNews.com.

HEAR SOME OF BRET MICHAELS’ CUSTOM BUILT
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Bret Michaels’ latest album, Custom Built, is due out one week from today, but you can hear music from the record right now. Audio samples from all 12 tracks on the effort are currently streaming on Amazon.com.

BRET MICHAELS HONORED BY AMERICAN DIABETES ASSOCIATION
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Bret Michaels will be honored by the American Diabetes Association. The Poison singer, who has type 1 diabetes and often raises money and awareness for the organization, will be given the Chair’s Citation Award. The rocker will be the first recipient of the honor, which recognizes the outstanding accomplishments and significant dedication a person or institution shows in advancing the mission of the American Diabetes Association. Learn more at Diabetes.org.

IRON MAIDEN BRING BACK IMTV
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Iron Maiden are currently on another world tour and to give fans an in-depth view of the band’s life on the road, they’ve brought back IMTV to IronMaiden.com. The videos on IMTV provide exclusive footage, interviews with the band and crew and much more. Check out the latest video to see what Bruce Dickinson, Steve Harris and Dave Murray think of their new song “El Dorado” and their current trek. Head to IronMaiden.com to see it all.

• Maiden’s latest album, The Final Frontier, hits shelves on August 17th.

LENNON’S CARTOON SELLS FOR 56-GRAND
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Back in 1969 while John Lennon and Yoko Ono were amidst their bed-in protest in Montreal, the Beatle great drew a cartoon. Well this week, that cartoon sold for over 56-thousand dollars. The sketch was part of a memorabilia auction at Christie’s in London which also saw the sale of a Gibson SG guitar Pete Townshend played on a 1971 tour. According to BBC News, that instrument went for over 74-grand.

TOLL TAKERS FIRED FOR AC/DC INCIDENT
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We recently reported that AC/DC’s bus and truck convoy were stopped at Hungary’s border with Romania and the drivers were fined over three-thousand dollars by Romania for allegedly failing to pay highway tolls. Well now, according to Australia’s Herald Sun, four of the department of transportation employees that demanded those fines have been fired and one has been demoted. Read more at HeraldSun.com.au.

HALFORD RELEASE NEW SINGLE
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Rob Halford has released a new single. It’s called “The Mower” and is off of the new Halford album Halford IV – Made of Metal. That record won’t be out until October but you can hear “The Mower” right now at HalfordMusic.com.

CELEBRATE JULY 4TH WITH TED NUGENT
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July 4th is just around the corner and what better way to celebrate than by buying a bunch of Ted Nugent songs. To mark Independence Day, the AmazonMP3 store is holding a special one day sale in which 30 different tracks from The Nuge, in a compilation called Happy Defiance Day Everyday, will be available for just 76 cents. If that weren’t enough, you can also get the Motor City Madman’s rendition of the “Star Spangled Banner” for free. It all happens July 4th and you can learn more at TedNugent.com.

FORMER KISS MANAGER BILL AUCOIN DIES
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Bill Aucoin, the man who discovered Kiss and managed them for nine years, has died due to complications from cancer. Aucoin also managed Billy Idol in the early ‘80s and set up a merchandising company which sold Kiss fan products.

June 28, 2010

BATH FESTIVAL CELEBRATES 40TH WITH COMMEMORATIVE SET

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the legendary 1970 Bath Festival which featured probably the best line-up ever at a British festival and included Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Frank Zappa, Jefferson Airplane, Canned Heat, Johnny Winter, Steppenwolf, The Byrds, Dr John, Santana, John Mayall, Country Joe etc. The promoter's daughter has produced a very limited edition commemorative set, which can be viewed on www.rockmusic-offer.co.uk

ORIGINAL KINKS BASSIST PETE QUAIFE DIES
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Original Kinks bassist Pete Quaife has died at the age of 66. The cause of death is unknown but Quaife had been undergoing kidney dialysis for the past 12 years after being diagnosed with renal failure in 1998. The rocker, who played with the band from 1961 through 1969, can be heard on classic hits like “You Really Got Me,” “All Day and All of the Night” and “Waterloo Sunset.” According to Billboard, Pete was never satisfied with his role in the creative process and following a brief time away from the band after breaking his leg in a car accident, he rejoined for a few years, only to call it quits for good. Quaife last played with the Kinks when they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990.

MEAT LOAF ON CELEBRITY APPRENTICE?
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Could Meat Loaf appear in the next season of Celebrity Apprentice? After seeing the success of fellow rocker and this past season’s winner, Bret Michaels, Meat is considering the gig. Sources told the New York Post that the singer is planning to move to New York City before the end of the summer.

MAIDEN SINGER DOESN’T LIKE MP3 OF NEW SONG
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Iron Maiden recently made a new song called “El Dorado” available as a free MP3 download on their website but at a recent show, singer Bruce Dickinson revealed he didn’t think the quality of it was so great. During the band’s show in Auburn, Washington last week, Bruce apologized to fans who downloaded the track saying, “stuff that is on the Internet sounds like s**t.” The rocker then went on a rant about MP3s saying they “take all the balls out of the song.” He then promised when folks hear the song on the group’s new CD, The Final Frontier, when it comes out in August, it will sound far better. The guys then played the track. Check it all out by searching YouTube for “Bruce’s Rant.”

• DIRECT LINK:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMwE1l1HN3w

KEITH RICHARDS’ DAUGHTER TO GET NAKED
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Keith Richards daughter Alexandra will appear naked in a series of pictures in French Playboy. The 23-year-old blond model and DJ is also the offspring of ‘70s supermodel Patti Hansen.

VINCE NEIL DISCUSSES HIS AUTOBIOGRAPHY
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On September 23rd, Motley Crue singer Vince Neil will release his tell-all book, Tattoos & Tequila. The autobiography comes ten years after the release of The Dirt, the book that told the behind-the-scenes story of the Crue. Vince told us what we can expect in his memoirs and why it’s a great follow-up to The Dirt.

“You know, The Dirt, I touched on subjects. I didn’t really get into a lot of detail, with me growing up in Compton, I had a pretty crazy childhood, seeing murders and being knifed and all this crazy stuff. The tragedies of my life, the good times in my life, getting into music, being in Motley Crue, and then The Dirt is ten years old and a lot of stuff has happened in the last ten years and it’s to present day.”

Pick up Tattoos & Tequila on September 23rd. Meanwhile, Vince just released a new solo album by the same name. It includes two new tracks and a handful of cover songs. Get the latest news on the rocker at VinceNeil.net.

VINCE NEIL IS MR. VEGAS
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When you think of Vegas you might think of casinos, parties and extravagant shows, but according to a new article in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, more and more folks are thinking of Motley Crue singer Vince Neil when they associate things to Sin City. With a two restaurants, two tattoo shops, including one right on the strip, and a rock n’ roll airline service at the Vegas airport, Vince has his mark all over town. He told the paper, “You can do things in Vegas that you can’t do anywhere else.” Read more at LVRJ.com.

RUSH DOCUMENTARY OUT ON DVD TOMORROW
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Tomorrow, Rush fans will finally be able to pick up the Beyond the Lighted Stage DVD. The film, which won the Heineken Audience Award at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival, tells the story of the Canadian prog rockers. Using archival footage as well as interviews with the band and their famous friends like Gene Simmons and Sebastian Bach, the documentary explores Rush’s 40 year career. The DVD includes exclusive bonus material including unseen interviews, outtakes, backstage footage and ultra-rare live performances. Pick it up tomorrow.

YES REFLECT ON GIANT 1976 SHOW WITH FRAMPTON
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Yes and Peter Frampton are out on the road touring together, but it’s not the first time the rockers have shared the same stage. Back in 1976, the pair played a massive show at Philadelphia’s JFK Stadium and Yes guitarist Steve Howe filled us in on that concert.

“That really was a stand out gig and, you know, I can still remember the size of it, my eyes trying to kind of accept or recognize or remember just the scale of the gig, it was just so huge. And, you know, they were talking 90-thousand people were coming, but maybe 120 (thousand) came and, you know, they burned seats and things to keep warm and it was an epic night, but, you know, it sort of confused me just because of the scale and the intensity – very intense.”

Yes and Frampton will no doubt put on an intense show when they perform in Big Flats, New York tomorrow night. Get all the band’s dates at YesWorld.com.

DOORS DOCUMENTARY OUT ON DVD TOMORROW
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If you’ve always wanted to learn about how The Doors came to be and haven’t yet seen When You’re Strange, the documentary about the band, you’re in luck! Tomorrow, the film will be out on DVD. Using historic and previously unseen footage of The Doors, the movie explores the group’s beginnings, their rise in popularity and the death of singer Jim Morrison. It’s narrated by Johnny Depp and it’s out tomorrow

June 25, 2010

TRIUMPH’S CLASSIC ANTHEM, “LAY IT ON THE LINE,” FEATURED IN NEW ADAM SANDLER MOVIE, "GROWN UPS"

Actor Adam Sandler has always had a knack for including standout classic rock tunes in his movies. His latest flick, ‘Grown Ups,’ is no different, as Triumph’s hard rocking “Lay it on the Line” is included in the movie, which opens nationwide June 25th.

Also, the official Japanese release of their new “best of” set, Triumph: ‘Greatest Hits: Remixed,’ hit the Land of the Rising Sun on June 23rd.

Greatest Hits: Remixed’ was released in the US and Canada on May 18th, and throughout Europe during May as well. All of Triumph’s classic tunes that were - and continue to be - in heavy rotation on rock radio (and the early days of MTV) are included here, namely, the aforementioned “Lay it on the Line,” as well as “Hold On,” “Fight the Good Fight,” “Magic Power,” etc.

These fourteen tracks of anthemic metal have never sounded so good, as they were all recently remixed by Rich Chycki (who has recently worked with Aerosmith and Rush). The set also includes a previously unreleased recording - “Love Hurts” - which will be the lead-off single from Triumph’s ‘Greatest Hits: Remixed.’

"We have been planning this release forever," says bassist Mike Levine. "For years, Triumph fans have been demanding that we give them a fresh greatest hits package and they are going to love this one."

