Number-five surprised the editors -- Nirvana. They write, "Nirvana were a great band. Their three albums are nearly perfect, and they are guaranteed to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame next year. We’re sorry, but everyone who voted for them in this poll is wrong."
BRIAN MAY: A Unique View of New York
Queen guitarist Brian May was in New York last week to cast the U.S. touring version of the Queen musical, We Will Rock You. He writes on his website, "They really are great musicians. Matched with an amazing new young cast, the show will be all class." The production gets under way in Baltimore on October 15th.And while in New York he took some snaps of the skyline and posted a few of the new World Trade Center on his site.
Courtesy of Brian May - "Here's a close-up of the tower -- sequential, and not perfect -- but gives an impression of this dazzling piece of architecture. I was fascinated. The topmost piece was placed while were there - making the total height of the tower 1776 feet. Does that ring any bells to British people? It sure does to an American!"
ALICE IN CHAINS: Staley's Mom Sues Over Royalities
The mother of late Alice in Chains singer Layne Staley is suing the band over royalties.Nancy McCallum is asking for a court order establishing her right to 16-percent of the group's revenue -- half of the money due Staley -- as well as any of her son's assets currently controlled by the band. According to the suit, an attorney for Alice in Chains members Jerry Cantrell and Sean Kinney told McCallum last September that the revenue-sharing agreement that had seen her paid in the decade after the singer's death would be terminated. Attorneys for the band told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer that McCallum illegally attempted to trademark the Alice in Chains name and no longer has a role in the band’s business decisions. They add that Staley’s heirs will still be able to collect royalties on songs he wrote or co-wrote.
IRON MAIDEN: Beer Can't Be Sold in Sweden
Iron Maiden's new beer won't be trooping across Sweden any time soon.Sales of The Trooper beer have been halted in the country because of concerns about the design of the logo on the bottle's label. The label features the band's mascot Eddie as well as a similar logo to their the original 1983 single for "The Trooper." The country's government-owned chain of liquor stores believes the design violates Sweden's alcohol laws and discussions about changing it are under way.
Source: NME
RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS: Chad Starts a Podcast
Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith is the latest person to start a podcast.In Conversation With Chad Smith, hosted by MusicRadar.com, will see Smith talk with fellow musicians and friends that he has through the music industry. In the first podcast, Smith sits down with Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson just as the Canadian trio was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last month in Los Angeles. Check it out at MusicRadar.com/ChadSmith.
Headlines for Monday, May 13, 2013
Vampire Weekend's third album, Modern Vampires of the City, includes the single "Diane Young."
The Breeders' LSXX -- a.k.a Last Splash: 20th Anniversary Edition -- is a three-CD set with a concert and many rarities. A seven-vinyl-record set won't ship until June or July.
Also in stores are Deep Purple's Now What and Gotye's 2006 album Like Drawing Blood, which gets its first U.S. release.
ROLLING STONES: And the Latest Special Guest Was...???
The Rolling Stones were joined by Katy Perry Saturday night when their 50 & Counting tour pulled into Las Vegas. She joined Mick Jagger on “Beast of Burden,” which was the song chosen online by fans. Also, Mick Taylor -- who is on the tour and has only been playing on “Midnight Rambler -- sat in on “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.” Next up is Anaheim, California on Wednesday and Saturday.Katy Perry was the Stones’ sixth guest on the tour following Gwen Stefani and Keith Urban in Los Angeles; Tom Waits in Oakland; and John Fogerty and Bonnie Raitt in San Jose.
See video HERE!
SICK PUPPIES: Looking to Connect This Summer
Sick Puppies have titled their new album Connect.The album is due out on July 16th, with the first single, "There's No Going Back," out on May 20th. The trio shot a video for the song on April 24th, and it will debut by the end of this month.
Sick Puppies are playing a run of spring festival shows and will perform in Minneapolis on Monday night.
AVENGED SEVENFOLD: A Little of What's to Come
Avenged Sevenfold have given their fans a little teaser of what's to come from their new album.At AvengedSevenfold.com/radio, you'll see a picture of an old-fashioned TV and radio hybrid, and if you fiddle with the dials correctly, you'll get to hear a 50-second clip of a song followed by frontman M. Shadows briefly talking about their recording process. The new album is expected out in the late summer or early fall.
