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Day in Rock Report for 10/23/2015



Van Halen Considered Replacing David Lee Roth In 1977

Van Halen famously recruited Sammy Hagar to replace David Lee Roth when the original frontman left the band in the mid-1980s, but biographer Greg Renoff reveals that back in 1977 producer Ted Templeman briefly considered replacing Roth with Hagar.

Renoff spoke with the Boston Herald about his new book "Van Halen Rising," which chronicles the early days of the band and was asked about Templeman considering the singer switch.

He replied, "Ted told me that after he heard Roth sing in the studio in early 1977 on some demos commissioned by Warner Bros, he started having serious concerns about Roth's vocal ability, hence the flirtation with calling Hagar.

"But Ted made clear that this was nothing more than a thought that he toyed with for a few days in his own head. Roth, as I document in the book, redoubled his efforts to improve his voice by taking vocal lessons in 1977.

"The other key point is that Templeman says he knew that the other three never would have tolerated the idea of kicking Roth out for Hagar." Read the full interview here.

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Foo Fighters Answer Fans Viral Video With Concert Announcement

(hennemusic) Dave Grohl has announced that the Foo Fighters will play a show in the Italian town of Cesena after 1000 fans performed their 1999 hit, "Learn To Fly", on July 26 in hopes of convincing the group to perform in their city.

Organizer Fabio Zaffagnini spent a year planning the massive outdoor event to create the video as a plea to the Foo Fighters to come to Cesena. The clip quickly went viral, racking up 18 million views in just 5 days; it's now been seen more than 25 million times.

"I'll never forget that day that my phone was flooded with texts from friends, all saying "Have you seen this???", "Amazing!", "So insane!" with an anonymous YouTube link attached," says Grohl. "Assuming it was just another "CAT GETTING STUCK IN A PAPER BAG" video, I didn't bite at first, but after the 10,000th message, I clicked the link and was absolutely blown away by what I saw.

"To see so many people put so much time, and effort, and love into making music moved me to tears. And the fact that it was a Foo Fighters song...well...it's hard to put into words how humbled that made me feel. It is without a doubt one of the most beautiful experiences of my entire life. I walked outside, sat on the grass, turned my camera on and immediately responded (in my best broken Italian) "Stiamo arrivando! Prometto!"

"Ever since that day we have been looking forward to this incredible experience. We're happy to finally announce that it will happen on 3 November at Carisport. We are beyond excited an honored to come play for Cesena. An experience like this comes once in a lifetime, so I'm looking forward to a once in a lifetime show. Ci vediamo presto, Cesena!" Read more and watch the video here.

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Megadeth's Dave Mustaine Slams Fired Guitar Tech In Online Video

(hennemusic) Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine says he fired his guitar tech following an October 21 show in Brisbane, Australia. Music Feeds reports Mustaine stopped the show at the Eatons Hill Hotel and apologized to the crowd while they took a break to investigate the technical issues they were experiencing throughout the concert.

"You guys ever have an experience where you are in a clutch moment and you have somebody there that's like your wheel-man and the guy just turns out to be a total f***ing dewclaw?," said Mustaine in a video message to fans. "Like a totally waste of skin and life?

"Well, that was my guitar tech tonight and I fired his ass and I apologize to the people here in Brisbane. We'll make it up to you sometime, maybe it'll be in Hawaii when we luau this fat pig's ass. I'm sorry, Megadeth is much better than what we appeared tonight." Watch the video here.

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Three Dog Night's Cory Wells Dead At 74

(Classic Rock) Three Dog Night singer Cory Wells has died at the age of 74. He was a founding member of the group and one of their three vocalists. He had performed with the band right up until last month when he developed severe back pain.

He passed away "unexpectedly" in Dunkirk, New York. Bandmate and fellow singer Danny Hutton says: "It is with deep sadness and disbelief that I must report the passing of Cory Wells, my beloved band mate for over 45 years.

