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Day in Rock Report for 05/20/2015


Yes Legend Chris Squire Fighting Cancer

Prog rock legends Yes revealed on Tuesday that founding member Chris Squire has been diagnosed with cancer and will be replaced by former member Billy Sherwood on their summer tour.

Squire will be sitting out the North American tour with Toto in order to undergo treatment for Acute Erythroid Leukemia, which the band says is an "uncommon form of Acute Myeloid Leukemia".

Chris released this message for fans: "This will be the first time since the band formed in 1968 that Yes will have performed live without me. But the other guys and myself have agreed that Billy Sherwood will do an excellent job of covering my parts and the show as a whole will deliver the same Yes experience that our fans have come to expect over the years."

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B.B. King's Family Announce Public Viewing Details

(The Blues B.B. King fans are to be given the opportunity to pay their respects to the blues legend at a public viewing that will take place before his funeral, his family have announced.

The 89-year-old icon died in his sleep last week after an illness. His legacy was hailed by artists and statesmen across the world. King's body will be laid in state at Las Vegas' Palm South Jones Mortuary on Friday (May 22).

Members of the public will be able to visit between 3pm and 7pm. A private family funeral will take place on Saturday morning, with a public ceremony to follow at 11am. Read more here.

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Controversial Ozzy Osbourne Move Even Questioned By Bandmate

(Classic Rock) Faith No More drummer Mike Bordin has spoken about his role in removing the original drum and bass tracks from Ozzy Osbourne's first two albums. The 2002 re-releases of Blizzard Of Ozz and Diary Of A Madman featured Bordin and Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo - both then members of Ozzy's solo band - in place of co-founding band members Lee Kerslake and Bob Daisley.

The controversial move was a result of legal action between the departed duo and Ozzy's management. Now Bordin tells Radio.com: "That was a really kind of f***ed-up thing. It's funny that no one's actually mentioned that.

"That wasn't what I was going in expecting to do. It wasn't the way it was presented to me at all. I never knew that - but that doesn't lessen the fact that it happened."

He refuses to "throw anyone under a bus" by suggesting who might be to blame, but adds: "I will say this - to hear the original guitar, bass and drum tracks in my headphones while I was recording was one of the most insane things I'll ever experience.

"I think I heard some guitar solos that I'd never heard before. There's a reason why those albums are so good - they're magical. Far be it from me to ever want to f*** with that." Read more here.

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Five Finger Death Punch and Papa Roach Coheadlining Tour

Five Finger Death Punch and Papa Roach have announced that they will be teaming up this fall to launch a North American coheadlining arena tour and they involved fans in selecting which cities the tour would hit.

Both band launched a "demand campaign" on their websites where they asked fans to request that the tour hit their city and the bands have mapped out the tour routing with the help of 1.5 million fans.

The tour will feature support from In This Moment and From Ashes To New and it set to kick off on September 4th in Lexington, KY at the Rupp Arena and conclude on October 9th in Glen Falls, NY at the Glen Falls Civic Center.

Five Finger Death Punch guitarist Zoltan Bathory had this to say, "This tour is shaping up to be the perfect storm. We are really good friends with Papa Roach so for years we've been talking about touring together and it's finally coming together in a big way.

"Both 5fdp and Papa Roach are bands of the people - our fans are who propelled us to success. So what better way than to give the fans ownership in the tour? In the world of Wikipedia and Kickstarter where crowd funding and crowd sourcing has become the standard of community effort and the new way of making things happen this might quite possibly be the future of touring - you simply ask the fans where they want you to go".

Papa Roach frontman Jacoby Shaddix adds, "We are super excited to be sharing the stage on this co-headliner with FFDP. This will give Papa Roach the chance to put on the best, most epic live show to date. Our fans are going to be so stoked for these shows coming up. We seriously can't wait to get out on the road for this tour." See the tour dates here.

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Phil Anselmo Working On New Superjoint Ritual Music, Secret Project

(TeamRock Radio) Phil Anselmo says that he's working on new Superjoint Ritual material - as well as a "secret" death metal project. The former Pantera and current Down frontman resurrected Superjoint Ritual last year for their first gigs in 10 years. It came despite him previously insisting it would never happen.