Also included in the set is a DVD, mixed in 5.1 audio, that features eleven promo and live videos in widescreen (plus additional unreleased videos for “Child of the City,” “Blinding Light Show,” and “Love Hurts,” and footage of the group’s 2008 induction into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame).

The deluxe two-disc package is housed in a six-panel digi pak – including a 20-page color booklet, complete with liner notes, lyrics, and chockfull of vintage photos.

Whether you’re a long-time Triumph fanatic or a new convert, you have never heard the group as crystal clear and loud n’ proud as you will throughout ‘Greatest Hits: Remixed.’ "’Greatest Hits: Remixed’ rocks like no other Triumph set,” declares drummer Gil Moore. “This is the definitive Triumph collector’s edition."

Former members of YES and TOTO return with a new band YOSO To Release Debut Album JULY 2^ND EUROPE & JULY 23^RD USA ON FRONTIERS RECORDS

HOLLYWOOD, CA (June 25, 2010) – The term “Super-Group” describes a band rising out of two of the most creative bands of the past 30 years: YOSO is formed out of TOTO’s brilliant lead vocalist Bobby Kimball and the creative force of former YES members, Tony Kaye and Billy Sherwood, thus equalling the magic of YES with the voice of TOTO. However, YOSO is much more than a combination of two classic rock groups. The band’s debut album “Elements” will debut July 2^nd in Europe and July 23^rd in the USA on Frontiers Records. This long awaited release comes with a bonus live CD where the band plays some old and new classics. This musical blend presents a fascinating combination of the sound of YES ("90125"/"Big Generator" era) and TOTO, with a very interesting and original sound that truly encompasses the styles.

Even with the band's two diverse heritages, YOSO intends to become its own identifiable entity in a very short time. YOSO’s mission is to make the next decade one where their music will stand the test of time holding up alongside their classic rock roots.

"YOSO was started when I suggested to Bobby Kimball we should write some new music and form a band,” recalls Sherwood. “We had been working together on various tribute projects that I was producing and one thing lead to another. Before too long we had 5 songs in the can and were well on our way to making a record. That is when we started thinking seriously about taking it to the next level. Once there was a few songs underway the concept grew into the band we now have, " YOSO ".

YOSO line-up was later rounded out with two amazingly gifted musicians: Johnny Bruhns as the guitarist and background vocalist and Scott Conner on drums, percussion and background vocals.

“Elements” tracklisting includes: Yoso; Path To Your Heart; Where You’ll Stay; Walk Away; The New Revolution; To Seek The Truth; Only One; Close The Curtain; Won’t End Tonight; Come This Far; Time To Get Up; Return To Yesterday. Bonus live CD: Yoso; Rosanna; Owner of a Lonely Heart; Walk Away; Good For You; Yes Medley (Yours Is No Disgrace/Heart of the Sunrise/South Side of the Sky/Starship Trooper/I’ve Seen All Good People); To Seek the Truth; Hold The Line; Cinema; Gift With a Golden Gun; White Sister.

YOSO - US Tour dates (more TBA)

Aug 11 Keswick Theatre Glenside, PA

Aug 12 The State Theatre Falls Church, VA

Aug 15 Ramshead Tavern Annapolis, MD

Aug 17 B.B. King's Blues Club New York, NY

Aug 19 Kent Stage Kent, OH

Aug 20 Syndicate Dinner Theatre Newport, Ky

Aug 21 Lake Clementia Amph. Rancho Murieta, CA

For more information visit www.myspace.com/yosohq, www.frontiers.it or www.myspace.com/frontiersrecords

LYNCH MOB Embarks On A Summer Tour

“Smoke And Mirrors” Out Now On Frontiers Records USA

HOLLYWOOD, CA (June 25, 2010) – Lynch Mob is getting ready to embark on a summer tour in support of their current release “Smoke and Mirrors” on Frontiers Records. The band line-up for this tour consists of George Lynch (shred master), Oni Logan (vox), Michael Devin (bassologist) and Brian Tichy (time-keeper).

After seventeen long years singer Oni Logan and guitar wizard George Lynch found their way back together and again show their amazing abilities in some killer new Hard Rock songs.” I would say this new record "Smoke and Mirrors", is the record we should have put out as a follow up to "Wicked Sensation"...better late than never I guess...”, says Lynch presenting the new record.

Lynch Mob was formed by George Lynch, one of the few genuine guitar heroes of substance to emerge from the Los Angeles scene, after DOKKEN split up in 1989. The band’s first album” Wicked Sensation” went on to sell over 500,000 units in the US and featured the talents of singer
Oni Logan, Anthony Esposito on bass and another former DOKKEN member Mick Brown on drums. After a tour in support of Queensryche, Logan opted out, with Robert Mason taking his place on the follow up self titled release. However Lynch and Brown eventually returned to Dokken releasing 2 studio albums until he left again in late 1997 putting together a several new incarnations of Lynch Mob and exploring new sounds with different projects.

LYNCH MOB – TOUR SHCEDULE

July 18 Zen – Meister Bar El Paso, TX

July 20 HOB – GL Clinic Show Houston, TX Clinic

July 22 Dos Amigos Odessa, TX

July 23 Trees Dallas, TX

July 24 Scout Bar San Antonio, TX

July 25 Zoo Amphitheater Oklahoma, OK

July 28 The Altar Bar Pittsburgh, PA

July 29 The Starland Ballroom Sayer, NJ

July 30 Jaxx Springfield, VA

July 31 The Filmore New York, NY

Aug 01 Crazy Donkey Framingdale, NY

Aug 02 Eleanor Rigby’s Jermyn, PA

Aug 03 House of Blues Cleveland, OH

Aug 04 Scatz NightClub Middleton, WI

Aug 06 Club Vegas Salt Lake City, UT

Aug 07 The New Oasis Sparks, NV

Aug 08 Tower Theater Fresno, CA

Aug 11 Studio Seven Seattle, WA

Aug 12 Dante’s Portland, OR

Aug 13 Last Day Saloon Santa Rosa, CA

Aug 14 Sky City Amphitheater Pueblo of Acoma, NM

Get back to real Rock with Lynch Mob’s new album “Smoke and Mirrors” - For more information visit www.georgelynch.com or www.myspace.com/lynchmobrocks.

SLASH ANNOUNCES DATES, TALKS ABOUT SINGER
This news is brought to you by VH1 Radio's Dave Basner

Slash has announced his North American tour dates. The former Guns N’ Roses rocker will hit the road on August 29^th in San Francisco and tour through October 2^nd, when he wraps up in Seattle. He’ll be promoting his new self-titled solo album and recruited Alter Bridge frontman Myles Kennedy to sing the tracks from it on tour. That’s no easy task since Myles will have to perform the vocals in place of Ozzy Osbourne, Lemmy Kilmister, Iggy Pop, Fergie and the many others who appear on the album. So is Kennedy nervous? Slash filled us in.

“If he is, he doesn’t show it. And he handles all that stuff, and he sings it the way that it’s supposed to go, on the songs that aren’t his, and he sings it the way that it’s supposed to go but he puts his own thing on it and owns it. And it’s a hard thing to do, especially with Guns N’ Roses songs because there’s so much attitude in those. But he’s been phenomenal.”

Get all of Slash’s dates at Facebook.com/Slash.

RUSH TO GET STAR TODAY ON WALK OF FAME
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Today, Rush will be honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Smashing Pumpkins singer Billy Corgan will be on hand to pay tribute to the Canadian rockers. It all happens at 11:30 AM Pacific in front of the Musicians Institute.

SEE RUSH: BEYOND THE LIGHTED STAGE TOMORROW
This news is brought to you by VH1 Radio's Dave Basner

Tomorrow night at 9 PM Eastern on Vh1 Classic, Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage premieres. Using rare footage, exclusive behind the scenes video and interviews with the band as well as their famous fans, the documentary tells the story of the Canadian prog rockers. Sebastian Bach, Billy Corgan, Kirk Hammett, Jack Black, Gene Simmons and many others all appear in the flick, saying great things about Rush, something singer Geddy Lee really appreciates.

“That’s really sweet. I mean, for me, that’s the sweetest part of it. I wish it was all that and none of us talking (laughs).”

Be sure to catch Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage tomorrow night at 9 PM Eastern on Vh1 Classic.

COULD METAL’S BIG FOUR TOUR TOGETHER?
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Metallica, Megadeth, Anthrax and Slayer, also known as Metal’s Big Four, have been on the same bill at the European Sonisphere Festivals this month, and even performed together this week. So would the bands consider touring America together? Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett told Backstage Axxess, “Never say never.” See what else Kirk had to say at BackstageAxxess.com.

SLAYER NEEDS YOUR HELP
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Were you one of the fans who went to a local theater on Tuesday to watch the live broadcast of Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer and Anthrax performing together at the Sonisphere Festival in Bulgaria? If so, Slayer wants to hear from you! The band wants people who caught the gig as a cinema concert to go to the group’s website and write about the experience. Pictures are welcome too. To help Slayer out, head to Slayer.net and click on the “Fan Photos/Metal at the Movies” section.

FINNISH HEAVY METAL BAND FOR KIDS
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When you think of children’s music, you think of people like Raffi, but the latest group appealing to kids in Finland is actually a heavy metal band. It’s called Hevisaurus and the only difference between their music and adult heavy metal is that Hevisaurus perform in costumes as four dinosaurs and a dragon. Their album is number five on the charts and kids and parents alike are digging their music. You can check out a video of the group by searching YouTube for “Hevisaurus.”

DIRECT LINK TO VIDEO:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDEwMzQ_Osg

SANTANA TALKS ABOUT NEW ALBUM
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Carlos Santana is talking about his next album, an all-star collaboration on classic rock covers. The guitarist told Billboard that he was somewhat nervous to take on the project but later realized, “I brought my heart, trusting that there’s enough in me of purity and innocence and genuineness that I couldn’t possibly, excuse the expression, f**k it up.” As for the songs on the set, Carlos worked with Joe Cocker on a version of Jimi Hendrix’s “Little Wing,” he collaborated with Chris Cornell on Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love,” and with Chris Daughtry on Def Leppard’s “Photograph.” On the as-yet-untitled CD, Carlos also covers AC/DC, Deep Purple, the Rolling Stones and many others. It’s due out in September. Read more at Billboard.com.