"Cory was an incredible singer - a great performer, he could sing anything. Cory was like a brother in so many ways. We had been together since 1965 and I am in shock at this sudden loss." Read more here.

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Anthrax Streaming New Song 'Evil Twin' From Forthcoming Album

(Classic Rock) Anthrax have released a lyric video for their new song Evil Twin - the first track to appear from their upcoming 11th album. And guitarist Scott Ian has explained how he was inspired by the Charlie Hebdo magazine killings when it came to the lyrics.

Ian says: "I was very affected, as I have been with all the shootings at schools and movie theatres. I can't figure out what would cause someone to think that was the right thing to do.

"'I'll show the world. I'll make my God happy.' It's just such bullsh*t. I'm not bagging on religion. But people who go to that extreme, who feel they have become judge, jury and executioner over their fellow man, because you or I don't believe the same thing they do - I think that's the evil twin of humanity." Check out the video here.

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ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons Postpones Kick Off Of Solo Tour

(hennemusic) ZZ Top guitarist Billy Gibbons has announced that he has postponed the start of a US tour in support of his forthcoming debut solo album, "Perfectamundo."

Originally set to begin November 10 in Atlanta, GA, Gibbons will reschedule the first 12 dates into early next year while moving the tour's official launch to November 27 in Fort Lauderdale, FL.

Due November 6 and recorded in Houston, Los Angeles, Austin and Pontevedra, Spain, "Perfectamundo" was sparked by an invitation to perform at the 2014 Havana Jazz Festival delivered by his Argentine-born, Puerto Rico-raised friend and musical collaborator Martin Guigui. Read more including the new dates here.

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Steve Miller And John Mayer Jam With Billy Joel

Billy Joel fans were treated to two surprise jams with special guests during his concert at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Wednesday night (October 21st).

Steve Miller jumped on stage to jam the Steve Miller Band classic "The Joker" with Billy and his band. Miller was in town to receive the Rocker of the Year Award at the annual Little Kids Rock benefit gala. Watch video of the jam here.

John Mayer jammed guitar on Joel's songs "This Is the Time" and "You May Be Right," as well as the Cream/Eric Clapton arrangement of the Robert Johnson classic "Crossroads". Check out video here.

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Beatles Release 'Revolution' Video

(Radio.com) To promote the upcoming deluxe reissue of their career-spanning hits album, 1 (dubbed 1+), the Beatles have released a music video for "Revolution." The performance clip was directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg, and filmed on September 4, 1968 at Twickenham Film Studios.

Producer George Martin said about the song (via the Beatles' website): 'Plugging directly into the Abbey Road desk and pushing the needles into the red achieved the fuzz-guitar sound. We got into distortion on that, which we had a lot of complaints from the technical people about. But that was the idea: it was John's song and the idea was to push it right to the limit. Well, we went to the limit and beyond."

As Lennon said in a quote (also on the Beatles' website), 'I did the slow version [of 'Revolution'] and I wanted it out as a single: as a statement of the Beatles' position on Vietnam and the Beatles' position on revolution. For years, on the Beatles' tours, Brian Epstein had stopped us from saying anything about Vietnam or the war." Watch the video here.

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Panic! At The Disco Announce Album, Release New Video

Panic! At The Disco have released a video for the song "Emperor's New Clothes" and revealed the release details for their new studio album "Death of a Bachelor".

The band once again teamed up with Daniel "Cloud" Campos to direct the video that continues on the "This Is Gospel" video, which Campos directed for the band in 2013. Watch the new Emperor's New Clothes" clip here.

Panic! At The Disco will be releasing the new album, their fifth studio effort, on January 15th. "Death of a Bachelor" was produced by Jake Sinclair (Taylor Swift, Fall Out Boy). Check out the tracklisting here.

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Shinedown's Brent Smith And Zach Myers Announce Unplugged Tour

Shinedown frontman Brent Smith and guitarist Zach Myers have announced that they will be hitting the road together this winter to launch an acoustic tour in the U.S.

