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Day in Rock Report for 08/05/2014


Jon Bon Jovi Addresses Buffalo Bills Controversy

Bon Jovi frontman Jon Bon Jovi has publicly addressed the controversy surrounding the speculation that a Toronto-based investment group that he is a part of plans to move the Buffalo Bills if they purchase the NFL team.

Rumors have been swirling that Bon Jovi's investment group planned to move the Buffalo Bills to Toronto. The team is for sale following the death the Buffalo Bills founder and owner Ralph Wilson. But Bon Jovi reassures fans that there are no plans to move the team.

Bon Jovi wrote a letter for the Buffalo News addressing the rumors. He writes, "Recently, there has been a lot of speculation about the future of the Buffalo Bills and questions surrounding the ownership group of which I am a part. Until now, we have not said anything publicly out of respect for Mr. Wilson, his family and the process they are undertaking to identify the right group to carry the franchise forward.

"However, there has been a lot of conjecture, so we think it's important to clarify our intentions to the fans of the team and people of Buffalo. Our objective is simple: to carry on the legacy of Ralph Wilson and make the Bills successful in Buffalo.

"We are committed to working with the State, City, County and business community to identify the best possible site in the Buffalo area for a new stadium and to then develop and implement a plan to finance and build a state-of-the-art NFL stadium for the loyal Bills fans.

"Being part of the NFL is something I have been working toward for a long time. Ten years ago, I started by taking an expansion Arena Football team, the Philadelphia Soul, from its inception to winning a championship in five years. I wanted to learn what it takes to build a successful football organization. I was involved in every aspect of that team from its beginning and I lived for and loved every moment.

"My family and I are prepared to make this life-changing commitment to be part of the Bills. This is not a hobby or an acquisition. Building a winner on and off the field will be job one and I intend to spend as much time on the ground in Buffalo as needed to accomplish that goal.

"I know how much the Bills mean to the people of this region. So I want you to hear this from me: I'm not risking it all to let you down. If we are given the chance to be the next owners of the Buffalo Bills, I promise you that we will bring the same passion that you do every Sunday, every day."

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Tool's Maynard James Keenan On Flaming Lips Beatles Tribute

(Radio.com) As we come closer to the Oct. 28 release date for With A Little Help From My Fwends, the Flaming Lips' tribute album to the Beatles' Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band, frontman Wayne Coyne has released some new information about who exactly will make up the "fwends."

Via his Instagram, Coyne posted a hand-written track list that reveals the album will include collaborations with Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan, MGMT, Tegan & Sara, Phantogram, Dinosaur Jr.'s J Mascis, Foxygen, and Grace Potter.

Those are in addition to previously announced collaborations with Miley Cyrus and Moby, as well as Electric Wurms, a new Lips side project. The track "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds," a collab with Cyrus and Moby, is available to any fans pre-ordering the album. more on this story

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Aerosmith Star Blames Fans For Not Liking Last Album

(Classic Rock) Aerosmith bassist Tom Hamilton has criticized fans following a lukewarm response to 2012's Music From Another Dimension. In an interview with the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Hamilton feels the record, the follow up to 2004's Honkin' On Bobo, didn't get its fair due from fans, which resulted in the album falling short of commercial expectations.

"I feel like the fans didn't do their homework on it," he says. "They didn't let it grow on them. C'est la vie - we'll try harder next time." The 62-year-old also revealed he wasn't entirely happy about band member Joe Perry laying down tracks for his 6th studio album, saying it would have been better to work on fresh Aerosmith material instead.

"It would make a lot more sense if we're building up material, to consider an Aerosmith album first," he says. "I think an Aerosmith album has much more potential of making an impact than a solo album. But, if somebody wants to put out a solo album, there's no way to be bitter about it and hold them back." more on this story

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Primus's Tim Alexander Recovering From Heart Surgery

(Classic Rock) Primus and Puscifer drummer Tim Alexander is making good progress as he recovers from heart surgery. Alexander, known as Herb, suffered a heart attack last month and underwent successful surgery during which his heart had to be stopped.

He was allowed home last week but Primus have had to cancel some shows to allow him to fully recover. In a statement, Primus say: "Tim has been home from the hospital for about five days and is making great progress.

"Thanks to all Tim's friends in the music community and the fans for having Tim in their thoughts over the past two weeks. He is up walking around, starting some physical therapy and his wits about him as well."

More including when he will be back on stage here.