Speaking at the Spooky Empire Horror Convention in Orlando, Florida, he says new material is now on the horizon and that his solo band, Philip H Anselmo And The Illegals, is also writing music.

Anselmo says: "I've been writing new Superjoint, been writing new Illegals. Actually I'm in a secret death metal project with some secret other guys from across the equator. It's called Metraton Ganga. It's cute, it really is." Read more here.

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Bob Dylan Does Rare TV Performance On David Letterman Show

(Radio.com) Bob Dylan doesn't perform much on late-night television. But when he does, he makes it memorable. On Tuesday night (May 19), Dylan did just that when he appeared as the musical guest on The Late Show with David Letterman. It was Letterman's second-to-last show ever.

Dressed in a black suit with red trim, a white shirt and a black string tie, Dylan sang "The Night We Called It a Day," a jazz standard from the 1940s that appeared on Dylan's recent album, the Frank Sinatra tribute Shadows in the Night. Dylan's voice took the lead against a smoky, late-night arrangement that stayed true to the studio version.

"Beautiful," Letterman said, stepping up to greet Dylan once the song finished. "Thank you, Bob." He turned then to the band, noting, "all brushes."

Dylan first performed for Letterman in 1984 (during the NBC incarnation of his show). He returned in 1992 and then again in 1993, the year Letterman moved his show to CBS. Read more and watch the performance here.

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The Kinks Biopic Coming

(Classic Rock) The Kinks are the subject of a biopic written by award-winning duo Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, based on the official biographies of both Ray and Dave Davies.

It's to be directed by Julien Temple, who made the Sex Pistols' Great Rock And Roll Swindle, and stars Johnny Flynn as Ray and George Mackay as Dave.

Clement and La Frenais wrote 1998 rock comedy Still Crazy after a string of successful sitcoms including Porridge, The Likely Lads and Auf Wiedersehen Pet.

Producer Jeremy Thomas tells Screen Daily: "This is the story of the Davies brothers growing up and the group's later disbanding. They're the Cain and Abel of rock, but their story isn't known as well as it should be." Read more here.

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Rolling Stones Reveal Big Name Openers For Stadium Tour

(Radio.com) With the Rolling Stones headed back into stadiums for their new Zip Code tour, the opening acts are shaping up to be as big and diverse as previous tours.

Gary Clark Jr. will support the tour kickoff in San Diego, while Walk the Moon, Kid Rock, and St. Paul & The Broken Bones have all been announced to appear at certain points.

Maybe most notable is the Nashville stop on June 17 at LP Field where Brad Paisley will perform ahead of the classic rock titans. Paisley and the Rolling Stones may make an odd pairing on paper, but under the stadium lights, fans will be hard-pressed to find a matching double-bill of some of music's biggest attractions. Read more here.

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Coal Chamber and Fear Factory Announce Summer Tour

Coal Chamber has announced that they are teaming up with Fear Factory to launch a North American tour this summer in support of their first new album in over 13 years.

The new album, "Rivals", was released on Tuesday and here is what Coal Chamber frontman Dez Fafara had to say in celebration, "It's been 13 years since Coal Chamber put out a record. We all worked so hard on this music to make sure the whole album was a stellar push forward for the band and not some nostalgia trip!

"If you like it heavy and unique you'll love Rivals! This record is full of crushing huge hooks and big down tuned riffs to move ya! Support Heavy music in all its forms!"

The North American tour will be kicking off on July 24th in Tucson, AZ at the Rialto Theater and will conclude on August 22nd in Santa Ana, CA at The Observatory.

The tour will feature support from Saint Ridley and Madlife playing the entire tour and Devil You Know playing the first three dates and the last seven dates of the trek, Jasta will be taking over for Devil You Know from July 28th through August 12th.

Fafara had this to say about the tour, "Coal Chamber is coming to the USA for another killer tour, this time bringing along some great friends Fear Factory who have a new record coming and my good buddy Jasta with his solo project! Get ready and get your tickets because this tour is gonna sell out and be a good time". See the dates here.