The Smith & Myers unplugged tour will be kicking off on December 4th at Club LA in Destin, Florida and concluding on December 19th in Libertyville, IL at Austin's Fuel Room.

Fans can expect the duo to perform "Shinedown favorites along with unique covers of classic and contemporary hits" during the "intimate" performances, according to the announcement. See the dates here.

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Rush Release Live 'Closer To The Heart' Video

(hennemusic) Rush have released a live video of their performance of their 1977 classic, "Closer To The Heart", as a preview to the forthcoming "R40 Live" release, which will be available as a 3CD/Blu-ray or DVD set as well as standalone options for the concert film or live album.

The track was the lead single from the group's fifth album, "A Farewell To Kings", which peaked at No. 33 on the US Billboard 200 on its way to Platinum status for sales of more than 1 million copies.

"Closer To The Heart" follows the debuts of "Roll The Bones" and "Jacob's Ladder" as previews to the live package, which is set for release on November 20.

Featuring songs from throughout their career, "R40 Live" captures Rush in concert in their hometown of Toronto over two nights this past June. Watch the video here.

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Fall Out Boy Give Disney Classic A Rock Makeover

(TeamRock Radio) Fall Out Boy have released their take on classic Disney track I Wan'na Be Like You (The Monkey Song). It was written for 1967 animated movie The Jungle Book, and the new version appears on tribute album We Love Disney, which also features Gwen Stefani, Jessie J and others.

Pete Wentz tells Rolling Stone: "We wanted to come up with a song that would make sense as a Fall Out Boy song. We interpreted it more as a rock song, which was more of a challenge than expected - but I think how it turned out is pretty interesting."

We Love Disney, the third album of its kind, is released on October 30 via Verve Music Group. FOB last week launched a remake of their track Irresistible, featuring Demi Lovato. Check out the song here.

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All That Remains Announce U.S. Fall Tour

(TeamRock Radio) All That Remains have announced a 23-date US tour kicking off next month. The band - who recently replaced bassist Jeanne Sagan with Aaron Patrick - hit the road to promote latest album The Order Of Things.

They will be kicking off the tour in Lincoln, Nebraska, on November 17. They will be joined by support acts Devour The Day, Audiotopsy and Sons Of Texas.

All That Remains say: "ATR is excited to announce that we'll hitting the road next month with Devour The Day, Audiotopsy and Sons Of Texas on The Order of Things US Tour. Brought to you by Razor & Tie and Napalm Records." See the dates here.

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Touchstone Cofounder Rob Cottingham Leaving The Group

(Prog) Touchstone cofounder Rob Cottingham will leave the band at the same time vocalist Kim Seviour goes, he's announced. The keyboardist feels it's the right time to make a change, and will play no part in the outfit's future plans, which are yet to be revealed. He leaves guitarist Adam Hodgson as the sole remaining founding member.

Touchstone will play their last shows with the pair next month, announced after Seviour decided her long-term health issues made it impossible for her to continue.

Cottingham says: "It's been a privilege to see the band grow from the very early days when I kicked the band off with a totally different line up in a small village hall.

"After recent discussions, however, the time is clearly right for me to bow out gracefully at the same time as Kim. I want to thank my bandmates old and new for everything, and wish them every success in their exploits going forward." Read more here.

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The Winery Dogs Announce UK Winter Tour

(Classic Rock) The Winery Dogs have announced a run of four UK dates for early next year. The supergroup featuring Richie Kotzen, Billy Sheehan and Mike Portnoy will play shows in London, Bristol, Manchester and Birmingham as part of their world tour in support of second album Hot Streak, which was released this month via earMusic.

Drummer Portnoy says "We're so excited to bring the three-ring circus that is The Winery Dogs to Europe and the UK. We did our best to hit as many places as we could in the available window.

"But fret not if we're not hitting your country just yet, as we hope to come back in the summer as well to play as many places as we can. C'mon and join the fun." See the dates here.