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Queen's Unreleased Freddie Mercury Album Producer Revealed

(hennemusic) William Orbit has revealed that he will produce a new Queen album that will include unreleased songs featuring the late Freddie Mercury. Known for his work with Madonna, Blur, Pink and Britney Spears, Orbit broke the news via Twitter, writing, "Am definitely working with Queen. Amazing songs. That's all I'm sayin 4 now. Watch this space."

The project, tentatively titled "Queen Forever", sees guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor recording new backing tracks to the Mercury material, just as they did for 1995's "Made In Heaven" album.

"Roger and I have both been working on tracks in our spare time," explained May last December. "A couple of them have Michael Jackson on as well, which adds another layer of interest. Freddie and Michael singing together and experimenting in the Eighties."

"He and Freddie worked mainly at Michael's studio," he added. "That's the tapes we have. Some of the tapes they worked on had us on them as well. But I never actually worked in the studio with Michael personally. Sometimes you come across a spare reel of tape and think, 'Well, what's on that?' And lo and behold, here's a tape of Freddie singing something we'd forgotten about." more on this story

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Jack White Has Top Selling Vinyl LP Of The Year

(Radio.com) Jack White and his Third Man Records have been touting vinyl's superior status for nearly 15 years. Now it seems his fan have gotten the message loud and clear.

According to Billboard, White sold 60,000 vinyl copies of his latest album, making it the biggest selling vinyl LP of the year. Currently, the total vinyl sales make up 25 percent of the album's 238,000 total sales.

Even more noteworthy, it's the biggest vinyl release since Pearl Jam's Vitalogy in 1994. Yes, that was two decades ago. Though is should be noted, Soundscan has only been tracking vinyl sales since 1991.

To understand the impressiveness of this, the second-biggest selling vinyl LP of year so far is Arctic Monkeys' AM with 29,000 copies sold. more on this story

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God Dethroned Reuniting

God Dethroned frontman Henri "T.S.K." Sattler has announced that he and Michiel vd Plicht are putting the band back together and they will take part in the 70000tons of metal cruise in January.

Sattler broke the news to fans on Facebook with the following message, "In early 2011, I was facing two options: one was to announce a break, and the other option was to quit the band. I definitely needed time away from it all, and having a break wasn't reassuring enough to know if I would be able to recharge the batteries for another go.

"Oddly enough it was at the funeral of the man who discovered us in the first place that I came to realize the story wasn't finished yet. So here we go again. Don't think you will be able to see us playing every club for weekends on end.

"We will only play a small selection of shows and this won't happen before 2015. Besides that, the core of the band will consist of only Michiel [vd Plicht] and myself. We'll have some cool guest musicians lined up, though, to make sure we'll give you the best performance possible.

"Last but not least, our first shows will be where we played our last ones three years ago. Our rebirth will happen at 70000tons of metal. See you around!"

The 70000tons of metal cruise is set to launch from Florida on January 22nd, 2015 and sail to Jamaica before returning to Florida on January 26th.

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Rolling Stones Tour Helped Mick Jagger With Girlfriend's Death

(Classic Rock) Mick Jagger found solace in the aftermath of girlfriend L'Wren Scott's suicide in his work, he's said. The Rolling Stones postponed a string of tour dates to give their frontman time to recover after she took her own live in March.

He said at the time: "I am still struggling to understand how my lover and best friend could end her life in this tragic way." But he threw himself into his responsibilities as producer of James Brown biopic Get On Up - and when his band return to the road in October, he has no plans to come off again soon.

Jagger tells the Telegraph: "I've been touring in the summer, I'll be touring in the autumn. I'm still touring and I don't know when I'm going to stop - but I'm still going now.

"It's a very energising thing. It's very irresponsible because you don't have to worry: you get to one place and you know you're not going to stay there more than a couple of days. Good, bad or indifferent, you're on to the next place." More.

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Savatage To Reunite For Music Festival Appearance

(TeamRock Radio) Savatage will reunite for a set at next year's Wacken Open Air festival in Germany, guitarist Chris Caffery has confirmed - and it'll immediately follow a performance by offshoot band Trans-Siberian Orchestra.

It's the first Savatage show since they split in 2002 after deciding their career had stagnated, leaving mainman Jon Oliva to create TSO alongside producer Paul O'Neill and Al Pitrelli.

Wacken bosses say: "Paul and Jon are coming to WOA with their most important projects - TSO will be performing live on stage, followed immediately by a Savatage reunion gig, marking their first live performance in over a decade. These will be the only live appearances of both bands in Europe in 2015." more on this story

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Soundgarden To Perform At Seattle Seahawks' Home Opener

(hennemusic) Soundgarden will perform at the Seattle Seahawks' home opener at CenturyLink Field on Thursday, September 4 to help kick off the NFL's 95th season.

