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Day in Rock Report for 10/05/2016


Today's Day in Rock Stories


AC/DC's Brian Johnson Could Return Within Six Months

(Classic Rock) Hearing technology experts Asius Technologies say that AC/DC frontman Brian Johnson could be back performing live on stage "within six to 12 months."

Asius' Chief Scientist Stephen Ambrose previously met with Johnson after the singer was ordered to stop touring with AC/DC or risk permanently losing his hearing. And the 68-year-old vocalist said he was "moved and amazed" by the technology Asius are developing.

As the Colorado-based company prepares to launch a crowdfunding campaign to attract backers for their next generation of earbuds and in-ear monitors, they are also set to meet up with Johnson again and have him test a new prototype that they say could have him back on stage in the near future.

Ambrose tells TeamRock: "I wouldn't be surprised if we have something that Brian, and other people, can use to return to the stage without any threat of damage to his hearing within the next six to 12 months.

"I will endeavor to kick up the development of the technology another 10 notches, at which point I expect to get the green light from Brian's doctors to test the prototype with him." Read more here.

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Rolling Stones Play Surprise Intimate Concert

(hennemusic) The Rolling Stones performed a surprise show for 1,200 truckers at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas on October 3 and, a day later, issued a pair of video clips teasing news of their first new album in a decade.

The concert was part of a customer appreciation dinner for truck manufacturer Freightliner during the 2016 American Trucking Associations' annual Management Conference & Exhibition, according to TT News.

The band delivered a 14-song, 90-minute set of classics inside a conference room converted into a concert venue at the Bellagio that includes the first live performance of the "Steel Wheels" single, "Mixed Emotions", since 1990.

The secret Las Vegas gig doubled as a warm-up date ahead of the group's appearances at the Desert Trip festival in Indio, CA on October 7 and 14. The band also offered up two short video previews of a release coming October 6, which is expected to be the lead track from the group's new blues album that was recorded late last year. Read more and watch the videos here.

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Kings Of Leon To Play Special Album Release Show

Kings of Leon will be celebrating the October 14th release of their new studio album "Walls" with a special invitation-only show for SiriusXM in New York City.

The show will be taking place at (Le) Poisson Rouge on Wednesday, October 12 at 9:00 pm ET and it will be broadcast live on SiriusXM's Alt Nation channel (channel 36).

We were sent these details about tickets for the special concert "Subscribers will have the opportunity to win tickets to this private SiriusXM concert through an invitation sent by e-mail - as of September 30 at 4:00 pm ET SiriusXM subscribers since before September 14 can also enter for the chance to win a trip to New York City and tickets to the concert. One grand prize winner will receive a trip for two including round-trip airfare, two nights' hotel stay, a pair of tickets to the exclusive concert and the opportunity to meet Kings of Leon." Find the rules here.

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Sum 41's Deryck Whibley Thought He Was Turning Schizophrenic

(TeamRock) Sum 41's Deryck Whibley says he felt like he had schizophrenia and was "going crazy" during his battle with alcohol addiction. The singer, who suffered a near-death experience brought on by alcohol abuse last year, says their forthcoming album 13 Voices is inspired by his mental health struggles on his road to recovery.

When asked why he went public with his medical emergency, Whibley tells Canoe: "I felt like there's got to be a lot of people that are in the same position or the same level as I am. I'm not going to tell anybody what to do but I can say, 'Hey, this is what happened to me.'"

Recalling his harrowing experience, he says: "It was just a very uncertain time. A lot of insecurities.

"I actually thought I was going crazy at one point. I thought I was turning schizophrenic or something. I had so much chaos and so much noise in my head. Everything was a question, which is where the term 13 Voices came from." Read more here.

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Peter Hook Says He Was Physical Abused By His Ex-Wife

(Classic Rock) Former New Order and Joy Division bassist Peter Hook says he endured years of physical abuse at the hands of his ex wife Caroline Aherne. Award-winning actor and comedian Aherne died from cancer in July and Hook says he "couldn't in all good conscience" join in the tributes following her death.