CHICKENFOOT ANNOUNCE SECOND LAST SHOW OF 2010
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Chickenfoot recently announced that their last show of the year will be in Lake Tahoe, Nevada on September 11^th but now, they’ve scheduled a “second final show for 2010.” That gig will be in Indio, California on September 10^th. Learn more at Chickenfoot.us.

STING ON A&E SUNDAY
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Sting will be featured on Sunday’s episode of Private Sessions on A&E. The episode will feature Sting performing on his Symphonicity Tour at Colorado’s Red Rocks Amphitheatre. Sting will sing versions of some of his biggest hits, all while being backed by the 45-piece Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra. Check out Private Sessions Sunday at 9 AM Eastern on A&E.

FLAMENCO + CLASSIC ROCK = NEW CD
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Do you like flamenco music and heavy metal? Well if so, there is a new album that is just for you. It’s called Heavy Mellow by the band Flametal and includes some classic rock songs reworked as flamenco music. The disc, which hits shelves on July 6^th, boasts flamenco versions of songs by Megadeth, Kiss, the Scorpions, Slayer and many more. Learn more about it at Flametal.com.

June 24, 2010

GREGG ALLMAN UNDERGOES LIVER TRANSPLANT TOUR PLANS ON HOLD UNTIL ROCK & ROLL HALL OF FAMER FULLY RECOVERS

As part of his continued recovery from Hepatitis C, rock and roll icon GREGG ALLMAN recently underwent a successful liver transplant operation at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla. The singer, keyboardist, songwriter and guitarist had been on a waiting list for the transplant and is looking forward to a speedy recovery.

“I feel pretty good, considering everything that’s happened,” says ALLMAN, who co-founded the Allman Brothers Band in 1969. “Everybody involved here, my doctors and nurses in the hospital and all the Allman Brothers fans, they’ve just all been great.” The surgery took place this morning (June 23) after ALLMAN was notified that an appropriate liver had been donated. “All I can really say is ‘thanks,’” the singer says with gratitude.

The transplant comes as a result of the artist’s previous battle with Hepatitis C, a liver disease. In late 2007, Allman began a series of treatments for his Hepatitis C, but chronic damage of his liver led to doctors recommending a transplant. “I changed my ways years ago,” Allman says, “but we can’t turn back time. Every day is a gift, and I can’t wait to get back on the road making music with my friends.”

Updates on Gregg’s recovery will be posted regularly on www.greggallman.com and www.allmanbrothersband.com

MEGADETH CELEBRATES 20^TH ANNIVERSARY OF LANDMARK ‘RUST IN PEACE’ ALBUM
WITH ‘RUST IN PEACE LIVE’ BLU-RAY, DVD AND CD, TO BE RELEASED SEPTEMBER 7 ON SHOUT! FACTORY

The final night of Megadeth’s historic month-long Rust In Peace 20th anniversary tour has been captured for the upcoming Rust In Peace Live Blu-ray, DVD and CD, due out September 7 on Shout! Factory. On March 31, 2010, at this incredibly special show at the legendary Hollywood Palladium, not far from where Dave Mustaine formed the band in 1983, Megadeth played their landmark, genre-defining 1990 Rust In Peace album in its entirety, in addition to other Megadeth favorites. Rust In Peace Live also marks the return of original bassist David Ellefson (Megadeth 1983-2002) to the iconic multi-platinum group after eight years. Ellefson (bass), joins Mustaine (lead vocals, guitar), Shawn Drover (drums) and Chris Broderick (guitar).

Rust In Peace Live features the entire Rust In Peace track listing, including all-time classics “Holy Wars...The Punishment Due” and “Hangar 18” along with bonus fan favorites from various other Megadeth releases such as “Symphony For Destruction,” “Peace Sells,” and “Skin O’ My Teeth.”

Megadeth founder/frontman/guitarist Dave Mustaine explains, “We are pumped to be able to share the RIP Live concert with you all around the world. The anniversary and David Ellefson coming back was better than a facelift and a bottle of Viagra for old Vic.”

The 80-minute Rust In Peace Live DVD (5.1 Dolby Surround 16:9 Widescreen) and Blu-ray (5.1 DTS Master Audio 1080p High Definition) were directed by Kerry Asmussen (Green Day, Jay-Z, Coachella). The DVD and Blu-ray will also include behind-the-scenes footage, including a rare glimpse of the band rehearsing in their dressing room as they prepare to take the stage.

Rust In Peace is considered one of the best metal albums of all time by fans and critics and debuted at #23 on the Billboard Top 200 Album Chart in the U.S. and #8 in the U.K. The album showcased a much tighter sound, with Mustaine's writing style adopting a rhythmically complex progressive edge, prompting All Music Guide to cite Rust In Peace as "Megadeth's strongest musical effort.” The album received Grammy nominations in 1990 and 1991 for "Best Metal Performance." Emphasizing the massive impact of Rust In Peace in the July 2010 issue of Guitar World, writer Richard Bienstock calls it “one of the pinnacles of the first wave of thrash metal.” He continues, “A defining quality of Megadeth’s sound—and the one that perhaps most sets them apart from their ‘Big Four’ thrash brethren, Metallica, Slayer and Anthrax—has always been the band’s fiery mix of speed-metal ferocity and progressive instrumental virtuosity…nowhere has this combination been displayed better than on Rust In Peace.”

For more information, go to www.megadeth.com and www.shoutfactory.com.

CHRIS SQUIRE TO RELEASE ALBUM WITH STEVE HACKETT
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Yes’ Chris Squire is currently touring with the band and Peter Frampton, but that’s not all the bassist is up to. He filled us in on another project he’s working on.

“I’ve just finished an album with Steve Hackett and I’m very, very happy with it. It’s actually one of my greatest achievements I think. The best achievements, I’ve always found, are always when you’re working with someone else and of course when it’s with someone new, I guess it’s like a new relationship, so we really have made this work and we’ve just finished it so that’s going to be showing up in the next few months.”

Working with Hackett, who was Genesis’ guitarist in the ‘70s, is new for Chris. Turns out the two didn’t even meet for the first time until three years ago when Steve helped out on Chris’ Christmas album. They’ve since gotten to know each other and Chris told us more about their joint album.

“The amazing thing is that Steve and I just work together so well and so naturally and we sing together really well and the combination of our talent is really something that doesn’t happen often so we’re both really pleased with the outcome of the record.”

The guys plan to release the record under the creative band name Squakett. Now, they’re deciding if the effort will be self-titled or not and what the artwork for it will look like. Expect to see the CD on shelves soon.

SLASH TO ANNOUNCE TOUR DATES SOON
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If you’ve been waiting to see Slash perform songs off his new self-titled solo CD live, you won’t have to wait much longer. The former Guns N’ Roses guitarist tweeted that his upcoming U-S and Canadian tour dates will be announced by the end of the week. Stay up to date with the rocker by following him at Twitter.com/Slash.

JEFF BECK LOVES HIS JOB
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Today, Jeff Beck turns 66. The guitar great has passed retirement age but doesn’t expect to call it quits anytime soon. He told us about loving his job.

“It’s fun and when you’re giving people enjoyment, there’s nothing like it. Whether it’s a small club or 20-thousand people, if you can go home knowing that those people have had a fantastic time, or even just a half-assed good time, you’ve done your job and that’s it.”

Jeff will no doubt give people a fantastic time when he plays at the Summer Festival in Milwaukee tomorrow. Get all the guitarist’s dates at JeffBeck.com.

DEF LEPPARD HOPE TO SOUND MORE RAW
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Def Leppard guitarist Phil Collen is talking about what the band is up to. The rocker told MusicRadar.com that they’re getting some new songs together because they want to release a CD next year then tour behind it. As for how that new music might sound, Phil wants it to be “more raw.” He plans to avoid “sounding too clinical.” Read more at MusicRadar.com.

June 23, 2010

OZZY RELEASES NEW VIDEO
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This week, Ozzy Osbourne released his latest album, Scream, and he’s just put out the new video for the record’s first single, “Let Me Hear You Scream.” In the clip, the Prince of Darkness performs dressed in black leather. In some scenes, Ozzy’s head is on a giant robot spider and in other shots, a woman screams into a Victrola. Check out the video at Ozzy.com.

This week, Ozzy Osbourne released his latest album, Scream, and later this year, he’ll play some songs from it live during OzzFest. The touring festival kicks off its six-show American jaunt on August 14^th, visits England for one show, and then, Ozzy will head off on a solo tour in support of the new record. He gave us some details on the massive undertaking.

“We’re gonna do arenas, we’re gonna do a world tour. We’re gonna go to China, Israel, Russia, Balkans, Europe, England, all over the place. But we’re not going to do it straight, we’re going to take breaks in between.”

You can see some dates now at Ozzy.com.

OZZY TO PLAY STURGIS RALLY
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Each year, the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota rocks with a handful of impressive concerts, and this year will be no different. Ozzy Osbourne will play at the event, as will the Scorpions, Motley Crue, Kid Rock and ZZ Top. It all happens in mid-August and you can learn more at Sturgis.com.

GET MORE INFO ON THE SABBATH CLASSIC ALBUMS DVD
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Later this month, Eagle Vision will release the Classic Albums DVD of Black Sabbath’s second record, Paranoid. The disc will give a first hand account of the making of the effort and boasts over 97 minutes of footage including interviews with original engineers, archive videos and multi-track tapes. You can now get an e-card for the release and learn more about it at EagleRockEnt.com.

HAGAR WRITING AUTOBIOGRAPHY
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Sammy Hagar is working on an autobiography. The former Van Halen and current Chickenfoot singer told the Atlantic City Weekly that the book will be called Sammy Hagar Red and when fans read about his family background, they’ll be shocked he got to where he did. Hagar gets personal, revealing his dad died in the back of a police car, drunk, leaving his mom to raise him and his three siblings. No word yet on when the book is due out but in the meantime, Sammy and his band, The Wabos, will open 11 of Aerosmith’s upcoming shows, starting on July 23^rd in Oakland.