Singer, songwriter, rapper, and record producer Pharrell Williams will also play live outside the stadium as part of a celebration to mark the 10th ceremony honoring the defending Super Bowl champions with the League's opening game in primetime.

Doors to CenturyLink Field's North Plaza open at 2:30 p.m. PT with the performance to take place prior to the matchup between the Seahawks and Green Bay Packers.

Fans will also be able to watch the pregame show on TV. Details here.

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Duran Duran Bassist Beats Geddy Lee, Les Claypool, Cliff Burton In Poll

(Classic Rock) Geddy Lee, Les Claypool, Cliff Burton and Flea have been named in a poll of the best bassists ever. Duran Duran's John Taylor was named in top spot, taking an overwhelming 30% of the vote in MusicRadar's poll of the 60 best bass players of all time.

Rush hero Lee came in second, with Flea reaching seventh and Primus virtuoso Claypool in 12th place. On Lee, MusicRadar says: "The Rush man has inspired thousands to pick up the bass guitar, and many of the other bassists in this rundown cite him as an influence. A leading frontman, songwriter and a remarkable bass talent, it's no surprise he remains perennially popular with you guys."

Late Metallica star Burton was 13th, while Iron Maiden's Steve Harris was 16th and Black Sabbath's Geezer Butler 21st. On Burton, the website adds: "His influence can be felt all over Metallica's first three genre-defining LPs."

Other rock heroes to make the list include Thin Lizzy's late frontman Phil Lynott at number 25, Motorhead's Lemmy at 27 and Guns N' Roses and Velvet Revolver bassist Duff McKagan at number 32.

More including the list here.

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Nick Oliveri Streaming New Song Human Cannonball Explodes

(Classic Rock) Nick Oliveri has released a stream of his track "Human Cannonball Explodes" from solo debut Leave Me Alone. The ex-Kyuss and Queens Of The Stone Age bassist recorded most of the instruments himself, although a string of guests have provided guitar and vocal parts.

The "Human Cannonball Explodes" single features Dean Ween, while other tracks include Phil Campbell of Motorhead, Bruno Fevery of Vista Chino and Blag Dahlia of the Dwarves.

Oliveri plans to spend the rest of the year on tour in support of the album, playing with his band Uncontrollable and also making solo acoustic appearances. He recently completely an extensive UK tour wrapped around his acoustic stage headline slot at Download.

Stream the song here.

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Gary Moore Live Album Being Released Next Month

(hennemusic) Gary Moore's "Live At Bush Hall 2007" will be released on September 23rd. Recorded in London on May 17, 2007, the concert was originally aired by Planet Rock radio. This is the first time that the audio of the complete show has been made available outside of the original broadcast.

The concert features a number of tracks from Gary's then newly-released "Close As You Get" album, such as "Eyesight To The Blind" and "I Had A Dream", many of which he rarely played live after this, alongside classics from his extensive back catalogue, such as "Don't Believe A Word", "Walking By Myself", "Still Got The Blues" and many more.

The first-ever release of this show contains several tracks that are not available in live versions anywhere else. Moore died February 6, 2011 at the age of 58 from a heart attack following a night of heavy drinking while on vacation in Spain. more on this story

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Big Country Expand Classic Albums For Reissue

(TeamRock Radio) Big Country have released remastered and expanded versions of The Seer, No Place Like Home and Peace In Our Time this week. The band, who were fronted by the late Stuart Adamson until his death in 2001, reissued the three recordings on August 3rd in the UK.

Each album has been remastered and expanded to include B-sides, remixes, demos and previously unreleased tracks. Adamson committed suicide in 2001 aged 43 but the band have continued, with their most recent release being 2013's The Journey, featuring The Alarm's Mike Peters on vocal duties.

Peters has since left the band, with English singer Simon Hough now in place as permanent frontman. The band take to the road this month to celebrate the 30th anniversary of their 2nd album, Steeltown. More.

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The Agonist Reveals New Album Details

(TeamRock Radio) Montreal metal outfit The Agonist have released more details about their forthcoming album Eye Of Providence. In a studio update, the band say having new vocalist Vicky Psarakis on board isn't the only change to their sound, with gritty metal and softer tones playing a big part on the new album.