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Steven Tyler Lands On Country Chart With New Solo Song

(hennemusic) Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler has debuted on the US Billboard charts with his first country single, "Love Is Your Name." Billboard reports the song - written by Lindsey Lee and Eric Paslay - enters the Country Airplay chart at No. 33.

Tyler issued the single to radio last week and delivered the debut live performance of the tune on the season 14 finale of American Idol on May 13th.

The Aerosmith singer has been in Nashville since January working with songwriters on material for his debut solo album on Big Machine Records' affiliated label Dot Records. Listen to the track here.

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Warren Haynes Announces New Album 'Ashes and Dust'

(Radio.com) Warren Haynes' list of collaborators runs deep, from the Allman Brothers Band to the Dead, Gov't Mule and David Allan Coe, and it's about to get even longer.

The famed guitarist has announced that he'll be working on his first-ever Americana project with help from New Jersey newgrass band Railroad Earth.

The pair teams on a 13-track album titled Ashes and Dust that consists of 'folky, singer-songwriter, even Celtic" songs Haynes has written over the past 30 years, Consequence of Sound reports.

Ashes and Dust hits stores July 24 and is available for pre-order at Haynes' website. Read more here.

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Clutch Frontman Reveals New Album Details

(Classic Rock) Clutch have revealed the name of their 11th album and seven of its tracks. Frontman Neil Fallon has confirmed to TeamRock that the follow-up to 2013's Earth Rocker is entitled Psychic Warfare, and it's due in September.

The band debuted some of their latest songs at a showcase gig in D'Angelico Guitars in New York this week. Fallon tells Alexander Milas on TeamRock Radio's Metal Hammer Magazine Show: "'Psychic warfare' is a lyric from the first track, X-Ray Visions.

"It's about a guy holed up in a motel for unexplained reasons, and he's under great duress, being attacked by psychically-empowered agents of unknown origin. At least, that's the back story I have in my head."

He says the concept is influenced by SF author Philip K Dick. "His general philosophy and questions have always crept into my lyrics, because I share an interest in it," he adds. "On Earth Rocker, Crucial Velocity was definitely a Philip K Dick song for me. On this record, X-Ray Visions certainly is." Read more here.

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Aerosmith In The Studio For Toys In The Attic Anniversary

The latest episode of the syndicated radio show InTheStudio: The Stories Behind History's Greatest Rock Bands celebrates the fortieth anniversary of Aerosmith's album "Toys in the Attic." The show sent over these details:

The perception that Aerosmith had broke with "Dream On" off their debut album is not entirely accurate. As drummer Joey Kramer recalls to InTheStudio host Redbeard,

"The first album really didn't go anywhere until "Dream On" was released (as a single) three or four times. "Dream On" was a single when this record (Toys InThe Attic) hit."

It was the third release of "Dream On" as a single, after the release of their second album Get Your Wings, that lit the fuse for Aerosmith's breakout album Toys In The Attic. What followed was an monster album selling over 8 million copies and producing the timeless classics "Walk this Way" and "Sweet Emotion", not to mention the first anti-child abuse song "Uncle Salty", the circular contagion of "No More, No More", a swingin' cover of Bullmoose Jackson's bawdy, "Big Ten Inch" and the riff rock title track "Toys in the Attic".

Steven Tyler, Joey Kramer and Brad Whitford take us back to this critical moment in history where Aerosmith began their rise as America's greatest hard rock band.

Stream the episode here.

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Foo Fighters Add Support Acts To UK Tour

(Classic Rock) Foo Fighters have added God Damn and Honeyblood to their list of support acts for the UK tour that kicks off later this month. They join previously-announced guests Iggy Pop, Royal Blood, Ash, Kaiser Chiefs, Teenage Fanclub and Hozier, with various lineups appearing across the run of six stadium shows.

Dave Grohl and co start their run with an appearance at BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend in Norwich, and end it with a set at this year's Glastonbury festival.

It's part of a wider Foos European tour in support of eighth album Sonic Highways, which was accompanied by an eight-part documentary series of the same name. Read more including the dates here.