SCORPIONS TALK ABOUT THEIR SET LIST
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The Scorpions are currently promoting their new album, Sting in the Tail, during the American leg of their Get Your Sting and Blackout trek, which the band has announced will be their final tour. So how do the German rockers compose the set list when they know some concertgoers will never see them play live again? Guitarist Matthias Jabs filled us in.

“We want to play songs from Sting in the Tail, and they go down very well, and we have lots of classics so like ten songs, we have to play, it’s like the big songs. Then it’s three or four new ones and the rest you fill in.”

The Scorpions will be playing songs both old and new tonight in Gilford, New Hampshire. Get all the band’s dates at The-Scorpions.com.

NEW MEXICO LOTTERY OFFERS KISS GAME
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Some folks in New Mexico are hoping to get lucky with Kiss. The state lottery is now offering the Kiss Scratcher Game which gives players the chance to win up to 50-thousand dollars. Even losing tickets can be winners as the game also boasts second-chance drawings for fans to win trips to the band’s Hottest Show on Earth concert in Phoenix, Arizona. Learn more and see pictures of the games at NMLottery.com.

GET A VERY EARLY KISS PROMO PHOTO
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If you ever get promotional photos of a band, hang on to them as they might be worth something some day. That’s the case with a 37-year-old eight-by-ten photo of Kiss which is now up for bids on eBay. The glossy was taken at the band’s New York rehearsal space in January of 1973, just days after Ace Frehley joined the group. It’s already going for more than two-hundred dollars since it depicts the first version of Kiss, predating their trademark make-up by a few weeks. The shot is from the band’s first press kits, which they sent to members of the music industry. Check it out by looking for EliteWorks’ auctions on eBay.com.

DIRECT LINK:

http://cgi.ebay.com/KISS-Original-NY-1973-Promo-8x10-Photo-Poster-AUCOIN-/160447052907?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item255b63bc6b#ht_852wt_930

BRET MICHAELS’ HATS ARE POPULAR
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The cowboy hats that Bret Michaels wore during his appearances on NBC’s Celebrity Apprentice have shot up in popularity. Diva Amy Skaling, who designed the custom hats, has orders pouring into her studio. While fans want to get Bret’s look by buying his black hat with feathers and a Harley-Davidson spark plug, most orders are for the rocker’s white cowboy hat with a black Roman cross. To pay homage to the Poison singer, as a sign of appreciation, Diva Amy is donating ten percent from the sales of Bret’s hats to the Bret Michaels Foundation, which funds the American Diabetes Foundation. Learn more about Diva Amy and her hats at TeamDiva.com.

McCARTNEY TO SCORE A BALLET
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Paul McCartney has been asked to write the music for a ballet. While details are scarce, Sir Paul told the BBC he’s “interested in doing things [he] hasn’t done before” so when he got the offer he jumped on it. Even he doesn’t know much about the job, he is excited that “it’s a switch.” No word yet on which ballet company hired the Beatle.

McCartney has previously written the soundtrack for a film (1967’s The Family Way), composed four classical music releases and dabbled in electronica as The Fireman.

LENNON’S LYRICS SELL FOR MILLIONS
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John Lennon’s handwritten lyrics to The Beatles classic “A Day in the Life” sold at auction for 1.2-million dollars this week. Experts expected the lyrics to sell for 600-thousand bucks but three buyers vying for the memorabilia caused the price to go up. An unidentified American who phoned in his bid won the item, which just missed being the highest-priced Beatles lyric sheet ever. According to Billboard, that honor is held by the hand-penned lyrics to “All You Need is Love,” which sold in 2005 for 1.25-million dollars.

CONGRESS HONORS LYNYRD SKYNYRD
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Congress honored Lynyrd Skynyrd last week. After the band got a tour of the Capitol, Florida Congressman Connie Mack and Alabama Congressman Spencer Bachus held a reception where they recognized the rockers for their “true voice of the South” and their legendary status in the music world. Bachus thanked the band for entertaining the troops, supporting military families, and providing his state with the motto now displayed on license plates there – “Sweet Home Alabama.” Read more at LynyrdSkynyrd.com.

VINCE NEIL DISCUSSES TATTOOS & TEQUILA
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This week, Vince Neil released his latest solo album, Tattoos & Tequila. Aside from two original tracks, the record is all covers including the Motley Crue singer’s versions of songs by Elvis Presley, Elton John, ZZ Top, the Scorpions and many others. Vince told us about the effort.

“You know, I wanted to do like a summer party type album and these are the songs that I grew up with, so it wasn’t hard to figure out the songs. And each one of these songs has a specific memory. It’s sort of like a window into my life when you really listen to these songs.”

Pick up Tattoos & Tequila today.

OZZY AND VINCE TALK ABOUT OZZFEST
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This year’s OzzFest kicks off on August 14^th in California, and Ozzy Osbourne is talking about the event, which will boast performances by Motley Crue. The Prince of Darkness told Billboard that Motley Crue are his “old friends” and that when he toured with them in 1984, it was “the most f***ing crazy tour” he ever did in his life. Crue singer Vince Neil agreed, telling us more about the trek.

“Well the memories are a little fuzzy with Ozzy but it was a whole other time. That was our very first real tour and we really looked up to Ozzy like most rock and rollers did and still do and we all became really good friends and at times, Ozzy rode on our tour bus. We shared a tour bus with the band and crew and everything because we had no money.”

Vince went on to relay a memory from the tour.

“I remember our first show was in Portland, Maine in like February, so it was freezing. And we didn’t have any money so we were in these thin leather jackets and here comes Ozzy, we hadn’t met him yet, he was like a vision in this full length mink coat and this big fur collar. It was like, ‘Wow, look at this guy!’”

Ozzy told Billboard that OzzFest won’t be a rerun of the ’84 trek because they’ve “all matured a bit.” Read more at Billboard.com.

SCOTT IAN JOINS MEGADETH ONSTAGE
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When metal’s Big Four – Metallica, Megadeth, Anthrax and Slayer – all share the same stage in one night, there are bound to be some memorable moments, and that’s what happened on Friday during their second joint gig ever. At Switzerland’s edition of the Sonisphere Festival, the rockers all performed and when Megadeth played their classic song “Peace Sells… But Who’s Buying,” they were joined by Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian. You can watch fan-filmed footage of the performance by searching YouTube for “Megadeth Peace Sells Scott Ian Sonisphere.” The Big Four next play the Sonisphere in Bulgaria tonight.

DIRECT LINK:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SzVr9Tjh2c

SLASH TALKS ABOUT HIS STAR
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We recently reported that Slash will be honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and now, the former Guns N’ Roses guitarist is talking about it. On his MySpace page, the rocker said he is “sincerely honored and humbled” by the recognition, adding, “I came from the ground up in Hollywood, so this is the most genuinely special distinction I could ever receive.” No date has been set yet for the star-induction ceremony. Read more at MySpace.com/Slash.

STEVE VAI TALKS ABOUT HIS VAITUNES
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Steve Vai is giving his fans a chance to hear some never-before-released songs. The music comes from some projects that were never completed, soundtrack jams and other sessions and is being put out as part of the guitarist’s VaiTunes digital downloads. Steve told us about the tracks.

“I wouldn’t necessarily even say they’re B sides, they’re just pieces that didn’t particularly fit a project I was working on at the time so I moved on and left them there, they’re like orphans. So now they’re finding their home and it’s nice because it’s a constant flow of new material.”

You can learn more about VaiTunes at Vai.com.

June 21, 2010

SLASH TO GET A STAR
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Next year, Slash will receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce made the announcement last week. There is no date for the honor yet, but others who’ll get a star in 2011 include The Go-Go’s, Melissa Etheridge, Penelope Cruz, The Muppets, Danny DeVito, Tina Fey, Oprah Winfrey, Gwyneth Paltrow and many more.

WENDY DIO UPSET WITH DIO TRIBUTE CDS
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Wendy Dio, late heavy metal great Ronnie James Dio’s widow, is upset. She recently wrote on the rocker’s website how she is seeing a lot of bands promising to release Dio tribute CDs and wants fans to know that when they buy those, their money is not going to the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund, rather, it is going right to the artists. Wendy stated, “I find this totally disgraceful and upsetting that they are trying to make money off of Ronnie’s death.” Learn more at RonnieJamesDio.com.

SPEEDWAGON MIGHT SHARE STAGE WITH BENATAR
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This week, REO Speedwagon will kick off their Love on the Run tour alongside Pat Benatar. So will the musicians share the stage at any part during the night? REO singer Kevin Cronin told us he’s pretty hopeful they will.

“I sure hope so. I mean, personally, I think that’s one of the biggest opportunities to have fun and that you can have when you’ve got a co-headline situation so I always encourage that. When we’re on stage, our stage is open to the other bands. If there’s a song that someone feels like singing or playing on, it’s like, yeah, come on up. We’re very loose about that.”

Speedwagon and Pat Benatar’s first show is Thursday at Mohegan Sun Casino in Connecticut. Get all their dates now at Speedwagon.com.

HEAR VINCE NEIL’S NEW ALBUM
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Vince Neil’s new record, Tattoos & Tequila, comes out today, but if you can’t make it to the store to get it, you can still hear the covers album right now. IHeartRadio.com is currently streaming the entire set. It features Vince’s takes on songs by Cheap Trick, Aerosmith, the Scorpions, The Hollies and others, as well as a pair of original tracks.

DUFF MCKAGAN FREAKED OUT AT JANE’S ADDICTION SHOW
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Duff McKagan has been playing music for a long time but that doesn’t mean the bassist doesn’t still get nervous. In his weekly column with SeattleWeekly.com, McKagan, who is now playing with Jane’s Addiction, says they’re recent shows in Europe with Rage Against the Machine really freaked him out. The bassist also admits to a lifelong struggle with panic disorder. Fans can read more now at SeattleWeekly.com.