The band's 4th studio recording will be their first without singer Alissa White-Gluz, who left to join Arch Enemy earlier this year. However, guitarist Dany Marino hailed new frontwoman Psarakis, calling her a breath of fresh air.

Eye Of Providence is released on November 10 and the group head out on a European tour this month, including three UK dates. Watch the band's studio update video here.

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Korn and Anyone Supergroup Infinika Releasing Debut Album

(TeamRock Radio) Infinika, the band featuring former Korn drummer David Silveria and ex-Anyone singer Riz Story, will release their debut album on September 1st. Fans can get a taste of the band's sound by checking out the "Beautiful World" video now.

Along with 14 original tracks, which the band say feature hardcore, melodic and psychedelic elements, the album titled Echoes And Traces includes six songs from Story's film, A Winter Rose, which he wrote and directed.

Silveria left Korn in 2006, leaving the music business behind to concentrate on running his Californian restaurants, but said last year he would be open to reuniting with his former bandmates if the opportunity came his way.

However, Korn frontman Jonathan Davis shot down any hopes of the drummer returning to the fold, saying: "I don't want to say any negative stuff, but where we're at right now is perfect and Ray Luzier is an amazing drummer. He fits in good and doesn't have any typical drummer's complexes."

Check out the video here.

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Tom Petty Kicks Off Hypnotic Eye Tour

(hennemusic) Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers kicked off their "Hypnotic Eye" North American tour in San Diego, California on Sunday and fan-filmed video from the show is available.

The 20-song set opened with the band's cover of The Byrds' classic, "So You Want To Be A Rock 'N' Roll Star", and featured four tracks from the newly-released album, including "American Dream Plan B", "Forgotten Man", "U Get Me High" and "Shadow People."

Opening night at the Viejas Arena presented music from Petty's extensive catalog as well as covers of tunes by The Traveling Wilburys and Little Feat. Petty and opener Steve Winwood will play shows across North America for the next two months, wrapping things up at The Forum in Los Angeles on October 10.

Check out the video here.

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Daughter of Late Chicago Star Terry Kath Crowdfunding Documentary

(Classic Rock) The daughter of former Chicago guitarist Terry Kath has launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds to complete a documentary about her father, who died from an accidental gunshot wound in 1978.

Terry Kath was the larger-than-life lead guitarist, vocalist and founding member of Illinois jazz-rockers Chicago. Kath played on the group's early hits 25 or 6 to 4 and Saturday In The Park and blazed a trail on albums such as 1969's Chicago Transit Authority and 71's Chicago III.

Such was Terry Kath's musical prowess that Jimi Hendrix declared him "better than me." However, tragedy struck in January 1978, when he shot himself with a pistol.

Kath's daughter, Michelle Sinclair, now a leading DJ in the Los Angeles music scene, was two years old when he passed away, and is currently directing an independent documentary film about her father, entitled Searching For Terry. "I wanted to give my father the recognition he deserves as a musician, but also to discover who he was a person, as I never got to know him," Michelle tells Classic Rock. more on this story

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IQ Plan Deluxe Triple-Vinyl Release

(Prog) IQ have confirmed that they will be releasing a deluxe triple-vinyl edition of latest studio album "The Road Of Bones" after they received a flurry of fan requests.

The band, who are nominated for Best Anthem and Best Album in this year's Progressive Music Awards, originally launched their 11th full-length record in May.

Now they report: "Thanks to your feedback we've decided to go with the most popular choice by far which is the triple-disc, triple-gatefold format. It will feature all the material from both discs of the special-edition double-CD plus a four-page brochure opening into an A2 poster of the album artwork." more on this story

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Maschine Reveal Lineup Change

(Prog) Maschine have amicably parted with keyboardist and vocalist Georgia Lewis, and named Marie-Eve de Gaultier as her replacement. The rising-star prog outfit say Lewis wants to concentrate more fully on her folk music career, and describe their new member as an "elegant" addition to their lineup.

Luke Maschin's outfit say: "Georgia has been a major asset and has played an important part in all of our achievements to date. Unfortunately, her energy cannot stretch as far as the role currently requires, as her true identity and full attention lies within her folk music.

"She's been an incredible talent, and we're all positive that wherever the music takes her, there will undoubtedly be greatness, persistence and professionalism." more on this story

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Rock Hall Removes Icon's Remains As Beyonce Exhibits Opens

(Radio.com) If you do not know who DJ Alan Freed is, you are not alone, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was the place for an education. The DJ credited with coining the term "Rock 'n' Roll" had a prominent exhibit in the museum - that is, until today, when his remains were removed from the exhibit, CNN reports.