AIBOURNE: "Live It Up" for WWE
Airbourne's new single, "Live It Up," will be the theme for the next WWE pay-per-view event.Extreme Rules will take place on May 19th at Scottrade Center in St. Louis. "Live It Up" comes off Airbourne's third album, Black Dog Barking, which is due out May 21st.
ADELITAS WAY: Guiatrist Leaves
Adelitas Way guitarist Keith Wallen has left the band.Wallen posted a note on his Facebook page that says, "I’ve been truly blessed to have had the opportunity to tour the country multiple times, playing music with some of my dearest friends. I would like to thank [the band] for allowing me to create music with them for a little while, and I wish them all the best in their music careers and in life. It has been an honor every single day that I’ve had the privilege of performing with them."
Adelitas Way are continuing work on their third album in Las Vegas.
GUNS N' ROSES: Who Knew it Could Be So Sweet
Add Guns n' Roses to the list of artists who have licensed their music for a commercial.
A soft version of "Sweet Child O' Mine" provides the soundtrack to Johnson and Johnson's "For All You Love" campaign, which "celebrates the importance of putting the needs of others first and all the ways people care for the ones they love. Love is the most powerful thing on the planet. Love is family. Love is life. Love is in a baby's first smile, in a grandmother's comforting touch and in all the wonderful moments in between."
The song is by Capital Children’s Choir, a London-based organization, and was released in 2008.
See video HERE!
HALESTORM: More Summer Shows Announced
Halestorm have added more headlining shows to their summer schedule.They start out on June 22nd in North Platte, Nebraska and will hit 25 cities before wrapping up on August 25th in Honolulu. They'll also open up nine shows for for 3 Doors Down and Daughtry, starting July 3rd in Raleigh, North Carolina.
MOTLEY CRUE: The Pics of Sixx
Motley Crue bassist Nikki Sixx has teamed up with Leica Camera for a two-part photography series.The first part, titled One Step Up From the Abyss, is on the Leica Camera blog and features photos taken by Sixx during the Crue’s Canadian tour. Sixx took portraits of people on streets of different cities, and the blog shares stories about the people he photographed.
Sixx admits that most people won't take his photography talents seriously. He says, "I have an idea, and it doesn’t matter to me how it resonates with people. A lot of people say things about my photography that they said about music. There is a little smirk that happens. But I go, 'Well you were wrong once and you’ll probably be wrong again.'"
AS I LAY DYING: Singer Pleads Not Guilty to Wife-Killing Plot
As I Lay Dying singer Tim Lambesis pleaded not guilty to solicitation of murder Thursday in a San Diego courtroom.Prosecutors say Lambesis gave an envelope containing $1000 in cash to an undercover agent and provided instructions on how to kill his estranged wife -- including her photograph, address, security gate code and dates he would be with their children to give him an alibi. The judge set bail at $3 million and said if Lambesis is released, he must wear a GPS monitoring device and face strict travel restrictions. If convicted, he faces up to nine years in prison.
Lambesis's lawyer Anthony Salerno told reporters that the singer did not intend to harm anybody and was apparently set up by a man he'd met at the gym, where the initial plot was allegedly formed. Saleno added, "Law enforcement was being fed something by someone that I strongly believe was a snitch, was out to save his own skin and was trumping things up, exaggerating things."
Headlines for Friday, May 10, 2013
SLAYER: Cause of Death Revealed, Plans for Henneman Memorial
The official cause of death of Slayer guitarist Jeff Henneman was alcohol related cirrhosis.The band made the revelation on their website, adding that "Jeff and those close to him were not aware of the true extent of his liver condition until the last days of his life. Contrary to some reports, Jeff was not on a transplant list at the time of his passing, or at any time prior to that. In fact, by all accounts, it appeared that he had been improving -- he was excited and looking forward to working on a new record."
Henneman died May 2nd at the age of 49.
Slayer also announced that a celebration of Hanneman's life will be held "sometime later this month, [and] along with Jeff's family and friends, the public will be invited to attend."