June 19, 2010

STEVE VAI UNLOCKS THE VAULT AND LAUNCHES VaiTunes SERIES

Los Angeles, CA (June 18, 2010) - It’s not uncommon for a musician to record more work than they release. In Vai’s case, the Grammy® award-winning guitarist has a digital ocean of snippets in various degrees of completion. Some are leftovers from assorted sessions, projects that were never completed, soundcheck jams, or songs that were specific to a particular venture. “There are enough lonely, unreleased notes in my world to fill an infinity shelf,” says Vai. In between composing new scores for his upcoming performance with the North Netherlands Symphony Orchestra, Vai has transformed these snippets into full, lush songs and these rarities are being released as a series of single digital downloads called VaiTunes.

Each release comes with a PDF booklet containing detailed notes about the creation of the song, the story behind the recording, and gear involved. The latest release from the series, “The Moon and I” evolved from a soundcheck jam in Athens, Greece in the spring of 2000. The PDF liner notes allow the listener to follow Vai as he birthed the chord changes in Greece and subsequently watered and fertilized the song ten years later half way around the world in his Encino studio. Equally fascinating is the story of the guitar used to finish “The Moon and I.” Under unique circumstances, Vai recently purchased an original Desert Yellow Ibanez JEM 777DY guitar, a guitar he designed in 1987, from a local pawnshop and named the guitar “Moon.”

Vai plans to offer one track every month or so, each one representing a unique moment in his personal musical history. The releases can be purchased via iTunes and other digital music providers worldwide through www.vai.com/vaitunes.

Visit www.vai.com and www.vai.com/vaitunes

WHITESNAKE Announcements and Upcoming Release Information

HOLLYWOOD, CA (June 18, 2010) - WHITESNAKE have officially announced that bassist URIAH DUFFY & drummer CHRIS FRAZIER are going their separate ways from the band after a fun filled & successful journey together.

WHITESNAKE wish URIAH & CHRIS every success in pursuing their individual musical careers & express their sincere gratitude for the exceptional contribution they both made to the legacy of the band.

WHITESNAKE are proud to welcome drummer/vocalist extraordinaire, BRIAN TICHY (www.briantichy.com).

WHITESNAKE are currently in the studio writing & recording the follow up to their award winning 'GOOD TO BE BAD' album, which is expected to be released throughout the world on the FRONTIERS label in the Spring of 2011 to coincide with their return to touring.

At this time WHITESNAKE are still exploring their options for the position of new Bass Player/Singer.

To keep updated on WHITESNAKE visit www.whitesnake.com / www.frontiers.it

OZZY OSBOURNE TO SIGN COPIES OF NEW ALBUM ‘SCREAM’ SUNDAY, JUNE 20 AT AMOEBA MUSIC (HOLLYWOOD) INTIMATE FAN RECORD RELEASE PLAYBACK AND PERFORMANCE TO FOLLOW LATER THAT NIGHT AT THE HOUSE OF BLUES ON SUNSET NEW ALBUM OUT JUNE 22 ON EPIC RECORDS

In advance of his new much-anticipated album SCREAM--out June 22 via Epic Records--OZZY OSBOURNE will once again take over the Sunset Strip with two record release events Sunday, June 20. That afternoon, the rock icon will host an in-store signing at Amoeba Music on Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood. Later that night, some lucky fans will join OZZY for a private record release playback and rare club performance down Sunset Blvd. at the House of Blues.

OZZY will sign copies of his new SCREAM CD at Amoeba from 5:00-8:00 PM and the first 600 fans in line who purchase a copy will also receive a free ticket to that night’s 10:00 PM House of Blues performance. Please note: the in-store signing is limited to the first 800 fans and there are no line-ups prior to 3:00 PM.

SCREAM was produced by OZZY and Kevin Churko, both of whom did the same honors for OZZY’s 2007 worldwide million-selling album Black Rain. The multi-platinum, Grammy Award-winning, Rock and Roll Hall of Famer recorded most of the album--his first in three years and 10^th studio album overall--at his Los Angeles home studio, The Bunker, and co-wrote all the songs, primarily with Churko. Notably, the album marks the first appearance of OZZY’s new guitar player, Gus G. OZZY’s band also features bassist Blasko, drummer Tommy Clufetos and keyboardist Adam Wakeman. The album has been launched with the red-hot single “Let Me Hear You Scream,” now #8 on Billboard’s “Rock Songs” chart for the country’s top alternative, mainstream rock and Triple A tracks. Look out for the soon-to-debut video for the fist-pumping anthemic song that was lensed by famed director Jonas Akerlund.

OZZY will embark on an 18-month world tour (dates TBA) in support of SCREAM, first headlining, with Motley Crue, this summer’s highly anticipated return of OZZFest that kicks off August 14 in Devore, CA. As part of Live Nation’s “No Service Fee June,” all tickets for the six-city OZZFest tour will feature ticket discounts from $20 for a single ticket to up to $35, when purchasing a four-pack. This is part of a month-long massive Live Nation price promotion which will eliminate service fees on nearly 8 million tickets, more than 700 shows and 110 artists.

www.ozzy.com
http://www.myspace.com/ozzyosbourne
http://www.facebook.com/ozzyosbourne
http://twitter.com/OFFICIALOZZY
www.OZZfest.com

June 18, 2010

MOONDANCE LINEUP COMPLETE! MINNESOTA FESTIVAL READY TO ROCK AMERICA

WALKER, MINNESOTA (June 10, 2010) – When classic rock fans gather this year at the 19^th annual Moondance Jam, opening night headliner Sammy Hagar will be representing the old school of rock, while Buckcherry, Collective Soul, Hoobastank and Tonic will be there to show that modern rock bands love classic rock, too.

SAMMY HAGAR AND THE WABOS

The Red Rocker’s career started with Montrose in the S.F. Bay Area. He left for a solo career in 1975, and as soon as he became a star, Van Halen selected him as the man to take over for the departed David Lee Roth. VH became one of the biggest bands in the world with Hagar fronting the band, selling out arenas and amphitheaters with regularity and selling millions of records, before the band imploded in 1996. Hagar then resumed his solo career-he has toured regularly and released six records since forming the Waboritas. He also found time for an ill-fated reunion of Van Halen in 2004, and in 2008, formed the supergroup Chickenfoot with guitarist Joe Satriani, bassist Michael Anthony (from Van Halen) and drummer Chad Smith (The Red Hot Chili Peppers). The rock world’s most famous tequila salesman has found happiness onstage with the Waboritas (guitarist Vic Johnson, bassist Mona and drummer David Lauser), a versatile, tight unit that that can play the driving rock of Montrose, the meat-and-potatoes rock of Sammy’s solo career and the melodic metal of Van Halen. At Moondance, expect Sammy to put on his typical Cabo Wabo-styled party that features his solo hits, VH stuff, a Montrose chestnut and lots of tequila.

BUCKCHERRY

If sleaze rock band Buckcherry was a baseball player, its bio would read something like this-great rookie season, sophomore slump, a brief trip to the minors, back with a big splash and now a steady all-star performer. The band rode its debut single, the drug fueled “Lit Up” (“I love the cocaine”) all the way to number one in 1999, and the debut album sold well as the band toured regularly that year. It’s follow up slumped, however, and by 2002, Buckchery was on hiatus. Vocalist Josh Todd put out a solo album, and guitarist Keith Nelson kicked around Hollywood, but the duo finally realized the only thing to do was to put the band back together. With new members Stevie D. (guitar), Jimmy Ashhurst (bass) and Xavier Muriel (drums), the band came roaring back with the album 15, which featured the quintet’s biggest hit, “Crazy Bitch,” as well as “Sorry” and “Everything.” Black Butterfly, the band’s fourth album followed, and the group toured late last year with Kiss, solidifying its reputation as a great live band with a dynamic stage show. The band has now scored six Top 20 hits since reconvening, and its fifth album, All Night Long, is due August 3. At its recent Rocklahoma appearance, the band played all of the hits, a few early songs from the debut and the new single, also titled “All Night Long.”

COLLECTIVE SOUL

Collective Soul was formed in the small town of Stockbridge, Georgia in the early ‘90s. The band’s first album, the independently released Hints, Allegations and Things Left Unsaid, proved popular enough on the local level that Atlantic Records picked it up the following year. Within months of its release, the album’s first single, “Shine,” became a modern rock and MTV staple, and the group found itself with a platinum debut, playing everywhere from arenas with Aerosmith to Woodstock 1994. The band followed that record with the self-titled sophomore effort the following year, which featured the hits “The World I Know” and “December.” That record once again went multi-platinum, but subsequent releases failed to sell as well, so the band took a five-year break (releasing only a greatest hits set in 2001). In 2004, the group returned to their roots, bringing in new guitar player Joel Kosche and releasing the stripped-down and dynamic Youth album, which featured the band’s comeback hit “Better Now.” The band’s self –titled eighth record has kept the group on the road for most of the last year due to the strength of the single “Welcome All Again.” The band has released 15 songs that have made into the mainstream Top 20, and most of these songs make up the band’s live show.

HOOBASTANK

Authors of the best-selling singles “Crawling in the Dark,” “Running Away” and “The Reason,” modern rockers Hoobastank will make its first ever appearance at MJ this July. Despite heavy chart success and a relentless touring schedule, the band’s second and third releases failed to sell as well as its debut; the band struck back with its fourth release, For(N)ever and the single "My Turn.” The group spent last summer opening for Creed on the band’s reunion tour. Expect a fast-paced, high energy set full of active rock hits during Hoobastank’s performance.

TONIC

Tonic is best known for its debut platinum album, Lemon Parade, and it’s massive hit single,” If You Could Only See,” as well as “Open Up Your Eyes.” Tonic spent years on the road promoting that first effort, but subsequent releases failed to match those of Lemon Parade, so after self-producing their 1999 album Sugar and releasing their third album Head on Straight in 2002, the band went on hiatus beginning in 2004, while its members pursued other musical endeavors. The band became active again in late 2008, embarking on a tour and releasing a greatest hits compilation. Their self-titled fourth studio album, Tonic, which features the current radio single “Release Me,” was released in May. Tonic will be one of the first major label acts featured in the 3 p.m. slot at MJ this year, as the promoters beefed up the line-up with 15 national acts.

