Today's Top Stories

Aerosmith Farewell Tour Coming?

WSAZ Huntington reports that ten members of Allman's sound crew were on the bus when the driver experienced a choking incident behind the wheel, causing the vehicle to cross the southbound lanes on Interstate 77 into the northbound lanes, went through a guardrail and over an embankment around 5:00 AM.

Three of the crew were sent to hospital, treated for minor injuries and released later the same day. Gregg Allman was not on the bus at the time of the accident.

The Telegraph quoted him as saying: "We obviously think it's really f***ing lame. I love Guns N' Roses; I think they're really cool. I'd love to see Slash and Axl and Duff play together; that's great. But I think it's f***ing lame considering we've been hardcore. Our integrity's still intact; we've never split up. We've gone through if someone had a little sniffle or something, we soldier on."

Collen continued: "Someone dies, someone loses an arm, someone gets cancer, we soldier on. With GNR, if someone has a little barney backstage, they can't deal with each other. I know it's difficult, but I do think it's pretty lame when you compare anyone else to us."

But now two months on Collen has moved to clarify the comments insisting he was misquoted. Speaking on an appearance on the Toontrack podcast he insists: "I actually just got into trouble recently, 'cause I got misquoted talking about Guns N' Roses, of who I think are amazing. I love Guns N' Roses. I think they're an amazing band. I would love to go and see them.

"And someone said, 'Oh, you said they're lame.' No. I said it's lame that they broke up in the first place. I don't even think it's lame that they're reforming. I think it's� you know, the world needs a Guns N' Roses, and it's, like, well, about time.

The issue - which makes headlines every few years - recently surfaced again as the New York group marked the 40th anniversary of its 1976 album "Destroyer."

"Why wouldn't we use the classic makeup? We own it," Simmons tells Rolling Stone. "The saddest thing of all is here we are, top of Mt. Olympus with all this cool stuff happening, really enjoying ourselves, the fans are thrilled, and nobody ever holds up a sign, 'Where's Ace and Peter?'"

After early fans of KISS struggled to accept guitarist Vinnie Vincent as the Ankh Warrior and drummer Eric Carr as the Fox in the 80s, the group revived its then-sagging fortunes by unmasking entirely.

Following reunion and farewell tours with Frehley and Criss, Simmons and co-founder Paul Stanley took ownership of the designs and passed them on for use by Thayer and Singer.

"In retrospect, it was the right decision," Simmons adds. "There's always going to be five percent or 10 percent of people who were there at the beginning who will complain about anything. And listen, I think that's valid from their point of view. But people get onto a train at different times.

"This is really a very simple little video that I wanted to be ultimately positive," says Barnbrook. "We start off in black and white world of Blackstar, but in the final chorus we move to brilliant color.

"I saw it as a celebration of David, to say that despite the adversity we face, the difficult things that happen such as David's passing, that human beings are naturally positive, they look forward and can take the good from the past and use it as something to help with the present. We are a naturally optimistic species and we celebrate the good that we are given."

Part of the program's regular "Strombo Sessions" series, the band played live at Stroumboulopoulos' downtown Toronto home for the program as they tour in support of their latest album, "Hidden City."

The 5-song set included classics like "Wild Flower", "Horse Nation" and "She Sells Sanctuary", and a pair of new tracks "Deeply Ordered Chaos" and "G.O.A.T."

The Cult also spoke with the host about the roots element of the band and the inspirations of the modern world. "I think because we grew up as blue collar kids, we've always been immersed in street culture and kept and ear to the ground in that way," explained frontman Ian Astbury. "Always paying attention to evolving new sounds, directions, fashion and music. The popular culture conversation, social media, that's part of it, but then actually physically going places - it doesn't matter, Paris, Milan, Tokyo, New York, LA, TO - in 'The Six'!

"Totally Stripped" sources three complete Stones concerts from 1995 - the Paradiso in Amsterdam, L'Olympia in Paris and London's Brixton Academy - and is rounded out with an overhauled version of the documentary of the same name, which gives viewers behind the scenes look at the making of the original package.

"There's something about playing these small venues, the immediacy of it," says Keith Richards. "Also we can keep God out the band, because on big gigs he sometimes turns up as rain or wind."

As Mick Jagger said at the time, the aim was to "take the best element from (MTV) Unplugged, the intimate thing of it, without actually doing it completely unplugged."

He tells Metal Wani: "I'm actually tracking today. We don't have a specific date set yet but we're trying as hard as we can to get the album out this year. We're in the studio now. We've already tracked the bass and the drums for the album, I started my guitar tracking yesterday and I continue today. We're well on our way."

The numbered box set of Ride The Lightning includes four vinyl records, six CDs, one DVD, a book including unseen photos, a mini-book of lyrics handwritten by James Hetfield and a set of three posters.

The sets pack rarities, outtakes and demos from the Beatles' full career, as well as two songs - "Real Love" and "Free as a Bird" - that started as John Lennon demos from the late 1970s and were finished by Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr in 1995.

All three collections entreated the Billboard 200 chart at No. 1, with Anthology 1, 2 and 3 arriving in November 1995, March 1996 and October 1996, respectively.

