This Week's Top B Sides stories

Here are the top stories from this week's B Sides

Howard Stern Van Halen Special Online

(hennemusic) Howard Stern put together a radio special called "The Whole Truth: The Howard Stern Van Halen Special" - a 5-hour uncensored history of Van Halen on The Howard Stern Show.

The program aired Tuesday, the day VH's new album, "A Different Kind Of Truth," hit stores in North America.

Stern's team pulled together a variety of appearances from the different band members over the years to give listeners a sense of the up & down history of the group and the back & forth bickering…resulting in an oral history as told through the band members themselves.

All members of the VH family tree are included in the show, with the exception of bassist Wolfgang Van Halen. Check it out - here.

Ozzy Discusses Iommi's Cancer Battle on Radio Station Launch

(hennemusic) Since news of Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi's battle with cancer went public, the band has said very little, other than to encourage fans to send Iommi "good vibes" to help him through the process.

On Wednesday, Ozzy Osbourne launched his new SiruisXM channel, Ozzy's Boneyard, a new classic hard rock and metal music channel.

For the occasion, Ozzy spoke about Iommi's situation. "He needs more and more support, man," said Ozzy. "He doesn't have a brother, he doesn't have a sister — it's just him and his wife and the members of Black Sabbath. So any encouragement, any support [is appreciated]. He's gonna beat it. What it's down to is determination and believe me, this guy's got more determination than anybody I've ever met. It's gonna be fine. It's just one of those trials in life that happen."

"When the bombshell [hit] about Tony's cancer problem, I came to England [where Tony's doctors were treating him]," continued Ozzy. "It would've been pretty bad if I would've stayed in L.A. When [producer] Rick Rubin found out [about Tony's cancer diagnosis], he said, 'I will accommodate wherever they are.' Which was very cool of him, actually. . . He's gonna beat it. He's got so much support, not only from each one of us in the band, but the fan base; it's unbelievable. It's one of them problems you have in life. . . He ain't gonna die, I'm telling you. I told him if he dies, I'm gonna kill him." - Listen to the segment here.

Q&A With Slash

As Slash puts the finishing touches on his new solo album with Myles Kennedy (vocals), Brent Fitz (drums) and Todd Kerns (bass), his camp over a Q&A with the Velvet Revolver/Ex-Guns N' Roses guitarist to update fans:

Looking at all your Twitter updates, you sound really pumped about the new disc. This time around, you and Myles wrote all the songs and he sings lead on all the tracks. What inspired this scenario since your debut solo album featured multiple vocalists (including Myles on two songs)?

Well having Myles sing on the first record inspired me to take him on the road, then taking him on the road inspired me to have him sing on the whole record. So yeah the tour last year definitely inspired the decision for him to sing on the new record. He has a really broad range. He is just very musical as far as his melodic style is concerned and he's also very lyrical and just a really powerful singer. There's a lot of positives about the way he sings.

Perhaps you want to talk a bit here about your other bandmates and what they each bring to the sound?

There's Brent who is probably one of the best drummers I've ever played with--he has a great way of playing very powerful rock n roll while still being able to keep it behind the beat and sexy. And then Todd has got to be one of the most overall talented musicians I've worked with, just a really great bass player. Todd's very quick in the studio, a quick learner and creative as a writer; on top of that, he's also a great singer.

Beyond you and Myles writing all the songs and Myles singing all the leads, in what other ways is the new album perhaps different from your debut solo album?

Myles and I basically collaborated on the new material. The main thing is we wrote these songs together which is a big difference from the last album where I wrote each song with all of the different collaborators. The whole creative nucleus is between Myles and me. On top of this, the whole rhythm section of Brent and Todd brings something to the table and changes the dynamic completely from the last record--it's much more cohesive.

With your record company Dik Hayd Records, you remain an independent artist and work with major companies for distribution. Can you talk about how you as an artist benefit by this scenario in these interesting times for the music industry?

It puts me more in the driver's seat of how I want to market the record, but even more importantly than that, I'm not giving half of everything that comes in on the album to the record company.

Eric Valentine returns as producer for the new disc. What do you feel he brings as a producer to these songs and the overall approach?

The first thing we always talk about with Eric is he's an extremely gifted musician, but he is basically as talented an engineer, so it makes for a great combination as a producer. As a person he's easy to work with--he's very patient and he lives and breathes what he does. That's a lot like how I am, we're similar; I can call him at any moment and ask him a question or share an idea I have with him. He's always in his element and it's something that I can appreciate.

You toured the world seven times with the last album. What are your tour plans for the new album?

Right now we're starting off with radio shows in the states and then we'll do as much of Europe as possible. We'll also tour in Asia and Australia, and try to hit South Africa this year as well as India and a couple other spots. Trying to just broaden our horizons a bit. -

Lars Says Metallica Experimenting Keeps Them Alive

(Rock News Desk) Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich says the opinions of the people he trusts have been positive on Lulu, his band's collaboration with Lou Reed. And he believes his success means he's entitled to do anything he likes musically, without any other reason than wanting to do it.