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Metal God Excited Iron Maiden and Black Sabbath Leading Download

(Classic Rock) Rob Halford couldn't be happier that Iron Maiden and Black Sabbath will headline the 2016 Download festival. The Metal God graced the Main Stage at Donington this year with Judas Priest - but said the bill needed more in the way of British heavy metal.

He believes that will be remedied when Sabbath take the Main Stage on Saturday, June 11, and Maiden close the event the following night. Halford tells Metal Hammer: "It's absolutely brilliant. I'm hoping to catch that if I can. I wonder if my two pence had something to do with that?

"As much as I love the American side of metal and rock, I thought it was a bit lacking on the British side of things last year. That's been put right now. I wish we could have been on the bill too - it would have been absolutely massive to have three big British metal bands.

"But I'm absolutely stoked that Maiden and Sabbath are doing it, and I hope to grab an earful and an eyeful if I'm around at the time." Read more here.

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Julien Temple's Wilko Johnson Moving Coming To DVD

(Classic Rock) Julien Temple's acclaimed movie about Wilko Johnson will be released on DVD in December. The Ecstasy Of Wilko Johnson was filmed while the subject believed he was dying of cancer, and that he was playing his final shows and recording his last-ever album.

But the intervention of a fan, who's also a cancer expert, led to innovative medical procedures that saved Johnson's life - giving the feature an unexpected finale. The result is described as "a film that confronts our worst nightmares of impending death, confounding expectations and turning them upside down."

DVD bonuses include Watch With Wilko, which turns the camera on Johnson as he sees his movie for the first time, and an interview with him as he discusses The Rat, one of his own paintings that's taken on an important presence in his life. Watch the trailer here.

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End Of Jethro Tull Big Shock To Martin Barre

(Classic Rock) Martin Barre has described the end of Jethro Tull as a "big personal shock" that left him with a month to reorganize his life. And although he wasn't looking for a full-time solo career, he's happy with the way things have worked out - even though he can't help thinking about a future reunion.

Mainman Ian Anderson wound the band down in 2011 after deciding his future material would be released under his own name. Since then he's been touring with his own outfit, while his former guitarist is doing the same.

Barre tells UCR: "I always hate to hear, 'Oh, you've left Jethro Tull.' I haven't - Ian wanted to finish Jethro Tull, wanted to stop the band completely.

"It was a big personal shock to finish. Essentially the floor was pulled from underneath me, and I had a month to start from the beginning again. I am free, but I wasn't looking for freedom. I already had it." Read more here.

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Anderson Ponty Band Premiere 'Wonderous Stories'

(Classic Rock) Anderson Ponty Band have premiered their version of Yes track Wonderous Stories with Prog. It's taken from former Yes frontman Jon Anderson and jazz-fusion violinist Jean-Luc Ponty's live album Better Late Than Never, which was recorded last year in Aspen, Colorado.

Ponty recently said: "Collaborating with Jon is unlike any project I have done before. The result is way beyond my expectations - we are not just rehashing the past, but giving a new life to the music we started developing decades ago."

Better Late Than Never is on sale now in DVD/CD, CD and digital formats. Anderson Ponty Band tour the US starting later this month. Watch the new video here.

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Ticket Resellers Accused Of Breaking New UK Law

(Classic Rock) Some ticket resale websites in UK are breaching rules set up to protect consumers' rights, according to research by Which? The 2015 Consumer Rights Act requires key details such as face value, seat area and any restrictions are made clear by anyone reselling a gig or event ticket.

But consumer's association Which? says Stubhub, Viagogo, WorldTicketShop and Ticketmaster-owned Get Me In! and Seatwave were found to be reselling some tickets "with no clear information as to where fans would be sitting."

Which? executive director Richard Lloyd tells the BBC: "It's unacceptable. These ticket resale sites are getting away with not providing fans with key ticket information, leaving them unsure whether their ticket is a good deal, where they'll be seated or if they'll even get in." Read more here.