Anthology 1 has "Free as a Bird" as the first track. The tune picked up the Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal category in 1996. The set also features recordings from the pre-Beatles band the Quarrymen starting in 1958 and runs through Beatles recordings up to October of 1964.

Last year Elliott said he suffered from bronchial spasms, possibly due to "dust and gas emissions" from the South Dakota motorbike festival he performed at that summer - but he says he's ready to perform again.

He tells John Garbutt: "As far as I'm aware, it's fine. I got a really bad cough over Christmas and New Year, and that's what did the damage. It wasn't singing. It was just an injury.

"It was like a footballer getting kicked very hard on the shin and not being able to play for a few weeks or a couple of months or whatever. It was nothing to do with his ability to play; it was just an injury that he picked up. And it was the same thing with me.

Johnson tells Talking Metal: "My family and I moved to Nashville three years ago. The guys that played on it with me are from here. And Nick Raskulinecz, such an amazing rock producer, lives here too. We worked together two years ago on The Killer Instinct.

"He just did a phenomenal job on that. It gave us an opportunity to get to know each other on a personal level. After that experience, our families started hanging out. We take our kids to Chuck E Cheese or a hockey game. One day he said, 'Hey man if you've got any songs we should get you into the studio and start tracking some stuff.'"

As for the choice of songs on Echo, Johnson gives the credit to his wife. He adds: "These were songs that have been sitting in the vault. If I'm writing with some particular musicians, if we don't do something with it right then, I tend to sort of forget about it and move on. My wife Linda said I had a stack of material, quality songs that you should at least revisit."

Draiman tells Full Metal Jackie: "I can't deny the impact of becoming a father and having my son come into this world, and even becoming a husband.

"The irony is that, when people think that in certain ways it softens you - in many ways I'm more defensive and more on guard and more frightened and more angry at everything in this world now that I have them to worry about.

Wakrat are working on their debut album. Former Audioslave man Commerford says: "I am as excited about Wakrat and what we're doing musically as I was when Rage Against The Machine first started.

"Wakrat is brand new, we're not a known commodity, so we're looking forward to finishing the album, paying our dues and earning our fans, and getting out there and playing shows as often as possible."

Frontman Mike Hranica had the following to say, "Along with bringing Kyle into the band, we're also happy to announce that we're recording our sixth, next full-length. We wrote the album in two stints out in Michigan and Wisconsin, and now we're back in Long Island to work with the most excellent Dan Korneff."

October Tide features Volturyon vocalist Alexander Hogsbom, Katatonia's former guitarist and bassist, Fredrik and Mattias Norman, Mandylon guitarist Emil Alstermark and sticksman Jocke Wallgren, who was recently recruited as a touring drummer for Amon Amarth.

Hogbom says of Winged Waltz: "This is undoubtedly the best and most emotionally charged material October Tide has created, in my opinion. I know how much hard work Fredrik (guitar) has put into making this album and you can really feel the thought behind it all.

Trey Gunn and Michael Cozzi are joined in the lineup by drummer Jerry Marotta, keyboard player David Jameson and singer Brian Cummins. Marotta says: "Peter was always great at setting the table for us as musicians. He always got us started with great ideas.

"As we were creating Security we had no idea we were making something so unique. I'm proud that with The Security Project we're able to deliver the deepest of those songs, and do it with real conviction - playing them live."

Keyboardist Jens Johansson had the following to say: "It's been 20 years since the Episode album, we're all getting older but this stuff sounds as fresh as ever.

He says: "Rock 'n' roll is kind of like my father figure. My dad split when I was a young kid and that was tumultuous for me growing up. I was always trying to fill that void.

The book covers his career from working with Steve Vai to forming Strapping Young Lad, creating the Devin Townsend Project and founding latest outfit Casualties Of Cool.

A Classic version will be available alongside a Signature box set, including demo cassette and cartoon prints. Townsend says: "I thought writing a book was going to be easy - it wasn't.

"Writing about growing up, music, the creative process and the connection between personal development and career made me think about a lot of other stuff too.

The Danish rockers launched their four-date Untied UK tour in Newcastle on Wednesday (April 6) and will also play in Edinburgh, Manchester and Swansea.

Drummer John Fred Young and guitarist Ben Wells made the clip for Kerrang and in it they can be seen creating a bourbon version of the drink as well as a vodka version.

Entitled Movie!, the reissue will be released on June 3 via Gronland Records. It is available for pre-order now on CD and vinyl. The label says: "Movies has been lovingly reworked with a considered new running order.

To me " cold hands" and "a warm heart" sort of represent longing and fulfillment. In a way you can't have one without the other. On my way to Tennessee I came across a letter my girlfriend wrote me. The lyrics to Cold Hands are inspired by what it said.

Ralph's drum beat and bass part gave the song a unique sound, and when he incorporated the synth pads it really came together. The variety of sounds we were able to achieve between the two of us, on this song particularly, is a good representation of what we want to accomplish in the future.

I used to play those two chords over and over for hours. Funny to think what became of something so simple.