The daily schedules are listed below:

Wednesday, July 14 (Pre-party)

10:30 p.m.-Hairball
9:00 p.m.-Mountain Ash
7:30 p.m.-Free Fallin-a tribute to Tom Petty
6:00 p.m.-The Minnesota Whiskey Piggz

Thursday July 15

11:00 p.m.-Sammy Hagar and the Wabos
9:00 p.m.-Buckcherry
7:00 p.m.-Collective Soul
5:00 p.m.-Hoobastank
3:00 p.m.-Tonic

Friday July 16

11:00 p.m.-REO Speedweagon
9:00 p.m.-Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo
7:00 p.m.-Don Felder’s “An Evening at the Hotel California”
5:00 p.m.-The Smithereens
3:00 p.m.-Pat Travers

Saturday July 17

11:00 p.m.-Lynyrd Skynyrd
9:00 p.m.-Jonny Lang
7:00 p.m.-Cinderella
5:00 p.m.-Black Stone Cherry
3:00 p.m.-Blackberry Smoke

Tickets are still available in a variety of packages. Concert goers can purchase Rockstar All Access, VIP, three day General Admission and single day tickets as well as camping and parking passes online or by contacting the Moondance ticket office. Moondance Jam has festival seating for General Admission ticket holders, meaning that front row access and lawn seating is available for everyone.

Free parking will be available this year at the Northern Lights Casino in Walker. Shuttles will take festival goers to and from the festival site; a regular schedule can be obtained on the first day of the festival.

Moondance Jam is held on the beautiful 300 acre Moondance Events festival grounds, situated in the middle of Chippewa National Forest near Leech Lake. The festival features thousands of campsites, well-kept facilities, two bars with regional entertainment, excellent security, many food and beverage vendors, an experienced staff and owners who have been organizing music festivals since 1992. The safe, fan friendly atmosphere and idyllic location are just a few reasons why people return year after year to the Walker Area for the Moondance music festivals.

Fur & Feather Animal Sanctuary

STEVE VAI, OZZY OSBOURNE, JOHN 5, BLASKO, PAUL GILBERT, TYLER MANE, MARKY RAMONE, BILLY SHEEHAN AND MORE

DONATED INSTRUMENTS FROM IBANEZ, YAMAHA, ERNIE BALL, SCHECTER GUITARS, STAGE CLOTHES AND THEATRICAL PROPS UP FOR AUCTION

EBAY AUCTION NOW!!

Besides the love of music, rockstars have a soft spot for our four legged furry friends. With the help from so many artists and actors with their charitable donations of instruments and signed memorabilia, FUR & FEATHER ANIMAL SANCTUARY comes closer to breaking ground in the next year for the first fully solar and wind powered, no-kill animal sanctuary. The sanctuary will also provide the community with a low-cost animal clinic, education and cultural center.

Currently on the eBay auction block is a Yamaha bass signed by Bass-master BILLY SHEEHAN, guitar virtuoso JOHN 5’s famous 666 strap by Red Monkey from 5 tours with Rob Zombie signed and dated, OZZY’s autobiography “I AM OZZY” signed by OZZY, legendary ax-slinger STEVE VAI’S custom made silver outfit by famed rockstar couturier Terri King. It was worn on the Ultra Zone tour in the late 90's, HALLOWEEN 2’s movie prop w/ signed Michael Myers photo from TYLER MANE, and a Schecter Diamond Series Delux guitar signed by ALL the mainstage bands from OZZfest 2006 including OZZY, ZAKK WYLDE, BLS, HATEBREED, DISTURBED, LACUNA COIL, SYSTEM OF A DOWN and more!

Shop eBay NOW! http://shop.ebay.com/furfeather/m.html

Adding in the next week to the auction will be 2 signed Ibanez guitars one from PAUL GILBERT and one from STEVE VAI, an Ernie Ball bass signed by BLASKO from Ozzy Osbourne’s band, and a Schecter Diamond Series guitar signed by horror Icons TYLER MANE (Michael Myers/Halloween 1&2) and DEREK MEARS (Jason Voorhees/Friday the 13^th). More items coming!! Keep an eye out for additions of cool signed memorabilia from your favorite rockstars!! All items come with signed letters of authentication for your collection!

Did you know?

The Sunset Strip AND GIBSON GUITAR ANNOUNCE GUITARTOWN

Public arts project will showcase The Strip and Unify Businesses

West Hollywood, Calif (June 17, 2010) The Sunset Strip and Gibson Guitar announced the launch of GuitarTown, a public arts project that will feature more than 25 ten-foot tall fiberglass Gibson Les Paul model guitars strategically placed on the legendary Sunset Strip in West Hollywood beginning in August, 2010. The oversized Gibson guitar sculptures will be created by local and nationally acclaimed visual artists and placed along the 1.6-mile Sunset Strip in front of the boulevard’s landmarks and businesses, including the Whisky A Go-Go, The Roxy Theatre and Sunset Marquis.

Each guitar sculpture will celebrate a musician, personality or artist unique to The Sunset Strip’s history and Gibson Guitar.

The project will unite The Sunset Strip’s art, music and business communities and will later raise funds for numerous charitable organizations. GuitarTown Sunset Strip is set to open to the public in mid-August, prior to the third annual Sunset Strip Music Festival (August 26-28).

The GuitarTown Sunset Strip project will also showcase the recently “renovated” Sunset Strip, which is undergoing a beautification project that includes a more pedestrian-friendly experience on the boulevard.

“We are very excited about Gibson GuitarTown coming to The Sunset Strip in West Hollywood. GuitarTown is a perfect way for us to celebrate the creative heritage of The Sunset Strip. It allows us to celebrate art and our rock and roll roots,” noted West Hollywood Mayor John Heilman. “We look forward to welcoming Gibson GuitarTown to West Hollywood.”

“Like Gibson Guitar, The Sunset Strip is legendary. It’s also responsible for launching the careers of some of the world’s greatest musicians,” said Henry Juszkiewicz, Chairman and CEO of Gibson Guitar. “We are so pleased to be part of The Sunset Strip project and look forward to hosting GuitarTown in what will surely strike a chord with everyone who visits The Sunset Strip.”

The guitars will complete a “tour” of The Strip and then be sold at a Gala Auction, with all proceeds benefiting nonprofit organizations and charities. Similar projects hosted by Gibson Guitar and Epiphone raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for charity and took place in Nashville, Austin, London, Orlando and Miami. The Sunset Strip GuitarTown project will be administered through the Gibson Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Gibson Guitar Corp., which is dedicated to improving the quality of life through its support of the arts, education, health & welfare and environmental causes.

“GuitarTown is a perfect fit for The Strip. It celebrates the iconic rock heritage while also looking to the future—which includes the Sunset Strip Music Festival coming up in August,” said West Hollywood Councilmember Lindsey Horvath. “We are amped for GuitarTown because it’s also a terrific way to show off the immense improvements we’ve made to The Sunset Strip.”

A call for artists was distributed and an announcement of selected artists will be made in July. For GuitarTown artist application information, visit http://thesunsetstrip.com/artistcall.

About Gibson Guitar
Gibson is known worldwide for producing classic models in every major style of fretted instrument, including acoustic and electric guitars, mandolins, and banjos. The Gibson Les Paul guitar is the best selling guitar of all time and bears the name of the late, great Les Paul. Gibson’s HD.6X-PRO Digital Guitar, the Gibson Robot Guitar, Gibson's Dark Fire and the new Gibson Dusk Tiger represent the biggest advances in electric guitar design in over 70 years. The Gibson Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the Gibson Guitar Corp., and dedicates its time and services to making the place a better world for children through its support of music, education, health and human services. Founded in 1894 in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and headquartered in Nashville since 1984, Gibson Guitar Corp.’s family of brands now includes Epiphone, Dobro, Kramer, Steinberger, Tobias, Echoplex, Electar, Flatiron, Slingerland, Valley Arts, Maestro, Oberheim, Baldwin, Sunshine Piano, Take Anywhere Technology, J&C Fischer, Chickering, Hamilton, and Wurlitzer. Visit Gibson’s website at www.gibson.com

About The Sunset Strip
The Sunset Strip is a 1.3 mile stretch along Sunset Boulevard that runs through the heart of West Hollywood. From its beginning as an unregulated "strip" of land along Sunset Boulevard outside Los Angeles' city limits, The Sunset Strip has served as a notorious entertainment destination for celebrities, tourists and California residents. It is an iconic locale where fashion, music, architecture and a unique history combine. The Sunset Strip has birthed countless music and entertainment careers, and it continues to blaze its own path as a leading destination with a vibrant and entertaining landscape made up of more than 150 restaurants, shops, nightclubs and hotels. The Sunset Strip became part of the City of West Hollywood when it was incorporated in 1984. For more information about The Sunset Strip, please visit www.thesunsetstrip.com.

HERMAN ZE GERMAN RAREBELL RETURNS WITH ‘TAKE IT AS IT COMES’

Few metal drummers have a name as recognizable as Herman ze German Rarebell.
And with good reason - after all, it was Rarebell’s drumming that helped propel the Scorpions into one of the 1980’s most successful rock bands (as well as co-penning the all-time classic, “Rock You Like A Hurricane”). And Herman is back once more with his latest album, ‘Take It As it Comes,’ which was recently released via Dark Star Records.
A kick-ass, rockin’ good time, the album is available as a standard version, as well as a limited edition box set, which comes with two discs and a card autographed by ze German himself.

The album can also be purchased via the Amazon.com site by following this link:
<http://www.amazon.com/Take-As-Comes-Herman-German/dp/B003HGK8EC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1273512724&sr=1-1>

The new single from ‘Take It As it Comes,’ is the appropriately-titled "Let Me Rock You," which has an add date at radio of June 3rd. Herman will also be in the U.S. starting July 12th in NYC, until July 30th ending in L.A., visiting radio and press nationwide supporting the new radio single. This will also tie in with a July 24th special appearance with the Michael Schenker Group, at this years Rock N' America Festival, at the Oklahoma City Zoo Amphitheatre (in Oklahoma City, OK).