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AC/DC Frontman Visits MG Factory On Cars That Rock TV Series

(hennemusic) AC/DC frontman Brian Johnson visits the iconic MG factory in Longbridge in the latest episode from the second season of Cars That Rock. Johnson launched the first season of Cars That Rock in the spring of 2014.

Available on UK's Quest TV, the series follows Johnson as he pursues his passion of cars, looking into the history, meeting with industry experts and reporting on racing in general.

In 2009, the AC/DC singer released his autobiography, "Rockers And Rollers: A Full Throttle Memoir." The book details Johnson's history - from teenage memories in the backs of beat-up coups to a side career as a racecar driver, Johnson shares his life story - a memoir told through his lifelong love affair with cars. Watch video from the episode here.

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Les Paul's 100th Birthday Celebrations Launches Next Month

(Gibson) Les Paul would have celebrated his 100th birthday on June 9 this year. In honor of the late musician and innovator, the day marks the start of a year-long celebration of his work.

The mobile exhibit dubbed Les Paul's Big Sound Experience will make its first stop in New York City's Times Square. It's a music exploration where the visitor get to experience the sound and technology innovations by Les Paul, as well as some hands-on interactive entertainment. Best of all, Les Paul's Big Sound Experience is free and open to the public!

Times Square is also the site for a sold-out celebration of Les Paul later that same day, to be held at the Hard Rock Cafe in Times Square. Musicians like Joe Bonamassa, Gov't Mule's Warren Haynes, Steve Miller, Joe Satriani, Journey's Neal Schon, Steve Vai, Count's 77, Johnny A and Lou Pallo and the Les Paul Trio will be performing at the event, which is expected to be attended by the likes of Zakk Wylde, Marky Ramone, and Rick Derringer, as well as producers Bob Ezrin and Jack Douglas among many others.

After New York City, Les Paul's Big Sound Experience will go on a tour of the US expected to last through May 2016. Read more here.

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The Who's Pete Townshend Previews Track From New Solo Collection

(hennemusic) Pete Townshend of The Who is previewing "Guantanamo", a new track featured on his forthcoming solo collection, "Truancy - The Very Best of Pete Townshend."

Due June 29 (June 30 in North America), the package presents 15 songs from the guitarist's solo career plus two new tunes: "Guantanamo" and "How Can I Help You."

"I hope it offers a selection that works to introduce new fans to my solo work," says Townshend. "I am a bit of a dabbler I'm afraid. I am as interested in building, developing and playing with recording studios as I am with making music. The Who has taken up most of my road hours, and in this year of the 50th anniversary of our first significant year in 1965, we are back on the road again." Read more and listen to the preview here.

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District 97 Announce New Album 'In Vaults'

(Prog) District 97 will release their third studio album titled In Vaults next month, the band have confirmed. It'll be issued via Laser's Edge on June 23 and follows last year's live release of King Crimson covers with John Wetton titled One More Red Night.

Drummer Jonathan Schang tells Prog: "The last several years have provided a wealth of experiences, such as becoming more adept in the studio, honing our songwriting, arranging and production skills, touring, playing great festivals, and even working intimately with John Wetton to bring his era of the King Crimson songbook to life.

"I feel that In Vaults is the product of all those diverse experiences, and is our overall best and most fully realised work to date." The album was made possible thanks to a successful Kickstarter campaign last October which saw the band raise $20,000. Read more here.

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The Church Release 'Laurel Canyon' Video

(Prog) The Church have premiered the video for their track "Laurel Canyon" with Prog. The track is taken from their upcoming album Further/Deeper, which is released on June 8 via Unorthodox Records.

The Church Singer Steve Kilbey had this to say about the clip: "Laurel Canyon has been dreamed up by video collaborator Clint Lewis, with admittedly not a lot of input from the band.

"It concerns nostalgia and remembrance of things past. It's a very eye-candy vid, with the handsome but weird couple trying to get it on despite the fog of time. This is about as west-coast sound as The Church ever gets. Pull out a hanky and enjoy."

The Church tour Europe this summer, with dates at London's Islington Academy on June 4 and Brighton's Haunt on June 5. See the dates and watch the video here.

