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B Sides for 01/05/2012


Nickelback and Spotify Killing Rock?
(Banana 101.5) Many believe that rock music, as a genre, is on it's way out based on low sales and the alarmingly frequent disappearance of major rock radio stations across the country. The Black Keys recently pointed out a few of the problems they believe are hurting the industry � namely Nickelback and Spotify.

The Black Keys are one of the more viable acts in the world of alternative rock, yet even they are feeling the burn of the long suffering genre. Drummer Patrick Carney recently gave his prognosis of rock's condition � that names Canadian chart-toppers Nickelback as a major part of the problem � while speaking to Rolling Stone:

"Rock 'n' roll is dying because people became OK with Nickelback being the biggest band in the world. So they became OK with the idea that the biggest rock band in the world is always going to be s� � therefore you should never try to be the biggest rock band in the world. F� that! Rock 'n' roll is the music I feel the most passionately about, and I don't like to see it f�ing ruined and spoon-fed down our throats in this watered-down, post-grunge crap, horrendous s�. When people start lumping us into that kind of s�, it's like, 'F� you,' honestly." more on this story

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Van Halen Club Days Revisited
(hennemusic) Van Halen have released a new video. In the footage, the band is heard talking about their club days, back in the 70s, when they were playing the Southern California bar circuit.

VH regularly played L.A. clubs like Gazzarri's, and The Whisky A Go Go and The Starwood.

"The ideal, like in a movie," begins David Lee Roth, "is that you're always thinking about the arena stage, and that's the only thing that's on your mind as you're working as a musician. That greater idea is always there, looming consciously. Where I don't think it was that for us, at least it wasn't for me. It went in very short stages, like one day, I'm gonna be the King of Gazzarri's, one day we'll be the top guys at The Starwood." more on this story

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Zakk Wylde Guitar String Bracelet Up for Grabs
(The Metal Den) The fine people over at wearyourmusic.org are rocking charity guitar string bracelets! Zakk Wylde's Black Label Society bracelet is tagged at $150.00. 100% of net profits donated to: St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

Each guitar string bracelet is handcrafted from recycled fine silver and guitar strings used and donated by the artist you select. The bracelets must slip over your hand unless a custom clasp is added; please size accordingly.

Bracelets are packaged in recycled DVD cases with certificates of authenticity. Profits are donated to charities selected by the artists involved. more on this story

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Anniversary of the Murder of The Fifth Beatle
(Gibson) On this day in 1976, Mal Evans, longtime Beatles road manager, was shot dead in Los Angeles. Gibson takes a look back: Who was the Fifth Beatle? Several in the Beatles camp have claimed that crown, but nobody deserves it more than gentle giant Mal Evans. He was there from the very early days at the Cavern to the band's implosion in the '70s.

Evans was a post office engineer by day and Cavern Club bouncer by night when The Beatles' manager Brain Epstein hired him as assistant road manager along with Neil Aspinall. From that point, he and The Beatles were inseparable. He appeared in three of their movies, was a witness in Paul McCartney's wedding and even played organ on Rubber Soul. Once the band stopped recording, he became an all-around assistant, working with the band until the very end

Evans stayed with Apple until 1974 when he moved to Los Angeles, supposedly to work as a producer. He'd left his wife and kids to move in with Fran Hughes, whom he'd met at L.A.'s Record Plant recording studio. Keith Moon had hired Mal to produce his solo album, but fired him for poor recordings. It didn't seem Evans was cut out to be a producer. He became increasingly isolated and depressed.

On January 5, 1976 a drunk, Valium-popping Evans called John Hoernie, the collaborator on his memoirs, and told him to make sure he and his assistant finished the book. A concerned Hoernie went to Evans' motel/apartment at 8122 West 4th Street to talk with the obviously depressed man. During their brief talk, Evans picked up a rifle. Mal was a big man, a gentle giant. Everyone said and there was no possible way for Hoernie to overpower him. Fran Hughes called the police and when they arrived, officers David D. Krempa and Robert E. Brannon confronted Evans upstairs. When they told him to put down his gun he refused and the police fired six shots. Mal Evans died instantly. more on this story

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Moon Unit Zappa Divorcing Matchbox Twenty Guitarist
(TMZ) Frank Zappa's daughter Moon Unit Zappa -- her real name -- has filed for divorce from her husband, Matchbox Twenty guitarist Paul Doucette ... TMZ has learned.

Moon Unit filed the papers in L.A. County Superior Court last week -- seeking to end her 9-and-a-half year marriage.

Moon Unit and her husband were married in June 2002, and have one 7-year-old daughter named Mathilda Plum.

Fun facts: Moon Unit also has a laundry list of acting credits, including a recent appearance on "Grey's Anatomy." Frank's other kids are named Dweezil, Ahmet, and Diva. more on this story

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Lacuna Coil Tease New Album
Lacuna Coil have posted the second of six short, conceptual teaser clips for their forthcoming album.

That new album, Dark Adrenaline, was produced by Don Gilmore (Linkin Park, Bullet For My Valentine) and will be released in the US on January 24th.

The band's first single, "Trip the Darkness" continues to ascend the Active Rock charts. Currently hovering on the cusp of the Top 30 with over 25 stations spinning the record, "Trip the Darkness" is poised to become the band's highest charting single to date. Check out the tease here.

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Gibson Expands Pro Audio With Onkyo
(Gibson) Gibson has announced a strategic partnership with the Onkyo Corporation, a worldwide leader in consumer electronics. The move will expand the quality and variety offered by the Gibson Pro Audio Division.

With a reputation of excellence for high quality audio equipment and home theater systems, Onkyo offers Gibson's newly formed Pro Audio Division a stronger foothold in the ever-growing consumer electronics market, specifically in the areas of amplification, receiver and speaker technologies.

"Onkyo makes some of the world's best audio equipment, and this partnership will give Gibson the ability to bring a deeper and more enhanced audio experience to music lovers around the world," says Gibson CEO and Chairman Henry Juszkiewicz. "While people may be listening to more music, they are listening to it primarily in a severely compressed format. The aural disparity between a real system and compressed sound is vast, and as a result, they are simply not hearing tremendously rich sounds. With Onkyo, our goal is to bring a finer listening experience to a larger consumer base." more on this story

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Ramones Bobbleheads
Funko have announced the release of two new Bobbleheads featuring two Ramones legends. Here are the details we were sent:

Together, legendary guitarist Johnny Ramone, and legendary punk-rock bassist Dee Dee Ramone created a wall of sound that defined the driving force of the Ramones. For the first time ever in their history making legacy, Johnny and Dee Dee have been rendered as bobblehead figures, or as Funko calls them, Wacky Wobblers.

Both of these stylized 6-inch tall figures come decked in traditional Ramones leather jackets, and armed with their weapons of choice, (guitar and bass respectively). more on this story

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