Aherne was the brains behind hit TV comedies The Mrs Merton Show and The Royle Family and she married Hook in Las Vegas in 1994. They split three years later.

Hook's comments appear in his new autobiography, Substance: Inside New Order, which is released on October 6. He says (via the Guardian): "Yes I loved her, yes she could be very funny, and there were times I felt privileged to have a private audience with such a great comic talent.

"But she was also a very troubled person and nowhere did that manifest itself more than in our relationship." Describing one of the first violent episodes, Hook says: "She attacked me, using her nails to scratch at my neck, tearing off my necklace and ripping my top. It was proper shocking stuff.

"And although she was really contrite the next morning, it marked the beginning of some serious screaming-banshee behaviour - putting cigarettes out on my arm, attacking me with bottles, knives, chairs and other assorted furniture. Read more here.

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NOFX Streaming Full New Album 'First Ditch Effort'

(TeamRock) NOFX have made their album First Ditch Effort available to stream online in the run-up to its October 7 release. Frontman Fat Mike says Pennywise guitarist Fletcher Dragge reached out to him after listening to their "painful and personal" 13th album - which explores the singer's past issues, including alcohol and substance abuse.

Speaking to Consequence Of Sound, he adds: "Fletcher said, 'I can't believe you're actually singing these lyrics!' Yep, I went there and I'm proud of this record. This is for sure our most painful and personal album. All my secrets are out there."

Mike says that the poem included on Generation Z is his favourite part of the record, adding: "My stepdaughter reads it, but she's only reading about a quarter of it. To see the entire poem, you gotta look at the lyric sheet.

"I went dark. It stings, but good art is supposed to hurt somebody."Listen to the new album here.

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Shinedown Release 'How Did You Love' Video

(Classic Rock) Shinedown have released a video for their track How Did You Love. The song comes from their fifth album Threat To Survival, which was released last month - just before the band were confirmed as support act for Iron Maiden's European tour in April and May next year.

Frontman Brent Smith says of the track: "It's very unique, the statement in the song. How Did You Love asks the question, 'How did you live your life?'

"If you're born you'll pass away eventually. You know it's going to happen. But what did you do in the meantime? What was your legacy? Did you inspire people, were you good to people? Were you good to yourself? Were you able to let go of hate?"

He adds: "It's harder sometimes to be positive than it is to be negative. The question in the song is meant to be an eye-opener, like, 'If I wasn't living before, I'd better start living now.'" Watch the video here.

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New Tool Music Their Best Ever Says Meshuggah Star

(Metal Hammer) Meshuggah guitarist Marten Hagstrom says he's heard demos of the long-awaited Tool album, and described them as "the best I've heard." He and bandmate Tomas Haake were offered sneak previews when they visited Tool drummer Danny Carey's home last year.

And while he thinks the follow-up to 2006's 10,000 Days could arrive next year, he's aiming to find out more in the near future. Hagstrom tells Rocksverige.se: "We have contact with them quite often. I don't know what's up with their record, but we can say this - this is typical Tool. They're the best band, and the only band that's slower than we are.

"Tomas was talking to Danny just before the weekend, and it was like, 'Well, it will probably take a while.' Last year I and Tomas visited Danny at home, when he'd just become a father, and he played the demo material from the album.

"It was demos - but it's the best I've heard of Tool, I can say. We were like, 'Sh*t, it will probably be next year!' And it was a little hopeful, but now it doesn't seem so long." Read more here.

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Ramones To Have Street Renamed In Their Honor

(hennemusic) The Ramones will be honored with a street named Ramones Way during an October 23 ceremony in their hometown of Queens, NY. The street sign will be unveiled at the intersection of 67th Avenue and 110th Street in front of the main entrance of Forest Hills High School, which was attended by the band's original lineup of John Cummings (Johnny Ramone), Jeffrey Hyman (Joey Ramone), Douglas Colvin (Dee Dee Ramone) and Thomas Erdelyi (Tommy Ramone).