Ulrich tells Wikimetal: "The freedom of being in Metallica, the success of Metallica, affords us to do these types of things. It's only in interviews six months later, all of a sudden you have to figure out 'why'."

Despite the near-universal panning from rock critics and thrash fans, Ulrich maintains Lulu was worthwhile. "It's definitely very unique, whether in a good way or in a not-so-good way," he says. "The people whose opinions I trust say it's very good."

"Metallica lives and breathes on being able to do these types of things. We have to do these things to keeps us alive. I know some people would like Metallica to make the same record every two years, but that's not what I want Metallica to do. I'm not interested in that." - more on this story

Adele 60 Minutes Interview Preview

(popmusiclife) Adele returns to the stage this Sunday at the Grammys for her first public performance since vocal cord surgery last fall. The two-time Grammy winner is nominated for six awards this year, including Album Of The Year, Record Of The Year and Song Of The Year.

Prior to the Grammys, Adele will join Anderson Cooper for an interview airing on 60 Minutes. In a preview of their conversation, Anderson asks Adele if it was hard for her to be quiet when she went through her post-op period where she wasn't allowed to speak.

"It was really hard," she says. "I love talking." She communicated "by pad. I had a note pad, and I also had an application on my phone – you type the words into it and then it speaks it." - Check out the preview video here.

Lamb Of God Release Vox of God App

Lamb Of God have teamed up with Appetizer Mobile to release the "Vox of God" iPhone App.

The "Vox of God" app is a voice modulating iOS app developed specifically for Lamb Of God in support of their Resolution album release and 2012 tour.

The app creates a vocal simulation of Lamb Of God lead singer Randy Blythe's vocal style by applying advanced audio processing techniques and audio modulation to a voice that is recorded with the app. The results will generate a simulation of Randy's signature scream/growl vocal effect when the user records their voice using the app with their iPhone. The application features a growl level indicator and several different sharing options.

Users will be able to record with or without an instrumental version of the 'Ghost Walking' single, along with playback recording features, and social network integration where the user can share their resulted recording though email, Facebook, and Twitter. - Get it here.

Nirvana's In Utero Studio To Reopen

(Gibson) The studio in rural Minnesota where Nirvana made their last studio album, In Utero, will soon be rocking again, after laying dormant for nearly a year. As reported by Minneapolis' Star-Tribune, the formerly troubled Pachyderm Studio is being overhauled by John Kuker, one of the Twin Cities' most reputable studio operators.

Kuker, whose Minneapolis-based Seed Underbelly Studios has branches in New York and Los Angeles, plans to do "a whole makeover" on Pachyderm, which helped birth albums by such artists as PJ Harvey, Soul Asylum and Brian Setzer, in addition to Nirvana.

The studio property was purchased last summer for $370,000, but the purchase included neither the studio equipment nor the Pachyderm name. Kuker said he therefore plans to re-dub the facility Seedy Underbelly North, and he's already brought in a vintage recording console used by Bob Marley in the early 1970s. The opportunity to own and refurbish the Pachyderm space was "too good to pass up," Kuker told the Star-Tribune. - more on this story

From The Beatles To The Sex Pistols: Bill Grundy's Legacy

(Gibson) On this day in 1993, British broadcaster Bill Grundy died of a heart attack at age 69. He conducted the famous Sex Pistols interview on Thames Television on December 1, 1976, when Grundy provoked the band into using obscenities on live TV. The broadcast wrecked Grundy's television career. He also was the first television presenter to present The Beatles on Granada Television on October 17, 1962. Gibson takes a look back:

Bill Grundy was a tough, uncompromising TV man who made his name in the early '60s. Grundy was famously belligerent and got results. Mostly he was a current affairs man, but on a couple of notable occasions he crossed over into rock and roll history, first with the Beatles in 1962 and then with the Sex Pistols and one of TV most controversial interviews. It was an explosive interview that launched the punk band and pretty much finished Grundy's career.

In the more innocent musical days of the early '60s, Grundy was presenter of Granada TV's People and Places TV show. Leslie Woodhead was a researcher on the show and, in the book Granada Television: The First Generation, she recalls the day that Grundy made history by introducing a young Liverpool band for their first-ever television appearance.

"They arrived for their first TV appearance in little waistcoats like tacky Spanish waiters to sing 'A Taste of Honey,'" she remembered. "Paul [McCartney] had told me that he was upset that nobody would allow them to sing any of their own songs so we allowed them a second number; a thing he'd written with John [Lennon] called 'Love Me Do.' They said they'd done it on a record that was due to be released. As they were leaving, Ringo [Starr] sought me out to say, 'Thanks for the gig.'" - more on this story