Matchbox Twenty Star Touring Side Band

The album is full of beautiful piano driven pop melodies contrasted with some very dark and reflective lyrics. - more on this story

Armored Saint Guitarist To Guest on Guns N' Roses Solo Album

PR reports: DC4 vocalist/guitarist Jeff Duncan recently cut guitar tracks for a new 'Dizzy Reed' solo project. Jeff performs on the track 'Mother Theresa'.

Many know the name 'Dizzy Reed' as the keyboardist for 'Guns [N'] Roses' and his super group 'Hooker's N Blow'. It was recently announced that the long awaited Gn'R release, 'Chinese Democracy', will see a release on November 23rd through an exclusive deal with Best Buy.

Jeff Duncan is a current member of Armored Saint and a founding member of 'Odin and DC4'. Jeff Duncan is an exceptional guitar player who also showcases his vocal talent as the frontman for DC4. - more on this story

The Color Fred To Tour with Hawthorne Heights and Emery

PR reports: Fred Mascherino is hitting the road with his band, The Color Fred, and friends Hawthorne Heights and Emery for the 2008 "Never Sleep Again" Tour, kicking off this week in St. Petersburg, Florida. Before the start of the tour, The Color Fred will be headlining at a show at Beamer's in Panama City, FL on October 16th.

The tour - which will play 37 shows upon completion - makes a stop at the high-profile Monster Mash Festival in Plano, TX on Halloween night and will be the first chance for fans to hear new songs that Fred has been writing for an acoustic EP and a full-length follow-up to 2007's Bend To Break.

In other show news, Fred Mascherino has just been confirmed to open Day 1 of Coheed And Cambria's Neverender shows in New York City. On the night Coheed performs Second Stage Turbine Blade (released on Equal Vision) in its' entirety, Mascherino will perform a solo acoustic set. "Breaking Pangaea was the first band that ever brought them on tour," recalls Mascherino, "so they invited me to play." - more on this story

ZZ Top Live CD Announced

Kayos reports: Eagle Records will release ZZ Top Live From Texas on CD November 4. It is the soundtrack to the band's first-ever live concert DVD (released June 24, 2008 as both a DVD and a Blu-Ray), that became the #1 Music DVD in America.

A compendium of the entire ZZ career, Live From Texas features 15 of the band's most beloved tracks—including "Tush," "La Grange" and "Legs"—as recorded last year deep in the heart of Texas. (Fans can expect the DVD and CD packaged exclusively together November 4.)

Singer/guitarist/frontman Billy F Gibbons, bassist Dusty Hill and drummer Frank Beard make up one of the most instantly recognizable bands in rock history. From their 1969 Houston inception to their first million-seller (1973's Tres Hombres) to today, they are the only major band in history to never have had a personnel change in almost a 40-year history. Known for their self-designed custom guitars and their love of rural and urban American blues music and early rock'n'roll, they're also primarily known as one of the greatest American live bands of all-time. - more on this story

Matisyahu Third Annual Festival of Light

PR reports: Grammy-nominated artist Matisyahu announces his Third Annual Festival of Light shows in New York City this December.

The eight-show series includes dates in Manhattan and Brooklyn for a total of four shows in each borough, featuring special guests each night, including Brett Dennen, Easy Star All-Stars, Assembly of Dust, Asher Roth, The Leevees, Little Jackie, U Melt and a special surprise DJ soon to be announced.

The festival begins December 21, the first night of Chanukah, and concludes December 30. Festival of Light marks the final leg of Matisyahu's extensive fall tour, which coincides with the release of his upcoming EP, Shattered (Epic Records, October 21). The four-song EP features tracks from his new full-length album, Light (due out in early 2009). - more on this story

Spock's Beard Star Takes on Classic Genesis Album

Glass Onion reports: Nashville-based recording engineer/producer and a Los Angeles-based performer have teamed up to create a unique twist on a classic Genesis album. This fall, Nick D'Virgilio of Spock's Beard fame and engineer/producer Mark Hornsby are re-recording the Genesis classic: The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway, in it's entirety. Produced at Java Jive Studio in Nashville, the album features some of Music City's best musicians, taking the songs in a whole new direction.

"We wanted to see what would happen if we exposed the songs to a different climate of musicians," says D'Virgilio, "The early Genesis recordings are so musical and very bluesy when you get right down to it. They really lend themselves to some different interpretations. When it came time to figure out what label to work with, I remembered working with Shawn on the Amaran's Plight release and had been really pleased with how that all worked out and I knew what a big Genesis fan he is, so I'm glad it worked out." Nick is no stranger to Genesis as he performed on the prog legends latest release.

Although all of the original elements of the songs are still included such as drums, bass, guitar and piano, the recordings now take on a more "theatrical" vibe. This, coupled with orchestra, rock guitars, and some fantastic horn arrangements, the songs now enter an entirely different place. - more on this story

Sister Sin US Tour

PR reports: Gothenburg, Sweden's ambassadors of street metal Sister Sin proudly release their critically-acclaimed debut album Switchblade Serenades today!

A thundering ride through the hedonistic sound of bands like Motley Crue and Motorhead, [so they're half credible?] Sister Sin bring it bang up to date with their blend of powerful female vocals and charging rock.

Their debut has been betting rave reviews from critics and fans alike, and this unstoppable band are about to wow U.S. audiences for the first time, hitting the road with Ill Nino, Otep and Walls Of Jericho this October / November. - dates

STS9 Tour

PR reports: This fall, California's own STS9 will be packing premier indoor theaters from Los Angeles down to New Orleans, up to Washington D.C. and all points in between.

The tour, which includes 22-dates in all, ices an incredible year for the rising electronic heroes, a period that included their acclaimed July release Peaceblaster and the surging popularity of their self-owned music label, 1320 Records. - dates

matthew show Soph

PR reports: Wampus Multimedia introduces february, the sophomore release from Texas-based art-pop collective the matthew show.

Sardonic yet compassionate, this tuneful, idiosyncratic work lands at the intersection of documentary and classic pop. Songwriter and producer Matthew Broyles, moved by the uncertain state of his and his friends' lives, examines hope, regret, and fickle truth, leading lively interviews in pursuit of George Orwell's "power of facing unpleasant facts."

What emerges is a deft portrait of five adults on the cusp of middle age, each asking, "Is this all there is?" In reply, Broyles explores and exposes their lives in a patchwork of word and song. Calling on the support of a stellar cast, he cajoles and enlightens, crafting a vivid and jarringly universal portrayal of contemporary life. - more on this story

.... Ice Cube Photos

Ice Cube Live photos from the House of Blues Chicago on September 13, 2008 - Check out Live photos from this show

.... The Acacia Strain Photos

The Acacia Strain Live photos from the House of Blues Chicago on October 7, 2008 - Check out Live photos from this show

.... Protest The Hero Photos

Protest The Hero Live photos from House of Blues Chicago on October 7, 2008 - Check out Live photos from this show

Wait there is more!

Read Day In Rock Reports From Other Days
 

Submit news or a press release to the Day In Rock report