Ramones Way follows a proposal passed by the City Council on July 14, according to councilwoman Karen Koslowitz, who sponsored the co-naming after speaking with Mitchell Leigh Hyman, the brother of Joey Ramone, at the opening of the "Hey! Ho! Let's Go: Ramones And The Birth Of Punk" exhibit at the Queens Museum in April.

"Our community of Forest Hills has been the home of many famous artists," says Koslowitz. "Many legendary musicians also attended Forest Hills High School including Paul Simon, Art Garfunkel, Burt Bacharach, as well as the members of the famous punk rock group the Ramones. The Ramones played well in the 1990s and received numerous accolades and awards including an induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

"Working with Joey Ramone's brother and Forest Hills resident Mickey Leigh and fans of the band, I am so very pleased to honor our hometown musical heroes by renaming 67th Avenue and 110th Street in front of Forest Hills High School, right where it all started as 'The Ramones Way'." Read more here.

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Stevie Nicks Expands 'Bella Donna' and 'The Wild Heart' For Reissue

(Radio.com) Stevie Nicks will be releasing several unreleased tracks and newly remastered recordings via deluxe editions of her first two solo albums, Bella Donna and The Wild Heart.

Available November 4, Bella Donna: Deluxe Edition will be three-CD featuring bonus recordings, including 13 previously unreleased tracks, and a disc dedicated to live recordings from 1981.

Listeners will get a chance to hear unreleased versions of "Edge Of Seventeen" and "Leather And Lace," as well as rarities like "Blue Lamp." The Wild Heart: Deluxe Edition will also include a CD of bonus recordings with seven previously unreleased tracks. Read more here.

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Bob Dylan's 'No Direction Home' Expanded For Anniversary Edition

(Radio.com) To celebrate the 10th anniversary of Martin Scorsese's documentary No Direction Home: Bob Dylan, Capitol Records will be releasing a deluxe edition on October 28th.

Not only will the film be available on Blu-ray for the first time, but it will also feature an impressive 2 1/2 hours of bonus and never-before-seen content. That's on top of the documentary's original 208 minutes.

The extra footage includes extended scenes from the film and full-length interviews with Scorsese, Dave van Ronk and Liam Clancy. Those wanting something more tangible with their purchase can opt for the Special Edition Deluxe Box. Read more here.

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Gene Simmons Gets His Own KISS Spinoff Comic Book Series

(Classic Rock) Gene Simmons is to star in his own spinoff comic book mini-series called Kiss: The Demon. Co-written by Amy Chu and Erik Burnham and illustrated by Eman Cassallos, the title tells the story of three young Kiss fans meeting at a concert and forming their own band - which will ultimately change the fate of the world. It will serve as a prequel to the currently ongoing Kiss #1 comic run and will launch in January next year.

Simmons says: "Kiss has never just been a band. Our comic book history has been long and proud and has spanned decades, and now with Dynamite Entertainment, we intend to go even further.

"When we get a great writer and artist team, we know better than to micro-manage. We stay out of the way.

"Everyone involved wanted to take our personas and do classic Kiss comic books. This will be an adventure the fans will absolutely love." here.

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Eric Clapton Releases 'Motherless Children' Live Video

(hennemusic) Eric Clapton has released a video of a performance of the blues classic "Motherless Children" from his recently-released set, "Live In San Diego with Special Guest JJ Cale."

Originally recorded by Blind Willie Johnson in 1927 and featured on Clapton's 1974 album, "461 Ocean Boulevard", the tune is one 16 songs on the package that captures Clapton in a 2007 concert in San Diego, CA as part of a tour in support of "The Road To Escondido."

The collaboration with longtime mentor Cale led to a 2008 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album, and the companion tour saw the singer/songwriter join the bluesman for five tracks on the new live release, including three from "Escondido" and two made famous by Clapton: "After Midnight" and "Cocaine."

Also referred to as the "Doyle and Derek tour", Clapton's live band at the time included guitarists Doyle Bramhall II and Derek Trucks, keyboardists Chris Stainton and Tim Carmon, bassist Willie Weeks, drummer Steve Jordan and backing vocalists Michelle John and Sharon White. here.