There is dispute between Freed's son, Lance, and Executive Director Greg Harris, with Freed claiming the Hall as being disrespectful to his father's legacy, while Harris claims the DJ will still play a prominent role in the museum - just not his ashes.

It is unclear whether this has to do with a new exhibit that opened just days ago, featuring outfits worn by Beyonce at various stages of her career, including the black leotards she wore in her 2008 "Single Ladies" video. More on this story.

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Opeth Akerfeldt Has Mind-Boggling One Direction Experience

(Prog) Prog's Features Ed Amit Sharma recently interviewed Opeth mastermind Mikael Akerfeldt for this month's cover story. The conversation started with Mikael's recent experience taking his daughter to watch One Direction - here's what the Opeth mainman had to say...

"Well, I was in the minority there, being an old dude for one! But it was two sold-out nights at the Friends Arena which holds 60,000 people or something. My oldest daughter likes One Direction, and I anticipated some type of show as they had some elaborate stage thing going on.

"But when the guys hit the stage it kinda felt like they'd just dragged five guys from the crowd up... if there were guys in the crowd, which there obviously wasn't! It was just people on stage that were able to sing in key, but other than that they didn't do much, they didn't do any syncopated dance moves, there wasn't much of a show. And since there were five guys, they'd sing every fifth line of a song and in between be just walking around.

"For me, it was mind-boggling, I just couldn't see the fascination, but kids think they're cute and that kind of stuff. For me, I did not understand the point of the songs.'" more.

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Hockey Goalie Set To Debut New Iron Maiden Mask

(hennemusic) Former NHL goalie Chris Mason has announced that he will debut a new Iron Maiden mask for the 2014/15 season with the Augsburg Panther of the German Elite League.

In Goal reports that Mason, with the help of artist Steve Nash at EyeCandyAir, has continued the trend of featuring Iron Maiden's mascot Eddie the Head prominently on his helmet after doing so in Winnipeg and Nashville.

As a nod to Mason's Canadian heritage, the left side has Eddie carrying a Canadian flag. This is actually a rendition done by artist Derek Riggs, and is the cover art for his new book, "Run For Cover."

On the opposite side, Eddie the Trooper carries the German flag, paying homage to the country in which Mason will see action this year. This depiction of Eddie first appeared on the single cover art for "The Trooper" from 1983's "Piece Of Mind" album.

Check out a photo of the mask here.

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Slash Had A Trip At First Sober Gig

(TeamRock Radio) Slash recalls playing his first ever sober gig was "a trip" but insists he got over the shock pretty quickly. The guitar hero famously lived the rock lifestyle to the extreme in his Guns N' Roses days and never played a gig without a drink in him until a tour with Velvet Revolver in 2006.

And while that experience was a nervy one, he has never looked back since and has remained sober. He tells BBC 6 Music: "When I was in rehab, there was a point when Velvet went out and did a real quick tour around California. And so I left rehab and went out and did this tour, and it was the first time I'd been on stage sober - ever.

"That was a trip and it was a little shaky, but you get past that pretty quickly. Because you're in the moment - you can't just sit there and go, 'Oh my God, I can't do this.' You have to do it. So I got over that pretty quickly." More on this story.

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Franz Ferdinand Release Stand On The Horizon Video

(Radio.com) The May/December relationship gets a fresh and deeply unromantic face, thanks to Franz Ferdinand's new video for "Stand on the Horizon." It opens on a vast, muddy plain. There is no sunshine, no civilization - just the sense of eternal twilight.

The action kicks in with a shot of Franz Ferdinand playing in a small club, clearly in some backwater burg located smack-dab in the middle of nowhere Europe. The boys wear gold lam� jackets and play, somewhat listlessly, as young men dance with their older partners in synchronized moves.

Director Karan Kandhari describes his aesthetic here as, "An awkward look at innocence and experience. An attempt to capture a sparkle in the melancholy and a warmth in the strangeness. I hope people find it both sad and funny / hopeful and human. We either achieved all of this, or totally failed and ended up with an alternative universe version of Franz Ferdinand."

In short, it's a case of opposites attracting. What's unclear is why everyone is so stone faced and if they are or are not re-enacting a bit of the movie Cocoon at the end. Watch the video here.

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Tom Petty Rocks Jimmy Kimmel

(hennemusic) Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers launched their new album, "Hypnotic Eye", last week with a live set on ABC-TV's Jimmy Kimmel Live, and video from the program is available.