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Symphony X Releasing New Album 'Underworld' In July

(Prog) Symphony X will release their ninth album titled Underworld on July 24, the band have announced. It's the follow-up to 2011's Iconoclast and will be issued via Nuclear Blast.

Bassist Michael LePond last year said the album would see a return to their classic sound. And guitarist Michael Romeo reports while that remains the case, Underworld has its own character.

He says: "Every song is to-the-point and fine-tuned, with us paying a lot of attention to the hooks, voices, riffs, and keeping the interest and the energy high for the entire record.

"It is heavy and aggressive as f*** when it needs to be, yet soaring and emotional at other times. I think the balance is just right. It had to have all the elements of what we normally would do, just tweaked up a notch." Read more here.

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Extreme Filming Upcoming Concert For Live Release and TV Special

(hennemusic) Extreme have announced that their upcoming May 30 concert at The Joint at The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas will be filmed for a future release.

Part of the Boston band's Pornograffitti Live 25th Anniversary tour, the Vegas event - billed as "Metal Meltdown" and featuring Twisted Sister, Skid Row and Great White - will be filmed for a worldwide cinema release, a TV broadcast and a CD/DVD release.

The tour sees Extreme performing the 1990 album in its entirety alongside a greatest hits set. The group's second album, "Extreme II: Pornograffitti (A Funked Up Fairy Tale)", featured two hit singles, "More Than Words" and "Hole Hearted" - both acoustic-based numbers - while most of the album was a mix of hard rock and funk. Read more here.

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David Crosby Sorry For 'Slagging' Neil Young's Girlfriend

(Classic Rock) David Crosby has apologized to Neil Young and his partner Daryl Hannah after he called her a "poisonous predator." He hit out at the actress last year when the couple started dating following Young's split with wife Pegi after 36 years.

In October Crosby told the Idaho Statesman: "I happen to know that he's hanging out with somebody that's a purely poisonous predator now. And that's karma. He's gonna get hurt. But I understand why it happened. I'm just sad about it. I'm always sad when I see love get tossed in the gutter."

But he's now apologized for the comments, saying he had no right to criticize his longterm Crosby, Stills, Nash And Young bandmate and his partner.

He tells The Howard Stern Show: "I shot my mouth off when I shouldn't have. I shouldn't have done it and here's the real reason why: I've screwed up massively. Daryl Hannah never wound up in a Texas prison. I've screwed up way worse than that girl.

"Where do I get off criticising her? Where do I get off slagging her? She's making Neil happy and I love Neil and I want him happy. I was completely out of line." Read more and stream the interview here.

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Limited Edition Soundgarden Book Set For Release

(Classic Rock) A book charting Soundgarden's comeback between 2010 and 2013 through photographs, art and interviews will be released next month, it's been confirmed.

Limited to 1000 copies, Photofantasm: Soundgarden - Nudedragons To King Animal contains more than 1000 photographs and features contributions from fans, artists, musicians, photographers and writers and spans 592 pages.

Authors Jaye and Mike English say: "It took passion and several years to collaborate with fans and artists around the world to create Photofantasm and have it remain authentic.

"We're happy we made history together and proud to give back. We thank everyone who contributed." Read more here.

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Goatsnake 'Channels Flag And Sabbath' On New Track 'Grandpa Jones'

(Classic Rock) Goatsnake have released a stream of the new song "Grandpa Jones," taken from the band's forthcoming album Black Age Blues, the follow-up to 2000's Flower of Disease.

"Grandpa Jones is one of the first of the new songs we wrote," says guitarist Greg Anderson. "It channels Flag and Sabbath (that ole' mouldy chestnut!), with lyrics about keeping the yout juice flowin'! The backing vocals are courtesy of Dem Preachers Daughters."

Alongside Anderson (Sunn O))), vocalist Pete Stahl (Scream), drummer Greg Rogers (The Obsessed) and bassist Scott Renner, Black Age Blues features a guest appearance from Slint, Aerial M and Papa M guitarist David Pajo.

The album was recorded and mixed at Rock Falcon Franklin, Tennessee by Nick Raskulinecz, who's previously worked with the likes of Queens Of The Stone Age, Foo Fighters, Alice In Chains, Mastodon and Rush. Read more and stream the song here.

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