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Amy Lee Hints At Evanescence's Future

(Metal Hammer) Amy Lee says there will be future releases from Evanescence. The band went on hiatus after touring for the release of their 2011 self-titled record. During that time, singer Lee gave birth to her son, Jack, and worked on the soundtrack for 2014's War Story.

Following a run of intimate US shows last November, Lee now reveals there are new projects in the works. She tells Loudwire: "There is Evanescence in the future. Not going to go into a ton of detail because I want to take things step by step.

"We're doing this really cool vinyl box set with all of our albums including pre-Fallen material, which the fans have been asking for forever - and I kind of hate it so I kind of buried it - but now I'm letting them have it, so that's really cool. We did a new recording of another pre-Fallen song that's really beautiful. I can't wait for it to come out."

Lee adds: "I'm most looking forward to the things we haven't done yet. I'm not going to tell you exactly what they are, but there's a couple of songs that are almost just for me." Read more here.

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Gone Is Gone Stream New Song 'Sentient'

(Prog) Gone Is Gone have released a lyric video for their track Sentient. It's taken from the supergroup's upcoming debut album Echolocation, due for release on January 6 of next year via Rise Records.

The band features Mastodon singer and bassist Troy Sanders, At The Drive-In drummer Tony Hajjar, Queens Of The Stone Age guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen and guitarist and keyboardist Mike Zarin.

Their self-titled debut EP was released earlier this year. Explaining how they decided on Sanders as lead vocalist, Hajjar said: "When thinking of singers, a few came to mind, but Troy Sanders' voice and presence kept on coming up in conversations.

"Both Troys had always talked about doing something together, so it was an easy connection. Sanders flew in and tracked some demos to the finished music, and it went from there.

"Mike and I have had the privilege of being part of some amazing movie trailer campaigns and scored the game Splinter Cell: Blacklist together as well. Our goal is to be able to do more of this within this project." The album artwork and full tracklist and the Sentient lyric video can been seen here.

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Ricky Warwick Streams New Song 'When Patsy Cline Was Crazy'

(hennemusic) Black Star Riders frontman Ricky Warwick has released a lyric video for the title track to "When Patsy Cline Was Crazy (And Guy Mitchell Sang The Blues)", one half of his latest 2CD set that also includes the album "Hearts On Trees."

The singer wrote both albums alongside friend Sam Robinson. "He handed me these lyrics and my jaw hit the floor," explains Warwick. "They were the lyrics for the title track and that title alone just evoked so many memories for me from my childhood. The strange thing is that Sam and I grew up about a mile apart from each other and supported the same football team, we had the same working class upbringing but never met each other.

"Now here was a guy who wrote in this song about the music that his father listened to, which was the same music that my father listened to - about his father working during the week, having a flutter on the horses on a Saturday, winning money, buddies coming over, the whiskey coming out, the cards coming out and we'd get to be the DJs and get to put the records on."

"And when you're 10 years old," continued the singer, "that was a big thing that you were in charge of the record player. You got to put on Sinatra, Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Patsy Cline and all these greats, and that was magical. Sam and I both had that when we were kids. So as soon as he handed me those lyrics I could hear the song, I could hear the music and I could hear the melody."

Warwick is joined on the double-album set by guests including bandmate Damon Johnson, Def Leppard's Joe Elliott, Ginger Wildheart, Andy Cairns, Billy Morrison and Stiff Little Finger Jake Burns. Check out the new song here.

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Opeth Classic Gets Unusual Makeover

(Prog) A cello cover of Opeth's song Harvest has been released. The 2001 track, lifted from Opeth's album Blackwater Park, was adapted by composer Raphael Weinroth-Browne for a nine-piece ensemble.

Meanwhile, Opeth mastermind Mikael Akerfeldt says being "fearless" and refusing to write music with their fanbase in mind is the key to the band's success.

He tells Full Metal Jackie (via Loudwire): "I am quite fearless - I am now anyway. I guess there was a time in our career where I was a bit more wary about what people might think.

"Perhaps part of me wanted us to build a fanbase or something, or I was hoping that we'd become more popular and I was hoping that everybody was going to like whatever we were doing. I don't really care so much anymore, and I think that's good for me.