Herman enthuses, “I guess most of you guys know me as the former drummer of the SCORPIONS - ‘Herman Rarebell.’ Together with my friends RUDOLF, MATTHIAS, and KLAUS, I enjoyed twenty truly awesome years of exhilarating rock n’ roll. We went through thick and thin, toured the world a couple times, and were awarded over 70 gold and 30 platinum records in addition to a bunch of other awards and prizes. It is my pleasure to tell you that my new solo CD, ‘Take It As It Comes,’ is now available on DARK STAR RECORDS.”

Get ready to be pounded into submission once more by one of rock’s greatest drummers...Herman ze German Rarebell!

For more information visit:
www.hermanrarebell.com
www.myspace.com/hermanrarebell
www.myspace.com/hermanzegerman
www.darkstarrecords.com

VOODOO EXPERIENCE: CELEBRATE HALLOWEEN WEEKEND WITH OZZY OSBOURNE, MUSE, WEEZER

2010 LINE-UP OF MORE THAN 100 ACTS IS MARKED BY EXPANDED MUSICAL SPECTRUM TICKETS ON SALE NOW FOR OCTOBER 29, 30 AND 31

Headliners Ozzy Osbourne, Muse and Weezer are among the 100-plus acts already confirmed for the 2010 VOODOO EXPERIENCE, set for Halloween weekend--October 29, 30 and 31--at City Park in New Orleans. This year’s line-up features a mix of some of the leading talent from every genre of music including, for the first time since 2004, some of music’s top electronic artists. As is tradition at VOODOO, there will be stages that celebrate and honor the music and rich melting pot of the region. This year, these stages will be highlighted by a variety of unique collaborations between the keepers of New Orleans musical traditions with some of the younger acts adding a fresh spin. Other artists confirmed for New Orleans’ signature fall musical celebration include MGMT, Drake, Florence and the Machine, Paul van Dyk, Interpol, Hot Chip, Metric, Deadmau5, Street Sweeper Social Club, Jakob Dylan and Three Legs, Jonsi, Eagles of Death Metal, Cage the Elephant, Minus the Bear and Janelle Monae. (Full line-up is below.)

“I can’t think of a better way to celebrate Halloween then with a performance in New Orleans,” says Ozzy Osbourne, who is making his VOODOO EXPERIENCE debut.

The preliminary 2010 VOODOO EXPERIENCE line-up (as of June 17):

OzzyOsbourne/Muse/Weezer/MGMT/Drake/Metric/Hot Chip/Interpol/Paul van Dyk/Deadmau5/Street Sweeper Social Club/Paul Oakenfold/Jakob Dylan and Three Legs/Ferry Corsten/Buckwheat Zydeco/Florence and the Machine/Raphael Saadiq/Eagles of Death Metal/Cage the Elephant/Minus the Bear/Janelle Monae/Eli “Paperboy” Reed/Galactic with Guests/The Airborne Toxic Event/Jonsi/Innerpartysystem/Afrojack/Die Antwoord/Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue/Rebirth Brass Band/Crookers/Preservation Hall Jazz Band/Stanton Moore Trio with Anders Osborne and Robert Walter/Voice of the Wetlands All Stars featuring Tab Benoit, Cyril Neville, George Porter Jr., Waylon Thibodeaux, Big Chief Bourdeaux, Johnny Vidacovich, and Johnny Sansone/Boys Noize/Soul Rebels Brass Band/Theresa Andersson/Basin Street Records Revue featuring Kermit Ruffins, Dr. Michael White and Jeremy Davenport/George Porter Jr. & Runnin’ Pardners/Toubab Krewe/Jon Cleary and the Absolute Monster Gentlemen/Treme Brass Band with Uncle Lionel Batiste/Cedric Burnside & Lightnin Malcolm/Big Sam's Funky Nation/The New Orleans Bingo! Show with special guests/The Happy Talk Band/Fleur De Tease Burlesque Revue/Rotary Downs/DJ Soul Sister/Paul Sanchez/Quintron & Miss Pussycat/Honey Island Swamp Band with guest Gal Holiday/Rosie Ledet/Fatter Than Albert/Leo Jackson and the Melody Clouds/AM/Fitz & The Tantrums/Jonathan Tyler and the Northern Lights/Shannon McNally/Creole String Beans/Feufollet/Alvin Youngblood Hart/Locos Por Juana/Flow Tribe/Consortium of Genius/Luke Winslow-King/Noisician Coalition/DJ Quickie Mart/The Vettes/Debauche/Helen Gillet/The Local Skank/Coot/MC Sweet Tea/Rival Sons/Lost Bayou Ramblers, and many more.

Set in historic City Park, amidst lush lagoons, bayous and one of the largest collections of mature oak trees in the world--all in the shadow of the New Orleans Museum of Art and just minutes from the French Quarter and Central Business District--this festive New Orleans celebration is steeped in the city’s culture and influences. Throughout its consecutive 12-year run, the VOODOO EXPERIENCE has brought together a collection of talent that has bridged the social, economic and generational gaps by creating a unique event with a commitment to every genre of music while at the same time celebrating the sounds of the region.

Tickets for the VOODOO EXPERIENCE can be purchased via www.thevoodooexperience.com utilizing Elevate’s easy online shopping experience--with helpful customer service--that allows buyers to print their own tickets. For a limited time, three-day weekend tickets are $150; LOA Lounge VIP pass are $500. This year’s VIP amenities include tax free tickets, reserved parking, exclusive access to the LOA front row, a raised viewing area, full bar services, exclusive performances, with additional services and luxuries to be announced.

More information about this year’s VOODOO EXPERIENCE can also be found at www.thevoodooexperience.com. 2010 Partners include Toyota, PlayStation 3, Miller Lite, Sony Bloggie, Santa Fe Natural Tobacco, WWOZ Radio, Billboard.com, Nola.com, Offbeat and Where y'at.

THE BIG FOUR PERFORM
This news is brought to you by VH1 Radio's Dave Basner

On Wednesday, Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer and Anthrax, metal’s Big Four, played together for the first time ever at Poland’s Sonisphere. The groups performed in front of 81-thousand screaming fans. Of the event, Megadeth bassist Dave Ellefson said it was “simply amazing.” The Big Four will do it again tonight at the Sonisphere in Switzerland.

BRET’S AUTOBIOGRAPHY GETTING LONGER
This news is brought to you by VH1 Radio's Dave Basner

Bret Michaels’ autobiography, Roses & Thorns, was expected to come out in June of last year, but since then, he’s had a lot to write about so the book’s release keeps getting delayed. The Poison singer of course plans to put in a new chapter about his latest health scare – a brain hemorrhage. The rocker spoke to Billboard about the tome explaining, “I don’t think Simon & Schuster has ever had a book like this, where every day something else happens to me.” Michaels went on to say with all the additions, the book “is going to be like War and Peace times six.” Bret wants the autobiography on shelves in November but the publishers say it’ll come out on February 1^st. Read more at Billboard.com.

BRET AND MILEY ON GMA TODAY
This news is brought to you by VH1 Radio's Dave Basner

If you’re up early today, tune in to Good Morning America. On the show, Bret Michaels will join teen pop sensation Miley Cyrus on stage. The duo will perform the Poison classic “Every Rose Has Its Thorn” live as part of the Summer Concert Series. Good Morning America airs at 7 AM Eastern on ABC but if you’re in New York City, head to Rumsey Playfield in Central Park to see the performance in person.

McCARTNEY DOESN’T KNOW HOW HE WRITES HITS
This news is brought to you by VH1 Radio's Dave Basner

Today, Paul McCartney turns 68. During his lifetime, the singer has created some of the most iconic songs ever written. So how did he do it? Not even Paul knows, but he told us he is happy to have a job that lets him create music.

“I don’t know how it happens, I don’t know how it works, and I think a lot of people, if you talk to them about how they make their music, there’s a kind of mystical element in it which I think is great. I mean, how lucky to be in a job where there’s that kind of an element, you know, rather than just boring, very mundane and I do feel it’s hugely lucky, you know.”

McCartney will play some of his greatest hits on Sunday in Glasgow, Scotland as part of his Up and Coming Tour. Get all of the Beatle great’s dates at PaulMcCartney.com.

ANN WILSON NEVER MEANT TO BE A STAR
This news is brought to you by VH1 Radio's Dave Basner

Tomorrow, Heart’s Ann Wilson turns the big 6-0. In her six decades, the rocker has made quite a legacy for herself, but it turns out when she first started singing and playing music, it wasn’t to become a world-famous star. She filled us in.

“At first, it was to amuse ourselves and the thrill of actually learning a song and playing it one to the other and then as it went along, it just grew and grew until we realized, ‘Hey, this is what we do!’”

Next month, Heart will play some Lilith Fair dates. For all the info and updates on the band, head to Heart-Music.com.

RUSH’S GEDDY LEE TALKS TOUR, ONLINE RELEASES
This news is brought to you by VH1 Radio's Dave Basner

Rush singer Geddy Lee spoke to Rolling Stone recently, discussing the band’s upcoming Time Machine Tour and their recent online releases. Of their trek, which kicks off on June 29^th, Geddy wouldn’t reveal the set list besides saying that they’ll play their 1980 LP Moving Pictures in its entirety. He explained, “With Rush fans it’s always nice to not reveal it until show day.” As for putting out new tracks like “Caravan” and “BU2B” online, Geddy stated they wanted “to do things differently” and are just changing with the times. Read more at RollingStone.com.

ROCK BAND 3 TO COME WITH KEYBOARDS, ROCK HITS
This news is brought to you by VH1 Radio's Dave Basner

When Rock Band 3 comes out this holiday season, it will not only include a bunch of new songs and three part vocal harmony capabilities, but it will also boast a new instrument – the keyboard. With the addition of the keys, many more songs can and will be played on the video game, including The Doors’ “Break on Through,” which will open the game. Other tracks on Rock Band 3 include Jimi Hendrix’s “Crosstown Traffic,” Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” Night Ranger’s “Sister Christian,” Dio’s “Rainbow in the Dark,” Them Crooked Vultures’ “Dead End Friends” and many others. Learn more at RockBand.com.