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Heck Release 'The Breakers' Music Video

(TeamRock Radio) Heck - formerly known as Baby Godzilla - have released a video for their track The Breakers. It's their first single since being forced to change their name for copyright reasons, and it's set for launch on October 30.

The band brought in a BBC wildlife camera crew to make their performance video unique. Frontman Matt Reynolds had the following to say about the new clip:

"Our end product was something that mimicked the absolute abhorrence of what is probably our nastiest, most pugnacious song to date. The music is a punch in the face and the video is the spinning headache that follows." Watch the video here.

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5 Seconds Of Summer Jam 'She's Kinda Hot' On Kids Instruments

(TeamRock Radio) Pop punk heroes 5 Seconds Of Summer are the latest artist to recreate one of their hit singles using children's toy instruments. Earlier this month, Winery Dogs drummer Mike Portnoy played some of his favourite rock tracks on a kids' Hello Kitty drumkit.

5 Seconds Of Summer - Luke Hemmings, Michael Clifford, Calum Hood and Ashton Irwin - played She's Kinda Hot on tiny plastic instruments in a video for Sugarscape.

5SOS release second album Sounds Good Feels Good on October 23 via Capitol Records and go on a world tour in 2016. Check out the video of the kid friendly performance here.

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Nick Beggs Announces Debut Album From The Mute Gods

(Prog) Nick Beggs has confirmed his latest project The Mute Gods will release their debut album in January. Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me features bassist and vocalist Beggs alongside two previous colleagues, drummer Marco Minnemann and keyboardist Roger King.

The bandleader, who revealed the trio in August, says: "The record has a number of moods - but overall, it's a rather disgruntled rant at the dystopia we've created for ourselves and our children.

"Roger and I worked together for quite a few years in the Steve Hackett band. His strengths are my weaknesses and I believe we complement each other rather well.

"After working extensively with the Steven Wilson band, I invited Marco to play drums for me. Although I have a couple of other guest drummers like Nick D'Virgilio and Gary O'Toole, Marco is playing on the majority of tracks. He also added his genius with some sound modelling and guitar." Read more here.

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Singled Out: Shining's The Last Stand

Norwegian blackjazz pioneers Shining are releasing their new album "International Blackjazz Society" today and to celebrate we asked J�rgen Munkeby (vocals, sax, guitar) to tell us about the single "The Last Stand".
Here is the story:

I've always felt like I was different than the people I knew. I had this sinking feeling ever since I was a kid, but after a while I started growing accustomed to it. When I was a kid, I listened to metal music, but played the saxophone. When I was older, I studied jazz music, but rocked a red motorcycle leather jacket and a mohawk. I practiced martial arts, but was never interested in fighting in the streets. And when my skateboarding friends went out to drink and cause trouble, I preferred to stay inside practicing scales.

In the last years my growing accustomed to this status quo has turned into becoming proud of the fact. And I've also gotten to know lots of other people who feel the same, so it doesn't feel that lonely anymore.

Shining's new single "The Last Stand" is about this. About not wanting to do what other people do, and announcing that you're not interested in doing it either. It also touches upon our own unique musical genre "Blackjazz" that we established in 2010 with our album of the same name, with song lyrics such as "I made this, this is my land, and I won't stand where you all stand", and "But I'm here all alone on my Blackjazz throne".

The band tracks for the song was recorded in two studios in Oslo, Norway, before I went to live in Los Angeles for a period, where I finished the vocal tracks between a few European tours. When it was time for mixing, I was still in the middle of non-stop touring, so our trusted producer Sean Beavan (Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson, Slayer, No Doubt) in Los Angeles bought a software app that allowed him to stream in real time from his studio, so I sit in my own studio in Oslo or in a backstage at a club in Germany and listen to him making tweaks. We had Skype running on one computer and the mixing-software on another, and it worked great! If you're a touring musician and like to also be hands-on when it comes to record production, I wholeheartedly recommend trying out the software called Source-Live.

Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen for yourself here and learn more about the album right here!

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