"It would be very difficult for me to write music if I was adjusting my creativity to fit the taste of the listener. I don't believe in public opinion when it comes to this band or what we should do." Read more and check out the cover here.

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Ray Wilson Releases 'Makes Me Think Of Home' Video

(Prog) Ray Wilson has released a video for his track "Makes Me Think Of Home". It's the title track from the former Genesis frontman's sixth album, which is released on October 7 (Friday). Makes Me Think Of Home is the follow-up to Song For A Friend, which was issued in June.

The Scottish musician says of the track: "I often reflect on my life in Scotland, as I have lived in Poland for eight years now. I had a basement studio in my home, which I spend years writing in and recording songs and albums.

"The darkness or lack of daylight became almost addictive to me. Day after day, year after year, I would head down there to create music. I didn't realise it at the time, but it was also sucking the life out of me.

"I needed light and a life, outside this reality. When I came to Poznan, I got a huge apartment with lots of windows and a balcony overlooking a park.

"This song highlights my memories of back home in Scotland and the many fights I had with my own emotions over those years." Watch the video here.

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Obsidian Kingdom Release Acoustic Video For 'Black Swan'

(Prog) Spanish proggers Obsidian Kingdom have premiered the video of the special acoustic version of Black Swan with Prog. The original track appeared on their most recent release A Year With No Summer, which was released on Season Of Mist earlier this year.

The track is released as part of their This Is Not Session, which the band explain :"We are proud to have been invited to perform at the first of the This Is Not session - an audio-visual project that strives to capture the alternative side of diverse music performers, portraying them in the context of different emblematic cultural spaces. An unprecedented experience with a cinematic and intimate perspective.

"The first chapter of this musical journey features us in the Dome and Oval Room of the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya (MNAC) in Barcelona, an architectonic jewel built for the International Exhibition of 1929 with an unique performance that takes place in one of the most symbolic spaces of the city.

"The This Is Not project is directed by Ruth Zapater, an audio-visual artist based in Barcelona who has been working in the field of photography since 2009. All of her work is music-related. Official photographer for various festivals and concerts by national and international groups, she currently works as a cinematographer at Iced Dawn Films." Watch the video here.

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Singled Out: Shokran's Creatures From The Mud

Moscow groove prog metalers Shokran just released their brand new album "Exodus" and to celebrate we asked them to tell us the story behind the song "Creatures From The Mud". Here is the story:

We'll try to explain our song Creatures from the Mud. The song's story started out with the simple idea to make a really memorable one and the very first sketches were composed on the road during our Russian tour back in 2014.

At the start, Dmitry wanted to open up the song with tapping part which would spill over to the heavy and catchy guitar riff.Having considered putting in an atmospheric part with a clean singing on top of it which again would flow into the rough part and then carry on with a bridge to the chorus.
While writing the chorus, we came across an idea of the choir in there. After many improvisations this part seemed to be ready.

The idea of the single came up right after we'd thought of the album concept of the ten Plagues of Egypt. Creatures from the Mud is all about the second Plague, the plague of Frogs.

"This is what the great LORD says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me. If you refuse to let them go, I will plague your whole country with frogs. The Nile will teem with frogs. They will come up into your palace and your bedroom and onto your bed, into the houses of your officials and on your people, and into your ovens and kneading troughs. The frogs will go up on you and your people and all your officials." -Exodus 8:1-4

We'd already had several versions of this single. When we changed the vocalist, our new singer Andrew rewrote everything and the choir was finally recorded as it should have been, with a crowd of people.
Actually, the choir was a tricky part, it was rerecorded many times before it was approved by everyone. The choir's recording took place in Kyiv and St. Petersburg.

For real, as we're a project where everyone lives in different cities, the song itself was created in several of them such as Krasnodar, Moscow, Tula, Kyiv and Saint Petersburg.

From now on, we have the final version of Creatures from the Mud in our new LP 'Exodus' which is available in all digital stores and on CD (which exclusively includes an instrumental version as well).

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

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