GRACELAND DUPLICATE COMING TO DENMARK
This news is brought to you by VH1 Radio's Dave Basner

Folks in Europe who can’t afford to make the trip to Memphis to see Graceland are in luck. That’s because Elvis Presley’s home will be duplicated as part of a museum in Denmark dedicated to The King. According to the New York Times, the museum itself opened 15 years ago and the new copy of Graceland will open in 2011 and boast six-thousand of Presley’s possessions like clothes, guitars, letters and contracts. Learn more at NYTimes.com.

OZZY AND SHARON TO APPEAR ON LOPEZ TONIGHT
This news is brought to you by VH1 Radio's Dave Basner

Ozzy Osbourne and his wife Sharon will appear on Monday’s Lopez Tonight. The Prince of Darkness is promoting his new album, Scream, which comes out on Tuesday. Catch the rocker’s sit down with host George Lopez, Monday night at 11 PM Eastern on TBS.

DEEP PURPLE TOUR UPDATE FROM STEVE MORSE
This news is brought to you by VH1 Radio's Dave Basner

Deep Purple guitarist Steve Morse has updated fans about how the band’s tour has been. The rocker wrote that things are going “amazingly well” and that he is “consistently surprised” at the many young people mixed in with the older ones in his audience. Morse said with all the countries, time zones and traveling, the trek is like a “hazy dream” and feels like it’s been going on for a while but that folks have been hospitable and everyone seems to be enjoying the shows. The band plays in Ireland on the 28^th and you can read more at DeepPurple.com.

GREAT WHITE SINGER HAS A GREAT FALL
This news is brought to you by VH1 Radio's Dave Basner

Great White played in San Antonio, Texas last week and during the set, singer Jack Russell fell onstage. It happened during the opening number, “Desert Moon,” and thanks to fan-filmed footage, you can watch it all go down on YouTube. Search the site for “Jack Russell Falls” and fast forward to the two-minute, 13-second mark. Russell has been performing while sitting lately and blamed that, and his fall, on a recent back surgery.

DIRECT LINK:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqZyrU66Olo

SMASHING PUMPKINS SET EYES ON THE STRIP
This news is brought to you by VH1 Radio's Dave Basner

Smashing Pumpkins are set to headline the Sunset Strip Music Festival. The event takes place on Saturday, August 28^th on the legendary Strip. A portion of every ticket sold for the concert goes to the Los Angeles Youth Network. Learn more now at SunsetStripMusicFestival.com.

DIO TRIBUTE ANNOUNCED
This news is brought to you by VH1 Radio's Dave Basner

Before Ronnie James Dio’s health took a turn for the worse, his band, Heaven and Hell, were planning to tour. Unfortunately, the heavy metal legend succumbed to his stomach cancer on May 16^th but his music will live on. In fact, the remaining members of Heaven and Hell – Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Vinny Appice – plan to play a one-off show to celebrate Ronnie’s life and his work. It’ll take place on July 24^th at the High Voltage Festival in London, one of the gigs Heaven and Hell had planned to play with Ronnie. Black-Sabbath.com reports that former Sabbath and Deep Purple singer Glenn Hughes as well as Masterplan's Jorn Lande will both fill in for Dio on vocals. Hughes was a longtime friend of Ronnie’s and performed a musical tribute at his funeral service while Lande released a Dio tribute album. All proceeds from the event will benefit the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund. Learn more at HighVoltageFestival.com.

Of the event, Geezer Butler said, “It will be a privilege doing a gig in honor of his memory and to help towards his charity.”

SLASH WANTED JACKSON ON ALBUM
This news is brought to you by VH1 Radio's Dave Basner

Slash got a lot of guest vocalists to help him out on his new solo album, but the guitarist has now revealed that he also wanted Michael Jackson to lend his voice to the set. According to AceShowbiz.com, Slash said, “When I was thinking about who I wanted to work with, Michael crossed my mind. I thought about doing something that would see him totally cross over into rock.” Slash said this was all around the time Jackson was rehearsing for his series of London shows so he just assumed Michael wouldn’t have had the time. The former Guns N’ Roses guitarist went on to say that he never saw the Jackson film This Is It because he didn’t want to “have anything to do with everybody capitalizing on his death.” Slash played lead solos on a handful of Jackson’s hits including “Give Into Me” and “Black or White.”

Michael Jackson died on June 25^th, 2009 at the age of 50.

HEAR ALL OF OZZY’S NEW RECORD
This news is brought to you by VH1 Radio's Dave Basner

Ozzy Osbourne’s new record, Scream, doesn’t come out until Tuesday, but you can hear it all right now at Ozzy’s MySpace page. All 11 tracks from the Prince of Darkness’ tenth studio album are currently streaming at MySpace.com/OzzyOsbourne.

OZZY SEEKING UNSIGNED TALENT
This news is brought to you by VH1 Radio's Dave Basner

On July 3^rd, Ozzy Osbourne will play the iTunes Festival in London and the Prince of Darkness is looking for an unsigned band to open for him. According to the Press Association, the rocker said, “Throughout my career I’ve felt this obligation to give up-and-coming bands a leg up in the music business. I’ve taken out bands from Motley Crue to Metallica to System Of A Down and Slipknot on their first big tours.” Ozzy added, “I’m looking to give a new band a huge f***ing break by having them open the show.” Those interested should head to MySpace.com/OzzyNeedsYou for more details.

KORN TO PLAY U-K OZZFEST
This news is brought to you by VH1 Radio's Dave Basner

There will be an Ozzfest this year overseas and according to Rock Sound magazine, along with a set from Ozzy Osbourne, the event will boast Korn, Murderdolls and Skindred. The magazine reports that the U-K Ozzfest will take place on September 18^th at London’s O2 Arena. Learn more at RockSound.tv.

America’s Ozzfest features Motley Crue and Halford, as well as many other bands, and takes place in six cities, starting on August 14^th in San Bernardino, California.

WHY MELLENCAMP’S MUSIC HAS MEANING
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This week, John Mellencamp released his four-disc box set, On the Rural Route 7609. The 54-track package chronicles the singer’s career with an emphasis on songwriting. As any Mellencamp fan knows, John makes sure his music has meaning and he filled us in on why he chooses to do that.

“Music is music and you can call it what you want but if it ain’t touching somebody it’s just noise in the air.”

Hear Mellencamp’s music by picking up your copy of On The Rural Route 7609 today. The set also boasts a 72-page book featuring rare photos. Learn more at Mellencamp.com.

IAN GILLAN HONORED
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Deep Purple frontman Ian Gillan was honored by the rector of two Moscow churches this week. Interfax reports that the rocker was presented the Icon of Our Lady of Vladimir by Hegumen Sergy at last week’s Rock on the Volga festival. There’s no word on what the recognition is for but the event, which took place on Russia Day, attracted nearly 200-thousand concertgoers. Read more at Interfax-Religion.com.

RICK NIELSEN’S PAUL McCARTNEY STORY
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In 2007, to celebrate the 40^th anniversary of The Beatles’ iconic album, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, Cheap Trick performed the record in its entirety, live at the Hollywood Bowl. Then last year, they did it again for a series of shows in Las Vegas. Now, they’re back in Sin City, playing the classic record live once more. Guitarist Rick Nielsen told us that he has a connection to Beatle great Paul McCartney.

“Paul McCartney’s got a guitar, the left handed Les Paul that he plays was mine. It was a 1960, they only made three of them. And he paid me, he paid me ten-grand for it, it was worth about 800-thousand dollars. Really, swear to God. Cheap bastard.”

Watch Cheap Trick perform Sgt. Pepper live at the Paris Las Vegas throughout the month. The dates are up on their Web site, CheapTrick.com.

TOMMY LEE PLAYS HUMAN DRUMS ON TOSH.0
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Tommy Lee has played all sorts of drums in his career, but on tonight’s episode of Comedy Central’s Tosh.0, the Motley Crue rocker will play human drums. If you can’t wait until 10:30 PM Eastern to see the show, you can check out a clip now at ComedyCentral.com.

IOMMI TALKS ABOUT HEAVEN AND HELL TRIBUTE
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On July 24^th, the surviving members of Heaven & Hell will perform at England’s High Voltage festival as a tribute to late singer Ronnie James Dio, and guitarist Tony Iommi is now talking about the event. According to Blabbermouth.net, the rocker explained that it will be the “first and only tribute to Ronnie” adding, “Not that that’s wrong, but we feel that it would be really nice to do this for him. And he’d really like that, I know he would.” As of now, Deep Purple’s Glenn Hughes and Masterplan’s Jorn Lande are stepping in on vocals but Tony said there is a chance others might sing as well. As for their set, Iommi explained fans should expect “a list of songs [they] think people would like to hear.” Hear more from Tony by searching YouTube for “Tony Iommi on High Voltage.”

DIRECT LINK:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NnltpNs6R0w

SLASH CAN SEE WHY AXL THINKS HE’S A “CANCER”
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Recently, Axl Rose reportedly called his former Guns N’ Roses bandmate Slash a “cancer” and now, the guitarist is responding to the insult. While promoting his new solo album, Slash told England’s Telegraph that the comment was “sorta funny” and that he’s thought about it and it might be true. The rocker explained, “I’m around a lot so to him I probably am a cancer. And now the record’s doing really well, I’m even more cancerous.” Slash added, “And apparently we’re gonna be touring Europe at the same time, which will put even more emphasis on the cancer thing!” Read more at Telegraph.co.uk.

GN’R KEYBOARDIST FALLS ON STAGE
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Last week, Guns N’ Roses performed in Moscow and at the show, keyboardist Chris Pitman fell. Some folks are saying the rocker was tipsy because he had a bit too much to drink before the gig. You can judge for yourself – fan-filmed footage of the fall can be found on YouTube by searching the site for “Chris Pitman falls.”

DIRECT LINK:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ERIicSswaQ

ACTIVISION UNVEILS EXCLUSIVE GUITAR HERO®: WARRIORS OF ROCK PARTNERSHIP WITH ROCK LEGENDS RUSH All-New Story-Based Quest Mode Pays Homage to the Cult Classic RUSH Album, 2112

ACTIVISION UNVEILS EXCLUSIVE GUITAR HERO®: WARRIORS OF ROCK PARTNERSHIP WITH ROCK LEGENDS RUSH

All-New Story-Based Quest Mode Pays Homage to the Cult Classic RUSH Album, 2112