KISS: It Really Is Bull
The marketing arm of KISS knows no bounds. Their latest venture is a partnership with the Professional Bull Riders association.
On Friday, at the Last Cowboy Standing event at the Mandalay Bay hotel in Las Vegas, the KISS Kam will debut. This expands upon the kiss cams found at many sports venues in which if you are caught by the camera, you have to kiss the person next to you and your image is shown on the big screen.
With the KISS Kam, you are timed and have to kiss for eight seconds -- the length of time required for the rider to stay on the bull. Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer cheer fans on and provide constructive criticism via video during the promotion. Videos from the eight-second kissing couples will be recorded and posted online at PBR.com/KISS where visitors can vote for the best (or worst) kiss and register to win prizes. KISS will not be in attendance at Friday's event.
COURTNEY LOVE: Look Out East Coast
Courtney Love is getting back to what first brought her fame -- music.The always interesting Love has announced a seven-date East Coast tour. It starts June 20th in Philadelphia and wraps up June 29th in Huntington, New York. Love is expected to play a mix of tracks from the Hole catalog and her long-in-the-works second solo album.
CHICKENFOOT: Heading Back to the Coop Next Year?
Chickenfoot -- the group made up of Sammy Hagar, Michael Anthony, Joe Satriani and Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith -- are hoping to get back to work next year.A post on Chickenfoot.com reads, "Although they haven't played together, the guys have been seeing each other here and there over recent months. Sammy stopped in at Skywalker Studios during Joe's recording of his new album... Chad and Mike also recently joined Sammy in the studio to play on some tracks for him on his upcoming solo album. And, of course, Mike was recently on stage with Sammy at his annual Cinco De Mayo show in Lake Tahoe. So, the guys are busy, but with Chad's time freeing up, odds are good that they'll be returning to playing music together in 2014 after Joe and Sammy's solo tours later this year."
The band toured together last year behind the release of their second album, 2011's Chickenfoot Three.
VAN HALEN: Jumps Back Onto the Charts
Van Halen's biggest selling album, 1984, is on the charts for the first time since July 13th, 1985. It's sitting at number-147 on Billboard thanks in large part to being on sale in the iTunes Store. It sold 3,000 copies last week, which is the most it has sold since December 2009.And in other VH news, they have added another U.S. date this summer -- July 24th in Paso Robles, California at the California Mid-State Fair. This is their second U.S. date this year. The first is the Rock U.S.A. festival in Oshkosh, Wisconsin on July 20th. Next month the band does a three-city, four-show tour of Japan.
SEVENDUST: July Shows Announced
Sevendust have announced a U.S. tour for July.It kicks off July 9th in Lansing, Michigan and wraps up July 25th in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Sevendust continue their current tour Saturday in Kansas City, Missouri.
JANE'S ADDICTION: Concert Film on CD Too
The Jane's Addiction concert coming out on DVD and Blu-ray next month will also be available digitally and on CD.Live in NYC, recorded in July 2011 at Terminal 5 in New York, will be released June 25th as a DVD/CD package, Blu-ray, DVD, CD and double-LP vinyl. The show was originally streamed online in 3-D and it can still be seen on YouTube.
Headlines for Thursday, May 9, 2013
AS I LAY DYING: Release Statement on Singer's Arrest
The other members of As I Lay Dying have released a brief statement on the arrest of frontman Tim Lambesis, who's accused of trying to hire a hitman to kill his estranged wife.The statement reads, ""As we post this, the legal process is taking its course and we have no more information than you do. There are many unanswered questions, and the situation will become clearer in the coming days and weeks. We'll keep you informed as best we can. Our thoughts right now are with Tim, his family and with everyone else affected by this terrible situation -- and with our fans, whom we love and draw strength from. Thank you for understanding, and as always, for your support of As I Lay Dying."
Source: Blabbermouth.net
KISS: Singing the Brews
Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley of KISS were on hand Wednesday for the lunchtime opening at their newest Rock Brews restaurant in Torrance, California. In addition to many members of the media, the duo were joined for the ribbon-cutting ceremony by returning military veterans and representatives from Wounded Warriors, one of the band's pet charities.