For the broadcast, Petty and the band invited Jimmy and his entire studio audience to their rehearsal space at Sony Studios in Los Angeles for performances of new songs "American Dream Plan B", "Forgotten Man" and "U Get Me High."

The follow-up to 2010's "Mojo", Petty's first new studio album in four years is now available in CD, digital, high resolution Blu-ray audio and vinyl formats.

Watch the Kimmel performance here.

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Taylor Swift Visits Hospitalized Child With Cancer

(Radio.com) If you weren't already convinced that Taylor Swift was a super swell person, this video will almost certainly win you over. CBS Local Boston reports that this past Sunday (Aug. 3), Swift stopped by Boston Children's Hospital and took time to visit with 6-year-old Jordan Nickerson, who was recently diagnosed with leukemia. Nickerson also suffers from Williams Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder, and at only 18 months he underwent open heart surgery for a severe heart condition.

Despite his condition, the video shows Jordan to be a happy and energetic little guy who's thrilled by the visit. After a conversation about Spiderman (who apparently came for a visit the day before), Swift asked Jordan what song he'd like her to sing. He wanted a song that he could dance to, and so she wound up playing "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together." As Swift sang, accompanied by just her acoustic guitar, Jordan bounced along to the beat and chimed in on the chorus.

A video of the visit was initially shared on Jordan's Facebook page, with another version posted on YouTube. The visit wasn't designed to be a big publicity stunt. As a hospital spokesperson told the Boston Globe, Swift simply wanted to stop by and hang out with some of the children. Which is something she has done before. This past March, for instance, she and her father stopped by Hasbro Children's Hospital in Providence, R.I., to visit with the kids and perform.

Watch the video here.

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Anathema Release Self-Titled Lyric Video

(Classic Rock) Anathema have launched a lyric video for their track Anathema, off latest album Distant Satellites. The band's 10th studio work was released in June to acclaim.

Classic Rock and Metal Hammer both scored it 8/10 while Prog called it "remarkable" and "divine." It's gained them a nomination in the Anthem category of this year's Progressive Music Awards - and only four days remain to vote.

Daniel Cavanagh recently said: "Distant Satellites is the culmination of everything we have been working on in our musical path. It contains almost every conceivable element of the heartbeat of Anathema music that it is possible to have."

A three-disc deluxe hardback edition is on sale now via Kscope Records. The band tour the UK in September. Grab the dates and watch the video here.

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Pxies Still Operating In The Same Good And Bad Way

(Classic Rock) Dave Lovering says the Pixies are still as dysfunctional as ever since bassist Kim Deal left the band. Deal quit the band last year, just as they were about to record their latest album Indie Cindy. She has since been replaced by former A Perfect Circle and Zwan member Paz Lenchantin, with whom Lovering, Black Francis and Joey Santiago are more than happy.
But even though Deal is no longer around to lock horns with Francis, drummer Lovering says the band still put up with a "lot of bullsh*t" internally.

He tells MusicRadar: "I think we're getting on fine in whatever circumstances, but we're still the same band, same sh*t goes down even when we're one less member. We're still dysfunctional - not as dysfunctional as people think.

"To us we're normal, this is the way we operate, this is the way we have been operating for a long time, but we're definitely the same, still operating in the same good and bad way. As they say, a little older and wiser. Wiser means you make everything a little more comfortable, regardless of what it is. Just make it easier on yourself. So we're putting up with a lot of bullsh*t." More on this story.

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Eddie Van Halen Releasing 'Unchained' Circles Guitar

Eddie Van Halen has announced the release of his EVH Stripe Series "Circles" guitar. The original guitar became famous after it was featured in Van Halen's 1981 "Unchained" music video.

Van Halen's camp sent over these details: The new EVH Stripe Series "Circles" guitar features otherworldly black-and-white "circles" graphic gloss finish.

The guitar has a sleek Strat�-like basswood body, rock-solid quartersawn maple neck with oiled finish, fast and smooth compound-radius maple fingerboard (12"-16") with rolled edges and 22 jumbo frets, a EVH direct-mount pickup with single black plastic control knob (master volume), EVH Floyd Rose� with D-Tuna� bridge and locking nut, and EVH tuners.

More details
here.

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. Lollapalooza 2014: Day Two
The second day of Lollapalooza 2014 may not have reached the emotional heights of day one, but it contained the single best set I witnessed all weekend (thank you to Fitz and the Tantrums). - Read the full Lollapalooza 2014: Day Two review

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